Magic: The Spying

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In 1856, the French government faced a peculiar problem in Algeria. The Marabouts, local religious leaders, were using what appeared to be supernatural abilities to convince locals that France’s colonial presence could be overcome by divine intervention. Napoleon III, the French Emperor at the time, needed something stronger than military force; he needed to shatter the Marabouts’ mystical authority entirely. So he did what any reasonable emperor would do: fight fire with fire. Napoleon III sent a magician to Algeria. Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, already …

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Flavours of Proust’s Madeleine

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A few years ago, we visited Airfield Estate here in Dublin, a working farm that we love taking our daughter to, and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. This heritage estate has rewilded areas, a huge playground in the forest, and convenient access via Luas (Dublin’s tram system). But on this particular sunny day, when it felt like we had the farm just for us, we went as usual to say hello to the hens. And then the rooster …

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Parkinson’s Law, Hawaiian Time, and the Space Between

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People get cast in molds (of status and roles) for which they are variously equipped. The problem lies between man’s creativeness and diversity and the rather specific needs of his institutions, for most cultures and the institutions they engender represent highly specialized solutions to rather specific problems. For example, in England during the early days of the industrial revolution, villagers and field hands were brought into the factory to work. These first generations of mill hands were not conditioned to the whistle. Like all preindustrial …

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Lynley Dodd: Stories Hidden in Plain Sight

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The fewer the words, the harder the job. Dame Lynley Dodd Finding non-anthropomorphic children’s books about animals with exquisite rhyme and repetition is remarkably difficult. When our daughter turned two, that crucial age for language acquisition, we discovered Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, and we immediately fell under the magic of New Zealand author-illustrator Lynley Dodd. We devoured every book we could find, meeting the unforgettable cast of characters: Hairy Maclary himself, Schnitzel von Krumm with his very low tum, Bitzer Maloney all skinny and bony, …

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A Timeline of Communication Patterns – What Comes Next (part 3)

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Articles in the series: A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Introduction (part 1) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Recurring Themes (part 2) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – What Comes Next (part 3) Our previous analysis reveals that societies selectively innovate based on their most deeply held values and most pressing constraints. AI development follows a similar pattern of selection. Just as Mesopotamian writing systems emerged for transactional clarity (tracking grain, livestock, and debts), AI prioritizes structured data over visual flair, parsing massive …

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A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Recurring Themes (part 2)

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Articles in the series: A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Introduction (part 1) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Recurring Themes (part 2) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – What Comes Next (part 3) As described in the previous article, communication technologies compressed time and space, creating shared experiences across vast geographic and historical dimensions. Innovation through Constraints Throughout history, we observe a pattern where new communication methods emerge precisely to overcome the constraints of their predecessors. Consider how clay tokens addressed the fundamental …

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A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Introduction (part 1)

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Articles in the series: A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Introduction (part 1) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – Recurring Themes (part 2) A Timeline of Communication Patterns – What Comes Next (part 3) Smiling, touching, watching, copying, talking, listening, singing, dancing, painting, writing, and making; these are the ways we have always connected with one another. From cave paintings to the latest AI models, our methods of communication have been shaped by the culture in which we are born, power hierarchies, and the …

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Celebrating Mărțișor, A Romanian Heritage

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On March 1st, we Romanians celebrate Mărțișor to mark the beginning of spring. Mărțișor is a small red and white string, often embellished with trinkets like hearts, clovers, birds, horseshoes, flowers, chimney sweeps, symbolizing renewal, protection, good fortune, love, or the continuity of life. The red and white colors represent cosmic balance: red for vitality and life and white for purity and snow, embodying the transition from winter to spring. [Romanian] Dochia e cea întâia zi de primăvară. În ziua de Dochia, se face mărţişor: un …

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