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On “How We Know”
I owe blogger Dan Hirschman thanks for linking to Freeman Dyson’s “How We Know”, a review essay of James Gleick’s new book The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood in the 10 March 2011 issue of...
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Two links on trouble with databases
An encyclopedia and the institution of the academic library, actually. Martin Wisse writes (“Wikipedia finally notices it’s in trouble”) that Wikipedia’s famously open system of volunteer editors is...
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What hockey has shown us about Canada
Right now I’m watching the live feed of Game 7 of the National Hockey League’s finals, the Boston Bruins ahead of the Vancouver Canucks (playing in Vancouver) by one goal. The whole thing has been...
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The Massacre and its Context
Perhaps the most disturbing phenomenon in the 21st century European politics has been the emergence of various far-right populist movements. These extremist movements are driven by fears that open...
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How every detail counts in large amounts
I owe my co-blogger Jussi Jalonen thanks for the superb job placing last month’s massacres in Norway in the context of an increasingly unhinged and conspiracy-minded ideology, Internet-based but...
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Warsaw’s Forgotten Ghosts
Exactly 180 years ago, on September 7th, 1831, the conflict between the Russian Empire and the Congress Kingdom of Poland had reached its climax. After nine long months of hostilities, triggered by the...
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The Lions of Solomon
The photograph below is a caption of a Finnish newspaper article published in 1935, at the time of the crisis which preceded the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The translation of the headline is: “Finns...
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Grandpa’s Memoirs
Veteran’s Day (Armistice Day for you non-Americans out there) is fast approaching. I thought I could share some memories of my favorite veteran, Grandpa, and our joint experiences recording and...
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Preliminary notes on N’Ko and language communities
A Language Hat post last December linked to a New York Times Magazine article about the challenges faced by West Africa’s N’Ko alphabet. The N’Ko script isn’t an alphabet of long vintage, like the...
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A brief note on photography and apps and the photographic commons
Facebook’s Tom linked to a thought-provoking essay, “Instagram, Hipstamatic and Other Reasons Photography Is Starting To Suck”. The article’s thesis is obvious from its title. If you’ve ever tried to...
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Les Mis Review
I finally saw Les Mis: the movie . I have seen Les Mis the stage musical, including once in German in Berlin. I have not (yet) read the book that inspired the musical, so my review will not involve...
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Article 1
Randy McDonald:Stunning. Originally posted on Supernova Condensate: An item on my wish list: See a sunrise from orbit. Earth’s atmosphere scatters out the blue from sunlight. The scattered light makes...
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Refugee Crisis and the North
Some time ago, my hometown on the West Coast made a decision to accept refugees from Syria. The decision was historic. Although the town of Rauma has always had a relatively substantial community...
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