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 ( 7461 )
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Sen. Mark Kelly: Tech Companies Should Help Pay for AI Impact | Pivot
YouTube: In this Pivot Quick Take, Sen. Mark Kelly makes the case for his "AI for America" plan, calling on tech companies to fund job retraining and... Read more
Posted on 19 September 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Kara Swisher Talks Elon Musk, Tim Cook And The 'Non-Capitalist' Behavior Of...
From YouTube page: Sep 10, 2025 In an interview with Forbes Women, editor Maggie McGrath at the 2025 Forbes Power Women's Summit, legendary tech journalist... Read more
Posted on 14 September 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Whoops! A Transformer Doesn't Understand F = Ma
Correct! Just as a reminder: this is what a Transformer found after looking at 10M solar systems https://t.co/cz6MpG2Qtq pic.twitter. Read more
Posted on 12 September 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Greatest Night in Pop [Media Notes 174]
Ian Leslie writes about The Greatest Night in Pop, a documentary about the making of "We Are The World." The opening paragraphs: The Netflix documentary, The... Read more
Posted on 11 September 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Turning Point, Fireworks, Coffee
Posted on 11 September 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Friday Fotos on Saturday: Manhattan as Seen from Hoboken, 2014
Posted on 07 September 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Mom – The Family Sitcom Has Come a Long Way Since the 50s and 60s [Media Notes...
Mom (2013-2021) showed up on my Netflix feed sometime within the last month. I saw Allison Janney on the clip, a plus, as I liked her as C.J. Craig in The West... Read more
Posted on 07 September 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Knockin' on Heaven's Door [Playing for Change]
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door | PFC Band Tribute to Robbie Robertson | Playing For Change | Mark's Park YouTube: Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of the... Read more
Posted on 23 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
No. I've Not Forgotten About the Irises
Posted on 22 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Chatbots Tend to Over Generalize When Summarizing Scientific Research
Peters Uwe and Chin-Yee Benjamin. 2025. Generalization bias in large language model summarization of scientific research. R. Soc. Open Sci.12: 241776,... Read more
Posted on 22 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Dandelions, with the Sun Rising Over Ellis Island
That’s one of my favorite photos, ever. It’s one of my various experiments in the minimal image. Yes, the sun is obvious, as are the dandelions down there at th... Read more
Posted on 22 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Homo Ludens Rising: A Manifesto for the Fourth Arena
On March 27, 2025, I published Kisangani 2150: Homo Ludens Rising, at 3 Quarks Daily. It as a speculative vision of the world in 2150 when a mysterious secret... Read more
Posted on 22 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Hoboken Spring Festival
Posted on 22 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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The Duplicity of Rich AI Bros
Andreessen says AI will take almost all jobs but his. OAI high-ups want to build bunkers to hide from ASI. AI CEOs praise UBI while ensuring they'll be... Read more
Posted on 22 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Seven Year Itch [Media Notes 160]
I’ve now watched The Seven Year Itch perhaps three full times in the last two weeks. It stars Marilyn Monroe and won a Golden Globe as best actor for her... Read more
Posted on 21 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Explaining Buddhist Violence in Asia
Nilay Saiya, Stuti Manchanda, Monks Behaving Badly: Explaining Buddhist Violence in Asia, International Security (2025) 49 (4): 119–159. https://doi.org/10. Read more
Posted on 21 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Allie Sandt at Hoboken's Arts & Music Festival, May 18th, 2025
Posted on 21 May 2025
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Trump is Destroying the Presidency
Thomas B. Edsall, ‘I Even Believe He Is Destroying the American Presidency’, NYTimes, May 20, 2025. One thing stands out amid all the chaos, corruption and... Read more
Posted on 21 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Nina Rides Again, Sorta'
I drew "Buckin' Bronchie" because I think bronchiectasis sufferers need a name (bronchies) and a mascot. Next I will draw Bronchiesaurus. Meanwhile, which of... Read more
Posted on 21 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Competition with China Over AI [American Leaders Are Trapped in Projective...
YouTube: Trump’s Mammoth Arabian AI Deals | Robert Wright Paul Triolo 0:00 How significant are the Middle East data center deals? 12:03 Why did AI safety hawk... Read more
Posted on 21 May 2025 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY
