Tag Archives: technology

Shades of Ribald Theobald’s Piebald Cow Pies

“I don’t know, I find it vaguely therapeutic to express myself on Twitter. It’s a way to get messages out to the public.” (Elon Musk) (John Cassidy, “Elon Musk Just Highlighted His Biggest Dilemma at Twitter,” The New Yorker, 10-31-22) … Continue reading

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When Less Is More

I’m glad to know about tengujo, the thinnest paper in the world, and to learn a bit about how it’s made. One of its numerous uses is in repairing and preserving old documents in places such as the Library of … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Move Fast and Fix Things

In late January Kara Swisher paid tribute to Clay Christensen, who died that month at age 67. Christensen was a Harvard professor of management whose seminal book “The Innovator’s Dilemma” appeared in 1997. His ideas on “disruptive” technologies influenced the … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The People’s Receiver

Bret Stephens has commented on how the relatively new technology of radio was received enthusiastically in 1930s Germany. Effort was made to produce and distribute a cheap radio — the Volksempfänger, or people’s receiver — “that could bring the Führer’s … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Cough, Herd)

If past experience (cough, blogs) is any indication, a shakeout is nigh. (Jennifer Miller, “Have We Hit Peak Podcast?” NYTimes, 7-18-19) A bigger shakeout than podcasting (cough, climate change) is nigh. I’m reminded of a New Yorker cartoon in which … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rust in Peace

There’s this sense of wonder you get when looking at abandoned buildings. You try to imagine what these spaces were like when they were filled with busy workers trying to meet production targets. And why did they close? (Brett Patman, … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“… Mind of a Genius at Work”

One note Leonardo wrote to himself reads, “Make eyeglasses to see the moon larger.” The first known record of a telescope came around a century later. (Elisabetta Povoledo, “In Leonardo da Vinci’s Scientific Notebook, the Mind of a Genius at … Continue reading

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment