Water vs Soft Drink Vending Machines...Things that make you go "Hmmmmm".....

We have two types of drink dispensing machines at school.  One dispenses water as if it were an egg---a high-tech mechanical arm zips across the machine and gently lifts it from its resting place and delivers it softly to the door where you pick it up like a new-born baby. The other machine is for soft-drinks that drops a can of pressurized, carbonated beverage from what seems like a 5 story building that hits the bottom of the machine like a meteor in Siberia.  Why is this? Why don't soft-drink machines use the same technology as the water dispensing machines?  Just askin'...Anyone have an idea???

You are invited to watch this moving documentary "The Greatest Silence..."

Current and former students and teacher's are invited to a viewing of "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo"---a moving documentary on the horrendous violence being perpetrated against women as various groups vie for the ample natural resources in the eastern part of The Congo.  Please come and learn more about this important human rights issue.  Free Pizza and Drinks will be available.  In Hayward's Room W314 starting at 4pm Wednesday (May 26th)

26 Page Recipe for Brownies? Wonder how many pages for a Hang Nail???

Interesting article on the result of bureaucratic rule-making...I wonder how many pages it will take to outline  taking care of a hang-nail when health care rules are established...

From NPR: A 26-Page Brownie Recipe? Only At The Pentagon

""Baking brownies is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen. Most recipes have fewer than 10 ingredients, and the instructions are simple — measure, mix, bake. Well, not if you're baking for the Pentagon. The latest viral sensation to hit the Internet is a 26-page document laying out all the rules and regulations you need to follow to bake appropriate treats for our men and women in uniform.
Take Section 3.2.6 of the recipe, for example, which covers eggs. It reads, in part, "Whole eggs may be liquid or frozen and shall have been processed and labeled in accordance with the Regulations Governing the Inspection of Eggs and Egg Products (7 CFR Part 59)."
You get the picture....""

(HT: Mr Long)

Video games reduce violent crime!! This CANNOT be!! What are old people going to rail against now?

This is only an empirical observation and not serious research, but it does pose an interesting question...Bottonline, kids, you have permission to play video games...It is good for society!!

Do Video Games Equal Less Crime?

""Lawrence Katz, a labor economist, has an intriguing item to add to the list of potential causes: video games. When I spoke to him recently, he was very careful to say it was only an idea. He is far from sure that it’s correct. But, as The Economist put it, “Larry Katz, a Harvard economist, suspects that video games and Web sites may have kept the young and idle busy during this recession, thus explaining the surprising lack of an uptick in crime.”
Video games can not only provide hours of entertainment. They can also give people — especially young men, who play more than their fair share of video games and commit more than their fair share of crimes — an outlet for frustration that doesn’t involve actual violence. Video games obviously have many unfortunate side effects. They can promote obsessive, anti-social behavior and can make violent situations seem ordinary. But might video games also have an upside? I’m willing to consider the idea.

One piece of economic research, looking at violent movies, seems to offer some support for the idea. It found: “violent films prevent violent crime by attracting would-be assailants and keeping them cloistered in darkened, alcohol-free environs. Instead of fueling up at bars and then roaming around looking for trouble, potential criminals pass the prime hours for mayhem eating popcorn and watching celluloid villains slay in their stead.” That quotation is from my colleague Peter Goodman, who wrote about the research in 2008. The full study, by Gordon Dahl and Stefano DellaVigna, was eventually published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.""

Related article that is the basis for this discusssion HERE.

A story on a Baghdad Glazier... My Bastiat Man-Crush is renewed!! :)

From BBC: Baghdad glazier picks up pieces of war...A nice contemporary example of Frederic Bastiat's "Broken Window Fallacy"---literally!  It profiles a VERY busy Baghdad "glazier" (window pane maker/installer).  It is this industry that Bastiat used as an example in the mid-1800's to illustrate the fallacy of believing that a broken window is good fortune for the glazier and for society.  What is not taken into consideration is the opportunity cost of the broken window---(1) society does not get the benefit of an intact window (resources already used and maintaining utility), and (2) the cost of repairing the window is what was NOT purchased because of  the broken window (another industry is does not receive "encouragement"). The main thesis is this:

""On the first hypothesis, that of the broken window, he spends six francs and has, neither more nor less than before, the enjoyment of one window. On the second, that in which the accident did not happen, he would have spent six francs for new shoes and would have had the enjoyment of a pair of shoes as well as of a window. Now, if James Goodfellow is part of society, we must conclude that society, considering its labors and its enjoyments, has lost the value of the broken window. From which, by generalizing, we arrive at this unexpected conclusion: "Society loses the value of objects unnecessarily destroyed," and at this aphorism, which will make the hair of the protectionists stand on end: "To break, to destroy, to dissipate is not to encourage national employment," or more briefly: "Destruction is not profitable." ""

If you have not read  Bastiat before, please give him a shot...He writes about economic concepts in very easy to understand language and relevant examples...It is worth your time if you are interested in understanding economics more deeply...

Video--No redeeming value----bowl of fruit/vegatables decaying--74 days in 1.5 minutes

HT: The Agitator

Wanted: Ambitious, hardworking young people to pay for my Social Security--apply within...

The elephant in the room for the welfare states of the world (US included)...This graph (NYTIMES) shows the Worker per Retiree ratio from the 1950's projected through 2030.  In the US we have gone from 7 workers to 1 retiree in 1950 to appox. 3 to 1 today and it will be close to 2 to 1 in 2030.  Our birth replacement rate has decreased (historically typical for mature and rich societies) and people are living longer than ever.  Math is getting in the way of the social safety net. The largest problem for the US is Social Security and Medicare...Solution?  Higher taxes for workers and raising the retirement age to at least 72 (or more?).  The higher taxes part is controversial, and any one that knows me, knows that I am highly averse to that solution.  However, I don't see an alternative.  Cut spending? Or more accurately, control spending, YES, but the shear number of eligible retirees coming online in the next 10 to 15 years is going to swamp any savings relative to benefits paid out. We can work to save money per beneficiary but the volume of recipients is going to financially overwhelm the social security and medicare system...Look at the graph---it tells the story.  Sorry, young people! There are simply too many of us "olds" for you to support...

Who lies more---Men or Women? See the Top Ten lies each gender tends to tell...

From realm of the obvious, a poll reveals men tend to lie more than women...Glad the British government paid for this one...

From BBC: Men are bigger liars than women, says poll

Men are more likely to tell lies than women and feel less guilty about it, says a survey. In a poll of 3,000 people, researchers found that the average British man tells three lies every day, that's equivalent to 1,092 a year. However the average woman appears more honest, lying 728 times a year - around twice a day.

Here are the Top 10 lies each gender tends to tell...

MEN'S TOP 10 LIES
1. I didn't have that much to drink
2. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
3. I had no signal
4. It wasn't that expensive
5. I'm on my way
6. I'm stuck in traffic
7. No, your bum doesn't look big in that
8. Sorry, I missed your call
9. You've lost weight
10. It's just what I've always wanted

WOMEN'S TOP 10 LIES
1. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
2. I don't know where it is, I haven't touched it
3. It wasn't that expensive
4. I didn't have that much to drink
5. I've got a headache
6. It was in the sale
7. I'm on my way
8. Oh, I've had this ages
9. No, I didn't throw it away
10. It's just what I've always wanted

THIS is SERIOUS social science research!!! :)

Is Facebook set to crumble? Hope they don't close my account!!

(Be sure to note videos below)

Market activity provides a check on would-be monopolists...As long as the dominant industry does not rent-seek to limit competition, then new rivals can (1) provide viable alternatives, (2) keep the dominant industry honest and require them to work to please its customer base. However, this is dependent on maintaining the market mechanisms of economic freedom, entrepreneurship, profit motive and private property rights (intellectual property rights in this case)...

From BBC:   ""The controversy over Facebook's privacy policy is helping those developing alternatives to the social network. Funding and users are flowing to services that claim to put members in charge of their personal data. The rivals range from start-ups to more established firms working on the specifications for an ecosystem of open social networks....""

However, it does not look like it has reached a tipping point yet.  I am an avid user of Facebook and I am not really up to speed on the privacy issues.  I am sure I am affected in some way, but have to say I don't see any negative consequences thus far...

 ""Experts say Facebook may have little to worry about, despite 11,000 people pledging to quit Facebook on 31 May. "Nobody has reached anything like critical mass in the same social platform area," said Lee Bryant, from social technology consultancy Headshift. "Facebook is like an entire web operating system," he said.""

BBC Video story on Facebook privacy issues in Europe

BBC Video:  Facebooks Response (rare interview with  Mark Zuckerburg)

World-Wide air traffic in a 24 hour period---Where the planes are going!!

World Air Traffic Over 24 Hours - The most popular videos are here

16 Items They Only Sell At Chinese Walmarts

Click HERE for ALL the pictures...This ain't a North Texas Walmart...(HT: Marginal Revolution)

Who was the richest President?? Hint: He had 525 million of these with his picture on it..

Well, of course he did not have his picture on a dollar until much later...BUT George Washington was by far the "richest" President who gained the wealth mostly on his own (JFK had access to immense family wealth)...The list (From The Atlantic) is interesting and gives their wealth in today's dollars to give you some perspective...(HT: Carpe Diem)

"Blood Minerals"---there is movement to solve this problem that plagues The Congo...

There is movement in trying to solve what seems to be an intractable problem- --the horrendous violence and chaos in the eastern part of the Congo.  The Senate has inserted an amendment into the current financial system reform bill  to require strict reporting by companies that use minerals that "may" have come from illegal sources within the Congo...

NYTIMES:  ""...Nevertheless, tucked into the bill passed by the Senate on Thursday is a provision that requires any publicly traded company that uses certain minerals to file reports annually with the Securities and Exchange Commission certifying whether the minerals originated in Congo or neighboring countries. It also requires them to report what steps the company took to ensure that the purchase of these minerals did not benefit armed groups in Africa. Minerals trading in Africa is often used to finance military activities. These are not just any minerals, however. Columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, wolframite, gold and metals derived from them are widely used in the manufacture of cellphones, laptop computers, MP3 players, digital cameras and all sorts of other consumer electronics. Thus, the regulations could affect hundreds of companies. Wolframite, for example, is a source of tungsten, which is used in integrated circuits, light bulbs, and computer and television screens. The measure calls for any company using the minerals as a primary ingredient in its products to file the reports and to describe the steps taken to ensure that its mineral procurements did not benefit armed groups in Africa."""

Below is an short video explaining what "Conflict Minerals" are and why they are a problem. VERY informative if you are interested in the issue...Also, go HERE for more information on this issue.

If you like World Cup Soccer this Nike 3 minute commericial may be for you...

From Chartporn

Privacy is a thing of the past! Look how you can zoom in from afar...

Quite unbelievable panoramic views of different places or events (Pres Obama's Inauguration is here too)!  You control the shot or click on a photo below and it will zoom in on an object or a person...Privacy is a thing of the past!!