News That Stays News

Linked July 31, 2010

1. Korean English Teacher teaches swear words. Usually, videos that feature heavy swearing are made funny by the swearing itself, but this video is an exception. Excessive swearing it does not lack, but the humor comes from the cultural intersection and the teacher’s own observations.
2. The death of the phone call. Excellent observation on relevant trend that I completely missed. We use cell-phones all the time, but the number and length of calls have dropped significantly over the last few years.
3. Too many laws, too many prisoners Excellent overview in the economist on the failures of the sentencing system. Great read if you’re unaware of the problem.
4. Data tracking on the web WSJ investigates how much information creepy companies collect on you when you surf the web, and discovers that wsj.com installs 60 cookies on  your computer. Good to know. How scared should one be, if at all?