Ingenial

Is there a single source that all spoken languages on earth share in common? Maybe. A new study in linguistics by Dr. Quentin D. Atkinson, a biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand shows that languages may have originated from a common “seed.” The study seems to correspond with what biologists have proven about genetic code: that the further from South Africa people traveled while populating the world the more of their genetic code and, possibly, their language people lost. It’s an interesting theory. One that, if it bears out in further tests, will change the way we see linguistics forever. Read the full article at the New York Times.

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If instead of purchasing the original iPod for $399 in 2001, you had bought $399 worth of Apple stock, it would be worth today about $12,000 dollars.

View the full chart of the cost of Apple products when they launched, and how much you’d have today if you’d bought stock instead.

In a fascinating article China’s state-run news agency Xinhua delivers a parting word to Google: “good riddance.” The article is actually stunningly insightful with quotes like:

The Reform and Opening-up policy in China has been carried out for 30 years since 1979, with earlier icons like Coca-Cola, and later McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks Coffee.The incoming Western goods also brought Western cultures and lifestyles. For instance, the biggest Internet retailer Amazon named its service in China Zhuoyue (excellence).The albums of the U.S. pop star Lady Gaga and Britain’s talent Susan Boyle fly off the CD shelves in China.

All commodities come with some cultures and ideologies. China definitely is influenced by the West, but the influence is mutual. People of a certain culture learn to know a different new thing, but the new thing also has to learn to suit its new customers. That’s why KFC serves Chinese porridge and McDonald’s provides Chinese food menus here.

Fascinating. Bringing up Lady Gaga’s runaway record sales in China and the ways various other businesses have adapted to China’s cultural distinctives is a stroke of genius. Of course this isn’t exactly comparing apples to apples since Google is pulling out of China for reasons of conscience.

Read the article over at Xinhua

Read various reactions to the health care bill’s passage at Andrew Sullivan’s blog. Hat tip to John Gruber.

If you had to pick someone to write the autopsy report on the Wall Street financial collapse 18 months ago, you couldn’t do any better than Michael Lewis. He is one of the country’s preeminent non-fiction writers with a knack for turning complicated, mind numbing material into fascinating yarns.

He wrote his first bestseller, “Liar’s Poker,” about his experiences as a young Wall Street bond trader when he was still in his 20s and has since followed up with seven more bestsellers on subjects ranging from Silicon Valley in “The New New Thing” to big time sports in “Money Ball” and “The Blind Side.”

His new book, called “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine,” comes out later this week and it explains how some of Wall Street’s finest minds managed to destroy $1.75 trillion of wealth in the subprime mortgage markets.

“60 Minutes”  spent two days debriefing Lewis at his home in California:

Part I – how the collapse came about and who knew what was going on

Part II – the culture of bonuses and ratings and why it’s unnecessary

Extra: The $8.4 billion dollar bet

US foreign aid by recipient 2004-2008

I submit to you: is this even a debate? Of course baldness is good for you.

But don’t look at my bald head (shown in the picture). Let’s look at the facts.

In a recent study the Washington School of Medicine found those whose hair began thinning by age 30 had a significantly lower chance of contracting tumors. Even more impressive: “Men who had started to develop bald spots on the top of their heads as well as receding hairlines had a 29% to 45% reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.”

The reason? Possibly testosterone. Men who have more testosterone bald faster but they also seem resistant to tumors. The study certainly has holes in it and more study needs to be done but I’m taking the results and running with them. I’ll be laughing at all you full-head-of hair people in 20 years.

Read the full article at BBC