Memorable Stuff I Read This Week

Being a criollo in America— no matter how innocent we are— is to be born an entitled pig.

— Alvaro Enrigue / Now I Surrender

child’s born and mother
cries in hospital for days

less for what child is/not/more for
all this world’s got in store for her

— Soham Patel / “Dead Man’s Pose”

Artificial-intelligence tools, such as the revolutionary AlphaFold, have enabled biologists to produce innovative drugs and to design bespoke proteins that kill superbugs. But these benefits come with the potential to create more-potent toxins, viruses or bioweapons. The threat is very real, say more than 20 scientists and policy researchers. But they don’t agree on what we should do about it. Some are calling for limits on biological AI, but others worry that such restrictions could limit research. Some believe that attempts to introduce regulations are already too late, and the focus should be on detecting and countering AI bioweapon attacks.

— Flora Graham / “AI can make dangerous bioweapons” / Nature Brief

We saw the stars
dissolve, the shifting range of blues against the peaks.
Mountains in the distance. Black hills. Moon. There was
a time, a period of days and nights before the end.
We were living in a blue room, and we were happy.

— Kai Carlson-Wee / “Blue Room”

A study of 31 regular coffee drinkers and as many abstainers aimed to discover how the beverage affects us and our microbiomes. When both groups were introduced (or re-introduced) to coffee after a period without, they reported lower perceived stress, depression and impulsivity scores — whether the coffee was caffeinated or not, suggesting that compounds such as polyphenols might take the credit. Other results were mixed: a notable improvement in learning and memory was found only in those who consumed decaf, and only caffeinated coffee was associated with reduced feelings of anxiety. Meanwhile, coffee drinkers had markedly different populations of bacteria in their guts than non-coffee drinkers.

— Jacob Smith / “Coffee boosts mood (even decaf)” / Nature Brief

. . . i wish i knew
what my heart is most scared of. maybe it is
the men who walk through the eye of the sun

with rifles tucked under their arms.
who i can’t promise i know by their names.
only that in islam, i am taught to accept them
as my brothers . . .

— Abu Bakir Sadiq / “The BBC Explains the Country’s Challenges to the Cyborg in Sixty Seconds”

Consider how many of these places are off-limits to Americans. According to the USDA’s ownership survey in 1999, only 3.4 million of us- (or 1.2 percent of the population) owned agricultural land, which makes up 49 percent of the land in the Lower Forty-Eight states. It looks even worse when you factor in the low levels of ethnic minority land ownership. Ethnic minorities make up 38 percent of the US popula-tion, but, according to the USDA’s 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land Survey, 97 percent of agricultural landlords are white.12 This means an overwhelmingly white 1 percent of the population has the right to exclude 99 percent of Americans from 49 percent of the land in the Lower Forty-Eight states.

— Ken Ilgunas /  This Land Is Our Land: How We Lost The Right to Roam and How to Take it Back

What I’m Listening To:

I was nine when I left my body
The Silver Chair and Rillian
No regrets, just things that will haunt me
Maybe I’ll bury them

— Aldous Harding / “I Ate the Most”

true zero day

Scads of Nothing

A true zero day for most of us. Only 2 of the 6 of us mounted their bikes today to go into town or the Cap May Lighthouse. The rest of us chilled, did laundry, made calls and other sundry chores for for an off day.

Very few pictures snapped, save the restaurant where Scott and I had dinner — the Red Brick Ale House. Another visit to the Acme Market for last minute supplies, and it’s all about getting ready for the ride tomorrow. 

We’re heading into the New Jersey Pine Barrens today, and there will be three groups staying at dispersed sites, but we’ll be mostly riding together through New Jersey. 

So in short: lots of rest, plenty eating, and scads of doing nothing but regenerating for tomorrow.

Day 10:
Start: Cape May, NJ
Finish: Cape May, NJ
Miles: 0

On and on we’ll go!