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 ( 7356 )
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French Toast, Sausage, Sunglasses, and "Be Kind" Cup
Posted on 06 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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LLMs, Transformers, the Chatster, and Human Intelligence
I'm having fun listening to this conversation between Bob Wright and Timothy Lee: I'm finding the stuff on how transformers work particularly useful. Read more
Posted on 06 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Three Kinds of Fun in Columbus Park on Labor Day [Hoboken]
Posted on 05 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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ChatGPT on the Achievements of Bach and Walt Disney
Tyler Cowen recently posted: Is Bach the greatest achiever of all time? In reply I noted, "While I am generally skeptical of this "greatest of all time"... Read more
Posted on 05 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Hoboken Street Views on Labor Day
Posted on 05 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Gone Fishin’ for Labor Day
I’ve decided to try an experiment: (almost) no posting on Labor Day. That is to say, no posts that require thinking, which this one doesn’t. Nor does posting a... Read more
Posted on 04 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
What Must Be the Case That ChatGPT Would Have Memorized “To Be Or Not to Be”? –...
I’ve been thinking about ChatGPT again, about what goes on under the hood. What would happen I prompted it with a famous phrase from Shakespeare? Would it retur... Read more
Posted on 03 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Breakfast at Turning Point [see My Reflection in the Bottom Photo]
Posted on 03 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Eight Trumpeters Chasing Satchmo in the 30s [w/ a Tenor Sax Bonus]
Ted Gioia has a post on a subject near and dear to me, jazz trumpet players: Could Any Other Jazz Trumpeter Match Up with Louis Armstrong in the 1930s? Read more
Posted on 03 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Whoops! There Goes the Universe! It's Not Behaving Like It Should.
Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser, The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel, NYTimes, Sept. 2, 2023 Selected passages: But one of the Webb’s first majo... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Sutan Makes Pudding {Itadakimasu!} [Media Notes 95]
I love it! Suntan counts out six eggs, and cracks them. (Almost) all by herself. Then she mixes then with skill and verve.Meamwhile Moe is getting all... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Let's Have Some Fun!
Posted on 02 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Steven Harnad: Symbol Grounding and the Structure of Dictionaries
Stevan Harnad: AI's Symbol Grounding Problem, The Gradient podcast, August 31, 2023 Stevan Harnad is professor of psychology and cognitive science at... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
New Activity Peak at New Savanna [Aug 28, 2023]
Here’s the hit count at New Savanna for the last three months: Action has been higher than usual through August. That peak is for August 28 and it may well be... Read more
Posted on 01 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Motion Sickness on the Hudson River
There I was, on Pier 13 in Hoboken walking back to shore when I noticed an unfamiliar boat moving out into the rive. I took a couple of photos of it and that wa... Read more
Posted on 01 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Can an LLM Identify Ring-composition in a Literary Text? [ChatGPT]
Tentatively, very tentatively, yes. ChatGPT has done it, once. I believe a more powerful engine could do more. But: What is ring-composition? Read more
Posted on 01 September 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Friday Fotos: On the Waterfront [last Evening's Walk in Hoboken]
Posted on 01 September 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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Boston Legal – Denny Crane! [Media Notes 94]
I’ve just finished watching the series, which had five seasons that ran from 2004-2008. It’s a one-hour legal show with dramatic and comedic aspects and a... Read more
Posted on 31 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Just What IS Cancer, Anyhow? Is It Being Over Diagnosed?
Laura Esserman and Scott Eggener, Not Everything We Call Cancer Should Be Called Cancer, NYTimes, Aug. 30, 2023: Some cancers have extraordinarily low risks of... Read more
Posted on 31 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Let's Tawk
Posted on 31 August 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
