May 22A new commerce modelI just had an idea for a novel model of participatory commerce so I thought I’d explain it here. Imagine that you have an idea for a tool/service that you think many other people would find valuable because it addresses a common annoyance. But you lack the skills or the…2 min read2 min read
Sep 11, 2021Overseas travel with kids during a time of CovidAfter nearly two and a half years of not being able to travel overseas due to the pandemic, my wife & I finally spent three weeks abroad (in Belgrade & Copenhagen) with both kids. Because Denmark has such a high vaccination rate, they don’t require getting tested to enter the…Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
May 14, 2020Introducing code to a childAfter explaining to our 5YO how files work & letting her play around with them for a few days, I decided to expose her to coding. When I was a kid I loved using a language called Logo to move a turtle around the screen & make it draw lines…Programming2 min readProgramming2 min read
May 7, 2020Introducing computing to a childI’ve been very gradually easing my 5YO daughter into the world of computing. We began with a Remington typewriter to get her used to the idea of a QWERTY keyboard & the function of the shift key. Sadly, I was unable to procure a ribbon for it so she couldn’t…Parenting3 min readParenting3 min read
May 1, 2020Explaining empires to a 5 year oldMy five year old & I were listening to Nobody’s Empire by Belle & Sebastian today when she asked me what an empire was. Here’s what I told her. [I’ve read a lot of history but am not a professional historian so it’s possible there are inaccuracies in my explanation.] …History3 min readHistory3 min read
Dec 14, 2019What makes Canada, Australia & New Zealand different?When crafting a story that lumps the UK and the US together as outliers among wealthy countries due their shared Anglo-Saxon heritage, it is sheer folly to not consider the other 3 states with very similar Anglo-Saxon heritage.1 min read1 min read
Dec 7, 2019Intergenerational EconomicsNot only were boomers the beneficiaries of a post-WW2 economic boom for the US (while Europe recovered from years of self-destruction) but they also reaped the lion’s share of America’s brief fling with socialism lite. They enjoyed well funded government services & shiny new infrastructure bankrolled by high taxes while…Macroeconomics1 min readMacroeconomics1 min read
Oct 20, 2019How Meetings Should WorkMeetings should only be held to make decisions that require the kind of synchronous multi-party discussions that don’t work well over email. Status updates should not be done via meetings because they can just as well be done via email. …Meetings1 min readMeetings1 min read
Oct 13, 2019Combining automation with MLHow to do it humanely & effectively. Initially, treat the ML as an advisor that makes suggestions the human experts can take or ignore based on their own judgement. They’ll accept it most of the time but will need to improvise in the long-tail of unusual situations. The manual overrides…Machine Learning1 min readMachine Learning1 min read
Sep 8, 2019In Defense of CapitalismDespite being a fiscal centrist, I’m also a social liberal, which means that my friends tend to skew to the left in both dimensions. Ergo, my social media feeds are filled with people denouncing capitalism. …Economics3 min readEconomics3 min read
