Brian Gongol Show on WHO Radio - February 1, 2015
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Please note: These show notes may be in various stages of completion -- ranging from brainstormed notes through to well-polished monologues. Please excuse anything that may seem rough around the edges, as it may only be a first draft of a thought and not be fully representative of what was said on the air.
This week
When politics trumps economics
An independent central bank is essential. The apparent non-independence of Russia's central bank is going to turn very, very costly.
First estimate of 4th-quarter 2014 US GDP growth: 2.6%
Nothing phenomenal, but at least it's growth
Yay Capitalism
Whose "brainchild" are you?
Sure, it's a promotional stunt by GE, but it's nice to see someone acknowledge that we're not just genetic children of our parents, but also intellectual descendants of other people
Tin Foil Hat Award
Pity the poor college students of China
The Communist government there, living in terror of leaving people with their own free thoughts, is pushing colleges to ban Western textbooks, especially if they speak ill of the Communist system
The nerds will save us -- but not the nerds you expect
US GDP growth rate unimpressiveChina GDP growth rate falling but still much higher than ours
China prohibition on Western textbooks in colleges
Not a "long war", but likely a very long and tense coexistence
Some syncretism will affect both cultures; that's inevitable
The nerds will save us
Nerds are 25% of the population; maybe a little more
Nerds are deeply engaged in their own topic, whatever it is
Nerdiness is a byproduct of surplus (leisure, hobby money) and personal freedom and liberty
Huge production potential with nerds
Not a computer things, though some nerds are obviously computer nerds
Bill Gates -- wife teases him on television for being a nerd, and she's really smart
Nerds are a separate but overlapping population group with smart people
Where interest meets energy
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