Comparisons: Well-made analogies can be quite useful, informative, and enlightening. Or, they can be ill-formed and carried too far. Here’s a definition: a·nal·o·gy: a comparison between two things, typically based on their structure and for explanation or clarification. That seems straightforward enough. I like analogies and use them often. But some common analogies I find to be less than useful. …
Sponsored? Nobody. That’s right, NO sponsors, advertisers, or interested third parties. You see no ad banners, no links to products (other than links to the books I review), and I can assure you that nobody is paying me to adjust my opinions to their advantage. And only rarely do you find a post mentioning (let alone “pushing”) my services to …
There was a “spot” on the technology podcast I regularly watch which indicated that a company was going to make new software available for cell phone providers. What was interesting is that this new software is designed to strip ads out of content before it is delivered to the user. One telecom company has already signed up. Of course, there …
Yesterday I had lunch with a good friend and colleague. We had a wide ranging discussion as usual, including talking about the water situation here in Southern California. Recently a court ruling found that a small town’s water district here in SoCal did not calculate their rates properly. I suspect the Water District knew that, but had other reasons for wanting …
From time-to-time, I find myself in a philosophical discussion with colleagues about our economy and our brand of capitalism. There are, of course, the two extreme views on this subject: (1) markets should be the only determination of value with no interference from government and (2) free markets are bad and central planning is the way to make sure people …