David Lidsky's Blog, page 3095
December 19, 2014
Why Uber Needs Baidu
On Wednesday, Uber announced a "strategic partnership" and investment with Baidu, China's search giant. The potential is huge.
Beijing cabbies have a penchant for screechy Peking Opera and a habit of hacking up phlegm. When they're not puffing away on cigarettes, they roll the windows down, filling the car with the Chinese capital's notorious smog. But with 66,000 taxis serving the sprawling city of 21 million people, the laws of supply and demand are on the drivers' side.
Design Legend Louise Fili Photographs The Gorgeous Typography Of Italy
Fili shares her three-decade love affair with Italy's typography and vintage signage in a gorgeous new book.
Renowned Italian-American designer Louise Fili's love of typography and graphic arts stems from a specific moment during her first trip to Italy, at age 16: As she was leaving the Milan airport, a striking billboard for the classic Baci Perugina chocolates caught her eye.
December 18, 2014
Does Discussing Your Religion At Work Make You Happier?
A new study finds that being open about religion in the workplace leads to higher satisfaction.
If you have a crucifix on your office wall or a nativity-scene mouse pad on your desk, you might be happier at work, new research suggests. The collaborative study at Kansas State University revealed that people who openly discuss their religion in the workplace are happier on average than those who don't.
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12 Holiday Gifts You'll Want To Keep For Yourself
The team at The Wirecutter spent hundreds of hours in their test labs to find the best gifts of 2014.
The best gifts are often things that people wouldn't get for themselves. Sometimes it's because those items are too expensive or luxurious, and other times it's because they didn't even know they needed the item until after they received it. Over at the The Wirecutter and the The Sweethome, we spend all year squirreled away in our test labs, spending hundreds of hours trying to suss out the best items that would fit most people's lives. So which of these make the best gifts this holiday season? We've put together a list of our favorite things from our collection that we think will make great gifts—even if you secretly buy them for yourself.
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The Quest To Reproduce The Scent Of A Rose, With Designer Microbes
Stop and smell the genetically engineered yeast.
Once upon a time, perfume was a luxury only kings and queens could afford. The technology of fragrance originally involved crushing up flowers, until the French perfected the technique of extracting and concentrating essential oils from plants instead. Later, chemists came along who could whip up a recipe for a fragrance in a lab, giving us the mass-produced scents that the proletariat know and love.
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Here's The Big Problem With Sony Releasing "The Interview" On Demand
It may be a long time before anyone (legally) sees the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy. And not because of North Korea.
Yesterday things quickly unraveled for the Seth Rogen, James Franco comedy The Interview, which depicts a fictional assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. After a message from the hackers known as Guardians of the Peace threatened violent attacks on movie theaters if the film was released, all the major theater chains pulled out of showing it, and then Sony itself canceled the movie's Christmas Day release.
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This Addictive Game Could Save You Money On Your Next Utility Bill
It worked for some PG&E households in California.
If you're looking to waste some time today—and since you're reading this column, that's a pretty safe bet—check out the online strategy game Power House on Facebook. The premise may not sound that exciting: guide a family of four through a series of everyday household tasks using as little electricity as possible. But Power House is addictive and challenging, and better yet, it could save you money on your next utility bill.
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Finally, A Beer That Will Solve Your Creative Problems
A brew that promises just the right amount of liquid creativity.
Going by advertising alone, beer makes everybody better looking, funnier, and more charming. It surrounds you with interesting people and exciting times and will quench your thirst on a hot day all at once. But anyone who's ever tried to recreate the magic of a beer commercial knows the result is too often soaked in fried food, antacid and shame.
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How to Make A 2,000-Mile Pizza Delivery
Goldbely is on a mission to make local foods like Philly cheesesteak, Memphis BBQ, and New York Pizza available to anyone, anywhere.
It's not even noon yet, and Sal Pozzuoli is so slammed with orders that there's no time for small talk. In near silence, he orchestrates activities in the small kitchen like a conductor, sliding between two employees topping pizza at the counter, a refrigerated room towards the back, and the odd early lunch customer at the cash register. Occasionally he pauses to slide a pie out of the large brick oven.
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Santiago Calatrava: The World's Most Hated Architect?
Critics blast Calatrava for wildly overbudget projects, including the World Trade Center's new transit hub. Is he just misunderstood?
At a recent symposium featuring the renowned architects Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman, talk turns to fellow architect Santiago Calatrava.
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