- 04 July 2008 |
- Site Map |
- Brijit Blog |
- Brijit for Facebook |
- FAQ
- The Economist
- | Time
- | The New Yorker
- | Fortune
- | ESPN The Magazine
- | Wired
- | Smithsonian
- | A.V. Club
in Digg
by
John K. Wiley, 13 May 2008
Drivers aren't the only ones unprepared to handle the rising price of gas -- thousands of mechanical gas pumps across the country can't ring up prices higher than $3.99 per gallon. Some station owners have joined a long waitlist for electronic pumps that cost as much as $15,000 each. Those who can't afford this may upgrade their pumps to register up to $4.99, an option that risks the old machines breaking down. Some states have offered relief: North Dakota allows station owners to charge per half gallon, while Minnesota lets them cover the meter numbers and settle up by calculator. It's a well-researched tidbit, but more interesting than useful.
Posted 9:34, 14 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Paula Jolin
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
Jonathan Leake, 11 May 2008
While many Western governments view Africa as a charity case, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking along with a group of high-tech entrepreneurs are looking to the continent as a source of untapped scientific minds. The group is funding the first post-graduate mathematic and science centers to explore talent that until now has gone unnoticed. Leake's brief but well-written article encourages the British government to redirect some of its already well-funded African aide programs to higher education.
Posted 1:57, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Jonathan Gallaway
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
ScienceDaily, 9 May 2008
By turning protein folding into a video game, scientists hope to tap the masses of gamers who might find themselves being considered for a Nobel Prize. Developed by doctoral student Seth Cooper and postdoctoral researcher Adrien Treuille working with two University of Washington professors, the game aims to use the intuitive skills of some humans to save the time that would be spent by a computer trying every protein folding combination. Certain protein combinations have applications in everything from absorbing carbon dioxide from the air to curing HIV. The "protein folding" aspect isn't satisfactorily explained, but the game sounds exciting.
Posted 10:55, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Francis Merlie
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
Alexandra Gedrose, 7 May 2008
The five experiments Gedrose chronicles are, indeed, extremely depressing. They range from the Asch Conformity Experiment, in which a third of subjects agreed with obviously wrong answers if they were given already by three other people, to the infamous Milgram Experiment, in which subjects administered fatal shocks to a (fake) person in another room because "a dude in a lab coat asked them to." The experiments portray humans (well, Americans in the 1950s to 1970s) as conformist, prone to abuse of power, and unwilling to help others in dire need unless it's convenient and absolutely necessary. Worse, Gedrose asks the reader to envision these results when looking at the people around them.
Posted 11:21, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Bryan Fagan
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
Glenn Derene, 5 May 2008
With just nine months until the analog switch-off, 17 million homes still lack any form of digital television. Despite a $1.5 billion advertising and incentive program, surveys suggest 21 percent of people have no idea that non-digital viewers face the prospect of blank screens. Bafflingly, far more adults have televisions than basic literacy skills, yet the digital switchover budget is three times the annual spending on adult reading classes. The piece raises some interesting debating points, which as the comment boards show, readers clearly have seized upon.
Posted 3:32, 7 May 2008
This abstract was written by
John Lister
and edited by Brijit.
With words like "FAIL" passing for Internet insults, the web is hardly a place of intelligent wit. But this entertaining piece offers some truly original insults, even if most of the terms are so obscure they'll be more confusing than critical. There are plenty of words to inform any coccydynia (pain in the butt) you may know that you're sick of listening to every buncombe (nonsensical statement) that comes out of their mouth. Furthermore, terms such as "frenchify" and "corpulent" should put any ninnyhammer (fool) in their place, lest you be forced to bescumber them (spray with feces).
Posted 2:38, 7 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Brian Willett
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
Popular Mechanics, 30 April 2008
Rather than review Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City, this article lists five "wholesome" activities that a gamer can partake in while playing the new video game. Admittedly, this is a strange counter to all of the violence (carjacking, murder, etc.) that the series offers, but the list is still interesting. One highlight is listening to the radio; the author rates the soundtrack as the best ever from a video game. It also includes swimming in New York's East River and taking a virtual tour of a realistic depiction of New York City.
Posted 10:56, 6 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Jonathan Pinoli
and edited by Brijit.
Subjects/Tags:
in Digg
by
Timothy B. Lee, 30 April 2008
In 2002, the Bush administration "upgraded" an automatic email archiving system that the Clinton administration had implemented as a response to federal record-keeping laws. Unfortunately, the new system had compatibility issues, meaning the once-automated task of record-keeping fell to White House staffers. This subjected the system to problems with uniformity and human error, and also made it easily accessible to potential tampering and deletion. To make matters worse, additional evidence shows that some senior Bush administration officials use non-government email accounts to bypass the law altogether. Lee's article will leave even the most trusting citizens with a pit in their stomachs.
Posted 12:59, 2 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Christopher Busch
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
Marty Nemko, 2 May 2008
Nemko offers some startling and discouraging statistics about American college students, noting that more than 40 percent of freshman at four-year schools don't graduate in six years. And those who do manage to graduate aren't automatically in the clear, as degrees offer less of a career advantage than they used to. In addition, the quality of a college education is dubious, as institutions are now run like businesses, with students being a cost item and research reeling in profits. To conclude this informative piece, Nemko offers a number of intelligent suggestions to reform the system, such as mandatory reporting of retention, safety, and student-satisfaction statistics.
Posted 9:12, 2 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Brian Willett
and edited by Brijit.
in Digg
by
The Smoking Gun, 24 April 2008
Parents of students at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon received a letter on school letterhead encouraging them to provide a "safe, secure place" for student after parties, and suggesting that parents buy alcohol so that their children don't have to acquire it illegally. Each letter also included a condom to help prevent an outbreak of STDs. While the letter is for the most part well-written, the joke is evident in the recommendation on how much alcohol to buy: "Considering our reputation (Drinkin' Lincoln), in some cases one fifth is only enough for a single person." The full letter is included, but readers' incredulity will wear thin after a while.
Posted 2:40, 28 April 2008
This abstract was written by
Francis Merlie
and edited by Brijit.