Jean Nouvel

Nice article in the Times about Jean Nouvel, who just won the Pritzker Prize (sort of the Nobel for Architecture). I like a lot of his buildings. And of course, everyone should be able to have their museum designed by someone who looks like a Bond villian.

Some of his other works:

So you want to live forever...

This article in Wired talks about Ray Kurzweil's quest to prolong his life until technology takes over to the point that no one has to die. I read his book, "The Age of Spiritual Machines," and loved it. He's got a very cool take on technological progress and artificial intelligence. Basically he says that the rate at which technology is advancing isn't linear; it's exponential, so it keeps accelerating (as in the graph here). That means all kind of cool things, like artificial intelligence, are pretty much bound to happen.

"But the crucial thing that Kurzweil did was to make the end of the human era seem actionable: He argues that while artificial intelligence will render biological humans obsolete, it will not make human consciousness irrelevant. The first AIs will be created, he says, as add-ons to human intelligence, modeled on our actual brains and used to extend our human reach. AIs will help us see and hear better. They will give us better memories and help us fight disease. Eventually, AIs will allow us to conquer death itself. The singularity won't destroy us, Kurzweil says. Instead, it will immortalize us."

If you're interested in technology and where things like AI are going, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Age of Spiritual Machines. Very easy read. The only issue I've got with him is that I think a lot of the immortality business he talks about is motivated by a serious fear of death. Impending immortality or not, everybody's got to come to terms with the possibility of death. Preferably in a graceful way... Other than that, Kurzweil's a great thinker.He lives a couple blocks away from where I grew up. I also used to carpool with his son, Ethan.

The Difference Between Paris and Mumbai

A couple of weeks ago, the Times ran this article from their Paris Bureau Chief giving 8 Pieces of Advice about living in Paris.  It ran with the picture above, and included the choice tidbit "Make friends with a good butcher," along with a charming description of Monsieur Yvon.  

My butcher in Mumbai is named Tyrone.  He has eight fingers, a cleaver that looks like it was forged over a campfire, and a shirt that says "For Good Luck, Rub My Belly."  I snapped this as he was mauling a contraband tenderloin for me.   Other than that, it's just like Paris.