Stuff I like

Tyrants, Markets and why Bush doesn't get it

Great op-ed from the Times.  A few telling excerpts:

Mr. Bush has too little hope, and too little faith.

Mr. Bush doesn't see how capitalism helps drive history toward freedom via an algorithm that for all we know is divinely designed and is in any event awesomely elegant. Namely: Capitalism's pre-eminence as a wealth generator means that every tyrant has to either embrace free markets or fall slowly into economic oblivion; but for markets to work, citizens need access to information technology and the freedom to use it - and that means having political power.

Right-wing hawks thrive on depicting tyranny as a force of nature, when in fact nature is working toward its demise.

Economic exclusion is especially perverse in cases where inclusion could work as a carrot.

Mr. Bush doesn't grasp the liberating power of capitalism, the lethal effect of luring authoritarian regimes into the modern world of free markets and free minds.

Oil shortage?

Don't believe the hype. 

Post v. Times

I had a huge backlog of a week of headlines (700+)in my Bloglines subscriptions to the Washington Post and the NY Times this week (damn law school with so much homework in the first week).  I ususally just peruse the listings and click on the articles that interest me and read them a bit later (I have my tabbrowser preferences set to open all external links in background tabs so it works well).  After going over the Post and Times this morning I ended up with 8 Times stories and 13 from the Post.  Fairly significant in my mind.  At least this week, the Post just has better non-news wire stories with everything from buried Roman treasure in Italy to drug trafficking and its impact on border towns in Mexico.  Good stuff.  But then again I've always enjoyed the Post more.

$35 Remote Control Airplane

Interesting piece on how to turn a cheap RC car into a fully functioning RC airplane.  When I get more than an hour of free time, I'm totally trying this. Of course, once I add my M-60 remote bomb dropping apparatus and string together a few successful strafing runs test flights at the local elementary school, I'll post the details.

Why are we late?

Ever wonder why when you're supposed to meet your colleagues for lunch everyone is always 10 minutes late?  Some economists wondered as well and as good economists do, explained the phenomenon through game theoretics.  Here's an excerpt:

The answer is surprisingly simple: I hate waiting, but don’t hate you waiting.

Here’s the logic: You don’t know when I’ll show up, and waiting is costly. If you’re early you’ll have to wait. If you’re late you won’t. So you come late. I do the same thing. Presto, we’re both late.

Seems obvious enough. However when I make this argument to non-economists they’re unpersuaded, preferring an explanation for lateness based on lazyness and stupidity rather than as the unavoidable equilibrium of a social coordination game. So for their benefit, I’ll state it more formally here with some simple game theory.

What's wrong in Russia

A good survey article on all of the troubling events.

Which Republican in '08?

Check out this post on possible candidates. 

The life of an attorney

Here is a great article (in pdf) from the Vanderbilt Law Review about the life of attorneys.  Spoiler: 

Three occupations were discovered to have statistically significant elevations of major depressive disorders: lawyers, pre-kindergarten and special education teachers, and secretaries.

Isn't that terrific.  A great read on ethics and life in a firm, even if its a bit heavy as it weighs in at 81 pages.

China totally sucks

China's 'Haves' Stir the 'Have Nots' to Violence

So the looter is entitled to the computer since he really wanted it?  This kind of reporting scares me.

"Don't officials realize that we would not have any economic development in Wanzhou without the porters?"

Posner Interview

Check out this interview of Richard Posner from the New Yorker. One of the best pieces of writing I've come across in awhile, let alone the superb nature of the subject himself.