It's about time -

 Economics, perhaps the geekiest of geek subjects, got a serious makeover this year. Consider the numbers: "Freakonomics," a book by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, has spent 34 weeks (and counting) on The New York Times best-seller list; John Perkins's "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" was on for seven weeks. Meanwhile, economics is the hottest undergrad degree at Harvard and New York University; the number of econ majors is up some 40 percent over the past five years. Still not convinced? Two words: Angelina Jolie. Last fall she teamed with leading economist Jeffrey Sachs in an MTV documentary about Kenya's economy. That's hot.