Economics

The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. -F.A. Hayek

Economics is the feeble attempt by individuals to understand the millions. It tries to find patterns in human behavior through their choices. Most often but not always these choices are observed as exchanges in the market place. Economics makes thousands of unrealistic assumptions and uses the average of everything. In order to assign value to everything and make things quantifiable economists use money. Although it is imperfect, money seems to be the best proxy for value economists have. The study has proven time and time again that the limits of human comprehension can't grasp humanity. However the valuable contribution that economics makes is in the process of economic analysis. Economics uses a positive approach when looking for patterns and correlations. The process is highly logical and moves very slowly in order to maintain a clear path when working through very large bodies of information. The study is still very young and it continues to develop in depth, clarity and complexity with every decade. I like to imagine the growth of the study as similar to that of early medicine. When doctors first began to learn about the human body they made all kinds of outrageous mistakes and assumptions. Slowly people began to realize what was good and bad medicine. Lobotomy is no longer common procedure as it was during the early years of medicine for good reason. I think that the same thing will happen with economics. Large industrial societies which are the main subject of study for economists are a new development in the history of man. It will take hundreds of years to develop a sensible understanding of the great human forces that now dominate our lives.

Subterfuge: an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.


Lassitude: weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate,etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor.

The Webs

The internet is the most glorious thing that I have ever had access to in my entire life. Even though the vast majority of content hosted on the internet is garbage and pornography. There is more valuable information than I will ever be able to comprehend floating around in cyberspace. Nearly everything I have ever wanted to know is within thirty keystrokes and a confident slap of the return key. What is more important is that human interactions across the world are bridged in a matter of seconds. Ideas that before could have taken days or even years to travel around the world can spread in minutes. Humans all over the world can communicate share and explain with millions of other people. Information has never been so difficult to contain and in many cases the internet has liberated ideas and individuals and is cause for human celebration. Some countries have even gone so far as to make internet connections one of the basic rights of citizens. The internet is an incredible catalyst for the growth of human consciousness. It has become the collection of the thoughts, ideas and actions of billions of people easily accessible for the individual and a constant reminder of the larger context of the individual life.

Expedient: tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose.


Magisterial: Having an air of authority.

Tuesday Jam Sessions

When I came to San Jose State there were a lot of things that I left back home. Most of those things I was happy to leave behind. Playing music was not one of them. In high school I was involved with the music program on campus and I also played in a band that I had created with a few of my closest friends. The only problem was that I was a drummer and when I moved to San Jose I had no place suitable for storing and playing a drum kit and I was going to school for engineering. Attending school was my main priority and I had no choice but to give up playing. For my first three years in San Jose I simply went without. Finally in my third year I moved into a house with roommates who didn't mind me bringing a drum kit along. Ecstatic about the opportunity to start playing again I quickly got a hold of my friend who I knew played guitar in San Jose. We played together a few times and made plans to meet every Tuesday evening for a jam session. We've been doing that for a little over a year now and in the process we have recruited a couple more of our friends to form a new band. Tuesday jam sessions which have been a weekly retreat for me have now become practice for The Suede Cats. In the past month we have finally put together a small handful of songs that we are going to record in a month for an EP. I'm ecstatic to be playing music again and I can't wait to record.

Debonair: Suave, urbane.

Congenial: Having the same nature, disposition or tastes.

Because It's Due

Four days ago I had the most outrageous dream I have ever experienced. It all started when I was in the passenger seat of a Jeep. My good friend Matt Chavez was driving and my anonymous dream friends who were female were sitting in the back. We were driving onto the beach towards the ocean on a road that wound its way straight into the water. We were there to watch the waves and the sunset in honor of the beautiful world we live in. Suddenly the water began to reclaim the beach we were currently parked on. So we decided to put the car in reverse to avoid the rising water. As we were in reverse the scene changed and we were suddenly backing up alongside a news crew van. We stopped and as I looked around I was suddenly in a sport utility vehicle. It was now midday at the beach and the passengers in the car with me were no longer my friends. They had become random girls that I had never met before. Looking outside the driver side window I noticed a man was surrounded by a malevolent aura. He looked like he killed people. One of the girls in the backseat of the vehicle was pointing a camera at him. The lens of the camera caught the eye of the man and as he was about to pass the vehicle he made a sudden turn. Coming around the backside of the vehicle he quickly entered the rear passenger door opposite the driver's side. Reaching into his pocket he began to pull out a weapon and raised his arm to strike the driver. In a panic I looked for anything I could use to stop the assault on the woman driving. Fortunately there was a katana at my feet. As anyone would do in a life or death situation I quickly removed the blade from its sheath. I aimed the point of the blade directly for the mans throat and thrust forward. I was surprised by how easily the blade slipped past the skin. Deciding that I should finish this fight to the death I quickly removed the blade from the man and proceeded to aim for his heart. When I struck the man again I was surprised to see that the progress of my blade was stopped just after breaching the cloth of his shirt. He was wearing body armor. I should have expected as much. The scene flashed and I suddenly found myself in a small room seated next to a couple of federal agents. I was being interrogated for the murder of one of the most notorious contract killers in the United States. As I was trying to become familiar with the small room that I was sitting in another agent walked in. I don't know who he was but I just remember that I hated him. Suddenly I grabbed my chair and threw it in protest of his entrance. Then I grabbed the ash tray and threw it as well. Next I reached for the garbage can and threw that across the room in a desperate attempt to express my distaste for the man. At that moment the dream stopped and I woke up.

Prerogative: a right, privilege, etc., limited to a specific person or to persons of a particular category.

Oeuvre: the works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively.