How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2017: The word has …
Judgebot.exe Has Encountered a Problem and Can No Longer Serve
To be clear, ‘effective’ in this context means ‘strikingly convincing in some respects’, rather than anything that might trouble the Turing Test. The interesting results wrought by the model can appear eerily on point, apparently written with intelligence, intention, and …
Appearance of Lord Balarama
River Yamuna Personified Prays to Lord Balarama Bala or spiritual strength is essential for attaining self-realization and Lord Balarama is the giver of spiritual strength. He is the gravitational force that sustains the planets in their universal positions. The one …
In Praise of ‘Casual’ Friendship
Sometimes such friendships are deep and lifelong. But at other times, they are sustained largely by proximity and convenience; it’s good to have someone to spend time with, to grab a drink with after work, or coffee during the day. …
Pavitropana Ekadasi – 18 Aug 2021
The following is a narration of the glories of Pavitropana Ekadasi from the bhavishya purana. This year Pavitropana Ekadasi falls on 18 Aug, 2021 “The king’s advisers were glad to receive these instructions from Lomasa Rishi. They gratefully offered him their obeisances …
Would Extinction be so Bad?
How might we do that? Let’s focus on sudden extinction. Imagine that some huge asteroid is heading to earth, which if it hits will remove any possibility of life on earth. If you have the power to deflect it, should …
Vamsidas Babaji Maharaj
Fisherwoman approaches Babaji One day, a lady selling fish approached Srila Vamsidas Babaji, offering him some choice type of catch. Somehow or other, the Babaji’s mind became attracted to tasting the fish. But he immediately rebuked himself and became very …
Healthcare, Responsibility, and Golden Opportunities
The nature of the opportunity offered, as well as the standard used to measure whether an individual adhered to it, will have to take a variety of factors into account. For instance, it will have to take into account various …
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic
The myth of eradication Rather than being determined by a particular number of cases or deaths, the end will require us no longer focussing on such numbers. The attitude we have towards such figures is as important to the …
Homelessness as a moral cost to the housed
Perhaps, then, the more fortunate have an oddly self-interested moral reason to house the homeless (in addition to the moral reasons we have to alleviate suffering). Christians and romantics sometimes see immoral action as staining our souls; we who accept …