Statistical Abstract of the United States 2007–complete PDF

Unless I am overlooking something, there doesn’t seem to be a complete PDF copy of the Statistical Abstracts of the United States 2007 on the census website, but rather 45 separate PDF files for you to download. Now, I’m never in a mood to flip through 45 PDF files, and the paper copies of [...]

Lil Wayne-Outstanding (Produced by Dr Dre)

Notable for being the best Dr. Dre beat since 50 Cent’s In Da Club and the Mobb Deep Outta Control Remix. One of the best beats I’ve heard in a long time. Features a sleepy drum beat, interesting introspective piano and bassline, and then this real 80s keyboard sound–it all comes [...]

Why did you do that? I don’t know. But the people priming you might: Social and environmental influences, priming the subconscious mind

I’ve always been a fan of the “broken window” theory–I’m surprised it isn’t mentioned in this article, which is very interesting, and has implications for advertising, education…social engineering? This can all be mixed with ideas about environmental influences, social influences, network effects, and recent research on altruisum…
NY Times article: “Who’s Minding the Mind?“
I ended [...]

We need more great directors

Ingmar Bergman just died. I remember seeing ‘The Seventh Seal” for the first time at the dearly departed Fine Arts Cinema in Berkeley. I can clearly recall the stunned silence among the 20 of us in the crowd when the film ended and the lights went on. There was no movement for [...]

I haven’t heard all the references, but this sounds promising

‘If you can begin to wrap your head around the idea of a fusion of Relayer-era Yes, The latter day Magic Band (especially Ice Cream For Crow) and Butthole Surfers circa Hairway To Steven, you’ll begin to comprehend what this acidically brainburning Russian power trio have cooked up here on their sole release”
More info and [...]

My Next Computer May Be a Mac

I spent futile hours today trying to set up a home network of two PCs through a router, and received endless “you might not have permission to use this network resource” messages. I hear setting up such a network on Macs is effortless. I cannot believe how many people seem to be facing [...]

All your search data are ours: Google as consulting firm, forecaster, market researcher (consigliere?) to business and politicians, and, ultimately, as a new world power to be reckoned with

Google Goes to Washington With Own Brand of Lobbying
In a conference room overlooking the Washington Monument, about 150 young Democratic operatives-in-training recently munched on animal crackers as Google Inc. executives pitched the Internet company’s offerings.
Google’s newly hired team leader for political sales, Peter Greenberger, explained how attendees could use online ads and other services from [...]

Most Reviews Have it Wrong: The New Prince Album is Fantastic

Planet Earth debuts at no. 3 on the Billboard charts…

3121 debuted at #1, Musicology at #3.  Funny, because I think Planet Earth is the best of the three by far, followed by Musicology, then 3121 a distant last–people must have liked “Black Sweat” quite a bit?
More later, but one of the best things about this [...]

Three Person Chess

This is super cool.  Link from David Weinberger’s well-written Joho the Blog.

Newest Summer Thriller: Incoming Recession?

Forget Harry Potter, Die Harder, the Transformers, Lindsey Lohan’s car driving escapades, etc…this new article on the state of the economy sounds like the blockbuster of the summer in the making. The article’s title and the quote below sound sort of like a) a vampire or zombie movie or b) a natural [...]