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February 23, 2006
Your favorite movies are decoys
Here's me channeling Reading Rainbow:
If you like movies, and you like economics, then you'll love reading columns by Edward Jay Epstein, a.k.a. The Hollywood Economist. His latest column on Slate is about how the Oscars are a big scam to legitimate movies as culturally meaningful when in reality Hollywood makes all its money from blockbusters. Those two-faced bastards! Or maybe just dual-purposed. Whichever way you want to think about it.
There has to be some good papers to be written about Hollywood though. So far the best idea I have is one about the game theoretic strategy of when to release your movie, to avoid competing with other big films but also come out on a busy weekend.
Posted by benkeys at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)
February 17, 2006
More Writing Resources
The following books have considerably eased my writing burden:
"Economical Writing" by Deirdre McCloskey. This tiny book hits you like a sackful of doorknobs. A must for any graduate student.
"Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day" by Joan Bolker. This book should have been titled "Zen and the Art of Thesis Writing", or "Making Your Thesis Feel Less like a Root Canal and More Like a Gentle Cleaning". I only wish that I had gotten hold of it sooner.
"Style Toward Clarity and Grace" By John Williams. Who doesn't want to have style?
It turns out that there is a rather large industry devoted to academic writing. Post any other useful sources as a comment!
Posted by ctaragin at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
Free Paper Editing at Sweetland
Are you trying to write a thesis chapter or 3rd year paper but afraid that your writing isn't up to snuff? Let Sweetland Writing Center's crack team of writing professionals help improve your prose. Graduate students get 7 free one hour sessions per semester(limit one per week). FREE!
Posted by ctaragin at 06:50 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2006
Skit Night - Friday, April 7th
Announcing Skit Night 2006!
Skit Night will be held on the evening of Friday, April 7th in the Auditorium of Lorch Hall (precise time to be determined) - so put it on your calendar. For those that are new to the department, skit night is the students' chance to vent their frustration; take cheap-shots at professors, themselves, and each other; and generally do stupid things in front of the department. Based on previous years, no subject has been off limits, so don't hold back. The Solonators, "Ann Arbor's premier econometrics-based rock band," will be performing, and there are likely to be other varied forms of entertainment as well. I couldn't possibly do skit night justice with a mere emailed description, so be sure to ask someone about it.
The first step in the planning process is for someone from each class (or other group that would like to present something - which can include two or more classes combined) to take charge and get in touch with me. Once we have leaders for each group, I'll send updates on the planning process to them.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Brian
Posted by bkovak at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2006
House-shopping on Google Earth
Today's random link comes from Steve Levitt's Freakonomics blog. You can see the estimated value of any house in the U.S. on Zillow.com. Try your parents' house, your old apartment building, or professors' houses if you're particularly bored.
Posted by benkeys at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2006
Blog Frenzy?
It is no surprise that the folks at the School of Information would be some of the first to start a blog. Check out Jeff Mackie Mason's Information Economics Blog.
Posted by ctaragin at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)
Check out the new "links" section -->
I just wanted to highlight the new "links" section on the blog. The "links" section, which is located on the right hand side of the blog below the search bar, contains links to resources for current and prospective graduate students, including links to the department's survival guide, the distilled wisdom of many job market candidates, and some great guides to networking and LaTeX.
Posted by ctaragin at 06:16 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Mass. Coffee Hour Friday / You Know You're From Massachusetts When...
From: Ann E Ferris
Subject: Mass. coffee hour friday
This week's coffee hour will be brought to you by a bunch of ex-pats from Massachusetts.
You're all invited to hang out tomorrow at 5pm in 201 and drink coffee brewed in MA (no tea allowed), eat chocoloate chip cookies baked by one of the ex-pats and potato chips deep-fried on the Cape, and learn all sorts of fascinating facts about our home state. Yes, the only state in the U.S. that's legalized gay marriage has a long history of bucking the system. Remember the presidential election of 1972? Which was the only state to NOT vote for Nixon? You guessed it. Give us enough time and coffee and we can reminisce all the way back to the Revolution and before, with that pilgrim and turkey stuff. Please join us!
Ann, Matt, Todd, Bill, Daniel, and Mike
P.S. Here's a bunch of info about MA, although it's a bit dated:
You Know You're From Massachusetts When...
The person driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you are cursing him for going
too slow.
When ordering a tonic, you mean a Coke...not quinine water.
You actually enjoy driving around rotaries.
You almost feel disappointed when someone doesn't flip you the bird when you cut them
off or steal their parking space.
You know how to pronounce the names of towns like Worcester, Billerica, Haverhill,
Barre and Cotuit.
You have driven to New Hampshire on a Sunday in order to get beer.
You know that there are two Bulger brothers, and that they're both crooks.
You know what they sell at a packie.
You know at least one bar where you can get something to drink after last call.
You can actually find your way around Boston.
Evacuation Day is a recognized holiday.
You know what First Night is.
You know at least one guy named Sean, Pat, Whitey, Red, Bud or Seamus.
You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and Independence Day.
You have never been to Cheers.
When the words 'WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together.
You knew that there was no chance in hell that the Pats would move to Hartford.
You have gone to at least one party at UMass.
The curse of the Bambino is taught in public schools.
You own a "Yankees Suck" shirt or hat.
You think Doug Flutie is the greatest athlete ever.
You remember exactly where you were when the ball rolled through Buckner's legs.
You pray for the Red Sox to win the World Series not this season, but in your
lifetime.
You know how to make a frappe.
You know that "Big Dig" is also a kind of ice cream you can get at Brigham's.
You actually know how to merge from 6 lanes of traffic down to one.
You never go to "Cape Cod", you go "down the Cape".
You think that Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs and Derek Jeter are more evil than Whitey
Bulger.
You went to Old Sturbridge Village, Plymouth Plantation, or both, on field trip in
grammar school.
You're aware that there is a town, somewhere in Massachusetts, named Brimfield where
they have the biggest outdoor antique market in the world.
You can drive to the mountains and the ocean all in one day.
You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing line.
You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group.
You know that Ludlow is 90% Portuguese and that Fall River is 90% Lebanese.
You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the English language.
You've called something "wicked pissa"
You have driven to either Rhode Island, New Hampshire or Vermont for a tattoo.
You see people like Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Dicky Barret (The Mighty, Mighty
Bosstones), Tracy Bonham, Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) and Ric Ocasek (The Cars) in the
local supermarket and it doesn't phase you.
You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater
Know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frank(ie)
Paranoia sets in if you can't see a Dunkin Donuts, ATM or CVS within eyeshot at all
times.
You keep an ice scraper and can of de-icer on the floor of your car...year round
You still try to order curly fries from Burger King
You order iced coffee in January
You know what candlepin bowling is
You drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax
You've pulled out of a side street and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you
can make a left.
You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop
You know what a "regular" coffee is
You think if someone is nice to you they either want something or they are from out of
town
You could own a small town in Iowa for the cost of your house
There are 24 Dunkin Donuts shops within 15 minutes of your house and that is how you
give directions
If you stay on the same road long enough it eventually has three different names
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Massachusetts.
Posted by dougecon at 12:49 PM | Comments (1)
February 08, 2006
Random link - Go "Social Exploring"
This is a mind-blowingly cool website, where they have interactive data maps of everything asked in the census, for every tract in the country, for both 1990 and 2000-normalized tract boundaries. You'll waste an afternoon at socialexplorer.com! I know I did.
Posted by benkeys at 05:34 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2006
I Tip My Hat To You, Sir
In honor of Alan Greenspan stepping down as the FED Chairman of the Board, check out this hilarious Mcsweeney's story.
Posted by ctaragin at 03:22 PM | Comments (1)
February 04, 2006
Upcoming Job Talks
From: "Matthew D. Shapiro"
Subject: upcoming seminars
Leah Boustan Mon Feb 06
History Harvard
Inside the Black Box of White Flight:
The Role of Suburban Political Autonomy and Public Goods
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~platt/papers/blackbox.pdf
Paula Bustos Wed Feb 08
Trade Harvard
Rising Wage Inequality in the Argentinean Manufacturing Sector:
The Impact of Trade and Foreign Investment on Technology and Skill Upgrading
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~bustos/papers/wage_inequality.pdf
Panle (Pam) Jia Fri Feb 10
IO Yale
What Happens When Walmart Comes to Town?
An Empirical Analysis of the Discount Retailing Industry
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~pj43/JobMarketPaper_Dec05.pd
Daniel Benjamin Mon Feb 13
Behavioral Harvard
Who Is 'Behavioral'? Cognitive Ability and Anomalous Preferences
http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~dbenjami/papers/WhoIsBehavioral.pdf
All seminars are Lorch 201, 11:40-1:00
Posted by dougecon at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2006
Coffee hour today
From: "Jean-Benoit G. Rousseau"
Subject: Coffee hour
Hi,
This "Friday", the men "of" 121 are hosting coffee "hour". What should you expect, you
ask"?" Furry rodents?
Dan (the big one), JB (the big one) & "Seb"(well...)
Posted by dougecon at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2006
Skit Night planning is underway
Hi and welcome to the GES blog. I'm your dutiful President, and you should check back regularly for my "random links from the President" posts, the first of which is this one: Vote "miscount" in Ohio. The proof is in the pudding.
The biggest social event of the year for us, which is something like the tallest midget, is Skit Night. We're starting to plan but always appreciate your input and feedback.
Here are the main issues under consideration:
-Dates: Probably in late March / early April
-Food: We'll have a sign-up sheet in the lounge soon
-Raffle: Donate prizes for a great cause (beer)
-Awards: Yeah, we'll do 'em again. send ideas to gabri@umich.edu
-Afterparty: Want to host a kick-ass afterparty? let us know
Send any ideas or suggestions to ges.board@umich.edu, and long live the blog!
Posted by benkeys at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)