The joy of old age. Interesting and uplifting essay by Oliver Sacks, who turns 80 this year.

Highest gas prices? Highest sushi prices? Best for workers? Most time spent daily? Find out the answers.

The world’s weirdest languages. German at 10. Dutch at 12. Who would have thought.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke's commencement speech at Princeton University. Full of wisdom and good advice.

Brief cultural history of Russia by Russian writer Mikhail Shishkin. Fascinating throughout.

Must read interview with three architects including Pierre de Meuron about three recent German building debacles. The interview is interesting on so many accounts.

Fascinating article about the American artist James Turrell whose primary materials are light and space.

Interview with Chris Ware. Building Stories was one of my favourite books of 2012. I'm looking forward to reading Jimmy Corrigan. The Smartest Kid on Earth.

Interesting interview with Edward Tufte in the Financial Times Magazine. I especially like his choice of favourite graphics.

Paul Krugman on How the Case for Austerity Has Crumbled.

Martin Wolf on How Austerity Has Failed.

Conventional monetary policy measures (such as rate cuts) are conventional for a reason: they’re the most powerful. Central banks are only using non-conventional policies because they’ve exhausted the scope for conventional policy measures.

Es reicht nicht keine Einfälle zu haben, man muss auch noch unfähig sein sie umzusetzen.

You ask a philosopher a question and after s/he has talked for a while you no longer understand your own question.

A thought that sometimes makes me hazy: Am I or are the others crazy?