This note provides links to the online version of Scott McCloud's original Chrome Comic from 2008. The comic, originally released in 2008, can be found on Google Books' Chrome version. A link to Scott McCloud's personal website, potentially containing further information, is also included.
In 55 BC, Pompey the Great inaugurated Rome's first permanent theatre, a lavish spectacle marking the city's burgeoning entertainment culture. The massive structure, seating 15,000, wasn't merely a building; it was a testament to Pompey's military achievements and political prowess. Its grand opening featured gladiatorial combats, elaborate plays (including a lavish production of Clytemnestra, subtly echoing Pompey's own triumphs), and displays of his vast wealth. While seemingly generous, Pompey's theatre served as a powerful tool for political control, a prime example of 'bread and circuses'. Its significance extended beyond Pompey's lifetime, becoming the site of Caesar's assassination in 44 BC.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University who played a prominent role in anti-Israel protests, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Authorities revoked his student visa and green card, citing support for Hamas. The arrest is seen as an escalation of the Trump administration's crackdown on student political activism, sparking debate about free speech and political retaliation. Khalil was a key negotiator in student protests and faced disciplinary action from the university for his social media activity. The arrest is also linked to the Trump administration's threat to cut funding to Columbia University over its handling of antisemitism on campus.
This essay challenges the conventional wisdom of ontology-based categorization in the digital age. The author argues that pre-defined categories, reminiscent of library catalogs, are constrained by physical limitations and human biases, ill-suited for the dynamic nature of the web. Instead, they propose a more organic system based on links and tags, allowing for free-form user labeling and valuable insights from large, messy datasets. Using Yahoo! and Google as examples, the author demonstrates the superiority of link-based search over pre-defined categories, showing how tagging systems better adapt to the scale, diversity, and dynamism of online information.
A philosophy professor at a California university recounts the pervasive use of AI tools like ChatGPT by students to cheat on assignments. The ease with which students can generate essays undermines the professor's teaching and shakes his faith in the educational process. He reflects on the true meaning of education, arguing it's not just job training but the cultivation of critical thinking and independent thought. While the professor attempts various countermeasures, the rapid advancement of AI renders these efforts largely ineffective. The piece concludes with a lament for the students' future and a broader reflection on the state of education.
After 42 years, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, a competition for the worst opening sentences to imaginary novels, has come to an end. Founder Scott Rice, citing age, announced the contest's closure, expressing gratitude to participants and judges. His daughter, EJ, also thanked the community and encouraged continued contact, requesting donations to maintain the contest's archives.
This article explores how the variety in coffee orders avoids a 'Schelling point' – a solution that allows coordination without communication. The wide range of coffee options previously prevented everyone from ordering the same drink. However, the popularity of the flat white disrupted this balance. The author argues this diversity extends beyond coffee, reflecting trends in fashion, software development, and more. The decline of Normcore, the rise of personalized micro-apps, and the fragmentation of social media all point towards an era of increased personalization and decentralization.
Scientists have observed mice instinctively attempting resuscitation on unconscious peers. In experiments, when a mouse was anesthetized, a bystander mouse frequently responded by pawing, licking, and even clearing the airway of the unconscious mouse. This behavior, remarkably similar to human first aid, was observed even though the mice had no prior experience with unconscious animals, suggesting an innate survival instinct. The study, published in Science, highlights surprising altruistic behavior in the animal kingdom.
The author canceled all daily newspaper subscriptions, keeping only a cooperatively-owned weekly and a French magazine. He finds that more and more online news sites have paywalls, ads, and intrusive scripts, leading him to abandon online news reading. He reflects on the changing attention economy and questions current payment models, finding per-article payments or multiple subscriptions too expensive and impractical. He considers subscribing to the Swiss digital newspaper Republik to support media diversity but struggles to process the vast amount of information effectively. The article concludes with a question about how to process news, reflecting the common dilemma of information overload.
A blogger conducted a months-long self-experiment with magnesium supplementation to improve mood and sleep quality. Initially using Solgar magnesium citrate, he ingested 800mg daily (approximately 136mg elemental magnesium). However, the results were unexpected: instead of improvement, mood significantly decreased. Data analysis and visualizations revealed potential negative effects from magnesium overdose. The blogger initially misinterpreted the supplement label, assuming 800mg referred to elemental magnesium, not citrate. The experiment highlights the importance of proper dosage and suggests that even seemingly safe supplements can have unintended negative consequences if taken in excess.
The author, a long-time user of L-theanine supplements, believed in its anxiety and stress-reducing effects. To test this, they conducted a 16-month double-blind experiment, comparing L-theanine against a vitamin D placebo. Surprisingly, L-theanine showed no significant benefit over the placebo. While statistically, stress levels decreased slightly after taking L-theanine, the placebo group showed a similar trend. The author couldn't reliably distinguish between L-theanine and the placebo. This casts doubt on L-theanine's efficacy and encourages further blinded studies to verify its purported benefits.
This article chronicles the evolution of human timekeeping, from subjective notions of time to the establishment of global standard time and the ongoing controversy surrounding daylight saving time. The rise of railroads spurred the creation of standard time zones, provoking strong resistance from the public who viewed it as a disruption of natural time and traditional lifestyles. Daylight saving time also faced similar controversies, adopted during the two World Wars and later abolished, remaining a contentious issue to this day. The article uses vivid stories and historical details to illustrate humanity's struggle for control over time and the interplay between different interest groups.
Coach Linda Anderson describes a phenomenon she calls the "body double": simply being present, without offering advice or strategies, can bring clarity and focus to clients. She observed that mere presence yielded significant positive effects, replicated across multiple clients. It's the power of silent companionship, enabling clients to find their own solutions.
Learning Arabic can be challenging due to its complex alphabet and sentence structures. The website "Learn Arabic" offers a unique approach: start reading Arabic words and sentences without first learning the alphabet. It features 8261 Arabic words and 2625 sentences and phrases, each with detailed explanations and links to aid understanding. The site leverages the Arabic root system and word pattern associations to enhance memorization and comprehension. This innovative method makes learning Arabic easier and more engaging.
This essay contrasts the worldviews presented in *The Lord of the Rings* and Terry Pratchett's *Discworld* series. It argues that *Lord of the Rings*, while a great story, offers a simplistic, deterministic view of technology and society unsuitable for a technologically advanced species. In contrast, *Discworld*, with its ironic and absurdist approach, provides a far superior model for understanding technological progress, societal evolution, and human interaction with these forces. The author advocates for embracing the pluralistic and generative worldview offered by *Discworld* over the limiting, Chosen One narratives of *Lord of the Rings*.
A recent poll reveals that support for the death penalty in the US has fallen to a five-decade low of 53%. Strikingly, a majority of younger Americans (ages 18-43) now oppose capital punishment. Even among those who still support the death penalty, growing unease surrounds the execution of individuals with severe mental impairments or brain damage resulting from trauma. This shift in public opinion reflects a broader reconsideration of the death penalty's effectiveness and moral implications, with many victim's families reporting it brings no closure.
Numerous user reviews accuse the Honey browser extension of being a scam that steals money from affiliates and content creators. Users report withheld reward points and outright theft of funds. Many reviews highlight the negative impact on bloggers and influencers who rely on affiliate marketing income, urging PayPal and Google to take action and remove the extension.
Auntie PDF is a smart PDF processing tool that acts like your all-knowing aunt, helping you easily understand and extract key information from your PDFs. Simply upload your PDF, and Auntie PDF, powered by advanced OCR technology, will extract all important text and organize it for you, allowing for quick comprehension. It supports various PDF types, but it's best to avoid password-protected files and ensure clear text within the document.
A 33-year veteran money manager vehemently criticizes President Trump's executive order establishing a "strategic cryptocurrency reserve." The author argues this plan is unnecessary, potentially harmful, and rife with corruption risk. He satirically compares it to a "digital Fort Knox," highlighting the absurdity given the U.S.'s departure from the gold standard in 1933. The author deems the initiative a dangerous and wasteful boondoggle, posing a potential threat to U.S. economic and financial stability.
An investigative journalist exposed a chilling plot by the Kremlin to kidnap and possibly assassinate him. The plan, orchestrated by Russian security service operatives, involved forged documents, a clandestine route, and a violent attack, even considering the use of poison or explosives. Despite its meticulous planning, British authorities intervened, dismantling the criminal operation and bringing several suspects to justice.
A wave of DVD rot is affecting Warner Bros. Home Entertainment titles manufactured between 2006 and 2008. Editor Chris Bumbray highlighted the issue after several of his classic films became unplayable. Warner Bros. has acknowledged the widespread problem and is offering replacements, but some out-of-print titles can only be exchanged for comparable movies. This surprising development underscores the inherent risks even with physical media, a stark contrast to the perceived permanence.
This article explores the thought of renowned philosopher Martha Nussbaum, focusing on her capabilities approach and views on emotions, particularly anger. The capabilities approach argues that governments should ensure all citizens possess the capabilities to lead flourishing lives, not simply fulfilling citizens' preferences but providing real opportunities for well-being. Nussbaum lists ten central capabilities, framing them as rights. However, her view on anger has evolved; she now considers anger normatively problematic, often stemming from self-centeredness and status competition. She advocates for 'transition'—shifting anger into constructive action to improve well-being. Nussbaum's philosophy remains deeply intertwined with real-life experiences, her writing demonstrating the interplay of personal narrative, emotion, and philosophical thought.
This blog post tackles a classic mathematical puzzle posed by Martin Gardner in 1958: Two identical bolts intermesh; if you twiddle them like thumbs, do the bolt heads move closer, farther apart, or remain at the same distance? The author provides a detailed geometric analysis explaining why the bolt heads maintain the same distance, refuting Gardner's less intuitive escalator analogy. The post includes diagrams of thread standards and the author's own 3D bolt illustrations for better understanding.
This article explores the complex, 500-year relationship between papal elections and gambling. From the 16th century Papal States, bets were placed on papal deaths and elections, even involving insider trading. Pope Gregory XIV issued a bull banning such practices, but with limited success. The ban was overturned in 1918. Today, prediction markets are resurfacing, allowing bets on the Pope's health and succession, sparking discussions about their societal impact, especially regarding information asymmetry and potential manipulation.
This is a navigation page for a website dedicated to the wonderfully ancient world of the Aztecs. The site features sections on Compilers, Shells, Documentation, Ads and Articles, Projects and Products, Tools and Utilities, Samples and Demos, and Links, Emulators and Other Resources. Copyright © Bill Buckels 2009. All Rights Reserved. Unless Otherwise Noted.
A Canadian user canceled their Amazon Prime subscription. The reason wasn't to boycott Amazon, but rather a combination of commercial and emotional factors. Commercially, the need for next-day delivery decreased after a recent move, and other online stores offer comparable products and prices. Emotionally, dissatisfaction with the current US stance towards Canada, coupled with a decline in Amazon's shopping experience (poor search results, ugly interface), led to a shift in spending towards Canadian suppliers. While Prime Video was once a benefit, the poor quality of shows like 'Rings of Power' diminished its appeal. Ultimately, canceling the subscription was a smooth process.
A YouGov survey unveils the reading habits of Britons. The results show a generally low reading rate among British adults, with nearly 40% reading zero books in the past year. Women and older adults read more than men and younger people; middle-class individuals also read more frequently than working-class individuals. Most Brits read before bed or in their free time, preferring fiction, with physical books remaining the most common format, though e-books and audiobooks are gaining popularity. While many own extensive collections, few organize their books systematically.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is proposing to expand its social media monitoring program to include non-citizens already in the US who are applying for immigration benefits. This expansion, stemming from a 2020 executive order, aims to enhance vetting processes. The proposed rule would require applicants for permanent residency, citizenship, or refugee/asylum status to submit their social media information for review, potentially adding hundreds of thousands of hours of work annually. The proposal is open for public comment for 60 days.
Frustrated by infrequent blogging, the author adopts a unique productivity hack: a self-imposed 30-euro penalty for failing to publish a blog post each month. Inspired by the idea that consistent, lower-stakes output is better than infrequent, high-pressure posts, this commitment motivates him to write regularly. He extends this system to painting miniatures, aiming for 52 blog posts and 60 painted miniatures by year's end. The author plans to report back on the results and expand this method to other projects.
This article demonstrates solving the classic Knights and Knaves logic puzzle from the movie *Labyrinth* using Boolean algebra. The author models the problem, using A for the answer, Q for the correct answer to the question, and G for whether the goblin is lying, deriving A = G⊕Q. By cleverly crafting the question to incorporate the other goblin's lying status, the equation simplifies, revealing the solution. The author argues that the formalized approach clarifies the steps and highlights the usefulness of formal systems as reasoning tools.