I think the biggest shift in deciding where to live is happening "online" rather than "offline". I am an online nomad. I never lived and never will live in MySpace. I do not like the MySpacians message (Hey lets try to see who has more friends and hookups). I sometimes spend time at Facebook. I lived there for a little while until I realized I am not so much into keeping in touch and I had no friends in the few hours…
It is good, but still low-bandwidth. Perhaps the reason for compulsively refreshing the homepage is that we just can't get enough. Any suggestions about how to make better online environments for people who care about similar things?
Cities and Ambition
181–190 of 313 posts
Re: Cities and Ambition
#182Hilarious.
I've always thought Cambridge's message was "You're not a student. Go away."
Re: Cities and Ambition
#183A lot about cities, but nothing about the ~10% that still don't live in them. The general message of the parts of rural America I've lived in seems to be "we're not like everyone else". (The "we" is important.)
From that, you get common worries about encroaching suburbs (the "everyone else" pushing us out). The "we" varies, from small funky communal pockets, and of course religious groups desperate to be their own thing, to the dying breed (but still generally dominant in rural life) of farmers.
Re: Cities and Ambition
#184Bradenton, FL: You should leave until you are old.
St. Pete, FL: Didn't B-town tell you?! Get out of FL until you retire.
Trier, Germany: You should read classical literature.
Takamatsu, Japan: You should be Japanese.
Toronto, Canada: You should be polite, and make more money.
Re: Cities and Ambition
#185Toronto, Canada: Let's try to be New York City (but try to be polite)
Re: Cities and Ambition
#186This is an interesting take on cities. What do you think New Orleans says? I haven't been there post-Katrina, but it definitely has a very powerful vibe (the "show us your tits for beads" stupidity is actually just a very small section of the city, not at all characteristic of the rest of the place...) "You should live more soulfully?"
I would think there is no doubt that New Orleans says: You should be yourself.
Re: Cities and Ambition
#187New York is made of a dozen little subsections. I see no reason why a concentrated startup community could not form there, much as artist and theatre communities have thrived.
there is way more than a concentrated startup community in NYC, it's the third most active venture capital market in the world and will soon pass boston and be second only to Silicon Valley
Re: Cities and Ambition
#188Oh, but the food tastes better when you're wearing a suit.
Re: Cities and Ambition
#189They say the difference between an Oxford man and a Cambridge man is that when an Oxford man walks into a room, he looks as though he owns the place, and when a Cambridge man walks into a room, he looks as though he couldn't care less who owns it.
I think that should tell you quite a bit about the nature of ambition (and lack thereof) at both those Universities.
Re: Cities and Ambition
#190Paul, I think you are wrong about NYC. It's not about money first and foremost. It's about commerce and the neverending chase of what's next whether it be art, music, media, money, shopping, food, nightlife, etc, etc.
It's the greatest city in the world and the only city in the US that can compete with the great cities of Asia and Europe.