I’ve seen a lot of conspiracy theories that Facebook or Google are eavesdropping on our conversations. And there’s been a lot of mockery over the privacy concerns about people putting the Amazon Echo into their living room. But at the same time people seem totally fine with carrying a camera and microphone around with them…
From a Venezuelan who learned a fair amount suffering under Hugo Chavez: “Normal politicians collapse in the face of scandal because the scandals show them dozing on the job or falling back on their promises. To get elected, they offer a bargain: “Vote for me: I will make you richer/fight for your rights/assure your progress.”…
Came across an elegantly written essay that I found pretty powerful. It’s subtle and not for everyone, but if you’re one of the people it’s for, you may find it transcendent. The Twelve Virtues of Rationality: Curiosity: a burning itch to know is higher than a solemn vow to pursue truth. Relinquishment: “That which can…
Ok, let’s summarize: 1. The tax bill drastically increases costs for graduate students by charging the tuition which they don’t pay as income. 2. The tax bill would devastate startups, especially technology startups, by taxing options when they vest (but in many cases before they could be sold, making them worthless for startups). Note: this…
Protect yourself! Follow the standard advice about phishing: Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you by phone or email and pushes you to act right away. Don’t click on links in emails. Make account changes by navigating directly to a site and log in there instead of going through an email link. Don’t return phone…
In 1987, when Steve White invented the Graphics Interchange Format, he named it after the “JIF” peanut butter that was popular then. He pronounced it the same way. It was an inside joke for techies; he frequently said that “Choosy developers choose ‘GIF’,” referencing a television commercial circulating at the time. People who knew what…
Language is interesting. I just learned, uncited on Quora, but I choose to believe it because I want to… The modern word female is not derived from the modern word male. In fact, female derives from the latin word “femina,” from which we retain the idea of feminine; male derives from the latin word “masculus,”…
