| 1. One day, humans invented the concept of time travel, which is the jumping off point for James Gleick's new book new book on the literature, philosophy, and science of time in the 20th century. "Now Gödel was thinking about time—'that mysterious and self-contradictory being which, on the other hand, seems to form the basis of the world’s and our own existence.' Having escaped Vienna after the Anschluss by way of the Trans-Siberian Railway, he settled at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he and Einstein intensified a friendship that had begun in the early ’30s. Their walks together, from Fuld Hall to Olden Farm, witnessed enviously by their colleagues, became legendary. In his last years Einstein told someone that he still went to the Institute mainly to have the privilege of walking home with Gödel." + If you're in San Francisco, come see James and I talk about the work this coming Wednesday. 2. The ethics of memory enhancement should take into account the complexity of memory's neural mechanics, these scholars argue. "We argue that the diversity of neural systems underlying various forms of memory suggests that any discussion of enhancing ‘memory’ per se is too broad, thus obfuscating the biopolitical debate about human enhancement. Memory can be differentiated into at least four major (and several minor) systems with largely dissociable (i.e., non-overlapping) neural substrates. We outline each system, and discuss both the practical and the ethical implications of these diverse neural substrates. In practice, distinct neural bases imply the possibility, and likely the necessity, of specific approaches for the safe and effective enhancement of various memory systems. In the debate over the ethical and social implications of enhancement technologies, this fine-grained perspective clarifies – and may partially mitigate – certain common concerns in enhancement debates, including issues related to safety, fairness, coercion, and authenticity. While many researchers certainly appreciate the neurobiological complexity of memory, the political debate tends to revolve around a monolithic one-size-fits-all conception. The overall project – exploring how human enhancement technologies affect society – stands to benefit from a deeper appreciation of memory’s neurobiological diversity." 3. The fascinating history of using stimulants at work. "Our story starts in New Orleans, late 1880s. As historian David Courtwright explains in theJournal of Southern History, New Orleans dockworkers often labored for up to 70 hours at a time, loading and unloading cargo from the steamboats that constantly rolled into the bustling port. What kept them going was cocaine. It’s not known how the dock workers found out about the superhuman effects of cocaine, says Courtwright, but the habit soon spread across the South to workers in similarly strenuous jobs—those located on cotton plantations, in railroad work camps, and at levee construction sites. These posts were filled almost exclusively by former slaves." 4. The secretly recorded moment some German nuclear scientists learned Americans had dropped a nuclear bomb. "HAHN: If they have really got it, they have been very clever in keeping it secret. WIRTZ: I'm glad we didn't have it. WEIZSÄCKER: That's another matter... HARTECK: Who is to blame? VOICE: HAHN is to blame. WEIZSÄCKER: I think it's dreadful of the Americans to have done it. I think it is madness on their part. HEISENBERG: One can't say that. One could equally well say 'That's the quickest way of ending the war.' HAHN: That's what consoles me." 5. Caroline O'Donovan's deep dive into Blue Apron shows a truth about the convenience economy: somebody still has to do all the work, and those people are humans with lives and histories and feelings. "'I think that if you’ve got people in the management ranks that understand the community and people and potential problems, I think they might be in a better position to de-escalate things,' said Sappal, adding that Blue Apron’s crime problem could have been headed off more quickly if the company had 'gotten some help from managers or supervisors that were local, that could explain some of the history behind the city, and different parts of the community that may not get along.'" On Fusion: The complex emotional dynamics of genetic testing among African Americans, as glimpsed through YouTube. 1. nautil.us 2. arxiv.org | @n_j_davis 3. daily.jstor.org | @awsamuel 4. germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org | @Aelkus 5. buzzfeed.com Subscribe to The Newsletter From Fuld Hall to Olden Farm, Witnessed Enviously | 