Rotundus.com

From The National Post:

Are you prepared for anything you have ever said or written, anywhere, at any time, in the privacy of your own home, or on the telephone, or in an email, to be used against you in your public life? Imagine the angriest, meanest, basest or most ironic, pushing-the-limits thing you have ever said or written — that is, the thing you would least like the world to know of — and now imagine those words broadcast in national media, probably out of context and twisted and misunderstood, to the person or group most likely to take offence.
That is what is here at stake. Who among us has not said privately something that, if made public, would destroy us, our friendships, our employment or our reputations? If we concede that these students should, in the absence of a criminal conviction, be expelled, or suffer any formal consequences whatsoever, then you too must accept your fate when your private comments are made public and used against you — when your email account is hacked or a letter is stolen from your mailbox, or a conversation in your home or on your cell phone is surreptitiously recorded.

Reminds me of something. The whole article seems worth the read.

World's Largest Indoor Farm is 100 Times More Productive

"The statistics for this incredibly successful indoor farming endeavor in Japan are staggering: 25,000 square feet producing 10,000 heads of lettuce per day (100 times more per square foot than traditional methods) with 40% less power, 80% less food waste and 99% less water usage than outdoor fields." Of course I don't think this is cost competitive yet with traditional agriculture.

CNN's Cuomo Stumbles, Labels French Islamist 'African-American'

"Cuomo labeled one of the dead French terrorists 'African-American.' Anderson Cooper quickly corrected his colleague: 'Not American – the man of African descent.'" I find the inability to utter the word "black" mildly amusing.

I made irreverent art about Muslims. It took a while, but eventually Muslims came to love it.

A somewhat interesting piece by the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie.

Prisoner broke out of jail to escape rap music

Can you blame him?

This is the guy responsible for creating the Pulitzer Prize. Here's what he offered as a set of principles:

… fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare … (source)

Overall they seem like a pretty good set - I'm just not sure that a lot of modern papers live up to them particularly well.

Iceland: Brewery makes 'whale testicle beer'

"The testicles of fin whales - which are an endangered species - are cured 'according to an old, Icelandic tradition' before being salted and smoked, with one being used per brewing" - I'm willing to consume lots of different kinds of animals but smoked whale testicles in my beer may be a step to far. (Icelandic food and drink can be a bit strange").).

Robots learn to use kitchen tools by watching YouTube videos

Soon robots will discover the Food Network - although perhaps they may be better of which some Youtube channels.

When Film Is Your Filter

Some interesting comments from reviews of this recent book on how you're likely to be impacted by movie-watching. Per one review cited: the book addresses the "wealth of experimental evidence which shows that a filmed version of events will likely override our knowledge of the facts. Not only because superstimuli are so compelling, but because we’re not very good at remembering the sources of information that inform our opinions."

Is Your Heart Doctor In? If Not, You Might Not Be Any Worse Off

"the authors ... had begun their inquiry anticipating that death would be more common during cardiology meetings because hospital staffs were more short-handed than usual. Finding the opposite, the researchers speculated that for very weak patients, aggressive treatments may exceed the benefits."