The importance of culture
In a recent issue of Newsweek, Sharon Begley argued that culture is more convincing than evolutionary psychology in explaining many widespread behaviors.
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What he said
In The New Yorker, Malcom Gladwell said what I've been trying to say, only he said it much better: "Why are the self-interested motives of powerful companies being elevated to a philosophical principle?"
Government vs. private aid
The Economist recently hosted a debate about whether charities and entrepreneurs or government aid programs can do more for the poor.
Tracking the space station
This week we had a programmer stay with us, and among his projects he's created a website that tracks the course of the International Space Station above the Earth's surface in real time.
Imaging
I edit my writing best, especially my nonfiction, after I've printed it out. Partly that's because I catch more mistakes on the printed page than on the screen, but partly, I think, because having my writing on paper lets me see it as a visual structure that can be rearranged and formed.
Of course, anyone who has used Pro Tools -- a necessary part of my previous career in the music industry -- knows that it and similar programs take imaging to an entirely different level. Pro Tools maps sounds into graphs that can be manipulated on-screen, so that adding a drum snare or turning down the volume of a voice is accomplished by copying and pasting a curve segment or pushing down a jagged line.
Building financial literacy in Angola
This weekend we got to see an old friend who had just returned from Angola, where he was working with the National Bank develop a financial literacy training program to help people avoid being taken advantage of by commercial banks. His extremely well-written blog describes the experience.
Microfinancing blog
In an interview, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development explains why he is writing the first draft of his new book on microfinance as a blog.
Jazz on the Potomac
Last night we saw the fantastic Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival's New Orleans on the Potomac.
State of Newspapers
I finally watched State of Play last night, and enjoyed the fact that the entire movie was a celebration of newspapers.
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