Public support for California's high-speed rail project is eroding. The main concern: How can we embark on construction of an infrastructure project of this magnitude in a time of economic difficulty?

"Hard times are the right time. Not only does it create jobs, it makes the cost of land acquisition and construction cheaper", says Dan Richard of the High-Speed Rail Authority.

2011.12.13 [economics] - comments

The roads are clear. Parking is easy to find. I walk into restaurants without waiting in line. Crowds thin out as everybody left town. Those of us who stay enjoy a much quieter town.

People return home to spend time with their family. While some folks who have left San Francisco maybe returning to their family here, on the balance there must be more people who go away then returning. As the city feels so quiet during the holidays.

Since people migrates to large city region for economic opportunities. Perhaps one indicator of the city's vibrancy and the degree it attracts migrant workers is to see if it turns into a ghost town during long holidays.

2011.11.27 [economics] - comments

They are familiar refrains in California: “The state is losing its best and brightest to other states, where the cost of living is cheaper and jobs are more plentiful.” “foreign-born students get an excellent education here and then take the knowledge elsewhere and start innovative companies.” “The state’s brain drain is sure to sink its position as a national leader in technology.”

But the idea that high-skilled workers are leaving en masse is generally fiction. According to the report, "What Brain Drain? California Among the Best in U.S. at Retaining Skilled Workers".

"Because the major disadvantage of out-migration for any state is the loss of skilled young workers, we were pleased to see that the numbers tell a story quite different from what people seem to believe about the flow of labor and California," said Ross DeVol, the Milken Institute's chief research officer.

2011.10.12 [economics] - comments

I am a little behind in blogging. Last week I have went a few separate but all very interesting events. Last Friday was the Long Now Foundation's seminar The Long Time Tail by Chris Anderson with Will Hearst. Chris has introduced an influential concept of long tail. This time he has extended the concept in the time dimension. The sales of an item would decline over time. Traditionally an item would become unavailable or go out of print because it becomes uneconomical to continues to sell it. But in the world of unlimited virtual inventory with a searchable, discoverable front end, Chris discovered that the demand, though diminished, would extend well into the future. This is the same as the original long tail framework. And it applies very well to the time dimension.

The business implication? A content archive has great and untapped economic value. The implication to the consumers? We will enjoy a much wider selection of quality works. And we will be less subject to marketing hype that tries to push hits to make money in a flash of time.

Chris' presentation was full of studies of different markets. One study of Netflix users says the customers are a lot more satisfy with old movies than new movies. There is a logical explanation for this. Good movies stand the test of time. I for one are very glad to find the old collections available on the market again. For some time old Hong Kong movies have been release in VCD format, a lower quality, lower cost predecessor to DVD. Despite the lack of a searchable online front end and generally available only in a uncategorized, flea market like retail outlets, I still manage to amass a good collection great movies over time. I have fond memory of many old movies I have seen one or two times when they were released years ago. It is great to be able to enjoy them again many years later. The old releases also reportedly turning a good profit. Yet another confirmation that there is a demand of the long tail.

2006.05.19 [tech, economics] - comments

A very interesting article The Long Tail from Wired took a look at a phenomenon how obscure products found their audiences thought online stores. Even though these low volume sales form the tail end of the sales chart, their aggregated size is so significant that it might spur a new form of economy as oppose to the mass-market economy today.

2005.01.19 [tech, economics] - comments