10 thoughts for November 14, 2013

I have a lot of thoughts going through my head, all the time.  Here's some of the minor ones.

1. Boy, did I get this speculative critique spot on, two weeks ago or what?  Now just wait for the stories of irony to come our way over the next year.  It's a big error, if you ask me, to allow people to cling to old plans that are remarkably lousy.  The common criticism is that people are rational consumers -- if this were true, people wouldn't horde and we would have efficient markets.  Therefore, many people most of the time are really lousy at proper rationalization, and this behavior does not exclude intelligent people.
2. Google finally won its right -- pending appeals, that is -- to scan books and offer snippets online to people.  Why'd it take so long?  It's not like the basis of the scanning changed in the last five years.
3. I've never heard of a team being .500 past the halfway mark in a season, but having never won a single game at home.  But that's where the Philadelphia Eagles are at.  Is that weird or what?
4. Speaking of the NFL, winners: Carson Palmer's rejuvenated career at Arizona (good for $4M total this year -- cha-ching!); Andy Reid and Alex Smith producing the only undefeated team in the NFL; the NFC West where the worst team -- St. Louis -- has the best record of any bottom team in any division at 4-6; New Orleans don't-call-it-a-comeback now that coach Sean Payton is back from his year-long ban; Nick Foles, whose play has probably made most Eagles fans forget about that guy named Vick, and Chip demurring over who the starter will be once that guy named Vick is healthy again.
5. Speaking of winners, here are the NFL's losers: Atlanta has gone from nearly the best last year to nearly the worst this year; Mike Shanahan looks like a fool this year for keeping RG III in the playoff game against Seattle last January, as RG III just hasn't been himself ever since his torn ACL as a result from playing in that game; Mark Sanchez is not only one of the least liked players, but with the Jets above .500, he's definitely gone in 2014; Minnesota seems like it has traded team personnel with Seattle ever since Pete Carroll's arrival in Emerald City, only to end up 2-7 this year.
6. Thought about this contradiction the other day: When there is downward economic pressure, companies ask employees to share the burden by lowered wages (what conservative economists refer to as efficient markets with rational actors), but when there is upward economic pressure, suddenly owners and management insist that risk-taking should be rewarded at the top, leading to the current wage disparity gap we have.  If there is shared pain going down, why isn't shared gain going up, a clear, reciprocal action?
7. Went to college with Blake Oshiro, Deputy Chief of Staff of Governor Neal Abercrombie of Hawai'i.  Knew him since middle school via band, even though he was in Pearl City.  Better man than me, for sure.
8. The new Kia Soul ads with the buffed out hamsters look a lot like a certain camel.  Well, not exactly, but it feels like the same theme...minus the penis head inference, that is.
9. I've been following George Takei on Twitter for a month or so now...he really makes me laugh.  Love his collaboration with AARP on his TakeisTake YouTube channel too.
10. Got a cold all this week, thanks to a client's kid.  Bleh.  I try my best to avoid getting sick by wiping down baskets at the market and avoid crowds.  I hate getting sick.  Dammit.  I don't often get sick...maybe once every other year.