StevenCarlson.org

"Hungarian flag-carrier Malev ceased operating early on Friday after its planes were held overseas..."

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:23:58 +0100

“Hungarian flag-carrier Malev ceased operating early on Friday after its planes were held overseas for unpaid debts, leaving a gap in the market that low-cost competitors were quick to exploit. Several budget carriers, including Ireland’s Ryanair and Air Berlin, announced an immediate increase in their flights from Budapest airport, where state-controlled Malev was a major airline providing 40 percent of revenue.”

- UPDATE 3-Rivals swoop in as Hungary’s Malev stops flying | Reuters

Here are a few of the countries that, according to watchdog...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:51:07 +0100

Here are a few of the countries that, according to watchdog Reporters Without Borders, currently enjoy greater press freedom than the United States: Ghana, South Africa, El Salvador, Niger, Mali, Jamaica, Slovakia, Uruguay, and virtually all of the developed world, from Western Europe to East Asia. Out of 179 countries, the U.S., which found independence and democracy on the back of the printing press, is now the 47th most free. Fortunately, we are still ranked ahead of Latvia and Haiti, though just barely. (via U.S. Press Freedom Fell 27 Places Last Year to 47th in the World - Max Fisher - International - The Atlantic)

"So what would our mornings look like if we re-engineered them in the interest of maximizing our..."

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:01:00 +0100

“So what would our mornings look like if we re-engineered them in the interest of maximizing our creative problem-solving capacities? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead (with a pen and paper nearby to jot down any evanescent inspirations.) We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, dismissing task-oriented thoughts (“What will I say at that 9 a.m. meeting?”) in favor of a few more minutes of mental dilation. We’d take some deep breaths during our commute, instead of succumbing to road rage. And once in the office — after we get that cup of coffee — we’d direct our computer browser not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.”

- Annie Murphy Paul: Your Morning Routine Is Making You Dull | TIME Ideas | TIME.com

"On Thursday, new consumer-friendly federal Department of Transportation rules kicked in that require..."

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:53:10 +0100

“On Thursday, new consumer-friendly federal Department of Transportation rules kicked in that require airlines to quote prices including all required fees and taxes. The airlines aren’t happy and have filed lawsuits over the requirement.”

- Red Tape - New airline rules give meaning to price tags; other industries should follow

Saw these at the Sompet market this morning. When the vendor realized I was about to take a...

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:37:07 +0100

Saw these at the Sompet market this morning.

When the vendor realized I was about to take a picture she proudly propped up the sign and placed the two sample eggs in the foreground.

Wow.

I think I know what you’re thinking.

Did I try one?

Uh, no …

Not for me, thank you!

MIT Media Lab’s folding CityCar (by thenextweb)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:48:03 +0100

MIT Media Lab’s folding CityCar (by thenextweb)

Super Bowl XLVI host city Indianapolis has concocted a new way...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:42:21 +0100

Super Bowl XLVI host city Indianapolis has concocted a new way to deal with the madness that comes with managing the world’s biggest annual sporting event. The solution? The Super Bowl’s first-ever social media command center. A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms from a 2,800-square-foot space downtown. The station will open on Monday and run through Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The team will tweet directions to fans in search of parking, direct visitors to Indianapolis’s best attractions, and stand by to provide information in case of a disaster. (via Super Bowl XLVI Gets a Social Media Command Center)

Now I know I’m getting old. Here’s a teenager who...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:42:29 +0100

Now I know I’m getting old. Here’s a teenager who has never seen a vinyl record. “It’s huge! How many songs can you fit on it?” Athena Vs. The LP (by jscalzi)

“Eventually, all the devices will be networked, and they’ll be...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:56:37 +0100

“Eventually, all the devices will be networked, and they’ll be able to find each other by proximity,” Torrone says. “So think about all the things we do on social networks today. Imagine if you could ‘Like’ someone’s bag when you see it across the street. Or if your jacket and someone else’s jacket could ‘friend’ each other. Instead of these little digital badges that pop up on websites, you could have electronic badges that could actually appear on your clothing, to show off your achievements. Or your skills, like in the Girl Scouts.” (via How Flora Makes ‘Wearable Computing’ Fun and Fashion-Forward | Gadget Lab | Wired.com)

"Thai police on Monday found 400 boxes of bomb-making materials urea and ammonium nitrate in a shop..."

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:44:41 +0100

“Thai police on Monday found 400 boxes of bomb-making materials urea and ammonium nitrate in a shop believed to be linked to a plot to carry out terrorist attacks. The materials were found packed in electric fan boxes in a building 35 kilometers south-east of Bangkok days after the U.S. embassy warned of possible attacks tourist sites in the capital”

- Thai police find bomb-making materials near Bangkok after Israelis warned of possible attack - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU ARE IN A BAD MOOD?

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:27:51 +0100

Meditation, yoga, chocolate. In that order.

It turns out releasing about 600 political prisoners was enough...

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:38:00 +0100

It turns out releasing about 600 political prisoners was enough for the U.S. to make its own show of goodwill. The New York Times is now reporting an announcement from Hillary Clinton that the U.S. will resort full diplomatic relations with Myanmar. “An American ambassador will help strengthen our efforts to support the historic and promising steps that are now unfolding,” she said. (via U.S. Rewards Myanmar with an Ambassador - Global - The Atlantic Wire)

"Stephen Colbert, host of the US satirical news show The Colbert Report, has paved the way for a..."

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:13:53 +0100

“Stephen Colbert, host of the US satirical news show The Colbert Report, has paved the way for a presidential bid by transferring control of his political fundraising organisation to his fellow comedian, Jon Stewart. Lampooning the campaign finance rules that permit such fundraising groups, known as Super Pacs, Colbert announced it would be renamed the Definitely Not Coordinated with Stephen Colbert Super Pac.”

- Stephen Colbert for President? TV host hints at entering Republican race | World news | guardian.co.uk

"Just 20 years ago, astronomers had no direct evidence that planets orbited other stars. Now,..."

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:12:16 +0100

“Just 20 years ago, astronomers had no direct evidence that planets orbited other stars. Now, researchers estimate the Milky Way galaxy contains a huge number of planets, with Earth-sized worlds vastly outnumbering the rest. “We find that, on average, every star has a planet, and since there are at least 100 billion stars, there are at least 100 billion planets,” said astronomer Kailash Sahu of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, who co-authored the new study, appearing Jan. 11 in Nature.”

- Milky Way Galaxy Shown to Be Teeming With Planets | Wired Science | Wired.com

THE MAGAZINE January 2012 14 E-Mail You Say You Want a...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:06:41 +0100

THE MAGAZINE January 2012 14 E-Mail You Say You Want a Devolution? For most of the last century, America’s cultural landscape—its fashion, art, music, design, entertainment—changed dramatically every 20 years or so. But these days, even as technological and scientific leaps have continued to revolutionize life, popular style has been stuck on repeat, consuming the past instead of creating the new. (via Kurt Andersen: From Fashion to Housewares, Are We in a Decades-Long Design Rut? | Style | Vanity Fair)

(via Long-toed cowboy boots)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:24:10 +0100

(via Long-toed cowboy boots)

"I know some folks derive a kind of sick enjoyment from the quadrennial pageant of televised..."

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:14:07 +0100

“I know some folks derive a kind of sick enjoyment from the quadrennial pageant of televised intelligence-abatement that is the United States presidential election, but it’s time to stop the charade. There is no primary. There is no general. There is only this: I am Mitt Romney’s haircut. This is my year, and I will not be denied.”

- McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Monologue: Mitt Romney’s Haircut Will Not Be Denied.

"The existential question that Anonymous still faces is this: Does it matter? And if so, how much..."

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:50:29 +0100

“The existential question that Anonymous still faces is this: Does it matter? And if so, how much does Anonymous matter? Will our way of life someday change because of some part Anonymous plays in history? 2011 posed the question, but didn’t answer it. Instead it showed that Anonymous changed anons. Anonymous became bolder, stranger, more threatening, and more comforting in turns. Last year, Anonymous, like the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street, picked a fight with the systems of society. Perhaps in 2012 we’ll see who wins.”

- 2011: The Year Anonymous Took On Cops, Dictators and Existential Dread | Threat Level | Wired.com

As American consumers ogle over shiny new gadgets at this...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:41:07 +0100

As American consumers ogle over shiny new gadgets at this week’s Consumer Electronic’s Show, the workers that make those products are threatening mass suicide for the horrid working conditions at Foxconn. 300 employees who worked making the Xbox 360 stood at the edge of the factory building, about to jump, after their boss reneged on promised compensation, reports English news site Want China Times. (via Foxconn Is Still a Hard Place to Work - Technology - The Atlantic Wire)

"The 2008 presidential election was the most expensive on record, with candidates, parties, and..."

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:37:26 +0100

“The 2008 presidential election was the most expensive on record, with candidates, parties, and outside groups dropping $5.3 billion. This year’s contest promises to break that record, due in part to the new rules of political fundraising: Donors can pour unlimited cash into outside-spending groups that can freely boost or attack the candidates of their choice. Which means that wealthy donors who have maxed out on their gifts to candidates or just want a lot more bang for their political buck can write massive checks to any of the new super-PACs that are popping up as proxies for politicians and parties.”

- The 20 Biggest Donors of the 2012 Election (So Far) | Mother Jones