News of the Day

So . . . once in a while I hear about a bunch of news stories within a short time, all of which inspire in me some emotion (usually disgust, but not always).  Today was one of those days.  In a matter of an hour or so I heard about four news stories on the radio that stuck with me, and I thought I could comment on them.  I found out about all of them on the Howard Stern show this morning, but have since checked into them a bit further to get more detail.  The stories after the jump.

True or False Question

So . . . I thought that today I would train my keen mind on a most deserving target - a couple of lines from Hamlet.  A couple of lines that find their way into the general consciousness through not only the play but also countless valedictory addresses each spring.  Hey, it's Friday, I don't want to complain about current events or stupid decisions people make (other than possibly mangling the intention of Shakespeare's words in graduation speeches), so I'll just ramble about some iambic pentameter.  Said ramblings after the jump.

Thank God! (or Someone Else)

So . . . it's that busiest travel weekend of the year for our American friends, Thanksgiving weekend.  One of the most popular holidays, and it's not only because of the extended long weekend and Black Friday deals.  Many people get fulfillment from the act of giving thanks, of taking a moment to acknowledge that we are lucky to have what we do and that it may not all our own doing.  But who should we thank?  The answer (at least one version of it) after the jump.

Billboard Charts and Mathematical Graphs

So . . . I like music (yeah, kind of like saying "I like food," I know).  That is to say I enjoy music - I'm not really one of those "music can change the world" types.  My tastes tend to be eclectic (very few genres I don't listen to) and my collection is fairly extensive, I think (not a world record sized one, but a fairly robust 15000 songs).  Being a researcher, though, I also have an interest in what makes some music popular and others not.  The scientific answer after the jump.

Being Healthy and Wealthy, But Not Wise

So . . . one of the reasons I started this blog is that occasionally I read something in the newspaper that just makes me want to throw it across the room.  In fact, this is a primary reason why I still read paper newspapers - it would get very expensive if I threw the computer screen across the room every time something ticked me off.  Well, anyway, today was one of those days.  Find out what's peeving me today after the jump.

I'm No Airhead But I've Got Gas On My Mind

So . . . yesterday I was asked to comment for a story in the local paper on gas prices.  And, because I have become accustomed to my mental spewings having a greater share of the article on the web (thanks to this blog!), I thought I'd expand.  Gas prices not only give me an opportunity to study my first research love, dynamic pricing (maybe I'll discuss that another day) but give a view into how consumers respond to ever-changing prices and stimuli.  And we aren't very good in our responses.  More gassy emissions after the jump.

Spare Change for Promising Politicians

So . . . I had a request from one of my regular readers (yes, they exist) that I provide a follow-up to the U.S. midterm elections earlier this month.  I had done a pre-election post discussing the sad state of reductionism in politics.  Today I'm going to write about the fallout from the Democrat's poor showing and the emergence of the tea party.  And the news will be good, kind of.  Also, I once again relate political decisions to buying a television, all after the jump.

Taking the Happy out of the Meal

So . . . toys are making kids fat.  Or so says Eric Mar, a city supervisor in San Francisco who sponsored a now-passed city law preventing quick-service restaurants (read: McDonalds) from giving out toys with (happy) meals unless said meals meet nutritional guidelines.  Taking toys away from kids, that's horrible, and right around Christmas, too.  Worst of all, it won't even work.  Fat kids and crappy toys after the jump.

Are Babies Clairvoyant?

So . . . I thought I'd copy from local news reports and ask a provocative question as the title ("The snack food that will destroy your stomach lining is in your pantry . . . we'll tell you which one it is at eleven!). Or maybe you thought this was the tagline of Christopher Lloyd's latest cinematic triumph.  Alas, no.  It's just an example of our blindness to our own behaviour and how it may be perceived by others (huh? you lost me there . . .).  I'll try to add clarity to infant clairvoyance after the jump.

Is the Web of Research Related to the 'Net of Teaching?

So . . . it seems that this online learning thing may be for real.  This is a terrifying thought for many professors, because if lectures or notes are fully available online, what use are they (we)?  Isn't it enough that all of the information is available online, or is it really necessary that the dronings of a researcher into obscure South Pacific polydeistic tribal rituals have to be too?  Can't online learning be limited to those trade schools and administrative studies colleges that advertise on daytime TV?  The answers after the jump.

Batty Batty Batty Bat

So . . . apparently white nostril fungus is causing problems for bats.  The problem specifically is that a type of mold is killing whole populations of certain types of bats.  And even though there is zero indication that human activity caused this, there is a small but growing movement to do something to help these bats.  Some articles (like this one in Scientific American) are framing the bat deaths as something that will be a problem for people if we don't do something about it.  We'll do the batty bat after the jump.

Power Ranger or Texas-Sized Bust?

So . . . a belated and bitter congratulations to the world-champion San Francisco Giants (bitter because back when I used to follow baseball the Rangers were "my" team).  They handled the Texas Rangers very adeptly en route to a 4-1 World Series win.  One of the biggest surprises was that supposed playoff ace Cliff Lee of the Rangers had two losses in the series, after having never lost a playoff game before.  On why the notion of a "playoff performer" is a fallacy after the jump.

Complex Issues, Simple Candidates

So . . . today is voting day for our friends to the south.  Maybe it's because I didn't really follow the politics of a foreign country when I was a kid, but it sure seems to me that midterm elections get a lot more attention than they used to.  Of course, this particular midterm election is being viewed as a referendum on both Obama's first two years and the Tea Party movement, so people on both sides feel as though they have a lot to say.  But part of the problem is that even though there is a lot of talking going on, no one is saying very much.  I contribute my piece of speech after the jump.