Published in Snipette·Nov 16, 2022Amusing the PatientRewilding could restore ecosystems to their natural state — but is there such a thing as “natural”? — In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine. There were infantry divisions, armoured tanks, and many, many missiles. Much of the Russian effort was to capture Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. When this proved difficult Russia turned its attention elsewhere as it began to capture districts in the north-east…Future9 min readFuture9 min read
Published in Snipette·Sep 9, 2022Developing StoryOn the Origin of Stories by means of Cultural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Tales in the Struggle for Retelling — “Oh, grandmother, what big shoulders you have!” “The better to carry firewood with, my child!” “Oh, grandmother, what a big nose you have!” “The better to take my tobacco with, my child!” “Oh, grandmother, what a big mouth you have!” “The better to eat you with, my child!”Folklore9 min readFolklore9 min read
Published in Snipette·Oct 1, 2021🏃 October Update: Race to the finishDear Reader, This quarter started off rather stressfully with our website address nearly expiring, but we’ve got things back on track — and not just on the tech front. …Snipette5 min readSnipette5 min read
Published in Snipette·Sep 24, 2021Browser WarsOr, why government offices have multiple ancient computers, each running a different version of Internet Explorer. — For all its technological prowess, one can’t help but admit that Google comes up with very uncreative names. One finds images through Google Images, reads books through Google Books, and edits documents in Google Docs. YouTube was so named by its three co-founders before it was bought over by Google…Agriculture12 min readAgriculture12 min read
Published in Snipette·May 7, 2021The Last SorcererNewton was an alchemist. Mary Poppins may have been a witch. What are scientists today? — Ever wondered where Mary Poppins came from? Or where she went? Or why none of her other employers freaked out and reported her to the police? Well, here’s one possible answer that would address all of those questions: Hogwarts. Hang on for a second. Stay with me. It sounds preposterous…Magic9 min readMagic9 min read
Published in Snipette·Jan 1, 2021Ringing in 2021 — with our very first webinar! 📢Dear Reader, In our internal team chat, we sometimes share tweets from @year_progress — a progress bar that tells us how much of the year is over. During bad times, we tell each other, “Look how much of the year we’ve pulled through already!” (And during the good, we go…Letter3 min readLetter3 min read
Published in Snipette·Oct 11, 2019Square MountainsFrom backyards to backstreets, evolution marches on. — A towering grey mountain reaches up to the dazzling blue sky, almost as of balanced on its toes. Its sides are sheer, and drop away sharply to the ground, hundreds of feet below. Embedded in its sides are countless little nooks and crannies, large enough to make a nest or…Evolution8 min readEvolution8 min read
Published in Snipette·Sep 29, 2019New website — and maybe print?Hello, Snipette readers, We’re very, very excited to announce that we have taken the next step on our journey: Snipette now has its own website! That’s right — you can now also read our articles by visiting www.snipettemag.com. Of course, Medium was our first home, so we’ll continue publishing there…Letter4 min readLetter4 min read
Published in Snipette·Sep 13, 2019Endangered ElementsThe world, and your phone, is dependent on chemicals. What happens when they run out? — When you hear the word “elements”, you probably think of the Periodic Table. A large uneven grid, listing all the elements known to humans, organised by chemical traits, and shaped more like a couch than a table if you ask me. …Science9 min readScience9 min read
Published in Snipette·Aug 30, 2019Machine TrainingAre AI trained with computers and data? Yes — but first, you need a human. — Look closely at the image on the screen. Scrutinise each pixel. Trace out the houses, the buildings, the lamp-posts. Select and mark the edge of the road. Don’t forget to note the moving traffic. Do it carefully, do it well. Every pixel has its place. Sounds like the mind of…Artificial Intelligence7 min readArtificial Intelligence7 min read
