Newsletter 809

12 Oct 2012 • 2 min read

Best of the Moment

The Hidden Stakes Of The Election

Cass Sunstein | NYRB | 9 October 2012

In lower courts across America, judges rule on many of the biggest battles of the day, with little public attention. Here's what difference it makes whether those judges are Republican or Democratic appointees Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/hidden-stakes-election)

Marooned In The Moment: Rare Case Of Amnesia Leaves Woman With No Memory

Amy Ellis Nutt | New Jersey Star-Ledger | 30 September 2012

Lonni Sue Johnson, 62, was an accomplished artist and musician. But when an encephalitis virus attacked her brain, she was left both unable to recall old memories or create new ones. This is a touching account of how she is now Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/marooned-moment-rare-case-amnesia-leaves-woman-no-memory)

The John Lennon Letters

Jarvis Cocker | Guardian | 10 October 2012

"Why was Britpop doomed to failure? Too many factors to go into here, but one was: Too much information. Too much reverence. Wearing the same clothes and taking the same drugs will not make us Beatles. It will make us fat and ill" Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/john-lennon-letters)

Quantum Computing With Ions

Christopher Monroe & David Wineland | Scientific American | 9 October 2012

This article was originally published in 2008 but has been made available online again after one of its authors, David Wineland, won the Nobel prize in physics. The Nobel committee cited this piece as being of particular interest Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/quantum-computing-ions)

Gaming The System

Robert Seawright | Portfolioist | 4 October 2012

Investment professional tells tales of gambling, trading and investing. And, it won't surprise you to hear, there's some overlap. He also offers three reasons why successful investors, forecasters and gamblers are so rare Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/gaming-system)

The Beauty Of The Airline Baggage Tag

Mark Vanhoenacker | Slate | 4 October 2012

In praise of the humble baggage tag. "That random sticky strip you rip off your suitcase when you get home? It’s actually a masterpiece of design and engineering." And here is why Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/beauty-airline-baggage-tag)
(http://www.amazon.com/Best-of-FiveBooks-2011-ebook/dp/B007GAM6RC?tag=thebro-21)

FiveBooks Interview

(http://thebrowser.com/interviews/kenneth-miller-on-arguments-against-creationism)

Kenneth Miller on Arguments against Creationism

The biology professor, and Catholic, tells us what we should read to understand the battle being fought between scientists and creationists
Read on (http://thebrowser.com/interviews/kenneth-miller-on-arguments-against-creationism)

Featured Special Report

(http://thebrowser.com/reports/democracy)

Democracy

Are Western states true democracies? Has democracy become a casualty of the financial crisis? Can you have too much democracy? Read on to find out Read on (http://thebrowser.com/reports/democracy)

Reader Recommendations

@henrylf What is Logic? Helpful intro to the basics, @ethicalrealism - no Kripke required #philosophy t.co/PoH3dN8G #browsings (https://twitter.com/search?q=#browsings) More like this (http://thebrowser.com/browsings)

Book of the Day

Book of the Day (http://thebrowser.com/recommended/new-black-by-darian-leader)

The New Black by Darian Leader

Evan Osnos says (http://thebrowser.com/interviews/evan-osnos-on-china) : “This is a quirky book, organised as a series of walks. So you could start at the Drum Tower and walk south, passing the homes of China’s great writers and the little house in which Mao lived as a young library assistant.” FiveBooks Archive (http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks/archive)