Wikipedia has an elaborate process in which they choose the content that gets slated as a “featured article“—less than 1/10 of a percent of all articles on the site. (Listen to this interesting discussion—really!—among some Wikipedia power-users to get an idea of the standards used and the kind of people who have devoted so much [...]

This isn’t about the economy, but the potential impact on the Big Daddy of user-generated content is so great the topic is worthy of a post. Wikipedia, founded on the concept that anyone can edit any entry on any topic at any time, has announced an upcoming change in the way it will allow edits [...]

It’s official. Cabin fever has officially set in. My mind is increasingly wrapped up in thoughts of gold, of mountain streams, rocky canyons and tricky descents into the same. At the Salem Gold Show this weekend one of the vendors dropped 7.5 ozt of fine gold on the floor, and while I felt terrible for [...]

Just got a strange phone call: “Attention Americans – are you aware of the recent tea party events that are occurring across the nation, as a result of recent governmental actions? Please take notice today!” I thought it was a friend of mine and started to play along, but the caller   hung up. Turns [...]

Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich writes an oft-cited blog on which he posts thoughtful commentary on economic and political issues. Lately, he has been advocating for a public health care option and debunking some of the dubious claims being made about the bills currently under consideration. Reich also created a short-lived 2007 video log, [...]

The Cash for Clunkers program is ending on Monday. Although a lot of people took advantage of the government subsidy to trade in their low gas-mileage car for a more fuel efficient one, many seem to have done so with a good dose of regret and a whole lot of anthropomorphizing. Here’s a guy, for [...]

The prolonged recession has made the potential loss of a home a painful reality for millions of formerly comfortable owners. Today, the Mortgage Bankers Association released more unwelcome news on that front: A record-high 13% of mortgage holders are either behind on their payments or in foreclosure. That’s a scary number of people facing an [...]

WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show has created an online section called “Uncommon Economic Indicators” where people submit signs of the recession observed around the New York City area. These won’t show up in any government statistics or charts, but they turn the abstract gloom of macroeconomic numbers into a concrete picture of what’s happening in the [...]

Supporters of one or other of the current health care reform proposals wending their way through Congress might have gotten a vicarious thrill when a Democrat—in the person of Barney Frank—finally gave as good as he got at a town-hall confrontation. WOMAN: “Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy, as Obama has, expressly [...]

Perhaps, in the middle of this national free-for-all of a health care debate, you’ve found yourself in an argument with friends, family, or a stranger on the Internet masquerading as the same avatar your 13-year old uses. Here is one such mini-drama, spied on Facebook. (Disclaimers: Certain emoticons have been changed to protect the innocent, [...]