Author: Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

👓 Name Change | N.I.P.S.

Read NIPS Name Change by Terrence Sejnowski, Marian Stewart Bartlett, Michael Mozer, Corinna Cortes, Isabelle Guyon, Neil D. Lawrence, Daniel D. Lee, Ulrike von Luxburg, Masashi Sugiyama, Max Welling (nips.cc)

As many of you know, there has been an ongoing discussion concerning the name of the Neural Information Processing Systems conference. The current acronym NIPS has unintended connotations that some members of the community find offensive.

Following several well-publicized incidents of insensitivity at past conferences, and our acknowledgement of other less-publicized incidents, we conducted community polls requesting alternative names, rating the existing and alternative names, and soliciting additional comments.

After extensive discussions, the NIPS Board has decided not to change the name of the conference for now. The poll itself did not yield a clear consensus on a name change or a well-regarded alternative name.

This just makes me sick…
Checked into Kia of Alhambra
Nearly four months later, I’ve finally got my car back. The engine apparently seized up and required a new short block, starter, and a new battery.

Sadly, they appear to have left the windows down the entire time, so it’s going to take some serious cleaning inside to get everything clean.

🎧 Lecture 7: The End of Empire, 1900–1911 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum

Listened to Lecture 7: The End of Empire, 1900–1911 from The Fall and Rise of China

Witness the death spasms of the Manchu dynasty and the tumultuous events leading to the Chinese Republican Revolution of 1911. Afterward, track the rise of the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, the military commander Yuan Shikai, and the establishment of the Provisional Republic of China.

🎧 Lecture 6: Hundred Days of Reform and the Boxer Uprising | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum

Listened to Lecture 6: Hundred Days of Reform and the Boxer Uprising by Richard Baum from The Fall and Rise of China

The 19th century closed with further measures of reform within the empire and violent conflict with foreigners on Chinese soil. Study the progressive thinkers who influenced the young emperor Guangxu in his 100 Days of Reform. Then follow the siege of foreign legations by the fanatical Boxers and its bloody aftermath.

🎧 Lecture 5: The Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860–1890 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum

Listened to Lecture 5: The Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860–1890 by Richard Baum from The Fall and Rise of China

Facing external and internal pressures, China's faltering empire attempted fundamental reforms. Investigate the Manchus' multifaceted effort to absorb Western science and technology while preserving Confucian institutions. Learn also about the internal sabotage of reform and the other factors in its ultimate failure, as Japan effectively wins the race to modernize.

🎧 Lecture 4: Rural Misery and Rebellion, 1842–1860 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum

Listened to Lecture 4: Rural Misery and Rebellion, 1842–1860 by Richard Baum from The Fall and Rise of China

Nineteenth-century China also saw a prolonged agrarian crisis that spurred major peasant revolts, weakening the empire from within. Examine the explosive Taiping Rebellion, a decade-long, religiously themed struggle that threatened to unseat the empire.