Random
catdynamics | November 28, 2008Yikes, it is friday already, again?
Ok, we only have a reduced travel set of iTunes, but here goes.
Oh, mighty iPod - jobs, astronomy jobs that is, gonna be any over the next year?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Twenty Four Hour Garage People - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Crossing: Letters Sent - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Crown: American Music - Violent Femmes
The Root: Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós
The Past: Buzz Buzz Buzz - Wee Hairy Beasties
The Future: Hey Nonny Nonny - Violent Femmes
The Questioner: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is The Light Of AN Oncoming Train -…
catdynamics | November 24, 2008is, loosely translated, what the leader of the opposition "red-green alliance" said to a government member of Alþing in Iceland, who claimed the opposition had been procedurally delaying the setup and start of investigation into the Icelandic banking crisis.
This came during a vote of no confidence in the government.
The vote failed by a huge margin.
Surviving Iceland is a new and interesting blog - anecdotal and free associating news "as it happens" from Reykjavík.
I was somewhat flabbergasted to also hear that just now has someone put a motion to use emergency powers to freeze the assets…
catdynamics | November 24, 2008is how many people you could employ for a year for $306 billion, at a cost of $70 per hour, for 40 hour work week, 50 weeks per year.
Those people would then go out and spend the money, generating some velocity and additional jobs.
or at a mean hourly rate of only $15,000 - you could get 1,000 of the top financial executives in the USA, for a year.
That is, to be fair, taking the mean only for the top 20 or so CEOs.
So it'll buy you a bunch of COO and CFOs for matched sets.
catdynamics | November 24, 2008We need one of those.
"I say, hand over your money. All of it, if you'd be so good.
Awfully decent of you chaps. Thank you most kindly."
"If you securitize the leveraged derivatives you enhance alpha, and you know housing prices never go down."
"They don't make any more land, you know."
"Your money is safe with us."
"No sir, there are no hidden fees."
"Quantitative easing is needed. Don't worry, we have top experts working on it.
Top experts."
If September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, shouldn't we have a Banker's Day also?
December 15th seems both clear and appropriate, it…
catdynamics | November 21, 2008everyone does know that there is now an official
Monty Python channel
catdynamics | November 21, 2008It is snowing, and this time I am not pointing the wrong way on the I-271(N) staring at the headlights of 20,000 tired and grumpy Clevelanders who are late heading home (but who fortunately do know how to drive in snow, a trait I appear to have lost...).
So, Oh Mighty iPod: Hubble supplemental observing proposals - anything useful going to come out of it? Oh, and any hints on the near term economic situation would also be appreciated.
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Krummi Krunkar Úti - trad.
The Crossing: Let It Snow - Dean Martin
The Crown: Between the Wars - Billy…
catdynamics | November 21, 2008triple witching hour
option expiry today, I gather
something has to give, way up or way way down
catdynamics | November 20, 2008some links to ponder
Japanese economists think maybe US Treasury should issue some bonds in yen - takes out some of the uncertainty, just in case the dollar were to slip a bit...
Fed capitulates - the new buzzword is "quantitative easing" - or "going fiscal" as they say.
Systemic Risk - trade and contagion - it is not just Iceland who can't get their dry goods shipped - letters of credit are not being accepted and trade is halting. Back to barter for everyone.
Liquidity Lift for Student Loans - DoE to purchase student loans back to 2003 to try to keep market liquid.
Maybe a miracle will…
catdynamics | November 20, 2008AAAoAAAoA
Harvard's many diverse mattresses (h/t IP
Unintended Consequences I: NSF - 2 and out
Unintended Consequences II: Italy - shortening the holding pattern for scientists
In some other universe I am writing an erudite blog response on multiple universes and the paradox of quantum mechanics; but in this universe I have paperwork to catch up on so I leave it to Chad'n'Dave...
catdynamics | November 11, 2008There is much angst now about finanical crises and bank collapses, and whether and which emergency bailouts are appropriate and who gets them.
Yet at the root of the whole process are petty little people with fragile egos and incomplete understanding of the basics of their profession, despite having been in power for many years.
I am, of course, talking about Iceland.
The country is bankrupt, the whole banking system has failed, the currency is untradable and the economy is in free-fall.
The only hope of sustaining something of a working economy in the short run is to get a large loan, on…
catdynamics | November 10, 2008O'Leary, O'Reilly
O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama
Studio version:
Live version:
"Now lets see Barack to Riverdance"
catdynamics | November 7, 2008Interesting presentation by Brad deLong to the googleplex
'cause linking is an intrinsic good.
catdynamics | November 7, 2008Indian summer and a friday. May snow this weekend...
So, that was exciting. Oh, Mighty iPod - what now?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Light My Fire - Doors
The Crossing: Money - Pink Floyd
The Crown: Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
The Root: Dream River - Mavericks
The Past: Pump It Up - Elvis Costello
The Future: Maria - Green Day
The Questioner: T.V. Party - Black Flag
The House: End of the World - Cure
The Inside: Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest
The Outcome: Lilli Hittir Mikka Ref - Thorbjorn Egner
Hm.
The Outcome is the Little Mouse meets the Tricky Fox.
Much shenanigans…
catdynamics | November 6, 2008I was forwarded some Obama policy documents on European relations and was also pointed to a key aspect of Obama's heritage I had overlooked, though I gather it was discussed some months ago
Obama and Biden: A Stronger Partnership With Europe for a Safer America
There it was, after "Effective Parntnership" and "Iran" and "Cyprus": "...Barack Obama, whose ancestors hail from Moneygall Co. Offaly, Ireland, is committed to lasting peace..."
Ah, he is Irish!
My first reaction was that this then means he must be about 1/4 Icelandic, going back a bit further, but Moneygall is kinda south-central,…
catdynamics | November 6, 2008of a non-viable business model
It has been known for a while that Landsbanki, Iceland's second biggest commercial bank, had commissioned an academic study of the vulnerabilities of the country's banking system; and that the study was confidential.
Now that the worst case scenario from the study has come true, the paper has been released as CEPR Policy Insight #26, and the blog VoxEU has a very nice post discussing the highlights
The problem is simple: if your country has a non-reserve currency, ie if the currency is not the dollar or euro, then if you have an international banking sector,…
catdynamics | November 5, 2008the fifth of november...
I spent a year living in Lewes, just down the hill from the castle and jousting field shown at the start of the video. In fact, my bedroom window looked out over the exact spot where Virginia Woolf committed suicide, or so we were told - the location does not exactly match what wikipedia claims.
One of the few times in my life where I have been frightened was when we went to bonfire night that year and got swept up in the crowd.
Gave me an uncomfortable hint of what a mob might become if roused.
Peoples' memories are long and sharp, though I expect a lot of them…
catdynamics | November 4, 2008apparently there is some sort of election taking place in the US today...
I woke up to see "1000 students in line to vote at Penn State", before 8 am.
It is now a little after 1 pm and the line is still there. Probably a bit shorter, but very long, doubled up on itself a couple of times. High level of activity and buzz in the student union.
Extraordinary turnout, talk of over 80% of registered voters voting, which is very high for the area.
Local republican congressional candidate had supporters just show up in force. They're going to have to be careful to not violate "no campaigning…