Not A Mystery
Hacks
Big Mac, Stand Aside For Big White
Is it possible that The Economist is moving towards replacing its Big Mac Index with a Big White Index? The Economist has been publishing their (not so tongue-in-cheek) Big Mac Index since 1986. It’s a reality check on world-wide currency exchange rates, based on the concept of Purchasing-Power Parity. Purchasing-Power Parity (PPP) says that exchange … Continue reading
Pensioners Run Wild
This week from the Daily Telegraph of London, it’s reported that a gang of German Pensioners kidnapped and tortured a financial adviser after he lost their money on a Florida property investment scheme. The adviser was held in the basement of a vacation home, and over a period of four days was burned with cigarettes, … Continue reading
It’s Not Gambling, It’s Sophisticated Investing. Right.
A recent sting operation perpetuated on several Big City Banks by a smallish Hedge Fund puts my Schadenfreude Meter off the scales. This one feels even better than a vicious lawyer joke. Let’s see if I can explain what they did. [Note: the following narrative is based on an article in the Wall Street Journal … Continue reading
Your 15 Minutes of Fame Can Be Copied & Pasted
At this point Andy Warhol’s oft quoted “Everybody will have 15 minutes of fame…” (sic) seems hopelessly outdated, what with YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Reality Shows and, not least of all, blogs. Warhol would probably point out that there is the small issue of dumbing-down the concept of “Fame”, whatever. I’ve noticed a parallel phenomenon which … Continue reading
OMG, I Made Up An Acronym: F2U !
This week was the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s annual meeting in Seattle, appropriately named “SLEEP 2009”. In the midst of some fascinating studies into how we spend a huge part of our time on this earth (sleeping), were some amusing (to me) acronyms. So for example, the following 3 were my favorites: TIB – … Continue reading
All Bog Reading Tips Combined
This post combines our series of tutorials for people new to blogs. Because blogs look like a normal website, but work in some counter intuitive ways, it can be a bit confusing for newbies. Hopefully these Tips will help get you up to speed.
Behavioral Economics: “Got Quant?”
A continuing topic of interest to this blog are time saving ideas. Last post we discussed a way to cut down on your time spent reading, by aging magazines like a fine wine. The example we used was focused on The Economist magazine. While we managed to gain the upper hand over their Editorial staff, … Continue reading
A Fine Read In The Tradition Of A Fine Wine
When I was still working there was never enough time in the day. Now that I’m retired, there’s even less time. Which makes no sense, but there you have it. So I am always looking for ways to save time, or at least waste less of it. One of my major, serious, time sinks was … Continue reading
Can You Say ‘Eat, Drink then Sleep’ in French?
Having researched more deeply into OECD’s Society at a Glance that was the basis for our last post, I am coming to the conclusion that I was born in the wrong country. Is it too late to get French? When they are not on strike, the French spend almost double the time we Americans do … Continue reading
Leisure Time Is Not An Oxymoron
Certainly thought-provoking, from The Economist. This chart begs for explanations. I wonder whether the data was observed or subject-reported. In my own case I would not take the time to self-report, as it would cut into my own leisure time. And for the record, leisure time should definitely be an equal opportunity pursuit. More to … Continue reading
Coffee Cards Gone Wild, and Re-Loadable
Let’s start off by saying that Coffee Cards are a great gift item! I received one for a special occasion the other day, and it provided me many hours of pleasurable sipping and lounging around at my local Peet’s. Brilliant. But the mystery to me is that these cards are marketed as “re-loadable debit cards”; … Continue reading
Just Another Mystery
- Weaving A Different Kind of Necklace
- Jumping into Spring
- The Art of Using Natures Bounty to Dye Cloth
- A Shibori Stitched and Felted Wrap
- Faux Fur, Vogue and Verve
- The Perfect Dance, Part 2
- The Perfect Dance
- The Vest That Mysteriously Turned Into A Purse
- Vintage Kimono Baby Booties
- Zipper, Keys, and a Linen Belt Buckle
Sterling Jewelry & Gifts
Not A Mystery 