Weekly newsletter 58


Hic sunt camelopardus: this historical edition of The Browser is presented for archaeological purposes; links and formatting may be broken.

[1]A selection of our best article links of the week, plus featured
  FiveBooks interviews, videos, quotations and more.
    Links:
      1. http://thebrowser.com

Weekly Newsletter

Best of the Week

[6]The 1 Percent’s Problem
    Links:
      6. http://b.rw/LJEGnX

Joseph Stiglitz | Vanity Fair | 31 May 2012

"There are good reasons why plutocrats should care about inequality —
  even if they’re thinking only about themselves. The rich do not exist
  in a vacuum. They need a functioning society around them to sustain
  their position" [7]Comments
    Links:
      7. http://thebrowser.com/articles/1-percent’s-problem

[8]Jonathan Franzen: The Path To Freedom
    Links:
      8. http://b.rw/KqD8Bl

Jonathan Franzen | Guardian | 25 May 2012

"I'm going to address four unpleasant questions that novelists often
  get asked. They're maddening not just because we hear them so often but
  also because, with one exception, they're difficult to answer and,
  therefore, worth asking" [9]Comments
    Links:
      9. http://thebrowser.com/articles/jonathan-franzen-path-freedom

[10]The Descent Of Edward Wilson
    Links:
      10. http://b.rw/KSg11g

Richard Dawkins | Prospect | 23 May 2012

Dawkins reviews EO Wilson's new title "The Social Conquest of Earth".
  He's not impressed: "To borrow from Dorothy Parker, this is not a book
  to be tossed lightly aside. It should be thrown with great force. And
  sincere regret" [11]Comments
    Links:
      11. http://thebrowser.com/articles/descent-edward-wilson

[12]Secret 'Kill List' Proves A Test Of Obama's Principles And Will
    Links:
      12. http://b.rw/KY269V

Jo Becker & Scott Shane | NYT | 29 May 2012

"Mr Obama has placed himself at the helm of a top secret 'nominations'
  process to designate terrorists for kill or capture, of which the
  capture part has become largely theoretical." Current and former
  advisers explain how it works [13]Comments
    Links:
      13. http://thebrowser.com/articles/secret-kill-list-proves-test-obamas-principles-and-will

[14]Music: It's In Your Head, Changing Your Brain
    Links:
      14. http://b.rw/MUZ76R

Elizabeth Landau | CNN | 28 May 2012

On the science of music. Why do songs get stuck in our heads? What's
  the connection between memory and music? Can monkeys recognise beats?
  Why is it so difficult for musicians to start playing a song from a
  random point in the tune? [15]Comments
    Links:
      15. http://thebrowser.com/articles/music-its-your-head-changing-your-brain

[16]Craig Venter’s Bugs Might Save the World
    Links:
      16. http://b.rw/L223xT

Wil Hylton | NYT | 30 May 2012

"Each of the bugs will have a mission. Some will be designed to devour
  things, like pollution. Others will generate food and fuel." But all
  will share one extraordinary feature: They will be custom engineered,
  from synthetic DNA [17]Comments
    Links:
      17. http://thebrowser.com/articles/craig-venter’s-bugs-might-save-world

[18]To Cheat Or Not To Cheat
    Links:
      18. http://b.rw/JD9X0q

Tom Verducci | Sports Illustrated | 29 May 2012

"This is a story about the hundreds, even thousands, of anonymous
  ballplayers whose careers and lives were changed by a temptation that
  defined an era." The temptation to cheat, to improve their game with
  the use of steroids [19]Comments
    Links:
      19. http://thebrowser.com/articles/cheat-or-not-cheat

[20]Why We Lie
    Links:
      20. http://b.rw/Kqv836

Dan Ariely | WSJ | 25 May 2012

"We tend to think that people are either honest or dishonest. But that
  is not how dishonesty works." In a series of experiments, Ariely
  discovers how, why, and by how much people cheat. The answers may
  surprise (h/t Daniel Lippman) [21]Comments
    Links:
      21. http://thebrowser.com/articles/why-we-lie-0

FiveBooks Interview

[22]Anatole Kaletsky on A New Capitalism
    Links:
      22. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/anatole-kaletsky-on-new-capitalism

We need to build an entirely new market system, not just patch up the
  old one, says the economics commentator, who discusses the long-term
  fallout of the financial crisis and possible futures for the eurozone
  [23]Read on
    Links:
      23. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/anatole-kaletsky-on-new-capitalism

Featured Topic

[24]Air Travel
    Links:
      24. http://thebrowser.com/reports/air-travel

Airlines opened to us a world of thrilling possibility. But, for many,
  flying is still a terrifying prospect. Crashes, though rare, do happen.
  And then there are the security procedures bequeathed to us by 9/11
  [25]Read on
    Links:
      25. http://thebrowser.com/reports/air-travel

Reader Recommendations

@nuzav Queen's diamond jubilee: a vapid family and a mirage of
  nationhood. What's to celebrate? | Polly Toynbee [26]t.co/InvpOi7I
  [27]#browsings [28]More like this
    Links:
      26. http://t.co/InvpOi7I
      27. https://twitter.com/search?q=#browsings
      28. http://thebrowser.com/browsings

Book of the Week

[29]Book of the Day
    Links:
      29. http://thebrowser.com/recommended/what-does-it-all-mean-by-thomas-nagel

[30]What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel
    Links:
      30. http://thebrowser.com/recommended/what-does-it-all-mean-by-thomas-nagel

[31]Nigel Warburton says: “Nagel goes through all the major areas of
  philosophy with a very light touch. The writing is almost Orwellian in
  its simplicity and directness” [32]FiveBooks Archive
    Links:
      31. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/nigel-warburton-on-introductions-philosophy
      32. http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks

Video of the Week

[33]Measuring The Universe
    Links:
      33. http://thebrowser.com/videos/measuring-universe

A short geometry lesson
  [34]More videos
    Links:
      34. http://thebrowser.com/videos

Quote of the Week

[35]Nassim Nicholas Taleb, on medicine
    Links:
      35. http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/05/noise-and-signal-nassim-taleb

"If you want to accelerate someone’s death, give him a personal
    doctor"

[36]More quotes
    Links:
      36. http://thebrowser.com/quotations

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