1. If the 20th century was the decade of the automobile, the 21st century is going to be the decade of the cell phone (yes, there were cell phones in the 20th century, but penetration tipped in the 21st. There were also cars in the late 19th century, but mass production didn’t come around until… Continue reading Borneo Notes
Tag: Economics
Commoditizing Dog Food
It’s always refreshing to see someone take their own advice (aka eating their own dog food). Last week Facebook announced their Open Graph initiative. It’s their hugely ambitious attempt to take over the web. In a nutshell, the idea is that you Facebook will be used to log you on to all websites and all… Continue reading Commoditizing Dog Food
Unanticipated Consequences
I’m always fascinated by the unanticipated side effects of people’s actions. Here’s an interesting one related to housing. Housing has definitely started the current economic crisis – but no surprises there; it’s just simply people taking on too much debt. However, it might make it worse than other crises. Why? Well, when people buy houses,… Continue reading Unanticipated Consequences
Simple is the New Complex
This weekend I walked into a gallery on 21st street and saw this sculpture: This photo captures the components of the system, but not the dynamics of it. Basically, you’re looking at two fans facing each other and connected by four pieces of fishing line. Around the fishing line are wrapped two circular streamers of… Continue reading Simple is the New Complex
Nudging you the Wrong Way
Behavioural Economics is all the rage these days. It recognizes that we are not fully rational and tries to to ‘nudge’ us to make positive changes in their lives (for instance, creating systems where if you get a raise it is automatically saved in a 401(k) unless you opt out). But what if you wanted… Continue reading Nudging you the Wrong Way