BRAIN DRAIN

A worthy addition to the growing number of available “popular economics” titles is Robert Frank’s The Economic Naturalist. It’s a book that grew out of the Cornell Economics Professor’s penchant for asking his students to write short essays explaining the economic intuition behind fairly everyday phenomena.

The appeal of The Economic Naturalist lies in that the esteemed professor does not attempt so much to offer the run of the mill general reader on economics. Instead, he opts to demistify more ordinary occurences that we perhaps take for granted. Why is it that twenty-four hour convenience stores have locks on their doors if they never close? Why do drive-through ATMs have braille on their keypads, even if the blind can’t drive? Why is the price of brown eggs more expensive than white ones, considering that an egg is an egg is an egg? These are just some of the questions that Frank examines through an economist’s lens, resulting in discussions that are more often than not quite enlightening.

It goes without saying that the book dials down much of the rigor required by economic analysis in favor of simpler (at times even simplistic) explanations for the topics under consideration. For the most part, it is an approach that works in the book’s favor: even where Frank’s discussion may come across as a bit of a stretch — which does occur — there is at the very least some modicum of analysis being offered. Further, more “serious” readers will be pleased to know that hidden in between the often amusing and mundane questions the book tackles are some of the more weighty questions that have captivated economists, past (there are a couple based on George Ackerloff’s research, for instance) or present (such as Chris Anderson’s observation of the “long tail”, which also finds its way to the book).

Those looking for an easy and at once interesting read on economics need look no further than Robert Frank’s book. The Economic Naturalist is that rare title which manages to remind its readers that beyond the equations and graphs, economics is in fact a versatile and interesting subject to study.

In a move certain to keep fanboys debating for a long time to come, ToyFare’s Chris Ward has put together a list of “the fifty greatest fictional weapons of all time.” It’s obviously a fairly limited list — the main criterion was that the weapons in question have to be “wieldable” — and perhaps a tad arbitrary (the top pick is a bit of a surprise, though it does make sense), but agree with it or not it does provide a curious peek into the human imagination as seen through the lens of popular science fiction and fantasy.

[Toyfare, c/o Wizard Entertainment (via Gizmodo)]

On Mavens

Yesterday I dropped by the liquor store around the corner to pick up a bottle of wine. I’m not a big drinker, so I must have looked completely out of my element perusing the myriad bottles in the place. Thankfully, the folks who manage the store were not only very friendly but exceedingly knowledgeable about their merchandise, so from my perspective the entire experience was quick and painless.

This got me thinking: a maven is a maven is a maven. It doesn’t matter if said person works at a comic book store, video game retailer or wine shop, if you come across a person truly enthusiastic about something it’s hard not to be drawn in. So I suppose as much as we chide people for being “geeks” or “nerds”, I guess being one is just a matter of how mainstream a niche they’re interested in.

Oh, Snap!

I was out to dinner at one of my favorite haunts in the East Village the other night when a couple (guy and gal) happened to sit beside me (bench seating, you see).

While they began to go over the menu , the guy’s celphone rang, which he answered with what appeared to be a certain amount of guilt. After picking up the call with an emphatic “Oh, hi dear!” accompanied by a quick glance to his female companion, and following several dissembling protestations of “I tried calling you!” and “I left a message!” one couldn’t help but get the sense that this guy was in hot water.

By this time I was already quite amused, and interested to see how he’d get out of this one.

Then the guy says into the phone: “…I’m out with my sister. Why don’t you come by and join us?”

And just like that, the evening’s entertainment turned out to be far less interesting than it actually was.

Premonitions

I spent the better part of October tied to my books preparing for one exam after another. The most important of these was a comprehensive exam required for the degree I’m currently working on, and despite sitting for it nearly a month ago I hadn’t received the results yet.

Now I’ve been known to exhibit obsessive behavior while studying (I seem to recall having a calculator by my bedside throughout that month), but I thought the worst of it was already behind me. That is, until I had a bad dream the other evening, in which I was arguing with a professor grading the exam that my answer to a critical question was in fact correct despite his insistence to the contrary.

Yes, folks: these are the nightmares that nerds have. Well, this one, anyway.

I’m not usually a believer in omens and the like but I have to say this bothered me, more because the results have been a tad delayed (which just feeds the paranoia). Fortunately, the results came in the mail the other day in my favor, so now I can breathe a sigh of relief.

And right before Thanksgiving, too. Great timing, that.

In Other News…

There’s less than a month to go before I fly home for the holidays. I’m sorely tempted to begin packing.

I had high hopes for The Vesuvius Club. What drew me to the book was its premise (Britain’s top secret agent who just happens to live at #9 Downing Street) and a glowing missive of praise on the front cover by none other than Jasper Fforde. More, Mark Gatiss’s credentials as writer for some episodes of the relaunched Dr. Who made the book seem even more promising.

For all that, however, the book is some kind of terrible.

I think of myself as a relatively patient reader, and typically open-minded about what I read to the extent that it is written in good taste. Yet I have to draw the line with The Vesuvius Club. Indeed, it’s at the end of page 119 that I ended up throwing the book away in disgust (and I regret having read that far: it only has 230 pages!). Not only is the book utterly aimless up to that point and devoid of anything the least bit interesting occurring, but on the 119th page, after establishing the protagonist as the archetypal spy-cum-ladies man, the author decides that an important plot development would be for our hero to sleep with another man. Not just for the heck of it, but because the fellow is supposedly good at it (the protagonist, that is, not the author).

Okay, so that last bit of information becomes apparent between pages 120-122 or so (I peeked). But the point is still the same.

This isn’t a matter of my attitudes towards sexual orientation; at least not entirely. Perhaps this is an issue of marketing. The book appeared packaged to be one thing, and I ended up getting something I totally didn’t bargain for (nor would I like to have bargained for had I known what I was getting into).

In his defense, Mark Gatiss has labeled his novel “A Bit of Fluff”, which for all its self-deprecating honesty is unfortunately overly generous. The tragedy in all this is that the book already has a sequel, for reasons I cannot even comprehend. Truly, The Vesuvius Club has taught me that what’s read can never be un-read, proving that there are some things that never should have been published in the first place.

From Household Hacker, which I came across via Gizmodo, comes this DIY guide demonstrating how to turn an onion into an iPod charger.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Times like these I wish I were a science geek. Or that I paid more attention to MacGyver as a kid.

I shouldn’t have waited so long to buy into Elite Beat Agents, but the fact is that I did. What originally put me off about the game was that there seemed to be no point to it. A rhythm game where the characters — members of a clandestine organization — help save the world through song and dance? It all seemed so silly.

In this instance, however, it turns out that silly is just a euphemism for mad fun.

Those in the know are already aware that Elite Beat Agents is just the “localized” version of the Japanese Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, itself a smash hit. Now I can see why. The long and the short of it is that this is yet another must-have title for the Nintendo DS, even for those who (like myself) would never have thought themselves inclined to play a rhythm-type game (I ain’t got no rhythm, dammit!). It’s perfectly suited to the touch-screen interface, through which players should tap on the appropriate area of the screen in tune with the music currently playing. The soundtrack is a healthy mix of songs that are quite decently done and catchy, even if merely covers of the original. And even I have to admit that it’s a very addictive experience, my complete lack of rhythm notwithstanding.

It’s also worth mentioning that the non-sequitur storylines — and this is clearly not a game anyone will buy for the story — tend to be amusing and often downright charming. My personal favorite? Weathergirl Sofie who lies on TV about the dismal weekend weather so as not to disappoint her son, owing to a promise she made to take him on an excursion. What she has to go through to make the weather turn out right is just so wrong…and yet quite touching at the very same time.

So yes, it’s silly. It’s unusual. It’s so unlike what I would normally play.

And I loved every damn minute of it.

Last week occasioned a trip to San Francisco, ostensibly to visit my parents (who happened to be in town) and take care of some financial matters (like I said: my parents were in town!). Off to the west coast and back again, it’s time for another round of random travel notes!

Dress Rehearsal. For all intents and purposes, this trip ended up being a dry run for my great December getaway, when classes end and I head home for the holidays. I began the day at the University, caught a train back into the city, dropped by my apartment for all of fifteen minutes to pick up my luggage, and thereafter took the subway off to JFK. Come Christmas I’ll have to go through practically the same routine all over again, by which time I’m certain I won’t even break a sweat.

In-Fight Entertainment (or lack thereof). Naturally, I saw the prospect of a cross country flight as a golden opportunity to add yet another entry to my ongoing In-Flight Entertainment missives. I knew, however, that I’d probably get to catch only one film given the length of the flight (six hours) and the fact that I was taking the red-eye on the return trip. Nevertheless I remained hopeful…only to learn that the movie showing on the way to San Francisco would be Nancy Drew. Much as I tried to psych myself up to watch it, I eventually came to my senses (Nancy Drew?!) and decided to entertain myself by takingThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for a long overdue spin on my Nintendo DS instead. Somehow, I’m sure I came out on top in the exchange. (For the record, I ended up finishing the game right before I had to board the return flight to New York. It’s funny how these things work out.)

Passenger Reader, M.D. A lot of people use their travel time on flights to catch up on reading. I know I do. I’ve observed, however, that it’s almost impossible to be on a flight and not find someone reading some “do-it-yourself” tutorial type of book. Of course, a lot of books fit this description, from the latest business bestseller chronicling new management strategies or any one of the numerous titles in the Dummies series of books. On the way to San Francisco, however, I noticed that the fellow seated across from me — presumably a doctor — was wholly engrossed in “The Complete Handbook of Kidney Transplantation”. This got me thinking: ’tis a strange world we live in when one man’s DIY guide may very well just be another’s medical journal.

Sometimes, you get lucky. Interestingly, the flight to San Francisco was hardly full. The window seat next to me ended up empty, so I had just that much more space to myself for the six-hour trip. More, because there were so few people on the flight, no passenger had to occupy the dreaded “middle seat”. Fancy that.

Earthquake! Some twenty minutes before our scheduled landing, the captain went on the intercom to inform us that our arrival would be delayed because an earthquake struck the Bay Area a few hours earlier. As a result, many of the San Francisco-bound had been in a holding pattern as ground crews were busy checking the runways (and also perhaps for everyone to wait and see if the worst of it had already passed). Later I would learn from my parents that the quake was really quite something. The entire experience got me thinking, why is it these interesting things happen when I’m not around? Then again, I have to hand it to San Francisco: the city was so happy to have me over that the ground shook!

Has New York Spoiled Me? On more than one occasion my parents and I went out to dinner, and almost as many times we’d be on the receiving end of sub-par service. At least that’s how I felt. On one dinner in particular, I noticed I was getting very impatient waiting for the food to come as my parents were chatting away with some friends who’d joined us. That got me thinking: has New York and its fast pace of life spoiled me? While my parents concur that the service at many of our usual haunts in the Bay Area isn’t what it used to be, I can’t help but wonder.

[Prior Random Travel Notes: 0, 1, 2, 3]