Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Recommended reading

Jim Grey
8 comments on Recommended reading
1 minute

This week’s best blog posts:

J.P. Cavanaugh explains inflation. It’s a topic normally as exciting as watching paint dry, but he explains it in an engaging way — and explains how news reporters and politicians routinely don’t understand its basic, and very important, concepts. Read Inflation Explained

Munger Moss Motel
Canon PowerShot S95, 2013

Nick Gerlich on why foreign Route 66 tourism is on the decline. It’s not gun violence or Donald Trump or even a strong dollar — it’s a lack of good old-fashioned marketing. Read Trouble on the Double Six

Seth Godin wonders what Clark Kent did with his shoes when he changed into his Superman costume. And he relates this to how companies that are good at bureaucracy stink at heroism, and vice versa. It’s a fascinating metaphor. Read Clark Kent’s Shoes

Ann Althouse laments that a couple searches researching white supremacy led to so much of her Internet experience including algorithmically selected ads and emails about things she didn’t really want to know about. Read Who the hell does Quora think I am…and why?!

Camera reviews and experience reports:

Comments

8 responses to “Recommended reading”

  1. Christopher Smith. Avatar
    Christopher Smith.

    I really look forward to your Saturday referrals to blogs especially the camera reviews.
    Thank you Jim.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thank you so much Christopher! This is a fun post to put together every week.

      Reply
  2. DougD Avatar
    DougD

    I liked JPC’s explanation of inflation. It’s all about the apples!!

    And I’m not sure the Route 66 article writer has the whole story. My Uncle (who is Canadian) was amazed at the number of Canadians and Germans when he did his 66 trip a few years ago. I’d say that demographics plays a big part, doing Route 66 was a big thing for the boomers because they remember that era from their childhood, maybe not so much for younger folk.

    And, typing this from Costa Rica, when there’s lots of options sometimes there are reasons for not visiting a certain country, whether it makes sense or not.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Hm, interesting about demographics. You may be on to something there.

      Reply
  3. Reinhold Graf Avatar
    Reinhold Graf

    Nice reading every weekend, thanks for sharing!

    Inflational good explanation by J.P. Cavanaugh … things could be so easy.
    Speaking with Quora … algorithms don’t fail … as we have learned in Qualityland ;)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Algorithms do exactly what they’re told to do, for good or for bad!

      Reply
  4. Heide Avatar
    Heide

    Wasn’t J.P.’s piece on inflation wonderful? I was in earnest when I told him I actually would have liked my economics classes, had he taught them. Nick Gerlich’s piece was also interesting — and I think his theories are spot-on, in combination. (My friends abroad say they won’t come visit me because of the current administration’s belligerence toward foreigners. They’ve read enough stories about travelers having their possessions searched and being forced to grant access to their email and social media accounts that in their minds the U.S. has become a thoroughly unwelcoming and even hostile country.) But the story that will probably stick with me most today is Ann Althouse’s piece, because the implications are so creepy and staggering. Perhaps in the future we’ll be given an “asking for a friend” option when conducting searches so our personal algorithms won’t get sullied.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I’d sure hate to have my FBI file grow just because of what I search for!

      Reply

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