Disrupting the Satellite
Quasi-stationary stratospheric drones will be better than communications satellites in almost every way.
Author: Eli DouradoFollow @elidourado
How to Be More Meta-Rational about Politics
Arnold Kling’s insightful new book can help you understand your political opponents as basically reasonable, if wrong. It is a must-read for those who want to improve the quality of their discourse or subvert the political-industrial complex.
Is Marriage Doomed?
Yes and no. Marriage is not a static institution. It evolves in response to the economic incentives that men and women face. Improvements in wealth and in the labor market prospects for women have changed the social equilibrium. We are less willing to tolerate the reductions in autonomy that the most difficult aspects of marriage impose upon us. This is not the end of the world.
The War On Bitcoin—and Anonymity
FinCEN’s guidance on the regulatory status of Bitcoin users and exchanges brings into sharper focus the nature of the conflict that is likely to ensue between governments and those who wish to exercise anonymity in online commerce.
Paul Krugman Is Brilliant, but Is He Meta-Rational?
What should we do when we find ourselves in disagreement with someone who is brilliant? Reviewing the literature on rational disagreement can illuminate how we should react to Krugman’s strident claims about macroeconomics.
‘Binge Learning’ is Online Education’s Killer App
Online education will succeed because it allows students to mercilessly indulge their interests—to binge on learning. Because binge learning conserves the mental resources associated with exercising willpower and context switching, it is a more effective as well as a more enjoyable way to learn.
Bitcoin and Bank Architecture
The Bitcoin economy is unregulated and largely beyond the reach of law. Despite the problems that this causes, the Bitcoin-denominated financial services sector is growing, using solutions that are similar to those adopted by pre-FDIC 19th century banks.
What Can We Learn from Human Sacrifice?
Human sacrifice is revolting—but it was efficient in those contexts in which it was practiced. Peter Leeson’s work on law, economics, and superstition helps us understand how social institutions evolve, with lessons for both liberals and conservatives.
Who Will Save Us from Email Hell?
Over 30 years after its introduction, email remains the source of much stress. Its asynchronicity solves the problem of coordinating on availability, but at the expense of filling recipients’ inboxes—and minds—with a flood of decisions to be made. We need technologies and institutions that can help make those decisions for us, reduce the volume of mail, and reinvigorate synchronous communication.
‘Permissionless Innovation’ Offline as Well as On
“Permissionless innovation” is not just a great slogan for the online world—it describes what we need in the physical world as well. To a significant extent, we can replace existing permission-based regulation with centuries-old restitution-based tort law, which does not require innovators to seek permission in advance.
