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February 2012 S M T W T F S « Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Statistics
Category Archives: economics
Negative Feedback Loop?
I’m a little puzzled by one of the statements in David Hackett Fischer‘s conclusion to his The Great Wave: Price Revolutions and the Rhythm of History. On p. 249, he writes, In a free market, individual responses to inflation commonly … Continue reading
Posted in economics
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Hasta la Vista, Baby
We’re cancelling DirecTV service. It’s been about a year since purchasing the HDTV and the associated DirecTV package. Meanwhile, our viewing of “normal” television fare has been steadily declining. We hardly ever watch anything live: we have other things to … Continue reading
Dear Amtrak: Learn How to Price Your Service
Apparently you neglected to read my last letter, but with the fast approach of National Train Day and the increase in oil prices making your services slightly more competitive, I thought it might be helpful to bring up the topic … Continue reading
Whose Benefit?
The medical benefit plan I have requires payment of a certain sum before it begins paying a high percentage of the cost of prescriptions. This sum is called the deductible; it’s a sum uncovered by the insurance, deducted from the … Continue reading
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Drink Cocktails
J. T. Dobbs at American Drink asks, Is it a coincidence that on the heels of one of the worst economic crises since The Depression, artisan cocktails began making a huge comeback? Actually, no, it’s not. It’s typical. In The … Continue reading
Posted in drink, economics
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Replacing the Oxygen Sensor on a 2002 Honda CR-V
In order to pass the New York State vehicle inspection, all emissions control components must work. For example, if the oxygen sensors fail, they must be replaced. If you ever need to do replace an oxygen sensor, these instructions from … Continue reading
Google Travel
Apparently Google wants to purchase a travel data company, but the existing flight comparison websites don’t want them to. I can see why they wouldn’t: they’re all slow, unusable masses of advertisements for unwanted products that make it faster for … Continue reading
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Why I Cancelled My Newspaper Subscription
I’ve maintained a subscription to the deadtree edition of my local newspapers since I was old enough to pay my own bills. I’ve continued to subscribe even though the newspaper has grown less and less interesting, because I have found … Continue reading
Frak That
There’s some discussion up in Albany of permitting the use of hydraulic fracturing to remove natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation upstate. In the industry this is colloquially called “fracking” because afterward you’re pretty much fucked. The problem with … Continue reading
Why I Continue to Subscribe to the Local Newspaper
I continue to subscribe to the local newspaper for a handful of reasons. general coverage of national politics excellent coverage of local politics high-quality investigative journalism cogent and thoughtful editorials amusing letters to the editor yesterday’s sports scores and the … Continue reading
Comments on the Arlington Central School District Budget
The Board of Education of the Arlington Central School District has made the difficult decision to close an elementary school in order to reduce the district’s budget.There are obviously consequences to this decision other than the money involved. Some are … Continue reading
Dear Amtrak
You disappoint me. You don’t understand pricing. Or perhaps you simply have no experience of buying things with your own money. In any case, what are you thinking? I know that you stop in both cities, so I was hoping … Continue reading
Competitive Pricing of Substitutes in Transportation
Nate Silver has an interesting, if partial, analysis of statistics comparing modes of transportation based on the National Household Travel Survey. He wonders why Americans prefer to drive long distances than fly, and calculates the costs to be generally cheaper … Continue reading
Posted in economics, transportation
Tagged airplane, automobile, economics, highways, railroad, statistics, transportation
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Electronic Medical Records
On Marketplace this morning, they mentioned that Obama wants electronic medical records. Why is it any of Obama’s damn business? I haven’t noticed a reduction in paperwork as a result of computing. There are normal computing issues magnified by the … Continue reading
What Benefit are Wire Services in a Well-Connected World?
As a former employee of The Associated Press, it’s been somewhat embarrassing to watch their plodding attempts to control data which has already escaped from their control. I recall some discussions with graphics and photo editors in 1996 or so … Continue reading
Growth
Suppose that I go to Vegas to gamble. Further suppose that someone gives me $100, which I then increase to $1000 at the slot machines. Further suppose that I wander over to the roullette wheel, where I proceed to lose … Continue reading
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Receipts
Well this is interesting. I was looking at the deficits in this table, and noticed something: the receipts. That, and the title clearly says from T. Roosevelt, but the data only extends back to C. Coolidge.
Pretend You’re a Chainsaw
During a depression, wages are sticky downward. That is, they do not drop quickly, though prices do. Instead, jobs are lost. Fine. I’m going to pretend I’m John McCain and take a chainsaw to the Arlington budget. In order to … Continue reading
Painful Balancing
The Arlington Central School District is treating this budget planning a bit differently than the past few, because of the severe fiscal pressures. This is a good thing, and long overdue. Too bad they didn’t do this during the fat … Continue reading
Tanzanian Millers
Why aren’t there more local millers in Tanzania? Or, why is international aid or investment required in order to process cassava, as this story on Marketplace seems to suggest? Sounds like there’s a missed opportunity there.
