joshuago’s Bookmarks

24 AUG 2010
[New York Times] How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart

The company is challenging the idea that discount retailers must pay workers poorly.

23 AUG 2010
Why GNU grep is fast

An explanation from the original author of GNU grep explaining its fast inner workings.

18 AUG 2010
Why Traditional Ads Work, and Digital Ads Don't

It is really pretty simple. Ads work when they are extending the content. Ads don't work when they are disrupting the content.

17 AUG 2010
[Jonah Lehrer] How Power Affects Us

Even fleeting feelings of power can dramatically change the way people respond to information. Instead of analyzing the strength of the argument, those with authority focus on whether or not the argument confirms what they already believe. If it doesn't, then the facts are conveniently ignored.

17 AUG 2010
[Ross Douthat] Islam and the Two Americas

The first America tends to make the finer-sounding speeches, and the second America often strikes cruder, more xenophobic notes. But both understandings of this country have real wisdom to offer, and both have been necessary to the American experiment’s success.

13 AUG 2010
Criminal Overengineering « yield thought

The extra effort caused by our overengineering carries a hefty opportunity cost.

13 AUG 2010
Hey, Guys, It's Totally Okay If You Don't Get Rich

There’s a lot more to life than being rich, and the people you really want to have in your life know that.

12 AUG 2010
[Mule Design Studio] Tips On Buying Design

Don’t hire an agency that does sample work before you’ve explained your problem. What could they possibly be solving? They’re trying to impress you with pretty.

10 AUG 2010
Startups Wiki: Ask YC Archive

An archive of quality Hacker News "Ask YC" posts grouped by subject.

09 AUG 2010
[Jakob Nielsen] Corporate Blogs: Front Page Structure

On corporate blogs, summaries are usually superior to full articles because they let you expose users to a broad selection of topics. Offering more topics increases the likelihood that users will find something that really interests them and thus will click through to read more.