Coming Back
Nowadays it is quick to get a summary of what happened using LLMs coming back from vacation. But what you miss by that is how it happened. How it got around to the state you have came back to. Seeing… Read More »Coming Back
Education
Solar Energy Solves Global Warming
Are some people counting on stuff like this so much that we do not do much now to cut emissions? “If pulling CH4 from the ground is only getting more expensive, and the energy needed to pull it from the… Read More »Solar Energy Solves Global Warming
How Ice Sculpted Canada
Ice ice baby. “In the late 1700s, Russia had been on a mission of imperial conquest for 600 years. One of the main reasons is because of ice, which makes Siberia inhospitable, so it was relatively easy for Russia to… Read More »How Ice Sculpted Canada
Canada vs the 51st State
Just because something makes sense on paper, does not mean you should do it. “Until 2022, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia was simply inconceivable. Then Putin did it. Things seem impossible until they aren’t—it only takes the right… Read More »Canada vs the 51st State
Who Can Claim the Palestine Region?
This is why simple solutions don’t work. “Who Deserves the Land of Palestine?It depends. Who do you want?We can’t answer this question before acknowledging here the massive biases. People don’t have hard moral rules that they apply consistently across situations.… Read More »Who Can Claim the Palestine Region?
How Transportation Technologies Shaped Empires
Travel times matter. “Levant was closer to Mesopotamia (mostly present-day Iraq) and Anatolia (mostly present-day Turkey) so Egypt could not hold that territory for long after empires emerged there. For example, the Achaemenid Empire (Persia) emerged close to Mesopotamia, conquered… Read More »How Transportation Technologies Shaped Empires
Spider Silk
Or milking spiders. Yuck.
How Transportation Technologies Shape Cities
Your building would be considered a skyscraper a few decades ago. “Chicago’s Home Insurance Building is considered the first skyscraper in the world, completed in 1885 with elevators to reach its 12 floors. It was not the first building to… Read More »How Transportation Technologies Shape Cities
Should Everybody Learn English?
Yes. But should not be the only language left. “Researchers found that increasing the linguistic similarity between two languages by 10% increased their trade by 5%. It’s not the only benefit. Speaking a language makes you more likely to work… Read More »Should Everybody Learn English?
S Curves
They are not only for budgeting. “When something is in hypergrowth, it’s growing faster than it’s ever been. This is when healthcare systems collapse during a pandemic, or when hypergrowth companies can’t cope with all the ways they’re breaking at… Read More »S Curves