August 2026 Links

Building a backyard office, the build and cost breakdown: Another point for dedicated, isolated workspaces at home. Physical isolation is even better.And then the men with guns tell you to do it anywayThe mathematical physics of rainbows and gloriesAI is removing the middle class of software engineeringA Physicist Rigged His Pet Hamster’s Wheel to Upload to Strava. It Runs Surprisingly Far Every Night: I know at least two people who follow this hamster on Strava.The Future Belongs to AI ManiacsTravel Locally, Where You Are: I’ve become a lot more amenable to this. There’s a joke on Twitter about how people are sleeping on Paris (although any big city can be used) and the replies are “yeah where else can someone get matcha and fashionable shirts?”...and I don’t entirely disagree with them? What are you doing there that you couldn’t do somewhere else? Why are you interested in Paris specifically? If I looked at your anonymized itinerary could I tell that you were in a different place?AI…