Fluffy

Image: Fluffy, this photo is available to licence on EyeEm.

#255

Friday, March 19, 2021

In This Edition:
Covid air extraction spread, faster linear equation solving, conflict management strategies, regex crossword, NPR The Indicator & Modern Finance podcasts on NFTs, and My Octopus Teacher!

Today I listened to this fantastic interview with Albena Azmanova by Mark Blyth on The Rhodes Centre Podcast about how the current left vs right tension in the world is actually caused by competitiveness induced precarity. The real tension is risk aversion vs risk acceptance, because of the instability.

Covid Air Extraction Spread

Image: El Pais

El Pais published another set of informative Covid infection animations, this time illustrating how communial air extraction pipes in apartment buildings can facilitate the spread of Covid from different apartments in an air suction loop. Apartment buildings built prior to 1975 in Spain contain these communical air pipes in bathrooms.

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Faster Linear Equation Solving

Image: Quanta Magazine, Myriam Wares

Richard Peng and Santosh Vampala of Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new method of solving linear equations that is faster than matrix multiplication. Quanta magazine published an interesting article describing the new method, how it differs from standard matrix multiplication using coordinated random guessing, and how it can solve any sparse linear equation in n2.332 steps compared to the n2.372 of matrix multiplication.

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Conflict Management Strategies

Image: Intelivate

Intelivate published a useful list of eleven strategies for conflict management, including identifying and managing emotional triggers, deflecting emotional reactions, and using empathy and power of ownership statements.

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Regex Crossword

Image: Jimb Essler

Want to pass a few hours in the blink of an eye through shear frustration? Well today is your lucky day! :-p This regex crossword was created by Jimb Essler based on a puzzle written by Dan Gulotta for the 2013 MIT Mystery Hunt. I've unsuccessfully spent two late nights trying to solve this so far :-) 

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Podcasts of the Week: NPR The Indicator & Modern Finance on NFTs

Image: Mike Winkelman

You may have heard about the digital art NFT that sold for $69 million. NPR's The Indicator podcast has a good explainer episode on the sale of Beeple's Everyday Project which includes an interview with Beeple (aka Mike Winkelman). For a more in-depth description on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the current landscape, speculation markets, and the ridiculous amount of money being exchanged, I suggest listening to the first episode of Kevin Rose's new Modern Finance podcast where he interviews Aftab Hossain and they talk all about different NFTs.

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My Octopus Teacher

Image: Netflix

This week I watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix. It's a narrated documentary by Craig Foster about bonding with an octopus in the ocean. The film is visually stunning and extremely heartwarming. If you are looking for a perspective reset and something as far away from the pandemic as possible, this is the film to watch.

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About Found This Week

Found This Week is a curated blog of interesting posts, articles, links and stories in the world of technology, science and life in general.
Each edition is curated by Daryl Feehely every Friday and highlights cool stuff found each week.
The first 104 editions were published on Medium before this site was created, check out the archive here.

Daryl Feehely

I’m a web consultant, contract web developer, technical project manager & photographer originally from Cork, now based in Liverpool. I offer my clients strategy, planning & technical delivery services, remotely & in person. I also offer freelance CTO services to companies in need of technical bootstrapping or reinvention. If you think I can help you in your business, check out my details on http://darylfeehely.com

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