Economics: When there is no scarcity
The reality of life today is that life is actually quite good - compared to the past. (Poverty is at a global low point, for example. Literacy is at a…
Personal finance: “FIRE” doesn’t really mean “retire early”
True: In truth, “FIRE” should be “FICC” for “financial independence change careers.” Source: What I learned about the FIRE movement while making a doc about it I have followed several…
Energy: Should you buy carbon offsets, an EV or solar PV to reduce your environmental impact? It depends.
Should you buy an EV? Should you install solar PV? Details matter a lot as to whether your decision leads to actual environmental improvements - or not. Should you buy…
Transportation: #Drone delivery of consumer packages is mostly hype but does have some specific good use cases
Most of the widely hyped drone delivery scenarios are not economically realistic and probably will not happen any time soon. But there are some targeted applications that should make sense…
Increases in student loan availability lead to increases in tuition and fees
Increases in student loan availability are a cause of tuition hikes rather than in response to tuition hikes. This effect is also seen in housing (cheap loans made widely available)…
Health policy: “The U.S. can slash health-care costs 75% with 2 fundamental changes”
Adding price signaling to health care, and adopting Indiana's HSA deductible concept, would dramatically alter how health care works - and lead to lower prices. Ideas so good they will…
Business: A Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
A writer for VICE got scammed by AirBnb rentals. And then went on to uncover a nationwide scam. AirBnb refuses to discuss this publicly. The FBI is now involved. Am…
Case study: How not to run a Great Clips hair cut joint
A case study of how a "no show" at a Great Clips hair cutting place led to a cascade of errors resulting in a ditzy stylist giving me a completely…
Business: San Francisco to require tech entrepreneurs to receive a permit from the city before launching their tech products
A new San Francisco city government office will be given authority over new product trials and product launches in San Francisco. Companies introducing new products will require approval and a…
Business: Electric vehicles require less labor to assemble
Less labor potentially means higher profits, creating an incentive for manufacturers to switch more production to EVs.