Disordered Cogitations

The SkyScout is a revolutionary handheld device that uses advanced GPS
technology with point and click convenience to instantly identify thousands of stars, planets, constellations and more. Simply point the SkyScout at any star in the sky and click the "target" button. The SkyScout will instantly tell you what object you are looking at. To locate a star or planet, select the object's name from the menu and follow the directional arrows through the viewfinder. SkyScout tells you when you are on target. It's that easy!

[PermaLink] posted by acadac @ 8:43:00 AM 0 comments

Prosper's users lend money to and borrow money from other people on the site at what the company says are better interest rates than those available through traditional financial institutions and without some of the risk that comes from typical person-to-person loans. "We looked at eBay and said, 'Why can't we do this for money?' " said Chris Larsen, Prosper's chief executive. Mr. Larsen, who founded and led E-Loan, an online lender that was bought last year for $300 million by Popular Inc., says Prosper could save borrowers and lenders money because it was a leaner operation than traditional financial institutions. He noted that consumers make, at most, about 4 percent on their savings accounts, which banks then lend to credit card customers at 14 percent or more. "That's just a huge spread," Mr. Larsen said. "We think if you allow people to participate directly, it's a more efficient marketplace. People can make a better return on their deposits, which then become the source of credit to others."

[PermaLink] posted by acadac @ 8:02:00 AM 0 comments

• Brewster Kahle on archiving the Web
• John Tayman on the Molokai Leper Colony

[PermaLink] posted by acadac @ 3:28:00 PM 0 comments

A body of research suggests that playing video games provides benefits similar to bilingualism in exercising the mind. Just as people fluent in two languages learn to suppress one language while speaking the other, so too are gamers adept at shutting out distractions to swiftly switch attention between different tasks.

A new study of 100 university undergraduates in Toronto has found that video gamers consistently outperform their non-playing peers in a series of tricky mental tests. If they also happened to be bilingual, they were unbeatable.

[PermaLink] posted by acadac @ 3:22:00 PM 0 comments