Modern Life: Diets

• The caterpillar option is noted at Althouse.
• The Hobbit Diet is more appealing.
• Football players have much more latitude. [10,000 calories!]
• Joe Queenan on the Mediterranean Diet. An excerpt:

I am not saying that a long, healthy life is not a worthy goal. I am merely saying that if the goal means no more chili cheese dogs, no more ranch-flavored Doritos, no more black-and-white milkshakes, then the price may be too high. The settlers at Jamestown did not come here dreaming of a steady diet of walnuts and olive oil. Those guys loved fats and carbs and sugar. America was built by men and women who never ate arugula.

Bock: On Leadership

Wally Bock, who writes one of the finest blogs on leadership, has stories and strategies from real life.

Stenographer or Translator?

A major step forward in communication skills is achieved when a person learns that what was said is far less important than what was meant.

Many people listen as if they were stenographers who seek to get every word. The better listeners are translators who search for the real meaning of the message.

Quote of the Day

Each generation has to relearn old lessons and acquire new skills. They just apply the same principles to new situations. To learn the art of strategy and the art of creating organizations capable of executing strategy, we have to study the past and develop our skills through practice.

- Stephen Bungay

Vertical Forest in Milan

This is really kind of neat. An excerpt from the Spiegel article:

The Vertical Forest, two towers currently under construction in Italy's second-largest city, won't be the modern standard of urban housing, characterized by concrete, steel and glass. Instead, the residential buildings in the central Isola district will be covered in vegetation -- 730 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 plants, to be exact.

Invisibility Cloak Unveiled

The Telegraph notes a demonstration at a TED conference. 

Dryden's Journey

Art Contrarian looks at the work of Helen Dryden.

Entertainment Break

The trailers for:

• "Hara-Kiri"
• "Four Feathers"
• "Happy People: A Year in The Taiga"
• "The Duchess"
• "Emperor"
• "Mistress"

10 Films to Spark Discussions about Ethics

1. "Groundhog Day"
2. "The Bridge on the River Kwai"
3. "Other People's Money"
4. "Chariots of Fire"
5. "Schindler's List"
6. "Billy Budd"
7. "Primary Colors"
8. "High Noon"
9. "A Good Man in Africa"
10. "Friendly Persuasion"

Quote of the Day

Absorb like a sponge. Work like an ant.

- Nicholas Bate