link round-up

I have some things collecting in tabs, so here's a hodge-podge:

• First, border-crossing. You've probably heard by now that border control in the US has gotten aggressive, including demanding passwords for encrypted devices and then taking them out of view for an extended time. You don't have to give up your password, but if you don't, they can confiscate your device for weeks or months for "review". The rights you have against unreasonable search and seizure in the US are not the same as those you have at the border. While they can't deny entry to US citizens, they can to others.

• It's important to know what you don't know. David Director Friedman has an interesting idea about applying economics to teaching -- specifically, grading exams.

• A lot of the Rands article The New Manager Death-Spiral sounds very familiar.

• We all know one of the Internet rules: don't read the comments. The parts of the net I frequent tend to be better than, say, a random sample of YouTube, which is due to a mix of conscientious participants and comment moderation. A while back I came across a comment-moderation policy described as "Victorian Sufi Buddha Lite": they require a comment to be at least two of true, necessary, and kind.

• I'm not sure that philosophy applies to windshield notes, but they sure are funny.

• How do we know Humpty Dumpty is an egg? The rhyme doesn't say so. Huh, I never thought about that.

• Speaking of things I hadn't thought about, have you ever noticed the similarities between fantasy-adventurer settings and westerns?