A few people have told me that — while they enjoy the links I share in the Weekender every week — they’d much rather I attach some context to each link rather than just share a small image. In that light, I’m changing up the way I present this week’s links.

Let me know what you think of the new approach. Do you like the added context, or did you prefer the visual panache of the image-based link posts?

Here we go: your weekend reading for February 6, 2009, as selected by me.

2009 Will Be a Year of Panic
The economy is tanking, conflicts are cropping up around the world each day, and there’s a general gloom in the air. So it’s not surprising that Bruce Sterling is able to come up with several reasons why 2009 will be a pretty bad year. (My video rant about this.)

In Praise of Lo-Fi
In an ever-connected world, it’s easy to get lost in a deluge of information. Sometimes, we need to consciously take some time and disconnect, to live a lo-fi life, and letting your mind wander. (My previous post on this.)

Escaping the Caboose
Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe the reason you’re not driving your own train is because you’re refusing to make the necessary decisions to get out of the caboose. Make the right decisions, and change your life. Simple, eh?

The Virtues of Godlessness
Many of us were raised with the notion that we had to act morally and virtuously or we would face the wrath of God. What about those people that weren’t raised in such a climate? Are they still virtuous and morally good?

The Economics of Giving It Away
When facing a downturn in the economy, giving away services for free may seem counter-intuitive. Instead, this “free” environment may actually encourage true innovation and lead to better returns for small businesses that are willing to keep trying new things.

When No News Is Bad News
There’s a lot of articles out there that are bemoaning the fall of investigative journalism (particularly when it comes to newspapers and print journalism as a whole) but there are few that tackle the problem as articulately as this piece by James Warren.

Tip: Encourage Daylighting
Your employees may not spend 100% of their day working on their job-specific tasks; instead, they may be purusing their own side projects. That’s a good thing. Letting your employees explore and create will make them even better at what they do.

The Case Against Everything Buckets
Want to know why tools like Yojimbo and Evernote don’t work so well for me? Because I use different services to sort and package different types of things. Alex Payne does the same and writes about why “everything buckets” aren’t really making your life any better or easier.

Newcomers Adjust, Eventually, to New York
As someone who has recently settled in a new city, any tales of settling and fitting in are intriguing to me. Like newcomers to New York, newcomers to any city need to find their place before they can truly call it home.

How Twitter Was Born
It may be the darling web service of the media right now, but Twitter had humble beginnings. I’m glad Dom Sagolla wrote this article to remind us of how the Twitter craze all began.

A Letter I’d Like To See, But Won’t
Michael Phelps put up a forced and obviously insincere apology after a photo surfaced of him smoking some cheeba. Think what you want about marijuana, this “fake letter” from Phelps puts the whole silliness into context.

It’s Just Garbage
Cory Doctorow hangs out with a man who makes a living selling things he finds in dumpsters. Dumpsters in my old neighborhood in Toronto, in fact. Now that’s finding a creative business idea.

I LEGO N.Y.
Experience New York City in a way you’ve never done before: through Lego. Also, this piece contains one of the best way to teach newcomers about how the taxis work in the city.

The Serious Need for Play
I had quite a few structured activities growing up, but the best thing my parents ever did was to let me fill my own time with play — whether with other children or alone with my imagination. Playtime was some of my favorite time growing up, and this article shows how it may be some of the most important times in a child’s life.

The Smart Growth Manifesto
Umair Haque is my hero. Has been for a while. This article on rethinking capitalism and growth cemented his hero status, and his manifesto is simple: Outcomes, not income. Connections, not transactions. People, not product. Creativity, not productivity.

Can We Transform the Auto-Industrial Society?
Stimulus packages, bailouts, buyouts: all buzzwords that are being touted as the answers to current financial crisis. Emma Rothschild argues that the best stimulus package is one that invests in public transit and transforms the way we interact with our public infrastructure.

What Do Women Want?
I went into this article hoping to get the goods, I came out with a much better understanding of the science of desire and arousal. Not quite the goods I was looking for, but an interesting read nonetheless.

The $20 Theory of the Universe
According to this article, there’s a lot of power in the $20 bill. It gets you places, it gets you stuff, it gets you respect. In the end, however, it’s all about attitude and how you use it. Really good tips here on how to wield some muscle using a simple twenty-dollar bill.

That’s it for this weekend. If you want to keep on top of what else I’m reading or enjoying on the web during the week, check out my tumblelog Squandrous, my Google Reader shared items, or my Times People profile.