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 ( 7622 )
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What Do I Want from My AI Assistant? [control, That's What]
It seems pretty clear that sooner or later I’m going to have one. Whether or not it will be one that is focused on my interests as I see them, that’s not at... Read more
Posted on 22 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Wit and Wisdom of ChatGPT on the Coexistence of Needles and Haystacks
Everyone wants to use AI to find needles in haystacks without asking why there are haystacks or needles.— Hollis Robbins (@anecdotal) December 21, Read more
Posted on 21 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Bing Crosby Made Silicon Valley Possible
Ted Gioia, How Bing Crosby Made Silicon Valley Possible, The Honest Broker, Dec. 21, 2023. The opening: Bing Crosby was the most successful entertainer in the... Read more
Posted on 21 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Rave On, Let's Dance the Night Away [& Be Wed]
Sanam Yar, I Thee — Untz Untz — Wed, NYTimes, Dec. 14, 2023. The idea: In recent years, many couples have swapped out more traditional receptions for raves and... Read more
Posted on 21 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Confession and Bookkeeping
Compare with: Who’s the GOAT of Economics? Tyler Cowen on His New AI Book More! [Bonus: from double-entry bookkeeping to supply and demand] * * * * * James... Read more
Posted on 20 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Chatster Offers up Some Saccharine Holiday Bonbons
I’m going to give you a short story. I want you to tell me three different stories that imitate that story in whatever way you choose. Here’s the... Read more
Posted on 20 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Washington St. at Night [Hoboken]
Posted on 19 December 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Stakes in the Sand: Prediction, Cultural Ranks, and the Fourth Arena [+LLM Bonus]
Prediction is a tricky business. Since the motion of the planets is governed by mechanical laws which we understand, predicting their positions is a relatively... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Shamisen Girls Ki&Ki - Tsugaru Jongara Bushi
The shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument. As you can see, it is a bit like a banjo, with a long narrow neck and a resonator covered with a stiff... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Did Henry VIII Have a Black Trumpeter at His Court?
Ted Gioia, How African Musicians Came to Medieval and Renaissance Europe, The Honest Broker, Dec. 19, 2023. From the beginning: How did an African trumpeter... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
One December Morning in 2007 in Jersey City Hinterlands
Posted on 18 December 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Why Birds Are Smart
Onur Güntürkün, Roland Pusch, Jonas Rose, Why birds are smart, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, December 13, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.11. Read more
Posted on 18 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Coming and Going
Posted on 17 December 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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The Crown, S6 E8, The Ritz: [Media Notes 101]
I’ve been blogging occasionally about The Crown since it began. The series is now coming to an end. I’ve just watched “The Ritz,” the eighth episode in the sixt... Read more
Posted on 17 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Sabine on Complexity
The Biggest Gap in Science: Complexity 00:00 Intro 00:28 What is complexity? 02:57 Measures for complexity 07:41 Properties of complex systems 13:33 Recent... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Ginkgoes [still]
Posted on 16 December 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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GOAT Literary Critics: Part 2, A Discipline is Founded (sorta’): Brooks & Warren...
I sent the first post in this series – which, BTW, now has its own tag: GOATLiC (GOAT Literary Critic) – to Tyler Cowen, and he got back with a brief response:... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Dance Against Oppression in Iran [born to Groove]
Farnaz Fassihi and Leily Nikounazar, A Viral Dance and ‘Happiness Campaign’ Frustrates Iran’s Clerics, NYTimes, December 16, 2023. Read more
Posted on 16 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
On Being a Virtual Exotic Uncle [my Korean Trumpet Niece]
In the early days of the internet’s available to the general public, as opposed to the military, for whom it had originally been created as ARPANET, there was... Read more
Posted on 15 December 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Pre-Christmas Potpourri
Posted on 15 December 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
