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[theory]

I'm interested in any articles or essays that you come across that you find interesting or thought-provoking.  Here's a couple to kick things off:

Wired: Why Things Fail: From Tires to Helicopter Blades, Everything Breaks Eventually

The Washington Post: Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

[Buggz]

Thank you, I'll have to stay at work for another hour now to get a full day.

But seriously: thank you. I love these kinds of articles!

[Captain_Frisk]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/

Must read for any person who is in the market for diamonds, or will be in the future.

De Beers : Goko :: Wayne Gretzky : Carlo Ricci

No offense to Carlo intended.

[DsnowMan]

Elevators:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/04/21/080421fa_fact_paumgarten

[Captain_Frisk]

Oh - that washington post article about kids in the backseat is brutal.  I had to close it 1/3 of the way through.

[theory]

Letting Go: What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?

What it's like eating with the undercover Michelin restaurant inspectors

Plot Holes in World War II

Rick Reilly's report on the Sauna World Championships -- "the world's dumbest sport"

In general my favorite essayists currently are Gene Weingarten, David Foster Wallace, and Atul Gawande. 

[theory]

I am also a sucker for good commencement speeches:

David Foster Wallace's 2005 commencement address to Kenyon College

Steve Jobs, "Stay Hungry.  Stay Foolish."

Russell Baker, "10 ways to avoid mucking up the world any worse than it already is"

[Captain_Frisk]

Regarding World Sauna Championships:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-08-08/finalist-dies-in-world-sauna-championships/936396

[jotheonah]

I enjoyed this a lot:

Fear of a Black President, The Atlantic, September 2012

[eHalcyon]

An article about the Piraha Tribe and their language and culture, and the idea that our language determines how we think.  It is fascinating.

And here's a big list of articles that I haven't even begun to read through.

[theory]

I loved this article on Bob Costas and the art of broadcasting:

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/40001770

Costas enjoys the preparation for a game. He has often talked about a dream -- one he insists he still has, even after hosting all the Olympics and winning all the awards -- of broadcasting a full season of minor league baseball somewhere. The draw for him is the preparation, it is getting to know all the players and the manager, it is working through the daily stats and stories, it is about immersing himself in baseball.

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

I loved this article on Bob Costas and the art of broadcasting:

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/40001770

Costas enjoys the preparation for a game. He has often talked about a dream -- one he insists he still has, even after hosting all the Olympics and winning all the awards -- of broadcasting a full season of minor league baseball somewhere. The draw for him is the preparation, it is getting to know all the players and the manager, it is working through the daily stats and stories, it is about immersing himself in baseball.

I thought his (very) late night interview show some years ago (10? 15?) was better than any other example of the genre, including Dick Cavett's programs.  His preparation showed there as well. I really miss it.

If he were going to call a season of minor leagues, having Tim McCarver next to him would be very cool.

[theory]

Old, and perhaps not really long enough to qualify, but I liked Joe Posnanski's take on "LeBron vs Jordan":

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187119/index.htm

I remember, growing up, when Jim Brown's greatness was declared to be indisputable. That's the word: indisputable. Nobody, my elders told me, could ever be as good as Jim Brown. When O.J. Simpson ran for 2,000 yards, well, that was nice. But he was no Jim Brown. When Earl Campbell was a singular force...he was no Jim Brown. Eric Dickerson? Nope. Franco Harris? Uh-uh. The elders might concede that Walter Payton was more versatile than Brown, with his hammerhead blocking and soft hands.

Even so, he was no Jim Brown.

I was too young to understand then. Nobody could be Jim Brown. Sure, Brown had numbers and highlights and testimony to back up the argument, but the crucial fact was that there was no argument. Jim Brown was the greatest because Jim Brown was the greatest. To argue was blasphemous.

There have been a handful of indisputables through the years: Ruth, Pelé, Ali, Orr—athletes who radiated such greatness that the fans of their time simply could not imagine anyone better, then or ever. During my era as a sports fan (1975 or so to the present), there have been two indisputables. One is Wayne Gretzky. The other is Michael Jordan. Everyone else sparked arguments.

[Ozle]

Note sure if it qualifies, but there is a good series on the BBC news page at the moment about Chinese Leadership

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20178655

This one is particularly relevant, about the Chinese election systems (Which is arguably more important to the world than the US elections)

[theory]

A short read on why we mimic other people's accents; aka, why everyone started saying "Man," a lot more when DXV started posting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7931299/Humans-subconsciously-mimic-other-accents-psychologists-claim.html

[Cuzz]

A short read on why we mimic other people's accents; aka, why everyone started saying "Man," a lot more when DXV started posting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7931299/Humans-subconsciously-mimic-other-accents-psychologists-claim.html

I lived in England for a bit and I totally used to do this. If I was the only American in a group at the pub, and a little bit drunk, I would slip involuntarily into a British accent that I could never do as well on purpose.

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

Old, and perhaps not really long enough to qualify, but I liked Joe Posnanski's take on "LeBron vs Jordan":

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187119/index.htm

Thanks for this.  I quit following pro BB when Jordan retired, so I don't know Lebron's game at all, but Jordan will always be the best.  He just is.

[Dsell]

A short read on why we mimic other people's accents; aka, why everyone started saying "Man," a lot more when DXV started posting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7931299/Humans-subconsciously-mimic-other-accents-psychologists-claim.html

Man, I have to keep myself from saying that all the time.

[theory]

Old, and perhaps not really long enough to qualify, but I liked Joe Posnanski's take on "LeBron vs Jordan":

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187119/index.htm

Thanks for this.  I quit following pro BB when Jordan retired, so I don't know Lebron's game at all, but Jordan will always be the best.  He just is.

If you like basketball, then you're missing out by not watching LeBron James.  He is a very special talent.

[Jorbles]

Has anyone else seen this list that Publisher's Weekly just put out? I thought it was actually a pretty good list (or I wouldn't mention it) though I haven't read all of them.

Here's the list without the descriptions and links:

James Baldwin, "Notes of a Native Son" (originally appeared in Harper’s, 1955)
Norman Mailer, "The White Negro" (originally appeared in Dissent, 1957)
Susan Sontag, "Notes on 'Camp'" (originally appeared in Partisan Review, 1964)
John McPhee, "The Search for Marvin Gardens" (originally appeared in The New Yorker, 1972)
Joan Didion, "The White Album" (originally appeared in New West, 1979)
Annie Dillard, "Total Eclipse" (originally appeared in Antaeus, 1982)
Phillip Lopate, "Against Joie de Vivre" (originally appeared in Ploughshares, 1986)
Edward Hoagland, "Heaven and Nature" (originally appeared in Harper’s, 1988)
Jo Ann Beard, "The Fourth State of Matter" (originally appeared in The New Yorker, 1996)
David Foster Wallace, "Consider the Lobster" (originally appeared in Gourmet, 2004)

I haven't read all of these just the Baldwin, Mailer, Sontag and Wallace, but I've heard of a lot of these, and thought this was a good list of things I probably should read eventually.

[papaHav]

Massive backlog of must reads:

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/lacking-teachers-and-textbooks-indias-schools-turn-to-khan-academy-to-survive/
"In a country where teachers are in short supply and decent textbooks are hard to find, Indian schools are pinning their hopes on a free online tutorial service based in the United States."

http://arxiv.org/pdf/1110.1556v2.pdf
Ignore the math problems

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2012/11/how-not-to-regulate-driverless-cars.html#comment-157673610c

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/when-you-cant-sleep-how-good-is-lying-in-bed-with-your-eyes-closed/262484/

http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/331208/how-driverless-cars-might-transform-broader-economy-reihan-salam#

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-09-11/irs-pays-whistleblower-104-million huge 180degree turn

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/throw-like-a-girl-with-some-practice-you-can-do-better/2012/09/10/9ffc8bc8-dc09-11e1-9974-5c975ae4810f_story.html
Data doesn't "argue for gender differences", it tells.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/09/daily-chart-6

http://shialabeowulf.tumblr.com/post/33670447154/99-life-hacks-to-make-your-life-easier

[theory]

A short read on why we mimic other people's accents; aka, why everyone started saying "Man," a lot more when DXV started posting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7931299/Humans-subconsciously-mimic-other-accents-psychologists-claim.html

I lived in England for a bit and I totally used to do this. If I was the only American in a group at the pub, and a little bit drunk, I would slip involuntarily into a British accent that I could never do as well on purpose.

I had a similar experience whilst living in London.  And in Atlanta, too, especially with "y'all".

[Robz888]

Here's an article I really enjoyed: http://www.esquire.com/features/teller-magician-interview-1012

It's about Teller, the silent half of the Penn and Teller magicians duo.

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

Here's an article I really enjoyed: http://www.esquire.com/features/teller-magician-interview-1012

It's about Teller, the silent half of the Penn and Teller magicians duo.

Yes, this was quite a good article.  Now I want to go see them next week when I'm in Vegas.

[Forge!!!]

A couple of short sports ones:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7218353/quarterbacking-made-simple

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7908766/a-rare-interview-former-no-1-overall-pick-greg-oden-injury-plagued-career

[Cuzz]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/november_december_2012/features/last_call041131.php?page=all&src=longreads&buffer_share=842dd

Could go just as well in the drinking thread. A comparison of the alcohol industries in the US and the UK, and their effects on both societies. 

[theory]

Every week Bill Barnwell makes great NFL recap posts: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8676418/detro-albatross-contracts-rest-week-12-news

[Forge!!!]

I'm surprised I haven't run into any of your posts on r/nfl theory, from the looks of it you post there a decent amount. I'm sure I will at some point.

[theory]

I like this article by Posnanski: http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2012/12/exhilaration-gap.html

Ranking different sports by which are better in person and which are better on TV

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

I like this article by Posnanski: http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2012/12/exhilaration-gap.html

Ranking different sports by which are better in person and which are better on TV

This part was especially great, as I watch a lot of golf on TV:

Johnny Miller can chastise better than any announcer on TV, and TV can slow down a golfer's swing with the Konica Minolta John Travolta Usain Bolta Churchill at Yolta 12 volta It's nobody's folta biz-viz-whiz hub swing vision quest camera. Which is awesome

It is an amazing camera, but it can't write prose like this.

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

Damn you, theory. First, Voltgloss makes me cry in the "How old are you" thread. Then I read the Posnaski piece you cited AND I KEPT GOING, so "The Promise" made me cry again, and I KEPT GOING. So "Katie the Prefect" made me cry again.  And I'll keep going. Because now Tim Cahill (Rolling Stone, Outside) has some serious competition as my favorite writer of short pieces.

Damn you, and thank you so very, very much.

[theory]

I'll really get your spigots going, then, with these two unforgettable articles by Gene Weingarten:

Something About Harry: Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

[() | (_) ^/]

I'll really get your spigots going, then, with these two unforgettable articles by Gene Weingarten:

Something About Harry: Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

You just reposted one of the articles with which you started this thread.  I demand a refund.  Or at least another article.  This one is used.

[SwitchedFromStarcraft]

Wow.  In some ways, it's hard to believe the same writer wrote both.  The car death piece is great reporting, and the story presented with exquisite sensitivity.  The dog story, more a personal reflection.  On the other hand, they both capture a piece of humanity, that commonality that connects us.

[theory]

I'll really get your spigots going, then, with these two unforgettable articles by Gene Weingarten:

Something About Harry: Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

You just reposted one of the articles with which you started this thread.  I demand a refund.  Or at least another article.  This one is used.

Here you go!  Some bonus Weingarten pieces:

Pearls Before Breakfast: Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

The Peekaboo Paradox
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/AR2006011801434.html

[Jorbles]

Vanity Fair has put out two really good articles recently:

One is the oral history of Freaks & Geeks, which is probably only interesting to you if you liked that show:
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/freaks-and-geeks-oral-history

This article on the French Foreign Legion (it still exists!) is fascinating for everyone:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/12/french-foreign-legion-expendables

[greatexpectations]

One is the oral history of Freaks & Geeks, which is probably only interesting to you if you liked that show:
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/freaks-and-geeks-oral-history

i saw the photo set of the reunion, didn't even notice the article. thanks for the tip!

[Cuzz]

Forgiveness and Criminal Justice. Powerful stuff:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/magazine/can-forgiveness-play-a-role-in-criminal-justice.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=magazine&

[Ozle]

Why is no one else worried about Helium?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/a-ballooning-problem-the-great-helium-shortage-8439108.html

[Robz888]

This is a really, really fantastic story. Please read all the way to the end: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/magazine/the-professor-the-bikini-model-and-the-suitcase-full-of-trouble.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[Ozle]

Im clicking that link obviously because it says the word Professor in the title, why else...

[theory]

The 14 Most Dominant Performances in sports history

[Ozle]

The 14 Most Dominant Performances in sports history

Wow, who'd have thought 13 of the 14 of the most dominant performances in all of sports history were about the US.......(and even the one that isnt he consider Owens instead of Bolt!)

So to give a slghtly more world view, for your consideration:

Don bradmans ashes series
Theres that disabled tennis woman who won every single game for about 11 years.
Brazil in the world cup
Hungary in football in the 50’s
The british olympic cycling team (mainly hoy in the 2008 olympics)
That swedish canoeist that won everything
Brian lara putting on 500 runs in one innings
That romanian who got perfect 10's in gymnastics

[Eevee]

The 14 Most Dominant Performances in sports history

I skimmed through it, seems awfully america-centric to me.

edit: I usually don't read Ozle's posts, but seems he just said the same thing. 

[eHalcyon]

Theres that disabled tennis woman who won every single game for about 11 years.

The thing that is depressing about tennis is no matter how good I get, I'll never be as good as a wall.  I played a wall once, they're relentless.

-- Mitch Hedberg

[Ozle]

Also, i'd like to submit to that list my dominating 100% vwin rate over Eevee in Dominion!

[Cuzz]

To be fair, Ozle, Secretariat was not technically a US citizen.

[Ozle]

To be fair, Ozle, Secretariat was not technically a US citizen.

To be fair, Cuzz, i dont believe i said they were. I said they were about the US.....

[Jorbles]

Not as long as we'd usually put here, but this article in Slate on people who have moved to Green Bank, West Virginia to escape the symptoms of electromagnetic hypersensitivity is excellent. It's worth reading to the end for the possible explanations of the symptoms.

[theory]

"It’s completely artificial, we've invented it, and it’s never been on this planet before, so nothing—not animals or humans—is adapted to it,” she told me.

Oh, wait, except for the EM radiation bathing the Earth every single day?

[Jorbles]

"It’s completely artificial, we've invented it, and it’s never been on this planet before, so nothing—not animals or humans—is adapted to it,” she told me.

Oh, wait, except for the EM radiation bathing the Earth every single day?

You should probably read to the end? He mentions that.

I found it most compelling not because it debunks their theory, lots of people have already done that, but because he looks at some possible causes of it and what that says about human nature. I and I assume most people on this forum don't believe in EHM, or at least are extremely skeptical of it, but the fact that some people do is real and their reasons and what could possibly be done to help them is a worthwhile study.

[theory]

No, I saw that.  I don't know.  The article is certainly appropriately skeptical, but I can't help but feel it still encourages/legitimizes it. 

For the most part this is at least a "no-harm-no-foul" kind of thing (unlike say the anti-vaccination group), but their nuisance lawsuits place a hefty toll on their unfortunate innocent neighbors.

[Jorbles]

No, I saw that.  I don't know.  The article is certainly appropriately skeptical, but I can't help but feel it still encourages/legitimizes it. 

For the most part this is at least a "no-harm-no-foul" kind of thing (unlike say the anti-vaccination group), but their nuisance lawsuits place a hefty toll on their unfortunate innocent neighbors.

Everything I've read on the subject makes me think that the most appropriate thing to do would be to treat it as a mental health issue. Just pointing out that there's no credible science behind their condition doesn't seem to be working. They have symptoms, regardless of the cause their symptoms should be addressed as they do cause the person distress and make them lash out at their neighbours, the courts, power companies, etc. Just my two cents on the issue.

[eHalcyon]

"It’s completely artificial, we've invented it, and it’s never been on this planet before, so nothing—not animals or humans—is adapted to it,” she told me.

Oh, wait, except for the EM radiation bathing the Earth every single day?

You should probably read to the end? He mentions that.

I found it most compelling not because it debunks their theory, lots of people have already done that, but because he looks at some possible causes of it and what that says about human nature. I and I assume most people on this forum don't believe in EHM, or at least are extremely skeptical of it, but the fact that some people do is real and their reasons and what could possibly be done to help them is a worthwhile study.

I suffer from the opposite.  Can't get enough of that WiFi EMR.  Even imagining being without internet... *shudder*





Seriously though -- have scientists conduct those double blind tests out there where there isn't any "spillover".

[shMerker]

Well supposing they do, do you think it's likely that someone who has rearranged their entire life around their EHS symptoms will simply say "oh I guess that's it then" or will they just come up with a new explanation for why the experiment doesn't turn up evidence for their condition?

[eHalcyon]

Well supposing they do, do you think it's likely that someone who has rearranged their entire life around their EHS symptoms will simply say "oh I guess that's it then" or will they just come up with a new explanation for why the experiment doesn't turn up evidence for their condition?

Fair enough point, but such a study might be helpful for future sufferers who might otherwise rearrange their lives as well.

[theory]

I suffer from the opposite.  Can't get enough of that WiFi EMR.  Even imagining being without internet... *shudder*

I had a real thought-provoking moment the other day.  There was a Reddit topic asking, "What would you give up for $1 billion but not for $1 million?"  The answer that really hit home was "The Internet".

[jotheonah]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/nyregion/justice-denied-bronx-court-system-mired-in-delays.html?hp&_r=2&

Partly written my one of my J-School classmates.

[Galzria]

The 14 Most Dominant Performances in sports history

Wow, who'd have thought 13 of the 14 of the most dominant performances in all of sports history were about the US.......(and even the one that isnt he consider Owens instead of Bolt!)

So to give a slghtly more world view, for your consideration:

Don bradmans ashes series
Theres that disabled tennis woman who won every single game for about 11 years.
Brazil in the world cup
Hungary in football in the 50’s
The british olympic cycling team (mainly hoy in the 2008 olympics)
That swedish canoeist that won everything
Brian lara putting on 500 runs in one innings
That romanian who got perfect 10's in gymnastics

Can we add one more?:

http://news.yahoo.com/gayle-smashes-century-off-30-balls-makes-record-150938136--spt.html

[Ozle]

Did removing lead from petrol cause a drop in crime?

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27067615

[Awaclus]

Not really a long long read, and not an article or an essay either, but I thought this was a good read and worth sharing.

http://www.creepypastaindex.com/creepypasta/worlds-best-school-psychologist

[Awaclus]

http://io9.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800

[Jorbles]

http://io9.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800

I'd already read this, but had completely forgotten this thread existed so never posted about it. Thanks for res-ing the thread!

[XerxesPraelor]

http://io9.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800

http://slatestarcodex.com/2015/05/30/that-chocolate-study/

[XerxesPraelor]

Also, basically everything that guy wrote.

California, Water You Doing?
Growth of Mindset (and its prequels)
Extremism in Thought Experiment is no Vice
Pharma Virumque
Black People Less Likely
The Parable of the Talents
Perceptions of Required Ability act as a Proxy for Actual Required Ability in Explaining the Gender Gap
The Influenze of Evil

Those are the best ones in the past year.