Weekly Filet #41: How Wittgenstein Inspired Google. And more.
Don't trust the Euro, trust the Weekly Filet. #41 is out now. You can view it in your browser or right below.
This week's top recommendation
Most of us remember how hilariously bad machine translations were just a few years back. Today, Google Translate speaks 57 languages at the level of a 10-year-old. What's interesting about this comparison is that the machine mastered those languages by actually learning like a child. That is, by not going by rules, but by how language is used. "Don’t ask for the meaning, ask for the use", as Wittgenstein had put it. Fascinating read that also point to the future of human communication. Maybe tomorrow's lingua franca is just a machine.
→ Google Translate (Slate)
Further recommendations
UK and the US might be planning military attacks on Iran, the Guardian has learned. Worth a closer look.
→ UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears (The Guardian)
Papandreou wanted his people to vote. Europe's finanical markets said no. A stern comment.
→ Demokratie ist Ramsch (FAZ)
Playing big brother for the sake of science. The story of 6 men who will be coming back from a simulated trip to the Mars tomorrow.
→ 6 Guys in a Capsule: 520 Days on a Simulated Mars Mission (Wired)
We are now 7 billion on this planet. Where do you fit in? Nice and simple interactive graphic by the BBC.
→ The world at 7 billion (BBC)