Unlike the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, which imposed ideology on their populaces by means of culture and entertainment, America’s current reality is the overturning of the political order by the country’s entertainers. Washington today can be understood only as a product of show business, not of law or policy. - The Atlantic
In many ways, rationalism is the result of people with STEM educations attempting to tackle questions that had long been the purview of the humanities, guided by a stubbornly autodidactic conviction that definitive answers could be reached through a rigorous application of logic untainted by psychological biases. - The Point
This is what’s called zero-sum thinking — the belief that life is a battle over finite rewards where gains for one mean losses for another. And these days, that notion seems to be everywhere. - The New York Times
The film, especially its opening, combines “many types of beauty fused into one: photographic, geographic, choreographic, high kitsch and high camp. I’d distrust anyone who professes themselves unmoved by it in any way.” - The Guardian (UK)
Even though it’s unlikely (as of this writing) that Estou Ainda Aqui, or I’m Still Here, will win best pic or Fernanda Torres Best Actress, Torres imitators line the streets at Carnival, “drink beer, clutch plastic Oscars and deliver the impromptu acceptance speeches.” - The New York Times
“Does it bother me that Saoirse Ronan doesn’t have an Oscar? Yes. ... She should have won for Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Little Women, all three of them, epochal. But I worry more that she’ll win for something less astounding.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Microsoft is shutting the app down in May. “But although Skype will be gone, the memories it evokes — not to mention the sound of its weird and wonderful ringtone — will stay with many of us for years to come.” - The Verge
It’s true that in several prominent studies, researchers have staged “competitions” in which AI technology appears to outperform humans in these very human areas. But a closer look reveals that these games are rigged against us humans. - The Guardian
Ardent hobbyists are often viewed as eccentric. I think they might be the only normal people left. As a rule, they are active and engaged. They are more interested in making than consuming. They dream and they do. - Unherd
We cannot truly understand our own time and place without a serious understanding of other times and places. Strangely enough, the priming effect, as manifested in the search for politically relevant hooks, actively prevents that understanding. - Hedgehog Review
Partners who are at first judged to be powerful or strong become controlling or overbearing after a breakup. People who are nice become pushovers. Successful people become workaholics. - BBC
Optimism is, after all, by its nature delusional; ‘realism’ or outright pessimism might seem more justifiable given the troubles of the present and the uncertainties of the future. - Psyche
The effort spent trying to impress others; the dazzling meals I was too tired to cook but cook I did; the Guardian column that I just couldn’t stop tinkering with. What can get lost in all this are the ordinary feelings and parts of myself that have ended up neglected, because I didn’t consider them dazzling enough. - The...
As conversational AI agents become more interactive and personalized, they will surpass human influencers in their ability to shape our decisions without us realizing it. - Big Think
