I presented my research to the other Higher Diploma students yesterday and it was well received. To prepare for my presentation. I used Apple’s Keynote, part of the iWork ‘06 office package. I must say I was very impressed how easy it was to put together a professional presentation. It was a joy to use as compared to Microsoft’s PowerPoint software. As with most Apple products, Keynote was very intuitive and has several built in templates to choose from based on your audience. You can make it look fun or professional, or somewhere in between. The slide transition effects Apple borrowed from OS X are very impressive, but my favorite effect is the reflective picture. If you use iTunes, you know what I’m talking about…how the album artwork appears to be resting on a glossy black table with its reflection in front. It is very easy to add a tables, graphs, pictures, music, videos and even websites.

The presentation view is pretty slick as well. It allows you to see a clock, your elapsed time and your notes on your MacBook, while your audience can only see the appropriate slide. The software is well worth it just for Keynote, but it also includes Pages, Apple’s meager attempt at a word processor. I anticipate the next iteration of iWork (perhaps ‘07?) should have more advanced spreadsheet functions and Apple users may be able to dump Microsoft once and for all. Until then, I still use Excel as well as OpenOffice.org for the word processor and spreadsheet functions.

The downside to my presentation was partly due to Apple’s decision to make a different display adapter for the MacBook than what was used on the iBook G4. When I got to the presentation room, I had my old iBook VGA adapter and to my shock and horror, when I plugged in the cord to my MacBook, it did not fit. Damn you, Apple. That’s like making a new iPod that doesn’t function with all of the old accessories and cables. Oh wait, they did that with the new Shuffle as well. Fortunately, Keynote has the ability to export to PowerPoint, so I just dumped that file on a USB key and used the instructor’s notebook for the presentation. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the snazzy features of Keynote.

I digress. Despite these problems the presentation went on without any problems. I outlined my paper and proposed direction, got some great feedback from my fellow students and instructors. The idea of presenting a paper while you are working on it is very new to me as an American student. I did something similar last semester and I had my doubts about this practice, but once I presented my topic in front of my peers, I was sold on the idea. By presenting the research during the research, I am able to look at my topic in a whole new light and focus on areas that may not have been entirely obvious. For example, my instructor suggested that I not only look at the economic impact of gasoline taxes, but to also look at the political discourse. Furthermore, he suggested separating these into a few sections and examining opposing views. The class feedback was useful and I also learned a valuable lesson to not trust adapters!

I am very busy this week preparing for a presentation for my research thesis. My topic is regarding the proposal of increasing gasoline (petrol) taxes in the US in order to reduce petroleum consumption, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions and slowing the inevitable global warming trend. I am looking at federal and state gasoline taxes as compared to other OECD countries. US gasoline taxes are significantly lower and do very little to encourage conservation of oil. One of my favorite economists, Dr Greg Mankiw, is a champion of Pigovian taxes which are taxes that correct negative externalities. In other words, a graduated increase of the federal gasoline tax will correct the market in order to reduce oil consumption, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and encourage innovative technologies and cleaner alternative fuel sources.

Dr Mankiw’s manifesto has inspired me to research this further. My research will examine the optimal tax at which consumption will be reduced and will study the proposal of offsetting payroll or income taxes so that there will be zero gain or loss in tax revenue overall.

If your head isn’t spinning and I still have your attention. You will see that I am extremely busy and likely will not post again until the dust has settled from my presentation on Thursday evening. I might have to have a few pints and some good craic. See you soon!

Image credit: Wikipedia

I always figured bottled water was very un-economical and this informal analysis by Pablo Päster sheds some light on the matter. It is seemingly true that more water is actually used in the production of a bottle of water than is actually delivered in the bottle itself. Not to mention the amount of fossil fuels burned in the process. These figures are incredible.

Starting today I have promised to be much more conscious of the water I consume. If anything, I think I’ll try to stick to my Brita filter and get a reusable sports bottle. I guess it’s never to late to start a New Year’s resolution.

Carbon taxes anyone? What are your thoughts? Write them below…

Tennessee has a tax on controlled substances which requires anyone in possession to affix the stamp to the drug. I’m not sure if this qualifies as a Pigovian tax but it certainly is an innovative way to generate revenue for the state.

via:: digg

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