Monthly Archives: December 2009

JONAH LEHRER’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Philip

JONAH LEHRER’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. Jonah Lehrer has some recommendations for you. First, don’t stretch your limited willpower—your budget—over too many resolutions at once; spread them throughout the year. Second, starvation diets diminish your willpower. As Lehrer says: … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Leave a comment

JONAH LEHRER ON THE SCIENCE OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Philip

JONAH LEHRER ON THE SCIENCE OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. I have linked several times, for instance here, to Jonah Lehrer’s blog (Lehrer is the author of PROUST WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST). Lehrer had some recommendations here about New Years resolutions. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Leave a comment

ONE OF MY SURPRISE GIFTS (COMMENT).

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Philip

ONE OF MY SURPRISE GIFTS. I was gratified to see John Kay saying something that I had been saying: “The best of all presents is one we did not know we wanted but love when we receive it.” I posted … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND FINANCIAL MARKETS.

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Philip

CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND FINANCIAL MARKETS. John Kay argues that some of the reasons we value gifts also explain activities on the financial markets: lack of knowledge and pervasive uncertainty. He points out that we aren’t sure of our own preferences. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

“BARKING MAD” OR “JUST KIDDING”?

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Philip

“BARKING MAD” OR “JUST KIDDING”? John Kay, who claims the distinction of writing about the ideas of SCROOGENOMICS as early as Christmas, 2000, has a review of SCROOGENOMICS in today’s Financial Times in which he criticizes the extent to which … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

NICK’S NEXT STAND-UP GIG.

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Philip

NICK’S NEXT STAND-UP GIG. I take a special interest in stand-up now that Nick does it often. He performs next in New York City at Comix at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue at 9:00 on this Tuesday night, December 29.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

STAND-UP SCIENTISTS.

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Philip

STAND-UP SCIENTISTS. I have posted on stand-up before, including this post on the stand-up economist. Here is an article in the New York Times about a biologist who does stand-up, and Google informs me that there is a stand-up quantum … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Science | Leave a comment

WHAT IS THE HARDEST LANGUAGE?

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Philip

WHAT IS THE HARDEST LANGUAGE? I posted here about a language in the North Caucasus that has 83 consonants and about how “nouns in Sanskrit may take up to twenty-one different forms, and verbs up to 150.” This article in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

ANNALISA’S PRESENT–AND SURPRISE GIFTS.

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Philip

ANNALISA’S PRESENT—AND SURPRISE GIFTS. I posted here about how Mary Jane had bought Annalisa a present that Annalisa didn’t know existed. The present was simply a Bollywood version of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Annalisa loves Jane Austen and liked Bride and … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 3 Comments

SCROOGENOMICS REVISITED.

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Philip

SCROOGENOMICS REVISITED. In David Blake’s review of SCROOGENOMICS in the Times Literary Supplement (December 18 & 25), he notes that one reason that presents are not well chosen is that —our of politeness—there is little feedback by which we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment