“Far too long, historians have accepted the claim that the conversion of the Emperor Constantine (ca. 285-337) caused the triumph of Christianity. To the contrary, he destroyed its most attractive and dynamic aspects, turning a high-intensity, grassroots movement into an arrogant institution controlled by an elite who often managed to be both brutal and lax.”…more
I do a lot of reading, and recently I’ve struggled to balance the desire to read new books with the need to document my reading better. I find that when I concentrate solely on reading things, I don’t really absorb the knowledge fully. Since the main reason I read things is to reference that knowledge…more
The Economist has published some great research on phone use. Highlights: * 60% of men carried their phones in their trouser pockets, whereas 61% of women carried their phones in handbags * A typical person spends 80% of his or her time communicating with just four other people * Various communication methods are used for…more
[Rachel Glennerster](http://povertyactionlab.org/researchers/Rachel%20Homepage/rachelpapers.html) blew me away here; her work as an economics researcher at MIT focuses on the scientific evidence of development impact. For instance, it turns out that clean water pumps alone don’t fix health–the water will get contaminated elsewhere in the process from ground to mouth. Also, most HIV education doesn’t work, however educating…more