this book, written by biologist david george haskell tells the story of the evolution of sounds on earth. from the beginning to the present day, from the microbial life to the smallest (sometimes extinct) insects and the biggest animals and their evolutionary principles for making sounds!
dr. haskell explains complex principles in a very understandable way. he talks about experiments he read about, partakes in, interesting facts to know and even small things he pays attention to in terms of sounds to be heard in nature and urban environments.
a big part of the book's charm is the writer's genuine appreciation for life on earth.
it showed me the importance of standing still and listening to the sounds around me.
Feb 25, 2024
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Really interesting interdisciplinary speculative science book about the development of human intelligence, written in a lovely prosaic voice that makes it accessible to and engaging for anyone. There have been significant scientific advancements that add nuance and complexity to some of the ideas he discusses but it’s still useful as a conceptual framework for understanding and it’s interesting to see the conclusions he was able to draw with his brilliant mind based off of the limited information that was available at the time. He raises a lot of thought provoking questions—its greatest value is as a philosophical text—and I think it’s still more than worth your time to read today.
“As a consequence of the enormous social and technological changes of the last few centuries, the world is not working well. We do not live in traditional and static societies. But our government, in resisting change, act as if we did. Unless we destroy ourselves utterly, the future belongs to those societies that, while not ignoring the reptilian and mammalian parts of our being, enable the characteristically human components of our nature to flourish; to those societies that encourage diversity rather than conformity; to those societies willing to invest resources in a variety of social, political, economic and cultural experiments, and prepared to sacrifice short-term advantage for long-term benefit; to those societies that treat new ideas as delicate, fragile and immensely valuable pathways to the future.”
Jan 14, 2025
One of the most memorable and fascinating books I have read in a while. This is about, among other things, early 20th century explorer and scientist William Beebe’s adventures and exploits in exploring the unseen deep ocean and witnessing all its strange life forms in a bathysphere, as well as stories about his contemporaries/friends of the era and general musings on the nature of exploration. Chapters are not always linear and include his logbook entries and illustrations, they’re no more than 2-3 pages at a time, capturing vivid vignettes and creating an almost dream like type of prose, much like the wonder and awe Beebe must have experienced seeing all of this himself- it’s far from a dry scientific account- the author Brad Fox has truly done something special here. Really cannot do it justice so check it out yourself to see.
Sep 11, 2024
I don't remember if I've read the whole thing so this is not an endorsement of it. Anyway it's pretty interesting. It's about biology but written for an interested, but not necessarily trailed, audience.
Nov 26, 2024
Top Recs from @applesapples22
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i feel like a massive hypocrite writing this, but im gonna be honest..
the past year i've been constantly listening to/watching youtube videos and ig reels in order to fill the silence. just loads and loads of useless information and empty talks.
last night i realized that doing so has been keeping me from thinking about stuff, listening to music and in general, being productive. i was filling my head with useless noise so i wouldn't think. it ended up being a comfortable bubble of bullshit that was hard to break out of.
today i stopped the video, grabbed my notes of things i want to DO and played some music in the background. felt much better. i might relapse— i have many times, but im tired of being a vertically scrolling thumb (again).
Aug 16, 2024
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i used to ride my bicycle/take public transport all the time, but walking is really good actually! it slows down the wildness of modern life, shows you small things you would otherwise drive past. its all around a good idea if you have time to spare of course. great for calming down, thinking, good for relieving stress, good for meeting new people
Feb 29, 2024
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going to the museums in my city, going to events, visiting art schools as a spectator to view their expositions
it gives me this.. je ne sais quoi feeling. like, euphoria and inspiration and hope in a weird combined way. thinking about art, talking about art - and by that i mean anything from jewelry to graphic design, paintings, poetry, (short) film and sculptures. just fills me with purpose unlike anything else.
im watching my sims be succesful artists and im like.. damn i wanna be that.
Mar 9, 2024