Abstract

The current global economic crisis caused by the current coronavirus (COVID-19) has halted economic growth, and has disproportionally hurt those lower in the socioeconomic hierarchy. An emergency relief fund of one thousand dollars a month for lower and middle income households for three months (one fiscal quarter) would not only restart economic growth, but help contain viral spread.

The cost of such a program is similar to previous and current economic stimulus and would provide a better investment than previous corporate stimulus due to higher monetary velocity. …

The potential for crisis or Black Swans is always there. Direct your fears into actions, instead of despair.

This will not be a full list of items, skills, tools etc., but the basics to keep you alive for weeks & several months. It also should not be considered “professional advice” and therefore do your own additional research to ensure your safety.

The Essentials:

Water

Bottled water: Easiest thing you can do is to buy bottled water. Yes I know about microplastics etc, but better cancer in 30 years than dead in 30 days. …

The following is an analysis of the WHO’s communications of the 2020 novel Coronavirus.

The First Mistake: “It’s not our problem”.

“Make no mistake,” he added. “This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one.”

Institutional trust is at an all time low, saying “this is a China only problem” when it’s already been confirmed in other countries further reduces your credibility, and makes the WHO look like clowns.

Further an international organization framing an exponentially growing virus as a “nation-state” problem undercuts the point of an international institution, and fuels nationalist sentiment of international…

Aggregators and their Power

“Big Tech” companies have been called the new monopolists of today, being categorized similarly to the oil tycoons or robber barons of old. Yet the description of these companies and their underlying problem are more complex.

For those who never took economics a monopoly: is a firm or person with market power, a price setter.

Aggregators on the abstract level rely on the creations of others, so why do they have power? The answer is critical mass. Once at this point they can be used to set prices (higher or lower), push out competition and eventually move into other industries.

…

The Credential Economy to the Portfolio Economy

We are in the midst of one of the largest transformations in the nature of Work. I am not referring to the decline of specific sectors or even the rise of the Gig Economy. Rather something more substantial, the transition from the credential economy to the portfolio economy.

The credential economy is the traditional system you already know. What can simply be placed on a resume, skills, work experience, education etc. Except, as many know, there has been a gap between the resume and the individual. Lying, grade inflation, competency and “fit” are some of the many mismatches between candidate…

I’ve written this several times all have captured something, but not everything. Several have also asked for my thoughts on the current situation, consider this my stake in the ground.

Going Dark and other Musings

I’ve been quiet these past few months more so than normal. This has partly been both by design and unintentional. I’ve sensed more chaos coming so I’ve been quiet.

2018 it seemed was many years packed into one. For myself and a lot of others it was the year of “levelling up” (not my term). A fair number of people also took hits and got demoted. …

Background

This article in many ways is a followup, to this article: Memes and the Need to Go Faster, it’s not required reading, but states some of the variables in the current culture war.

The article follows along this question:

Introduction:

It is without question change is innevitable. Yet to many the idea that there could be a change in the current paradigms of how the World works seems unfathomable, alien. “It’s the way its always been this way” is the cliche answer for many facets of society. The Qwerty keyboard being an obvious target. Yet a growing group of individuals unrelated in everyway are questioning society at large.

This group of misfits from all walks of life is the beginnings of a shift in global paradigms. …