RIP: Ivy Bean (1905 – 2010)

Posted on July 29, 2010

I feel bad that I was on the road and I couldn’t properly pay my respect to Harvey Pekar, Steven Sneider and Daniel Shorr, but this one hit me really hard. Ivy Bean was touted as the ‘world’s oldest Twitterer’. A delightful old British woman, she was one of the first people I started following when I got on Twitter. I suppose when you are following the world’s oldest twitterer, you are somewhat expecting to get a tweet like this:

“Ivy is still pain free and comfortable”

Although she, like many Twitter users, updated us on the banalities of her life, hers were very quaint, often talking about her walks with her friend and the lovely tea and biscuits she had eaten that day. But more importantly than that it was proofpudding that age does not equal technical illiteracy. If you are not quite convinced that she is adorable and sharp here is a video that CNN did on her:

If that doesn’t show up for you, here is a page that does have it.

I was not a fan of her on facebook, but I do know that my Twitter feed will be far less rich. If you feel like reading her feed, and about how her caretakers snuck fish and chips (her favorite) into the hospital, here it is:

IvyBean104

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Posted on July 26, 2010

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Whale – 1: Sailboat – 0

Posted on July 26, 2010

This photoset came out about a week ago, but the video is way more awesome. Basically a whale breached directly over top of someone’s sailboat, crushing it. Here’s the video and it is nuts:

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Posted on July 26, 2010

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Powell’s Affiliate

Posted on July 26, 2010

It’s about time I made some money off this thing. You may or may not notice that the links I provide in my recent review of ‘Naked Economics’ point you towards Powell’s Books. This is because I have become an affiliate of Powell’s books. If you buy a book after clicking that link, I get money. Now keep in mind I am a staunch advocate of supporting your locally owned and operated independant book store, but I understand that sometimes for reasons of availability and price, it is cheaper to buy things on-line. In the case of books, definitely go to Powell’s. It’s a great store and it is way, way better than Amazon. If you are going to buy anything else, use a site that specializes in the product you are buying. That is all. If you have any problems with my links, let me know.

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Posted on July 26, 2010

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Book Review: Naked Economics

Posted on July 26, 2010

The full title of Charles Wheelan’s book is “Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science.” I’m pretty sure in this day and age that economics is the last thing you want to read about. But man this book makes it easy as Lindsay Lohan. The critical factor here is that Wheelan is not a professional economist. He is a writer who really likes economics. He understands the subject and he understands why his readers should know the basics.

There are no graphs. No equations. You never have to do any math. By the end of it, you will hate hippies more than ever. Wheeler goes through several situations and explains nearly every angle of economic theory. Economics is the study of how people achieve their maximum ‘utility’. Don’t worry, that phrase will be explained.

What I think this books greatest strength is that it puts a human edge on what is often seen to be a mechanical, inhuman science. The phrase ‘human capital’ will take on a new and more profound meaning. Compare this to the idea that the North won the Civil War through superiour ‘human capital’. One of its main theses is that the subject is so complicated because we all want different things. While one person’s incentive might be to get lots of money, another’s highest goal might be to live a green lifestyle.

If you are skeptical of the Fed, read this book. If you think that you are saving the world by protesting sweatshops, read this book. If you think that conservative economic policy is remotely sound, read this book.

Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who reads economics blogs for fun, but man was this book entertaining. I started in the middle, and was reading about the ‘Economics of information’ in the bookstore. After 5 minutes I decided I HAD to have the book. It was talking about why Clinton’s HOPE scholarship was doomed to fail.

This is a fantastic book for those people who say, ‘I really want to know more about economics, but I don’t like math’. Let me reiterate, no math here. Just easy to read words. Plus, it’s pretty doggone funny. Wheeler is a great writer, and it really makes the subject more accessible.

You will learn all sorts of awesome stuff like why poor countries are poor. How the weakness of the dollar affects the prices of cars. On that subject, Wheeler makes the point that buying a Japanese car is just as American as buying a Ford or a Mercury. Counterintuitive, yes, but so is most of economics.

Naked Economics

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Posted on July 26, 2010