Bennettarium

Can You Solve My Problems? — Alex Bellos

You have a handful of coins spread out on the table in front of you. You put on a blindfold, and someone flips over some of the coins, then tells you how many are showing heads. You can now move the coins around and turn them over.

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Shopping online. Entered credit card…

Shopping online. Entered credit card details, then got hit with an obvious phishing attempt (nonsensical URL, distorted logos, amateurish layout, asking for way too much info). Is this for real @anz_nz? twitter.com/bnnt/status/1106137865778421762/photo/…

Electric cars won’t save us. We need to…

Electric cars won’t save us. We need to stop being so dependent on cars.
Cars are killing us. Within 10 years, we must phase them out | George Monbiot www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/07/cars…

.@AklTransport “Please allow other…

.@AklTransport “Please allow other customers to disembark before boarding the service” is confusing. Passengers, not”customers”. Trains, not “services”. Plain English makes things easier for everyone, especially tourists etc.

“This concern for children’s…

“This concern for children’s whereabouts—physical and psychological—isn’t just warding off some kind of catastrophic danger; it’s about an aversion to any kind of risk, to even the smallest mistake or setback.”
How to Grant Your Child an Inner Life: www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-to-gran… #fb

The Soul of the Marionette — John Gray

“Provocative and freewheeling” reads the blurb on this book. That’s a fair description, though “freewheeling” could just as well be “unfocused” or “rambling”. Gray claims that modern culture, especially western culture, pretends to be rationalistic and scientific but is actually … Continue reading →

A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities — Roy Sorensen

Each day you must take an A pill and a B pill. After you tap an A pill into your palm you inadvertently tap two B pills into your hand. The A and B pills are indistinguishable. The pills are … Continue reading →

Elizabeth Smither — The Mathematics of Jane Austen

It was probably the title that enticed me to buy this collection of understated short stories. The title story is about a woman trying to write a thesis on the use of mathematical concepts in the writings of Jane Austen. … Continue reading →

Minna Needs Rehearsal Space — Dorthe Nors

This book is fun.This book is short.This whole book is a staccato list of sentences.Like these.It’s about a woman called Minna.Minna needs rehearsal space.Obviously.But she is stymied by her boyfriend.She is stymied by her sister.She is stymied by her friends.It’s … Continue reading →

One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb — van Ditmarsch & Kooi

You and two other logicians (Alice and Bob) are in a room. A controller comes in and paints a spot onto each of your foreheads. You can each see the others’ spots (Alice and Bob both have black spots) but … Continue reading →