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Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Browser daily newsletter [4 Oct 2012]

4 October 2012
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 Best of the Moment

Creative Blocks

David Deutsch | Aeon | 3 October 2012

Laws of physics tell us that artificial intelligence must be possible. So why does it have such a long record of failure? What is it that may unblock our understanding? And is there a role for philosophy here? Comments

The Mitt Romney Who Might Have Been

Robert Draper | NYT | 2 October 2012

Mitt Romney's campaign tactics "reveal only what he would do in order to win, not what he’ll do once he has won". So what does a look at his decision-making when governor of Massachusetts have to tell us? Comments

It’s My Birthday Too, Yeah

Steven Strogatz | NYT | 1 October 2012

How many people do you need to assemble before there's a 50-50 chance that two of them share a birthday? You know that the number is counter-intuitively low (it's 23). But do you know why? If not, invest a couple of minutes here Comments

Inequality And Its Perils

Jonathan Rauch | National Journal | 28 September 2012

Significant shift in mainstream economic thinking about inequality. Used to be viewed only as a symptom of other problems such as poverty and unemployment. Now it's reached the point at which it's seen as dangerous in itself Comments

Obituary: Edwin P Wilson

Anonymous | Economist | 29 September 2012

Gun runner. CIA operative. "He was tall, loud, assertive, and a fund of great stories told over late-night Scotch—how he’d spent an evening clubbing with Somoza, how he’d killed Che Guevara. The real stories, though, he didn’t tell" Comments

Painkilling Chemicals With No Side Effects Found In Black Mamba Venom

Ed Yong | Not Exactly Rocket Science | 3 October 2012

Nobody likes black mambas. Terrifying, highly dangerous beasts. But they may turn out to be very useful indeed. Researchers have found that black mamba venom contains a new class of molecules as effective at pain relief as morphine Comments

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