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Gnostic Judo Wolsey, the printing press, and the first appearance of learning against learning as a concept. Learning Against Learning, Part I: Cardinal Wolsey and the Printing Press Revolution Introduction In the early 16th century, the English statesman and churchman Cardinal Thomas Wolsey coined a phrase that captures one of the most enduring problems of … Read more
Here’s Part VI — the final installment of the series. This one examines how learning against learning enters its ultimate phase with AI and generative technologies, producing not just overload but infinite, self-replicating chaos. Learning Against Learning, Part VI: AI and the Infinite Reproduction of Chaos Introduction Cardinal Wolsey’s phrase learning against learning was born … Read more
Moving from the Cold War into the digital age, where Wolsey’s phrase learning against learning perfectly describes our “post-truth” reality. Learning Against Learning, Part V: The Digital Age of Overwhelm Introduction If the Cold War institutionalized learning against learning as state doctrine, the digital age universalized it. The rise of the internet, social media, and … Read more
Focusing on the Cold War era, when learning against learning became state doctrine through propaganda and disinformation campaigns. Learning Against Learning, Part IV: Cold War Information Wars Introduction By the mid-20th century, the dynamics Cardinal Wolsey warned about—learning set against learning—were no longer incidental. They had become formalized strategy. The Cold War was not just … Read more
Showing how Wolsey’s principle of learning against learning carried forward into the 19th century with newspapers, telegraphy, and the rise of mass media. Learning Against Learning, Part III: The Industrial Age and Mass Media Saturation Introduction By the 19th century, Cardinal Wolsey’s warning of learning against learning had fully matured into the age of industrialized … Read more
Tracing how Wolsey’s learning against learning principle reappeared in the Enlightenment, when encyclopedias, pamphlets, and revolutionary texts flooded Europe and again created order through chaos. Learning Against Learning, Part II: The Enlightenment and Controlled Knowledge Introduction If Cardinal Wolsey saw learning against learning emerge from the printing press in the 16th century, the 18th century … Read more
From Flat to “wow” – Pop, Pomp & Pizzazz in Product Photography Ditch the light-box and go to strobes. Light tents flatten speculars and wash out micro-contrast—exactly why metals, glass and anything having shiny appearance are made to look dull when photographed in non-specular lighting. You want it Big and Hot (but controlled) — big, … Read more
ORM Explosion due to One-For-All (Laravel, CakePHP, Symfony, etc) Framework It’s 2025 and down through the decades, and technologies, this same awfulness keeps happening … it’s like a fatal flaw of Doing Things The Wrong Way … and an harbinger against relying deeply upon Laravel, CakePHP, Symfony and similar ilk. Get far enough along and … Read more
Minimum Good Browser Javascript List 2025 Current modern browsers have a standard of performance for javascript — a working baseline. What is the oldest browser that still upholds today’s working essence without losing or breaking or failing too much? Great question. If by “today’s working essence” you mean: ES2015+ syntax, native ES modules (<script type=”module”>), … Read more
Javascript from Joke to Joy to Juggernaut in 30 Years TL;DR – Standards + easy sharing. Here’s the short version of how JavaScript went from “toy” to a first-class platform, and who/what made it happen. 1995–2004: A scrappy beginning → standards 2008–2012: The engine arms race (speed made JS serious) 2009–2015: The language grows up … Read more