2016-01-17

Notes.

B

Pathfinding.

• nTopology is looking for a UI designer. I have some strong feelings about this, as I tend to when considering B2B interfaces. I want someone who has a strong philosophical perspective and a real interest in industrial grade problems - the kind of person that might subscribe to The Prepared, for instance. If you know anyone who fits that bill, send them my way!
• The L is either going to be shut down completely for a medium amount of time (a year plus) or partly shut down for way longer. I vote for the former - but then I live on the G, so... :)
• Russia could build a pretty great renewable energy grid, if they wanted to.
• Remember how Amazon acquired a manufacturer of ARM chips (Annapurna) about a year ago? Apparently they're selling them the public for use in embedded systems and server equipment.
• The financing deal on the Hudson Yards project (which NYIO is touring in a few weeks) is pretty complex.
• A good old Undercurrent piece on why you should adopt consent-based (as opposed to consensus-based) decision making.

Building.

• A cool video showing a Trumpf press brake in action.
• A piece by Tim Simpson, who I visited last year, about his experiences with metal 3D printing.
• A very old (1909) article about the construction of the Catskill Aqueduct (thanks, Michael!).
• Aerojet Rocketdyne is working to set guidelines for metal 3D printed rocket engines.
• HP's "the Machine" is apparently going to ship, but not with (the ever elusive) memristors. I like this quote about far off technologies: “We don’t need to talk about stuff five years from now.”
• The Wikipedia page for Deep foundation.

Logistics.

• Amazon China is now an ocean freight forwarder.
• A long article about The Knowledge, London's licensing test for taxi drivers. I can't figure out what I think about this. (Thanks, Dan!)

Evaluation.

• Ancient Roman plumbing is overrated.
• The global mining industry has collapsed over the past few years, and the quantity of value that's been lost is greater than the combined market caps of Apple, Alphabet, and Exxon.
• A cool teardown of an inkjet printer.
• An interesting little study on the effect that Facebook's UI has on how people interpret messages.
• Birkin bags are a better investment than Lego sets.

Stuff that doesn't fit into my dumb/arbitrary categories.

• It is pretty weird that the CIA is so secretive about their art collection.
• The British curry industry is in decline.
• I liked Uncommon Carriers, and am now in the middle of both Travels In Siberia (I'm planning a trip :) and Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore. I also just bought my first paper book in a while, which is an indication that I'm serious; the book is Managing the Flow of Technology, by Thomas J. Allen.

And.

Photos from the textile industry.