magpie 53/ pinhole panoramas
Almost all classical literature has come down to us from medieval monks, choosy in what they resolved to copy. As a result, relatively little “original” writing from antiquity exists, which means classical literature, from our point of view, is a panorama seen through a pinhole.
An awe-inspiring effort that tests the newest of the new knowledge to re-discover the oldest of the old. I first heard about this project on the Stratechery podcast, when Nat Friedman, the founder of the prize.(paywall) talked about entirely different topics.
Excellent examination of Walter Isaacson, who has more-or-less failed sideways from middling executive to basement historian to vanguard of the culture wars. Isaacson’s first books were hagiographies of dead white dudes and thus could duck the scandals and stick to the highlights. Now that his subjects are living characters, his own intent and idiosyncrasies start to come into focus.
The strongest animal on earth is a vegetarian. Strength ≠ predation
Not sure I buy it, but an interesting study. The less-well educated you are, the more you favor Pre-distribution vs Re-distribution.
A bit of work-life bleeding over: Build and design services that earn trust