Serendipity makes a big difference

Sometimes, technology breakthrough needs to wait for serendipity. In the near future, it may be possible to have battery lifespan four times as much as today's Li-on battery; thanks to the fortuitous misstep during the research by a MIT/Tsinghua team.   http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21660963-nanotechnological-accident-may-lengthen-battery-lives-tiny-balls-fire

helpful watchdog

Never in my imagination did a US government agency have such a benevolent service to ordinary Americans while intimidating many predatory financial institutions. Within five years, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), stemming from Frank-Dodd bill, emerges as the center that any ordinary American can effectively get the help if you feel you have been exploited by unscrupulous financial institutions.    http://time.com/3995779/the-agency-thats-got-your-back/

Only workaholics survive in Amazon

一個員工超過10萬人的公司, 中間(median)員工的年資只有一年，85%的員工年資少於五年，公司強烈地信奉"目標性達爾文理論" (purposeful Darwinism)來淘汰員工，員工不肯日以繼夜的工作，或是不肯尖銳批評同事的意見，就會面臨自己遭殃的困境，大部分離職員工反而是其他公司網羅的對象(因為在亞馬遜被訓練的刻苦耐勞的理念)。這就是今天紐約時報描述的亞馬遜(Amazon)工作環境. 亞馬遜總裁 Bezos 對他這個雇人裁人，再雇人再裁人，最後僅保留最耐操最能幹的員工的理念深信不疑，而亞馬遜公司在前十幾年，一直在顧客和華爾街的地位居高不下， 而且一直在擴充他的公司規模，不斷地挹注市場創新的理念和創新的產品。這種完全不同於其他公司用人的理念，真的非常特別。  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html

wind direction in Tienjin after explosion

Wind direction in Tienjin on Aug. 15 calculated by the "HYSPLIT Trajectory Model" in US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.http://www.ready.noaa.gov/hypub-bin/trajtype.pl   

Typical Lake-Wobegon effect

 http://news.2redbeans.com/2603238395/2015 

Patent system, beneficial or encumbered?

如果完全廢棄專利制度, 真的可以不會影響創新嗎? 而且還有可能創造更多的公共利益? 甚至大家公認最需要受專利權保護的製藥公司的藥物研發， 這一篇文章認為，假如沒有專利權保護，新藥的研發不會受影響，而且因為競爭的關係, 藥物還會更便宜。 不過全世界任何國家的議員，絕對不敢提出完全廢棄專利制度的提案。http://www.economist.com/node/21660559?zid=317&ah=8a47fc455a44945580198768fad0fa41

Sesame Street and HBO, strange bedfellows

Sesame Street, a popular children's educational programming, cannot escape from the yoke of economic concern. From this fall, all the children from disadvantaged families have to wait for nine months before they are able to watch the new episodes on PBS. Economic class divide has made inroads into every sector, including the pedagogical Sesame Street.  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/business/media/sesame-street-heading-to-hbo-in-fall.html?_r=0