December 2010
Richard Dawkins on Christopher Hitchens -The... →
5 percent.
an eloquent Dawkins:
I devoutly hope (not pray) that we shall see realised the 5% chance of recovery that modern doctors (not ancient gods) can offer. And if it is not to be – if, in his own gallantly insouciant words, he has to leave the party early – he will bequeath us an example worth following for centuries to come.
“Tu quoque : Literally, you too. This is an attempt to justify wrong action...”
– Top 20 Logical Fallacies
“The technological revolution is more intertwined every day with our economy and...”
– Steve Jobs to Playboy in 1985. We’re still waiting for this to happen. (via marco)
Feds Sues Lucasfilm for Undermining #VFX Artists →
this interesting tidbit :
Lucasfilm and Pixar agreed to a three-part protocol that restricted recruiting of each other’s employees. First, Lucasfilm and Pixar agreed they would not cold call each other’s employees. [snip] Second, they agreed to notify each other when making an offer to an employee of the other firm. Third, they agreed that, when offering a position to the...
Every Superhero needs his own Theme Music... →
Jen Paton:
(2:14:21 pm) [Bradley] Manning: listened and lip-synced to Lady Gaga’s Telephone while exfiltratrating [sic] possibly the largest data spillage in american history.
People also want to do this [listening to an mp3 player] at the office, at the gym: what does it mean if you need to be “blocked from the madness” everywhere you go?
Blocking the madness, or just...
What is Gravity →
Redditor RoboRollCall superbly explains gravity in this post about the insides of a black hole. Going through his comment history is a treat, the man can explain the underpinnings of our universe, write elegantly and crack a joke. Also, hedgehogs.
Here’s an excerpt :
Every particle of matter in the universe, from a proton to a hedgehog to a galaxy, is possessed of a quantity...
“God is an invention of Man so the nature of God is only a shallow mystery. The...”
– Nanrei Kobori - Japanese Zen Buddhist monk; Abbot of the temple of Ryokoin, Kyoto. (via helvetebrann)
I’m off and offline for the weekend. May you all be near your loved ones or if not, with lovable ones.
Trailer for Hanna →
Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Olivia Williams. I could watch them actresses reading youtube comments for hours.
Inside Minimalism: Hans Hiltermann | Minimalissimo →
Great article on Hans Hiltermannn’s YOU series of portrait.
The Dutch Hans Hiltermann (1960) is a former advertising photographer. After many years of creating artificial scenes packed with interestingness, Hiltermann embarked on a new quest: to find out what is the minimum needed to tell a story.
Discoverer of Arsenic Bacteria, in the Eye of the... →
Felisa Wolfe-Simon on her discovery, and its critics.
We expected some questions and challenges. Our paper, what does it suggest? It suggests that there’s a potential exception to what we would say is a fundamental axiom of biology, so it’s kind of a two-fold thing. We thought that our findings would generate some discussion, but we didn’t anticipate the reaction we saw.
“35) Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider...”
– Douglas Coupland, on the Future.
Stuxnet apparently as effective as a military... →
If the damage to the Iranian nuclear program is genuine, this makes Stuxnet something of a landmark in cyberwar history. Much has been made of the threat of computer-based attacks, but thus far they appear to have been limited to either denial-of-service attacks, website defacement, or attempts to break into systems to steal classified data.
“Fear of 2012 is a worldwide delusion spread by the scientifically illiterate on...”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson
