Posts in English

I think I need a thread about books I’m interested in reading. And I’ll start with Fiona Hill’s, because of the impression she had on me during the public hearing.

« Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin »

co-authored with Clifford G. Gaddy
goodreads.com/book/show/1586…

#axbomreads

A book to pre-order is Hiding in Plain Sight by @sarahkendzior

but also I want to read her book The View from Flyover Country:
goodreads.com/book/show/2543…

x.com/sarahkendzior/…

There are two books by @AngelaDSaini I need to read:

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story

Superior: The Return of Race Science

goodreads.com/author/show/45…

I always want to understand economic systems and risk management better. I expect this book by @AllisonSchrager to bring some surprising and powerful insights.

An Economist Walks Into a Brothel
goodreads.com/book/show/4090…

This book by @merbroussard wants us to understand when it’s relevant to apply new technology and when it’s not.

goodreads.com/book/show/4531…

I expect this book should be in everyone's library.

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do

by Jennifer Eberhardt of @StanfordSPARQ

goodreads.com/book/show/4040…

🔗 Originally posted on Twitter

« Air Canada is taking a more inclusive approach to cabin announcements by dropping “ladies and gentlemen” in favour of gender-neutral “everybody”. » x.com/PositiveNewsUK…

🔗 Originally posted on Twitter

Re-reading @MashaGessen from 2016.

"Trump is the first candidate in memory who ran not for president but for autocrat—and won."

In this article she outlined 6 rules for survival in an autocracy:

nybooks.com/daily/2016/11/…

#1. Believe the autocrat.

He actually means what he says, even when people think that he's joking/exaggerating. Humans are in denial when "when confronted publicly with the unacceptable".

#2. Do not be taken in by small signs of normality.

Catastrophes unfold over time. The slowness of this change is devious, because when people wake up to its reality, it will seem as if it happened overnight.

#3. Institutions will not save you.

Gessen in 2016: "The national press is likely to be among the first institutional victims of Trumpism."

The institutions are enshrined in political culture rather than law. "Coverage, and thinking, will drift in a Trumpian direction."

#4. Be outraged.

"But in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock."

People will call you unreasonable and hysterical. Be prepared to be that person.

#5. Don’t make compromises.

"In an autocracy, politics as the art of the possible is in fact utterly amoral." People will say that cooperation is essential for the future. This means that you ignore, and allow, corruption and criminal behavior.

#6. Remember the future.

Trumpism will not last, but the societal change is real. We need to be better at imagining and demonstrating alternative futures.

As designers, we should be thinking speculative & critical design, ethical futurism and strategic foresight.

On my wish list this December are a couple of books from @mashagessen. Check out her bibliography here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masha_Ges…

🔗 Originally posted on Twitter

This video made me do research and I now know about African lungfish. They can survive 2 years on land by burrowing into mud and secreting a layer of mucus that hardens into a protective shell.

Unchanged for 400 million years they are sometimes called ”living fossils”. x.com/Unexplained/st…

To be clear, I haven’t confirmed that this is the background to this video, or if it’s a hoax. Also, I’m very distressed by the distress of the fish (that’s who I am) but my curiosity always makes me want to understand more. Word of the day: estivation.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungfish

🔗 Originally posted on Twitter

For Christmas I want a mixtape with the best of Fiona Hill's hearing. Some of the best, sensible statements I've heard, especially in light of being under the type of scrutiny and attack that she is. Seriously impressive.

#ImpeachmentHearings

🔗 Originally posted on Twitter