We’re entering a new era of abundant housing.
Japan. Much of Europe. China. All of them with more homes than they can use. I used to wonder what the fall of Rome felt like, or the middle ages in Greece. Now I know, because I’ve been to rural Japan. A great civilisation living quietly among its own ruins.
You know what’s going to be hot property later this century? Not property. Migrants.
AI proponents might tell us that people are devalued, I rather think the opposite. A few big expensive cities will be automatic drawcards (Tokyo, notably, is still very expensive to buy or rent in). While a big second-tier of cities (Winnipeg, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Adelaide, Seville, Frankfurt) will compete desperately for population.
I am in an internet forum with an Alice. It’s a science forum. There’s scientists there, well-meaning ones. And people who are, I suppose, clients of that science. Patients. Of doctors who depend on science to treat patients.
I’ve been watching Alice engage with Bob (not his real name, which is Chris). Bob’s got a new paper coming out, and Alice is extremely concerned that Bob has screwed up the method by which he has selected his control group.
Bob’s colleagues are apparently cool with the process. But Bob is pretty senior so maybe his colleagues just don’t complain. Alice’s complaints look kinda reasonable to me. But she’s being pretty aggressive, Bob isn’t moving an inch, and I haven’t backed her up.
Do I want to annoy Bob? He doesn’t have to be part of this group. he chose to pop up in the forum and chat about science. He doesn’t even have to study this condiiton. he could pivot to a better-funded domain of science.
Alice has very high standards and that’s cool in theory, but in practice … it is awkward.