The meaning of neural activity
“The meaning off neural activity lies outside the brain…brain activity can be understood, that is, has meaning only to the extent that it is a representation of the state of […]
The consolations of isolation
“Isolation offered its own form of companionship: the reliable silence of her rooms, the steadfast tranquility of the evenings. The promise that she would find things where she put them, […]
Squeaky Dolphin
From an article about the anxieties of big data by Microsoft researcher Kate Crawford. 2014 is the year we learned about Squeaky Dolphin. That’s the Pynchon-worthy code name for a […]
This whole information business
One of the many revelations from reading Jon Gertner’s magisterial history of Bell Labs, is learning more about the story of Claude Shannon. He was one of any visionaries at […]
Anthropology & design
“Anthropology provides a kind of thick description that contextualises design processes and products, and design offers anthropology creative means of exploring and representing what it means to be human” anne […]
Incommunicado
As J.B. Priestley noted – “The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” – a thought captured elegantly in this series of photos documenting our obsession […]
Stripe Partners
Earlier in the week we pressed the button on a new company website. The business is called Stripe Partners – and although the founding partners have been working together for […]
Ageing numbers
Picture cred The Office of National Statistics (ONS) in November pumped out another batch of data relating to the ageing of the UK – here are some of the […]
‘That full complement of riches’
For those who attended the “Why the world needs anthropologists” symposium in Amsterdam yesterday here are the slides. For those that didn’t attend I hope the notes with the slides […]
The state of digital
A long but comprehensive ‘state of digital world’ presentation from Business Insider. The future of digital from Useful Ideas
Culture and utility
Re-reading a chapter in Marshall Sahlins’ Culture and Practical Reason, Le Penseé Bourgoisie today I could have cited multiple chunks of though-provoking writing. Instead, here’s a simple passage outlining, in […]
Feeding the City
Next time you stand in front of the refrigerated fixture at Pret a Manger pondering the choice of Ham & Gruyere or Line Caught Tuna baguettes, feel a little envious […]