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 ( 7626 )
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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
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The Tree of Life, and a Note on Job
This is from 11 years ago. I'm bumping this to the top of the queue because, Why not? I like it. More or less on Michael Sporn’s recommendation, I’ve just seen... Read more
Posted on 31 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Why I Hang out at LessWrong and Why You Should Check-in There Every Now and Then
The first two sections are a background, first a bit on cultural change to set the general context. Then some general information about LessWrong. Read more
Posted on 30 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
Posted on 30 August 2023
CULTURE,
PHILOSOPHY,
SOCIETY
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BrainGPT: A Large Language Model Tool to Assist Neuroscientific Research
BrainGPT aims to tame the vast neuroscience literature to assist scientists in their research. Sign-up at https://t.co/YOhCmQlJsu to get involved. The video... Read more
Posted on 30 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
How AI Will Change Governance: "Preparing for Regime Change"
AI and Leviathan: Part II, by @hamandcheese https://t.co/QstJ5NW4za This is mostly a reminder to myself to check this out when the pressure of other things... Read more
Posted on 30 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Death of Burning Man
Daniel Pinchbeck, How Burning Man Failed, Daniel Pinchbeck's Newsletter, Aug. 29, 2023. I've known about Burning Man for a long time. Read more
Posted on 29 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Krugman on the Rise of Wealthy Cranks
Paul Krugman, The Paranoid Style in American Plutocrats, NYTimes, Aug. 28, 2023. From the article: If you regularly follow debates about public policy,... Read more
Posted on 29 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Fables of Identity, European and American
I'm bumping this piece, from August 2012, to the top of the queue on general principle. Plus, it's about American identity, which is a vexations and trying... Read more
Posted on 29 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
The Fragility of Artists’ Reputations from 1795 to 2020
Letian Zhang , Mitali Banerjee, Shinan Wang, and Zhuoqiao Hong, The fragility of artists’ reputations from 1795 to 2020, PNAS, August 21, 2023, Vol. 120 | No.... Read more
Posted on 29 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY -
Coming to America [Media Notes 93]
I believe I saw this when it came out in 1988 and I’ve watched in on line since, most recently yesterday. Meh. The Wikipedia entry quotes Shelia Benson of the... Read more
Posted on 28 August 2023 CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIETY
