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Monthly Archives: November 2010
Value Prop: Print vs. Kindle
Amazon.com will be attempting to fix one advantage print has over Kindle by introducing a book loan feature (maybe my local library will be able to use this somehow). Amazon.com states that the loan period will be a 14 day … Continue reading
We Should Expect Better for WSJ and Gates
Last weekend the Wall Street Journal ran the type of feature that I enjoy very much. It was a debate-style format between Bill Gates and Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist. Gates’ portion of the debate can be found … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Debate, Economics
Tagged Africa, Bill Gates, Matt Ridley, Trade, Wall Street Journal
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“Why do people go to restaurants if we can make food at home?”
I received this great question from a 5-year-old as we drove into the parking lot of Red Robin. There are many reasons why restaurants exist alongside our kitchens, pantries and grocery stores. Those reasons roll up to one economic concept: … Continue reading
Posted in Black Swan, Economics, Opportunity Cost, Trade Offs, Trial and Error
Tagged opportunity cost
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Do No Harm
An interesting thread came up on this blog post on Cafe Hayek. One commenter, JohnDewey, defended government agencies calling it unfair to say that government agencies do not add any value. He admitted that agencies like the USDA may not … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Innovation, Markets
Tagged Bastiat, Cafe Hayek, Innovation, opportunity cost, unseen
3 Comments
Zero Sum Thinking at The Office
Zero sum game thinking can hold organizations back. When the underlying assumption at the organization is that there are only so many plum jobs, politics — rather than merit — becomes the driving factor for who gets those positions, even … Continue reading
The Special and Dangerous Gift of a Skillful Politician
The special of dangerous gift of a skillful politician is to say unreasonable things in a way that sounds reasonable. That’s why it’s always prudent to be skeptical of a politician, even if you think he or she is on … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
5 Comments
George Lopez Agrees With Louis CK
I saw George Lopez live last night. Very entertaining, though he seemed a bit punch drunk and bitter from a divorce. A common theme in Lopez’s act was how well we live compared to even just a generation ago, which … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Economics, Feedback, Systems thinking, Trade Offs
Tagged Economics, George Lopez, immigration
3 Comments
Great Explanation of QE2
Here’s the best explanation I’ve seen on Quantitative Easing from Steven Landsburg. I recommend reading the whole post, but if you are curious about what exactly QE is, here it is in a nutshell: They’re creating 600 billion new dollars … Continue reading
What will health insurance look like on the new exchanges?
Here’s a reasonable guess from Megan McArdle: What people are expecting seems to be a very expensive form of insurance (no gatekeepers or restrictions) on the cheap. What they’re going to get is cheap insurance that they will be forced … Continue reading
How to Save Newspapers From Failing
The quality of the Wall Street Journal Opinion section seems to be on the slide. That’s just my opinion. I use to count on it weekly to provide some interesting commentary, but have found it rather blah and disappointing over … Continue reading →