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Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

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Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#181

Post by eli_gottlieb »

seibelj wrote: post #34
dtparr wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just said: >I wouldn't have raised a family here before gentrification, but every month it seems more realistic... So for young people not wanting to chance the 'gentrification lottery' you're describing with regard to their personal timeline, what you're proposing isn't reasonable.

It is a lottery? Move where there is a subway stop and property is cheap. Allston, Somerville, Southie, even East Boston is coming around. It isn't fuckin rocket science

Somerville has been expensive for years. Our landlord has raised rent by $175/month over the past two years, so we're having to move to Medford.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#182

Post by reason_police »

PeterisP wrote: post #173
reason_police wrote: post #161

> people with self-determination, i.e., a country, have decided You know that's just flat out false, especially considering you've personally never been asked about it. > countries agree to give up part of sovereignty Again, you were not asked. Neither was any other ordinary person affected. > the tourist visa explicitly has a number of terms and conditions I brought up the idea of the Social Contract. You're talking…

What difference does it make if someone has been asked or not? The rules apply anyway, consent or consensus is not required. Sovereignty works not only for full democracies, but also for monarchies, dictatorships, and various kinds of representative decisionmaking. But the main point I was trying to make is that if "you were born in England and lived there all your life. Then you fly over to Thailand on a tourist vis…

> What difference does it make if someone has been asked or not? The rules apply anyway, consent or consensus is not required.

You're essentially cheering for coercion, but without seeing it.

What does it matter if a woman consented to having sex with a guy, if the guy has a rule book where he wrote down that "all women must have sex with me"?

> if they don't like their system, they're free to change it

Oh right. Just like women are free to petition the jolly roaming rapist guy with his rulebook. If they can convince him that a change in the rules is necessary, then maybe they won't be raped anymore. If they don't like the system, they're free to change it!

But until the rules are changed, women will be getting raped but that's their own fault because they just haven't bothered changing the rules (by writing letters to the rule guy, or perhaps dropping pieces of paper into "voting boxes").

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#183

Post by OliverJones »

Steven Johnson, in his recent book Where Good Ideas Come From, pointed out that cities are more innovative the bigger they are, demonstrably according to a quarter power law. Aggregates of people are more creative than individuals. http://www.penguin.com/ajax/books/excerpt/9781594487712

But he ALSO points out that the internet has greatly reduced the need for physical proximity to get the aggregation benefits to creativity.

So, the question stands: why do people flock to the places with absurdly high rent when they could work remotely? The Sand Hill Road Shuffle (raising money for the next startup) isn't THAT much fun.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#184

Post by reason_police »

skj wrote: post #168
reason_police wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah. I know exactly what I'm talking about.

Well that does it. I wasn't convinced before, but now I am.

I bet you found it convincing when someone evoked some Academic bullshit to hand-wavily discredit me?

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#185

Post by [deleted] »

henrikschroder wrote: post #145
rubicon33 wrote: post #38

I used to live in SF. It was exciting, but also shitty. I felt connected and alive, which was great, but also drained of resources, which really sucked. Oh, and there were 6 of us, in a 3 bedroom apartment. I had the living room. Yea. I lasted 3 years, until I met my wife, and by then I was ready to move. We did. Now, life in the suburbs, is slow. I feel somewhat disconnected and like I don't really belong to this co…

> Oh, and there were 6 of us, in a 3 bedroom apartment. This is such a weird American phenomenon, the whole roommate thing. What on earth can make adults choose to share their home with a stranger? Why isn't there intense pressure for building many small apartments, rather than building larger apartments that are meant for roommates? Is it connected to the equally weird college dorm roommate system? Why are people ac…

[deleted]

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#186

Post by ranit »

mfukar wrote: post #117
anovikov wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not a EU permanent residency permit. It is just for Cyprus. Cyprus is not even in Schengen, and this permit doesn't even allow free travel, you still need a visa to go even to Greece. It also gives no right to work or do any kind of business (even in Cyprus), i.e. it is against the goals of these people, it is mostly for retirees. A 2-year residence permit which becomes permanent in 5 years is easy to get in…

Just as an aside, Cyprus is in the process of joining Schengen "soon", along with Romania, Bulgaria, & Croatia.

Schengen is for free movement. It does not give you work permit.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#187

Post by vinay427 »

purrcat259 wrote: post #114
apexalpha wrote: post #82

> it was always a country to keep offshore companies/accounts, so every rich developer in ex-USSR already been there and knew the place, but since 2014 it started to make sense to move physically as well I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that since 3 years ago Cyprus (among others) 'sells' EU permanent residency permits to rich foreigners. You can imagin that an EU permanent residency permit, allowing you…

Malta's still selling passports if you want in on EU and Schengen :) http://www.maltaimmigration.com/

Just as a clarification, it does not mean anything to have citizenship of a country that is in the Schengen agreement, which simply covers border enforcement when traveling between signatory countries, not immigration status. These rules in theory apply equally to all citizens, with some special provisions for EU (+ CH, etc.) citizens covering things such as required ID.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#189

Post by bluedino »

gsch wrote: post #150
henrikschroder wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Oh, and there were 6 of us, in a 3 bedroom apartment. This is such a weird American phenomenon, the whole roommate thing. What on earth can make adults choose to share their home with a stranger? Why isn't there intense pressure for building many small apartments, rather than building larger apartments that are meant for roommates? Is it connected to the equally weird college dorm roommate system? Why are people ac…

On the other hand, I think there are really good reasons for co-living beyond saving a bit of money. There's a great community aspect to it as well. On the occasions where I've lived by myself, I've mostly ended up bored and sedentary, whereas in co-living arrangements, there's always people to chat or cook with, hang out, etc. Of course, I'm still in my late 20s, so take this with a massive grain of salt. But if my…

Plus, you aren't really there except for sleeping and maybe a meal. You're always at work, with friends, out to dinner, at the bar or coffee shop, hiking or biking outside...

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#190

Post by jherdman »

I've been working remote for four years in Toronto. I'm here for a few reasons:

* My partner's work is based here * It's easy to visit both of our family's from here * If the company I work for goes belly up, there's an abundance of work available here (though I'd strongly prefer to stay remote)

We've toyed with the idea of moving, but remain here for now due to combinations of the above. I can virtually assure you that we'll move if and when we decide to purchase a home.

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