I'm on the road this week so I got to spend some time in my current book - The Story of Philosophy - sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off. I bit more weighty than my usual fare, but it has given me some good stuff to think about. Here are a few such things:
Money may be the husk of many things, but not the kernel. It brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends; servants, but not faithfulness; days of joy, but not peace or happiness.
~ Henrik Ibsen (actually from my Sunday School reading)
Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself.
~ Spinoza
Men who are good by reason desire nothing for themselves which they do not also desire for the rest of mankind. To be great is not to be placed above humanity, ruling others; but to stand above the partialities and futilities of uniformed desire, and to rule one's self.
~Spinoza
It is to him who masters our minds by the force of truth, and not to those who enslave them by violence, that we owe our reverence.
~ Voltaire
Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness. Let us seek happiness in others; but for ourselves, perfection - whether it bring us happiness or pain.
~Kant
When mere creeds or ceremonies usurp priority over moral excellence as a test of religion, religion has disappeared.
~Kant
Look at me - I actually want to read Voltaire and Kant and wish I had the intellectual horsepower to make it through Spinoza. I'm sure it will quickly wear off and the next time you see me I'll be reading some low brow paperback.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Are you smarter than an eight grader?
From today's Freakonomics blog, here's a final exam from 1895 for eighth graders. For the record, I'd be halfway through my 28th year of eighth grade if this was our test.
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7 – 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per are, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607
1620
1800
1849
1865
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e’. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
Physiology (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Where are the saliva, gastric juice, and bile secreted? What is the use of each in digestion?
2. How does nutrition reach the circulation?
3. What is the function of the liver? Of the kidneys?
4. How would you stop the flow of blood from an artery in the case of a laceration?
5. Give some general directions that you think would be beneficial to preserve the human body in a state of health.
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7 – 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per are, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607
1620
1800
1849
1865
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e’. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
Physiology (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Where are the saliva, gastric juice, and bile secreted? What is the use of each in digestion?
2. How does nutrition reach the circulation?
3. What is the function of the liver? Of the kidneys?
4. How would you stop the flow of blood from an artery in the case of a laceration?
5. Give some general directions that you think would be beneficial to preserve the human body in a state of health.
Tax the Rich
Useful data from Russ Roberts on the realities/myths behind the narrative that our fiscal predicament is because of tax cuts for the rich. IMHO, the stronger narrative is, as Russ alludes to, that the relationship between Wall Street and the Federal government is where we should be looking. Crony capitalism and rent seeking behaviors are on fire on lower Manhattan. I'll always thumb a post that's dismissive of Paul Krugman anywho. His union narrative is either insanely smart and way over my head, or the Nobel has lost some luster.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Apple - Worst Customer Service?
In our business, we define satisfaction as reality minus expectations. We try hard to set reasonable expectations and then over-deliver against them.
Many companies set very low expectations and then deliver against them, for example cable companies, telephone companies, and pretty much every agency of the government, particularly federal. Their service sucks, but this is pretty much expected. Other companies set high expectations and then massively miss their mark.
I believe Apple delivers the worst satisfaction equation I can recall in recent memory. This is partially because they set a high expectation with great product design and a smooth sales process. However, I've now had at least three abysmal customer service experiences as an owner of Apple products. It is astounding to me how badly they take care of people that have already paid.
In business, I've heard this called "taking bad profits". Eventually this catches up with you. I, for one, will be looking for ways to reduce my addiction to all things that start with a lower case i.
Many companies set very low expectations and then deliver against them, for example cable companies, telephone companies, and pretty much every agency of the government, particularly federal. Their service sucks, but this is pretty much expected. Other companies set high expectations and then massively miss their mark.
I believe Apple delivers the worst satisfaction equation I can recall in recent memory. This is partially because they set a high expectation with great product design and a smooth sales process. However, I've now had at least three abysmal customer service experiences as an owner of Apple products. It is astounding to me how badly they take care of people that have already paid.
In business, I've heard this called "taking bad profits". Eventually this catches up with you. I, for one, will be looking for ways to reduce my addiction to all things that start with a lower case i.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Jack Daniels Explains The Deficit
For those that prefer booze and videos to pie charts.
I'm no pie chart fan either.
I'm no pie chart fan either.
Graphical representation of budget cuts
Here.
Here's the first image, for the OCD among you.
Dangit, I hate it when I bring in images behind my right nav. Even worse when that hides the legend. Click if you want. Red is the deficit. Green is the proposed cuts. Yes, green.
Here's the first image, for the OCD among you.
Dangit, I hate it when I bring in images behind my right nav. Even worse when that hides the legend. Click if you want. Red is the deficit. Green is the proposed cuts. Yes, green.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
WTF - Win the Future
Mankiw recasts the future in tomorrow's NY Times. Why is Goolsbee not explaining this to his boss?
Friday, February 04, 2011
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