Gli antichi greci: un popolo di daltonici

Money quote: "Yellow, too, seems strangely absent from the Greek lexicon. The simple word xanthos covers the most various shades of yellow, from the shining blond hair of the gods, to amber, to the reddish blaze of fire. Chloros, since it’s related to chloe (grass), suggests the colour green but can also itself convey a vivid yellow, like honey."

https://aeon.co/essays/can-we-hope-to-understand-how-the-greeks-saw-their-world

Volete piangere e ripensare a tutta la vostra vita? Ecco qua.

Money quote: "If I get a soapbox, here’s my short shtick: We are all so fragile. Each day is precious. And the most important parts of our lives are the relationships we invest in. I certainly feel that way, as my friends and family—“Matt’s Army”—have Amy and me awash in love that feels like a mighty waterfall."

https://www.wired.com/story/the-day-i-found-out-my-life-was-hanging-by-a-thread/

Un indiano emigrato in Canada ha costruito nella sua tavernetta una software house che oggi vale un miliardo di dollari.

Money quote: "Technology journalist Martin Veitch who has followed Mr Rodrigues' career, says Soti has been so successful because of its specialised approach.

"I think Soti is an example of a company that has succeeded by being focused on a business niche," says Mr Veitch, who is contributing editor of website IDG Connect.

"A lot of its rivals are huge vendors that play in virtually every aspect of IT. That's fine for those customers that like 'one throat to choke', but for others a company that is a specialist represents a better fit.""

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40504764

Alessandro Dal Lago, che è un sociologo italiano vicino alla pensione e piuttosto importante dalle nostre parti, ha scritto un libro su J.R.R. Tolkien (che non ho letto) che viene demolito da uno dei Wu Ming, quello appassionato studioso e conoscitore dello scrittore del Signore degli Anelli.

L'errore di ubris di Dal Lago starebbe nella sua mancanza di approfondimento, nel suo provincialismo italiota e, soprattutto, in una lettura ideologica e marxista che si sposa molto ma molto male con la sofisticata critica nata attorno a Tolkien negli ultimi trent'anni. Dal Lago insomma non ci avrebbe capito una beata mazza, secondo Wu Ming.

Money quote: " Per il cattolico Tolkien non c’era obbedienza dovuta in cui potesse annullarsi il libero arbitrio. Se c’è un problema sul quale ha riflettuto nell’arco di una vita è proprio l’eroismo nordico, guardandosi bene dall’esaltarlo acriticamente (tanto nella sua opera quanto nelle lettere), e anzi, cercando di indagarne la complessità sia contro lo stato della filologia corrente (E.V. Gordon) sia contro le semplificazioni politiche (Adolf Hitler)."

http://www.jrrtolkien.it/2017/07/13/eroi-e-mostri-di-dal-lago-ecco-la-recensione/

Il giornalismo fatto con le ricerche epocali che spiegano tutto e il contrario di tutto non c'è solo in Italia. Ovvero, nasce negli Usa e poi percola da noi.

Questa volta, un vero scoop. La vita sedentaria fa male. Ma va?! Chi vincerà un premio per averlo scritto?

Money quote: "Cut sitting time to less than three hours a day, one group of researchers found, and you could lengthen your life expectancy by two years. Some researchers have found connections between sitting too long and disease even in runners and other active people. But contradictory research — also well conducted — has found that sitting is bad only for total couch potatoes, that vigorous exercise, even if it’s only for a couple of hours on the weekend, actually can eliminate the risk of death associated with sitting. Researchers also disagree on whether standing desks do anything to help workers burn more calories, or boost their productivity"

https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/dangers-of-sitting

Oggi, 100 anni fa, nasceva Jack Kirby, visionario creatore di universi fantastici. Da Capitan America ai Fantastici Quattro, dagli X-Men ai Vendicatiori, Kirby ha creato i più famosi supereroi Marvel, entrando di prepotenza nella cultura popolare.

L'articolo di Andrea Fiamma: http://www.fumettologica.it/2017/08/jack-kirby-re-comics-fumetti-marvel/

Il cimitero delle app, vortice dei nostri desideri - il mio articolo per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/cimitero-delle-app-vortice-dei-nostri-desideri/

Fuga di notizie, il “male” antico di Apple è nato nel 1988 - il mio articolo per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/fuga-notizie-male-antico-apple/

Una tazza di the in hotel? Forse è meglio pensarci due volte: c'è gente che usa il bollitore per pulire le mutande. E possono passare le malattie.

Money quote: "Experts are warning people not to boil their underwear in hotel kettles in case it spreads potentially deadly toxins.

It's a revelation that’s bound to have you regretting every cup of tea you’ve ever had in a hotel room; the act of underwear-boiling is apparently a practice that exists."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/underwear-boil-hotel-kettles-spread-bacteria-health-risk-heather-hendrickson-hostels-a7909941.html

Come si fa ad essere felici? Ecco un altro neuroscienziato che ce lo spiega... personalmente in questo momenti rimpiango il riposante buio del medioevo.

Money quote: "From those two premises, Cerf's conclusion is that if people want to maximize happiness and minimize stress, they should build a life that requires fewer decisions by surrounding themselves with people who embody the traits they prefer. Over time, they'll naturally pick up those desirable attitudes and behaviors. At the same time, they can avoid the mentally taxing low-level decisions that sap the energy needed for higher-stakes decisions."

http://www.businessinsider.com/neuroscientist-most-important-choice-in-life-2017-7?IR=T

Per tutti quelli che non hanno fatto il linguistico e non sanno scrivere una lettera commerciale in inglese, 69 modi diversi di salutare, alla fine. (Serve anche ai madrelingua, mi dicono)

Money quote: "Yes, there are. And, as a matter of fact, there's a lot of them. Fortunately for you (and for me!) I pulled a huge selection into this list right here. Of course, not all of them will be suitable for every sort of situation or office. But, with so many options, you're bound to find one that fits the bill."

https://www.inc.com/the-muse/email-sign-offs-for-every-occasion.html

Se vinci i milioni alla lotteria hai sconfitto la probabilità di non vincerli. Ma i problemi iniziano adesso: come gestire il nuovo patrimonio? La maggior parte delle persone che diventa ricca con le lotterie infatti finisce in mutande molto rapidamente. Come evitarlo? Alcuni saggi consigli, just in case.

Money quote: "• Lottery winnings are not what they seem: Let’s start with that $759 million prize. Wanczyk, like most lottery winners, decided to take a lump sum rather than equal annual payments for 30 years. Her lump sum comes out to about $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. That's still a huge amount of money. Often, taking annual payments is safer. There's no guarantee that you will invest the lump sum wisely and the annual payments reduce the likelihood that you'll squander the money as so many lottery winners have in the past"


How to Deal With a $759 Million Lottery Jackpot - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-25/how-to-deal-with-a-759-million-lottery-jackpot

Ti pagano 100 dollari per stare otto-nove ore su una sedia di aeroplano (una volta si chiamavano poltrone, ma il termine oggi mi pare esagerato) e consentire diabolici esperimenti per spremere fino all'ultimo minuto da posti sempre più fitti su velivoli sempre più scomodi.

Money quote: "The seat factory in Winston-Salem is at the center of testing the physical limits of human tolerance. One part of its live studies involves giving only some participants Wi-Fi access, an exercise that typically reveals a direct relationship between distraction and seat-staying power. “You can easily see the difference in ratings for the exact same seat if you have entertainment,” says Pozzi."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-17/what-s-stopping-airlines-from-making-your-seat-more-miserable

Storie di reduci americani. Sembra un romanzo.

Money quote: "In Iraq, I nicknamed him “Superman” because he turned out to be one of the toughest sons of bitches I’d ever met. First Sergeant Greg Shanahan found out two months into our tour of duty he had testicular cancer, only to fly home, start chemo, beat cancer, and then fly back to Ramadi, Iraq and ensure his soldiers survived."

https://psiloveyou.xyz/the-beautiful-awful-of-grief-and-loss-8a2708272763

La storia di Aaron Cashatt, the hotel hacker.

Quote: "If you look around on the internet you can figure out how to do anything."

https://www.wired.com/2017/08/the-hotel-hacker/?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email

Il test di Call Recorder Plus, registriamo telefonate sull’iPhone - la mia prova per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/test-call-recorder-plus-registriamo-telefonate-sulliphone/

Il futuro di Medium secondo Ev Williams, più o meno. Il tema è la pubblicità, ovviamente. E la fuga dei giornali, che lasciano Medium per altri orizzonti.

Money quote: " (“Ev doesn’t like ads? Wait until he finds out what credit card processing is really like,” a source told Business Insider in February.)"

http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/08/ev-williams-on-mediums-spotify-ish-future-why-publishers-left-and-why-he-changed-his-mind-about-ads/

Avete sempre desiderato diventare dei bravi programmatori ma non andate oltre i rudimenti? C'è un gioco, di cui avevo parlato in passato, che permette di migliorare lavorando su un tipo fantasioso di assembler. Ne parlava anche Gamasutra

Money quote: "The funny thing, he adds, is that TIS-100 is already doing pretty well in light of what it cost to produce. “I think a large part of it is just because of how audacious it is,” says Barth. “Like, having a tutorial that basically says ‘Hey, read this 14-page manual, asshole,’ seems like it would be a really bad thing for your game, but apparently it's actually pretty effective.”"

https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/244969/Things_we_create_tell_people_who_we_are_Designing_Zachtronics_TIS100.php

Una riflessione sugli effetti collaterali dei farmaci, gli effetti incrociati e le malattie croniche. Il tutto per spiegare che una logica riduzionista in un sistema totalmente interdipendente produce danno straordinari.

Money quote: "As a physician, I can’t help but be reminded of ferrets in New Zealand as I write prescriptions for the drugs we use to manage chronic disease. Hydrochlorothiazide for high blood pressure. Sulfonylureas, a class of medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Statins for heart disease.

Don’t get me wrong, these drugs work. They absolutely save lives. But the human body is a precisely interdependent system, and these drugs are like sledgehammers."

https://aeon.co/ideas/there-is-nothing-inevitable-or-natural-about-chronic-disease

Impariamo ad abbracciarci di nuovo, tra sconosciuti. Negli Usa si praticano serate di abbraccio platonico. Voi perché non lo fate?

Money quote: "Professional cuddling is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, as men and women across the country embrace touch therapy as the latest iteration of self-care. As such, every day, thousands of people are booking appointments with professional cuddlers in at least 16 states."

https://melmagazine.com/cuddle-parties-and-the-death-of-platonic-male-touch-596048c79745