10 stories and links I think are educative, informative, entertaining, or weird

My Experience with ADD via Big Think by Big Think Editors
Freelance writer and editor Molly Oswaks first found some relief with cocaine. Instead of giving her a high, it calmed her down and helped her focus. Later, an ADD diagnosis and medication gave her more lasting clarity and attention consistency after a life mostly spent adrift.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Steve Jobs and David Gelernter seemed like natural allies: Both chided technologists for neglecting design. Instead, they fought each other... more

How does biology explain the low numbers of women in computer science? via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
Watch the video here where you can also link to more presentations from Terri Oda
A great look at math, and real vs. imaginary Bell curve distributions.
Thanks to Gideon for bringing this to my attention!

Winter Escape via How-To Geek by Asian Angel
In this week game you have been accidentally locked out of your home and must find a way to get in. Can you do it before you become ill from being out in the cold too long? Tick-tock tick-tock!
As usual you can choose to read Asian Angel’s walk-through here or take your chance and go straight to the game here.

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Money and art. The two can't be disentangled. But some entanglements are more troubling than others. Culture is in retreat before the brute dollar. Jed Perl explains.. more

Smog-Eating Material to Wrap Buildings via Big Think by Big Think Editors
Researchers in Belgium are testing an old material in a new way, which may benefit the environment and make city dwellers healthier and happier by eating away at air pollutants. Titanium oxide, currently used in everything from toothpaste to sunscreen, can now be found coating the ceiling of a driving tunnel in Brussels, Belgium.
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What is ET Listening to Now? via Stephen's Lighthouse
An infographic (of which Stephen Abram is very fond judging by the number in his blog) which shows how far television waves (could) have reached across space. The Lone Ranger is just past Pi Mensae. Fascinating.
See for yourself here.

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Gloria Steinem, still tiny of waist and big of hair, wants you to know that she has never gotten by on her appearance. “Who wants to be feminine?”... more

The Colossal Heads of the Olmec (Picture of the Day) via Britannica Blog by Britannica Editors

Olmec colossal basalt head in the Museo de la Venta, an outdoor museum near Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Credit: © Robert Frerck/Odyssey Productions

The Olmec, the “people of the rubber country”, represented the first elaborate pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica. Much of what is known about them has come from archaeological excavations at sites in modern-day southern Mexico, where structures such as large earthen pyramids and giant stone carvings, including colossal heads, have been uncovered.

Fascinating – read more here

Researchers to build Babbage Analytical Engine via Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin


Over the next decade, a group of researchers in the UK will attempt to construct a working version of Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, which he dreamed up a hundred years ago, but did not complete. John Markoff has the story in the New York Times today [7 November], and here’s a related interactive feature. Cory blogged about the project recently on Boing Boing, and the legacy of Babbage, a great mathematician, philosopher, and engineer, is a favorite topic in our archives (see links below).

Babbage-esque mechanical computer chip
Comic about Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage comic
Babbage Difference Engine No. 2 Recreation Coming to Computer ...
Babbage difference engine No. 2 now operational – Boing Boing Gadgets
Lovelace met Babbage on this day in 1833

10 stories and links I think are educative, informative, entertaining, or weird

The Secret to Marital Happiness: Don't Have Kids or Have Lots of Them via Big Think by Peter Lawler
That’s the conclusion of this study. The discovery that being married without children is one path to happiness vindicated the feminists, the liberationists, the authentic followers of Simone de Beauvoir. Authentic people live for themselves; they refuse to be breeders; their lives are fulfilled without giving into some biological inclination shared with the other animals.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
To enliven a well-trodden globe, what's a travel writer to do? Some try gimmicks, like hitchhiking with a fridge. Evelyn Waugh opted for wit... more

War Tubas via Retronaut by Chris


“The war tuba is a colloquial name sometimes applied to Imperial Japanese Army acoustic locators due to the visual resemblance to the musical tuba.” – Wikipedia
There’s another photo here.

Why Americans Don’t Care via Big Think by Robert de Neufville
Compare the covers of the different editions of the latest [as at 30 November] issue of Time. In most of the world, the cover of the magazine features a striking image of an Egyptian rioter in a gas mask. But the U.S. edition reduces the unrest to Egypt to small print and leads instead with a general series on “Why Anxiety is Good for You”.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
If you've been at death’s door or your wits’ end, about to bite the dust or cast the first stone, you’ve inhabited the King James Bible... more

What Can Plato Teach Me That I Can't Find on Wikipedia? via Big Think by Daniel Honan
Do we really need to read the classics in the age of Wikipedia? Aren't these books just historical artifacts or a bunch of pretentious fodder for cocktail party conversation? According to Jeffrey Brenzel, Philosopher and Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University, the classics will not only enhance your education, but help you live better.
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Magazine First Covers via How to be a Retronaut by Chris
includes:

• Harper's Bazaar - 1867
• National Geographic - 1888
• Vogue - 1892
• Time - 1923
• New Yorker - 1925
• Esquire - 1933
• Newsweek - 1933
• Seventeen - 1941
• 
• TV Guide - 1953
• Sports Illustrated - 1954
• Rolling Stone - 1967
• People - 1974
• Vanity Fair - 1983
• Wired - 1993

View them all here
This capsule was curated by Isaac Scribner

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
A life in letters. When the day was done, P.G. Wodehouse returned to his chief pleasure: "writing stinkers to people who attack me"... more

The Pedascope via HOW TO BE A RETRONAUT by Chris


“Shoe-fitting fluoroscopes, also known as Pedoscopes, were X-ray fluoroscope machines installed in shoe stores from the 1920s until about the 1960s in the United States (by which time they were prohibited), and into the mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. In the UK, they were known as Pedoscopes, after the company based in St. Albans that manufactured them.” Wikipedia
More images here
Thank you to the Science Museum

The Marching Eagle: Africa’s Secretary Bird via Britannica Blog by Kara Rogers

Credit: © Stephen J. Krasemann/Peter Arnold, Inc.
On the open lands of sub-Saharan Africa, the world's only terrestrial bird of prey, the long-legged secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), stalks across the ground, sometimes walking as many as 20 miles in a single day in search of quarry. And when it finally happens upon a soon-to-be meal, we find that the civilized nature implied by the secretary bird's name is far from a true reflection of its actual behavior. Indeed, when it encounters prey, it stomps, kicks, and crushes the victim into submission and then swallows it whole.
This post was originally published in NaturePhiles on TalkingScience.org

Distribution and determinants of lifetime unemployment

an article by Achim Schmillen (Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg; Osteuropa-Institut Regensburg; and University of Regensburg, Germany) and Joachim Möller (Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg; University of Regensburg, Germany and Institute for the Study of Labor, Bonn) published in Labour Economics Volume 19 Issue 1 (January 2012)

Abstract

The empirical literature on unemployment almost exclusively focuses on the duration of distinct unemployment spells. In contrast, we use a unique administrative micro data set for the time span 1975–2004 to investigate individual lifetime unemployment – defined as the cumulative length of all unemployment spells over a 25-year period. This new perspective enables us to answer questions regarding the long-term distribution and determinants of unemployment for birth cohorts 1950–1954.

We show that lifetime unemployment is highly concentrated on a small part of the population. With censored quantile regressions we investigate the long-lasting influence of bad luck early in the professional career. Controlling for individual and firm characteristics we find that choosing at a young age what turns out to be an unfavourable occupation significantly increases the predicted amount of lifetime unemployment.

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Recognition of knowledge and skills at work – in the interest of the employer

an article by Leif Berglund (Luleå University of Technology) and Per Andersson (Linköping University) published in Journal of Workplace Learning Volume 24 Issue 2 (2012)

Abstract

Purpose
Workplace learning takes place in many settings and in different ways, resulting in knowledge and skills of different kinds. The recognition processes in the workplace is however often implicit and seldom discussed in terms of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The aim of this article is to exemplify and analyse the employers' logics in assessing knowledge and skills of employees. Further we discuss how knowledge and skills get recognition in the work place and what the consequences of such recognition processes might be.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based upon a study in two companies and two municipalities, where twenty-one interviews have been made with human resource managers, team leaders and Labour Union representatives. The research concerned in what ways these organisations visualised and recognised skills among their employees, how the logics of these actions could be understood and in what ways this promotes the interests of the employees.
Findings
The findings show that both companies and municipalities have their own ways of assessing knowledge and skills, mostly out of a production logic of what is needed and used at the workplace. However, certain skills are also kept in silence and made "unvisualised" for the employee. This employer-controlled recognition logic is important to understand when RPL models are brought to the workplace in order to obtain win-win situations for both employers and employees.
Practical implications
It seems important to identify already existing system for assessment of knowledge/skills at the workplace when bringing RPL processes to the workplace.
Originality/value
The approach was to understand assessment processes in these companies and municipalities from an RPL perspective, not widely covered before.

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10 Skills All Students Need in Any Job Market

Molly Mitchell, writing on Big Think, says: “Every few years sees the job market changing and the educational market change along with it. As the new hot career comes up, there is always a degree or program to go with it. But did you know that there are essential skills that every student, graduate, and job candidate needs to have to give him or her the best chance at landing a job? Below, we have gathered a list of just ten of the must-haves every college student should be thinking about during their studies.”

The list (see here for a short description of the item):

1. Job experience
2. Relevant experience
3. Writing
4. Verbal communications
5. Public speaking
6. Technology
7. Finance
8. Criticism
9. Networking
10. Research

Just ten things you need to do/get. Say it quickly and it might not seem too bad!

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Computer use in older adults: Determinants and the relationship with cognitive change over a 6 year episode

an article by Karin Slegers (Centre for User Experience Research, K.U. Leuven/IBBT, Belgium) and Martin P.J. van Boxtel and Jelle Jolles (Maastricht University, The Netherlands) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 28 Issue 1 (January 2012)

Abstract

Cognitively challenging activities may support the mental abilities of older adults. The use of computers and the internet provides divergent cognitive challenges to older persons, and in previous studies, positive effects of computer and internet use on the quality of life have been demonstrated.

The present study addresses two research aims regarding predictors of computer use and the relationship between computer use and changes in cognitive abilities over a 6-year period in both younger (24–49 years) and older adults (older than 50 years). Data were obtained from an ongoing study into cognitive aging: the Maastricht Aging Study, involving 1,823 normal aging adults who were followed for 9 years.

The results showed age-related differences in predictors of computer use: the only predictor in younger participants was level of education, while in older participants computer use was also predicted by age, sex and feelings of loneliness. Protective effects of computer use were found for measures of selective attention and memory, in both older and younger participants. Effect sizes were small, which suggests that promotion of computer activities in older adults to prevent cognitive decline may not be an efficient strategy.

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10 stories and links I think are educative, informative, entertaining, or weird

How chicken wire is made via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Here’s a mesmerizing Gabion machine [Well, it is in the blog post but I could not find a static picture anywhere], a massive loom that weaves chicken wire fencing out of wire.
Machine grace ahoy.
Chicken Wire Fabrication – Video (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Neanderthal neuroscience. What are humans made of? Find 40,000-year-old hominid pinky bone, extract the DNA, compare and contrast... more

The debate over Kaliningrad's architectural heritage: An insider’s perspective
an article by Anna Karpenko published in Eurozine
What is the threat implied in the handover of the symbolically significant heritage of the Kaliningrad region to the Orthodox Church of Russia? An examination of the social and cultural aspects of the conflict.
Full story (HTML) here also available as PDF (4pp) here

Transformice: An Addictive, Casual Game For Your Browser Or Desktop via MakeUseOf by Craig Snyder

It took nearly two months for a friend to convince me to give Transformice a shot. The game looked too childish, uninteresting, and casual. After finally giving the game a fair chance, I've been disappointed that I didn’t listen two months sooner. This is one of the most unique browser games that you're going to find.
It’ hard to put Transformice into a genre. It’s a strategy game, but it’s something more than that. Transformice is the most individual team-based game I’ve played. That’s weird, I know. It’s also the only game that I can think of where trolling is almost integrated within the gameplay.
On any given school night, Transformice touches over 10,000 players online. I say school night because this game is targeted more towards a younger audience. The objective of Transformice is to proceed through each map and collect the cheese. After collecting the cheese, you must bring it back to the mouse hole. By collecting cheese, you gather points towards becoming the next Shaman. The Shaman is the designated mouse who builds and casts objects so that their fellow mice can more easily get to the cheese. Shamans are rewarded for the number of mice they are able to save and help bring back the cheese.

Check out the Gameplay here (where you will also get the adverts that help to keep MakeUseOf free at the point of use) which includes tips and tricks, a video to help you along etc
Or you could go straight into the game here (don’t be put off if the screen opens in French – you get to choose your language after about three screens).

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Once the epitome of glamour, fur has fallen on hard times. The mink coat has come to signify hussies on the make or the kept woman... more

6 Classic Disney Animated Wartime Propaganda Cartoons [Stuff to Watch] via MakeUseOf by Tim Brookes
During the Second World War film-makers on both sides of the Atlantic were put to work on morale-boosting and influential propaganda films – Walt Disney included. The master of animation was determined to put his characters to use in the war effort, especially Donald Duck.
Here are a selection of 6 Disney cartoons that were produced during the war, each with its own message and each designed to bolster public opinion behind allied war efforts.

• Education For Death: The Making of a Nazi (1943)
  Considerably different to the average Disney short, Education for Death is based on a book by Gregor Ziemer and features none of Disney’s usual characters. Instead the production focuses on the issue of youth and how the Nazi machine corrupted minds from a very early age.
  At just over 10 minutes long this film was shown to US audiences in movie theaters in 1943 and probably had quite an impact. This isn’t the usual jovial Disney outing – far from it. The imagery contained in this short film is as serious as it gets and it’s easy to see why Walt believed his usual love-able characters would confuse the message.
• Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942)
  Starring Disney favorite Donald Duck, Der Fuehrer’s Face is a simple anti-Nazi propaganda film that went on to win the Academy Award for best animated short. The message behind this one is straightforward: Hitler and the Nazis are your enemy, support our troops and back the war effort!
  There are lashings of comedy thrown in, after all this is a Donald Duck film! The obsessive extremes painted of Nazi Germany are almost comical – everything from clouds to trees are swastika shaped.
• The Spirit of ’43 (1943)
  Propaganda wasn’t just used to influence public opinion against the enemy, far from it. In this example Donald Duck expounds the virtues of saving money in order to pay tax – and pay it on time.
  At a time when the payment of tax was more important than it ever had been before the film was viewed by around 26 million US citizens. According to a poll, 37% of those who saw the film admitted that it had indeed affected their willingness to pay higher tax rates in order to fund the ongoing conflict.
• Donald Gets Drafted (1942)
  This short treads a fine line between brazen propaganda and typical Disney antics as Donald Duck receives his draft notice and prepares for the army. The film opens with Donald walking past seemingly endless recruitment advertisements, many of which look way too good to be true.
  Walt managed to squeeze in a few more clever jokes about conscription and the army’s willingness to take new troops, though this film seems to have a less defined message than many of the other Disney wartime shorts.
• Fall Out Fall In (1943)
  In this cartoon we see Donald Duck marching for miles through storms, ice and baking hot desert sands before struggling with his tent and regiment’s particularly loud sleeping habits.
  Donald was a busy duck during the war, and many of the cartoons produced simply follow his military career and inevitable mistakes that lead to hilarious consequences. Whilst this one is naturally not much different, it does at least tackle a few of the hardships faced by soldiers in the war.
• Commando Duck (1944)
  With a not-so-subtle reminder of who America was fighting and lines like “Japanese custom always say shooting a man in the back please” (yes, I know) this is one Disney cartoon that reflects the desperation of the war effort by 1944.
  Rather than ending up peeling potatoes or troubled by fatigue this is one cartoon in which Donald seemingly succeeds – though not without the usual hysterical cartoon antics that made Disney so popular in the first place. Politically incorrect but historically important!

Link to the original post here

In a good light via Prospero by J.M. | NEW YORK
Cecil Beaton, an English photographer, found happy hunting in New York City for more than 40 years, both behind the camera and in the world of the theatre. When he arrived in America after the second world war, Beaton wrote that it was “time to settle down and relish to the full the infinite delights that New York has to offer”. A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York aims to chronicle his engagement with those delights, from his early Vogue photos of the mid-1930s – their figures highly stylised in poses and shadows reminiscent of German Expressionism – to a 1970 portrait of Mick Jagger, as casual and unaffected as a snapshot.
Cecil Beaton: The New York Years is at the Museum of the City of New York until February 20th – just in case you’re going there anyway!!
Full article

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Everything is suddenly a distraction to William Ian Miller. His brain is "balsa wood floating in a helium sea." In truth, his brain is shrinking. And so is yours... more

Startling photo of volcanic lightning via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz


No, this is not a still from the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene when the ark is opened, but an absolutely magnificent image of southern Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano spewing lightning-topped ash. Wow. Ricardo Mohr’s photo was selected as one of National Geographic’s “Pictures We Love: Best of October”.

“We didn't have [x] when I was a kid and I turned out okay” via Big Think by Scott McLeod
Here’s a statement that I'm getting really tired of hearing: “We didn’t have computers when I was in school and I turned out okay. There’s no reason why kids today need ’em.” I’m sure that this argument was offered in the past as well: “Buses? We walked to school barefoot, in the snow uphill both ways!”
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