I think it is a good analysis of Netflix's strategy. I am not sure I agree with the moral overtones of the story (watching TV is bad and TV series are stupid), but I do agree that Netflix is definitely trying to offer viewers hours of content rather than film options. I really think it was a very insightful analysis of what Netflix is doing with the micro-genres: that it is not using movie ratings to suggest things in a different genre/style you wouldn't have thought of, but trying to show you more of the same type of content.

I am so happy someone else likes him!

From what I have seen of friends, and family, I think it's often hard for people to address their problems honestly as soon as labels come into it. So, if you don't want to accept you are an alcoholic (and I don't know anything about the situation), then don't, and maybe just work on drinking less. I am sure you did not come online for a lecture, but driving over the legal limit can be very dangerous, sadly even if you feel like you can handle it. If avoiding the "alcoholic" label helps you recover, that is what you should do! Good luck!

I generally react with skepticism to most articles that worry about how technology is ruining things, but I think the author has a good point. It is true that in the case of human relationships, focusing on what is efficient leads us to overlook the fundamental point and nature of these relationships. Your acquaintance won't be bothered if you choose to say "Happy Birthday" on their Facebook wall, but something more personalized like a phone call or personal e-mail would be better if you wanted to build a relationship with that person.

I guess it's good to keep in mind that maintaining relationships with a network of family and friends takes effort. It is also probably worth it...though I am not sure how much harm the "digital natives" are actually going to bring on themselves.

Wow that is a really disgusting (and interesting) story!!! That is so gross!!

Good point on the future of biotech, although it's not clear which way these health developments will go. I guess lots of people get surgery now to reduce their stomach size so maybe they can also figure out some less invasive procedure for that.

I think people have not completely grasped how important social learning is for animals. We tend to think of natural selection or evolution when we think about changing behavior patterns. However very many important behaviors, like staying away from roads with vehicles, is socially learned. Evolution cannot really help animals respond to changes that have happened in the last 100- 50 years in human society.

I really like the follow up article about fish (http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/12/19/255242237/findi...) also!

I thought this article was actually pretty interesting because of the adverse reactions he gets from wearing it. To be honest, I have had a pretty negative reaction (in my head) the two times I have seen someone wearing it. It is kind of like an even more obnoxious blue-tooth headset. I also thought he had a lot of interesting points about not being able to wear Glass everywhere, though this is also a challenge of early adoption.

I guess people used to think smartphones were kind of unnecessary, and even now it is possible to be an obnoxious phone user (someone who checks it all the time, and whips it out during conversation to check things). Maybe glass will be like that. What I liked most was his discussion of future applications of Glass, like directions during cycling or recipes during cooking. One thing I learned from smart phones is that developers are extremely creative and motivated to find new ways for people to use a product.

Yeah, but just because it is "par for the course" does not make it okay, I think. He probably would make an interesting film character because people are very interested in the "ruthless capitalist trope", and he is very intelligent.

It seems that the way MK got his wealth seems very unscrupulous. On the one hand, I understand what the article is saying, and I agree that he is industrious and very intelligent. On the other hand, he got rich by having connections and exploiting the system , by getting money from the university and then buying his oil company at ridiculous prices. It is the former "owners" of this oil wealth (the citizens of the former USSR) who are "on the other side of the deal", the people who are exploited while he makes a profit. I think it is a very conflicting situation.

This is completely insane. I wonder if people actually do this.

I think this was an interesting article to read right now, even though it is from a couple years back. I guess Kordorkovsky is an interesting figure because he is not as bad as Putin, but obviously took advantage and became wealthy in an "unethical" way. It's hard to be sympathetic towards him, or see him as a hero. It seems like he is portrayed that way more in Western media now.

Really into Hauschka lately. Not so much available on youtube, but I would really recommend the "Salon des Amateurs" available on spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2yjycsPxRk

It's amazing that we have the technology now to monitor not just consumer demand for existing products, but consumer wishes for existing products. It's interesting to see this type of "latent demand" being measured by the amazon reviews data rather than something more traditional like focus groups or something.