First off, I’m not an economist. I took one undergraduate-level macroeconomics course. And I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. Therefore, I judge myself to be fully qualified to be admitted as an expert witness in economics. Luckily, the topic of today’s post is simple, and if I misuse any real economics buzz words, I ask that you politely point them out instead of chopping off my head.

When assessing the total cost of an automobile, there are two main areas categories: the initial investment and recurring costs. Figuring out the initial investment is easy; it’s the price on the window. The recurring costs are more difficult, and depend on how much a person drives.
Continue Reading »

The full article from The Lancet is reproduced below. It’s an open access journal, so I assume that’s allowed. This story has been picked up by others such as Slashdot and the New York Times. I am not overwhelmed by the article.
Continue Reading »

Energy efficiency is a topic that should be unanimously agreed upon to be a good thing. Left-leaners should like it because it helps save the environment. And right-leaners who don’t care about the environment should like it because it will save them money. This post will offer suggestions that will be friendly to the environment, and save you money.

Air Conditioner Efficiency

A cheap way to reduce energy consumption is to check your air filters in your air conditioning units. When dust collects on the air filter, it reduces the air flow into the air conditioner, which means that it needs to work longer to produce the same amount of cooled air. Running the air conditioning unit longer means reduced energy efficiency; wasting your hard-earned money. A dusty air filter can reduce efficiency by 5-15%.
Continue Reading »

1. Fewer delays due to bad weather
2. Faster gate-to-gate
3. Don’t have to fly Delta
4. Can’t drive trains into buildings
5. No falling from 30000 feet if the engines fail
6. Won’t carry thousands of pounds of explosives on board
7. More energy efficient
8. Provide jobs for creating national infrastructure
9. Costs less
10. Can run on renewable energy such as wind or solar

All data from US Department of Transportation: Final Report on the National Maglev Initiative.