Quick links to a few items I found interesting.
Category Archives: here and there
The Amazing Prescience of the Capitol Steps
I’ve been a fan of the Capitol Steps for decades now, but only recently have I fully appreciated the prescience of their musical insights. I hope Econbrowser readers will too, by singing along to this twenty year old song, “Favored Right Wing” [sample], sung to the tune of “My favorite things”. (This song is so old, that no complete online version exists, and I had to laboriously transcribe the words by hand(!), so apologies if there are a couple errors.)
2012 Econbrowser NCAA tournament challenge
Enough on oil prices and the Fed. I know what you’ve all really been waiting for is the 2012 Econbrowser NCAA tournament challenge, where you can test your skills (and luck) at predicting the outcomes of the U.S. college men’s basketball tournament. All you have to do is go to the Econbrowser group at ESPN, do some minor registering to create a free ESPN account if you haven’t used that site before, and make your picks for the winners of each game. Just make sure you complete your entry before Thursday, because the Econbrowser group only allows predictions before the tournament begins. And be forewarned that some of the people who enter this group really know what they’re doing!
The power of habit
Charles Duhigg has a very interesting new book called The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.
Links for 2012-02-01
Quick links to a few items I found interesting.
Links for 2012-01-18
FT Alphaville on crude oil and the eurozone crisis.
“http://oldprof.typepad.com/a_dash_of_insight/2012/01/evaluating-recession-forecasts.html”>Jeff Miller does not buy into recent forecasts of a U.S. recession. On a related note, Bonddad deconstructs the ECRI Weekly Leading Index.
VoxEu notes the systematic international tendency for official deficit figures to understate the magnitude of the change in public debt.
Liberty Street Economics on forecasting with internet search data.
Think Tanks in the Economics Profession
Indicators via representation at the Allied Social Sciences Association meetings.
The Year in Review: Fantastical Pseudo Economics
Since the media are full of “year in review” pieces, I thought I’d make a contribution of my own. One of the best things about being a blogger is being able to comment quickly on the most outrageous, nonsensical assertions presented in the guise of analysis. Here are my “ten best” (actually — most hilariously deluded) excursions into the fantasy world from my postings to Econbrowser. The inspirations range from Speaker Boehner’s math to the Heritage Foundation’s simulations (where have you gone, Bill Beach!)
Advice for the academic job market
For new econ Ph.D.’s about to look for a job, the University of Wisconsin has provided a short video of what you might expect when you give your first talk presenting your research to the faculty.
Links for 2011-11-15
Quick summaries of a few items of interest.