Weekly Filet #222: Edgy scientific concepts. And more.
Let's just pretend that break never happened, shall we?
1. What scientific term or concept ought to be more widely known? (The Edge)
It's time for the annual Edge question. I don't suppose you have time to read all 206 answers, so let me suggest three to you I found especially thought-provoking: the premortem, naïve realism and Bayes' theorem. I am, though, slightly disappointed that none of the respondents brought forward the bullshit asymmetry.
2. A bigger problem than ISIS? (The New Yorker)
The Mosul Dam holds 11 billion cubic feet of water. It is failing. A breach could kill as many as 1.5 million people. Extraordinary reporting.
3. Deep Learning Gallery
Fascinating and somewhat frightening: a collection of skills computers are teaching themselves, from flying drones, lip-reading and unpixelating portrait images to mastering Flappy Bird.
4. Mini Metro Maps (Transit Oriented)
A thing of beauty from graphic designer Peter Dovak: 220 metro and light rail systems from around the world, shrunken and simplified. Reminds me of Mini Metro, a game I'm currently in a love-hate relationship with.
5. 52 places to go in 2017 (The New York Times)
Come for the drone intro, stay for hefty dose of fernweh. A classic.