Miscellaneous Link Dumping

Haven't been feeling as inspired to post as much lately (combined with a crushing amount of work to get done) but here are a few things that I found interesting recently:

• [Productivity] 'Don't multitask', from an appropriately named article "The Myth of Multitasking" (The New Atlantis): "multitasking adversely affects how you learn. Even if you learn while multitasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily." It's something that I'm trying to get away from but I just have to figure out how to better control the interruptions.
  
• [Commodities] Optisolar, a rival to to Nanosolar raises $77.8 M with plans to build a 550 MW plant in San Luis Obispo County, California. Read more about it here and here. Like many things, it bugs me that some people think that the government should be spearheading some big plan - as if they have the expertise or competence to figure out which technologies are most viable.
  
• [Trivia] The reason that pub/bar music is loud is because people drink more - at least according to the Guardian.
• [Managing] Inside the LEGO Factory. Pretty cool, from Gizmodo.
• [Technology] An site/blog dedicated to Arab technology startups. Given their governments and stifling social conditions, I have my doubts that this will be vibrant site but I guess it's a start.
  
• [Politics, Economics] According to the Economist, you get what you pay for especially when it comes to survival rates from a few forms of cancer. Interestingly despite significantly greater amounts of spending in the US, the survival rates are only marginally better than Canada - though I'm sure that for that margin, it's worth it.