Links for 2010-10-26

"Suppose you gave up washing clothes for a year, or relied on your mum to do it for you. According to the budgeting guide this would save £222, just about half of the iPad. You could go with dirty clothes for your first two years and buy an iPad for third year, I guess. How about food? The budget reckons £1295 for a year. Sheer extravagance! Two Pot Noodles a day would cost under half that at £547.50. Throw in some vitamin supplements at £1.69 and what more could you need? That saving alone would get you an iPad.
 
If you resisted the iPad in favour of eating or washing, what would you be losing?"

"The National Hyperbole Reserve, first established during the Cold War to ensure that the President's speechwriters could perform their duties under any circumstances, is now nearly depleted; the National Academy of Sciences estimates only several years' worth of hyperbole are left, and most of the supply is in the hands of Fox News.

Hyperbole supplies are essential for many organizations, such as news media, political think-tanks, and Congressional debates. Many political experts suggest that governments around the world may collapse without a new source of hyperbole being found."

"After yet another news story about Facebook leaking personal information, I figured I'd make this reminder to myself."