Worth reading: At Burning Man, the Tech Elite One-Up One Another
This is worth looking at: There are two disciplines in which Silicon Valley entrepreneurs excel above almost everyone else. The first is making exorbitant amounts of money. The second is pretending they don’t care about that money. Link: Link to original
Worth reading: Don’t BS the American People About Iraq, Syria, and ISIL
This is worth looking at: The apparent beheading of American journalist James Foley by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a stark reminder of the group’s terrible brutality and the seriousness required to counter them.
"“No one has offered a plausible strategy to defeat ISIL that does not include a major U.S. commitment on the ground and the renewal of functional governance on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border. And no one will, because none exists. But that has not prevented a slew of hacks and wonks from suggesting grandiose policy goals without paying serious attention to the costs of implementation and the fragility of the U.S. political consensus for achieving those goals. “"
-- War on the rocks: Don't BS the American People about Iraq and Isil
Worth reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names
This is worth looking at: John Graham-Cumming wrote an article today complaining about how a computer system he was working with described his last name as having invalid characters. It of course does not, because anything someone tells you is their name is — by definition — an appropriate identifier for them. Link: Link to original
Worth reading: How to Be Polite — The Message — Medium
This is worth looking at: Most people don’t notice I’m polite, which is sort of the point. I don’t look polite. I am big and droopy and need a haircut. No soul would associate me with watercress sandwiches.
Worth reading: Motivating Students: Should Effort Count?
This is worth looking at: I’ve always said no, effort shouldn’t count. When students pleaded, “but I worked so hard,” or “I studied so long,” I would respond with the clichéd quip about people with brain tumors not wanting surgeons who try hard. Link: Should Effort Count?
Worth reading: Grocery Store Economics: Why Are Rotisserie Chickens So Cheap?
This is worth looking at: A couple of years ago, I got it into my head that I wanted to roast a whole chicken, just because. I wandered around my local Ralphs for a few minutes looking for poultry that hadn't already been turned into individually shrink-wrapped meat units before asking for help. Link: http://ift.tt/1hHdpX1 My Blog
Worth reading: Hillary Clinton: ‘Failure’ to Help Syrian Rebels Led to the Rise of ISIS
This is worth looking at: President Obama has long ridiculed the idea that the U.S., early in the Syrian civil war, could have shaped the forces fighting the Assad regime, thereby stopping al Qaeda-inspired groups—like the one rampaging across Syria and Iraq today—from seizing control of the rebellion. Link: http://ift.tt/1A5bEuv My Blog
Cool new board game: Kickstarter: “Lift Off! – Get me off this Planet”
"Lift Off! Get me off this Planet has a casual space theme and never takes itself too seriously. My goal was to make an easy to learn, fast-paced game, where everyone feels engaged and "in it" until someone has won or the planet explodes!
The objective of Lift Off! is to be the first player to get their Aliens off the planet using resource cards, action cards‚ and phases of the moon to escape. If the planet explodes before everyone escapes‚ the player with the most saved Aliens wins."
Fun! I am supporting the Kickstarter campaign. Are you? You should!
Worth reading: Queen’s Tragic Rhapsody
This is worth looking at: It was an utterly unexpected rebirth. from the moment Freddie Mercury and the other members of Queen – guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon – took the stage at London's Wembley Stadium, on July 13th, 1985, at the historic Live Aid concert, the group captured the day. Here's the full article.
Model, Tsiolkovsky Space Craft
Check out some really cool images: Soviet model makers built this spacecraft based on the designs and notes of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Late in his life, much of Tsiolkovsky's theoretical work focused on ideas about transporting humans into space on board rockets. Although this model, reflecting the scientist's ideas, grossly overestimates the living space available on board a rocket, it does convey a sophisticated understanding of the physical constraints of space travel for that time. Among Tsiolkovsky's concerns were the effects of acceleration and weightlessness on the human body.