spangry

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271.
by spangry 10y ago
CO2 levels is just one of a myriad of indicators that are off the scale now. By lifestyle I mean supermarkets and restaurants and iPhones and planes ... all the stuff that we're so proud of as a society. Scale relative to what, or wh
272.
by spangry 10y ago
Yep. Anyone who has bothered to look at the numbers would likely agree with you. To that end: - Here are my numbers on German solar & wind capacity factors (nuclear generally achieves 90% by comparison): https://gist.github.c
273.
by spangry 10y ago
On the other hand, China seems to think nuclear power is unavoidable. India too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%27s_three-stage_nuclear_... Stage 2 is fast breeder reactors and stage 3 is thorium-fuelled reactor
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by spangry 10y ago
They really are terrifying. It's hard to say exactly why this is so, but I think it has something to do with how they can occur (some protein randomly misfolding) and that they aren't really "alive", in the same sense th
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by spangry 10y ago
http://www.urbancapture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/10121... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/Hong-Kong_sky... The setting in the original 'Ghos
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by spangry 10y ago
The situation sounds remarkably similar to auto-manufacturers building cars that can only be services by 'licensed technicians' (usually their dealer network). I wonder if that is the bigger issue the ACCC has in mind (and is tryi
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by spangry 10y ago
I personally can't see the problem with the concept of consumer protection laws when applied to smartphones or other tech gadgetry. As for when Australia's consumer protection laws, they underwent a fairly comprehensive re-write
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by spangry 10y ago
Agreed. Though the crazy thing is that they can do both simultaneously. If this is what they intend, it's a brilliant move on Amazon's part. It may very well be that in the not too distant future we'll all be using Amazon buc
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by spangry 10y ago
If taken at face value, that's what their FAQ suggests. I'm partially reposting a comment I made above, since you seem to be the only other person here who is thinking along the same lines as I am. 2) Where can I use Amazon Cash?
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by spangry 10y ago
It would be a strategically bad idea if CVS did allow purchases with Amazon bucks. I'm assuming the FAQ is just badly worded, because I couldn't imagine CVS making such an awful strategic blunder. It would be bad for CVS because
281.
by spangry 10y ago
Yeah, the wording in the FAQ has me a little confused: 2) Where can I use Amazon Cash? We have partnered with thousands of stores across the country, including CVS Pharmacy®, Speedway, Sheetz, Kum & Go, D&W Fresh Market, Family Far
282.
by spangry 10y ago
I think a person can be both, and indeed, must be both if they wish to change the world. I find that I have less and less patience for people with high-minded, admirable ideals, who refuse to do anything other than take the uncompromising
283.
by spangry 10y ago
Sorry for the late reply. It's true that unions tend to have more success forming in monopsony employer situations, usually because of the labour force abuses that tend to follow. The other context where unions have high coverage (and
284.
by spangry 10y ago
The problem is that capital is mobile, and that mobility is arguably increasing due to digitisation. In other words, if a country raises tax rates on returns to capital, capital simply relocates somewhere else. I've suggested a solutio
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by spangry 10y ago
The biggest problem, one where the trend is running in the wrong direction, is how to fund UBI. If we assume that labour will be increasingly replaced by capital in the future, then I think this ultimately comes down to the following questi
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by spangry 10y ago
There really ought to be a pithy expression that simultaneously conveys the ideas of 'a breath of fresh air' and 'sanity'. This is a pretty good summary of how most economists working in the public service tend to view t
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by spangry 10y ago
I'd argue the Economist generally doesn't stray too far from the neoclassical synthesis (i.e. what most would generally call 'mainstream' or 'textbook' economics). Just a small aside: if someone is sceptical th
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by spangry 10y ago
Supply is definitely part of the equation, no doubt about it. Relaxing zoning and land-use regulations is necessary but, IMHO, not sufficient. More radical steps need to be taken, like the introduction of a land-value tax and repeal of stam
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by spangry 10y ago
Not to mention the fact that software developers will eventually find themselves in exceptionally weak bargaining positions, at least as individuals. Almost uniquely so. It's great that remote working is possible in software dev, but t
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by spangry 10y ago
I agree with the what (I think) the parent post is getting at: if you're going to form a union, form a union . As in, a labour monopoly. This might sound radical, but I think there is good reason for developers and tech workers to con
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by spangry 10y ago
Fair enough. FWIW I do apologise for the sarcastic tone of my posts above. You're right; it's probably not the right way to spark a constructive discussion. To be honest, my tone was a fairly deliberate departure from how I usuall
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by spangry 10y ago
Yeah someone made a comment about this but unfortunately deleted it before I could respond. I regret putting that in there and wish I could retract it now; I guess I got a little carried away. My parents (an inter-racial couple) copped it a
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by spangry 10y ago
I think many of your points have merit, although there are a few I disagree with. I think you're right about the construction input costs: the 'initial phase' of any mining boom is characterised by lots of capital investment
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by spangry 10y ago
Yeah, if the government adopted a 'super for deposits' policy it would be unconscionable , not to mention idiotic. The failure of the first home-owner grant scheme is ample evidence that a 'super deposits' scheme is not
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by spangry 10y ago
It's also what one would expect if US consumers are getting horribly gouged on prices. But then I guess you'd also expect to see pharmaceutical companies enjoying super high profit levels... Oh wait... EDIT: Given I am unable to a
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by spangry 10y ago
Superannuation is an interesting issue. I don't think the problem is that there's too much investment sloshing around, but rather it's that investment incentives in Australia are horribly distorted by the tax system (and in t
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by spangry 10y ago
100% agreed. It was a stroke of Machiavellian genius (or 'rat cunning', as others might put it). He managed to sell us down the river with nary a peep of resistance. At the time it seemed that most were actually cheering him on.
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by spangry 10y ago
There's an easy solution to the developer land-banking problem: levy a tax on the unimproved value of land. Most taxes have some sort of efficiency cost (e.g. income tax means people work less hours than they otherwise would have). Rec
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by spangry 10y ago
To make the technical (and somewhat cold-hearted) argument: because it will correct a massive mis-allocation of capital in the Australian economy. This mis-allocated capital is being poured into existing residential real estate (80% of pr
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by spangry 10y ago
Thanks for this. It's always useful to inject some hard data into these conversations. Looking at a more recent Roy Morgan poll (Oct 2016), the numbers appear to have changed a bit, with a few interesting inconsistencies. 1. 66% suppor

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