Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Last Lawyer Standing
Kevin at Lowering the Bar brought this to my attention: a law firm will hire new associates on a competitive basis, to whit:
" * All candidates are allowed to begin a paid contract legal assignment at $20.00/hour. If you apply you will be given an assignment.
* Each day the candidate with the weakest work product will be cut until one candidate remains. This process will take one or two weeks until the final candidate is offered on-going employment. If you have seen reality television shows where contestants are cut from episode to episode such as Top Chef, Top Shot or Project Runway -- it will be like this. Do you have what it takes to be Top Associate?
* If you want to participate you will come to the first day of hiring with your laptop ready to begin. You will be given a group orientation, and then an individual interview. You should be free to work 8 hours per day for the next two weeks to participate in the evaluation."
Now I'm a fan of Top Chef, but I also know this: the judges aren't in control of the process. The producers of the program have input as well. So why the process may seem meritocratic, it's not. Likewise, I doubt if the competition put forward by the Mellen Law Firm will bring out the best candidate. But it sure does sound fun if you're in charge and not a victim! Unless of course one's a masochist.
" * All candidates are allowed to begin a paid contract legal assignment at $20.00/hour. If you apply you will be given an assignment.
* Each day the candidate with the weakest work product will be cut until one candidate remains. This process will take one or two weeks until the final candidate is offered on-going employment. If you have seen reality television shows where contestants are cut from episode to episode such as Top Chef, Top Shot or Project Runway -- it will be like this. Do you have what it takes to be Top Associate?
* If you want to participate you will come to the first day of hiring with your laptop ready to begin. You will be given a group orientation, and then an individual interview. You should be free to work 8 hours per day for the next two weeks to participate in the evaluation."
Now I'm a fan of Top Chef, but I also know this: the judges aren't in control of the process. The producers of the program have input as well. So why the process may seem meritocratic, it's not. Likewise, I doubt if the competition put forward by the Mellen Law Firm will bring out the best candidate. But it sure does sound fun if you're in charge and not a victim! Unless of course one's a masochist.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Another Dilemma
I'm a die-hard Reds fan; I grew up near Cincinnati during the heyday of the Big Red Machine. So naturally I want to see all the playoff games from start to finish. But 9:37 PM starting time? Are you kidding me? The game took 3 hours and 27 minutes to complete, which means the last pitch as at 1:04 AM Sunday morning EST.
Note to MLB: I'm an old man. I once in my prime was able to stay up until 1 AM and be bright and fresh in the morning. Not only does this never happen, I'm physically unable to stay up until 1 AM, unless perhaps I use drugs!!!
So the dilemma: Do I go to bed at my normal time, thinking the Reds are winning or losing, depending on their status in the 4th or 5th inning, or do I risk arrest by going out and buying some amphetamines from some guy on the street?
Note to MLB: I'm an old man. I once in my prime was able to stay up until 1 AM and be bright and fresh in the morning. Not only does this never happen, I'm physically unable to stay up until 1 AM, unless perhaps I use drugs!!!
So the dilemma: Do I go to bed at my normal time, thinking the Reds are winning or losing, depending on their status in the 4th or 5th inning, or do I risk arrest by going out and buying some amphetamines from some guy on the street?
Friday, October 5, 2012
Academic Integrity and Athletics
This article on the UNC situation shows how to lose one's academic integrity. Notice it takes the complicity of a number of people outside of athletics to get this kind of situation going. Hence it probably does not occur at most institutions. But the pressure, especially for FBS schools, is there.
To continue a trend: Cardale Jones, an OSU freshman QB, tweeted the following: "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS."
To continue a trend: Cardale Jones, an OSU freshman QB, tweeted the following: "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS."
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias consists in believing claims not based on evidence, but on their tendency to confirm what we already believe. The results can be tragic, but sometimes comical. Take Iran's publication of The Onion's satirical poll comparing Obama to Ahmadinejad. I'm sure it made sense to them that more Americans would want to hang out with their president rather than our own!
Retirement
Distinguished economists opining about my retirement plan. It doesn't look good. (h/t Radley Balko)
Snatch
In this memorable movie, the character Brick Top delivers this discourse:
" And when you got your six pieces, you gotta get rid of them, because it's no good leaving it in the deep freeze for your mum to discover, now is it? Then I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, "as greedy as a pig"."
I was never sure whether this was believable but apparently it was spot on, as they say.
" And when you got your six pieces, you gotta get rid of them, because it's no good leaving it in the deep freeze for your mum to discover, now is it? Then I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, "as greedy as a pig"."
I was never sure whether this was believable but apparently it was spot on, as they say.
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