Lately, I've been reading Alan Greenspan's memoirs "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World." I've got to say, I'm surprisingly inspired by this book. Not necessarily inspired as in "This is a work on literary genius," but inspired in the "Dude, I love market capitalism" kind of way.
Alan Greenspan's memoirs reinvigorate me to become a kick-ass businessman, because I believe that business can be a force for good. A well-run, profitable, ethical business makes the world a better place. Ethical does not mean merely following the law, there is a higher moral calling that everyone in business should strive to reach. Sure, there is are elements of power-seeking and a desire for wealth (or, if we're calling a spade a spade, greed) in my motives for a career in business, but business is honestly something that I enjoy doing. I like making things happen, finding ways to solve a problem, and creating a faster, more efficient, and hopefully more elegant solution. I really love coming up with a solution that benefits both parties. I think that's why I can be good at business, because I love finding a win-win situation. When I can solve a problem that I have while creating sales or profit for a partner company, I love it.
Some people can become doctors, thank God, because I don't think I could. Some become social workers or academics, but these professions just are not for me. I think that one reason people get into these professions is to lower overall suffering and improve people's lives. Doctors do it by curing, treating, or preventing disease. Social workers have a more direct impact on the lives of families and children. Academics study esoteric problems so that no one else has to. This may seem a little hard to fathom, but part of the reason I want to be in business is to improve the general lot of humanity. This is what I find so exciting and amazing about market capitalism, it's not a zero-sum game. By pursuing my own goals, I can make the world a better place. The long-term productivity gains enabled by technological advance and implemented by mostly private actors has led us to reach living standards that our great-grandparents could never imagine.
I suppose that this what causes me to disagree with so much of what I hear from the political left (but don't get me started on why I disagree quite vehemently with the political right). I truly believe that by applying myself to market capitalism, I will contribute to the common good. It takes advantage of my innate abilities and market capitalism is not evil. More importantly, what else can I choose to do to improve the common good? It seems almost impossible to be able to choose something that will actually make a difference in the world.
But if I believe so much in business and market capitalism, how can I be employed as an engineer at a defense contractor? I'm an engineer by the fact that I like solving problems and it was an undergraduate degree that promised to teach me useful skills. I work at a defense contractor for simple economic reasons: they offered me a good job right out of college. I am still both of these things because I'm gaining some great experience. I am yet young and my career has barely begun. Also, one of the things I've learned from my work is that while there are some decidedly non-market forces in large defense contracting, private defense firms can provide a very real and worthwhile service to our nation.
In short, if anyone has ever wondered why I've made the choices I have in my life, perhaps you now have your answer. Seriously, I feel silly sometimes at how excited I get about the idea of making business deals in general. I look forward to the next XX years of my life doing business and making things happen. I suppose that there are many motivations for people who pursue the general category of "business" in the private sector. I don't claim to understand or have the ability to explain these motivations, but I can attempt to fathom my own reasons. For that reason, I hope that this post can allows some of you doctors and social workers and academics to understand in some way why a person would choose to devote themselves to private industry.
I know I haven't told you much about the book. Suffice it to say, Alan Greenspan had an amazing career and was involved in a ridiculous number of the most important economic decisions of the last 30 years. It's also a very readable book about the state of the world economy and where it may go in the next few years. Good stuff, I definitely recommend it.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Public Service Announcement
Tonight my roommate and I set out on a quest, a quest to determine "What are the two cities in America that are the hardest to fly between?" This question came up after I found that if I wanted to travel from Baltimore, MD to Liberal, KS (don't ask why I'd want to do this) I could do it in 3 stops (Detroit, Kansas City, and Great Bend) for only $316 one-way.
So then we tossed out city pairs that we thought would be difficult to travel between. I suggested Worland, WY to Bangor, ME (you can do it in 3 stops, Laramie, Denver, and Cincinnati). My roommate suggested Salisbury, MD to Nome, AK (you can do that in 3 stops, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Anchorage). Now, Kayak.com lets you sort by number of stops, and you can certainly find stupid, stupid itineraries (for example, 5 stops from Worland to Bangor and Salisbury to Maine).
So the real question is, can you find a city pair with 4 as the minimum number of stops? To do this we actually consulted the Alaska Airlines route map. It can be very difficult to get to Wrangell, AK, but I felt like that was kind of cheating. We only picked Wrangell because it looks hard to get to on the Alaska Airlines route map. Who cares if they are one of the oldest non-native settlements in Alaska? I've never heard of them before today.
We tried a lot of other Salisbury, MD combinations. Salisbury, MD to Vladivostok, Russia (3 stops - Philadelphia, Toronto, Moscow). Salisbury, MD to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (3 stops - Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Sidney).
Finally, we struck gold by going back to Alaska. Salisbury, MD to Barrow, AK will take you a minimum of 4 stops and 17h, 46m. The 4 stops are Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. That's the best you can do.
The worst you can do from Salisbury to Barrow is 6 stops and 32h, 50m (Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay). Can you imagine stopping three times in Alaska before you reached your final destination?
So now I think the challenge is to find the city pair (extra credit if it involves Salisbury, MD) that takes 4 stops minimum AND is located in the lower 48. Worland, WY to Salisbury, MD won't do it (3 stops). Dodge City, KS to Salisbury, MD won't work either (Kansas City, Indianapolis, Charlotte). Bozeman, MT to Salisbury, MD in 2 stops! (Seatle and Philadelphia). As you can see, this is quite a challenge.
Another fun question is "If there are city pairs in the lower 48 that requires 4 stops to fly between, which city pair has the minimum distance between them?"
So you might wonder why I titled this post "Public Service Announcement." It's because this is a public service, people need to know the answers to these questions. We've just answered the question of whether or not you can find two cities that take a minimum of 4 stops to fly between. Trust me, you would have asked that question eventually.
PS - In case you're curious, on the other end of the spectrum, it's impossible to find an itinerary from Baltimore to Chicago with more than 1 stop. (A partial answer to "What is the easiest city to travel to from Baltimore?")
So then we tossed out city pairs that we thought would be difficult to travel between. I suggested Worland, WY to Bangor, ME (you can do it in 3 stops, Laramie, Denver, and Cincinnati). My roommate suggested Salisbury, MD to Nome, AK (you can do that in 3 stops, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Anchorage). Now, Kayak.com lets you sort by number of stops, and you can certainly find stupid, stupid itineraries (for example, 5 stops from Worland to Bangor and Salisbury to Maine).
So the real question is, can you find a city pair with 4 as the minimum number of stops? To do this we actually consulted the Alaska Airlines route map. It can be very difficult to get to Wrangell, AK, but I felt like that was kind of cheating. We only picked Wrangell because it looks hard to get to on the Alaska Airlines route map. Who cares if they are one of the oldest non-native settlements in Alaska? I've never heard of them before today.
We tried a lot of other Salisbury, MD combinations. Salisbury, MD to Vladivostok, Russia (3 stops - Philadelphia, Toronto, Moscow). Salisbury, MD to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia (3 stops - Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Sidney).
Finally, we struck gold by going back to Alaska. Salisbury, MD to Barrow, AK will take you a minimum of 4 stops and 17h, 46m. The 4 stops are Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. That's the best you can do.
The worst you can do from Salisbury to Barrow is 6 stops and 32h, 50m (Philadelphia, Denver, Seattle, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay). Can you imagine stopping three times in Alaska before you reached your final destination?
So now I think the challenge is to find the city pair (extra credit if it involves Salisbury, MD) that takes 4 stops minimum AND is located in the lower 48. Worland, WY to Salisbury, MD won't do it (3 stops). Dodge City, KS to Salisbury, MD won't work either (Kansas City, Indianapolis, Charlotte). Bozeman, MT to Salisbury, MD in 2 stops! (Seatle and Philadelphia). As you can see, this is quite a challenge.
Another fun question is "If there are city pairs in the lower 48 that requires 4 stops to fly between, which city pair has the minimum distance between them?"
So you might wonder why I titled this post "Public Service Announcement." It's because this is a public service, people need to know the answers to these questions. We've just answered the question of whether or not you can find two cities that take a minimum of 4 stops to fly between. Trust me, you would have asked that question eventually.
PS - In case you're curious, on the other end of the spectrum, it's impossible to find an itinerary from Baltimore to Chicago with more than 1 stop. (A partial answer to "What is the easiest city to travel to from Baltimore?")
At Least We Don't Have Wildfires
Baltimore may have a lot of problems, but at least we don't have wildfires. I work with some people out in San Diego, and the latest toll I've heard is the general manager of the plant is evacuated but doesn't know if his house survived or not and the engineering manager is just about to be evacuated from his home. Wildfires, especially in the dry brush around San Diego, are pretty scary; I never thought I'd say this, but today I'm glad I don't live in San Diego.
The San Diego Tribune has some pretty up-to-the-minute coverage. They also have a pretty awesome Goolgemap of the fires that includes some photos and addresses of the structures they know to be destroyed. So far they say that over half a million people have been evacuated and 1,300+ homes and businesses have been destroyed.
The San Diego Tribune has some pretty up-to-the-minute coverage. They also have a pretty awesome Goolgemap of the fires that includes some photos and addresses of the structures they know to be destroyed. So far they say that over half a million people have been evacuated and 1,300+ homes and businesses have been destroyed.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Great Local Establishment
This post is a thank you to Pete, the owner of J&P Carryout of 1538-40 Light St. If you live in South Baltimore anywhere near J&P, you probably know Pete. He's a friendly guy, always willing to stop and have a conversation with you. Plus, he makes a damn good cheesesteak.
One of Pete's greatest business decisions was to close at 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, because bars in Baltimore close at 2 AM. It was just such an occasion last weekend that I happened into Pete's establishment. Now, I had just come from a marathon "Round the World" party that had lasted something like 8 hours. And I had my brand-new, extra-expensive camera with me. It had made it with me through 6 house parties and 3 bars, but the second my pizza fries were ready, my attention was elsewhere.
About half an hour later, with my late-night junk food craving sated, I prepared for bed and thought "Wait? Where's my camera?!?" I sprinted back to J&P and was lucky enough to catch one of the cooks closing up. She informed me that they were closed and I shouted in a panic "I left my camera here a little bit ago!" I could tell by the look on her face that not only did she know what I was talking about, but that they might even have my camera. Sure enough, not only had they noticed that I'd left an expensive camera in their establishment, Pete had locked the camera up in the safe, figuring that I'd be back for it in the morning.
So here's to Pete, honest and friendly proprietor of a great local business. I completely recommend them to anyone in need of some late-night snacks.
One of Pete's greatest business decisions was to close at 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, because bars in Baltimore close at 2 AM. It was just such an occasion last weekend that I happened into Pete's establishment. Now, I had just come from a marathon "Round the World" party that had lasted something like 8 hours. And I had my brand-new, extra-expensive camera with me. It had made it with me through 6 house parties and 3 bars, but the second my pizza fries were ready, my attention was elsewhere.
About half an hour later, with my late-night junk food craving sated, I prepared for bed and thought "Wait? Where's my camera?!?" I sprinted back to J&P and was lucky enough to catch one of the cooks closing up. She informed me that they were closed and I shouted in a panic "I left my camera here a little bit ago!" I could tell by the look on her face that not only did she know what I was talking about, but that they might even have my camera. Sure enough, not only had they noticed that I'd left an expensive camera in their establishment, Pete had locked the camera up in the safe, figuring that I'd be back for it in the morning.
So here's to Pete, honest and friendly proprietor of a great local business. I completely recommend them to anyone in need of some late-night snacks.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Good While it Lasted
Well folks, it was good while it lasted. From September 28th through October 5th, no one was murdered in Baltimore. That's right, for the first time in two years the city went a full week without a homicide. That ended on Friday night, as homicide number 232 was logged on Eutaw Place.
So, based on the latest information, 234 murders (as of 10/7) in 291 days is 0.8 murders/day (or 4 murders every 5 days). But from that point on, there are only 76 days left in the year, which puts us on pace for 293 to 294 murders. Sadly, that's good news, as Baltimore was widely predicted to reach 300 murders this year.
The acting police commissioner and the mayor have been jumping all over the lull in the violence (see video from WJZ story), claiming that their new policies are having an effect. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it. Actually, I lead a very charmed life for Baltimore, so I don't really see it. There's been 1 murder in my neighborhood (researched using this website) in the last two years and that was on the other side of the neighborhood at that. There are blocks in Baltimore with multiple homicides this year!
When you look at that Sun article, the most amazing thing is the list of murder-free streaks for 2006 and 2007. Twice we've gone six days, and 8 times we've gone five days. That's it, in the last 21 months, 630+ days, there have been only 11 periods of five or more days without a murder. I can't imagine what it's like living in the rougher neighborhoods of this city, imagine the stress of knowing that a shooting could take place any minute. How much longer can people live like that? What's the next step?
So, based on the latest information, 234 murders (as of 10/7) in 291 days is 0.8 murders/day (or 4 murders every 5 days). But from that point on, there are only 76 days left in the year, which puts us on pace for 293 to 294 murders. Sadly, that's good news, as Baltimore was widely predicted to reach 300 murders this year.
The acting police commissioner and the mayor have been jumping all over the lull in the violence (see video from WJZ story), claiming that their new policies are having an effect. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it. Actually, I lead a very charmed life for Baltimore, so I don't really see it. There's been 1 murder in my neighborhood (researched using this website) in the last two years and that was on the other side of the neighborhood at that. There are blocks in Baltimore with multiple homicides this year!
When you look at that Sun article, the most amazing thing is the list of murder-free streaks for 2006 and 2007. Twice we've gone six days, and 8 times we've gone five days. That's it, in the last 21 months, 630+ days, there have been only 11 periods of five or more days without a murder. I can't imagine what it's like living in the rougher neighborhoods of this city, imagine the stress of knowing that a shooting could take place any minute. How much longer can people live like that? What's the next step?
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Return of the Blog...with Pictures!
Now that the ultimate frisbee season is over for the year, I'm looking to have some more free time to write about things. Hopefully that translates into more blog entries. I've also spent a fair amount of money and purchased a Nikon D40x, so I will hopefully have some pretty cool pictures to post as well. For now, enjoy a couple of random Baltimore scenes...
Hmmm... Blogger seems to compress these pictures quite a bit. Here are links to full resolution versions (well, they're not full resolution, I cropped and compressed some from my camera's 10 megapizel output):
Baltimore Sunset
Harborview Condo Tower
Hmmm... Blogger seems to compress these pictures quite a bit. Here are links to full resolution versions (well, they're not full resolution, I cropped and compressed some from my camera's 10 megapizel output):
Baltimore Sunset
Harborview Condo Tower
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