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On Not Responding to Anonymous Comments
Byadmin
One of the great pleasures of blogging is reaching new audiences and, better yet, interacting with new people. On the other hand, blogging also puts us bloggers into contact with unpleasant commenters. This unpleasantness has compelled me to establish some guidelines for my own on-line behavior. First, I strive always to blog, and to comment…
What Drives Me Crazy about the Popularity of Behavioral Economics
Byadmin
A recent article in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, my former hometown newspaper, made the kind of statement that is all too common in popular reporting on behavioral economics: “The idea that we humans are not that smart comes from behavioral economics.” Really? Behavioral economics discovered stupidity? Irrationality? The limits of human intelligence? That is…
Why I'm Bananas Over The Fish That Ate the Whale
Byadmin
Recently I had the pleasure of reading Rich Cohen’s wonderful book: The Fish That Ate the Whale – the Life and Times of America’s Banana King. The book tells the story of Samuel Zemurray, a true rags to riches story, a man who started by spending his entire life savings – all $150 – to…
Writing So Good It Makes Me Think About Giving Up
Byadmin
In his new book, Detroit City is the Place to Be, Mark Binelli describes the scene outside his residence in language so wonderful I had to share it with you: “By 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning, when I’d step out to buy a newspaper, I’d spot the tailgaters bundled up like deer hunters, clutching copied…
A Vivid Picture of Timbuktu, in Words
Byadmin
In the New Yorker this July, Jon Lee Anderson wrote a fascinating article about Timbuktu, where Al Qaeda is working to become a legitimate political power. A scary story. But a beautifully written one. Take this paragraph when he introduces readers to the city in question: Timbuktu is a small, unlovely city in shades of…
Another Great Sentence from C. Mann in the Atlantic
Byadmin
I recently quoted a couple sentences from Mann’s provocative article on the energy industry. Here is another gem I thought I’d pass on: To ask utilities to take in large amounts of solar power–electricity generated by hundreds or thousands of small installations, many on neighborhood roofs and lawns, whose output is affected by clouds–is like…