Category: links and bookmarks

These insane devices surfaced by UT Design on IG.

Immune discovery ‘may treat all cancer’ – BBC News

The next big privacy scare is a face recognition tool you’ve never heard of

It’s a Peter Thiel-funded company called Clearview AI, and its service matches faces from images you upload with those in its database of some three billion photos. These pictures have been scraped from ‘millions’ of websites, including Facebook, YouTube, and Venmo. In addition to having a massive database, Clearview AI also boasts the ability to match faces even when you upload imperfect pictures, i.e. taken at odd angles or from a height, like from a surveillance camera.

The tool is said to be able to match faces correctly about 75 percent of the time, and it’s already helped nab criminals. What’s worrying is that it hasn’t been tested for accuracy by any independent party before it’s been made available to police forces…

Jay Springett does a deep dive on his extremely fine tuned bullet journal practise. I don’t bullet-journal and this rich process is still interesting to me.

• Please for the love of Blarg, Start a Blog – Jay Springett fucking brings it (thanks for the mention, Jay) (ignore that I mentioned it, read it, he talks about things I think are essential for the health of the online sphere)
• Alice Oswald: ‘I like the way that the death of one thing is the beginning of something else’ | Books | The Guardian

• Gamma-ray laser moves a step closer to reality

Stunning work from this illustrator I just discovered. Link.

I just found this 1898 volume on archive.org and I simply have to present this as a taster:

Shreckenghost, Thunderberg, Silverthrone, Lookingslant, 
Jollymood, Thickenmirth, Muttonjoy, Fingerhot, Oxenhorn, - 
Slanderhouse, Laughinghouse, Servinghouse, Warminghouse, 
Bobbinhouse, Boninghouse, Boltinghouse, - Honeychurch, 
Honeycamp, Eaglecamp, Bloomingcamp, Carpetdale, Middle- 
ditch Timberlake, Goldenarm, Goldenbow, Bitterwolf, Cud- 
dleback, Chatterbuck, Skittleharp, Danglemire, Stufflebeam, 
Battlegore, Bottomfield, Bottomstone, Homerkick, Tinkle- 
paugh, Lookingbill, Gollyhorn, Weathergreen, Scattergood, 
Conquergood, Dollarhide, Middlestink, Wagonback, Wagon- 
blast, Pennycook, - Overcash, Oversault, Overland, Overend, 
Overpeck, Underland, Underdo wn, Rowdy bust, Diddlebock, 
Kettlestrings, Bickelhump, Widowgas, Silversides, Chicken- 
bard, Cattlehock, Weatherhead, Weatherwax, Sodagreen, 
Alsobrook, Pittlecow, Singlebush, Basketfield, Doverspike, 
Riverhawk, Wanderwall, Appleboy, Applerot, Hollowbush, 
Silverbrand, Moneyhand, Shiversteel, Meadowcroft, Dicken- 
sheets, Mumblehead, Wagonfound, Brokenstick, Cobbledick, 
Bullerdick, Crackerbone, Goodieshanks, Clutterbuck, Melon- 
coat (skin or rind).

An hour-long show about music, writing, work and me. They’ve already done Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Hannah Berry.

Available for 26 more days at this link.

When it first appeared, the universe was much warmer, about 3,000 K. The early universe was filled with a bright warm glow.

We have a good idea of what that first color was…. a bright orange-white glow, similar to the warm light of an old 60-watt light bulb.

If we could go back to the period of that first light, we would probably perceive an orange glow similar to firelight.

What was the first colour in the universe?

Websitecarbon.com guesses the carbon footprint of your website.

I didn’t do so well. But I did enjoy the way it was framed.

PDF zine containing a sequence of short essays on the attention economy, the feeds, the news, the hellsite and the internet we ended up with. Very good.

In 2012 I wrote this piece about the use of the internet by a character in Charles Stross’ excellent 2000-ish novel ACCELERANDO.

Ahmet Sabancı revisited the entire piece last month.

One thing that makes this post special for me is the fact that every time I read it, it gives me a new perspective about how I’m dealing with the information I’m taking in and what I can do better or different. I also have to admit that since my first read of Accelerando, I secretly aspired to be like Manfred Macx. Of course Spider Jerusalem is “the idol” but for me Manfred and especially his relationship with information was something to be admired. Yes, I know, it’s very problematic and probably tells a lot but I’m not gonna deny it…