Freakonomics

1. Think of all the service people who habitually get tips: hotel bellmen, taxi drivers, waiters and waitresses, the guys who handle curbside baggage at airports, sometimes even the baristas at Starbucks. But not flight attendants. Why not? Read the Freakonomics posting here.

2.The latest Freakonomics column appears in today's N.Y. Times Magazine. It’s about how some economists are studying the weather itself (particularly the potential impact of global warming) and how others use weather as an instrumental variable to measure various human behaviors, including crime, war, rioting, etc.

If you haven't already read Freakonomics, I highly recommend it - wait until you get to the surprise, shocking ending!