Recently updated blogs

We’ve recently launched a new degree program in Urban Technology at University of Michigan that combines urbanism, technology, and design. But what does design mean in this context? Like many aspects of creating a new transdisciplinary degree program from scratch, a simple question has been somewhat less simple to answer. This post is a report-to-date of our thinking on the nature of design in urban technology. TLDR? We’re combining service, …

May 2021’s Gwern.net newsletter is now out; previous, April 2021 (archives). This is a collation of links and summary of major changes, overlapping with my Changelog; brought to you by my donors on Patreon.Note: I will be in Denver 12–13 June 2021 for a conference.1 WritingsProposal: “Choose Your Own Adventure AI Dungeon”; “Decision Transformers: Preference Learning As Simple As Possible”2 Links2.1 AIMatters Of Scale:Hardware:“Podracer architectures for scalable Reinforcement Learning”, Hessel …

In some areas of a garment we may want substantial support and we need to figure out a way to create that structure with interfacing. We want that structure to not compress, squish down or lose its shape over time. We don't want that interfacing in the seam allowances though because that will make them thick and bulky. The choice of structure

O shred shred shred they all go into the shredder The paper into crosscut traces, the paper torn from paper. The trash bills, cancelled cheques and plaintive requests for money, The invoices paid and unpaid, the statements and old contracts, Outdated tech white papers, postcards from decades-past lovers, Illegible notes and forgotten reminders, all go into the shredder, And shred the box they filled, and the things best left in …

Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970 Shonen Magazine Cover Illustration 1970 Key Largo, the Unexplored Planet, 1986

Susan Bosence. "STRIPE and SPOT. (a) Combination of double wax resist twice brush dyed in Soledon blue and brown. Wax removed and paste resisted then brush dyed in dark blue on calico. (b) Wax resist spots, brush dyed in brown, paste resisted and brush dyed in blue. N.B. very labour intensive processes. 1960s." Sonia Delaunay. "Project de tapis. Encre de Chine. 35 x 22,5cm." S.B. "UNNAMED. Half grains of rice …

From Play School Play On to Russell Grant’s Zodiac Jukebox, the story behind every album released by BBC Records And Tapes.Between 1967 and 1991, BBC Records And Tapes released more than seven hundred albums. These featured everything from collections of theme tunes and full radio plays to sound effects, academic lectures, Radio 2 house bands being let loose on synthesisers, and an unlikely assortment of public figures being invited to …

I had my beady eye on this book coming out. Paul Nash is an artist and designer I always find draws me in. He was one of a handful of artists that worked in the interwar years and across different mediums. They knew of each other, they studied and worked together. They came to epitomise the idea of a commercial designer, though they may not have chosen that word to …

He hadn’t even gotten the letter into the envelope when he was sprayed down with Ending Gel. I know what the letter said because I was the one who sprayed him down. I tore the letter from his gnarled, dead grasp. It was an honest mistake, killing him — he was naked at the time, just lounging around in his car without a stitch of clothing on, the spitting image …

Essex Industrial Heritage Fair: Saturday, October 5th 2019 Chelmsford Corporation Water Works, now Sandford Mill Chelmsford Corporation purchased the Sandford Mill site (a water powered corn mill) in 1923 for their new waterworks. Water was taken from both the River Chelmer and a borehole, then treated before being pumped to Galleywood reservoir, where it was available to the city's inhabitants. The capacity of the waterworks was expanded in the 1950s …

A simple overshirt or “shirt jacket” is a piece that has been missing from my closet for a while. I wanted something I could just throw on for days that are a bit too chilly for a t-shirt, but not yet cold enough for a heavier layer. There is no need to tuck or even button it. It’s perfect for fall and spring, and pretty much goes with all of …

A group campaigning for a Museum of Slavery and Freedom to be established in Deptford has announced the launch of its latest initiative, the MoSaF Map, this Saturday. MoSaF London has issued an invitation to local residents, businesses and community groups to attend the launch and book a place on one of the free walking tours that take place on Sunday. Local groups, schools, neighbours and friends are all invited …

On Lifestyle Design <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Microsoft researchers found white-collar workers are adding a 9pm shift to their workday.<br><br>I wrote about why:<br><br>- your entire day is filled with online meetings<br>- flexible work empowers night owls<br>- more global teams<br>- WFH + parenting = "triple peak" day<a href="https://t.co/QO8dwcwo8Y">https://t.co/QO8dwcwo8Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/DyYH47oCOi">pic.twitter.com/DyYH47oCOi</a></p>— Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) <a href="https://twitter.com/DKThomp/status/1510965707688890374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> What I’ve learned A couple of months of invoices in the …

Lady rona finally deigned to come and visit, with comically bad timing. It’s pretty nasty, even after vaccination. On the other hand, the freezer is well stocked, and I had a week off of work anyway, so I’m just going to suck it up and catch up on some sleep and podcasts and maybe attempt to make some soup.I now have faith in lateral flow tests. I was beginning to …