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Why would I live in SF? Culture and Opportunities. Quite frankly, for software, there's no other place like Silicon Valley in the world. Everywhere else is a p

Why would I live in SF? Culture and Opportunities. Quite frankly, for software, there's no other place like Silicon Valley in the world. Everywhere else is a pale imitation. Let's not pussyfoot around this. The reason why cheap places are cheap are because no one wants to live there. It's either crappy weather, or the lack of economic or cultural opportunities. Very few people move because of "burdensome regulation" or marginal tax rates. If they did, it would be California advertising people to move to their state in Indianapolis, instead of Indiana advertising on the 101. Whenever I go back home to the Midwest I'm always struck by not just how little is there, but how much has left since my last visit. It's pretty much just corn fields and meth labs these days. Checking out some job boards, there's just very little demand for my specialization. Sure you can work remote, and bring in your Silicon Valley money and live like a king, but at the end of the day, you're still surrounded by corn fields and meth labs. If you like moving to Singapore, that's great, but the idea that Singapore is less regulated and has less smog is laughable. Smog of this level[0] just doesn't happen anywhere in the United States, and I can buy chewing gum. [0] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/08/26/environment/singapore-shrouded-blanket-smog-illegal-forest-fires-burn-indonesia/#.WN7gWkhlCEc http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/08/26/environment/sing...

salesguy222 10y ago
Haha, I enjoyed your response! Corn fields and meth labs! I like open spaces and less people, so corn fields are ok. Meth heads are alright if they keep to themselves, which they usually don't :) But when I read what you wrote, I am reminded of how I once felt about the world- paralysis by analysis. We are all pretty smart here, so digging for info and analyzing it becomes natural. The midwest looks like a nightmare on paper, and yet plenty of people prefer it. Those same people probably look at SF on paper and can find all sorts of reasons they'd hate it. Some places are obviously truly tough, like Somalia or Venezuela now. But mostly these details among cities can only be truly gauged once you get a feel for the area. Kyiv Ukraine and Lviv Ukraine feel very different despite similar statistics. As for the Indonesian smog, yes, that is a big problem for 1 month a year that won't be resolved until Westerners stop buying palm oil soap sourced from Indonesian farmers. But the air is quite good 11 months out of the year, compared to constant car smog in other cities that usually isn't sensationalized or in the news. As for the gum, you can buy it here, it's just that the local state-legitimized bureaucratic mafia has some rules against importing or selling it. You can find it easily here I think. In Singapore you should probably be more concerned with avoiding quirky but obvious crimes like graffiti, aggresive political speech, drugs. Those are dealt with through literal ass whoopings and hangings. It's a problem I'd like changed sure, but in the US it would be nice if cops didn't shoot, detain, or extort you before your speeding ticket trial :)

salesguy222 10y ago

Haha, I enjoyed your response! Corn fields and meth labs! I like open spaces and less people, so corn fields are ok. Meth heads are alright if they keep to themselves, which they usually don't :) But when I read what you wrote, I am reminded of how I once felt about the world- paralysis by analysis. We are all pretty smart here, so digging for info and analyzing it becomes natural. The midwest looks like a nightmare on paper, and yet plenty of people prefer it. Those same people probably look at SF on paper and can find all sorts of reasons they'd hate it. Some places are obviously truly tough, like Somalia or Venezuela now. But mostly these details among cities can only be truly gauged once you get a feel for the area. Kyiv Ukraine and Lviv Ukraine feel very different despite similar statistics. As for the Indonesian smog, yes, that is a big problem for 1 month a year that won't be resolved until Westerners stop buying palm oil soap sourced from Indonesian farmers. But the air is quite good 11 months out of the year, compared to constant car smog in other cities that usually isn't sensationalized or in the news. As for the gum, you can buy it here, it's just that the local state-legitimized bureaucratic mafia has some rules against importing or selling it. You can find it easily here I think. In Singapore you should probably be more concerned with avoiding quirky but obvious crimes like graffiti, aggresive political speech, drugs. Those are dealt with through literal ass whoopings and hangings. It's a problem I'd like changed sure, but in the US it would be nice if cops didn't shoot, detain, or extort you before your speeding ticket trial :)