A leading US securities regulator Tuesday issued a rare warning to investors over the record $321bn of debt being used to buy stocks and bonds.
Debt underlies every good thing in America
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Monthly Archives: April 2007
The truly scary thing about the Virginia Tech massacre…
The shooting had barely stopped and wounded were still being carried out, but the pro gun control and the anti gun control camps must have felt that there was no time to lose. I could hardly read about the massacre without seeing constant references to the gun control debate.
Was this really necessary?
Psychologically, I think Click Here to continue reading.
I always knew that fancy toilets were a bad idea.
Inspired to terror by uncompromising evening newspaper headlines such as “Toto to fix buttock-scorching bidets”, nearly 50,000 Washlet owners yesterday jammed the company’s information lines. Although no injuries have yet been reported in connection with Toto’s combustible conveniences, many “near-miss” victims have come forward to describe horrified disbelief as their lavatories unexpectedly set themselves ablaze.
Some of the benefits of exercise may be related to the placebo effect.
How is this for an abstract….
ABSTRACT—In a study testing whether the relationship between exercise and health is moderated by one’s mind-set, 84 female room attendants working in seven different hotels were measured on physiological health variables affected by exercise. Those in the informed condition were told that the work they do (cleaning hotel rooms) is good exercise and satisfies the Surgeon General’s recommendations for an active lifestyle. Examples of how their work was exercise were provided. Subjects in the control group were not given this information. Although actual behavior did not change, 4 weeks after the intervention, the informed group perceived themselves to be getting significantly more exercise than before. As a result, compared with the control group, they showed a decrease in weight, blood pressure, body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index. These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect.
A 300 trillion dollar complex system is currently in beta….
Ordinary mortals are naturally inclined to be afraid of derivatives. Especially those ordinary mortals who know that the nominal value of all derivatives is around 300 trillion dollars.
But more sophisticated people would like to tell you that there is nothing to worry about. They would tell you that derivatives actually make the market safer.
Steve Randy Click Here to continue reading.
A Story with a Moral
What’s this a picture of? My feet. In my socks.
I knit those socks out of yarn my great-grandmother gave me, and it’s 100% wool. It’s also an almost pepto-bismol pink, but it was free, and I didn’t want to use something expensive for my first pair of socks. And my first knitting project, unless Click Here to continue reading.
Combining Hardware and Software Firewalls?
Recently I was trying to explain to someone why there was no point in installing a software firewall on a PC that was already protected by the hardware firewall on a NAT router. We both agreed that there was no point in having a software firewall monitoring incoming traffic. The router performs the same port Click Here to continue reading.
It’s the little things that make a job enjoyable…
This fun little essay that I found (h/t The Survival Blog) just goes to prove that it is the small things that can make a job enjoyable. Who won’t enjoy making a navy fighter jock feel slow?
On Feminism and Toilet Seats
One of the age-old complaints of woman against man has been that man leaves the toilet seat up.
I have never, ever, ever understood that complaint.
Yes, I am female. And yes, I have been the victim of toilet seats left up. In fact, I probably lowered more toilet seats in my first year of potty training than most women do in their lifetimes.
But you know what? For every toilet seat I’ve lowered, someone had to raise it.
And if men are obliged to raise the darn toilet seat every time they want to go pee, there is nothing unfair whatsoever about women having to lower the seat every time they want to go pee. In fact, making man have to do all the raising and lowering himself is discriminating against him. If both have equal rights to the toilet, both have equal responsibility to the position of the toilet seat.
Guess what, ladies? Equality ain’t all peaches and cream.
Discussing the Washington Post Experiment with Joshua Bell
This post is a response to a comment on the Ethereal Voice. But since some of you do not follow The Ethereal Voice, I am going to have to give some background.
As one of its weired quirks, The Ethereal Voice selects an essay that can be found on the web to highlight each week. This Click Here to continue reading.