Category Archives: Economics

THE DIFFERENCE THAT CONTAINERIZATION MAKES.

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Philip

THE DIFFERENCE THAT CONTAINERIZATION MAKES. I posted here about the little-noticed economic revolution resulting from containerization. It is probably little noticed because the technology is so simple. A child can understand that a big box holds more than a small … Continue reading →

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BREWING ANCIENT SCANDINAVIAN BEER (“NORDIC GROG”) .

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Philip

BREWING ANCIENT SCANDINAVIAN BEER (“NORDIC GROG”). Wayne Curtis has another informative article on the history of alcoholic beverages in the December Atlantic. He reports on the efforts of Dogfish Head, a brewery which is introducing a reconstruction of “Nordic grog”, … Continue reading →

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AN ARGUMENT THAT SMAUG COULD HAVE PROVIDED AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT.

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Philip

AN ARGUMENT THAT SMAUG COULD HAVE PROVIDED AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT. A comment by Dr. Dan H. on the Guerilla Economist post makes an argument that Smaug could have been “an economic good”. One dragon could have provided protection against the … Continue reading →

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SMAUG AND MACROECONOMICS.

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Philip

SMAUG AND MACROECONOMICS. Annalisa called my attention to the subject of Smaug and macroeconomics and pointed out that the most interesting thing about the subject is how much discussion on the internet the subject has generated. Much of the discussion … Continue reading →

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THE CURRENT LIMITS ON 3-D PRINTING.

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Philip

THE CURRENT LIMITS ON 3-D PRINTING. I have posted several times on 3-D printing, partly because of wonder. When we first heard about 3-D printing, Mary Jane and I had the same reaction: “You’ve got to be kidding.” I explained … Continue reading →

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SOME MORE ECONOMICS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Philip

SOME MORE ECONOMICS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The focus of SCROOGEONOMICS on the economics of giving a present or giving cash can divert attention from other economic issues in A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Dickens was taking on one of the major … Continue reading →

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ECONOMISTS WEIGH IN ON WHETHER CASH GIFTS ARE THE BEST GIFTS.

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Philip

ECONOMISTS WEIGH IN ON WHETHER CASH GIFTS ARE THE BEST GIFTS. Here is the full set of responses by distinguished economists to a question on the University of Chicago’s IGM poll which asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the … Continue reading →

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CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS FROM ECONOMISTS.

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Philip

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS FROM ECONOMISTS. My nephew Andrew sent me this link to a post by Derek Thompson which poses and answers the question: what if economists wrote Christmas cards? It’s important to note that Thompson has designed the cards from … Continue reading →

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ARE SHEEP MARKED TO PREVENT RUSTLING?

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Philip

ARE SHEEP MARKED TO PREVENT RUSTLING? I was interested in the article about sheep rustling in part because when we were in Ireland we saw sheep marked with large blotches of primary colors, and we were told that the markings … Continue reading →

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SHEEP RUSTLING IN THE FAMILY?

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Philip

SHEEP RUSTLING IN THE FAMILY? This article in the Economist (December 7) reports on the increase in sheep rustling in Britain. The rustlers rarely have a lot of land to graze sheep, so the lambs are usually taken and slaughtered … Continue reading →

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