News from around the web: 2009-10-15

• FT.com – John Gapper – A credibility problem for Goldman

  pre-earnings thoughts on Goldman

• AT&T Continues Its Attack Against Google Voice With A Second Letter To The FCC

  More on the Google threat

• World Cup, Group Six: England 3-0 Belarus

  Crouch should have a bigger role for England.

• Calvin Trillin’s Theory – James Kwak

  Statistical evidence supporting the smart guys blew us up theory.

• Thomson Reuters to buy Breakingviews

  Are these guys going to have to play nice now?

• The US Dollar – Don’t just do something, stand there! – Marshall Auerback

  I don’t agree 100% but this is a good overview.

• Finland becomes the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right.

  We’re talking 100mb per second.

• CyanogenMod Wiki is a How-To for Android Modding – Lifehacker

  Google has asked them to stop.

• Fugitive caught after making two Facebook blunders

  Can you give a Darwin award to the living?

• Apple Moves To Block Jailbreaking In New iPhones

  so it can tie you down to what they want.

• Square Feet – A Building Boom in Toronto’s Finance District – NYTimes.com

  This is a bubble.

• Hong Kong Apartment Sells for $56.5 Million – NYTimes.com

  This comes hours after the city’s leader mentioned a housing bubble.

• Martin Wolf – The rumours of the dollar’s death are much exaggerated

  Insight into the dollar dilemma

• Elinor Ostrom and the Poverty of Economics – New Deal 2.0

  Comments on the Nobel show rampant sexism in economics.

• Steven Pearlstein – Don’t Reinflate the Old Bubbles – washingtonpost.com

  Must read piece of skeptical journalism

• Wall Street On Track To Award Record Pay – WSJ.com

  This will lead to a backlash.

• Ireland’s slow motion fiscal crisis | afoe

  A rich man’s Latvia? The next Iceland? How is the US different?

• Employed Taking Deeper Pay Cuts (Except on Wall Street, of Course) – Yves Smith

  Nice anecdote on keeping up appearances.

• Economist’s View: "Reviewing the Recession: Was Monetary Policy to Blame?"

  Thoma argues that regulation and asset price targeting are needed

• Smile! It Could Make You Happier: Scientific American

  Do we smile because we are happy or the other way around?

• Psychopaths are distracted, not cold-blooded – New Scientist

  "It challenges the belief that they are robots."

• Halloween Indicator: Is the time to buy now? Mark Hulbert – MarketWatch

  This indicator says no.

• JP Morgan smashes expectations with $3.6bn profit

  None of the profits are from traditional banking

• More on The Guardian: The Twitter Effect : CJR

  Internet not just democratizing in Iran or China.

• Bleak U.S. job market boosts military recruitment

  This is likely true for military over college as well.

• Recent ‘Momentum’ Influences Choices Of Baby Names, Professors Find

  Like trading, momentum counts.

• Dilbert comic strip for 10/14/2009: The CEO and the Senator

  very funny.

• Wall Street Smarts – NYTimes.com

  Amusing. When bankers became geniuses, it was time to get out. Hat tip Scott.

Distraction of the Day: Should obese workers pay more for insurance?