September 2011
A brief history of the brain -New Scientist →
New Scientist tracks the evolution of our brain from its origin in ancient seas to its dramatic expansion in one ape – and asks why it is now shrinking.
So why didn’t our brains get ever bigger? It may be because we reached a point at which the advantages of bigger brains started to be outweighed by the dangers of giving birth to children with big heads. Or it might have been a case of...
Черпя
A few days ago, while googling for something in their news section, I stumbled upon a short article about a former Peace Corps lady who spent time in Bulgaria and, now back in the US, was describing the highlights of her time in the Wild East.
One thing that made strangely strong impression on her was, as she puts it, “chipya” (one would actually say “cherpia” - черпя),...
Not that content after all
I thought Germans are too comfortable to be arsed, but hop-la! And, hop-two-la!
And for those who wonder if Europe is united, a little extra.
Kings of communication
Me, dialling a number. The phone rings on the other end and after a few, I hear “Hello, you are speaking with <name of the number’s owner>..”
But I wasn’t. I was speaking, or rather, listening to an answering machine which I figured out a moment later. The owner of said number is a professional expert in business communication.
“… but, gotta keep my feet on the ground, coz it’s scary to be… well, just to BE...”
– a part of a comment under an article I read
“…What seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide everything....”
– Pedro Arrupe (via blankbook)
That’s right.
Is There Anything Wrong With Being Over 50 and... →
The article is walking a very fine line that disturbed me but as well challenged me. I’m always impressed by people who can pick a controversial subject and present it elegantly.
“Anyone with eyes open knows that the gangsterism of Wall Street — financial...”
– personal email from Noam Chomsky to Terri Lee
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“A nondisease-causing virus kills human breast cancer cells in the laboratory,...”
– Penn State Live - Virus kills breast cancer cells in laboratory
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“The locked doors of a public library in West Norwood, a drab part of south...”
– Around the world, copper crimes have soared along with its price. Filched cables have reportedly caused train delays and stalled repairs to telecoms networks. Heating boilers, pipes and air-conditioners have been ransacked. And global demand for the metal is expected to rise by more than 40% by...
There Was an iPhone Game About Foxconn Until Apple... →
Apple nice, eh?
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My unexpected trip to a Libyan hospital →
A wonderful article by Andrew Harding about a side of Libya I know very well.
“Oswald Gruebel feels that it is his duty to assume responsibility for the recent...”
– UBS CEO Oswald Gruebel quits over ‘rogue-trader’ loss
It took less than a week. Again the BBC on 18 September:
The bank’s statement comes as UBS boss Oswald Gruebel insisted he would not resign over the incident.
“Horses terrified our ancestors,” O’Reilly says, “and they are...”
– Horses as meat-eating killers? | Horsetalk.co.nz - equestrian feature articles
Pando Networks Study →
Top 5 Fastest Countries 1. South Korea (2,202KBps) 2. Romania (1,909KBps) 3. Bulgaria (1,611KBps)
etc.
Meanwhile, in other news:
Europe Denies 2 Nations Entry to Travel Zone
Symbolic, eh?
By the way, I don’t mind having to show a passport or an ID at the border. It’s clear that we are a second-rate EU country and very useful for the purposes of internal populist politics...
A random thought on social networks
If a platform allows you to share anything with increasing ease, it gradually starts feeling like a carnivorous plant, like a trap. You do know they want to eat you but the less inviting this is, the more you are willing to share. And vice versa.
Or, it might be social network fatigue. I’m not sure. Either way, the pattern I observe of what and how much people share has shifted.
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RETHINK THE FOOD LABEL →
Birth control pills affect memory, researchers... →
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How water bottles create cheap lighting in... →
A simple initiative in the Philippines is bringing a bit of brightness into the lives of the country’s poorest people.
The project is called “Litre of Light”, and the technology involved is just a plastic bottle filled with water.
“It estimated that the Stichting Ingka Foundation which owns IKEA was in 2006...”
– IKEA founder pledges £1bn to charity following Nazi past revelations - Telegraph
“Bulgaria looks like Europe. Its architecture is European. It shares many...”
– Rana Dasgupta: Stereotypes of Bulgaria in UK are Ridiculous
“Когато преди няколко месеца неизвестни представители на поколението Е покриха...”
– Лица | Поколението E | Политологът Иван Кръстев за житейските стратегии exit и enter - Капитал (via blankbook)
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“I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my...”
– D. H. Lawrence (via blankbook)
A Point of View: The revolution of capitalism →
A somewhat unusual piece to find on the BBC with over thousand comments. Interesting times, alright.
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