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Prior to starting this blog, I read quite a few books by Marston: 3 novels from the Railway Detective series, 3 from the Nicholas Bracewell series and 1 novel from the Doomsday series. However, it was over a decade until I returned to his work, reading this short story collection earlier this year, which is part of the Railway Detective series. It is not a series I remembered anything about …

Economists commonly think about technology as an idea, but in one way or another, the technology interacts with physical forms–and these physical forms affect how the technology is applied and its social effects. In his da Vinci Medal Address, Donald MacKenzie considers some implications of this idea in “Material Political Economy” (Technology and Culture, July 2024). One classic example he mentions is the conflict that arose some centuries ago, in …

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Last June, a striking image of a pride flag made up of NASA imagery became the most-liked post on the new social media network Bluesky, a post it held for 2 months. I spoke with its creator Rachel Lense about how it was made, and what it’s reception means for inclusion in science. This image ... Read More "The story of the pride flag made from NASA imagery: Bluesky’s most-liked …

Movies & TV The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power The Rings of Power Asks Questions About the Nature of Evil in “Doomed to Die” Do we really need Sauron to be a sympathetic villain? By Sylas K Barrett | Published on September 27, 2024 Comment 1 Share New Share The Rings of Power Asks Questions About the Nature of Evil in “Doomed to Die”&url=https://reactormag.com/the-rings-of-power-asks-questions-about-the-nature-of-evil-in-doomed-to-die/” target=”_blank” title=”Twitter”> The …

Reading Time: 36 minutes It’s been astonishing this week to see exactly how badly a political party’s comms team can handle something – FOR FCUK’S SAKE, LABOUR PARTY COMMS PEOPLE, IT SHOULDN’T BE THIS DIFFICULT. Also, the past seven days’ succession of embarrassing revelations and gift-related gaffes have somehow managed to achieve the unthinkable and made me feel genuine pity for the PM’s kid (I’m not a monster, it’s just …

The Three Investigators #5 The Mystery of the Vanishing Treasure by Robert Arthur, 1966. The Three Investigators don’t have a case at the moment, so Jupiter entertains himself and his friends with an intellectual exercise – figuring out how someone could steal the Rainbow Jewels from an exhibit at the Petersen Museum, an exhibit that has been promoted in the local papers. Pete and Bob object that they solve thefts, …

Here's what we looked at this week:New production method for quickly building walls: Impact printing with clay. The world's underwater fiber optic cables.From MIT, sustainable 3D-printed glass masonry.Caroline's Cart is a shopping cart designed for special needs individuals and caregivers.Product-based inspiration for spaceship designs by Eric Geusz.Designer on a sci-fi mission: Daryl Villanueva's EVE Odyssey.Master Forge: An ultra-fast chord keyboard with rather unfortunate aesthetics.Unusual product design: The BedBox, a wildly …

(Written by William) I’m not exactly sure what it is about LEGO Ideas projects, but I tend to forget what’s coming out right before they get released. This is especially true for the projects that don’t go through the normal LEGO Ideas project cycle. So, when LEGO offered the #21352 LEGO Ideas Magic of Disney […]

Nagoya, Japan, blends history, culture, and modern attractions. From Nagoya Castle to local cuisine and vibrant shopping districts, explore the best sights with this essential travel guide. READ: Nagoya Travel Guide

Selection: Introduction https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/henry-lowther-band_introduction_child-song_deram-sml1070-1970-ljc.mp3 . . . “Hey Henry, what do you want to call the first track, you know, the introduction?Yeah, that’ll do.” The rest are apparently word-pictures that relate to the theme of children’s play. Track List A1 IntroductionA2 Trav’lling SongA3 Plaything (Child Song And Anima)B1 3/4 Skip (Trip Up)B2 BetweenB3 Puppet Song Artists: Henry Lowther Band Daryl Runswick, bass guitar, double bass, percussion; Mike Travis, drums, percussion; Mike …

Jackson Lampe, a junior at Wahlert Catholic High School in Dubuque, Iowa, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and was named the school’s student of the month for his efforts. For his service project, Jackson provided care kits to the burn unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital to support parents of pediatric burn victims. His own experience as a burn survivor at age …

Thoughtful and actionable paper from Johan Allspaw about engineering resilience—with principles and tactics applicable to other kinds of work, I think. Importantly, resilience as defined here depends on a number of different behaviors, including open and honest communication, reciprocity, and a lack of judgment. What I find notable about this framing is the sense that resilience is a collective, rather than individual, attribute. That is, it depends on sharing information, …

If you like little apps here’s The Economist telling you which 500 books you should spend the rest of your life reading (no doubt behind a paywall however). Their app is derived from Shane Sherman’s Greatest Books website which is based on a comparison of mentions on 343 different lists of great books, so is presumably meant to have the virtues of impartiality. Still, any list of best books which …

I’ve been on a bit of a 12th-century kick lately, mainly because it’s one of