This Chosun Ilbo report describes how Korea is in a hurry “to turn what sounds like science fiction into everyday life.” To me, as someone who knows SF pretty well, this is a little bit of a scary proposition, especially considering other elements of Korean culture. For one thing, Korean netizens came out shockingly in favour of censorship during the blog ban a few summers ago, despite the fact that censorship violates a civil right that people only a generation before were fighting to wrest from the country’s dictators; personal security doesn’t seem to have been enough of a concern …
Month: April 2006
For You Fellow Aspirants
You may not see anything new here but it’s worth looking at Robert Sawyer’s Letter to Beginning Writers just the same.
Hi-Octane Vegetarian Lifestyle
Another link from Boing Boing, this time about increased biofuel efficiency in vegetarians and vegans. But I hardly eat meat, and it’s not helping me much…
Why Sing We?
Music gives biologists fits. Its ubiquity in human cultures, and strong evidence that the brain comes preloaded with musical circuits, suggest that music is as much a product of human evolution as, say, thumbs. But that raises the question of what music is for. Back in 1871, Darwin speculated that human music, like bird songs, attracts mates. Or, as he put it, prelinguistic human ancestors tried “to charm each other with musical notes and rhythm.” But more recent work by scientists suggests that music might have played a much different role than this — bonding groups of early humans together …
Viruses and Your Passport
A warning from the Netherlands about how using RFID in passports may just be a bad idea at this point.