Michele Bachman has 28 kids (and only one L in her name)

I’ve been consumed with work and other matters but I suspect one of the major networks must have raised this issue…

My eBook’s New Cover

Now actually featuring the title and my name, wa-hooo.  I really rushed getting that sucker posted.

Blogger and Commenter Intelligence

In a fit of annoyance I previously made a graph (and drank an iced coffee) showing the level of arrogance on extremely intelligent blogs–see below.  I never posted it because it is more like some of the smartest bloggers and I was just annoyed at the moment.

Modeled Behavior, who I generally agree with, makes a point which I think actually holds a lot more true than my knee jerk reaction.  The comment sections on blogs tend to go the other way.  The more arrogant a commenter, generally the less he or she understands the issue.

The strong inverse correlation between commenter cockiness and both grasp of the issue and reading comprehension is irritating.

Is Fred Wilpon Smarter Than We All Think?

Probably not.  Okay, definitely not.  But this quote from the Daily News did get me thinking about personal incentives and some behavioral thinking.

Daily News article…

Wilpon didn’t get off as easy. Gee, what a shock that he was getting pounded Monday inside the Valley of the Stupid. It went something like this: What good comes out of his comments about Reyes, David Wright (“not a superstar”) and Carlos Beltran (“he’s 65 to 70% of what he was”)? Or just when the focus returned to the field, Wilpon takes it off with his opinions.

What is the Hail Mary that could save the Mets and the Wilpons? Money and a World Championship.  How do you motivate your key players?  You tell them they are playing for their future contracts and their pride.  Which is what he basically did, in a very, very asinine way. It kind of reminds me of a movie I saw once…

Anyone know if this place still exists?

Perhaps I should have been making a different gesture…

They get you with the fees…

This seems to be a questionable business practice…also, where’s my sharpie?

Unsettling Medical Statistics of the Day

Imagine if 95% of people didn’t know they had…

Via Philly.com

Celiac is an autoimmune disease that afflicts about one in every 133 Americans. But an estimated 95 percent of people who have the disease are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

The disease is activated by the protein gluten, which is found in foods containing wheat, rye or barley, and its symptoms are wide-ranging – fatigue, bloating and gas, canker sores and joint pain. Because symptoms can vary from patient to patient, diagnosis can be difficult.

You do NOT need a Kindle to buy my eBook!

Sorry for the back to back shameless self-promotion posts…people kept asking, here’s the answer.

To read my book you do not need a Kindle.

You need whatever you are reading this on now.

So, a computer, an iPad, an iPhone, an Android.  Just go to the link below, purchase it and it will ask what device you want it sent to.  Then just go download the Kindle reader App on whatever device you picked.

(You can use it on multiple devices if you’re splitting time between say a computer and iPhone.)

Buy it (and review it!) on Amazon here.

My Author Page On Amazon

My Amazon Author Page is finally updated.  What do you think?  Remember, my love of cheese can not be understated.

After Tom Acox graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA,
he authored a College Prowler guide to make sure all his favorite
college haunts would live on (they didn’t, R.I.P Muddy Duck).

He has written for Metro Newspaper in Philadelphia and New York City and was even able to get a free meal or two as Philadelphia Weekly’s Food and
Drink man in the street.

Currently, you can find him working on economics textbooks or
making whiskey in his apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

A lover of BBQ, graphs, Mexican food, beer, statistics and cheese in alternating orders, Acox writes daily at http://www.theunqualifiedeconomist.com; occasionally at http://www.popblerd.com; and inappropriately at @ThatTomAcox.

(You can buy the Got Junk? here.)

Know an aspiring NYC based photographer who wants to take some gratis shots for a proper bio pic? Leave comment!

The Economics (or not) of Wearing Hats

There has to be some behavorial economics in here somewhere I just can’t figure out what it is.  Something with signaling, or, er, oh, I don’t know. But, I get it.

Wearing hats that are not baseball caps just feels like it is screaming pretentious.  And yet, when traveling, it is totally cool. Also, when you are Don Draper, totally cool.

Via Transient Travels:

[photo courtesy of Bryce of Extension Mattie]

“”When my girls weekend crew and I were wandering the streets of New Orleans, a strange, yet stylish urge came over me as we went in and out of local shops. I suddenly wanted to buy a hat. So I did, and it was thrilling…

…Yes, I know that a hat is far from considered a ‘risk’ to most, but to me, it’s just not something I feel I can pull off in my day to day life.

When traveling though, I can wear a hat. I can be stylish. I can be anybody.

I wore the hat for the entire trip and told myself that I’d still wear it when I got home. It hasn’t been worn since. All won’t be lost though when I bring it on my next trip and wear it shamelessly.”