John MacGaffey

What to Read and Listen to 🖥️ How Aristotle Created the Computer — The Atlantic Chris Dixon's fascinating 2017 essay on the philosophers and logicians who created the intellectual foundation for modern computers is just as relevant today. I'll let his introduction speak for itself: The history of computers is often told

What to Read 🤑 Why the Super Rich are Inevitable – The Pudding Part article, part interactive game, The Pudding's beautifully illustrated exploration of wealth inequality explores the mathematical basis for the emergence of the ultra-wealthy class. A few decades ago, physicists got involved in studying inequality. They normally study the physical

What to Read 🎶 Welcome address to freshman parents at Boston Conservatory – Karl Paulnack Pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory Karl Paulnack shares a powerful testimony on just how critical music is: From these two experiences, I have come to understand that music is not part of "arts

What to Read and Listen to 🤖 The AI Revolution Could Be Bigger and Weirder Than We Can Imagine – Plain English Last week, I wrote about the optimistic, long-term view of the rise of AI. But I'll admit that our future, particularly in the near term, may be anything but rosy.

What to Read 🔼 When the Push Button Was New, People Were Freaked – JSTOR Daily Today's mundane technology is often the source of yesterday's panic: The doorbell. The intercom. The elevator. Once upon a time, beginning in the late nineteenth century, pushing the button that activated such devices was a strange