Books
by Frederick Hayek
This is a classic piece in the pantheon of libertarian works written by a nobel laureate economist who served as the counterpoint to Keynes in the 20th century. Written during WWII in the 40s, it's basically Hayek arguing that the growth of socialism in Germany led to the centralization of power and the erosion of liberty necessary for the rise of the Nazi party. He warns that Great Britain and much of the rest of the Western World is heading down a similar path. Basically, it's the first ever "you're just like Hitler!" arguments (you know who else nationalized the steel industry? Hitler).
I tried reading this book to get a better insight into the Austrian School of economics, but I just couldn't finish it. He engages in plenty of good ol' communist punching (prices are helpful, absolute power corrupts governments, ect), and in hindsight, it's not terribly surprising that a totalitarian government would also want complete control of its economy. I was just somewhat bored by some of the more lengthy discussions of 19th century German philosophers. I'll have to give the book another go sometime.
by Vernor Vinge
This is a great sci-fi book all about a big intergalatic trading fleet and this planet they discover. I found out about it on Noah Smith's blog post about science fiction novels for economists. I recommend reading his take on it there. Excellent writing.
I also found out about this in Smith's post, so I recommend reading more about it there. This book is not science fiction in the starships and aliens sense, so I was a little surprised by it. It takes place in the near future and is more of a reasonable extrapolation of current trends in 3D printing and how that technology will affect businesses and entrepreneurship. It's well written and centers around some likable characters. Although it was different, I found it very enjoyable.
Video Games
I already wrote about it here, so check it out.
This is a nifty adventure game that I've been playing on and off for awhile now and finally got around to finishing. The gameplay is fun and the levels creative, but my favorite part of the game is definitely the writing. I've never so thoroughly enjoyed listening to the characters in a game speak! I never once wanted to skip through any dialogue. Some parts of the game could be annoying, as I feel is all too often the case in platformers, but it was still an excellent game.
This game has to be one of my favorite document based immigration agent games of all time. Ignore that it's probably the only game of that type. In this game you are an immigration agent for the glorious nation of Arstotzka and you have to check the papers of everyone who wants to enter. You often face a trade off between being efficient and weeding out unauthorized immigrants in order to make money for your family or being generous and letting in the desperate masses while risking punishment. The documents you have to check grow increasingly complex. I have grown very good at cross checking a work permit with a passport after playing this game. The message of the game is also very relevant at a time when so many forget that a tight border is synonymous with an intrusive government.
TV Shows
In the past, I haven't been much of a TV watcher outside of my regular Colbert, South Park, and Simpsons. However, when I realized that we're living in the golden age of entertainment, I discovered that there's plenty of great shows.
This is one that's been recommended to me by many friends, and I've gotta say I liked it. The space western theme works well and I thought the writing was done well. Something about Joss Whedon's directing style was off putting to me at first, but I ended up warming up to it.
I'm presently wrapping up season 4, but I consider The Wire to be the best TV show I've ever watched (yes, better than The Sopranos). Besides having brilliant story arcs that suck you into every character and issue, this show explores so many ideas that are under appreciated in TV. This show teaches so much about sensitive topics like race, poverty, drugs, and police brutality that I think it should be mandatory watching in every high school. I think students would learn more from writing an essay on The Wire than Ethan Frome.
After hearing good things about season 4 on NPR, I decided to finally watch this show about which I've heard so much. I finished it a few weeks ago and enjoyed it a great deal. It has no laugh track which is great and the writing is snappy. Plus, there's Buster. Need I say more? I know there are a lot of mixed feelings about season 4, but I liked it, and suspect that I will enjoy it even more when I watch it again.
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