August 19, 2008
Beloit College's Mindset List
Beloit College's annual "Mindset List" is out, just in time for the start of classes. As I pointed out last year, they are recycling old material. So far, at least three (I quit counting) of the eleven installments make reference to Johnny Carson (or Ed McMahon). Looks like one of the list creators was a real Tonight Show fan. There are always some Cold War references too.
Over the years, the list has become rather formulaic: _____________ (person, place, or thing) have/has always/never _______________ (something that it wasn't/was prior to the year they were born).
Example from this year's list:
Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
I'm not sure all of them know who Wayne Newton is. I'll find out next week and report back.
In addition to that formula, there are also the obligatory references to movies and television shows that came out the year they were born.
This year's list is of some interest to me as I graduated from high school and started college in 1990, the year that many of this year's freshmen were born. The Beloit list mentions that for this year's freshmen, Stevie Ray Vaughn has always been dead. Indeed. He died in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990. This was the subject of some sorrowful discussion among us 18-year-olds during my own freshman orientation.
While the list does invoke nostalgia, the focus on the year of birth for this year's freshman is too limiting (and was not the way the list began). As we begin classes, it is useful to think about changes in pop culture and the differences between the way the generations see the world. It will be a few years before Beloit's list references 9/11, but this year's freshman class was entering 6th grade in 2001. They were 11 years old. They have very little (if any) meaningful memory of the way the world was geopolitically before 9/11.
Only 8 more years until they can tell the incoming freshmen that Beloit College has always been publishing the Mindset List.
Posted by William Polley at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 26, 2008
The NY Times goes in search of a good root beer
They get one critical aspect wrong, however. (link to article)
We tasted 25 different root beers, not from frosty mugs but in our usual wine glasses. This was a clinical environment, after all, a time for analysis and debate. Frosty mugs? We don’t need no stinkin’ frosty mugs!
Wine glasses? That shouldn't be legal. Anyway, they give 2 stars to Fitz's and 3 stars to IBC. Personally, I would argue the reverse. Stephen Karlson will be happy to know that Sprecher's garnered 3 stars.
The article also links to this rating site for root beer. (Ah, this Internet. We do indeed live in wonderful times.)
But the best root beer I've ever tasted would have to be 1919 root beer. It might be a little tough for you to find, however, as it is a draft root beer--no bottles or cans for this precious drink. The last time I had it was about a year ago at the Whiskey River Emporium in St. Peter, Minn. Southern Minnesota is about the only place I know of where restaurants serve it. It's a must when I pass through the area.
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May 07, 2008
Summertime reading is about to commence
Always start out the summer with a new book. In my mailbox today... Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku.
Kaku was on C-Span2's Book TV recently, and the talk associated with this book was fascinating. Who knows if any of what he describes will come to pass, but if a fraction of it does it would be amazing. Stuff like that is just fun to think about.
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February 19, 2008
Hoarding behavior
Q: What do you get when you mix a plastic bag full of Hong Kong coins, a clunky old change counting machine, polite-to-a-fault customer service, and one U.S. penny?
A: A delightful essay chronicling one man's odyssey to deal with his spare change.
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November 29, 2007
"Pong" turns 35
Happy birthday to the classic video game. Here's the article from Wired, which cites Wikipedia as a source.
In that Wikipedia entry, we learn the following. Pong wasn't really the first game.
The earliest electronic ping-pong game was played on an oscilloscope, and was developed by William A. Higinbotham at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1958. His game was called Tennis for Two.
That had to be fun. If you can visualize playing ping-pong on an oscilloscope, you do qualify for official geek status. (Welcome to the club.)
And of course everyone knows this part of the story (if you are a computer history buff)...
The makers of the Magnavox Odyssey insisted that they held a patent on the concept of a tennis video game, and in 1974 Sanders/Magnavox filed a lawsuit against Atari. This was the first lawsuit relating to intellectual property rights in the video game industry. Lawyers for Magnavox found witnesses who recalled seeing Nolan Bushnell playing the Odyssey's table tennis game at the trade show in Burlingame, California in 1972, and obtained a guestbook from the event that he had signed. Atari settled out of court by agreeing to pay $700,000 to license the patents that Magnavox held on the Odyssey. On January 10, 1977, Judge John Grady of the Federal District Court in Chicago ruled in favor of Sanders/Magnavox on all counts relating to the lawsuit. The ruling upheld the claim that US patent #3,728,480 entitled Television Gaming and Training Apparatus was the pioneering design for a video game. (See original for footnotes)
So like just about everything, the actual date the idea was conceived is lost in the mists of history. But today, we raise a glass to that little white ball of pixels that started a revolution.
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October 29, 2007
Here comes the taxman....Boo!
Now we tax based on intent. A scary thought for your Halloween. You can't make this stuff up. The Tax Foundation quotes from the Iowa Department of Revenue. Yes, my beloved Iowa has taken it upon itself to engage in this kind of silliness.
The Department recently refined its position on whether pumpkins are subject to Iowa sales tax to more closely match what we believe to be their predominant use.
In the past, pumpkins were exempt from sales tax as a food (edible squash), even if they were to be later made into jack-o'-lanterns or used as decorations.
Our position now is that pumpkins are taxable if:
1. They are advertised to be used as jack-o'-lanterns/decorations, or
2. It is understood that they will be used as jack-o'-lanterns/decorations
Pumpkins are exempt in the following circumstances:
* The buyer completes a sales tax exemption certificate stating they will be used as food, or
* The pumpkins are a specific variety used to make pumpkin pies and are advertised in that way, or
* They are purchased with Food Stamps.
Retailers who sell pumpkins should keep these guidelines in mind and make any necessary changes to their tax treatment of pumpkin sales.
I predict a surge in sales of pumpkins for pie making.
Hat tip to King at SCSU Scholars
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September 14, 2007
Friday fun: 1000th comment (and a look back)
Ta-da! We have our 1000th comment! And yes, that does include my comments. I try to have a conversation with people in the comments when feasible. It makes the experience more fun for everyone. By my count, I'm responsible for about 266 of those comments, leaving about 734 from my excellent readers who really help make this site what it is and give me a reason to keep doing it. Make that 737 from the readers as we are actually at 1003 as I write this.
So who was #1000? It was Spencer, who has been commenting on the blog since the early days (his first comment was in April 2005) and has contributed to the discussion 80 times, or roughly 8% of all the comments here. (PGL of Angry Bear narrowly beats him out with a total of 86 comments, including the 8th comment the blog ever received back in January 2005.) Thanks, guys, for keeping me honest.
In honor of the 1000th comment, I thought I'd dig through the archives and recall some of my favorite comments. In some cases I'll just post the first sentence to two (which is usually the best part). Go read the whole thing if you care to. We've had a lot of long passionate debates over the last couple years, but some of my favorites were from posts where I didn't expect much, or at least I didn't expect what I got.
So here they are, in reverse chronological order:
Well there's a difference between liquidity which is water and that which is sewage. Perhaps what we need is an effort to clean up this liquidity, rather than keeping it circulating. Dumping more water into the sewage isn't really helping much. --Donna on this post about the recent liquidity issues
Wow. There must be some sort of market-friendly radiation coming out of Minnesota U. --Gabriel upon hearing that ticket scalping is now legal in Minnesota
Polley
I'm the guy from the other blog who said he wouldn't read this if you paid me.
But you sounded like such a nice guy i felt a owed you a look. --Coberly on a post that turned into a discussion on the rewards to education
I knew who it was right away. Love the commercial, love his voice!!!! --Heather, who is apparently a George Clooney fan
Polley is making some very good points and I find myself attracted to his analysis.
On the other hand... --Spencer on this post about free markets
Welcome to the Helicopter Patrol. --Stephen Karlson welcoming me to the ranks of judges for the high school Fed Challenge
Someone once pointed out to me that the existence of boring numbers can be disproven by contradiction. If there were a set of boring numbers, that set would include a "least boring number", which would therefore have an interesting property and thus not belong in the set. --knzn waxing philosophical in response to this post about the number 23
After interviewing recruits at the ASSA meetings, I really have to ask "What IS macroeconomics these days?" --John Palmer (aka EclectEcon) responding to this post and expressing a thought that a number of people have communicated to me as well
Off-topic. What's with all the silence? It's December. Time for a new post! ;-) --Gabriel, annoyed that I took a few days off...funny because of this post of his
Paper cuts. Absolutely deadly.... --Ironman upon hearing that J.K. Rowling was stopped by airport security for carrying on her Harry Potter manuscript
Since it agrees with my analysis I have to say good analysis. --Spencer proves that we agree once in a while
Yep - I was a Happy Bear this morning. AB may have to pull the plug on my posting! --pgl, giddy with excitement over February 2006 job growth
Yes, but he no longer has a boss that does not want good answers. --Spencer on Ben Bernanke's move from the CEA to the Fed
BTW, the real expense of popcorn is probably cleaning up after it. --Lord on the reason popcorn is so expensive at the movies
I had noticed the same pattern on my blog, but wondered why. Your story makes sense. --The Unknown Professor on all of the hits we get from ".edu" addresses when term papers are due. (John Palmer noticed it too.)
Oh, goody. Screw up a universally understood and accepted human interface. Just jolly. --Donna, who was unimpressed with smart elevators
Brilliant! --Calculated Risk with this blog's only one word comment so far. Here's the post. You be the judge.
And hey! Who is that guy in the suit and tie? That is a long way from the photo at the "economic geyser" in Yellowstone! --Calculated Risk again, noticing from my picture on the Econoblog that I do clean up well (I may be in a jacket and tie, but it was just a head shot...I was wearing jeans.) The Yellowstone photo is here, if you haven't seen it.
the ten year is under inflation?! aye carumba! --c. I guess that sort of speaks for itself.
Ice Cream. Mmmmmmmm.... --pgl again. Read the post and the comment, and smile.
Krauthammer nailed it. Your sophistry doesn't change that. --Brian on this post from the early days...you are not compelled to agree with the host
Well, that's the highlight reel. I hope you've enjoyed some of these blasts from the past. I hope that they brought a smile to your face because I'm just sitting here grinning from ear to ear thinking about what a fun ride this has been so far.
My readers share in the success of the blog. Comments are always welcome. We've already started on the next thousand.
And soon we'll be coming up on 1000 posts. I'll have another highlight reel then as well. Have a good weekend.
Posted by William Polley at 09:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 11, 2007
Read any good books lately?
I don't believe I've ever been "tagged" before, but Phil Miller tells us of some of the books that he's read and challenges six others (including me) to do the same. So here goes:
1. Book that changed my life
That's an interesting one to start with. I'd have to say the Bible. Many books have influenced how I think. Isn't that what books are supposed to do? But changed my life? I haven't had that experience from any traditional book.
2. Book that I've read more than once
Quite a few. Two spring to mind. Chaos by James Gleick is a book that I have read a few times over the years. I've also read Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman more than once. I don't have much of a desire to read novels more than once, but two that I have read once that are on my list to read again in the near future would be The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O'Connor (I've read most of her short stories more than once) and Main Street by Sinclair Lewis.
And now you know how eclectic I can be.
3. Book that I'd want on a deserted island
Well, if it was a deserted island from which there was no hope of rescue and the end was near, I would choose the Bible. If escape from the island was feasible, I would want a "how-to" book on survival skills and raft building. One must be practical.
4. Book that made me laugh
All five in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
5. Book that made me cry
One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001 from the editors of Life Magazine.
6. Book you wish you had written
If you wish you had written a book that would imply a complete and total agreement with it. There are very few books about which I can say that. If you relax the criteria so that it just means that you agree mostly with it and wish that you had come up with the idea first, well then there are too many to list.
7. Book you wish had not been written
I'm not into suppressing thought and wishing that some things hadn't been written.
8. One book I am currently reading
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. Yeah, I know I'm late to the party on this one. This is a book that I have been meaning to read for years but it never popped up to the top of the priority list. I am not sold on string theory. I would like to read some of the criticisms of it as well (e.g. Not Even Wrong by Peter Woit). I've always been intrigued by the history and philosophy of science (e.g. The Copernican Revolution by Thomas Kuhn which I could have also listed in my "read more than once" category.)
9. One book I have been meaning to read
How about two? Why Beauty is Truth: A History of Symmetry by Ian Stewart and I am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter.
10. Tag 6 people
I'm not going to put anyone on the spot, but rather I invite any of my readers to put your responses in the comments, or if you have a blog, do it on your blog and trackback it to let me know so I can stop by and read it.
Let me add one more category as well. A book that I've recently read that was an absolute page-turner and a fun yet enlightening read would be David Warsh's Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations.
Posted by William Polley at 12:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 04, 2007
My place in the blogosphere
James Hamilton (Econbrowser) did it for his blog. So here goes. (TouchGraph Google Browser)
Click the image to make it larger.
Seems pretty accurate to me.
Happy 4th of July!
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February 23, 2007
Is "23" an interesting number?
Jim Carey thinks so. In the Wall Street Journal, Carl Bialik seems amused but unconvinced.
...In the film, Mr. Carrey plays a man "spiraling into a dark obsession with the number 23," after reading a book on the number's ominous properties. (Among the "evidence:" Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was born in 1967 and died in 1994 -- the digits in both years add up to 23. Caesar was stabbed 23 times. Even the date of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks has a connection -- 9+11+2+0+0+1=23. And so on.)
The movie -- like my proposed sequel -- shows how just about any number can seem to have all sorts of eerie properties if you look hard enough.
Can I play along? The months and dates of my wife's birth and my birth add up to...you guessed it...23. Another? Take our house number, add the digits together. Then add the digits of the result. Add the final result to the sum of the digits in our ZIP code and, yes, it is 23. In fact, if I looked around I would find a few other things that could add up to 23, or 24, or 25, or....
So what? It's nothing. Just parlor tricks and nothing more. Choose a low number--a number that could be easily obtained by summing up a short series of single digit numbers. Then go looking for sets of digits that add up to that number. You'll find them without much difficulty. The mistake people then make is to attribute some significance to that particular set of digits ex post.
For example, if you go to a shopping mall and meet an old acquaintance whom you haven't seen in years, you may attach some significance to that, as in, "Wow, what a coincidence that he and I would be in the same place at the same time. It must mean something." But the chances are that if you to to the mall regularly and you have a fairly large circle of acquaintances, you will eventually bump into one of them at some point. Now if you woke up one morning and said, maybe today is the day that I'll run into X, and then you did, that would be impressive. But running into some random person out of your circle of acquaintances is nothing special. (John Allen Paulos gives a version of this argument in his book, Innumeracy.) You can't attach some significance ex post when there was no such attachment ex ante.
You might say that life is just a series of very improbable events. Bizarre coincidences are to be expected. Ex ante, they have near zero probability. Some of them simply have to happen, but you can't predict which ones. (Douglas Adams used this with entertaining effect in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with the Infinite Improbability Drive.)
As for whether a number is interesting, most of them are. Even numbers that look very dull from the outset. When mathematician G.H. Hardy visited his friend and collaborator Ramanujan, he expressed his disappointment with the number of the taxicab in which he rode that day, 1729. Ramanujan replied that 1729 was a very interesting number. It is the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two cubes in two different ways (1^3+12^3 and 9^3+10^3). Today, 1729 is known to mathematicians as the Hardy-Ramanujan number.
Ramanujan's ability to see patterns in numbers was much more interesting and useful than some numerologist's obsession with the number 23.
Posted by William Polley at 01:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 07, 2006
Memories of Iowa City
Listening to the Collegium Tubum play on the Old Capitol steps is one of my fond memories of Iowa City at this time of year. If only I didn't have some obligations that will keep me on campus tomorrow, I would make the drive.
University of Iowa News Release
UI Collegium Tubum Returns To Old Capitol Steps Dec. 8
The University of Iowa Collegium Tubum - also known as the UI Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble - will return to the original home of its popular annual outdoor performance of holiday music at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, on the front steps of the Old Capitol on the UI Pentacrest.
During the recent renovation of the Old Capitol, completed last spring, the tubas assembled on the steps of Macbride Hall for the annual concert.
John Manning, tuba professor at the UI School of Music and director of the group, commented: "For the first since 2001, Holiday Tubas will return to the steps of the Old Capitol. Playing on the Old Capitol steps is such a long-held tradition that last May, the Collegium Tubum was invited to play at the rededication ceremony. A special piece entitled 'Old Capitol Fanfare' was composed by tuba student Karl Zelle and premiered on May 6, 2006.
"Now we will return to the Old Capitol steps to play holiday favorites such as 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch', 'Jingle Bell Rock' and 'Frosty the Snowman.' Please come and bring the kids!"
Since it is outside, the concert will naturally be free, and Manning promises that, as always, it will take place regardless of weather. In Iowa, that is of course a significant promise: The concert has often been played amid snow flurries, and in some past years frigid temperatures have forced the group to perform in tag-team fashion, with members periodically retreating indoors to un-freeze their valves.
To heighten the festive spirit of the event, ensemble members customarily decorate their instruments, and some wear costumes of their own.
Manning is a founding member of the award-winning Yamaha performing ensemble, the Atlantic Brass Quintet, with whom he has toured across the United States and around the world, including performances at the White House, Tanglewood, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and June in Buffalo. An active freelance musician, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, the Empire Brass and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He joined the UI faculty in 2004. More information: http://www.uiowa.edu/~music/bios/BRASSmanning.htm
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November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!
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November 10, 2006
Made me chuckle...
But then that's the kind of sense of humor that I have. Here were two headlines from the CNN website this morning. It was all the more humorous that they were grouped together in the list.
Viking ship to ply North Sea; no invasion planned
Vandals behead George Washington statue
There was no report of any troop movements by the Visigoths or any other medieval trouble-makers, thankfully.
Posted by William Polley at 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2006
Principles of economics quote of the day
Here's the best quote about a principles course that I've seen in a while. The Harvard Crimson reviews Greg Mankiw's Ec 10 course.
...it teaches concepts that will seem so intuitive you’ll be embarrassed by how little you knew before taking the course.
Hat tip to Greg Mankiw, of course.
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September 12, 2006
Produce placement, Monopoly style
No more top hat and thimble in the newest version of Monopoly. (NY Times) Now you can have McDonalds fries and a Starbucks coffee.
Posted by William Polley at 10:58 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 23, 2006
Beloit College's annual "Mindset List"
As you probably know, Beloit College has been publishing their annual "Mindset List" since 1998. The list is mostly a series of references to things that entering college freshmen would know nothing about. For example, from the very first list there was: "'The Tonight Show' has always been with Jay Leno."
Presumably the list is something of a public service to professors everywhere. Once I am reminded that today's freshmen have known nothing but Jay Leno, I am duly warned that reprising Johnny Carson's "Carnac" routine will probably fall flat on my students.
The first few lists were funny, but it is getting harder for them to come up with a lot of new items of great significance. Not only that, but the lists are getting longer which only adds to the obscurity of some of the references. I'm not sure that an item from this year's list like "Small white holiday lights have always been in style" would have made their first few lists.
While I think they are reaching on some of the items, and while it is starting to look like a list of things that happened in the year that these freshmen were born, it is still worth a couple minutes of your time. Chances are you'll find a couple that make you smile.
They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups."
Do college students watch "Law and Order"?
Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
I will ask my students tomorrow if they know who Diane Sawyer is.
They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
Ha ha.
They have never put their money in a "Savings & Loan."
Nor have they heard of the S & L crisis. This is relevant if you teach macroeconomics.
Posted by William Polley at 12:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 26, 2006
"Monopoly" embraces the cashless society
There is a new version of the Parker Brothers classic, "Monopoly", that uses a mock debit card. (Wired article) Visa scores a nice product placement in the process.
I'll admit it's a cute gimmick, but that's about it as far as I'm concerned. I do not think it will speed up game play. Since "Monopoly" can be a rather slow game anyway, I would not think that this represents an improvement. As I sit here, I've been thinking through what it might be like to play the game with a debit card. I can see potential advantages and disadvantages, but on balance I'd see more on the downside.
Now, if they could only make the game board electronic with little LEDs to indicate where the houses and hotels are so that you didn't have to worry about bumping the board and sending them flying... now that would be worth buying.
Posted by William Polley at 06:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 31, 2006
Going somewhere this weekend?
Check out the map of cities the NY Times has profiled in their "36 hours" series
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March 26, 2006
Who's voice is that?
Ok, so anyone can tell that George Clooney is the voice behind those Budweiser commercials. But I must admit that the voice behind the AOL commercials that have been airing lately had me stumped. It's such a familiar voice. It has to be someone I've heard before.
If you don't want to know, don't click the link to this CNN article.
The answer is below the fold.
Julia Roberts.
Who knew?
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December 31, 2005
Happy New Year (and let's do a few predictions just for fun)
I know, the blogosphere is a-buzz with predictions for 2006. Well, about the only thing that new year's predictions are usually good for is making fun of them next year. Instead, live by the forecaster's maxim of giving them a date or a number, but never both at the same time.
About a year ago, I made a few posts on the dollar. I wasn't 100% right on. Like nearly everyone, I thought the dollar would slide a bit more this year. The opposite happened. But I did get one aspect of it right. I was skeptical of some of the gloomier scenarios put forth by, for example, The Economist. And in a couple of posts, I made reference to similarities between 2005 and 1995. Well, that was actually a pretty good comparison--much better than I thought it would be--where the dollar was concerned. I will admit, however, that I didn't think it would happen so quickly. Had I been pressed, I probably would have looked for the dollar recovery to begin this fall or about now.
Anyway, here's the picture.
So, prediction #1--If things continue as they did in the last cycle, I'd look for modest gains in the dollar again this year. It goes without saying, of course, that predicting the value of the dollar is one of the most hazardous activities known to economists. Let's just say that if I were a long term speculator with a 10 to 20 year horizon, I'd be bullish. One economic reason for that belief is that the pension concerns and demographic pressures in the rest of the world are going to be even more of a problem than for us. In other words, it's not always going to be an easy road, but on balance, the dollar should weather it ok.
Prediction #2--Canada will once again cobble together a weak coalition led by the Liberals, but the Conservatives will gain a few seats.
Prediction #2a--One of our family vacations this year will be to Canada. (Ok, that's not a prediction so much as a shout out to my Canadian readers that I really enjoy visiting their country. During the Winter Olympics, I expect to be singing "Oh, Canada" a lot.)
That reminds me...Prediction #3--The order of the medal count in the Winter Olympics will be Germany, Norway, U.S., and Canada, but Canada will beat the U.S. in curling-- a sport with less of an adrenaline rush than luge, but just as fun to watch. Anyone know where I can get tickets for 2010 in Vancouver?
And finally, "measured pace" might be gone, but some other phrase will keep us talking. Greenspan will go out on a rate hike, but there WILL be a pause in the rate increases sometime this year!
Yeah, most of these are pretty safe predictions. Nothing on the housing bubble or on just where interest rates will end the year. Nothing even on real GDP or the probability of recession. Those questions are serious. (The dollar prediction is serious, but I'm also careful to put it in context.) Truth is, a lot of people might start thinking and talking recession this year, especially early in the year, especially if the yield curve stays flat. For me, the key right now is business investment. If firms remain confident and invest, we could be in for another good year of 3-4% GDP growth. If investment falters (always a possibility), we could get a lousy quarter that sets everyone on edge. I hope that doesn't happen, and that if it does that it is only one quarter.
One more sort of off the wall prediction based on a hunch. New rules on minimum payments for credit cards will have a noticeable effect on consumer credit data and maybe even savings. The effect on savings might be barely noticeable, but maybe enough to keep it from falling any more.
Happy New Year to the east coast already. 52 minutes to go here. It has been a good one. Thank you to all my readers--especially you regular (and semi-regular) commenters who make it fun.
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October 20, 2005
Rock stars and presidents
When they invited Bono to the White House...
...they had to realize that it would remind people of this...
That is all.
Posted by William Polley at 04:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
Beloit College's annual Mindset List
Read it here. Some of it is silly. Some of it will bring back memories. My favorite is this one:
Money put in their savings account the year they were born earned almost 7% interest.
"They" refers to today's college freshmen, born in 1987.
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May 20, 2005
Mother of all final exams
This link (found via Marginal Revolution) should keep you busy for a while.
Answers and explanations are here, but really do try it before you look at the answers.
That reminded me of something that I saw a long time ago. It was a really funny piece called The Mother of All Final Exams. I Googled the phrase and found it on, of all things, the archive of an e-mail discussion list devoted to teaching economics.
You want the answers? Don't look at me!
Posted by William Polley at 09:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 15, 2005
Tax day
It's April 15. Have you filed your taxes yet?
When I was in college, the local Dairy Queen ice cream stand would give away free chocolate sundaes from 10pm to midnight on April 15. You see, it was just a couple blocks from the post office (and the college). But the event became a college tradition (even though none of us actually waited until the 15th to file our taxes).
The line was longer at the Dairy Queen than at the post office. Much longer. And much happier!
I hope they still do it. If you're in Moorhead, Minnesota tonight, have a sundae for me.
UPDATE: The free sundae tradition continues!
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March 28, 2005
Photos of economists
Photos of Economists, 1969-2005 by Robert J. Gordon.
Via Truck and Barter.
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March 01, 2005
A little humor...
I'm giving exams this week. At times like this one needs a little humor to retain one's sanity.
Thank you, Division of Labour, for this one. If you've got kids in grade school, clip this and teach them.
Posted by William Polley at 03:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
Do you love old movie houses?
Via 56572:
10 great places to revel in cinematic grandeur
On their list is the Fargo Theatre. I toured this magnificent gem shortly after it was restored to the way it looked in the '30s. It is a beauty in every sense of the word.
Here's what the USA Today said:
"The snow outside is white, but the delightful Art Deco/Moderne interior of this theater, featuring multicolored Deco mirrors and mahogany wood accents, shines in the blue-neon splendor of the 1937 remodeling. The region's leading art-house cinema has highlights that include silent-movie nights with the Mighty Wurlitzer organ." 701-239-8385; fargotheatre.org.
And here is one that I did not know of, but would like to visit. I've been through the town, but don't recall the theatre--the Watts Theatre in Osage, Iowa.
" 'Your key to Watts of entertainment, Watts of comfort ...' the opening program promised. After 28 years in the good care of Jim and Millie Watts, it is run today by Robert Williams and his family, who maintain this 1950s showcase. Recently, the son of the man who installed the original neon marquee restored it." 800-509-2887; wattstheatre.com.
Also in 56572's stack of links today is this one for lovers of Fargo (the city, not the movie).
Scroll down further and he has pictures of "sun dogs" or parhelia. We don't see those much in Illinois. I miss them.
Posted by William Polley at 09:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
Phantom of the Opera
I saw the movie version of "Phantom of the Opera" Saturday night. It's worth the price of admission, and then some. The Phantom of the Opera is my favorite musical--I've seen it on Broadway as well as the touring version. Of course, nothing can compare to seeing it on Broadway (except maybe London--which I have yet to see), but the movie is excellent in its own right.
The movie stays very true to the musical, but there are some differences which will be noticed by fans. There is some new music. Real fans will notice where it is. There is a little more background on the characters. Camera angles take you were the musical cannot, and overall I thought the cinematography was excellent. I was a little disappointed by the costumes for the "Masquerade" number (not as colorful as in the musical), and the Phantom's face is not as gory as it is in the musical.
And maybe it's just me, but the movie version of the Phantom is not as sympathetic as the one in the musical. It's subtle. Maybe it's just the casting. Gerard Butler is good, but if you've listened to Michael Crawford in the soundtrack a few hundred times, it can be hard to hear someone different in the role. Even so, Butler does a convincing job as the Phantom. Emmy Rossum is absolutely amazing as Christine. She is clearly a rising star.
It's not a substitute for seeing the musical, but it's the next best thing. Can't wait for the DVD.
Posted by William Polley at 12:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 14, 2004
The soaring euro didn't help, either
Heard on the radio news tonight in a story talking about the price of the 12 days of Christmas (what it would cost to buy all those gifts):
The price of 3 French hens has gone from $15 to $45.
As the announcer said, maybe we should look into using American hens.
Posted by William Polley at 12:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 08, 2004
1.618...
One of the competitors on The Amazing Race was seen wearing a hat with the numbers 1.618 on it. 1.618 is "Phi" or the Golden Ratio (to three decimal places), which many regard as the most beautiful proportion. That's great! I think it's pretty cool that a contestant on a reality show would wear a mathematical constant on her hat. (I wonder if anyone else mathematically inclined noticed.)
So, if you were going to wear a mathematical or physical constant on your hat, what would it be?
I'd pick "e" (the base of the natural logarithm). Economists like the natural log function. This book is a very nice history of e. This one is a decent book on the Golden Ratio. I must admit that I like books on mathematical constants and famous equations.
I wonder where I can get one of those "1.618" ballcaps.
Posted by William Polley at 04:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 03, 2004
Freudian slip?
Heard on the radio news today in a discussion of a bill before Congress to improve the locks on the Mississippi (among other things): "...the ominous bill will..."
Uh, that's "omnibus bill". The news reader said it not once, but twice!
I laughed at first. Then I thought, some bills might be both omnibus and "ominous"!
Posted by William Polley at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
It's a Beautiful Day
November 17th and it's 67 degrees and sunny. No jacket required today. Of course the downside is that these days are really tough on the climate control systems in university buildings. Seems that the central heating plant thinks that November is cold and so the heat should be on. This is the case with every college or university I know. It was once explained to me this way: once the boilers are turned on, they are on until April. Today, our building is faring better than most. It's noticeably warmer, but not hot where I have been. However, this evening I teach in a room that is always a little warmer than necessary. We'll have to see how it is in there.
As I walked across the quad in such stellar conditions, I couldn't help but hum that little tune by U2.
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Posted by William Polley at 03:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2004
Daylight saving time
It is just after 1am for the second time tonight. Just heard a radio newscaster remind everyone to set their clocks back, "you don't want to be late for that Halloween party."
Umm... shouldn't that be "early"? Tonight is the night we get an extra hour.
When I worked in the dorm at Concordia College, the 1-4am shift on this night was the most sought after desk shift of the year. On the last Sunday morning of October, that shift was, after all, 4 hours long. That's an extra $4.25 or so, as I think that was the minimum wage at the time. (Conversely, no one wanted the corresponding shift in the spring.)
We had a big clock on the outside of our dorm. (The clock is visible on the upper right hand picture on this page.) As building manager, one of my duties was to keep the clock on time. Generally, it kept perfect time, and only needed to be reset when going on or off daylight saving time. The mechanism was controlled by turning a key that had three settings: stop, run (normal), and run (fast). Resetting the clock one hour back in the fall was the first time that I had to adjust it, so I figured that it wouldn't take too long to wind it forward 11 hours at the fast setting and get it back to 1am. So, I turned the key and walked outside to watch the hands move. That's when I learned that "fast" was not very "fast". But it was sort of interesting to see this big clock turning faster than normal, so my friends and I let it go, checked on it periodically, and got it set by about 2am. That's right, it would have been more efficient to just stop it for an hour.
But I'll never pass into or out of daylight saving time without thinking of the clock on Livedalen Hall.
Posted by William Polley at 01:04 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2004
Total eclipse of the moon
I like eclipses. I really do. Tonight's was particularly good, and long (actually it's not over yet), even though a partially cloudy sky interferes with the purity of the view from time to time. And tonight's eclipse is the last total eclipse of the moon until 2007.
I like the way a lunar eclipse lasts for hours, but still feels like a single fleeting moment. It is a brief flourish in an eternal celestial dance, just to see if you're paying attention.
Here's a good site on the eclipse.
Posted by William Polley at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2004
Have you "Googled" yourself today?
You never know what you'll find when you "Google" yourself. I rated a one line quote in this Peoria Area C of C paper. Well, it's actually by participants of their leadership school. They are trying to get a program going to encourage saving. Nice thought. People are definitely saving less and going into debt more than in years past. As interest rates come up, that might reverse a bit, but I'm uncertain about how much. A large part of what might be considered savings is home equity, and in some areas, there is talk of a housing bubble. I wouldn't call that true savings.
Grassroots efforts to encourage saving through community organizations has another positive effect of bringing some of the "unbanked" into financial institutions. For some, this might be the first step towards home ownership, and that is something I would definitely support.
Posted by William Polley at 01:55 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2004
Couldn't resist
Couldn't resist putting up this picture from a 2002 family vacation. This is me at Yellowstone National Park in front of the "Economic Geyser". It doesn't erupt often, but it is named for the economical way that water drains back in to the geyser after an eruption.
Posted by William Polley at 02:40 AM | Comments (0)