Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Are Dentists Overtreating Your Teeth?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/are-dentists-overtreating-your-teeth/?ref=healthupdate&nl=health&emc=healthupdateemb2
Monday, November 28, 2011
Selling Stock Funds
BRICs: Brazil, Russia, India, China
CARBS: Canada, Australia, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa
MINTS: Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Singapore
CIVETS: Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa
MIST: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey
CASSH: Canada, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, and Hong Kong
"Academic research has shown that catchy monikers help sell investments. A 2006 study found that stocks with ticker symbols that conjure common words - such as LUV, BID and RIG - out-performed others by about 8.5 percentage points on their first day of trading from 1990 through 2004. The reason: When dealing with complicated subjects - like investing - people seem to prefer shortcuts that simplify matters."
What's In a Name
by Ben Levisohn
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203710704577054722530665042.html
In 2014, there is another acronym-like term, the "Fragile Five:" Turkey, Brazil, India, South Africa, and Indonesia
CARBS: Canada, Australia, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa
MINTS: Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Singapore
CIVETS: Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa
MIST: Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey
CASSH: Canada, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, and Hong Kong
"Academic research has shown that catchy monikers help sell investments. A 2006 study found that stocks with ticker symbols that conjure common words - such as LUV, BID and RIG - out-performed others by about 8.5 percentage points on their first day of trading from 1990 through 2004. The reason: When dealing with complicated subjects - like investing - people seem to prefer shortcuts that simplify matters."
What's In a Name
by Ben Levisohn
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203710704577054722530665042.html
In 2014, there is another acronym-like term, the "Fragile Five:" Turkey, Brazil, India, South Africa, and Indonesia
Question of the Day: Sweat
I've always wondered if you sweat a lot via one part of your body if that body part loses more weight. For instance, if you sweat a lot through your head, is it your head that is losing that water-content weight?
How Much Should You Spend on a Car?
"The 1/10th rule is a general rule of thumb that states that you should spend no more than 1/10th of your gross annual income on a car."
http://www.calculatorpro.com/car-purchase-calculator
http://www.calculatorpro.com/car-purchase-calculator
Mac vs. PC Usuers
It still appears that there are overwhelmingly more PC users than Mac users...But through its strong advertising, you would think the opposite...
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_percentage_of_Mac_users_to_PC_users._Worldwide_or_otherwise.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_percentage_of_Mac_users_to_PC_users._Worldwide_or_otherwise.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Daniel Kahneman on Human Blindness, & Overconfidence
"We are normally blind about our own blindness. We're generally overconfident in our opinions and our impressions and judgments. We exaggerate how knowable the world is...There are domains in which expertise is not possible. Stock picking is a good example. And in long-term political strategic forecasting, it's been shown that experts are just not better than a dice-throwing monkey."
-Time Magazine Interview; 11/28/11
-Time Magazine Interview; 11/28/11
Twitter-Based Hedge Funds
I still want to see how effective it is over the long-term. Anyone can beat the market for a few months or a few years, but can they do it consistently?
"The stock market is moddy. So is Twitter. Harness teh emotions flowing through both and you could beat the market. Indiana University professor Johan Bollen found that Twitter's collective mood predicted a market shift three days in advance. London hedge fund Derwent Capital took that info to the bank, growing 1.85% last July. The same month, the S&P dropped 2.2%. Derwent scans 10% of the more than 200 million daily tweets, parsing terms like 'calm' or 'alert'."
-Time Magazine, November 2011
"The stock market is moddy. So is Twitter. Harness teh emotions flowing through both and you could beat the market. Indiana University professor Johan Bollen found that Twitter's collective mood predicted a market shift three days in advance. London hedge fund Derwent Capital took that info to the bank, growing 1.85% last July. The same month, the S&P dropped 2.2%. Derwent scans 10% of the more than 200 million daily tweets, parsing terms like 'calm' or 'alert'."
-Time Magazine, November 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Most Relaxing Song In The World
"British ambient band Marconi Union has drummed up the world's most realxing song: 'Weightless' in 8 min. 10 sec. of aural bliss, proved to reduce anxiety by 65% and slow heart rates by 35% as teh listener's body rhythm syncs with the song's. Indeed, Weightless is so successful at inducing somnolence that scientists caution drivers not to listen to it while behind the wheel."
Thursday, November 17, 2011
On the US Senate
A comedic look at the Senate...
"All senators look good: They're groomed like putting greens."
A Barrel Full of Senators
by Joel Achenbach
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001315.html
"All senators look good: They're groomed like putting greens."
A Barrel Full of Senators
by Joel Achenbach
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001315.html
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pain & The Brain
"How you think about pain can have a major impact on how it feels...When subjects focused on something disracting instead of the pain, they had mor activity in the higher-thinking parts of their brain...and they were able to ease their own pain significantly. Motivation also play a huge role - and helps explain why a gravely wounded soldier can ignore his own pain to save his buddies whle someone who is depressed may feel incapacitated by a minor sprain...people who are anxious are more likely to experience pain after surgery or develop lingering nerve pain after a case of shingles...one technique is attention distraction, simply directing your mind away from the pain...guided imagery, in which a patient imagines, say, floating on a cloud, also works in part by diverting attention away from pain. So does mindfulness meditation..."
Rewiring The Brain to Ease Pain
by Melinda Beck
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204323904577038041207168300.html
Rewiring The Brain to Ease Pain
by Melinda Beck
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204323904577038041207168300.html
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
On Timing the Stock Market
Perhaps the only stock investing advice one ever needs...
"Most mortals can't time the markets consistently well enough to make the strategy worthwhile. And because of the vagaries of human emotions, the act of trying to time the stock market often produces far worse results than just buying a diversified bundle of stocks and holding them for the long haul. People tend to sell in a panic at the bottom and buy in a flush of confidence at the top...the reason is that markets are efficient...in an efficient market at any point in time the actual price of a security will be a good estimate of its intrinsic value...As a result, the best stock-buying strategy is to find great companies, buy them now and hold them for a long time."
Time The Market? Try Roulette Instead
by James Glassman
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-best-time-to-buy-or-sell-stocks/2011/11/09/gIQAEb86FN_story.html
"Most mortals can't time the markets consistently well enough to make the strategy worthwhile. And because of the vagaries of human emotions, the act of trying to time the stock market often produces far worse results than just buying a diversified bundle of stocks and holding them for the long haul. People tend to sell in a panic at the bottom and buy in a flush of confidence at the top...the reason is that markets are efficient...in an efficient market at any point in time the actual price of a security will be a good estimate of its intrinsic value...As a result, the best stock-buying strategy is to find great companies, buy them now and hold them for a long time."
Time The Market? Try Roulette Instead
by James Glassman
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-best-time-to-buy-or-sell-stocks/2011/11/09/gIQAEb86FN_story.html
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Facebook Friends vs. Real Friends
"On average, participants listed 2.03 close friends in the survey. That number was down from about three in a 1985 study. Forty-eight percent of participants listed one close friend when asked, 18 percent listed two and 29 percent listed more. A little more than 4 percent didn't list anyone."
More Facebook Friends, Fewer Real Ones, Says Cornell Study
by Ned Potter
http://news.yahoo.com/more-facebook-friends-fewer-real-ones-says-cornell-154709141.html
More Facebook Friends, Fewer Real Ones, Says Cornell Study
by Ned Potter
http://news.yahoo.com/more-facebook-friends-fewer-real-ones-says-cornell-154709141.html
Idea of the Week: The Ultimate Online School
I wonder if anyone has put all the most amazing online videos (TED, college courses, etc...) together and created the "ultimate" online classroom that is free to the public.
Coolest College Courses
Following is a brief list I put together. There will be more additions later...
Also, here is a good list of 30 cool science-related labs/courses:
http://www.popsci.com/awesomelabs
*Culinary physics taught by Ferran Adria and Jose Andres: Harvard University
*Cyberporn & Society: State University of New York at Buffalo (surveys Internet porn sites)
*Anthropology of the Unconscious: NYU (discusses x-rated Japanese comic books)
*Cinema and the Sex Act: University of California, Berkeley (view clips of NC17 releases like Showgirls and underground stag reels)
*Pornography in Popular Culture: University of Iowa
*Sociology of Hip-Hop - Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z: Georgetown University
*Philosophy & Star Trek: Georgetown University
*The Joy of Garbage: Santa Clara University
*Learning From YouTube: Pitzer College
*Underwater Basket Weaving: Reed College
*Tree Climbing: Cornell University
*Queer Musicology: University of California, Los Angeles
*Maple Syrup, the Real Thing: Alfred University
*The Science of Harry Potter: Frostberg State University
*The Art of Walking: Centre College
*iPhone Application Programming: Standford University
*The American Vacation: University of Iowa
*White Collar and Corporate Crime: University of California, Irvine
*Airline Emergency Cabin Training: Lynn University
*Biology of AIDS & STDs: Northeastern College
*Disney in America: University of Iowa
*Rock Music From 1970 to Present: University of Minnessota
*Psychology of Facebook: Standford
*From Elvis to Lady Gaga: American Pop Culture 1950-2010: Saint Leo University
*Video Games: History, Theory, & Social Impact: Lebanon Valley College
*Beyond Hollwood - The Sundance Film Festival: Eckerd College
*Perception: Meredith College
*The 1960s in Fiction, Film, & Song: Birmingham-Southern College
*Baseball Statisitcs: Birmingham-Southern College
*End Times: Lebanon Valley College (doomsday predictions)
*Creating Sustainable Societies: Saint Leo University
*Food Science 550 - Food Fermentations: University of Wisconsin, Madison (brew beer)
*History 107 - Pornography & Prostitution in History: Vanderbilt
*Psychology 445 - Psychology of Video Games and Entertainment: UMD
*Arts & Science E105 - Read My Lips: Indiana University
*History of Electronic Dance Music - UCLA
*Eco-Shakespeare: Brown
*Bad in a Good Way: Brown
*Financial Panic 2007-2009: Yale
*Monstrosity & Otherness: Kenyon
*Ghosts & Machines: Harvey Mudd
*Consuming Drug Foods: Chocolates, Sugar, and Coffee: Georgetown
*Ecology of Eating: Wesleyan
*Techniques of Surveillance: Brown
*The Twiligh of the Gods: Ragnarok and the Apocalytic Traditions: Harvard
*Total Noise: Going Deaf in the Information Age: Smith
*Theory of Comedy: Kenyon
*Sexuality: Columbia
*Consuming Passions: Harvard
*Practical Malting & Brewing: University of California, Davis
*Exceptional Children: William & Mary
*The Broadcast Commercial: Marist
*Alien Sex: University of Rochester
*American Pro Wrestling: MIT
*Beer Appreciation: Wellesly; University of Washington
*Brothel Management: UNLV
*Dirty Pictures: RISD
*Find Dates Worth Keeping: University of Sioux Falls
*History of Surfing: UCSB
*How to Watch TV: Montclair State University
*Invented Languages Klingon & Beyond: UT Austin
*Looking at Animals: Evergreen State University
*Mail Order Brides: Johns Hopkins University
*Muppet Magic Jim Henson's Art: UC Santa Cruz
*Naked & Nude: University of Chicago
*Philosophy of Time Travel: University of Delaware
*Stupidity: MIT
*The Future is Lost: Tufts
*The Lucifer Effect - Understanding How Good People Turn Evil: MIT (I think)
*The Science of Superheroes: UC Irvine
*Arguing with Judge Judy - Popular Logic of TV Judge Shows: UC Berkeley
*Science of Harry Potter: Frostburg State
*Simpsons & Philosophy: UC Berkeley
* Far Side Entomology: Oregon State
*History298 - Oprah Windfrey the Tycoon: University of Illinois
*Getting Dressed: Princeton
*The Colbert Report - American Satire: Boston University
*Puppetry: Emerson College
*The Supernatural in Music, Literature, and Culture: MIT
*The Universe: Massachusetts College of Art and Design
*Down, Dirty & Dimensional: Museum School of Fine Arts
*Broadway Musicals: Suffolk University
*Soul, Funk, and Civil Rights - Simmons College
*Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan: Berkeley College of Music
*Sociology of Fame & Lady Gaga: University of South Carolina
*Wordplay: A Wry Plod from Babel to Scrabble: Princeton (play games)
*Oh Look, a Chicken! Embracing Distraction as a Way of Knowing: Belmont U.
*Things That Go Bump in the Night: Hampshire College
*Fly Fishing: Montana State U.
*Physics for Future Presidents: UC Berkeley
*Cyborg Anthropology: Lews & Clark
*Popular Flops: Bad Movies
*Tightwaddery or the Good Life on a Dollar a Day: Alfred U.
*Biology of Jurassic Park: Hood College
*The Phallus: Occidental College
*The Textual Appeal of Tupac Shakur: University of Washington
*California Culture: San Franscisco State
*Restaurant Entreprenuership: Cornell University
*Spine, Sweat Experience: Indiana University
Also, here is a good list of 30 cool science-related labs/courses:
http://www.popsci.com/awesomelabs
*Culinary physics taught by Ferran Adria and Jose Andres: Harvard University
*Cyberporn & Society: State University of New York at Buffalo (surveys Internet porn sites)
*Anthropology of the Unconscious: NYU (discusses x-rated Japanese comic books)
*Cinema and the Sex Act: University of California, Berkeley (view clips of NC17 releases like Showgirls and underground stag reels)
*Pornography in Popular Culture: University of Iowa
*Sociology of Hip-Hop - Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z: Georgetown University
*Philosophy & Star Trek: Georgetown University
*The Joy of Garbage: Santa Clara University
*Learning From YouTube: Pitzer College
*Underwater Basket Weaving: Reed College
*Tree Climbing: Cornell University
*Queer Musicology: University of California, Los Angeles
*Maple Syrup, the Real Thing: Alfred University
*The Science of Harry Potter: Frostberg State University
*The Art of Walking: Centre College
*iPhone Application Programming: Standford University
*The American Vacation: University of Iowa
*White Collar and Corporate Crime: University of California, Irvine
*Airline Emergency Cabin Training: Lynn University
*Biology of AIDS & STDs: Northeastern College
*Disney in America: University of Iowa
*Rock Music From 1970 to Present: University of Minnessota
*Psychology of Facebook: Standford
*From Elvis to Lady Gaga: American Pop Culture 1950-2010: Saint Leo University
*Video Games: History, Theory, & Social Impact: Lebanon Valley College
*Beyond Hollwood - The Sundance Film Festival: Eckerd College
*Perception: Meredith College
*The 1960s in Fiction, Film, & Song: Birmingham-Southern College
*Baseball Statisitcs: Birmingham-Southern College
*End Times: Lebanon Valley College (doomsday predictions)
*Creating Sustainable Societies: Saint Leo University
*Food Science 550 - Food Fermentations: University of Wisconsin, Madison (brew beer)
*History 107 - Pornography & Prostitution in History: Vanderbilt
*Psychology 445 - Psychology of Video Games and Entertainment: UMD
*Arts & Science E105 - Read My Lips: Indiana University
*History of Electronic Dance Music - UCLA
*Eco-Shakespeare: Brown
*Bad in a Good Way: Brown
*Financial Panic 2007-2009: Yale
*Monstrosity & Otherness: Kenyon
*Ghosts & Machines: Harvey Mudd
*Consuming Drug Foods: Chocolates, Sugar, and Coffee: Georgetown
*Ecology of Eating: Wesleyan
*Techniques of Surveillance: Brown
*The Twiligh of the Gods: Ragnarok and the Apocalytic Traditions: Harvard
*Total Noise: Going Deaf in the Information Age: Smith
*Theory of Comedy: Kenyon
*Sexuality: Columbia
*Consuming Passions: Harvard
*Practical Malting & Brewing: University of California, Davis
*Exceptional Children: William & Mary
*The Broadcast Commercial: Marist
*Alien Sex: University of Rochester
*American Pro Wrestling: MIT
*Beer Appreciation: Wellesly; University of Washington
*Brothel Management: UNLV
*Dirty Pictures: RISD
*Find Dates Worth Keeping: University of Sioux Falls
*History of Surfing: UCSB
*How to Watch TV: Montclair State University
*Invented Languages Klingon & Beyond: UT Austin
*Looking at Animals: Evergreen State University
*Mail Order Brides: Johns Hopkins University
*Muppet Magic Jim Henson's Art: UC Santa Cruz
*Naked & Nude: University of Chicago
*Philosophy of Time Travel: University of Delaware
*Stupidity: MIT
*The Future is Lost: Tufts
*The Lucifer Effect - Understanding How Good People Turn Evil: MIT (I think)
*The Science of Superheroes: UC Irvine
*Arguing with Judge Judy - Popular Logic of TV Judge Shows: UC Berkeley
*Science of Harry Potter: Frostburg State
*Simpsons & Philosophy: UC Berkeley
* Far Side Entomology: Oregon State
*History298 - Oprah Windfrey the Tycoon: University of Illinois
*Getting Dressed: Princeton
*The Colbert Report - American Satire: Boston University
*Puppetry: Emerson College
*The Supernatural in Music, Literature, and Culture: MIT
*The Universe: Massachusetts College of Art and Design
*Down, Dirty & Dimensional: Museum School of Fine Arts
*Broadway Musicals: Suffolk University
*Soul, Funk, and Civil Rights - Simmons College
*Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan: Berkeley College of Music
*Sociology of Fame & Lady Gaga: University of South Carolina
*Wordplay: A Wry Plod from Babel to Scrabble: Princeton (play games)
*Oh Look, a Chicken! Embracing Distraction as a Way of Knowing: Belmont U.
*Things That Go Bump in the Night: Hampshire College
*Fly Fishing: Montana State U.
*Physics for Future Presidents: UC Berkeley
*Cyborg Anthropology: Lews & Clark
*Popular Flops: Bad Movies
*Tightwaddery or the Good Life on a Dollar a Day: Alfred U.
*Biology of Jurassic Park: Hood College
*The Phallus: Occidental College
*The Textual Appeal of Tupac Shakur: University of Washington
*California Culture: San Franscisco State
*Restaurant Entreprenuership: Cornell University
*Spine, Sweat Experience: Indiana University
Monday, November 7, 2011
Shopping on the Right Day Can Lead to Savings
Best to go for shopping for:
*Groceries: Sunday
*Appliances: Sunday
*New book: Saturday
*Clothes: Thursdays
*Cars: Monday
*TV, digital camera, or computer online: Mondays
*Plane tickets: Tuesday
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=675&sid=2622377
*Groceries: Sunday
*Appliances: Sunday
*New book: Saturday
*Clothes: Thursdays
*Cars: Monday
*TV, digital camera, or computer online: Mondays
*Plane tickets: Tuesday
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=675&sid=2622377
Spending vs. Saving
A Politico interview with Erin Burnett:
Q: What do you know now that you wish someone had told you 10 years ago?
A: Saving money if you are able isn't always the smartest move. Currently our money is worth less every day, so all tha tsacrifice isn't going to buy me as much retirement. Sometimes spending the little extra - not borrowing - is OK.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67449.html
Q: What do you know now that you wish someone had told you 10 years ago?
A: Saving money if you are able isn't always the smartest move. Currently our money is worth less every day, so all tha tsacrifice isn't going to buy me as much retirement. Sometimes spending the little extra - not borrowing - is OK.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67449.html
On "Experts"
Recently I've been thinking about how bad people are at making predictions. The WSJ article below takes aim at weathermen, economists, sports experts, and political experts. But one could probably pick almost any profession and find that many (most?) predictions are wrong in that field. Yet somehow, everyone still gets paid. Will online prediction markets take over where humans fail? Will people still get paid generously to make many less-than-accurate predictions? When will more people take notice of this?
Some Expert Advice: Get a Clue
by Joe Queenan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577011842524257440.html
Some Expert Advice: Get a Clue
by Joe Queenan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577011842524257440.html
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
World's Most Powerful People
The 2011 list was just released from Forbes...Here are the Top 10:
1. Barack Obama
2. Vladimir Putin
3. Hu Jintao
4. Angela Merkel
5. Bill Gates
6. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud
7. Pope Benedict XVI
8. Ben Bernanke
9. Mark Zuckerberg
10. David Cameron
http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/
1. Barack Obama
2. Vladimir Putin
3. Hu Jintao
4. Angela Merkel
5. Bill Gates
6. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud
7. Pope Benedict XVI
8. Ben Bernanke
9. Mark Zuckerberg
10. David Cameron
http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Chef Masaharu Morimoto on Kitchen Knives
"Three core knives are versatile enough for most purposes...he [Morimoto] relies on three basic Japanese-style knives: the butcher's knife known as a deba, in two sizes, and a yanagi, which is designed for slicing sashimi."
For a Cutting Edge, Care For Your Knives
by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203633104576625312068011704.html
For a Cutting Edge, Care For Your Knives
by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203633104576625312068011704.html
World Power Swings Back to America
World Power Swings Back to America
by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8844646/World-power-swings-back-to-America.html
by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8844646/World-power-swings-back-to-America.html
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