DL 328

A Web Renaissance

Welcome to Digitally Literate, issue #328.

The semester is officially a wrap! Between hosting a poetry slam for my students and preparing for AERA, this week has been all about celebrating creativity and connection. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

🔖 Key Takeaways

📚 Highlights

Internet arguments often devolve into toxicity, but practicing intellectual humility can transform how we engage. Science shows humility helps us build better arguments, reduces stress, and even boosts happiness.

Could this mindset shift lead to a healthier, more productive internet culture?

Elon Musk’s proposed acquisition of Twitter has sparked debates about free speech and the platform’s future. Ben Thompson suggests splitting Twitter into two entities: one focusing on the core service and the other on advertising.

Twitter’s role as the “phone service of the web” makes its structure and governance critical for the broader internet ecosystem.

Anil Dash celebrates the revival of creativity on the web. Mistrust in big tech has pushed developers and users toward independent, creative digital spaces.

What excites me: Ordinary people are crafting weird and wonderful online experiences again. Let’s nurture this spirit!

Physicist Melvin Vopson posits that information could be a measurable state of matter, alongside solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. This theory could have profound implications for data storage and even our understanding of dark matter.

In his 2019 AIP Advances paper, Physicist ​​Melvin Vopson, suggests there is a mass-energy-information equivalence principle. This principle suggests that a digital information bit—used for digital data storage today—is not just physical, but has a “finite and quantifiable mass while it stores information.” This very small mass is 3.19 × 10-38 kilograms at room temperature.

This would identify information as the fifth state of matter alongside gas, plasma, liquid, and solid states. A scientist has proposed an experiment involving particle annihilation that could establish that information truly has mass. If successful, the experiment could shed light on the mysterious dark matter in our universe—and help us manage the future of data storage.

Mind blown: Digital data might have mass!

Many great scientists experience an “annus mirabilis” or miracle year, marked by rapid breakthroughs. Factors include youth, focus, and openness to fresh perspectives.

Reflection: What could we achieve if we cultivated these conditions in our own lives?

If you feel like you're constantly nagging others to help out, here are some expert-recommended strategies to get to a better place.

Billionaires like Jeff Bezos see aging as a disease to be cured. Here’s how you can prepare for a vibrant future:

  1. Beliefs: Shift your mindset to see aging as a challenge, not an inevitability.
  2. Media Diet: Choose books, films, and articles that inspire growth and optimism.
  3. Community: Surround yourself with energetic, forward-thinking people.
  4. Sleep & Diet: Prioritize restorative sleep and nutritious foods.
  5. Exercise: Build muscle and stay active.
  6. Mindset: Visualize a bigger, brighter future.

🌟 Closing Reflection

“Education must not simply teach work—it must teach Life.”
— W. E. B. Du Bois

Education isn’t just about productivity; it’s about cultivating curiosity, resilience, and joy.

Reflect and Engage

Thank you for reading Digitally Literate. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions. Connect with me at hello@digitallyliterate.net or explore Newsletter Index for all past issues.