5.22.2011

Broken Toys

"You're perfect, and I don't mean that as a compliment. The only good machines are those that can be broken."

5.12.2011

"You're not a clinician, you're not an academic, and you're not a director of operations. You're an investment banker."

5.06.2011

the next level

but what will mark the essence of time? (nothing?)

what is impromptu professionalism?

when is beauty formalism?

is everything irrelevant but the will to power (nietzsche)?

5.05.2011

Is Comic Sans only a slightly worse font than Cooper?

Energy Inflation / Economic Chain Reaction

http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2011/04/jim_grant_talks.html
(Start at minute 15:00. via ACP)

gas went up 15% last 6 months.

energy is 10% of cpi.

cpi goes up 1.5%

this brings the inflation rate from 2.50% to ~4.00%.

the last time we saw 4% inflation was around 2006, when the Fed had raised rates to cool the housing market, but instead triggered a recession.

instead, this time, the inflation may come prior to the interest rate adjustment. nevertheless, the interest rate movement (to 4-6%) could trigger all the horrible things jim grant talked about above in the link.

see:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Federal_Funds_Rate_1954_thru_2009_effective.svg

http://www.inflationdata.com/inflation/inflation_rate/currentinflation.asp

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t01.htm