tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64655440974061795282011-04-21T16:19:29.539-07:00Sim Model Mills (PPOL225)What if a class had a blog? This is an experiment in employing "web 2.0" in the classroom. I'll post info about assignments, relevant real world goings-on, responses to class-member questions and so on. Feel free to comment on posts as you see fit.Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.comBlogger71100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-2755779948455867072009-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:002009-03-15T15:38:30.127-07:00B-C-A as Whipping Boy for CommentatorsNew London Airport in Hyde Park?In the 1960s the Roskill commission was tasked with producing a report into the best location for the third London airport. Its findings were reached though cost-benefit analysis, assigning an arbitary economic value to the unquantifiable. The report famously valued a Norman church at just £50,000 (the cost of its fire insurance). Read more...Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-8216051750978129422009-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:002009-03-15T14:11:46.559-07:00Switching Between Relative and Absolute Cell References in ExcelOK, so I knew there must be an easier way to do this than to surgically insert dollar signs into formulas whenever you needed an absolute cell reference.I thought maybe you could hold down the shift key as you pointed at a cell while constructing a formula and that would insert $row$col automatically. And maybe the control key would give you a dollar sign just on the row and the alt-key just on Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-34406160438969246232009-03-14T19:02:00.000-07:002009-03-14T19:04:08.289-07:00Systems Thinking and Modeling for Public Policy Analysis Workshop(at University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs)This workshop will consist of introductions to systems thinking, modeling and simulation. The emphasis will be on dynamic public policy problems, and problems that play out over time. Participants will...Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-39489177617390006892009-03-10T21:28:00.000-07:002009-03-10T21:34:51.723-07:00Markov Models in International RelationsI spoke too soon in class today about not seeing an obvious application of Markov models to international relations. Stumbled across a set of papers by Philip A. Schrodt, applying a technique called "hidden Markov models" to international crises of various sorts at The Society for Political Methodology. Here's what the author had to say about a paper on recognizing patterns of events as "war" Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-17957325658667383592009-03-05T20:06:00.000-08:002009-03-05T20:28:52.129-08:00A Little Background on the Mortgage CrisisToday's New York Times featured an "op-ed graphic" showing the relationship between mortgage type, loan-to-value ratios, and default rates.The PDF of the handout distributed in class is here.The IMF report from which a few of the diagrams were taken is "Assessing Risks to Global Financial Security."Other Easy to Digest BackgroundThis American Life did a nice piece called "The Giant Pool of Money"Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-73815838578203280662009-02-10T11:24:00.001-08:002009-02-10T11:52:38.769-08:00Difference Equations, Take Two...is available at this link: http://courses.djjr.net/ppol225/diff-egns/Difference-Equations-2.pdf.Practice problems are here.Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6465544097406179528.post-27503115680658465222009-02-07T10:08:00.000-08:002009-02-07T11:02:01.086-08:00Flow Charts in the WildOne of the easiest tasks I've ever had is to find examples of "bad" flowcharts. Just google "flow chart" or "flowchart" and one will pop up.I didn't have to look for this one -- it arrived in an email on our neighborhood listserv. Oakland City Council will apparently be considering a youth curfew ordinance this month (see council agenda packet).Aside from the chart, the packet makes for an Dan Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12380226325325300201noreply@blogger.com0