The Year In Ideas

matthewg writes: "This week's New York Times Magazine (free registration required) consists primarily of a special feature, The Year In Ideas. Subtitled 'An encyclopedia of innovations, conceptual leaps, harebrained schemes, cultural tremors, & hindsight reckonings that made a difference in 2001,' the feature describes 80 different "notions, inventions, conceptual swerves and philosophical leaps that mattered this year and may well continue to matter in years to come" in between a couple of paragraphs and half a page. Complete with illustrations which range from informative to whimsical, it covers a lot of interesting ideas, many of which will probably be new to you. The article's subjects include such Slashdot-fodder as software as speech, steganography Goes Digital, and collaborative composition, as well as a plethora of intriguing new ideas, such as new ideas in basic rights and global warming lawsuits. And, of course, the solution to every Slashdotter's woes."

Comments

Speed Dating?

[cperciva]

I think a better term would be "Eating Dinner in Hall". People walk into Hall, sit down randomly, spend five minutes talking to the person opposite while waiting for the food to arrive, and then leave immediately after they finish eating. (Believe me, the food isn't worth lingering over.)

The speed-dating thing sounds fun..

[CoolVibe]

..if you want to meet lots of people in a very short time frame.

"What did you do tonight?"
"Oh, I just had 375 dates in one evening, nothing special."

Wow...

Gross mischaracterisation

[rde]

So a speed date is the answer to all my woes, is it? Pah. Shows what you think of your readers. We're not all socially inept nerds, you know.

The real solution to all my woes is a linux-powered tricorder that scans for single women who like Lego.

(free registration required)

[Anonymous Coward]

who cares anymore? So the NYT know I'm a mid-40s Afghan woman earning $500,000/yr. big deal.

The solution to every Slashdotters woes?

[darkov]

I thought it was was pr0n! This notion of speaking to the opposite sex is outrageous.

Re:The Right not to be born

[rde]

But if you win your case, the by being awarded damages the state is acknowledging that you exist, which is a breach of your human rights.
The only correct course for the french government is to say "Who said that?".

The Dance Dance Revolution Comes!

[DelyApple]

Ah, the idea that every person, regardless of creed, color, nation, toaster and porpoise can make total fools of themselves on DDR machines. That one makes my list!

The Year In Ideas

[Penrod Pooch]

Does this mean that there will be no more new ideas this year? I guess i'll just take a vacation then.

Re:I like the one about the Afghani guys E-mail

[Jeremi]

Okay, I'm a bio grad student, but is the problem not obvious? The intense stress alters neurology in the entirety of the brain.

Not to worry, they thought of that. That's why they when they calibrated the machine, they had all their subjects wear a cage of starving rats on their face.