The Fount of Useless Information
Your place for useless information that just might possibly be interesting.
The age of turboparalysis
The world faces years of ineffective rebellion and enduring recession
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/27/the_age_of_turboparalysis/singleton/
A very nice way of putting our current situation of lots of activity without any progress. I also like the idea that we are in …
Precambrian fossils, once thought to be embryos, reinterpreted as… something else
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/precambrian-fossils-once-thought-to-be-embryos-reinterpreted-as-somethign-else.ars
Since the Cambrian period basically represents the first time organisms contained hard body parts (soft body parts very rarely fossilize), a lot less is known about the pre-Cambrian …
A Christmas Message From America’s Rich
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/a-christmas-message-from-americas-rich-20111222
I like this guy Matt alot. He doesn’t post as much as Glenn does, but I find his writing style quite direct and to the point. For instance:
…What makes people furious is
How Bad Ideas Worsen Europe’s Debt Meltdown
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-22/bad-ideas-worsen-europe-s-debt-meltdown-commentary-by-john-h-cochrane.html
I admit I have not been following the European debt situation that closely (it took me days to figure out what PIIGS stood for) and have thought up to this point that …
The shady credit agencies that run your life
Your credit score affects everything from job offers to home loans — and the way it’s calculated is deeply flawed
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/02/the_shady_credit_agencies_that_run_your_life/singleton/
I highly recommend reading the entire article, but I was most …
Good Minus God
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/good-minus-god/
The author interestingly seems to conclude that atheists have the potential to make more and better moral decisions because they are atheists when compared to theists because of theists belief in god as the arbiter of …
Solar cell could be cheaper than fossil fuel
http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/60289-solar-cell-could-be-cheaper-than-fossil-fuel
I am not sure about this 114% efficiency number, it seems like gaming the system (meaning getting more than one electron per photon seems like unfair counting). However, if they can …
Earth Has Other Moons, Astronomers Say
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/21/earth-has-other-moons-astronomer-says/
I almost didn’t read this because the title seems so nonsensical on its surface, but since the definition of a moon is unfixed, it actually turns out that this is a very interesting …
Convicted for words, not deeds
Verdict on Massachussetts Muslim marks further erosion of fundamental U.S. rights
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/21/convicted_for_words_not_deeds/singleton/
Again, I hesitated in posting this because, after all, it is a routine, common, ordinary situation. Constitutional rights be damned, this dewd is …
If you accept, as I do, that our current President is an intellectual version of the drunk frat boy we had in office for the previous 8 years, thus is totally unqualified to lead our country by virtue of his …