If you want to make something big or a big number of something, you’re going to need a big factory to do so. Not all factories are created equally, though. Even some of the world’s biggest manufacturers and manufacturers of some massive goods have factories that pale in comparison to the size of the world’s biggest factories. So who owns the biggest factories in the world and what do they make? This infographic holds the answers.
Business
The Science of Grocery Shopping (Infographic)
If I’m not getting the usual fare at the grocery store, I often find it damn well near impossible to find things. For example, this weekend, I was looking for tomato paste. I would have thought it would be next to the crushed tomatoes (kinda necessary for sauce). Instead, it was down at the other end of the aisle next to the pasta sauce. I’m sure there was a reason for why some items in a grocery store are in a particular place. To find out, I found this handy infographic about the science of grocery shopping.
Sunday Link-Off: Snowfall
I suppose I could complain about the state of the weather right now but I’m not in Buffalo so I can still get out my front door. For all the whiteouts, terrible roads and couple of feet of snow in a week, it’s not a patch on Buffalo. Small miracles, I suppose. I’m really starting to hate climate change. Can we have global warming back?
Anyway, it’s time for the Sunday set of links. Since I haven’t featured her on the blog for a while, here’s Kate Upton.
I think I’ve mentioned before about how people try to out do people with over the top reaction. Here’s a look at social media’s descent into grief porn. (Gawker)
With Canada having just seen a “beloved” public figure have their public image shattered by reality, America is no going through the same with Bill Cosby. And while the Toronto Star had two reporters on Ghomeshi, the Washington Post had 13 cover Cosby. (Washington Post)
Before that article went up, I was going to mention that TV stations were already abandoning Cosby. (Variety)
Wednesday Link-Off: Two Sides to Every Border
There are lots of big news stories on both sides of the border. In Canada, Tim Horton’s is going to become quasi-American which is worse than us burning down the White House. Meanwhile America is still going through problems with police and media dealing with black men, especially when it comes to Ferguson, Missouri.
Anyway, it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s start with the return of Emily Ratajkowski.
The New York Times’ article about Michael Brown and their portrayal of him in said article shows the problem with how black men are portrayed by the American media. (Mic)
While Deadspin looks into police killing data, D. Brian Burghart has already attempted to do so himself. He’s found it quite hard to gather objective data but has come up with a few conclusions that should surprise no one. (Gawker)
We all have this romanticized vision of the undercover cop and spy. However, the sentiment isn’t so romantic when you’re the one being had by an undercover cop. Here’s the tale of an undercover cop who walked out on his fake family. (The New Yorker)
Wednesday Link-Off: Canada Day Hangover
Well, I was able to scramble together the usual Canada Day post on the blog. I had to do it at the expense of the IndyCar recap so expect that later in the week. I’m thinking it’ll be on Friday so there’ll be room for the usual F1 Power Rankings on Thursday. And hopefully I can pull that all off without adding more grey to my hair.
Anyway, it’s the day after Canada Day so to ease you back into the week, I have some lovely links for you. But first, let’s start with the lovely Anais Pouliot.
A new document leak from Edward Snowden says that all but four countries are subject to NSA surveillance. Those four countries are Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For once, I don’t think you can blame Canada. (End the Lie)
Did you know that Facebook has been playing around with your newsfeed to manipulate your mood? It might be legal but, like most Facebook doings, it’s shady. (The Atlantic)
I don’t know if this officially qualifies as an irony but the co-founders of Tinder, an app designed to facilitate hook-ups and one night stands, are being sued for sexual harassment. (BuzzFeed)
The Evolution of Famous Logos (Infographic)
We’re all used to the various logos that we see all around us every day but if you were around only 25 years ago, the world would look much different. I’m not talking about the advancement of technology over that time. Even the most iconic of brands have undergone extensive changes in brand design since their launch.
To illustrate this point, we have a handy infographic for you to study.
The Economics of Steam Trading Cards and the Steam Wallet
It’s been six months since Steam introduced their Trading Cards. When they first launched, I was utterly confused as to why anyone would be interested in virtual trading cards that had no purpose and no value. It just seemed like a way for Valve to make some money that no one would buy into.
However, having just completed the Steam Holiday Sale, it’s readily apparent that Valve has hit a home run with the Trading Cards. It’s not just the transaction fees that are making Valve money. The spin-off effect from Trading Cards does just as much to make Steam even more profitable.
Wednesday Link-Off: Back to Business
I’m back on duty with the Wednesday links. I’m trying to do up a Fan Expo experience post for the end of the week but I can’t guarantee it. If not this week, definitely next week. There are definitely some things that happen that don’t go mainstream so I’m planning to tell those tales.
In the meantime, since we have a new Batman, here’s Jennifer Garner.
We might write-off moronic statements by politicians as pandering to their base but in other countries, they take these statements seriously. In Egypt, moronic statements are undermining America’s influence in the country during its unrest. (MSNBC)
The Republican’s game of political chicken with Obamacare could make or break their electoral chances. The only problem is that they have a tall order ahead of them convincing the electorate that Obamacare won’t work when it sounds like a great idea. (The Week)
Here’s a theory I’ve never heard before. Did Bobby Riggs throw his tennis match against Billie Jean King at the mafia’s orders. (Outside the Lines)
I’m Tired of Reboots, Remakes and Reimaginings: The Onset of Gamer Fatigue
I think I’ve finally snapped. I checked the gaming headlines the other day to find out that Bethesda was doing a “reimagined” Wolfenstein game set in a version of the 1960s where the Nazis won World War II and ruled the world. I’ve played a bit of Wolfenstein 3D and was thought it okay but I didn’t particularly care much about it even though it’s the grand-daddy of modern first-person shooters (well, pre-console revolution FPSs).
Yet, when I heard about the upcoming Wolfenstein: The New Order, I snapped (or the blogger facsimile there of). As this console generation has slowly ground on, the influx of new intellectual properties being developed seems to have almost stopped. What new multi-platform IPs do we have to look forward to this year? Fuse, Remember Me and Watch Dogs? That’s it?!
It’s tough for me, and I’d imagine many gamers, to be excited about the near future of gaming when there is so little to be excited about. We’re stuck with publishers giving us a series of franchise reboots, remakes, reimaginings and sequels to put some money in their pockets. Quite frankly, it’s wearing me out.
Sunday Link-Off: Economics 101
I didn’t have a lot of time to write this up yesterday. I’ve been busy building a PC… Or trying to build a PC. Let’s hope that it works as advertised. I’ve read good things and bad about that graphics card I got. It came in a bundle. I could’ve gone for something different and paid more. Still, I was amazed how much cheaper going AMD was than Intel & NVIDIA when gaming performance is similar. Right now, my biggest complaint is that it’s not as powerful as I expected but I’ll see if I can’t tweak a bit on that.
Right, it’s Sunday which means it’s time for the links. Let’s kick it off with Adriana Lima who surprisingly hasn’t been featured on the blog in nearly two years. It’s about time that I corrected that.
So the US deficit is being reduced but at what cost? Economists say that the cost cutting and tax increase plans agreed upon by both parties is slowing economic recovery. (The New York Times)
Remember Instagram? It was big before Facebook bought it and Twitter dropped integrated image support for the app. Anyway, here’s a look at the rise and Zuckerberg-ification of Instagram. (Vanity Fair)
One social network that isn’t in danger of going away anytime soon is Reddit. If you want news and memes fast, Reddit will have it first. (Ad Age)
The Lowdown 