Our brains are these amazingly predictive organs trying to constantly explain the world, because that’s our way to survive. We have to have a reliable model of reality so that we can know what to expect—for example, when there’s going to be a confrontation with someone we’re in a relationship with. - Nautilus
One can only imagine what the value of music would look like if copyright protections were to disappear altogether. It would not be a stretch to imagine that its value would fall close to zero, along with the value of other commercialized cultural products, and the value of labor carried out by artists and other creators. - Music Business...
In fact, neither one of these labels names a particularly coherent group of fields. STEM covers endeavors as different in their workings and aims as heart surgery is from number theory, while humanities disciplines have little in common beyond an (often) qualitative interest in (usually) human concerns. - Slate
The trick is convincing administrators, parents, and students that the best way of getting an education in independent and creative thinking is through the study of robust subjects like literature, math, science, history, and philosophy. - 3 Quarks Daily
The future of the nation’s universities is very much at stake. This is not a challenge that can be met with purely defensive tactics. We must do what should have been done long ago: find our way to a new social contract between universities and the American people. - The Atlantic
“The camera zooms in toward a black-and-white photograph hanging in the hallway of the Overlook Hotel. It's dated July 4, 1921. Dead centre stands Jack Torrance — played by Jack Nicholson — smiling in a crowd of partygoers. But the photo wasn't taken on set with extras.” - CBC
“We released our first episode of Buffering the Vampire Slayer on September 14, 2016. We couldn’t have imagined that only a few weeks later, we’d have thousands of new listeners.” - LitHub
“Small models are not used as general-purpose tools like their larger cousins. But they can excel on specific, more narrowly defined tasks, such as summarizing conversations answering patient questions as a health care chatbot. … They can also run on a laptop or cell phone.” - Wired
For some of us, it might be even better. But truly: "Researchers have identified a wellbeing boost known as ‘the cathedral effect’ which occurs when we have a lot of space above our heads,” and that includes, well, cathedrals. - The Guardian (UK)
The more closely you look at the profession of journalism, the stranger it seems. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than fifty thousand people were employed as journalists in 2023, which is less than the number of people who deliver for DoorDash in New York City. - The New Yorker
These changing patterns show that one’s relationship with effort isn’t simple. For many people, there’s a sweet spot – a little effort might make something more valuable, but push too far and the value drops. - The Conversation
In place of pain, we have ennui, the quintessential modern condition. It follows directly from overabundance: an endless stream of video “content” or chocolate cake or edibles or any other indulgence cannot deliver lasting satisfaction. Everything gets old eventually, leaving one to grope around for the next fix. - New Statesman
Paul Tillich defines “the courage to be” as “the ethical act in which man affirms his own being in spite of those elements of his existence which conflict with his essential self-affirmation.” In other words, it is not simply an attitude or disposition. The courage to be is a deed. - The Conversation
Unfortunately, the dominance of psychological narratives manifests in the misplaced hopes we cast onto individual leaders – whether in the political, technological, social or religious realms – and the often simplistic ideas they put forward. - Psyche
