An ode to modernity

My first experiment with free verse:

A man holds cash, seeking transportation
A dealership, stock full of cars, his likely destination
"This cash, you see, for that car there, and let me drive away,"
Says the man to dealers who must want the cash he holds.
"Oh no, good man, your cash, you see, is not the way to pay.
For the products that we truly sell do not go by 'Olds'
But rather notes and loans and leases too,
Relationships that reach beyond
This simple car I'm selling you
Pay with cash and you'll abscond
From whole industries, it's true
Sign this contract by our lawyer Frank
(That's one, in case you're keeping score)
And send monthly payments to our bank,
(That's two, twice more than before)
While slickest brokers write up SIVs
(And three, but wait there's more)
bought by pensions, who wisely do insure
(Holy cow, now we're up to four)
Against losses you may cause them to incur
And so my friend, you see it clear,
With this simple car we may
Keep many fed for many years.
That's how things work today.
Peering at his wad of bills, and knowing well the cost,
He looked upon the dealership, and told them all "get lost"

Professor Russ Roberts, one of my favorite economists and host of EconTalk, makes this point very well: "Self sufficiency is the road to poverty." However, this brings up an inherent question that should occupy the mind of any policy wonk (and, by extension, voter): how much of this mutual dependence should we encourage? What is the right balance between prosperity and robustness, and how does one shape incentives to achieve it?

Right now, violating the system by simply paying cash for a car sounds like a subversive act. As for me, I'm gonna fix by bicycle, change the oil in my car and bake my own pies. Yes, I'm being rebellious by living out an episode of Leave It To Beaver. Stop by for pie and tea, we'll make it a party.

Oats brule'

This is such a bastardization of the proper dessert I fell no need to use proper characters in the title. It is, however, delicious.

As of yesterday, I received the butane for my Chef's Torch, itself a Christmas gift from my wonderful mother. Not having time to actually make a Baked Alaska or any marangue pie this week, I went to town on oatmeal. This is best served in steep-sized bowls on a really cold winter morning.

"Filling":
3cups water
1.5cups rolled oats
1T sugar
2T butter
1/3cup sour cream

"Topping":
enough brown sugar to cover the filling

Procedure:

Boil the water, stir in the oats and reduce heat. Let cook until thick, then allow to cool for a couple minutes before stirring in sugar, butter, and sour cream.

Transfer to bowls and cover with brown sugar. Use a Chef's Torch to carmelize the sugar, and serve immediately. Note: an oven broiler can be used instead, but the small flame thrower is a lot more fun.

This is big

If anyone reading this knows anyone involved with this: Laser fusion test results raise energy hopes, I want to bake these guys a pie.

The goal of energy policy today, in my humble opinion, should be to "bend the curve", and direct resources to cleaner and more efficient sources. This looks to do that, and along the way builds a viable case for commercial lunar operations. It won't solve all our problems, and isn't an excuse to delay other good ideas, but the future is bright. The future's so bright I gotta wear a welding helmet.

Cookie crust, attempt 1

I got a batch of home-made cookie mix for Christmas this year, and when I made the first batch they spread out enough to cover the whole cookie sheet, looking a lot more like a pre-baked pie crust than the cookies I hoped to make.

Like most progress, what began as failure is on its way to becoming a very delicious success. Like most progress, success is the result of learning what not to do.

Lesson 1: Pre-bake the crust

Lesson 2: This is not a good bet for fruit pies, and maybe only appropriate for no-bake types

More to come!