Mireille's blog
Goofy things, code, data, unfamiliar ideas and stuff worth sharing.
Some things are too good to be open: how OpenAI went from a non-profit for bettering humanity to exclusively licensing its products to Microsoft (after receiving a $1 billion investment).
A warning about Open Source & Microsoft
I collected the population pyramids in the Arab World and created an animated GIF for Lebanon’s. Those images tell a story.
Population Pyramids in Lebanon and the MENA region
fun
How it started and how it is going. The xkcd original.
An audio play about congress, lobbying and “power”. Made by a theater in DC. It sounds like most boring DC thing ever, but it is not. Check it out.
I discovered the joy of building mechanical paper models (Karakuri).
O’Reilly Book Covers are part of tech culture. Here are my favorite and a history of how they came to be.
I realized that I forgot how to fold an Origami boat. I used to do that with eyes closed as a child. It made me sad. I wanted to get back into it but this time learn how to fold different variations.
code & data
Comparing the number of download of popular data science packages.
Here is a bash script that takes your Good Read archive and turns it into markdown files and Hugo posts.
In the famous words of BB King, “the thrill is gone away” from tech.
This GitHub repo has some shell scripts that let you benchmark Hugo’s build times.
If conditions, written in 5 programming languages that were created more than 30 years apart. Written after having a ‘lost in translation’ moment while coding.
Some things are too good to be open: how OpenAI went from a non-profit for bettering humanity to exclusively licensing its products to Microsoft (after receiving a $1 billion investment).
ideas
Reflecting back on the books of 2019.
The end of reality, an article by The Atlantic, made me think that we need a new file format for videos generated by algorithms.
keepsakes
Pictures of the kittens I’ve fostered throughout the years.
Pictures of the Phoenicians wall in Batroun, Lebanon.
The story of the Syrian kid that I can’t get out ouf my mind.
This is especially true for August in DC.
The best thing ever done for April’s fool. link
rabbit holes
Artists from all over, including the Arab world. Not famous ones.
Movie recommendations from friends.
Here are some good plays that you can watch or hear.
currently reading
Designing Design
The Rust Programming Language
How Linux Works, 2nd Edition
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
just finished reading
My Tata's Remedies Los remedios de mi Tata
The Way Back
Travels with Lizbeth
The Dutch House
Educated
Responsive Typography