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The room the economy can't see

wilsoniumite.com

241–250 of 296 posts

Re: The room the economy can't see

#241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like in this case, the “Amazon or Netflix” example is particularly bad because I feel like I’m actually drowning in streaming providers. You will also typically have the option to simply opt out, although this is getting less rare. I think my point is that there are typically still many options, but the best options are controlled by few players.

> I feel like in this case, the “Amazon or Netflix” example is particularly bad because I feel like I’m actually drowning in streaming providers. It's a fake choice, because they carry mutually exclusive catalogs, and entertainment choice is not particularly substitutable (e.g. if I want to watch "Star Wars" and it's not available on services I'm subscribed to, I'm not going to be satisfied with all the rich selectio…

It doesn't feel like a fake choice when I sit down on the couch and flip between 5 services trying to find something to watch, and on a weekly basis I will watch something on almost all the services. The content nowadays is generally fine, and it is difficult to pick something when everything is pretty close, and every now and then there is something really good, so maybe competition is working here to raise the bar for all services? Not sure.

Saying entertainment is not substitutable is kind of crazy. It is very rare that I will only ever want to watch one specific thing, and if that happens, I have the choice to rent it, or buy it or pay for one month of a service. To me as a consumer...that great.

The market for smartphones is mostly driven by lack of options in OS, not hardware. Each of the big players offer plenty of hardware choices at different price points. But if you don't like the OS, harder to get away from that. Competing on OS is very difficult though.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#242
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somewhat of a weird example…the one without a steering wheel could be autonomous, or the place you want to get to is in a completely straight line from where you start. Also in your example you have both cars without steering wheels.

> the one without a steering wheel could be autonomous How silly, even autonomous vehicles have steering. They may be built without the wheel, but they have some kind of steering mechanism > or the place you want to get to is in a completely straight line from where you start I hope your wheels never lose alignment and that you're pointed exactly where you want to go at the start. It's not a weird example at all if y…

The OP specifically referenced a steering wheel as it relates to weight, so that is what I went off of. Try to not overthink things.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#243

Most churches I've been to have these? Some even have seperate kids/teens rooms...

You shouldn't need to subscribe to one groups ideas or another to have access to social spaces.

Most of the churches I've been to are fairly open about the use of their spaces so long as you're not some sort of obnoxious.

You don't have to BE a luthern to visit a luthern church, and that's true for the kids as well. Same for the Jehovah's, same for multi- and non-denominational churchs.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#244
post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean the market is spending on stuff like this; this is just a form of youth center, no? We pay for those, as we pay for schools or parks. And it does have positive externalities: Trust, parents, neighbourhood, school outcomes, crime outcomes It's hot. Maybe I am missing something.

the market is not spending that money. the community/goverment is.

How is that not a market, as long as we are voting?

Re: The room the economy can't see

#245
This sounds like a gaming club. A small one, but a gaming club. Those exist, we have them all over. You pay for them in a variety of ways, in this case the way being forced seizure of wealth aka taxes. Other ways are via profit from sales of consumables (what the article alludes to) or membership fees. In all cases it is the parents that pay for them. It is absolutely possible for the market to build a non-predatory gaming club, but I concede it is easier when you can just get a government grant. It is entirely possible nobody in Stockholm can run a gaming room as a profitable business. Profitable businesses are hard even when they are simple.

The rest of the article can basically be summed up with "work takes too much time and pays too little", which is absolutely true.

I am not sure what the jab at stay at home moms or grandparents who help with childcare is supposed to be. Probably some other communist drivel. Grandma absolutely did not do unpaid childcare, she was insistent she had to teach us right and also got tons of labour and money from my parents. If the exchanges of money and labour between parents and grandparents in the context of childcare were measured, it would probably double the nation's GDP.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#246
I like that article.

One thing I notice is that very busy people, are often busy by choice. Yes they have work, but they're not slaves to working those extra hours... they choose to pick up that laptop at home because it is there.

Folks after school, their kids are busy, because they signed the kid up for a dozen things.

Not to say some people aren't super stuck in a cycle, the working poor with multiple jobs, I used to do that and it was exhausting. That's still a problem.

But even people with choices seem to choose to be busy.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok video games then. I am not sure video gaming in person in a group setting is popular with modern youth. Same outcome to me.

You think that hanging out playing video games with friends lacks an appeal for young people? Are you for real?

You don’t need to be rude.

I never said it lacks appeal but I would say that more folks prefer to game online with friends.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watching trust in online content of any kind disintegrate in realtime due to AI in a forum that on balance breathlessly touts AI is surreal.

You're conflating different things here. You would have to look very hard on HN to find someone who "breathlessly touts" the idea of publishing AI-generated blogposts under your own name.

In for a penny, in for a pound. "Well it's ok when I do it" doesn't wash.

Re: The room the economy can't see

#249
post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An alternative view is that rooms like these would be a lot more feasible if market pricing of real estate was not being artificially driven up by planning restrictions. Historically, communities were able to afford their own versions of this in their own localities, but this isn’t possible anymore because of property prices. There was a community hall where I grew up that was funded like this along with a local spor…

Not an American, so maybe I'm underestimating the insanity of US zoning laws, but I always thought "residental ares" means "no businesses". Admittedly unpleasant if it means there can't be any grocery store or even café reachable by foot, but at least I get the rationale. But if the zoning restriction is "absolutely nothing except single-family homes", this becomes insane. So even if there is a local neighborhood who…

> Admittedly unpleasant if it means there can't be any grocery store or even café reachable by foot, but at least I get the rationale.

I dont get the rationale with those two. What it is, to make living less comforta ble for residents? Doesnt everybody wants a grocery store and cafe nearby?

Re: The room the economy can't see

#250
post #34
post #23

Markets are only free when both sides of a deal can walk away from that deal. Free marketers go on about state coercion, but their idea of a free market is at least as coersive as the regulatory state.

I would argue they're even worse. By taking away funding for public institutions, they're removing very important freedoms, like the freedom to live a long and healthy life, to get an education, to have a functional postal service, to know what will become of the climate and to prepare for its evolutions, etc.

Those aren't freedoms, those are rights. Calling them freedoms is nonsensical
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