January 2010
“First is the simple reality that one kind of “decline” is inevitable and...”
– The Atlantic Online | January/February 2010 | How America Can Rise Again | James Fallows
I’m only halfway done with this article, but it’s excellent so far.
Finger Pointers Club
southpol:
Our current problems are not the product of the recovery program that’s only just now getting under way, as some would have you believe; they are the inheritance of decades of tax and tax, and spend and spend. […] The only alternative being offered to this economic program is a return to the policies that gave us a trillion-dollar debt, runaway inflation, runaway interest rates and...
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“The thing that bothers me most about the iPad is this: if I had an iPad rather...”
– Alex Payne
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“I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who...”
– Apple’s New Thing (iPod) - Mac Forums
Typical response to the 2001 announcement of the original iPod. Click through for more.
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“Apple’s closed ecosystem is feeling less and less like an exclusive resort...”
– Jon Stokes
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“Textbooks are different animals than e-book novels and business books, in ways...”
– Inkling lets textbook makers embrace the iPad
This looks very impressive.
“We are citizens. We must not put ourselves in the position of looking at the...”
– Howard Zinn (via azspot)
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“EL BULLI, named the best restaurant in the world for the past four years by...”
– El Bulli takes a breather
El Bulli has two million people applying to be one of the 8,000 diners each year (about 45 per night). The Amateur Gourmet had a great photo and video comic-strip-style description of the epic experience of eating there last year.
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iPad : Technology :: Barack Obama : Politics
(via spiegelman)
Yes, this is worthy of both Tumblr and Twitter.
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“Give me more talking frogs and dancing lizards, and less preachy Gators.”
– Super Bowl is the wrong audience for Tim Tebow’s message
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The Distant Executioner: William Langewiesche on... →
I wasn’t expecting this article to be anywhere near as interesting as it turned out to be. If you enjoyed The Hurt Locker, which is about the psychology of war in the same way that The Shawshank Redemption is about the psychology of prison, you’ll enjoy this article. It is long, though. Here are a couple interesting passages:
“Murder Inc.,” [American snipers] were sometimes called,...
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Game On
newsweek:
Alter, on the SCOTUS ruling that corporations are people too:
The Citizens United case is the Roe v. Wade of the 21st century, only the roles are reversed. Conservatives who bashed liberal judges for “legislating from the bench” and disrespecting precedent are now exposed as unprincipled poseurs. Liberals who grew up depending on courts to protect the public interest must now build a...
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Andy Kershaw: Stop treating these people like... →
Like their fellow arrivistes in the NGOs, most reporters now in the country never saw Haiti in its everyday state of chaos and decay. They simply have no appreciation that, while the earthquake has magnified their misery, Haitians – rivalled, possibly only by the permanently flooded Bangladeshis – are the world champions at survival and that shortage, suffering, torment and the absence of...
“Patterson may lack the name recognition of a Stephen King, a John Grisham or a...”
– James Patterson Inc. via @alea_
“A ‘weapons’ is defined as a rifle, shotgun, pistol, airgun, and...”
– How to guarantee your luggage won’t be lost or stolen next time you fly
“And this even explains why theater tickets are always general admission. Let’s...”
– Sitting Through 10 Minutes of Movie Previews and Ads
Support Haiti relief by buying Instapaper Pro...
instapaper:
All of today’s (Wednesday’s) proceeds from Instapaper Pro are being donated to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as part of the Indie+Relief program.
You have half of the day left to buy. If you’ve been on the fence, what better reason to buy than to support a charity?
As if it wasn’t a good enough deal already.
Why I've had it with Delta Airlines!
queensarahsaturday:
Last year was a horrible travel year for me - mainly because of issues with Delta Airlines. It was so horrible I kept a log of flights and at the end of the year I sent the CEO a letter outlining why I was taking my business elsewhere once I use my accrued miles. Here is the letter. Sorry for taking over a full page on your tumblr. Like I said, it was a bad year.
...
“Perhaps if Turing were alive today, he would define artificial intelligence as...”
– Ken Rogoff, The grandmasters: Intelligent machines are about to revolutionize the world
Roger Ebert on Eating →
Highly recommended.
“Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern...”
– Life in extreme cold around the world
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THR Q&A: 'Lost' final season interview →
editorlisa:
LOVE LOVE LOVE:
Lindelof: My hope is to rip off other successful shows.
THR: Like you’ve been ripped off?
Lindelof: Exactly. Maybe a show about vampires that work in an ad agency and one is a serial killer.
Cuse: Especially if the lead character is also cooking meth.
Lindelof: Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Almost guaranteed an Emmy. “Breaking Bad Men.”
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zoya:
are you an illustrator/photographer/designer/collage artist with no plans for the weekend? want to make something that will be displayed to over one million Hype Machine visitors this month and forever after? email me w/a link to your art, like, right now. there’s a fun 48-hour deadline for this.
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“You’ll want the lamb burger ($2.50) and a stewed pork version for contrast...”
– Sam Sifton
Went to the new Xi’an Famous Foods in Chinatown (88 East Broadway) for lunch yesterday and I highly recommend it. It’s effectively take-out only with room for 2.5 people to stand at a small counter and eat elbow to elbow with the people in line to order or waiting for food.... 