Plans for the Past

Scary and stupid: Pressure-cooker kindergarten

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:48:38 -0400

Meanwhile, more and more children are “failing” kindergarten, according to the Alliance for Childhood report — and missing out on the kind of early schooling that does help develop 5-year-old minds. Winifred Hagan is a former kindergarten teacher and a vice president at the Cayl Institute in Cambridge, a nonprofit that sponsors conferences for principals and fellowships for the study of early childhood education. She worries that vulnerable kids are being sent down a path to failure inside a system that was created to meet purely political goals. “Kids are spending hours of their day sitting with pencils and tracing dotted lines,” she says. “And we call that education? We are kidding ourselves.”

via boston.com

What numbskull came up with this? Counter-intuitive, counter-scientific, and counter-compassionate.

Pathetic: Discovery’s ‘Frozen Planet’ Is Silent on Causes of Climate Change

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:31:12 -0400

via nytimes.com

Oceans

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:09:23 -0400

via xkcd.com

Calling All Muppets: Goldman Says Buy Stocks

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:52:21 -0400

By Steven Russolillo and Matt Jarzemsky

Goldman Sachs on Wednesday offered a ringing endorsement for U.S. stocks, calling the current environment a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for long-term investors to switch out of bonds and into stocks.

In a detailed 40-page report, Goldman laid out several reasons why the prospect for future returns from stocks relative to bonds are as good as they have been in a generation.

“We think it’s time to say a ‘long good bye’ to bonds, and embrace the `long good buy’ for equities,” wrote Peter Oppenheimer and Matthieu Walterspiler, London-based strategists at Goldman Sachs.

Goldman’s argument is largely based on valuation. The bursting technology bubble in the early 2000s and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression have contributed to the erosion of investor confidence in stocks, Goldman says.

While Goldman acknowledged slowing profit growth in corporate America is a concern, the trend may not be as bad as the market currently expects. And risks of tighter credit and investment spending as well as an aging population on equities valuations are “overstated.”

“Our global projections show that the next decade is likely to be a peak period for global growth,” Goldman says. “If future economic growth is, indeed, stronger, then again the lower expectations currently priced into equity markets is likely to prove too pessimistic.”

A Goldman spokesperson said Mr. Oppenheimer was not available for an interview and preferred to let his research stand for itself.

The report, which hit inboxes in the early hours of Wednesday added fuel to a simmering debate about whether financial markets may have hit an inflection point. And, more importantly, whether the decades-long bull market in bonds may be finally coming to an end.

Yields on the 10-year Treasury bond have jumped about 35 basis points since March 6. For much of 2012, the Treasury market has withstood a strengthening domestic economy and diminishing fears of a European sovereign-debt meltdown. But last week’s hints from the Fed that it may not need to implement another round of stimulus seemed to spook Treasury bulls, prompting prices to fall and yields to shoot higher.

Meanwhile stocks have registered one of the best-ever starts to a year. The S&P 500 is up 12% in 2012, has more than doubled off the 12 ½ year low hit in March 2009 and is about 10% off its all-time high.

For now, though, it seems many investors are yet to come around to Goldman’s way of thinking. Mutual fund-flow data released by the Investment Company Institute on Wednesday showed money is still pouring out of U.S. stock funds and flooding into bond funds.

via blogs.wsj.com

Translation: Sell Stocks.

Twitter inhales posterous

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:42:25 -0400

The posterous web UI revamp is riddled with usability bugs, and tumblr was kicking its butt.

http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/8uz8qCm2X10/

Tim Wakefield retires from Red Sox

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:35:22 -0500

via boston.com

You will be missed!

Packing for the Cure

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:09:44 -0500

via discountgunsales.com

We've hit "peak oil"; now comes permanent price volatility

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:06:07 -0500

via arstechnica.com

Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:48:23 -0500

via nytimes.com

An important story that’s getting attention, first from This American Life, now from the Times.

I don’t buy Jobs’ assertion that “those jobs aren’t coming back”. That’s a decision companies make.

Sure, you can wake up 8,000 Chinese workers in the middle of the night to go build phones. That’s because there are no labor laws in China.

So we should kiss those good jobs goodbye because American companies will always seek out the company with the most Capital-friendly regulatory regimes, and exploit them?

How about Apple takes a few drops from its ocean of cash to build some part of its supply chain in the US?

1976-86 Mercedes W123 Series article on Beater Review... @carluvcom

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:59:24 -0500

From a strict utilitarian perspective, there simply is no better car than this, by any manufacturer, including Mercedes, at any price. Cars have only gone downhill since, as I was reminded when the oil level light started blinking last night driving home in my wife’s 2008 BMW 528i. I would have checked the oil, only the thing has no dipstick. That’s right – no dipstick. Except the rafts of overpaid engineers at the overbloated company that designed the thing.

Frankly, you couldn’t pay me to drive a newer Mercedes, and lots of people with new Mercedes cars buttonhole me outside the bagel shop to tell me how they had a car just like mine and would still be driving it if they hadn’t been rear ended by a loaded dump truck on the freeway and totalled the car, but walked away. “Car saved my life. Don’t ever sell it – these new ones aren’t half as good”.

Rust is the enemy. Your jack points will rust out, and the fender rims. So spend your money replacing rubber items and get some new sheet metal. Respray it if you get bored. And drive to work with the quiet confidence that 95% of all the other cars on the road will still be in the boneyard long before yours will.

The drivers’ seat is clearly from another era, and you will likely have to re-stuff it if you have a bad back. But the MB tex is pretty bombproof.

You will need a reasonable mechanic to fix the vacuum system and adjust the valves periodically. You may need some new rod ends and periodic other suspension components, but once you replace them, they are good for another 20 years. So look at maintenance as an investment in secure transporation.

If you live in LA, take it to Mr. MB Motors in Encino, just off the 101 (no affiliation). Taking it anywhere else is a huge waste of money. If you live in or around DC, take it to the Auto Shoppe, in Silver Spring MD. Tell Randy that Karl sent you.

via beaterreview.com

The W123 gets another well deserved encomium.

Vote for me on @Forrst!

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:35:11 -0500

via forrst.com

I reviewed this logo; see if you agree with my feedback, and if you’re a forrst member, give me a vote.

Thanks!

Q: "What happened to life on earth?" A: "The planet got out-negotiated by the Saudis."

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:34:30 -0500

“I’M SORRY,” said the UN bureaucrat, a flush of emotion flickering across his perspiring face. “I’m sorry, but this is something that bothers me a lot.” He paused to compose himself.
The problem was the Saudi Arabians, who the previous night had threatened to block the passage of a parcel of agreements at the ongoing UN climate change summit in Durban. They were demanding an addition to it—a commitment to look into ways to compensate oil producers for the losses they would suffer if the world stopped burning fossil fuels. If this did not happen, the oil sheikhs would withhold their support from the entire package, of finance, forestry, technology and other climate-friendly measures.
Most of the scores of diplomats present were appalled. Not least those from small island nations, like Kiribati and Tuvalu, which are likely to disappear beneath the rising seas long before the Saudis have drained their last well. But it mattered naught. Agreements can only be reached at the UN climate summit—properly known as the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (or COP 17)—through a consensus of the 200-odd countries represented at it. After a fraught few hours of bickering, the Saudis got their wretched commitment.
“It’s no coincidence that countries like that have the best-paid, most highly-skilled and biggest teams of negotiators,” said the UN man glumly. “So when everyone else is falling over with exhaustion, they can introduce fresh people and hammer away until they get what they want.”

via economist.com

Infuriating.

#WallStreet gears up to stop @elizabethforma - The Washington Post

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:27:07 -0500

Wall Street executives have been quite open about the fact that they really, really don’t want to see Elizabeth Warren get anywhere near the Senate. And it looks like they’re about to ratchet up their efforts to help Scott Brown prevent it from happening — including the influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

via washingtonpost.com

Daily Kos: This week in #science: RIP to a wingnut talking point

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:25:40 -0500

via dailykos.com

Thorium: World's greatest energy breakthrough?

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:07:43 -0500

via cnn.com

The Thorium Dream: An Investigation from The Atlantic

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:52:48 -0500

The thorium documentary above walks you through some of that and introduces you to the key figures of the small but intense group of thorium advocates who are trying to mainstream their issue.

via theatlantic.com

Thorium, the New Green Nuke via @wired

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:28:47 -0500

via wired.com

First of a couple of items on thorium

Revising Thanksgiving Curriculum

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:37:31 -0500

via teachingtheindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com

From my friend April Merleaux’s blog: The Industrial Revolution and Westward Expansion

Pitch Interactive: The Holy Bible and the Holy Quran: A Comparison of Words

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:18:46 -0500

In order to understand a religion, we can refer to its holy book, which establishes guidelines and principles for followers to adhere to. At the same time, followers, both radical and mild, interpret the holy text to provide a deeper and often more complex meaning of a particular verse, often to help explain issues that directly affect their personal beliefs.

…

Without going deep into personal interpretations, we built a simple linguistic toolset that allows you to search for a word and similar variations of that word to visualize its frequency in both texts. Radical Christians claim the Quran is a book of terror. Type in the word ‘terror’ or even an act of terror, such as ‘behead’ and see which book discusses this more. Try words of peace, such as ‘forgiveness’ or ‘friend’ to see the results. Roll over any rectangle in both text to read a verse. If you have it in you, roll over all rectangles to read the entire texts. More importantly, after you enter a word and see the verse highlighted that uses that word, try reading the verses before and after that word to better understand it in context.

via pitchinteractive.com

Things are about to get better. And there is a LOT of room for improvement.

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:03:39 -0500

via gigaom.com

Nest sold out their first run of thermostats within 72 hours (I got two). If this isn’t a green light for startups to refactor every interface we live with (and to save the planet along the way), I don’t know what is.