Umalu

11 ms·

61.
Horoscoped: Meta-horoscope constructed from 22,000 scraped horoscopes(informationisbeautiful.net)
11 points by Umalu 16y ago|0 comments
62.
by Umalu 16y ago
I would guess the number of start-ups who got it right the first time is infinitesimal. Failure is an essential but underrated part of the development process. Perhaps instead of saying "failure" we should re-brand it as "learning opportuni
63.
by Umalu 16y ago
A similar article could be written asking why so few men go into elementary school teaching or nursing. Men are just as qualified as women for these positions, but pursue them at a far lower rate than women do. Looking at qualifications cle
64.
by Umalu 16y ago
This article is ostensibly about a bad board member, but in reality it is about a bad board. A bad board member is only one director out of many, and cannot, on his own, do much more than disrupt meetings. A good board will shut up a bad bo
65.
by Umalu 16y ago
Government debt is a deferred tax on a country's citizens and their descendants. So it can be a real drag on future growth and, like credit cards, feels cost-free until the bill comes due. What's more insidious is that it is often run like
66.
by Umalu 16y ago
The headline posted here is not the headline of the article, nor is it supported by the article. The article makes the point that corporate profits are going up while unemployment is staying high. The article does not say that profits are u
67.
by Umalu 16y ago
The article pokes fun at Netflix for purchasing little-known, unpopular titles, as if Hollywood is somehow putting one over on Netflix. But what drew me to Netflix initially was its ultra-deep selection of DVDs, which was far better than th
68.
by Umalu 16y ago
If the job requires tangible skills that can be demonstrated in a 20 minute interview, the resume has never been that important. Similarly, if you are poaching someone with a proven track record from somewhere else, resumes have never been
69.
by Umalu 16y ago
Seems to me the product here is the "plush toy experience." It involves buying plush toys while participating in a plush toy community. Even if Amazon isn't selling the plush toys today, presumably it could do it tomorrow, and at cheaper pr
70.
by Umalu 16y ago
Enhancing creativity through artificial restriction is an old idea. The "Oulipo" movement in literature tried things like removing random letters from writing (try writing a story without using "e"), or transposing random words. When you pu
71.
by Umalu 16y ago
A fine example of parochial thinking. Point is NY tech funding surpassed New England's, so, naturally, New England sucks. Of course, by this logic, Silicon Valley tech funding surpassed New York's, so, naturally, New York sucks. Can't we al
72.
by Umalu 16y ago
The world is too complex for a small cabal to be controlling everything. This complexity is difficult for our puny minds to comprehend, so we instinctively latch onto simple models with a Wizard of Oz at the center, pulling all the levers a
73.
by Umalu 16y ago
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
74.
by Umalu 16y ago
What went wrong at Borders? Easy. They have a ubiquitous competitor who offers customers 1,000x the selection at lower prices. The only benefit Borders offers is immediate gratification for those who can't wait a few days, or a week, for th
75.
by Umalu 16y ago
Microsoft must be in the "Other Investors" group listed as collectively owning 9.7%. I guess Accel is in there too.
76.
by Umalu 16y ago
I'm waiting for some honest soul to start the Lightning Strikes Twice Fund. Whenever someone succeeds massively, intellectually we may "know" that there's a great deal of randomness in that but instinctively we want to believe it must have
77.
by Umalu 16y ago
There are two distinct skills. One is building a great product. That can be done with a tiny team. The other is building a great organization. That obviously cannot be done alone. To me an interesting question is whether we need great organ
78.
by Umalu 16y ago
Securities laws are antiquated, rooted in the paper-and-ink world. This makes it difficult to do anything online, but not impossible. So why hasn't it happened? My guess is that it is the companies that are not eager to participate. They ar
79.
by Umalu 16y ago
"I have made it longer because I have not had time to make it shorter." ("Je N'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parceque je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.") -- Blaise Pascal.
80.
by Umalu 16y ago
In this article Jenny McCarthy defends the British scientist whose fraudulent anti-vaccine article killed or sickened countless children. The mind reels.
81.
by Umalu 16y ago
"She sleeps only a few hours a night and sips a homemade concoction of clay, salt and chlorophyll." What is the purpose of this odd elixir?
82.
Humanity's quest for immortality(guardian.co.uk)
2 points by Umalu 16y ago|0 comments
83.
Why Caltech Is in a Class by Itself(mindingthecampus.com)
125 points by Umalu 16y ago|147 comments
84.
by Umalu 16y ago
Blandness is in the eye of the beholder. The writer of this piece places a high value on his site's design. Others have a different view of good design. Still others value content over design. The beauty of the internet is that we can all c
85.
by Umalu 16y ago
In high-performance management cultures it is very difficult to avoid developing a cover-up culture. I've seen companies avoid this either by (1) going out of their way to reward early disclosure of bad news, and severely punishing cover-up
86.
by Umalu 16y ago
I think if you're smart and you've earned a PhD from a good program, you've proven you have the ability to dig deep into a subject and figure it out and move the ball forward a bit. This is an economically valuable skill that should be broa
87.
by Umalu 16y ago
Borges hacked fiction. Highly recommended.
88.
by Umalu 16y ago
The "Vampire Squid" reference for Goldman Sachs is to this quote from Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone: "The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funn
89.
by Umalu 16y ago
It is a common complaint in pyramid-shaped hierarchies that the "best" people leave. This is because they have to leave. As they climb the ladder, the rungs get smaller so fewer can fit. Each year, many of the people who were the best the y
90.
by Umalu 16y ago
Every quarter the publicly-traded tech companies hold earnings calls. After the company gives its spiel, it allows the analysts to ask questions. These calls are open to the public, and I suggest you listen in on one for a company you know

More ›