Archive for the ‘Link Banana’ category
“Because”
Tyler Cowen points to another astounding fact from this book:
Behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues decided to put the persuasive power of this word to the test. In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Faced with the direct request to cut ahead in this line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them. However, when the stranger made the request with a reason (“May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), almost everyone (94 percent) complied…
Here’s where the study gets really interesting…This time, the stranger also used the word because but followed it with a completely meaningless reason. Specifically, the stranger said “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?”
The rate of compliance was 93 percent.
My Son’s Flaw
Sarah Bird desperately wishes that she could change her son’s sexual orientation: she wants him to be gay.
How could I not dream of having a son who cared deeply about all the right things: fashion, musical theater, interior décor? But mostly a son who cared deeply about the most right thing of all: his mother? How could I not yearn for a son who would tell me that the bias cut emphasized my saddlebag thighs, that no one was staining concrete anymore, that the tiniest bit of white on the upper lids would open up my eyes and make me look 10 years younger? And now that California is handing out marriage licenses, what mother could resist the opportunity to micromanage a union in which both participants would obsess with her about whether the color theme celadon and peach or apple green and hot pink best expresses their love?
Not unrelated: William Saletan discusses a feasible genetic cause of male homosexuality.
When Bill Gates Hates Microsoft
When Bill Gates Hates Microsoft
This may be the greatest thing I’ve seen today.
From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 10:05 AM
To: Jim Allchin
Cc: Chris Jones (WINDOWS); Bharat Shah (NT); Joe Peterson; Will Poole; Brian Valentine; Anoop Gupta (RESEARCH)
Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame
I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards and the program management groups don’t drive usability issues.
He goes on — and on and on — to personally make just about every gripe that every other user of Microsoft software has.
(via BBGadgets)
The Princess Bride Game
This game looks decidedly “meh.” Mostly it’s just that I can’t resist an opportunity to reiterate the point that The Princess Bride may well be the greatest movie ever.
(via BuzzFeed)
Why don’t we hear more about Equatorial Guinea?
Why don’t we hear more about Equatorial Guinea?
Peter Maas argues that Equitorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang — nope, never heard of him either — is actually worse than the far-more-famous Robert Mugabe. Obiang’s qualifications:
Years of violent apprenticeship in a genocidal regime led by a crazy uncle? Check. Power grab in a coup against the murderous uncle? Check. Execution of now-deposed uncle by firing squad? Check. Proclamation of self as “the liberator” of the nation? Check. Govern for decades in a way that prompts human rights groups to accuse your regime of murder, torture, and corruption? Check, check, and check.
He goes on to speculate that no one criticizes the reign because, like the Saudis, they worry about access to the country’s (rather modest) oil reserves.
The Failed State Index
Foreign Policy’s annual figures about the risk of states disintegrating is out. I must say I’m surprised by the rather good scores of Chile and Mauritius.
(via The Economist)
All 49 US States
A MetaFilter post — I don’t care about your “not credible source” nonsense — raises the interesting spector of Hawaii ceasing to be a member of the United States. The comments are also typically good.
No iTunes for Weapons Makers
The New Scientist’s Technology blog point to some odd facets of the iTunes EULA:
“Licensee also agrees that Licensee will not use the Apple Software for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of nuclear, missiles, or chemical or biological weapons.”
(via Freakonomics, who found another odd clause in a different iTunes EULA)
The McDonald’s Diet
Traffic in Iran
Though quotidien chaos in the streets is hardly unique to Iran, this video certainly makes me glad that I don’t have to drive there.
(via Donklephant)