March 2010
GM’s $1,600/car Health Tax
Posted by on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 3 comments
A recent episode of This American Life uses the story of NUMMI, a joint-venture auto plant between GM and Toyota in 1984, to help tell the larger story of why the American auto industry produced such poor quality cars for so many years. • Though it was peripheral to the main point of the story …
Things I Didn’t Know: Liberal Arts
Posted by on Sunday, March 28, 2010 in - 3 comments
Why is a “Liberal Arts degree” is called “Liberal”. I had wondered if and how it might be related to political liberalism. It turns out, it’s not. • According to the Wikipedia, the Liberal Arts are so called because: • “In classical antiquity, the liberal arts denoted the education proper to a …
Have You Heard?
Posted by on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 4 comments
In order to hear a phone message, I get the following four prompts; Every time. • You have one unheard message. • Check unheard messages, press 1-1. • The following message has not been heard. • First unheard message.
Save the Day on This American Life
Posted by on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 6 comments
In addition to enjoying a new album each month (March has been Postdata), I’ve also been listening to This American Life. • The first act of the most recent episode, entitled Save the Day, is a remarkable story, well told: • “James Spring had hit his late 30s, and found his life utterly …
Chile quake measured in Virginia well
Posted by on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 1 comment
A well in Virginia (yeah, the one in the United States) measured a 2-foot drop during the Chilean earthquake in February. Apparently, the “regular sine-wave variations are due to the effect of lunar tides on the Earth’s crust”. I find that almost as intriguing as the quake effect. • See other …