Last year, I interviewed Binyamin Hochner of Hebrew University about his work developing new robotics systems based on the neurobiology of octopuses and other cephalopods. That interview ended up being incorporated into a video about cephalopod intelligence that was posted here on BoingBoing.
Read in full and enjoy the links to yet more delight!
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Resentment is not a zero-sum game because there is an infinite supply of it. A billionaire can resent just as well as a pauper: and, of course, vice versa...more
The mythological city via Eurozine articles by Peter Wendl
Whether it is prehistoric paintings on the walls of caves or the graffiti and advertising we see all over the walls of our modern cities, people need to mark out their space, distinguish it from the untamed wilderness. Peter Wendl asks why we still need to produce signs and icons in public spaces. Read more
Really interesting ideas.
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Culture has become a force in human evolution, one that even accelerates evolution, as people adapt to pressures of their own creation...more
Bizarre Birdmen of Bognor Regis via Britannica Blog by David Gregory
This bizarre Bognor Regis International Birdman Competition of human-powered flying machines proves an entertaining spectacle every year in the lovely seaside town of Bognor Regis, where a motley collection of wannabe flyers fling themselves off the pier to see how far they can get.
Full article
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Long before Kinsey, an obscure Stanford professor polled Victorian-era women on their views of sex, but kept secret the startling results...more
“Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com
via First Monday (Volume 16 Number 8 (August 2011)) by Kelly Bergstrom
While many online communities have explicit codes of conduct that one must follow in order to participate, there are often many “unwritten rules” or community expectations that users are expected to abide by. In this case study of www.reddit.com, a news aggregate Web site whose affordances seem to imply a transient and fluid approach to online identity, I outline an example of a community member (known as “Grandpa Wiggly”) who ran afoul of community expectations of authentic representation of one’s “true” off–line self. I also detail how accusations of trolling were used as a justification for shutting down debates about community expectations, as well as justifying actions against Grandpa Wiggly that violated the Reddit terms of service (and his privacy).
Full text: HTML
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Looking back over his life from St. Helena, it wasn't the failed invasion of Russia that loomed large in Napoleon’s mind, but rather the Siege of Cádiz...more
Cat + chemistry + puns = awesome via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
Better yet, I Can Has Cheezburger has a whole gallery of these things. Besides this one, the potassium joke is one of my favorites.
Thanks Antinous!
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
From Napoleon's defeat to the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Tom Standage argues, food has ways of defining the course of events...more
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