Newsletter 859
Best of the Moment
Ups And Downs of Elevators
Kate Linebaugh | WSJ | 30 November 2012
Otis research fellow Theresa Christy optimises elevator usage. Asians will crowd, Westerners want space. Japanese want good notice of which escalator is coming next, so they can line up. Nobody wants to wait more than 20 seconds Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/ups-and-downs-elevators)
Rules For Targeted Killing
Editorial | NYT | 29 November 2012
Difficult but overdue intellectual exercise. When may a government kill? "Raising money for terror groups, or making tapes urging others to kill, does not justify assassination. Neither does a threat against another government" Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/rules-targeted-killing)
Ten Steps To A Breakaway State
Marc Herman | Pacific Standard | 30 November 2012
Lessons that secession-minded American states can learn from independence movements elsewhere. Here's one: Sell flags cheaply. Flags flying in the streets tells everybody that independence is on the agenda. Symbolism is important Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/ten-steps-breakaway-state)
Portrait Of The Artist On Crystal Meth
Jon Ronson | Guardian | 30 November 2012
Bryan Saunders paints self-portraits under the influence of every drug he can find, from Valium to lighter fluid by way of Xanax and meth. He used to be an outsider artist. Soon he'll be exhibiting alongside Damien Hirst in Paris Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/portrait-artist-crystal-meth)
The Case For Drinking Coffee
Lindsay Abrams | Atlantic | 30 November 2012
As much as you like. As much as you can. Ten cups a day is good. Reduces risk of diabetes, depression, colorectal cancer, heart failure, prostate cancer. Protects the liver. Relieves pain. Improves concentration. Prolongs life Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/case-drinking-coffee)
Vultures To Restore Human Ritual of Death
Gardiner Harris | NYT | 29 November 2012
"Fifteen years after vultures disappeared from Mumbai’s skies, the Parsi community here intends to build two aviaries at one of its most sacred sites so that the giant scavengers can once again devour human corpses" Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/vultures-restore-human-ritual-death)
(http://www.amazon.com/Best-of-FiveBooks-2011-ebook/dp/B007GAM6RC?tag=thebro-21)
FiveBooks Interview
(https://thebrowser.com/interviews/roman-krznaric-on-art-living)
Roman Krznaric on The Art of Living
To learn how to live well we must look to the past, says the author of a new book on the subject. He recommends five books, from Thoreau to Orwell, that inspire us to live more adventurously Read on (https://thebrowser.com/interviews/roman-krznaric-on-art-living)
Featured Special Report
(https://thebrowser.com/reports/drone-warfare)
Drone Warfare
Should we worry about war conducted by remote control? Are there ethical considerations? Will we become accustomed to unmanned warfare in the future? What if a hacker took control of an army? It's all here Read on (https://thebrowser.com/reports/drone-warfare)
Reader Recommendations
polit2k (http://twitter.com/polit2k) Thomas Jefferson "was a creepy, brutal hypocrite...deeply committed to slavery" | The Monster of Monticello t.co/TtdPnH3q #browsings (http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=#browsings)
More like this (http://thebrowser.com/browsings)
Book of the Day
Book of the Day (https://thebrowser.com/recommended/cyber-war-next-threat-national-security-and-what-do-about-it-by-richard-clarke-and-rober)
Cyber War by Richard A Clarke and Robert Knake
Joseph Nye says (http://thebrowser.com/interviews/joseph-nye-on-global-power) : You can send instructions to an electrical generator via the Internet that will get the generator to shake itself apart and destroy itself.
FiveBooks Archive (http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks/archive)
Video of the Day
Professor Elemental: I'm British
(https://thebrowser.com/videos/professor-elemental-im-british)
"Land of crumble and lemon curd" More videos (http://thebrowser.com/videos)
Quote of the Day
Matt Ridley, on planning (http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/antifragility.aspx)
"Planning is inherently biased toward delay, complication and inflexibility, which is why companies falter when they get big enough to employ planners"
More quotes (http://thebrowser.com/quotations)