an article by Melinde Coetzee and Nisha Harry (Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa) published in Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 84 Issue 1 (February 2014)
Abstract
Emotional intelligence and career adaptability are crucial psychosocial meta-capacities for successful adaptation in various spheres of life, including the realm of careers. However, little is known about the relationship between emotional intelligence and Savickas's (2005) notion of career adaptability.
The current research examines the relation of emotional intelligence to career adaptability.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 409 early career black call centre agents (Mean age = 32) employed in three of the largest outsourced financial call centres in Africa. Canonical correlation analysis and structural equation modelling confirmed the predictive validity of emotional intelligence in relation to career adaptability. The results showed that managing one’s own emotions contributes the most in explaining overall emotional intelligence and the variance in overall career adaptability with its four domains of career concern, career control, career confidence and career curiosity.
The results of the study highlight the importance of developing individuals’ emotional intelligence in order to strengthen their career adaptability. The research contributed new and valuable insights that may inform career development interventions for call centre agents.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Older job seekers’ job search intensity: the interplay of proactive personality, age and occupational future time perspective
an article by Hannes Zacher (School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia) published in Ageing & Society Volume 33 Part 7 (October 2013)
Abstract
Long-term unemployment of older people can have severe consequences for individuals, communities and, ultimately, economies, and is therefore a serious concern in countries with an ageing population. However, the interplay of chronological age and other individual difference characteristics in predicting older job seekers’ job search is so far not well understood.
This study investigated relationships among age, proactive personality, occupational future time perspective (FTP) and job search intensity of 182 job seekers between 43 and 77 years in Australia. Results were mostly consistent with expectations based on a combination of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the notion of compensatory psychological resources.
Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and age was negatively related to job search intensity. Age moderated the relationship between proactive personality and job search intensity, such that the relationship was stronger at higher compared to lower ages.
One dimension of occupational FTP (perceived remaining time left in the occupational context) mediated this moderating effect, but not the overall relationship between age and job search intensity. Implications for future research, including the interplay of occupational FTP and proactive personality, and some tentative practical implications are discussed.
Abstract
Long-term unemployment of older people can have severe consequences for individuals, communities and, ultimately, economies, and is therefore a serious concern in countries with an ageing population. However, the interplay of chronological age and other individual difference characteristics in predicting older job seekers’ job search is so far not well understood.
This study investigated relationships among age, proactive personality, occupational future time perspective (FTP) and job search intensity of 182 job seekers between 43 and 77 years in Australia. Results were mostly consistent with expectations based on a combination of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the notion of compensatory psychological resources.
Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and age was negatively related to job search intensity. Age moderated the relationship between proactive personality and job search intensity, such that the relationship was stronger at higher compared to lower ages.
One dimension of occupational FTP (perceived remaining time left in the occupational context) mediated this moderating effect, but not the overall relationship between age and job search intensity. Implications for future research, including the interplay of occupational FTP and proactive personality, and some tentative practical implications are discussed.
Monday, 29 September 2014
The response of unions to the rise of precarious work in Britain
an article by Chris F Wright (Macquarie University, Australia) published in The Economic and Labour Relations Review Volume 24 Number 3 (September 2013)
Abstract
There has been significant growth of precarious work in Britain over the past three decades. This article examines the strategies adopted by unions to counteract this trend.
It uses Weil’s ‘strategic choice framework’ to assess the attempts of the Trades Union Congress to encourage affiliates to adopt innovative ways of reaching precarious workers and examines the extent to which these strategies have been implemented. Unfavourable external shifts have placed greater pressure on unions to develop appropriate internal strategies and structures to strengthen their capacity for reaching precarious workers. The Trades Union Congress has encouraged unions to use community unionism strategies to organise precarious workers outside of the workplace and sustainable sourcing strategies to regulate their conditions through procurement mechanisms.
These strategies are relatively effective means of reaching precarious workers in the context of legal constraints on unions and changes in the organisation of work and production. The internal governance structures of the British union movement need to be reformed if these strategies are to be adopted more widely.
Abstract
There has been significant growth of precarious work in Britain over the past three decades. This article examines the strategies adopted by unions to counteract this trend.
It uses Weil’s ‘strategic choice framework’ to assess the attempts of the Trades Union Congress to encourage affiliates to adopt innovative ways of reaching precarious workers and examines the extent to which these strategies have been implemented. Unfavourable external shifts have placed greater pressure on unions to develop appropriate internal strategies and structures to strengthen their capacity for reaching precarious workers. The Trades Union Congress has encouraged unions to use community unionism strategies to organise precarious workers outside of the workplace and sustainable sourcing strategies to regulate their conditions through procurement mechanisms.
These strategies are relatively effective means of reaching precarious workers in the context of legal constraints on unions and changes in the organisation of work and production. The internal governance structures of the British union movement need to be reformed if these strategies are to be adopted more widely.
The Financial Flows of Transnational Crime and Tax Fraud in OECD Countries: What Do We (Not) Know?
an article by Friedrich Schneider (Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria)published in Public Finance Review Volume 41 Number 5 (September 2013)
Abstract
This article has two goals. First, it presents a preliminary literature review of the empirical findings of the worldwide proceeds of transnational organised crime (TOC) and for some Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries as well as a breakdown of the different types of crime proceeds. Also the illegal cross-border flows of global dirty money (including tax fraud figures) are shown, which are by far the biggest share (66 percent) of all illegal transactions.
Second, some remarks are made about the infiltration of the TOC into the “official” economic system, and the functioning of the Hawala (or informal) banking is described.
There are four main conclusions.
First, the revenues of transnational crime are extremely difficult to estimate.
Second, fighting transnational crime is very difficult, as there are no efficient and powerful international organisations that can effectively do this job.
Third, tax fraud and/or other illegal cross-border capital flows should be the prime target for governments to reduce them.
Fourth, this article should be seen as a first start/attempt in order to shed some light on the gray area of the magnitude of proceeds of tax fraud and of transnational crime.
Abstract
This article has two goals. First, it presents a preliminary literature review of the empirical findings of the worldwide proceeds of transnational organised crime (TOC) and for some Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries as well as a breakdown of the different types of crime proceeds. Also the illegal cross-border flows of global dirty money (including tax fraud figures) are shown, which are by far the biggest share (66 percent) of all illegal transactions.
Second, some remarks are made about the infiltration of the TOC into the “official” economic system, and the functioning of the Hawala (or informal) banking is described.
There are four main conclusions.
First, the revenues of transnational crime are extremely difficult to estimate.
Second, fighting transnational crime is very difficult, as there are no efficient and powerful international organisations that can effectively do this job.
Third, tax fraud and/or other illegal cross-border capital flows should be the prime target for governments to reduce them.
Fourth, this article should be seen as a first start/attempt in order to shed some light on the gray area of the magnitude of proceeds of tax fraud and of transnational crime.
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
More trivia (should have been 16 August)
The Twiddler: 1924
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Washington, D.C., 1924
Tweaking the dials on a Freed Eisemann Neutrodyne receiver and a Western Electric 138 amplifier.
On the shelf: Westinghouse “Rectigon” battery chargers.
Harris & Ewing glass negative
View original post
==========================================
40 Trashy Novels You Must Read Before You Die
via Flavorwire by Michelle Dean
First things first: the history of the novel is already tangled up with the notion of “trash”. Peruse the great 19th-century realist novels – particularly Jane Austen’s, say – and you’ll catch characters insulting each other’s reading habits. But there are a lot of reasons to read other than intellectual elevation. Relaxation is one; keeping up with what everyone else is reading is another. Here are 40 of the greatest trashy books written in the last hundred years that, if you’re not looking for perfect prose, will surely decrease muscle tension over a weekend, or on vacation. These books aren’t perfect, but each has some kind of hook – either unexpectedly good construction, entertainingly inventive salaciousness, or historical import in and of itself. Enjoy!
Continue reading
It turns out that not only have I read a lot of the trashy novels mentioned on this list but I own them, they are on my bookshelf! And I rather resent the novels of Georgette Heyer being among them, OK her Regency novels are frothy but are well written, her other historical novels are superb (with the exception of "Simon the Coldheart”). My Lord John which she was writing when she died and which was published unfinished in one of my favourite reads.
Then I realised that trashy subject matter can be well-written!
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Silly and sweet, clowns are the epitome of buffoonish humor. And yet something sinister has always lurked beneath the face paint… more
==========================================
The Magellanic Stream Made Visible
by BIG THINK EDITORS
The Magellanic Stream, which extends almost halfway around the Milky Way, is only detectable at radio wavelengths, and made visible in the wonderful composite image above.
Credit:
Science – NASA, ESA, A. Fox, P. Richter et al.
Image – D. Nidever et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF, A. Mellinger, LAB Survey, Parkes, Westerbork, and Arecibo Obs.
I have spent far too long checking those links, all of those sites draw one in to looking at other things not just checking the accuracy of the link!!
==========================================
50 Electronic Albums You Should Own, 1963-2013
via Flavorwire by Tom Hawking
A while back, we pondered a thought experiment here at Flavorwire: if you could only buy one album a year over the course of 50 years, what would you buy? The result was an epic list of 50 albums everyone needs to own, 1963-2013, and it got such good feedback from our readers, we thought we’d repeat the idea with more specific genre boundaries. In particular, we’re looking at a genre that was in its infancy in the early ’60s and has since evolved into a globe-conquering colossus: electronic music. As before, we’ve selected one album (or, in a few cases, one single) you should own for every year from 1963 to the present day. This, of course, does mean that things are gonna be left out, so feel free to discuss our choices (nicely) in the comment section.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The optimist lives in fear of the future. Pessimists are more productive, writes Will Self. For them, adversity is far easier to meet… more
==========================================
Could naturally dyed clothes stop you feeling blue?
information from the University of Derby via phys.org via Big Think
Wearing particular colours might not just be good for your mental health but could also boost the body as it absorbs natural dyes, suggests work by a University of Derby researcher.
Indigo seed pods have been used for centuries to produce blue dyes and traditional medicines.
Read more
==========================================
The Histomap
via Boing Boing by Rob Beschizza
John B. Sparks' 1931 Histomap charted 4,000 years of human civilization with beautiful, reductive clarity.
Find it yourself here
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
It has been a good time to be bleak, and the economist Robert Gordon, bleakest of all, commands attention… more
==========================================
50 of the Best Books You Haven’t Read by Authors You Already Love
via Flavorwire by Emily Temple
Looking for something to read but don’t want to stray too far from the authors you know and love? Seeking undiscovered literary gems to talk about at dinner parties? Want to delve into the backlist of a certain Great American Author? Well, Flavorwire has got you covered. After all, sometimes, amazing books just get lost in the shuffle, whether it’s because they’re before their time, fall out of fashion, or their author has one blockbuster that blots out all the rest. So after the jump, check out 50 great under-appreciated, under-read, and overshadowed novels by 50 of your favorite authors, and be sure to add any missing ringers to the list.
Continue reading
I didn't count but I reckon that while I’ve heard of about three-quarters of these authors, I’ve only read two of the suggested books!
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Washington, D.C., 1924
Tweaking the dials on a Freed Eisemann Neutrodyne receiver and a Western Electric 138 amplifier.
On the shelf: Westinghouse “Rectigon” battery chargers.
Harris & Ewing glass negative
View original post
==========================================
40 Trashy Novels You Must Read Before You Die
via Flavorwire by Michelle Dean
First things first: the history of the novel is already tangled up with the notion of “trash”. Peruse the great 19th-century realist novels – particularly Jane Austen’s, say – and you’ll catch characters insulting each other’s reading habits. But there are a lot of reasons to read other than intellectual elevation. Relaxation is one; keeping up with what everyone else is reading is another. Here are 40 of the greatest trashy books written in the last hundred years that, if you’re not looking for perfect prose, will surely decrease muscle tension over a weekend, or on vacation. These books aren’t perfect, but each has some kind of hook – either unexpectedly good construction, entertainingly inventive salaciousness, or historical import in and of itself. Enjoy!
Continue reading
It turns out that not only have I read a lot of the trashy novels mentioned on this list but I own them, they are on my bookshelf! And I rather resent the novels of Georgette Heyer being among them, OK her Regency novels are frothy but are well written, her other historical novels are superb (with the exception of "Simon the Coldheart”). My Lord John which she was writing when she died and which was published unfinished in one of my favourite reads.
Then I realised that trashy subject matter can be well-written!
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Silly and sweet, clowns are the epitome of buffoonish humor. And yet something sinister has always lurked beneath the face paint… more
==========================================
The Magellanic Stream Made Visible
by BIG THINK EDITORS
The Magellanic Stream, which extends almost halfway around the Milky Way, is only detectable at radio wavelengths, and made visible in the wonderful composite image above.
Credit:
Science – NASA, ESA, A. Fox, P. Richter et al.
Image – D. Nidever et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF, A. Mellinger, LAB Survey, Parkes, Westerbork, and Arecibo Obs.
I have spent far too long checking those links, all of those sites draw one in to looking at other things not just checking the accuracy of the link!!
==========================================
50 Electronic Albums You Should Own, 1963-2013
via Flavorwire by Tom Hawking
A while back, we pondered a thought experiment here at Flavorwire: if you could only buy one album a year over the course of 50 years, what would you buy? The result was an epic list of 50 albums everyone needs to own, 1963-2013, and it got such good feedback from our readers, we thought we’d repeat the idea with more specific genre boundaries. In particular, we’re looking at a genre that was in its infancy in the early ’60s and has since evolved into a globe-conquering colossus: electronic music. As before, we’ve selected one album (or, in a few cases, one single) you should own for every year from 1963 to the present day. This, of course, does mean that things are gonna be left out, so feel free to discuss our choices (nicely) in the comment section.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The optimist lives in fear of the future. Pessimists are more productive, writes Will Self. For them, adversity is far easier to meet… more
==========================================
Could naturally dyed clothes stop you feeling blue?
information from the University of Derby via phys.org via Big Think
Wearing particular colours might not just be good for your mental health but could also boost the body as it absorbs natural dyes, suggests work by a University of Derby researcher.
Indigo seed pods have been used for centuries to produce blue dyes and traditional medicines.
Read more
==========================================
The Histomap
via Boing Boing by Rob Beschizza
John B. Sparks' 1931 Histomap charted 4,000 years of human civilization with beautiful, reductive clarity.
Here's John Brownlee, at Fast Company:It seems hard to find in print form at a reasonable price (Amazon has it for $150). I've embedded an enormous 2MB image below.
From a modern perspective, Sparks’ Histomap will raise a few eyebrows. For one, it subscribes to an outdated (but, at the time, quite in vogue) idea about how different cultures throughout history could be grouped into various "peoples." The chart also underestimates or omits certain cultures that historians at the time didn’t truly appreciate the importance of. The chart is also more Eurocentric than it would be if it were created today, with little space devoted to African civilizations or even American civilizations before Europeans settled the New World in the 15th century.
Find it yourself here
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
It has been a good time to be bleak, and the economist Robert Gordon, bleakest of all, commands attention… more
==========================================
50 of the Best Books You Haven’t Read by Authors You Already Love
via Flavorwire by Emily Temple
Looking for something to read but don’t want to stray too far from the authors you know and love? Seeking undiscovered literary gems to talk about at dinner parties? Want to delve into the backlist of a certain Great American Author? Well, Flavorwire has got you covered. After all, sometimes, amazing books just get lost in the shuffle, whether it’s because they’re before their time, fall out of fashion, or their author has one blockbuster that blots out all the rest. So after the jump, check out 50 great under-appreciated, under-read, and overshadowed novels by 50 of your favorite authors, and be sure to add any missing ringers to the list.
Continue reading
I didn't count but I reckon that while I’ve heard of about three-quarters of these authors, I’ve only read two of the suggested books!
Monday, 22 September 2014
Trivia (which was destined to be published on 10 August)
Bridge Out: 1865
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
April 1865
“Richmond, Va. Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge”
Span over the James River, burned by Confederate troops before the advancing Federal Army
Wet plate negative by Alexander Gardner
View original post
==========================================
Open Content, An Idea Whose Time Has Come
James Cuno in the online magazine of the Getty (thanks to Research Buzz)
A New Commitment to Sharing the Getty’s Digital Resources Freely with All
Today [12 August 2013] the Getty becomes an even more engaged digital citizen, one that shares its collections, research, and knowledge more openly than ever before. We’ve launched the Open Content Program to share, freely and without restriction, as many of the Getty’s digital resources as possible.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Quick, name a religious-minded novelist. Easy, right? Now name one who’s living. “If any patch of our culture can be said to be post-Christian, it is literature”… more
==========================================
“Wilkie Collins, as they say, could have fornicated for England”
via AbeBooks.co.uk by Richard Davies
A new biography of Wilkie Collins is painting an intriguing portrait of The Moonstone author. Wilkie Collins: A Life Of Sensation by Andrew Lycett reveals that “Collins, as they say, could have fornicated for England,” according to the Daily Telegraph’s review.
==========================================
Animal Super Powers
via How-To Geek
Our favorite super heroes have awesome and unique powers to help them fight villains, but you might be surprised to know that many animals have natural and amazing super powers of their own! PBS Digital Studios looks at some of Nature’s most fascinating super-powered animals in this terrific video.
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Why writers drink. Is it a overly keen awareness of their own mortality that leads the hyperarticulate to the bottle?… more
==========================================
What if ice did not float?
via How-To Geek
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if ice did not float? Perhaps you have never really thought about it, but you might be surprised at the impact such a change would have on our world’s climate.
The Periodic Table of Videos channel discusses how ice’s ability to float has a positive effect on our climate in this terrific video.
==========================================
50 Places Every Music Lover Should Visit
via Flavorwire by Tom Hawking
A couple of weeks back, our esteemed literary editor Jason Diamond put together a pretty epic roundup of 50 places every literary fan should visit. The post got great feedback and responses from our readers, so much so that we thought we’d extend the concept to some of our other areas of expertise before the end of the summer vacation season. First up: music! From the backblocks of Brooklyn to the exotic locales of Kingston and Addis Ababa, here are 50 places that we reckon should be on every music fan’s fantasy itinerary.
Check it out for yourself
I can only notch up two of the fifty --- the obvious ones for a Brit. Waterloo Bridge and Abbey Road.
Incidentally there was an outcry when the local authority proposed replacing the iconic crossing!
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The language of celluloid. Film has a unique power, a mystical pull that brings us into closer dialogue with life, says Martin Scorsese… more
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
April 1865
“Richmond, Va. Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge”
Span over the James River, burned by Confederate troops before the advancing Federal Army
Wet plate negative by Alexander Gardner
View original post
==========================================
Open Content, An Idea Whose Time Has Come
James Cuno in the online magazine of the Getty (thanks to Research Buzz)
A New Commitment to Sharing the Getty’s Digital Resources Freely with All
Today [12 August 2013] the Getty becomes an even more engaged digital citizen, one that shares its collections, research, and knowledge more openly than ever before. We’ve launched the Open Content Program to share, freely and without restriction, as many of the Getty’s digital resources as possible.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Quick, name a religious-minded novelist. Easy, right? Now name one who’s living. “If any patch of our culture can be said to be post-Christian, it is literature”… more
==========================================
“Wilkie Collins, as they say, could have fornicated for England”
via AbeBooks.co.uk by Richard Davies
A new biography of Wilkie Collins is painting an intriguing portrait of The Moonstone author. Wilkie Collins: A Life Of Sensation by Andrew Lycett reveals that “Collins, as they say, could have fornicated for England,” according to the Daily Telegraph’s review.
On one of the family trips to Italy, he lost his virginity, aged 13, and he would be a voracious lover of women for the rest of his life. He had a fetish for what he called “haunches”, evident in the portrayal of such well-fleshed beauties as Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White.The Daily Mail also relishes the idea of a Victorian novelist with a taste for the ladies from the lower classes.
Collins, who lost his virginity at 12 (err… Telegraph says 13) and travelled around Europe picking up girls with (Charles) Dickens, embarked upon long-standing and overlapping relationships with Caroline Graves, then a 25-year-old near-destitute single mother, and Martha Rudd, a 19-year-old semi-educated Norfolk barmaid.Those Victorians! For good measure, Collins was also addicted to opium.
==========================================
Animal Super Powers
via How-To Geek
Our favorite super heroes have awesome and unique powers to help them fight villains, but you might be surprised to know that many animals have natural and amazing super powers of their own! PBS Digital Studios looks at some of Nature’s most fascinating super-powered animals in this terrific video.
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Why writers drink. Is it a overly keen awareness of their own mortality that leads the hyperarticulate to the bottle?… more
==========================================
What if ice did not float?
via How-To Geek
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if ice did not float? Perhaps you have never really thought about it, but you might be surprised at the impact such a change would have on our world’s climate.
The Periodic Table of Videos channel discusses how ice’s ability to float has a positive effect on our climate in this terrific video.
==========================================
50 Places Every Music Lover Should Visit
via Flavorwire by Tom Hawking
A couple of weeks back, our esteemed literary editor Jason Diamond put together a pretty epic roundup of 50 places every literary fan should visit. The post got great feedback and responses from our readers, so much so that we thought we’d extend the concept to some of our other areas of expertise before the end of the summer vacation season. First up: music! From the backblocks of Brooklyn to the exotic locales of Kingston and Addis Ababa, here are 50 places that we reckon should be on every music fan’s fantasy itinerary.
Check it out for yourself
I can only notch up two of the fifty --- the obvious ones for a Brit. Waterloo Bridge and Abbey Road.
Incidentally there was an outcry when the local authority proposed replacing the iconic crossing!
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The language of celluloid. Film has a unique power, a mystical pull that brings us into closer dialogue with life, says Martin Scorsese… more
==========================================
Vermeer: Master of Light Narrated by Meryl Streep
Stunning. But not all commentators on YouTube thought so.
Just make sure you allow time as it is the full documentary.
Vermeer: Master of Light Narrated by Meryl Streep
Stunning. But not all commentators on YouTube thought so.
Just make sure you allow time as it is the full documentary.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
More trivia (this should have been published on 9th August)
==========================================
Modern Office: 1921
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
December 1921. Washington, D.C.
“Machinists Association”
Mad amenities in this office paradise include windows and a sink. Note the Burroughs tabulator with glass sides.
National Photo Company glass negative
View original post
==========================================
The Science of Champagne
From Smithsonian via 3QuarksDaily
A glass of champagne is often synonymous with toasting some of life’s biggest moments—a big promotion at work, weddings, the New Year. So too, is the tickle that revelers feel against their skin when they drink from long-stemmed flutes filled with bubbly. There’s more to that fizz than just a pleasant sensation, though. Inside a freshly poured glass of champagne, or really any sparking wine, hundreds of bubbles are bursting every second. Tiny drops are ejected up to an inch above the surface with a powerful velocity of nearly 10 feet per second. They carry aromatic molecules up to our noses, foreshadowing the flavor to come.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The language of celluloid. Film has a unique power, a mystical pull that brings us into closer dialogue with life, says Martin Scorsese… more
==========================================
The reason that I started The Proverbial Skeptic in the first place is that I get annoyed at the undue credulity with which people regard well-phrased sayings. But even more irksome are attempts at well-phrased sayings, particularly in ads, which do not even meet the basic confines of grammar.
Continue reading
==========================================
How Big is the Solar System?
via How-To Geek
While we all realise that our solar system is large, we may not have a good idea of just how huge it actually is. Enter the folks from “It’s Okay to be Smart” with the outdoor solar system model they put together for this video. It will give you a whole new appreciation for the distances involved should we ever start travelling to our neighbouring planets.
Bonus!
The “About Section” for the video included a link for creating your own solar system model, which we have added in here for easier reference/access. This would be an awesome “at home” weekend project that you could do with your kids (or friends) if they have an interest in astronomy!
Build a Solar System Model [Exploratorium]
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Can evolution illuminate the mysteries of economics? David Sloan Wilson on the new social Darwinism… more
==========================================
American viewers are accustomed to hearing just how much better television audiences have it across the pond. Most British TV imports tend to be either comedies or BBC miniseries; who hasn’t plowed their way through The IT Crowd on Netflix or mooned over Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy? But with the recent ascendancy of BBC America, the network behind critically acclaimed shows like Orphan Black, we’re reminded that there’s more to UK TV than laughs alone.
Here’s our guide to the best British dramas on television both past and present, from science fiction to spying.
Starts with the best of the lot: Dr Who.
==========================================
via 3QuarksDaily by Morgan Meis
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Whether or not he was an apologist for violence, an enemy of virtue, Machiavelli knew that in politics, one should never confuse hope and reality… more
==========================================
Brilliant new New York Subway map
via BoingBoing by Rob Beschizza
New York has the worst subway map in the world. Instead of using London Underground-inspired abstract maps like a normal metropolis, the locals prefer a more geographically-faithful "spaghetti" rendering, thereby making wayfinding a pain for tourists. But it’s not as if improvements haven’t been attempted: New York’s peculiar layout, and the density of its downtown lines, tend to make minimalist maps confusing in other ways. Mapmaker Max Roberts, however, has created this incredible “circular map”, which uses a Tube-like style but with the 90- and 45-degree angles ditched in favor of radial lines emanating from the Upper Bay.
P.S. Roberts tried the same thing with the London map, but to my eye it only introduces unnecessary decompression to the original’s optimized snarl.
There’s lots of links to check out and, of course, a much larger version of the map here.
Modern Office: 1921
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
December 1921. Washington, D.C.
“Machinists Association”
Mad amenities in this office paradise include windows and a sink. Note the Burroughs tabulator with glass sides.
National Photo Company glass negative
View original post
==========================================
The Science of Champagne
From Smithsonian via 3QuarksDaily
A glass of champagne is often synonymous with toasting some of life’s biggest moments—a big promotion at work, weddings, the New Year. So too, is the tickle that revelers feel against their skin when they drink from long-stemmed flutes filled with bubbly. There’s more to that fizz than just a pleasant sensation, though. Inside a freshly poured glass of champagne, or really any sparking wine, hundreds of bubbles are bursting every second. Tiny drops are ejected up to an inch above the surface with a powerful velocity of nearly 10 feet per second. They carry aromatic molecules up to our noses, foreshadowing the flavor to come.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The language of celluloid. Film has a unique power, a mystical pull that brings us into closer dialogue with life, says Martin Scorsese… more
==========================================
3 Fun (and Horrifying) Reasons to Be a Grammar Snob
via Big Think by Nicholas ClairmontThe reason that I started The Proverbial Skeptic in the first place is that I get annoyed at the undue credulity with which people regard well-phrased sayings. But even more irksome are attempts at well-phrased sayings, particularly in ads, which do not even meet the basic confines of grammar.
Continue reading
==========================================
How Big is the Solar System?
via How-To Geek
While we all realise that our solar system is large, we may not have a good idea of just how huge it actually is. Enter the folks from “It’s Okay to be Smart” with the outdoor solar system model they put together for this video. It will give you a whole new appreciation for the distances involved should we ever start travelling to our neighbouring planets.
Bonus!
The “About Section” for the video included a link for creating your own solar system model, which we have added in here for easier reference/access. This would be an awesome “at home” weekend project that you could do with your kids (or friends) if they have an interest in astronomy!
Build a Solar System Model [Exploratorium]
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Can evolution illuminate the mysteries of economics? David Sloan Wilson on the new social Darwinism… more
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British TV’s Best Dramas
via Flavorwire by Alison HermanAmerican viewers are accustomed to hearing just how much better television audiences have it across the pond. Most British TV imports tend to be either comedies or BBC miniseries; who hasn’t plowed their way through The IT Crowd on Netflix or mooned over Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy? But with the recent ascendancy of BBC America, the network behind critically acclaimed shows like Orphan Black, we’re reminded that there’s more to UK TV than laughs alone.
Here’s our guide to the best British dramas on television both past and present, from science fiction to spying.
Starts with the best of the lot: Dr Who.
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via 3QuarksDaily by Morgan Meis
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Whether or not he was an apologist for violence, an enemy of virtue, Machiavelli knew that in politics, one should never confuse hope and reality… more
Brilliant new New York Subway map
via BoingBoing by Rob Beschizza
New York has the worst subway map in the world. Instead of using London Underground-inspired abstract maps like a normal metropolis, the locals prefer a more geographically-faithful "spaghetti" rendering, thereby making wayfinding a pain for tourists. But it’s not as if improvements haven’t been attempted: New York’s peculiar layout, and the density of its downtown lines, tend to make minimalist maps confusing in other ways. Mapmaker Max Roberts, however, has created this incredible “circular map”, which uses a Tube-like style but with the 90- and 45-degree angles ditched in favor of radial lines emanating from the Upper Bay.
P.S. Roberts tried the same thing with the London map, but to my eye it only introduces unnecessary decompression to the original’s optimized snarl.
There’s lots of links to check out and, of course, a much larger version of the map here.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Saturday trivia (oops this should have been 3rd August)
Tater Tot: 1940
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
October 1940
“Near Caribou, Maine. The opening of school was delayed in sections of Aroostook County so children could help pick potatoes”
Does this beat Introduction to Algebra?
Photo by Jack Delano
View original post
==========================================
Worship at Tiffany’s
Colour, light, impurity, and devotion in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s forgotten chapel
via 3QuarksDaily by Morgan Meis in The Smart Set
A Willard Chapel window
Crosses, abstraction, and iridescence
Read the full article
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
For a German philosopher to revive the idea of the superman is risky. But Peter Sloterdijktakes his Nietzsche guilt-free… more
==========================================
Robots clean Sydney Harbour Bridge
Australia is using two grit-blasting robots to clean the Sydney Harbour Bridge before it is repainted.
Repainting work is a never-ending task, and the two robots - Sandy and Rosey - are to remain a permanent part of the maintenance team.
Continue reading and watch the video which I can't embed in here!
==========================================
How could a drone help a deer?
Should things be banned because they destroy many lives? An initial response might be YES. But consider what we’re actually replying to by saying “YES”. We’re not saying we want banning in and of itself, really: we want the thing being banned to not have the negative effects and think the act of banning, removal, criminalisation will achieve this.
Continue reading
==========================================
Uncovering the cause of the largest mass poisoning in history
via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
Twenty-one children died in India yesterday [16 July 2013] after eating school lunch food that had been contaminated with insecticide. Authorities are still investigating what happened there, but the Generation Anthropocene podcast has a related episode I wanted to point you towards in the meantime. It's about the struggle to understand the causes behind the largest mass poisoning in history, which began in Bangladesh in the 1980s and is still happening. The 25-minute podcast covers the work of the epidemiologists, doctors, and geologists who figured out that the skin lesions and organ damage affecting millions of Bangladeshis were caused by arsenic ... and then uncovered where all that arsenic was coming from.
It is worth the time that it takes to watch one or more of the videos
==========================================
The Acts of God Committee
via The Royal Society: The Repository by Noah Moxham
Lightning-proofing St Paul’s and the Purfleet magazines.
It’s a well-attested fact that when a person embarks on a historical research project, however apparently specific, they start to see it everywhere. My commute to the Royal Society Library takes me under the Thames and past Purfleet, site of the Board of Ordnance’s gunpowder magazines after they were moved from Greenwich in 1765. You can’t see the one surviving magazine building from the train – the lines of sight aren’t quite right – but Purfleet is one of a couple of places on that route with a connection to the history of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Continue reading
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
October 1940
“Near Caribou, Maine. The opening of school was delayed in sections of Aroostook County so children could help pick potatoes”
Does this beat Introduction to Algebra?
Photo by Jack Delano
View original post
==========================================
Worship at Tiffany’s
Colour, light, impurity, and devotion in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s forgotten chapel
via 3QuarksDaily by Morgan Meis in The Smart Set
A Willard Chapel window
Crosses, abstraction, and iridescence
Read the full article
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
For a German philosopher to revive the idea of the superman is risky. But Peter Sloterdijktakes his Nietzsche guilt-free… more
==========================================
Robots clean Sydney Harbour Bridge
Australia is using two grit-blasting robots to clean the Sydney Harbour Bridge before it is repainted.
Repainting work is a never-ending task, and the two robots - Sandy and Rosey - are to remain a permanent part of the maintenance team.
Continue reading and watch the video which I can't embed in here!
==========================================
How could a drone help a deer?
via BoingBoing by Xeni Jardin
By indicating to farmers who are operating heavy equipment where deer might be hiding and resting in their fields. Many deer are killed instantly or lose limbs when they’re run over by farming equipment, by farmers who have no idea they’re there. What a wonderful use of drones!
Video Link. It’s a Swiss TV news segment, and includes some other interesting new technologies Swiss farmers are using. I hope your French is up to it. mine definitely is not but you get the main idea. (thanks, @DeerRehab)
By indicating to farmers who are operating heavy equipment where deer might be hiding and resting in their fields. Many deer are killed instantly or lose limbs when they’re run over by farming equipment, by farmers who have no idea they’re there. What a wonderful use of drones!
Video Link. It’s a Swiss TV news segment, and includes some other interesting new technologies Swiss farmers are using. I hope your French is up to it. mine definitely is not but you get the main idea. (thanks, @DeerRehab)
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
When Claude Lévi-Strauss wrote about food, it was about metaphors and ideas. “Cooking is a language through which society reveals its structure”… more
==========================================
Criminalising drugs, legalising murder, and the actual goals of our politics
via Big Think by Tauriq MoosaArts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
When Claude Lévi-Strauss wrote about food, it was about metaphors and ideas. “Cooking is a language through which society reveals its structure”… more
==========================================
Criminalising drugs, legalising murder, and the actual goals of our politics
Should things be banned because they destroy many lives? An initial response might be YES. But consider what we’re actually replying to by saying “YES”. We’re not saying we want banning in and of itself, really: we want the thing being banned to not have the negative effects and think the act of banning, removal, criminalisation will achieve this.
Continue reading
==========================================
Uncovering the cause of the largest mass poisoning in history
via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
Twenty-one children died in India yesterday [16 July 2013] after eating school lunch food that had been contaminated with insecticide. Authorities are still investigating what happened there, but the Generation Anthropocene podcast has a related episode I wanted to point you towards in the meantime. It's about the struggle to understand the causes behind the largest mass poisoning in history, which began in Bangladesh in the 1980s and is still happening. The 25-minute podcast covers the work of the epidemiologists, doctors, and geologists who figured out that the skin lesions and organ damage affecting millions of Bangladeshis were caused by arsenic ... and then uncovered where all that arsenic was coming from.
It is worth the time that it takes to watch one or more of the videos
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
While the natural sciences have evolved – new fields, discoveries, methods – the social sciences have stagnated, answering the same questions with the same answers…more
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
While the natural sciences have evolved – new fields, discoveries, methods – the social sciences have stagnated, answering the same questions with the same answers…more
==========================================
The Acts of God Committee
via The Royal Society: The Repository by Noah Moxham
Lightning-proofing St Paul’s and the Purfleet magazines.
It’s a well-attested fact that when a person embarks on a historical research project, however apparently specific, they start to see it everywhere. My commute to the Royal Society Library takes me under the Thames and past Purfleet, site of the Board of Ordnance’s gunpowder magazines after they were moved from Greenwich in 1765. You can’t see the one surviving magazine building from the train – the lines of sight aren’t quite right – but Purfleet is one of a couple of places on that route with a connection to the history of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Continue reading
Saturday trivia (2/8/14)
Slick and Quick: 1926
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Fairfax County, Virginia, circa 1926
“Freeman House Store – Vienna, Va.”
A historic structure that figured in the Civil War. Our title comes from a retail detail.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
View original post
==========================================
Is Genius in Your Genes?
via Big Think by Orion D Jones
Those who believe genius is more hereditary than environmental can now point to new research completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis which has identified a specific gene that may help manage our skill level for organizing things logically.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
When did “He’s a machine” become a compliment in praise of one’s work ethic? Probably around the time sleep became an affront to capitalism… more
==========================================
How Exercise Works on the Brain to Reduce Stress & Anxiety
via Big Think by Orion D Jones
Princeton scientists have found that mice are less anxious about experiencing stressors, such as entering a pool of cold water, when they are allowed regular exercise. The report, recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, explains the experiment and how the “[mice’s] brains exhibited a spike in the activity of neurons that shut off excitement in the ventral hippocampus, a brain region shown to regulate anxiety”. Princeton’s Elizabeth Gould said that by helping researchers pinpoint brain cells and regions important to anxiety regulation, the study will work to create a better understanding of human anxiety disorders and help treat them in the future.
Continue reading
==========================================
How To Play A Piano Like A Guitar
via Big Think by Kecia Lynn
A team of designers, composers and musicians at Queen Mary-University of London has created a addition to the classic piano keyboard that uses touch-screen technology to produce sound effects, such as vibrato and pitch slides, similar to those heard through string instruments.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The travelling salesman problem provides the mathematical basis for modern transportation systems. It also suggests the limits of human knowledge… more
==========================================
Singing the Lesbian Blues in 1920s Harlem
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Ben Marks of Collectors Weekly says:
Read more in Music at Boing Boing
==========================================
Were Paleolithic Cave Painters High on Psychedelic Drugs? Scientists Propose Ingenious Theory for Why They Might Have Been
via 3 Quarks Daily via AlterNat by Steven Rosenfeld
Prehistoric cave paintings across the continents have similar geometric patterns not because early humans were learning to draw like Paleolithic pre-schoolers, but because they were high on drugs, and their brains – like ours – have a biological predisposition to “see” certain patterns, especially during consciousness altering states.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
For a people to resist tyranny, they must think of themselves as a people. Thus Stalin regarded free association as a greater threat than free enterprise… more
==========================================
We’re Never More Persuasive Than On Our First Day on Earth
via Big Think by Kevin Dutton
We are never more persuasive than on our very first day on earth. If you think about it on our very first day on earth, as newborn babies, we had to convince those around us, without intention, without consciousness, without any of the techniques of modern linguistic sophistry currently at our disposal, to take care of us, to see us on our way, to subjugate their own interests at the expense of ours. And you know what? We did it, didn’t we? Because otherwise we wouldn’t be sitting here this afternoon talking about it.
Continue reading
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Fairfax County, Virginia, circa 1926
“Freeman House Store – Vienna, Va.”
A historic structure that figured in the Civil War. Our title comes from a retail detail.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
View original post
Is Genius in Your Genes?
via Big Think by Orion D Jones
Those who believe genius is more hereditary than environmental can now point to new research completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis which has identified a specific gene that may help manage our skill level for organizing things logically.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
When did “He’s a machine” become a compliment in praise of one’s work ethic? Probably around the time sleep became an affront to capitalism… more
==========================================
How Exercise Works on the Brain to Reduce Stress & Anxiety
via Big Think by Orion D Jones
Princeton scientists have found that mice are less anxious about experiencing stressors, such as entering a pool of cold water, when they are allowed regular exercise. The report, recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, explains the experiment and how the “[mice’s] brains exhibited a spike in the activity of neurons that shut off excitement in the ventral hippocampus, a brain region shown to regulate anxiety”. Princeton’s Elizabeth Gould said that by helping researchers pinpoint brain cells and regions important to anxiety regulation, the study will work to create a better understanding of human anxiety disorders and help treat them in the future.
Continue reading
==========================================
How To Play A Piano Like A Guitar
via Big Think by Kecia Lynn
A team of designers, composers and musicians at Queen Mary-University of London has created a addition to the classic piano keyboard that uses touch-screen technology to produce sound effects, such as vibrato and pitch slides, similar to those heard through string instruments.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The travelling salesman problem provides the mathematical basis for modern transportation systems. It also suggests the limits of human knowledge… more
==========================================
Singing the Lesbian Blues in 1920s Harlem
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Ben Marks of Collectors Weekly says:
Our own Lisa Hix has written a terrific article about how Bessie Smith and other blues divas of the 1920s led not-entirely secret double lives as lesbians, occasionally taunting their audiences with revealing lyrics. For example, in the 1928 song Prove It on Me, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey—known as “The Mother of Blues”—sang, “It’s true I wear a collar and a tie, … Talk to the gals just like any old man”. While such lyrics might not seem like a big deal to us today, back then, pursuing same-sex relations could get you thrown in jail.
Read more in Music at Boing Boing
==========================================
Were Paleolithic Cave Painters High on Psychedelic Drugs? Scientists Propose Ingenious Theory for Why They Might Have Been
via 3 Quarks Daily via AlterNat by Steven Rosenfeld
Prehistoric cave paintings across the continents have similar geometric patterns not because early humans were learning to draw like Paleolithic pre-schoolers, but because they were high on drugs, and their brains – like ours – have a biological predisposition to “see” certain patterns, especially during consciousness altering states.
Continue reading
==========================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
For a people to resist tyranny, they must think of themselves as a people. Thus Stalin regarded free association as a greater threat than free enterprise… more
==========================================
We’re Never More Persuasive Than On Our First Day on Earth
via Big Think by Kevin Dutton
We are never more persuasive than on our very first day on earth. If you think about it on our very first day on earth, as newborn babies, we had to convince those around us, without intention, without consciousness, without any of the techniques of modern linguistic sophistry currently at our disposal, to take care of us, to see us on our way, to subjugate their own interests at the expense of ours. And you know what? We did it, didn’t we? Because otherwise we wouldn’t be sitting here this afternoon talking about it.
Continue reading
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