Best of the Web, October 29

Best of the Web, October 29

Just ask Mummy: Cancer the least of their worries; All-time 100 top gadgets; Eye Robot.

October 29, 2010 2:01 by Rasha Reslan

Just ask Mummy: Cancer the least of their worries

Though the world of ancient Egypt has been studied from various angles, this article takes a somewhat different perspective as it examines the health of the residents of Ancient Egypt. One outstanding discovery scientists have made from reviewing the bodies of mummies is that none of them ever had cancer. So why are we plagued by the disease? The usual culprits are responsible, apparently: ‘’industrialization, pollution and the ills of modern life.”

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Eye Robot

When Kipp tried to count the number of movies, comic books and novels predicting the day robots will rule the world, we gave up at a hundred and forever. And yet, all these art forms seemed to miss out on one tiny detail: the poor eyesight of robots. In this article, The Economist considers how robots’ inability to process images is standing in the way of ruling the world.

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Exclusive interview with Tony Hsieh: How Being A Little Bit Weird Made Zappos A Fortune

There is a reason why Hollywood cashes in on the story of the self-made man who had to overcome struggles of all sorts. Besides being inspiring, the tales are also just so intriguing. Watch this interview with Tony Hsieh to understand the workings of the man who managed to sell his first business to Microsoft in 1999 for $265 million and just recently to sell Zappos shoe shop to Amazon for $1.2 billion. Kipp is impressed by the simplicity of Hsieh’s tactics. What is Zappos marketing strength over other companies? The use of the telephone.

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Time’s All-Time 100 top gadgets

Technology, they say, is developing faster than the speed of light. Looking at this article will make anyone living through the technology revolution feel nostalgic. From Nintendo Gameboy’s to the oh-so-cool Discman of yesteryear, Time picks the 100 greatest and most influential gadgets from 1923 to the present.

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Apps That Help You Manage Your Life

Have you ever found apps to be a waste of time? Well, we weren’t too impressed with many of those on the market either, until we read Forbes’ list of the apps that help you manage your life. What could you possibly get done with an app, we hear you say? Well, what if you could enter the ingredients that you have in your cupboard into your iPhone and get a list of recipes; or what if you could store all your coupons in your iPhone and merely scan the barcode in stores? If you think this sounds pretty cool, we recommend browsing through this list.