In the 60 years after World War II, the United States built the world's greatest middle class economy, then unbuilt it. And if you want a single snapshot that captures the broad sweep of that transformation, you could do much worse than this graph from a new Pew report, which tracks how average family incomes have changed at each rung of the economic ladder from 1950 through 2010.    

60 Years of American Economic History, Told in 1 Graph - Jordan Weissmann - The Atlantic

What if Millennials’ aversion to car-buying isn’t a temporary side effect of the recession, but part of a permanent generational shift in tastes and spending habits? It’s a question that applies not only to cars, but to several other traditional categories of big spending—most notably, housing. And its answer has large implications for the future shape of the economy—and for the speed of recovery.

The Cheapest Generation - Derek Thompson and Jordan Weissmann - The Atlantic

Americans' shocked response to the Breivik sentence hints at not just how different the two systems are, but how deeply we may have come to internalize our understanding of justice, which, whatever its merits, doesn't seem to be as universal as we might think.

A Different Justice: Why Anders Breivik Only Got 21 Years for Killing 77 People - Max Fisher - The Atlantic

To give the driver a better feel for the engine, an exterior recording of the M5’s motor plays through the car’s stereo. The precise sample is determined by engine load and rpm. Some of the real engine notes are still audible to the driver, so the recording is more of a backing track. BMW says the setup helps the driver shift by ear and reduces the chances of bumping the rev limiter when using the full rpm range.

One of the features of my new car that I wish I didn't know about. (No, its not an M5.)

Faking It: Engine-Sound Enhancement Explained - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver

I wonder what Ryan's favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of "Fuck the Police"? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!

Tom Morello: 'Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against' | Music News | Rolling Stone

The filmmaker Laura Poitras profiles William Binney, a 32-year veteran of the National Security Agency who helped design a top-secret program he says is broadly collecting Americans’ personal data.

The National Security Agency’s Domestic Spying Program - NYTimes.com

"The goal of this guide is to provide leaders of authoritarian, autocratic, theocratic, totalitarian and other single-leader or single-party regimes with a basic set of guidelines on how to use the internet to ensure you retain the most power for the longest time. The best way to achieve this is to never have your authority contested. This guide will accompany you in the obliteration of political dissidence. By having everyone agree with you, or believe that everyone agrees with you, your stay at the head of state will be long and prosperous."

THE DICTATOR'S PRACTICAL INTERNET GUIDE TO POWER RETENTION

One of the longest-lived game development houses in all of Europe, Studio Liverpool, was abruptly closed by parent company Sony this morning. All games in development at the studio have been cancelled, affecting what an unnamed source told Eurogamer includes a Wipeout game that had been in development for 12 to 18 months and a "Splinter Cell-style game," both planned as PS4 launch titles.

:-/

Wipeout developer Studio Liverpool closed after 28-year run | Ars Technica

My name is Laura Graham and I live in Nashville, TN. I am a mom to a very handsome and ifriendly 2 year old who has inspired me to design lots of kid/family friendly iPad and iphone accessories. I have been working on the ikid case design for a year.

iKid a Shock Absorbing Foam ipad Case and Gaming Console by Laura Graham — Kickstarter

Todd Akin's comment about rape is possibly the most appalling rationalization that I have ever heard from a U.S. politician. It is really not OK for the halls of leadership in this country to be populated by people who are that detached from reality. Whats even more troubling is the idea that there may be many people involved in government who believe that nonsense.

What Akin said is likely a more common belief than most Americans realize. There are several examples of state lawmakers and even a federal judge nominee having expressed the same view (BuzzFeed has a rundown). And a quick Google search shows the view isn’t relegated to just a few rogue politicians; it’s one that some in the social conservative community believe — despite the medical community’s clear verdict that it’s nonsense.

The attached WAPO article takes the also somewhat creepy tact that its all strategy and politicians who rise from the ranks of the hard right need to be more careful about what they say when they move to a position where they are visible to the mainstream. How about this - how about we have politicians who aren't crazy. Thank you.

Todd Akin