Mike the Mad Biologist
Archives for March, 2009
To Twitter or Not to Twitter…
Posted by Mike on March 27, 2009 …that is the question–along with some thoughts about being a blogger and not a writer. I’ve been asking other science bloggers if I should start using Twitter. The answers have ranged from the formation of a blood pact sworn to never (EVAH!) use Twitter to a belief that Twitter ‘communities’ are the equivalent of a…
Thursday Links
Posted by Mike on March 26, 2009 Some good genomics and AIG links. Science stuff first:
Geithner’s Top Aide: No Conflict of Interest At All
Posted by Mike on March 26, 2009 The reason the AIG bonuses are upsetting isn’t the amount of the bonuses–although the bonuses are larger than the entire National Endowment for the Arts budget–it’s the complete impotence of and cooptation of the government by the financial sector (yes, we need banks and a financial sector, but they are means, not ends). So I’m…
Update on the Housing Post
Posted by Mike on March 25, 2009 My thanks to the readers who noted that I accidentally used adjusted income in my calculations of the ratio of the median house price to the median wage. Below are the updated figures:
Volcanoes Have a Well-Known Liberal Bias
Posted by Mike on March 25, 2009 LA Governor Bobby Jindal is looking dumber by the day:
Median Housing Prices and Wages: The Underlying Fundamentals Suck
Posted by Mike on March 25, 2009 Update: Thanks to the readers who caught my error. I’ve updated the post here. A tale of two graphs. But before I get to them, I have to admit that this post by Amanda gave me the needed kick in the ass to write about the huge increase in housing prices relative to annual income.…
This Is What Class Warfare Looks Like: The So-Called Free Market Edition
Posted by Mike on March 24, 2009 Can we please stop claiming that prices and wages are determined by the invisible hand? This supposed inscrutable force is often quite scrutable and goes by the name power. Consider this hate email liberal activist David Sirota received after a TV appearance (boldface original):
Cofactor Genomics to Sequence a Free Genome for Educators
Posted by Mike on March 23, 2009 By way of ScienceBlogling Sandra Porter, we discover that Cofactor Genomics has announced that they will sequence some genomes for free to enable students to learn about genomics:
Big Sh-tpile and Why Geithner’s Plan Won’t Work
Posted by Mike on March 23, 2009 Paul Krugman succinctly lays out why the Geithner/Obama* plan won’t work: