Being Stochastic

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2010-08-23T10:00:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-11T21:10:00.001-07:00

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Budget Hero! Lots of fun...see how well you do, and post in the comments.

2008-05-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Your Web browser software doesn't support frames, but you can visit The Budget Hero at &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://budgethero.publicradio.org/widget/widget.php?refid=apm"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; http://budgethero.publicradio.org/widget/widget.php?refid=apm&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.

The Holy Grail hath been found

2008-05-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is amazing; only $8,600, but hey, you'll never buy a tool again...

Forbes Article on the impact of professors

2008-04-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Great Forbes article on the impact instructors have on their students. From the article:

"It turns out that exposure to economics makes a big difference in how students split the pie, in terms of both efficiency and outright selfishness. Students assigned to classes taught by economists were more likely to give a lot when it was cheap to do so. But they were also much more likely to take the whole pie for themselves."

Hat tip to Greg Mankiw.

A piece from the NYTimes for all my font fanatic friends

2008-04-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

The NYTimes has a great piece about the fonts used on the McCain campaign . Worth a read.

$42,000 piano

2008-04-17T13:14:00.001-07:00

This piano is amazing!

"Alarm clock. You can schedule particular songs to play automatically at up to 99 different times and dates." This is exciting!!

Ball machine for dog and child alike

2008-03-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious.

T&A on NPR?

2008-03-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

I laughed hilariously when I listened to NPR this weekend. They were covering a story about Maxim magazine making up reviews about music albums. The reporter indicated that this isn't that big of a deal among Maxim readers as they "probably turn to the magazine more for T&A than R&B." Hilarious! T&A can only stand for a few things, and I'm guessing that its not "Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy."

The Jaws of Hell

2008-03-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

“They see the handwriting on the wall,” said Martin S. Fridson, a leading expert on junk bonds, said of buyout firms. “They’re staring into the jaws of hell.”

The jaws of hell? Really? For some reason, I'm hesitant to believe that...

Google Calendar Sync: Can I get my $25 back?

2008-03-05T20:58:00.001-08:00

This is awesome. I actually paid someone $25 for this feature...and now its free. If you use Outlook, consider installing this application...

The Real McCain - New York Times

2008-02-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Real McCain - New York Times

You know, two articles that mention ethanol in a disapproving light. What have I done to deserve such happiness!

Demon ethanol - Paul Krugman - Op-Ed Columnist - New York Times Blog

2008-02-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Demon ethanol - Paul Krugman - Op-Ed Columnist - New York Times Blog

Ethanol is the Demon, but politicians love those electoral votes in the heartland...

Amazing Screensaver

2008-02-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

My work screen saver has long been the 'Windows Blue Screen of Death' that freaks people out. Now though, I found this! Its a screen saver that cycles through several webcams around the world, giving you live shots of several places! Simply amazing and something truly only the Internet could provide.

Making money by playing videogames

2008-02-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

WSJ article on gaming and gambling

I have a cousin or two that plays the online FPS on consoles.

The Bride Wore Very Little - New York Times

2008-02-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Bride Wore Very Little - New York Times

Favorite Quote:

Cut away at the rear to reveal a tattoo at the small of her back, the dress suggested a languorous night in the honeymoon suite.

Except that Ms. DaSilva, who will be married on Long Island in September, plans to wear it at the altar.

Celebrating semicolons!

2008-02-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

A great article on semi colons. Grammar nerds unite. NOTE: I am not a grammar nerd, but i will soon be married to one. She would likely complain about the uncapitalized 'I' in the previous sentence. And other random things i miseed.

The Ringing of the Bells of Notre Dame

2008-02-08T16:26:00.001-08:00

Great story from the NYTimes. I especially like how he wants the bells to become more musical!

An Email from yore...coincidentally, this was the time after the last time we ate at the alumni center as well...

2008-02-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I hope your summer is off to an enjoyable and productive start. As is the case every summer, it’s just not the same without all of you here. I look forward to August when you bring your energy and enthusiasm back to Mizzou. The professional staff and I are working hard preparing for the upcoming year. Because it is important to us that you be kept in the loop on what is happening in Residential Life I wanted to share some recent developments with you.

As you may be aware, the University has been intentionally increasing the size of the freshman class. Our department has been an integral part of those efforts. Many of you have helped with events like overnights, Black & Gold and Meet Mizzou Days and helping your communities write letters to prospective students. This year, everyone’s efforts have once again worked very effectively and the number of students wanting to live in the halls has also increased. While we had developed plans to handle this increase based on the projected size of the freshman class, the number of new freshmen attending MU this fall has far exceeded the targets and expectations, and likely will be the largest class in the institution’s history. Each year we gather and analyze data in order to predict occupancy. However, some of the consistent trends from the past 10 years have not held true this year perhaps due to delayed decisions on tuition increases, budget cuts, etc. This is making prediction of what will happen (no shows, cancellations, etc.) extremely difficult.

As in past years, this fall we will need to house some students (men and women) with student staff on a temporary basis. It is also important that you be aware that furniture has been added into staff rooms throughout the system so that any student staff room that is designed as a double is also furnished as a double. While this was also done to benefit our summer conference program, it also means any student staff member (except those assigned into designed singles) has the potential to have a roommate for the beginning of the semester. Additionally, staff must understand that this furniture will remain in your room for the entire year so plan accordingly. This reduces the wear and tear on the furniture by not moving it out of the room. The longest we anticipate that student staff would have roommates is through the fourth week of school. Rest assured, we want to relocate any roommate you may receive as soon as we reasonably can, and will continue to look at other options to reduce the amount of time you might have a roommate.

In addition to providing “Temporary Housing” for unassigned students, we are currently in the process of finalizing a contract with Stephens College to use Hillcrest Hall again this year for “Fall Semester Housing.” We will again use all 131 spaces available in Hillcrest to house MU students. The Area Coordinators are just beginning to identify a Hall Coordinator and student staff for Hillcrest (if you have suggestions for strong candidates that might be interested and available, contact Angie Jacobs the new AC for Mark Twain, McDavid, and Hillcrest at jacobsa@missouri.edu or 573-882-0788). We are anticipating that the students assigned to Hillcrest will remain there for the entire Fall Semester.

Even with this additional space, we are still projecting about 150 students without and assignment by the first day of classes. Please understand that we are only talking about first time college students. We have stopped accepting contracts from returning students who applied late, due to the increasing projections of the freshman class.

I realize the decision to place students, even temporarily, in staff rooms carries many consequences for the staff member, for the student, and for the rest of the department. Let me take a minute to explain why we have made this decision. As you know, the mission of this department is to foster student learning and success. Our role in the university is clearly defined; we house students in communities that enhance their learning and success. While I understand the ability of the student staff to perform their job may be hampered when they are assigned a temporary roommate, I also know there is a greater negative impact on a first year student’s academic and overall success at MU when they are unable to obtain on-campus housing. As I stated, we are not assigning temporary roommates who are already MU students who missed application and contract deadlines; only new students will be assigned to student staff room spaces on a temporary basis.

We have a policy in place to compensate staff for the time they are assigned a temporary roommate. For each week (or part of a week) that you have a roommate, your student account will be charged at the “double room” rate. However we will still credit your account at the “single room” rate, the difference will show up as a credit on your student account. The amount of this credit varies, depending on the room rate for your hall ($17 – $32). Additionally, we will add $25 to your CDS UPfront account for every week (or part of a week) that you have a roommate.

As cancellations come in we will assign students to permanent spaces. Temporary roommates will not be assigned to staff until we run out of spaces in MU residence halls or Hillcrest. After school starts and we have confirmed “no-shows” and cancellations, we will begin to relocate students from Temporary Housing into permanent assignments. Students must accept the space to which they are assigned. The relocation priority for students not assigned to permanent residence hall space will be 1) student staff roommates, 2) Hillcrest students if they request to move prior to the end of the semester.

It is also our hope that the opening of the Virginia Avenue residence halls in the Fall of 2004 will alleviate this space shortage as it will add an additional 225 beds to our system, even with the demolition of Donnelly and Smith at that same time.

I realize that there are many questions yet to answer, but I wanted to inform you of this as quickly as I could after it became apparent that we were going to have to assign temporary new student roommates to our staff. We will continue to work on this situation, as we have been for several weeks, and will have more information to provide you later in the summer and as you arrive for training. Additionally, feel free to contact your Hall Coordinator, as we are keeping each of them informed as well.

This reminds me of another important point we have hired some new staff who have or soon will be joining us, so in case you haven’t heard here is a list of who they are (the new HCs e-mail is not included since they don’t start until July 7):

Mark Twain/McDavid/Hillcrest Area Coordinator: Angie Jacobs

jacobsa@missouri.edu, 573-882-0788

Pershing/Johnston/Wolpers Area Coordinator: Ron Laue

lauer@missouri.edu, 573-882-3165

Hatch Residence Hall Coordinator: Megan Boyer

Jones Graduate Hall Coordinator: Stephanie Halaska

Laws Residence Hall Coordinator: Tomaz Cunningham

Mark Twain Residence Hall Coordinator: Scott Runyan

Schurz Residence Hall Coordinator: Justin Shepherd

Smith Graduate Hall Coordinator: Emily Sanders

These are times which are challenge us all in many ways. Leadership is forged and honed, not in times of prosperity, but in times of adversity. I am confident that we have the right team to see us through this challenge, not merely to survive it, but to succeed in our goals to educate, and in turn, improve the lives of our students. There are a couple reasons we have more freshman than we can house. However, one of the most important is the quality of experience our residents gain from living in the halls, in which you play a particularly significant role. MU is recognized for its high quality residential life program, and you and your predecessors have earned and will continue to earn that well-deserved reputation. I am glad and proud that you are part of the Residential Life team! As I said earlier, I am eager for you to get here, so that we can yet again make this year an even better one than last.

Frankie D. Minor

Director of Residential Life

University of Missouri-Columbia

Don't drink the water!

2008-01-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Didn't know this one. Apparently, you shouldn't drink or cook in hot water. It's not a big risk, but it is something to ponder...

A day in the life of an economist with non economic kids

2008-01-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

This is a great story. One man who tries to do the right thing, but takes a little time to determine what the right thing is. Great read for economists. And non economists, if you understand about happiness and utility. Which most people do, even if they think they don't.

The Definition of Zoomie

2008-01-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've known this for a while, but I've never really looked into the official definition of Zoomie...

Teasing out the Efficient Market Hypothesis

2008-01-04T05:11:00.000-08:00

The media profits from selling stuff: newspapers, magazines, and airtime for ads. It seems that the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) has been shelved by the media mostly. We still get the top mutual funds and other crap that is based on past performance, even though, the print in the mutual fund prospectuses clearly state: "Past Performance is no guarantee of future results."

The responsibility to point out the effects of the EMH often fall on academics, like todays post over at Greg Mankiw's blog; he gets bonus points by pointing out the effect in a WSJ article, which curiously, fails to talk about what the results mean.

Facebook is all that!

2007-12-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Valerie is always telling me that I think Facebook is less than I portray it to be. Well, sometimes it is...

That is a lot of pennies

2007-12-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Wow. I've never seen so many pennies in one place...