drego: the unrequited narcissist

“Getting to know someone usually requires at least a little conversation. But a new study suggests you can get a hint of an individual’s personality through his or her scent alone.”  Read more…

(source: Live Science, via MSNBC)

See infographic…

(source: Business MBA, via brainz.com)

“It used to be a sign of madness, now taking your own picture is part of daily life.”  Read more…

(source: The Telegraph)

“Sci-fi author Charlie Stross has written a post about how the Big Six book publishing companies have painted themselves into a corner in the rapidly growing ebook industry. Between user-unfriendly DRM and the Amazon juggernaut, they’re slowly pushing themselves out of business. Quoting: ‘Until 2008, ebooks were a tiny market segment, under 1% and easily overlooked; but in 2009 ebook sales began to rise exponentially, and ebooks now account for over 20% of all fiction sales. In some areas ebooks are up to 40% of the market and rising rapidly. (I am not making that last figure up: I’m speaking from my own sales figures.) And Amazon have got 80% of the ebook retail market. … the Big Six’s pig-headed insistence on DRM on ebooks is handing Amazon a stick with which to beat them harder. DRM on ebooks gives Amazon a great tool for locking ebook customers into the Kindle platform.”  Read more…

(source: Charlie’s Diary, via Slashdot)

“Telecommuting provides many joys, including the ability to stay in your pajamas all day and the chance to work with a cat on your lap. But it does have some major drawbacks, perhaps none so serious as the fact that, if your co-workers are for the most part in an office, they can forget you exist — which means you don’t get credit for your work as you deserve.”  Read more…

(source: IT World, via Slashdot)

“Computer data centers are energy-hogs that generate a ton of heat. Why not take advantage of that warmth, say researchers.”  Read more…

(source: The Week)

“Have you ever strolled into the kitchen to get something only to immediately forget why you’re even there? You’re not alone. Psychologists from the University of Notre Dame have discovered a link between walking through doorways and lapses in our short-term memory. Here’s what you should know:”  Read more…

(source: Life’s Little Mysteries, via The Week)

“The sense of humor is a ubiquitous human trait, yet rare or non-existent in the rest of the animal kingdom. But why do humans have a sense of humor in the first place? Cognitive scientist (and former programmer) Matthew Hurley says humor (or mirth, in research-speak) is intimately linked to thinking and is a critical task in human cognition because a sense of humor keeps our brains alert for the gaps between our quick-fire assumptions and reality.”  Read more…

(source: The Boston Globe, via Slashdot)

“After the leak of an HDCP master key in 2010, Intel proclaimed that the copy protection was still secure, as it would be too expensive to build a system that could conduct a real-time decryption of the data stream. It has now been proven that a system can be built for around $350 (€200) to do the task. However, the solution is of no great practical use for pirates.”  Read more…

(source: Ruhr-Universität Bochum, via Slashdot)

(source: You Are Not So Smart, via Neatorama )

“A new study on the habits of highly effective CEOs suggests that narcissistic personalities do better at bringing their companies into line with the latest innovations. The study measured how quickly different pharmaceutical companies adapted to the emerging biotechnology field that has risen over the last thirty years. They compared those measurements with the companies’ CEOs, defining narcissism by the number of times they appeared in the press and the difference in compensation between the CEO and second in command. “  Read more…

(source: Big Think)

“A team of researchers from Stanford have developed a new battery electrode that can survive 40,000 charge cycles. That’s about a hundred times more than a normal Lithium-Ion battery, and enough to make it usable for somewhere between 10-30 years.”  Read more…

(source: Gizmodo)

“Those who have had their identity stolen know the feelings of helplessness and violation that it can bring. The costs go beyond the pocketbook – it can be devastating to know that someone else out there is posing as you. What decisions are they making in your name? How much of your money have they spent? What can you do about it? This infographic by ZoneAlarm breaks down the costs of identity theft and illustrates what to do if yours has been compromised. Click to enlarge.”  See infographic…

(source: Icanhasinternets)

“Renewable energy sounds so much more natural and believable than a perpetual-motion machine, but there’s one big problem: Unless you’re planning to live without electricity and motorized transportation, you need more than just wind, water, sunlight, and plants for energy. You need raw materials, real estate, and other things that will run out one day. You need stuff that has to be mined, drilled, transported, and bulldozed — not simply harvested or farmed.”  Read more…

(source: The Bulletin, via Slashdot)

“Every professional activity requires a combination of education and experience for people to be considered “experts” in a field. How many hours does it take to be an expert in litigation? What about poker? Knitting? This infographic by Udemy takes a look at some common activities and what is required to achieve a true level of expertise. Compared to other things, how do they stack up?”  See infographic…

(source: Media Caffeine)

“Carrier IQ, in a move intended to make everyone love and respect them, sent this Cease and Desist order to TrevE, the developer who discovered the deep problems inherent in their software, for defamation when he called CIQ a rootkit and pointed out lots of issues. They also threatened legal action for copyright infringement because he posted excerpts from freely-available training documents in his findings.”  Read more…

(source: Good and EVO)

“Why do people in industrialized countries need braces and dental work to treat overcrowded, poorly aligned teeth? They can blame their ancestors, who after hunting and gathering for millennia decided to give farming a go, according to new research.”  Read more…

(source: History.com)

Final result:

Learning the maze:

“Even after spending years solving countless placemat mazes at restaurants around the world, I’m still no match for this robotic micromouse that races through this giant maze in just 3.921 seconds, shaving a full second off the previous record.”  Read more…

source: Gizmodo)

“Depending upon who you listen to, GPS tracking shouldn’t be your only concern when you are out and about on the streets. The ACLU hammered license plate scanners as ‘logging our every move,’ a different investigative report concluded your car is spying on you, and some even claim the street lights are out to get you.”  Read more…

(source: ComputerWorld)

“It has finally been done: A team of US and Finnish bioengineers have embedded an antenna, radio receiver, control circuitry, and LED into a wearable contact lens. If you’re a rabbit, you can hop along to their research lab at the University of Washington, Seattle, and try it out right now — but if you’re a human, you’ll still have to wait a couple more years for the bionic, Terminator-like HUD of your dreams.”  Read more…

(source: ExtremeTech)

Read more…

(source: Wired)

“Entrepreneurs’ identities are closely tied to their businesses, so it’s not surprising that companies often absorb many of their founders’ personality traits. A founder-driven culture can be a good thing. Steve Jobs’s design ethos, for instance, helped mold Apple into a successful business. But when founders fill companies with their clones, it can lead to problems.”  Read more…

(source: Inc.)

“While the fresh turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and other traditional Thanksgiving trimmings are a delicious annual indulgence, the Calorie Control Council estimates the typical holiday meal potentially packs 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat that can stick around and haunt overeaters.”  Read more…

(source: ABC News)

“In the vast eco-system that is Facebook, you’re closer to your fellow social networkers than you might think. In a new study, Facebook researchers tested the “six degrees of separation” theory and found that four degrees, and in some cases three, mightbe more accurate.”  Read more…

(source: PC Magazine)

“This is an interesting article about how technology is shaping the English language, which touches on the fate of the current crop of (sometimes silly) tech-inspired words, and anticipates an increased blurring of the line between the written and spoken word.”  Read more…

(source: silicon.com, via Slashdot)

“Today’s parents have more than one screen in the living room to worry about: PCs, smartphones, tablets and games consoles are all part of the fabric of daily life for today’s children. On the one hand, researchers warn of the potential dangers of too much “screen time”, pointing to alarming (some say scaremongering) research that suggests over-exposure leads to an increased risk of developing autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).”  Read more…

(source: PC Pro, via Slashdot)

“EXOpc has posted a video of its EXOdesk — an interactive desk environment that lets you do all sorts of tasks on a virtual space on your desk — in action and it looks amazing.”  Read more…

(source: Mashable)

“Religious leaders have power, tremendous power over people. In fact the spiritual power they exercise over the people cannot be compared to any other modes of exercising power. Precisely therein lies the danger that religious leaders may abuse their power and authority. Two characteristics of religious leaders who misuse their power are narcissism and gra­ndiosity.”  Read more…

(source: Financial Chronicle)