The Monday Mix (17/04/2023)
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The Monday Mix (17/04/2023)
Hi friends,
Late in sending this out today, so I’ll get straight into it.
Did Snakes Help Build The Primate Brain
The title of this one made me click and I wasn’t disappointed as it’s an interesting read. This is something you might never have thought about, I hadn’t, but it does make a bit of sense when you read through the article. Even now, we all have a fear and wariness of snakes. They were the one thing I dreaded coming across when I was in Australia for a year. Thankfully, I didn’t see one, even when I was in the outback. We must have got this apprehension from somewhere and this article claims our primate ancestors might hold the key.
The Three-City Problem
The three-body problem is a famous physics problem, that Luke Birgis has changed into a three-city problem. The physics problem relates to how you can predict where two celestial bodies will be in relation to each other but if you add a third it becomes too unpredictable and almost impossible to decipher where they might be at any given point. His take on this looks at three cities that represent philosophies from the ancient and modern world, Athens, Jerusalem and Silicon Valley and how they all relate to each other. It’s a fascinating read and will induce a lot of deep thinking.
Are Coincidences Real?
We’ve all experienced moments that make us think, is this a coincidence or not? I’ve felt this has become more frequent since the advent of social media. I might think about something, or talk about a topic and lo and behold, an advert mentioning that very thing pops up on my screen. Coincidence, or is my phone spying on me? This article looks at the phenomena and asks whether we make more of coincidences or whether they are actually a bit eerie and supernatural. I agree with the author that I prefer there was a rational explanation, but I’m not sure we’ll ever know whether that’s the case or not.
Book I’m reading - Death in Spring by Merce Rodoreda
Reading a novel after a few non-fiction books is a nice change of pace and this one is from the Penguin European Writers collection. I’ve just started it and it’s an interesting story about a teenage Catalan boy’s coming of age in a remote village. The last book I read from this series was enjoyable so I’m hoping this one will be just as good.
Quote I’m pondering: – “None are more taken in by flattery than the proud, who wish to be the first and are not.” – Benedict de Spinoza
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom