Rotundus.com

Here's a short excerpt of an Atlantic article:

What Brown also discovered in the course of her research is that, contrary to her early assumptions, men's shame is not primarily inflicted by other men. Instead, it is the women in their lives who tend to be repelled when men show the chinks in their armor.

"Most women pledge allegiance to this idea that women can explore their emotions, break down, fall apart—and it's healthy," Brown said. "But guys are not allowed to fall apart." Ironically, she explained, men are often pressured to open up and talk about their feelings, and they are criticized for being emotionally walled-off; but if they get too real, they are met with revulsion. She recalled the first time she realized that she had been complicit in the shaming: "Holy Shit!" she said. "I am the patriarchy!"

Food companies work to make it look natural

The extra steps and sometimes extra processing that food companies are doing to make their food look less processed.

A Different Take on Reality TV: 18 Hours of Swimming Salmon

"Norwegians Love Their Boring Shows, Including the Hit, Train Ride to Bergen"

Boston suspect becomes teen hearthrob: Thousands of girls express their love for bomber in worrying online forums

Attraction triggers aren't necessarily always what you might want them to be. See also the National Post's December 2001 article on Osama Bin Laden as a sex symbol, and, for variety, take a look at attraction to serial killers or this other one on attraction to murderers.

At High Speed, on the Road to a Driverless Future

A Israeli company showing what can be done with just a few hundred dollars worth of parts (versus the tens of thousands of dollars in sensors on Google's cars: "driving in a single lane at freeway speeds, as well as identifying traffic lights and automatically slowing, stopping and then returning to highway speeds."

A trailer for the second part of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Hobbit is out. Seems like an appropriate start to resurrecting this blog after a few weeks with no posts.

The benefits of being stupid at work

"Stupidity can increase efficiency, claims Mats Alvesson, professor of organization studies at Lund University in Sweden. ... what they call 'functional stupidity' generally helped get things done. 'Critical reflection and shrewdness' were net positives, but when too many clever individuals in an organization raised their hands to suggest alternative courses of action or to ask 'disquieting questions about decisions and structures,' work slowed."

S Africa stunned by fatal circumcisions

"More than 20 boys in South Africa have died during coming-of-age rituals in the past week. Police say botched circumcisions are the probable cause." Note that the Al Jazeera video suggests these were doctor-supervised. It seems more or less the sort of thing that the WHO is advocating - I think I've said enough about the poor quality of that research already.

Broadening IRS Victims Include Pro-Life Advocates, As Congress Investigates

"In a phone call to Coalition for Life of Iowa leaders on June 6, 2009, the IRS agent “Ms. Richards” told the group to send a letter to the IRS with the entire board’s signatures stating that, under perjury of the law, they do not picket/protest or organize groups to picket or protest outside of Planned Parenthood. Once the IRS received this letter, their application would be approved." If true this seems like an even bigger issue than the IRS targetting right-wing organizations for investigation.

Smart on Crime

"Being tough on criminals hasn’t worked, but neither has being lenient. Here’s how to prevent—and punish—crime the right way."