The FREAKest Links

A new study from decision scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the RAND Corp. suggests that quality of life may be directly related to decision-making ability (a point further dissected in Dan Gilbert‘s Stumbling on Happiness, which Levitt has discussed before).

From the San Francisco Chronicle: A study by credit- and fraud-reporting agency Fair Isaac Corp. reveals that Internet advertisers are paying for far more fraudulent clicks than sites like Google and Yahoo will admit. The data show that 10-15% of all paid clicks look “suspicious.” Dubner blogged on a related subject here.

Turns out that car seats (which, as we’ve discussed in the past, aren’t necessarily the life-saving miracles they’re generally thought to be), now stand accused of being outright dangerous. The Michigan-based environmental group Ecology Center has released the results of its analysis of more than 60 different car seat models, testing for chemicals such as bromine, chlorine, and lead. The findings suggest that the materials used to manufacture the seats contain “toxic” chemicals, which could potentially endanger the health of children. The solution proposed from one leading car seat manufacturer? Crack the window.