Paul M. Jones | Emergence2026-05-08T09:12:58-05:00Conspicuous *Production*: "Sexy" Work, "Schlep" Work, Automation, and Artisans2015-02-14T23:06:31-06:00People who seek sexy work are often members of what I called the Jeffersonian middle class in an earlier post -- motivated by creative self-expression and a sense of personal dignity rather than economic survival.
... Sexy work is attractive to those...Is Every Speed Limit Too Low?2014-08-01T21:32:22-05:00The short answer is "yes, at least, almost every speed limit."
Over the past 12 years, Lt. Megge has increased the speed limit on nearly 400 of Michiganâs roadways. Each time, he or one of his officers hears from community groups who complain t...Back On The Market!2014-08-01T08:49:02-05:00After a year spent writing my book, working on Aura, speaking at conferences and user groups, advising startups, and proposing new design patterns, I am back on the market.
I've been writing PHP code since 1999, and in that time I've been everything ...Too Many College Graduates, Not Enough Jobs For Them2013-01-29T12:45:46-06:00Nearly half of working Americans with college degrees are in jobs for which they're overqualified, a new study out Monday suggests.
The study, released by the non-profit Center for College Affordability and Productivity, says the trend is likely to c...Software Runs the World: How Scared Should We Be That So Much of It Is So Bad?2012-08-10T11:10:34-05:00The underlying problem here is that most software is not very good. Writing good software is hard. There are thousands of opportunities to make mistakes. More importantly, it's difficult if not impossible to anticipate all the situations that a softw...Complex Systems and Normal Accidents2012-03-25T21:58:06-05:00One of my favourite sections of the book was Harfordâs discussion of accidents. Most of the problems Harford examines in the book are complex and âloosely coupledâ, which allows experimentation with failure. But what if the system is t...Complex Societies Need Simple Laws2012-03-16T08:33:51-05:00Big-government advocates will say that as society grows more complex, laws must multiply to keep up. The opposite is true. It is precisely because society is unfathomably complex that laws must be kept simple. No legislature can possibly prescribe ru...Left vs Right on Evolution and Economics2011-09-13T14:23:37-05:00On the one hand: Many right/conservative types believe in a universe that was designed from the top down, but are OK with thinking of the economy as something that self-organizes from the bottom up without central control.
One the other: Many left/li...Roller Skating and Economics2011-01-03T20:08:32-06:00"How are 100 people supposed to skate around the arena without guidance or direction? Each skater traces out a pattern, and the patterns must mesh so skaters avoid injury. That's a complex problem. It would require smart leadership. But it won't get ...Disaster Rituals2010-06-16T09:27:52-05:00Combine How Complex Systems Fail with Fooled By Randomness and throw in some organizational behavior models, and you get the human response to unforeseen disaster. We think we can prevent future disaster, somehow, by going through a particular set o...