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Klang, the emerald factory

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. . . bullshit is not the same thing as a lie. To lie, you need to have some respect for the truth. When you lie, you are trying to cover something up. Liars know they might be found out. They know that there is a truth, and that they are on the wrong side of it. Bullshit is another matter altogether. . . . André Spicer (2017) Business bullshit. In what follows, we have a fresh example demonstrated for us by Pascal Bornet, when he was apprently unable to separate biophysical fakta from AI-generated mitos : I just watched Xiaomi’s demo in New York — robotic jump shoes that let a person drop from extreme heights and land safely. It was incredible. But also . . . unsettling. Sensors, AI balance, and adaptive hydraulics all working together — turning gravity into a controllable variable. A few years ago, that would’ve been science fiction. It made me think: We’re no longer just building technology to ass...
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Potato eugenics

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. . . also I've been thinking a lot about that question that you asked Bill Gates, ‘How do we get rid of poor people as a whole’ . . . and I have an answer/comment regarding that for you . . . When can I call you today to discuss this . . . Barry Josephson to Jeffrey Epstein (February 2011) Years ago, a group of rich potatoes concluded that poor potatoes were poor because they were bad potatoes. This was convenient, because it meant the rich potatoes didn’t have to feel awkward about throwing them away. They called this genetics , despite having learned it from vibes. The rich potatoes then bred exclusively with each other, producing generations of nearly identical potatoes who all agreed with one another and described this as excellence . Anyone who looked different was removed for lowering standards. When a disease arrived, it wiped out 99% of the rich potatoes almost immed...
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Ledakan tottam Tanah-tanah Melayu (1876 - 1941)

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. . . I've never found in my whole life that you could convince someone who doesn't want to work hard to work hard . . . Steve Jobs to Tim Cook, in Chapter 16: Blind Spots, Grudges, and Sharp Elbows, by Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli (2015) Becoming Steve Jobs. Tuan-tuan pimpinan, para perwakilan, para pemerhati sekalian, hari ini kita akan membincangkan satu sejarah yang amat penting. Iaitu bagaimana getah 1 —ya, getah—pernah menjadi macam Bitcoin, tetapi dengan lebih banyak penipuan kolonial. Benih Diperkenalkan, Tetapi Kita Belum Sedar Pada tahun 1876, benih getah dibawa masuk. 2 Tetapi, tuan-tuan, tiada siapa sedar. Tiada siapa memberi perhatian. Seperti Bitcoin pada zaman awal—tiada ceramah, tiada sesi “Jom Celik Getah”. Mereka anggap ia cuma pokok biasa . Begitulah manusia bila tiada kesedaran. ...
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Deng's lamentation and the itinerary of the final expedition of Zheng He

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向歷諸國，唯地上之物有異耳，其天象大小、遠近、顯晦之類，雖極遠國，視之一切與中國無異。予因此益知舊以二十八舍分隸中國之九州者，為謬也。 Told by Deng, a retired mariner who took part in Zheng He's expedition, to Zhu Yunming 祝允明 The reflection recounted to Zhu Yunming 祝允明 appears at first glance to be a modest astronomical observation. Yet beneath its restrained tone lies a profound intellectual rupture. Zhu Yunming 祝允明 (b. 1460, d. 1527) and his friend Tang Yin 唐寅 (b. 1470, d. 1524) Deng observes that while terrestrial customs, products, and landscapes differ from country to country, the celestial bodies remain invariant: the same stars, distances, and celestial phenomena appear everywhere exactly as they do in China. From this empirical experience he draws a striking conclusion, that the traditional doctrine which assigned the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansion...
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Vruksharacha's warning

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. . . a good piece of gutta percha will insulate as well as an equal piece of shell-lac, whether it be in the form of sheet, or rod, of filament; but being tough and flexible when cold, as well as soft when hot, it will serve better than shell-lac in many cases where the brittleness of the latter is an inconvenience. Thus it makes very good handles for carriers of electricity in experiments on induction, not being liable to fracture: in the form of thin band or string it makes an excellent insulating suspender: a piece of it in sheet makes a most convenient insulating basis for anything placed on it . . . Michael Faraday (1848) On the use of gutta percha in electrical insulation, Philosophical Magazine Series 3 32(214), p. 166. Long before tall buildings touched the clouds and bright lights shimmered along the river, Singapore was a green island filled with birdsong, cicadas, and trees that talked. ...
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