Blog Title: Alexôme

Cute things for pets, by Royal Glamsters

Dog collar available at kappachan.fr

Royal Glamsters, whose Hooly art can be yours on canvas or on Shufflesome stickers for iPod, has designed several collars, leads, and ID-tags for pets. They're available at Kappachan, a french brand for dogs and cats, and in several shops around the world, that are supplied by Kappachan.

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What a riskless world it must be, when you're "too big to fail". Now we're so interlocked, that nobody's responsible, when anybody fails. +a

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"Make some victims, life is yours to loot." That's what I hear-but what is she really singing in "Big Jumps"? +a

By our existence

What is design thinking? In his comment, Devin Sidell writes:

Design thinking is a means of existence. The need to create, for the simple reason of giving ourselves meaning. We make because there is a demand to make. We design because what is already made does not improve our sense of significance. We as human beings want to feel empowered by what we do and design is one way to do that.

It's as simple as that. At its best, design thinking is a recycling of thought in search of good thinking. Humans need a philosophy. All humans? No, ...

Greed is fact, not vice

I read this article, and I cringed. Friedrich Merz published a new book entitled ‘Mehr Kapitalismus wagen’ — that is: Courage for more capitalism. I thought, Wow! How surprisingly fresh. And — great timing! Surprising, because capitalism in Germany is given a rather nasty connotation: Capitalism = greed = bad. Great timing, because in times of noticable change, in times of today's credit crisis, more minds might want to break free from cattle mentality, to aquire more understanding.

What does Spiegel do with the news?

Many Universities require students to have laptops. Ha, look closely!

Image source: Live from Apple's "spotlight turns to notebooks" event

Lack of control and the war on minds

Humans who feel a lack of control look for patterns more actively than people who feel in control. A lack of control can make you see patterns where none exist. Illusions are the result. That's what the scientists show: Lacking Control Increases Illusory Pattern Perception. This article appears in the latest issue of Science, and enjoys coverage, like here on NPR, or in the BBC news.

I couldn't think of a more unwelcome time to highlight human shortcomings with regard to rational thinking.

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I like using Mahalo: mahalo.com +a

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A loss is a loss. is a loss. Markets require losses to function properly: Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer +a

Fruity Flavored Yogurt

Hmm, new favorite snack: Landliebe aprocote flavor yogurt, to which I add: dates from Iran, fresh prunes from Poland, dried apricots from nowhere, crushed walnuts from heaven, and a spoon of canadian grade A maple syrup. Fantastic.

Justice will only exist where those not affected by injustice are filled with the same amount of indignation as those offended. – Plato

Markets work (if you leave them alone)

We don't live in an economy with free markets. Rather, stifled markets. Still, they work well enough. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group invests in Morgan Stanley, and Warren Buffet buys a stake in Goldman Sachs. That's what happens naturally - companies and people take care of failiures.

When negative is good

“There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!” – Jed Bartlet

Rational individualism and the waterhole

What would you do if you were a shepherd, sharing the one and only rapidly ceasing waterhole in a desert with 3 other shepherds? Kill the other shepherds? Negotiate a sharing agreement? Abondon the place in search of a new place to live? What is the rational decision?

"We have to continue to ask questions. That is what a patriot does. That is what a true American does. Ask questions." The man speaking these words can be seen in Truth Rising.