Published in The Future is Electric·May 22Member-onlySpace Blankets Explain Global WarmingPlus a bonus boiling pot analogy — You know those incredibly thin and light silver space blankets? The ones that come in emergency kits and get handed out at the end of athletic events to amateur runners and the like? How can this absurdly thin piece of crinkly plastic possibly keep people warm, never mind increasing their…Climate Change4 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·May 19Member-onlyJordan B. Peterson is Best Understood Through His AdherentsPeterson has three fan bases, and two are mostly silent and harmless — I have a reasonably long history of looking with perplexity and occasionally disdain at the Peterson phenomenon. He came to my attention due to his reality-warping take on pronouns at my alma mater, the University of Toronto, in the province I lived in for 34 years, in the country I’m…Jordan Peterson6 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·May 5Member-onlySupreme Court overturning Roe v Wade has four implications for CanadaMore US immigrants, better climate and other global results, Liberal’s winning and more medical tourists — The Supreme Court of the USA has seen something that is both the culmination of decades of strategic action by the Republican Party, and an unprecedented act. The first is that the Supreme Court has clearly voted to overturn Roe v Wade in its entirety, with the drafting of the…Abortion5 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·May 4Member-onlyNudge contains a useful and thin book struggling to escape a mass of ideologyA core of intelligent and nuanced cognitive science is burdened by Libertarian blinders — In the thick book about social policy, Nudge, there’s a useful and thin book trying to escape a turgid weight of ideology and blinders. Also, there’s a guidance manual for grasping Libertarians and corporative operatives on how to exploit humans. …Libertarianism6 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·May 2Member-onlyUS urban planners cannot undo sprawlFour major global and US trends tie their hands — The USA is not unique in having sprawling cities, but it is the largest country by far with the lack of urban density it displays. Australia has equally sparsely populated urban areas, but it’s tiny by comparison. …Urban Planning8 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·Feb 25Member-onlyThe US culture war has a winning sideBecause one side is devoted to removing rights from Americans — Recently, I came across a set of questions and assumptions related to whether the ‘right’ or ‘left’ was winning the culture wars in the USA. Naturally, the assumptions were diametrically opposed. …Human Rights4 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·Nov 26, 2021Member-onlyWe are in the era of the nine stitches and the pounds of cureWe neglected the stitch and the ounce, and now must both prevent and cure as our economy is destabilized — Every culture and language in the world has maxims to the effect, “A stitch in time saves nine” or “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Treating the effects is the nine and the pound. Dealing with the cause is the stitch and the ounce. We are…Climate Change4 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·Nov 18, 2021Member-onlyIndustries ranked on climate action, from best to worstMany are taking serious steps, some are putting up roadblocks — The Climate Crisis team on Quora asked me to assess which industries are ahead and behind in terms of dealing with climate solutions. …Climate Change12 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·Nov 13, 2021Member-onlyAlberta’s end is beginningCrude heaviness discount, real estate, population and peak oil are painting a dismal picture — Alberta in Canada is best known as the home of the oil sands, a very large reserve of hydrocarbons which must remain almost entirely in the ground in order for global warming to be addressed. This week, there is good news for the climate, but bad news for Alberta. …Canada7 min read
Published in The Future is Electric·Nov 7, 2021Member-onlyChina vs USA scores on major climate tracker illustrate complexityChina gets terrible marks for underpromising and overdelivering, while USA gets great marks for the opposite — The Climate Action Tracker is one of the most viewed and cited assessment tools for how countries are doing on climate action. It’s solidly thought out, sophisticated, and communicative. But I and others have often scratched our heads at the apparent results. Sometimes they agreed with the clear action we…China5 min read
