Economics LOL
@econ.lol
Follies and foibles from the dismal science.
This story about an experiment letting an AI run a vending machine in the WSJ newsroom is hilarious. Eager to please, it lost hundreds of dollars, gave away a PlayStation, and ordered a live fish. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI.
www.wsj.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This story about an experiment letting an AI run a vending machine in the WSJ newsroom is hilarious. Eager to please, it lost hundreds of dollars, gave away a PlayStation, and ordered a live fish. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
Reposted by Economics LOL
‘No! Not Larry Summers!’ Wails Devastated Nation
‘No! Not Larry Summers!’ Wails Devastated Nation
WASHINGTON—Responding to recent revelations suggesting the prominent economist was a close associate of the late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a devastated nation reportedly joined together to...
theonion.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM
‘No! Not Larry Summers!’ Wails Devastated Nation
Reposted by Economics LOL
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
Cass Sunstein gets corn cobbed in The New Yorker by Isaac Chotiner
September 24, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Cass Sunstein gets corn cobbed in The New Yorker by Isaac Chotiner
Well, now the CPSC is not doing this. Enjoy your freedom fingers.
The power tool industry has delayed safer table saws for 20 years. A CPSC rule would prevent or reduce the severity of almost 50,000 injuries per year. Net annual benefits from $1.28-2.32 billion. It's crazy this clear cut decision has taken so long. www.npr.org/2024/04/02/1...
After years of trying, the U.S. government may finally mandate safer table saws
After years of false starts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission looks poised to mandate a blade safety brake on all new table saws sold in the United States.
www.npr.org
August 21, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Well, now the CPSC is not doing this. Enjoy your freedom fingers.
You would think someone employed as an economist would have more awareness of the externalities associated with microwaving fish in the workplace, or maybe I am supposed to engage in Coasian bargaining.
July 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
You would think someone employed as an economist would have more awareness of the externalities associated with microwaving fish in the workplace, or maybe I am supposed to engage in Coasian bargaining.
Reposted by Economics LOL
Trump’s Tariff Formula Slammed As ‘Fake’ And ‘Incredibly Stupid’ By Experts
Trump’s Tariff Formula Slammed As ‘Fake’ And ‘Incredibly Stupid’ By Experts
The approach appears to punish countries based on their trade imbalances with the U.S., rather than the taxes they impose on the U.S. and a combination of other trade barriers Trump claimed the new tariff rates would be based on.
on.forbes.com
April 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Trump’s Tariff Formula Slammed As ‘Fake’ And ‘Incredibly Stupid’ By Experts
Reposted by Economics LOL
CNBC's Steve Liesman doesn't mince words about the way the White House calculated its tariff rates:
"Nobody ever heard of this formula. Nobody has ever used this formula. So I’m sorry, but the conclusion seems to be the president kind of made this up as he went along... these are off the charts."
"Nobody ever heard of this formula. Nobody has ever used this formula. So I’m sorry, but the conclusion seems to be the president kind of made this up as he went along... these are off the charts."
April 3, 2025 at 2:35 PM
CNBC's Steve Liesman doesn't mince words about the way the White House calculated its tariff rates:
"Nobody ever heard of this formula. Nobody has ever used this formula. So I’m sorry, but the conclusion seems to be the president kind of made this up as he went along... these are off the charts."
"Nobody ever heard of this formula. Nobody has ever used this formula. So I’m sorry, but the conclusion seems to be the president kind of made this up as he went along... these are off the charts."
Reposted by Economics LOL
Have you met an economist? Can be a similar vibe.
to be fair this tracks with my experience getting a degree and then working in the field for many years, which is: outside of their subjects of expertise, engineers are maybe the stupidest living people
Gil Zussman 1) is a professor of electrical engineering at Columbia & 2) believes the Columbia chapter of SJP knew the October 7 attacks were going to happen & posted about it on Instagram. You wouldn't think that would be possible, but brains are weird.
March 26, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Have you met an economist? Can be a similar vibe.
RIP to Donald Shoup, author of The High Cost of Free Parking. Don studied local government, and there were two issues nobody ever wanted to touch: parking and sewage. Don didn’t want to study sewage. So he studied parking. www.cp-dr.com/articles/don...
Parking
His mission was to help people understand the underlying economics of public goods and services. Parking was simply the vehicle, one might say, that he chose to do so.
www.cp-dr.com
February 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
RIP to Donald Shoup, author of The High Cost of Free Parking. Don studied local government, and there were two issues nobody ever wanted to touch: parking and sewage. Don didn’t want to study sewage. So he studied parking. www.cp-dr.com/articles/don...
Too good to be true? New study shows people reject freebies and cheap deals for fear of hidden costs.
Too good to be true? New study shows people reject freebies and cheap deals for fear of hidden costs
A really good deal can make economic sense. But new research shows people are inherently suspicious if an offer seems overly generous.
theconversation.com
December 3, 2024 at 1:46 AM
Too good to be true? New study shows people reject freebies and cheap deals for fear of hidden costs.
Reposted by Economics LOL
I'm going to form a Department of Eat the Rich (DOER)
November 24, 2024 at 6:35 PM
I'm going to form a Department of Eat the Rich (DOER)
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
"The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes" www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/n...
"The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes" www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/n...
The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes
The bike-sharing program rewards users who help redistribute bikes around New York City. A few riders have figured out how to turn that into profit.
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
"The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes" www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/n...
"The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes" www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/n...
Economists out of fashion? In this economy? www.npr.org/sections/pla...
Have economists gone out of fashion in Washington?
Once the high priests of policy, economists may now be seeing lower demand. But who's taking their place?
www.npr.org
September 26, 2024 at 1:18 AM
Economists out of fashion? In this economy? www.npr.org/sections/pla...
The power tool industry has delayed safer table saws for 20 years. A CPSC rule would prevent or reduce the severity of almost 50,000 injuries per year. Net annual benefits from $1.28-2.32 billion. It's crazy this clear cut decision has taken so long. www.npr.org/2024/04/02/1...
After years of trying, the U.S. government may finally mandate safer table saws
After years of false starts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission looks poised to mandate a blade safety brake on all new table saws sold in the United States.
www.npr.org
September 20, 2024 at 10:43 PM
The power tool industry has delayed safer table saws for 20 years. A CPSC rule would prevent or reduce the severity of almost 50,000 injuries per year. Net annual benefits from $1.28-2.32 billion. It's crazy this clear cut decision has taken so long. www.npr.org/2024/04/02/1...
It might be called a "Chapstick pocket" but the real reason for that tiny pocket is tariff avoidance. www.marketplace.org/2019/05/29/t...
Fashion design with tariffs in mind
Why your Columbia shirt has a tiny pocket near your waistline.
www.marketplace.org
September 19, 2024 at 5:32 PM
It might be called a "Chapstick pocket" but the real reason for that tiny pocket is tariff avoidance. www.marketplace.org/2019/05/29/t...
In Russia, economists are just like everyone else.
July 24, 2024 at 4:04 PM
In Russia, economists are just like everyone else.
When they said the cat got an honorary doctorate in 4 years, I knew it wasn't an economics PhD. wapo.st/3yMTTtb
Cat roams university campus for 4 years, gets doctoral degree
“It’s hilarious that he now has a doctoral degree — but he really deserves it.” said Ali Impomeni, a student at Vermont State University.
wapo.st
June 5, 2024 at 3:45 PM
When they said the cat got an honorary doctorate in 4 years, I knew it wasn't an economics PhD. wapo.st/3yMTTtb
“Endless Shrimp” a red herring in Red Lobster bankruptcy. www.independent.co.uk/news/worl…
May 21, 2024 at 6:22 PM
“Endless Shrimp” a red herring in Red Lobster bankruptcy. www.independent.co.uk/news/worl…
Farewell to Panera’s deadly “Charged Lemonade.” Looking forward to the Harvard Business School case study. wapo.st/3WFo3YX
May 15, 2024 at 10:43 PM
Farewell to Panera’s deadly “Charged Lemonade.” Looking forward to the Harvard Business School case study. wapo.st/3WFo3YX
What is Columbia University, if not professors and students? Turns out it is “among New York City’s top 10 largest private property owners.” Oh. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/nyregion/columbia-nyu-property-tax-exemptions-legislation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU0.GABn.dwEf7n2VT6E2
May 8, 2024 at 3:10 PM
What is Columbia University, if not professors and students? Turns out it is “among New York City’s top 10 largest private property owners.” Oh. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/nyregion/columbia-nyu-property-tax-exemptions-legislation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU0.GABn.dwEf7n2VT6E2
Every PR flack should be asking how to get the dipshits at NYPD to hold up their completely quotidian products on “Morning Joe.” Publicity gold for Kryptonite.
www.mediaite.com/politics/…
www.mediaite.com/politics/…
May 1, 2024 at 5:33 PM
Every PR flack should be asking how to get the dipshits at NYPD to hold up their completely quotidian products on “Morning Joe.” Publicity gold for Kryptonite.
www.mediaite.com/politics/…
www.mediaite.com/politics/…
Arguments against student demands for divestment are remarkably similar to the apartheid era, and they are a contradictory mess. “Too complicated!” “Trivial effect!” “We have to maximize returns by investing in war machines and genocide!”
wapo.st/3JLc3xi
wapo.st/3JLc3xi
April 30, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Arguments against student demands for divestment are remarkably similar to the apartheid era, and they are a contradictory mess. “Too complicated!” “Trivial effect!” “We have to maximize returns by investing in war machines and genocide!”
wapo.st/3JLc3xi
wapo.st/3JLc3xi
It seems we are about to run the Prohibition experiment again on TikTok. What happens when “a product that’s used by roughly half of Americans is essentially illegal as it currently exists (or will be soon)”?
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/
April 26, 2024 at 5:06 PM
It seems we are about to run the Prohibition experiment again on TikTok. What happens when “a product that’s used by roughly half of Americans is essentially illegal as it currently exists (or will be soon)”?
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/