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- “There’s a fundamental relationship between the way in which societies process information and how large they are able to become.” How information drove development of early states.
- Japanese architecture and sci fi of the 1960s-1990s as an exploration of “how to make substantial architecture when substantial things are losing their meaning.” (A phrase that has been echoing in my mind recently.)
- Strategies to mitigate the growth of complexity.
- Gaining clarity in times of uncertainty.
- Fred Brooks on peer review: “When done right it is about coaxing the best out of scientists, and encouraging new ideas to flourish and the field to proceed.”
- “When you read a scientific paper, try to think about it the way other scientists do. Ask some basic questions to judge its merit.” Carl Zimmer on how to read science papers.
- The shortcomings of online events.
- Jon Kolko on constraints in the design process.
- I recently read — and loved — Andy Grove’s classic book, High Output Management. My notes.
- An interesting (but inaccurate) topological map of world borders.
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