Category: Society
Craig Venter on Synthetic Life
Synthetic life is a controversial subject. But a breakthrough has just recently been made which is sure to stoke more controversy on the subject. Below is a video of Craig Venter talking about the Synthetic Life project and breakthrough. It’s pretty technical stuff and more about process than anything else. So you have to wade
Lena Horne: 1917-2010
Sources Lena Horne Dies at Age 92 – Art Beat Lena Horne – Wikipedia Lena Horne Obituary – The State, SC Remembering Groundbreaking Jazz Icon, Actress Lena Horne –
A few thoughts on the difference between blogs and news
I am on my way to a conference called Facing the Fracture: The Media and the Economic Crisis at Columbia University sponsored by the Roosevelt Institute and I wanted to run a few thoughts on blogging by you. What I am going to say applies as much in the political blogosphere as it does in
Immigration bill may require biometric data of all workers, including teenagers
I almost have to laugh at this. But, a proposal is afoot to require all employed persons in America submit biometric data as a control against illegal immigrants. This is part of an Immigration Bill now wending its way though the Senate. The Wall Street Journal writes ID Card for Workers Is at Center of
Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory
Daniel Kahneman says a refusal to admit complexity leads people toward a simplistic view of their own self image. He sees a difference between our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" and how these two “selves” perceive happiness. His insights have implications for economics, policy and our own sense of self. Take a look
New York Times caught copying financial blogs
Here’s my take on a recent story of apparent plagiarism at the New York Times. Some are probably conjuring up memories of Jayson Blair. However, I see something different, namely a battle regarding the credibility of independent financial blogs like mine as a news source. The fact is most American newspapers and television stations are
Haiti donation efforts
There is an easy way to donate in order to help victims of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. The American Red Cross has set it up so that you can make $10 donations by cell phone. From your cell phone, send a text message to 90999 with the word "HAITI". You will get a text back
Terrorism, full-body scans and privacy in the digital age
I am reminded of the 2002 Spielberg movie “Minority Report” when I think of the digital age, terrorism and privacy concerns. The movie is interesting not just for its Big Brother overtones, but also because of its prescience on technology (some of the technology used in the movie, like multi-touch screens, are now in use).
The correlation between healthcare spending and life expectancy
Hat tip FiveThirtyEight. once you remove the U.S., there’s a strong correlation between spending and life expectancy, and this is super-clear from the scatterplot. For more information behind this chart, click the link below. Source Healthcare spending and life expectancy: a comparison of graphs – Andrew Gelman, Columbia University
Government coercion in the financial blogosphere
I must be incredibly sleep-deprived because my last post overlooked a critical case in the financial blogosphere where the same issues of blogging and government coercion are at issue. I completely forgot that the Implode-o-Meter sites are taking an enormous hit right now because of their coverage on the housing bubble. You may recall, back
Blogging and the tyranny of government
Michael Arrington, a prolific blogger in the Tech community, has written a thoughtful piece on bloggers’ right/duty to protect confidential sources in the face of government pressure to do otherwise. I’d like to post a portion of that article here and ask you what you think of his arguments. He says: Last week two bloggers,
Barack Obama wins the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Via the Telegraph: From the moment that President Barack Obama – who has won the Nobel peace prize – entered the Oval Office, he made clear that resolving the conflict in the Middle East would be a key priority of his foreign policy. His very first phone call was to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader,