In the mood for some fiction. Nonfiction has been too depressing lately for me to read. There's enough depressing things going on in the world right now, I don't need to add to it by reading about history and politics. 😆
The main image may be mirrored, but fascinating anyway. Elites provided tax relief for followers all through history. Don't forget why people do things for powerful friends.
The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets by Thomas R. Cech, 2024
How did life begin? What makes us human? Why do we get sick and grow old? In The Catalyst, Cech finally brings together years of research to demonstrate that RNA is the true key to understanding life on Earth, from its very origins to our future in the twenty-first century.
Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present by Johanna Drucker, 2022
The first comprehensive intellectual history of alphabet studies. Inventing the Alphabet provides the first account of two-and-a-half millennia of scholarship on the alphabet.
"As you gingerly move forward, feeling your way through the dark, the flickering light cast from your torch partially illuminates a peculiar formation on the cave wall." —Izzy Fisher for Aeon
"Over the years, her friends wondered what ever happened to Antonietta. Was she safe? Was she being well-cared for? Was she even still alive?" —Maria Iqbal for Toronto Star
"A shocking act of violence attracted international attention and split the town over questions of truth and justice. Grand Marais is still trying to piece itself back together."
-The psychology of a mass shooter (Mother Jones)
-The phenomenon of Novak Djokovic (The Atlantic)
-Plant anatomy to understand human emotion (Virginia Quarterly Review)
-Lunches with a literary legend (Taste Magazine)
-Surfing . . . in a mall (Slate)
Artificial Negligence: The Book About AI for People Who Would Never Buy a Book About AI by James Wilson, 2022
Written in an accessible, balanced, light-hearted way, it is intended for those of you who wouldn't normally pick up a science or philosophy book. Using clear, and generally amusing, analogies and examples, it will ensure you can face the future with confidence and optimism.
Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins, 2020
With the wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him a bestselling author, Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, combining them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder.
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control by Stuart Russell, 2019
A leading artificial intelligence researcher lays out a new approach to AI that will enable us to coexist successfully with increasingly intelligent machines.
"Then she fishes half a glossy purple eggplant from the fridge, and a ball of fresh mozzarella, too. She hands me a knife, and we both begin to slice. We work close together. Our shoulders almost touch." Sara Franklin for Taste
The Reader's Brain: How Neuroscience Can Make You a Better Writer by Yellowlees Douglas, 2015
The Reader's Brain is the first science-based guide to writing, employing cutting-edge research on how our minds process written language, to ensure your writing can be read quickly, assimilated easily, and recalled precisely - exactly what we need to transform anyone into a highly effective writer.
Disobey The Philosophy of Resistance by Frédéric Gros
In this provocative essay, Frédéric Gros explores the roots of political obedience. Social conformity, economic subjection, respect for authorities, constitutional consensus? Examining the various styles of obedience provides tools to study, invent and induce new forms of civic disobedience and protest.
Mind Design III: Philosophy, Psychology, and Artificial Intelligence by John Haugeland, 2023
The essential reader on the philosophical foundations and implications of artificial intelligence, now comprehensively updated for the twenty-first century.
Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are by Rebecca Boyle, 2024
Acclaimed journalist Rebecca Boyle takes readers on a dazzling tour to reveal the intimate role that our 4.51-billion-year-old companion has played in our biological and cultural evolution.
Third Millennium Thinking Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense by Saul Perlmutter, John Campbell, Robert MacCoun, 2024
Based on a wildly popular UC Berkeley course, how to use scientists’ tricks of the trade to make the best decisions and solve the hardest problems in age of uncertainty and overwhelming information.
I wrote a book and now I have to wrap it up. In that effort, I have many! facts to check. I think I can plow through the bulk of it at ~60 facts per/day for ~30 days (spread across ~10 sources). My new hobby, I guess?
This type of tedious, detailed work is not my favorite thing. I have the source material, but I need to go back and scrutinize what I wrote in detail to make sure it's correct.
On one hand, it may have been easier if past Nicole did a better job at documenting details along the way. On the other hand, it was really unclear what would make it through the final filter and documenting every little thing would have been even more tedious (and would have disrupted the process of connecting it all together).
Any tips for how to make this new hobby of mine easier or more pleasant?
In her book #AttentionSpan, Gloria Mark, PhD dedicates a chapter to the discussion of free will.
Though it seems to me a tangent, I appreciate the implication that "taking control of our attention" isn't entirely a matter of choice. Whatever TF choice is.
I mean, choice is supposedly the thing that controls attention, but… elaboration fades to infinity #nonfiction#psychology#allostasis
This is a very good comic, and it describes every author (or #artist) who is unsure of themself. Don't let this be you!
Complete stories (your vision) regardless of the merit you see in them.
Start a next one. Full stop. Then another.
Complete and send out more stories even if some editor (or commenter) doesn't buy or like them.
It's all practice, every single failure or not-good-enough. Practice makes you better, whatever they think, or you think. Keep practicing.
Take from criticism only whatever helps you identify or fix problems; reject being put in your place or ridiculed. It's practice. Your art is unique to you. Be truthful with yourself, though.
Keep starting and completing stories. Statistically, some will be good—and you will start to recognize the wheat in the chaff.
Their first stories weren't fabulous. Neither may be yours. The difference? They kept on starting, completing, sending (or posting), until they found success. Let that be you.
Please remember: #boostingIsSharing and boost to give others a moral boost.