Political Commentary by Proxy: Australia Loving Its Indecision

Aug 26th, 10 / 0 Comments

It’s a funny thing creating a blog, for what, about the sixth time… no matter how I counselled myself, it’s still a beast begging to be fed.  So, in lou of providing actual commentary on life, politics, futures or passing fancies, below is some political commentary by proxy (which amounts to the same thing, just not original on my behalf): it had me smiling, sitting up a little taller (and later) and re-filling my glass a little faster given all the one person solutes to good insight.

(BTW, these are all taken from crikey.com.au’s daily subscriber email for Thursday 26th August 2010 – thank God for independent journalism!;)

From the editor of Crikey, talking about ex-Prime Minister Paul Keating’s most recent foray into public attention:

“When he presses the button to vaudeville, there’s no-one on the political stage quite like Keating. If only he could devote even a small portion of that intellectual prowess to current or important issues, rather than spending his time slagging off at his former colleagues.”

Guy Rundle, the most consistently insightful and entertaining commentator I’ve had the pleasure to read (perhaps because he hasn’t made much comment this election?) nailed my inner sentiment precisely in his article today….and so some extended quotes to give a flavour of his points (to get the real joy, you’ll need to read the full piece): Read More

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Insight Links for Aug 25

Aug 25th, 10 / 0 Comments
  • Procrastination and self control, Dan @ Dan Ariely:
    For the last 2 years I have been positing this video in celebration of the new school year, and all the hopes and promises we make to ourselves that this year things will be different…. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this video is still as relevant as …
  • Back to School #1, Dan @ Dan Ariely:
    The dark side of “Productivity Enhancing Tools” Email, Facebook, and Twitter have greatly enhanced the ways we communicate. These handy modes of communication allow us to stay in touch with people all over the world without the restrictions of snail mail (too slow) or the telephone (is it too late/early …

Foresight Links for Aug 23

Aug 23rd, 10 / 0 Comments
  • What if you could make the invisible visible?, Miriam Lueck Avery @ Institute For The Future:
    Health Horizons read more
  • Ketamine Mechanism Against Depression, Randall Parker @ FuturePundit:
    Yale researchers find ketamine’s rapid action against depression comes as a result of ketamine’s stimulation of synaptogenesis (formation of connections between neurons). Yale researchers have discovered how a novel anti-depressant can take effect in hours, rather than the weeks or months usually required for most drugs currently on the market. …
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Hindsight Links for Aug 20

Aug 20th, 10 / 0 Comments
  • Trove: innovation in access to information in Australia, Team @ apo.org.au:
    Creator:  Rose Holley This article describes the National Library of Australia’s Trove search engine features and its applications for contributors and u…
  • Splitting wood, Seth Godin @ Seth’s Blog:
    When using an axe to split logs, it’s awfully tempting to aim at the top of the log. After all, if you miss the log entirely, it’s dangerous or at the very least, ineffective. One can argue that if you…
  • The Public Hi-Fi Balloon, Team @ Cool Hunting:
    by Noah Armstrong Before Robert Pollard formed the seminal lo-fi band Guided by Voices, he was a high school student making imaginary album covers for imaginary bands. The collage style of these mock album covers would eventually manifest itself in much of the album art for Guided by Voices, and…
  • Diamond Lights, Adrienne So @ Cool Hunting:
    With a 15-watt halogen bulb encased in clear glass, the aptly-named Diamond Lights emanate a romantically vintage vibe balanced by a modern form. Created by Swedish graphic designer Eric Therner, Diamond Lights challenge the typical smooth pear shaped bulb in favor of something faceted, exuding both comfort and intrigue….
  • Paper New York, Jacob Resneck @ Cool Hunting:
    As urbanization continues to increase many of NYC’s 20th-century icons–from the Empire State Building to MTA subway cars–have become short-hand for our super-urban-modern existence. Kell Black’s 48-page Paper New York makes a great gift or DIY diversion for recreating the metropolis from paper. With arcing spans of the Brooklyn…
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Insight Links for Aug 18

Aug 18th, 10 / 0 Comments
  • The password conundrum, Dan @ Dan Ariely:
    By Alon Nir 0. Intro Sometimes interesting opportunities can emerge from unfavorable situations. Tense diplomatic atmosphere between Israel and Turkey in the past couple of months, brought on a cyber-attack from the Turkish side. A major Israeli apartment-listing website was hacked and so was Pizza Hut’s local website. The credentials …
  • 15th August 2010: But Will It Make You Happy?, Alex @ Alex Burns:
    For the past year I’ve worked with academics at Melbourne’s Victoria University (VU) who have consumer behaviour, leisure, marketing and positive psychology expertise. Their succinct message: anticipation, emotional affect, leisure experiences, mindfulness, strong social relationships and simple living can strengthen your psychological feelings of happiness. New York Times journalist Stephanie …
  • Pain decreases pain, Dan @ Dan Ariely:
    In Chapter 6 of “The Upside of Irrationality” I wrote about the the process of adaptation, which is the process by which we get used to stuff — like pain, romantic partners, and new cars. Some of the personal experiences and experiments I described were about how experiencing pain when I …
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