Month: January 2008

Quote of the Day

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I think that a better approach for convincing the judge to get tougher would be to show more clearly the parallels between the quasi-religious views that lie behind today’s progressive agenda and the thinking behind past mistakes. In my view, they are linked by faith in unproven scientific fads, faith in technocratic elites, and faith that those who share progressive ideology have superior wisdom and moral standing that justifies ruling over others. I believe that the best way to insulate oneself against romanticizing the state is to recognize these faiths and their dangers.

–Arnold Kling, reviewing Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism.

Cool Photo Site

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Mirror World — Photographs Of Unknown Origin. This site is packed with interesting found photos, many of them old. I recognize some of them (e.g., von Richtofen) as published works, but many appear to be postcards or obscure snapshots.

The site reminds me a bit of the snapshot exhibition at the National Gallery, except that Mirror World is less edited, more diverse, more profane and full of interesting surprises. Worth a look.

(Lex found it at Coming Anarchy)

Hunting the Five-Pound Butterfly

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(This is an old Photon Courier post which I dug out in responding to a post about skill shortages in manufacturing and thought might be of interest to the Chicago Boyz readership.)

The Wall Street Journal (11/16/05) covers the growing tendency of companies to do hiring based on a long string of highly-specific requirements. The article deals specifically with engineering jobs, but the same trend can be seen–though maybe not quite to the same level–in other fields, such as marketing and sales.

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Angie’s Law

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In the spirit of Patca’s Law, I now propose Angie’s Law:

In my experience, people who tell me to read, learn, or think are almost invariably less well-informed than I am.

There is also Jonathan’s Corollary to Angie’s Law:

People who argue a political point by telling me to read an article or book that they link to are generally not worth arguing with.