Bookroll
- Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel
- David Rakoff
- 3 wds: Rhythmic Raw Rakoff
- The Signal and the Noise
- Nate Silver
- 3 wds: accessible, insightful, broad
- The Casual Vacancy
- J.K. Rowling
- 3 wds: captivating, political, believable
- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War against al-Qaeda
- Neil Shah
- 3 wds: Captivating, informative, redacted
- The Blank Slate
- Steven Pinker
- 3 wds: Rant, lengthy, correct
- The Trial
- Franz Kafka
- 3 wds: Disheartening, linear, skippable
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
My Nerdiest Tweet (Yet)
A few weeks ago, I wrote the following nerdy and somewhat-cryptic tweet: Abromowitz polarization variable: if(yr0,1,-1)) counts as 4 degs of freedom? http://j.mp/SbHyzx The “degrees of freedom” that I reference is the statistical term, which represents the difference between he … Continue reading
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Kiva and Microfinance
Microfinance was a term that I heard bandied about in social situations but was generally unfamiliar with until a few years ago, when a friend gave me a Kiva gift certificate as a birthday present. I found Kiva’s model of … Continue reading
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A Case for Sherlock
Watching the BBC’s Sherlock Season 2 Finale has me in a crime-solving mood, so I devoured WaPo’s article on the Guggenheim assault. Here are my notes: Despite the paper calling the crime a “howdunit, a whydunit, a whendunit,” it’s highly … Continue reading
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My Kind of 4×4
Short version: I made this coaster out of scrabble tiles. The eight words (across and down) are all obliquely about beverages and/or water. Long version: I was visiting my brother and his expecting wife recently and part of the weekend … Continue reading
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Political Science, Overlooked By XKCD
Poli sci attracts the kids with world domineering obsessions Then they quit since its just theory plus multivar regressions
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Music and Lyrics For the Web
The Web does so much for me; today, I want to give back. First, here’s a music video that I think is astoundingly creative and beautifully executed, and which you may not have seen: (Thanks to Pandora for introducing me … Continue reading
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How I Would Defend The Health Care Law
At the Supreme Court this week, the Obama Administration will defend its Health Care Reform Law. I have two pieces of advice for the Solicitor General. State a limiting principle. The Administration has been shockingly blasé about defining exactly why … Continue reading
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Can the Federal Government Refinance the Public Debt?
In browsing my Personal WaPo, I came across Ed Roger’s anti-debt rant. I call it a rant because rather than reasoned arguments, he tries to throw big numbers at you ($341,288!) and hope you’re sufficiently outraged. It occurs to me … Continue reading
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What’s your definition of “taxable”?
The New York Times has a head-turning story about a James Ross, whose “taxable income” rate is 102%. Before you take too much pity on Mr. Ross, I invite you to soak in these sentences: That doesn’t mean Mr. Ross … Continue reading
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Eating Some Crow
As the primary season continues, I wanted to review two of my earlier posts: I opined that Romney would place only a “strong second” in Iowa despite his increased effort in the state, a prediction that just barely came to … Continue reading
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