Freakonomics
January 1st, 2014 at 7:08:35 PM
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Anybody read the book? I was always interested but never got around to reading it. I just started watching the documentary they made on the book. I guess they're going to cover each chapter.
I bring up the book here cause I think I remember the book being mentioned somewhere in the forum.
I bring up the book here cause I think I remember the book being mentioned somewhere in the forum.
OFFICIALLY and justifiably reclaimed my title as SuperHotBlonde!
January 1st, 2014 at 7:24:11 PM
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read the wiki for a quick summary.
the authors did a followup book.
the authors did a followup book.
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice).
Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
January 1st, 2014 at 7:30:59 PM
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Quote: HotBlondeAnybody read the book?
I read both I and II plus SportsCasting.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
January 1st, 2014 at 7:31:44 PM
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Are the books worth reading (I and II)?Quote: WizardI read both I and II plus SportsCasting.
OFFICIALLY and justifiably reclaimed my title as SuperHotBlonde!
January 1st, 2014 at 7:38:32 PM
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I read both books too, and they're worth it if that's the kind of books you like. If you read a lot of fiction, then prolly not for you.
"Poker sure is an easy game to beat if you have the roll to keep rebuying."
January 1st, 2014 at 7:39:34 PM
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I, personally, am a huge non-fiction reader. I love to learn. This world is so fascinating!Quote: zippyboyI read both books too, and they're worth it if that's the kind of books you like. If you read a lot of fiction, then prolly not for you.
OFFICIALLY and justifiably reclaimed my title as SuperHotBlonde!
January 1st, 2014 at 8:09:41 PM
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Quote from the movie: "Legalized abortion is responsible for a big chunk in the decline in crime."
Very interesting.
Very interesting.
OFFICIALLY and justifiably reclaimed my title as SuperHotBlonde!
January 1st, 2014 at 8:11:57 PM
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I like non-fiction. I haven't read Freakonomics, but I'll offer a companion suggestion that's free:
Economics In One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt, published in 1946.
Hazlitt examines the fallacies associated with common economic beliefs, from an Austrian School perspective. Some of the prose may be slightly antiquated, but I find it very accessible.
This is the PDF link via Mises.org:
http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf
Economics In One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt, published in 1946.
Hazlitt examines the fallacies associated with common economic beliefs, from an Austrian School perspective. Some of the prose may be slightly antiquated, but I find it very accessible.
This is the PDF link via Mises.org:
http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf
"Scientists tell us that the fastest animal on earth, with a top speed of 120 feet per second, is a cow that has been dropped out of a helicopter."
January 1st, 2014 at 8:38:48 PM
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These are good reads. One of the episodes explained why crime in NY dropped (demographics, not changes in policing) which I found fascinating.
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You want the truth! You can't handle the truth!
January 1st, 2014 at 8:46:34 PM
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Quote: gpac1377
Just read the first 3 chapters and it knocked
my socks off. It's nice to see the way they
thought in 1946 is still what we're fighting
against today.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
January 1st, 2014 at 8:53:10 PM
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Quote: EvenBobIt's nice to see the way they
thought in 1946 is still what we're fighting
against today.
Indeed. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but it's amazing how many times civilization repeats the same mistakes.
"Scientists tell us that the fastest animal on earth, with a top speed of 120 feet per second, is a cow that has been dropped out of a helicopter."
January 2nd, 2014 at 12:28:09 AM
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Quote: HotBlondeQuote from the movie: "Legalized abortion is responsible for a big chunk in the decline in crime."
Very interesting.
Was it Roe vs. Wade or the whole thing about lead being taken out of gasoline? I heard both sides of the argument and am on the fence about either.
"Man Babes" #AxelFabulous
January 2nd, 2014 at 3:26:35 AM
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Quote: djatcWas it Roe vs. Wade or the whole thing about lead being taken out of gasoline? I heard both sides of the argument and am on the fence about either.
I haven't read the book but listen to the podcasts and am familiar with this part of it. I don't quite buy the Roe V Wade part but do partially buy the lead in gasoline part.
IMHO their ideas do not totally debunk the popular ideas but do give a person other things to look at. For example, they trace the decline in crime to be almost exactly 18 years after Roe v Wade. However, that means the average criminal would only enter a life of crime at 18 exactly (they don't) and additionally assumes that Roe v Wade marks an exact date when abortion became socially as well as legally acceptable. It did not and there were abortions being done before Roe. OTOH in the late 1970s the FBI began cracking down on Mafia/OC in many cities, which took years to really take hold. All of this came together at once.
For those that like podcasts, check them out.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
January 2nd, 2014 at 7:14:26 AM
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I read Freakonomics many years ago. I thought it was a good book. Read it twice actually.
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see.
January 10th, 2014 at 8:40:14 PM
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Wasnt there a part where they compared drug dealers to beauty queen contestants? Thought it was in Book 1.Quote: KeyserSozeI read Freakonomics many years ago. I thought it was a good book. Read it twice actually.
OFFICIALLY and justifiably reclaimed my title as SuperHotBlonde!
January 10th, 2014 at 9:03:38 PM
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I am normally against book burning, but might make an exception for Freakonomics.
Shed not for her
the bitter tear
Nor give the heart
to vain regret
Tis but the casket
that lies here,
The gem that filled it
Sparkles yet
January 11th, 2014 at 3:11:59 AM
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Quote: HotBlondeWasnt there a part where they compared drug dealers to beauty queen contestants? Thought it was in Book 1.
I remember it was about how much crack dealers actually make, and the risk:reward ratio of prostitution labor.
"Man Babes" #AxelFabulous
January 11th, 2014 at 3:32:50 AM
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Quote: HotBlondeWasnt there a part where they compared drug dealers to beauty queen contestants? Thought it was in Book 1.
I think it is ironic that now the beauty queens are drug dealers in certain countries.
January 11th, 2014 at 4:30:54 AM
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video summary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0CoI3Ohptg
watching part3 right now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0CoI3Ohptg
watching part3 right now
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice).
Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
January 11th, 2014 at 4:35:31 AM
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Quote: HotBlondeWasnt there a part where they compared drug dealers to beauty queen contestants? Thought it was in Book 1.
in the video summary, they talked about the drug dealers.
but I don't recall anything about beauty queen contestants?
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice).
Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
January 11th, 2014 at 5:50:57 AM
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.Quote: djatcI remember it was about how much crack dealers actually make, and the risk:reward ratio of prostitution labor.
George Will stated in an article that the street-slingers who stand on the corner don't do much better than the burger-slinger at McDonald's these days.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others
January 29th, 2014 at 10:55:55 AM
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Quote: HotBlondeI, personally, am a huge non-fiction reader. I love to learn. This world is so fascinating!
I've been devouring non-fiction at a high rate ever since I found The History of Rome podcasts. From there I moved on to Audible, which is now offering lectures from the Great Courses series at very acessible rates (for me this means one credit, or $20). Among others I've also listened to "Made in america" and "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson, "Inferno" by Max Hasings, Volume One of Gibbon's "The Historyof the Decline and Fall fo the Roman Empire," a Great Courses series on US History and now I'm in the early stages of a series on the foundations of Western Civilization.
I find that playing audio books or history podcasts gives a good use to the otherwsie dead time I spend driving every day. Lately I play them, too, when I'm cooking. I've even considered getting an MP3 player or a smart phone just so I can play them while working out. They also come in handy during travel.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
