A month from today, I'll be 75 years old. It has been a wonderful 75 years, filled with ups and downs, but more fantastic experiences and more happiness than I ever imagined possible. Despite my deteriorating body and mind, I look forward to many more. I used to keep my age a bit of a secret. It was probably stupid,... Continue reading

No sooner had my novel, 2605, gone on sale than the Amazons started listing the availability of used copies of it. WTF??? I knew no copies had been printed, and was puzzled. My sons and nephews enjoyed pointing this out to me last weekend, too. So I looked at the listings. They were typically along the lines of: $22 plus... Continue reading

The paperback versions of 2605 are available! But the Kindle version is much less expensive. You can buy the novel through Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, or probably several of the other Amazon sites. Previous links: http://www.eclectecon.net/2018/07/buy-my-book.html http://www.eclectecon.net/2018/07/2605-available-in-both-kindle-and-paperback.html http://www.eclectecon.net/2018/07/2605-a-very-poignant-review.html Continue reading

A facebook friend whom I had known some years ago wrote, I loved 2605. Interestingly enough, I was managing an operation that created Collateralized Mortgage Obligations [CMOs] and debt backed tranche products at the same time as your main character was doing similar things. I started backing away from them when I thought there was more risk than was being... Continue reading

In a fairly straight-forward honest review, my son [David Ricardo Palmer] wrote: This book surprised me. I thought it was going to be a spy/thriller novel, but it’s not - it’s an exploration of “what if”, when you’re faced with the opportunity to start over. The protagonist becomes more likeable as the story progresses, which is a nice journey to... Continue reading

I have spent much of the past year writing my first novel, 2605. It is now available on Kindle just about everywhere and is also available from Amazon.com as a print-on-demand paperback. According to most knowledgeable people, there were 2606 people killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. Actually the correct figure should be 2605.... Continue reading

I don't know. Honestly. I have friends who say global warming is real and it is "settled science". I have other friends who question whether it is or has been happening for the past two decades. And I have still other friends who say it may be happening, but it isn't caused by humans; and still others who say that... Continue reading

On June 8th, the London Majors, in recognition of my baseball sportscasting for nearly thirty years, had me throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Here are two photos their team photographer, Matt Hiscox, took of the event. Starlin Peralta, the starting pitcher for that game, had coached me a bit. You can see from the hand position that I was... Continue reading

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On Friday, June 8th, Doc Palmer will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the London Majors game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Majors are recognizing both the length of time I've been doing sportscasting and the innovation and energy I've shown along the way. In the late 1980s, no one was carrying the AA London Tigers games... Continue reading

I've done baseball (and other) sportscasting at various times for over thirty years, covering the AA London Tigers, the London Werewolves, and the London Majors. Last year, when it became apparent that no local media were going to cover the London Majors, I suggested lives-streaming their games on Facebook. It has taken off, as our "telecasts" [which are really just... Continue reading

No matter what stories people may try to tell about greed and conspiracies, gasoline and crude oil prices move in lock step, and crude oil prices are nearly double what they were a couple of years ago. See this. Continue reading

My latest snowstomp art. Some people wanted flowers in the spring, so I did a flower pot. The title of this work of art is Ommadawn, named for an album by Mike Oldfield (video and some lyrics are below the photos). Here is a photo of the work in process (thanks to Ms. Eclectic for taking the photo) And here... Continue reading

Signaling, Not Learning A review of Bryan Caplan’s The Case Against Education “We don’t need no education” [Pink Floyd, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”] As an undergraduate, I always crammed for exams and rarely remembered anything I may have “learned” beyond the next week. I certainly did not remember much after a several months, not to mention after... Continue reading

When the red, red robin comes bob bobbin' along... The early bird gets the worm. Or is it just an Easter chick? Or possibly a unique species for birdwatchers to add to their lists? Or "The Attack of the Killer Housesparrows"? Oh yeah, Hitchcock already did that. My previous snow stomp art: The First Robin of Spring? (This post) Be... Continue reading

Professor Kyle MacLean invited me to present a guest lecture to his bizskool class on Sports and Entertainment Analytics at UWO's Ivey Bizskool today. The talk involved lots of war stories, but some things, too. What a great time!!! Here are the notes for that presentation: Notes for February 26, 2018: Baseball, background Bill James Historical Abstract and intuitive stat... Continue reading

There's about a quarter of an inch of ice on top of the snow. Maybe I'll try to take another photo tomorrow, closer to noon, so the lamppost shadow is photo-bombing this. My previous snow stomp art: Be My Valentine, 2018 (this post) Curling AND the Super Bowl I'm No Escher... Hark! the Herald Angel Sings Nativity Scene, 2017 Planning... Continue reading

Tonight is the final match of the Scott Tournament of Hearts (Canadian Women's Curling Championship). It is also the Super Bowl. So tonight's Snow Stomp Art acknowledges both events, occurring at the same time: My previous snow stomp art: Curling AND the Super Bowl (this post) I'm No Escher... Hark! the Herald Angel Sings Nativity Scene, 2017 Planning an Escape... Continue reading

This afternoon I was in a mystery show called "Death of a Salesman" playing the role of Willy Cheatham. The show begins with Willy giving a long introduction in which he tries to set up the audience so they will want to buy into his pyramid-selling scheme with Scamway Corporation. I was about 3/4 of the way through this introduction... Continue reading

We have had tonnes of snow here, but most of it blew off our condo lawn [otherwise known as "my palette"] until last night. In fact, until last night most of my previous work, "Hark, the Herald Angel Sings" was still quite evident on the lawn. As the temperatures warmed and the winds died down, last night's and today's snow... Continue reading

Today is Boxing Day in Canada (and throughout much of the former British Empire). As in the US, it's a great day for sales. For nearly a decade, my older son (David Ricardo Palmer) has joined me in going to the Boxing Day sales first thing in the morning, and for the past six or seven years, his daughters have... Continue reading

It snowed last night!!! Yea!!! I had a geometric design that I was planning for my next snow stomp art, but this morning I suddenly was inspired to do this angel instead. I think this angel must have imbibed some Christmas spirit(s) -- its halo sure is at a jaunty angle. Ms. Eclectic took some photos from our condo unit... Continue reading

We have had quite a bit of snow lately, but we kept expecting more and it was very windy, and so I held off doing any snowstomp art until this morning. I'm glad I did. This was the first truly snowstomp art that I've done in several years. The snow was deep enough that I couldn't just scuff my feet... Continue reading

In the summer of 2012, I delivered a public lecture at The University of Regina titled "I Didn't Learn a Thing as an Undergraduate." That lecture, inspired by the many blog posts by Bryan Caplan at Econlog, emphasized that even a year or so after graduation from Carleton College [a top-ranked, small liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota], I remembered... Continue reading

Here's a simple way to look at central banks, monetary policy, and interest rates. Interest rates are an effect, not a cause. If central banks increase the rate of growth of the money supply, ceteris paribus, initially interest rates will fall. Call that effect "the liquidity effect". The central bank floods the money markets with liquidity and people try to... Continue reading