Sam Kornstein

The North Korean Global Happiness Index

Posted on June 14, 2011June 14, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Current Events

At first I found this amusing, but it’s also just kind of sad: China is the happiest place on earth(!!) according to a new global happiness index released by North Korea’s Chosun Central Television. China earned 100 out of 100 points, followed closely by North Korea (98 points), then Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela. Coming in at 203rd place is America (or rather “the American Empire”, 美帝国), with only 3 happiness points. South Korea got a measly 18 points for 152nd place.

Radiolab

Posted on June 13, 2011June 13, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Radio

I know I’m late to the game here, but on the off chance anyone else is too, I figured it can’t hurt to write a quick post on Radiolab. Radiolab is a radio show that brilliantly combines science, culture, and storytelling. From the website: Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll feed it with possibility. It’s based out of WNYC and is broadcast on many NPR stations, but episodes are also free via podcast or web download. In two afternoons while on the road I learned about talking

Whoa Buffalo!

Posted on June 12, 2011June 12, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Travel

Last week I spent a couple days exploring Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming with my friend Rya from school. On our way to see Old Faithful, we got stuck in a ‘Buffalo Jam’ for nearly two hours. The Buffalo had apparently decided that it was easier to travel up the road than through the woods. I can’t say I blame them. It’s hard to get annoyed when this is the reason you’re stuck in bumper to bumper traffic:

Tyler Cowen’s Great Stagnation TEDx Talk

Posted on June 12, 2011June 13, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Economics

I previously wrote about Tyler Cowen’s recent book, The Great Stagnation. Here’s Tyler giving a TEDx talk on the topic:

In California At Last

Posted on June 12, 2011June 12, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in General

I apologize for the week of silence. As I mentioned at the start of the month, I spent the past two weeks on the road, driving from Boston to San Francisco for the summer. It was a pretty amazing trip, with the highlight definitely being Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It will probably take me some time to go through and post most of my photos and videos, but I should have a video with some Wyoming buffalo up later this evening.

South Dakota

Posted on June 5, 2011June 5, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Photography, Travel

I had a great time exploring South Dakota today. It’s a very impressive state, with a lot more going on than I expected. I checked out the Badlands, Mount Washington, Custer State Park, the Black Hills National Forest, and Deadwood. I haven’t yet gone through my SLR shots, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from my phone:

Ages

Posted on June 5, 2011June 5, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Cartoons

Via xkcd:

Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo

Posted on June 4, 2011June 4, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Bars, Beer

I’ve been hearing about this place for years. Finally, the other day, I dropped by: It was everything I hoped it would be. Great beer selection. Awesome bar and beer garden. I tried the Oarsman Sour Mash Wheat. I generally don’t like wheat beers. But I also generally love sour beers. It was delicious.

The World’s Only Corn Palace

Posted on June 4, 2011June 4, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Travel

Not that that says much. I thought I could resist, but after seeing the 2,354,765th sign on the highway, I caved. I also remember that a former colleague of mine at Fidelity Investments had an ad for the palace hanging above his desk. It was kind of there as a joke. But it also kind of wasn’t. I went for you, Eric! There really wasn’t much of anything inside. There was a guy dressed in a full body ear of corn costume who amused himself by sneaking up behind visitors and saying, “Well, hello!” Not surprisingly, every person was startled, and he would laugh and then awkwardly apologize.

View of the World

Posted on June 4, 2011June 4, 2011 by Sam Kornstein in Cartoons, Travel

This morning, at my friend’s place in Chicago, I saw this cartoon hanging on the wall: It’s a famous cartoon from the March 1976 New Yorker cover. Classic. Later today, I saw this: As far as I’m concerned, the Mass Pike goes all the way to South Dakota!