We know that the universe has four dimensions, but why only four? Why not five?String theorists claim that the universe has many dimensions: 10, 11, or 26, but that all but the four are curled up so small that we can’t detect them.That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about a real 5th dimension, one that is as big and uncurled as the other four.The idea that the universe might have a fifth dimension came hot on the heels of the realization that the universe had four dimensions. In 1919, only four years after Einstein published his theory of General Relativity, a scientist...…We know that the universe has four dimensions, but why only four? Why not five?String theorists claim that the universe has many dimensions: 10, 11, or 26, but that all but the four are curled up so small that we can’t detect them.That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about a real 5th dimension, one that is as big and uncurled as the other four.The idea that the universe might have a fifth dimension came hot on the heels of the realization that the universe had four dimensions. In 1919, only four years after Einstein published his theory of General Relativity, a scientist...WW…

a.k.a. what is the van der Waerden notation?Quantum field theory is hard, there’s no way to deny that. Especially when supersymmetry (SUSY) enters the game. In this article, we will go over the basic starting points on how to deal with spinors, as they usually appear in supersymmetric theories. In particular, there are three (yes, three) ways to denote the same expression when it involves spinors: index notation, compact index notation, and matrix notation. We will explore how they are related and how to switch between them.These notes are something I would have loved to read when I started...…a.k.a. what is the van der Waerden notation?Quantum field theory is hard, there’s no way to deny that. Especially when supersymmetry (SUSY) enters the game. In this article, we will go over the basic starting points on how to deal with spinors, as they usually appear in supersymmetric theories. In particular, there are three (yes, three) ways to denote the same expression when it involves spinors: index notation, compact index notation, and matrix notation. We will explore how they are related and how to switch between them.These notes are something I would have loved to read when I started...WW…

Thanks to the leadership of our Governor and Mayor, there is a moratorium on evictions for tenants who are unable to pay rent in San Francisco and across California while we are in a state of emergency. But as the economic crisis continues and the federal unemployment stimulus expires, renters face a future that’s getting more, not less, scary. Once the emergency order is lifted, back rent will come due whether tenants have been able to secure new employment or not.Recent legislation from my opponent bars landlords from evicting tenants for back rent, but leaves an extreme loophole that...…Thanks to the leadership of our Governor and Mayor, there is a moratorium on evictions for tenants who are unable to pay rent in San Francisco and across California while we are in a state of emergency. But as the economic crisis continues and the federal unemployment stimulus expires, renters face a future that’s getting more, not less, scary. Once the emergency order is lifted, back rent will come due whether tenants have been able to secure new employment or not.Recent legislation from my opponent bars landlords from evicting tenants for back rent, but leaves an extreme loophole that...WW…

or a brief period, panicking international students across the nation found hope in a Google Sheet.When the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced on July 6 that who weren’t enrolled in courses meeting in-person could face deportation in the fall, Sumana Kaluvai — the creator of H-4 Hope, a Facebook group that supports students of varying immigration backgrounds — built a system for connecting international students with peers who were willing to surrender their seats in courses that could grant their classmates the right to stay in the country. She used the closest...…or a brief period, panicking international students across the nation found hope in a Google Sheet.When the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced on July 6 that who weren’t enrolled in courses meeting in-person could face deportation in the fall, Sumana Kaluvai — the creator of H-4 Hope, a Facebook group that supports students of varying immigration backgrounds — built a system for connecting international students with peers who were willing to surrender their seats in courses that could grant their classmates the right to stay in the country. She used the closest...WW…

Former District 11 Supervisor John Avalos is running for the Supervisor seat (again) after winning a seat on the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) in March. We have been wary to speak up about his track record with women, as even in recent years, women who spoke up about these sorts of issues faced attacks and defamation. But we were inspired to see former two weeks ago and mentioning his “his past inexcusable behavior and angry tirades” toward women. We were equally inspired by and her former boss, Shahid Buttar. We have decided we should speak up, too.As Jasper said, “If we as a...…Former District 11 Supervisor John Avalos is running for the Supervisor seat (again) after winning a seat on the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) in March. We have been wary to speak up about his track record with women, as even in recent years, women who spoke up about these sorts of issues faced attacks and defamation. But we were inspired to see former two weeks ago and mentioning his “his past inexcusable behavior and angry tirades” toward women. We were equally inspired by and her former boss, Shahid Buttar. We have decided we should speak up, too.As Jasper said, “If we as a...WW…

The prisoner walked across the pasture, disturbing the earth with each shackled step. Reflecting on memory, he focuses on an undergrowth of tall yellow grass. It had changed since he had been there last — this time; he was surrounded by police he had once avoided.In 2016, William Lewis Reece claimed responsibility for the murders of two young women missing since 1997. He agreed to lead police to their bodies, buried in fields outside of Houston, Texas.For years, families had wondered what happened to their daughters, responsible young girls from good homes who vanished under the most normal...…The prisoner walked across the pasture, disturbing the earth with each shackled step. Reflecting on memory, he focuses on an undergrowth of tall yellow grass. It had changed since he had been there last — this time; he was surrounded by police he had once avoided.In 2016, William Lewis Reece claimed responsibility for the murders of two young women missing since 1997. He agreed to lead police to their bodies, buried in fields outside of Houston, Texas.For years, families had wondered what happened to their daughters, responsible young girls from good homes who vanished under the most normal...WW…

Within the oligarchic structure of modern American politics, it should come as no surprise that Bernie Sanders has ruffled the feathers of quite a few both inside the government and out. But as much as the donor class on both the left and the right might not like Bernie, I don’t think anyone else thoroughly despises him more than Hillary Clinton.Since she was forced to share a debate stage with the Vermont Senator when he challenged her for the nomination back in 2015, Hillary Clinton has not exactly been subtle about her feelings towards the man who dared to run against her. As of late, it...…Within the oligarchic structure of modern American politics, it should come as no surprise that Bernie Sanders has ruffled the feathers of quite a few both inside the government and out. But as much as the donor class on both the left and the right might not like Bernie, I don’t think anyone else thoroughly despises him more than Hillary Clinton.Since she was forced to share a debate stage with the Vermont Senator when he challenged her for the nomination back in 2015, Hillary Clinton has not exactly been subtle about her feelings towards the man who dared to run against her. As of late, it...WW…

ontent Warning: What you are about to read contains graphic details about child abuse, rape, self harm, eating disorders, alcoholism and incest.After graduating from Babson College in 2017, I spent two years tending to the litigation that ultimately landed in prison.On September 22, 2019, I read my victim impact statement to an open courtroom. Eric Carson is incarcerated at the only facility in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the treatment of repetitive and compulsive sexual violent offenders. To learn more about the details of the case, and search Eric Carson, or SBI: 000635742D.What...…ontent Warning: What you are about to read contains graphic details about child abuse, rape, self harm, eating disorders, alcoholism and incest.After graduating from Babson College in 2017, I spent two years tending to the litigation that ultimately landed in prison.On September 22, 2019, I read my victim impact statement to an open courtroom. Eric Carson is incarcerated at the only facility in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the treatment of repetitive and compulsive sexual violent offenders. To learn more about the details of the case, and search Eric Carson, or SBI: 000635742D.What...WW…

So a few weeks ago I stumbled upon something that reminded me of ’s famous 3rd law — Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.It was something I’d never seen before. It was a moment where I saw a piece of complex technology becoming easily accessible and approachable to a much larger group.Of course, I’m talking about OpenAI’s Generative Pretrained Transformer 3 or commonly known as GPT-3. OpenAI that they are opening up access to it through their API which is invite-only at this point.So far I’ve seen it described as the biggest thing since the Internet, the...…So a few weeks ago I stumbled upon something that reminded me of ’s famous 3rd law — Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.It was something I’d never seen before. It was a moment where I saw a piece of complex technology becoming easily accessible and approachable to a much larger group.Of course, I’m talking about OpenAI’s Generative Pretrained Transformer 3 or commonly known as GPT-3. OpenAI that they are opening up access to it through their API which is invite-only at this point.So far I’ve seen it described as the biggest thing since the Internet, the...WW…

stablished de facto by Richard Nixon in August 1971, the current monetary and financial system is exposing its flaws with the economic crisis into which the coronavirus pandemic has plunged us.People who have made the effort to educate themselves about money and economics have long understood that the experiment of the current system is going wrong.The disastrous consequences of the limitations of the current system are being felt at all levels: the printing of endless amounts of fiat money, the explosion of public and private debts, the increase in income inequality to record levels,...…stablished de facto by Richard Nixon in August 1971, the current monetary and financial system is exposing its flaws with the economic crisis into which the coronavirus pandemic has plunged us.People who have made the effort to educate themselves about money and economics have long understood that the experiment of the current system is going wrong.The disastrous consequences of the limitations of the current system are being felt at all levels: the printing of endless amounts of fiat money, the explosion of public and private debts, the increase in income inequality to record levels,...WW…

Christopher Newport University was built on unfair treatment of local minorities. If they reopen this fall as planned, leadership may accidentally do it again.Christopher Newport University (CNU) was founded in 1960 as “Christopher Newport College,” a branch of William & Mary, and began educating in an old elementary school building. Newport News’ city council spent the next three years fighting their Black community for the land of Shoe Lane, where CNU eventually was built. The council voted 5–2, against the wishes of the majority of Black residents, to buy homeowners out of Shoe Lane...…Christopher Newport University was built on unfair treatment of local minorities. If they reopen this fall as planned, leadership may accidentally do it again.Christopher Newport University (CNU) was founded in 1960 as “Christopher Newport College,” a branch of William & Mary, and began educating in an old elementary school building. Newport News’ city council spent the next three years fighting their Black community for the land of Shoe Lane, where CNU eventually was built. The council voted 5–2, against the wishes of the majority of Black residents, to buy homeowners out of Shoe Lane...WW…

Businesses are hiring data scientists in droves to make rigorous, scientific, unbiased, data-driven decisions.And now, the bad news: those decisions usually aren’t.For a decision to be data-driven, it has to be the data — as opposed to something else entirely — that drive it. Seems so straightforward, and yet it’s so rare in practice because decision-makers lack a key psychological habit.Imagine that you are considering buying something online instead of making a pilgrimage to the other side of town to fetch it. You’ve boiled your decision down to whether or not you trust the online seller....…Businesses are hiring data scientists in droves to make rigorous, scientific, unbiased, data-driven decisions.And now, the bad news: those decisions usually aren’t.For a decision to be data-driven, it has to be the data — as opposed to something else entirely — that drive it. Seems so straightforward, and yet it’s so rare in practice because decision-makers lack a key psychological habit.Imagine that you are considering buying something online instead of making a pilgrimage to the other side of town to fetch it. You’ve boiled your decision down to whether or not you trust the online seller....WW…

April, reported that Whole Foods kept tabs on stores likely to unionize through an interactive heat map based on scores derived from more than two dozen metrics. A June about Amazon’s workforce describes a similar heat map, with executives keeping tabs on potential unionization “hot spots” via a calculation that relied on employee survey data, timing of the last pay raise, and dozens of other factors.But Amazon isn’t the only company doing this sort of work. Thanks to a glut of tech platforms that deploy sophisticated methods for collecting and analyzing employee data, pinpointing groups of...…April, reported that Whole Foods kept tabs on stores likely to unionize through an interactive heat map based on scores derived from more than two dozen metrics. A June about Amazon’s workforce describes a similar heat map, with executives keeping tabs on potential unionization “hot spots” via a calculation that relied on employee survey data, timing of the last pay raise, and dozens of other factors.But Amazon isn’t the only company doing this sort of work. Thanks to a glut of tech platforms that deploy sophisticated methods for collecting and analyzing employee data, pinpointing groups of...WW…

I had a friend in elementary school who would always tell us about how his uncle died on 9/11. He would describe the memory of his mother crying on the phone, having just heard the news, and then of her sitting him down and explaining how his uncle wouldn’t be coming around anymore. A couple years later, he clarified that although his uncle did die, he doesn’t actually remember anything from that day. A couple more years later, he admitted that there was no dead uncle.By the time he admitted the full truth it wasn’t much of a surprise; after all he was barely three years old when it...…I had a friend in elementary school who would always tell us about how his uncle died on 9/11. He would describe the memory of his mother crying on the phone, having just heard the news, and then of her sitting him down and explaining how his uncle wouldn’t be coming around anymore. A couple years later, he clarified that although his uncle did die, he doesn’t actually remember anything from that day. A couple more years later, he admitted that there was no dead uncle.By the time he admitted the full truth it wasn’t much of a surprise; after all he was barely three years old when it...WW…

aroline’s hair drapes from its center part and flows over her shoulders where it becomes indistinguishable from her black overcoat, especially in the darkness.When she speaks her breath freezes, floats upward, dissipates.Standing in the parlor of an abandoned one hundred and eighty-year-old house, the visual is unsettling.“I think there’s a place that we go to, but I don’t… I don’t think it’s…”That’s her reply when I ask if she believes in an afterlife. She trails off.It seems strange that Caroline, the president of her high school’s paranormal club, would have no clearer ideas about the...…aroline’s hair drapes from its center part and flows over her shoulders where it becomes indistinguishable from her black overcoat, especially in the darkness.When she speaks her breath freezes, floats upward, dissipates.Standing in the parlor of an abandoned one hundred and eighty-year-old house, the visual is unsettling.“I think there’s a place that we go to, but I don’t… I don’t think it’s…”That’s her reply when I ask if she believes in an afterlife. She trails off.It seems strange that Caroline, the president of her high school’s paranormal club, would have no clearer ideas about the...WW…

If you ever have trouble understanding why the American judicial system is the way it is, one thing to keep in mind is that we really, really don’t see prisoners as people.Whether you’re a violent offender or not, whether you’re in there for life or just a couple of weeks, we are not taught to see you as a human being until you’ve been released, and sometimes not even then.We at the idea of prisoners getting raped. We get at the idea of them having access to computers. Any time news comes out about some initiative to improve prison conditions slightly, you get the same wave of rhetoric...…If you ever have trouble understanding why the American judicial system is the way it is, one thing to keep in mind is that we really, really don’t see prisoners as people.Whether you’re a violent offender or not, whether you’re in there for life or just a couple of weeks, we are not taught to see you as a human being until you’ve been released, and sometimes not even then.We at the idea of prisoners getting raped. We get at the idea of them having access to computers. Any time news comes out about some initiative to improve prison conditions slightly, you get the same wave of rhetoric...WW…

¡Bienvenido al Directorio!The main objective of this new project is to generate connections between artisans from Puerto Rico and buyers inside and outside the country. Online presence is increasingly important. Now with the COVID-19 (coronavirus), there is no other option than to be online to be able to exhibit our Puerto Rican crafts. The is a good step to promote the crafts of Puerto Rico online and we will be looking to work more closely with entities such as the government as well as private organizations to promote Puerto Rican crafts and that will help create a community for all...…¡Bienvenido al Directorio!The main objective of this new project is to generate connections between artisans from Puerto Rico and buyers inside and outside the country. Online presence is increasingly important. Now with the COVID-19 (coronavirus), there is no other option than to be online to be able to exhibit our Puerto Rican crafts. The is a good step to promote the crafts of Puerto Rico online and we will be looking to work more closely with entities such as the government as well as private organizations to promote Puerto Rican crafts and that will help create a community for all...WW…

By Mark HymanMajor League Baseball’s Pandemic season is scheduled to start July 23. So far, we know of about a dozen big leaguers who won’t be there.Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Giants catcher Buster Posey, Dodgers pitcher David Price, Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond, Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake and Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks have announced they’ll sit out the season, having weighed risks to themselves and family.The baseball writers? Oh, they’ll be there. They’ll be masked and socially distanced. They’ll have no in-person contact with any of the players that they’ll be...…By Mark HymanMajor League Baseball’s Pandemic season is scheduled to start July 23. So far, we know of about a dozen big leaguers who won’t be there.Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Giants catcher Buster Posey, Dodgers pitcher David Price, Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond, Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake and Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks have announced they’ll sit out the season, having weighed risks to themselves and family.The baseball writers? Oh, they’ll be there. They’ll be masked and socially distanced. They’ll have no in-person contact with any of the players that they’ll be...WW…

There are more candidates running with the United Utah Party in Utah County for the state legislature than there are Democrats in Utah County seeking state legislative seats.You might say that the United Utah Party is a thing.And, while the UUP candidates are mostly men, there are women UUP candidates seeking elected positions, too.Five are running for the Utah legislature: Emily O’Hara Bergeson, Catherine Eslinger, Christine Heath, Piper Manesse and Kate Walters.This is Bergeson’s story.Emily O’Hara BergesonBergeson has a business degree from Brigham Young University, worked for three...…There are more candidates running with the United Utah Party in Utah County for the state legislature than there are Democrats in Utah County seeking state legislative seats.You might say that the United Utah Party is a thing.And, while the UUP candidates are mostly men, there are women UUP candidates seeking elected positions, too.Five are running for the Utah legislature: Emily O’Hara Bergeson, Catherine Eslinger, Christine Heath, Piper Manesse and Kate Walters.This is Bergeson’s story.Emily O’Hara BergesonBergeson has a business degree from Brigham Young University, worked for three...WW…

Laying the foundations of technical fluency, for everyday life and beyond.If you’re a “non-techie” (someone without a software engineering background) this may be the most important essay you ever read about software.In the modern digital age, even though we’re surrounded by software systems 24/7, people’s knowledge of these applications and systems is severely limited.For most people, the path to “technical fluency” is through . That’s a terrible way to introduce someone to technology. This essay is not about that. This is about building intuition and systems-thinking from the ground up.In...…Laying the foundations of technical fluency, for everyday life and beyond.If you’re a “non-techie” (someone without a software engineering background) this may be the most important essay you ever read about software.In the modern digital age, even though we’re surrounded by software systems 24/7, people’s knowledge of these applications and systems is severely limited.For most people, the path to “technical fluency” is through . That’s a terrible way to introduce someone to technology. This essay is not about that. This is about building intuition and systems-thinking from the ground up.In...WW…

We are witnessing scenes play out on the streets of Portland, Oregon that have no place in our democratic society. Unmarked federal agents — equipped like anonymous storm troopers — have been deployed against peaceful demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights of assembly and free speech under our First Amendment. We must condemn this gross abuse of federal law enforcement in the strongest possible terms and demand answers and accountability from this administration.The violent scenes that we have seen play out in Portland — and in Downtown Washington, DC before that — have left...…We are witnessing scenes play out on the streets of Portland, Oregon that have no place in our democratic society. Unmarked federal agents — equipped like anonymous storm troopers — have been deployed against peaceful demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights of assembly and free speech under our First Amendment. We must condemn this gross abuse of federal law enforcement in the strongest possible terms and demand answers and accountability from this administration.The violent scenes that we have seen play out in Portland — and in Downtown Washington, DC before that — have left...WW…

The Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcers in Portland, Oregon, as part of a supposed effort to protect government property has prompted at least two lawsuits alleging that their show of force has resulted in abuses of authority and the unnecessary use of violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and observers.What has not been reported widely in the media, however, is the fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit that is coordinating the “crowd control” effort — an agency called the Federal Protective Service (FPS) — is composed largely of...…The Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcers in Portland, Oregon, as part of a supposed effort to protect government property has prompted at least two lawsuits alleging that their show of force has resulted in abuses of authority and the unnecessary use of violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and observers.What has not been reported widely in the media, however, is the fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit that is coordinating the “crowd control” effort — an agency called the Federal Protective Service (FPS) — is composed largely of...WW…

lon Musk’s been in the headlines for the last few days. The brilliant founder of Tesla and SpaceX has just overtaken Warren Buffett in the ranking of the richest men on the planet. The incredible success of Tesla on the stock market for almost a year is not unrelated to this.This phenomenon goes far beyond Elon Musk and Tesla.All the founders of Tech companies are seeing their fortunes explode at the moment. Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is now at the head of a fortune that exceeds 180 billion dollars.On July 20, 2020, alone, Jeff Bezos saw his fortune increase by 13 billion dollars. Never...…lon Musk’s been in the headlines for the last few days. The brilliant founder of Tesla and SpaceX has just overtaken Warren Buffett in the ranking of the richest men on the planet. The incredible success of Tesla on the stock market for almost a year is not unrelated to this.This phenomenon goes far beyond Elon Musk and Tesla.All the founders of Tech companies are seeing their fortunes explode at the moment. Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is now at the head of a fortune that exceeds 180 billion dollars.On July 20, 2020, alone, Jeff Bezos saw his fortune increase by 13 billion dollars. Never...WW…

The current economic system is broken beyond belief and not only in the US but also in Europe, Australia and in Asia. I’ve been researching this issue for years (privately) because I was appalled by how bad it really is.The median income in the US is $32,000. If each step on a staircase represents $100,000 of net worth then HALF of the people in the US are on the base or the very 1st step. Almost 200 million people who can’t even get one step up in this system. The households on the 80th percentile are on the 5th step. That’s about five seconds of walking to get up there. A billionaire is...…The current economic system is broken beyond belief and not only in the US but also in Europe, Australia and in Asia. I’ve been researching this issue for years (privately) because I was appalled by how bad it really is.The median income in the US is $32,000. If each step on a staircase represents $100,000 of net worth then HALF of the people in the US are on the base or the very 1st step. Almost 200 million people who can’t even get one step up in this system. The households on the 80th percentile are on the 5th step. That’s about five seconds of walking to get up there. A billionaire is...WW…

You thought AI is intelligent? Well, it has a long road ahead.Without a doubt, artificial intelligence is one of the most revolutionary technologies being developed. Though, as powerful as it is, there still are a lot of basic problems it is yet to become competent to solve.David Cox, Director of MIT-IBM Watson AI lab says, “It’s time to reinvent artificial intelligence.” And, according to him, neuro-symbolic AI is the answer.We take a quick look into what ails present AI, and how AI engineers can revolutionize the discipline with neuro-symbolic AI.Say, an AI program is asked to “Look at...…You thought AI is intelligent? Well, it has a long road ahead.Without a doubt, artificial intelligence is one of the most revolutionary technologies being developed. Though, as powerful as it is, there still are a lot of basic problems it is yet to become competent to solve.David Cox, Director of MIT-IBM Watson AI lab says, “It’s time to reinvent artificial intelligence.” And, according to him, neuro-symbolic AI is the answer.We take a quick look into what ails present AI, and how AI engineers can revolutionize the discipline with neuro-symbolic AI.Say, an AI program is asked to “Look at...WW…