Let me preface this with the fact that the history of capitalism is extremely vague and complicated. This attempt to summarize it is focused on getting the general idea down, rather than the specifics (which are debated). Pre-1800s For centuries… Continue Reading
I honestly think that having at least a basic understanding of capitalism is the most important thing for living in today’s world. It shapes everything from business, to families, to pop-culture. This article serves as a very brief introduction to… Continue Reading
As I travel the world and I can’t help noticing the difference between each city I visit. Some of them are beautiful places to explore and live, while others are inconvenient and unwelcoming. What’s more is that there seems to… Continue Reading
In the previous posts, I’ve covered nearly everything you need to know about what makes for good urban living. The last piece of the puzzle is Nature. Mankind has a strong connection with nature (after all we’re all just animals),… Continue Reading
Here is a topic that immediately gets you in the “he’s one of them” bucket: Our car-worshipping culture is killing our cities, suburbs, and planet. However, before we get to the four big reasons why automobile-first living doesn’t work, let’s… Continue Reading
The irony of many of our urban problems is that they stem from well-intentioned decisions that we made when trying to make cities good places for living. Zoning is one of these problems. Before you mentally switch off, you shouldn’t… Continue Reading
With each city that I travel to I see a different place with a different culture and different problems. However what all the good ones have in common is that they get population density right. Before I dive into that,… Continue Reading
It’s all-out warfare today. I’m taking on the Ausmerican Dream and why you don’t really want it. The Ausmerican Dream The Australian Dream is the ideal that by owning your own house with a backyard, a garage, and a swimming… Continue Reading
I’m a bit of an extremist. You’ve probably heard me rant against the ill effects of excess consumerism plenty of times. I thought it’s only fair to do the opposite for once. Vibrant capitalism It’s Golden Week here in Japan,… Continue Reading
In part 1 of this series I did my best to sell the beauty of urban life in an attempt to debunk the myth that cities are grimy, noisy, polluted places to live. Most of us with negative perceptions about… Continue Reading
I’ve got a love story to tell you, only it’s not with a person… it’s with a city: I’ve abandoned my alarm clock recently. The sun drenches my apartment from 5:30 in the morning, which accompanied by the small birds… Continue Reading