Computer password inventor Fernando Corbato dies at 93. His epitaph includes a mix of at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, a punctuation mark, and a number, and his body will have to be moved every 90 days.
Jeffrey Epstein's arrest is leading to "I told you so" from supporters of #pizzagate, Qanon and other conspiracy theorists.
Every crazy fake conspiracy theory in the world has a counterpart that’s true. #pizzagate is nuts but Epstein and pedophile priests are real. Anti-vaxxers are nuts but the tobacco industry, crash diets and climate deniers are real.
How the Epstein Case Explains the Rise of Conspiracy Theorists
Surveillance cameras show that bystanders will intervene to help in cases of emergency, debunking the so-called "bystander effect" that's been common wisdom in the social sciences for 50 years.
Surveillance Cameras Debunk the Bystander Effect. Richard Florida writing at The Atlantic:
It’s one of the most enduring urban myths of all: If you get in trouble, don’t count on anyone nearby to help. Research dating back to the late 1960s documents how the great majority of people who witness crimes or violent behavior refuse to intervene.
Psychologists dubbed this non-response as the “bystander effect”—a phenomenon which has been replicated in scores of subsequent psychological studies. The “bystander effect” holds that the reason people don’t intervene is because we look to one another. The presence of many bystanders diffuses our own sense of personal responsibility, leading people to essentially do nothing and wait for someone else to jump in….
Previous studies were based on artificial laboratory conditions, but a new study published this year in American Psychologist looked at real emergencies around the world, as recorded by surveillance cameras.
The study finds that in nine out of 10 incidents, at least one bystander intervened, with an average of 3.8 interveners….
Instead of more bystanders creating an immobilizing “bystander effect,” the study actually found the more bystanders there were, the more likely it was that at least someone would intervene to help. This is a powerful corrective to the common perception of “stranger danger” and the “unknown other.” It suggests that people are willing to self-police to protect their communities and others. That’s in line with the research of urban criminologist Patrick Sharkey, who finds that stronger neighborhood organizations, not a higher quantity of policing, have fueled the Great Crime Decline.
The Pinboard social bookmarking service turns 10 and creator Maciej Ceglowski celebrates with his usual dry, delightful wit
Now that a decade has passed, I thought I would have some Yoda-like business wisdom to impart, but I don’t. It feels just like last year. The journey of 10,000 steps begins with 9,999 steps!
My grandpa sometimes said “you have to help your fate along,” and I always liked this worldview very much, for the way it bolted a work ethic onto fatalism. Things happen, but you can always take credit for tenacity.
A one-person business is an exercise in long-term anxiety management, so I would say if you are already an anxious person, go ahead and start a business. You’re not going to feel any worse. You’ve already got the main skill set of staying up and worrying, so you might as well make some money.
Running an online service solo puts one in the coffin corner between the Dunning Kruger effect and impostor syndrome. On some days you feel the correct but paralyzing sense that you are in way over your head. On other days, you’ll feel like you’re surfing on waves of liquid competence, doing flips, until you destroy something important.
In between the two is a zone of narrow, focused productivity that I hope one day to find….
What does the future hold for Pinboard? Death! The bus that one day comes for us all! The skeletal, icy hand on an unprepared shoulder! Pain, a flash of light, then numbing darkness. So back up your bookmarks.
gail.com FAQ: Gail.com gets a lot of traffic from people who meant to go to gmail.com but made a typo. She’s got a good attitude about it.
Three reasons the American Revolution was a mistake: “Slavery would’ve been abolished earlier, American Indians would’ve faced rampant persecution but not the outright ethnic cleansing Andrew Jackson and other American leaders perpetrated, and America would have a parliamentary system of government that makes policymaking easier and lessens the risk of democratic collapse.”
Trailer for the upcoming new season of “Veronica Mars." Yes, that’s right – new “Veronica Mars.” I’m in! 📺
Good podcast about a bizarre relationship between psychiatrist and patient
The Shrink Next Door: Marty Moskowitz, a successful New York businessman and attorney, was having personal problems, so he went to see a prominent psychiatrist, Dr. Isaac Steven “Ike” Herschkopf. That began a bizarre relationship that lasted nearly 39 years.
Good podcast series by ex-New York Times columnist Joe Nocera. Too many commercials and promos though.
Life goal. Via
The decentralized, open source Mastodon social network has been invaded by Gab, a pro-Nazi platform.
Gab moved to Mastodon servers recently, leading Mastodon admins and developers struggling with the question whether to ban Gab.
There shouldn’t be any struggle. Free speech includes the right – even obligation – of the owners of platforms to block speech they find hateful. That’s a particularly easy decision for Mastodon, which is not Facebook- or Twitter-scale.
Adit Robertson on The Verge: How the biggest decentralized social network is dealing with its Nazi problem
Netflix's "Another Life" features Katee Sackhoff as commander of a starship making first contact between Earth and an an alien civilization, in the near future.
Here’s the preview on YouTube.
Looks good! I never got into “Battlestar Galactica.” I became a Sackhoff fan watching “Longmire,” although I didn’t like the way her character was written. 📺
A new technique uses space-based satellite surveillance to prevent bridge collapses, by detecting defects smaller than the thickness of a dime.
The new technique uses computer modeling and high-resolution satellite images to detect subtle shifts in a bridge’s structure that could indicate that it’s starting to fail. Some of the changes are so tiny that they could be undetectable during traditional visual inspections, the scientists say. The new technique uses computer modeling and high-resolution satellite images to detect subtle shifts in a bridge’s structure that could indicate that it’s starting to fail. Some of the changes are so tiny that they could be undetectable during traditional visual inspections, the scientists say.
When Natural Disasters Strike, Operation BBQ Swoops In With Relief — And Ribs
Operation BBQ Relief: Competitive barbecuers flock to disaster scenes to serve up delicious hot food to victims and rescuers. “I thought, who better than some guys who set up in parking lots every weekend to bring a comfort meal?” … “Barbecue is comfort food … It reminds people of good times with friends and family, and gives them hope for those good times again.” Plus, barbecue meals tend to be hearty and high in protein — good for periods of scarcity…. [many disaster survivors] haven’t had a warm meal in days.