Rickshaw Men, Optical Computing, and Telegraph Flirting

Mutual Aid Among the Rickshaw Men (Sapiens)
by Patrick Beckhorn
For migrant rickshaw men in India, being a “good man” means helping families back home—and caring for fellow migrants from the same village, even across religious lines.

The Promises of Optical Computing (Quanta Magazine)
By Amos Zeeberg
As we use computers for more—and more complex—tasks, energy demands are growing rapidly. Systems that replace electricity with light could make some systems 1,000 times more energy efficient. But the path to that goal is far from clear.

How Do You Know When You’ve Got to Go? (Knowable Magazine)
by Emily Underwood
How do our relationships with our bladders change as we age? Why do people sometimes have to run to the bathroom the moment they unlock their front door? Scientists are unraveling the complicated networks in the bladder and brain that control urination and developing treatments for common issues.

Imaginary Relationships of the Nineteenth Century (Slate)
by Megan Ward
Long before the invention of flirty AI assistants, Americans developed intense relationships with disembodied people who might or might not be real, thanks to the telegraph.

Using Confucianism Against China (Aeon)
by Shaun O’Dwyer
In the early twentieth century, many Japanese elites were steeped in the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism. Its ideas became fuel for their aggression against China.

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