What I’m Reading — October 11th

October 11th, 2009
by Nathaniel Ward

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The New Yorker Explores What ‘Management Science’ Really Is.
How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect. "When those patterns break down — as when a hiker stumbles across an easy chair sitting deep in the woods, as if dropped from the sky — the brain gropes for something, anything that makes sense. It may retreat to a familiar ritual, like checking equipment. But it may also turn its attention outward, the researchers argue, and notice, say, a pattern in animal tracks that was previously hidden. The urge to find a coherent pattern makes it more likely that the brain will find one."
The Administrative State Strikes Again. "We've long thought the Railway Labor Act should be rewritten for numerous reasons, but that is Congress's job."

Nathaniel Ward