Well, it’s been a rather nice extended Holiday hiatus from the keyboard. Don’t ask why I’ve neglected to communicate with my meager audience because I don’t have any sort of good answer. Just lost the itch for awhile, and let’s face it, things have been somewhat boring. Seriously, how much can you say about inequality, the minimum wage, NGDP, ObamaCare and the latest JP Morgan fine. Too much if you base it on my reading history. So, while I do have a couple of things to say about those subjects, I’ll spare you more boredom this evening.

I do want to point you to two really outstanding posts. Both should engender some introspection, so don’t just breeze through and not think about what they’re saying.

The first is by the Felix Salmon. He does what he does best, take a complicated subject and explain it simply. In” Why Quants Don’t Know Everything” he analyzes the rise of the quants and explains the potential, limitations and perils of Big Data. If you haven’t already read it, I  recommend you start with his earlier essay, “The Formula That Killed Wall Street.” They’re both masterpieces.

The other is Tim Carney’s tribute to Tom Coburn. I’m not sure it was meant as a tribute but that’s the way it read to me. Coburn’s departure from the Senate represents a loss for both sides of the aisle, but be sure to read to the end in order to appreciate the man’s integrity as opposed to the craven behavior of his contemporaries.