McLaren P1 vs. the Nürburgring-Nordschleife: V/O: “The world’s most challenging racetrack. 154 bends. 20.83 kilometres. Too dangerous for Formula 1. As Thomas von Hassel said on Twitter, “Oh good Lord – that noise.”

The Guardian:

“You’re having a dispute with your neighbour,” he hypothesised. “How would you feel if your neighbour went over and bought a commercial observation drone that they can launch from their back yard. It just flies over your house all day. How would you feel about it?”

Mr Schmidt, do you actually know what Google Maps and Google Earth do?

And as Peter Cohen said on Twitter, “I think it’s hilarious that the guy whose company is making self-driving cars has a bug up his ass about drones.”

Businessweek:

Over the last two months, Bloomberg Businessweek spoke to dozens of current and former BlackBerry employees, vendors, and associates. Here is their account of the thrill of BlackBerry’s ascension—and the heartache of watching its demise.

Not a pretty story from RIM insiders.

Observatory:

Here’s my JCP story. It’s loaded with the things we love about this business: drama, crushed dreams, out-of-control egos and unintentional comedy.

Segall is a guy who was there and his timeline of the frequent missteps at JCP show a company and a board of directors that has no idea what they are doing. I predict JCP will not be around in less than ten years.

Wall Street Journal:

China Mobile Ltd. has signed a long-awaited deal with Apple Inc. to offer iPhones on its network, a person familiar with the situation said, an arrangement that would give the U.S. technology giant a big boost in the world’s largest mobile market.

Take this with a tiny grain of salt because of the “a person familiar with the situation said” line but we’ve been expecting this deal for several months.

Mashables:

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences on Tuesday revealed the new inductees into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The 27 recordings inducted bring the total in the hall to 960, including albums and singles that span from Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” (1930) to Run-D.M.C.’s cover of “Walk this Way” (1986).

Like most lists of “Best of…” this one is likely to cause at least a little controversy. Which of these songs do you think don’t belong in the Grammy Hall of Fame?

Bloomberg:

Icelandic police shot dead a man who refused to stop firing at them with a shotgun in the capital of Reykjavik earlier today — and then they apologized. It was the first time that anyone in the country was killed by police gunfire.

“The police regret this incident and wishes to extend its condolences to the man’s family,” said national police chief Haraldur Johannessen.

Details of the event have yet to emerge, but this much is clear: Iceland is a weird place.

Sad that you have to describe such a peaceful country as “weird”.

Poynter:

When Planet Money embarked on a massive reporting project tracking the making of a simple T-shirt — from the cotton fields of Mississippi to Bangladeshi garment factories to shipping containers crossing oceans — an interactive, documentary-style presentation seemed like the obvious end result.

The NPR story is interesting in its “interactive documentary” style but this “story behind the story” is just as interesting.

BTW, the NPR story looks great on an iPad.

While its interactivity may be limited, you’ve got to admire the guy for the effort it must have taken to create this resume.

Valleywag:

The most absolutely awful thing about the story of Nick Starr is not that he exists, but that there are surely more people like him: the Seattle IT drone threw a Facebook fit when he was asked to take off his face-camera at a cafe. “I would love an explanation, apology, clarification…or her termination.”

Here’s your explanation – you’re a douchebag.

Macleans:

Nothing has gutted the indies, emotionally as well as financially, as the practice known as “showrooming.” Prospective buyers come into bookshops, wander the stacks, peruse the artful displays and even — unkindest cut of all — seek the advice of staff. Then they leave and order the books they want online.

Sadly, this is all too common in many retail environments. I see it a lot on the Motorcycle Retail space – going to the local bike shop, trying on gear, then buying that same gear online. Then, to make matters worse, those are the first people to whine when their local shop shuts down and they have no place to get their bike serviced.

Forbes:

Miranker’s passion for Holmes continued when he joined Apple in 1996 to help launch the iMac, eventually becoming the chief technology officer until he retired in 2004. His collection is also rich in letters and other documents relating to early Sherlock Holmes fandom.

I’ve always been a big Sherlock Holmes fan and it would be great to have the resources to invest in creating the kind of collection Miranker has.

Business Insider:

Both IBM and Adobe are reporting that Apple’s iOS, which powers iPhones and iPads, is destroying Google’s Android in mobile shopping on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Repeat after me: “Market share means nothing if it doesn’t generate revenue”.

Ars Technica:

“We’ve heard a good bit in this courtroom about public key encryption,” said Albright. “Are you familiar with that?”

“Yes, I am,” said Diffie, in what surely qualified as the biggest understatement of the trial.

“And how is it that you’re familiar with public key encryption?”

“I invented it.”

Nice.

Scott Adams Blog:

My father, age 86, is on the final approach to the long dirt nap (to use his own phrase). His mind is 98% gone, and all he has left is hours or possibly months of hideous unpleasantness in a hospital bed.

I’d like to proactively end his suffering and let him go out with some dignity. But my government says I can’t make that decision. Neither can his doctors. So, for all practical purposes, the government is torturing my father until he dies

I can’t imagine how painful this must be for Adams and everyone else in this situation.

Wired:

At this point, the smartwatch is a category getting ahead of itself. It’s a device that precedes its purpose. But that’s not necessarily a problem. No one really knew what Twitter was for when it started, either.

And no one really has yet, have they?

United We Ball:

Buckyballs are tiny, powerful magnetic balls and cubes that were sold as an adult desk toy. They became wildly popular after coming to market in 2009 and sold more than 2.5 million sets—until the CPSC banned future sales and, through a recall request, tried to force the product out of consumers’ hands.

This whole Buckyball saga is really odd. As the story points out, there are all kinds of products available that are “harmful” to children that the US Federal Government hasn’t banned.

The Verge:

To watch a football broadcast is to see much more than a football game. There are only about 11 minutes of actual action during a three-hour game, which means 95 percent of the time there’s something else going on. The graphics, replays, highlights, and analysis that make a football game into the at-home experience millions of people know and love — it’s all from Fox, and it’s all done on the fly. Nearly everyone on the crew says that while they broadcast the game, what they really do is make television.

I’ve seen a little of the behind the scenes chaos of an NFL game broadcast and it’s remarkable that, with so many moving pieces, it comes off as smoothly as it does.

Washington Post:

This has been a big week for Bitcoin. On Monday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held the first-ever Congressional hearing on Bitcoin. Later in the day, the currency’s value reached an all-time high of more than $800.

That has left a lot of people scratching their heads. What’s Bitcoin? How do you use it? And why would anyone want to? Read on for answers.

Glad somebody asked.

BBC News:

All of the surviving members of comedy group Monty Python are to reform for a stage show, one of the Pythons, Terry Jones, has confirmed.

For many of us “of a certain age”, this makes us squeal with delight.

Roadtrippers:

You’ve never seen hot air balloons like this before! A couple of weeks ago, Albuquerque, New Mexico held its 42nd annual International Balloon Fiesta. It’s a 9-day event where over 700 balloons see liftoff. It’s the largest hot air balloon festival in the entire world and we were on hand to capture the action.

I crossed “going up in a hot air balloon” off my bucket list a few years ago but a trip to the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico is still on it.

The Atlantic: Each year, the McRib makes a brief visit to Earth. Its arrival elicits reactions ranging from horror to awe. And for good reason: this would-be rib sandwich is really a restructured pork patty pressed into the rough shape … Continued

Patriot-News Editorial: Seven score and ten years ago, the forefathers of this media institution brought forth to its audience a judgment so flawed, so tainted by hubris, so lacking in the perspective history would bring, that it cannot remain unaddressed … Continued

Outdoor Photographer:

Aerial imaging using consumer-level “drones” is now within reach of any photographer.

In the past few years, developments in a new form of remote-controlled unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) called “multi-rotors” have opened up easy-to-accomplish, aerial imagery to photography on a budget.

Eric Cheng is a world class photographer and does a great job of explaining how you can get into arial shooting.

Last night the Jets played the Blackhawks. Hijinks ensued.

Wired:

Thor’s hammer Mjölnir would be the most badass weapon in comicdom even if its name didn’t sound like a Norwegian black metal band. But Marvel would have us believe that the hammer is also the god of thunder’s primary mode of transportation, and that is an unforgivable crime against the laws of physics. So we’re supposed to believe that he spins it, hurls it, and then hitches a ride on it? It’s like these people have never heard of the law of conservation of momentum!

By all means, watch the video but, and I’ve never said this before, make sure you read the comments section for the absolute nerd-gasm that is going on.

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NBC News:

The cameras strapped to the skydivers’ helmets were supposed to memorialize their perfectly timed jumps and exhilarating descent from two small planes to the earth 12,000 feet below.

When I first read about this story, it sounded like a headline out of The Onion.

The Verge:

“It succeeded in every possible way,” said Jason Eberle, who built the web version of Everpix, “except for the only way that matters.”

Interesting story on the life and death of a beloved but little used startup company.

I Put a Spell on You:

While this piece of ridiculousness was ostensibly given to John for his birthday, I’m now delighted to reveal that this present was given for my own secret benefit as well. Before I explain, there are some facts you need to know.

As we get older, hopefully our pranks on friends get subtler and more mature. Paul Kafasis of Rogue Amoeba just pulled a great prank on John Gruber of Daring Fireball.

Deadspin:

You should probably go ahead and not watch this if you’re squeamish. Yes, the tooth was part of a bridge, so the pain might have been minimal, but self-dentistry is never pleasant.

Now that’s a good old tough Canadian hockey player!