2009

2009 712

December 2009

1. 31 DecHarvard study examines people’s motivations and usage patterns of Facebook and Twitter:
2. 31 DecWhy companies should have unlimited vacation days:
3. 31 DecIs never spanking worse for kids than spanking them?
4. 31 DecHow to easily improve your ability to detect lies:
5. 31 DecA must-read article about health care in America:
6. 30 DecDoes power make you hypocritical?
7. 30 DecDo mobile phones deter kidnappings?
8. 30 DecIs Tetris an effective treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
9. 30 DecThe business behind illegal drugs in Mexico:
10. 30 DecAre you actually terrible at noticing change?
11. 29 DecPrinter Ink Costs More Than Human Blood:
12. 29 DecThe Truth About Lie-Detection – What Works And What Doesn’t:
13. 29 DecWhat sex in marketing really means:
14. 29 DecWhy you don’t need to worry about dying in a terrorist attack:
15. 29 DecThis is what the human body can do when pushed to the limit:
16. 28 DecHow To Spot A Concealed Handgun
17. 28 DecDo parents know what their kid’s talking about most of the time?
18. 28 DecHow to make your New Year’s Resolution stick:
19. 28 DecWill your marriage last?
20. 28 DecTwo great writing lessons you can learn from… porn:
21. 27 DecMike Birbiglia – Sleepwalking (Podcast)
22. 27 DecHow to easily improve your vision:
23. 27 DecHow to easily improve your memory:
24. 27 DecHow can you easily increase the money you get from eBay auctions?
25. 26 DecAdam Gopnik learns the meaning of “LOL”:
26. 26 DecHow to easily improve your math skills:
27. 26 DecSecrets to a Long Marriage:
28. 26 DecInside the Mind of a Savant:
29. 26 DecGreat series of podcasts about WW2:
30. 26 DecInteresting documentary about the NFL draft process:
31. 25 DecBeliefs Influence Recovery:
32. 25 DecOur Troops Send Holiday Wishes For Peace, Goodwill, And Body Armor
33. 25 DecMore Rewards = Less Motivation:
34. 25 DecAJ Jacobs outsources his life (Podcast)
35. 25 DecThe 12 Psychology Studies of Christmas
36. 24 DecUsing Menu Psychology to Entice Diners
37. 24 DecIf billionaires don’t feel guilty about walking away from their debts, should homeowners?
38. 24 DecAre married people happier than single people?
39. 24 DecScience gets one step closer to creating real SPIDER-MAN web shooters:
40. 24 DecWhat takes more years off your life than smoking or obesity?
41. 23 DecWhat makes medication 2-4x as effective? Adding a placebo:
42. 23 DecTime flies when you’re having fun – but the reverse is also true:
43. 23 DecLap dancers’ earnings correlate with their menstrual cycle:
44. 23 DecMalcolm Gladwell talks about the “Perverse and Often Baffling” (Audio):
45. 22 DecCan Tylenol ease psychological pain?
46. 22 DecHow the military is using the Xbox, the iPod and iPhone at war:
47. 22 DecThe social strategy of “popular kids” and “mean girls”:
48. 22 DecCan crowdsourcing be used for evil?
49. 22 DecA Brilliant Stock Market Scam:
50. 22 DecCan you get off heroin by switching to crack?
51. 21 DecDo pretty waitresses really get bigger tips?:
52. 21 DecIs giving really better than receiving?
53. 21 DecDoes having children make you more like your parents?
54. 21 DecWhen to brainstorm and when not to:
55. 21 DecCan lay-offs cause miscarriages?
56. 20 DecShow the doctor pictures of kittens before your next surgery:
57. 20 DecHow to create false memories:
58. 20 DecTattoos, dueling scars, and other rational acquisitions:
59. 20 DecCan insightful text overcome stereotypical imagery?
60. 20 DecDo pro athletes break the law more than average citizens?
61. 19 DecIs blogging dominated by the big guys?:
62. 19 DecMuhammad Ali fought 50 men. Only one disappeared.
63. 19 DecStanford’s Robert Sapolsky Lectures On Depression (Video):
64. 19 DecDoes the SAT accurately predict college academic performance?
65. 19 DecIn-depth interview with David Simon, creator of “The Wire”:
66. 18 DecWhy a new haircut can make a woman dramatically more or less attractive:
67. 18 DecWhich of our closely held beliefs will our grandchildren be appalled by?
68. 18 DecScientific American: “Why do human testicles hang like that?”
69. 18 DecWhy your boss is incompetent:
70. 18 DecIs peer pressure a good thing?
71. 17 DecHow do people react to a robot colleague?
72. 17 DecWhich are the most successful films of all time?
73. 17 DecThe importance of attractiveness depends on where you live:
74. 17 DecInterview With Joe Randazzo, Editor of the THE ONION:
75. 17 DecWould it have been better to not spread the word about Christmas? – Susan Schorn
76. 17 DecEffectiveness of the “Good Cop, Bad Cop Technique”:
77. 16 DecStudies show friends do make challenges easier to deal with:
78. 16 DecShould you rip off a Band-Aid off slow or fast?
79. 16 DecUN Official says drug money saved the world’s economy:
80. 16 DecAre women more likely to remember their first pair of shoes than their first kiss?
81. 16 DecTo resist temptation, exaggerate the threat:
82. 16 DecStaying friends after a break-up: why it works and why it doesn’t
83. 15 DecNYC’s “Drinking Fat” anti-soda campaign (Video):
84. 15 DecDo people who look young for their age live longer?
85. 15 DecClassic Jim Henson ads (Video):
86. 15 DecAre your Facebook friends making you fat?
87. 15 DecThe crazed downfall of the founder of Guess Jeans:
88. 14 DecWhat English sounds like to those who don’t speak it:
89. 14 DecWhat is “Gaslighting”
90. 14 DecWhat are the marketing tricks built into menus?
91. 14 DecHarvard professor Daniel Gilbert discusses the science of happiness:
92. 14 DecAt last there’s proof: 44% of Americans are crazy
93. 13 DecCan playing video games increase reaction time?
94. 13 DecA Man’s Head Proportions Speak Volumes About Him:
95. 13 DecThe economic argument for never giving another gift.
96. 13 DecIs there a drive-through everything these days?
97. 13 DecAre fans of the winning or losing team more violent?
98. 13 DecIs romance ruining your waistline?:
99. 12 DecNew online dating service — that’s only for beautiful people:
100. 12 DecWhat Happens When You Put A Tag Cloud On Your Customer Support Forum:
101. 12 DecAre angry women more like men?
102. 12 DecAre Porn Stars Covered by OSHA laws?
103. 12 DecDoes money change what we think is fair?
104. 11 DecCalvin and Hobbes, December 09, 2009
105. 11 DecCan personalities be judged by physical appearance alone?
106. 11 DecHourly employees happier than salaried
107. 11 DecHow long does it take to dissolve a human body?
108. 11 DecNext time your printer runs out of ink just buy a new one.
109. 10 DecBrilliant way to get unlimited free frequent flier miles:
110. 10 Dec5 myths about home ownership:
111. 10 DecIntelligence, Education, and Startup Success:
112. 10 DecCompany Trains the Autistic To Test Software
113. 10 DecTrophy Size:
114. 10 DecThe Way of the Sniper:
115. 9 DecThe American Diet: 34 Gigabytes a Day
116. 9 DecWhat does friendship mean in the modern era?
117. 9 DecHow many people cheat?
118. 9 DecOptimal starting prices for negotiations and auctions
119. 9 DecROTC for Spies
120. 9 DecFake ‘kid in a kit’ excuses childless workers for leaving early
121. 8 DecOne Man’s Discarded Ticket Can Be Another Man’s Salary – NYTimes.com
122. 8 DecTours of the Gang Neighborhoods of Los Angeles
123. 8 DecInspiring Commencement Address by Inventor Dean Kamen
124. 8 DecNBA longshots are as easy as under-the-hoop jump shots
125. 7 DecThe number of competitors you face affects how you perform:
126. 7 DecWhat statistic predicts traffic deaths better than any other? You’ll be surprised:
127. 7 DecHarlan Ellison says “Pay the writer”:
128. 7 DecJohn Cleese on creativity:
129. 7 Dec11 Ways to Influence People Online and Make Them Take Action:
130. 7 DecCapgras delusion – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
131. 6 DecWhat drugs are our astronauts on?
132. 6 DecGreat article covering the rise and fall of MySpace:
133. 6 DecThe Gambler Who Blew $127 Million
134. 6 DecDrug wars threaten to bring down Mexico
135. 5 DecWhat’s the deal with crazy cat ladies? (Video):
136. 5 DecUniversity Fails to Find Man Who Hasn’t Seen Porn:
137. 5 DecThe Hostage Business
138. 5 DecHow come cheap airlines are so cheap?
139. 4 DecCan jazz musicians “turn off” part of their brain to be more creative?
140. 4 DecHow recessions affect socio-economic beliefs about the world:
141. 4 DecTurning butts into boobs – NYTimes.com
142. 3 DecHe studies the brains of killers. And realized his own family has the same qualities:
143. 3 DecExcellent article on the changing face of war:
144. 3 DecHow many plastic surgeons have plastic surgery?
145. 3 DecWhy the decline in smoking rates won’t improve the average health of Americans:
146. 3 DecCheating Darwin: The Genetic and Ethical Implications of Vanity and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery
147. 3 DecRacial breakdown of the top four sports (chart):
148. 3 DecHow to make very accurate predictions for how long things will take to accomplish:
149. 3 DecWhy you shouldn’t play with fireworks:
150. 3 DecHow Our Avatar Changes Online Behavior:
151. 3 DecDoes rock music promote suicide?
152. 2 DecCreative (and shocking) marketing on the cheap:
153. 2 DecHow will you die?
154. 2 DecThe Militarization of Sex:
155. 2 Dec“Spice” and the pharmacology of the new generation of street drugs:
156. 2 DecChild porn cases take toll on investigators
157. 2 DecCheap marketing that stands out, is memorable and, most of all, cool:
158. 1 DecThe Underground Market of Sperm Donors
159. 1 DecWho says a radiator has to look like a radiator?
160. 1 DecGod agrees with me. Even if I change my mind.
161. 1 DecIt doesn’t take a genius to be a great quarterback:

November 2009

1. 30 NovThe Psychology of Being Scammed:
2. 30 NovWhen the CIA tried its hand at magic
3. 30 NovThe Wisdom of the Smart Crowd:
4. 30 NovWill monkeys really type Shakespeare if given enough time?
5. 30 NovOverconfidence vs. Market Efficiency in the National Football League Draft
6. 30 NovHow dangerous is sword-swallowing?
7. 30 NovWho Needs a Big Marketing Budget?
8. 29 NovInside the mind of an actor (literally):
9. 29 NovTricks in the retail realm – Marketers take note and buyers beware (Video):
10. 29 NovThe science of “fair weather” sports fans:
11. 29 NovTop Ten Money Mistakes
12. 29 NovHow can you tell whether someone was asleep when he committed murder?
13. 28 NovStudies suggest males have more personality:
14. 28 NovPrice Discrimination Explains Everything, by Arnold Kling:
15. 28 NovDeception and Self-Deception (Video):
16. 28 NovWhy the hammerhead shark got its hammer:
17. 28 NovShould LeBron James accept a salary of $1 a year? – Sports Illustrated:
18. 27 NovWhat physically happens to someone electrocuted in the electric chair?
19. 27 NovThe inspiration for Bart’s crank calls on “The Simpsons”:
20. 27 NovThe Devil Wears Prada? Effects of Luxury Goods on Decision Making.
21. 27 NovGreat advertising:
22. 27 NovShould first cousins be allowed to marry?
23. 27 NovWho’s gotten fatter: American men or American turkeys?
24. 26 NovBuzzwords in Academic Papers:
25. 26 NovFan death – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
26. 26 NovWho buys cosmetic surgery?:
27. 26 NovFRONTLINE: Behind the Scenes in the Credit Card Industry:
28. 26 NovVirtual Mafia in Online Worlds:
29. 25 NovDan Ariely on the behavioral economics of Thanksgiving:
30. 25 NovThe politics of Obama’s skin color:
31. 25 NovSix things science has revealed about the female orgasm:
32. 25 NovInterview with “Predictably Irrational” author Dan Ariely:
33. 25 NovAre men better gamblers when accompanied by a woman?
34. 24 NovWho tips more, men or women?
35. 24 NovKilling grandma:
36. 24 Nov$25,000 > $35,000
37. 24 NovWhat your Facebook page says about you (Video):
38. 24 NovYou know what they use for money in some prisons? Mackerel.
39. 24 NovHow to tell if somebody is lying:
40. 23 NovWant to predict the result of a sporting event? Don’t even think about it:
41. 23 NovMen often treat their friends better than women do:
42. 23 NovUninsured ER patients twice as likely to die:
43. 23 NovThe most boring video game ever made:
44. 22 NovPriest, Minister and Rabbi: Which one does the most for the public good?
45. 22 NovWhat, specifically, is the numerical definiton of ‘most’:
46. 22 NovGODZILLA’S FOOD, EXERCISE, AND DREAM DIARY.
47. 22 NovWhat Does “Hostile Takeover” Mean? (Video):
48. 22 NovWhat Intelligence Tests Miss:
49. 21 NovHow much TV do Americans watch every day?
50. 21 NovWill luxury goods go on sale this Christmas?
51. 21 NovWhat are the best jobs in America?:
52. 21 NovHow common are terrorist attacks?
53. 21 NovWhat are the odds a naked homeowner will stop an intruder at gunpoint?
54. 21 NovWho is Hollywood’s most overpaid star?
55. 20 NovThe curious economic effects of religion:
56. 20 NovYawning is part of what makes us human
57. 20 NovSports, sex, and the runner Caster Semenya
58. 20 NovPeruvian Gang Killing People for Their Fat
59. 20 NovSchneier on Security: How Smart are Islamic Terrorists?
60. 20 NovThe key to improving marketing is non-marketers
61. 20 NovWhy Mary Kay Cosmetics is thriving in China:
62. 20 NovDoes being smart in high school = less sex?
63. 20 NovSeth’s Blog: How companies destroy themselves
64. 20 NovDo ethics books get stolen more frequently than other books?
65. 20 NovHow much money does a New York Times bestseller bring you? You’ll be surprised:
66. 20 NovX-Rays of speech:
67. 19 NovAre attractive athletes more likely to win?
68. 19 NovThe Onion: Boy finds own real-life E.T.
69. 19 NovDo blind people hallucinate on LSD?
70. 19 NovWhen A DNA Testing Firm Goes Bankrupt, Who Gets the Data?
71. 19 NovIs DNA Testing Changing Fatherhood?
72. 19 NovFRONTLINE: “A Death in Tehran” | The Story of This Summer’s Iran Protests (Video):
73. 19 NovHow your looks affect online dating results (charts and stats):
74. 19 NovDoes sex and nudity in movies boost box office?
75. 18 NovIs depression as deadly as smoking? Is anxiety good for you?
76. 18 NovHow organized crime works in Japan:
77. 18 NovWe’re Only Human…: “The Piece of Cake Heuristic”
78. 18 NovDo Romantic Rivals Spur Religiosity?
79. 18 NovIs it good for toddlers to feel a little fear?
80. 18 NovRead this if you are kind, strong willed, but can be self-critical:
81. 18 NovDoes playing against Tiger Woods make your golf game worse?
82. 18 NovGambling revenues: Hitting the jackpot
83. 18 NovDon’t be happy, be worried: Sports fans need negative emotions to enjoy a game:
84. 17 Nov10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sexual Biology (Sex Edition):
85. 17 NovRemittances now head North as Mexicans help relatives in the US – NYTimes.com
86. 17 NovThe connection between sports and domestic violence:
87. 17 NovThe amount of cool stuff in the world continuous to increase:
88. 17 NovWho has trouble sleeping?
89. 16 NovDid Grandmom have premarital sex?
90. 16 NovWhat does the amount spent on an engagement ring say about the bride and the couple:
91. 16 NovClay Shirky – A Speculative Post on the Idea of Algorithmic Authority:
92. 15 NovSOUR ‘日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)’
93. 15 NovHow rockets transformed the Middle East arms race and made Russia the big winner:
94. 15 NovThe All-Inclusive All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Guide
95. 15 NovHow much time do Americans over 2 spend watching TV?
96. 15 NovCan one of the nation’s great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let’s find out:
97. 15 Nov“Most Time Management Is Rubbish. Here Are Ten Things That Work for Me.”
98. 14 NovDo economic booms have downsides?
99. 14 NovHow many jobs will you have in your life?
100. 14 NovThe creator of GMail asks, “Is there more to life than money?”:
101. 14 NovFreakonomics authors on Charlie Rose:
102. 14 NovMalcolm Gladwell on Charlie Rose:
103. 14 NovDo longer relationships = healthier babies?
104. 14 NovThe truth about identity theft:
105. 14 NovIncome inequality drives church attendance:
106. 14 NovWhere do most people want to live?
107. 14 NovCan game theory explain the constant shortage of eligible bachelors?
108. 13 NovThe 4 Psychological Techniques That Increased Navy SEAL Passing Rates
109. 13 NovCan the cocaine on dollars be used to track drug use?
110. 13 NovNo, mommy does not love you all the same:
111. 12 NovAre opera fans more accepting of suicide?:
112. 12 NovIs sport a religion?
113. 12 NovCan a prisoner request anything for his last meal?
114. 12 NovThe past 10 years presented in 7 minutes (Video):
115. 12 NovLoss Aversion in Golf:
116. 12 NovHow would Babe Ruth fare in baseball today? – WSJ.com
117. 12 NovIn holiday cutbacks, pets fare better than husbands:
118. 12 NovRock Music Quality vs. U.S. Oil Production (Graph):
119. 12 Nov1 in 5 country music songs refers to alcohol, 1 in 3 to tears, 1 in 7 to mama:
120. 12 NovWhy airport luggage thieves steal black bags:
121. 11 NovThe Science of Success:
122. 11 NovHollywood’s Hero Deficit:
123. 11 NovIs there a formula for predicting the height of your future children?
124. 11 NovDo attractive politicians get more votes?:
125. 11 NovYour Odds of Dating a Supermodel:
126. 11 NovPeople with less education could be more susceptible to the flu:
127. 10 Nov“Things I Learn From My Patients”:
128. 10 NovThe Economics of the Pill and Sexuality:
129. 10 NovRobin Hanson on signaling (podcast)
130. 10 NovONION: Realistic Warfare Video Game Offers Filling Out Paperwork, Boredom While Awaiting Orders:
131. 10 NovWhat if Matrix was shot in the silent films’ era:
132. 9 NovHere’s What The Research Says About Whether You Could Really Become Batman
133. 9 NovClay Shirky – The Social Media Revolution and the Future of Journalism (video):
134. 9 NovTHOUGHT FOR THE DAY: What Kept Coltrane’s Horn Blowing | Cornel West:
135. 9 NovIs the internet killing storytelling?
136. 9 NovVideo of Seth Godin at Gel 2006:
137. 9 NovSaying “My genes made me do it” WORKS:
138. 9 NovPhysics of Free Throws
139. 9 NovWhy you should never have a heart attack in Toronto:
140. 8 NovIs it really “the booze talking”?
141. 8 NovIf you don’t read this I may actually get stupider:
142. 8 NovCNN – “Landing a job right now is like getting into Harvard”
143. 8 NovWhat the Army Taught Me About Teaching
144. 8 NovGraphic representations of how movie stars and their critics rate
145. 7 NovThe Cult-of-Done Manifesto. A quick guide to increased productivity:
146. 7 NovShould you take what you can get?:
147. 7 NovThe Modern Obsessive-Compulsive Hypochondriacal Gentleman’s Guide to Style – McSweeney’s:
148. 7 NovHacking the senses
149. 7 NovMore unfair tricks used against homeowners?
150. 7 NovPride is about status:
151. 7 NovDoes the camera really add ten pounds?
152. 7 NovDo people really die from “spontaneous human combustion”?
153. 7 Nov“The limits of story-based thinking.” – Tyler Cowen at TEDx (Video):
154. 7 NovCharlie Rose interviews Ken Auletta about Google:
155. 7 Nov“The Yankees Payroll”:
156. 7 NovPhone Call to the 14th Century – The Kasper Hauser Comedy Podcast
157. 7 NovWhy risk taking is essential (video):
158. 6 NovInnovation is NOT rewarded:
159. 6 NovWhy it can pay to be an utter hedonist:
160. 6 NovDoes marriage kill sex drive?
161. 6 NovDo Health Insurers Consider Domestic Abuse a Pre-Existing Condition?
162. 6 NovIMDb Movie Ratings Over the Years, by Nathaniel Johnston:
163. 6 NovThe Physics of Bras
164. 6 NovA corporate-style annual report for… a person:
165. 6 NovHow Countries Spend Their Money (Interactive Chart):
166. 6 NovThe neuroscience of zombies – NPR (podcast):
167. 6 Nov“The Most Important Writing Lesson I Ever Learned”
168. 6 NovHow people make up good reasons for bad behaviour:
169. 6 NovAn 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day – HarvardBusiness.org:
170. 5 NovHans Rosling shows the best stats you’ve ever seen
171. 5 NovWhy Do Leaves Really Fall Off Trees?
172. 5 NovHow bad is it to miss a few hours of sleep?
173. 5 Nov75% of Potential Military Recruits Too Fat, Too Sickly, Too Dumb to Serve:
174. 5 NovHow to use game theory to buy a car:
175. 5 NovProjected State Marijuana Tax Revenues, if legalized:
176. 5 Nov“War by Remote” – FRONTLINE’s coverage of the “pilots” who fly Predator drones:
177. 4 NovInternet search process affects cognition, emotion:
178. 4 NovShort Heels and Long Toes: A Surprising Recipe for Speed.
179. 4 NovWhy a high IQ doesn’t mean you’re smart:
180. 4 NovDolphin markets in everything, Gresham’s Law edition
181. 4 NovDanger – Falling (absurd) Objects:
182. 4 NovThe secret to weight loss (that nobody wants to hear) – NYTimes.com
183. 4 Nov“Linked In” Founder Reid Hoffman interview (video):
184. 4 NovCan depression be a beneficial thing?
185. 4 NovThis Is How Accurate Snap First Impressions Are
186. 4 NovDoes being sad, or complaining, make you smarter?
187. 3 Nov“House” is right. Patients do lie:
188. 3 NovWhat Is Sex Worth?
189. 3 NovPower Diminishes Perception and Perspective:
190. 3 NovIs Blaming Others Contagious?
191. 3 NovManagers’ hiring practices vary by race, ethnicity:
192. 3 NovSex at MIT (Charts and data presented. After all, this is MIT):
193. 3 NovHow Consumer Reports tests condoms:
194. 3 NovHow to sell a dollar for more than a dollar
195. 3 NovThe New Art of Alimony:
196. 2 NovDoes mastering a skill makes us stressed in the moment but happier long term?
197. 2 NovWhy is America so murderous? – The New Yorker:
198. 2 NovHow much money do college presidents make?
199. 2 Nov10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sexual Biology:
200. 2 NovCan Atheists overwhelm God with prayer? The Divine Denial of Service Attack:
201. 2 NovNo such thing as a break in a curveball? (Animation):
202. 2 NovSwine Flu Mortality #’s compared to other deaths (Image):
203. 2 NovGreat animation of How A Virus Invades Your Body (Video) from NPR:
204. 2 NovU-M research shows chronically ill may be happier if they give up hope:
205. 2 NovYou don’t want what you think you want:
206. 2 NovWhat are the best places in the U.S. to lose your wallet?
207. 2 NovHow to prevent your laptop battery from a shorter and shorter life:
208. 1 NovIs your dog among the smartest breeds?
209. 1 NovThey may legalize polygamy in Russia. The women are asking for it.
210. 1 NovCheating your way through the NYC Marathon (chart):
211. 1 NovWhat has the recession done to Americans’ odds of bankruptcy?

October 2009

1. 31 OctZimbabwe’s 79,600,000,000% Inflation:
2. 31 OctAre Liberals Smarter Than Conservatives?
3. 31 OctFrance – Under 24? Have a Free Newspaper – Slate Magazine
4. 31 OctCan phantom limbs contort into impossible configurations?
5. 31 OctDo nice doctors heal you faster?
6. 31 OctWhat do you buy when you buy a lottery ticket?
7. 30 OctCan watching TV crime dramas distort perception of the criminal justice system?
8. 30 OctDo Genes Cause Bad Driving?
9. 30 OctWhat are the chances of a huge meteor smashing us flat?:
10. 30 OctThe most profitable movie ever:
11. 30 OctHalloween Special Edition: Is there really cause to be worried about razor blades in kids’ halloween candy?
12. 30 OctThe vitamin business thrived through the recession. Why?
13. 30 OctDoes fewer murders = more suicide?
14. 29 OctAcing the SAT and dying from appendicitis:
15. 29 OctThe One Argument Ayn Rand Couldn’t Win:
16. 29 OctResearch Shows Narcissism Linked to Attractiveness:
17. 29 OctThe language of Lawyerese:
18. 29 OctSocial networks of murder:
19. 29 OctTED – Marcus du Sautoy: Symmetry, reality’s riddle:
20. 29 OctWhat are the most common mistakes people make in evaluating risk?
21. 28 OctLeading cause of death among pregnant women? Homicide:
22. 28 OctShould we tax using irrational numbers?
23. 28 OctDoes “sleeping on it” help?
24. 28 OctIs the number 13 unlucky?
25. 28 OctForget parties this Halloween – ZOMBIE THEMED PAINTBALL:
26. 28 OctThe Calculus of Carnage
27. 28 OctBeware “Far” Ethics
28. 26 OctThe Secret Behind Powerball Lottery Strategies:
29. 26 OctIs There A Reverse Brain Drain To India And China:
30. 26 OctHow to save a lot of money on entertainment:
31. 26 OctAdderall Speculation:
32. 26 OctEpictetus the Life Coach:
33. 26 OctMaybe a referendum isn’t the best way to decide on a “fat tax”:
34. 26 OctWhy does cable television cost more than broadband? – bijansabet.com:
35. 26 OctDoes having a baby-face help you in a court of law?
36. 26 OctBob Sutton – 85 years of research tells us the best way to evaluate potential employees:
37. 26 OctWhat’s the best time to do anything?
38. 25 OctChoosing Who Survives in a Flu Epidemic:
39. 25 OctHow to flip a coin
40. 24 OctLeaked “Left 4 Dead 2” Trailer:
41. 24 OctDying Languages:
42. 24 OctA Writing Revolution:
43. 24 OctVeteran Critics More Persuasive When Uncertain:
44. 24 OctCan talking back lead to smarter kids?
45. 23 OctIs copyright law in China any different from in the United States? – Slate Magazine:
46. 23 OctIs there any difference in quality between name-brand drugs and generics?
47. 23 OctAmbulances start charging extra for the obese – msnbc.com:
48. 23 OctDifferences in Gender Ratios Create Varying Mating Strategies
49. 23 OctDo states with more creative people have fewer multiple marriages?
50. 23 OctDo generous people avoid situations where they will have to be generous?
51. 23 OctDoes Stereotyping Increase With Age?
52. 23 OctDo Hungry Men Love Larger Ladies?
53. 22 OctDoes absurdist literature make you smarter? Giraffe carpet cleaner, it does!:
54. 22 OctEconomist’s view – How to get a Russian to buy butter:
55. 22 OctHow to resist chocolate:
56. 22 OctBBC – Worldwide Heroin Consumption in 2008 (by region):
57. 22 OctJonah Lehrer on our context-dependent personalities:
58. 22 OctReal-time pricing error alerts for consumers to pounce on:
59. 22 OctDo we prefer the things we see first, see last or the ones in the middle?
60. 21 OctWhen is the best month of the year to buy NFL tickets?:
61. 21 OctScientific American – Getting It Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn:
62. 21 OctGarett Jones on low wage jobs, cell phones and economics:
63. 21 OctAttractive people are more trusting when they think they can be seen:
64. 21 OctThe Economist – National wealth and holiday entitlement:
65. 21 OctThe American Scholar – What F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tax returns reveal about his life and times:
66. 21 OctSPIEGEL ONLINE – Humor Under Communism – East German Jokes Collected by West German Spies:
67. 21 OctFinance Profs Won’t Bet:
68. 20 OctTED – Paul Debevec animates a photo-real digital face:
69. 20 OctAre humans still evolving? Absolutely:
70. 20 OctWhen is the most agreeable time for a meeting?
71. 20 OctComputer Card Counter Detects Human Card Counters:
72. 20 OctWhich Americans have been married the most?
73. 20 OctDoes exercise boost immunity?
74. 20 OctCraig Newmark On The Future Of News Media:
75. 20 OctNYTimes.com – Even Rabbit Droppings Count in Nuclear Cleanup:
76. 20 OctChinese Scientists build a black hole and maybe soon, an invisibility cloak:
77. 20 OctThe false god of coffee:
78. 20 OctMcSweeney’s: YouTube Comment or e. e. cummings?
79. 20 OctWomen are getting unhappier:
80. 20 OctClay Shirky on Chinese knockoffs:
81. 20 OctCan attitudes toward aging affect how well we age?
82. 18 OctMathematical Model for Surviving a Zombie Attack:
83. 18 Oct“If you’re reading this…then you are the worst man in history”:
84. 17 OctClay Shirky – “Why I ignore all ‘5 year plans'”
85. 17 OctThe Atlantic – Former Ranger who “kidnaps” kids from one parent to return them to the other:
86. 17 OctSuperFreakonomics Video Preview:
87. 16 OctWhen should you disclose information in an interview?:
88. 16 OctAre the Traits We Prefer in Potential Mates the Traits We Value in Ourselves?
89. 16 OctWhich metaphor best describes your life?
90. 16 OctHow does physician-assisted suicide affect the family?
91. 15 OctDid Islamic Banks in the Gulf Do Better Than Conventional Ones in the Crisis?:
92. 15 OctWashingtonpost.com – In India, More Women Demand Toilets Before Marriage:
93. 15 OctClay Shirky on social media/online communities 10/8/09 (Video):
94. 15 OctFast Internet access becomes a legal right in Finland:
95. 15 OctA Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch (Video):
96. 15 OctAre there tricks to being more lucky?
97. 15 OctNYTimes.com – The Calorie-Restriction Experiment:
98. 14 OctUndergraduate majors – Business is a BUY, the Humanities are a SELL:
99. 14 OctStatistics and effective decision making in football:
100. 14 OctCan you tell if a man is dangerous just by looking at his face?
101. 14 OctTED TALKS: Rory Sutherland – Life lessons from an ad man
102. 14 OctIngenious Secret Code:
103. 14 OctA blog which tracks unfortunate acronyms, such as Department on Aging:
104. 14 OctNYTimes.com – Is backward time travel sabotaging the Hadron collider?
105. 14 OctTHE ONION: Majority Of Newspapers Now Purchased By Kidnappers To Prove Date
106. 13 OctMaking the mundane fun – “Piano stairs” (Video):
107. 13 OctIs a married man as likely to cheat on his wife as he is to experience a flight delay?
108. 13 OctNew Yorker – Full text of Malcolm Gladwell’s new article on Football, dog fighting, and brain damage:
109. 13 OctThe New Yorker – Malcolm Gladwell on football injuries: Audio Slide Show:
110. 13 OctThe ‘Average American’ Is Dying Off:
111. 13 OctWant Your Name On A Building? Now It Costs Less:
112. 13 OctThe Economist – American feelings on gun control over time:
113. 13 OctWhen the Powerful Feel Incompetent, the Rest of Us Feel Their Wrath:
114. 13 OctMimicry improves women’s speed-dating success
115. 13 OctPlacebo effect works for HDTV’s:
116. 13 OctThe Economist: How much do big awards pay?
117. 9 OctAre twin-blade razors better than single-blade ones?
118. 9 OctTechnology, Umpires and the Human Element in Baseball:
119. 8 OctBirth Control Pills May Alter Choice Of Partners
120. 8 OctConsumer Reports – List of the best credit cards (good terms, no fees):
121. 8 OctMarginal Revolution: the unusual economics of the film industry
122. 8 OctA quarter of America’s total income is earned by the top 1%:
123. 7 OctArtist Genesis P-Orridge Turns Himself Into His Late Wife:
124. 7 OctClay Shirky speaking at Harvard on Internet Issues Facing Newspapers:
125. 7 OctCountries Billionaires Could Buy
126. 6 OctCNN.com – Brain scans gauge horror flick fear factor
127. 4 OctEd Boyden – How to Think
128. 4 OctSeth Godin on things broken and how to fix them (Video):
129. 4 OctThe New Yorker – Why Hollywood fears Nikki Finke:
130. 3 OctMartin Seligman on positive psychology and happiness:
131. 3 OctWhy taking risks is vital to your health (Video):
132. 3 OctCould a morbidly obese goalie shut out an NHL team?
133. 3 Oct12% of cellphone owners have broken up with someone via text message:
134. 3 OctHow to Lose Weight – Avoid Skinny Overeaters:
135. 3 OctMeeting someone new? You’re likely to tell 3 lies in 10 minutes:
136. 3 OctSex or love: When your partner is unfaithful, what hurts the most?:
137. 2 OctThe influence of genes on exceptional mental ability:
138. 2 OctWhy don’t pregnant women tip over?
139. 2 OctClay Shirky – Rescuing The Reporters:
140. 2 OctThings moving left to right are perceived as having greater power. Including people:
141. 1 OctIs a prostitute more likely to have sex with a police officer than to get arrested by one?
142. 1 OctBill Mechanic’s speech about the future of indies at the Independent Film & Television Production Conference:
143. 1 OctDo women prefer men who are attached?

September 2009

1. 30 SepSide-effects from placebos can be drug specific:
2. 30 SepSold-out Products Influence Consumer Choice:
3. 30 SepKey To Subliminal Messaging Is To Keep It Negative, Study Shows:
4. 30 SepMarketing Researchers Find Betting On Sports And Reality TV Spoils The Fun:
5. 30 SepCrunching the #’s to See How Races and Religions Match in Online Dating:
6. 30 SepDon’t make big decisions on an empty stomach:
7. 30 SepCan laughter reduce pain?
8. 30 SepBe the main character in your favorite classic novel:
9. 30 SepThe Economist – Who admires their country the most?:
10. 30 SepFreakonomics author Steven Levitt analyzes crack economics at the TED conference (Video):
11. 29 SepDo babies in ads manipulate our attention?
12. 29 SepNew York Times – That Which Does Not Kill Me Makes Me Stranger:
13. 29 SepThe New Yorker – The gangs of Rio de Janeiro – Audio Slide Show:
14. 29 SepHow we affect others, and others affect us:
15. 29 SepIs there a link between psychosis and creativity?
16. 29 SepPsychology Study: Anticipating an interaction with an obese person provokes feelings of social power
17. 28 SepComic Relief – Swedish Chef makes donuts:
18. 28 SepNieman Journalism Lab at Harvard: Clay Shirky on the future of journalism 9/23 (Podcast/transcript)
19. 27 SepHair Dyeing Fad Reflects Recession:
20. 27 SepThe more you know someone, the less you like them:
21. 27 SepMalcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce and happiness:
22. 27 SepWhat a well-placed $20 gets you
23. 26 SepThe Science of Speed Eating (Video):
24. 26 SepThe results of “Predictably Irrational” author Dan Ariely’s scientific study of what makes us cheat:
25. 26 SepGot Pain? Take Two Photos of Your Loved One and Call Me in the Morning:
26. 26 SepOrder Effect Affects Orders:
27. 26 SepUeli Gegenschatz soars in a wingsuit:
28. 26 SepHow bad is Swine Flu really?
29. 26 SepStudy reveals complexities of female arousal:
30. 26 SepWhy is the US prison population bursting at the seams?
31. 26 SepDoes marriage make you poorer?:
32. 26 SepHow To Praise Your Child
33. 26 Sep“Predictably Irrational” author Dan Ariely says “Change Begets Change”
34. 25 SepThe Evolution of Overconfidence:
35. 25 SepWillpower is limited:
36. 25 SepThe Death of the Print Newspaper:
37. 25 SepWhich US state receives the most spam?
38. 25 SepWho owns my garbage?
39. 24 SepMalcolm Gladwell, modern problems, and the analytics age:
40. 24 SepAre you happy?
41. 23 SepThe Economist – Americans watch twice as much TV as any other country:
42. 23 SepLink found between facial appearance and aggression:
43. 23 SepThe contiguous United States, visualized by distance to the nearest McDonald’s:
44. 22 SepSlate Magazine – How mean are drill sergeants in real life?:
45. 22 SepSeeing the mind amidst the numbers:
46. 22 SepYour Social Media Strategy Won’t Save You:
47. 22 SepRestructuring the metaphysics of a jazz thing:
48. 22 SepWired – Bust Up Big League Sports:
49. 22 SepThe Economist – Airline Baggage fees and complaints:
50. 22 SepNYTimes.com – Lack of Sleep Increases the Risk of Catching a Cold:
51. 21 SepBill Maher/You Can’t Complain About Health Care Reform If You’re Not Willing to Reform Your Own Health:
52. 21 SepTED.com – The Web as random acts of kindness:
53. 21 SepThe Frontal Cortex – Jung and Dreams:
54. 21 SepPsychology Today – Mixed Signals – Why Your Intelligence and Attractiveness Elude You:
55. 21 SepNYTimes.com – Inmates’ Last Words before execution:
56. 21 SepBlue Chip, White Cotton: What Underwear Says About the Economy:
57. 21 SepMajority of US Workers Live Paycheck-to-Paycheck
58. 21 SepWhy the Rich Are so Cold:
59. 20 SepWhat’s to stop me from making counterfeit casino chips?
60. 20 SepNo eyebrows = you’re less recognizable
61. 20 SepDan Ariely – Do Prada Knockoffs Make You Evil?:
62. 20 SepProject ‘Gaydar’: An MIT experiment raises new questions about online privacy – The Boston Globe:
63. 20 SepDan Ariely – Surprises from our recent economic history:
64. 20 SepProfessional Athletes and the Prevalence of Bankruptcy:
65. 19 SepFacts about Japanese health care:
66. 19 SepSputum markets:
67. 3 SepAugmented Reality in a Contact Lens:
68. 3 SepIs TV losing the war for your attention?:
69. 2 SepPlaying Tetris makes girls’ brains bigger:
70. 2 SepWSJ.com – Airline Wi-Fi and the power of FREE:
71. 1 SepClay Shirky on placing many bets in internet social media (Video):
72. 1 Sep“Choose Your Own Adventure” on YouTube:
73. 1 SepDo iPhones Cause People To Talk Less?:

August 2009

1. 31 AugMIT develops wireless electricity (Video):
2. 29 AugClay Shirky on Website Comments:
3. 29 AugIs the internet producing groupthink instead of innovation?:
4. 28 Aug“In Lieu of Wedding Gifts, Please Give Us Free Venture Capital”:
5. 27 AugWhat is the most important metric to track in social media?
6. 27 AugWSJ.com – How Long Does It Take an Athlete to Make 100 Grand?:
7. 27 AugClay Shirky on Big Ideas & Failure in tech and social media:
8. 27 AugThe Atlantic Monthly – What Scares Google:
9. 26 AugCNN.com – Strangers gather on Web to make collective art:
10. 24 AugClay Shirky at the ICA, more on social media and the Obama campaign:
11. 24 AugClay Shirky at the ICA, discussing Obama’s campaign and coordinating efforts via social media:
12. 24 AugIDEO’s Doug Solomon on multitouch, collaborative technology and PatientsLikeMe:
13. 24 AugHype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2009:
14. 24 AugPriority Matrix for Emerging Technologies 2009:
15. 24 AugJohn Clippinger – People will control and federate their data and identity online (Video):
16. 21 AugA Brief History of Wikipedia – Time Magazine:
17. 21 AugNetflix recommendations come up short for Jonah Lehrer:
18. 21 AugThe Social Media Revolution Visualised:
19. 21 AugNieman Foundation at Harvard – To Prepare for the Future, Skip the Present:
20. 21 AugMedia Literacy and Social Action in a Post-Pokemon World:
21. 19 AugWhat Tweeters Think of the Latest Movie – NYTimes.com:
22. 19 AugClay Shirky on loss of control in new media and how to deal with it:
23. 18 AugClay Shirky on Information Overload:
24. 17 AugText messaging allows Africans to respond to crisis situations:
25. 17 AugCreating the illusion of accomplishment in video games:
26. 17 AugOne Laptop Per Child – Nicholas Negroponte at TED:
27. 15 AugPeter Hirshberg on the importance of an open API:
28. 15 AugHollywood’s distortion of the truth alters history in the eyes of schoolchildren:
29. 14 AugHollywood’s Fondness for the Familiar Only Grows – Wharton:
30. 14 AugClay Shirky on cultures of participation and social media’s effects on politics (Video):
31. 13 AugDon Tapscott of Growing Up Digital & Wikinomics (Video):
32. 13 AugClay Shirky at the Smithsonian (Video):
33. 12 AugJerry Michalski – If you have to market it, it probably sucks (Video):
34. 12 AugMoby on how tech has changed making music (WSJ Video):
35. 12 AugWho Needs Spy Satellites? Google Earth Pinpoints Where Missile Targeted Taliban:
36. 11 AugTHE ONION: “Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village”:
37. 11 AugSynchronised blinking stops viewers from missing the action while movie watching – New Scientist:
38. 11 AugSocial Media in the UK – Twitter CEO Evan Williams interview with the BBC (Video):
39. 11 AugHarvard’s Jonathan Zittrain expresses concerns about Cloud Computing on NPR (Podcast):
40. 11 AugSteve Rubel talks Twitter on “Big Think” (Video):
41. 11 AugCan the Free Market Fix Journalism? – HarvardBusiness.org:
42. 11 AugReid Hoffman on the future of apps, data analytics and Linked In:
43. 9 AugSteven Johnson replies to the NYT’s accusation that the web kills serendipity:
44. 9 AugGolan Levin’s technological art that looks back at you via TED.com:
45. 9 AugMaking commercials for the web, by Seth Godin:
46. 8 AugBrian Solis on how shared passions drive social media (Video):
47. 8 AugJeff Jarvis: how the internet and the link are disrupting marketing and commerce (Video):
48. 7 AugTHIS AMERICAN LIFE’s Ira Glass on Storytelling:
49. 7 AugClay Shirky’s fantastic speech, “Gin, Television, and Social Surplus”:
50. 7 AugSocial Media – Stats One Year On:
51. 6 AugClay Shirky on the coming war between old “quality” media and collaborative new media.
52. 6 AugHow Amazon, iTunes, Google and Netflix may be inadvertently creating a global online monoculture and killing niche:
53. 5 AugMost People Still Have Never Seen A Kindle:
54. 4 AugClay Shirky – transformations in corporations and society due to social media (Video):
55. 3 Aug“Facebook Fairytales” announced:
56. 3 AugWhat factors go into determining the Google PageRank of a Twitter page?:
57. 2 AugChristine Herron discusses identity management online in a world of social media and deep web searching (Video):
58. 1 AugWired’s Chris Anderson speaks at Google (Video):
59. 1 AugNPR Science Friday Podcast: Who Really Owns Your Digital Data?

July 2009

1. 31 JulClay Shirky in Chile – Politics when citizens are media outlets (Video, English):
2. 31 JulCrowdsourcing — without the crowd:
3. 31 JulWhat Drives Consumer Adoption Of New Technologies?
4. 30 Jul“Best Job In The World” socialmedia advertising campaign case study (Video)
5. 29 JulClay Shirky on the emerging power of mass amateurization in the media landscape (Video)
6. 29 JulHow To Use Twitter To Get A Company To Solve Your Problem
7. 28 JulDebunking Social Media Myths – HarvardBusiness.org
8. 28 JulJim Bower (Video) – The internet returns us to a natural way of human learning and interaction:
9. 28 JulOne Way to Help Iran Protesters: Donate Thumb Drives
10. 28 JulEmbrace the swarm
11. 27 JulHarvard Law Professor Jonathan Zittrain’s concerns about cloud computing and Google Chrome:
12. 27 JulHow People Share Content On The Web
13. 27 JulClay Shirky speaking at Google on “The Role of Inconvenience in Designing Social Systems” (Video)
14. 27 JulCoordinate Smaller Webs
15. 27 JulDave Weinberger on the importance of metadata in socialmedia (Video)
16. 25 JulMIT Media Lab Wearable Computing/Internet goes beyond “Minority Report”
17. 24 JulTelevisions Now Dominant Life Form In United States
18. 23 JulThe True Price of SMS Messages
19. 23 JulClay Shirky describes why iTunes is not a workable model for the newspaper business
20. 22 JulClay Shirky on balancing emotion in social media (Video)
21. 22 JulInbox Zero
22. 21 JulThe Math that Won the Netflix Prize
23. 17 JulP.R. in Silicon Valley
24. 16 Jul6 Lessons From the Best Marketing Campaign Ever
25. 16 JulNew Monopolies in the Digital Networked Economy
26. 16 JulArticle about my jobhunt tactics on the Baltimore Sun’s website today.
27. 15 JulOptimism: Too Much of a Good Thing for Entrepreneurs?
28. 15 JulCharlie Rose interviews Reid Hoffman, Founder of LinkedIn
29. 15 JulFacebook and iPods: the future of cultural signaling?
30. 15 Jul“You should follow me on Twitter”
31. 15 JulUnique like everyone else
32. 14 JulThe Technium: The Reality of Depending on True Fans
33. 14 JulThe Technium: The Case Against 1000 True Fans
34. 14 JulThe Technium: 1,000 True Fans
35. 14 JulWhy Small Payments Won’t Save Publishers « Clay Shirky
36. 13 JulLoic Le Meur, Web entrepreneur & Seesmic CEO on Social Media and Sharing
37. 13 JulTrent Reznor: my thoughts on what to do today as an unknown musical artist
38. 12 JulInfographic: The average consumer spends $50k/year. Where does it all go?
39. 12 JulTED.com video: military robots and the future of war
40. 12 JulTED.com video: Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users
41. 11 JulClay Shirky: It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure.
42. 11 JulCharlie Rose interviews Marc Andreessen about the internet, Facebook and newspapers
43. 11 Jul10 Ways To Monetize Real-Time Data
44. 10 JulHow to write like a blogger – Seth Godin
45. 10 JulQ&A with Clay Shirky on Twitter and Iran
46. 10 JulHow we read online:
47. 8 JulAndreas Weigend, former Chief Scientist for Amazon, explains how platform interfaces for Twitter can be more user-friendly
48. 6 JulA Checklist to Choose Which Internet Marketing Channel is Right for Your Business
49. 5 JulCharles Leadbeater at TED discussing the rise of the amateur professional
50. 4 Jul“Us Now” – Multi-part documentary on how Web 2.0 may change government
51. 4 JulThe Machine is Us/ing Us
52. 4 JulCharlie Rose interviews Clay Shirky
53. 4 JulClay Shirky on the future transformation of governments
54. 4 JulClay Shirky speaking at The World Bank
55. 4 JulClay Shirky – Every URL is a latent community
56. 4 JulInvest in connectors says Clay Shirky
57. 4 JulClay Shirky – Facebook and Privacy
58. 4 JulClay Shirky on Love, Internet Style
59. 4 JulClay Shirky – Where do people find the time? Part 2
60. 4 JulClay Shirky – Where do people find the time? Part 1
61. 4 JulClay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration
62. 4 JulClay Shirky: How social media can make history
63. 4 JulClay Shirky speaks at the Berkman Center at Harvard
64. 4 JulClay Shirky on why email trumps Facebook
65. 4 JulClay Shirky – Hierarchy & Leadership