January 2012
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“People who view chimpanzees in human settings and wearing clothes are less...”
– The Lincoln Park Zoo, in their objection to CareerBuilder’s Super Bowl commercial
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There’s some interesting discussion today of what exactly a protracted Republican primary would mean for the 2012 election. I know everyone was waiting for me to weigh in, so here goes:
On its own, a long primary fight is neither “good” nor “bad” for a party; as with all things, context is key.
The conventional wisdom is that a long, dirty primary weakens all...
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“I was shooting a big tall building from across the street and a maintenance man...”
– Adam Lisagor, on shooting this video for Embark
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$1,525,000
Amount the Romneys gave to the Mormon church in 2010.
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“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s...”
– Actual excerpt from Mitt Romney’s stump speech
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Newt Gingrich favors the death penalty for... →
Big idea.
“A $250 billion per year loss would be almost $800 for every man, woman, and...”
– The Freakonomics guys call bullshit on the MPAA’s piracy numbers
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“The soldier ant caste of the Malaysian species Camponotus saundersi undergoes a...”
– Wikipedia, Antipredator adaptation
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“The protesters’ adoption of the [Guy Fawkes] mask has led to it becoming...”
– Guy Fawkes Mask, Wikipedia
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New York Times:
When Barack Obama joined Silicon Valley’s top luminaries for dinner in California last February, each guest was asked to come with a question for the president.
But as Steven P. Jobs of Apple spoke, President Obama interrupted with an inquiry of his own: what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?
Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America....
“It would be better not to know so many things than to know so many things that...”
– Felix Okoye
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Senator Kirk just reversed his position on PIPA:
“Freedom of speech is an inalienable right granted to each and every American, and the Internet has become the primary tool with which we utilize this right. The Internet empowers Americans to learn, create, innovate, and express their views. While we should protect American intellectual property, consumer safety and human rights, we should do so...
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Alain de Botton on Philosophy Bites:
My sense of the Modern world is that it’s a world that is slightly - in a paranoid way - obsessed with freedom. The Western world has spent the last 200 years raising the level of freedom. That’s been a watch word for political theorists and activists, and they had a job to do… a legitimate job to do. My sense is that we’ve gone a...
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“Kip Smith, a Republican state congressman from Georgia and sponsor of a bill...”
– Huffington Post (via Producer Matthew)
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“On foreign policy, the right-wing critiques have been the most unhinged. Romney...”
– Andrew Sullivan, How Obama’s Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics (via evangotlib)
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“I happened to spot Cards Against Humanity while killing time on Kickstarter. I...”
– Cards Against Humanity review
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“If you can make a usable interface, you’re doing well in our industry. Imagine...”
– Aaron Walter, Designing for Emotion
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Philosopher Richard Rorty, shortly before his death:
After finishing “Pragmatism and Romanticism,” I was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Some months after I learned the bad news, I was sitting around having coffee with my elder son and a visiting cousin. My cousin (who is a Baptist minister) asked me whether I had found my thoughts turning toward religious topics, and I...
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“We here at V.F. looking for reader input on whether and when Vanity Fair should...”
– Vanity Fair (via bensgrabbag)
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Watch“We want to inspire the crap out of you.”
Hey Tumblr friends, I want to tell you about a Kickstarter project that I backed today.
Distance is a new magazine by my friend Nick Disabato that aims to change the way we talk to each other about technology and design. You might know Nick because a few years ago, he literally wrote the book on UX design and published it using Kickstarter.
...
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“One thing that we have learned is that piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a...”
– Gabe Newell (via evangotlib)
Easy is more powerful than free.
EDIT: Spytap adds, “Your anti-piracy product only serves to demonstrate the appeal of piracy.”
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NewScientist Magazine: What do you think most about during the day?
Dr. Stephen Hawking: Women. They are a complete mystery.
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“Whilst, although correct in BrE, is virtually obsolete in AmE and reeks of...”
– Garner’s Modern American Usage, Third Edition, pp. 860
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Earlier today, I posted a New York Times piece about Mitt Romney’s sons that I fell in love with. Almost immediately, I got linked to this post by Prof. Tom Levenson, who studies science writing at MIT.
Before we continue, you should read the NYT piece and read Mr. Levenson’s post.
Ready?
Mr. Levenson’s post, which begins, “Please, oh please, do not let the Style section...
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“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”
– Lewis Carroll
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have...”
– Alice Walker (via nique)