http://ecocene.org/blog the age of the environment Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:25:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Game theory is often presented as a framework for making better, more rational decisions. I often find myself sitting down and trying to put aside my concerns and emotions and work out what the 'correct' most optimal response to a problem is. But while weighing the outcomes of the different ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=225 I was reading a charming fantasy novel and it reminded me of how difficult it was to understand value. In economics, we measure utility in dollars and expect goods to be interchangeable. But there are so many items we can trade that are less tangible than guns and butter. In ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=221 Costco has organic turkeys. That is all. http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=220 It's easy to think that because suburbs are being built and people are moving into them, that these are the sorts of places that people want to live in. It turns out that there are a lot of people who would prefer a small-town environment. Here is a lecture by Andres ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=215 Try it out for yourself. Painful. I keep thinking there must be more options, that there are more things to be cut, more places to shave, more details that could lead to some good solution, but I know the truth, that the referendums, extensive earmarking, and federal laws (ironic given California's attempts ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=211 I was speaking to a friend in Australia who had been house hunting for months and suddenly she wasn't anymore. I asked her what happened. It turns out that her government was giving out a first-time home owner incentive and that she was going to use it to buy an apartment. ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=208 I was reflecting upon the many programs that have come and gone from my system. MiniTab, GAUSS, Stata, SAS... well at least there's one that I can't lose a license to.   http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=203 A while back, Thomas L. Friedman was on the Daily Show to advertise his new book Hot Flat, and Crowded. It may be that he oversimplified his explanation for the show, but I am terribly unimpressed. He said we should overinvest in green technologies, cause a bubble, and reap the ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=178 I've had some interesting experience with two insurance companies. I find the contrast in their business models to be quite interesting and their relative behaviors of economic note. The Subjects Insurance Company 1 was extremely professional, very polished, respectable, and downright thoughtful. When I came in for an interview, the manager ... http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=102 The financial market craziness makes me wish we were back to relatively harmless presidential politics. Someone sent me this story about a honey-stealing bear just before McCain told his overused bear boondoggle story on Friday. Here's some consolation political humor and some cute. http://ecocene.org/blog/?p=94