December 2009
22 posts
Why number of read words today doesn't say...
via wired.com We read more than we think, and new technology seems to still increase how much we read - Study: “Rumors of Written-Word Death Greatly Exaggerate” in Wired.com One could argue that the issue is rather that it is very different texts that we read, than have something to do with the number of words we read. Just because we still read an increasing number of words a day...
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Social unrest: Global tinderbox | The Economist
via economist.com When Economist forecast areas of potential social unrest in 2010 it is interesting that there is a equal (i e medium) risk of social unrest in India, South Africa, Iceland, UK, France, Spain and Portugal. And Italy and Brazil have equally low risk as Sweden, US and New Zealand. This map would require a lot of clarifying comments to understand what it really say… ...
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Newspapers and technology: Network effects | The...
What lessons does the telegraph hold for newspapers now grappling with the internet? The telegraph was first seen as a threat to papers, but was then co-opted and turned to their advantage. “The telegraph helped contribute to the emergence of the modern newspaper,” says Ford Risley, head of the journalism department at Penn State University. “People began to expect the latest news, and a...
Is aviation security mostly for show?
via edition.cnn.com Interesting that Schneier gets his article on security theatre in CNN! Could it be a sign that the discussion around security is changing towards a more balanced view? Posted via web from futuramb’s posterous | Comment »
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Make: Online : "Invisible" semi-trailer
via blog.makezine.com
The transparency trend continues, and this is, Transparentius an idea by a Russian design firm.
Posted via web from futuramb’s posterous | Comment »
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
And a reminder that the future usually will come in from the side and not from where you are looking! Posted via email from futuramb’s posterous | Comment »
Peter Principle revisited: your bosses are...
via newscientist.com Is it really valuable to reconfirm that Peter Principle is true and that people get promoted to their level of incompetence? Yes, it can never be reconfirmed too many times. The problem is what we are going to do about it… From a forecasting perspective it can be really interesting though… especially since our political and commercial structures in their...
The iPhone Goes to War
via bits.blogs.nytimes.com That the military adapt consumer market products is a strong signal, and that in this case is a generic and communicative and computing device says even more. For centuries the tools and equipment have differentiated military from the public - so is not the case anymore. Military type weapons are increasingly used by commercial security firms as well as (more or...
France to Digitize Its Own Literary Works →
infoneernet:
President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged nearly $1.1 billion on Monday toward the computer scanning of French literary works, audiovisual archives and historical documents, an announcement that underscored his government’s desire to maintain control over France’s cultural heritage in an era of digitization.
The French National Library announced in August that it was engaged in...
When Situations Not Personality Dictate Our...
A fundamental mistake we often make when judging other people is assuming that their behaviour mainly reflects their personality. Unfortunately this ignores another major influence on how people behave staring us right in the face: the situation. via spring.org.uk This old and known psychological fact is another example of knowledge that most of us know about but which we ignore in both our...
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Cameras and computers are soon surveilling people
via newscientist.com I have a hard time avoiding to post overlapping things about the developing increasing surveillance society. Especially since the speed with which the technology develops is as fast as the willingness to (at least some) governments to implement it. “Samurai is designed to issue alerts when it detects behaviour that differs from the norm, and adjusts its reasoning...
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fMRI reveals if you will keep a promise
via newscientist.com “The fMRI data revealed that certain brain areas became more active when trustees were breaking a promise. These regions – the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala – are known to be involved in emotion. They could reveal an emotional conflict in a person who knows they are doing something wrong, or feels guilty, says...
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We are optimists about the future
Humans expect positive events in the future even when there is no evidence to support such expectations. For example, people expect to live longer and be healthier than average1, they underestimate their likelihood of getting a divorce1, and overestimate their prospects for success on the job market2. via nature.com New research suggests that a healthy person is an optimist about the future....
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Seth Godin is wrong (again)
In the post Seth’s Blog: The reason social media is so difficult for most organizations Seth Godin gives the answer that social media is a PROCESS and not an EVENT. Here I think he is completely wrong!
I don’t disagree with the fact that social media per se isn’t an event, but a process, but with the fact that this is the reasons organizations have such a hard time understanding...
Signal of coming brain drain?
http://www.yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/us-brain-drain-horizonIs Silicon Valley the place of your professional dreams? Think again!In a world where the economic growth happens in Asia, most of the brains will most likely gravitate eastwards as well.The uncertainty is not IF it will happen, only how fast…
At a recent meeting of young technologists in Silicon Valley, I polled a room full of...
10 Brilliant Social Psychology Studies | PsyBlog
Over the past few months I’ve been describing 10 of the most influential social psychology studies. Each one tells a unique, insightful story relevant to all our lives, every day. via spring.org.uk A 101 in social psychology! Posted via web from futuramb’s posterous | Comment »
Our Minds Are Black Boxes – Even to Ourselves |...
The stories we weave about our mental processes are logically appealing but fatally flawed more often than we’d like to think. via spring.org.uk Isn’t it interesting that we in spite of this knowledge (which isn’t new) is being as confident as we are? It is probably perfectly natural because otherwise we soon would be unable to judge anything. Posted via web from...
Darpa Puts On Contest to Find 10 Red Balloons...
The prize is $40,000, and it goes to the first person or group to determine the locations of 10 red balloons that can be anywhere in the continental United States. … The goal is to learn more about social behavior in computer networks and how large computer-connected teams use their resources and connections to compete.via nytimes.com I am really curious to see what what kinds of...
fMRI Used as Evidence in Sentencing for Murderer
http://singularityhub.com/2009/12/02/fmri-used-as-evidence-in-sentencing-for-murderer/ For the first time fMRI scans have been used as evidence in court. In this article they correctly states that there still is a long way until information about brain states can be used in trials. The point is that the field has now been opened and there is no return. Members of the institutions of law now have...