Random Tuesday linkage

• A spiffy story on how just about anything can be negotiated, from minor purchases to major projects. Amusing and amazing.
  (via kottke)
  
  
• Written for geeks, but really true of just about anyone: the value of finding Your People, a group that's not quite the same as your best friends.
  (via Medley)
  
  
• Things you don't want to read about the economic realm:
  1. Next Asset Bubble Could Come Sooner Than You Think -- the ripples of herd mentality
     
  2. How Wall Street is making its billions -- free government loans, invested in government bonds -- i.e., lending the government its own money for a couple of % gain with no positive effect on the economy as a whole.
  (I think these are both via Atrios)
  
  
• Dora The Explorer Matters To Boys, a sign of her success at proving that children will identify with protagonists who are cool and get to do neat things.
  
  
• The Obama administration realizes it has better things to do than fight states over medical marijuana, and tells federal prosecutors to get busy elsewhere. Imagine.
  
  
• And, a little art story that gets at several kids of coolness, including the inspired performance itself and the fact that anybody in the world can see a performance from Ukraine's Got Talent. Ah, the Internet era!