October 2012
4 posts
3 tags
5 tags
5 tags
8 tags
August 2012
14 posts
1 tag
2 tags
Fashioning a Better World →
A luxury label built on a framework of social justice? High fashion as an avenue for third-world craftsmanship? Interesting, if it works.
3 tags
Armless Maidens of the American West by Genevieve... →
Eerie short story. The casual tone heightens the spooky vibe, and the tenses muddying the reader’s temporal perception work for it. (via io9)
3 tags
4 tags
3 tags
I sent this paper to JK Rowling explaining how the...
mypocketshurt90:
Mrs. Rowling, I read your statement that the wizarding gene is dominant. I have heard criticism that this does not explain muggle-borns, squibs, or the steady inheritance pattern of magical abilities; but I got your back. Magical ability could be explained by a single autosomal dominant gene if it is caused by an expansion of trinucleotide repeats with non-Mendelian ratios of...
7 tags
3 tags
The Future Is Unevenly Distributed →
While Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been recently held suspect, the principal idea of a hierarchical arrangement of personal needs remains relevant. What is amazing is that the recognition of vastly differing future outlooks is considered to be a relatively novel idea.
3 tags
3 tags
Isomorphismes: A white horse is not a horse. →
isomorphismes:
The last time I was reading the Zhoangdze, I got sidetracked by footnotes about the following 白馬論:
“A white horse is not a horse.”
A fundamental problem with the = sign that I can see personally in college (especially from freshmen) is the supposition that x = answer. Unlearning this seemingly innocuous habit is fundamental in building good proving skills where there really is...
2 tags
The Physics of Pixar's Hair →
I flip my hair back and forth I flip my flagella back and forth I flip my pipeline back and forth This sounded better when it was in my head.
2 tags
Haute wheels: Fashion takes a cue from food trucks →
A mobile retail store reminds me of traveling gypsy caravans (Tinker caravans, a la Wheel of Time) refashioned for a modern audience. Bringing the world closer to your doorstep by reviving old-fashioned methods; everything old is new again.
4 tags
[Editorial] Just How Bad Is App Piracy On Android... →
The take-away from the article: one of the primary reasons of piracy is the denial of legitimately good (affordable/tractable/efficient) avenues by which consumers can access content.
That and giant samples of the population (i.e. China) can greatly skew numbers (the odds are definitely in their favor).
3 tags
July 2012
32 posts
5 tags
This Cute Chat Site Could Save Your Life and Help... →
Cryptocat sounds promising. A chat client, of all things, should have the best security possible. Watch an intro video on it here.
The connectivity and (implicity) permanency of one’s Internet presence is bludgeoning to bits the idea that people with nothing to hide have nothing to fear. Soon enough, you really will have nothing to hide.
The tension between my predilection for big data and...
9 tags
4 tags
4 tags
Isomorphismes: Distance between Words →
isomorphismes:
Which pair is more different?
keyboard | keyb`ard
keyboard | keybpard
keyboard | keebored
Of course in mathematics we get to decide among many definitions of size and there is no “correct” answer. Just what suits the application.
I can think of two approaches to defining …
There is the argument that with the advent of increasing processing power and massive...
4 tags
3 tags
1 tag
Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new... →
It’s sad that asking a student what’s wrong (i.e. showing compassion) is perceived as a “new approach to student discipline.” (via BoingBoing)
2 tags
3 tags
How Streaming Music Will Change Culture for the... →
I guess it boils down to the best counterargument for people who complain that the Internet overloads/bombards the younger generation with too much information: only the continuously best innovative content will stand out. Gimmicks and a hostage audience must give way to true creative talent.
4 tags
5 tags
The Conservative Fantasy History of Civil Rights →
It’s amazing just how much those in power (or rather, aspiring to attain it) are willing to rewrite/revise history to justify their past/present/future initiatives. (via BoingBoing)
3 tags
5 tags
"Clearly gliding using a batcape is not a safe way... →
Yeah this is actually a thing. For science. YEEEEEEAH (via io9)
5 tags
3 tags
Welcome to the Future Nauseous →
A long, meandering read that contextualizes that feeling of normalcy that allows the future to appear so boring and sanitized to us. Interesting read. (via BoingBoing)
4 tags
5 tags
5 tags
“More Like This…” Building a network of similarity →
A quick explanation of how Netflix uses multiple algorithms to cull and prune its big data sets and create a useful recommendation engine for its customers. I love these posts because they highlight a couple of things:
Big data is here and it is insanely useful;
You don’t need a catch-all algorithm, you just need good efficient ones;
Sharing your ideas will not prevent you from earning...
4 tags
3 tags
What does it mean to say that something causes 16%... →
Not much, actually. Or everything, really.
I guess this is one instance that highlights the dangers of remaining ignorant (and reinforcing it with the “I’m not using it in what I do anyway” mentality) in other aspects of life. It annoys me that people would be so proud of their stupidity in math then whine about getting shafted by the economy/media.
Dictatorial institutions...
7 tags
3 tags
Polka Dots Are In? Polka Dots It Is! →
Contrary to Uniqlo, a fashion that emphasizes mass market production of current trends. An example of how properly utilized operations research can yield massive returns.
4 tags
The Touch-point Collective: Crowd Contouring on... →
(Warning: the link tries to download some videos upon loading)
The proponents of “big data”: casinos. Maybe a template for just how scary/awesome it will get when other types of companies/institutions attempt to tune their products in response to their customers/users.
3 tags
3 tags
Cheap, Chic, And Made For All: How Uniqlo Plans To... →
A fashion that emphasizes function, utility and simplicity. It really is amazing to see Uniqlo legitimately chase Zara, H&M and Gap in such a short span of time.
2 tags
Giving new shapes to African colours →
Phyllis Taylor and her clothing line Sika brings her West African prints to the Western fashion consciousness.
From Aztec to African, patterns are becoming a really big thing these days.
4 tags
6 tags
Number Concepts without Number Lines in an... →
I remember being a kid and being annoyed by my inability to evenly space out the ticks on my number line (segment). For some reason they would end up bunched at the right end. Turns out it may not be my spatial ineptitude after all.
Just a reminder that some things we consider natural may well be cultural byproducts and norms. (via io9)
5 tags
3 tags
Fresh From Kolkata, ‘Bengali Style’ Emerges →
I find myself interested to find out how they innovate their local style. For some reason it reminds me of the local barong(although I guess the equatorial heat makes it a necessary evolution for fashion).
6 tags
June 2012
20 posts
5 tags
