There's a persistent belief in the tech world, particularly in AI, that the human brain is basically a computer and that once we figure out how it stores and processes information, we'll be able to upload our consciousness to the cloud.
This has always seemed quite reductive to me. As Douglas Rushkoff would say, "What about the squishy bits?"
Anyway, this fascinating article by a senior research psychologist describes how the brain changes in response to experiences rather than simply storing data in a specific group of neurons.
Are you old enough to remember these? You couldn't visit a web page back in the day without seeing at least one.
Antoinism is a religion that was created in 1910 by a metal worker called Louis-Joseph Antoine from the Liège region of Belgium. Membership is declining sharply, and only 10 temples are left. Most of their temples have been converted to housing. I've walked past one of them a few times and always wondered what the inside was like. This article follows one of their "healers" and gives a fascinating insight into a dying cult.
In this age of ragebait and kinetic videos, I find watching each episode of Ed Pratt's journey from source to sea down the river Thames to be online comfort food. You can find the other episodes on his YouTube channel.
I've been fixing bugs that affected, among other things, the RSS feed. Sorry if some of you are seeing duplicate content. It should be fine from now on.
I didn't know the U.S. Capitol had its own mini underground rail network to shuttle people between buildings. I'm always fascinated by these independent networks.
