James Kunstler: Forecast for 2008 – “I shudder to imagine how things will play out now as we turn the corner into 2008. Not to put too fine a point on it, but my little walnut brain can’t imagine any scenario in which the US economy doesn’t end up on a gurney in history’s emergency room.“
Wired: NASA Dreams of an Interplanetary ‘Second Life’ for Mars Crew – “While aerospace engineers are designing the Ares rockets to be deployed in the Mars missions, a more starry-eyed contingent at NASA is testing networking and virtual reality technologies that they think will connect the first wave of Mars pioneers with their families, friends and colleagues back on Earth, in a 3-D virtual world cut from the mold of Second Life or World of Warcraft.“
National Geographic News: Evolution Less Accepted in U.S. Than Other Western Countries, Study Finds – “A study of several such surveys taken since 1985 has found that the United States ranks next to last in acceptance of evolution theory among nations polled. Researchers point out that the number of Americans who are uncertain about the theory’s validity has increased over the past 20 years.” – Pathetic
The Pirate’s Dilemma: The 3-D Printer That Can Print a 3-D Printer – “This is Dr. Adrian Bowyer, who alongside his team of engineers at the University of Bath in England, is working on a project called the RepRap; an open source 3-D printer – a self-replicating machine that will one day be able to print out all of its own parts.“
Sprott Asset Management: Deriding Deriving: Theory versus Reality – “We think it’s a big joke. It appears that derivatives are like a treadmill. Once losses begin to manifest, more and more derivatives need to be written so that the models can once again say that everything is a-ok.Yes, we are cynical when it comes to derivatives. There are theories and models… then there is
the real world. We believe there’s a huge disconnect developing between the two.“
Robert Lawrence Kuhn: Why This
Universe? – “We begin with traditional nontheistic explanations (traditionally, one recalls, there was only one universe), which also include a radically nontraditional explanation and the philosophical positions that the question makes no sense and that even if it did make sense it would still be unanswerable.“
Wallhogs: Welcome to Wallhogs – “We specialize in large prints made from your photos or artwork. Simply upload a digital photo, hi-res or vector graphic and we’ll print it on reusable vinyl, glossy poster paper or fine art canvas. “
Chel Pixie: Twitter, Second Life, Mitch Joel and Marketing – “In a SL store, fashion and needs are different. We dress glamorously because we can, we want more than just ordinary clothing. We want to stand out, find the next best thing, and the worst that could happen is we show up at a party and someone bought the exact same outfit as we did. (It does happen!) “
Mark Cuban: The Best Equity is Sweat Equity – “Investors don’t care about your dreams and goals. They love that you have them. They love that they motivate you. Investors care about how they are going to get their money back and then some. Family cares about your dreams. Investors care about money.“
New York Times: The Airport Security Follies – “In the end, I’m not sure which is more troubling, the inanity of the existing regulations, or the average American’s acceptance of them and willingness to be humiliated. These wasteful and tedious protocols have solidified into what appears to be indefinite policy, with little or no opposition. There ought to be a tide of protest rising up against this mania. Where is it?“
Huffington Post: 10 Habits of Highly Effective Brains – “Practice positive, future-oriented thoughts until they become your default mindset and you look forward to every new day in a constructive way. Stress and anxiety, no matter whether induced by external events or by your own thoughts, actually kills neurons and prevents the creation of new ones.“
