To Angelenos, the first circle of hell is the San Bernardino Valley; the second, the High Desert; the third, Bakersfield; the fourth…well, let’s just call it “out of state”. Downwardly-mobile ex-Californians face a rather horrifying way of life, often pouring into cheaper parts of the … Continue readingPretty Girls Drinkin’ Tall Boys…
Well, well, well, now that the Federal Reserve’s rate hike program has finally broken something (Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and possibly now First Republic Bank too…) they might be forced to back off. The winds of prevailing opinion have suddenly shifted: the tightening cycle … Continue readingHousing Crisis: Is the End in Sight?
“Oh no, has Adamas Nemesis gone terminally online!?” I can hear you asking; well, as someone practically raised by the Internet, it’s rather pointless to worry about such things anyway. But really, I just couldn’t resist making a whole blog post out of a meme … Continue readingOn the “We’re So Blessed” Starter Pack
The part of Twitter I’m in is adjacent to some rather heated debates as to the fundamentals of Russia versus NATO in the Ukraine war, with some of the less-bright pro-Russian types coping about how the tremendous GDP of the Western bloc doesn’t matter for … Continue readingR&D and the Great Power Sweepstakes
In my post “The Boon of Young Motherhood” I proposed a kind of generational division of labor: sex and babies for the young, career work for the old. After all, fundamentally you can work a job far later in life than you can have a … Continue readingToward a Generational Division of Labor?
Admittedly a bit of an esoteric title, but in this post I’m talking about something that sent me on a tirade at home this morning after finding out last night the latest shock to my system: Amazon Prime Music opening up all 100 million songs … Continue readingBite the Apple, Escape the Amazon Jungle?
You know, it’s kinda horrifying to pore over job boards and career options, and it dawns on you more and more each time you look at them that you would earn more per hour by just going freelance using the skills you already have than … Continue readingThe $100 an Hour Rule?
I have no idea what sparked this interest in me, but looking up what a materialistic person is, it seems that I’m one; at least I have most of Minimalism Made Simple’s 17 signs that you’re a materialistic person. But so what? What’s so bad … Continue readingMaterialist, Not Minimalist
It’s curious how Americans seem to find it normal and acceptable that not just particular neighborhoods but whole regions of the country are off-limits for you to live in unless you make more money than most people. This economic situation is of recent provenance, and … Continue readingNo Escape for the Cheap
Where are all the gleaming futuristic towers stretching like needles a mile or more into the sky like science fiction promised would be the Future, realized by the 21st century? The closest we’ve come to a real-life Coruscant, at least aesthetically, is places like Dubai; … Continue readingWhere’s My Mile-High Tower?