February 2010

Two more nice recumbents

Both the Kouign Amann LD and John Morciglio’s M1 are pretty cool looking.

Voting against your own interest

This is the best explanation I’ve seen for why people vote against their own interests, seen often in US elections: “If people vote against their own interests, it is not because they do not understand what is in their interest or have not yet had it properly explained to them. They do it because they…more

Roadracer fenders

These fenders are my next set. Super-slim and clean, they also stabilize themselves using felt pads which clean your rims as you ride.

Unplugged

“In what was described as a ‘brief interview,’ the Dalai Lama told The Associated Press that he had never heard of [Tiger] Woods, who last week said he plans to explore anew the Buddhist teachings from his childhood.” – CNN.com.

The game of life

A fascinating and sometimes frightening look at the way games are invading every aspect of our lives, and where they may be going next. The last 8 minutes are a wild exploration of one possible future.

I, virus

Apparently viruses and virus-like components make up almost half our DNA. Viruses and humans have coevolved for millenia, and viruses introduce new genetic material to our species, aiding evolution. Harmful viruses have repeatedly killed off those unsuited to them, leaving us, the product of countless epidemics, with their defenses written in our DNA.

Don’t have ambition–but act like you do

“Every day, I struggle with ambition. Every day, I try to understand the meaning of this line: ‘Live your life without ambition. But live as those who are ambitious.’” – Larry Brilliant. I’ve been sending the entire (10-year-old) article to everyone I know lately.

Low-riders

Some very cool recumbents from RaptoBike. Low Racer is really low; Mid racer takes up to 2 700c wheels. Might have to give one a shot.

Alternative voting systems

I’ve never really considered voting systems other than the representative [plurality](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality_voting_system) and [plurality-at-large](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality-at-large) system in the US, where a single person represents all, regardless of whether they received a majority of votes, or the relative proportions of votes for other candidates. Also known as “first-past-the-post” or “winner-take-all” voting, this encourages heavy, expensive campaigning, polarized views,…more

How to enrage and alienate your customers

Take an abundant, desirable, free resource and dangle it in front of them for hours without sharing, while hiding your reasons behind a mountain of illogical babble. I’m sitting in the back of a United Airlines plane right now with a couple dozen other passengers. We’re crammed like sardines in a few Economy rows, while…more