Investors should be skeptical of history-based models. Constructed by a nerdy-sounding priesthood
using esoteric terms such as beta, gamma, sigma and the like, these models tend to look impressive. Too often,
though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the symbols. Our advice: Beware of geeks bearing
formulas.
For five years, Li’s formula, known as a Gaussian copula function, looked like an unambiguously positive breakthrough, a piece of financial technology that allowed hugely complex risks to be modeled with more ease and accuracy than ever before.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized - Part 1 (via graphixmdp)

The state of California — its deficits ballooning, its lawmakers intransigent and its governor apparently bereft of allies or influence — appears headed off the fiscal rails.
2. Oh those magic headphones
Those trendy white earbuds do more than you might realize. The iPhone’s headphones have a small button on the microphone and it performs multiple functions. For example, press once to start the iPod and begin playing a song. Press again to pause the track or double-tap to skip to the next song. If a call comes in, press the button once to answer or double-tap to send the call right to voicemail. During a call, press once to hang up.
His research has included sailing out to the middle of the Pacific and cutting open fish and seabirds. He showed the resulting photos—guts full of plastic particles—and they’re hard to get out of your head.
Like other addictive technologies, I have a love/hate relationship with IntelliSense, and the more I despise it, the more I use it, and the more I use it, the more disgusted I am at how addicted I’ve gotten, and the more addicted I get, the more I wish it had never been invented.

A tale of suspense, intrigue, corporate greed, and the stupidity of an authorization mechanism that isn’t turing complete. With code. (via Everything CUSEC » Zed Shaw: The ACL is Dead @ CUSEC 2008)

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, “What makes a life worth living?” (via Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow | Video on TED.com)