Overheard at the bookstore

‘What department are you in?’
‘Statististics.’
[Blank stare]
‘Sadistics’
‘Ah.’

Even worms do it…

Worms Do Calculus to Find Food | LiveScience
Never again will I feel bad teaching decision theory using calculus.

Scary

Credit protection on US Treasury bonds became more expensive on Friday. I wonder what the implied default probabilities are now. I wonder what the trading volume was.  Who was buying the insurance?
Accrued Interest: Maybe it’s another drill

I have been wondering about this too

The linked piece describes a plan to split up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In a perfectly a competitive market, this should not do anything. But we don’t have such a market…
Third, having several Macs would encourage competition among them, which would probably drive mortgage rates down. As it is, Freddie and Fannie [...]

The Onion is great!

‘Bubble’ is an overused word, but still…
Recession-Plagued Nation Demands New Bubble To Invest In | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source:
The Onion
Recession-Plagued Nation Demands New Bubble To Invest In
JULY 14, 2008 | ISSUE 44•29
WASHINGTON—A panel of top business leaders testified before Congress about the worsening recession Monday, demanding the government provide Americans with a [...]

How many adults spend their time earning coins

on webkinz? A lot, I bet.