Reading, Listening, Watching
Reading:
The Disorded Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, & Dreams Deferred
By Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Recommend: HIGHLY.
Borrow from your local library or, if you can, purchase from your local bookstore.
The Disordered Cosmos is an enlightening and emotional text about quantum mechanics, the scientific Sublime, and falling in obsession love with an idea or discipline that may never respect you let alone love you back. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein explains the Standard Model of particle physics, defines quantum mechanics (or as its colloquially known, quantum physics) while taking the reader through her journey becoming a theoretical particle astro/physicist and cosmologist. She weaves her research on the dark matter particle, the axion, seamlessly with black feminist theory like her concept of white empiricism:
a practice of ignoring information about the real world that isn't considered to be valuable or specifically important to teh physics community at large, which is oriented toward valuing the ideas and data that produced by white men. (p. 170)
This is also a book about being young, gifted, and black and Jewish. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein includes personal stories, the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that define her scientific story and inform her inclusively bold and boldy inclusive approach to science.
I am sad that I will have to finish. I will definitely write a longer response.
Listening:
D2M (STATE OFFF Remix)
A new release by Noirwave artist, Petite Noir
I've been listening to unwind after my work day ends.
I recently followed Petite Noir on Tidal and was pleasantly surprised by this catchy, dance-y, synthy tune. Learn more about Petite Noire here.
Watching:
The Metaverse Collapse
Meta is shutting down its virtual reality app, Horizon Workrooms
And is laying off 10% to 15% percent of its Reality Labs staff
And that's after a round of layoffs in April 2025. And that's after company-wide layoffs in February 2025.
Reality Labs is the home of Meta's virtual reality products and initiatives like Horizon Workrooms and Oculus. The Metaverse was announced in 2021. I did not know Horizon Workrooms actually existed beyond this video promo…
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-closing-vr-horizon-workplace-app-reality-labs-layoffs-2026-1
https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-job-cuts-metaverse-reality-labs-ai-2025-12?op=1
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/24/meta-lays-off-employees-working-on-vr-in-reality-labs-division.html
