India’s testing regime. From an American perspective, it’s all quite familiar. {comment carefully on this one, please.}
Former GM vice chairman of product development Bob Lutz writes an article about how GM lost its edge because it focused so much on the bottom line that they didn’t concern themselves with satisfaction. The talk of metrics is interesting. But he overlooks a key component: they aren’t a good deal! It’s one thing to be cheap and unpleasant. But they’re unpleasant and unreliable without a significant price break.
Meanwhile, Ford rapidly losing its improved reputation, and Mickey Kaus is wondering if their recent untick in quality and reliability ought to instead be attributed to recently-spun-off Mazda.
The UAW is having trouble getting the Hyundai workers in the south to organize. On the one hand, why should they organize and potentially wreck such a good deal. On the other hand, it’s helpful to have the threat of unionization in order to keep the automakers on their feet.
And lastly, a look at Chinese cars.
One of the few weapons that the record industry has against piracy is by making legitimate ownership of the product more convenient. Make piracy redundant. I still think that the best way of going about it is through subscriptions and rentals, but iTunes Match gives it a go. I have a lot of issues with Apple, but their handling of copyright issues and art has helped even us non-Applytes out considerably.
Resolved. We need to just get over the criminal Ferris Bueller.
Bakadesuyo: Should we study to take tests or should we take tests to study?
The safety of food.
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comment carefully on this one, please.
I can’t comment at all, since the article is behind a pay wall.
The UAW is having trouble getting the Hyundai workers in the south to organize.
It seems to me that the workers are getting the best of both worlds. After all, union dues are non-zero.
Sorry for the double post
Resolved. We need to just get over the criminal Ferris Bueller.
I will argue the negative.
Those who criticise FB because he breaks a few laws are missing the entire point of the movie. It is about what one would do if one could play hooky. It is the fantasy of any kid who is stuck in some borin school.
The Atlantic criticises the movie because of its lack of diversity. One of the flaws of liberalism is that it treats diversity as something that is ipso facto positive. The lack of diversity in the movie didn’t make it a better movie or a worse movie.
I can’t comment at all, since the article is behind a pay wall.
D’oh! Sorry about that. Maybe I’ll write a separate post with the gist of the piece.
It seems to me that the workers are getting the best of both worlds. After all, union dues are non-zero.
The big thing they don’t get is the pension. Then again, new UAW workers aren’t likely to get it, either.
Re: Ferris Bueller
To me, while it dips into diversity, the thrust of the article is “Why should we relate to this guy? Why should we cheer this guy on when we have nothing in common with him?” Bueller is supposed to be this universal character. Instead, he’s a rather shallow kid with a hot girlfriend who is never held into account.
…the thrust of the article is “Why should we relate to this guy? Why should we cheer this guy on when we have nothing in common with him?” Bueller is supposed to be this universal character. Instead, he’s a rather shallow kid with a hot girlfriend who is never held into account.
Interesting you brought this up. Comedies nowadays are leaving me cold, as the character’s lives are often better than my own. For example, in “Hangover 2,” all the characters can afford to go to Thailand for a wedding. I can’t afford that. Can anyone? (And of course the bride is hot.)
Other examples include almost every Judd Apatow film. (Okay, I hate his movies anyway, but part of the reason is that he makes me feel more sorry for myself than for the characters.)
For God’s sake, in Pineapple Express, Amber Heard played Seth Rogen’s girlfriend.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1720028/
…and a second link, because you can never get too many pics of Amber Heard.
http://www.google.com/search?q=amber+heard+pineapple+express&hl=en&prmd=ivnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=UEUWTuf9BcS20AGG3M1I&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=800&bih=485
So yeah, I couldn’t totally relate to Ferris Bueller, but at least you really didn’t know if he’d be successful after high school. Hell, didn’t his friends in the movie figure he’d be a fry-cook? So it’s not as if the guy is skating through life as an adult pothead while nailing Amber Heard, or, in another movie, doing the same thing with Katherine Heigle by his side.
Side note: am I the only one who hates Judd Apatow films?
Apologies for the comments not working as planned. You might want to delete a few of those.
No problem. They were held for moderation anyway because of the links.
You are right that the point of the article in The Atlantic wasn’t diversity, but he still felt the need to bring it up.
It is fun to cheer for Ferris because he is living a fantasy life for a day. Only losers like school. The rest of us suffer through it. The fact that he is getting away with all of this cool stuff is fun to watch and makes us jealous.
am I the only one who hates Judd Apatow films?
No, but I did enjoy The 40 Year Old Virgin, which begat The Office. As for TV shows, his Freaks and Geeks was very good. And it only lasted 18 episodes, so you can get through it during a rainy weekend.
Sorry. In post 7 I was quoting Kirk, not Trumwill.
The fact that he is getting away with all of this cool stuff is fun to watch and makes us jealous.
And what good is this jealousy?