uncontrollable urge to take photos of one's self round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day.

(see: selfitis)

(see: #449)

he is coming to our biggest little city*. he will speak at the reno-tahoe international airport saturday.

thomas edison was the most famous inventor during the great age of invention. in his lifetime, he was granted 1,093 patents. his inventions included a telegraph that would send and receive messages simultaneously over the same line; a transmitter for bell's telephone; the phonograph; the incandescent light bulb; the mimeograph machine; waxed paper; and the basic system for making motion pictures.

working at his laboratory in menlo park, new jersey, edison worked long hours, slept little, talked to himself, and became lost in his work. in fact, on his wedding night, he forgot about his bride and went back to his lab to work out a problem.

the official name of estonia is the republic of estonia.

estonia has the highest population of atheists in europe. more than 80% of its population is atheist.

estonia is the first country to leave the soviet union and produce its own money.

estonia is the home of important organizations and companies. (see: skype)

estonia wanted to be recognized as a northern country, not as a baltic country.

estonia has 2,222 islands.

estonia became the first country to have legally binding general elections using the internet.

began as a video rental service by mail in 1997. a decade later, it began streaming videos online. netflix now creates its own web television series.

thomas nast was a 20-year-old german immigrant when the civil war began. he first became famous as an artist for harper's weekly with a drawing called "emancipation," which showed what life might be like for freed slaves. but nast is most remembered for his later work. from the mid-1860s to the 1880s, nast drew editorial cartoons to attack political corruption. he also created the elephant symbol for the republican party and the democrats' donkey. and it was nast's drawings of santa claus as the jolly, red-suited figure handing out gifts from his sleigh that gave the world the modern image we know today.

reddit's collaborative artwork. the board is a large grid where reddit users placed tiles on a blank communal canvas. the artwork became live at midnight on april 2. the contributions from around the world created a collective digital art piece. r/place will be available across reddit and app for 87 hours, ending on april 4 at 5pm gmt (10.30pm ist). r/place

the most fascinating aspect of human history

founded by martin goodman in 1939 as timely comics, marvel became one of the most influential and widely adored comic publishers with heroes like iron man, thor, and the incredible hulk. purchased by disney in 2009.

the moon is the earth's only natural satellite and has long been an object of fascination for humans. here are a few interesting facts about the moon:

– the moon is about 238,855 miles from earth and has a diameter of about 2,159 miles.
– the moon has no atmosphere and no water, and its surface is covered in craters and other geological features.
– the moon's gravity is about one-sixth that of earth, which means that objects on the moon's surface weigh much less than they would on earth.
– the moon's appearance changes over the course of a month, going from a full moon to a new moon and back again.
– the moon's surface temperature can range from a high of about 260 degrees fahrenheit during the day to a low of about -280 degrees fahrenheit at night.
– the moon was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and its formation is thought to have been the result of a massive impact between earth and another celestial body.
– humans first landed on the moon in 1969, when the apollo 11 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface. since then, six more manned missions have been launched to the moon.

whatever hurts is true. belief that the truth must hurt to be the truth.

"ars longa, vita brevis" is a latin phrase meaning "art is long, life is short." the phrase is often attributed to the ancient greek physician hippocrates, although it is not found in any of his writings. the phrase is often interpreted as a reminder that the pursuit of one's craft or art takes a long time, but that life is short, and one should make the most of it while they can.

it is also interpreted as an encouragement to persist and to invest time in one's passion or vocation, even if it takes a long time to master it. it also implies that one should not give up on their passion and dreams, as the journey of pursuing them is worth it, even if the time is limited.

in general, the phrase is a reminder to appreciate the beauty and value of the creative process, and to make the most of the time we have in this world.

here are a couple of examples of how aristotle's rhetoric has been used in real life and history:

in a political campaign: a political candidate might use aristotle's rhetoric to win over voters. for example, they might establish their credibility by highlighting their experience and qualifications, appeal to the emotions of voters by discussing issues that are important to them, and present a logical argument by outlining their policies and addressing potential concerns.

in a courtroom: lawyers often use aristotle's rhetoric to persuade a jury or judge. they might establish their credibility by discussing their education and experience, appeal to the emotions of the jury by sharing stories about the impact of the case on the plaintiffs or defendants, and present a logical argument by using evidence and legal precedent to support their position.

in a business presentation: a business person might use aristotle's rhetoric to persuade a potential investor or client. they might establish their credibility by discussing their experience in the industry, appeal to the emotions of the audience by highlighting the benefits of their product or service, and present a logical argument by discussing the financial projections and potential return on investment.

overall, aristotle's rhetoric can be used in a variety of contexts where effective communication is important. it can help speakers to persuade their audience by establishing their credibility, appealing to their emotions, and presenting a logical argument.

steelmanning is a critical thinking technique that involves trying to understand and present the strongest possible version of an argument or position, even if it is one that you disagree with or find flawed. the goal of steelmanning is not to defend or advocate for the argument, but rather to understand it more deeply and to better understand why someone might hold that position. this can be useful in a variety of contexts, such as when you are trying to have a productive conversation or debate with someone who holds a different perspective, when you are trying to anticipate objections to your own argument, or when you are trying to identify the underlying assumptions or values that inform someone's argument.

here are a few examples of how steelmanning might be applied in different contexts:

imagine that you are trying to have a conversation with a friend about the value of wearing masks to prevent the spread of covid-19. your friend argues that masks are unnecessary because they don't provide complete protection and can make it harder to breathe. to steelman their argument, you might try to understand why they might hold this view, even if you disagree with it. you might ask questions like: "what do you think are the main reasons that people might believe masks are unnecessary?" "what kinds of experiences or evidence might lead someone to conclude that masks don't provide enough protection?" by asking these questions, you are trying to understand the strongest version of your friend's argument, rather than simply dismissing it as misguided or wrong.
suppose that you are writing an essay in which you argue that the government should invest more in renewable energy sources. one of the objections to your argument might be that renewable energy is too expensive and that it is not feasible to rely on it as our primary source of energy. to steelman this objection, you might try to understand the underlying assumptions and values that inform it. for example, you might ask yourself: "what do people who believe that renewable energy is too expensive think are the main costs associated with it?" "what do they see as the main benefits of non-renewable energy sources, and how do they weigh those benefits against the costs?" by answering these questions, you can better understand the perspective of those who disagree with you and anticipate their objections more effectively.

imagine that you are trying to have a productive conversation with someone who holds a very different political perspective from your own. one way to approach this conversation might be to try to steelman the other person's arguments. for example, if they argue that the government should not provide social services because it is not the government's role to take care of people, you might try to understand why they might hold this view, even if you disagree with it. you might ask questions like: "what do you think are the main reasons that people might believe that the government should not provide social services?" "what kinds of experiences or evidence might lead someone to conclude that it is not the government's role to take care of people?" by asking these questions, you are trying to understand the strongest version of the other person's argument and to identify any common ground you might have, rather than simply dismissing their perspective as misguided or wrong.