WSJ: ““Wonderstruck” closes with everyday suggestions for cultivating awe and wonder: Read literary fiction, such as Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Earthsea” series, which inspires wonder through challenging readers to question reality and the nature of possibility. Study philosophy, which teaches about the strange and paradoxical nature of existence and provides the mental space to reflect. Ponder the wonders of everyday phenomena—watch how a flower squeezes through a crack in concrete. Contemplate art. Participate in whale-watching, sporting events, fireworks displays, festivals of lights such as Dev Deepavali. Join a group for hanami, the Japanese tradition of marveling at cherry blossoms. It remains for each of us to discover the best ways to bring awe and wonder into our lives, but “Wonderstruck” offers a persuasive reminder that we really should.”
FT: “Venture capitalists are struggling to raise money, signalling the end of an era of “megafunds” and a slowdown in start-up dealmaking over the coming years. Globally, venture firms raised $30.4bn from university endowments, foundations and other institutional investors in the first three months of this year, a marked slowdown from 2023 — which itself was the worst year for fundraising since 2016, according to private markets data provider PitchBook. Investors in venture funds, known as limited partners, have reined in spending over the past two years, taking a more cautious approach as interest rates have risen, start-up exits including public listings and sales have slowed and returns from venture fund managers have cratered. “Why has there been such a sustained slowdown? At the core of the issue is exits,” said Kaidi Gao, a venture capital analyst at PitchBook. A resurgence in initial public offerings or sales would allow LPs to recoup their invested capital and recycle it.”
WSJ: “Too often, busy schedules prevent us from having long, meaningful phone chats or meandering, split-the-bottle dinner conversations. Instead, we shoot each other quick how-are-you texts, forward articles or memes, and promise that we’ll find time to talk later. These short bursts of communication can feel totally unsatisfying. And they don’t really help us bond because we’re not connecting emotionally. Yet our friendships can benefit from quick exchanges—call them friendship snacks—if we do them right, relationship experts say. Bite-size communications should be nutritious, not filled with empty calories. The key is to make an emotional connection. Try speaking rather than texting—a voice memo or five-minute phone chat is warmer and more personal. Bonus points if you share a funny memory or inside joke. Humor helps people bond.”
Mchael Elowitz on synthetic biology: “I always liked the term. It really fits perfectly, and it is analogous to chemistry, where you’ve got synthetic chemistry and analytical chemistry. And in terms of the field, yeah, I do. The really crazy stuff is still out of reach, but the basic premise that synthetic biology will enable you to improve or create useful therapeutics, for example, that actually take advantage of the ability to program the cell, is slowly becoming real. And that’s exciting. Everything took a lot longer than anybody expected. But the fundamental premise that the cell is—to a large extent—a programmable device, appears to be valid.”
Dan Williams: “The idea that truth will ultimately emerge victorious in a free marketplace of ideas is incorrect. Although there are principled reasons why the free exchange of ideas often favours the transmission of reliable information, this breaks down both (i) when the information is untestable and concerns counter-intuitive truths and (ii) when people seek out information to justify self-serving narratives and decisions.” [via Arnold Kling]
