Song of myself

The past and present wilt—I have fill’d them, emptied them.
And proceed to fill my next fold of the future.

Listener up there! what have you to confide to me?
Look in my face while I snuff the sidle of evening,
(Talk honestly, no one else hears you, and I stay only a minute
longer.)

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

I concentrate toward them that are nigh, I wait on the door-slab.

Who has done his day’s work? who will soonest be through with
his supper?
Who wishes to walk with me?

Will you speak before I am gone? will you prove already too late?

— Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass.

Blockchain, Explained [with Lego]

Blockchain is extremely interesting, but it can be difficult to understand. This video by PCMag is an attempt to visually show how the blockchain works, using building blocks as an analogy.

It does not fully explain how the technology side works, and it doesn’t go into full details in regards to cryptography. However it is a good first step if you are curious about decentralized networks, cryptocurrencies and online trust.

Plus, it has Lego, so I had to share it 🙂

It’s all illusion

Remember young sir, it’s all illusion; and dreams though potent, are no solution to the problems that we face. The rainbows that we chase are no more real than the idea that your foot will heal. My words no doubt seem strange to you, but please remember that they’re true.

— The Pied Piper of Hamelin – Faerie Tale Theatre.

It Should Be Easy

A son takes what should be a simple tech support call from his mother in the middle of his workday. Have you been there?

I came across this short animation by Ben Meinhardt from an email sent by Mozilla a few weeks ago.

On Saturday, July 29, Rooftop Films and Mozilla presented a screening of thought-provoking short films about our favorite shared resource, the Internet. Hundreds of film fans and Web lovers gathered in Brooklyn, NYC for Net Positive, Internet Health Film Shorts to get a filmmaker’s view on what’s helping and what’s hurting the Web.

You can find the complete list of films here. I highly recommend watching these gems that speak so much about the Internet and our lives today.