Birthday Party

Grad school is hard, m'kay? Javal's birthday party was back in August and I'm just now getting around to posting the photos. Enjoy the slideshow.

Paying Attention Doesn't Pay

Today I read one of the better explanations for American political apathy: It doesn't pay to pay attention.

Time spent on public affairs competes with time acquiring information on more personal matters -- like the price and quality of cars or houses. In these cases, each of us suffers a direct cost for ignorant decisions -- I may buy a lemon unless I am careful to analyze options ahead of time. In contrast, nobody pays a price for voting ignorantly since the outcome of a major election never hinges on a single ballot. ... As a consequence, it may well be "rational" for individual voters to remain ignorant about public matters.

Bruce Ackerman and James Fishkin, Deliberation Day

You can read more on the economic concept of direct costs and the political science and psychological concept of rational choice.

W3 5P3@K 1337

Continuing along the "political scientists are a weird bunch" thread, a political scientist colleague of mine pointed me today to the 1337 Generator, which lets anyone talk like a script kiddy. For example, this post translates to this in leet:

C0N7!NU!N6 @10N6 7H3 "P01!7!C@1 5C!3N7!575 @R3 @ W3!RD BUNCH" 7HR3@D, @ P01!7!C@1 5C!3N7!57 C0113@6U3 0F M!N3 P0!N73D M3 70D@Y 70 7H3 1337 63N3R@70R, WH!CH 1375 @NY0N3 7@1K 1!K3 @ 5CR!P7 K!DDY. F0R 3X@MP13, 7H!5 P057 7R@N51@735 70 7H!5 !N 1337: