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[#] Mon Oct 14 2013 11:22:10 UTC from fleeb

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http://preview.tinyurl.com/pppahl9

God created economists to make astrologers look respectable.

This is mostly an opinion piece, but I thought it interesting that someone out there calls out against laissez-faire economics, and touts the Swedes as having a good model.

[#] Wed Oct 16 2013 01:16:37 UTC from LoanShark

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Nothing new about liberals making that sort of statement. What hasn't been pointed out before, is the irony of Sweden (among the least laissez-faire economies in the world) issuing the Nobel mostly to laissez-faire advocates. (Think they're having a little inside Swedish joke at somebody's expense?)

[#] Fri Oct 18 2013 12:39:19 UTC from fleeb

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Yeah, that was pretty good. Interesting to ponder.

[#] Fri Oct 18 2013 13:56:20 UTC from LoanShark

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It's funny, the article mentioned Myron Scholes. Say what you will about his politics (which I don't agree with), or his repeated failures as a fund manager, there is no doubt that his work was paradigm-shifting and is now fundamental to options trading. He probably deserved the Nobel as much as anyone.

[#] Thu Dec 12 2013 11:45:47 UTC from the_mgt

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http://www.salon.com/2013/12/10/ayn_rand_loving_ceo_destroys_his_empire_partner/

I have no clue about the credibility of that salon.com site, but the article was a funny read. Sears also got what they deserved for messing with their clients warranty questions ;)



[#] Thu Dec 12 2013 13:55:53 UTC from fleeb

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Man... I liked Sears. Used to be a solid, reputable company. They really have taken it on the chin lately. If this is the reason why, it's quite understandable.

[#] Thu Dec 12 2013 19:49:10 UTC from LoanShark

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A funny read, yes, but it would be funnier if he hadn't destroyed an American institution. Sears *invented* catalogue retail and the Midwest was built out of their supplies.

[#] Mon Dec 30 2013 15:23:23 UTC from IGnatius T Foobar

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Everyone knows that I'm no fan of Ayn Rand, but coming from the commie rag Salon, the whole article reads like "see, capitalism doesn't work after all."

The free market is ambivalent towards good and bad business plans.  The free market rewards good business strategy while allowing bad business strategy to fail.

And yes, the decline of Sears is sad to watch.  They were a staple.  Unfortunately though, it's evolve or die.  The same could be said for Radio Shack, whose stock price is less than a tenth of what it was a decade ago, because they voluntarily made themselves insanely un-cool.



[#] Mon Dec 30 2013 15:32:43 UTC from wizard of aahz

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I was in one Sears store during the holidays . It was actually in very nice shape. Looked clean and organized. Decent deals, especially on the Lands End merchandise.

[#] Tue Jan 07 2014 13:41:08 UTC from LoanShark

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Everyone knows that I'm no fan of Ayn Rand, but coming from the
commie rag Salon, the whole article reads like "see, capitalism
doesn't work after all."

*if* you equate capitalism with this one man's wacky management philosophy. He doesn't sound like a very nice guy to work for, and one can see how the incentives he created could lead to perverse results.

I've worked for clowns like him. Aaaargh...

[#] Mon Sep 08 2014 11:13:18 UTC from dothebart

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http://www.businessinsider.com/why-google-has-become-germanys-boogeyman--and-why-it-matters-2014-9

Google and other big American tech firms have become ersatz targets

 

ersatz - another german word in english? or just a not well written article?

 

I like this conclusion:

The biggest fear is that Germany's proud carmakers will be relegated to mere producers of "tin cans". If they lose ownership of the data and software that make self-driving cars move, and control of the display screens inside them, the firms' margins will get squeezed. There may be a more profitable business in telling a driver that the product he wants is available cheaply at the next autobahn exit than in building the car he is sitting in.

 

(while I right now already think of cars as tin cans anyways...)



[#] Mon Sep 08 2014 12:43:27 UTC from fleeb

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'Ersatz', to us, comes to mean 'in place of a real version'. So, an ersatz keyboard is a keyboard that one uses in place of a proper keyboard.

And an ersatz car might be a Yugo.

[#] Mon Sep 08 2014 15:24:35 UTC from vince-q

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One thing is certain. Ferdi Porsche is spinning in his grave right now.

[#] Mon Sep 08 2014 18:34:06 UTC from LoanShark

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I'm a luddite... I think driving a car requires human intelligence, not AI.

[#] Tue Sep 09 2014 12:58:18 UTC from fleeb

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The AI used for driving a car requires that the system already have the route mapped in virtual 3-d space, which they update with observations from the spinning camera above the car.

I'm curious about how well it can handle driver stupidity.

[#] Tue Sep 09 2014 14:17:14 UTC from wizard of aahz

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Having driven back roads with LS, I'd say intelligence is not the only requirement. <GRIN>

[#] Tue Sep 09 2014 15:03:57 UTC from LoanShark

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......................^^^ Mostly Sane! :)

[#] Tue Sep 09 2014 15:04:16 UTC from LoanShark

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Yeah, I was a crazy driver in my late teens/early 20s.

[#] Wed Sep 17 2014 08:17:14 UTC from the_mgt

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If every single car is driving by AI on something like a well maintained highway, without such error sources as pedestrians, it might work out.

Mixed scenarios, especially when they involve aggressive, egoistic and/or stupid travelers,  seem to beg for catastrophes.



[#] Wed Sep 17 2014 13:45:22 UTC from fleeb

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Heh... if Google's AI is found at fault for an accident, whose license gets points?

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