Two more objections to pharmaceutical patents
My wife suggested an addition to my list of bad incentives created by pharmaceutical patents. It is actually one of two closely related problems. These are possibly the most harmful of all as they can lead to patients directly getting worse treatments, as well as wasting money. (more…)
Comments disabled
Fixing capitalism: reactions and replies
The reactions to my post on fixing capitalism have surprised me: almost everyone who has blogged or tweeted on it agrees with the broad thrust of what I advocate. For proposals so far from the political mainstream, what does that mean? Perhaps is shows how for the politicians are from a popular demand for change. There also a few points that need replies. (more…)
How to fix capitalism
The recession and the crisis and banking are the least of the reasons for thinking that we need reforms. the crisis of capitalism goes much deeper: the influence big business has on governments (and the warped policies this leads to), increasing central control of the economy and the general move away from free markets.. I have some modest proposals on how to fix capitalism. (more…)
Two economists on labour and value
I came across two interesting quotes from two famous economists of the 18th and 19th centuries: (more…)
Comments disabled
How big business undermines the free market.
The FT has the best mainstream media take I have seen on something I have been saying for a long time. (more…)
Efficient markets, bamboozled journalists and stupid regulators
The media seems to have reached a consensus that the efficient markets hypothesis (EMH) has been discredited by the financial crises. I have been somewhat bemused by this, as I could not see the connection. (more…)
I bought my first e-book
It is not the first e-book I have read (no by a long way), but it is the first I have bought. It is (of course) DRM free. It is also a book (actually two books ) I would never have bought if the previous books in the series had not been free downloads. (more…)
Comments disabled
National Portait Gallery and everlasting copyrights
I had not intended to blog about the National Portrait Gallery threatening to sue Wikipedia over the latter’s publication of copies of paintings in the gallery, as I thought it would be obvious to anyone that this is a blatant attempt to use physical possession of a work to get around the expirations of copyrights. Tactics like this can effectively extend copyright indefinitely. (more…)
Comments disabled
Google hatred
The usually intelligent Willem Buiter has written a great example of the irrational hatred that Google seems to sporadically evoke. He attacks them with a list of charges, all of which are easily refuted.
Comments disabled
Linux is fruit juice, Windows is cola
A discussion about why Linux has been so slow to take off made be realise that, essentially, Windows is like cola, Linux is like fruit juice. Its marketing that matters. (more…)
Comments disabled
Feed