This is the first post of my WLASze: Weekend Links on Arts, Sciences, and zero economics for this week.
Enjoy.
Today is the birthday of one of my favourite Italian futurists: Umberto Boccioni, born this day in 1882. Here's his brilliant painting from the States of Mind series: The Farewells, 1911
Boccioni's page on ArtStack: http://theartstack.com/artists/umberto-boccioni
Great slideshow giving an insight into the world of trespassers' photography:
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/10/adventures-of-a-serial-trespasser/100604/
This is not quite art, but there is some sense of raw force driving us, as people, to pushing the limits of 'normality'. And that force is well-represented in these photographs… almost voyeuristic, half creative and half inquisitive - the borderline of learning self and expressing self...
Via http://www.saatchionline.com/koenlybaert works of a Belgian painter Koen Lybaert:
Evocative of (if not outright 'borrowing from) Gerhard Richter's works.
http://www.gerhard-richter.com/art/
http://theartstack.com/artists/gerhard-richter
An interesting report about the research into behavioural, emotional and mental activity of dogs, suggesting that the caudate region activity in dogs' brains is proximate to human and indicates that dogs: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/opinion/sunday/dogs-are-people-too.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Some select quotes: "Although we are just beginning to answer basic questions about the canine brain, we cannot ignore the striking similarity between dogs and humans in both the structure and function of a key brain region: the caudate nucleus."
"Do these findings prove that dogs love us? Not quite. But many of the same things that activate the human caudate, which are associated with positive emotions, also activate the dog caudate. Neuroscientists call this a functional homology, and it may be an indication of canine emotions. The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs."
Not only an amazing set of studies, but also a promise of serious ethical and even legal implications, were the findings to continue expanding our insight into the emotional, cognitive and psychological existence of our extended family members…
A brief note: http://classic.slashdot.org/story/13/10/07/2352217 with huge implications. This marks the first time that a fusion reactor was able to generate more energy than it consumed. Full report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24429621
An absolutely stunning breakthrough in mapping out the future of mathematical theory:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/10/01/voevodskys-mathematical-revolution/
The implications of this thinking are so far reaching out only to the issue of how we write proofs (the topic of the article), but far beyond that, the removal of the heavy burden of proof formulation and verification will enable mathematics to move onto the core purpose of the field of any inquiry - derivation of questions and formulation of propositions. Here's a direct link to Voyevodsky's work on Univaliant Foundations: http://www.math.ias.edu/~vladimir/Site3/Univalent_Foundations.html and his lecture introducing the topic: http://video.ias.edu/univalent
Marvellously put…
For those of you who took my course in Investment Theory this week at Trinity College, I referenced this work in the last lecture, talking about the advancements in computing and data analytics / strategy formation nexus.
And from the future of mathematics to the past of the power that drives all inquiry: humanity. The origins of our beginnings must be rethought now... thanks to the latest fossil discovery...
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/17/skull-homo-erectus-human-evolution?CMP=twt_gu
Enjoy and stay tuned for more WLASze...
