Gabrielle Rabinowitz and Emily Dennis provide some resources to separate science from hype. Also known as the BS thermometer. There are additional links at the bottom of the page too – Google’s using the right search terms, or on using Wolfram Alpha to get simpler ways to describe obscure technical measurements, and a bunch of others.
The Pre-History of MS Excel – in a video
I am a heavy user of MS Excel, & definitely a fan [it’s the glue that holds most companies together, & when poorly designed models fail, a global recession follows]. This video of the very first incarnation of the spreadsheet, called VisiCalc is a great primer if you’re interested. “VisiCalc: The First Electronic Spreadsheet” on YouTube.
Around the Corner – a 1930’s video about how gears work in a car [Video]
Around the Corner is a great 1930s video that clearly describes how the differential gear works and why we need them in our cars. Bonus: motorcycles ride in formation to victorious band music.
Battle against the princesses [Article]
This rings true on so many fronts – One Dad’s ill fated battle against the princesses
Perspectives from workers in 15 different jobs [Article]
The Guardian has an interesting article where people share, confidentially, what goes on in their minds while they’re doing their job. Be prepared for some interesting-ness.
Why BItCoin scares banks & governments – [Article]
Bitcoin offers an alternative to the conventional, state-sanctioned banking system. Maybe that’s why powerful institutions are so wary of it
Don’t be typical – [Article]
Rapitude is fast becoming one of my favorite blogs. Author David explains why we should not be typical
We use what’s typical to calibrate our expectations for how much we ought to earn, how much time off is reasonable to insist on, how much frustration our relationships and obligations should create for us, the scale of our goals, and how happy we ought to be to be.
Treating people as things [article]
Nicholas Carr worries that we’re beginning to see conversational pleasantries as unnecessary, even annoying. In a recent blog article, Conversation points, Carr points out that
allowing the mechanism of communication to determine the terms of communication could also be seen as a manifestation of what Adorno termed “an ideology for treating people as things.”
Evgeny Morozov- To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism [Article]
James Temple advocates why we need more like Evgeny Morozov, the 28 year old author who has been a vocal opponent of the tech industry’s simplistic view of the world. For eg. Here’s Google’s Eric Schmidt “”The Web will be everything, and it will also be nothing. It will be like electricity. … If we get this right, I believe we can fix all the world’s problems.”
Money, Satisfaction, & Happiness – [Article]
Dave Winer had an interesting post, triggered by Barbara Streisand’s money:
I have opinions about what money does to people because I have been lucky enough to have money do it to me. Having money is nice, but not nearly as nice as poor people (which I have also been) imagine it is. But then I wondered how other people deal with money, and I wondered if they all reach this conclusion.
Now, I’m sure I’m right that money doesn’t buy happiness, but when you first get that message, what’s your response? I think perhaps some people go into denial, and insist that it must.
There are some exceptional links in that post – enjoy yourself.