India Uncut - published by Amit Varma

http://www.indiauncut.com/ --- I am reminded of Barack Obama's words about the killers of 9/11: "My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with such serene satisfaction."

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"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Medvedev faces hard sell in Latin America - International Herald Tribune

a) why is Russia so keen on being super power ? Why cant they just focus on strengthening themselves domestically ? Is it that power is addictive or is it that the politicians are using this form of nationalistic pride to get into and retain power ?
b) Obama is raising so many hopes world-wide its amazing, isnt it ? if he is a successful leader which all signs seem to be indicating. It'll be an amazing ride for the people of this great country.
c) Just reading this article makes you see that so many people and power centers have a lot to gain with higher oil prices.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/21/america/russia.php?page=1 --- But when Medvedev reaches the region next week, he will find it drastically altered by events - and in some cases, less receptive to his overtures. Plunging oil prices and the global financial crisis, which have hammered Russia particularly hard, have raised questions about Russia's reliability as an economic partner, while Senator Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race has raised hopes throughout Latin America of a new era of improved relations with the United States.

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Four philosophical questions to make your brain hurt

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7739493.stm ---
It's World Philosophy Day - an opportunity to contemplate one's very existence and whether computer monitors really exist, says David Bain.

man made ?

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Originally uploaded by zimzimzimizmi

People have problems accepting this. This is so frigging beautiful. What kind of mental bias prevents you from seeing this ? When does education not open your mind ? When it is delivered through a system seen as a means for upward mobility ? The heading says "man-made ?" I wonder if other species have so much variation amongst them and do they have racial biases. They who think more instinctively and fear the unknown as a means for survival ?

Free LCD TVs (Santa Comes Early) | Popular Science

Imagine seeing this in Churchgate station. I think when I was in bombay I wouldnt think too much about it. But in this country a lot of people know what a luxurious life is and they can feel happy when they see this.


http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/article/2008-11/free-lcd-tvs-santa-comes-early --- Commuters in Grand Central Station got a morning sugar shock of eye candy when Sharp unveiled a 26-foot tall Christmas tree made by stacking 43 of its Aquous LCD televisions. The panels, growing in size from 19 inches at the top to 52 inches at the bottom, are wired together to display coordinated video shows, such as a waterfall that spills from the top panels and splashes down on the bottom screens, or snowflakes that float down the length of the tree. It currently cycles through nine patterns created by Japanese video artist Tsuyoshi Takashiro. To keep things fresh, Sharp will replace the originals with about 10 new patterns in December.

Report finds that East European migrants don't harm economies - International Herald Tribune

http://iht.com/articles/2008/11/18/europe/migrate.php --- Since the big expansion in 2004, the number of citizens from the new 10 nations residing in the old 15 countries has increased by roughly 1.1 million. Totaling around 900,000 in 2003, it now stands at about 2 million - a fraction of the approximately 80 million inhabitants of those countries. Many of the more prosperous Western members of the 27-nation bloc imposed restrictions on their labor market. Four countries - Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Austria - still apply some restrictions to workers from the new 2004 members.

How to Run a Con | Psychology Today Blogs

http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moral-molecule/200811/how-run-a-con --- Why did this con work? Let's do some neuroscience. While the primary motivator from my perspective was greed, the pigeon drop cleverly engages THOMAS (The Human Oxytocin Mediated Attachment System). If you've been reading The Moral Molecule, you will remember THOMAS from earlier posts on robot brides, couchsurfing, and why we touch each other. THOMAS is a powerful brain circuit that releases the neurochemical oxytocin when we are trusted and induces a desire to reciprocate the trust we have been shown--even with strangers. The key to a con is not that you trust the conman, but that he shows he trusts you. Conmen ply their trade by appearing fragile or needing help, by seeming vulnerable. Because of THOMAS, the human brain makes us feel good when we help others--this is the basis for attachment to family and friends and cooperation with strangers. "I need your help" is a potent stimulus for action.

Hope

In the last 2-3 days I heard 2 different kinds of quotes about hope. In the movie Charlotte Gray before she is sent over to Paris they ask her "What is most important hope, faith .. ".  That struck me. If you are going into a combat zone, and very stressed by the war. Hope is what will keep you alive. It seems like an animal instinct (although I dont know if they are capable of hope).

I saw fight club last evening and
Narrator: And then, something happened. I let go. Lost in oblivion. Dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.



They both seem to be right. But I think the second one has more truth to it. Hope brings in a lot of expectations along with it. De-coupling them is not an option. 

depressing pic

[via reddit]

YouTube - Awesome CNN Hologram Interview

I didnt know this was commercial. I didnt even know academics or Cisco invested in this. This is news to me.
CNN video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6b31_p5cc ---

Cisco presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcfNC_x0VvE

[source : http://waxy.org/links/ through MeFi]

Why humans are so quick to take offense

[slate]

You could say our lives as social beings are ruled by the three R's: respect—the sense that proper deference has been paid to our status, reputation—the carefully maintained perception of our qualities, and reciprocity—the belief that our actions are responded to fairly. In other words, high school may be the most perfect recapitulation of the evolutionary pressures that shaped us as a species.