Culture & Behavior

Collapse +11 years in the Napa Valley

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As I sip my morning espresso, I have a brief moment of longing for an earlier time when I could make my stovetop coffee quickly on a gas burner. It takes a lot longer using this electric one. Little did we know that gas was right behind oil in peaking. Fortunately we finally have plenty of solar-produced electricity and, once again, access to coffee. So it’s a minor inconvenience, but just another reminder of things we used to take for granted.

Uncertainty

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I find myself writing an odd sort of holiday message in this piece. When so many others are sending out words of comfort and joy and wishes for a happy new year, I am focused on getting in touch with life’s inherent uncertainty and insecurity which in my view is the true cauldron of creativity in our lives.

Why dissensus matters

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What we think we can know about the future determines how we prepare for it. The speculative bubbles that have left rubble across the economic landscape offer a useful lesson about the difference between knowing what won’t happen, knowing what will happen, and knowing the kind of things that will happen.

The Flaw of Western Economies

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Let’s imagine a green and responsible consumer. Let’s call him George. George lives in a sleepy town, near the center and the park where he often goes for a walk with his dog. George built his house with his friends two years ago. It is a very small house, only 320 square feet and it was made with cob – clay mixed with straw and aggregate.