Atoms & Particles

The Practical Polymath #58

Hi Friends, 

Greetings from Brooklyn.

If you are new here, welcome to the Practical Polymath, a newsletter about random things that pique my curiosity.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition and if you do, share it with a friend!

Florian

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Weekly Wisdom

📚 Book of the Week: I’ve been reading “When we cease to understand the world” by Benjamin Labatut. This book is as extraordinary as it is hard to categorize. It is a reflection on the limits of our scientific knowledge. It reads like a thriller with Einstein, Schrodinger and Heisenberg as the main protagonists. I would also recommend watching this interview with the author. He is just as intriguing as his book is.

📷 When we’re Gone: The village of Houtouwan on the Chinese island of Shengshan was once a thriving fishermen community. It was abandoned in the 1990s but remains a touristic destination for people eager to get a glimpse at how nature has reclaimed what’s hers. The photographer Damir Sagolj captured the eeriness of the village. 

Houtouwan, China (Photography by Damir Sagolj)

✍ How to Write: I admire Paul Graham’s writing because he’s a master at conveying ideas with the minimum amount of words. Each and every word he chooses is there for a reason. No extra fat. This 400 word piece is the balsamic reduction of writing guides.  

🎵 Tune of the Week: There is something intoxicating and trance-inducing about the repetitive melodic patterns of desert blues. I am obsessed with this song by Nigerian singer-songwriter Bombino.

Lateral Thought

“Of all the means which are procured by wisdom to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends.”

Epicurus