Assorted links

If that’s what someone who likes the iPad thinks is getting it, the device sounds even worse than I thought.

“The iPad really isn’t that practical if you want to get things done”

Great!

Neither is my television, stereo, or MP3 player, but I still view them and nearly indespensible items. The iPad never marketed itself as a productivity panacea. It’s first and foremost an entertainment device. I don’t think the above is too much of a knock against the product.

6. So, people whose opinions differ from yours on this matter don’t “understand” it? That seems a fairly arrogant stance.

That UK study is not by a statistician, and certainly not by a gambler. Unless the Martingale strategy somehow magically works in breeding…

“A difficulty for all analysis of this sort is the possibility of endogenous family stopping rules. The problem is that certain kinds of voters may choose to cease having offspring after they achieve some desired gender mix within their children — thereby spuriously creating a form of reverse causality where attitudes determine the
gender pattern in the children.”

Since I do a lot of reading on a laptop, I’m always surprised when people say they have trouble doing so. I associate laptop computers with 19th century literature, since I’m always downloading some public domain novel or another, and most of these are from the 19th century. I actually find it easier to read novels on a laptop than from a book since I don’t have to worry about lighting.

I’m glad that a lot of people are enjoying reading on the iPad. It seems a bit awkward to me having to hold the book up, rather than having a little laptop reading stand, but if it works for them, it works for them. I’ve even been playing with the Kindle application for my laptop. It’s a bit clunky with its page turning trope – I prefer scrolling – but maybe I’ll be reading some contemporary fiction again.