Archive for March, 2009
Visualizing the Credit Crises
Blake found a well-done visualization of the credit crises. Even if you think you’ve heard too much about the subject, give it a watch. I promise you’ll improve your understanding (or your money back).
Filed under economics, sites i like : Comments (1) : Mar 29th, 2009
AIG : Visualizing the money
We’re all rather hysterical about the $165 Million in bonus pay over at AIG. Enough has been said on that so I won’t comment further. Instead, here’s a great graphic I picked up from Nicolas Rapp that visualizes where all the money from AIG is going. (Click to see full size)
Filed under economics : Comments (0) : Mar 21st, 2009
Brain Hack : Gallons per 100
When we describe the relative efficiency of an automobile, we almost always use the measurement of miles per gallon. It’s easy to describe, it’s easy to calculate, it’s familiar. But is it the appropriate measurement for comparison?
Mathematically, it’s perfectly reasonable. Using the measure of MPG, I can tell you exactly how many miles I can drive on a tank of gas, or how many gallons I’ll burn driving a certain number of miles. Unfortunately, the human brain isn’t a perfect computer and we often take shortcuts in calculations.
Consider the following graph:
This simple chart shows the relative MPG for four sample cars. Each car in the series gets 10 MPG better than the previous. Looking at this chart, you might conclude that the difference between Car A and Car B is equivalent to that of Cars C & D.
Surprisingly, you would be wrong.
Here is the same data but represented in Gallons per 100 Miles:
Looking at this graph, it’s immediately obvious that the difference between Cars A & B is far greater than Cars C & D. After driving 100 miles, Car A burns 2.6 gallons more than Car B; Car C burns only 0.6 gallons more than Car D.
So why is this important?
As high fuel prices and increasing environmental awareness push consumers towards more efficient automobiles, it’s important that we have an accurate comparison. If you drive a car that gets 20 MPG or less, upgrading to a car that gets 25-30MPG will have a significant impact on your fuel consumption. Far more, in fact, than upgrading a modestly efficient car to a super-efficient model.
Hack your brain–next time you’re comparing cars, don’t look at MPGs. Convert to Gallons per 100 Miles (GP100) instead and make your comparison much easier.
GP100 = 100 ÷ MPG
Filed under energy, hack : Comments (2) : Mar 17th, 2009
Milwaukee to get transit?
Mayor Barret and a few responsible members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation did an end-run around County Executive Scott “Fu** the City” Walker to make use of $91 million in federal funding for public transit.
If we’re to believe the write-up from BizTimes.com, the decades-long logjam has finally broken and Milwaukee will be moving into the 21st century. Fellow Milwaukeezers, rejoice!
For more details on the plan, check out this nice PDF from the city:
Filed under Milwaukee, politics : Comments (6) : Mar 13th, 2009
Stewart does it again
Sometimes, Jon Stewart seems like the only journalist left with any backbone. This is must-watch material:
Filed under culture, economics : Comments (1) : Mar 13th, 2009
