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| There are great benefits to connectedness, but we haven't wrapped our minds around the costs. |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
3:21 am EDT, Jun 4, 2005 |
Washington insiders know the value of alliances. As Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff nears completion of a top-to-bottom review of the young Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte assembles his team to fix the intelligence community, they risk being the odd men out against the Washington behemoths that are the object of reform the Defense Department, CIA and FBI. By working together, these Davids could be a match for the Goliaths and forge the change the intelligence community has needed since long before September 11. By working together, these Davids could be a match for the Goliaths and forge the change the intelligence community has needed since long before September 11. Ending interagency feuds |
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Formal Aspects of the Emergence of Institutions |
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| Topic: Society |
6:56 pm EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
Social institutions emerge on the basis of the human cognitive ability to integrate an evaluation of the behavior and performances of other group members over long time periods. The results of those evaluations are condensed into the social status of an individual, and that status is the link between short time achievements and long term success within the group. Altruistic behavior on a short time scale can be advantageous for an individual on a longer time scale as it contributes to her or his status. Conversely, building mating decisions not on events that may be quite random on a short time scale, but on long term accumulations is an evolutionarily rational behavior because it reduces stochastic fluctuations by averaging. These findings call into question some approaches to computer simulations of social dynamics. Formal Aspects of the Emergence of Institutions |
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| Topic: Health and Wellness |
5:33 pm EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
Can you bottle trust? The answer, it seems, is yes. Researchers have produced a potion that, when sniffed, makes people more likely to give their cash to someone to look after.
Trust In A Bottle |
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iPod Plug-In Sets Music Free |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
3:38 pm EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
iPod users are raving about a plug-in that makes the Winamp digital jukebox a better way to manage the iPod than Apple's iTunes. The plug-in, called ml_iPod, allows iPod users to bypass iTunes and manage music collections in Winamp instead. The iPod is supposed to work with iTunes only. A new version of the software was released Monday. iPod Plug-In Sets Music Free |
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Sniff This and Fork It Over |
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| Topic: Society |
2:14 pm EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
"This is the first paper to provide positive evidence of the relationship of this neuropeptide to the complex social behavior we call trust." Watchdog groups worry that this type of research is another step toward marketers controlling what we buy or who we vote for. "It's a critical question in diplomacy."
Sniff This and Fork It Over |
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| Topic: International Relations |
11:50 am EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
Speaking on his regular "Hello President" program on May 22, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said: "We must start working on that area, the nuclear area. We could, along with Brazil, with Argentina and others, start investigations into the nuclear sector and ask for help from countries like Iran." The statement, which follows a visit to Caracas by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami in March, was intended to be noticed and it was. The question is why he would have said it. Confused? Don't worry. George Friedman explains it all. Venezuelan Red Flag |
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| Topic: TV |
10:19 am EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
It's more fun with your friends.
A new season of "Entourage" begins this Sunday at 9pm. Watch the trailer here. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "Entourage" roars back with some of the best writing anywhere and a cast that picks up exactly where it left off last season -- inexplicably hitting all the right notes, perfecting nuance and sharpening the comedic edges as if they'd been doing this for years instead of eight measly episodes." "Entourage" could very well be HBO's next breakout show. Rarely has a city, its denizens and the entertainment community that fuels and populates it been dissected so precisely.
HBO: Entourage |
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| Topic: TV |
10:17 am EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. Ends. HBO presents the fifth and final season of the award-winning hit series Six Feet Under - now premiering every Monday night starting in June.
That's Monday, June 6, at 9pm. Watch the season 5 trailer here. Moving the show to Monday nights could be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but I think it's likely just an effort to give the hopeful successor to "Sex & The City" more room to grow its audience. At this point, one would not expect continued top billing for SFU to boost its audience, but fans should willingly follow it to Monday without much of a drop-off. HBO: Six Feet Under |
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Omigosh, U R So Slo | Business Week |
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| Topic: Technology |
10:02 am EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
Text messaging may be the latest in written communication. But it's not the fastest. A 93-year-old telegraph operator recently whipped a teenaged texter in a speed contest at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. Gordon Hill took 90 seconds to dot-dot-dash the line: "Hey, girlfriend, you can text all your best pals to tell them where you are going and what you are wearing." Brittany Devlin, 13, was 28 seconds behind with her cell phone, despite using slang like "u" and "wot." Telegraphy might be the next big thing -- if only it could send smiley faces. Omigosh, U R So Slo | Business Week |
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Researchers Say Intelligence and Diseases May Be Linked |
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| Topic: Science |
9:19 am EDT, Jun 3, 2005 |
A team of scientists at the University of Utah has proposed that the unusual pattern of genetic diseases seen among Jews of central or northern European origin, or Ashkenazim, is the result of natural selection for enhanced intellectual ability. "It would be hard to overstate how politically incorrect this paper is," said Steven Pinker. The Utah researchers have built on an idea from a 1994 article by Jared Diamond.
Researchers Say Intelligence and Diseases May Be Linked |
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