July 17, 2008
Links 27
27 entries and I still have well over 200 bookmarks. I may need to reassess this whole idea soon, but for now let's keep plugging:
1. Man Fakes Heart Attack in Court - this is truly awesome. While defending himself in court, a man fakes a heart attack. No one believes him, but nevertheless he remains completely dedicated to the performance.
2. "I'm not here to make friends." - a reality TV video montage
3. I should like Michelle Obama, but I don't - "I can’t! Because, every time I try, I’m snake-charmed back by the pearlised nail varnish and Mars Attacks! hair of the one, the only, the ultimate power cheerleader: Cindy McCain."
4. Zoomii - The "Real" Online Bookstore - clever idea, implemented pretty well. It's still not quite the same as browsing a physical bookstore, but it's a pretty good virtual representation of a Borders or Barnes & Noble -- and much more convenient.
5. Why brainy animals need more REM sleep after all (maybe)
17 Jul 21:07 | Link | Category: Link Dump '08
186 Days...
You have to hand it to George W... he is determined to be entertaining to the bitter end:
George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan. The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."
He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.
Mr Bush, whose second and final term as President ends at the end of the year, then left the meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Hokkaido where the leaders of the world's richest nations had been discussing new targets to cut carbon emissions.
(So is this more, or less, asshole-ish than the time he gave Angela Merkel a massage? -- vid here.)
This much is certain: Neither McCain nor Obama will be nearly as entertaining as either George W. or Bill Clinton. In a way, it's kinda sad...
17 Jul 20:46 | Link | Category: Politics
July 6, 2008
Links 26
1. A Vast Left-Handed Conspiracy - Weird.
When Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain take the stage for the presidential debates, attentive viewers may notice both candidates scribbling notes with their left hands. Political junkies will remember that such a curiosity has occurred before: In 1992, all three contenders -- George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot -- were southpaws.
In the race for the White House, lefties seem to have the upper hand. No matter who wins in November, six of the 12 chief executives since the end of World War II will have been left-handed: Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, the elder Bush, Clinton and either Obama or McCain. That's a disproportionate number, considering that only one in 10 people in the general population is left-handed.
2. Hipster rebel punk outsiders -- 99 cents a dozen - the article's title was intriguing (I know I've grown tired of 'hipster rebel punk outsiders' and other sorts of pretentious twits), but sadly the article doesn't live up to the title. It still seemed worth linking to, though.
3. The Pernicious Price of Petroleum - "While we think of car crashes as causing fatalities, the production and transportation of fuel also significantly undermines public health."
4. Get Your Daily Plague Forecast - an article about HealthMap
5. Inside China's Vast Factories: Endless Assembly Lines and Giant Cafeterias - a collection of some of Edward Burtynsky's photos from China.
Extra - A link I overlooked when I was ranting about the cost of war last month: Cost of Iraq to overtake Korea and Vietnam wars (and an older piece about the Iraq War costs exceeding Vietnam's). Note the dates on the article(s).
06 Jul 23:42 | Link | Category: Link Dump '08
July 5, 2008
Links 25
1. The Christian paradox: How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong - The link to this excellent Harper's article has been in my bookmarks list for ages. I was saving it for a moment when I could find some time to thoughtfully write about it. I clearly haven't found that time, so I'll just throw the link at you. It's lengthy (but half as lengthy as it appears because it's accidentally printed twice), but do take some time and read all of it. I would paste some excerpts but I don't think it would do the article justice. I suppose I could summarize by saying that much of it explores tendencies "toward an apocalyptic End Times faith" and "a comfort-the-comfortable, personal-empowerment faith" that "veil the actual, and remarkable ... plainspoken message of the Gospels" found in the Sermon on the Mount.
2. The way teenagers view scientists - It's sad, but not surprising that 70% of 11-15 year olds in the UK do not picture scientists as "normal young and attractive men and women." The results of the survey aren't entirely disappointing because kids do see science as exciting and important. They just "don't see themselves doing it." (They wouldn't want to have to wear lab coats and big glasses, after all.)
3. Extroverted Like Me: How a month and a half on Paxil taught me to love being shy - a writer with so-called 'social anxiety disorder' details a 52-day stint on Paxil. Very interesting reading.
4. One woman, two souls? - If a human zygote / embryo gets a soul right off the bat (as many argue), what about chimeras, who result from the merging of two zygotes? It's an extremely rare occurrence, but still a good question: would they have two souls?
5. Magical Thinking: Why Do People Cling to Odd Rituals? - Interesting psychology article from the New York Times. I think there are probably some strong evolutionary reasons for why we 'cling to odd rituals' and concern ourselves so heavily with good luck charms, signs and superstitions. I'm sure evolutionary psychologists (if they don't mind me calling them that) have come up with many intriguing explanations. Unfortunately, as with many ev. psych. hypotheses, testing could prove rather tricky.
05 Jul 23:20 | Link | Category: Link Dump '08
July 4, 2008
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday, U.S.A. 232 ain't so bad. (Actually, it's amazingly young if you really think about it). I wonder what you might look like in another 232. Anyway, here's a memory from your psychedelic 200th birthday. In some ways, I'm sad I missed the '70s.
(And, may I add: Could it be any more perfect that Jesse Helms dies and America throws a national party?)
04 Jul 23:51 | Link | Category: Art & Entertainment, Video
July 3, 2008
Links 24
1. 65 things that look like Pac-Man
2. One Post Wonder - A blogspot blog that explores one-post blogspot blogs. Those seem to be the majority on blogspot, so they'll have material for years. It's not actually very interesting, but I like the concept.
3. Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency - a mildly funny clip from The Onion
4. Could you pass the latest citizenship test? - 100%, baby.
5. Believe Me, It's Torture - Although I've previously mentioned waterboarding here (and even shown videos) I guess I might as well bring it up again. Setup:
Late last year, the writer, polemicist and fierce proponent of the US-led invasion of Iraq Christopher Hitchens attempted, in a piece for the online magazine Slate, to draw a distinction between what he called techniques of "extreme interrogation" and "outright torture".
From this, his foes inferred that since it was Hitchens' belief that America did not stoop to the latter, the practice of waterboarding - known to be perpetrated by US forces against certain "high-value clients" in Iraq and elsewhere - must fall under the former heading.
Enraged by what they saw as an exercise in elegant but offensive sophistry, some of the writer's critics suggested that Hitchens give waterboarding a whirl, just to see what it was like. ...
And amazingly, he has done just that.
The title of his article sums up his conclusion nicely, but you should read it because it's interesting and thoughtful. A video clip can be found here. Hitchens doesn't last nearly as long as the guy in the other clip.
03 Jul 23:12 | Link | Category: Link Dump '08