State Art

Yasheng Huang On The Chinese State

Tyler Cowen | Conversations | 8th March 2023

Interesting throughout. One of Tyler Cowen's best conversations to date. MIT professor Yasheng Huang discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese state, how the imperial examination system conditioned Chinese society for centuries, why the Communist Party dictatorship worked relatively well under Deng Xiaoping, and why the Covid crisis has so shaken Xi Jinping (7,500 words)

Mystified by cryptic crosswords? We at The Browser are here to help. Pick up the ultimate guide, by Dan Feyer and Uri Bram, and let us guide you through the meaning of those clues - so you can get on with puzzling.

The Art Of Computational Narrative

Samuel Arbesman | Cabinet Of Wonders | 8th March 2023

To call a limited set of computing commands a "language" used to feel like a metaphor. But as coding has become a popular skill, so programming languages have acquired the characteristics of natural languages. "Python, with its emphasis on white space, is more decorous in its diction and appearance than Javascript. The pointers of C programs have the telegraphic feel of Hemingway" (890 words)