23 MAY, 2012 by Maria Popova Fine-tuning the machinery of distinguishing the valid from the non-valid. Seven years ago this week, David Foster Wallace argued that “learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” Yet in an age of ceaseless sensationalism, pseudoscience, and a relentless race for shortcuts, quick answers, and silver bullets, knowing what to think seems increasingly challenging. We come up with tools like The Baloney Detection Kit and create wonderful animations to teach kids about critical thinking, but the art of thinking critically is a habit that requires careful and consistent cultivation. In his remarkable essay titled “The Burden of Skepticism,” originally published in the Fall 1987 issue of Skeptical Inquirer, Carl ... Continue reading →
1. Say goodbye to the individual investor on Wall Street. Whatever positive impression they had of the IPO market and the stock market in general was just torched to the ground. When everyone you know associated with the stock market is telling you and the media is confirming that this could be a huge IPO that will make money for those lucky enough to get shares and the opposite happens, goodnight. All confidence in the stock is destroyed. Put your money in the bank or if you want to gamble, at least slot machines in Vegas pay out 98pct. 2. The Valuation Bubble in Silicon Valley is bursting – but not for the reasons you think. Historically IPOs function as a means of getting stock ... Continue reading →
The jury is in and Google has triumphed in almost all phases of its trial against Oracle over the use of Java in Android. Oracle spent years nurturing its relationship with developers who use its products, including MySQL and NoSQL Database. But the company's aggressive move to assert its interest in Java - which is, after all, open source - puts the developer community's goodwill at risk. How badly has Oracle damaged its reputation? Sun Microsystems was well-loved among developers. It created Java and gave it to the world, asking little in return. It took big bad Microsoft to court and won. Java is one of the most important software innovations of the Web era. Until it sold itself to Oracle. Oracle acquired Sun in ... Continue reading →
The jury in Oracle's patent case against Google delivered a unanimous verdict in favor of the search giant today, exonerating Google's use of Java in Android and dashing Oracle’s dreams of millions of dollars in damages. The trial was supposed to have three phases: copyright, patents and then damages. The jury delivered a partial verdict in the copyright phase, which means the decision to award damages in the copyright phase comes down to the judge, William Alsup. There will be no phase three and the trial, for all intents and purposes, is over. And #Googacle The Trial is over. Judge Alsup dismissing jury. Since Oracle won virtually nothing, no damages phase at this point. — Ginny LaRoe (@GinnyLaRoe) May 23, 2012 Google off the hook ... Continue reading →
You Suck At RetweetingTwitter is a magical place and I am routinely amazed by the funny, smart, and grotesque things I’m exposed to on a daily basis. Many of you have gotten really good at tweeting, in terms of content, velocity, style, humor, etc.But it really bums me out how bad many people are at retweeting.This includes, but is not limited:Retweeting positive mentions of your company/book/show/startup investments on an often-enough basis that it becomes obnoxious.Retweeting random fans who are pathetic enough to ask for a retweet. (Celebrities are especially bad with this. You’re so funny and composed, why ruin it?)Retweeting five things — including three I’ve already seen — for every original/personal idea you post.Retweeting someone else’s link to your blog post seconds after you ... Continue reading →
