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Just read: The hunt for Twitter alternatives: Mastodon Let’s get this out of the way right at the start: Mastodon is not a Twitter killer. It’s more like Twitter crossed with Reddit, plus it’s open source. But while Mastodon is not going to take over the world, it does have promise as a community platform. <div class="p-author h-card" style="display: none;"> <img class="u-photo" alt="" src="https://srikanthperinkulam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cropped-cropped-SP01-550afdebv1_site_icon.png"/> <a class="u-url" rel="me" href="https://srikanthperinkulam.com">Srikanth Perinkulam</a> </div>

Srikanth Perinkulam Just read:Humans Made the Banana Perfect—But Soon, It’ll Be Gone On a plate, a single banana seems whimsical—yellow and sweet, contained in its own easy-to-open peel. It is a charming breakfast luxury as silly as it is delicious and ever-present. Yet when you eat a banana the flavor on your tongue has complex roots, equal parts sweetness and tragedy.

About a year ago, the Crown Prince of Dubai announced a plan to secure government documents on the blockchain by 2020, making it the first blockchain-powered city, ever. Dubai’s blockchain strategy is built on three pillars: government efficiency, industry creation, and international leadership. Just read: When a Smart City Is Run on the Blockchain like reply repost

Even though we know that ordinary matter accounts for only about one-twentieth of the universe’s energy and a sixth of the total energy carried by matter (with dark energy constituting the remaining portion), we nonetheless consider ordinary matter to be the truly important constituent. Just read: Does Dark Matter Harbor Life?

I’m going to stick my neck out a bit and say that, online, identity is the most important factor in any conversation or transaction. That’s not to say I’m a believer in tying these things to real-world, offline identities. Just read: Some thoughts on Keybase, online security, and verification of identity

Physicists know how to use quantum theory—your phone and computer give plenty of evidence of that. But knowing how to use it is a far cry from fully understanding the world the theory describes—or even what the various mathematical devices scientists use in the theory are supposed to mean. Just read: Is Quantum Theory About Reality or What We Know?

Boltzmann’s theory leads to a paradox, where the very scientific assumption that we can trust what we observe leads to the conclusion… Source: Can Many-Worlds Theory Rescue Us From Boltzmann Brains?

Known for its Aboriginal peoples and its vast, ancient landscapes, the Outback is an incredibly special place for me. I think that once you get that distinctive red dust in your blood it never comes out. Just read: Into the outback

The US boasts some of the world’s most diverse and beautiful wild places. This is where you love to hike, climb, and camp. But how much do you know about it? Source: Understanding Public Land Designation

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan is intensifying, with new weaponry and more aggressive doctrines that are stoking tensions between two powers at growing risk of confrontation. Just read: India and Pakistan Escalate Nuclear Arms Race