Thu Jul 30 13:05:29 EDT 2015

Items of Interest

Various web links I found to be of interest recently:

  • Is There a Viable Alternative to the Iran Deal?

    Three Atlantic writers debate the merits of the Iran nuclear agreement.

    Peter Beinart, David Frum, and Jeffrey Goldberg -- July 17, 2015

    A reasonable and sensible discussion of pros and cons of the Iran deal. But still they only talk about problems trusting Iran and forget about problems trusting the United States as I have pointed out.

  • Paul Krugman vs Steve Moore 720

    Video of a debate between Paul Krugman (New York Times) and Steve Moore (Heritage Foundation) at FreedomFest 2015.

    Some commentary about it:
  • Here's what your stolen identity goes for on the internet's black market

    The going rate for a stolen identity is about twenty bucks.

    Though the transactions are usually illegal, marketplaces on the dark web function much like those on the popular internet. Prices for stolen identities vary based on factors like quality, reliability, robustness, and the seller's reputation.

  • The (Dis)Honesty Project

    (Dis)Honesty -- The Truth About Lies is a documentary feature film that explores the human tendency to be dishonest. Inspired by the work of behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, the film interweaves personal stories, expert opinions, behavioral experiments, and archival footage to reveal how and why people lie.

  • Harbingers Of Failure

    If You Buy The Stuff No One Else Likes, You Just May Be A "Harbinger Of Failure". In a study published in the Journal of Marketing Research, researchers identified particular kinds of consumers whose preferences can predict products that will flop, calling those folks "harbingers of failure," reports the Chicago Tribune.

    "Certain customers systematically purchase new products that prove unsuccessful," wrote the study authors. "Their early adoption of a new product is a strong signal that a product will fail."

  • Predicting things is hard, but we keep doing it. Why?

    This Commerce Department report from 1948 shows how disastrously, off-the-charts wrong forecasters can be.

    If you had to make a list of America's most important developments during the 20th century, the baby boom would be in the top 10. And it was totally unpredictable.
    ...
    What's more, the report's projection of total U.S. population wasn't just a little off; it was disastrously, off-the-charts wrong. The baseline 1948 forecast predicted 163 million people would live in America by the year 2000. In reality, it was 282 million. That difference -- 119 million people -- is the equivalent of missing three Californias, or 14 New York Cities.

  • Another 'Too Big to Fail' System in G.M.O.s

    By Mark Spitznagel and Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    The G.M.O. experiment, carried out in real time and with our entire food and ecological system as its laboratory, is perhaps the greatest case of human hubris ever. It creates yet another systemic, "too big too fail" enterprise -- but one for which no bailouts will be possible when it fails.

    I am not convinced by their argument. Scientists are not economists and they do not function in the same manner.

  • Jon Stewart skewers Scalia after justice's string of Supreme Court outbursts

    Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia shown to be the hypocrite he is.

    For more evidence see The Incoherence of Antonin Scalia by Richard A. Posner.

  • Judge Alex Kozinski identifies 12 huge lies about justice in America:
    1. Eyewitnesses are highly reliable
    2. Fingerprint evidence is foolproof
    3. Other types of forensic evidence are scientifically proven and therefore infallible
    4. DNA evidence is infallible
    5. Human memories are reliable
    6. Confessions are infallible because innocent people never confess
    7. Juries follow instructions
    8. Prosecutors play fair
    9. The prosecution is at a substantial disadvantage because it must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt
    10. Police are objective in their investigations
    11. Guilty pleas are conclusive proof of guilt
    12. Long sentences deter crime
  • A non-French speaker just won the French Scrabble championship

    On Monday, July 20, Richards-- a native of New Zealand--won the French-language world Scrabble championship.

    He does not speak a word of French.
    ...
    Richards reportedly memorized an entire French dictionary in the two months leading up to the competition.

  • Give Well

    In-depth charity research.

    Thousands of hours have gone into finding our top-rated charities. They're evidence-backed, thoroughly vetted, and underfunded.


Posted by mjm | Permanent link | Comments
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