Archive for May, 2007
Video Game Theory
In some computer games, there is something Cheng would call the uppie trap. Basically, this involves a weak spot in the computer-controlled opposition’s armor. For example, a spot you can shoot from where the enemy will never return fire, or a strategy that will always score a touchdown against an opponent. This system essentially changes [...]
Put your money where your mouth is
Companies often talk really big and fail to deliver, so it’s not surprising that people tend to stop believing the things coming out of the PR factories of large corporations. A better way to ascertain the direction of a company is to see where they are spending their money, both on employee hires and acquisitions. [...]
Incentives
Economists love to talk about incentives. Without incentives, people wouldn’t go to work, or even get out of bed. People have incentives to do (almost) anything they do. Patents are one way of providing incentives. I won’t claim that the current patent system isn’t used and abused by those who hurt the economy, but without [...]
Creative Works as a Public Good
This seems blindingly obvious now that it occurred to me, but for some reason I haven’t seen anyone talk about this. Creative works (including digital media) are a public good (and furthermore, they are a global public good), and this has some interesting implications.