Roundup: JS cryptocurrency mining, telling stories about houses with data, 7 questions, and talking with aliens
Elena Tanasoiu
Sept. 15, 2017
Coinhive - Monero JavaScript Mining - Charlie
https://coin-hive.com/
Simple JS plugin implementing the Cryptonight algorithm to mine the Monero cryptocurrency. User experience issues aside...this seems like a pretty neat idea; just a shame it wasn't a more viable alternative to invasive adverts.
Data stories - Murray S
http://www.paulplowman.com/stuff/house-address-twins-proximity/
Data can tell some amazing stories; but you have to know how to look, and you have to have an idea of what to look for, and most importantly all the data needs to be there. This blog post from Paul Plowman goes deep into the data for UK addresses; what's available, what's not, what you can do with it and reveals an interesting quirk in reality.
Seven Questions about technology you aren't even allowed to ask - Elena T
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601997/seven-questions-about-technology-you-arent-even-allowed-to-ask/
A list of questions that are morally or legally on the grey side were recently discussed at a conference at the MIT Media Lab. Regardless if you oppose the ideas entirely or you think it might be worth discussing them, it's an interesting foray into subjects that are normally avoided.
Why we should really stop trying to contact aliens - Elena T
http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/why-we-should-really-stop-trying-to-contact-aliens
In Liu Cixin's "Three Body Problem" trilogy, it's suggested that we should shut the hell up when it comes to trying to contact another intelligent civilisation, lest we get obliterated before we've even managed to introduce ourselves properly. It also suggestes that we start a new field of "cosmic sociology" as a means of understanding interactions with distant civilisations, starting from a series of axioms that would be true for any civilisation.
Track of the Week - Neil B
Graeme and I have been swapping disco and soul tunes. This is an uplifting classic.