January, 2010 Posts

A $100 million donation to a poetry magazine raises questions about the best way to support the arts.

An economist turns the blaming of forces for the economy's collapse into a March Madness-style bracket game.

Highlights from Bruce Sterling's year-end interview, including thoughts on American denial, vampires, and Brazilians.

A Japanese treadmill that shows food and drink as you burn calories.

The hypocrisy of confiscating 'potentially hazardous' liquids at airport security checkpoints.

Two theories on why Avatar was such a success at the box office.

The blurred line between short-term tactics and long-term strategy in technology and beyond.

Debunking the idea of information overload on the web.

The shift in critique from identifying mistakes to identifying potential ideas.

Advice for learning to code from scratch: start by finding something to fix or building something small.

A glimpse into past predictions of the future, including both the absurd and the spot-on.

A fascinating MIT Media Lab project on 3D printing food called Digital Gastronomy.

The evolution of Crayola's color chart from 1903 to 2010 and its impact.

Krugman's negative take on financial creativity and its impact on society and the markets.

John McCain and his colleagues enjoying a legendary YouTube clip on the campaign bus.

Insights into the typing habits of Chinese web users and how they differ from those in Europe and America.

The revelation of how the Google China hacking took place and the potential implications.

The iPad's resemblance to Barack Obama in terms of unfulfilled expectations.

The use of zero rupee notes to combat bribery in India.

Whole Foods initiates a health-based employee discount program.

Comparing different modes of communication to apples and oranges.