If you're a graduate student and worried about how the recent economic turbulence effects you, fear not. The good folks at PhdComics.com have put together a handy guide (click on the picture for a larger version).
Showing posts with label Cartoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cartoons. Show all posts
How Professors Spend Their Time
I'm in the midst of filling out my annual report (we do one every year to show the powers that be what we did over the previous year). I've got several attachments, to my report, but I'm debating adding this as one more:
Maybe after I'm tenured...
Maybe after I'm tenured...
Data Analysis With Stata
The Unknown Family went to the Unknown Sister-in-Law's family's house in an adjacent state (their youngest daughter is going off to college, and Unknown Wife wanted to see her before she leaves for the Big Adventure). So, I got a couple of days to myself. Nothing very exciting - I've been grinding data during the day, and went on a couple of longish bike rides (I'm up to 25-30 miles at a time at what for me is a pretty good clip).
On the data analysis front, I finally took the plunge and started using Stata. It's a pretty amazing package of tools. I work with a lot of large and complicated data sets, and there's always a lot of data manipulation before I get to the point where I'm running statistical analyses. When it comes to moving data around (merging data, sub-setting, mean adjusting, etc...) SAS wins hands down. And I've put a lot of time getting my SAS chops, so I'd put off learning Stata for a long time.
But I now understand what so many of my friends have been telling me for so long - once you get to the point that your data is all nice and neat, Stata rocks. I was able to do many permutations of regression models (fixed effects, random effects, robust and/or clustered errors, etc...) in about a quarter of the time it would take in SAS. And while it's possible to work in batch mode by writing "do" files, you can do quick and dirty analyses with drop down menus.
I have seen the statistical light, and it reveals that I'll be doing a lot more with Stata in the future.
On the data analysis front, I finally took the plunge and started using Stata. It's a pretty amazing package of tools. I work with a lot of large and complicated data sets, and there's always a lot of data manipulation before I get to the point where I'm running statistical analyses. When it comes to moving data around (merging data, sub-setting, mean adjusting, etc...) SAS wins hands down. And I've put a lot of time getting my SAS chops, so I'd put off learning Stata for a long time.
But I now understand what so many of my friends have been telling me for so long - once you get to the point that your data is all nice and neat, Stata rocks. I was able to do many permutations of regression models (fixed effects, random effects, robust and/or clustered errors, etc...) in about a quarter of the time it would take in SAS. And while it's possible to work in batch mode by writing "do" files, you can do quick and dirty analyses with drop down menus.
I have seen the statistical light, and it reveals that I'll be doing a lot more with Stata in the future.
Dogbert Knows Earnings Management.
The second one is pretty timely - particularly since pension assumptions are covered in Level 2 of the CFA curriculum.
Happy Independence Day
A happy July 4th to all the Financial Rounds readers out there.
Start by reading the Declaration of Independence here. Then, to get a good feel for the costs born by the Signers of the Declaration, read this (there are a number of versions of it floating around the Internet, and it's been attributed originally to Paul Harvey, but this one is as good as any).
Finally go spend time with family, friends, grill some meat, and light off some fireworks. And if there's apple pie (See above) or baseball involved, so much the better.
As for the Unknown Family, I'm going for a "quick" 20 mile bike ride, followed by our spending the day spent at a family friend's house. We'll have all the essentials - a passel of kids, a grill with lots of critters to cook, various fruit, potato, and pasta salads, a hot tub to hang out in, and fireworks at the park just down the street.
update: the ride went well, Unknown Son was feeling well enough to play with the other kids for about 2 1/2 hours straight in the hot tub (it quickly became the "kiddie pool, so we didn't fire it up above merely warm), and there was plenty of food to be had. The little man is over his recent bout of chemo-induced nausea and vomiting of the recent post, but he still got tired out quickly. So, we left early (we anticipated this, so we took separate cars) and we're now settling in for a little Tom and Jerry action before bed (we believe in a classical education in the Unknown Household - Tom and Jerry, the Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, etc...).
I suspect Unknown Daughter and Unknown wife will show up around 11 or so. So a happy 4th once again to all.
Coffee
My kids already know "When Daddy doesn't have coffee, he gets GRUMPY"
more graph humor and song chart memes
And just in case you don't refill the pot, watch the first 30 seconds of this:
"You kill the jo, you make some mo. You know that, baby!"
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more graph humor and song chart memes
And just in case you don't refill the pot, watch the first 30 seconds of this:
"You kill the jo, you make some mo. You know that, baby!"
Note:If you want to receive updates, either sign up for email updates on the right sidebar, or add our RSS feed to your feed reader.
Stretching Accounts Payables
"Stretching" Accounts Payables (i.e. paying accounts payables past the due date without remitting the penalty, or paying after the discount period has expired but still taking the discount) is a common way that some firms gain cheap financing. However, a firm can only get away with it if they have an imbalance of power between them and the vendor. Here are a few Dilbert cartoons that illustrate the basic idea almost perfectly:
Unfortunately, unless you're a Wal-Mart (notorious for abusing their vendors), the flyswatter eventually ends up in the vendors' hands. So, "free" isn't always "free".
If a textbook vendor was smart, they'd just use Scott Adams for most of their illustrations.
Unfortunately, unless you're a Wal-Mart (notorious for abusing their vendors), the flyswatter eventually ends up in the vendors' hands. So, "free" isn't always "free".
If a textbook vendor was smart, they'd just use Scott Adams for most of their illustrations.
No, I'm Not Changing Your Grade
I just handed in grades for one of my classes. Not 20 minutes later, I got an email from a student asking why I couldn't give her a "B" because she "tried really hard and worked harder than most of the class". She's let me know repeatedly that she "really needs a "B". I considered sending her this cartoon:
But that would be wrong. Funny, maybe. Satisfying, definitely. But definitely wrong.
HT: Marginal Revolution.
But that would be wrong. Funny, maybe. Satisfying, definitely. But definitely wrong.
HT: Marginal Revolution.
How To Dress, How To Dress...
Since I pretty much wear khakis and button down shirts every day (and khakis and polo shorts when it gets warm, this made me chuckle
From PhDComics.
From PhDComics.
What To Call Your Professor
At the Unknown Alma Mater, some of the faculty preferred that students address them by their first name. With others, it was "Dr. So and So" until they graduated. At my current school, american PhD students go by first names, and international students go by "Dr. ___" (at least, until I can break them of the habit).
For students looking for some guidance on the issue, PhD Comics provides a handy flow chart. Enjoy.
For students looking for some guidance on the issue, PhD Comics provides a handy flow chart. Enjoy.
Perverse Incentives In Academia
I came across this Dilbert cartoon the other day, and it reminds me of academia.
I've had (tenured) colleagues who regularly "blow up" at one thing or another. It could be that they don't like their teaching schedule (or the number of courses they teach). It could be about travel funds. Regardless, what often happens is that the dean (or deparetment chair) tries to sooth the affronted party by giving them a better schedule, more travel funds, etc...
To summarize, the pattern is
Unfortunately, I'm not yet tenured, so complaining on my part will only result in my being on the job market once again. So I guess perverse incentives of the Bitch and Get Rewarded variety are only for tenured faculty.
But you already knew that.
I've had (tenured) colleagues who regularly "blow up" at one thing or another. It could be that they don't like their teaching schedule (or the number of courses they teach). It could be about travel funds. Regardless, what often happens is that the dean (or deparetment chair) tries to sooth the affronted party by giving them a better schedule, more travel funds, etc...
To summarize, the pattern is
- Teaching schedule is floated aound
- Colleague gripes about teaching load
- Dean gives colleague reduced teaching load or better schedule
Unfortunately, I'm not yet tenured, so complaining on my part will only result in my being on the job market once again. So I guess perverse incentives of the Bitch and Get Rewarded variety are only for tenured faculty.
But you already knew that.
Traders Gone WIld
I was talking to a trader friend of mine the other day and he pointed me to this cartoon.
With the recent volatility in the markets, that pretty much sums it up.
HT: The Big Picture
Click on the link - the comments below the post are pretty funny.
updated 4/3: A reader asked who the cartoonist is, so I googled him. It's Mike Keef of the Denver Post. You can see his other work here.
With the recent volatility in the markets, that pretty much sums it up.
HT: The Big Picture
Click on the link - the comments below the post are pretty funny.
updated 4/3: A reader asked who the cartoonist is, so I googled him. It's Mike Keef of the Denver Post. You can see his other work here.
When Diversification Doesn't Work
I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with correlation...
This Is Pretty Much True For Most First Drafts
This is true for my first drafts, and even more so for most grad students.
Sad, but true.
Sad, but true.
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