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What is your favorite coffee shop in Manhattan?
Nirmal Banerjee, who recently posted this colorful map at Butterfruit Labs Development (look it up!), identifies the best local coffee shops and cafes in Manhattan organized by subway stop. Click on the map for a larger version. Hat tip: Max Ehrenfreund.
Do people apologize too much?
The New York Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin writes in yesterday’s Dealbook column: The art of the apology has become a carefully choreographed dance: Say you are sorry, show vulnerability, tell everyone you are “taking responsibility” and then end with, “I hope … Continue reading
How five students changed the world …
On this day some ten years ago, five undergraduates–Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Mark Zuckerberg–launched “thefacebook” from their Harvard College dorm room. Although Facebook is now becoming the AOL of social media, prior probability salutes the original bold founders of Facebook. They … Continue reading
My favorite 2014 Super Bowl ad
By the way, was it just me, or were the 2014 Super Bowl ads way more lame and unoriginal (on average) this year? Nevertheless, what I liked the most about this particular ad was its simplicity and provocative multilingualism … … Continue reading
Are you a square or a sharp?
Check out this report in the Sunday Times about sports gambling. Here is one tantalizing excerpt: In the world of sports gambling, there are two types of people: squares and sharps. Squares make bets based on hunches, hometown favoritism, emotion. Nearly … Continue reading
TSA takings
Jason Edward Harrington, a former TSA agent in Chicago, has written a scathing critique of the TSA, perhaps the most despised and bloated government bureaucracy since the Soviet era. Here is an excerpt: Once, in 2008, I had to confiscate a bottle … Continue reading
What does the ideal airline boarding pass look like?
According to Pete Smart, who gave this simple question some sustained thought during a nine-hour layover one day, it looks like this:
Thursday Paradox
This ancient paradox, which is brought to us courtesy of Esther Inglis-Arkell at io9.com, involves two different-sized wheels, one inside another. The two wheels travel in sync over a certain distance as in this animation below: But should the smaller … Continue reading
Legal systems of the world
Wikimedia Commons — click to enlarge.
What is the probability of going pro?
Check out this interactive website at visual.ly which calculates the odds that any given high school athlete will go on to play sports in college or in a professional sports league. Here is a sample:
