The weekend is a great time to catch up on some of the reading you skipped during the week. We hope you enjoy this set of long-form links.
Market panics are “generated by a combination of uncertainty and mimicry rather than by real news.” (The Psy-Fi Blog)
The ratings agencies got caught up on the financialization of the global economy just like everyone else. (Justin Fox)
The Web 2.0 bubble that never was has already popped. (TechCrunch contra Term Sheet)
An interview with “godfather of the quants” Edward O. Thorpe. (JOIC via @pkedrosky)
How Not to Invest: Rule #2: Don’t forget the past, get yourself some feedback. (The Psy-Fi Blog)
Michael Lewis goes to a Germany wondering how it got into this position. (Vanity Fair)
The drift to quality rolls on. A new Jeremy Grantham piece is out. (GMO)
The ins and outs of investing in the farmland boom. (Bloomberg)
The US content of products “made in China.” (FRBSF)
Amy Cortese on the rise of “locavesting.” (Tradestreaming)
Umair Haque, “What happens when a nation willfully ignores perhaps the most fundamental lesson of economics, and hopes rent-seeking will equal real prosperity?” (HBR)
Put down that paper. Scientific fraud is a growing problem. (WSJ)
Barry Schwartz on practical wisdom and the choices that matter. (Infectious Greed)
The London riots show the downside of social media. (ArsTechnica via The Browser)
On the creative nature of content curation. (Brain Pickings)
Why spoilers don’t necessarily spoil your experience. (The Frontal Cortex)
On the economics of the marriage market. (NYTimes)
Are your co-workers killing you? (The Frontal Cortex)
Felix Salmon, “Paying for something you value, even when you don’t need to, is a mark of a civilized society.” (Reuters)
A history of computer chess. (ArsTechnica via The Browser)
China is the hot new hunting ground for dinosaur fossils. (Newsweek)
An oral history of the Dana Carvey Show. (GQ)
How to write faster. (Slate)
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