Last week I was in a conference in Chicago. I plan to write about it later this month, but for this week I just wanted to share some miscellaneous links (mostly related to things I've written about previously) that I've been saving up. It's quite rambling but hopefully you find something of interest below.
I watched the new Blade Runner movie last night. It was ponderously paced, with lots of long shots of Ryan Gosling's face. But in spite of having less action, I think it really captured the same tone and similar themes that made the first Matrix movie such a success. The director was Denis Villeneuve (a Canadian). He wants to do an adaptation of Dune—I love the book, so I hope it happens.
This article that I came across recently incorporates three things I like into its title: James Watt, keeping a day of rest, and walking in the park. It also cites a book I reviewed a few years ago.
Another article I came across recently is about the sequel to another book I reviewed a few years ago.
Here is a really interesting essay on whether nation-states will be eclipsed by city-states in the future. An excerpt:
Fleeting around from one city to the next, as I sometimes do, feels more Hanseatic League than League of Nations: a system of powerful, trading, networked cities. And the Hanseatic League itself was hardly an oddity. Before that there was Venice of course, and that was merely the most well-known of many independent city-states dotted across what is now Italy in the 10th to 16th centuries, including Florence, Bologna and Turin. ... Only a few formal city-states still exist today (Monaco, Singapore and the Vatican are the completely sovereign city-states; others, such as Hong Kong, act like one but do not have full sovereignty). It is in fact a historical anomaly that so few of us live in city-states.
Toward the end of the essay, the author mentions seasteading.
Here are a few random links:
- A write-up about the Ketchum dinner I attended earlier this year.
- This painting is from Russia, but could easily pass for places I've gone kayaking locally.
- A neat map of hurricanes and post-tropical storms that have hit Canada over the years.
I've previously shared at least one video from Scott Manley. Here is one where he explains some of the math behind orbits:
Langfocus is another YouTube channel I've been enjoying recently:
I'm not sure if I'll get out for anymore fall hikes, but here is a good list of suggestions. It includes a couple from Kouchibouguac.
Narcity makes me feel very Canadian when I browse it since the main page doesn't segregate French and English posts. Their suggestions for daytrips around Halifax (e.g. visiting Lunenburg) seem pretty solid to me.
Finally, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton is opening a new wing this weekend. I hope to go check it out. There is also currently an art exhibit at the NB Museum that I'd like to go see. If I make it, I expect I'll discuss these shows further in a future post.