Yesterday's NYTimes was rich with articles of the type that spurred me to want to blog here. Pieces that profiled people's passions, visions, and obsessions that end up inspiring particular economics and/or generating their own economies.
Here's one, a piece on marriage and immigration from the standpoint of people waiting to prove their courtships are valid, not just an excuse to slip into the United States for a better chance at work. Note how it creates an economy of regulators to play vigilance over romance.
Another colorful story profiles the "singularity movement," a group of people (led formally and informally by Google head Larry Page and futurist Raymond Kurzweil) who believe we can engineer much more longer lives. Note how many entrepreneurs are attracted to singularity and looking to create businesses around it.
My favorite is a captivating review of two books about America's wars against its Indians. These books include The Last Stand, a book that looks at the figures and battle known as Little Big Horn, and Empire of the Summer Moon, which profiles the Commanches from their rise of something akin an imperial power to their demise in the face of white settlers. Both events were based on a mix of technology, human skill sets, and cultural priorities. I'm making it sound much more dry and academic than reviewer Bruce Barcott's terrific piece.
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