Gongol.com Archives: December 2011
Brian Gongol


December 14, 2011

The United States of America Excellent CBO graphic on the Federal budget
The magnitude of the problems -- systemic ones, not year-to-year pork-barrel projects -- causing the Federal budget to fall entirely out of balance are difficult to show rather than tell. At last, someone at the Congressional Budget Office has done a really good job of "show". We need the economy to grow (producing a larger GDP and a larger tax base) and we need to get honest and serious about fixing the systemic spending problems we have with entitlements.

Computers and the Internet Google Plus "hangouts" will soon be recordable
On one hand, it's a very attractive feature. On the other, there are going to be some people who discover much too late that it's even easier to say something stupid for the permanent record when they do it in a Google Hangout than when they sit down with the intention of creating a video for YouTube. And there are already enough people who have shown really poor judgment before putting something on YouTube that they had the opportunity to do-over. A recorded Google Hangout won't even have that opportunity for additional reflection and reconsideration.

Iowa Huge price increase in Iowa farmland values
It's a huge increase in just one year -- undoubtedly unsustainable. That's what makes it frightening.

Business and Finance So that's why it was called "Chemical Bank"
Anti-banking sentiment in the 1800s meant that it was easier to set up a company first (in this case, a chemical manufacturer) and then add a banking arm to it than to start with a bank from the beginning. Interesting.

Computers and the Internet Phishing scam claims to come from Ben Bernanke
But it's pretty obvious he's not sending out messages to random Americans from an AOL Mexico account.

Humor and Good News "Wow. I'd better shave."
No, Winona Ryder still isn't going to sleep with you

Science and Technology Clock is ticking on the tax discounts that subsidize some classes of renewable energy

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