Category: economics
-
Kyushu’s economic contribution to Japan
Kyushu is one of the 5 major regions of Japan consisting of 7 prefectures making up about 10% of the Japanese population. It is known as being a much more relaxed place than Tokyo, with great weather and more space. This attracts people who are looking for more worklife balance. Natives of Kyushu that go…
-
Conscious labour and supreme blessings
To be well caring of mother, of father, to look after spouse and children, to engage in a harmless occupation, this is a blessing supreme. This line is from a discourse with the Buddha known as the Mangala Sutta. The Buddha is approached in a grove and is asked about the “blessings supreme.” He lists…
-
Event: OnPoint – Do we need a new relationship with transportation and mobility in our region?
What are the possibilities for city beyond transportation? How do we think about transportation in terms of making a city more vibrant, rather than a deadening concrete grid where we travel isolated in our cars? On December 8th I will be on the panel for the Urban Systems On Point Series “Getting Unstuck – Do…
-
Nostalgic utopianism — a review of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus
Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus: How Growth Became the Enemy of Prosperity by Douglas Rushkoff Power corrupts and money ruins everything. These are basically the premises that Douglas Rushkoff starts from in his latest book, a critique of the concentration of power in the digital economy and the inequality it breeds. He uses the…
-
The Seven revenue models
Consider the following chart showing how the Revenue per User flows for each of the major mobile platforms: The chart belongs to a presentation where Horace Dediu looks at the future of online services. (Disclaimer: I have not been to the event, nor have I seen the presentation.) At first glance, my first impression was:…
-
Recommended reading: Religion and neoliberalism
James Chappel reviews four books in the Boston Review that dig into the link between neoliberalism and religious institutions. I found this piece enlightening just from its perspective on the rise of neoliberalism in general. The idea that neoliberalism is merely “sophisticated common sense” explains its common appeal… just like religion. Below are a number…
-
The superficiality of living small
Downsizing (or minimalism) is often portrayed as anti-consumerist and eco-friendly. Living small means you buy less stuff, produce less trash, and have a smaller environmental footprint in terms of heating/cooling your home. Plus, if you position your home close to amenities, you walk/bike more and drive less. Secondly, living small is about removing oneself from…
-
Downsizing
Library of books I never read — Fired! Closet full of clothes I never wear — Fired! Old couch and coffee tables taking up space in the living room — Fired! Living room — Fired! Credit card debt — Fired! We’ve been downsizing. Over the past couple of years we have been removing ourselves from…
-
Mobile operating system market share, Feb 2012 from iCrossing. For comparison, see 2011’s numbers. Some standout numbers: Japan 2011 > 2012 China 2011 > 2012 Anecdotal, but per my experience I would think that “Other” in Brazil is eaten up by grey market iPhones.
-
A short review for Free
Many critics were let down that Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson was not The Long Tail: Part 2. I understand the disappointment, but this book takes a different tack. Rather than the unknown future, Free is more about the unknown past. It is an analysis of “free” pricing and non-monetary…