January 2010
1 post
“We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on...”
– [source] Google no longer willing to comply with Chinese censorship. This could be very interesting. An international corporation challenging a country on its human rights record. It all seems backwards and surreal to me. It’s unprecedented..
December 2009
5 posts
Michael Hudson on Role of Theory in Neo-classical... →
”[‘intellectual engineering’] has turned the economics discipline into a public relations exercise for the rentier classes..”
Paul Samuelson Dies at 94 →
“[S]miley-face posturing aside, users should never forget that Facebook remains,...”
– Facebook’s New Privacy Changes: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | Electronic Frontier Foundation (via alangalan)
Interesting Article On the Virtues of Frugality →
“Going into debt today is as American as the 40-hour work week; or the stampede of Wal-Mart warriors on Black Friday; or the hillocks of gifts under a Christmas tree. An army of loan drones we’ve become, marching from one unpaid-for purchase to the next in quest of a sense of fulfillment that fades long before the bill arrives.”
November 2009
9 posts
Wall Street Journal on Arthur Cecil Pigou →
Do music artists fare better in a world with... →
Interesting article on the effects of file-sharing on the music industry (with some insightful graphs). Turns out (as suspected) the only part of the music industry that file-sharing is hurting is the record industry.
German Wikipedia under fire from inclusionists →
“Sometimes adulthood is set inconsistently for pragmatic reasons. Maybe we accept...”
– How Old Is Old Enough? -NYTimes
Google's desire to scan old books has critics... →
“For me, Williams is the classic ballplayer of the game on a hot August weekday,...”
– John Updike on Ted Williams, baseball, and doing things right.
How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s... →
“Here’s what ad networks struggle with—to either run what ads make the most money or else be forced out by other ad networks willing to be shadier than them.”
October 2009
16 posts
Gorbachev on 1989 (Interview) →
"Want 50Mbps Internet in your town? Threaten to... →
The audacity of ISPs is astounding! This is the sad reality of trusting the provision of fundamental services and utilities to the “free” market. The ISPs that hold near monopolies on local Internet access have openly stated that they have no way of knowing what their customers want until a referendum calls for a publicly funded alternative with more capacity. Phrased another way,...
WatchA great lecture by Peter Kollock on the nature of social dilemmas and collective action.
Who wants to buy a house for under $500?..... →
This is just depressing to read. 15.3% unemployment in Michigan, 16.4% in Detroit metropolitan area.
McCain Moves to Block FCC Net Neutrality →
Funny how a Senator, who only a year ago admitted to his own Internet illiteracy, is now introducing anti-net neutrality legislation. I wonder what piqued his interest so suddenly?
WatchA quick glance at a day of a pilot of an unmanned drone. Bombing Afghanistan in the morning, and home in time to eat dinner with the family. The physical removal must have some strange psychological implications.
Totaling two roots and thirty-three letters...
the longest German word of the day is…..
“Operationalisierungsmöglichkeiten.”
I came across it in an article I was reading for my networks class.
2 tags
The Geography of Jobs →
A nice visualization of why it so depressing to be from the Detroit metropolitan area.
1 tag
Stop Means Stop: How do we get bikers to obey... →
I can’t figure out whether I’m a vehicularist or a facilitator according to this article. I definitely like that the protected bike paths here in Heidelberg enable old people and kids to ride more safely (it’s really quite incredible the kinds of people you see cycling here) , but as someone who is often running late, there is nothing like the freedom of the open road.
WatchAnother political hack presenting his political convictions as scholarly research. If you can spot something aside from broad generalizations and unfounded speculation in his 12 minutes on stage, please let me know what I missed.
Here’s my take:
Mr. Morozov’s discussion of government tactics is but a veiled attempt to confound authoritarian measures and popular support for regimes that he deems...
“Where is this division of labor to end? and what object does it finally serve?...”
– Henry David Thoreau on the division of labor. From Walden
