Daily Archives: March 24, 2013


If I find that any app I'm using gets taken over by a +BlackBerry ad, I'll… 1

If I find that any app I'm using gets taken over by a +BlackBerry ad, I'll promptly uninstall that app

Reshared post from +The Verge

This means war

BlackBerry 10 set to invade iPhone and Android screens with full takeover ads
In a bold effort to promote its flagship Z10 smartphone, BlackBerry has commissioned a series of ads that will take over the screens of iPhones and Android devices, demonstrating key features of…

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With the last two Chinese suitors apparently turning their backs on +Fisker Automotive,…

With the last two Chinese suitors apparently turning their backs on +Fisker Automotive, is there a future of the startup?

Fisker Automotive is probably toast
Fisker Automotive built a beautiful car that’s been fraught with problems, has seen the company founder resign, and now has potential suitors walking away. None of this bodes well for the automaker.

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What was that you were saying about money not buying political influence 1

What was that you were saying about money not buying political influence

Congressman boasts on Twitter about the money he got to support CISPA, then thinks better of it
CISPA is a bill before Congress that will radically increase the ease with which the government and police can spy on people without any particular suspicion. It is being rammed through by people like…

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Nah, evolution is just some crackpot theory

Nah, evolution is just some crackpot theory

Nebraskan swallows may be evolving to avoid becoming roadkill
A 30-year study of birds and roadkill may have given us a look into how animals respond to man-made changes in the environment. According to a study published last week in Current Biology, an area…

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The more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know 1

Standardized tests are a fundamentally flawed way of evaluating anything on a general level. Whether we are testing kids in schools, rats or chimps, we must always remember that standard tests are only as good as the questions we ask. 

Intelligence and cognition are are NOT on a linear scale from stupid to genius. The continuum is multi-dimensional and we must acknowledge that as we evaluate the capabilities of all species including humans. Humans have evolved some unique capabilities in terms of communication and manual dexterity, but other species have their own capabilities that are neither better or worse, just different.

We have a couple of hens out in our yard, and it doesn't take much observation time to realize that they are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. Similarly, just because a person may be autistic or dyslexic and they may have difficulty doing well on a test, but they may have capabilities that far exceed the average in certain areas. Not better or worse just different.

Standard tests are fine for evaluating the skills needed for a specific task, but they should never be the sole criteria for any decision. 

The Brains of the Animal Kingdom
New research shows that we have grossly underestimated both the scope and the scale of animal intelligence. Primatologist Frans de Waal on memory-champ chimps, tool-using elephants and rats capable of…

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