The failure of unregulated markets. [HT: Simon Johnson] MIT’s Daron Acemoglu has written one of the best essays on the financial crisis and what it means for economics that I have read. He argues, convincingly, that forgetting about what drives economic growth when formulating policy is a big mistake. Importantly, it has been all too easy to forget about how…
Monthly Archives January 2009
First-ever interactive dictionary to teach Aboriginal language. The first interactive Aboriginal language CD and dictionary was launched at Sydney University, marking the most comprehensive attempt to protect and preserve an Indigenous dialect in recent times. The CD Gayarragi, winangali - Find and Hear was launched by UTS Professor of Law Larissa Behrendt, a Yuwaalayaay woman (Narran River near Walgett) whose…
U.S. Plan Sees Easing of G.M. to Bankruptcy. The government hopes to avoid court chaos by persuading at least some creditors to agree to a plan that would cleave General Motors into two pieces. [NYT > Business]
McKinsey maps the world's innovation clusters How innovative is your city? McKinsey Digital has released a new innovation study of the world's leading cities, grouping them into one of four different categories -- "hot springs," "dynamic oceans," "silent lakes," and "shrinking pools." The most innovative cities are "dynamic oceans," while the "hot springs" are the types of cities with a lot…
I remember when a Pilot named Gary Powers became world news, along with his very very very secretive spy-plane. Now in 2009, we can just spot a spy plane from our home computer.... Bill Sometimes the satellite images Google acquires happen to capture some really unique sight. This one is really awesome for those of us who try to find…
My kind of cartoon. From XKCD (HT: Rocco Weglarz & Robert Wiblin) [Andrew Leigh]
Maps of Knowledge. Previous maps of the relationship between branches of modern science were done by mapping the citations among journal articles. These citations are footnotes referencing previous articles on the same or related subjects. Citations are the equivalent links in a posting. They take you to the source. Citation indexes tally these links by subject. Mapping software can display…
OECD figures show 'flash flood' stimulus not working. The Federal Opposition says the latest report on the world economy by the OECD shows that the United States is the only country to have spent more than Australia on economic stimulus packages. [ABC News: Breaking Stories]
Tidal power divides the greens. One single project could provide an enormous boost to Britain's renewable energy problems. Engineers have long fantasized about harnessing all the energy from the river Servern--and with climate change and energy security now pressing political problems, ministers are beginning to take them seriously. [Environmental Health News]