My dad and I watched a program on KLRU this evening called Uranium – Twisting the Dragon’s Tail. It featured a segment about Chernobyl, a city abandoned after the most disastrous single nuclear event in history. Pripyat Amusement Park was completed just prior to the Chernobyl disaster and never opened to the public. I love these haunting images of the abandoned carnival.
Author Archives: Brooke
My Favorite Person
I spent the day with my very favorite person. We stopped by Amy’s for ice cream and then went hiking and swimming along Bull Creek.
Artificially Intelligent Killer Robots
Autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention. They might include, for example, armed quadcopters that can search for and eliminate people meeting certain pre-defined criteria. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has reached a point where the deployment of such systems is — practically if not legally — feasible within years, not decades, and theContinue reading “Artificially Intelligent Killer Robots”
Earthquakes & Tsunamis
I mentioned The Really Big One after reading about the Cascadia subduction zone a few weeks ago. Kathryn Schultz put together a fascinating report for The New Yorker on the seismic history and future of the Pacific Northwest. The next full-margin rupture of the Cascadia subduction zone will spell the worst natural disaster in the history ofContinue reading “Earthquakes & Tsunamis”
The Psychology of Human Misjudgment
The audio below contains the often referred to speech by Charlie Munger on the psychology of human misjudgment given to an audience at Harvard University back in 1995. In his speech, Charlie talks about some of the different kinds of human misjudgments that he has encountered through his life. The following is a summary of Charlie’s 25 standard causes of humanContinue reading “The Psychology of Human Misjudgment”
Take the Trees
Walking through a forest is the best way I know to improve my mood. Several studies to understand how and why have recently been published. These results “strongly suggest that getting out into natural environments” could be an easy and almost immediate way to improve moods for city dwellers. How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain, NewContinue reading “Take the Trees”
Stanford Prison Experiment
I had the good fortune of attending a screening of The Stanford Prison Experiment, followed by a Q&A with Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez and Stanford University Professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo. In 1971, Dr. Philip Zimbardo cast 24 student volunteers as prisoners and guards in a simulated jail to examine the source of abusive behavior in the prisonContinue reading “Stanford Prison Experiment”
Phoenix Lake Loop Hike
One of my favorite hikes in Marin County is this quick and easy loop around Ross creek and Phoenix lake. This relatively flat 3-mile loop is a great choice for any level, and particularly wonderful for trail running. The light yesterday was incredible so I spent most of the hike trying to capture the magic of the route. IContinue reading “Phoenix Lake Loop Hike”
Steve McQueen with Kanye West: All Day / I Feel Like That
Steve McQueen and Kanye West collaborated to create a short film for West’s songs “All Day / I Feel Like That.” The film is 9 minutes, shot in one take at a historic dockyard outside of London. It will premiere as a pop-up installation at LACMA from Saturday, July 25–Tuesday, July 28, 2015. If you’re in Los Angeles on Saturday, definitely stop by LACMAContinue reading “Steve McQueen with Kanye West: All Day / I Feel Like That”
Spider Silk Clothing
A fascinating look at Bolt Threads, a company that has engineered synthetic spider silk for industrial production. Chic. Spider silk, like all silk, is a type of protein. The material is highly valued not only for its famed strength but also because natural spider silk comes in a variety of forms. Each spider spins about seven different types ofContinue reading “Spider Silk Clothing”