Headlines from September 27, 2011

Trader who spun tales of greed on the BBC perhaps too honestly found to be the real deal.
I had to transform myself into a person who would take a life. Confessions of a Virginia executioner.
Greeks possess “what social scientists call very low ‘tax morale.’”
EasyJet’s founder to launch new low-cost competitor, FastJet.
California to allow prisoners to serve sentences online.
Obsession with zombies found to be an Anglophone phenomenon. #maps
Accessible, semi-brief (2834 words) history of the human brain.
New Yorkers would be sad to miss John Warner (aka, the Biblioracle) reading tonight at McNally-Jackson.
Excerpt from John’s new novel, Funny Man, published today.
“He was scared stiff of all breasts,” says Birkin. Things you didn’t know about Serge Gainsbourg.
It is never too late to learn about this study: What happens when three men who believe they’re Jesus are introduced to each other.
Strategic principles for surviving extreme negotiations.
Gladwell on the NBA lockout: “[The rich] have mastered the arts of whining and predation, without regard to logic or shame.”
Bizarre consumer products based on NASA technology.
Annals of Improbable Research launches exploration into X-bean soups.
Amount of people involved in major events compared to the number you know on Facebook.
Decimation was a Roman punishment where one in 10 men was killed. Commonly misused English words.
New Zambian president, calling Chinese investors “infesters,” wants migrant workers expelled.
Data since 2008 shows steady downward trend in New Yorkers consuming cocaine.
When Kerouac met Kesey, as told by their agent. via
Politicians should fear cartoons before editorials—they’re much more vicious. #opinions
Scientists say four or more (!) cups of coffee a day lowers depression among women by 20%
Female comedy writers at late-night shows talk shop.
Office writers discuss why Andy got the big job.
Programmer’s virtual monkeys have randomly reproduced almost all of Shakespeare’s work.
Sly Stone currently lives in a camper and wishes people would pay him to play his own music.
Nine-thousand Scottish homes to be powered by whisky.
Physics of how a bicycle traveling at the right speed will steer itself. #video
End of motoring declared once again in Britain, but this time trends—electric public vehicles; travel peaks—suggest it’s true. via
Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the Antarctic: victim of cruel luck and deception.
At the top of Dubai’s reading list: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed.
Stories behind band T-shirts that still mean something to their owners, and why.