Planned Obsolescence
·247 words·2 mins
A five-part exploration of how manufacturers deliberately design products to fail, from the Phoebus Cartel to modern software lock-ins and repair prevention.
Political Economy
Why China Is Not Carthage—and Why That Terrifies the Roman System
·1427 words·7 mins
A historical analysis of the resemblance between the US and Rome, and China and Carthage.
The Cost of Motion: The Hidden Economics of Automobility
·322 words·2 mins
Lifecycle Economics & Industrial Power
Automotive-Economics
Total-Cost-of-Ownership
Right to Repair
Planned Obsolescence
Industrial-Policy
Design Trade-Offs & Optimization Limits
Externalities & Lifecycle Displacement
Power, Policy & Dependency Structures
Systemic Fragility, Risk & Path Dependence
Political Economy
A three-part forensic series analyzing the unaccounted financial flows, perverse incentives, and power asymmetries that define the true price of car ownership and shape the global automotive industry.
The Value Project - Part 11: A Mathematical Model of Perceived Value
·2521 words·12 mins
Human Systems and Behavior
Perceived Value vs. True Value
Subjective Theory of Value
Conspicuous Consumption
Costly Signaling Theory
Manufactured Scarcity
Luxury Branding and Conglomerates
Authenticity and Aura
Attention Economy
Status Competition
Moral Limits of Markets
Commensuration and Abstraction
Veblen Effect
Anchoring and Decoy Effects
Art Market as Value Laboratory
Influencer Economy
Practical Wisdom (Phronesis)
Decision-Making and Bias
Consumer Psychology
Social Dynamics
Political Economy
