Evaluating the prognostications of political pundits: (From the WSJ.com’s Numbers Guy (free feature):
“You’re generally better off handing darts to a chimp than trusting the musings of a professional prognosticator.”
Also, another observation about reporters and pundits (and bloggers?):
“…people with expertise in explaining events that have happened aren’t very successful at predicting what will happen.”
Technorati Tags: statistics
Make noise abroad or perish: From the Campus Technology Magazine article, “The Impact of Electronic Publishing”:
“The English word publish was in use before the printing press was invented. It meant “to noise abroad, to make known.” Ink-and-paper has served academe well for a long time, but new collaboration technologies may end up being even more important for satisfying our feverish urge to create new knowledge and to share it with our peers.
Technorati Tags: wiki
The “secret” of making something look easy: Dozens of people spend hundreds of hours making a Steve Jobs’ keynote address appear simple, relaxed and cool. I’ve seen a Stevenote a couple of times (and watched video of plenty more) and I’ve always marveled at how much work and investment and practice and talent it must take to make it look so easy.
A long time ago, I saw the legendary Chet Atkins being interviewed on TV and I don’t recall why or who, but the topic turned to a talented young musician. I will always remember Atkins pausing and saying something like: “When I hear him play guitar, I think of all those lonely hours he must have spent in his bedroom practicing.”
Like getting to Carnegie Hall, all it takes to make something look simple is practice, practice, practice.
Get ready for this story, football fans: It’s the last sentence in this Tennessean sports column by Joe Biddle: “Young is a protégé of Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Young becomes the one who replaces McNair?” Here’s a story from last June that explains the protégé angle. The Titans have the number three pick in the draft and if when Young decides to turn pro, well, it’s enough of a possibility to launch a thousand columns during the next couple of months.
Brand Rex update: You just never know where Brand Rex will appear next. Once it was just the lowly name of cigarettes, lard and beer and even unsuccessful technology products. Coming in April, this new stuff from iRex Technologies is sure to make at least one regular reader of this weblog very excited.
Quote:
The iRex Technologies E-reader provides true reading comfort, flexibility and versatility. It can be read outdoors, in sunshine or shadow. As well as reading you can also write comments, mark or underline sections, for a true two-way paper experience. And all of this at the lowest power consumption.
Update: Thanks to the person who wishes to remain anonymous who sent me this link to the new official coffee of the rexblog.
(via: PaidContent.org))