Consumerism | Unexpected Leisure

February 5, 2013February 3, 2013

Government By Stuff

I have always critiqued those arguing for small government because in my viewed, cutting government just to cut it can have disasterous consequences. One must in all fairness ask whether those who argue for few possessions are open to the same critique. Read more [...]

July 29, 2012May 6, 2013

On the Duty of Fiscal Disobedience

OWS stated implicitly and explicitly that Washington, DC though full of sound and fury, signifies nothing. The nationâ€™s true political center of gravity is no longer Washington, but Wall Street. Read more [...]

December 25, 2011

Christmas, Then and Now

This is one of many reasons why Christmas is as relevant today as ever. As we descend into the election season, we see the parade of candidates, would-be charlatans and pretenders to the throne, many wrapping themselves in a cloak of corrosive, self-righteous piety. Meanwhile in city after city, nation after nation, nonviolent people fill the streets on behalf of the dispossessed, forcefully urging, nudging, pressing us all towards a better world. Read more [...]

May 25, 2011

Repair it Yourself: A Manifesto

IFixit is a group dedicated to the radical notion that people should be able to repair their own stuff. To that end, they have set up a web site with a growing collection of repair manuals, how-to tutorials, and places to order parts for just about everything that is remotely repairable. At least that's the idea. Read more [...]

May 20, 2011

A Japanese Alternative to the Grocery Bag

One aspect of the Japanese art of wrapping and transporting is the furoshiki (literally "bath spread"). This is a square piece of cloth used to wrap items for easier transport, to protect items from dust in storage, or as a gift wrapping. Read more [...]

May 7, 2011

The Role of Stuff and How It’s Changing

One of the schools of thought that came out of this community was the Veridian Design Movement that was active near the turn of our century. They were concerned with how we ought to consider living and our environment in the 21st Century. Read more [...]

April 16, 2011

Dodging Price Traps

We've all seen the trick where something is priced for a penny less than what it could be; in stead of charging $50 they charge $49.00. Gas stations even increment things down to tenths of a cent. The weird thing is, this strategy works of they'd stop using. This is an example of what I call a pricing trap. A psychological trick to make think you're paying less, or getting a better deal than you really are. Read more [...]

March 18, 2011

What’s Behind the Current Unemployment?

Contrary to what one might think, capitalism is not about the creation of jobs. That is not its purpose. It's purpose is to make money for people who own businesses. If some of that money finds its way to workers and other forms of overhead, fine. But the mutant capitalism embraced by today's financial elite worships at the altar of efficiency and maximizing profits in a way that has not been seen since the Bad Old Days before workers began to secure their rights to a decent share for their labor. Read more [...]

March 3, 2011

The Zen of Stuff

My spouse and I have moved several times in our married life and each time it happens I am stunned by how much stuff has accumulated. This is a common thing. We've helped friends to move and they express similar dismay at how many things seem to have wormed their way into their lives. Generally, they don't view this as a good thing Read more [...]

February 16, 2011

Is Long-Term Recovery Likely?

Washington, DC to Wall Street seem to assume is ramping up and going strong. For obvious reasons I remain dubious. I still have a lot of friends and associates who are either jobless or nearly so. It's also clear that in our new globalized world there are plenty of things that can tip the economics of the globe off kilter and cause trouble. Read more [...]