Newsletter 237

18 Feb 2011 • 2 min read

[1]China's Second Wives
Links:
1. http://b.rw/ePr12a

Tom Doctoroff | Canvas8 | 15 February 2011

Rich men in China are expected to keep mistresses, and to treat them
lavishly. Purchases by and for "second wives" may account for one-third of
luxury goods sales. Romantic love exists, but it "competes with a
transactional element"

[2]Secrets Of A Mind-Gamer
Links:
2. http://b.rw/eLpWXW

Joshua Foer | NYT | 17 February 2011

How to acquire a seemingly magical memory. "Each morning I sat at my desk
for 10 to 15 minutes to work through a poem or memorize the names in a
yearbook. Strolls around the neighborhood became an excuse to memorize
license plates"

[3]Battle For Soul Of Kung Fu
Links:
3. http://b.rw/eLb5Go

Peter Gwin | National Geographic | 17 February 2011

Monks of China's Shaolin temple maintain martial arts tradition dating back
to fifth century. They also run an international business empire, including
touring kung fu troupes, branded tea and soap, franchised temples abroad

[4]Straddling A Fault Line
Links:
4. http://b.rw/hZowF7

Inez Holger | Utne Reader | 17 February 2011

Recovering schizophrenic tells of illness. "I live with a quiet, plump girl
who went to school with me. Even though she spills Frosted Flakes on the
floor every morning, I still do not want to obey the voice telling me to
kill her"

[5]How We Know
Links:
5. http://b.rw/gT16rn

Freeman Dyson | NYRB | 17 February 2011

Superb essay on James Gleick's "The Information", history of information
technologies. Claude Shannon founded modern information theory with 1948
paper based on wartime cryptography. Key insight: data and meaning are
separate things

[6]I, Reporters
Links:
6. http://b.rw/gXcPwC

Anonymous | Economist | 16 February 2011

Researchers try to create serious article using team of distributed writers.
Headline, summary, charts all handled by separate amateurs. Nobody gets to
see each other's work. Will final product match that of a professional
reporter?
[7]View full selection
Links:
7. http://thebrowser.com/best

Today's FiveBooks Interview

[8]Timothy Beal on =BIBLES=
Links:
8. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/timothy-beal-on-bibles

Religion professor introduces five different versions of the Bible — from
the New Oxford Annotated edition to less traditional "green" and feminist
takes [9]Continue reading…
Links:
9. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/timothy-beal-on-bibles

Topic

[10]Sex
Links:
10. http://thebrowser.com/topics/sex

Call girls, bondage, pornography, naked yoga, adultery and the science of
sperm; it's all here but maybe NSFW
[11]Continue reading…
Links:
11. http://thebrowser.com/topics/sex

Book of the Day

[12]The letters of Beethoven
Links:
12. http://thebrowser.com/recommended/letters-beethoven-by-ludwig-van-beethoven-translated-emily-anderson

-by Ludwig van Beethoven Translated by Emily Anderson -

Beethoven wrote a lot of letters, because of his deafness. He wonders how he
can face people. How can he of all people face the public when the one organ
that distinguishes him and gives him his art is not working? It agonised
him. The other thing that comes through in the letters is this absolute
confidence – not arrogance, just complete confidence in his, I suppose,
destiny: _schicksal_.

[13]More recommendations…
Links:
13. http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks

Browsings

"Beethoven wrote a lot of letters, because of his deafness. One thing that
comes through is his absolute confidence in his destiny" Browsings: From
[14]@mrianleslie A short history of 'hello' [15]n.pr/gKBjhv #[16]browsings
[17]More user recommended #browsings…
Links:
14. http://twitter.com/mrianleslie
15. http://n.pr/gKBjhv
16. http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=#browsings
17. http://thebrowser.com/browsings

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