Reverse Credentialism

In the Wall Street Journal: "Securing work in a tight economy means more job seekers might find themselves applying for positions below their qualifications. Many unemployed professionals are willing to take paycuts for the promise of a paycheck. But to get a foot in the door, candidates are gearing down their résumés by hiding advanced degrees, changing too-lofty titles, shortening work experience descriptions, and removing awards and accolades."

This is sad. Also, that recruiter who is so worried about professionals "jumping ship" clearly shows little understanding of the job market that is causing these professionals to "dumb down" their hard-won credentials in the first place. They won't "jump ship" until the economy improves substantially.

Snowing In Newfoundland On May 26

St. John's Newfoundland 8AM EST May 26, 2009.
No Bermuda Shorts here. Nice RX-7, though.

Bermuda Shorts

In honour of Bermuda Day, Hemming's Auto Blogs salutes cars named for islands with some great vintage artwork. (You just know there's gotta be a Pontiac in here don't you.)

Smile, You're On Somebody's Camera

Zooming around in gigapixel images has got me thinking about the people who show up in these pictures. They are not necessarily the subjects but they have no idea they are being photographed. At least in urban settings it's likely that if you go outdoors at all you are on camera somewhere. Britain for example has eyes everywhere.

Gigapixel Photos

Here is a stunning 13 gigapixel - yes gigapixel - panorama of Harlem, NY. Be sure to use the zoom controls. Also be sure to check the link to Gerard Maynard's work as well. I have some more of these I'll post later.

Update: As promised: Mega Machu Picchu. This is a picture of a man taking a picture. Oh and some other stuff too.

And here's more from Gerard Maynard.

Some Good Economic News

"The world economy has avoided "utter catastrophe" and industrialized countries could register growth this year, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said [today]."

Here Be Dragons

Villagers who lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid — until the dragons started to attack.

Diesel Drummers

Sweet Georgia Brown with diesel accompaniment has been around for awhile, but you probably have not seen Ole Hemmingssonn's er, trio. Rock-solid idle speeds make for perfect rhythm from these old oilers.

We Come In Peace... Bzzzzt.

Have Mars landers been destroying signs of life? Instead of identifying chemicals that could point to life, NASA's robot explorers may have been toasting them by mistake.

North Korea Nuke Test

No sooner than I post about the rise of Japanese militarism, this comes over the wire:

"SEOUL, May 24, 2009 (Reuters) — North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Monday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a ruling party official as saying.

YTN Television quoted the South Korean weather agency as saying it detected a tremor indicating a test at 0054 GMT (8:54 p.m. EDT)"

No wonder the Japanese are restive.

Japanese Militarism Awakens

From Reuters via News Daily: A Japanese ruling party panel is to propose that pre-emptive strikes against enemy bases be allowed despite the country's pacifist constitution.

"Japan should have the ability to strike enemy bases within the scope of its defense-oriented policy, in order not to sit and wait for death."

Where Have They Been Hiding?

"The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists – scientists responsible for species exploration and classification ... report that 18,516 species new to science were discovered and described in 2007."

I take this as good news indeed.

Awesome Extreme Biking

Has to be seen to be believed. From the YouTube Info panel:

"Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There's some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike."

Why Socialism Fails - Every Time

A short but illustrative parable from psychiatrist and columnist Michael Hurd.

The Price Of Stuff 40 Years Ago

Bill Shrink: "Much has changed since the legendary summer of 1969, both socially and economically. To analyze the variance in purchasing power between then and now, we have compared a number of popular consumer products by price that are still relevant today."

(By the way, people ask me why I don't have comments on my blog. A glance at the comments for this post should give you some insight.)

Indianapolis 500 Runs Today

Sports Illustrated is live-blogging the Indy 500.

Update: Emotional Castroneves scores 500 hat-trick

Vitamin D Good For Men's Brains

"University of Manchester scientists in collaboration with colleagues from other European centres have shown that higher levels of vitamin D – primarily synthesised in the skin following sun exposure but also found in certain foods such as oily fish – are associated with improved cognitive function in middle-aged and older men."

Good news for guys. And women?

“Previous studies exploring the relationship between vitamin D and cognitive performance in adults have produced inconsistent findings but we observed a significant, independent association between a slower information processing speed and lower levels of vitamin D.”

Should be good for women too.

Assisted Suicide - Almost

From the BBC: A passerby climbed up to a man threatening to jump off a bridge in Guangzhou Southern China. To say hello? No. To talk him down? No. What then? Why to toss him off the bridge for disrupting traffic, silly. Harsh, though.

Global Warming: Alarmed Or Dismissive Or In Between?

An interesting breakdown of global warming opinion in the US.

So Easy A Kid Could Do It

There's got to be a great commercial in this somewhere. A three-year old girl goes online and using her mother's auto logins buys a $15000 Kobelco power shovel.