~marginalrevolution | Bookmarks (15)

Michael Stack writes me: “Hi Tyler – you wrote about preferring current airport procedures to pre-9/11 procedures. Do you plan to elaborate on this? I have a hard time understanding why you’d feel that way. Here is the list I produced – these are guesses as to why you might feel the way you do: […] The post Why do I prefer current airport...

That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, basically you should charge them fees rather than discourage them through other means>  Here is one excerpt: By this reasoning, the Japanese decision to raise bullet train prices for tourists is exactly the right approach. In the meantime, the Japanese government, which faces high pension costs, […] The post What is the proper policy toward...

Two economists from the Harvard Growth Lab (Shah and Sturzenegger) estimate that the average transport costs for those who are employed in South Africa is equal to 57% of net wages when time to commute is accounted for. Here is the whole John McDermott tweet storm, in part that is the spatial legacy from the […] The post South Africa fact of the day...

With a group of friends I was having a chat about the merits of the current vs. past America.  Battle of the Ancients and Moderns!  I generally favor current times, but not unconditionally.  So I promised them a list of what I missed from the past.  To be clear, these are personal judgments, not claims […] The post What I am nostalgic about appeared...

Konstantin emails me a question: Hey Tyler! You said you tried coffee just once, at a coffee ceremony in an Ethiopian village, as coffee probably originates in Ethiopia. What else would you try (or do) only due to its provenance? What else have you tried or done only due to its provenance? I used to always try […] The post When does provenance justify a consumption...

You will find it here, 45 pp. of text plus lots of footnotes.  Overall it is a nothing burger.  You’ll find plenty of (justifiable) claims that there are no dead bodies, no alien spacecraft have been recovered, no technology is being reverse engineered, there is nothing to Roswell, and so on.  Here is from the […] The post The new UAPs report appeared first...

While the 17-year-old does indeed live on trains, he does so entirely legally. And with a surprising amount of comfort. Lasse travels 600 miles a day throughout Germany aboard Deutsche Bahn trains. He travels first class, sleeps on night trains, has breakfast in DB lounges and takes showers in public swimming pools and leisure centres, […] The post But does he care about on-time...

Lucy Huber and Alex T. debate that question, and they both seem pretty skeptical.  (I am surprised to see Alex’s view, I might add.)  I would not pay that much for a room, but sometimes when I am invited to events I end up staying in places that I suspect are in that price range, […] The post Is a $600 a night hotel...

Here is Fareed’s home page, here is Wikipedia: Fareed Rafiq Zakaria…is an Indian-American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN‘s Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly paid column for The Washington Post. He has been a columnist for Newsweek, editor of Newsweek International, and an editor at large of Time. He was managing editor of Foreign Affairs at age 28, briefly […] The post What should I ask Fareed Zakaria?...

Here is the audio, visual, and transcript.  Here is the episode summary: Ami Vitale is a renowned National Geographic photographer and documentarian with a deep commitment to wildlife conservation and environmental education. Her work, spanning over a hundred countries, includes spending a decade as a conflict photographer in places like Kosovo, Gaza, and Kashmir. She […] The post My Conversation with the excellent Ami...

Self-recommending. The post Dan Wang 2023 letter appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.         CommentsIn reply to Sayeedshowbob. “He should support the kind of ... by KevinIn reply to M. The Economist reckons that in December 2023; ... by MIn reply to Randy. Maybe a little strange to be talking about ... by MIn reply to Faze. Totally get this. I've an hour's tube ......

No matter how many people sit at a table, generally only one menu will be put down at the table, for the group to share. What could explain this cultural norm? There’s a bag container next to each table to put your briefcase or bag or jacket. Without fail — a bag container. Is it […] The post Ben Casnocha on food procedures in...

Here is the audio, video, and transcript.  Here is part of the episode summary: Tyler sat down with Patrick to discuss signature fields on the back of credit cards, whether bank tellers or waitstaff are more trustworthy, the gremlins behind spurious credit card declines, how debt collection and maple syrup heists should change your model […] The post My Conversation with the excellent Patrick...

And at what margin? A new ideological struggle is brewing, yet we have not yet recognized it as such.  The question is to what extent cities are for tourists, or for their current residents.  Here is a report from Vermont: A Vermont town known for its autumn foliage has closed its roads to the public […] The post Are cities for tourists or residents?...

This is making the rounds on Twitter, so I thought I would serve up my somewhat unusual, not quite playing the game by its rules answers: City I hate: Do I hate any cities?  I don’t think so.  I do recall being disappointed in Invercargill, New Zealand.  I expected a cool, end of the earth […] The post The cities meme appeared first on...