INTERESTING / INFORMATIVE READINGS
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As the psychologist Raymond Mar writes, “ Researchers have repeatedly found that reader attitudes shift to become more congruent with the ideas expressed in a [fictional] narrative.” For example, studies reliably show that when we watch a TV show that treats gay families nonjudgmentally (say, “Modern Family”), our own views on homosexuality are likely to move in the same nonjudgmental direction. And it's not just TV. It's fiction, in general: Follow-up studies have reached similar conclusions.
Barking up the wrong tree - Just the interesting stuff.
As both a consumer and curator of information, I spend a great deal of time thinking about the architecture of knowledge . Over the past year, I’ve grown increasingly concerned about a fundamental disconnect in the “information economy”: In an age of information overload, information discovery — the service of bringing to the public’s attention that which is interesting, meaningful, important, and otherwise worthy of our time and thought — is a form of creative and intellectual labor, and one of increasing importance and urgency.
Brain Pickings | Activism
Final resting place of a pioneering scurvy researcher The term, “antiscorbutic,” refers to foods that cure scurvy. For centuries, people knew that there were certain foods that seemed to stave off the disease, but had no understanding of why. Cut to... »
Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
I don't want to get into a discussion about whether Apple should be rejecting apps based on morality or what not, but there's no debating the fact this app created by Luciano Foglia features the filthiest behavior any of these geometric shapes have ever been involved in. I watched it and then I needed a shower. And now I'm uncomfortable around the kitchen floor tiles. OK, Internet, shut it down.
kottke.org - home of fine hypertext products
I’m writing a fortnightly column for BBC Future , about everyday brain quirks (as I’ve mentioned previously ). My marvellous editor has told me I can repost the columns here, with a three day delay. There’s a bit of a backlog, including Why can smells unlock memories? , Why you’re bad at names and good at faces , and Why we need to sleep?
