(dys)harmonica

jtotheizzoe: 500 Million Years of Evolution in Under 4...

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:32:00 -0400

500 Million Years of Evolution in Under 4 Minutes

I had forgotten that the video for Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now” was essentially an evolutionary biology adventure tale.

Is it illegal to post this video on Daft Punk Day?

(via PsiVid)

Not illegal at all, I’d say.

slightlytallerthanaverageman: Today is Daft Punk Day!

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:08:05 -0400

slightlytallerthanaverageman:

Today is Daft Punk Day!

Conservatives declare opposition to Senate immigration bill - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:06:31 -0400

Conservatives declare opposition to Senate immigration bill - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com:

Welp, it was fun while it lasted. I expect a great deal of GOP house members caving to this. So long meaningful immigration reform.

Molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease identified

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:04:10 -0400

Molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease identified:

Whoa this is big!

explore-blog: Stunning archival photos of vintage NASA (and...

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:23:51 -0400

explore-blog:

Stunning archival photos of vintage NASA (and NASA predecessor NACA) facilities.

explore-blog: Pete Seeger

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:22:47 -0400

explore-blog:

Pete Seeger

The Screwed Generation

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:13:00 -0400

I recently re-read a year old article from Newsweek. The opening sentence:

‘Boomer America’ never had it so good. As a result, today’s young Americans have never had it so bad.”

Newsweek

Boomers have left the country in shambles, and the current youngs (the Gen Y and “Millenials”) are paying the price.

Higher cost of everything, lower paychecks, fewer jobs, higher taxes .. all to pay for the senior benefits of one of the wealthiest generations of Americans. Poverty rate of seniors is at historic minimum, yet senior benefits continue to rise, all the while the Boomers vote increasingly conservative, asking for their taxes to be lowered, underfunding everything from education to infrastructure and slowing the economic growth.

A poignant graph (from the Preiceonomics article linked below):

This is not a country without hope, but it is heartbreaking to see the generation that was brought us Civil Rights movement, Women’s rights, Welfare, and uncountable other steps forward became incapable of seeing past their own middle-management paychecks as it grew older.

And another - net-worth of age-groups over time.

Both the figures come from a relevant article over at Priceonomics

It is high time we, the Gen Y and the Millenials finally take over and become the agenda-setting voting bloc.

The Rise Of The Suburban Poor

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:48:15 -0400

The Rise Of The Suburban Poor:

In 2004, a documentary called The End of Suburbia predicted that the suburbs were potentially “destined to become the slums of tomorrow” thanks to the impending threat of peak oil. That didn’t happen—the threat of peak oil has now been replaced by out-of-control climate change—but suburbs are declining, just for a different reason.According to a new report put out by the Brookings Institute, more poor inhabitants of the U.S. now live in suburbs than in cities and rural areas. Between 2002 and 2011, the population of the suburban poor rose 67%.

The reversal of fortunes is startling. If you are poor and isolated in suburbia, you are screwed. Cannot walk, cannot bike, cannot take public transport. 60 years of bad decision making sparked in the 1950s by “the Great Generation” and happily endorsed by the boomers in the 1980s is rearing its ugly head.

No wonder the Millennials (all of us who did not get a proper job before 2000) are wiser - we do not own a car, house, or aspire to live in the suburbs, we shop local, live local, act local. Let’s hope we continue to be this smart as we become the dominant voting bloc, and let’s fix the system.

Why The Sharing Economy Is Growing

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:38:21 -0400

Why The Sharing Economy Is Growing:

Most people who share, do it because they want to make the world a better place, according to a new national survey commissioned by AirBnb.The sharing economy has an estimated $26 billion value, including online platforms that make it easy to do everything from renting out spare rooms in your home (AirBnb) to carsharing (Zipcar), clothing swaps (ThredUP), even sharing extra portions from homecooked meals ( Shareyourmeal, of course).Among those who have actually tried it, the plurality said their motivation was philosophical, not financial.This new survey gets at the motivations behind sharing,

Car Reviews Need More Arrest Warrants

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:30:00 -0400

Car Reviews Need More Arrest Warrants:

If someone handed me the keys to a 207 mph supercar, I know where I’d end up: jail.

As a former car reviewer, this is absolutely true.

"If I were a fairy godmother, my gift to every child would be curiosity."

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:10:36 -0400

“If I were a fairy godmother, my gift to every child would be curiosity.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt (from: Brain Pickings)

Senate immigration bill revealed: A path to citizenship, shift to employment-based visas

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 03:11:57 -0400

Senate immigration bill revealed: A path to citizenship, shift to employment-based visas:

After months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of eight Senators has drafted a blueprint that would sharply transform the nation’s&

Angry young people changing the...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:41:32 -0500

Angry young people changing the world.

thepeoplesrecord:

Congratulations, everyone!

2012 is coming. Thanks to OWS, thanks to the complete failure of...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:38:07 -0500

2012 is coming. Thanks to OWS, thanks to the complete failure of the right to offer any solutions, the left now has a voice. Not a day too soon.

The .1% versus the rest of us. 15% of the median of $27k a year....

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:21:17 -0500

The .1% versus the rest of us. 15% of the median of $27k a year. Or a 278% of several million. Yup that is “hard work pays off” for you, right there. Them job creators pay too many taxes and need a break, for sure!

Photo

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:14:54 -0500

Video

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:14:31 -0500

"When authorities fail to prosecute those who attack people for exercising their rights or exposing..."

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:59:35 -0500

“When authorities fail to prosecute those who attack people for exercising their rights or exposing abuses, they subvert justice and undermine the people’s confidence in their governments”

- Hillary Clinton, criticizing how Russian authorities have reacted to protesters.

How very appropriate, Mrs. Clinton. How about you redirect your words to the administration you serve?

A wild hypocrite appears!

(via mufb)

Photo

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:58:36 -0500

Photo

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:27:39 -0500