Posted
by Chris Tackett
September 8, 2008 at 1:56 p.m.
Monday Reading
I've long wanted to start a "What I learned today" blog, but have not got around to it. My real dream is that all of my friends and family would start a similar blog and every day I could read what they learned the previous day or week. I'll do this at some point, but for now here are a few articles I read, enjoyed and learned a thing or two from in the process. [Democracy and deference][1] is a must-read essay from Harpers on the unfortunate level of deference in America. In our work and in our politics, people take shit because they feel like they have to. Key graf: "The real problem we face is not the Bush Administration's imperial pretensions, its quasi-cultish stress on loyalty, or its instinctive suspicion of debate and dissent but the extent to which the administration's modus operandi is representative of a society increasingly conversant with the protocols of subservience. In the long term, it is this tilt toward deference, this willingness to hold our tongues and sit on our principles, that truly threatens us, even more than the manifold abuses of this administration, because it makes them possible."[Brave New World of Digital Intimacy][2] Excellent article explaining why there's so much interest in Facebook. Explores the idea of "ambient awareness." Basically, we like to be aware of what people are up to without having to do a lot of work, like actually talking to someone and we can get that with features on Facebook and other social-networking sites. [Fucking Liars Try to Stop Students From Voting][3] Students were trying to register to vote and these asshole liars told them that doing so would have all sorts of negative consequences, like them losing their scholarships or no longer being considered a dependent of their parents. Not cool. [Worrisome piece on how Democrats can lose this election.][4] I think Obama can and should win, but I'd by lying if I didn't think it was very possible that they'd lose. This article points out a few of the reasons why. [In Age of High-Tech, Are Americans Losing Touch with DIY Skills?][5] Interesting Popular Mechanics article on how Americans have lost a lot of skill sets, particularly doing and fixing things with our hands. It really wows me that so few people know how to change a car tire. It should be a pre-requisite for driving. Okay, so that's what I've read this morning and thought was interesting enough to share with you. What have you been reading that you think others should see? Share links in the comments and discuss any or all of these stories there, as well. And if you're interested, I share lots of articles I read and recommend on [this web site][6]. [1]: http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/06/0082039 [2]: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=1 [3]: http://jtaplin.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/stopping-students-from-voting/ [4]: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-mckay/were-gonna-frickin-lose-t_b_124772.html [5]: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4221637.html?page=1 [6]: https://www.google.com/reader/shared/10723063164490610650
and 2 others
Comments
Lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.
md_pinks (anonymous) says…
If you didn't know, this Wednesday, scientists at CERN will continue work with the biggest proton smasher to date dubbed "alice" (a Large Ion Collider Experiment) in the effort to reenact the big bang theory in a controlled space. Currently, their is a class action law suit attempting to stop the experiment since many scientist fear it could create black holes and a number of other things that could possibly destroy the planet in nanoseconds.Here's a link about ALICE and CERN's other projects:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/07/cerns-17-mile-long-atom-s_n_124653.htmlHere is a link to the possible outcomes of ALICE's operation that are feared to doom the planet (or possibly the universe!? WTF?):http://www.cracked.com/article_16583_5-scientific-experiments-most-likely-end-world.html
Shelby (anonymous) says…
MD: that "theory" has been totally debunked. Essentially, cosmic rays slam into the earth at even greater speeds all the time. And we're still here. So is the universe. I think.
md_pinks (anonymous) says…
Can't debunk a theory without multiple tests, thats why they are theories. And cosmic rays hitting the earth naturally are a little different from a man made particle smasher. I don't buy into any of the doomsday theories anyway. It's just interesting to me that people really want to recreate the big bang. Most people don't know about that.Does make you wonder if they'll accidentally run into something they didn't expect...you know, like when the A-bomb was discovered.
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
What I learned today:http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2008/07/the_shape_of_music.phpDmitri Tymoczko explores the relation between music and life. Which is an extrapolation of my core ideals. Lately the underlying corruption of the entire species (Democrats and Republicans, anyway) has me considering the similarity of the statement "I have perfect pitch" with the equally quantifiable "I offer hope and change."Which has nothing to do with Sarah Palin's jaws, but Dayum.
OnShakedown (Chris Tackett) says…
re: the Hadron Collider, there are two youtube videos worth watching here:http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/hadron-collider-turns-on.phpi'm pretty sure it won't destroy the world. we'll see.
Shelby (anonymous) says…
Democrats might lose the election by embracing lies about Palin that have been circulating nonstop.Character assassination of the worst kind.http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
I heard Sarah Palin can smash atoms in her vagina.Watch out Universe.
md_pinks (anonymous) says…
Steven Hawking bets $100 dollars (what?) that they won't find anything they're looking for tomorrow when they turn on the LHC. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/scienceph... vagina may pull out the miracle of victory for the GOP though...ZING!
chet_larock (anonymous) says…
"Democrats might lose the election by embracing lies about Palin that have been circulating nonstop."Which Democrats have been doing this? Seems like the fringie "Democrats" (as in bloggers, some in the press), not actual Democratic members of congress, are keeping the bogus rumors circulating. That is certainly no different than the Obama is a Muslim, is not a citizen of the US, etc BS that has been put out there by the same entities on the right. "Character assassination of the worst kind."I don't agree with any of the false accusations being made. However, Palin IS misrepresenting her record everyday, and I think the Democrats need to be more aggressive in pointing that out.
Shelby (anonymous) says…
Actually, it IS different...MUCH different.The media has been circulating these lies, whereas the "Obama is a Muslim" stuff has been due largely to spam email circulation. No one is taking it seriously.If I was Obama or Biden I would be condemning this stuff that has been all over the newspapers, tv news, etc.Still, my point wasn't that this is any worse or stupider or more dangerous than what the right is doing. Just that this is something that could screw the dems if they choose to twiddle their thumbs and look in the other direction.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Uh, if you think no one is taking the "Obama is a Muslim" thing seriously, I need to introduce you to some people.
El_Borak (Bill Hoyt) says…
"Uh, if you think no one is taking the "Obama is a Muslim" thing seriously, I need to introduce you to some people."Case in point:http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2008/09/15/the-difference-between-obama-and-osama-is-just-a-little-bs/