Professor Michael Heller visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss his book "The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives." This event took place on July 18, 2008, as part of the Authors@Google series.
25 new runways would eliminate most air travel delays in America. Why can't we build them? 50 patent owners are blocking a major drug maker from creating a cancer cure. Why won't they get out of the way? 90% of our broadcast spectrum sits idle while American cell phone service lags far behind Japan's and Korea's. Why are we wasting our airwaves? 98% of African American--owned farms have been sold off over the last century. Why can't we stop the loss? All these problems are really the same problem—one whose solution would jump-start innovation, release trillions in productivity, and help revive our slumping economy.
The Gridlock Economy is a startling, accessible biography of an idea. Nothing is inevitable about gridlock. It results from choices we make about how to control the resources we value most. We can unlock the grid; this book shows us where to start.
Michael Heller is one of America's leading authorities on ownership. He is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of Real Estate Law at Columbia Law School and has served as the school's Vice Dean for Intellectual Life. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The British Empire In Colour, 2002
Produced by the innovative team behind the BAFTA Award-winning 'Britain At War In Colour' and the Peabody Award-winning 'Second World War In Colour' and narrated by Art Malik, this unmissable production uses original colour film - much of it previously unseen - to chart Britain's imperial path, from the zenith of the Indian Raj to the eventual disintegration of the Empire.
The series does not purport to tell the whole story of the British Empire in the 20th century. Instead, the footage is accompanied by personal diary extracts, letters and contemporary speeches to give a true flavour of what it was like to live under the British Empire, either as one of the rulers or as one of the ruled.
Programme 1: A Tryst With Dynasty
100 years ago, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world and the British Empire ruled over half the people on earth. All the pomp and pageantry of imperial rule is encapsulated in this first episode. Remarkable and rare film captures as never before such glorious occasions as the 1906 Trooping the Colour in London; the 1911 Delhi Durbar in India and a World War One victory parade in Paris in 1919. But as the century gets into its stride, the cameras are also there to record less magnificent events, among them the General Strike of 1926, which highlighted the social divide in post-war Britain. Even in India, the power of British rule is fading, as nationalism gains strength under Gandhi and Nehru. Although the Second World War temporarily unites the colonies and dominions in battle, victory ironically spells the beginning of the end for the Empire. In a new world order of American and Soviet power, India finally achieves her independence and Britain is left exhausted and fearful of the future.
Programme 2: The Wind Of Change
British fears are realised as they abandon a turbulent Palestine, become embroiled in a Communist insurgency in Malaya and are humbled in the Suez Crisis. The dismantling of the Empire continues as the winds of change start to blow across colonial Africa, from the peaceful rise of Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana in 1957, to the bloodshed of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. By the 1960s, much of the Empire has been handed back to its people.
Programme 3: Legacy
The coronation of Elizabeth II herald a new era, as the old Empire becomes the new multi-cultural Commonwealth. As emigrants flee the hardship of post-war Britain, tempted by the promise of Australian and Canadian riches, West Indian immigrants flood into Britain. The 1960s herald a time of changing racial attitudes and while Britain adjusts to its growing multicultural society, her dominions - Australia and Canada - strive for a new understanding with their own unhappy indigenous populations. In Rhodesia, the last painful pangs of the Empire are felt, as white and black nationalisms clash. In a rapidly changing world, the peoples of the former British Empire begin to realise the legacy of their imperial heritage.
The series does not purport to tell the whole story of the British Empire in the 20th century. Instead, the footage is accompanied by personal diary extracts, letters and contemporary speeches to give a true flavour of what it was like to live under the British Empire, either as one of the rulers or as one of the ruled.
Programme 1: A Tryst With Dynasty
100 years ago, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world and the British Empire ruled over half the people on earth. All the pomp and pageantry of imperial rule is encapsulated in this first episode. Remarkable and rare film captures as never before such glorious occasions as the 1906 Trooping the Colour in London; the 1911 Delhi Durbar in India and a World War One victory parade in Paris in 1919. But as the century gets into its stride, the cameras are also there to record less magnificent events, among them the General Strike of 1926, which highlighted the social divide in post-war Britain. Even in India, the power of British rule is fading, as nationalism gains strength under Gandhi and Nehru. Although the Second World War temporarily unites the colonies and dominions in battle, victory ironically spells the beginning of the end for the Empire. In a new world order of American and Soviet power, India finally achieves her independence and Britain is left exhausted and fearful of the future.
Programme 2: The Wind Of Change
British fears are realised as they abandon a turbulent Palestine, become embroiled in a Communist insurgency in Malaya and are humbled in the Suez Crisis. The dismantling of the Empire continues as the winds of change start to blow across colonial Africa, from the peaceful rise of Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana in 1957, to the bloodshed of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. By the 1960s, much of the Empire has been handed back to its people.
Programme 3: Legacy
The coronation of Elizabeth II herald a new era, as the old Empire becomes the new multi-cultural Commonwealth. As emigrants flee the hardship of post-war Britain, tempted by the promise of Australian and Canadian riches, West Indian immigrants flood into Britain. The 1960s herald a time of changing racial attitudes and while Britain adjusts to its growing multicultural society, her dominions - Australia and Canada - strive for a new understanding with their own unhappy indigenous populations. In Rhodesia, the last painful pangs of the Empire are felt, as white and black nationalisms clash. In a rapidly changing world, the peoples of the former British Empire begin to realise the legacy of their imperial heritage.
Nova - Secrets Of The Mind 1/6
"Secrets of the Mind" is really an exposition of Dr. Vilayanur (no, he's not a villain!) Ramachandrans research in behavioural neurology, explaining phantom limbs, blind sight and other visual perception related issues, the Capgras delusion and the hyperreligiosity tendencies related to temporal lobe epilepsy. But the real secret Ramachandran reveals, is that the mind whose normal working seems so commonplace and simple that we take it for granted, has a profoundly intricate and complicated root in our brains, that only reveals itself in the unfortunate cases of people suffering from perceptional and emotional issues.
The Story of India Part-1
Michael Wood journeys through the subcontinent, tracing the incredible richness and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes. Through ancient manuscripts and oral tales Michael charts the first human migrations out of Africa. He travels from the tropical backwaters of South India through lost ancient cities in Pakistan to the vibrant landscapes of the Ganges plain. In Turkmenistan dramatic archaeological discoveries cast new light on India's past.
Cracking the Maya Code 1/6
Nova - Cracking the Maya Code: The story behind the centuries-long decipherment of ancient Maya hieroglyphs Part 1 (PBS)
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script, carved on monuments, painted on pottery, and drawn in handmade bark-paper books. For centuries, scholars considered it too complex ever to understand—until recently, when an ingenious series of breakthroughs finally cracked the code and unleashed a torrent of new insights into the Mayas' turbulent past. For the first time, NOVA presents the epic inside story of how the decoding was done—traveling to the remote jungles of southern Mexico and Central America to investigate how the code was broken and what Maya writings now reveal.
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script, carved on monuments, painted on pottery, and drawn in handmade bark-paper books. For centuries, scholars considered it too complex ever to understand—until recently, when an ingenious series of breakthroughs finally cracked the code and unleashed a torrent of new insights into the Mayas' turbulent past. For the first time, NOVA presents the epic inside story of how the decoding was done—traveling to the remote jungles of southern Mexico and Central America to investigate how the code was broken and what Maya writings now reveal.
The Money Pit (1/5)
Welcome to the Pilbara, money pit, engine room of Australia's prosperity and magnet to thousands of footloose men and women chasing serious pay for hard work.
Thousands more fly in to work two or three week bursts before flying out again, all cashed up.
But the town at the epicentre of the boom, Port Hedland, fears it's being lost in the rush. While the ore goes north to Asia, the profits head south and east as everyone takes the money and runs.
Milked by miners, treasuries and a transient, unsentimental workforce, Hedland has been trampled in a stampede that no one seems to have planned for.
House prices and rents have exploded. "This is my home town and I can't find accommodation," says Dave, who holds a job but lives at the homeless shelter. Other workers sleep in cars or tents.
Schools and health services are stretched and community facilities are scarce. Town leaders worry about a creeping soullessness as gaps widen between winners and losers.
"The heat, the flies, there's nothing here, there's no infrastructure here. I think it's a terrible place," complains Millie who lives in the caravan park. When reporter Matt Carney asks a bloke in the single persons' quarters what he likes about Hedland, he gets a blunt reply: "Money mate, not a lot else here."
Thousands more fly in to work two or three week bursts before flying out again, all cashed up.
But the town at the epicentre of the boom, Port Hedland, fears it's being lost in the rush. While the ore goes north to Asia, the profits head south and east as everyone takes the money and runs.
Milked by miners, treasuries and a transient, unsentimental workforce, Hedland has been trampled in a stampede that no one seems to have planned for.
House prices and rents have exploded. "This is my home town and I can't find accommodation," says Dave, who holds a job but lives at the homeless shelter. Other workers sleep in cars or tents.
Schools and health services are stretched and community facilities are scarce. Town leaders worry about a creeping soullessness as gaps widen between winners and losers.
"The heat, the flies, there's nothing here, there's no infrastructure here. I think it's a terrible place," complains Millie who lives in the caravan park. When reporter Matt Carney asks a bloke in the single persons' quarters what he likes about Hedland, he gets a blunt reply: "Money mate, not a lot else here."
Percy Julian - Forgotten Genius
NOVA presents the remarkable life story of Percy Julian–-one of the most accomplished African-American scientists of the 20th century, and an industrialist, self-made millionaire, humanitarian and civil-rights pioneer. The grandson of Alabama slaves, he won worldwide acclaim for his research in chemistry and broke the color barrier in American science more than a decade before Jackie Robinson did so in baseball. He discovered a way to turn soybeans into synthetic steroids on an industrial scale, enabling drugs like cortisone to be widely available to millions of arthritis sufferers.
Beginnings:
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c01-350.wmv
Black & White
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c02-350.wmv
Alkaloids
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c03-350.wmv
Rumors & Ruin
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c04-350.wmv
Race For the Synthesis
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c05-350.wmv
Julian Lands and Glidden
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c06-350.wmv
The Soybean
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c07-350.wmv
Steroids
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c08-350.wmv
Oak Park
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c09-350.wmv
The Miracle Drug
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c10-350.wmv
Success
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c11-350.wmv
Julian Laboratories
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c12-350.wmv
Julian's Legacy
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c13-350.wmv
Beginnings:
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c01-350.wmv
Black & White
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c02-350.wmv
Alkaloids
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c03-350.wmv
Rumors & Ruin
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c04-350.wmv
Race For the Synthesis
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c05-350.wmv
Julian Lands and Glidden
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c06-350.wmv
The Soybean
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c07-350.wmv
Steroids
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c08-350.wmv
Oak Park
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c09-350.wmv
The Miracle Drug
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c10-350.wmv
Success
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c11-350.wmv
Julian Laboratories
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c12-350.wmv
Julian's Legacy
http://media.pbs.org/asxgen/general/windows/wgbh/nova/julian-3402c13-350.wmv
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