Newsletter 394

7 Aug 2011 • 3 min read

[5]Downgrade Heralds New Era
Links:
5. http://b.rw/pANTbF

Mohamed El-Erian | FT | 6 August 2011

Global financial system constructed with America's assumed AAA rating at
core. Now we're in a different world. America is fundamentally, not just
financially, weaker. Other sovereign downgrades may follow. France in firing
line. [6]Comments
Links:
6. http://thebrowser.com/articles/downgrade-heralds-new-era

[7]Obama’s Glamour Can’t Fix Charisma Deficit
Links:
7. http://b.rw/qEGGoG

Virginia Postrel | Bloomberg | 4 August 2011

What Obama has is glamour, not charisma. That's good for winning elections,
bad once in office. "Charisma moves the audience to share a leader’s vision.
Glamour inspires the audience to project its own desires onto the leader"
[8]Comments
Links:
8. http://thebrowser.com/articles/obama’s-glamour-can’t-fix-charisma-deficit

[9]Why Did Japan Surrender?
Links:
9. http://b.rw/nXTgQH

Gareth Cook | Boston Globe | 7 August 2011

Most presume the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced
Japan's surrender and the end of WWII. But is this right? Or was true cause
Soviet entry into the Pacific conflict? (Thanks to Mr King for emailing this
in) [10]Comments
Links:
10. http://thebrowser.com/articles/why-did-japan-surrender

[11]Brute Force Or Intelligence?
Links:
11. http://b.rw/ogmkU2

Matthew Lasar | Ars Technica | 5 August 2011

Engaging history of computer chess, a field that serves as bellwether of
future computing trends. From The Turk in 1770 to Deep Blue and beyond, key
debate has been over the importance of raw algorithmic power vs an ability
to learn [12]Comments
Links:
12. http://thebrowser.com/articles/brute-force-or-intelligence

[13]A Contagion Of Bad Ideas
Links:
13. http://b.rw/p2WdyP

Joseph Stiglitz | Project Syndicate | 5 August 2011

Damning on US and European economic policy: "Bad ideas move easily across
borders & misguided economic notions on both sides of the Atlantic have
reinforced each other. The same will be true of the stagnation those
policies bring" [14]Comments
Links:
14. http://thebrowser.com/articles/contagion-bad-ideas

[15]The Thrill of Having Nothing To Do
Links:
15. http://b.rw/qaDBms

Scott Adams | WSJ | 6 August 2011

Thanks to Kindles, iPads, smartphones, boredom has been defeated. Anyone can
always have something to do. But perhaps our creativity will suffer, if we
no longer have times in which our minds can wander and our hands can doodle
[16]Comments
Links:
16. http://thebrowser.com/articles/thrill-having-nothing-do

FiveBooks Interview

[17]John Kerry on Progressivism
Links:
17. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/john-kerry-on-progressivism

Senator John Kerry picks five books that every progressive should read, and
discusses the divide in America between the haves and have-nots [18]Read on
Links:
18. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/john-kerry-on-progressivism

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