Catchwa.org http://catchwa.org Now accepting bribes, enquire within Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:10:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Combat Jugglinghttp://catchwa.org/2013/04/combat-juggling/ http://catchwa.org/2013/04/combat-juggling/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:10:56 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1321 Apparently this is a thing…

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/04/combat-juggling/feed/ 1 The Science of Junk Foodhttp://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-science-of-junk-food/ http://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-science-of-junk-food/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:47:57 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1318 An excerpt from a new book by Michael Moss on how the large food companies engineer their products to addict consumers.

The obvious comparison is the tobacco industry.

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food [NY Times]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-science-of-junk-food/feed/ 0 The Man Who Invented The Telephone Keypadhttp://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-man-who-invented-the-telephone-keypad/ http://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-man-who-invented-the-telephone-keypad/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:45:03 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1316 An obituary of John E. Karlin, who helped to develop the telephone keypad, which has obviously propagated much further. He also pioneered human factors engineering.

John E. Karlin, Who Led the Way to All-Digit Dialing, Dies at 94 [NY Times]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/03/the-man-who-invented-the-telephone-keypad/feed/ 0 Placebo Effectivenesshttp://catchwa.org/2013/03/placebo-effectiveness/ http://catchwa.org/2013/03/placebo-effectiveness/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:42:51 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1314 An article that discusses the current state of research into the effectiveness of placebos. I didn’t realise that researchers have a good idea on how to increase or decrease their effectiveness.

The Placebo Phenomenon [Harvard Magazine]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/03/placebo-effectiveness/feed/ 0 Making The Blues Brothershttp://catchwa.org/2013/02/making-the-blues-brothers/ http://catchwa.org/2013/02/making-the-blues-brothers/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 10:32:40 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1311 An article from Vanity Fair on how The Blues Brothers was made.

Hint: Cocaine. Lots of cocaine.

Soul Men: The Making of The Blues Brothers [Vanity Fair]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/02/making-the-blues-brothers/feed/ 0 The World’s Greatest Pickpockethttp://catchwa.org/2013/01/the-worlds-greatest-pickpocket/ http://catchwa.org/2013/01/the-worlds-greatest-pickpocket/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2013 03:12:14 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1309 An article from the New Yorker on Apollo Robbins, supposedly the best pickpocket in the world.

Here’s a video of him in action:

A Pickpocket’s Tale: The spectacular thefts of Apollo Robbins [The New Yorker]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2013/01/the-worlds-greatest-pickpocket/feed/ 0 The Oral History of Freaks and Geekshttp://catchwa.org/2012/12/the-oral-history-of-freaks-and-geeks/ http://catchwa.org/2012/12/the-oral-history-of-freaks-and-geeks/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:32:36 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1306 A great article (and photos) of the Freaks and Geeks reunion.

2 Good 2 Be 4Gotten: An Oral History of Freaks and Geeks [Vanity Fair]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2012/12/the-oral-history-of-freaks-and-geeks/feed/ 0 Wikipedia page of the dayhttp://catchwa.org/2012/12/wikipedia-page-of-the-day/ http://catchwa.org/2012/12/wikipedia-page-of-the-day/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:31:14 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1304 The Timeline of the far future.

]]> http://catchwa.org/2012/12/wikipedia-page-of-the-day/feed/ 1 Boardwalk Empire’s Impressive Third Seasonhttp://catchwa.org/2012/12/boardwalk-empires-impressive-third-season/ http://catchwa.org/2012/12/boardwalk-empires-impressive-third-season/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:38:46 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1300 Continue reading →]]> An excellent summary of why the third season of Boardwalk Empire is its best yet.

Basically, I spent the first two seasons of Boardwalk Empire trying to figure out whether or not I even enjoyed the show. It featured premium producers, directors, writers, and actors, but it never felt like you were watching the show of the moment. Boardwalk Empire has been popular enough to get renewed regularly (it will be back for a fourth season next year), but it’s been difficult to come to a consensus on whether or not it has been a fulfilling experience. There’s a gap between high-end critical acclaim and casual fans. The uninitiated never get it. ‘It’s boring,’ they say. ‘It’s trying to be something it isn’t.’ And maybe they were right. Fortunately, Season 3 has changed everything.

(Spoilers in the link below)
Post-Empire Thinking: How HBO’s Boardwalk drama finally got great [Grantland]

]]> http://catchwa.org/2012/12/boardwalk-empires-impressive-third-season/feed/ 0 Elevator Mathshttp://catchwa.org/2012/12/elevator-maths/ http://catchwa.org/2012/12/elevator-maths/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:33:04 +0000 Andrew http://catchwa.org/?p=1298 Continue reading →]]> An interesting article on the maths behind Otis elevators. It seems that the decision-making involved often comes down to whether you look after the needs of the individual pressing the button or the group that is already on the elevator.

The Ups and Downs of Making Elevators Go [WSJ]

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