Hurricane Irene Could Negatively Impact U.S. GDP

Nate Silver has the sobering math:

Time to think about the unthinkable. What if a major hurricane were to pass close to New York City, as several forecasting models now suggest that Hurricane Irene might?

Apart from the inevitable loss of life in the most densely populated part of the country, history suggests that the economic damage could run into the tens of billions of dollars, depending on the severity of the storm and how close it came to the city. Unlikely but theoretically plausible scenarios could have the damage entering the realm of the costliest natural disasters of all time, and perhaps being large enough to have a materially negative effect on the United States’ gross domestic product.

If you’re around New York/New England (as I am), do stay safe this weekend. Hopefully this forecast is making a mountain out of a molehill…

Tips from the Works of Cartier-Bresson

Eric Kim (via Vanessa) has some pretty good tips, drawn from the work of master street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Perhaps my favorite one is “stick to one lens”:

Although Henri Cartier-Bresson shot with several different lenses while on-assignment working for Magnum, he would only shoot with a 50mm if he was shooting for himself. By being faithful to that lens for decades, the camera truly became “an extension of his eye”.

Apply the same mentality to when you go out and shoot. I encourage people to use different focal lengths to see the world differently and experiment—but ultimately sticking with one focal length will help you solidify your artistic vision. You will be able to see natural framelines in your everyday life, and know exactly how your photos will appear when shooting from certain angles and distances.

The Culture of Apple

In the wake of Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO of Apple, the best reflection that I’ve read on this topic comes not from a tech pundit, but from Linda Holmes at NPR:

The relationship between Apple and its aficionados has always borne little resemblance to the relationships consumers have with most other giant companies, tech companies, or even brilliantly marketed companies. To see congruence, for instance, between Apple fans and Microsoft users based on the constant back-and-forth that makes fights between them so pointless and eternal is to misunderstand how those discussions work. People love Apple; at best, they appreciate Microsoft (and, more to the point, grow weary of those people who love Apple). What you see is not “Apple is brilliant,” “No, Microsoft is brilliant.” What you see is, “Apple is brilliant.” “Oh, would you shut up already.” These discussions, for those who choose to spend time on them, are often about a binary sense of Apple: Apple Yes, and Apple No. That’s the definition of the argument, and that’s the definition of dominating the part of the culture in which you exist.

Through Different Eyes

Odie Henderson deconstructs The Help, amusingly:

As I read the EW article [about the film], I thought to myself “they’re trying pretty damn hard to head off any backlash! This must be off-the-chart offensive! Now I have to go see it!” You know I just love a good movie Negro stereotype. Until I read that article, I was content to leave The Help out of my viewfinder, as it seemed like a run-of-the-mill extension of the White character tells Black story feel-good genre that includes Cry Freedom and Mississippi Burning. In truth, having the story told through a White device is actually more insulting to White people than to us. It’s as if Hollywood is saying “you can’t put yourselves in the shoes of an ethnic character, so here’s Kevin Kline! He’s JUST…LIKE…YOU!!!” At least Hollywood thinks minorities are smart enough to relate to the White characters.

Student Loan Debt Has Grown Beyond Our Control

According to The Atlantic, student loans have grown 511% since 1999. That is a staggering amount (well above inflation, obviously, as well as the growth in number of students), but it’s also striking because it outpaces the growth in household debt by a longshot: 

This chart looks like a mistake, but it’s correct. Student loan debt has grown by 511% over this period. In the first quarter of 1999, just $90 billion in student loans were outstanding. As of the second quarter of 2011, that balance had ballooned to $550 billion.

The chart above is striking for another reason. See that blue line for all other debt but student loans? This wasn’t just any average period in history for household debt. This period included the inflation of a housing bubble so gigantic that it caused the financial sector to collapse and led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. But that other debt growth? It’s dwarfed by student loan growth.

There Is No Tomorrow

Some inspiring words by photography Martin Prihoda (via David Hobby):

What I realized is that putting your visions of success and happiness into the future tense really is a negation of your success and happiness right here and now. We are unhappy with how things are so we fantasize about the future and how happy we’ll be when we have our new car, house, salary, job, relationship.

But its all bullshit. You’re lying to yourself. If you can’t feel your success right here in the present moment, then you never will. It will never ever come.