More on Khan Academy

I continue to be impressed with what Khan Academy is doing to the learning model. Here is a great update from a recent TED talk.

Khan Academy

Where was this when I was in middle and high school? Ah - technology and power of one person trying to make a difference.

I am curious to how the powerful teachers unions and the status quo react to this powerful new tool. I think pushing the envelope like this is terrific. A step in the right direction.

Google has made billions of dollars innovating internet search tools and consumer-based applications at no cost to the end user (unless you count giving up your privacy as no-cost). In this video, they now prognosticate that all service providers will be reduced to dumb highways moving bits from one location to another.

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I think free markets respond to changes and Google's comments are based on today's networks. Many providers are quickly moving to make the network more "user-friendly" with features such as bandwidth on demand, and application management. I like to compare networks with highways. People use roads that offer the best experience and get them to their destination the fastest - even if it means paying a toll.

A graph can move the needle more than any speech

I feel expressing a viewpoint through a singular picture or graph is much harder than it looks. That is why I posted this graph below. This is not a political endorsement but a very clever graph aligning the current President's actions with job growth and the specific actions his administration has taken. I am sure there are many nuances to this data that can be argued so I am curious how they will graph that.

Who defines greed?

I've been fascinated with the Occupy Wallstreet Movement and the use (and sometimes misuse) of the word Greed. Per Webster, greed is, "an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."

From the greediness man in film.

Another short clip from Milton Friedman on greed and capitalism. Who is more greedy, the capitalist in pursuit of the dollar, or the bureaucrat in pursuit of power? Are they one in the same?

After some browsing, I came across this article All About Greed | Foundation for Economic Education. It's well written.

Final thoughts - Who's decides how much is too much? Outside my faith and my parents, should it be anyone else?