24-09-18 Roundup
Razib Khan on the genetic history of lactose tolerance
This is a fascinating piece, even if you (like me) have no interest in Marvel.
It's really a discussion written around a case study in "cultural progress". There are examples of actual innovations in things like:
- Stan Lee’s management style
- TV plot writing
- Ice hockey
A history of government software in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia
The Memory Wall: Past, Present, and Future of DRAM
Patrick O'Brian is a Great Conservative Writer
On the importance of attributes and measurement costs
From API to AGI: Structured Outputs, OpenAI API platform
Lady Elizabeth Butler - Her War Paintings
One of the best bits of writing about art I’ve read. It’s about Lady Elizabeth Butler and her meticulously researched battle paintings. She was one of the most famous and successful Victorian artists in her lifetime but is now largely forgotten.
From a section discussing her most famous picture, which you may have seen if you ever played Risk:
But it doesn’t stop there. Elizabeth has a very unusual trick up her sleeve to cement our proximity to the charge. While the men look past us at an enemy we can sense but not see, many of the horses are instead staring at us. There’s no mistaking the direction of those straining equine eyes. This is one of the most unusual innovations I’ve ever seen from a top end painter. We’re used to people making direct eye contact with us from within a picture, but not a group of animals at full pelt. Once you’ve noticed it, you can’t look away. The central horse in particular grabs our attention. Its ears are pricked forward and its head is slightly turned and up as though it’s just spotted us. For me, this visceral animal connection is a great help in joining us with what’s unfolding. These horses are aware of us; they’re coming for us. We are no longer observers looking on from a safe distance as is the case with many paintings of war. We’re right there, about to be overrun by a panicky looking stampede.
On the origins of the Monster drinks brand
Book Review: The Two Parent Privilege
How to Succeed in Mr Beast Production
and a couple of other bits about management and culture that people have shared in response: