Marketplace of Ideas

Marketplace of Ideas

Friday, July 6, 2007

Why are Chinese phonetic renderings of Western brand names so far off? There's a surprising reason. . .'It costs as much to ship Fiji Water across the oceans and truck it to warehouses in the United States as it does to extract the water and bottle it'. . .Struggle with a traumatic memory? New research could help you hit 'delete'. . .An interactive guide to the art of political microtargeting. . .If you don’t know how much you’re paying for something, will you notice when the price goes up?

Thursday, July 5, 2007

UNESCO just met, and there are now 851 "wonders of the world". . .Scientific publishing finally graduates from the 1600s. . .Want to go a year without buying from China? It's not easy. . .Should the 'losers' from globalization be compensated? Why?. . .Is there still room for a 'third culture'?. . .

Monday, July 2, 2007

Iranians, faced with gas rationing, don't like their own medicine. . .Taking pictures from the New York City sidewalk? You may soon need a permit, and insurance. . ."Making it easier for workers to form cartels would raise wages--at least for those workers in the cartels. . .In antitrust, it's all about how you define "the market". . ."If turned-off consumers, teed-off union workers and fired-up competitors don't kill off what's left of the U.S. auto industry, then proposed new fuel economy standards may finish the job. . .NRIs (Non-Resident Indians): They drive at least twenty percent of all foreign investment in India. . .

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

In Mexico's divisive political climate, a business mogul finds anti-poverty philanthropy to be a good investment. . ."Are we entering a new era of digital democracy--or just being conned by a bunch of smooth-talking geeks?" Why do so many adults in their forties apparently wish they were in their twenties? Academic boycotts: Let's hit New Zealand! Freeman Dyson knows how to hasten the biotech revolution: Democratize it. . .

Friday, March 30, 2007

Might the decline of American capital markets have something to do with the rest of the world? Are cheap donuts making us fat? No, it's all the expensive broccoli. Productivity has gone up across the economy—but classical music remains as labor-intensive as ever. That makes it more and more expensive. Are you in college? Want to raise money for Mitt Romney? He'll pay you a commission. Things we can't trust the young with: guns, booze, cigarettes...tanning beds?

Wednesday, March 28 2007

Conspicuous virtue offers a way to feel OK about consumerism. Play solitaire, cure cancer: "distributed computing" advances medical science. Economics starts with common sense, consistently applied. The secret of Charles Koch's success: "Market-based management"? Government funds for thinking computers were shot down in 2005. Is HAL back on track?

Thursday, March 29 2007

What kind of service would you expect from a Second Life virtual home broker? The Czech Republic wants to join the flat tax club. For a college education, which is more important: More full-time professors or smaller class sizes? There ain't no such thing as a free conference call. Work for the right outfit, and your perks could include a spa-grade commode.