Friday Links

From the Web

Capital Punishment – Whether you agree in the practice or not, this is a powerfully written piece showing, in at least one case, it may have killed an innocent man. (Hat Tip: Ben Casnocha)

Motivation: Why Traditional Incentives Don’t Work – A fantastic speech by Dan Pink, who explains that traditional financial incentives (the kinds our capitalist economy are based on) do not work to motivate people outside a narrow spectrum. He does a great job of explaining that these findings are based on well-researched, scientific facts about human behavior.

From the Archives

How to Build an Ironclad Personal Discipline – “Building discipline is a lot like building strength. The times when your commitment wavers and you feel like backing down test the limits of your discipline. Every time you brush that limit and keep going, you slowly build your personal discipline.”

From the Shelf

The Language Instinct – Steven Pinker is a fantastic writer, and this book makes no exception. My favorite chapter is where he attacks the grammar zealots who complain that today’s youth fail to speak properly and the damage this will cause society. Pinker argues that, as language is an instinct, almost all people across all dialect and languages, speak grammatically. And in fact, it is many of the grammar mavens themselves who are harming language.