In issue 38 I wrote about Inrupt, a company that invents a “USB-Stick for the internet” that allows you to keep control over your data. Basically, to own what’s yours.

I find their concept interesting. And with everything interesting, there’s a really good counter-argument: Data cannot be owned. Even the construct of “ownership” is deeply flawed.

We don’t need to discuss ownership of data, we need to discuss the right of what to do with it.

The difference might sound subtle, but it is huge, as the first example in this essay illustrates.

Maybe I’m swayed by the initial argument that capitalism is so ingrained into our thought structures that we cannot think about value without also thinking about ownership.

Maybe it is true that there needs to be a social regulation about what can be done with data, and what cannot.

One might be practical, because it basically is a first order combination of what is possible, and the other might be the solution we actually need (but which lacks a clear path of how to get there).

Terrible Maps

As I’ve pointed out multiple times, I love maps. For some reason, I find maps always interesting, regardless of their content or their presentation.

The maps by @TerribleMaps are funny, and most of them aren’t terrible at all. Take this Super Bowl map for example:

It’s true, but you get the impression that its trueness is somehow skewed. It shows a fact, and cleverly hides the context of this fact. The USA are the most winningest country in the sport that is played at the Super Bowl.
No wonder, since you have to be an American team to play, but somehow, that information is not part of the map, and might be lost to the viewer if it wasn’t so obvious.

A Mechanical Computer (plus a neat little Party Trick)

The title of the video kinda gives it away: You cannot win against this computer.

But what is interesting about it is the fact that it is not the type of machine we typically associate with the word “computer”. It is a mechanical computer, not a digital one.
Have a look at the video, it is quite entertaining, and you also learn a neat little party trick.
(And yes, that is Matt Parker of Numberphile-fame)

Is James Bond an Alcoholic?

I don’t know if we really needed a study for the answer (which is “errrm, of course?”), but in any case, here it is.

How Train Wheels work

How exactly can a train make a turn? And why have the turns it can make such a huge radius? The answer might surprise you (it sure did surprise me), but is quite logical once all of this is properly explained.

And while we’re at the topic of explainer-videos: Here’s a great video on how a differential works (read: how do cars turn?), and another one about how soda cans are produced.

I especially love the fact that the can opening mechanism is actually two different kinds of lever, depending on where you are in the process of can-opening.

Why is editing so hard?

I’m terrible at proofreading my newsletters. I always read the current issue multiple times, and then, when it is sent and arrives in my inbox, it usually just takes me a couple of seconds before I find an error.

As far as I can tell, I’m not alone with this experience. Maybe it’s all just your subconscious creating an elaborate setup to humiliate your worst enemies?