Monthly Archives: June 2011

How to Improve

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

This caught my eye this morning: “10 ways to improve your programming skills” Since I’m learning how to program (has it been two months!?), and I want to get better at it, I should try to follow some of this advice. … Continue reading →

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Fundamentally, Engineers Serve Ideas

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

Here is Horace Dediu: RIM is an engineering led company. Many successful companies rightly develop their engineering skills first because that is what allows them to create new products more quickly. This is true of Nokia and also of Apple … Continue reading →

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The Devil You Don’t See

Posted on June 28, 2011 by

A few weeks ago I had lunch with a cat bond manager who was crowing about buying and selling a particular bond at a solid profit in a single day. The bond was Mariah Re, which is at risk of … Continue reading →

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How Much Does AC Cost? An Accounting Issue

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

There’s a great discussion of the costs of Air Conditioning for soldiers on MR. Here’s the original story. Here’s the boogeyman soundbite: The amount the U.S. military spends annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion. That’s more … Continue reading →

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Bodily Symmetry

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

Apparently it predicts intelligence: body symmetry more strongly predicts intelligence than brain size, nerve conduction velocity, reaction time reliability, and a number of other measures. And the point: The authors suggest that human intelligence may therefore be a “fitness indicator,” … Continue reading →

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In Praise of Judd Apatow

Posted on June 25, 2011 by

Just saw Bridesmaids. I’m not the target market here and the title really made me reluctant but the 90% rotten tomatoes rating did the trick. It was hilarious. And I was thoroughly unsurprised to see a producer credit for Judd … Continue reading →

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What You Should Practice

Posted on June 24, 2011 by

Robin Hanson points us to a study that shows kids should only do math homework. He takes the opportunity to bang on his drum of school as indoctrination, but I was reminded of a few of my own experiences. Most … Continue reading →

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When Cockiness Counts

Posted on June 23, 2011 by

Here is Barker: Ironically, the bias toward seeing ourselves as better than average causes us to see ourselves as less biased than average too. As one research team concluded, “Most of us appear to believe that we are more athletic, … Continue reading →

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But Does it Work?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

Here is Merkel’s review of Mandlebrot’s Misbehaviour of Markets, a book I’ve read: Most serious investors and academics could benefit from the book.  It will challenge your preconceptions.  That doesn’t mean that everything Mandelbrot writes is correct, but most of … Continue reading →

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Brilliant Idea

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

I love the idea of an ideological Turing Test: Put me and five random liberal social science Ph.D.s in a chat room.  Let liberal readers ask questions for an hour, then vote on who isn’t really a liberal.  Then put … Continue reading →

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