Newsletter 891
Best of the Moment
A Pickpocket's Tale
Adam Green | New Yorker | 31 December 2012
Apollo Robbins is a pickpocket of almost supernatural ability, except that he entertains crowds rather than steals for real. "When Apollo walks onstage, he takes a low crime and turns it into an art form." Here's how he does it Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/pickpockets-tale-0)
Let's Call It Failure
John Lanchester | London Review Of Books | 21 December 2012
"Saying ‘I told you so’ is supposed to be near unbeatable fun, so it’s disappointing to report that, in the case of the government’s handling of the British economy, speaking for myself, no fun is being had" Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/lets-call-it-failure)
British Institutions: Livery Companies
Matthew Engel | FT | 21 December 2012
Engel peers into a world of quasi-masonic fellowship, entrenched wealth and good works. "They are the kind of clubs where an application to join would render you immediately unsuitable: the process is more subtle, more British" Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/british-institutions-livery-companies)
Embodied Cognition
Benjamin Bergen | Scientific American | 28 December 2012
Scientists pitch into age-old philosophical debate about language, meaning and thought: "Maybe we understand language by simulating in our minds what it would be like to experience the things that the language describes" Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/embodied-cognition)
Turn Right At Machu Picchu
Mark Adams | Global Mail | 26 December 2012
Have you ever seen Mr Travel Guy? He’s the fellow who strides through international airports dressed in drip-dry clothes with more pockets than anyone needs. That was Adams, though he didn't know about the two pairs of socks rule Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/turn-right-machu-picchu)
Will A Robot Take Your Job?
Gary Marcus | New Yorker | 29 December 2012
The time between the invention of a job and its automated replacement is getting shorter. One projection says 70% of today's occupations will be replaced by automation by the end of the century. Should we be worried? Comments (http://thebrowser.com/articles/will-robot-take-your-job)