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Opinionated List of Essential WordPress Plugins
I have an personal, opinionated list of essential plugins that should be installed in every new WordPress instance for various purposes, a few of which are: security
maintenance
performance
search engine optimisation (SEO)
legal compliance So, without further ado here's my list of essential WordPress plugins: Advanced Automatic Updates Akismet Anti-Spam All In One SEO Pack Autoptimize BackWPup EU Cookie Law Google Authenticator Google XML Sitemaps Leverage Browser Caching Limit Login Attempts Social Media Auto Publish Wordfence Security WP Super Cache Read more
William Hertling on AI Risks
William Hertling, author of the Singularity Series books and the recent techno-crime thriller Kill Process earlier this year shared a few of his thoughts regarding artificial (general) intelligence (AI / AGI) and the hazards as well as ethical ramifications and quandaries that the emergence of AI / AGI might give rise to. In Ten Musings on AI Risks William broaches both pragmatic subjects such as risk mitigation and deeper moral questions. In his (and my ...) opinion rather than artificially slowing down ... Read more
Neil Harbisson: I listen to color And The Renaissance of our Species
Earlier this month I attended Reasons to: in Brighton. It's been a fantastic 3 days full of information, insights and inspiration, in addition to getting to know a lot of nice and interesting people. The talk that stood it in particular was Neil Harbisson's The Renaissance of our Species. Right after that talk I tweeted: Mind blown. By designing new senses cyborg Neil Harbisson is pushing the envelope of pushing the envelope Neil was born with achromatopsia or total colour blindness. In 2003 he ... Read more
Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen
In this TED talk sound expert and public speaking coach Julian Treasure outlines how to effectively use your voice to deliver a message and make people want to listen to what you have to say: While of course regarding a complex subject like skillfully using your voice and speaking in public effectively such a short video can by no means be comprehensive it gives a good idea about the key ingredients of getting your message across. In a larger context, Julian also briefly ... Read more
Possible Brexit Fallout: Decentralization
While some things are still certain after the Brexit vote in June, most aren't. Though the argument that won the day was all about "taking back control" of the country, at least short term a quite likely result might be that nothing much will change in terms of control and the people will have merely exchanged one aloof, self-serving elite for another. I still think that Brexit is a royally stupid idea but in the end only time will tell. A crisis is ... Read more
William Hertling – Kill Process
I've recently finished listening to the audio version of William Hertling's latest novel "Kill Process" I think it's fair to say that I'm quite a fan of his novels and his writing. Kill Process is a bit of a departure from Hertling's Singularity series in that it doesn't deal with future events and science fiction technology but mostly takes place in the present day with a few exceptions for flashbacks to previous events in the protagonist's life. The novel has been described as ... Read more
Shadow Gallery – I Believe
Shadow Gallery is one of those lesser known bands in progressive metal that deserve to have made the big time but unfortunately for one reason or another never did. Their most quintessential work so far probably is their 1998 album Tyranny still featuring singer Mike Baker, who unfortunately died in 2008. The album and particular this song I Believe (featuring a well-known guest singer from a highly successful progressive metal band ...) capture ideas and feelings that were prevalent with hackers, civil ... Read more
72: Easily Predicting Growth Rates
Mathematics undeniably has countless applications that are both intriguing and vital to modern society. It's of pivotal importance in broad areas such as research, innovation, engineering and human progress in general. However, it often seems that maths other than basic arithmetics is of little importance in everyday life, doesn't it? Apart from the obvious, such as all the wondrous contraptions we use every day made possible by modern technology, which in turn by a large part is made possible through solid mathematical foundations, ... Read more
Valleys Of Green And Grey
In the light of recent political events I thought about if and what to write about this whole mess. This writing would've involved copious amounts of insults and swearing. While certainly fun, such an exercise would also have been rather pointless, especially since the Scots are now the official world champions in the art of insulting anyway and expressed their opinions much more eloquently than I ever could. So, instead of a political opinion piece - which I largely try to avoid ... Read more
