Archpaper.com: FESTIVAL FLOATS HUNDREDS OF UMBRELLAS OVER THE STREETS OF A PORTUGUESE TOWN

This is beautiful! A town in Portugal suspends umbrellas over a narrow street. More pictures.

UPDATE: IOC has blocked this video. Boo. Maybe the IOC doesn’t want every performer embedding videos into their costume, but this video seemed pretty harmless and gave an interesting “in the scene” look at the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

A performer’s view of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

NewYorker.com: SPOILED ROTTEN Why do kids rule the roost?

When anthropologists study cultures like the Matsigenkas’, they tend to see patterns. The Matsigenka prize hard work and self-sufficiency. Their daily rituals, their child-rearing practices, and even their folktales reinforce these values, which have an obvious utility for subsistence farmers. Matsigenka stories often feature characters undone by laziness; kids who still don’t get the message are rubbed with an itch-inducing plant.

Nothing like an itch-inducing plant to get your kids attention. It’s an interesting article and should make every parent think about the way they’re raising their kids.

Saw this on the University of Pennsylvania Facebook page. I would have probably stayed in Electrical Engineering if we could have done this back then.

Another amazing video by Matt Harding- Where the Hell is Matt 2012?

allthingsd.com: Steve Jobs Was an Awesome Flip-Flopper, Says Tim Cook (Video)

“He would flip on something so fast that you would forget that he was the one taking the 180 degree polar [opposite] position the day before,” Cook told Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. “I saw it daily. This is a gift, because things do change, and it takes courage to change. It takes courage to say, ‘I was wrong.’ I think he had that.”

I find this an interesting contrast to what takes place in politics. In politics, instead of admitting that you’re wrong, you just try to spin things until it seems like you’re right. That’s why positions are so hardened that it’s impossible to come to agreement.

Mushroom House in Hyde Park for sale! They’re asking $349,000. I guess I’m a little late to the game on this one since it’s been on sale since the beginning of the month and has gotten some national coverage.

Free Kindle book on Amazon: iFailed The true, inside story of NeXT

This is the true, inside story of NeXT from the viewpoint of a company executive who worked with Steve for five years. He spent almost 100 hours with him, most of it alone on the way to and from numerous Wall St. customer meetings.

I don’t know if this is any good or not, but it’s about Steve Jobs and it’s free.

ESPN’s 8 minute short film of Pete Rose’s daily life signing autographs in Las Vegas. Pretty sad.

Listening to Adam Savage of Mythbusters obsess over the details in the creation of his replica Zorg Industries ZF-1, reminds me that passion is what makes things great.