Monthly Archives: September 2013

This Week I Learned: Self-Driving Cars Edition

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Peter Sahui

Self-driving cars have been gathering momentum in the news lately. Last month Nissan announced it would be ready to bring them to the market by 2020, and more recently, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk stated that in the next three … Continue reading →

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Thought of the day

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Peter Sahui

When Sebastian Thrun, then of Stanford, taught his artificial intelligence course online, the best performers were not the students from Stanford. Generally the best performers were the students abroad, often from poor countries and very often from India. All of … Continue reading →

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This Week I Learned – 19 September 2013

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Peter Sahui

Some very interesting articles this week. The highlight is this piece from Bloomberg about elderly Germans finding it more affordable to move to Polish nursing homes. It’s both poignant and thought-provoking; I recommend you give it a look. Still in … Continue reading →

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This Week I Learned – 14 September 2013

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Peter Sahui

  The use and misuse of statistics – do left-handed people really die young? Did you know that between 1730 and 1850, the average height of British soldiers actually fell? It seems the Industrial Revolution took a long time to … Continue reading →

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Earlier than you think

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Peter Sahui

Information about China’s first “newspapers” is scattered. A reference in a short essay on border policy from Grand Secretary Yu Shenxing (1545-1608) is both explicit and negative. Probably writing during his retirement from public life after 1591, Yu expresses concern … Continue reading →

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The glorious landscapes of the Australian Plein-Air Artists Group

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Peter Sahui

You can find a sample of their paintings here,  and here is a very interesting TV segment (from ABC’s Landline) on the artists.

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This Week I Learned – 8 September 2013

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Peter Sahui

Here is an interesting piece on the geopolitical implications of increased American energy production; worth the free registration. Great podcast discussion of one of the most fascinating women in antiquity, Queen Zenobia of Palmyra. Very good article on robots in … Continue reading →

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Balloon ride, Burma/Myanmar

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Peter Sahui

National Geographic’s Photo of the Day is an absolutely glorious golden shot of Bagan, Myanmar, taken from a hot air balloon by Dima Chatrov. There has been an increase in tourism to Bagan lately; here is an excellent TV report … Continue reading →

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