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Silicon Valley Goes from Libertarian to Keynesian

By Chris Barna | Published: April 8, 2009

Silicon Valley Goes from Libertarian to Keynesian - Digits - WSJ: “The venture capital community is feeling some culture shock as it prepares to go after billions in government stimulus funds for tech and telecom startups.”

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The Substance of Style, Pt 1 by Matt Zoller Seitz - Moving Image Source

By Chris Barna | Published: April 2, 2009

The Substance of Style, Pt 1 by Matt Zoller Seitz - Moving Image Source: “With just five features in 13 years, Wes Anderson has established himself as the most influential American filmmaker of the post-Baby Boom generation. Supremely confident in his knowledge of film history and technique, he’s a classic example of the sort of filmmaker that the Cahiers du cinéma critics labeled an auteur—an artist who imprints his personality and preoccupations on each work so strongly that, whatever the contributions of his collaborators, he deserves to be considered the primary author of the film. This series examines some of Anderson’s many cinematic influences and his attempt to meld them into a striking, uniquely personal sensibility.”

Via Kottke.

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Glenn Beck

By Chris Barna | Published: March 29, 2009

From New York Times

With a mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future, Mr. Beck, a longtime radio host who jumped to Fox from CNN’s Headline News channel this year, is capturing the feelings of an alienated class of Americans.

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Ten Reasons We Won’t Collapse

By Chris Barna | Published: March 28, 2009

Via Instapundit:

Generally the extinction effects have to be so rapid that their is no time to mitigate or adapt. Space based phenomena like massive asteroid or a nearby gamma ray burster are the kind of situation that we currently could not handle. This is why there is need to stop pissing around with penny ante crap and get serious about moving civilization to full Kardashev level II. At that level there is no known threat other than all out super-war that would be a risk to such a civilization. Even things like the sun going nova could be detected and handled as such a civilization would have its own highly efficient nuclear fusion and other power sources. - Next Big Future

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Grade Inflation in Universities

By Chris Barna | Published: March 24, 2009

From CS Monitor:

Our college classrooms are filled with students who do not prepare for class. Many study less than 10 hours a week – that’s less than half the hours they spent studying 40 years ago. Paradoxically, students are spending more and more money for an education that seems to deliver less and less content.

With so few hours filled with learning, boredom sets in and students have to find something to pass the time. Instead of learning, they drink.

Via my dad.

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Should John Yoo be disciplined by the University of California for his work with the Bush Administration?

By Chris Barna | Published: March 23, 2009

From San Jose Mercury News:

A UC Berkeley law professor who provided the Bush administration with a memo justifying torture for terrorists may face academic punishment for his off-campus work.

UC Berkeley leaders are wrestling with that decision as a federal investigation into John Yoo’s legal advice to the Bush administration apparently winds down.

Via Harpers and Andrew Sullivan.

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Intelligence vs. Income

By Chris Barna | Published: March 22, 2009

From Half Sigma:

The regression analysis in the Dale & Krueger study had a coefficient for the person’s SAT score and a second for the square of the SAT score. Based on these two coefficients, earnings peaks at an SAT score of 1100. People who have an SAT score higher than 1100 earn less money.

Ibid.:

Here is the shocking conclusion: in the recent years of the GSS (1991 to 2004), for people whose highest level of educational attainment is a bachelor’s degree, there is a negative correlation between intelligence and income.

Via Overcoming Bias

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