A well-written account of the history of quantum physics in the wake of the Bohr v. Einstein controversy.
Structural shifts in energy production and usage (especially shale oil and EVs) have fundamentally affected the global power balance
The ‘it is all about oil’ narrative of international politics over the last 20 years made explicit is a comprehensive yet digestible form.
Metaphysical theories are constraint by the scientific knowledge, but plenty degrees of freedom remain for those in search (or need) of meaning
Sabine Hossenfelder – Existential Physics
Elegant combination of depth, playful curiosity and humbleness.
From its earliest origins math has been seen both as an formalization of divine perfection and as an effective, practical tool for solving real-world problems
Paolo Zellini – The Mathematics of the Gods and the Algorithms of Men
Guided tour through the philosophy of mathematics, seldomly deviating from the expected and missing in-depth reflection on the role of data science in this regard.
Africa and Africans have never been taken seriously by the Western world, simplifying the story of the continent to ‘famine and safaris’
Dipo Faloyin – Africa is not a country
Well known story told in a fresh style, which unfortunately still serves a purpose.
The lack quality control on generic drugs opened the door to fraud and deceit, endangering health and lives of the world’s poor
Katherine Eban – Bottle of lies
Impressive and concerning whistleblower story illustrating the subtleties in developing and producing effective generic drugs.
When managing your enterprise data, you should aim for a flexible, loosely coupled architecture that can handle large-scale batch and streaming data as well as APIs
Piethein Strengholt – Data management at scale
Thorough expose that goes through a lot, over-indexing on the architecture side.
Mixed flour sourdough bread
Ingredients
- 500g white flour
- 300g wholewheat flour
- 100g rye flour
- 300g starter (120% hydration, activated)
- 500g water
- 18g salt
Method
- Mix flours and water
- Leave for 30 mins
- Add starter and salt
- Knead. In my BOSCH 1600W MaxxiMUM machine c. 9 mins:
- c.5 mins slow (“speed 1”)
- c. 4 mins fast (“speed 3”)
- Let the dough rise for c. 8 hrs
- Shape (I shape 2 batons from this amounts)
- Let rise for another 90 minutes- 2 hours
- Bake in pre-heated oven at 230C for 45 minutes, with cup of water at the bottom and extra moisture from the plant sprayer
- First 15 mins: put the baking sheet with the bread on the low oven rack, with another baking sheet on top
- After that, remove the top baking sheet and move the bread to middle rack for the final 30 minutes
Inspired by Das Brot
- I use a bit more wholewheat compared to Das Brot.
To succeed in business: conform to reality, be cunning, but stick with whatever moral compass you have
Robert Ringer – Million dollar habits
Life advice packaged as ‘business zen’ but lacking elementary kindness towards others and ‘borrowing’ its title from the more well known Bryan Tracy book.
Since the invention of the micro processor, chip production has become of imminent strategic importance for both the USA and other geopolitical power blocks
Nice historical overview, very topical in an era where technology significantly affects the Ukraine war and the power play between the USA and China around Taiwan.
Sourdough pita from the BBQ
Ingredients
- 500 gr plain white flour
- 175 gr plain yogurt
- 12 gr salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 gr sourdough starter (120% hydration, activated)
Method
- Mix the dry ingredients
- Knead for c 5 mins
- Rise for 6-8 hours
- Bake on BBQ of c. 200-230 C
- Oil your grid to avoid dough sticking
- Monitor progress closely to avoid blackening
My twist v the original:
- Use sourdough instead of commercial yeast
- Longer rise to compensate
Skillet baked sourdough Naan
Ingredients
- 500 gr white flour
- 200 gr sourdough starter (120% hydration, activated)
- 250 gr plain yogurt
- 100 gr water
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 6 gr salt
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp nigella seeds
- 5 tbsp melted butter (add garlic to taste)
Method
- Mix flour, water, and yogurt.
- Rest for c. 30 mins
- Mix in starter, baking powder, salt and, seeds
- Knead c. 5 mins
- Rise 6-8 hrs
- Divide in portions and flatten to c. 1/2 cm (rolling pin is OK)
- Brush with melted butter
- Bake butter-side down in cast iron skillet until bubbles form
- Brush top side with butter and flip to bake the other side
My twist v the original:
- Leave out milk in favor of more yogurt + water
- Longer rise: more reliance on sourdough, less on baking powder
Variations
- Squeeze a garlic clove into the melted butter
- Use anise and nigella seeds instead (Bahaa’s recommendation)
Moro Sourdough bread
Ingredients
- 900 gr wholewheat flour (2 times 450gr needed)
- 700 ml water
- 250cgr sourdough starter (120% hydratation)
- 18 gr salt
Method
- Mix half the flour (450 gr) with the water and the starter
- Initial rise: 8 hrs
- Mix in the remaining flour (450 gr) and salt
- Transfer the dough to two well-oiled tins (max. half filled)
- rise: 4 hrs
- Bake 45 mins at 230 C:
- First 30 mins in tin
- Final 15 mins out of tin
My twist v the original:
- Wholewheat instead of plain flour
- 120% rather than starter 167% hydratation
Silicon valley types and tech icons all recommend using OKRs for business steering, but each means something slightly different
John Doerr – Measure what matters
If you look past the author’s boundless Andy Grove adoration, there are some useful lessons to be learnt.
The issues and conflicts plaguing modern Spain are rooted in a troubled history that until shockingly recently was a dictatorship
Great overview that brings together different perspectives in a shocking narrative without becoming judgemental.
The subtle nuances that can be achieved by varying ingredients, shaping, and timing of your bread are under-appreciated
Dan Lepard – The handmade loaf
Impressive collection of inspiring perspectives and variation on bread making.
Protective parenting and the quest for emotional safety hurt the mental resilience of gen Z
Greg Lukianov and Jonathan Haidt – The coddling of the American mind
The writers provide valuable life lessons for individuals, but (unfortunately) do not discuss the broader societal function of protest movements.
The struggle to keep the legacy of the Roman empire alive has shaped much of Ravenna’s history
A front-row seat to the decline and fall of the (Western) Roman empire.
To bring a socio-techincal concept to life, you need a lot of technology
In capable hands, data governance can actually be made into a sexy topic.
Rivalry and pursuit of personal glory are major drivers for scientific progress
Walter Isaacson – The Code Breaker
History blessed the author with a pandemic that made his subject even more topical, but unfortunately he could not resist the temptation to make it more a memoir than a biography.