All posts by Axonn Echysttas

Mentatul.

The Internet Is 25 Years Old

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Few discoveries have changed mankind so much in so little time. Even fewer have their future in as much doubt as the Internet. Even though the Internet is still technically open and anybody’s public thoughts can be accessed, it doesn’t mean that worthy information can actually reach the people that need it.

Search engines have become gate-keepers of sorts while social networks transform themselves into walled gardens. Mobile apps are also filtering out the open web into cute little boxes where companies keep their users enthralled:

http://www.wired.com/2016/08/25-world-wide-web-still-long-way-reality/^

Some time ago, I wanted to use Google’s AdWords to publish an advert for one of my articles. I was censored. Why? Because my article was titled “The Virtual Reality Revolution^”. And of course, nobody in the establishment likes to see the world “revolution” printed anywhere, right? Right?

And while we’re at it, check out this article^ I wrote about 3 months ago regarding social threats to the Internet (as opposed to the ones that are featured in this posting, which I’d classify as economical and technological).

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/00744-TheUncertainFateOfTheInternet-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Internet Is 25 Years Old’ desc=’Is the Web still open? Search engines have become gate-keepers of sorts while social networks transform themselves into walled gardens.’]

The Danger Posed by Vehicles with Tinted Windows

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Quote: “the need for the eye contact is something hard to do with tinted windows. As a pedestrian, before you step off a curb when you arrive at a four-way stop, the interaction with a driver requires a degree of not just acknowledgment, but trust. I have to know what you intend to do, and I have to know that you’ve seen me. Think of how often you respond differently because you see someone on the phone or texting. You need this information, and dark tinting obscures it.”

I don’t normally start my recommendations with a quote from the article I’m recommending, but sometimes I make exceptions. This time, the reason is that the quote I started with is exactly what made me feature this article. The same quote also got me thinking about how will pedestrians interact with self-driving vehicles. Food for thought…

There’s quite a lot of regional information in the article (pertaining to Canada). But once we get thinking about the dangers of tinted windows, a lot of risks will immediately pop into a driver’s mind: dangers of changing lanes in the dark, parking in an insufficiently lit garage and so on. Conclusion? Don’t tint your windows.

http://driving.ca/chrysler/300/auto-news/news/the-dark-side-of-tinted-windows^

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Cold Play – Up & Up

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Sweetness is on the menu for today. And since today is every day for every reader, sweetness is on the menu forever. Oh yes, this beautiful dreamy melody can definitely inspire us to do some thinking about the meaning of life.

I find myself lacking the words to properly describe this song. Technically, it’s a good rock piece, but really, it’s much more than that. Cold Play’s uplifting song comes along with a beautiful, dreamy, chilled-out video. Make sure you see it; I think it’ll deliver you what I can’t with words.

“Lying in the gutter, aiming for the moon
Trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon
Up and up, up and up

How come people suffer? How come people part?
How come people struggle? How come people
Break your heart? Break your heart?

Yes I wanna grow, yes I want to feel
Yes I wanna know, show me how to
Heal it up, heal it up

[…]

We’re gonna get it, get it together
I know, we’re gonna get it, get it together and float
We’re gonna get it, get it together and go
Up, and up, and up

[…]

Fixing up a car to drive in it again
When you’re in pain, when you think you’ve had enough
Don’t ever give up
Don’t ever give up

Believe in love”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNTC7uZYrI^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/31L9yLXSj6LpCFupyMV6CR^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01032-ColdPlayHeadFullOfDreams-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Cold Play – Up & Up’ desc=’I find myself lacking the words to properly describe this song. Technically, it's a good rock piece, but really, it's much more than that.’]

China Invests in Quantum Cryptography and Not a Moment Too Late

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In the past years, a steady stream of revelations has shown the extent at which governments spy on us. This shocked nobody in the know. We’ve suspected it all along. When it comes to nation-states, however, it’s a different story. Countries don’t like it when other nations are snooping around in their backyard. Enter quantum cryptography^.

Edward Snowden along with WikiLeaks and other organizations have exposed parts of America’s cyber-espionage program. Now, we finally see some of the rewards coming from those revelations. China is moving towards ensuring secure and private communications for itself and, I suspect in the near future, for any entity that pays a hefty fee. Large corporations will definitely be interested in having access to a spy-proof communications network:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37091833^

Well played China, well played!

Update 2016-09-21: important new developments in quantum teleportation will undoubtedly pave the way for secure communication: http://phys.org/news/2016-09-quantum-internet-teleport-particle-kilometres.html^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01030-ChinaQuantumSatellite-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’China Invests in Quantum Cryptography and Not a Moment Too Late’ desc=’China is moving towards ensuring secure and private communications for itself and, I suspect in the near future, for any entity that pays a hefty fee.’]

Delerium – Sky (Tears From Heaven) (feat. Kristy Thirsk)

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A gentle beginning leads the listener to a menacing bass line. But bear with it and be lead to a moment when the song metamorphoses into one of the most beautiful harmonies I’ve ever heard. Kristy truly shines as a singer, following the dualistic construction of the melody to perfection. At times she feels hopeless and depressed, only to arise to ecstasy a minute later.

The lyrics are wonderful, the music is sublime. I am happy to have lived a life that has led me to appreciate Delerium’s art to its full potential. Songs like this remind me that often, happiness is measured in tears. May we all be forgiven and may we all forgive.

“Oh, when the lights are low
Tears from heaven will fall
On my heart, on my heart
I can feel them clean my soul
And take my sadness away
When the lights are low
I’m not alone, I’m not alone, no”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCoT3aD4aIs^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

http://open.spotify.com/track/0rDr8srTDIlMOvAiPPCHbr^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/77573196^

Full lyrics at:

http://lyrics.wikia.com/Delerium:Sky_%28Tears_From_Heaven%29^

This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This project was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

The original FaceBook review was: This profoundly emotional melody features one of the most beautiful voices known to me, Kristy Thirsk. Collaborating with her was a brilliant decision by Delerium, as she adds a dimension of haunting beauty to the song. This piece is also very powerful on the lyrical side, making it one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy!

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01025-DeleriumMusicBoxOpera-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Delerium – Sky (Tears From Heaven) (feat. Kristy Thirsk)’ desc=’Kristy truly shines as a singer, following the dualistic construction of the melody to perfection. At times she feels hopeless and depressed, only to arise to ecstasy a minute later.’]

The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten

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The fact that the educational system is flawed is not news. However, one would think that at least we’re working on improving the situation. Well, not quite. Apparently, in some countries they keep cutting into creative classes and replacing them with reading class:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Lecker-The-disturbing-transformation-of-5256686.php^

Perhaps what’s desired of children by the many countries following this sort of educational paradigm is to be able to read instructions and be nice little drones? Is this some sort of revenge of the support technicians that waste too much time due to users that don’t read the manuals that came with their products? Regardless of the source of this misguided change, it’s probably not going to help, unless the goal is to ruin our children’s creativity and thus, happiness.

Still, let’s be thankful that at least we have such a thing as an educational system. It certainly has its merits. At least it got us thinking about the system itself. Now let’s continue thinking about it while in the same time act for improving it, because let’s get one thing straight: we didn’t get here as a species by reading instructions, but by being creative.

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01020-DisturbingKindergartenTransformation-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten’ desc=’The fact that the educational system is flawed is not news. Apparently, in some countries they keep cutting into creative classes and replacing them with reading class.’]

Photek – Aviator

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Sometimes a song shows up that is rather straightforward in its arrangement and yet manages to deliver quite the ear massage. The steady percussion is joined by some lonely chords and a set of flying keyboards, waving and meandering all around the place. Simple and addictive.

You can purchase the song (or album) from Hard Wax. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Photek’s album :).

https://hardwax.com/63473/photek/aviator/^

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqlQb-nRrDI^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/03xcPS4OJ0ZbGNPSH2nODY^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01015-PhotekAviator-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Photek – Aviator’ desc=’Sometimes a song shows up that is rather straightforward in its arrangement and yet manages to deliver quite the ear massage.’]

Big Pharma Finds Itself in the Spotlight Again

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Now and then, the dirty tactics of Big Pharma burst out into the open. At the end of 2015, the disgusting maneuvers of Valeant came to light^. Then-CEO, Martin Shkreli, laughed at and insulted the representatives of the people^. We might sometimes dislike politicians, but the arrogance and greediness of these pharmaceutical companies is absolutely staggering.

Last week, another drug maker entered the spotlight. Mylan, makers of allergy shot EpiPen have been greedily and unscrupulously raising the price of their products:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/24/white-house-epipen-price-hiles-raise-moral-questions/89269028/^

Mylan promised to do something about the situation^, even though the company’s decision has left more than a few experts in the field rather confused. In the meantime, people with low income that depend on these products are sacrificing the quality of their life to fill Mylan’s coffers. This takes “unfair” to a whole new level.

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/01010-EpiPenMylan-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Big Pharma Finds Itself in the Spotlight Again’ desc=’Now and then, the dirty tactics of Big Pharma burst out into the open. Mylan, makers of allergy shot EpiPen have been greedily and unscrupulously raising the price of their products.’]

The Elevated Bus That Rides above the Traffic

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With ever-undented ambition, China rediscovers its innovative mojo. In the past decade, we’ve seen quite a few impressive Chinese projects. It doesn’t matter if this bus will not see wide-spread use, it still stands (ahem, rolls) as a testament that China Has Talent.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/02/china-has-actually-built-that-elevated-bus-that-travels-above-car-traffic/^

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/china-s-futuristic-straddle-bus-goes-test-drive-n622131^

Still, I’d rather see China’s Talent invested in ways that can reduce motor traffic rather than work around the problem by throwing more metal (and fuel) at it. Beijing and other major cities around in the world would love to get rid of the smog epidemic.

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/00982-ChinaBusAboveTraffic-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Elevated Bus That Rides above the Traffic’ desc=’With ever-undented ambition, China rediscovers its innovative mojo. In the past decade, we've seen quite a few impressive Chinese projects.’]

Nigel Stanford – Cymatics

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Amazing music can be found at the intersection between rock and electronica. Nigel Stanford is one of the most promising artists I’ve had the pleasure of listening recently. In its entirety, his “Solar Echoes” album is a fascinating journey, full of awesome moments and highly original sound.

This song in particular is quite a ride. Vibrant bass lines intertwine with airy textures while a powerful sense of purpose and direction permeates the acoustic construction. Towards the end, I have an irresistible urge to jump in the air. Play it and you’ll understand why.

Oh, and the video is absolutely gorgeous too. Make sure you see it!

I loved the album so much that after a single listen, I went right ahead and purchased it straight from the artist’s website, in lossless format, of course.

http://nigelstanford.com/Download/^

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3oItpVa9fs^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/2DvTFRgQVrz7CH0xdy12qr^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/90350571^

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