Category Archives: economics

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 listsContinue reading “Conscious labour and supreme blessings”

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 – DoContinue reading “Event: OnPoint – Do we need a new relationship with transportation and mobility in our region?”

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 theContinue reading “Nostalgic utopianism — a review of Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus”

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:Continue reading “The Seven revenue models”

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 numberContinue reading “Recommended reading: Religion and neoliberalism”

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 fromContinue reading “The superficiality of living small”

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 fromContinue reading “Downsizing”