Steve Jobs bio

"I think his desire for complete control of whatever he makes derives directly from his personality and the fact that he was abandoned at birth." p4
"He learned to stare at people without blinking, and he perfected long silences punctuated by staccato bursts of fast talking. This odd mix of intensity and aloofness.." p31
"He could be brutally cold and rude to her at times, but he was also entrancing and able to impose his will. 'He was an enlightened being who was also cruel.' "p32.

Steve Jobs biography

"They developed...whole new devices and services that consumers did not yet know they needed." p xxi
"Jobs said that his appreciation for Eichler homes (http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&hl=en&gl=us&client=safari&q=eichler%20homes&sa=N&biw=320&bih=416#p=0)
instilled in him a passion for making nicely designed products for the mass market." p7

Brain changes shape from studying.

London can drivers study furiously to pass a test of knowing 25000 streets. Their brains were studied and actually changed shape versus controls. TE
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2011/WTVM053658.htm

Informed consent for Anesthesia

It seems that the more you tell patients about specific risks, the more it relieves their anxiety.
Here's a list of studies of consent for anesthesia.

How Medicare Fails the Elderly

  

OPINION   | October 16, 2011
Opinion:  How Medicare Fails the Elderly
By JANE GROSS
The truth about Medicare: what it pays for is not what most recipients need or want.

China and the global economy

" Never before in history has a country with such a low per capita income played such a central role in the global economy."
An article in which a Yahoo finance columnist argues that China will not dominate the world economy, but that China and India have a GDP per capita that is rising towards that of the developed world. And beyond that hje's skeptical whether China can make the transition from manufacturing to services.

http://www.jgmobile.net/article/20110821/ENT07/308219965/1134/ENT07&template=mobileart

Projection onto Buildings

http://castroller.com/Podcasts/BestOfYoutube/1862328

Rachel's

"Rachel's Challenge" -  Rachel Scott was the first student murdered at Columbine High School in 1999.  Her father Darrell Scott started Rachel's challenge to "start a chain reaction of kindness" which has been heard by millions.  The 5 primary points are to

1) look for the best in others 

2) dream big 

3) choose [friends who are] positive influences 

4)speak with kindness and 

5)start your own chain reaction.

NYTimes: Apple Introduces a New iPhone, With a Personal Assistant

"The iPhone is the most critical product in Apple's line-up and the largest source of its revenue, accounting for more than $13.3 billion — almost half of total company sales — in the most recent quarter."

Although the new phone is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor on the outside, the company says the iPhone 4S is packed with better technical innards, including a more advanced camera. http://nyti.ms/pIZtws

-Tom. 

World Earthquake Map

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

Popular Science's yearly list of 'Best of What's New' in Technology:

http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010
http://www.popsci.com/bown/2009

http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/index.html

Like a flexible solar panel:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/green/item_59.html

NYTimes.com: Super People

An article about the expense families are going to to ensure their children's resumes ensure them a good college admission.  "Bursting with pent-up energy, the mothers transfer their shelved career ambitions to their children." "Such students are known in college admission circles as "pointy" - being well-rounded doesn't cut it anymore." OPINION   | October 02, 2011 Opinion:  Super People By JAMES ATLAS Has our competitive society finally outdone itself in its tireless efforts to produce winners whose abilities are literally off the charts?  Here is the article about kids whose parents maximize their resume to help them get into good universities... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/meet-the-new-super-people.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=super%20people&st=cse And here is a movie coming out this month that's a documentary about bullying and the launch of a nationwide effort to highlight and oppose bullying between girls.  They talk on their website about setting up private screenings at your school (at the left hand column), and have somesuggestions on how kids can handle occurrences. http://www.thebullyproject.com/resources.html View the trailer at the imdb site http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682181/

Floppy music DUO - Imperial march

Thought you'd like this video - remember the noise these floppy drives would make when first reading the disk? This guy programmed it Yo make music.

http://www.trulia.com/crime/

This site provides crime statistics for selected cities.

Crime Map - Trulia

http://www.trulia.com/crime/

-Tom.

Road Dust Suppressants.

Road dust - an environmental hazard. To suppress dust, they've tried "water, salts [MgCl2], asphalt, molasses, vegetable oils, synthetic polymers, lignin [the part of wood that's not cellulose fibers]."

http://www.epa.gov/esd/cmb/pdf/dust.pdf

-Tom.