The current conundrum for many people is simple. You might want to live in one of the expensive bubbles of economic and cultural vibrancy in order to access good paying jobs and upward mobility. But the cost of property and rent are insane. You could live in a radically less expensive part of the country … Continue reading The Urban Frontier Cabin
Videos from the recent affordable housing conference in Orange County are now available. I’d like to thank Chapman University, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson, Fred Smoller, and Joe Mathews for inviting me to this event. I’m quirky and it takes a certain amount of courage to include me in such conversations. For you hard core geeks out … Continue reading Orange County Affordable Housing Conference
Two years ago this month I wrote a post about a building fire here in San Francisco. These events are statistically unlikely in any given year or for any individual household. But when they do happen – to you – they’re devastating. It’s the little personal disasters like this that concern me most. Civilization carries on. Your old … Continue reading Two Years and Counting
I like to think I’m better prepared for emergency situations than most people in terms of food, water, and financial resilience. But when it comes to medical training I got a whole lot of nothing. While I lack the temperament to ever be a serious first responder, at the very least I feel a personal … Continue reading Prepper First Aid
I got a phone call a few months back from a woman in Arizona who sought my advice. Her town was receiving an influx of new residents from out of state and it was obvious the trend was accelerating. The resulting growth and economic distortions caused by an expanding population, more traffic congestion, less open … Continue reading The Californians Are Coming!
I recently participated in an affordable housing conference in Orange County. I’ll write on the specifics of the event in a future post. But as is typical I learned more outside the university environment than at the event itself. There’s always a gap between professional statistical analysis and external reality. Humans are odd creatures that … Continue reading The Airport Lounge School of Economics
A friend just returned from vacation and described her stay in Europe at a new hotel. CitizenM. She’s a lady of some refinement and not easily impressed so I did a little research on the company. Their business model is to streamline and automate as many hotel processes as possible and radically reduce the number of … Continue reading Dr. Bombay
Granola Shotgun 