A truly excellent post lays out the impact of the candidate’s tax plans to various income levels. It is not a surprise they all favor the rich. It may surprise some readers to see that Romney’s is the least unequal, keeping the distribution more or less like today. One more illustration that all the candidates except Romney and Paul are exactly the GOP stereotype: dishonest class warriors for the rich.
The number of meetings at work have gotten way out of control. In a regular work day, I get invited to approximately 1.25 workdays worth of meetings. Somewhere we hit the tipping point.
I am somewhat in the minority in believing that most meetings I am at are not like the above, they are actually fairly effective. It’s the amount of them that’s troubling. Imagine everyone’s time is 50% booked. If I want to discuss something with 3 other people, any given time slot is 94% likely to be booked. I could talk to people serially, but that is less efficient. So I set up a quick meeting. Fine. Then the four of us are all booked at 51%, and it’s now at 96% to book all four of us, making it a little harder for the next person who needs to talk to one of us. The only way for them to make sure they can talk with us is to set up time with us. And so it goes. Because informal time is rarer, the only way to collaborate (and we’re very collaborative) is through formal meetings. Which in turn reduces the informal meetings (which, by the way, are often more effective than the formal ones), which reinforces the vicious circle.
Right now, my average week is around 80% booked. I think I average six hours of meetings a day. The remaining hours I am frantically trying to either get all the things done that are outcomes of those meetings, tracking people down for followups, or staring emptily into space while my brain slowly recharges. The only time to get things done is the early morning, before others get in. It is very hard to find time to step back and think hard about the big strategic issues I am being paid to deal with.
It’s similar of traffic patterns. Highways can handle a certain amount of traffic gracefully. After that, there is a steep decline. Adding 5% more vehicles results in a 20% decrease in speed. Once this tipping point has been hit it is very difficult to reverse it. This is why many cities put in controlled timing lights at the entrance ramps. You might have to wait another minute or two to get on, but because the speed of the highway is kept high, you save more time than you lose. I don’t see an analogy to timing lights in my workplace. Meetings are clearly out of hand. Everyone knows it. But once it has hit that point, it is very difficult to reverse.
We decided that our kids are old enough to learn about the grownup world. We recorded the evening news and sat down with them to watch it. Here are some of the stories that day:
We were surprised by how much the boys enjoyed it. The 8-year old had lots of questions about politics. Such as, “Dad, why did you say half of the Republicans are nutjobs?”
Then we asked the 6-year old what he thought. “The news is great!” Really? How come? “It’s all fires and big sharks!”
During SportsCenter, there was an ad for Victoria’s Secret. A typical ad, come to our semi-annual something sale, while the models gyrate in the lingerie. As it ended, our three year old announced perkily – “Naked!”
Yep, close enough.
It was the first day back at work after the break. I was walking down the hall behind a female friend. Let’s call her Alice. Another co-worker leaned out from her office, after we had passed.
Her: Jennifer, you look great!
[Jennifer is not around, so no one replies.]
Her: Hey, Jennifer! Happy New Years! Did you lose weight, you look great!
Me (looking back): That’s not Jennifer. That’s Alice.
Her: That’s Alice? Shit, she looks terrible!
You can’t see it in this picture, but the water switch is an on/off switch. This machine has the ability to give you:
It cannot give you water only. This is because there is no switch to control the ice, only the water. Why not? How hard could it have been to add an on/off switch for the ice. For that matter, if you can only have one on/off switch, why would you put it on the water controls? There are a few oddballs who like their cup of ice only, but there are certainly far more people who like a cup of water only. The makers of this product clearly had the ability to make this work the way most people woudl want it, but for some strange reason, deliberately chose not to. Congratulations Scotsman, you made the most-frustratingly-so-close-to-being-a-good-product-and-yet-royally-sucking-of-the-year. Hoorah.
Dear Apple (and many others),
When you tell me to click here to “retrieve my password”, why won’t you let me simply retrieve my password!? Instead, you make me change it. I don’t want to change it. I have a good password that meets all your stupid criteria, I like it. My account has not been hacked. I answered your security questions – which I imagine are designed to establish that my account has not been hacked and it is indeed Muttrox at the other end. So why do should I need to change it? Stop making me change it!! And if I have to change it, tell me that up front! Don’t tell me I need to click here to be reminded of my password, and then get in a system where that password can never be used. Don’t lie to me.
Thank you.
These are the funniest couple of paragraphs I’ve read in some time:
Rick Santorum, who has seen his support rise sharply in several recent Iowa polls, was mobbed by reporters during an afternoon stop at a Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar in Ames, where patrons were gathered to watch Iowa State battle Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Despite a tiny turnout of only a few supporters and some angry yells of “sit down” and “we’re trying to watch football,” Mr. Santorum said he was encouraged by the new energy evidenced by the media scrum that now follows him.
Time to give up Rick. It’s over.
Deconstructing that great Beatles chord
Milton Berle vs Warldorf and Statler. Milton loses.
Christmas vandalism
The most interesting economic graphs of the year.
Turkey epiphany
Accurate tattoo
Fantastic epilogue to The Breakfast Club.
Tollbooth speed demon
Cheap toy
Accidental Optical Illusion
Community and Beetlejuice. When the show seems stupidest, the clever stuff has moved to the background.
Funny shopping prank
Fun with stock photos
The Worst Man Ever? Not so easy to figure out.
Being Pooris still one of the most powerful reads on the internet.
Some excerpts:
Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.
Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours.
Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won’t hear you say “I get free lunch” when you get to the cashier.
Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can’t find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.
His innumeracy marches on. You don’t need any context. Just review the math.
Theory 1: Probability 40%
Theory 2: Probability 1%
Theory 3: Probability 50%
Theory 4: Probability 60%
Theory 5: Probability 35%
Theory 6: Probability 10%
Theory 7: Probability 80%
Theory 8: Probability 80%
Theory 9: Probability 5%
Adding up to a total probability of 361%. Bravo.
Companion Care Restroom!? What on earth does that mean? I wonder if it got the ridiculous name because of political correctness when referring to a family, or some kind of bad translation. Either way, it’s absurd. This is a bathroom. For a family. Family restroom. Done.
Christmas spirit
Drawing a spiral portrait. Wow.
Occupy Wall Street fail
How did we get seven billion humans on earth anyways (estimated to have happened Oct 31, 2011)?
Ah, Vegas
Your band sucks
I thought that was metaphorical
The number seven responds to the rumors
Great Halloween costume
Mug shot of the week – read all the way to the end
What the doctors said
Tea Party vs Occupy Wall Street. Good stats (particularly regarding “get a job!”)
Very misinformed
I don’t know much about Penn State. I’ve always liked and admired Joe Paterno. Yet, I find myself agreeing with this. Moral outrage, that’s what missing.
Harry Potter messes up
12 kinds of stock photos
I wonder what the voting participation rate is among the Occupy Wall Street crowd. Do you think it’s higher or lower than comparable cohorts?
After all, one answer to OWS is – why don’t you go out an elect candidates who will support your interests? If you want to increase corporate taxes (for example), why don’t you elect someone who will? Why don’t you run for office yourself? Wouldn’t all this be more effective than sleeping in the park?
Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t. Many of them would claim that the democratic process is so broken that it’s not worth it. Look at the marginalization of Dennis Kuchinik, Ron Paul, Howard Dean, etc. Any views not solidly in the mainstream are ignored. You cannot run for or hold office without corporate support and the quid pro quo that entails. You can’t fight the system.
And yet, I think for many that is an excuse. My guess is that the OWS people by and large choose to avoid the democratic system. I wonder if I’m right?
I agree with this blogger, who thinks that compulsory voting would be the best thing for OWS. Along the same line of thought, National Voting Day and the National Popular Vote movement. Or indeed any kind of systemic reform that makes it easier for citizens, (particular poor ones) to vote, or makes their votes worth more than they are today. It is no accident that the GOP so stridently objects to the census using statistical measures, and fights so hard to make voting difficult.
It had to happen sometime. It’s just not funny anymore. I cancelled the season pass on TiVo.
We just adopted a puppy!
Sweet sassafrass, this little guy is cute!
Update: We named him Oliver.
Seriously. It would really hit the spot.
I suppose I’m demanding too much of our local paper. But this bugs me.
11/11/11 is very special to two boys and two moms
Friday will have a date that occurs only once in a century: 11/11/11. Besides being the title of a movie thriller debuting this week, these numbers have significance for many people throughout the world.
It is unarguably true that 11/11/11 happens only once a century. On the other hand, so does 11/10/11. And 11/11/12. Every day of the century, represented this way, happens exactly once per century. That’s the whole point of the mm/dd/yy system, if the same mm/dd/yy meant more than one day it would defeat the whole point. Does it have significance for many people throughout the world? Probably. But it shouldn’t.
Notice that Scott Adams has done something clever here. This joke was not about the typical Y2K scare. The joke couldn’t be based on that, because that was a logical fear, given uncertainty about the technology that used timestamps. So he had to change the topic to have Dogbert claim the world would end, which didn’t match the real fears at the time.
Underlying this post is the idea of separating out numerical features of the measurement system, as opposed to numerical features of the underlying reality. A day is a day, no matter what system we use to indicate it. Daylight savings time does not actually change when the sun rises. A Mayan calender system than runs out in 2012 does not mean the actual world ends. And so on. The world is the world, no matter how we measure it. Features of the measurement system do not change the reality underneath.
Quick Update: I just found an old post on much the same topic.
Zach get out-Zach’d. You know about Between Two Ferns, right?
Is the NBA just millionaires vs billionaires? Did you know that 60% of NBA players declare bankruptcy within five years of retirement?
A whole section for this!?
A batch of great old photos. And some more.
The Declining Hotness of Flight Attendants
Boy balances ball on fountain
Baby doesn’t understand why their magazine doesn’t work (like an IPad)
I love leaves so much!!
The truth behind Garfield.
I have to agree with this sentiment.
Great Halloween pumpkin
On religion’s place in US History
How to present to Jeff Bezos at Amazon
Fan dressed as referee stops game, fights break out
How to announce a vacation trip
How to make money off your viral video
A few Occupy Wall Street related links (which Muttroxia supports):
Bill Maher explains why Occupy Wall Street will win
Ken Jennings on the 99%
Where are you in the seven billion people on earth?
Here’s what the “99%” are mad about.
This is the way you do a “Thank you for your donation”
Makes a man feel good to help out.
