The Deadly Disunity of the Europeans

Instead of mutualising, or sharing, risks, EU member states only share procedures and follow common rules. But the risks remain within member states. There are many areas where this approach is pragmatic and sensible. A sudden spike in immigration is not one of them. A quota system is far too crude, and politically as unsustainable as fiscal transfers between countries. Such policies breed resentment, and ultimately fail. In a quota system you do not kick cans down the road, but people.

→ Financial Times

Fluid Coupling

The enterprise stood as a place of “legacy” and “security” which prevented mobile or other forms of computing. Paradoxes emerged wherein an administrative assistant had more computing power in his pocket than the CEO had in her data center; where the same assistant would know what was happening faster than any of the bosses. Homes had better connectivity than offices and productivity at small firms increased faster than at big firms. Incidentally, even the slowest enterprises were faster then the government. The bigger the firm, the slower and stupider it seemed. Were large firms employing dumb managers or did being a manager in a large firm make you dumb?

→ Asymco

How To Survive A Mass Shooting

“Think of a herd of gazelles in the wild,” adds Chris, our law enforcement expert. “They’ll get attacked by one or two or three lions and what is their immediate response? They run away. A lion may get one of them, but the herd escapes. Every second that you’re moving away from a shooter you’re making it harder for him to shoot you. Anything you can do to get away and increase that distance will help. Also consider the effect a crowd of fleeing people has on an attacker: confusion and bewilderment. Running away is your best defense.”

→ Indefinately Wild

Journalists, Repression And The Global Conspiracy That Never Was

Now I know who is to blame for the global jitters. Whether it’s the Chinese economic wobble dragging down world markets and panicking investors, or wars in the Middle East flooding European shores with refugees, the same global conspiracy is at work. It is journalists, with pens and keyboards, cameras and smart phones, wielding their extraordinary power of destruction on an otherwise orderly, prosperous world.

That’s what an increasing number of governments would have you believe.

→ Financial Times