"People used the Gaussian copula model to convince themselves they didn't have any risk at all, when in fact they just didn't have any risk 99 percent of the time. The other 1 percent of the time they blew up. Those explosions may have been rare, but they could destroy all previous gains, and then some."
"Under the close supervision of rabbis, who are there to ensure that no squid, shellfish, or other nonkosher species remain in the nets, billions of fish are sucked through a pipe to onshore processing plants. There, the anchoveta are heated to 85 degrees Celsius, ground with an auger, and pulverized with a hydraulic screw to extract the oil."
Video of 14 year old Jimmy Page in 1957: I watched “It Might Get Loud” last night and part of it featured this 53 year old video clip. Don’t miss the interview a couple minutes in where Jimmy says he wants to do biological research when he grows up. As for the movie, it was pretty good, if you’re a fan of the three guitarists. I personally didn’t think The Edge added much, but I’m not a huge U2 fan either. Jack White and Page, however, were great.
How to Swear in English, if You’re Korean: “Little children and pregnant women should not watch, because it will be bad for their education.” Gets funnier every time I watch it.
Saturday Night Live: China Cold Open — I don’t watch SNL much anymore but this week’s (repeat) opening skit on U.S./China relations was hilarious. I love the translator.
Trent’s site is really nice. The single-blog-post index is an interesting touch. Make sure to click “Prev” to peruse some of Trent’s other posts.
How to make a Lost Cat poster if you’re a graphic designer and you don’t like doing free work for people. (via jimray)
“Apple of My Eye”: A short movie, filmed and edited entirely on an iPhone. Beautiful stuff. (via gruber)
Write some letters on a piece of paper, upload it via webcam, and this site will turn it into a font. Very slick. If I didn’t have deplorable handwriting, I would try it. (via Cameron)
This is one of the best investigative sports articles I’ve ever read. Really, really fascinating. If you care at all about college football, you must read it. Two really interesting things I learned: Colorado really screwed themselves, and ESPN pretty much screwed the Pac-10.
We just launched msnbc.com’s new photoblog today. It’s pretty hot and it’s not even full featured yet. Peep it.
If I ever decide to write an iPhone app, this will be the first book I buy. (via gruber)
The Battery Flashlight: Pretty cool. I can’t think of another example of a product where the battery is actually part of the user interface.
“What is the level of technology that is required to make a foam stick?” — Wham-O Moves to America (The Daily Show)
How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online? A great infographic showing how the digital distribution of music has sucked artists’ royalties almost completely dry. People have argued they were never healthy to begin with, but the difference here is major. The same is going to happen to every meatspace product that transitions to digital. The iPad isn’t going to save content royalties.
Dude with ridiculous business-card throwing skills. It’s good to know business cards still have a use. (via tan.gy)
If ever anyone had a look that screamed “potential air guitar champion”, it is Rob Weychert. Watch him tear it up in the 2010 Air Guitar World Championships. I am proud to say this man has slept on my couch.
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