Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Link roundup

1. Grantland's behind the scenes look at NBA All-Star Weekend 2012.

2. Robin Hanson:
My interpretation: elites excel at hypocrisy. Elites can better distinguish ideals which are mainly given lip service, from ideals that really matter personally. Elites can better see which laws and social norms are actually enforced with strong penalties, and those that can be violated with impunity. This ability comes in part from implicit cultural learning, and also from just raw IQ. Homo hypocritus is alive and well – having good enough brains and social connections to manage hypocrisy well is still a core human capacity, as crucial for success in our world as it was for foragers.

This theory suggests that weak culture, the parts without strong local teeth, matter more for lower classes. Upper classes give lip service to whatever they are supposed to endorse, and then mostly ignore it to do what helps them personally. It is the lower classes that are more likely to naively do what culture suggests. They are more likely to “only marry for love” or “follow your bliss” or to think “its all relative anyway.”
3. The Epic Live-Tweeting Of Last Night's Park Slope Coop Meeting.

4. Devastating article on UCLA's basketball program. Sample:
In a game during the 2007-08 season, several players on the bench noted [Coach] Howland's frustration with the shot selection of Westbrook, whose freelancing had resulted in several baskets. But rather than substituting for him, Howland informed one of the officials that Westbrook was wearing socks bearing an NBA logo, which violated NCAA uniform guidelines. Howland told the official he had an obligation to remove Westbrook from the game because of his socks. The official claimed to be unaware of the rule and let play continue.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Link roundup

1. Penelope Trunk on why getting divorced, if you have kids, is probably a bad choice for you and your kids. Her comments reminded me of a book excerpt Robin Hanson posted a few days ago:
The alternative to the European Syndrome is to say that your life can have transcendent meaning if it is spent doing important things – raising a family, supporting yourself, being a good friend and good neighbor, learning what you can do well and then doing it as well as you possibly can. Providing the best framework for doing those things is what the American project is all about.
2. Book and art print giveaway. Via.

3. Outside magazine:
California’s San Quentin State Prison is home to a ball field where you can take your cuts against convicted felons. This I had to try.
4. Read about the Batman: Year One movie that never was - - directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Clint Eastwood:
the script strips Bruce Wayne of his status as heir apparent to the Wayne Industries billions, proposing instead that the young Bruce is found in the street after his parents’ murder, and taken in by ‘Big Al’, who runs an auto repair shop with his son, ‘Little Al’. Driven by a desire for vengeance towards a manifest destiny of which he is only dimly aware, young Bruce (of deliberately indeterminate age) toils day and night in the shop, watching the comings and goings of hookers, johns, pimps and corrupt cops at a sleazy East End cathouse across the street
A perfect idea for my just announced art contest.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tim League discusses the origins and growth of the Alamo Drafthouse



Tim League recently spoke to Google about the origins and growth of the Alamo Drafthouse. Lots of failure before success. (The Mondo poster series gets a brief mention 33 minutes in.) Via.

*Buy Mondo posters at eBay.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Link roundup

1. "An undercover police officer 'chased himself round the streets' for 20 minutes after a CCTV operator mistook him for suspect." Via.

2. Mark Cuban's always a great interview. Some advice:
Never follow your dreams. Follow your effort. It’s not about what you can dream of. That’s easy. It’s about whether or not it’s important enough to you to do the work to be ready to be successful in that business.
3. Gawker on news of big government resignations in Romania:
The resignations come after some very unpopular budget cuts that were made to comply with IMF demands so that Romania could secure a loan and continue to pay government workers. The IMF is, of course, the International Monetary Fund, which is a fund with international money in it.
4. New Spider-Man promotional site. Via.