Here are links I found interesting in January 2010:

• At J.F.K., Keeping the Birds Out of the Planes’ Way – Fascinating article in the New York Times about what the folks are doing at Kennedy Airport to keep birds away from the planes. Thanks to @PattyHankins for sharing the link.
• Remembering the giddy futurism of Omni magazine – Interesting look back at the rise and fall of Omni. On Slate Magazine.
• Flying High: The truth about airplane security measures – Why are we so bad at detecting the guilty and so good at collective punishment of the innocent? By Christopher Hitchens in Slate Magazine.
• Atheism: Bringing the Sexy Back – Interesting survey about results of key words on an online dating service. In Discover Magazine; thanks to @dcolanduno for sharing the link.
• Proudly Stupid – “So, Senator Obama spoke to the country about race, his pastor and the need to move ahead. As John Stewart described it, Senator Obama decided on a novel approach and acted as if his audience were adults. I hope that was not too optimistic.” Read more on DailyKos.com.
• Light, With Intermittent Heat, Likely – Andrew Cohen – Andrew Cohen, in The Atlantic, shares his thoughts on whether “cable TV news channels, amid wicked competition and in pursuit of entertaining fare, have blurred lines to the point that only a declining minority probably truly differentiates among fair-minded journalists, ideologically-driven pundits and even professional jokers dabbling in politics.” Thanks to @manp for sharing the link on Twitter.
• Learn Your Damn Homophones – An excellent R rated guide to commonly mistaken homophones. Thanks to @estherschindler for sharing the link.
• How to Train the Aging Brain – Interesting article about adult learning by challenging deep-seated ideas. In the NYTimes. Thanks to @jodene on Twitter for sharing the link.
• The year of the paywall – Newspapers will try to persuade online readers to pay in 2010. Read more in the Economist.
• Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport – Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel. Read more on BigGovernment.com. Thanks to @yaksierra for sharing the link.
• 100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body – The human body is an incredibly complex and intricate system, one that still baffles doctors and researchers on a regular basis despite thousands of years of medical knowledge. This post contains 100 interesting facts about the boddy. On ICantSeeYou. Thanks to @SzymonNiemczura for sharing the link.
• What Ken Burns Left Out – Rick Smith comments on the Ken Burns series about National Parks. On National Parks Traveler. Thanks to @PattyHankins for sharing the link.
• United Airlines Jet Makes Emergency Landing at Newark Airport – New York Times account of partial gear-up landing at Newark Airport on Sunday. Bravo to the flight crew! Thanks to @manp for sharing the link.
• Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light – Geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz calls it “the Sistine Chapel of crystals,” but Superman could call it home. This 3-year-old post on National Geographic’s Web site has some stunning photos of VERY large crystals. Thanks to @SymonNiemczura for sharing the link.
• The Flat Computer Society – Everyone’s ecstatic about the Apple tablet. But what are we supposed to do with it? By Farhad Manjoo on Slate Magazine.
• O Lucky Man – The long, strange life of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who survived Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By Christopher Hitchens in Slate Magazine.
• How to choose a digital camera – Great flow chart for choosing a digital camera. Simple and straightforward — and up to date! Thanks to @BorrowLenses for sharing the link.
• When all Else Fails – Tweet it. Thanks to @Miraz for tweeting the link to this hilarious (and true) comic.
• Conversations About The Internet #5: Anonymous Facebook Employee – Facebook employees know better than most the value of privacy. On TheRumpus.net. Thanks to @giaghani for sharing the link.
• 10 tips for better link-building – While you can rely on the sheer incandescent brilliance of your content to naturally attract links over time, a smart editor will accelerate that process by putting some effort into link-building. Here are key methods for building up your site’s Google juice. On emediavitals.com. Thanks to @estherschindler for sharing the link.
• No stumbling points — why books need editors – Author Miraz Jordan explains why editors are important for fiction, too. In KnowIT.
• WiFi for passive-aggressives – When even leaving a note is too direct…you folks with wireless networks still named “linksys” or “trendnet” are clearly missing out on a priceless opportunity to piss off your neighbors. In PassiveAggressiveNotes.com. Thanks to @Jodene for sharing the link.
• Why I Believe Printers Were Sent From Hell To Make Us Miserable – The title simply suggests how hilariously funny this really is. From The Oatmeal.
• Thousands Dying Because Haitian Slaves ‘Swore a Pact with the Devil’ for Their Freedom – “Galactically vile Christian cleric Pat Robertson told his CBN viewers today that Haitians are “cursed” because their ancestors “swore a pact with the devil” to liberate themselves from the French in 1804.” Read more on Gawker. Thanks to @blancastella for sharing the link.
• Robertson’s “true story”: Haiti “swore a pact to the devil” to get “free from the French” and “ever since they have been cursed” – Just another example of a right wing nut job trying to explain away a disaster. On MediaMatters.org. Thanks to @BWJones for sharing this link.
• When NOT to File a DMCA Notice – Excellent (and simple) advice about when it’s not appropriate to file a DCMA takedown notice. On PlagiarismToday.com.
• Earthquake in Haiti – The Big Picture offers a clear and sobering look at the aftermath of Haiti’s recent earthquake. PLEASE consider donating to relief efforts. On Boston.com. Thanks to @BWJones for sharing this link.
• Gay Teen Worried He Might Be Christian – Have I ever mentioned how much I love the ironic absurdity of the Onion? Thanks to @djgrothe for retweeting this link.
• Are “enhanced ebooks” the CD-Rom era all over again? – Interesting article on the possible future of ebook publishing. On idealog.com. Thanks to @publishingtalk for sharing the link.
• What Would Martin Luther King Make of Twitter? – Tastefully and intelligently done. On Vanity Fair. Thanks to @gglockner for sharing the link.
• Non-Believers Giving Aid – Support for the Haiti Tragedy and Beyond – You don’t have to be religious to want to help. And you don’t have to donate to church-sponsored charities to get your money to the people who need help most. Thanks to Richard Dawkins for making this opportunity available to non-believers like me who want to do the RIGHT thing the right way.
• Should we encourage self-promotion and lies? – A reality check on self promotion through social media and other Web-based methods. On plasticbag.org. Thanks to @AprilMains on Twitter for sharing this thought-invoking link.
• 30 Hilarious Print Advertisements – Great print ads. Thanks to @EstherSchindler for sharing the link.
• Get Vaccinated – It has taken 14,160 lives, 2,328 of them in the U.S. Within the latter group are 248 children. No, it is not terrorism, nor is it war. It is H1N1. Read more on Forbes.com. Thanks to @derekcbart for sharing the link.
• » Terrifying consequences of a lapse in critical thinking – A BBC Newsnight investigation has exposed a “useless” bomb detector device currently being used at security check points in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more on the Sceptic’s Book of Pooh Pooh.
• O’Reilly drops ebook DRM, sees 104% increase in sales – Coincidence? I think not. I’m probably not the only person who would rather buy an ebook without DRM. On BoingBoing. Thanks to @PlagiarismToday for sharing the link (sort of).
• Twitter = Voluntary Spam Network? – Interesting insight about the growing Twitter spam problem.
• Taylor Mali: What teachers make – Ever heard the phrase “Those who can’t do, teach”? At the Bowery Poetry Club, slam poet Taylor Mali begs to differ, and delivers a powerful, 3-minute response on behalf of educators everywhere. Excellent video; we need more teachers like him.
• Publishing different: What the tablet brings to the table – Moving from print to digital isn’t a smooth or easy path, despite the fact that most authors are working digitally in the first place. Read more on TUAW. Thanks to @BLG on Twitter for sharing the link.
• ‘Space diver’ to attempt first supersonic freefall – A “space diver” will try to smash the nearly 50-year-old record for the highest jump this year, becoming the first person to go supersonic in freefall. The stunt could help engineers design escape systems for space flights. Read more in New Scientist. Thanks to @SzymonNiemczura for sharing the link on Twitter.
• Brain can’t handle more than 150 Facebook friends – Health – Health & Fitness – Life – The Times of India – Despite some people having 5,000 friends on their Facebook profiles, they may not be able to remember or manage more than 150 pals in real life, an expert claims. Read about it in the Times of India. Thanks to @Nambucom for sharing the link.
• On Tax Returns, Why Enter What the I.R.S. Already Knows? – Why Can’t the I.R.S. Help Fill in the Blanks? Good question on the New York Times Web site. Thanks to @Jodene for sharing the link.
• ‘Callous, unethical and dishonest’: Dr Andrew Wakefield – Anti-vaccine doctor brought down by British courts. On the Times Online.
• Why do people often vote against their own interests? – Political scientist Dr David Runciman looks at why is there often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters. On BBC News.
• The iPad Threat to PCs – BusinessWeek – Apple’s (AAPL) new iPad, a lightweight device that browses the Web and delivers media, may serve as an alternative to netbooks and pose a threat to PC makers. Read more on Businessweek.com. Thanks to @manp on Twitter for sharing the link.
• Homeopaths Admit Expensive Concoctions Just Water – A public mass overdose of homeopathic remedies has forced the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths to admit openly that their products do not contain any “material substances”. Read more on Scoop Health.
• Amazon Caves To Macmillan’s eBook Pricing Demands – A new development in the Amazon vs. Macmillan fiasco. Amazon just posted an announcement indicating that it will be “capitulating” to Macmillan by selling the publishers’ books for their desired prices. Read more on TechCrunch.
• Why my books are no longer for sale via Amazon – Another author’s take on the Amazon/Macmillan ebook war. By Tobias Buckell.
• DSLR Timelapses addictive, frustrating and often rewarding… | Philip Bloom – Philip Bloom writes about his timelapse photography experiments and shows off the results. Thanks to @BorrowLenses for sharing the link.
• Amazon, Macmillan: an outsider’s guide to the fight – Another take on the Amazon/Macmillan ebook wars. By Charles Stross on Charlie’s Diary. Thanks to @mjvalente for sharing the link.
• Amazon and Macmillan go to war: readers and writers are the civilian casualties – Great read by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing about the current ebook wars. Thanks to @Jodene for sharing the link.