Archive for Humor
“Elusive” by Robert P. Murphy
I posted this as a joke on Facebook, but now that I see Steve Landsburg had a lot of trouble flying American via DFW, I feel compelled to share it here as well. Also, in the comments of Steve’s post, people are saying these mechanical delays are deliberate, as part of the union(s)’ efforts to […]
Read moreThe Flu Preference
When I describe gastrointestinal illness as “an extreme, socially disapproved preference,” the most convincing counter-example people offer is the flu. Do I really think people “want to have the flu” or choose the flu as a bizarre alternative lifestyle? My quick answer: These objections confuse preferences with meta-preferences. No one chooses to have the gene for cilantro aversion. Yet people with […]
Read moreIt’s Celebrity Criticism All the Way Down
As all right-thinking people recognize, it should be illegal to harshly criticize a celebrity. Now some libertarian theorists try to say, “Well, there’s no rights violation involved, so shouldn’t it be legal to harshly criticize a celebrity?” But that’s not a good argument. I’ll demonstrate with a humorous thought experiment to show the inner contradictions of […]
Read moreImpressionist Does Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, and even Ron Paul
My dad sent me this compilation. Pretty good.
Read moreNorm MacDonald Tells the Moth Joke
I heard Bill Burr mention this–in the context of saying that many comedians act like they don’t care if people like them, but NM is the real deal–and I had to look it up.
Read morePotpourri
==> This is an old but very interesting post from Mark Bahner on atmospheric CO2 and how quickly it could be removed if need be. ==> A very interesting post from David Beckworth on the yield curve (HT2 Scott Sumner). But most important–look at this analysis from Ben Bernanke back in 2006!! Not only was […]
Read moreIdeas for Bryan Caplan’s Next Book
It just occurred to me last night that two books ago, Bryan (among other things) told parents that they should quit worrying, because studies of twins show that parents don’t have any lasting influence on their children’s futures. Now in his latest book, Bryan tells teachers and professors that education has no lasting influence on […]
Read moreThe Primary Determinants of Your Child’s Weight
“They just grow up so fast…” said one of the parents as we watched the graduation ceremony. People talk like this a lot, but there’s really no mystery about the size of your child, once we specify the units (such as pounds). School lunch policy drives the growth in class calorie consumption, and the growth […]
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