L2A Links for November 23rd

• The ‘wisdom of crowds’ loses steam | The Open Road – CNET News – Matt Asay shares a collection of evidence that the "crowdsourcing" revolution may be settling into traditional models. From the article: "Despite countless articles extolling the virtues and seeming omnipotence of "community" over the past several years, the technology industry seems to be settling back into old habits: Command and control."
• The Science of Success – The Atlantic (December 2009) – A fascinating article on the "Orchid Child Hypothesis" that impacts evolution, nature v. nurture (or should we say nature + nurture), and parenting. From the article: "Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a provocative new theory of genetics, which asserts that the very genes that give us the most trouble as a species, causing behaviors that are self-destructive and antisocial, also underlie humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail—but with the right environment and good parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and happy people."