December 2008
15 posts
“[updated, to add the section that makes this make sense]
What actually matters...”
– I’m half way though this article and it’s already urging me to quote it.
Darwinian answers to social questions | Why we are, as we are | The Economist
“Tesco uses information gleaned from Dunnhumby, a British data mining firm of...”
– It turns out data mining is the secret to Tesco’s mindbloggling success.
Tesco: ‘Wal-Mart’s Worst Nightmare’ - BusinessWeek
Zbigniew Brzezinski talks about Gaza →
This was on reddit because Brzezinski, National Security advistor to Carter, called a rather uppity presenter’s underestanding of the palistine-israel conflict superficial, but I’m posting it because Brzezinski’s comments are extremely insightful.
I know little about the Carter administration, but the more I learn, the more I’m impressed.
Cognitive Daily: A fifteen-minute exercise may... →
2009, Twitter and a book review
[directed at bkr]
I was going to say the only thing I want from 2009 to see you following me on twitter. It’s the only reason I’m using it, although I have subsequently found it quite fun, too. But I see now you’ve started to follow me already. My 2009 now has a huge black pit of meaningless smack bang in the middle. Bebo?
—————-
Oh, and, re your...
Foreign Policy: A World Enslaved →
Scientists extract images directly from brain :::... →
I one) can’t wait to record my dreams two) hope you have to be very close to detect this type of brain activity.
“The brain areas in the network were known and previously studied by researchers....”
– The secret life of the brain - life - 05 November 2008 - New Scientist
It’s like there are employee neurons which stop their idle gossip when their boss turns up for an inspection!
On the last page there’s a small segment about this daydreaming ‘default network’ and zen...
Your amazing brain: Top 10 articles from 2008 -... →
I decided to read seven of the top ten, and I’m now on number four. The chimp porn article has been the best so far. It offers an interesting reason, on the last page, why we’re so interested in celebrity culture. None of the articles have been earth shatteringly brilliant, but all have given food for thought.
“The cool idea here is that the brain could be borrowing a form of cellular...”
– Memories may be stored on your DNA - life - 02 December 2008 - New Scientist
Cool. Reincarnation?
“As Lee notes, many thinkers on this subject have talked about how projects like...”
– Boing Boing: October 19, 2008 - October 25, 2008 Archives
“Olson does not predict that stable dictatorships will do good things for their...”
– Why Poor Countries Are Poor: The clues lie on a bumpy road leading to the world’s worst library. - Reason Magazine
An interesting, if not terribly lucid nor precise, article about third-world development.
Without the article’s qualifications, it claims unstable (short term) dictators...