March 16, 2011
January 28, 2011
So, for those of you who might not know, Egypt has been ruled for the last 30 years under an emergency rule clause in its constitution, resulting in functional one-party rule over this time. It's also been a key ally of the west, being, along with Jordan, one of two Arab states to have diplomatic relations with Israel*, and to be generally friendly about the Suez canal.
Well, with a general spike in food prices, this autocratic rule, increased persecution of Coptic Christians, and the ouster of the Tunisan government, there's apparently been a tipping point. Egyptians have taken to the streets, and the government has responded by shutting down all internet in the 26th largest economy in the world, along with a huge swath of SMS and cell-phone service. The major dissident pro-democracy leader in the country has returned, with the opposition Muslim Brotherhood party reporting that its leaders have been jailed. There are reports that the regular police have been cleared out of Cairo, meaning that perhaps the government may be calling in the uniformed military.
[more inside]
July 05, 2010
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May 10, 2010
Cute and not-so-cute
December 08, 2009
Peer review hasn't changed much over the years.
July 21, 2009
Apropos of the Apollo 11 commemmoration I just re-watched The Right Stuff, which of course set me on a good ol' Wikiwander through 1960s space and aeronautics topics.
* Did you know you can make a cloud on a humid day by cracking a whip? The Prandtl-Glauert Singularity, also explains the stunning shock cone that sometimes seen as a plane crosses Mach 1.
* Chuck Yaeger was shot down over France, escaped to Spain with the help of the French resistance, was re-instated to flight status by Eisenhower, and once made an 'Ace in a day': one mission, 5 enemy planes shot down. At the time of this 1991 interview, Yaeger was still flying F15s, F16s and stealth fighter prototypes - he brings the crotchet yet shuts down all attempt to collect a 'yeah the good ol' days were better'. He flew supersonic planes up to his final retirement in 1997 at age 73.
* Pancho's Happy Bottom Riding Club, seen in the beginning of the Right Stuff, is worth a whole post on its own. Pancho's was named for it owner, Mrs. Florence 'Pancho' Barnes: a socialite who wandered revolutionary Mexico, became a test pilot and stunt pilot, and eventually an entrepreneur whose business grew with the nearby Muroc (later Edwards) air force base. Her 'Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch' aka Happy Bottom Riding Club was basically the Posse East for dry lakes test pilots. If you don't click on anything else in this post please enjoy these rules for hostesses at the HBRC. By the way, season 3 of Mad Men starts in a few weeks.
July 06, 2009
Atlas Obscura - Compendium of the World’s Wonders, Curiosities and Esoterica, [more inside]
June 20, 2009
Sometimes the best solutions to social problems aren't fair. A great oldish article from the New Yorker.
If you still have access to the UT library and can download this PDF, this article on Harper's is about the best thing I've read on the financial crisis.
And a graph (of a spurious correlation) that I stumbled upon that seems to be total mrflip bait
April 22, 2009
Anatomy Of A Bank Takeover by Chana Joffe-Walt
April 06, 2009
This headline really got my hopes up.
But really, is anyone surprise that a Merkin is being charged as part of a coverup?
March 22, 2009
Those goddamn Car Warranty robocalls Via natedogg, another investigation by Rob Cockerham. This one is into the telemarketing calls about 'extending your vehicle's warranty'. For a while I was getting one or two of these a week, which is misplaced microtargeting at best.
The real gem, though, is this handy-dandy Telemarketer Counter-script -- an arch and disruptive piece of info design. [more inside]
March 13, 2009
No, he's talking about economics. Really. “It’s like taking out a girl -- sometimes you know it isn’t going to happen,” Buffett said “The time pressures, the degree of uncertainty, the depth of the possible hole, the need to get it through a regulatory body,” he said. “It wasn’t going to happen.”
January 15, 2009
List of Common Misconceptions - this would make a great web quiz thingy if mixed in with a strange but true list. The Counter-intuitive list is total weaksauce, though. Get to work, lazyweb.
January 13, 2009
The Best Job In The World - An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months. [more inside]
December 17, 2008
Obligatory thread for rounding up year-end lists that people find interesting.
December 01, 2008
No Escaping Britney Spears - Maybe all our refined, enlightened interests are lost in the long tail, because Britney Spears once again was the most popular search subject in 2008 on Yahoo. [more inside]
November 25, 2008
I thought someone here might find this gossip-column nugget enjoyable... perhaps even inspirational.
November 24, 2008
ANSWER ONLY THE VERSION THAT APPLIES TO YOU: Last Name begins with A-L - Last Name begins with M-Z
To see how the other half answered, visit its link and just hit "continue" without clicking any choices.
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November 22, 2008
Palin holds press conference while man in background holds turkeys in a decapitation funnel. No, I don't mean Palin reviews architectural proposal while Cleese suggests rotating knives and blood sluices. This really happened...
A reporter at the press conference: "with falling oil prices, are any programs on the chopping block?" Or as noted elsewhere,
Burberry Long Skinny Muffler $275 + S&H
A thin, extra-long muffler fashioned from soft, check-patterned cashmere is trimmed with delicate fringe at each end.
* Dimensions: 6"W x 101"L with 5 1/2" fringe.
* Cashmere; dry clean.
* Made in Scotland.
November 11, 2008
With 69 days left in Still-President Bush's career, do we need a Sha-Na-Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Hey-Goodbye keys-ajanglin' laugh-so-that-we-may-not-cry group therapy uber-thread? Of course we do.
The Telegraph kicks things off with this Bush Facial Expression Photogallery, reminding us that Bush is adorable (<- skip to 4:20). [more inside]
November 04, 2008
October 20, 2008
What do you do when your 1-year-old hedge fund makes a 866% gain? Quit and smoke some weed.
October 05, 2008
RE: Kiva.
via: Twitter.com
lfeeney @mrflip is kiva the microloan site you used?
mrflip @lfeeney yes, #kiva -- wanna make an AE lending team? http://www.kiva.org/community
zieglerfe @mrflip an AE lending team for Kiva?
via: e-mail
mrflip: yep -- they just started them, I think -- a pool of us go in together on part or all of a loan. You in for $25?
zieglerfe: Definitely, perhaps $25 from each of us (Felicia, Aylen, Senia, and I) = $100! We put $30 (through GOOD Magazine) but would now like to do more.
mrflip: I think we set up a group and each give thru our individual kiva accts. I gotta run, but If I set it up laters, you wanna make the AE post?
zieglerfe: Good. I will post it tonight or tomorrow morning.
mrflip: So -- the lending groups thing is a big hit, and apparently all but four projects are funded. Usually there are several dozen.
So, members of Alkaline Earth, who is in? [more inside]