VerDeTerre

This was an example of the dubious kind of parapsychology experiment conducted during the period. I'm sure there were true believers, but I think healthy skepticism probably prevented people from pursuing it too seriously, even when positive results were reported.

This is the way to go if you have the option. If you need to keep the bike outside but have a reliable designated area, you may want to consider leaving a heavy chain and padlock on site. If you don't have to carry it with you, you can invest in extra robustness.

If you're talking about trips in addition to the commute to the office, the considerations really depend on the location. The sturdier the lock the better, but in many cases, a superior lock out of view could be considered worse security than a lesser lock with more eyes on.

You'd be well-advised to secure, in addition to the frame, components like wheels and seat, especially if they're quick release. For that, a lighter cable (maybe even one with a built-in combo lock) might suffice as deterrent, but again, it depends. Some of our opportunistic friends seem to be more interested in wheels than frames.

I would not have guessed the scale. The article says the instrument platform weighs 900 tons, which is amazing to imagine. At first, I wondered if they could use a helicopter to bring it down safely, but it's like two or three 747s on a tight rope.

Your first-hand experience isn't universally applicable. Many people live in food deserts or don't have access to reliable cooking facilities. And physical exercise costs time, which for many is lost to long commutes.

As you indicate, though, healthy food isn't intrinsically expensive. That means it shouldn't be an intractable problem.

I've donated in the past, but with the recent copyright debacle, I'm less inclined to—not so much because I think they're clearly on the wrong side of the law (though I do believe so), but more because it seems like such an obvious and potentially catastrophic misjudgment. I'm fine with information activism, even if I'm not totally on board with the full program, but not at the expense of endangering the core mission. I don't think their actions will yield a valuable test case, so I'd prefer to see them instead work towards copyright reform in a more measured manner. I'll probably continue to support them because it's such an amazing resource and so many people are doing great work, but the leadership does not, at this time, have my confidence.

Or, to belabor the disease analogy, an opportunistic infection. Distrust makes it easier for otherwise fringe sources to spread beyond what would be expected in a healthy media environment.

As I understand it, when the Germans occupied Paris, they saw it as a key prize and were keen to keep its culture alive, at least superficially. There was a fair amount of prestige in sending home something refined. Imagine--if the city lost its luster, the perfume and garments the soldiers sent home to their sweethearts wouldn't seem quite so special! The fashion industry continued to operate, with styles changing seasonally, another thing besides regional differences for the SOE to contend with. Only a spy would sport last month's hairstyle!

It also meant an opportunity for Section F members operating in France. At home in Britain, clothing was rationed, but as recounted in "Carve Her Name With Pride" (about Violette Szabo), "Out shopping by herself the next day, she went to Molyneux, the famous couturier in the Rue Royale, which, despite the German occupation, was still carrying on.... Here she bought, as her bill dated April 28th, 1944, shows, three dresses and one very attractive jersey. The bill, made out to Mademoiselle C. Leroy, states that one of the dresses was of black crêpe de chine--it was draped with a lace neckline and cost 8500 francs.... Another of the dresses is set down as 'en écossais': it was a red plaid dress. The third was of silk print. The jersey, described as a golf jersey, was yellow in colour. The total bill, with a purchase tax of 11 per cent, a municipal tax, and a 'Taxe au profit du secours national' of 5 per cent, came in all to over £200."

It's strange to think that between blowing up bridges (probably not literally in the case of spies in the city), the agents could go on a shopping spree in Paris's posher establishments.

This analysis assumes conventional reproduction, which is probably just as interesting in the context of general population studies; when it comes to dealing with the issues in space travel, however, there would be a number of options for dealing with genetic diversity (possibly even without relying on any significant advances in biotech). For example, you could send along a large sample of genetic material (gametes or fertilized eggs, for instance) taken from a broader swath of the population. In that case, I'd be curious about the sociological and psychological consequences of a group in which children might never be genetically related to their parents.

A more science-fictiony approach might be to simulate genetic combinations and synthesize resulting embryos. You could start with the actual parents, pairing their genes with a database of outside contributions for an arbitrary number of generations. In effect, you could give birth to a distant descendent.

I think the fertility issues could present bigger challenge, possibly requiring a technological assist. And when the simulated catastrophe hits, I suppose it's time to spin up the spare incubators and get ready for some sleepless "nights".

On a side note, I thought it was amusing their inbreeding calculations included identical twins. Maybe that was just to establish a theoretical limit.

I’ve had the same thought, inspired by similar incredulity. I wonder if there’s a feeling that anything short of strict physicalism is just a flavor of dualism. Better a philosophical zombie than a philosophical ghost?

I don't think it's entirely a matter of Half.com becoming obsolete because of changes to eBay; I suspect they lost out to Amazon Marketplace, which provides basically the same service with (I'd assume) a larger reach. I would often check both sites and see the same listings by the same sellers.