Mini HD Camcorder

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from source:

State of the Art
HD Video Made Sleek and Simple
By DAVID POGUE
Published: November 20, 2008
Pure Digital has added high definition to its Flip Mino, which is already called the least-expensive, smallest and fastest camcorder on the market.

Sounds like super tech: super usability at the cutting edge of technology.

Big bonus, bad thinking?

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from the page:

Op-Ed Contributor
What’s the Value of a Big Bonus?
By DAN ARIELY
Published: November 20, 2008
If our tests mimic the real world, then higher bonuses may not only cost employers more but also discourage executives from working to the best of their ability.

Interesting research indicating that big bonuses actually impair cognitive function despite the motivation they provide. People want to do well for the big bonus but just having it out there, if I'm interpreting this article correctly, can impair mental function which is a counter-intuitive result which if true could explain a lot.

So remarkably, companies handing out big bonuses may be paying their people to do worse.

Fewer women developers

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Digital Domain
What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?
By RANDALL STROSS
Published: November 16, 2008
Many computer science departments report that women now make up less than 10 percent of the newest undergraduates.

I think it's an excellent subject to ponder as it seems clear that something is driving down the rate of participation in the field by women.

The question is then, what is that something?

Easy open packaging

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from the source:

Packages You Won’t Need a Saw to Open
By BRAD STONE and MATT RICHTEL
Published: November 15, 2008
Retailers are creating alternatives to infuriating “clamshell” packages and cruelly complex twist ties.

Yeah!!! It has amazed me how hard it is to get packages for electronic items open, and now I see how much I was not alone. Here's another quote from the article:

Impregnable packaging has incited such frustration among consumers that an industry term has been coined for it — “wrap rage.”

Glad to know that the problem is being worked on and I'm serious. It feels kind of strange to spend several minutes trying to get to something you just bought as you fight it out of its packaging.