In this video, Sara Saadouni explains the three passive cooling techniques used by fellow architect Diébédo Francis Kéré in designing a school building in Burkina Faso, where temperatures can be quite warm all year. The roof is especially clever.
Wired – We Tracked Every Visitor to Epstein Island
This report includes video and transcript [unpaywalled]
Even in death, the secrets of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his infamous private island remain tightly guarded. But in 2024 WIRED conducted an investigation uncovering the data of mobile devices belonging to almost 200 of his visitors.
How strong was the data? So precise that we followed visitor’s movements to and from Epstein Island to within centimeters—tracking their countries, neighborhoods, and even buildings of origin. This is Epstein Island’s Secret Data.
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources, new reviews of philosophy books, and new podcast episodes… (more…)
Explaining Human Mind-Reading by Armin W. Schulz
- “We can’t understand the human mind if we don’t understand the role mental imagery plays in… diverse mental phenomena” — The Junkyard is hosting a book symposium on Bence Nanay’s “Mental Imagery: Philosophy, Psychology, Neuroscience”
- “Our idea was to train the next generation of experts, rather than trying to change the mindset of already established experts” — Rani Lill Anjum (NMBU) and Elena Rocca (Oslo Metropolitan) on teaching philosophy of science to medical researchers and health practitioners
- “What is the role of beauty in the naturalist’s worldview? What is the role of naturalism in the artist’s?” — Abigail Tulenko (Harvard) takes up these questions with the help of Austen and Darwin
- “The trouble doesn’t come when we disagree… The trouble comes when the spirit of conversation is edged aside by another sentiment — ‘Die, heretic!’” — Kwame Anthony Appiah (NYU) on liberal fallibilism
- “A few months ago, Anthropic quietly hired its first dedicated ‘AI welfare’ researcher” — the job: explore the extent to which future AI models might deserve moral consideration and protection
- “It is precisely those material conditions for a healthy, stable democracy that the United States lacks today” — Jason Stanley (Yale) on the election, Rousseau, and the vindication of Plato
- “The theorem is misleading”. Hopefully it is not too late for those misled to get their money back on those typewriters. — in related news, automatic braking systems on today’s trolleys has philosophy majors questioning the value of their degree