LINKS - August 17th, 2022
Welcome to LINKS — my attempt to provide Rhapsody readers with five interesting stories that tell us something about what it means to be human. LINKS is published every Wednesday. Have a link you want to share? Drop it in the comments.
My Week With America’s Smartest* People
By Eve Peyser, The Intelligencer
“Despite its history and Loftus’s conclusions, I did not get the sense that Mensa is an unhealthy place to find community. Many of its members think of themselves as outsiders and feel like Mensa is a place where they can be themselves and connect with people who understand and appreciate them. It’s a place where they can find other folks who love to play Set or who have encyclopedic knowledge of minute Disney trivia. This isn’t to say that there aren’t toxic subsections of Mensa, because there are, but that’s true of any group that runs tens of thousands of members deep. And in an era when the internet and the pandemic have scrambled our sense of community and alienation reigns supreme, that’s no small thing.”
What Is the Black Hole Information Paradox? A Primer
By Jason Drakeford, Clara Moskowitz, Jeffery DelViscio, & Sunya Bhutta, Scientific American
“Black holes have been a big problem in physics. For decades, scientists have been mystified about what happens to stuff that falls into a black hole.
“The quandary is called the black hole information paradox, and it has stopped physics in its tracks.
“But in recent years, scientists have made a breakthrough that may finally solve the puzzle and begin to show how black holes really work.”
How can we help humans thrive trillions of years from now? This philosopher has a plan
By Malaka Gharib, NPR
“In the book, MacAskill explains why today's humans need to figure out how to minimize the harm that global threats such as pandemics, biowarfare, climate change or nuclear disaster could have on future humans. And he encourages readers to think outside the box about what a sustainable far-future could look like. Perhaps humans could find a way to live on other planets or prevent the sun from expanding and burning up Earth in half a billion years.”
If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That Means
By Lindsay Ellis & Angela Yang, The Wall Street Journal
“The phrase is generating millions of views on TikTok as some young professionals reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers, labeling their lesser enthusiasm a form of ‘quitting.’ It isn’t about getting off the company payroll, these employees say. In fact, the idea is to stay on it—but focus your time on the things you do outside of the office.”
WHO chief: Lack of help for Tigray crisis due to skin color
By Maria Cheng and Cara Anna, Associated Press
“Tedros asserted that the 6 million people in Tigray essentially cut off from the world have been “under siege” for the last 21 months. He described the Ukraine conflict as a crisis that has the global community potentially ‘sleepwalking into a nuclear war’ that could be ‘the mother of all problems,’ but argued the disaster in Tigray was far worse.
“‘I haven’t heard in the last few months any head of state talking about the Tigray situation anywhere in the developed world. Anywhere. Why?’ Tedros asked.
“‘Maybe the reason is the color of the skin of the people in Tigray.’ he said.”