~marginalrevolution | Bookmarks (15)

With a group of friends I was having a chat about the merits of the current vs. past America.  Battle of the Ancients and Moderns!  I generally favor current times, but not unconditionally.  So I promised them a list of what I missed from the past.  To be clear, these are personal judgments, not claims […] The post What I am nostalgic about appeared...

At Sansan Chicken in Long Island City, Queens, the cashier beamed a wide smile and recommended the fried chicken sandwich. Or maybe she suggested the tonkatsu — it was hard to tell, because the internet connection from her home in the Philippines was spotty. Romy, who declined to give her last name, is one of […] The post Samuelson-Stolper, writ anew appeared first on...

That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one bit: …let me offer another theory: The anti-lab-grown-meat movement is about conservative cultural insecurity — the fear that, without the force of law, some conservative cultural norms will fade away… Imagine that lab-grown meat proves feasible at a reasonable cost. It might end […] The post Why is there a movement to...

Konstantin emails me a question: Hey Tyler! You said you tried coffee just once, at a coffee ceremony in an Ethiopian village, as coffee probably originates in Ethiopia. What else would you try (or do) only due to its provenance? What else have you tried or done only due to its provenance? I used to always try […] The post When does provenance justify a consumption...

The mayor of an Italian island is attempting to solve an animal overpopulation problem with an unusual offer: free goats for anyone who can catch them. Riccardo Gullo, the mayor of Alicudi, in Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, introduced an “adopt-a-goat” program when the small island’s wild goat population grew to six times the human population of […] The post Lockean homesteading for goats, bonus added...

Piers emails me: You’re a NJ native and great at finding good restaurants. So what are the rules for finding good old school American Italian restaurants?  Not like modern farm to table places full of natural light in Brooklyn or SF, you know what I mean? Review aggregators are useless.  Horrid “egg noodles and ketchup” places get […] The post Rules for Tri-State Italian food appeared...

Yes I will be doing a Conversation with him.  Here is his bio: Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and a seasoned analyst of Latin American politics, with more than 20 years following the region’s ups and downs. He lived in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as a correspondent for Reuters before taking on his current role […] The post What should I ask Brian Winter?...

Dwarkesh brought me to the very good Sizzling Pot King, 139 8th St, San Francisco, genuine Hunan food and yes I have been to Changsha.  Don’t walk there though, take an Uber or better yet a Waymo.  Dwarkesh was kind enough to call me one for the trip back to the hotel.  When I asked […] The post San Francisco dining appeared first on...

The country, which is a bit bigger than Maryland, not only accomplished this feat but also has become the world’s second largest exporter of agricultural products by value behind the United States. Perhaps even more significant in the face of a warming planet: It is among the largest exporters of agricultural and food technology. The […] The post Netherlands fact of the day appeared...

This paper provides the first long-run assessment of adolescent alcohol control policies on later-life health and labor market outcomes. Our analysis exploits cross-state variation in the rollout of “Zero Tolerance” (ZT) Laws, which set strict alcohol limits for drivers under age 21 and led to sharp reductions in youth binge drinking. We adopt a difference-in-differences […] The post Further data on alcohol use amongst...

“Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings, along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling,” he said. “As we continue to show the benefit of this technology in our company-operated restaurants, franchisee interest in digital menu boards should increase, further supporting sales and profit […] The post Dynamic surge pricing for Wendy’s appeared...

Here is the audio, video, and transcript, here is the episode summary: Rebecca F. Kuang just might change the way you think about fantasy and science fiction. Known for her best-selling books Babel and The Poppy War trilogy, Kuang combines a unique blend of historical richness and imaginative storytelling. At just 27, she’s already published five novels, and her […] The post My Conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang...

No matter how many people sit at a table, generally only one menu will be put down at the table, for the group to share. What could explain this cultural norm? There’s a bag container next to each table to put your briefcase or bag or jacket. Without fail — a bag container. Is it […] The post Ben Casnocha on food procedures in...

Comayagua is one of the very nicest and most classic of Central American towns.  It is safe (yes, this is Honduras), walkable, delightful, and comes to life later in the day in the main square.  It is full of colonial buildings and some churches.  I didn’t see any North American tourists, and the surrounding countryside […] The post Comayagua, Honduras appeared first on Marginal...

Abstract: Previous studies of the effect of ridesharing on traffic fatalities have yielded inconsistent, often contradictory conclusions. In this paper we revisit this question using proprietary data from Uber measuring monthly rideshare activity at the Census tract level. Using these more detailed data, we find a consistent negative effect of ridesharing on traffic fatalities. Impacts […] The post Uber and Traffic Fatalities appeared first...