Link roundup

1. Grantland's behind the scenes look at NBA All-Star Weekend 2012.

2. Robin Hanson:

My interpretation: elites excel at hypocrisy. Elites can better distinguish ideals which are mainly given lip service, from ideals that really matter personally. Elites can better see which laws and social norms are actually enforced with strong penalties, and those that can be violated with impunity. This ability comes in part from implicit cultural learning, and also from just raw IQ. Homo hypocritus is alive and well – having good enough brains and social connections to manage hypocrisy well is still a core human capacity, as crucial for success in our world as it was for foragers.

This theory suggests that weak culture, the parts without strong local teeth, matter more for lower classes. Upper classes give lip service to whatever they are supposed to endorse, and then mostly ignore it to do what helps them personally. It is the lower classes that are more likely to naively do what culture suggests. They are more likely to “only marry for love” or “follow your bliss” or to think “its all relative anyway.”

3. The Epic Live-Tweeting Of Last Night's Park Slope Coop Meeting.

4. Devastating article on UCLA's basketball program. Sample:

In a game during the 2007-08 season, several players on the bench noted [Coach] Howland's frustration with the shot selection of Westbrook, whose freelancing had resulted in several baskets. But rather than substituting for him, Howland informed one of the officials that Westbrook was wearing socks bearing an NBA logo, which violated NCAA uniform guidelines. Howland told the official he had an obligation to remove Westbrook from the game because of his socks. The official claimed to be unaware of the rule and let play continue.

Link roundup

1. The mock Ted Talk for Prometheus was a clever marketing stunt, but the video itself is incredibly tedious and the flying cameras look stupid. I'm also surprised that the Weyland Industries url doesn't include a sign up option.

On the other hand, I just finished and greatly enjoyed Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, which was written by Damon Lindelof. It's $13 at Amazon (athough I picked it up when it was $6 at Comixology). I mean, this is the second page in the story, and the story keeps the throttle down after that.

2. Work hard in school. Or else.

3. Freakonomics tries to explain why every team missed on Jeremy Lin:

The last team to overlook Lin was the Houston Rockets — they cut Lin back in December. At that time, the point guard the Rockets decided to keep was Jonny Flynn. Back in 2009, Flynn – after posting a 4.7 WS40 at Syracuse in 2008-09 (that is a below average mark) — was the 6th player taken in the NBA draft. As of last December, Flynn had played more than 3,300 minutes in the NBA and again posted below average numbers. Despite all this evidence that Flynn is not an above average basketball player, the Rockets kept Flynn over Lin.

What explain this “Flynnsanity”? Not only do NBA decision-makers focus on the wrong issues on the NBA draft, they also are slow to let these decisions go. A player’s draft position impacts minutes played – even after we control for performance – several years into a player’s career. So it’s not surprising that Flynn – who did not play well in college or in the NBA – was chosen by the Rockets over Lin. Flynn was supposed to be a star in college. He was supposed to be a star when he was drafted. And I am sure, people still believe Flynn may someday be a star in the NBA.

*Buy Prometheus posters at eBay.

Link roundup

Admiral General Aladeen's video demand to be allowed at the Oscars worked. (I hope Hillary Swank is his date.)

And a few more links:

1. Deadspin on the new Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor:

Available only at their Harvard Square location, Ben & Jerry's is selling a limited edition "Taste The Linsanity" flavor, which includes delicious little crumbles of fortune cookie. This, despite the Asian American Journalists Association's clear warning that there's no "compelling reason to draw a connection between Lin and fortune cookies, takeout boxes or similar imagery."

Also, "Taste The Lin-Sanity" features lychee, which is a fruit native to Southeast Asia, which is not the part of Asia that Jeremy Lin comes from. (The part of Asia that Jeremy Lin comes from is Northern California.)

Update: They've removed the fortune cookie bits.

2. Rick Santorum shook Ron Paul's hand like a madman after this week's debate.

3. The new SSX demo (PS3) is a wonderful return to the series, and I've liked every song I've heard so far. My 6 year old instantly fell in love too. Here's the SSX soundtrack lineup and individual downloads at Amazon, and if you preorder the game you'll get a $10 Amazon credit and bonus snowboard.

4. Just added as preorders at the BBTS, DC Universe All Stars Series 02-03 (Flash, Red Robin, Supergirl, Superman, Hawkman, Steel, Batman, Batgirl).

Link roundup

1. "In describing LeBron James' season, 'great' might not even begin to do it justice. If the season ended today, his PER (player efficiency rating) of 32.6 would be the best in NBA history, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons."

2. A reader tells Neil Gaiman:

I bought my niece Coraline as a gift. When I next saw her, I asked what she thought of it. She got about half-way through, then got so scared she wrapped it up in a blanket and put it in a shoe box. Then put the shobox in an empty toybox, then filled the toybox, locked it, and put it up in the attic. Which was then locked. Just thought I'd share that.

3. My favorite song of the day is Fenech-Soler - Demons (Minnesota Remix). Via.

Illustration roundup

Jeremy Lin t-shirt by Jeffrey Zhang.




Hugo posters by Kevin Tong going on sale at Mondo during the Oscars. Via.



Giraffe by Dustin Harbin, who is still having a big sale on prints and commissions.





A few commissions by Loston Wallace.

*Buy Mondo posters at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Chipotle's spinoff ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen is doing well enough to justify a second restaurant in DC.

2. Belichick Breakdown's are weekly posts by Bill Belichick explaining football plays. Relatedly, here's some detailed analysis of what to expect in the Saints/49ers and Broncos/Patriots.

3. ESPN suggests that Kobe is driven to humiliate Steve Nash:

When Bryant got the chance to go one-on-one with Nash in the first half Tuesday night, he even changed his signature sound. Normally Bryant calls for the ball by using his tongue to push staccato bursts of air through his teeth. It sounds kind of like the Smoke Monster on “Lost.” As soon as Nash switched onto Bryant, however, Kobe made sure he wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity. He posted up Nash on the right block and let loose a holler that could be heard throughout Staples Center.

“Whooo!” he yelled. “Whoo!”

4. Artist looking for commissions.

5. 50% off t-shirts at Zazzle with the code FFHSFRIDAY13. I recommend Miskatonic University, Vonster, Steve Thomas, Franco Brambilla, Adam Koford, and my own store. (FYI, at least in my store you can customize with a wide variety of shirt types and colors.)