Some (possibly) interesting
things
A few things to read…
Le Temps (Swiss newspaper)
Thinking of
going for a PhD?
Richard Butterworth has written some words about
doing a PhD…
Millennium
Prize Problems
In order to
celebrate mathematics in the new millennium, The Clay Mathematics Institute of
Cambridge, Massachusetts (CMI) has named seven Millennium Prize Problems. The
Scientific Advisory Board of CMI selected these problems, focusing on important
classic questions that have resisted solution over the years. The Board of
Directors of CMI have designated a $7 million prize
fund for the solution to these problems, with $1 million allocated to each.
Good luck!
Chris, keep
working!
Food for
thought...
'Sometimes I
think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is
that none of it has tried to contact us.' - Bill Watterson
Exogenous
Shockers: Top Econ Pick-Up Lines
Happy
Valentine's Day
22. Is that a
supply curve in your pocket?
21. Your
presence is one big positive externality.
20. What do
you say to a little spatial-based modeling, eh?
19. There are
no diminishing returns with you.
18. I suggest
you lower barriers to entry to encourage free exchange.
17. With you
there is no reason to diversify my portfolio.
16. I love
you, ceteris paribus.
15. I thought
the junk bond crisis of the 1980s was the great bust.
14. Being your
prisoner is no dilemma.
13. You
maximize my utility every day.
12. Whoa,
you're the most robust model I've seen in a while.
11. I'm not
indifferent towards those curves!
10. My
interest in you has compounded continuously.
9. When I'm
with you I experience hyperinflation.
8. I love it
when you whisper sweet equations in my ear.
7. Nice
asymptotes!
6. You're
deriving me crazy.
5. You enjoy
monopoly power over my heart.
4. That wage
constraint isn't the only thing that's looking mighty kinky.
3. You are
unique, well, at least locally.
2. More of you
is always better.
1. I'll be
capital, you be labor - you know the rest.
By Andrew Francis
and Daniel Puskin, Brookings.
UNDERSTANDING
ENRON...
FEUDALISM: You
have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.
FASCISM: You have
two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells
you the milk.
PURE COMMUNISM:
You have two cows. Your neighbors help take care of them and you all share the
milk.
APPLIED
COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You must take care of them, but the government
takes all the milk.
TOTALITARIANISM:
You have two cows. The government takes them both and denies they ever
existed. Milk is banned.
SOUTH AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you into the
army.
EUROPEAN
DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. The EU Commission decides which regulations for
feeding and milking apply. If there aren't any, they invent some. They pay you
not to milk the cows. They take both cows, shoot one, milk the other and pour
the milk down the drain. They then require you to fill out forms accounting for
the missing cows.
CAPITALISM: You
have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies and the
economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
ENRON VENTURE
CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed
company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general
offer so you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The
milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a
A very good joke !
Once upon a time
there was a shepherd tending his sheep at the edge of a country road. A brand
new Jeep Grand Cherokee screeches to a halt next to him. The driver, a young
man dressed in a Brioni suit, Cerrutti shoes, Ray-Ban glasses, Jovial Swiss
wrist watch and a Bhs tie gets out and asks the shepherd: 'If I guess how
many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?' The shepherd looks at
the young man, then looks at the sprawling field of sheep and says:
'Okay.' The young man parks the SUV, connects his notebook and
wireless modem, enters a NASA site, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a
database and 60 Excel tables filled with algorithms, then prints a 150 page
report on his high tech mini printer. He then turns to the shepherd and says:
'You have exactly 1,586 sheep here.' The shepherd answers:
'That's correct, you can have your sheep.'
The young man takes one of the animals and puts it in the back of his vehicle.
The shepherd looks at him and asks: 'Now, if I guess your profession, will
you pay me back in kind?' The young man answers: 'Sure.' The
shepherd says: 'You are a consultant.' 'Exactly!
How did you know,' asks the young man? 'Very simple,' answers
the shepherd. 'First, you came here without being called. Second, you
charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew. Third, you do not
understand anything about my business and I'd really like to have my dog
back.'
Even more
true...
Republicans
announced today that they are changing their emblem from an elephant to a
condom because it more clearly reflects their party's political stance. A
condom stands up to inflation, halts production, discourages cooperation,
protects a bunch of pricks, and gives one a sense of security while screwing
others.
Distress in
Wall Street...
