ArticleIP_3861.txt

   
   
      
         
            

            
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               Be
Fruity and Multiply
            

            "Be Fruitful and
Multiply," by Steven E. Landsburg, makes no sense. He argues that
refraining from having a child may impoverish those who would have been your
child's friends and mates. But that wouldn't be the case if the parents of
those potential children also refrained from reproducing. Also, there are over
5 billion people on earth, surely more than enough to provide everyone with
"potential friends." And one does not tend to encounter small acts of kindness
between strangers in overcrowded cities.

            
               --Chris Ryan
            

            
               Make
Love, Make War
            

            The article "Be Fruitful and
Multiply," by Steven E. Landsburg, explores a key area in the search for
new directions in economics: the connection to biology. Unfortunately, it is
likely to sow considerable confusion by suggesting that an individual could or
should add value to humankind through additional reproduction.

            
Reproduction is not guided by a moral imperative toward humanity as a whole but
by a competitive struggle to pass on genes. This includes the effort to give
one's progeny the power to pass genes even further-- hence, family names,
mansions, and monuments. But as the species grows to fill its biological space,
nature itself provides limiting forces like single lifestyles, wars, and
famines.

            --Paul Kailor

            
               Steven E.
Landsburg replies: Chris Ryan thinks that among the 5 billion people on
earth, he has more than enough friends. Good for him. Surely he's aware that
there are others less fortunate. Among all his many friends, is there none, for
example, who has had difficulty finding a friend who will make a suitable
marriage partner?

            Paul
Kailor says that reproduction is not guided by a moral imperative toward
humanity. That was exactly my point. If they were guided by moral imperatives,
people would have more children than they do. In the absence of those moral
imperatives, there's a case for subsidizing reproduction.

            

               FashionSense 2.0
            

            I was greatly encouraged to
see Michael Goff's proposal of a Microsoft fashion-upgrade strategy, titled
"Dressing Up the Nerds." The development of Microsoft FashionSense
2.0 is long overdue, and I for one would like to offer my services as a
volunteer beta tester.

            I agree that your initial
ramp-up strategy of having everyone wear more black is an excellent starting
point. It will be especially helpful to inexperienced FashionSense users, many
of whom are likely to encounter usability issues related to the
color-coordination decision-making process. You may want to clarify, however,
that polar fleece is not a recognized attribute of FashionSense in any
color.

            As you move through your
first product cycle, you may also want to consider some of the following
additional features or revisions:

            1) As Microsoft employee
time is at a premium and offsites are quite expensive, you may wish to consider
having Barneys perform weekly on-site seminars instead. Preferably these would
be held between 9 and 11 p.m. to accommodate everyday activities such as
feature cutting, server breakdowns, office moves, cross-divisional re-orgs, and
the like. Right before ship dates, these seminars could be held between 11 p.m.
and midnight to provide additional convenience for employees attempting to
finish their daily tasks.

            2) You might want to add
Birkenstocks to your list of footwear banned between Labor Day and Memorial
Day. Wearing Birkenstocks with dresses should be prohibited at all times.

            3) Small VR glasses/headsets
would make both a chic, high-tech alternative to sunglasses and provide users
with something additional to do during discussions of SQL server and
ODBC-connection failures.

            4) Increased revenue
potential may also be realized by leveraging existing Microsoft Money
technologies to create direct-debit relationships between approved fashion
vendors and Microsoft employees' stock accounts.

            Thank you
for your attention to these suggestions. I look forward to further status
reports of this product's development and am certain that you will do a fine
job in your implementation.

            -- Kerry
Carnahan
            

            
               Toot
Liu
            

            I was impressed with Eric
Liu's article on Asian-Americans, "Feng Shui America." With the
current demonization of Asian-Americans, it was refreshing to find an informed
Asian-American voice here.

            After
having lived in Hong Kong for five years, I was shocked upon my recent arrival
in New York. While Asian influences are being bandied about, there is clearly a
backlash against Asian-Americans, especially the Chinese. Also, all
Asian-Americans (like Latin Americans) are effectively lumped into one group by
mainstream America. It's as blinding as saying that French, German, English,
and Spanish cultures are all alike. I welcome more of what Slate has offered:
thought-provoking and unsung viewpoints.

            -- Andrew
Ingkavet
            

            
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