Would You Like Some Gold With Your Chocolate?
Germans may soon be able to purchase gold in vending machines at the country’s airports and rail stations. It is said that the machines will charge a 30 percent premium (!) and prices will be updated every few minutes. Gold has generated significant investor attention, particularly in Germany, since the financial crisis hit. Read More »
The Story of the Tell-Tale Tail
Biologist Robert Full thought he was just teaching a bunch of engineers how gecko feet work so they could build a wall-climbing robot. Then the engineers reported back something strange. Their prototype didn’t work unless they gave it a tail. Then they asked Full a pretty straightforward question: what are gecko tails for, anyway? To Full’s surprise, he wasn’t quite sure, so he set out to investigate gecko tails, and discovered an entire universe of surprises, which he describes in this TED talk. Read More »
You Know That Publication Lags Are Too Long When …
The latest edition of the Journal of the European Economic Association just landed on my desk, and the two lead articles are about “increased economic stability” and “the Great Moderation.”
Both are fine articles, it’s just that they now read a bit like economic history. Read More »
Hurricane Foreclosure
Although the 2009 hurricane season has opened with a whisper this month, the Gulf Coast is particularly vulnerable to storm damage. Why? The recession has left the region littered with thousands of foreclosed homes. With nobody around to secure them before a hurricane hits, these houses could break apart under heavy winds, pelting neighboring homes with debris. One possible solution under consideration: turn the foreclosed homes into hurricane shelters. Read More »
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