It looks like we lost a great writer as Terry Pratchett met his creation today.
It feels like losing a friend. I never met the man, but the grief was real and genuine. The last time a stranger died and I felt this was was about a decade ago when we lost Vonnegut. There's no way to really classify the loss of the potential joy that you would have had. There's also the weird enjoyment of new discoveries of the posthumous works. But those are never the same, and cannot be enjoyed in the same light.
On the other hand, the authors that we spend so much time with are strangers and they are not, a weird dual both / and and neither / nor position at the same time that takes quantum phyiscs to explain, and even then we all know we're bullshitting ourselves.
So mourn the loss, yet rejoice that we are here to mourn.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Getting Ready: Charles Murray Book Club.
OK.
It came. I have a lot of schoolwork this week, but I'm going to rock this next week.
I cannot be moar excited.
UPDATE (3/10/2015):
The book club is cancelled, as the book is actually rather large and I have some time in my life to extend a joke, I don't have enough to actually sit down and read a book that was called out for being racist 20 years ago. Part of me wants to read it for historical purposes, the other parts are not voting in the affirmative. There's also the fact that in spit of this copy coming off the shelf for the first time in probably 19 years, they only put a two-week limit on the check-out, and I don't want to go through the trouble of renewing it. It is much easier to give up on a library book than it is one you buy. Damn sunk cost fallacy.
It came. I have a lot of schoolwork this week, but I'm going to rock this next week.
I cannot be moar excited.
UPDATE (3/10/2015):
The book club is cancelled, as the book is actually rather large and I have some time in my life to extend a joke, I don't have enough to actually sit down and read a book that was called out for being racist 20 years ago. Part of me wants to read it for historical purposes, the other parts are not voting in the affirmative. There's also the fact that in spit of this copy coming off the shelf for the first time in probably 19 years, they only put a two-week limit on the check-out, and I don't want to go through the trouble of renewing it. It is much easier to give up on a library book than it is one you buy. Damn sunk cost fallacy.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Brief Defense of the Avid Amateur
I was thinking about Noah's post where he was curious about amateurs with an interest in economics, and it got me thinking.
A lot of the early post-enlightenment advances in science were made by avid amateurs in fields as varied as geology, zoology, and chemistry.
When I think of guys like these (and they were mostly guys) I think of someone like Joseph Priestley. He isolated Oxygen, amongst other claims to fame.
But he wasn't a scientist as we know it. He was Minister. (Lots of churchy guys going cool science stuff, like Mendel).
So basically the idea of scientist doesn't come around until there is institutionalized science. Then you can throw up the walls and point at the avid amatuer and call him a birdwatcher and not a zoologist.
This also is the case in economics. The early econ stuff is narrative. There's not a numbers. But you math it up a bit and use differential calculus the you can draw a sharp line. If you're not doing math, you're not an economist (Not to speak ill of math and graphing, it still can illustrate important concepts to entry-level students).
A lot of the early post-enlightenment advances in science were made by avid amateurs in fields as varied as geology, zoology, and chemistry.
When I think of guys like these (and they were mostly guys) I think of someone like Joseph Priestley. He isolated Oxygen, amongst other claims to fame.
But he wasn't a scientist as we know it. He was Minister. (Lots of churchy guys going cool science stuff, like Mendel).
So basically the idea of scientist doesn't come around until there is institutionalized science. Then you can throw up the walls and point at the avid amatuer and call him a birdwatcher and not a zoologist.
This also is the case in economics. The early econ stuff is narrative. There's not a numbers. But you math it up a bit and use differential calculus the you can draw a sharp line. If you're not doing math, you're not an economist (Not to speak ill of math and graphing, it still can illustrate important concepts to entry-level students).
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Charles Murray Book Club
I found it a bit problematic when Noah dropped his post about how cool Charles Murray is.
I decided that -- well of course Noah knows more than I do -- to not judge.
So I'm going to have a Charles Murray book club here. I got a copy of The Bell Curve coming my way from my library
"Your Request
Your request for The bell curve : intelligence and class structure in American life was successful.
You will be able to pick up this material at Brookfield Public when it is ready."
Not sure when it will get here, but I thought all of us Noah fans might want to have a place where we can talk about Noah -- and that other guy.
I'm looking forward to the conversation!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Noah as God on Earth
I've been debating on if Noah is a God on Earth,
Or if his divinity will not manifest until his ascension to the divine world of ideas.
Either way, here's a mock-up of what that will look like.
Or if his divinity will not manifest until his ascension to the divine world of ideas.
Either way, here's a mock-up of what that will look like.
 |
| Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair! |
Friday, January 16, 2015
Noah is Kurt Vonnegut's Second Coming
...only about economics and finance.
My evidence the following paragraph, lifted from Here
This is the Vonneguttiest thing I've read in a while
"No. 7. Michael Woodford’s textbook
Mike Woodford, of Columbia University, is the most important academic macroeconomist in the world. I actually did have to explain his book in an essay for a class with Miles Kimball at the University of Michigan. The essay was assigned over spring break. Grad school stinks, folks."
My evidence the following paragraph, lifted from Here
This is the Vonneguttiest thing I've read in a while
"No. 7. Michael Woodford’s textbook
Mike Woodford, of Columbia University, is the most important academic macroeconomist in the world. I actually did have to explain his book in an essay for a class with Miles Kimball at the University of Michigan. The essay was assigned over spring break. Grad school stinks, folks."
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Remember Noahopinion?
I miss when Noah blogged at his own site. I was excited for the Bloomberg thing, but now he's gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Gone.
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