Tuesday 24 February 2009

Best comedy clip ever

Courtesy of John Oliver on The Daily Show. Specifically, the first 3 minutes of this:

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Wednesday 29 October 2008

Issue #20

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #20 - Wednesday, 29th October 2008

  • Robert Peston, BBC News
    "Hedge funds and VW: what a pile up!"
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2008/10/hedge_funds_and_vw_what_a_pile.html

    DJR's gist: Germany, as a generalisation, dislikes the financial services sector that Britain and London took so lovingly to its very heart. "Products" such as derivatives and "positions" involving short selling and dubious financing were seen as being "like a plague of locusts over our companies, [they] devour everything, then fly on to the next one". So it was with some satisfaction that they must have watched short-sellers get bare-face raped by Volkswagen's spectacular stock price boom - gaining 95% in value and ending the day as the largest company in the world. The surprise of the announcement by Porsche (see article) has generated terrific losses, which for many people is absolutely hilarious. Not for hedge fund managers though... but they've got their work cut out if they want any sympathy over in the Motherland.

    See also: Stephen J. Dubner, "Freakonomics" blog, The New York Times
    "The Most Valuable Company in the World Today Is..."



  • Will Doig, The Daily Beast
    "Has Obama Already Won?"
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-29/has-obama-already-won

    DJR's gist: The levels of early voting seen in this year's US Presidential elections is unprecedented, and will almost certainly change the concept of "election day" forever. The sheer volume of voters has left voting stations inundated for days - there is no way they'd be able to handle such demand if concentrated in one day. Consensus is that early voting helps Barack Obama, but a good point to consider is that if all the Democrats vote early, next Tuesday could be eerily quiet in terms of Democrat numbers.



  • Adam Boulton, "Boulton & Co", Sky News
    "US Election: Who's The Stupid One?"
    http://blogs.news.sky.com/boultonandco/Post:d6ec1a49-133d-43df-80f9-3973cbb1089f

    DJR's gist: I couldn't agree more with Boulton about this. We, in Britain, sit watching the American political process with a mixture of condescension and disbelief. But while they're actually arguing over issues that will affect their future leader, we've got our two most important politicians talking about "some offensive and smutty phonecalls made a couple of vulgar celebrities" through the medium of the BBC. Sure, action needs to be taken (and has been), but involving the PM? Seriously?



  • Jack Schofield, The Guardian
    "Vista's successor is more than Windows dressing"
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/oct/30/microsoft-windows7

    DJR's gist: "Windows 7", the new version of Windows that is likely to be released by this time next year, is going to offer a lot more than a mere fine-tuning of Vista. With the product now in the hands of thousands of hardware developers, Microsoft are looking to iron out the strategic issues that caused Vista's slow start. It is also interesting to note that Microsoft is seemingly returning to its formula from the late 1990s, where new versions of Windows were successively released from 3.1 to 95, 98, Me and XP. After 7 years of XP as standard, it may come as a surprise to people who've recently bought Vista PCs to discover that they're OS is going to be old news very soon.

    See also: Wikipedia - Windows 7



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Tuesday 28 October 2008

Issue #19

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #19 - Tuesday, 28th October 2008



  • Dominique Moïsi, European Voice
    "Blue Europe, Red Asia"
    http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/blue-europe,-red-asia/62758.aspx

    DJR's gist: An extremely thought-provoking piece by Moïse suggests that while Europe is literally desperate for an Obama victory, the powers-that-be in Asia may actually support McCain - albeit for wildly conflicting reasons. Japan, for example, support a hard-lined US to counter the power of China - a philosophy seemingly embodied by McCain. However, China want also want the status quo - the Republican administration has coincided with an increased view of China as a positive counter to the US, and they naturally worry that Obama will create a tide of positive US sentiment which, by extension, represents negative China sentiment. India, for what it's worth, has probably enjoyed the US' capitulation in terms of economic and political clout and international integrity and would like a few more years of the same to consolidate its position.

    However, Moïse is purely analysing the views of the elites of Asia. If the common man was voting, it's fairly safe to assume that the world would be a tidal wave of blue.



  • Anne Applebaum, The Daily Telegraph
    " US election: Whoever wins, the Democrats will rule "
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/10/28/do2802.xml

    DJR's gist: It looks like Barack Obama will win the Presidency. But even if US voters are somehow spooked into not voting for the only credible option, it is looking increasingly likely that they will still take the opportunity to give the Republican Party the kicking of their lives. And crucially, if the Democrats manage to get hold of over 60% of the seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, then it really doesn't matter who's in the White House - the power will be with Congress. Checks and balances...



  • Finlo Rohrer, BBC Magazine
    "Is James Bond loathsome?"
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7694801.stm

    DJR's gist: Quantum of Solace, the latest instalment in the multi-million pound James Bond 007 franchise, has its world premiere in Leicester Square on Thursday. And with its release is an opportunity to ask the question - is James Bond cool? Or is he representative or everything that's wrong. Obviously the answer is the former. But it's quite interesting to read the rants of feminists and killjoys.





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Monday 27 October 2008

Issue #18

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #18 - Monday, 27th October 2008

  • Daniel Finkelstein, "Comment Central" blog, The Times
    "The morning after the US election"
    http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/10/the-morning-aft.html

    DJR's gist: Finkelstein was part of the Tory government when it so spectacularly disintegrated in May 1997, and has some insightful words of advice to Republicans as they gear up to blame each other over their seemingly imminent loss. The advice? No one will care. After Labour's 1997 landslide, there was euphoria and an overwhelming sentiment for change that transcended how the public actually voted, and meant that the only news was about the new people who would be the change. The losers were history, and until they realised that they were unable to grow out of it. Lets just hope the Republicans have the opportunity to decide whether "that realisation [is] more painful than the battles themselves."



  • Holly Watt, "Across the Pond" blog, Sunday Times
    "Indiana - part of a different battle?"
    http://timesonline.typepad.com/uselections/2008/10/indiana---part.html

    DJR's gist: Securing the distinct honour of being the first journalist to feature in two consecutive issues of The Linkrod, Holly Watt's excellent account of her coast-to-coast-to-coast road-trip presently sees her in the traditionally red-as-a-tomato state of Indiana. The Republicans Presidential candidate has taken Indiana in every election since 1936, and 4 years ago Dubya winged it by a massive 20-point margin. So what the hell is she doing there? Well surprise, surprise, this state has been brought into play in the tide of pro-Obama sentiment. This has been aided by Obama's position as Senator of neighbouring Illinois, as well as Indiana's proximity to the urban sprawl and Democratic stronghold that is Chicago. If Indiana goes blue, there is surely little stopping an absolute rout.





  • Nick Chambers, gas 2.0
    "Are Tiny, Gas-Saving Cars Unsafe? Today, Mine Saved My Life"
    http://gas2.org/2008/10/21/are-tiny-gas-saving-cars-unsafe-today-mine-saved-my-life/

    DJR's gist: Despite the fact that we on the enlightened side of the Atlantic seem to have survived fine with small cars for... well, ever, your average American has always had to weigh up the environmental and economic benefits of a smaller car with a perception that driving a smaller car increases the likelihood that you and/or your family will meet with a messy, spine-crunching, face-shattering end as your runt of a vehicle is totalled by some 4x4 gas-guzzling behemoth. As Chambers reports, small cars are built tough. Particularly when they're Japanese. Or European. Or, apparently, if they're from pretty much anywhere that isn't Detroit.



  • Richard Waters, FT Technology Blog
    "What Microsoft has in common with Detroit"
    http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2008/10/what-microsoft-has-in-common-with-detroit/

    DJR's gist: On the topic of Detroit, the technology world has its eyes on a Microsoft conference taking place in LA. What's the link? Well much like Microsoft now, once upon a time Detroit had massive market share and a dominant position in the US, and indeed global car market. But market power is useless if you stop making what consumers want, and as "cloud computing" begins to emerge as the future paradigm for technology, Microsoft has to make sure it doesn't replicate Detroit's mistakes. If it's any consolation, the likely beneficiaries should they fail will still be from the West Coast... namely Apple of Cupertino or Google of Mountain View.



  • Hilary Hylton, TIME Magazine
    "Science Says We Really Are What We Drink"
    http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1853838,00.html

    DJR's gist: Last week's edition of Science - one of the world's two most prominent scientific journals (along with Nature) - included a study about how the temperature of different drinks can affect human emotions and actions. Namely, that cold drinks increase rationality and are thus ideal when making economic decisions, while warm drinks increase empathy and encourage emotional warmth. The crux is that hot chocolate is good on dates, but not so good when booking a holiday. Or something like that.

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Friday 24 October 2008

Issue #17

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #17 - 24th-25th October 2008

  • Robert Skidelsky, The Times
    "An impossible crash brought Keynes back to life"
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4995723.ece

    DJR's gist: Keynesian economics, whose prescription of government intervention to support full employment formed the basis of policy through the middle of the 20th century, seemingly died a natural death with Thatcher's monetarist policies of the 1980s. The "new economic paradigm" of low inflation, high growth and low unemployment seemed to have consigned Keynes to the scrapbook. How things change in a few years. The "new economic paradigm" is in tatters, "neo-classical" economics that minimised government intervention has resulted in a crisis caused by the market itself, and all the while Keynes had warned of the cheer uncertainty that could, would, and has caused carnage.



  • Peter Hunt, BBC News
    "Royal farewell to Eastern Europe"
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7689894.stm

    DJR's gist: The Queen, the ever apolitical face of the United Kingdom (and some other countries that claim her as their Queen) has been on another state visit (adding to a tally that already has over 60 visits under its belt). This time it was Slovakia and Slovenia, where she has been greeted in the same vein as The Beatles. Which is some feat, and certainly good to see from the UK-standpoint. And as this report describes, it's always good to see that even in the most meticulously organised events, the BBC manage to put a spanner in the works.





  • Holly Watt, "Across the Pond" blog, Sunday Times
    "Obama reaps harvest in Iowa"
    http://timesonline.typepad.com/uselections/2008/10/obama-reaps-har.html

    DJR's gist: Casting your mind back to January and the caucus held in Iowa - Barack Obama secured a major and significant victory over Hilary Clinton in the very blue-collar state that Hilary should have been taking for granted. Meanwhile, John McCain largely ignored Iowa to focus on the primaries in other states such as New Hampshire. Fast forward to the present, and Barack Obama's seeds have been planted all over a state that looks set to reverse its colours for 2008.

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Thursday 23 October 2008

Issue #16

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #16 - Thursday, 23rd October 2008


  • Daniel Finkelstein, "Comment Central", The Times
    "The McCain excuses begin"
    http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/10/he-hasnt-lost-y.html

    DJR's gist: The election is not over yet and I'm certainly not going to have peace until I hear John McCain conceding to Barack Obama. However, pundits are already looking to explain how, when and why McCain lost this election. Top suggestions? Karl Rove reckons they didn't attack Obama early enough. He would do. More sane pundits suggest that McCain disillusioned moderates and independents with the choice of someone as stupid as Sarah Palin, while other suggest Barack Obama is just too good. But Fink argues that there is something more fundamental - the US electorate has changed and the Republicans have not followed. A shift to the left is on the cards.



  • George Barrow, Autocar
    "Brit team plans 1050mph attempt"
    http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/235495/

    DJR's gist: Between Richard Noble and Andy Green, British drivers have held the world land speed record for 25 years, going back to Noble's 1983 effort at 633mph. In 1997, Thrust SSC, captained by Green and developed by Noble and others, smashed the record and became the first supersonic car, achieving over 760mph - a record that has stood since. However, under threat from the Americans and their "North American Eagle" project, Noble and Green have launched their new project - seeking to break the 1000mph barrier and in the process beat the speed record for low-flying aircraft, leave alone cars. If achieved, it would be faster than the speed of a bullet out of handgun.



  • Simson L. Garfinkel, Technology Review
    "Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth"
    http://www.technologyreview.com/web/21558/

    DJR's gist: An interesting analysis on the phenomenon that is Wikipedia, and its seemingly oxymoronic policies "no original research", "verifiability" and "neutral point of view", which mean that someone cannot edit an article about themselves, but a randomer can if they cite another random publisher who may or may not have done any research themselves...

    However, the conclusion is still that Wikipedia is amazing.



  • Holden Frith, "Tech Central", The Times
    "Is blogging dead?"
    http://timesonline.typepad.com/technology/2008/10/is-blogging-dea.html

    DJR's gist: Apparently blogging is dying a natural death. The reason? The explosion of commercial blogs, such as the very one linked here, with paid writers who churn out tens of posts a day and crowd out the small, individual players that made the blogosphere so exciting in the first place. Is this a bad thing? The fact is that it's panned out exactly how any economic model of a new market would expect - first movers get the upper hand, bigger players move in once they realise they are missing out on something good, and the market re-equilibrates with their presence. Broader selection for readers, who are more likely the find and get what they want. In theory.





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Wednesday 22 October 2008

Issue #15

The Linkrod
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ISSUE #15 - Wednesday, 22nd October 2008



  • S. Murari, Reuters
    "India chases China to moon with unmanned mission"
    http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49L0HG20081022

    DJR's gist: In what could be the early days of a 21st century space race, India has succesfully launched its first space mission leaving the Earth's orbit. The probe, Chandrayaan-1, contains instruments from all the major international space agencies, including NASA and the ESA, but has been a launches in a whirlwind of national pride and celebration in India. With a moon lander planned for launch in the next 2 years, things are certainly hotting up in the Asian prestige wars, although there is little doubt that all India's efforts retain a cursory eye over any military implications of China's recent march into the zero-gravity world.



  • Maggie Haberman, New York Post
    "Shop-Spree Sarah's 150G Party Clothes"
    http://www.nypost.com/seven/10222008/news/politics/shop_spree_sarahs_150g_party_clothes_134694.htm

    DJR's gist: In the past, politicians have been criticised and ridiculed for spending amounts such as $400 on a haircut (John Edwards), or $500 on Salvatore Ferregamo shoes (John McCain). But Sarah Palin has managed to make these look positively tame, racking up a mega $150,000 bill on clothing for the campaign trail. There have been good, bad, and ugly examples, but frankly who cares when the money concerned is just so ludicrous. Lipstick on a pig? Just think how many adverts that money could have bought instead...



  • Mark Henderson, The Times
    "Do five simple things a day to stay sane, say scientists"
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/mental_health/article4988978.ece

    DJR's gist: Just as we all know about the "5-a-day" fresh fruit and vegetable motto, scientists are now suggesting we should be combining physical health with a "5-a-day" of activities to promote mental health. "People should try to connect with others, to be active, to take notice of their surroundings, to keep learning and to give to their neighbours and communities under a new programme supported by over 400 scientists. Am I the only one who thinks that anyone who doesn't do this without even thinking about it has probably got much bigger issues on their plate?





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