Music, Technology, Art, Economy

The Economics of Unethical Behaviour - broadstuff Brilliant...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:09:53 -0700

The Economics of Unethical Behaviour - broadstuff

Brilliant piece from Alan Patrick, as ever.

"they have for years used advanced detection techniques devised by the US intelligence community and..."

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:12:42 -0700

“they have for years used advanced detection techniques devised by the US intelligence community and sophisticated voice analyzing software to tell if executives are lying on their earnings calls.”

- How hedge funds analyze your earnings calls | IR Web Report

"We’ve underinvested severely, for example, in next-gen transportation and green..."

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:01:42 -0700

“

We’ve underinvested severely, for example, in next-gen transportation and green construction.

So the positions of “high-speed train network manager” or “renewable materials engineer” don’t exist yet. Nor do the skills that make them up. Because: nor do the companies that could offer them.

That’s neither “structural” nor “cyclical” - it’s institutional.

”

- Umair Haque / Bubblegeneration

Charlatans. Martyrs. Hustlers.

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:51:13 -0700

Charlatans. Martyrs. Hustlers.

"Oppenheimer: “We do not create a shortage for buzz. I don’t know where that’s come..."

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:06:55 -0700

“Oppenheimer: “We do not create a shortage for buzz. I don’t know where that’s come from. That’s not our objective”

- Apple to analysts: Supply issues ‘a good problem to have’ | Technology | guardian.co.uk

lol

"With stellar credit and a solid job, Dr. Budde said she had been notified via e-mail that she was..."

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:52:43 -0700

“

With stellar credit and a solid job, Dr. Budde said she had been notified via e-mail that she was approved for a loan on June 15.

But that note prompted an automatic, “out of the office” e-mail reply from Dr. Budde’s work account, which said she was out on maternity leave.

The next day, Dr. Budde received a second e-mail message from the lender, this time denying her loan approval.

”

- Seeking a Mortgage? Don’t Get Pregnant - NYTimes.com

Sickening. I’m gonna get involved in some disruptive fin svcs company at some point or another. Walk the talk, ya know?

Scott Adams Blog: High Ground Maneuver 07/19/2010

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:25:02 -0700

Scott Adams Blog: High Ground Maneuver 07/19/2010:

This is a pretty great analysis…

"I can’t help but see this move in the context of the slow but steady crumbling of institutions..."

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:40:19 -0700

“

I can’t help but see this move in the context of the slow but steady crumbling of institutions that held power by their control of the distribution system.

But now when the most talented players have brands that are as big or bigger than the teams they play on, when more and more young people are rooting for their fantasy team and assembling it on their xbox, this move makes total sense to me.

”

- A VC

By far the most interesting take on this event…

"Let’s say you want a loaf of bread. How many of us will pay an extra 15-30% for a loaf from..."

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:06:32 -0700

“

Let’s say you want a loaf of bread.

How many of us will pay an extra 15-30% for a loaf from the local baker, versus a loaf from the local hypermarket?

Yet, because we won’t, the bakery - and its jobs - vanish. After all, why would you pay a slight premium, for goods that are substitutes?

Except, of course, they’re not - really. Your bakery has radically different incentives than your local hypermarket, and might just offer you a significantly higher level of artisanship, skill, service - and trust.

Yet, it’s exactly those we don’t seem to value.

”

- Umair Haque / Bubblegeneration

"Schmidt noted that Google and Apple still have important partnerships in various businesses, and..."

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:02:24 -0700

“Schmidt noted that Google and Apple still have important partnerships in various businesses, and stressed that the market was big enough for both Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone to be successful.”

- Google’s Schmidt undaunted by Apple or Facebook | Reuters

I hope that all the echo chamber tech bloggers take notice of this comment. However I’m sure they won’t ;-)

"GDP alone doesn’t, hasn’t — and won’t — create incentives for the industries of..."

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:39:11 -0700

“GDP alone doesn’t, hasn’t — and won’t — create incentives for the industries of tomorrow to ignite. Why create a green energy industry, when GDP doesn’t count the costs of pollution to begin with?”

- Real Prosperity Doesn’t Come From Stimulus — Or Austerity - Umair Haque - Harvard Business Review

"Government regulators, retailers, manufacturers and consumer experts are concerned that recall..."

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:40:21 -0700

“Government regulators, retailers, manufacturers and consumer experts are concerned that recall notices have become so frequent across a range of goods — foods, consumer products, cars — that the public is suffering from “recall fatigue.””

- Officials worry about consumers lost among the recalls

Privatize gains, socialize losses, rinse, repeat…

"We think now is the right time to join with Amazon because, quite simply, every company that becomes..."

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:30:15 -0700

“We think now is the right time to join with Amazon because, quite simply, every company that becomes a subsidiary gets two free downloads until the end of July, and we very much need that new thing with Trent Reznor’s wife on our iPods.”

- Woot’s Deal Of The Day: Woot! — Amazon Buys It. Price? $110 Million

Genius

"It is clear that the Framers … counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental..."

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:34:26 -0700

““It is clear that the Framers … counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental rights necessary to our system of ordered liberty,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote for the conservatives on the court.”

- Supreme Court rules that all Americans have fundamental right to bear arms

Note that the Framers also agreed that slaves counted as three-fifths of a person, Constitutionally.

I just don’t get the strict constructionist viewpoint…reminds me of people that arbitrarily pick and choose which parts of the Bible to strictly interpret.

Oh, the lulz.

"In his tweets, Attorney General Shurtleff implicitly references these views and combines them with..."

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:24:40 -0700

“

In his tweets, Attorney General Shurtleff implicitly references these views and combines them with portentous religious language.

Recognizing that it is a “solemn day,” Shurtleff tweets, “Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims: Justice.”

Later, Shurtleff declares in reference to Gardner’s fate: “May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims.”

”

- On Faith Panelists Blog: Tweeting Death - Mathew N. Schmalz

Relatedly, I saw someone had uploaded a sonogram of their unborn child to facebook the other day. Probably a bit much.

"“We’re just looking to make cool pieces of entertainment and just arbitrarily make that subject..."

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:45:35 -0700

“

“We’re just looking to make cool pieces of entertainment and just arbitrarily make that subject matter a brand’s message.”

He drew an analogy to an improv troupe’s asking the audience for a word.

“They don’t care what that word is. That word can be tennis shoe. And now you’re performing a sketch about a tennis shoe,” he said. “It’s really fun to have that creative challenge.”

”

- Marketing Venture From Bateman and Arnett Takes Off With Orbit - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

Brilliant

"At work, special information rectangles help men and women silently complete any number of..."

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:40:58 -0700

“At work, special information rectangles help men and women silently complete any number of business-related tasks, while entertainment rectangles—larger and louder and often placed inside the home—allow Americans to enter a relaxing trance-like state after a long day of rectangle-gazing.”

- Report: 90% Of Waking Hours Spent Staring At Glowing Rectangles | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source

We can anticipate that a hurricane passing over the oil spill...

Sat, 29 May 2010 10:58:50 -0700

We can anticipate that a hurricane passing over the oil spill will be able to hurl oil and toxic dispersants many miles inland during landfall.

(via What Happens When Summer’s Predicted Big Hurricanes Meet the Oil Slick - The New Ideal - GOOD)

Website Editors Strive To Rein In Nasty Comments : NPR

Sat, 29 May 2010 10:56:47 -0700

Website Editors Strive To Rein In Nasty Comments : NPR

"If we force hedge funds and the like to compete for talent on a more level playing field, then maybe..."

Sat, 29 May 2010 10:42:15 -0700

“If we force hedge funds and the like to compete for talent on a more level playing field, then maybe we’ll see our best and brightest minds go to more productive activities than moving money around and taking a cut of the action.”

- A VC: Why Taxing Carried Interest As Ordinary Income Is Good Policy