This is the first post in what will become a regular feature on this blog: A look back at previous posts that are related to newly-discovered content.
Further support for prediction markets.
Trading on the Wisdom of Crowds (Wall Street Journal)
How accurate are prediction markets in U.S. elections? (Yahoo! Answers)
Earlier: How to predict the future
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What are your odds of dying from a given injury?
Odds of Dying (National Safety Council)
Earlier: Suicide hotlines
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Economists, on the question of organ markets as a solution to the organ donor shortage.
Human Organs for Sale, Legally, in ... Which Country? (Freakonomics Blog)
Financial Compensation for Organ Donors is Working (Marginal Revolution)
Earlier: Kidneys for sale?
Showing posts with label disaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disaster. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 29
Sunday, January 20
Lost and found
Driver cited in Bedford train-car crash caused by GPS mishap (The Journal News, NY)
Satellite navigation systems send trucks down the wrong routes in Britain (Christian Science Monitor)
Don't get me wrong, I love my GPS. Even though it can be a minor visual distraction, I maintain that it makes me a safer driver because (1) I get lost less frequently, and so it becomes less likely that I will speed in order to avoid being late; and (2) I don't have turn my attention away from the road to look at printed maps or directions.
Unfortunately, there are inherent risks when you become overdependent on a technology, and GPS is no exception. The stories linked above are recent examples, but there have been other instances in which disaster may have resulted from relying too heavily upon computer-generated directions. For instance: James Kim and his family became trapped in the Oregon wilderness during a 2006 snowstorm because their route led them down a road that was closed for the winter; he died after eight days when he left to find help. Although it now appears that faulty computer-generated directions may not have been to blame in this particular instance, it is not at all unlikely that a similar situation could happen in the future.
Satellite navigation systems send trucks down the wrong routes in Britain (Christian Science Monitor)
Don't get me wrong, I love my GPS. Even though it can be a minor visual distraction, I maintain that it makes me a safer driver because (1) I get lost less frequently, and so it becomes less likely that I will speed in order to avoid being late; and (2) I don't have turn my attention away from the road to look at printed maps or directions.
Unfortunately, there are inherent risks when you become overdependent on a technology, and GPS is no exception. The stories linked above are recent examples, but there have been other instances in which disaster may have resulted from relying too heavily upon computer-generated directions. For instance: James Kim and his family became trapped in the Oregon wilderness during a 2006 snowstorm because their route led them down a road that was closed for the winter; he died after eight days when he left to find help. Although it now appears that faulty computer-generated directions may not have been to blame in this particular instance, it is not at all unlikely that a similar situation could happen in the future.
Thursday, January 3
The sky is falling!
In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm (New York Times)
A good counterpoint to the new "conventional wisdom" that every anomaly in our weather (hurricanes, wildfires, record temperatures) is inexorably linked to the global climate crisis.
Even if this provocative article isn't well-balanced, it reminds me of two truths about today's media giants: (1) they capitalize on our fears in order to draw in bigger audiences; (2) in a world of round-the-clock news, they have no choice but to create interesting stories out of nothing in order to constantly provide the new content we demand.
Earlier: Hacking climate change
A good counterpoint to the new "conventional wisdom" that every anomaly in our weather (hurricanes, wildfires, record temperatures) is inexorably linked to the global climate crisis.
"Today's interpreters of the weather are what social scientists call availability entrepreneurs: the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who selectively monitor the globe looking for newsworthy evidence of a new form of sinfulness, burning fossil fuels."
Even if this provocative article isn't well-balanced, it reminds me of two truths about today's media giants: (1) they capitalize on our fears in order to draw in bigger audiences; (2) in a world of round-the-clock news, they have no choice but to create interesting stories out of nothing in order to constantly provide the new content we demand.
Earlier: Hacking climate change
Thursday, December 13
Saved by... mirror bees?
The Best Way to Deflect an Asteroid (New York Times Magazine)
A two-year study by a Scottish researcher rated the "mirror bees" method as the best way to protect Earth from an asteroid impact, should one of sufficient size be headed in our direction. This method involves sending mirror-equipped satellites into space to surround the asteroid, reflecting sunlight onto a single spot on the asteroid in order to burn a hole in it and release a stream of gases that will move it off-course.
Cool!
The Engineer has a much more in-depth article about the study, and Wikipedia's article about asteroid deflection strategies provides some additional background.
The New York Times Magazine article about asteroids is actually part of their quirky cover story this week, "The 7th Annual Year in Ideas." Some of my favorites:
A two-year study by a Scottish researcher rated the "mirror bees" method as the best way to protect Earth from an asteroid impact, should one of sufficient size be headed in our direction. This method involves sending mirror-equipped satellites into space to surround the asteroid, reflecting sunlight onto a single spot on the asteroid in order to burn a hole in it and release a stream of gases that will move it off-course.
Cool!
The Engineer has a much more in-depth article about the study, and Wikipedia's article about asteroid deflection strategies provides some additional background.
The New York Times Magazine article about asteroids is actually part of their quirky cover story this week, "The 7th Annual Year in Ideas." Some of my favorites:
Monday, October 29
Suicide hotlines
Wrong Answer (Boston Globe)
Summarizes some of the recent research on the effectiveness suicide hotlines. CrisisLink (where I volunteer) is one of the crisis centers affiliated with 1-800-SUICIDE, and was actually part of the Mishara study that is referenced in the article. Based on my experience this year, I have confidence that we are one of the "good centers" he mentions.
WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
WISQARS is a database of injury-related data published by the CDC. It's shocking to see that suicide is the second or third leading cause of death for Americans aged 10-34.
Just click "Submit Request" to see the basic data, though you can customize the report based on race, sex, etc. using the dropdown boxes.
Summarizes some of the recent research on the effectiveness suicide hotlines. CrisisLink (where I volunteer) is one of the crisis centers affiliated with 1-800-SUICIDE, and was actually part of the Mishara study that is referenced in the article. Based on my experience this year, I have confidence that we are one of the "good centers" he mentions.
WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
WISQARS is a database of injury-related data published by the CDC. It's shocking to see that suicide is the second or third leading cause of death for Americans aged 10-34.
Just click "Submit Request" to see the basic data, though you can customize the report based on race, sex, etc. using the dropdown boxes.
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