Alpha Particles

Are all of our energy efforts for not?  A new idea about how our return on energy investment is diminishing and will inevitably lead to economic collapse.  Rather depressing, really.  But fascinating none the less.

An argument as to why work is overrated and how we are crazy for working our lives away.  Concludes with an excellent comparison of the Futurist movement to our slavish dedication to work.  (The Futurists are just great - they were proto-fascists who wrote tremendous fiery manifestos and made a few hyper abstract paintings.  Although he disses them, which is not cool.)

I am pretty sure this dude has some kind of portal into my brain.  He takes stuff I think about makes it, uh, eloquent.

Anyway, superb ramble of sorts about what it means to have a conversation.  Especially focused on boring, one-side conversations, which are of course the very worst.  But, as he writes, boring conversations are clues might be good clues towards something more.

On the road to fixing the world’s energy problems, the US could be a leader.  But China is beating us.  We are too timid as a country!

Fareed Zakaria on how capitalism is still useful and some reasons it has been such a tumultuous system as of late.

My favorite quote:

“None of this [bad lending practices, etc] has happened because businesspeople have suddenly become more immoral. It is part of the opening up and growing competitiveness of the business world. Many of the old banks and law firms operated as monopolies or cartels. They could afford to take the long view. They were also run by a WASP elite secure in its privilege. The members of today’s meritocratic elite are more anxious and insecure. They know that they are being judged quarter by quarter.”

Is globalization driving all of our unethical business habits?  It certainly is scary nowadays with so much competition from overseas.

This sort of makes me sigh in wonder… a man that lives without the internet?  And then I feel sort of bad.  And then I click another link. :)