Pinboard (patrix:pb) http://pinboard.in//u:patrix/t:pb/ Recent bookmarks tagged 'pb' from patrix Jonathan Coulton on the MegaUpload shutdown 2012-01-21T16:50:31+00:00 http://www.jonathancoulton.com/2012/01/21/megaupload/ patrixAnd right now everyone’s fighting to control distribution channels, which is why I can’t watch Star Wars on Netflix or iTunes. It’s fine if you want to have that fight, but don’t yell and scream about how you’re losing business to piracy when your stuff isn’t even available in the box I have on top of my TV. A lot of us have figured out how to do this.

An excellent post by Jonathan Coulton from the perspective of an artiste who, according to the industry and the government, supposedly is going to be bankrupted by online piracy.]]> piracy content megaupload copyright pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:b3f4708e8127/ How Big-Time Sports Ate College Life 2012-01-21T16:36:12+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/how-big-time-sports-ate-college-life.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all patrix“Here is evidence that suggests that when your football team does well, grades suffer,” said Dr. Waddell, who compared transcripts of over 29,700 students from 1999 to 2007 against Oregon’s win-loss record. For every three games won, grade-point average for men dropped 0.02, widening the G.P.A. gender gap by 9 percent. Women’s grades didn’t suffer. In a separate survey of 183 students, the success of the Ducks also seemed to cause slacking off: students reported studying less (24 percent of men, 9 percent of women), consuming more alcohol (28 percent, 20 percent) and partying more (47 percent, 28 percent).

As much as I love college football, there is much wrong with institutional football especially given its tradeoffs with academics and misplaced priorities.]]> sports football pb college academics http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:2c9fff1a3062/ Top Reasons Why Apple Could Trump Amazon in Digital Textbooks 2012-01-17T15:14:31+00:00 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/282896/20120117/top-reasons-why-apple-trump-amazon-digital.htm patrixAmazon Digital Books uses its proprietary format called MOBI (also called Kindle format), while Apple uses an open format called ePubWait! Apple is open?]]> Apple Amazon textbooks ebooks pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:5af8d66e7ff2/ What should I use? Whatever works for you 2011-11-28T17:14:01+00:00 http://www.marco.org/2011/11/28/whatever-works-for-you patrixYou should use whatever works for you. And I no longer have the patience or hubris to convince you what that should be. All I can offer is one data point: what I use, and how it works for me.

I've been leaning more and more toward such an attitude. I will offer my advice only when asked first and usually will try not to oversell people on making the same choices that I do usually because it will not work the same way. This linked post may be about evangelizing Apple products but I think it applies to all facets of life including personal opinions. 

Why do we believe in a particular thing? Because it works for us and makes us feel comfortable. It may not be the case for anyone else no matter how closely you're related to them. Offer your opinion when asked; when vehemently countered, don't persist because nothing is going to make them change their mind so why waste your breath?]]> Apple technology gadgets observations opinion pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:bf62acc3947f/ The Next Steve Jobs Will Be A Chick 2011-11-23T21:53:22+00:00 http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/161/louis-ck-on-female-culture patrixThe next Steve Jobs will totally be a chick, because girls are No. 2--and No. 2 always wins in America. Apple was a No. 2 company for years, and Apple embodies a lot of what have been defined as feminine traits: an emphasis on intuitive design, intellect, a strong sense of creativity, and that striving to always make the greatest version of something. Traditionally, men are more like Microsoft, where they'll just make a fake version of what that chick made, then beat the shit out of her and try to intimidate everybody into using their product.

Louis CK is the George Carlin of our generation. Well, not in the same league yet but he has one of the most profound and biting standup routines amongst his peers. One of his acts, he elaborated on the usage of words like 'nigger' and 'faggot' and not one black or homosexual person was offended. If you haven't seen or heard him yet and if you have a taste for slightly edgy comedy, you must.]]> SteveJobs Apple humor design girls pb comedy http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:f44cd350451e/ Daddy put you in the top 1% 2011-11-20T22:29:51+00:00 http://milescorak.com/2011/11/11/inequality-and-occupy-wall-street-4-daddy-put-you-in-the-top-1/ patrixBad nepotism promotes people above their abilities by virtue of connections, and it erodes rather than enhances economic productivity. But there is even a larger cost. If the rich leverage economic power to gain political power they can also skew broader public policy choices—from the tax system to the education system—to the benefit of their offspring. This will surely start eroding the belief that labour markets are fair, and that anyone can aspire to the top.

Sometimes I wonder where would I be if I had joined my dad's architectural consulting firm in Panvel. Would I be better off? Then I think to myself, probably we would've ended up killing each other first.]]> nepotism business inheritance pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:ecb22a65c451/ The 8 Best Innovation Ideas From Around the World 2011-11-19T21:14:47+00:00 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/the-8-best-innovation-ideas-from-around-the-world/248695/ patrixSome of the answers to our innovation challenge will come from within the U.S. We remain in many ways the most dynamic country in the world, with more top universities and multinational corporations than any other nation. But it's foolish to imagine that the best innovation ideas in the world already have a home in policies coming from Washington, D.C. Here is a world-wide tour of the best ideas that our government should import to jump-start innovation.

Several lessons for the U.S. to continue reigning atop the world but sadly no one in Washington is listening and the squabbles continue.]]> innovation unitedstates economicgrowth pb fave http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:0af2ad58a866/ State of STEM majors among Americans 2011-11-05T22:05:47+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/education/edlife/why-science-majors-change-their-mind-its-just-so-darn-hard.html?_r=4&pagewanted=all patrixThe bulk of attrition comes in engineering and among pre-med majors, who typically leave STEM fields if their hopes for medical school fade. There is no doubt that the main majors are difficult and growing more complex. Some students still lack math preparation or aren’t willing to work hard enough.

 An insightful look into the state of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education among American students that doesn't bode well for the country. As things stand now, it seems likely the the high skill jobs that these majors lead to will be performed by immigrants from countries where these fields are heavily emphasized. Further, the low skill jobs are also increasingly performed also by immigrants, mostly from Latin American countries. The 'real' Americans are caught in the middle, untrained in the new economy and unable to adapt. But will they learn quick and adapt soon? PS. India does graduate a lot of engineers and doctors but research has shown that a majority are not up to the standard that employers want so we too some catching up to do.]]> education science technology university pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:7c4a31e229e8/ The Ten Commandments of The American Religion 2011-10-22T04:37:29+00:00 http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/09/28/the-ten-commandments-of-the-american-religion/ patrixIt’s a fickle and false religion, used to replace the ideologies we (a country of immigrants) escaped. Random high priests lurk all over the Internet, ready to pounce. Below are the Ten Commandments of the American Religion, as I see them.]]> UnitedStates rules economics war pb Freakonomics_Blog America congress FDA homes religion voting http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:95ddee1116e4/ 7 Reasons Nerds Should Listen to Classical Music 2011-10-21T16:25:21+00:00 http://www.getintoclassical.com/7-reasons-nerds-should-listen-to-classical-music/ patrixIf you’re like me then you’ve probably listened to quite a few classical pieces, but haven’t ever really, really gotten into them — at least not in the same way as your favorite non-classical pieces of music. Here are 7 reasons why if you are a true nerd you should seriously consider giving classical music a more serious listen

I found this link thru SkepticGeek's excellent primer on Western Classical Music that I'm currently reading (and listening). As the author says, I too have listened to several classical pieces without really understanding although enjoying them. Perhaps I should give it another try.]]> music classical nerd fave pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:35bf94237755/ Why Google Is Wrong to Kill Off Google Reader 2011-10-21T15:33:28+00:00 http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/10/21/the-unsocial-network-why-google-is-wrong-to-kill-off-google-reader/ patrixFor one thing, Reader is only sort of a social network. In many senses it’s an anti-social network. Not in the sense that people in Reader are anti-social so much as the point is to harbor a small enclave of carefully selected people and create a safe-haven of sorts where that “carefully constructed human curated” list of shares and insights can flourish. In Reader, you don’t go after as many friends as possible. You certainly don’t see anyone from high school. Nobody shares photos of their kids. The discussions that do blossom are almost always very smart and focused. It’s the internet if the world were a more prefect place. Google Reader was one of the last vestiges of the Internet where you could avoid all the 'friend-ing' and focus purely on content sharing. Of course, you had likes, sharing, and following friends but that was never primary goal of the service. Any communication you had with your 'friends' was focused on the content you shared.]]> Google Reading Internet RSS fave pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:86405e0a6ff6/ Are these the 100 most beautiful words in the English language? 2011-07-11T22:39:03+00:00 http://deshoda.com/words/100-most-beautiful-words-in-the-english-language/ patrix words English beautiful pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:9fdd6b4c7aac/ Tea'd Off 2010-12-10T16:32:34+00:00 http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/01/hitchens-201101 patrixMost epochs are defined by one or another anxiety. More important, though, is the form which that anxiety takes. Millions of Americans are currently worried about two things that are, in their minds, emotionally related. The first of these is the prospect that white people will no longer be the majority in this country, and the second is that the United States will be just one among many world powers. This is by no means purely a “racial” matter. (In my experience, black Americans are quite concerned that “Hispanic” immigration will relegate them, too.) Having an honest and open discussion about all this is not just a high priority. It’s more like a matter of social and political survival. Christopher Hitchens points to the heart of the matter in this alleged Tea Party uprising. Cut down to the basics, it is the impending loss of control and change that scares these people. Like everything else, hopefully, this too shall pass.]]> teaparty Republicans politics unitedstates pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:980f9d2ff4af/ Nobel peace prize: Who is boycotting the ceremony? 2010-12-07T21:52:07+00:00 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11879731 patrixThis year's Nobel peace prize was awarded this year to Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo. The move angered Beijing, which warned of "consequences" for governments attending the ceremony. The BBC's Paul Reynolds looks at which countries are not going, and why. We may like to rant on the United States stand against WikiLeaks's Julian Assange or the endemic corruption of Kalamadi and co. during the CWG in India but its helps to bear in mind that there are other countries in the world where mere ranting might send you to prison. That's no reason to stop ranting about your democratic country's shenanigans but this depressing list of countries might give you an idea if China surpasses the United States as the world's moral policeman. That is a far more scary thought.]]> Nobel democracy dissidents pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:de4e4d80e06f/ Starbucks Hacks : Frugal 2010-12-07T19:04:06+00:00 http://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/efxps/starbucks_hacks/ patrixNow, I know as a rule frugal people don't buy Starbucks drinks. But say you're in a hurry and you need a caffeine fix, or you're a tea junkie like me and couldn't wait for your kettle to boil some water before your class/work/whatever. Or maybe your with some friends who all want to go to Starbucks (Because, say what you will about Starbucks, but if you want a place to hang out with your friends other than your house, Starbucks is much cheaper than a restaurant or bar), how can you save money? If you and a friend are out and want a Frappuccino, ask for a Venti split into two tall cups. Iced venti cups are 24 oz. Tall are 12. Viola. Two talls would cost you about 6 bucks, a venti, 4. I know coffee snobs hate Starbucks but no one can deny its ubiquity. It is that familiar place where you can get coffee be it an airport or a busy downtown of a new city. But it can add up quick especially for not so great coffee so hopefully these tips by a Starbucks employee should save a penny. Although recently, I haven't frequently Starbucks much but having done so in the past, I can vouch for their genteel ambiance and friendly staff. They'll never ask you to leave even if you have been nursing that empty cup of plain coffee you bought several hours ago. Make friends with the barista. And don't feel bad for accepting a free drink once in a while because they'll throw it out anyway. And don't forget to pick up the free coffee grounds for your vegetable garden.]]> starbucks coffee lifehacks pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:87f93242a9bc/ Good-looking couples have more daughters? 2010-12-02T15:07:43+00:00 http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/30/5552927-good-looking-couples-have-more-daughters-study-suggests?gt1=43001 patrixBeautiful parents tend to have more daughters than their homelier counterparts, according to a report by evolutionary psychologist Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics Now don't assume that if you have a daughter that you are a good-looking couple :) But the real kicker in the article is, "guys tend go for beautiful women when looking for something long-term, while women seek out good-looking guys for the short-term, but not necessarily for the long haul." So if your wife is beautiful, you are the ugly one. Obviously, I'm not geneticist so this story might be BS to the real scientists out there. According to Wikipedia,
In 2006 he published an article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, claiming that attractive people are 26% less likely to have male offspring.[3][4] In a letter to the editors,[5] Columbia statistician Andrew Gelman points out that a correct interpretation of the regression coefficients in Kanazawa's analysis is that attractive people are 8% more likely to have girls, an error that Kanazawa acknowledges.[6] Gelman further argues that Kanazawa's analysis does not convincingly show causality, because of possible endogeneity as well as problematic interpretations of statistical significance in multiple comparisons. While Kanazawa claims that the former error is "merely linguistic" and that he addressed the latter two in his initial article,[7] Gelman maintains that his original criticism remains valid.[8]"
The age-old correlation-causation debate.]]> genetics parents children pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:6b20b095ee2e/ Why Are We Obsessed with Palin? 2010-11-23T15:08:43+00:00 http://www.frumforum.com/our-national-palin-obsession patrixImagine you’re at the circus. On the ground is a poodle performing a stunt. Above the clown’s head, dangling from a thin wire, is a piano. The piano is teetering, tottering, looking as if at any moment it might slip, crash to earth, and crush the dog. Impossible not to watch, right? And that’s the Palin show, only this time with the party of Lincoln as the little dog, and Sarah Palin as the piano. Sounds about right and I hope to be around when that happens. As Fox News would say it, it would make for excellent ratings.]]> sarahpalin celebrities politics unitedstates pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:6d5846869c3f/ Are we at war or not? 2010-11-22T15:43:16+00:00 http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/11/tsa-thoughts.html patrixThe issue reminds me of the taxation and spending debates; many Americans want low taxes and high government spending, forever.  For airline security, at times we want to treat it as a matter of mere law enforcement, to be handled by others, and one which should not inconvenience our daily lives or infringe on our rights.  At the same time, so many Americans view airline security as a vital matter of foreign policy and indeed as part of a war.  We own and promote this view and yet we are outraged when asked to behave as one might be expected to in a theater of war.   The main danger to liberty here is not the TSA but rather a set of American attitudes which, at the same time, take our current "war" both far too seriously and also not nearly seriously enough. Tyler Cowen highlights this behavior of Americans that I always find befuddling. All the talk of America being at war but if you live in America, there is no sign of that actually being true. While I understand fears of being violated by the TSA, such fears are non-existent when it comes to the rights of others (law in AZ, etc.)]]> security TSA war liberty pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:2bbbad8b3928/ News the Social Media Way 2010-11-21T19:18:32+00:00 http://jonathanstray.com/whats-the-point-of-social-news patrixSocial media is now routinely used to augment reporting of public events. There are entire units in news organizations dedicated to getting stories from the audience, often under the awkward rubric of “user-generated content.” But why sift for events online when you can give your audience the tools to give you the story directly? Right now if I see a plane land in a river, I tweet it. Wouldn’t a news organization prefer that I send my eye-witness photo to the UGC editor instead? Social media always attracts looks of derision but when rightly used especially for news reporting, it can be the best source we have.]]> socialmedia news reporting pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:1ed6d85b0396/ Mac Software for Advanced OS X Users: 70 Apps 2010-11-11T21:13:38+00:00 http://mac.appstorm.net/roundups/mac-software-for-advanced-os-x-users-70-apps/ patrixThese apps are a mix of free and paid for software, and in order to provide you with as much information as possible, we’ve included multiple apps for similar tasks if available. This list is by no means complete, but it should help you to unlock some more of your Mac’s great potential!]]> apps mac pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:ba9b0aafcdb1/ Set Up a Home Surveillance System with FaceTime 2010-10-27T20:14:01+00:00 http://lifehacker.com/5674846/set-up-a-home-surveillance-system-with-facetime patrixWhen you want to check in on your living room, just call yourself on FaceTime from your iPhone or iPod touch, and your Mac will automatically answer the call. When you hang up the call, the script will close FaceTime and continue monitoring for incoming calls. When you get home, you can just quit the app to stop FaceTime from auto-answering everything that comes in. Don't forget to read the text under the headline IMPORTANT otherwise you are opening up yourself to massive invasion of privacy and some rather awkward moments.]]> facetime Mac remote webcam pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:f426abddf31b/ The Real Genius behind 'The Social Network' 2010-10-04T17:55:11+00:00 http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/78081/sorkin-zuckerberg-the-social-network?page=0,1 patrixThe tragedy—small in the scale of things, no doubt—of this film is that practically everyone watching it will miss this point. Practically everyone walking out will think they understand genius on the Internet. But almost none will have seen the real genius here. And that is tragedy because just at the moment when we celebrate the product of these two wonders—Zuckerberg and the Internet—working together, policymakers are conspiring ferociously with old world powers to remove the conditions for this success. An otherwise brilliant movie, Lessig's point is well taken. 'The Social Network' is about characters more than the business aspect. In spite of the fact that this country is pro-business, the only example you will hear frequently of a business movie is 'Wall Street'. And even that isn't exactly a good one.]]> innovation internet facebook Zuckerberg pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:170803d8d8e1/ I know more about your god 2010-09-28T13:58:58+00:00 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-religion-survey,0,7375137.story patrixIf you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an atheist. Heresy? Perhaps. But a survey that measured Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists and agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths. In fact, the gaps in knowledge among some of the faithful may give new meaning to the term "blind faith." Because for you to not believe in something, you must know what it is you are not believing in.]]> atheism religion pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:a4e248953ceb/ Gingrich: Obama Wants Whitey’s Money 2010-09-13T18:29:36+00:00 http://www.frumforum.com/gingrich-obama-wants-whiteys-money patrixHere’s the question, though, for the rest of us: Why do Forbes (which presumably has many choices of cover material) and Gingrich imagine that such a message will resonate with their conservative audience? Nothing more offends conservatives than liberal accusations of racial animus. Yet here is racial animus, unconcealed and unapologetic, and it is seized by savvy editors and an ambitious politician as just the material to please a conservative audience. That’s an insult to every conservative in America. Several years from now when my great-granddaughter would be running for office, she will face accusations that she has fascist tendencies because her great-grandfather was presumably conceived during the dark ages of the Indian Emergency.]]> Obama Gingrich conservatives UnitedStates pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:8fda34edfbd6/ Choosing the News to Report 2010-09-10T18:17:11+00:00 http://www.savethenews.org/blog/10/09/10/no-more-bleeding-ledes-please patrixTake a look at the “if it bleeds, it leads” approach expressed with chilling precision in the submission guidelines of the self-described “backbone of the world’s information system” – the Associated Press. On their website, the nation’s oldest news wire describes their mission “…to be the essential global news network, providing distinctive news services of the highest quality, reliability, and objectivity with reports that are accurate, balanced and informed.” Sounds great. The problem is the AP’s editorial submission guidelines are doomed to produce mind-numbing, paranoia-inducing stories that are neither informed nor newsworthy. Of course, you have to choose what to report as news but when you lay down strict guidelines, you are making a statement about what you wish to be considered as news.]]> news journalism AP pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:835dd50c89fb/ The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond 2010-09-07T19:09:19+00:00 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302200.html?tid=nn_twitter patrixWriting in these pages in early 2008, we put the total cost to the United States of the Iraq war at $3 trillion. This price tag dwarfed previous estimates, including the Bush administration's 2003 projections of a $50 billion to $60 billion war. Or as the neo-conservatives would say, isn't the world safer without Saddam Hussein? So now on to Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, etc. What's 3 trillion per dictator? Just let me know when it is safe for us so I don't have to take off my shoes at the airport.]]> Iraq war deficit UnitedStates pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:f6ac10fd85a8/ Stephen Hawking on God, Science and the Origins of the Universe 2010-09-06T17:59:10+00:00 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704206804575467921609024244.html patrixEach universe has many possible histories and many possible states. Only a very few would allow creatures like us to exist. Although we are puny and insignificant on the scale of the cosmos, this makes us in a sense the lords of creation. As Einstein said it best, the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. God did not create the universe because god doesn't exist.]]> science universe StephenHawking pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:58a664ae3500/ How iTunes Could Be Apple’s Undoing 2010-09-03T18:54:46+00:00 http://www.xconomy.com/national/2010/09/03/the-leaning-tower-of-ping-how-itunes-could-be-apples-undoing/?single_page=true patrixWith each new product that Apple announces, including the revamped Apple TV and the new Ping social network, Steve Jobs reveals a little bit more of his plan to dominate the media universe. But I can summarize that plan’s fatal flaw in one word: iTunes. Considering that iTunes is the software behind one of Apple's money making streams, it is very unlike-Apple in terms of aesthetics and use. Steve Jobs insists, less is more but I wish he would take a look at iTunes.]]> Apple itunes software bloat pb http://pinboard.in/ http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:051b9753be9c/ Skills Mismatch and Labor Immobility 2010-09-02T15:43:54+00:00 http://www.economist.com/node/16889105?story_id=16889105&fsrc=scn/tw/te/rss/pe patrixA bigger worry is that jobseekers no longer have the skills demanded by employers. Half of the 8m jobs lost went in construction and manufacturing, and those departing these industries may struggle to adapt to jobs in more vibrant areas such as education and health services. The cost of this skills mismatch is compounded by America’s housing bust. Many owe more on mortgages than their homes are worth. Households often opt to stay put rather than default, leaving them trapped in places with high unemployment and unable to move to where jobs are plentiful. The rise of the two-income household has also made workers less mobile than they were: it is harder to move in search of jobs if there are two careers to consider. These factors, in my opinion, are the biggest in holding back economic growth in the United States. Of course, companies holding on to their cash reserves and not investing in expansion or hiring is another. But the three mentioned above seem to explain much of the tepidness in the economy. All the more reason to invest in vocational and/or higher education and not cut back as is done currently in Texas.]]> unemployment economy UnitedStates pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:eb2ff022a513/ The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity 2010-09-01T04:04:40+00:00 http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2010/el2010-26.html patrixThe effects of immigration on the total output and income of the U.S. economy can be studied by comparing output per worker and employment in states that have had large immigrant inflows with data from states that have few new foreign-born workers. Statistical analysis of state-level data shows that immigrants expand the economy's productive capacity by stimulating investment and promoting specialization. This produces efficiency gains and boosts income per worker. At the same time, evidence is scant that immigrants diminish the employment opportunities of U.S.-born workers. Interesting. This study posits that Americans are in fact better off if immigrants (from Latin American countries) lack in English language skills. Of course, that assumes *all* Americans have better English language skills :)]]> immigration English language employment skills pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:427b05598bc5/ Saving Afghan Treasures 2010-09-01T00:50:54+00:00 http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/international/saving-afghan-treasures patrixIn the midst of the Afghan war, Indians have been conserving pre-Islamic art, Buddhist monuments and Mughal gardens, even tracing links back to the Bronze Age. I'm just glad someone is taking care of the past for the future.]]> Afghanistan India art historicpreservation history pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:58fc4ad7e621/ The Unofficial Official Marathi English 2010-08-31T16:30:24+00:00 http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/marathi-english patrixSo when your Marathi friend emails you “You like orange pants with purple frill” – the odds are she only wants to know whether you do, and forgot to add the question mark. It’s less likely she’s accusing you of questionable taste. (Although what made her ask to begin with is something to think about.) If you have ghaati friends, then you might want to peruse this succinct post by Gauri on what exactly your ghaati friends are trying to say. And yes, about that word ghaati, it's like the n-word, only Maharashtrians can call themselves ghaati but there are exception when some might not be offended. But those who get offended are really offended. So don't take a chance, na.]]> language pb marathi english grammar usage http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:a8e4d24ce508/ Your Selfless Deeds are Hated 2010-08-30T20:59:09+00:00 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/wsu-pdr082010.php patrixYou know those goody-two-shoes who volunteer for every task and thanklessly take on the annoying details nobody else wants to deal with? That's right: Other people really can't stand them. Four separate studies led by a Washington State University social psychologist have found that unselfish workers who are the first to throw their hat in the ring are also among those that coworkers most want to, in effect, vote off the island. Heard of the 20-80 rule that says in an organization, 20% of the people do 80% of the work? It is especially true in volunteer organizations; maybe more skewed. Now research has shown that not only will you not be thanked for doing work that no one willingly wants to do but in fact, you will be hated for doing it. These findings underscore my experiences at least with working with volunteer organizations or community projects. You'll understand if you are one of those 20%. Nevertheless, people like us trudge on although sometimes are tempted to throw in the towel and give up.]]> pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:a4060806ddf4/ A Nation of Know-Nothings? 2010-08-26T15:04:29+00:00 http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/building-a-nation-of-know-nothings/?hp patrixTake a look at Tuesday night’s box score in the baseball game between New York and Toronto. The Yankees won, 11-5. Now look at the weather summary, showing a high of 71 for New York. The score and temperature are not subject to debate. Yet a president’s birthday or whether he was even in the White House on the day TARP was passed are apparently open questions. A growing segment of the party poised to take control of Congress has bought into denial of the basic truths of Barack Obama’s life. What’s more, this astonishing level of willful ignorance has come about largely by design, and has been aided by a press afraid to call out the primary architects of the lies. People will believe what they want to believe irrespective of the facts that are merely inconvenient. Even in 2010, a sizeable percentage of the population believes that the Sun revolves around the Earth. So how can you expect a black President to convince them that he is a Christian and a citizen?]]> unitedstates ignorance media foxnews pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:2a8aaee5b79c/ Panvel - Perpetually in Transition 2010-08-25T16:49:46+00:00 http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/client_coverstory/client_coverstory_details.asp?code=972 patrixThe other Panvel, to my right as I get off the train, is, not unlike Mumbai, an old town in a new world. Historically both a port and a trading town, Panvel was once the rice bowl of the north Konkan, with its famous Bazaar Peth, Mirchi and Kapad Gallis. Panvel Gaon dates back to 1725, when the Bapat Wada was built. It was elevated in the 1800s, when migrants from the Konkan were populating Bombay, and Panvel Shahar was an alternate place to make a home. When you talk to old-timers, they tell you that a newcomer could always find home in Bapat Wada and a job in Dhootpapeshwar, the ayurvedic factory. While the factory is gone, the wada still shelters several hundred residents. Written by one of my architecture professors in India, this essay took me back to the town that I spent 16 years in and very little seems to have changed. Perhaps that's how Panvel is. Change is at the pace of an elephant trudging along.]]> panvel India change pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:7c2a3df05ab8/ Bipartisan Demagoguery 2010-08-23T15:50:02+00:00 http://original.antiwar.com/paul/2010/08/22/mosque-demagoguery-is-bipartisan/ patrixThe claim that we are in the Middle East to protect our liberties is misleading. To continue this charade, millions of Muslims are indicted and we are obligated to rescue them from their religious and political leaders. And we’re supposed to believe that abusing our liberties here at home and pursuing unconstitutional wars overseas will solve our problems. The 19 suicide bombers didn’t come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iran. Fifteen came from our ally Saudi Arabia, a country that harbors strong anti-American resentment, yet we invade and occupy Iraq where no al-Qaeda existed prior to 9/11. Many fellow conservatives say they understand the property rights and 1st Amendment issues and don’t want a legal ban on building the mosque. They just want everybody to be “sensitive” and force, through public pressure, cancellation of the mosque construction. Rep.Ron Paul might be cuckoo at times but at least he sticks to his libertarian principles that other Tea Bagger claim to espouse. However, the demagoguery of the Right is more hypocritical than that of the Left because the former are allegedly anti-government intervention and pro-property rights. So it may be bipartisan demagoguery for sure but the persistent hypocritical nature of conservatives makes it more dangerous.]]> 9/11 demagoguery prejudice libertarian pb currentaffairs http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:4a894b68ae63/ Eminent Domain for your Convenience 2010-08-23T14:05:13+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/nyregion/23lazio.html?_r=1&hp patrixSome political analysts and consultants say Mr. Lazio’s critique of the planned project is designed in significant part to ward off an unexpectedly spirited challenger in Carl Paladino, a wealthy upstate conservative who has spoken out against the project in even blunter language than Mr. Lazio. In his own commercial, Mr. Paladino vowed that, if elected, he would use the government’s power of eminent domain to force the center’s developers to find a different location. So a conservative probably who might even be a Tea Bagger wants to exercise government control over private property just because he doesn't agree with the land use in a neighborhood he doesn't live in? That, my friends, is the modern conservatism movement. They don't hate the government; they just want the government to do their bidding in line with their bigoted views.]]> eminentdomain government conservative pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:ae88177c9ddc/ Future of Tablet Forms? 2010-08-21T17:54:38+00:00 http://www.marco.org/980434663 patrixNetbooks were an established consumer-electronics market with devices that people thought were pretty cool, but often frustrating and with serious shortcomings and design flaws. Then this happened: Marco Arment predicts the form of future tablets using the smartphone analogy. Imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery. It is a win-win for consumers and imitation is fine but you would wish other companies would get their innovation groove on at least sometimes. Ironically, the "We were there first" argument is used most by Apple haters in touting multitasking features in smartphones.]]> Apple tablet innovation pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:9042efb1698e/ Don't Believe College Rankings 2010-08-20T18:13:33+00:00 http://consumerist.com/2010/08/5-reasons-why-every-single-college-ranking-ever-published-is-a-pile-of-crap.html patrixUS News & World Report produces the most widely-read college rankings, but Forbes, The Princeton Review, and several other publications have produced their own rankings. The problem is that every single one of these rankings is just absolutely, completely, and totally full of crap. These rankings have always been suspect yet are one of the top used criteria when students are choosing colleges that may well guide how the rest of their life turns out to be; especially for graduate school. Always talk directly to alumni, students and professors. See if the university and your department does or supports research that you are interested in. And yes, offers funding to do what you love to do.]]> colleges university ranking quality pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:d20fba42f1b0/ Scaling Events over Disparate Geographies 2010-08-19T20:35:52+00:00 http://howbigreally.com/ patrixDimensions takes important places, events and things, and overlays them onto a map of where you are. You cannot understand the true scale and measure of an event until you put it in the dimension of the things you are most familiar with. Perhaps then you will understand the true nature and impact of the event.]]> scale dimension disaster event pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:8d65460f93c3/ For Indian-American pols, the "What are you?" test 2010-08-19T15:31:45+00:00 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/08/19/indian_americans_politics/index.html patrixIndian-Americans, the fastest growing Asian group in the United States, make up a little over three million of the country’s population. But only two -- Jindal and Dalip Singh Saund, A Democrat who represented a California district from 1957 to 1963 -- have ever served in Congress. This year, though, there are an unprecedented six Indian-American candidates, all Democrats, are running for the House. And with Jindal and Haley generating national attention, the prominence of Indian-American politicians has never been greater. And while one might assume that cultural conformity would be more important to Republicans, given the party’s conservative, tradition-minded base, Indian-American Democratic candidates can be just as quick to prove their American assimilation to voters. Although American Jews in politics never fail to burnish their Israeli connections, Indian-American pols especially in the Republican Party try to run as far from India as possible. ]]> politics unitedstates india diaspora pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:964f37f3c280/ Living out of a hard drive 2010-08-17T04:00:53+00:00 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10928032 patrix minimalism digital lessismore pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:9cb6bb7255f7/ Indians are treated like children over alcohol 2010-08-15T15:43:34+00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/15/indians-independence-day-alcohol patrix alcohol prohibition india government pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:b19e8565eba6/ Golden Baked Potatoes Anyone? Menu Psychology at Work 2010-08-15T00:49:32+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/23menus.html? patrix food dining restaurant psychology pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:3bdea454dc75/ Breaking The Sentimental Attachment To Books 2010-08-14T03:58:34+00:00 http://www.becomingminimalist.com/2010/08/09/breaking-the-sentimental-attachment-to-books/ patrix books minimalism media pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:adb2590f169b/ Behind the Hardy Boys 2010-08-14T01:09:12+00:00 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/05/AR2005120501092_pf.html patrix books children detective writing pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:05d81e90279d/ Mac App Deals for Students 2010-08-12T20:37:26+00:00 http://macappdeals.com/students/ patrix mac app students discounts pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:de43c71e2f10/ Never Underestimate the Stupidity of Mankind 2010-08-12T14:27:34+00:00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/11/toyota-inquiry-driver-error patrix toyota stupidity users driving pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:2a806ecda5a1/ Twitter Recommends Who to Follow. Or does it? 2010-08-11T14:10:08+00:00 http://blog.thepixelmind.com/2010/08/11/in-search-of-jeeves/ patrix twitter recommendations algorithm pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:42e38b000777/ The Need to Build Something Quick 2010-08-10T18:42:16+00:00 http://www.slate.com/id/2263334/ patrix 9/11 newyorkcity groundzero mosque pb http://pinboard.in/u:patrix/b:85a8ccd16181/