San Francisco after the earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906 (via Shorpy).
Odds & Ends
How to Tie Your Shoes
New York, 1902
The Flatiron Building under construction, ca. 1902. (Via Library of Congress.)
Golden Gate Bridge under construction
The Ignorance of Voters
The human mind is simply terrible at politics. Although we think we make political decisions based upon the facts, the reality is much more sordid. We are affiliation machines, editing the world to confirm our partisan ideologies.
Why working people vote Republican
A helpful if unsurprising explanation of a question that vexes liberals: why do ordinary working people consistently seem to vote against their own economic interests by voting for Republicans? At the Edge, psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains:
… the second rule of moral psychology is that morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way. When Republicans say that Democrats “just don’t get it,” this is the “it” to which they refer.
Check out the discussion of Haidt’s ideas as well.
Quote of the Day
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
Dr. Seuss (possibly a misattribution, but a great quote whoever said it) (via Garr Reynolds)
The price of coal
“For every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal, adjusted for the same amount of power produced.”
— Seth Godin, The Triumph of Coal Marketing