on harnessing the wisdom of crowds

February 19, 2018

Welcome to Corgi-Class Starship, the newsletter being written in what amounts to a surprising February cold snap here in the ol' San Francisco Bay area. It's 44°F out there -- the Syracuse native in me would've considered this practically T-shirt weather, but no longer: I've acclimated, and I have to accept that about my life and my body. 

You'll Like This

Update(s) on thing(s) I made or somehow helped to bring about.Idea Factory Giveaway62 - A Magazine For Organized People"Jon (@ferociousj), guest co-host Kelly (@enthusiosity), and special guest Lila (@lilabailey) uncover a fascinating publication, a pastime for a capella groups, a new spin on an old restaurant idea, and more."This was the first episode recorded since the birth of Quentin, which gives you some idea of the backlog I try to cultivate (to varying degrees of success)!You can subscribe using:Apple PodcastsRSSStitcherGoogle Play MusicYou can also just go to the website to play or download episodes:https://ideafactorygiveaway.simplecast.fm/Instant Band Night 3: The Search For RockONCE AGAIN IT'S ONIn just a couple of weeks, actually: March 8th! Prepare yourselves accordingly.In case you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, Instant Band Night is a pet party concept of mine:1. The stage has a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard, and mics.2. We draw names out of hats to make instant bands that get 10 minutes in the green room to plan an 8-minute set.3. A hat-drawn artist will also take the stage alongside each band to draw their gig poster on a meeting room easel pad.Mark ya calendar and get over to the East Bay Community Space on 3/8, folks:507 55th St (@ Telegraph)Oakland CA 946098p$5 doorBYOBThere are details and FAQs on Eventbrite and Facebook if you're into that sort of thing. 

Medium Ramble

Skippable if you're in a hurry.During the past year, whenever we recorded an episode of the podcast, we'd try as hard as possible to avoid repeats: if a guest stumbled across an idea a previous guest had already talked about, we skipped it. This year I want to try something slightly different: not doing that. I'm curious to see if there are particular ideas that different guests keep picking up and examining, kind of a wisdom-of-crowds deal, basically. If it turns out there are ideas that people keep pointing out, maybe that's a sign that I should actually try doing something with 'em? It's a thought, anyway. If you've been a faithful listener (for which I thank you, first and foremost), has there been an idea you think I ought to try tackling? Or just one you want to see in the world, irrespective of who does it? Let me know. 

#dadthoughts

Also skippable if you're in a hurry or don't care. No judgment.Quentin is starting to figure out what his hands are for, and that they're attached to his body and therefore under his control, which I swear is improving incrementally by the day. Not that he's amazing at manipulating objects, but he's starting to figure this shit out. In another few weeks(?), we'll induct him into the world of toys; maybe he'll be able to hug one of the stuffed pals that currently crowd the top of one of his dressers? He's already managed to grab my glasses once; I fear we're creeping ever closer to the day when I'm going to have to get one of those cords that runs around the back of my head. A buddy of mine got that laser action, which is admittedly kind of a genius solution, but I'm weirdly vain about my glasses -- I think they shape my face in a pleasing way, and without them I look, well, not like me. Nahmean?But so yes: Quentin's coordination is getting better bit by bit by bit. I admit that right now I'm enjoying his sessile phase -- he stays where I put him, full stop -- while at the same time trying to mentally prepare myself for the day when he starts moving around under his own power. That's going to be a fuckin' game-changer; right now I can barely wrap my head around it. We need to babyproof! I keenly remember once watching Mavis's nephew Sam crawl right up to an unguarded electrical outlet and almost make contact before I grabbed his ankles and gently but quickly yanked him away -- he cried, of course, having been denied his prize. The point is, the baby fascination with outlets is real, y'all; I've seen it in action. We will be ready. 

Fascination Corner

I read a lot of newsletters; here are some links that caught my eye. 

  • Alert that the villain from Big Hero 6 is about to get his technology. 

  • I'm glad someone out there is doing the orbital mechanics work to cover Starman's potential trajectories to the best of our current ability. 

  • Just watch the video here. And then maybe wonder what happens if said technology engages while you're still wearing the slippers. 

  • This WaPo piece on peak smartphone is something I've been wondering about for literally years, but that's because I'm one of those savages who only replaces his phone if the current model breaks. 

  • You might want to take a few minutes to read the 2018 annual letter from Bill and Melinda Gates. 

  • If it really is true that a statistically significant segment of millenials aren't super sure that democracy is a great idea, can you fuckin' blame 'em? Honestly? 

  • We really do need a wireless taser, and someone's trying to invent one that I have to say sounds a lot like the hunting rifles Captain Nemo's crew used in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Anyone else remember those? 

  • You should look at this article on biomimetic roach robots if only for the hilarious gif. Seriously. Also, the idea is very interesting. 

  • Here's a NY Times piece that has nothing to do with their increasingly hideous and stupid politics, but instead offers some intriguing data about your favorite song and how old you were when you cemented it. 

  • If we're going to be worried about that one episode of Black Mirror coming true, at least it won't be in the exact shape we thought. 

  • You want a worrisome read about the logical endpoint of technology vis-a-vis fake news? Buzzfeed's got you covered. 

  • I ran across this on Tumblr: long-game bioremediation using nothing but tons and tons of discarded compostable matter (in this case, orange peels). 

  • It is damn, damn hard to argue with the headline that YouTube and Twitch helped to create an inescapable era of provocateur culture. 

  • Uh: it's possible to make wood stronger than steel? 

A Fictional Thing

Something made-up that somehow suggested itself to me and which I could not escape.A new pub with a unique cocktail menuThe Privileged Daughter 

Thanks

If you've read this far, I thank you. Feel free to forward this to someone you like, or inflict upon someone you don't.