Usually, the goal of a basketball game is to outscore your opponent. There are certain cases, however, where a second goal is also at play: buying time for your best players to get a much-needed rest on the bench during a playoff game. Star players tend to play many more minutes per game during theContinue reading “Professional Time Wasters”
The Private Sector
How’s the bathroom business doing, Jim? Well, the profitability ratio stinks, but there’s a lot of liquidity. Nothing is more common as having to go to the bathroom, yet there are few examples of for-profit bathrooms in our otherwise profit-oriented cities. Even though bathroom access is often bartered indirectly – “customers only” comes to mind –Continue reading “The Private Sector”
The Car-Sharing Sheltered Bus Stop and Seasonal Bike Lane
In recent years there have been two excellent new technologies, car apps and transit apps, which have nevertheless been unable to successfully solve traffic problems. Transit apps, which tell you when buses or trains are coming and, in some cases, tell you how crowded each bus is*, are useful but are still no antidote toContinue reading “The Car-Sharing Sheltered Bus Stop and Seasonal Bike Lane”
The Spiral of Death – Pulling Your Goalie Earlier Against Exhausted Opponents
Most of us have heard the crude joke that ends in the punchline “We’ve already established the principle that you are a whore. Now we’re just haggling over the price”. Well, in hockey, I would like to argue for the principle that the best time to pull your goalie is when your opponents are physicallyContinue reading “The Spiral of Death – Pulling Your Goalie Earlier Against Exhausted Opponents “
The Intersection of Yonge and Danforth
– (This is an unpleasant article, sorry) – On the anniversary of the Yonge street van attack which killed ten people a year ago, Canadian media has been debating whether or not city streets should put in place more barriers to help keep pedestrians safe in the event of any future van attacks. This seemsContinue reading “The Intersection of Yonge and Danforth”
The Three Card Monty: A Bus, Bike, and One-Seater Car plan for cities like Scarborough
One-seater electric automobiles may be on the rise, thanks to vehicle-sharing apps and range improvements in batteries. It is possible that these one-seaters will be a slothful and anti-social mode of transportation, like they are in Wall-E. Perhaps more likely, however, is that one-seaters will facilitate transportation that is actually more healthy and social thanContinue reading “The Three Card Monty: A Bus, Bike, and One-Seater Car plan for cities like Scarborough”
Guest Post: The Universal Spider
Here’s another fascinating essay from the Vacuous Wastrel. You can read the original here. At the end of my boyhood and at the age of being able to manage a horse, I was brought to Lille before Duke Charles of Burgundy, then called the Count of Charolais, who took me into his service. This wasContinue reading “Guest Post: The Universal Spider”
Adventures in the Age Dependency Ratio: A Demographic Overview of the World
2008 was as significant a year from a demographic perspective as it was from a financial one. In 2008 the world’s age dependency ratio — the number of people who are either younger than 15 or older than 65, relative to the number of people aged 15-65 — reached its lowest point. From a peakContinue reading “Adventures in the Age Dependency Ratio: A Demographic Overview of the World”
Next Man Up: The Passenger-Driven Bus
Busses can be driven by bus drivers, by computers, or by passengers. Bus drivers are the most sensible option, but are expensive in places where busses are forced to crawl along in traffic jams instead of getting their own designated lanes. Computers are the cheapest option, but are creepy and may not be ready toContinue reading “Next Man Up: The Passenger-Driven Bus “
Bus/Bike Lanes: Can I Interest You in a Time-Share?
The idea of having shared bus-bike lanes has been raised in a number of cities, including Montreal. Not surprisingly, such lanes have tended to be unsatisfactory for both parties involved. People in busses do not like driving slowly behind cyclists. Cyclists do not like busses looming behind them. What has not been tried, however (atContinue reading “Bus/Bike Lanes: Can I Interest You in a Time-Share?”
Future Economics 