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Monthly Archives: April 2011
The last twenty years of the Internet, summed up in one chart
A couple of weeks back, I linked to a chart which I said encompassed half of human history. I’ve now stumbled upon its counterpart for the history of the Internet. This chart from Wired Magazine ( “The Web is Dead, … Continue reading
Posted in Science and technology
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To what extent do we cherish the fruits of our labour?
Have you ever cherished an object you put together with your own hands – no matter how simple it may be, or how clumsy the job you did? A new working paper* indicates that people place a higher monetary … Continue reading
Posted in Behaviour
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The history of the world, in a few charts
Never mind a picture being worth a thousand words. This one chart, from The Economist, is ostensibly about various nations’ percentage share of the world economy through the last 2,000 years. But look more deeply, and the chart will effectively … Continue reading
Posted in History
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Two books on Asia: Monsoon by Robert Kaplan; When Asia was the World by Stewart Gordon
Welcome to my reading review! Asia is a pivotal continent – home to some of the world’s largest nations and some of its most dynamic. Recently I picked up two books on the region, Robert Kaplan’s Monsoon and Stewart Gordon’s … Continue reading
Posted in Geopolitics, History, Reviews
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Could rainfall help explain why some societies are democratic and others, not?
A number of authors have argued that geography has been a decisive, or the decisive, factor explaining differences between human societies. Probably the most famous in mainstream circles is Jared Diamond, who argues in Guns, Germs and Steel that Eurasian … Continue reading