Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees

Part Behavioral finance, part cycling, and part a study in how the brain works, the following "Test" is eye opening at least.

We all get so caught up in seeing what we want to see that we sometimes miss the obvious. This effects us in many ways: In finance, if bullish (optimistic), we are more apt to see the good news, if bearish (pessimistic) you see only bad news.

That is one reason why big break throughs happen from those outside the field. It is one reason why sabbaticals and vacations are important. But it can also have important implications in many other ways.




Go ahead, take the test. It takes about a minute.

Cross posted on FinanceProfessor.com's blog, Olean Cycling club's blog (which is currently almost inactive :( ), and RandomTopics2.


thanks to the Tour of the Gila for pointing this one out.

Manhattanhenge | Hayden Planetarium

Manhattanhenge | Hayden Planetarium:

"For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes on Saturday, May 30th this year, one of only two occasions when the Sun sets in exact alignment with the Manhattan grid, fully illuminating every single cross-street for the last fifteen minutes of daylight. The other day is Sunday, July 12th. These two days give you a photogenic view with half the Sun above and half the Sun below the horizon—on the grid. The day after May 30th (Sunday, May 31), and the day before July 12 (Saturday, July 11) will also give you Manhattanhenge moments, but instead you will see the entire ball of the Sun on the horizon—on the grid."

Former Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman pleads guilty to tax evasion

Former Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman pleads guilty to tax evasion:

"Former major league pitcher Jerry Koosman pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion on Friday and could face up to one year in prison.

Koosman, an All-Star who helped the New York Mets win the 1969 World Series, failed to pay federal income taxes for 2002, 2003 and 2004, defrauding the government out of as much as $90,000, assistant U.S. attorney John Vaudreuil said. He also faces $25,000 in fines.

The 66-year-old Koosman makes his home in Osceola. He told investigators he researched federal tax laws and concluded they applied only to federal workers, corporate employees and District of Columbia residents, court documents said.

'I guess it's a combination of being naive and not being able to understand law as I read it or was told,' Koosman told U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb during Friday's hearing."

So wait, he really believed that? Really? uh, ok.

Protecting Athletes -- Microbiologists Invent Coating To Protect Athletes From Infection

Exciting news :)

Protecting Athletes -- Microbiologists Invent Coating To Protect Athletes From Infection:

"Microbiologists have devised an anti-microbial coating to protect athletes from potentially deadly infections. When applied to a surface, the coating bonds to it, then inhibits growth of bacteria, fungi, mold, and viruses. The coating can be applied to surfaces in locker rooms, equipment, and athletic fields."

Study Finds Reduction in Turbine Bat Kills - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

I have nothing against bats (the flying variety not the baseball kind), but I do have problems with many of the studies that find bird deaths around wind turbines. If pollution is bad (which I would assume it is), how many animals (birds, bats, skunks, people, or whatever) are dying from other sources of power generation? The problem is that they don't just fall at the base of the gas pump and hence are not measured. So much for true comparisons.

Study Finds Reduction in Turbine Bat Kills - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com:

". Twenty-one dead bats were found when turbines were fully operational, while 11 were found when turbines were turned off during low-wind phases....

The bat-saving measure came with a cost. Given the wind farm’s generating capacity, that one percent could theoretically translate to as much as 1,000 megawatt hours per year.

Using the going rate of $70.00 to $90.00 per megawatt hour of wind energy, that’s a potential $70,000 to $90,000 annual hit to the bottom line."

BTW this is also an example of how framing (context) matters. For instance. What if the following were the headline? "Would you pay $9,000 to save a single bat?"

High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests

High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests:

"A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease."

From Genes To Growls, Decoding 'The Modern Dog' : NPR

From Genes To Growls, Decoding 'The Modern Dog' : NPR:

"Talk of the Nation, May 15, 2009 · Stanley Coren, author of The Modern Dog, joins other experts to discuss the latest in canine science — including how dogs influence child development, what the canine genome reveals about human cancer and a new device that allows dogs to bark at their masters over a cell phone."