December 2008
70 posts
Bon Iver Jumps the Shark →
Love this dude and happy to see him getting recognition.
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-12-21) →
“I’m typing this on my blackberry in a hotel lobby in berlin, I’ll...”
– Fred Wilson
As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor... →
(via askjerves) particularly liked how the country would separate with Mexico, Canada, China and Europe all becoming the poles around which our country rallied. Brilliant deduction.
The Growing Pigou Club - Now With Congressional... →
Greg Mankiw, eminent Harvard Economics professor, has been advocating for a Pigovian Tax and specifically a tax on gasoline, which he outlined in a WSJ manifesto. Support for this is growing and recently that support extended beyond academia to an elected official.
As a city dweller and one who believes in the efficiency of urban living I think this is a positive movement. What do you think?
Starting anew, after you implode →
To be clear, I applaud bouncing back from failure and I hope that the team from Tontine Associates succeeds mightily, I just don’t get what’s special about this statement from Jeffrey Gendell, billionaire manager:
“We believe old-fashioned stock picking will return to the forefront and the next several years will bring extraordinary investment opportunities”
Anyway, best...
What's the real value of Harvard's endowment? →
I need to come to terms with the fact that paper wealth is paper wealth for a reason. The issue comes when paper wealth translates to real hard currency growth for a select few. These are fascinating times and in order to understand these times I think I need to learn more about the transition between the greatest generation and the boomers.
I have somewhat mixed feelings about Grizzly Bear....
This is “Hazelton” a track from Bon...
Long Tail theory contradicted as study reveals 10m... →
Interesting, I tend to think this is a function of people not buying music. Truth be told, I love Bon Iver, he’s amazing and I recommend him to everyone I talk to, however I’ve not bought one of his tracks. I did take my wife to his concert and I’ll go everytime he’s in town, but I can’t make sense of paying for music as an act of charity. If the songs are up at Hype...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-12-21) →
This is “Dance the Way I Feel” by Ou...
WatchChicago GSB - SlideShare
This spring as I noodled on what to do next I decided to go ahead and apply to University of Chicago GSB. I made this decision a little late, applying for the 3rd round only, and was not accepted. Never the less, I very much enjoyed making the 4 slide PPT which was an answer to one of the required questions. After I was rejected I thought I’d toss it up on...
The Most Important White House Office →
I have some deep concerns about the growing importance of government in the economy. In lieu of all that’s going on in Greece the last thing we need is for government to calcify capitalism around a political class. I recognize the need for involvement and recognize the governments capacity to liquify our economy, however this is delicate stuff and reading about the importance of these few...
Bruce Schneier: "The Internet is the greatest... →
Watch8tracks - Songs You Might Not Have Heard This Year
Liked these songs, maybe you will to.
(BN) Russians Buy Jewels, Hoard Dollars as Ruble...
Russians Buy Jewelry, Hoard Dollars as Ruble Plunges Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) — Moscow resident Tima Kulikov banked on the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, not the Kremlin, when he sold his biggest asset for cash. The 31-year-old director of a social networking Web site initially agreed to sell his apartment for rubles, then cringed at the thought of the currency weakening as it sat...
“Bernie Madoff - what a crook! He pulled off the largest Ponzi scheme in history,...”
– How to Build a Better Economy - Umair Haque
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-12-14) →
Lykke Li plus Kings of Leon is a decent...
Sweden Bucks Trend on Immigrant Labor →
Interesting move by the Swedes. As someone who has spent time in Sweden and studied their political/economic model, it is always interesting to see how they evolve.
WatchAwesome
The Protests in Greece
“They said, from what they saw, that almost none of the newscasts captured their voice or their ideas. They got their news almost wholly from the Web and from listening to and reading what other young people related.”
Thanks to my Dad for sharing this with me. I have been following this peripherally, but this is astounding.
In 2001 I had moved to NYC and was trying to find...
“Why is it, some ask, that America is so slavishly following the same failed...”
– David Brooks
Charlie Rose - A conversation about economics with... →
I love the Charlie Rose show. In fact it has become my go to of late for TV. If I can watch Charlie Rose, The Bulls, Top Gear and everything on Bravo, I think I should be set. In any event, watch this interview and read the Black Swan. It is dense and takes awhile, but it is an illuminating book and I highly recommend it.
A Wall Street Job Can’t Match a Calling in Life →
This is the latest from Michael Lewis who is having a field day with this Wall Street meltdown. I would imagine that this will catch the eye of both my brother, father and good friend Steve. To all, enjoy.
This is Love Dog from TV on the Radio. It’s...
“If you were in a position of authority on September 11, then every day since has...”
– Condoleeza Rice
USA as a Restart →
Describing the USA as a venture investment introduces a unique POV to build from.
Ouch! Jim Chanos Feeling Smug...
“The marginal people on the trading desks, there’s no skill set, if they don’t trade derivatives, I don’t know what they can do. The next stop is driving a cab.”
-Jim Chanos
WatchEven better?
WatchWow, ridiculous.