2024-03-30
(I don’t know if I’ll do one of these next week, as I’ll be away from home)
Readings
Historical dental health and diet: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/europe/bronze-age-teeth-bacteria-human-diet-scn/index.html
History of candles:
Exploring the possibility of life in Venus’s clouds: https://www.space.com/building-blocks-life-venus-experiment
Metamaterials with unusual sound transmission characteristics: https://phys.org/news/2024-03-topological-metamaterial-amplifies-exponentially.amp
ESA’s interest in Enceladus may lead to missions launching in the 2040s: https://www.universetoday.com/166309/europe-has-big-plans-for-saturns-moon-enceladus/
Better fabrication processes for atom-level precision: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-03-atoms-major-advance-quantum.amp
How tofu is traditionally made:
The genetic machinery controlling replication still has some mysteries for us to learn: https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-key-quality-mechanism-dna.amp
The economics around vertical farm attempts are tough to get right:
Thoughts
Current Events
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, with Russia firing missiles into residential and energy infrastructure in more areas; the trend is still in place of Ukraine sinking Russia’s ships while Russia creeps forward on the ground. Poland and France are thankfully seemingly more willing to take Russian threats seriously and commit to Russia’s defeat. Russia, to continue its current flirtation with North Korea, vetoed a renewal of the UN’s arms monitoring pact designed to keep the country non-nuclear
Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue, with the UN Security council demanding a ceasefire and hostage releases from all sides (the US abstained) and Bibi insisting that he needs to push through to Gaza’s southern border regardless of the human cost. Despite now strong tension between the two countries, the US has approved more weapons shipments to Israel; Israel has blocked UN food delivery efforts and is stepping up attacks on Hezbollah bases in Syria. Israel’s Supreme Court meanwhile issued a ruling eliminating some religious exemptions from Israel’s universal military service, possibly threatening the stability of his governing coalition
China’s attempt to ignore international law/custom on coastal claims and grab a lot more water continues to create tensions with the Philippines (while China continues to signal that it’s keen to invade Taiwan soon, and while its economy continues to tumble)
Senegal held a presidential election, with a major win for a leader of the banned political party PASTEF
Content
I wrote a bit on xz and security on LinkedIn (I try to keep technical/scientific knowledge understanding bars low on this substack; this article is a software engineering thing though): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-better-security-screening-tools-pat-gunn-kjeme/
Polls
Marist did a poll on support for Marijuana legalisation ( https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/03/26/most-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana-for-medical-recreational-use/ ) - interesting that the percent that want it generally illegal are now a slim percentage of the American public, with 57 percent wanting it generally legal and 32 percent wanting it legal just for medical use. While I dislike the smell and usually find high people irritating, I think it should be legal for all use; I don’t think it’s harmful enough to worry about as a society. I don’t generally want it legalised the way progressives do (NYS has a special fast lane to get a license for people “from a community that has suffered from drug laws); legalisation should not be based on identity, just safety and other technical matters.
Policy Focus
Recently Florida made the news for making it harder for people to squat in homes and using renter-protection laws to avoid quick eviction, partly because an illegal immigrant published a guide to doing it and abuse laws to remain in a home for months on end. As far as I can tell, the legal change is tightly constrained, impacting people who don’t have a lease. I think existing renter-protection laws are generally well-intended and helpful, and I think this is a good modification to them that should probably be adopted nationally. DeSantis is a cretin, but not everything he does is bad.
I’m bothered by a quirk in Italy’s legal system that creates a museum-administered dignity right for certain works of art; in my view, freedom of expression is far more important; this is too similar to a blasphemy law: https://apnews.com/article/michelangelo-david-statue-italy-protection-heritage-3fa1b7185fea36003e064fa6e2c309fd
In my view, it’s not appropriate for the state to fly social issue flags; this is one of the few things the GOP has gotten right recently, attempting to ban Pride flags from flying over embassies. Even if and when it nudges other nations towards tolerance of minorities, these flags have enough variety in their meanings that they’re best avoided (plus they often come to mean support of certain positive rights that are best avoided, rather than mere tolerance). https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/24/politics/pride-flag-us-embassies
The Wall of Shame
Almameh Gibba, a politician in Gambia, introduced a bill that seems to have considerable political support that would re-legalise female circumcision in that country; the practice is in my view child abuse and something that should remain a shameful part of the past; religious freedom cannot justify the mutilation.
Reviewlets
Blasphemous 2 (video game) - Sequel to a deeply weird “let’s put dark Roman Catholic mythology ideas into a blender” game, this adds more anime styling but still seems designed to elicit WTFs. If the original game was late-NES-era, this is mid-SNES-era.
Enshrouded (video game) - Returning to this, and while a lot about the UI makes it feel pretty last-gen (might just be style), the game has really grown on me. It’s still early access, meaning there’s a wall at the end of the world saying the rest will come out later, but the explorable world right now is pretty big and the base-building is fun (if unchallenging because materials are pretty abundant). Combat is satisfying (if a bit on the easy side), and I’ve mostly died (which is a slap on the wrist) due to mishaps using the glider.
The Wazir and the Witch (fantasy novel) - This is the seventh in the series, covering the troubles of a monarchy as an emperor takes it back into an empire, and power struggles within. The books are getting longer, presumably as the author knows it will only be part of a 10 rather than 30 part series; the author’s intent is present but subtle as the logic of the circumstances dominate. I’m enjoying the series differently than I did the early books, but increasingly. I’m looking forward to the eighth, although also with sadness as the end of the tenth will be a blow with the author long dead, leaving the continuance of the stories left an exercise for the reader
Amusements
A young wolf learning to howl:
One of the weirdest political gaffes: a US House member mistaking a basketball team in an airport for illegal immigrants: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/28/politics/fact-check-matt-maddock-invaders-gonzaga-madness-detroit/index.html
Taking a goat on a walk, as one does:
Recent Music
Black Steel - Tricky - Interesting vocals and uncomfortable but lively backing music.
Kiri no Igizen - Serial Experiments Lain - Deeply creepy background music for a classic Anime
Adir Adirim - Balkan Beat Box - Rhythm-centred balkan music that mostly repeats with new elaborations every two measures. Great song