Death, Radiohead, and Homecoming

Death
Check out this highly entertaining and informative cartoon on the death industry.

Radiohead
It appears that Radiohead "sold" 1.2 million copies in their pay-as-you-will release of their latest album In Rainbows. Worldwide, the average paid for the album was $2.26. This is still a considerable amount more per album than bands traditionally get.

Campus Events Galore
There are a raft of events this week for homecoming. Highlights include:
FRIDAY
--Homecoming Parade: 4 p.m. Parade begins at Alumni Drive and College Heights Boulevard.
--Big Red Street Fest: Following the parade at Diddle Arena Auxiliary Gym. The annual event includes children’s activities, inflatable games and prizes. The first 200 fans to arrive at Street Fest receive a free ticket to the Lady Topper and Hilltopper basketball games.
--Women's Hoops: Lady Toppers vs. East Tennessee State: 6 p.m. at Diddle Arena.
--Men's Hoops: Hilltoppers vs. Kennesaw State: 8:30 p.m. at Diddle Arena.
--Big Red’s Roar: 8:30 p.m. at Diddle Arena. During the men’s game, WKU students will participate in the annual pep rally featuring Coach David Elson, the 2007 football team, Big Red, WKU Marching Band, cheerleaders, Topperettes and Homecoming Queen candidates.
SATURDAY
--Football game: WKU vs. Troy: 4 p.m. at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. WKU welcomes its first I-A opponent and future Sun Belt Conference rival. The 2007 Homecoming Queen will be crowned at halftime.
--Annual National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show: 8 p.m. at Diddle Arena.

Assignments for Next Week

For Week 8: Oct 15-19
Mon/Tues class: Read 117-130 in Foundations. Related to this, take the following Jung Typology survey. It will give you a four letter personality type at the end (ex., INTJ, ESFP, etc). Know your four-letter personality type when you come to class on Mon/Tues.

Wed/Thurs class: Read chapter four in Freakonomics, pp 105-132. In a two page, typed, double-spaced paper, answer the following question:

What are the most compelling explanations for the drop in crime during the 1990s? What makes these explanations so convincing?

LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT DUE OCT 18 (Tues-Thurs classes)/OCT 19 (Mon-Wed classes).
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In other news:
Freakonomics blog names winner of contest to rename the computer.

The road to the White House goes through...your eyes? Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush41, Clinton, and Bush43 all have one physical trait in common: blue eyes. Maybe I have a shot at the presidency--but I would likely need a shave and a haircut.

More spillover from Radiohead. The "set your price" download of their new album is not CD quality. This raises all kinds of new questions about the value of music.

Get Your Freakonomics Book Signed By the Authors (Sort of)

The logistics of mailing your book to Levitt and Dubner after the semester to be signed and then shipped back is not time- or cost-effective. So, click here to get a bookplate signed by the authors. It's basically a sticker signed by the authors that they will sign and send to you for free. Then, upon arrival, you can peel it off and stick it inside the front cover or on the title page. Or on your car. Or forehead.

In other news:
Want to ward off illness and infections? Try a crap sandwich. Slate.com argues that our food, and therefore our bodily systems, are too purified.

Radiohead Update: they reportedly sold a whopping 1.2 million copies of their new album yesterday. This morning, ABC's Good Morning America reported that people paid an average $8 for the album. So, that's a cool $9.6 million for the band's "free" album. Again, thinking freakonomically, why would people pay $8 if they can get it for free? What incentives are in play here? Will the amount paid go down over time? More on this as it develops.

Is breathing air in Europe now more dangerous than driving a car? A new study suggests that pollution caused by global warming is responsible for more deaths per year than car accidents.

Assignments for Next Week/Radiohead

For Week 8: Oct 15-19

Mon/Tues class: Read 117-120 in Foundations. Related to this, take the following Jung Typology survey. It will give you a four letter personality type at the end (ex., INTJ, ESFP, etc). Know your four-letter personality type when you come to class on Mon/Tues.

Wed/Thurs class: Read chapter four in Freakonomics, pp 105-132. In a two page, typed, double-spaced paper, answer the following question:

What are the most compelling explanations for the drop in crime during the 1990s? What makes these explanations so convincing?

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Also, for your pleasure, here is the link to Steven Levitt's blog on the new Radiohead album. Radiohead is allowing people to pay whatever they like to download their new album. This is quite "freakonomic" in nature. Think about the incentives involved here. What do you think the average "donation" will be? How many people will download and not pay anything?