The Letters of Vincent van Gogh
The new edition of Vincent van Gogh's letters is magnificent.
When Labour Costs Are Low
Bollywood movies provide cross-country evidence for Baumol's cost disease in the performing arts.
The Impossible Dazzlingly Achieved
Viktoria Mullova's new recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin is breathtaking.
Tall People Live Better Lives On Average
That's from a recent paper entitled "Life at the Top: The Benefits of Height" by economists Angus Deaton and Raksha Arora.
Paris
When I'm in Paris I tend to run from one exhibition to the next while doing some shopping in between. Occasionally I also find (or take) some time to take some photos.
Basilique Saint-Denis
Some close-ups of tombs inside the Basilique Saint-Denis.
Misha Glenny: McMafia
On the cover of my copy of McMafia it says that “anyone with even the smallest interest in how the world really works should read this book”. I’m not really sure whether this really is how the world really works, but it sure is an eye-opener.
Istanbul
I enjoyed seeing the layers of history on my trip to Istanbul.
Literature, Rationality and Rational Choice Theory
Are fictional characters on average more rational than one would expect based on empirical findings of how people actually behave or not?
Roberto Bolaño: The Savage Detectives
The Savage Detectives is quite simply a magnificent novel. This is why I read literature.
Borges and Perec on Classifying Animals
In his short story The Analytical Language of John Wilkins Borges famously lists a hilarious classification of animals found in an apocryphal Chinese encyclopedia. In Penser/Classer Georges Perec lists an equally hilarious classification drawn from various official documents.
Fishing Nets
The other day I noticed some piles of fishing nets lying on the quay of the port near where I live.