Big Chains Pay Better An Mom & Pop Stores (Vox) “Those findings involve basic demographic controls, but there’s more to life than demographics. When the authors do more math, they find that a lot of this premium is due to…
Author: ruebeckc
Stand-up desk, really?
Really? The desks are $5,720 to $15,830. A Standing Desk Ups Office Ergonomics Here’s another answer. Standing (xkcd)
Informal economy: effect not cause
Development and entrepreneurship: Business formal (The Economist) The article highlights several reasons to presume that high rates of informal economic activity do not power growth but rather are the result of factors that limit growth. We learn that “rich countries…
Brazil, Germany, and the spaces of soccer
Lots to think about here when pondering the individual and the group — far beyond just Brazil v. Germany. Baseball or Soccer (NYTimes, Brooks) Misunderstood neo-classic economics, in this vein, is when people explain soccer while thinking it can be…
A sequence out of Africa, in a cruciverbalist way
Solving an older puzzle today, with a nice mathematical twist. August 11, 2011 (Play online) or in .puz format (both require subscription) Here’s the commentary from Deb Amlen and the constructor, Peter Lewis. Thursday: Totally Baked (NYTimes) That leads to…
Ana Ng – TMBG
Recent take on the song TMBG Puppets Shoot ANA NG (Vimeo) and the video it’s taken from. The Might Be Giants – Ana Ng (You Tube)
History of the gas tax
On its anniversary (as reported by Marketplace among their factoids on Friday) When did the Federal Government begin collecting the gas tax? (Federal Hwy Administration)
Cap and Trade news mid-2014
Good news from the states, or at least most of them. States Say Cutting Down On Carbon Was Easier Than Expected (NPR) Once again, the way forward often involves the middle ground Conservatives, Environmentalists Found Common Ground In Cap And Trade (NPR)…
Top foreign-visitor city
It’s London! – from Slate
Michael Palin’s Brazil
Yes, that Michael Palin (and no, not Terry Gilliam’s Brazil). The book was written while he was working on a TV special for the BBC (and thus PBS, too). I’m enjoying the dip back into Brazilian bits and pieces, and…