Merry Christmas
Dee-FENSE
107-2 — Bloomington South girls basketball team beats Arlington — ESPN
They gave up two points?! Who’s coaching the defense, Mike D’Antoni?
The Gentleman Has Nine Cares
Master K’ung said, the gentleman has nine cares. In seeing he is careful to see clearly, in hearing he is careful to hear distinctly, in his looks he is careful to be kindly; in his manner to be respectful, in his words to be loyal, in his work to be diligent. When in doubt he is careful to ask for information; when angry he has a care for the consequences, and when he sees a chance of gain, he thinks carefully whether the pursuit of it would be consonant with the Right.
When everyone dislikes a man, enquiry is necessary; when everyone likes a man, enquiry is necessary. — Confucius
In old days men studied for the sake of self-improvement; nowadays men study in order to impress other people. — Confucius
The Ways of the True Gentleman
The Master said, The Ways of the true gentleman are three. I myself have met with success in none of them. For he that is really Good is never unhappy, he that is really wise is never perplexed, he that is really brave is never afraid. Tzu-kung said, That, Master, is your own Way!
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This is the character of the man: so intent upon enlightening the eager that he forgets his hunger, and so happy in doing so, that he forgets the bitterness of his lot and does not realize that old age is at hand.
A gentleman does not grieve that people do not recognize his merits; he grieves at his own incapacities — Confucius
eEconomics – Gas Taxes
We are all here on earth to help others; what the others are here for, I don’t know. — W.H. Auden
Chinese Women Can Afford to be Picky
Via Steven Landsburg:
China has one of the highest male-female sex ratios in the world. That means women can afford to be picky.
Here are the requirements listed by a female graduate student seeking a mate on the Chinese equivalent of match.com:
- Never married
- Masters degree or more
- Not from Wuhan
- No rural I.D. card
- No only children
- No smokers
- No alcoholics
- No gamblers
- Taller than one hundred and seventy-two centimeters
- More than a year of dating before marriage
- Sporty
- Parents who are still together
- Annual salary over fifty thousand yuan
- Between twenty-six and thirty-two years of age
- Willing to guarantee eating at least four dinners at home per week
- At least two ex-girlfriends but no more than four
- No Virgos, no Capricorns
A People That No Longer Trusts Its Rulers is Lost Indeed
zu-Kung asked about government. The Master said, sufficient food, sufficient weapons, and the confidence of the common people. Tzu-Kung said, Suppose you had no choice but to dispense with one of these three, which would you forgo? The Master said, Weapons. Tzu-Kung said, Suppose you were forced to dispense with one of the two that were left, which would you forgo? The Master said, Food. For from of old death has been the lot of all men; but a people that no longer trusts its rulers is lost indeed.
Broad-Shouldered and Stout of Heart
Master Tsêng said, The true Knight of the Way must perforce be both broad-shouldered and stout of heart; his burden is heavy and he has far to go. For Goodness is the burden he has taken upon himself; and must we not grant that it is a heavy one to bear? Only with death does his journey end; then must we not grant that he has far to go?
Berkeley Voters Leave Something to be Desired as Parents
According to a new survey, just over 10 percent of Berkeley High ninth and 11th graders reported carrying a weapon onto school property, while about 35 percent of 11th graders reported attending class drunk or high.
If I had a kid at Berkeley High, I’d be moving out of town yesterday, but I’m reading in the Daily Californian that this news has been “met with surprise and joy from administrators,” the reason being that a similar survey two years ago reported about 17 percent of ninth graders and 16 percent of 11th graders carrying weapons onto campus, and 48 percent of 11th graders attending class drunk or high.
Progress!
“We’re very pleased with the survey results all around,” said Director of Student Services Susan Craig, “and at the same time we’re not at all complacent.”
If by “pleased” she means “horrified,” I couldn’t agree more.
In other news, Barack Obama got more than 90 percent of the Berkeley vote in the recent presidential election, while Mitt Romney got 4.6 percent and Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, got 3.2 percent.
The liberal voter looks to government to solve problems that many people prefer to take on themselves, like raising their children.
Rough Layouts Sell the Idea Better Than Polished Ones
This was written by an ad man but I can see it applying to other endeavors, like designing a software interface:
If you show a client a highly polished computer layout, he will probably reject it.
There is either too much to worry about or not enough to worry about. They are equally bad.
It is a fait accompli.
There is nothing for him to do. It’s not his work, it’s your work. He doesn’t feel involved.
If he doesn’t like the face of the girl in your rendering, or the style of the trousers on the man on the right, or the choice of the car he’s driving, he’s going to reject it.
He won’t see the big idea. He will look at the girl’s face and think, ‘I don’t like her, this doesn’t feel right.’
It is very difficult for him to imagine anything else if what you show him has such detail.
Show the client a scribble.
Explain it to him, talk him through it, let him use his imagination.
Get him involved.
Because you haven’t shown the exact way it’s going to be, there’s scope to interpret it and develop and change it as you progress.
Work with him rather than confronting him with your idea.
Lightning and Me Toast the Holidays with Trader Joe’s 2012 Vintage Ale
I Don’t Understand What Warren Buffett is Talking About
In an op-ed for the New York Times, Warren Buffett argues that higher taxes won’t keep the super-rich from trying to make money:
Suppose that an investor you admire and trust comes to you with an investment idea. “This is a good one,” he says enthusiastically. “I’m in it, and I think you should be, too.”
Would your reply possibly be this? “Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be on the gain you’re saying we’re going to make. If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent.” Only in Grover Norquist’s imagination does such a response exist.
Really, Warren? It’s an investment, right? It’s not a sure thing. It’s not a giveaway. I’m being asked to put money at risk. That’s the difference between an investment and a savings account.
So the number one thing that I want to understand before making the investment is what kind of a net return can I expect — worst case, best case, most likely case. Then I can decide if I’m being adequately compensated for the risk that I’m taking on.
And by net return, I mean after taxes, after commissions, after everything. How much money will I actually get to keep? And if I don’t think I’m being adequately compensated for the risk, then yeah, I’ll leave the money in my savings account.
Assuming a tax rate of, say, 35 percent, why does it not make sense to say, “I would take that risk for an expected return of $X, but not for an expected return of 35 percent less than $X?”
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IT Recruiter of the Day
From an actual job ad:
Killer, Profitable, Stable and cutting edge technology company looking for genious!!!
It’s funny when someone misspells the word “genius”!
Why are random words like “Profitable” and “Stable” capitalized? Because the recruiter wanted to highlight the adjectives? Then why isn’t “cutting edge” capitalized?
Why isn’t “cutting edge” hyphenated?
Stick Throwing Leads to Tragedy
EUREKA, Calif. (AP) — A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday.
The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, Saturday afternoon when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by eight to ten foot waves, said Dana Jones, a state Parks and Recreation district superintendent.
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Lightning!
Folks: Don’t throw sticks into 10-foot waves. I’m not a stick-chasing kind of dog myself, but some dogs, like retrievers, are just born to fetch things. They can’t help it.
So it’s up to you, the owner, not to throw something where it’s not safe for the dog to be.
Another thing: the dog in this case actually made it out of the ocean by himself!
Dogs know how to swim — just keep your head up and paddle! Humans sometimes will panic or give up but a dog will keep trying and not give up.
— Lightning 
Aside
Tim Ferriss: The Value of Aggression — Ode to Dan Gable