Links posted in October 2008
October 29, 2008
Google and Book Publishers settle suit - GOOG gets to show snippets of books in online search results; pays to set up a copyright registry; can sell electronic full-text versions; gives 63c of each dollar it makes with ads or sales to the publisher&author. Sounds good to me, and if Lessig likes it then so do I. [more inside]
October 28, 2008
In case you miss the videos they used to show on MTV2. I know, I know, they posted this on lifehacker, but did lifehacker give you the url for the library of pop up videos? Or what I think is the coolest song/video pairing you will not stumble upon by yourself?
October 26, 2008
Regarding that $150k - I was somewhat chastened by this Campbell Brown segment defending Palin's $150k shopping spree. Women's clothes cost much more than men's, they need more of them, and like it or not a woman in the public eye is judged on her appearance.
Then I decided to look a little closer. Here's what a window-shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue got me (details and methodology after the jump):
- 115 suits, $560 average. Many of these were on sale -- with deals like a $1,295 St. John Santana Knit Jacket on sale for $777, how can you afford to not get a hundred of them? ($64,400 total)
- 57 pairs of shoes, averaging $610, primarily Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo ($34,770 total).
- 15 dresses averaging $675 -- Versace, Diane von Furstenburg, Dior, more ($10,125 total)
- 11 Jackets averaging $970 from Armani, Akris, Burberry, etc. ($10,670 total)
- 32 Hats (at $240 each) and 5 Earmuffs ($290). This includes an adorable Emilio Pucci Rabbit Fur Earmuffs for $435; an Eric Javits Capuchon II Hood for $350.00 and bargain-priced Burberry Check Hat for $150. ($9,130 total)
- 37 Scarves (hey -- Alaska gets cold) at $400 on average. Selections include a $795.00 Chloé Patchwork Knit Scarf, and a $175 feel-young-again! Juicy Couture Cashmere Bow and Ruffles Scarf. ($14,800 total)
- 37 Gloves and Mittens. They were $165 on average, but I was able to afford an elegant set of Portolano Long Leather Gloves for $290 by also choosing an affordable pair of $88 Marc by Marc Jacobs Painted Intarsia Gloves. ($6,105 total)
October 25, 2008
Timeline of Presidential races. Lets hope that this year is similar to 1932 politically, since it already seems to be economically.
October 23, 2008
Huge Obama lead in Early Voting returns and things that keep me up at night:
The overwhelming force of the Dem's early voting success could mean that exit polls on election day swing lightly McCain. Say one third of voters go early, by a margin of 66-34 to Obama, and two-thirds vote on the fourth, 48-52. Obama therefore carries the state by an overwhelming 54-46 margin, but what the media will see on election day is: "Election day shocker! Voters leaving the polls went for McCain by a 4-point margin." They will then be told by election officials that after counting in the fairly small fraction of early and absentee ballots, the final tally is an eight-point *Obama* victory.
Is the media numerate enough to understand this situation? I doubt it. If nothing else, this seems fraught with post-election accusations of voter fraud. [more inside]
October 22, 2008
Geography of Newspaper Endorsements
- me trying out online graphing tools. Apart from the unsurprising evidence that (choose one: [[Obama is the logical choice]] -OR- [[there is overwhelming liberal media bias]]), I'm struck by the mismatch between papers' endorsements and their "Red State" vs "Blue State" alignment.
[more inside]
RIP Dolemite. Every history of hip hop counts 'Godfather Of Rap' Rudy Ray Moore among its precursors, and the trailer for Dolemite counts among the all-time greats. Though the NYTimes obit (among an unstoppable array of hilarious pull quotes) cites “The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism”, they are too shy to link to the Signifying Monkey (lyrics), but I'm not. Do I even need to say it? Anything RRMoore is NSFW.
October 21, 2008
Is the performance of the Digital TV Transition Ford a bad omen for the upcoming cutover?
October 20, 2008
What do you do when your 1-year-old hedge fund makes a 866% gain? Quit and smoke some weed.
October 19, 2008
Watch Barney Frank on the O'Reilly Factor. Now watch Barney Frank on the Lil' O'Reilly Factor. See here for more 'Lil O'Reilly.
October 16, 2008
FAIL + today's economy = LOLCats + "a global outbreak of some feline adorability virus" It made sense when I read it. More FAIL (NSFW here and there)
Music Videos with Literal Lyrics - I don't know why this is funny. But it is: Take On Me - Head Over Heels.
October 14, 2008
This is a man who is soon going to be in trouble with his wife. Big, big trouble.
October 13, 2008
Krugman wins the nobel prize for economics.
October 12, 2008
Weng Weng, Weng Weng. 2 foot 9. He'll kick you in the nutsack from behind.
October 09, 2008
The work of Tversky and Kahneman* (founders of Prospect Theory and so modern Behavioral Finance) came up at dinner last night, and I did poor service to the breadth of their accessible, surprising, applicable results.
Most of their work shows how decisions people make in the face of uncertainty and risk deviate from purely rational calculations* of utility & expectation. This is one of many refutations to the classic Chicago School's model of intrinsically efficient markets governed by the self-interest of purely rational agents. (As recent events remind us, deviations from rationality such as those of K&T create externalities that may be beneficially corrected through market regulation.)
For a reasonable catalog of these "cognitive illusions", take a tour through wikipedia articles citing Kahneman and Tversky with say "Theory", "Effect", "Heuristic", "Paradox" in the abstract. For a broader intro to behavioral econ, logical fallacy and the many ways we fall short as rational agents, I recommend the engaging How We Know What Isn't So by Gilovitch.
if this is too many links I *starred the two to click
October 08, 2008
When Audiobooks Jar the Ear - NPR has a story about the differences between good and bad audiobooks. Some of the examples had me rolling on the floor such as Brad Pitt speaking Spanish and the Whitest Guy Ever doing all the voices of the gangsters in Venkatesh's Gang Leader For a Day. Anyone had any particularly egregious examples recently?
October 06, 2008
Sweetened vs. Unsweetened Tea as a dividing line between Northern and Southern US - It's like the coke/pop/soda word wars in a sense. I can't tell: is VT in the Tea North or the Tea South?
PS: Regardless of cultural implications, I'm sad to report to those of you drinking your tea without sugar that you are in fact merely drinking some gross water with dirt and leaves in it. It's a fact.
“Almost no one expected what was coming. It’s not fair to blame us for not predicting the unthinkable.“ — Daniel H. Mudd, former chief executive, Fannie Mae.
I keep hearing a disturbing overconfidence in those with our prevailing political bent, and I think a lot of it is engendered by maps such as this one. Maybe you'd like an object example for everything I know about basic statistics and Model Risk? Well here it is anyway. [more inside]
I finally got around to listening to the episode of This American Life about subprime mortgages that natedogg mentioned 2 weeks ago when I heard that the same team was doing another episode about the whole economic bailout plan. If, like me, you learned a lot from the first one, you'll probably want to listen to this new one as well. [more inside]
October 05, 2008
RE: Kiva.
via: Twitter.com
lfeeney @mrflip is kiva the microloan site you used?
mrflip @lfeeney yes, #kiva -- wanna make an AE lending team? http://www.kiva.org/community
zieglerfe @mrflip an AE lending team for Kiva?
via: e-mail
mrflip: yep -- they just started them, I think -- a pool of us go in together on part or all of a loan. You in for $25?
zieglerfe: Definitely, perhaps $25 from each of us (Felicia, Aylen, Senia, and I) = $100! We put $30 (through GOOD Magazine) but would now like to do more.
mrflip: I think we set up a group and each give thru our individual kiva accts. I gotta run, but If I set it up laters, you wanna make the AE post?
zieglerfe: Good. I will post it tonight or tomorrow morning.
mrflip: So -- the lending groups thing is a big hit, and apparently all but four projects are funded. Usually there are several dozen.
So, members of Alkaline Earth, who is in? [more inside]
October 04, 2008
MonoMetrorail
- Hell to the Yeah. I bet you think this is for commuters or people who want to save gas or something. You are wrong. It is for me to start bike rides from outside the city.