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"The Rent Is Too Damn High: What To Do About It, And Why It Matters More Than You Think" Not where I live. What to do about it? Move. Find an employer willing

by joeax 11y ago

"The Rent Is Too Damn High: What To Do About It, And Why It Matters More Than You Think" Not where I live. What to do about it? Move. Find an employer willing to let you work remotely, and find your own quiet cost-conscious piece of paradise.

mwsherman 11y ago
Yes, but it’s complicated. Cities have become more valuable in the age of the Internet, against my predictions, intuitions and preferences! Too few companies offer remote, because remote is hard. My experience at Stack is that remote work really only happens when a company supports it “natively” from the start. It’ll take a generation to make a dent, sadly. I’d like to be wrong.
- krisdol 11y ago
  Agree, fully. I add that remote feels incredibly easy when it's ingrained in the company, as it is for the one I work at right now. After experiencing it, I feel like it really doesn't have to be as hard as my previous employers made it out to be.
krisdol 11y ago
> quiet cost-conscious piece of paradise Some of us like living in the city :(.
- flubert 11y ago
  In fact, people like living in a city so much, that gobs of them are willing to pay a premium in order to do so. Oh, wait...
  - krisdol 11y ago
    Absolutely. But I don't think city living needs to be expensive. Looking toward the more population-dense central Europe, average families are able to afford to live in urban areas because there is far more urban housing available throughout the countries, and it's not just concentrated in a couple of metropolitan cities. The demand for urban living outpaces supply of urban housing the United States. We need a great urban housing expansion throughout the country to make city living affordable again.
- acheron 11y ago
  Yes, I've heard that masochism is a thing.
  - virtuabhi 11y ago
    Actually, living in city is (1) good for environment - no SUV trips, energy efficient buildings, and (2) good for soul - activities, theatres. I think love for suburbs (and then driving 30 miles to work and burning natural resources to catch up with city lifestyle) is mostly a US thing.
    - flubert 11y ago
      >good for soul I've always been intending to read "The Human Zoo": "How does city life change the way we act? What accounts for the increasing prevalence of violence and anxiety in our world? In this new edition of his controversial 1969 bestseller, The Human Zoo, renowned zoologist Desmond Morris argues that many of the social instabilities we face are largely a product of the artificial, impersonal confines of our urban surroundings. Indeed, our behavior often startlingly resembles that of captive animals, and our developed and urbane environment seems not so much a concrete jungle as it does a human zoo. Animals do not normally exhibit stress, random violence, and erratic behavioruntil they are confined. Similarly, the human propensity toward antisocial and sociopathic behavior is intensified in todays cities. Morris argues that we are biologically still tribal and ill-equipped to thrive in the impersonal urban sprawl. As important and meaningful today as it was a quarter-century ago, The Human Zoo sounds an urgent warning and provides startling insight into our increasingly complex lives." http://www.amazon.com/The-Human-Zoo-Zoologists-Kodansha/dp/1568361041 http://www.amazon.com/The-Human-Zoo-Zoologists-Kodansha/dp/1...
    - douche 11y ago
      Trees, mountains, and the absence of other people is good for my soul.
      - dagw 11y ago
        Absolutely, and they're all waiting for me a short drive or train ride from my flat any time I want them.
gregjwild 11y ago
Easy to say on paper, but people quite understandably have friends, family and other attachments that tie them to a place... and that's even if they can get remote work. Most people still need to be physically present. Especially down the lower end of the pay scale.
boona 11y ago
It's disheartening to see that Matthew Yglesias has book, with an economic argument no less, that is incredibly popular here on HN. He's been discredited by many economists from the left/right/libertarian. That is, when his arguments aren't simply ad hominems. If you've read this book, do yourself a favor and read some refutations. Or do one better, and learn economics so you can think about these issues clearly. http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232/ http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understa...

by joeax 11y ago

mwsherman 11y ago

Yes, but it’s complicated. Cities have become more valuable in the age of the Internet, against my predictions, intuitions and preferences! Too few companies offer remote, because remote is hard. My experience at Stack is that remote work really only happens when a company supports it “natively” from the start. It’ll take a generation to make a dent, sadly. I’d like to be wrong.

krisdol 11y ago
Agree, fully. I add that remote feels incredibly easy when it's ingrained in the company, as it is for the one I work at right now. After experiencing it, I feel like it really doesn't have to be as hard as my previous employers made it out to be.

krisdol 11y ago

> quiet cost-conscious piece of paradise Some of us like living in the city :(.

flubert 11y ago
In fact, people like living in a city so much, that gobs of them are willing to pay a premium in order to do so. Oh, wait...
- krisdol 11y ago
  Absolutely. But I don't think city living needs to be expensive. Looking toward the more population-dense central Europe, average families are able to afford to live in urban areas because there is far more urban housing available throughout the countries, and it's not just concentrated in a couple of metropolitan cities. The demand for urban living outpaces supply of urban housing the United States. We need a great urban housing expansion throughout the country to make city living affordable again.
acheron 11y ago
Yes, I've heard that masochism is a thing.
- virtuabhi 11y ago
  Actually, living in city is (1) good for environment - no SUV trips, energy efficient buildings, and (2) good for soul - activities, theatres. I think love for suburbs (and then driving 30 miles to work and burning natural resources to catch up with city lifestyle) is mostly a US thing.
  - flubert 11y ago
    >good for soul I've always been intending to read "The Human Zoo": "How does city life change the way we act? What accounts for the increasing prevalence of violence and anxiety in our world? In this new edition of his controversial 1969 bestseller, The Human Zoo, renowned zoologist Desmond Morris argues that many of the social instabilities we face are largely a product of the artificial, impersonal confines of our urban surroundings. Indeed, our behavior often startlingly resembles that of captive animals, and our developed and urbane environment seems not so much a concrete jungle as it does a human zoo. Animals do not normally exhibit stress, random violence, and erratic behavioruntil they are confined. Similarly, the human propensity toward antisocial and sociopathic behavior is intensified in todays cities. Morris argues that we are biologically still tribal and ill-equipped to thrive in the impersonal urban sprawl. As important and meaningful today as it was a quarter-century ago, The Human Zoo sounds an urgent warning and provides startling insight into our increasingly complex lives." http://www.amazon.com/The-Human-Zoo-Zoologists-Kodansha/dp/1568361041 http://www.amazon.com/The-Human-Zoo-Zoologists-Kodansha/dp/1...
  - douche 11y ago
    Trees, mountains, and the absence of other people is good for my soul.
    - dagw 11y ago
      Absolutely, and they're all waiting for me a short drive or train ride from my flat any time I want them.

gregjwild 11y ago

Easy to say on paper, but people quite understandably have friends, family and other attachments that tie them to a place... and that's even if they can get remote work. Most people still need to be physically present. Especially down the lower end of the pay scale.

boona 11y ago

It's disheartening to see that Matthew Yglesias has book, with an economic argument no less, that is incredibly popular here on HN. He's been discredited by many economists from the left/right/libertarian. That is, when his arguments aren't simply ad hominems. If you've read this book, do yourself a favor and read some refutations. Or do one better, and learn economics so you can think about these issues clearly. http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232/ http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understa...