Author Archives: Sir Barken Hyena

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About Sir Barken Hyena

IT professional and veteran of start ups. Life long musician and songwriter. Voracious reader of dead white guys. Lover of food and women.

Anti-Harassment Training, Today’s Roasted Goat Bones?

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: The Ancient Greeks sacrificed goats to the gods, then roasted them and examined the cracked and burned bones for signs of The Gods’ beneficence. We have corporate Anti-(sexual) Harassment Training programs, which serve double duty as modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Sex | 10 Comments

The Tea Party: Today’s Marauding Civilization-Crushing Nomads?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Yeah, I know they aren’t literally nomads, although I do bet RV ownership tracks well with Tea Party membership. But first, I present the contortions of Frank Rich: http://nymag.com/news/politics/elections-2012/tea-party-2012-10/ A few paragraphs will do it. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | 9 Comments

Economists are Not Humans

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Economists are not humans. Reminders are never far away but this is a good one. “It’s overwhelmingly likely that we’re going to want the public sector to be a larger share of the economy in 10, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 6 Comments

The Case for Interventions

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Here’s a sad case that I think brings up some difficult questions: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/fire-kills-1-badly-burns-another-in-extreme-hoarding-intervention-gone-awry/ “An extreme hoarding situation ended in extreme sadness on Tuesday. It may have been a final act of defiance that killed a man … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | 3 Comments

Quantitative Easing III Happened Because of a Single Blogger

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: So claims Tyler Cowen, and the blogger is Scott Sumner of The Money Illusion. I tried to read his blog for years and finally gave up, so I’m in no position to evaluate this. But if … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Are There Any Taboos Today?

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: I know the obvious answer is “yes and they are racial & gender related” but when reading about Victorian England, for example, it’s clear that the taboos of the age were pretty much universal. Nobody anywhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal reflections, Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | 16 Comments

Romney/Ryan 2012: a Prediction

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: I’m not predicting who will win in November. We’ll see soon enough. I’m making a prediction about what will happen if the Romney/Ryan ticket wins. The economy will improve. But only a little. That portion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 6 Comments

The Brian Eno Disease

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: It pains me to use this title. I adore Eno, he’s been a huge influence on me, both as a teacher of sorts, and as an artist.  Another Green World is practically the founding document for … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Personal reflections | Tagged , | 2 Comments

No Resumes Allowed!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Media company IGN has a novel hiring practice: they take candidates without looking their resumes at all. This is the second year in a row that they’ve done this. “The average age someone learns to code is … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal reflections | Tagged | 6 Comments

NPR: All The News You Can Lose

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: I heard this report this morning, about statistics for charitable giving derived from IRS filings. The finding is the religious give more than the non-religious. Utah is the most giving state, New Hampshire the least. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 2 Comments