CygnusX1

As usual, Chris, you spark a number of thoughts. By way of a brief reply, I would say that the Teacher/Wall Streeter analogy leads me to suggest that every qualifying member of society should be able to access a collection of free state services - …

Agreed. If you asked Leave supporting UK voters if they would be prepared to add another penny onto the income tax rate in order to "afford" a no-deal Brexit many would, I am sure, accept the cost without question or grumble. It is tribal, and it …

When I mean a quantitative argument, I should emphasise that this rules out anything from the government. Too many vested interests to trust anything from that source. And that is part of the problem; there are few sources that are not biased in …

If the UK leaves it cannot do deals with the remaining 27EU members. There would only be deals on a variety of issues between the UK and the EU, the latter representing the others. The arguments need to reflect the relative balance of trading …

I am not convinced that "no-deal" would ultimately be that bad for Britain. I am very surprised and disappointed that nobody (on either side) has made an attempt at a reasoned economic argument for or against no-deal. All we get is platitudes …

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 …