dtcwee: The Value of Nothing

 A user asked r/geography, " Why is the modern Mediterranean so poor compared to the historical one? " The simple answer (not mine, unfortunately): "The world got bigger."

Think the public service is bloated or that small business is the backbone of Australia? Look here.

Why not? Calculators sure changed mine. A lifetime ago, in a safe but stifling job, I found an online mortgage calculator that visualised the power of extra repayments. Having just borrowed to buy a home, it opened my eyes. I was hooked. Learning that early escape from debt was possible made it my obsession. I checked that calculator after every stymied project and pointless restructuring. So, like, twice a day. With few opportunities to flex my skills in my IT role, I wrote other calculators to rationalise and strategise my approach to life.

Can testaments be created that outlast heirs? The Native American practice of looking forward seven generations sounds noble but is essentially vague. Still, it seeds the idea for an investment math exercise that could provide not just for seven generations, but the generations beyond. (Fund Manager Conference Call)

9 years on, Britain is not a smoking crater, so Brexit - and de-globalisation by extension - wasn't all that bad, right? Wrong. And this chart proves it.

 ... Because the default voices are awful. Still want text read to you by something resembling a human voice? It's easier to switch to the latest in text-to-speech (TTS) technology than you think.