Bitcoin Vikings, Floor Plans of TV Offices, and Google Doc Typewriters: Lux Recommends #100
Welcome to Lux Recommends #100 (Wow!), the newest edition of what we at Lux are reading and thinking about (and want to receive this by email? Sign up here).
Articles
How to Write a Novel Set More Than 125 Years in the Future: “Autonomous author Annalee Newitz explains how she went about building her 2144.” — Sam
Tour The Floor Plans Of All Your Favorite TV Offices: “From Dunder Mifflin to Sterling Cooper” — Adam K
10 iconic logos. 156 Americans. 80 hours of drawing from memory: Amazing data for how our memories are shaped not by visual cues and features (edges, corners etc) but rather are conceptual and ephemeral. — Zavain
New Theory Cracks Open the Black Box of Deep Learning: ‘A new idea called the “information bottleneck” is helping to explain the puzzling success of today’s artificial-intelligence algorithms — and might also explain how human brains learn.’ — Lux Capital intern Sam Kramer
See How Human Activity Is Changing Animal Migration Patterns: “That year, the birds stopped, instead, in cities like Madrid, Spain, and Rabat, Morocco. Apparently, they had developed a taste for junk food, in particular the stuff that piles up in landfills along the migration route.” — Adam K
One of the world’s largest financial services firms is mining bitcoins: Phrase of the day: “Bitcoin Vikings.” — Alex N
A Brain Built From Atomic Switches Can Learn: “A tiny self-organized mesh full of artificial synapses recalls its experiences and can solve simple problems. Its inventors hope it points the way to devices that match the brain’s energy-efficient computing prowess.” — Lux Capital intern Sam Kramer
Boeing will give $2 million to anyone who can build a functional jetpack — Adam G
I Fly Planes Through Hurricanes for a Living — Adam G
DocWriter: the typewriter that sends its keystrokes in real time to a Google Doc — Sam
The Underwater Photos Of The Year Are Here, And They’re Phenomenal — Adam K
If you’re based in New York City, check out Dale Chihuly’s installation at the New York Botanical Gardens. — Adam K
And an interview with our very own Shahin Farshchi: Making the ‘Impossible’ Possible Through Feats of Engineering!
Books
The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski: Lessons from the founder of San Francisco’s Zen Hospice Project about lessons learned for living from the dying. Humanity and compassion and wisdom at its best. — Josh
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz: A fantastic and thoughtful science fiction novel set in 2144, and rife with big ideas around biotech, AI, pharma, intellectual property, and much more. — Sam
Kill Shot: An American Assassin Thriller by Vince Flynn: A page turner! — Adam G
Television
Preacher Season 2: Graphic novel gone real—well, surreal. If you liked American Gods you will love this. — Josh
Rick and Morty: Just binged seasons 1,2,3 and love the irreverent snarky scifi meets real science future forward romper through the universe. It’s The Hitchhikers Guide meets Family Guy and Futurama. — Josh
Videos
If you blow air through sand, it behaves like a liquid — Sam
Lux Portfolio Feature
Aeva: Former Apple Engineers Working on New Eyes for Driverless Cars
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