Latest Stories

• Trouble with Airline Codes
• Natural Gas: The Future.
• BMW Apps Demo
• Fact-Checking the Apocalypse
• Skier Outjumps Avalanche

 

Field Notes: OIl, Weather, Drought, Microsoft, iPhone, etc.

• First Drought, Now Heat Impacting Kansas Wheat Fields (Source)
• Strange Spring: Explaining This Year's Wild Weather(Source)
• Oil Through the Ages | Maps (Source)
• Era of 'tough oil' won't deter drillers  (Source)
• Revolutions and the price of bread: 1848 and now (Source)
• Five-Year TIPS go negative again (Source)
• Microsoft plans sweeping pay rises (Source)
• iPhones Fuel Rise in Subway Theft(Source)
• What Mortenson Got Wrong : The New Yorker (Source)
• McDonald's warns of higher food inflation | Reuters (Source)

 

Some Me Notes: Crisis, Gambling, Fiat Money, Goldman, etc.

A couple of my recent notes over at Bloomberg:

• Flash: Goldman Sachs has clients! (Source)
• The fiat money experiment has failed (Source)
• The crisis in the flight to safety crisis (Source)
• Online gambling: Where to from here? (Source)

 

Cormac McCarthy and Werner Herzog Talk

From last week's Science Friday, Cormac McCarthy and Werner Herzog. Remarkable to have them together talking art and science.

 

Ueli Steck Solo Speed Climb of Eiger

Ueli Steck's solo speed climb of the Eiger's North Face in 2008. Breathtaking -- especially at fullscreen HD.

 

Desperately Seeking Symmetry

New Radiolab podcast is out: Desperate seeking symmetry.

 

Field Notes: Lester Bangs, Porsche, Boston Marathon, China Crops, Bicycles, Poker, MBAs, etc.

• Lester Bangs' Basement, or Why nothing's rare anymore (Source)
• 1985 Porsche 911 shift pattern as Los Angeles (Source)
• Jane Jacobs on Cities (Source)
• Wind and the Boston Marathon (Source)
• The case for industrial real estate (Source)
• The secret ratings agency downgrade meeting (Source)
• China Crops in Short Supply as Fewer Farms Spur Food Futures (Source)
• Federal Poker Indictments: Revisiting Prohibition (Source)
• Out of Disaster, a Burst of Enthusiasm for Bicycling (Source)
• High Wellbeing Eludes the Masses in Most Countries Worldwide (Source)
• Motorcyclist Fatalities Continue Decline (Source)
• Business education: The race to the bottom  (Source)
• Business Educators Struggle to Put Students to Work (Source)

 

Being Wrong and Getting Stuck

One of my favorite talks at this year's TED: Kathryn Shulz on errors & being wrong. In the spirit of full disclosure. Kathryn is a friend, but the talk is super and a must-watch. (And her book on being wrong is excellent.)

 

Progression of Boston Marathon Records

The progression of Boston Marathon record times since the course change in 1957. I added a trendline to put the incredible -- and incredibly wind-assisted -- 2:03:02 time posted today in perspective. [-]

 

 

Allen on Gates on 60 Minutes

Controversial stuff, but Paul Allen on Bill Gates on 60 minutes:

Best quote from Allen is this one: I hope I don't end up in a hotel room watching Ice Station Zebra over and over.

 

Who Works Hardest Around the World?

 

One of Our Golfers is Missing

Like something from a B-movie jungle adventure flick, how pro golfer Kevin Na recorded a 16 on a par 4:

 

The Mountain

 

Jim Grant Talks the Evils of the Fed

Lengthy Jim "Interest Rate Observer" Grant interview with Consuela Mack as he talks the evils of the Fed. Repent!

 

Avalanche? Meet Airbag

Raw Footage - edit to follow from Jeff Wyshynski on Vimeo.

 

Your Moment of Tolkien Geekout

The lead-up and the first production video from the set of The Hobbit: