The Tuesday Ten

Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:01:17 -0400

Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations:

Meet the guy who revealed the NSA’s surveillance operations. Not familiar with the whole Prism thing? Here’s a good primer from B usiness Insider.

+ Edward Snowden not safe in Hong Kong, warns human rights chief.

The $2.7 trillion medical bill: Colonoscopies explain why U.S....

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:02:44 -0400

The $2.7 trillion medical bill: Colonoscopies explain why U.S. leads the world in health expenditures.

$100 for the cost of an ice pack in physical therapy? A $40,000 surgery for hip replacement compared to the same surgery for less than $8,000 in Spain? “Whether directly from their wallets or through insurance policies, Americans pay more for almost every interaction within the medical system,” writes Elizabeth Rosenthal for the NY Times. And yet very few people, doctors included, can tell you the costs for any of the procedures or drugs they’re prescribing. “If you go to the supermarket and there are no prices, how can you make intelligent decisions,” asks Dr. Michael Collins.

In the next few months, The New York Times will continue to look at common procedures, drugs, and medical encounters to better understand how economic incentives have driven up the costs for healthcare. But first, they’re tackling colonoscopies. The current approved rate in Austria is between $200-$300, yet colonoscopies in the US cost anywhere between $2,000 and $9,000. “The US is paying too much for too little,” said an Italian doctor, pointing out that “it leads to opportunistic colonoscopies.”

Groceries could be Amazon’s next killer app - if it can...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:02:11 -0400

Groceries could be Amazon’s next killer app - if it can solve the math.

Amazon is trying the Fresh Direct approach! Their new grocery service, AmazonFresh, is only available in Seattle and Los Angeles, but it could be rolling out to a city near you soon. WIRED dissects the business model and points out that Amazon could change our expectations once again about how we shop: “Getting just about any everyday product delivered the same day you place the order would shift from novelty to norm. As with the option to order online, the question would change from ‘Do you have same-day?’ to ‘Why don’t you?’ “

Why diamonds are a sham and it’s time we stop getting...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:01:34 -0400

Why diamonds are a sham and it’s time we stop getting engaged with them.

Let me start by saying this: I love my engagement ring. It’s beautiful. It’s currently in a safe in Nashville, TN while I travel, and after wearing it for only a month before our trip, it was hard to part with it.

But marriage and engagements should be all about the people involved - and if you or your significant other never felt particularly attracted to diamonds, you might enjoy hearing about how DeBeers popularized diamonds as the way to seal the engagement (and sell more diamonds, obviously). If you do love diamonds, reading this will give you some perspective on the value of diamonds and might have you rethink the way you purchase them.

Behind Kanye’s mask. I liked Kanye until Graduation came...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:01:32 -0400

Behind Kanye’s mask.

I liked Kanye until Graduation came out. And then I loved him. My experience with rappers who had Top 40 hits was usually brief: They had a single, maybe two, that I liked, but I never loved the full album. (Jay Z and Eminem being the two exceptions.) When Kanye released Graduation, I loved all 13 tracks and was shocked at how well the album sounded together. I turned shuffle off and listend to the full album on repeat for months.

When the Taylor Swift thing happened, I was angry. For about a day. Then I realized that his crazy behavior was part of why I loved him. He wasn’t just a rapper, he was an entertainer! You can auto-tune voices, but teaching someone to be an entertainer, I’d argue, is much more difficult.

In his most recent (lengthy!) interview with the NY Times, Kanye proves he’s still got it. If you already dislike him, you’ll cringe at his ego and the way he expresses himself. But if you already love him, you’ll be left even more excited for Yeezus.

Explain digital strategy to your mum… Or dad. Or client....

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:02:36 -0400

Explain digital strategy to your mum… Or dad. Or client. Or another adult with no clue.

Short, to the point, and easy to understand.

WTF Is Waze And Why Did Google Just Pay A Billion+ For It?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:01:25 -0400

WTF Is Waze And Why Did Google Just Pay A Billion+ For It? :

The short answer? Crowd-sourced mapping technology with social layers. The long answer? Read the summary from TechCrunch.

Wanting expensive things makes us so much happier than buying...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:01:41 -0400

Wanting expensive things makes us so much happier than buying them.

It’s all about the anticipation and the shopping of the item, but once we buy something we’ve been coveting, especially if it’s expensive, our appreciation follows the law of diminishing returns, the items themselves declining in marginal utility. The writer gives the example of a nice rug. You see the rug. You love it. It’s expensive. You save up. You check the rug out online. You send friends pictures. They love the rug, too. You start shopping around to find the cheapest price. Up until now, you have built up plenty of anticipation. Then you buy the rug and it arrives. The golden moment. But it only lasts a few seconds, maybe a few hours or a few days, if you’re lucky. But before you know it, the rug is just, well, a rug. After all, when was the last time a piece of your furniture, the stuff already in your apartment, made you feel ecstatic?

Daniel Gilbert suggests investing money into experiences instead. I concur ;)

This is your brain on coffee. I love coffee. In fact, it’s...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:54:58 -0400

This is your brain on coffee.

I love coffee. In fact, it’s one of the things I’ve missed most while traveling. Having worked at Starbucks through college, I can make a mean latte and really can’t stand instant coffee. But regardless of your level of coffee snobbery, here’s why you should drink it.

Obama’s speechwriter/stand-up comedian gives a graduation...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:05:58 -0400

Obama’s speechwriter/stand-up comedian gives a graduation speech. Not surprisingly, it’s badass.

Because Rollie Williams put it so perfectly: “Jon Lovett is not your average commencement speaker, and his speech very much reflects that. Seriously. For instance, the first two and a half minutes are about what being a young, gay judge might be like.”

Do yourself a favor and watch it. Yes, even if college graduation was quite some time ago ;)

White pride in my classroom

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:11:26 -0400

White pride in my classroom:

A story of tolerance for intolerance from a college writing teacher who ends up with the president of the White Student Union in his class.

Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. I...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:16:54 -0400

Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.

I love Fast Company’s yearly list of the most creative people in business as it usually introduces me to new people to follow on Twitter and new businesses to keep my eyes on.

This year, I was particularly happy to see Sarah McSimmons, founder of City Grit, honored! She was one of my first friends in NYC and when I was making barely enough money to cover rent, she would invite me over for dinner parties featuring amazing food and interesting people. (THANK YOU, SARAH!!) After being named Food & Wine Magazine’s Home Chef of the Year a few years ago, she started a supper club called City Grit that now resides in WRK in Soho & pretty much sells out every dinner. If you’re in NYC, you should check it out. (I promise you won’t be disappointed!)

Secret Date Nights. After dating Faris for nearly 5 years,...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:22:22 -0400

Secret Date Nights.

After dating Faris for nearly 5 years, we’ve had hundreds of date nights. So when we heard that Danny and Joni had started a website called “Date Night Is…,” we were more than happy to share our secret. And I mean that quite literally ;) So if you want to hear more about how we keep the romance alive with Secret Date Nights, or are looking for more inspiration, check out Date Night Is…

+ Enter to win a date worth $250 by sharing some love for #DateNightIs

"What could possibly bring dry shampoo, local honey, bubble bath, tea, macaroons, tart pans, and..."

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:27:40 -0400

“What could possibly bring dry shampoo, local honey, bubble bath, tea, macaroons, tart pans, and special seasoning all to the table at once? A Favorite Things party! Last week I hosted a girl’s-night-in, and each friend brought an item (under £6) that represented one of their favorite things. We played White Elephant with our loot, and each took home someone else’s favorite thing. This is an incredibly fun and unique way to get to know something new about your friends and try their special secrets for yourself”

- Not dating anyone at the moment? Why not throw a Favorite Things Party like Krissi?! (I love this idea and plan to host one of my own wherever we end up living next.)

The ‘Kama Sutra’ of sleeping positions for...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:33:26 -0400

The ‘Kama Sutra’ of sleeping positions for couples.

Yes, yes yes. Love these illustrations.

38 Anthropologie hacks. I love Anthropologie, but often wander...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:38:36 -0400

38 Anthropologie hacks.

I love Anthropologie, but often wander through the store thinking that many of the things I could make myself. Before leaving Nashville, I embarked on my first DIY project and made some hairties that ended up coming out to about 20 cents each (at Anthro cost $2.80 each.) Even if you’re not an avid DIY’er (I’m not!), this list of 38 Anthropologie Hacks might have you doing some crafting.

"We often use technology to save time, but increasingly, it either takes the saved time along with..."

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:44:17 -0400

“We often use technology to save time, but increasingly, it either takes the saved time along with it, or makes the saved time less present, intimate and rich. I worry that the closer the world gets to our fingertips, the further it gets from our hearts. It’s not an either/or — being “anti-technology” is perhaps the only thing more foolish than being unquestioningly “pro-technology” — but a question of balance that our lives hang upon.”

- How Not to Be Alone - NYTimes.com

Levinux: A tiny version of Linux for education. Mike Levin, who...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:08:15 -0400

Levinux: A tiny version of Linux for education.

Mike Levin, who I used to work with at 360i, has created a mini version of Linux for education which you can run from Dropbox or USB. (Here’s a video if you’re more into that!) It’s a great way to play around with and learn code while feeling productive: You can see what you’re doing and the consequences of the actions you take. If you have kids that love playing on the computer, download this for them to play around with.

The banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil.’ Julian...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:49:27 -0400

The banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil.’

Julian Assange, editor in chief of WikiLeaks, didn’t love Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen’s book, “The New Digital Age.” Here’s his review for the NY Times.

7 reasons child stars go crazy (an insider’s...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:54:59 -0400

7 reasons child stars go crazy (an insider’s perspective.)

Mara Wilson, who played Matilda, provides her thoughts on why child stars go crazy. After reading her piece on Cracked, I immediately googled and found her website, Mara Writes Stuff, which is even more awesome than her Cracked piece. And in case you’re wondering, yes she has seen Tim Minchin’s Matilda on Broadway :)