"In fact, we have just the opposite problem: things can become feeding frenzies even if no one really wants them to be. That's because they can go viral with no central organization at all. Each individual who tweets or blogs or Facebooks their outrage thinks of this as a purely personal response. Just a quick way to kill a few idle minutes. But ( Read more... )

THURSDAY FIVE:
* 'Eight facts that explain what’s wrong with American health care.'
* "College has gotten 12 times more expensive in one generation."
* Studying the viral spread of misinformation.
* Clearing up misconceptions in the debate over 'killer robots.'
* Dinosaur Comics passes along five handy panels to get you through life.

THURSDAY NEWS:
* Life on the ground in the Gaza strip.
* Interesting: the modern world is making theft less lucrative.
* Good read: explaining the arguments over voter ID laws.
* Governor Brownback continues to have problems in Kansas.
* Oh, Tumblr memes. "Seventy-six years after the world was introduced to Bilbo Baggins, Tolkien’s creation has a ( Read more... )

Because taking funny pictures of cute animals is almost as old as photography itself.

"The Department of Homeland Security is searching your Facebook and Twitter for these words."

(So, now, to start working them into *all* my posts.)

"Ok, folks. It's been a good run. Pack it on up. There's no use trying to accomplish anything else as a human species. Dubstep Cat is the apex of billions of years of evolution and innovation and thousands of years of human creativity, and after this, we should all go home and congratulate ourselves."

* "Was 2011 a joke? Was everything that happened a complete and utter farce?"
* The Explainer unveils their unanswered question of 2011.
* Nice. The best of 'the best of' lists from local papers.
* 'Made us look: Things that got our attention in 2011.'
* Hits and misses of the year.
* KnowYourMeme gives us the best memes of 2011.
* Five things to ( Read more... )

CAN'T TRUST THAT DAY:
* Autocratic regimes retool to fight against a technology-savvy generation.
* Good read: five myths about America's public education system.
* Why the right has embraced little-known economist Ludwig von Mises.
* A depressing chart about the future of Arctic sea ice. I wouldn't invest in any beach-front property ( Read more... )

"What defines a meme?"

Poll Girl Scout Cookies!