Category Archives: It’s Just Business

Bike Messengers: First Person POV

Posted on January 30, 2015 by James Hanley

Lucas Brunelle’s trailer for his film on bike messenger races and culture. I never participated in races, but the in-traffic riding in here captures my experience exactly. What you see in here was me, a quarter century ago–I’ve done all … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Time to Find a New Doctor

Posted on November 7, 2013 by J@m3z Aitch

I like my doctor. She listens well, doesn’t talk down to me, and is no nonsense. If something isn’t worth doing anything about, she’ll say so. If something needs doing, she does it. But I’m dumping her and looking for … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business | 6 Comments

Germany’s Economic Anti-Miracle

Posted on September 24, 2013 by J@m3z Aitch

The Financial Times suggests Germany is losing its edge as an economic powerhouse. The facts they give are a bit disconcerting. Germany’s path to competitiveness: cutting the cost of labour. Make no mistake; that has been the basis of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings, It's Just Business | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

$1 Billion for Free Tuition?

Posted on September 20, 2013 by J@m3z Aitch

Two days ago USA Today had an article on colleges that are cutting tuition to lure more students in. This is mostly among private colleges that have struggled in recent years to lure students in, as their tuition prices have … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business, Teaching | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Autonomy Now! Driverless Car Update

Posted on September 18, 2013 by J@m3z Aitch

Mercedes-Benz has now experimented with a driverless car, sending it on a 100 km journey that included passing through towns, stopping at red lights, and negotiating traffic circles. Apparently this was all done with off-the-shelf technology, and they hope to … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business, The Police State, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

PPACA Followup

Posted on April 27, 2013 by James Hanley

I recently pointed to reductions in full-time adjunct instructor employment as a consequence of PPACA’s requirement that employers pay for health care for full-time employees. So if it’s happening in the non-profit groves of academe, what would we expect to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings, It's Just Business | 35 Comments

At last, a Deal!

Posted on January 6, 2013 by James Hanley

No, not the fiscal cliff. The NHL. But at this point their alternatives seem to be playing only 30 games or having the Stanley Cup finals in July.

Posted in It's Just Business | Comments Off on At last, a Deal!

Burrito Drones

Posted on December 19, 2012 by James Hanley

The world is a weird and wonderful place. Coming soon–pending FAA permission–home delivery of Mexican food via drone aircraft. The good folks at Darwin Aerospace have figured out how to use drones to parachute burritos directly onto your property. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings, It's Just Business | Tagged | 12 Comments

New San Francisco Bay Bridge

Posted on February 9, 2012 by J@m3z Aitch

For the engineering-minded reader, here is an interesting article on the new San Francisco Bay Bridge that is being built (a new Eastern portion that is, between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland). You may remember that the last one had … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business | 9 Comments

Solve for “t”

Posted on August 24, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Looking up a book in Amazon.com, I paused for a second after typing in the first letter of the title, “t.” Can you even begin to imagine how many book titles start with “t”? I assume that the titles that … Continue reading →

Posted in It's Just Business | 1 Comment