Snowflakes in Hell

I needed two things.  I needed electronic blow off cleaner, and a USB hub.   I go to Best Buy.   The only USB hub they have is 30 dollars.  In addition, the very small can of blow off they have, is more than 8 dollars.  I can get a big can two pack for 16 dollars, but that’s more than I want.   So I think “Screw Best Buy and their prices!” and I go to Wal Mart, where I get an extra jumbo size blow off cleaner for 4.99, and get my USB hub for 9.99, and they didn’t even try to sell me an overpriced extended warranty.   Capitalism at work.

Best Buy’s prices for computer peripherals, particularly cabling, are way way higher than they ought to be.  If you can get it at Wal Mart, or even Radio Shack, do it.  Best Buy as a last resort, because they are typically everything except the Best Buy.

Megan McArdle, writing at her blog’s new location over at the Atlantic, explains why she thinks WHO rankings of health care system quality are off. I’ve always been a fan of her health plan.

UPDATE: She has more here, here and here.

Tyler Cowen has his list.  I would have to add Tastykakes, particularly Butterscotch and Jelly Krimpets.  Not the Lemon or Creme filled Krimpets though; those are an abomination in the eyes of god.   It’s a great way to get your morning dose of yummy, Mayor Bloomberg approved trans-fat!

Bryan Miller has a new post up, and makes this claim:

These and other Newark initiatives are important because, although the bulk of illegal handguns traced from crime in the city and across the state were originally purchased out-of-state and trafficked to the Garden State (a conclusion reinforced by data published Monday by ATF, which I will analyze more closely in an upcoming entry, see [URL], it is the case that a significant portion of crime guns recovered in Newark were part of multiple sales made by in-state gun dealers.

No doubt Bryan wishes the data linked to by the ATF supported this, because he’s currently trying to get one-gun-a-month passed in New Jersey (and Pennsylvania too, by the way).  But the data does not mention anything about multiple firearms sales.  Multiple firearms sales are something that has to be reported to ATF currently (he won’t tell you that part),  but they don’t combine that data with the trace request data.