Bbenzon
Description
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. Intellectually, I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
MY BLOGS
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New Savanna
http://new-savanna.blogspot.com/
Humankind got its start on the African savannas some hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago. At various times in our cultural history we’ve moved to distinctly new cultural ground, as it were. And so we are moving now, and have been for the past half century. This blog is how I see that move. I'm broadly interested in culture and the brain. Within that compass, anything could show up here. Literature and films (including animation), certainly, music as well, and graffiti. But, other things may show up as well. It's a blog, don't you know, it moves.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 7597 )
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Some Things I Saw in March
Posted on 01 April 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Claude: On the (late) Discovery of the Chess Tree and Things One Can Infer Aroun...
Late in his fourth chapter, Cowen introduces chess as an example of what contemporary AI can do. As you may know, chess has been a central interest of AI, so... Read more
Posted on 01 April 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Holy Crap, Batman! Anthopic Just Showed Its a$$ to the World.
You can’t make this stuff up. Since, however, it is April 1st, I thought maybe this is a prank, it’s just so outrageous. But no, it’s real. Read more
Posted on 01 April 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Paradox of Contemporary AI @3QD
I’ve got another article at 3 Quarks Daily: The Paradox of Contemporary AI: Engineering Success and Institutional Failure The title pretty much encapsulates my... Read more
Posted on 31 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
How About Some Light on the Subject
Posted on 31 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Nasdaq Rule Change: Monkey Business Among the Techbros
Nasdaq Rule Change Would Speed Index Entry for SpaceX IPO By Theo Wayt Source: The Information Nasdaq will change a rule for its flagship stock index to allow... Read more
Posted on 31 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Can OpenAI Survive the Results of Its Technical Success? Is the AI Startup Era...
Is OpenAI running out of money? In this deep dive, we break down OpenAI's projected $14 billion annual losses, the Microsoft cloud credit illusion, the Code... Read more
Posted on 31 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
After the Protest I Went to Mickey D's
Posted on 30 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Claude: On the Origins and History of Chess, Plus a Straussian Reading of...
My examination of Tyler Cowen, The Marginal Revolution: Rise and Decline, and the Pending AI Revolution (2026), continues. While Tyler does discuss chess briefl... Read more
Posted on 30 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Physicist Vs. the Bureaucrats: Richard Feynman Testifies Before Congress...
After the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in January 1986, killing its seven crew members, President Reagan appointed a commission to investigate. Read more
Posted on 30 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Mmmmm....blueberry Pancakes
Posted on 29 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Welcome to Reality, Tyler; the AI’s Got Your Number: Further Notes on Revolution...
So, I finished reading the first chapter, “What Is Marginalism?”, of Cowen’s new monograph, The Marginal Revolution: Rise and Decline, and the Pending AI... Read more
Posted on 29 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
No Kings! Hoboken & Jersey City
Posted on 28 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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A Bit of Conceptual Analysis: the Book-keeper and the Invisible Hand [MR-2b]
I’ve got a footnote to my earlier post on marginalism as a Rank 4 concept. During its explication, Claude made the following observation: The transition from... Read more
Posted on 28 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Will the Iran War Change the World Like the Oil Shocks of the 1970s Did?
Jeff Sommer, The Oil Shocks of the ’70s Changed the World. Will the Iran War Do the Same? NYTimes, Mar. 28, 2026. In January 1974, my dad lent me his old... Read more
Posted on 28 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Yesterday: Before, During, and After Breakfast
Posted on 28 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Marginalism is a Rank 4 Idea, Along with Thermodynamics and Biological...
Yesterday I made a post about a passage that occurs very near the end of Tyler Cowen’s new monograph, The Marginal Revolution: Rise and Decline, and the... Read more
Posted on 28 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
New Adventures in Tablescapes
Posted on 27 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Tyler Cowen Has Thrown in the Towel and is Waiting for the Machines to Take Over.
Tyler Cowen has announced a new monograph, The Marginal Revolution: Rise and Decline, and the Pending AI Revolution, which you can access here. You can... Read more
Posted on 27 March 2026 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Friday Fotos: 11th St. Flower Beds [first Flowers of the Year]
Posted on 27 March 2026
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
