Economics/Geekonomics

The Geekonomy and the Japanese Earthquake.

by

I really hate writing this post, yet I should.

This is the inevitable "Steve Comments on The Geekonomic Impact of the Japanese Disaster" post.  I don't want to write it because, as I create it, the crisis is still going on and people are suffering.  I don't want to write it because I don't want to get cold and detached and analytic.

I do write it because it is what I do, because the impact is important, because it is what I do for you, our reader.

I'm just noting right now I'm uncomfortable with this.

Read more

Best BorderStop

by

So Borders is bankrupt. No surprise, no one is saying, “oh, I didn't see it coming,” and no one is really saying much of anything. We knew thugs weren't good, we suspected the worst, and were pretty much getting it. There's just no surprise, just a kind of sadness.

So I'm asking myself this; what happens next to Borders?

Read more

Despite All Your Rage You Can Leave The Cage

by

Are you a lab rat?

Chances are good that if you're in America, in these troubled times, your state is probably engaged in some kind of experiment.  It might be the changes in Florida () or Wisconsin's cuts (and the weird statements on the National Guard), or California's cut-and-confront budget.  You're probably seeing a lot of very experimental things.

I've ranted on this before – we're seeing a lot of social and financial experiments in the Great Recession.  Some of these are legitimate, a great deal seem to be ideology over practicality.  The thing is they're being done.

After talking to friends in different states, I've come to two conclusions about this:

  1. If you aren't paying attention to your state and local budget you're missing a lot, and could be blindsided by some very nasty surprises.
  2. You should have a backup plan in case whatever experiments going on in your state/city/location fail miserably.  Or in short, where would you move if all the geniuses making budget decisions screw it up.

Be careful.  Apply all those geeky relocation tips we've discussed here over the years.  Right now it's a pretty unsure time, and that ideal city or state you live in now could end up being the site of a failed experiment.

This applies even to me.  I love California and Silicon Valley, but I like to have a backup plan or too.  I just don't want to USE them.

– Steven Savage

* Bonus question – what's the inspiration for the post title?