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 ( 7609 )
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Friday Fotos: Graffiti in Winter, Jersey City, 2008
Posted on 20 December 2024
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Wisdom?
This is what I wrote: It is conventionally believed that wisdom comes with age, though I believe G.B. Shaw had some reservations about this. Well, I’m closer... Read more
Posted on 20 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
GPT in the Classroom, Part 1: Five Sonnets on the Gettysburg Address
I realize that, with ready access to sophisticated chatbots, some students will use them to complete writing assignments rather than do the writing themselves. Read more
Posted on 19 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Claude 3.5 Describes a Cypher in a Community Garden
What’s going on in this picture? This image appears to depict a study group or informal meeting taking place outdoors, set against a vibrant graffiti-covered... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Mars Or Bust (?)
As well all know, Elon Musk is getting ready to go to Mars and establish a colony there. Why? Because we need to become a cosmic civilization if we are to... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Taliban Are Shutting Down the Drug Trade in Afghanistan
Azam Ahmed, The Once Booming Drug Town Going Bust Under Taliban Rule, NYTimes, Dec. 18, 2024. [plus photographs by Bryan Denton] Bakwa was once the center of th... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Adam Savage Pretends He's a Velociraptor
Adam Savage's Dino Build: Wearing the Raptor Costume! (Ep 5) On the final day of Gary's time in Adam's shop, the team puts the finishing touches on the... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Claude 3.5 Sonnet Identifies an Old REVS COST (w/ Some Prodding)
I was standing on the High Line in New York City when I took this photo. What am I looking at? This image shows a "ghost sign" - a faded painted advertisement o... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Sez OpenAI to Itself... "To $$$$ Or Not to $$$$"
David A. FahrentholdCade Metz and Mike Isaac, How OpenAI Hopes to Sever Its Nonprofit Roots, NYTimes, 12.18.24. The terms of its last financing round have OpenA... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
John Coltrane Plays Greensleeves
The tune is old. From Wikipedia: "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Claude 3.5 Sonnet Describes a Scene Inside the Malibu Diner
Notice Claude’s reaction when I ask it to describe the couple seated at the left. As you know, Claude is produced by Anthropic, and Anthropic is very “safety”... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
A Little Papal Humor
Pope Francis, Pope Francis: There Is Faith in Humor, NYTimes, 12.17.24. By this time the article is humming along nicely, His Holiness has gotten some good... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Teaching Kids How to Make Their Own Little Language Models
Scott J Mulligan, Kids are learning how to make their own little language models, MIT Technology Review, October 25, 2024. “This new AI technology—it’s very... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Amazon Unsafe for Workers?
Noam Scheiber, Amazon Disregarded Internal Warnings on Injuries, Senate Investigation Claims, NYTimes, Dec. 16, 2024. Internal company documents collected by Mr. Read more
Posted on 16 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Claude 3.5 Sonnet Describes a Night Scene Obscured by Intentional Camera Movement
This obviously is not an ordinary photograph. It’s taken at night. I zoomed the lens during a long exposure, a technique known as intentional camera movement... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Nobody Wants This [Media Notes 148]
I watched the first three episodes of Nobody Wants This in a single sitting. Loved it. I eagerly anticipated watching the other seven episodes. Which I did... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Claude 3.5 Sonnet Describes a Photo of Boats and Ships on the Hudson River
Describe this image. This is a beautiful maritime scene on San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge visible in the background spanning across the frame.... Read more
Posted on 15 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Loss of Plasticity in Deep Continual Learning
Dohare, S., Hernandez-Garcia, J.F., Lan, Q. et al. Loss of plasticity in deep continual learning. Nature 632, 768–774 (2024). https://doi.org/10. Read more
Posted on 15 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The World is Gifted, Peter Apfelbaum and the Hieroglyphics Ensemble
Thus cut has given me endless satisfaction for two decades. Peter Apfelbaum : tenor and soprano saxophones,piano,keyboards,snare... Read more
Posted on 15 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
What’s the Difference Between Life Coaching and Therapy? [Claude]
Once I began thinking about depression and its amelioration, I began thinking about therapy, but also life coaching. Why life coaching? Because it strikes me... Read more
Posted on 14 December 2024 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY
