Here's What I Learned Today

Flickr users: Don’t sell out to Getty

ckck:

“Let’s briefly examine Getty’s relationship to Flickr photographers. You may be honoured that the world’s largest agency has taken an interest in your images, but please remember that Getty keeps 80% of whatever it makes on your photos, and that it retains exclusive rights to those images. This is a much larger slice of the pie than the 50% the agency typically extracts from its non-Flickr photographers; the tactic of demanding usurious rates from amateurs and hobbyists is basically predatory and will eventually be used as leverage to bring its fold of professionals to capitulate to higher taxes on their images. As photographer to HM the Queen Rod Edwards has said, “It’s no longer an honour to be represented by Getty. It’s an embarassment.”

If you are a Flickr user, please read the rest of this post by Nathan Jones  on why you shouldn’t accept Getty’s offer to sell your photos.

Economists are the new rock stars?

With all of the economic shenanigans of the past couple of years, people are suddenly interested in economists, of all things. Men (it’s mostly men) who have spent most of their lives hanging out in academia and ignoring their chronic dandruff have been thrust into the public spotlight with all of the trappings of rock-stardom.

If the analogy with rockstars seems like a bit of a stretch, think about this: Dr.Doom is not the stage name of a death metal guitarist, it’s actually the name given to Nouriel Roubini, Professor of economics at NYU Stern.

The similarities don’t end with the cool nicknames. While the East Coast / West Coast rap battle was fairly short-lived, the Keynesian / Neoclassical rap battle has been raging for decades, with no end in sight.

If that all sounds very esoteric (and a bit of a yawn), I should point out that this shit has a material impact on your life, even if you choose to ignore it. So, if you’re ready to get on the economics bandwagon and actually try to understand this stuff, then follow this link to the Economist’s handy-dandy primer on whether Biggie or Tupac had it right on that whole “liquidity trap” thing (WARNING: this may make your head hurt more than a death metal concert, but if it does not kill you, it will make you stronger)