Arthur Van Siclen
@arthurvansiclen.com
Rock climbing, nature, meditation 🌲
“We have reached the apotheosis of the colonial age, a time when extractive institutions and administrative reach have been so perfected that they now span the globe.“
Impeccable read by @henrywismayer.bsky.social featuring @lukekemp.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/humanitys-en...
Impeccable read by @henrywismayer.bsky.social featuring @lukekemp.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/humanitys-en...
Humanity’s Endgame | NOEMA
A new history of societal collapse by an expert in existential risk argues that our globalized society is edging toward the precipice.
www.noemamag.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:45 PM
“We have reached the apotheosis of the colonial age, a time when extractive institutions and administrative reach have been so perfected that they now span the globe.“
Impeccable read by @henrywismayer.bsky.social featuring @lukekemp.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/humanitys-en...
Impeccable read by @henrywismayer.bsky.social featuring @lukekemp.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/humanitys-en...
“The same principles that allow us to hunt for alien Earths also allow us to comprehend the biosphere as a planetary phenomenon.”
An essay of epic proportions by @miquai.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/what-searchi...
An essay of epic proportions by @miquai.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/what-searchi...
What Searching For Aliens Reveals About Ourselves | NOEMA
Looking for life beyond Earth changes the way we perceive life right here at home.
www.noemamag.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“The same principles that allow us to hunt for alien Earths also allow us to comprehend the biosphere as a planetary phenomenon.”
An essay of epic proportions by @miquai.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/what-searchi...
An essay of epic proportions by @miquai.bsky.social for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/what-searchi...
Reposted by Arthur Van Siclen
60 – 30 – 10 – A technique for focusing and optimally allocating effort.
Read now on the blog (2-min).
blog.minimal.app/60-30-10/
Read now on the blog (2-min).
blog.minimal.app/60-30-10/
60 – 30 – 10
A technique for focusing and optimally allocating effort.
The 60
Choose the single-most important goal in life and dedicate 60% of effort to accomplishing that goal. Once it is completed, re-examin...
blog.minimal.app
October 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
60 – 30 – 10 – A technique for focusing and optimally allocating effort.
Read now on the blog (2-min).
blog.minimal.app/60-30-10/
Read now on the blog (2-min).
blog.minimal.app/60-30-10/
"The challenge is no longer to prove that solid-state batteries are feasible. That has long since been done in any number of labs around the world. The big challenge now is figuring out how to manufacture these devices at scale..."
@knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
@knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Will your next EV have a solid-state battery — and improved performance?
Superionic materials have spawned hope for a new generation of power packs for electric cars, with a promise of greater range, faster charges and more safety. But scaling up won’t be easy.
knowablemagazine.org
October 26, 2025 at 5:19 PM
"The challenge is no longer to prove that solid-state batteries are feasible. That has long since been done in any number of labs around the world. The big challenge now is figuring out how to manufacture these devices at scale..."
@knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
@knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
“As nature transforms from a backdrop for human affairs into an active force shaping them, greater economic value can be produced from its cultivation than from its exploitation”
and
“Much of nature lies outside the narrow frame of GDP”
Tong Wu for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/investing-in...
and
“Much of nature lies outside the narrow frame of GDP”
Tong Wu for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/investing-in...
Investing In The Ecosystems That Sustain Us | NOEMA
Making the economic case for nature is an essential task for securing development in our planetary age.
www.noemamag.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:52 AM
“As nature transforms from a backdrop for human affairs into an active force shaping them, greater economic value can be produced from its cultivation than from its exploitation”
and
“Much of nature lies outside the narrow frame of GDP”
Tong Wu for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/investing-in...
and
“Much of nature lies outside the narrow frame of GDP”
Tong Wu for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/investing-in...
“The most effective means of responding to climate change also enhances our physical and economic resilience”
and
“Technology centralizes power; human-scaled design disperses it“
Brian Stone for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/the-abundanc...
and
“Technology centralizes power; human-scaled design disperses it“
Brian Stone for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/the-abundanc...
The Abundance Movement’s Blind Spot | NOEMA
What if Americans care more about the cost of climate disasters than carbon-free energy?
www.noemamag.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
“The most effective means of responding to climate change also enhances our physical and economic resilience”
and
“Technology centralizes power; human-scaled design disperses it“
Brian Stone for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/the-abundanc...
and
“Technology centralizes power; human-scaled design disperses it“
Brian Stone for @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/the-abundanc...
“Despite covering just 0.2 percent of the sea floor, seagrasses account for an estimated 10 percent of all the carbon stored by the world’s oceans.”
@reasonstobecheerful.world
reasonstobecheerful.world/seagrass-res...
@reasonstobecheerful.world
reasonstobecheerful.world/seagrass-res...
A 'Secret Weapon' for Fighting Climate Change Comes Surging Back
Capturing carbon 35 times faster than the Amazon, seagrasses have faced centuries of decline. Now restoration projects across North America are seeing their meadows quadruple in size.
reasonstobecheerful.world
October 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
“Despite covering just 0.2 percent of the sea floor, seagrasses account for an estimated 10 percent of all the carbon stored by the world’s oceans.”
@reasonstobecheerful.world
reasonstobecheerful.world/seagrass-res...
@reasonstobecheerful.world
reasonstobecheerful.world/seagrass-res...
Reposted by Arthur Van Siclen
“Liberal democracy’s original genius was not merely the ballot box; it was the creation of multiple forums — town meetings, juries, local councils, civic associations — where citizens encountered each other as equals capable of persuasion and compromise...
Cont’d…
Cont’d…
October 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
“Liberal democracy’s original genius was not merely the ballot box; it was the creation of multiple forums — town meetings, juries, local councils, civic associations — where citizens encountered each other as equals capable of persuasion and compromise...
Cont’d…
Cont’d…
“In most large cities cafes need a permit to install an outside terrace, but Sora and others just do what the hell they want. Madness.”
(Patrick Tanguay)
@inevernu.bsky.social
sentiers.media/the-great-er...
(Patrick Tanguay)
@inevernu.bsky.social
sentiers.media/the-great-er...
The great erosion ⊗ Future of thinking about the future ⊗ On Sora
No.374 — Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble ⊗ Invest in your expeditionary teams ⊗ Young people in China are embracing AI therapy ⊗ The Evolving Doughnut
sentiers.media
October 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM
“In most large cities cafes need a permit to install an outside terrace, but Sora and others just do what the hell they want. Madness.”
(Patrick Tanguay)
@inevernu.bsky.social
sentiers.media/the-great-er...
(Patrick Tanguay)
@inevernu.bsky.social
sentiers.media/the-great-er...
"Convincing people that AI is both about to destroy their culture and is also fake does not result in more agency, more universal mediation of collective intelligence, but less."
By Benjamin Bratton in @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/is-european-...
By Benjamin Bratton in @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/is-european-...
Is European AI A Lost Cause? Not Necessarily. | NOEMA
If Europe wants to build a new AI Stack it should stop listening to critics who claim to lead the way but only offer resistance.
www.noemamag.com
October 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"Convincing people that AI is both about to destroy their culture and is also fake does not result in more agency, more universal mediation of collective intelligence, but less."
By Benjamin Bratton in @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/is-european-...
By Benjamin Bratton in @noemamag.com
www.noemamag.com/is-european-...
“A common refrain among Wikipedians is that the site works in practice but not in theory. It seems to flout everything we’ve learned about human behavior online: anonymous strangers discussing divisive topics and somehow… working together to build something of value”
www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
September 27, 2025 at 7:58 AM
“A common refrain among Wikipedians is that the site works in practice but not in theory. It seems to flout everything we’ve learned about human behavior online: anonymous strangers discussing divisive topics and somehow… working together to build something of value”
www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
To Overcome Zero-Sum Thinking [in our political crisis].
"A prerequisite to doing good political work is seeing problems as interactive elements."
"Objects themselves are practically irrelevant; relationships between objects are everything."
minimal.app/pmojaZJJ
"A prerequisite to doing good political work is seeing problems as interactive elements."
"Objects themselves are practically irrelevant; relationships between objects are everything."
minimal.app/pmojaZJJ
To Overcome Zero-Sum Thinking
We should direct our attention less to the political Right and more to the political Left. Our leaders have failed us, and we need to understand why. Then we may be able to formulate a path to better
minimal.app
September 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
To Overcome Zero-Sum Thinking [in our political crisis].
"A prerequisite to doing good political work is seeing problems as interactive elements."
"Objects themselves are practically irrelevant; relationships between objects are everything."
minimal.app/pmojaZJJ
"A prerequisite to doing good political work is seeing problems as interactive elements."
"Objects themselves are practically irrelevant; relationships between objects are everything."
minimal.app/pmojaZJJ
“These are not ordinary times: the events that mark them are not easily accommodated in the deliberately prosaic world of serious prose fiction.”
@amitav.bsky.social in The Great Derangement, a must read.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
@amitav.bsky.social in The Great Derangement, a must read.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Climate Change and the Unthinkable
bookshop.org
August 31, 2025 at 3:40 PM
“These are not ordinary times: the events that mark them are not easily accommodated in the deliberately prosaic world of serious prose fiction.”
@amitav.bsky.social in The Great Derangement, a must read.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
@amitav.bsky.social in The Great Derangement, a must read.
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
“Granting the complications and difficulties, the task at hand is to imagine ways forward to that better place.”
(Kim Stanley Robinson)
communemag.com/dystopias-now/
(Kim Stanley Robinson)
communemag.com/dystopias-now/
Dystopias Now | Commune
The end of the world is over. Now the real work begins.
communemag.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
“Granting the complications and difficulties, the task at hand is to imagine ways forward to that better place.”
(Kim Stanley Robinson)
communemag.com/dystopias-now/
(Kim Stanley Robinson)
communemag.com/dystopias-now/
“Where free time is not used for research — for developing questions, and investigating the answers with an explorer’s spirit — cultural coherence crumbles.”
By @marrryooom.bsky.social
kasurian.com/p/research-a...
By @marrryooom.bsky.social
kasurian.com/p/research-a...
The Lost Art of Research as Leisure
Where have the amateur researchers gone, and how do we bring them back?
kasurian.com
June 28, 2025 at 9:29 PM
“Where free time is not used for research — for developing questions, and investigating the answers with an explorer’s spirit — cultural coherence crumbles.”
By @marrryooom.bsky.social
kasurian.com/p/research-a...
By @marrryooom.bsky.social
kasurian.com/p/research-a...
“Worker ants have ceded wings, fertility and all the organs of ‘independent viability’ their ancestors once enjoyed.”
www.noemamag.com/are-we-accid...
In @noemamag.com by @thomasmoynihan.bsky.social
www.noemamag.com/are-we-accid...
In @noemamag.com by @thomasmoynihan.bsky.social
Are We Accidentally Building A Planetary Brain? | NOEMA
From superorganisms to superintelligences, how studying crabs could reveal that we are unintentionally building an artificial world brain.
www.noemamag.com
June 12, 2025 at 12:14 AM
“Worker ants have ceded wings, fertility and all the organs of ‘independent viability’ their ancestors once enjoyed.”
www.noemamag.com/are-we-accid...
In @noemamag.com by @thomasmoynihan.bsky.social
www.noemamag.com/are-we-accid...
In @noemamag.com by @thomasmoynihan.bsky.social
Phenomenal read on humanism and technology in 2025.
> But to be human is not to have answers. It is to have questions—and to live with them. The machines can’t do that for us. Not now, not ever.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
> But to be human is not to have answers. It is to have questions—and to live with them. The machines can’t do that for us. Not now, not ever.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Will the Humanities Survive Artificial Intelligence?
Maybe not as we’ve known them. But, in the ruins of the old curriculum, something vital is stirring.
www.newyorker.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Phenomenal read on humanism and technology in 2025.
> But to be human is not to have answers. It is to have questions—and to live with them. The machines can’t do that for us. Not now, not ever.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
> But to be human is not to have answers. It is to have questions—and to live with them. The machines can’t do that for us. Not now, not ever.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“I find myself slowly changing from an agent of change to an agent of care. I’m less confident in the impact my activism might have on policy than I am about the impact my care may have on other human beings… how they might trickle up to the systems that need changing.”
Everything is In-Between
How I went from an agent of change to an agent of care
rushkoff.substack.com
April 29, 2025 at 7:23 AM
“I find myself slowly changing from an agent of change to an agent of care. I’m less confident in the impact my activism might have on policy than I am about the impact my care may have on other human beings… how they might trickle up to the systems that need changing.”
> “Similar innovations can evolve multiple times independently — a phenomenon known as convergent evolution — and this is seen across life.”
www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
Intelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals | Quanta Magazine
Complex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times.
www.quantamagazine.org
April 20, 2025 at 5:49 PM
> “Similar innovations can evolve multiple times independently — a phenomenon known as convergent evolution — and this is seen across life.”
www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
A language is a map to reality, a survival strategy in a changing world. More languages equals more chances of surviving (and thriving!).
> “[A climate-resilient future] … begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded”
theconversation.com/perus-ancien...
> “[A climate-resilient future] … begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded”
theconversation.com/perus-ancien...
Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed
Ancient practices hold important lessons for farmers facing drying lands, but they were often more complex than modern societies realize. Glacier loss adds to the challenge today.
theconversation.com
April 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
A language is a map to reality, a survival strategy in a changing world. More languages equals more chances of surviving (and thriving!).
> “[A climate-resilient future] … begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded”
theconversation.com/perus-ancien...
> “[A climate-resilient future] … begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded”
theconversation.com/perus-ancien...
Vignette of culture in flux. The nuanced gradient of human language.
starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/m...
starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/m...
Map of British English dialects - Starkey Comics
This map took me a long time to make, and is very detailed, but will always be incomplete and inaccurate due to the nature of language. Why this map is so detailed The diversity of English dialects in...
starkeycomics.com
April 19, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Vignette of culture in flux. The nuanced gradient of human language.
starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/m...
starkeycomics.com/2023/11/07/m...
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/s...
“The melody is derived from a patient’s vital signs: drums for the heartbeat, guitar for oxygen saturation and piano for blood pressure. When a patient is stable, the tune is harmonious, but it becomes dissonant when a patient’s status changes for the worse...”
“The melody is derived from a patient’s vital signs: drums for the heartbeat, guitar for oxygen saturation and piano for blood pressure. When a patient is stable, the tune is harmonious, but it becomes dissonant when a patient’s status changes for the worse...”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/science/alarm-fatigue-hospitals.html“The
April 13, 2025 at 3:50 PM
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/s...
“The melody is derived from a patient’s vital signs: drums for the heartbeat, guitar for oxygen saturation and piano for blood pressure. When a patient is stable, the tune is harmonious, but it becomes dissonant when a patient’s status changes for the worse...”
“The melody is derived from a patient’s vital signs: drums for the heartbeat, guitar for oxygen saturation and piano for blood pressure. When a patient is stable, the tune is harmonious, but it becomes dissonant when a patient’s status changes for the worse...”