Wednesday, April 01, 2009
What Day is it Again?
by Ken Houghton
Will someone please assure me that SFWA's "new mission statement" (via Locus) is an April Fool's Joke?
Monday, April 07, 2008
There is a G-d?
by Ken Houghton
Economists Question: Identify the "moral hazard," if any, in the linked story. Explain how it could have been quantified, mitigated, or defined by one or both of the parties.
If you do not believe there is "moral hazard" in the above case, but still believe in "moral hazard" for residential transactions, please define the differences so as to explain the differences between the two scenarios.
And maybe Alanis Morissette portrayed her accurately, judging by the current contretemps at the Mortgage Bankers Association (h/t Dealbreaker).
Economists Question: Identify the "moral hazard," if any, in the linked story. Explain how it could have been quantified, mitigated, or defined by one or both of the parties.
If you do not believe there is "moral hazard" in the above case, but still believe in "moral hazard" for residential transactions, please define the differences so as to explain the differences between the two scenarios.
Labels: Housing Bubble, humor, Moral Hazard, mortgage
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Losing your soul may be another matter
by Ken Houghton
Two of Shira's three cousins graduated Harvard: one is an astrophysicist at UCSC, the other in her residency years at UCSF Medical School.*
Good thing they didn't have to worry about failing, or they would probably be begging on the streets these days.
*The "runt of the litter" went to Oberlin, and is now writing about education for U.S. News and World Report. The slacker.
N. Gregory Mankiw cites the current Dean of Admissions at Pravda-on-the-Chuck and comments:
"They wouldn’t write for Harvard because they thought it was a bunch of Communists, a bunch of atheists, a bunch of rich snobs, and if you went there you’d flunk out and you’d lose your soul," said William R. Fitzsimmons ’67.
Today at Harvard, it is almost impossible to flunk out.
Two of Shira's three cousins graduated Harvard: one is an astrophysicist at UCSC, the other in her residency years at UCSF Medical School.*
Good thing they didn't have to worry about failing, or they would probably be begging on the streets these days.
*The "runt of the litter" went to Oberlin, and is now writing about education for U.S. News and World Report. The slacker.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Question: How Much You-Know-What Will the Republican Electorate Eat?
by Tom Bozzo
So it looks like there's been some reaction to the news, but only to the extent of returning the "market" assessment of Giuliani's campaign to where it was a month ago. Candidate answer to the post title's question: plenty, yum yum!
What of the surging Huckabee, whose genial insanity is raising concern around the blogs? He's clearly broken out of the pack into a solid 3d place in the prediction markets' account, though the contract to look at for an explanation is that for Grampa Fred. Think of Thompson's support as partly reflecting the ABFF [*] vote, especially seeing as it was based almost entirely on a Platonic ideal of a campaign rather than the Is This Thing On? reality. (Remember, once upon at time you could see MSM pulling quotes from the field to the effect that people could convince themselves that the actor-lawyer-lobbyist with the much younger spouse was a Godly Conservative.) And given the religious right-wing component of the nominating electorate, it would be more remarkable if there weren't a Huckabee in the field. He seems to be the most prominent beneficiary of the Thompson collapse, but not the only one.
The interesting issue is whether the current Republican rift Huckabee has exposed would be healed if Giuliani implodes and the money vote doesn't migrate to Slick Mitty. You've seen Novakula, but here via some wingnut spam I receive for no apparent reason is Dick Viguerie. Granted, Wingnuttia is adept at patching things up, but the median pocketbook voter should take Rubinomics 2.0 via Hillary Clinton without blinking. [**]
Meanwhile, for those of you who didn't see it via Atrios, this is Teh Funny:
[*] Anybody but the Front-running Freaks.
[**] Famous Last Words risk noted.
Given recent news that would convert the campaigns of politicians without infernal contracts in their filing cabinets into flaming wreckage, the question arises, "That's all well and good, Mr. Smarty Pants, but what does the Wisdom o' Crowds have to say?" Well, here it is via Intrade:
So it looks like there's been some reaction to the news, but only to the extent of returning the "market" assessment of Giuliani's campaign to where it was a month ago. Candidate answer to the post title's question: plenty, yum yum!
What of the surging Huckabee, whose genial insanity is raising concern around the blogs? He's clearly broken out of the pack into a solid 3d place in the prediction markets' account, though the contract to look at for an explanation is that for Grampa Fred. Think of Thompson's support as partly reflecting the ABFF [*] vote, especially seeing as it was based almost entirely on a Platonic ideal of a campaign rather than the Is This Thing On? reality. (Remember, once upon at time you could see MSM pulling quotes from the field to the effect that people could convince themselves that the actor-lawyer-lobbyist with the much younger spouse was a Godly Conservative.) And given the religious right-wing component of the nominating electorate, it would be more remarkable if there weren't a Huckabee in the field. He seems to be the most prominent beneficiary of the Thompson collapse, but not the only one.
The interesting issue is whether the current Republican rift Huckabee has exposed would be healed if Giuliani implodes and the money vote doesn't migrate to Slick Mitty. You've seen Novakula, but here via some wingnut spam I receive for no apparent reason is Dick Viguerie. Granted, Wingnuttia is adept at patching things up, but the median pocketbook voter should take Rubinomics 2.0 via Hillary Clinton without blinking. [**]
Meanwhile, for those of you who didn't see it via Atrios, this is Teh Funny:
[*] Anybody but the Front-running Freaks.
[**] Famous Last Words risk noted.
Labels: humor, Politics, Wingnuttia, YouTube
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
MSFT Snark of the Day
by Ken Houghton
So why is it that when the house is over the Wireless Network Connection it still tells me to RIGHT-click for more options?
I recently re-programmed the touchpad of my laptop for left-handedness. (The right click is virtually dead; it's a useful and fairly straightforward workaround.)
So why is it that when the house is over the Wireless Network Connection it still tells me to RIGHT-click for more options?
The Onion: Still a Priceless National Treasure
by Tom Bozzo
(*) W/o story, natch; usually the best kind.
Business headline (*):
Acquisition Of 3-Hole Punch Triples Intern's ProductivityInfographic bonus! Workplace Productivity Falling
(*) W/o story, natch; usually the best kind.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
I Have a Cunning Plan...
by Anonymous
Read the whole thing. It's classic, and appropos given yesterday's grand opening of Ken Ham's CreationTheme Park Museum.
Proof that Baldrick=God, from a reputable news source:
"They need to know that God is watching over them always, and that he has a plan for each and every one of them—a nonlinear, probabilistic plan he set in motion more than three billion years ago with single-celled organisms, ended with a group of small, lizard-like herbivores, infused with a bunch of miracles, and then restarted."
Read the whole thing. It's classic, and appropos given yesterday's grand opening of Ken Ham's Creation
Labels: Creationism, humor, Wingnuttia
Can't believe Tom didn't spot this one...
by Drek
It'd be a lot funnier if it weren't so tragic. I just wonder how soon we're going to start seeing WHMOWJU?* bumperstickers.
* Seriously, people, you can figure it out if you try.
From his "The Onion is a Priceless National Treasure" department comes this account of the Bush national health care plan:
Jesus Is My Health Insurance
I tell you, people these days have lost their faith. Everybody's turning to the television or drugs or the government to solve their problems, when they should be trusting in the Lord.
Why, just the other day I went to County General because my legs were giving me awful pains, and this nurse starting asking me questions about providers and what was my health care plan and wanting my insurance card so she could copy it. I said, "Child, I don't need all that fancy paperwork—not as long as I have Jesus in my heart."
No matter what sorts of hardships and illnesses life throws my way, I always count on the Lord to oversee my managed care. So I told that nurse to send my bills right up to heaven. Send them right on up, because Jesus is my preferred provider and He always grants me full coverage. After all, Jesus believed in healing the sick and helping the poor, so He most definitely believes in paying my doctor bills on time.
It'd be a lot funnier if it weren't so tragic. I just wonder how soon we're going to start seeing WHMOWJU?* bumperstickers.
* Seriously, people, you can figure it out if you try.
Labels: humor
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Letter to America
by Anonymous
* Note that Andie MacDowell was playing an American character, who for some reason -- shagging Brits, maybe -- kept popping up on the wrong side of the pond. As such, she can hardly be faulted for failing to deliver English dialog[ue]. Granted, this doesn't make her "acting" any more tolerable. Her insanely banal line near the end of the film, "oh, is it raining? I hadn't noticed," was so grating-ly delivered that I began pining for ZuZu Bailey to tell us what happens every time a bell rings.
This came across my e-mail transom this morning. It's attributed to John Cleese, and it looks like it may have been making the rounds since late 2004/early 2005:
To the citizens of the United States of America
In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
Her Sovereign Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy), as from Monday next.
Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour'. Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise".
3. You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you may elect to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you find you simply can't cope with correct pronunciation.
4. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is unacceptable and an inefficient form of communication.
5. There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "-ize".
6. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen", but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).
7. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but to be celebrated only in England. It will be called "Come-Uppance Day."
8. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
9. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
10. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
11. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric immediately and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
12. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline") - roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
13. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps". Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with mayonnaise but with vinegar.
14. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.
15. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer," and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager". American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine", so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
16. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater. *
17. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of proper football; you call it "soccer". Those of you brave enough will, in time, will be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
18. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
19. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
20. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due backdated to 1776.
Thank you for your co-operation.
John Cleese
* Note that Andie MacDowell was playing an American character, who for some reason -- shagging Brits, maybe -- kept popping up on the wrong side of the pond. As such, she can hardly be faulted for failing to deliver English dialog[ue]. Granted, this doesn't make her "acting" any more tolerable. Her insanely banal line near the end of the film, "oh, is it raining? I hadn't noticed," was so grating-ly delivered that I began pining for ZuZu Bailey to tell us what happens every time a bell rings.
