Tell me more lies

I was so hungry I ate until my stomach hurt, at which point I realized I had actually been thirsty. Tell me again about rational consumers.

First micro theory test is in the books

I hate this part. The waiting. The nagging self-doubt. The creeping suspicion that I didn't do nearly as well as I thought I did.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am willing to pay money—good money—to get my grade back faster. Surely there's no conflict there, and the TA's could undoubtedly use the money. Maybe I'll talk to the department about that.

Anyway, right now I think I did well. That estimate will steadily decrease until I actually get my grade back. By next week I'll be convinced I totally screwed the pooch. Since I know that I suppose I can discount it.

Scott Adams on the econoclypse

From his blog post Shiny Objects:

If things go so badly that the S&P 500 becomes permanently worthless, I have a hard time believing that the people who own gold will rule the world. I think it's more likely that the people who own steel that is conveniently shaped like guns will control everything, including all of the shiny rocks. At that point, the new currency will be something along the lines of "Wash my car and I won't shoot you in the leg."

Off to a roaring start

Despair, Inc. on economics

HT

Uwe Reinhardt: 'If Colleges Worked Like Health Care'

Great post by one of my favorite economists, Uwe Reinhardt, in the New York Times' Economix blog:

They would be stunned not only by the sheer length of the invoice and the total amount billed, but also because so many line items would be expressed in either Latin or Greek and thus be completely incomprehensible to most parents. Upon requesting a fee schedule from the dean of the college, the latter would patiently explain that different prices had been negotiated with different parents and that all of those fees are proprietary information.

Read the whole thing. So true.

Omni apps help me be the biggest nerd in the class

I know I sound like a broken record going on and on about OmniGraphSketcher, but it really is an essential tool for econ students. At least ones who refuse to turn in hand-written homework.

But I thought I'd mention the other Omni app that helps me remain King of Nerd Mountain: OmniOutliner.

I take notes (admittedly handwritten) during class and then organize them into an outline using this awesome app. It does all the normally outliney stuff, which makes it great for organizing hierarchical information. And come test time, I just bust out the One Outline to Rule Them All and kick some ass.

So, thanks, Omni.