It seems just about everyone is on autopilot these days. I talk about the importance of critical thinking in a time when it seems to be severely lacking.
My obsession of the moment: real sugar colas
Written by Brian Houser
Sunday, 14 February 2010 16:07
A few weeks ago while wandering the local Costco, I was pleasantly surprised to find Mexican Coca-Cola for sale by the case. I was excited because it is made with real sugar rather than the high fructose corn syrup they've been made with in the U.S. for a while now (for some great reading on why that is--and other interesting things about the foods that are sold today--in the great book The Omnivore's Dilemma). Drinking the Mexican version from its retro glass bottle did not disappoint--it took me back to younger days.
On my next trip to Costco, I discovered they now also had Pepsi Throwback, a real sugar version of the Pepsi formula. Although this was available only in cans, it also tastes great and is less expensive than the imported Coke. I hope these products remain available permanently--on those occasions I indulge on a non-diet soft drink, I'd prefer it be made without corn syrup.
Columbia University professor David Epstein gets an economic lesson from Peter Schiff
Written by Brian Houser
Monday, 14 December 2009 17:17
A nice debate on Keynesian Economics vs. Austrian Economics within the context of our current financial troubles. The professor seems to be having a tough time facing reality.
Something I learned today: short tons vs. long tons
Written by Brian Houser
Saturday, 28 November 2009 22:53
I have a constant thirst for knowledge and learn something new just about every day. Today I'm starting a new blog series to document what some of those little things are that I've learned.
In the evening, after our Thanksgiving meal, we got to playing a game. This was a new travel trivia game my dad had found in the $5 bin at Ollies. The game had a two second time limit for answers, which kept it moving quickly, and the questions turned out to be relatively easy, meaning everyone had a decent chance of answering correctly and not feeling stupid. I learned a few things, the most memorable being that there is not just a single definition of a ton. I always knew as ton as 2000 pounds. It turns out that is a short ton, commonly used in the U.S. A long ton, on the other hand, is defined as 2,240 pounds and is used more commonly around the rest of the world. Both short and long tons are defined as 20 hundredweights, but a hundredweight is 112 pounds in the Imperial system and 100 pound in the U.S. system, accounting for the discrepancy in the two versions of a ton.
I hadn't found much use for the Genius playlists iTunes added in version 8. I tried it a few times but generally found the song list it generated to be lackluster compared to those I'd put together myself. Until tonight. Maybe it's a matter of picking the right song from which to generate a Genius list. Tonight I chose Reminiscing by Little River Band and ended up with a wonderful playlist of 70's soft rock:
Reforming healthcare with less government, not more
Written by Brian Houser
Sunday, 08 November 2009 00:00
Most of the people involved in the debate to reform our healthcare system need to go back to history class. They push us to repeat the same mistakes again and again, never learning. How can they rationally expect to solve our healthcare crisis by using more government programs and controls when those are the very things that got us to where we are today? The majority of the problems with our current healthcare system in the U.S. are because of government involvement and more government will make it even more expensive and less effective.
Of course the vast majority of politicians propose only government-based solutions because of their self-interest in growing government power and because they think the short-term benefits to their constituents will keep them in power and the downsides won't surface until after they've left office. But the current proposals will not only completely bankrupt the country, the result is highly likely to be even less effective than the current system.
A few weeks ago while wandering the local Costco, I was pleasantly surprised to find Mexican Coca-Cola for sale by the case. I was excited because it is made with real sugar rather than the high fructose corn syrup they've been made with in the U.S. for a while now (for some great reading on why that is--and other interesting things about the foods that are sold today--in the great book 
I hadn't found much use for the 