There’s a new trend of copying portions of other people’s profiles (on Facebook, Myspace, etc.) in an attempt to seem more interesting or articulate. It’s easier online, although not quite a new phenomenon. Every once in a while you’ll meet a one-upper: someone who will take your hobbies and interests and do them too, only in a more extreme fashion in an attempt to impress you and others.
He cites most of the wonderful lies he throws out there, but some are quieter than others.
“Google’s famous search algorithm emulates the principle of scholarly citation—counting up and evaluating earlier links in order to steer users toward the source that others have already found helpful. In a sense, the system resembles nothing more than trillions of old-fashioned footnotesâ€
Anthony Grafton on the digitization of books in The New Yorker
Top Gear is one of the best shows out there. Where else can you see a race between a jet fighter and a really fast car?
I spent so much time in high-school playing puzzpack in my math (and other) classes. A ridiculous amount of time. Good to know it’s still around.
“If newspapers are windows onto the world, what are the consequences of shrinking that window to the size of an ipod screen?â€
Ben Vershbow on The Institute for the Future of the Book’s blog
The New York Times Magazine this Sunday featured an excellent article on the clash in southeastern US between diminishing water supplies and ever-growing cities. A teaser:
A catastrophic reduction in the flow of the Colorado River — which mostly consists of snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains — has always served as a kind of thought experiment for water engineers, a risk situation from the outer edge of their practical imaginations. Some 30 million people depend on that water. A greatly reduced river would wreak chaos in seven states: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. An almost unfathomable legal morass might well result, with farmers suing the federal government; cities suing cities; states suing states; Indian nations suing state officials; and foreign nations (by treaty, Mexico has a small claim on the river) bringing international law to bear on the United States government. In addition, a lesser Colorado River would almost certainly lead to a considerable amount of economic havoc, as the future water supplies for the West’s industries, agriculture and growing municipalities are threatened. As one prominent Western water official described the possible future to me, if some of the Southwest’s largest reservoirs empty out, the region would experience an apocalypse, “an Armageddon.â€
Maplight.org is a really interesting (and useful!) venture that allows anyone to easily view the relationships between money received by congresspersons and the votes they place on bills. For great examples, check out the intro video they offer.
Khoi Vinh, design director for NYTimes.com and author of the excellent blog Subtraction, talks about how control is one of the centrally distinguishing issues between print design and web/interactive design.
