Category: Uncategorized

Graphing unemployment

Older data, but interesting nonetheless. Anybody want to update them? The first chart was called “The Scariest Jobs Chart Ever” Pct Job Losses In Post-WWII Recessions (Business Insider) December Employment Report: 155,000 Jobs, 7.8% Unemployment Rate (Calculated Risk) Planet Money…

Wolfers & Stevenson in NYTimes

Wolfers says, “real economics takes account of emotions as well.” Economics of Family Life, as Taught by a Power Couple (NYTimes) Agreed! Later, though, the reporter notes that “Mr. Wolfers has written about the joys of fatherhood [Freakonomics blog, 2011]…

Do our close relatives play similar games?

The literature is huge, but here are two recent results about primates. Do chimpanzees care about fairness? The jury’s out (Not Exactly Rocket Science from National Geographic) Bonobos Share with Strangers First (Scientific American’s 60-Second Science)

Running and coaching

The question for elites … Who Pays the Coach? (Running Times, Grandstand View) … and the realities of the amateur. How to Be Your Own Coach (Runner’s World) Here is some more advice—take it easy!  “Too many runners try to pass off…

Did the Dow hit a new high?

Well, not really—for two reasons! What Saved the Dow? Sensible Economic Policies (The New Yorker) Dow Jones high should not be mistaken for growth in the US economy (The Guardian) And let’s dump on the whole idea of the Dow, anyway What…

APOD and image manipulation

Astronomy Picture of the Day has some modified pictures, like this cool one. APOD: 2013 February 19 – Mercury on the Horizon When has image manipulation added to our understanding, and when has it gone too far? The Ethics of…

Obesity: fact, fiction, and disagreement

Discussing a new England Journal of medicine story on obesity, with disagreement. Separating fact from fiction on weight loss and obesity (Radio Times, WHYY) It covers various topics, including losing weight for health reasons rather than just looks; the cultural weight…

A Mormon’s beliefs

My Beliefs | Clayton Christensen There haven’t been many Mormons in my life (and although both Christensen and Romney have affected many of our lives, I don’t count them), but those that I’ve known have been people I admired. Christensen…