Berkeley economics prof (and former Clinton deputy Treasury secretary) J Bradford DeLong (previously) has written a guide for reading "long, difficult books," in response to Andy Matuschak's "rant" Why Books Don't Work.

DeLong specifically presents his advice for students enrolled in his Econ 105 class, "History of Economic Thought: Do we live in a Smithian, Marxian or Keynesian World?" in which students are expected to read Adam Smith’s "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations," Karl Marx’s "Capital," and John Maynard Keynes’s "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money."

DeLong's advice -- ten tips in all -- is all about "knowing what to do with a book that makes an important, an interesting, but also a flawed argument" and calls on the reader to approach it critically, reading it through twice in two different mindsets, first as "the kind of person with whom the arguments would resonate" and then as "a sympathetic but not credulous" reader.

1. Figure out beforehand what the author is trying to accomplish in the book.

2. Orient yourself by becoming the kind of reader the book is directed at—the kind of person with whom the arguments would resonate.

3. Read through the book actively, taking notes.

4. “Steelman” the argument, reworking it so that you find it as convincing and clear as you can possibly make it.

5. Find someone else—usually a roommate—and bore them to death by making them listen to you set out your “steelmanned” version of the argument.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/pkyWYYviXUI/steelmanning-and-reflecting.html

In San Diego, California, strip club chain Deja Vu Showgirls distributed 150 tents to homeless people. The tents are emblazoned with the Deja Vu logo, natch. From 10News:

A picture of one of the tents was posted onto the “Homeless News San Diego” Facebook page and it received both praise and criticism. Some believed it was a form of shameless advertising. Others applauded the company for stepping up to help.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/fLZu3a5yIQI/strip-club-gave-away-tents-wit.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/aoWQ7V-oe7s/rocket-falls-in-northern-iraq.html

Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist who has grown weary of the inadequacy of scientific discourse as a means of conveying the urgency of the climate crisis; instead, he's written an inspiring future history in which he traces the year-by-year steps that lead to a just climate transition: "a vision of what it could look and feel like if we finally, radically, collectively act to build a world we want to live in."

This is the kind of thing I tried to do with my start-of-the-decade Globe and Mail piece on imagining a decade that gives rise to the first generation in a century to look to the future without fear. I'm also working on a new, post-Green New Deal novel called "The Lost Cause" that starts with a future of climate crisis and works back from there.

I loved reading this. Stories of the emergence of the political will to face our crisis head on are the precursors to mustering that political will in the real world.

2022

We will begin to redefine individual actions as actions on behalf of the collective. We will see care work and mutual aid as being at the core of climate action. The term “climate action” will start to lose meaning. It will just become “action”.

We will begin the process of climate reparations – partially repairing the loss and damage of colonialism and decentralising political power on a global scale. We will begin the process of returning land to indigenous control.

We will see each other as people deserving of the right to thrive.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Rf429AwcJIo/political-rewilding.html

You can own a tasteful, beautiful chess set commemorating the forthcoming 2020 presidential election. On one side  red and blue, which allows either party to play as white or black  you have Trump as king, Pence as queen (nice), Justices Kavanaugh and Roberts as bishops, party leaders Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy as knights, and President G.W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney as rooks. On the other side, the rooks are President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the knights are Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the bishops are Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sonia Sotormayer, and the king and queen are empty plinths, because the Democrats haven't picked them yet.

You will receive two empty podiums to play now. When the democratic nominees are announced, you will be notified to complete your set.

Assume they'll charge you extra for the nominees, and again for a new rook should Biden be either.

Embedded above is the television ad for the set, described by Jimmy Traina as the "most batshit crazy commercial I’ve ever seen."

2020 chess set [chess2020.com]

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Tj3JVHkBz8g/commemorative-2020-election-ch.html

Not surprisingly, getting a reservation at the hottest Manhattan restaurants is easier if you're rich, famous, an influencer, a media bigshot, or all of those things. But even within the realm of restaurant reservation phone lines, there is a hierarchy of velvet ropes. According to former reservationist Foster Kamer, at his job the people calling were placed into one of the following four groups. There is also the PAB (Punk-ass bitch) group that included individuals known in the restaurant scene to be rude, bad tippers, or always late for their reservation. From Gossamer:

No Status PROFILE: Plebes. Normies. In binary, zeroes. The largest of the four groups. On average, well over half the calls. Almost never got what they wanted. Almost always pissed.

PX (or: Person Extraordinaire) PROFILE: Magazine editors and food writers, gallerinas, flacks, fashion girls, low-D-to-mid-C-list celebrities. Sometimes got what they wanted. Often felt they deserved better. Often annoyed.

PPX PROFILE: A rare, exotic bird. Important. Memorable. At least one person in the restaurant knows who they are on sight, sound, or name. An A-to-high-B list actor, editor in chief or of note, a Times writer or Page Six gossip, a novelist, artist, or top-tier chef. Tina Brown, Graydon Carter, a Gosling, a Hemsworth, a Bushnell, a Rushdie, or (groan) a McInerney. Maybe a regular or neighbor. But mostly, bona fide celebrities. Maybe 10 percent of the calls. Usually got whatever they wanted.

PPPX PROFILE: The 99th percentile. Royalty. No, really: actual, literal royalty. Wills and Harry. People who only need first names: Anna, Bono, Hillary, et al.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/0gejeXUSon4/behind-the-velvet-rope-hierarc.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/1YVqFBZHMUI/highly-likely-iran-shot-do.html

Video taken of Jeffrey Epstein's cell on the night of his first suicide attempt was deleted by mistake, according to federal prosecutors

Just keeps getting weirder, doesn't it.

Video of the jail cell where pedophile and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is reported to have made his first suicide attempt was accidentally destroyed, federal authorities say.

New development in the missing (then found) video from MCC during Jeffrey Epstein's suicide attempt.

Government now says the video wasn't preserved, after all. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/FLcaLcOAfT

 Stephen Brown (@PPVSRB) January 9, 2020

In a letter Thursday to the judge in Epstein's sex-trafficking case, federal prosecutors said that despite a recent statement that yes, they had the video, somehow the staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center “inadvertently preserved video from the wrong tier,” and the video from the correct one “no longer exists.”

Feds accidentally preserved footage of the wrong cell during Jeffrey Epstein's suicide attempt. A backup system for video footage at MCC also wasn't working, prosecutors say, meaning the surveillance vid is gone. https://t.co/ui7NPGHlGu

 Stephen Brown (@PPVSRB) January 9, 2020

Alrighty then.

LATEST: Here's the story on what prosecutors say MCC did with the Epstein video. what they didn't know, and the steps the FBI took to try and recover the video which they say, "no longer exists":https://t.co/GOboJvh3BY

 Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) January 9, 2020

From the Daily Beast:

The surveillance footage was requested by Epstein’s cellmate, accused killer ex-cop Nicholas Tartaglione, who is hoping it will show he “acted appropriately” and earn him a break at sentencing.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/8FvEttJ_8bA/feds-accidentally-destroyed.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Qc92T7_pQHk/zuckervegans-unite.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/oEnB-Ofe-v4/the-inventor-of-the-ball-pit-w.html

Mike Resnick, a major figure in science fiction, has died after a brief battle with "a very aggressive form of lymphoma" that was diagnosed in November. He was 77.

Resnick had a well-deserved reputation as a mentor and editor, as well as being a prolific writer. As Michael Swanwick notes in his remembrance of Resnick, he was "the man with a thousand little rockets" -- a reference to how he would stud each year's World Science Fiction Convention badge with rows of Hugo Award nominee pins, a tribute to both how much work he produced and how well-received it was by his legion of fans.

Resnick launched a Gofundme campaign in November to help pay for his medical expenses. Today, that campaign is being used by his family to defray his medical debt and to help his widow Carol with her ongoing living costs.

Resnick's daughter, the writer Laura Resnick, added this in her remembrance of her father: "His connection to his friends, his readers, and his colleagues enriched his life, and he never stopped being delighted to meet people who read his work, who were interested in writing, who loved books and stories, and who shared his sense of wonder. He remained enthusiastic about his craft and devoted to his writing to the end of his life, and was always thrilled to be part of the science fiction community, as both a fan and a pro. He taught me a lot about being a writer and a professional."

John Scalzi's obit for Resnick emphasizes Resnick's pay-it-forward attitude: "what I think you will see most in the tributes that will be coming out about in the next few days is the fact he was a teacher and mentor to a great number of writers in the science fiction community, sharing advice about writing and the writing life over decades." Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/lLz-vBPCnxY/the-forever-kid.html

Ever since I started using these nylon mesh zipper bags, my travel experience has improved. I have one bag for paper stuff and pens, one for medicine and first aid, one for tools and gear, one for cords and portable power, and one for snacks. When I get home I leave the bags in my suitcase, making packing much easier the next time I take a trip. The bags are see-through and very durable. A pack of 8 sells for on Amazon. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/cSnJR4b2ZSc/must-have-travel-gear-inexpe-3.html

According to former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow, the Secret Service started during the US Civil War to deal with the influx of counterfeit US money that the Southern states were printing and using in the Northern states. In this video, Wackrow shows you how to spot modern counterfeit money, which is of such high quality that banks often don't detect them.

Image: YouTube Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/wcDTBxPNmiY/how-to-detect-counterfeit-mone.html

Back around 500 BCE or so in what is now York, U.K, a gentleman was decapitated for who-knows-why and his head quickly buried. To the amazement of the archaeologists who dug up the skull in 2008, the cranium still contained a well-preserved brain. According to University of London neurologist Axel Petzold and his colleagues, understanding how the tissue has survived for more than 2,500 years may lead to new methods for extracting valuable information from ancient tissue. From Science:

Using several molecular techniques to examine the remaining tissue, the researchers figured out that two structural proteins—which act as the “skeletons” of neurons and astrocytes—were more tightly packed in the ancient brain. In a yearlong experiment, they found that these aggregated proteins were also more stable than those in modern-day brains. In fact, the ancient protein clumps may have helped preserve the structure of the soft tissue for ages..

The research also could provide insight into protein-based neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.

"Protein aggregate formation permits millennium-old brain preservation" (Journal of the Royal Society Interface) Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/mCU11ETUFB8/the-secrets-within-a-2600-yea.html

The Dragonfly-like Meganeuropsis was a giant insect that plied the skies from the Late Carboniferous to the Late Permian, some 317 to 247 million years ago. It had a wingspan of some 28" with a body length of around 17."

Meganisoptera is an extinct family of insects, all large and predatory and superficially like today’s odonatans, the dragonflies and damselflies. And the very largest of these was Meganeuropsis. It is known from two species, with the type species being the immense M.permiana. Meganeuropsis permiana, as its name suggests is from the Early Permian.

Fossils of the insect were first discovered in France in the late 1800s. This fine fellow, from Bolsover in Derbyshire, was unearthed in 1979.

Read more on Geology In. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/HEeHYpdppBc/the-largest-insect-that-ever-l.html

Scientists attached 3D glasses to cuttlefish to better understand the molluscs' visual perception as it relates to their ability to attack prey. They were treated to 3D screenings of shrimp while the University of Minnesota researchers studied their behavior. I wonder if, like me, the 3D movies gave them headaches. From the University of Minnesota:

The (shrimp) images were offset, allowing for the researchers to determine if the cuttlefish were comparing images between the left and the right eyes to gather information about distance to their prey. The process of comparing the images is called stereopsis, and is the same way humans determine depth. Depending on the image offset, the cuttlefish would perceive the shrimp to be either in front of or behind the screen. The cuttlefish predictably struck too close to or too far from the screen, according to the offset.

“How the cuttlefish reacted to the disparities clearly establishes that cuttlefish use stereopsis when hunting,” said Trevor Wardill, assistant professor at the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior in the College of Biological Sciences. “When only one eye could see the shrimp, meaning stereopsis was not possible, the animals took longer to position themselves correctly. When both eyes could see the shrimp, meaning they utilized stereopsis, it allowed cuttlefish to make faster decisions when attacking. This can make all the difference in catching a meal.”

More: "Cuttlefish use stereopsis to strike at prey" (ScienceAdvances)

image: Wardill Lab Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/hNJi85pUYH8/scientists-put-3d-glasses-on-c.html

Today is David Bowie's birthday (born Jan 8, 1947, died Jan 10, 2016). Here's a great example of our favorite leper messiah's sense of humor as he impersonates a number of fellow singers during the Absolute Beginner's recording sessions in 1985.

In the six-minute clip, you hear David doing his best impressions of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Anthony Newley, Iggy Pop, and Neil Young. Some of them are quite good, especially Springsteen.

And, if you (like me) are going full Bowiemas this week (can I get an alien mullet amen?), check out this 19-hour Bowie playlist on Spotify:

Listen to David Bowie from beginning to end in a 19-hour, complete chronological playlist

"If you're going to be a fucking rockstar, go be one. People don't want to see the guy next door on stage; they want to see a being from another planet." -Lemmy Kilmister

Happy Birthday, David. We miss you! Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/_odnJoKySPA/happy-bowiemas-celebrate-by-l.html

In 2017, three people drilled 26 holes into a UNESCO world heritage protected landmark in China called Python Rock so they could climb the 420-foot natural rock spire and take drone footage. It turned out to be a costly excursion -- on December 30 a court ordered them to pay a $860,000 fine and one of the climbers received a prison sentence.

[via Ananova]

Image: YouTube/Live Leak Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/bpBSmddZ3bo/climbers-fined-860000-for-dr.html

A British man was sentenced to indefinite detention, according to the BBC, after having been caught on camera attempting to burn down a synagogue and instead burning down himself. [Via Charles Stross]

When police arrested him at his Alexander Terrace home he had burns to his hands, forehead and hair and was carrying two lock knives and two lighters. As he was put in a police van, Morgan said: "Please tell me that synagogue is burning to the ground. If not, it's poor preparation."

The court heard the attack on the building coincided with a Jewish feast day commemorating disasters, including the Holocaust. The repairs totalled more than lb23,000. Judge Anthony Leonard QC handed Morgan a hospital order without limit of time, saying most people would feel "anger and revulsion" for what he did.

President of the synagogue, Mr Richard Halsey, thanked the police for their "brilliant response" and "support".

The video is like a Looney Tunes cartoon, a true "Instant Karma" classic. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ZLMXYXOjr_0/british-nazi-set-self-on-fire.html

At the turn of the 20th century, a rogue tiger terrorized the villages of Nepal and northern India. By the time British hunter Jim Corbett was called in, it had killed 434 people. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Corbett's pursuit of the elusive cat, and his enlightened efforts to address the source of the problem.

We'll also revisit a Confederate spy and puzzle over a bloody ship.

Show notes

Please support us on Patreon! Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/-zU2CLhjr5Y/in-1907-hunter-jim-corbett-st.html