The Descriptor Protocol, and Python Black Magic
April 26, 2016
Trying to make sense of what is perhaps the most basic behavior of objects and classes in Python. Continue reading...
Links - April 25th, 2016
- The Average 29 Year Old Derek Thompson - The Atlantic
In this short and data-centric piece, Thompson makes the argument that since most mainstream media is based in large cities, “…well-educated journalists in these dense cities wind up with a skewed impression of the world” and they feed us their biases. “An irony of digital media is that the Internet distributes journalism, but it concentrates journalists.”
- Bots won't replace apps. Better apps will replace apps. Dan Grover
Everyone talks about “bots”, but “bots” are not new. Grover makes a great analogy between early iOS skeumorphism and the metaphors of “conversational UI” that have leaked into these new user experiences. He goes on to argue that the notification systems in modern operating systems are broken, which I fully agree with, and suggests the rise of meta-platforms like WeChat and Facebook Messenger as the path forward.
- Why Write in English? Tim Parks - The New York Review of Books
A few months ago, an article titled Teach Yourself Italian was published in the New Yorker. In it, the author (Jhumpa Lahiri) discusses her journey from the United States to Italy, and her discovery of how language affected her identity as she wrote a book in a language that wasn’t her own. Parks discusses Lahiri’s work, compares her to other authors that went through similar transitions, and ultimately explains why he still writes in his mother tongue, even after years of living abroad.
- Minimum Viable Superorganism Kevin Simler - Ribbon Farm
Perhaps a bit too paranoid, discussing conspiracy theories more than it should, but interesting nonetheless. Simler explains the economics behind the social structures that align our incentives to work together toward common goals.
- Machine Learning Meets Economics, Part 2 Nicolas Kruchten - Datacratic MLDB
If you haven’t yet, go read Part 1.
- Making 1 million requests with python-aiohttp Paweł Miech
- The Rich Don't Work Anymore—Working Is for Poor People Robert Reich - Alternet
Links - April 22nd, 2016
- In Hamilton’s Debt Paul Krugman - The New York Times
- Implementers, Solvers, and Finders Randall Koutnik
- Apple's Organizational Crossroads Ben Thompson - Stratechery
- What Russia looked like before 1917 ... in color Dan Murano - The Washington Post
- What convolutional neural networks look at when they see nudity Ryan Compton - Clarifai
- On the Road to Recap Bill Gurley - Above the Crowd
- The best is the last Benedict Evans
I will steal a comment from Hacker News, because it was that good of an explanation of why this article, as interesting of a read as it is, says nothing: “To say that the technology is best when it’s ripe for replacement could just be flipped around. Technological advances happen when they happen and whatever gets replaced was the best we could do before then.”
Links - April 18th, 2016
- How Burrowing Owls Lead To Vomiting Anarchists (Or SF’s Housing Crisis Explained) Kim Mai Cutler - TechCrunch
A deep dive into the history (and disaster) of the San Francisco housing crisis.
- In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build Conor Dougherty - New York Times
Politicians in the San Francisco Bay Area are getting pulled in every direction, this NYT article tries to explain some of the complexities involved. In a strange coincidence, this article came out roughly a week after I read Kim-Mai’s article, linked above.
- School Is To Submit Overcoming Bias - Robin Hanson
- Machine Learning Meets Economics Nicolas Kruchten - Datacratic MLDB
- Growing a Nation Won't Always Grow Its Economy Noah Smith - Bloomberg View
When I tweeted at him asking for resources to understand the math behind this research, Noah recommended reading this pdf. To be honest, I haven’t had time for it yet.
- Domino's: Pizza and Payments Paul Price
- The Sacrificial Pancake Neal Sales-Griffin
A great analogy that prompts us to get started, knowing that, most likely, we’ll fail at first.
- Cellmates Radiolab (Podcast)
Recommended mostly for its first half, which talks about energy, evolution, and the origins of complex life. Another book to add to the list.
- Richard Jones on Transhumanism EconTalk (Podcast)