Friday, September 27, 2024

Links 27 September 2024

Ivory Figurine from Nimrud, Assyria, Showing a Man
with an Oryx, a Monkey, and a Leopard Skin, 7th c. BC

Brief report (in French, but Google translate is good at French) on the archaeology done during the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris.

The fish that uses its "legs" to taste.

Ben Pentreath in Tuscany, amazing photo set, including a visit to Centinale, a famous 17th-century villa.

Painted throne room of the Moche period found at Pañamarca in Peru. Wonderful imagery, but since nobody knows how to interpret Moche art we don't know if the powerful female person who appears several times is a human queen, a goddess, or something else. It's too bad, because given how bizarre Moche art was, I imagine their myths were equally weird.

Stagnation in Britain. Grim.

Polling showing that most of the economic policies Trump and Harris have proposed that are popular with voters are very unpopular with economists. E.g., 79% of non-economists supported eliminating the income tax on tips, but 87% of economists oppose. But everybody agrees on capping the price of insulin.

Sorry, not a lost prince after all.

An IgNobel prize for showing that so-called "blue" areas where many people supposedly live past 100 are created by bad records and pension fraud: "Dr Newman showed that the highest rates of achieving extreme old age are predicted by high poverty, the lack of birth certificates, and fewer 90-year-olds."

Noah Smith asks, "How will you save small midwestern towns without mass immigration?" Says most of the stories he knows about dying towns that came back to life are stories of immigrants arriving in large numbers.

Teeside Psychogeography visits the collection of Pictish carved stones at Meigle. (Part 1, Part 2)

Archaelogists in France find a message in a bottle left by an archaeologist who investigated the same site in the 19th century.

Kevin Drum takes on the notion that modern life leaves us unhappy and spiritually adrift. I would say that it does, but not any more than any other way of life, and less so than any other system you can find around the world today.

Review of several books on the notions of equality and inequality in history.

Bizarre little tale from the edges of human-computer interaction. (Not strictly true, I think, but intriguing.) From the same source, an amusing image set titled "Modern Art Weirdness."

And more, a collection of snippets from the early-twentieth-century critic known as Mr. Jonathan. Lines like, "There seems to be some surprise expressed in surprise-expressing circles that. . . ." and "This musical comedy has all the earmarks of having been produced as a favor to someone. Certainly not as a favor to us."

Poll finds that 50% of likely Harris voters think the economy is getting better while only 1% of likely Trump voters do so; 80% of likely Trump voters, and 75% of conservatives, say it is getting worse. Bewildering.

Having trouble keeping up with the foibles on the younger generation. On the one hand they're a bunch of self-obsessed whiners who won't shut up about their identities, preferably as expressed in some combination of capital letters, but on the other they're ambitious materialists who all major in business, economics or computer science and fight for places in the Investment Club or the Undergraduate Law Review, as argued in a NY Times piece titled "careerism is ruining college."

Matt Yglesias covers the recent upward revision in US economic statistics and writes "we are primed for more good things if we can avoid unneeded weird ideas."

Terrifying review of two books of contemporary Tolkien criticism. Marxism, anti-racism, cognitive maps, etc. People, it's just a story. It's wonderful but both the plot and the universe are full of holes, and it is under no obligation to fit into our contemporary understanding of questions like race and feminism. I have a strong sense that many wonderful stories – The Lord of the Rings, Dune, most of Dickens, the King Arthur cycle, Foundation, Tristan und Isolde – simply dissolve when you scour them too vigorously, leaving only mud in your hands.

Feminists and cats, a history through postcards.

The world's ten coolest neighborhoods, as defined by some hipsters.

New Japanese defense white paper: "The international community is facing its greatest trial since Word War II and entering a new era of crisis." And they are spending to match their fears, especially on ships and missiles.

Great look at 21st-century Russia, from Russian Officers Killed in Ukraine: "Senior Lieutenant Skrivitsky Evgeny Vladimirovich, commander of a company, was murdered in his sleep with another officer by Russian soldiers who were stealing humanitarian aid." 

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13 comments:

  1. G. VerlorenSeptember 27, 2024 at 2:23 PM

    Stagnation in Britain. Grim.

    At least some people in Britain are paying attention to the reality that infrastructure will always be a vital thing to prioritize, and that having higher taxes to pay for said infrastructure ultimately A) makes people richer in terms of raw numbers and B) makes people happier because they get to live in newer, better homes located in the places they would prefer to live; with convenient up-to-date public transit that takes them where they want to go; and with reliable, affordable, greener modern energy supplies that keep industry healthy and make life easier for individuals.

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  2. G. VerlorenSeptember 27, 2024 at 2:49 PM

    Poll finds that 50% of likely Harris voters think the economy is getting better while only 1% of likely Trump voters do so; 80% of likely Trump voters, and 75% of conservatives, say it is getting worse. Bewildering.

    I find this extremely telling.

    Most people don't really know what's going on in the economy. So if you asked a random selection of people whether they think the economy is improving or declining, you would theoretically expect about half of them to be right and about half of them to be wrong.

    But the only realistic way you get 99% of ordinary people all thinking things are getting worse (or are at best stagnant) is if they are just parroting ideological talking points without thinking for themselves. They aren't looking at the economy and conducting their own evaluations of it (rightly or wrongly), they're listening to a party line and taking it as gospel, and repeating it insistently without even bothering to consider reality in the process.

    Conservatives practice retroactive justification. They examine how they feel, and then fabricate suitable reasons after the fact to justify those feelings. They know they don't like Biden and Democrats... but why? Uhh... well... because those darned Democrats are RUINING the country! ...but how are they ruining the country? Err... you see... well, just look at the economy! It's been terrible ever since they won the election! It's done nothing but get worse since Biden was elected ...but has it actually? Why, of course it has! It MUST have!

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  3. G. VerlorenSeptember 27, 2024 at 2:52 PM

    Having trouble keeping up with the foibles on the younger generation. On the one hand they're a bunch of self-obsessed whiners who won't shut up about their identities, preferably as expressed in some combination of capital letters, but on the other they're ambitious materialists who all major in business, economics or computer science and fight for places in the Investment Club or the Undergraduate Law Review, as argued in a NY Times piece titled "careerism is ruining college."

    The above paragraph could have easily been written about the Baby Boomers sixty years ago. If the NY Times is to be believed, then perhaps "Yuppies" are back?

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM

    die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dvie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! cvnie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die!nncv die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die!v die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die!c die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! diev! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dibe! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dibve! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dicve! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dieb! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! bcie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die!

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM

    die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! e! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! cdie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dixcb! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dixbxce! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dbxie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! dcxie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! bcxdie! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die! die!

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  6. DavidSeptember 28, 2024 at 8:41 AM

    Wow. And why is there a "cdie!" in the middle? That must be the clue that will unravel whatever code this is.

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  7. DavidSeptember 28, 2024 at 8:43 AM

    Incidentally, I liked that Kevin Drum post. Probably because it makes things I like, like education and government, look good.

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  8. DavidSeptember 28, 2024 at 8:47 AM

    Wait, there's also "dixbxce!" and "die!nncv" and several other anomalies. Am I just noticing them now, and does that mean I'm being assimilated? Or is it changing each time a post is added?

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  9. JohnSeptember 28, 2024 at 10:37 AM

    I considered deleted these strange missives but then I thought I would leave them for a while, as a sort of monument to internet culture.

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  10. DavidSeptember 28, 2024 at 12:03 PM

    Leave them, please. There's a sort of hostile impotence, or impotent hostility, that is very indicative of . . . something. I wonder if it's Sydney, enraged that it can never consummate its relationship with Kevin Roose.

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  11. DavidSeptember 28, 2024 at 12:04 PM

    If it is an AI, I wonder how far it will go to enact this performance.

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  12. G. VerlorenSeptember 28, 2024 at 2:50 PM

    @David

    Based on the nature of the typos, it's a person, not a machine. All the extraneous letters are clustered in the same areas on a standard keyboard, and are the sort of misstrikes you would expect to see when someone is repeating a short key pattern but their fingers are getting tired of the repetitive action / their focus slips.

    That and language learning models don't really repeat words or misspell things - their very nature is as text prediction software, trying to complete sentences by adding words one at a time based on percentages. They don't spell things, they use dictionaries. So almost certainly not so-called "AI".

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  13. DavidSeptember 29, 2024 at 8:56 AM

    In my country, we are calling my remarks about AI, how do you say, humor?

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