July 2009
23 posts
Take Back the Beep Campaign →
Nearly every carrier makes you listen to an instructions message each time you call someone. And the carriers make money for keeping you on the phone just a bit longer. The New York Times’ David Pogue is leading the campaign to convince carriers to drop this message.
News/Gatherings: July 29
Jay-Z vs the Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate — Applying political science theory to the rap world. Is Jay-Z a hegemon?
“Dear old people who run the world, my generation would like to break up with you.” — This is more than just “political” change or “social” change. This is a fundamental change in society and how it functions. “We want to be...
WatchWilliam Shatner reads Sarah Palin’s resignation speech (via TMN)
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-7-26) →
Jack Johnson (41)
John Mayer (20)
Chiddy Bang (18)
Coldplay (14)
Ben Folds (13)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
As a follow-up to my previous post about the F-22...
News/Gatherings: July 22
“A tiny glass telescope, the size of a pea, has been successfully implanted in the eyes of people with severely damaged retinas, helping them to read, watch television and better see familiar faces.”
“Mayor Ray Nagin wants hurricane-displaced people who plan to return to New Orleans counted as residents in the upcoming U.S. Census even if they live elsewhere.” — Okay,...
WatchKid Cudi — Make Her Say (via KTP)
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-7-19) →
Coldplay (28)
Jack Johnson (16)
Snow Patrol (15)
Bonerama (13)
We Are Scientists (8)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
“Allingham, who was the world’s oldest man when he died Saturday at 113,...”
– New York Times — per the MB, “he obviously wasn’t smoking the right cigs, drinking the right booze, or carousing with truly wild women, because if he had been he would have died long ago.”
WatchDaily Show with Secretary of Dept. of Health & Human Services — This is a tough issue, but I just can’t possibly see a system, where the private and public have to compete, working well. My uninformed solution is to provide incentives to private insurers to pay-for-performance (as opposed to pay-per-procedure), and then make insurance mandatory for all citizens (much like car insurance.)...
Things to Read for July 14
“What’s a Culture Snob to Do?” — “With the digitization of books, music, and movies, how will the highbrow distinguish him- or herself from the masses?”
“The Case of the Disappearing Liberal Arts College” — It really is a shame that liberal arts colleges are being snuffed out. I think that, if anything, we should be going in the opposite direction… more...
WatchReadability — Reducing the clutter of reading on the web. I’ve seen Greasemonkey scripts attempt this before, but this seems to be a much better implementation. (via Brow Beat)
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-7-12) →
Coldplay (16)
John Mayer (16)
Jack Johnson (14)
Chiddy Bang (13)
Bonerama (11)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
“There is a war going on for your mind;
If you are thinking you are winning.”
– We are Winning, The Flobots
Things to Read for July 9
“The Obama Effect” — Prior to the election Republicans generally approved of the Supreme Court’s job, while Democrats disapproved. After Obama was elected, Democrats overwhelmingly approve, and Republicans now disapprove. The odd part — we still have the exact same Supreme Court justices. I’m not sure what to be more upset over: the political system, or the stupidity of...
Things to Read for July 7
“The debate over income inequality is about democracy, not economics.” — So I don’t much care for the final conclusion of this article, but I do find it interesting that SAT scores are directly correlated to wealth of the parents. ”Researchers Say Social Security Numbers Can Be Guessed” — No worries, if you were born in a big state, on a day with lots of births...
Things to Read for July 6
“Why airborne automobiles will never take off” — Such a shame… even with the new GPS-powered air traffic control system, it doesn’t look like this is feasible.
“A Visit to the Creationism Museum Makes Scientists Laugh, Cry.” — Scary on so many different levels.
“Clearing your head is a walk in the park. How greenery helps us think.” — The...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-7-5) →
Coldplay (11)
Chiddy Bang (10)
TRV$DJAM (9)
Beastie Boys (7)
Jay-Z (5)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
“…there is nothing more sacrosanct, more vital to our intellectual and...”
– The Truth About Writers (LA Times)