CygnusX1

I would like to be around when we fully understand and can control the ageing process. That's not for selfish reasons (well, not entirely). I just think the potential of the species will be realised at a quicker rate if the term of personal …

Chris, this ties into another thread we were discussing recently, concerning the economics of pay disparities in a capital-intensive world. As you know, I support the idea of direct taxation on those that benefit from capital deployment at the …

That's an interesting historical perspective. I guess the difference in the child-labour years was that Labour was a valuable resource and, when Labour spoke, governments and companies listened. Hence laws to mitigate bad working conditions …

I'll try to get hold of a copy; I have not read it yet. Thoughts to follow. But even before doing so, I can guess the answer to your question; be very worried.

Really interesting topic, and more critical than many realise. Now I am an economist, and in this sense "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" insofar as I can see where these sorts of pay inequalities are likely to go. First, let's set the …

Hmmm. How do you solve the stresses in the structure, given that the top of the elevator shaft would be traversing a significantly greater circumference than the base and the differential is spread out over such a long distance? The forces applied …

One of my favourite authors, Iain Banks, divided his time between non-genre fiction and SF (where he wrote as Iain M Banks). Much of his SF involved stories about, or involving, a highly advanced society called The Culture that features governing …

Multiply that by one million if you have small children..!

There is room, always, for interpretation of the facts. I would simply point out that in the case of Florida, Alaska, etc., there was at least a common language at hand. Much of the problem with mobility of factors of production is created by a …

That's one fine looking photograph. Needs a big arrow pointing downwards, saying "you are here".

Thanks for posting this Richard. As a UK resident, and a middle aged one at that, perhaps my perspective might be of interest. I think the basic point to remember is that the UK referendum was not a vote to leave Europe (which is how some more …

Actually, I hardly listen to much audio at all. Its all either video or book. That said, I have occasionally listened to a few BBC radio dramas (their Doctor Who episodes are very good) and enjoyed them. Audio podcasts are something I really should …

I agree. Allowing topics to run out of control would ultimately detract from the Cake experience.

Feeling very much the same way. One thing I notice, though, is that you cannot create your own topic/interest/collection. Or at least, I don't think you can. The current list is fairly comprehensive, but will still fall short for people wishing to …

Thanks; I'll check it out!

Yes, e-book sales or online courses would generate income, but I would not exactly call it "passive" since you have to tie up time in either writing the books or holding the courses. In that sense its more like another form of job. That said, and …

That may well also have something to do with it.

I remember a friend telling me that your privacy settings in FB got reset to public after every version update. I thought at the time that this was probably a willful action by FB to create more engagements, even by questionable means. The …

Indeed. Elsewhere I speculated that G+ was axed because Google could not sufficiently monetise revenue from it. Whilst one might imagine that the likes of Google have so much cash that they did not need to worry about such mundane commercial …

If it's to be passive then some form of physical asset that you can rent or lease would seem to be necessary. A friend of mine decided to invest in the machines that go in public laundrettes. Not sexy, as even he freely admits. But they do deliver …

I have a particular perspective on this. In the same way that "guns don't kill people; it is people who kill people", the development of social media (and other) apps does not, in itself, create a generation of knuckle-draggers. It is how we use …

Chris, in a related post you speculated about someone buying the G+ platform off Google. That's a really interesting thought. What would you think it's value might be as stand alone offering cut loose from Google? Even more interesting - what if …

You hit on possibly the defining difference between G+, Facebook and others. That is that it allowed you to make new contacts and along lines of common interest. The Communities aspect was, for me at least, such a rewarding way to expand my social …

Chris, I may need to cut back on the coffee, but my take on the decision to bin G+ because of privacy lapses was that this explanation lacked credibility. If G+ was leaky, then other things being equal, you would fix the leak rather than throw the …

Good to hear. The plain truth is that most of us interact on social media via mobiles. I guess that is because whenever we are at a desk sitting in front of a PC we are generally there to do something else that is specific, detailed and …