Daily Links 11-26-13

In today's link roundup: tech companies that turned down merger offers, using a procrasination pad, remembering Apollo 11, and much more.

*****************

A fascinating list of 8 tech companies that turned down merger offers. Not all of the stories ended well. Some of the companies, however, thrived.

*****************

From Art of Manliness, a wonderful collection of spy concealments.

During World War II, a British publisher used Monopoly sets to smuggle maps, compasses, and money to prisoners of war.

*****************

From Lifehacker, how to stay focused on your current task with a procrastination pad. Personally, I like working from to-do lists and this seems like a great way to manage my free time.

*****************

An online gallery of the objects from Apollo 11 that are currently housed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

*****************

Here's a real piece of cinematic history: Audrey Hepburn's screen test for Roman Holiday.


Hat tip: Open Culture

****************

An assortment of vintage advertisements starring notable authors (hat tip Book Riot). Yes, it's true that there was a time when authors would endorse different products. Nowadays authors aren't as well known so it's unlikely that you would see these kinds of ads.

*****************

A review of the new documentary profiling Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, Dear Mr. Watterson, at Christianity Today.

Daily Links 10-21-13

Is Paleo just a fad diet, the downfalls of teenagers on social media, the differences between buzzwords and leadership, and more in today's roundup of links.

******************

Is Paleo just another fad diet or is there something more to it? Speaking from personal experience, Paleo has been a life-changing decision for me. About a year ago I was getting sick all the time. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. My doctor was stumped. Then I finally stumbled across Breaking the Vicious Cycle and started following the guidelines closely. My health changed dramatically and started to lose weight. Paleo is closely related to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the approaches are similar. Eating Paleo has made a big difference in my life. If you're dealing with digestive issues it's worth a try to see if it will make a difference.

******************

This week marks the return of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot to the small screen. Of course, Britain gets to see it first. American viewers will have to wait until next year thanks to PBS. To whet your appetite, ITV has posted a trailer on their website. These will be the last four movies in the entire canon.

******************

Habits of successful people: They start before they feel ready. This is a fascinating article.

******************

Have you ever looked closely at company logos? They may be trying to tell you something.

******************

This is a frightening list: seven everyday foods that could kill you. (Hat tip: Food Riot)

******************

The downside of teenagers being constantly connected to their electronic devices. For what its worth, this is an area where we have treaded carefully with our own daughters.

******************

10 differences between buzzwords and leadership:

On several occasions when teaching, I’ve noted the difference between buzzwords and leadership. In fact, I think that a key facet of leadership is knowing the difference between a strategy and a collection of buzzwords. In the corporate world, there are a multitude of buzzwords (and phrases) that need to fall out of existence. And, yes, I’m an offending party on several of these.

Hat tip: Justin Taylor

*****************

I find to-do lists are really helpful in managing my day to day tasks. Here's a fascinating history of the to-do list and how to make them work better for you.

*****************

This is fun: A list of 25 movies that you might not know were based on books.(Hat tip: Book Riot)