Matt 
My colleague Randolph does an admirable job of narrating the content for most of these blog posts. Randolph doesn’t really exist. But I have attached a photograph of him to help with the illusion. You could see him as an ‘imaginary friend’ that I met somewhere in the metaverse – which doesn’t exist either (except … Read more
Why JD Vance’s anti-university rhetoric is winning votes. October 31, 2024 by Lincoln Allison (emeritus reader in politics at the University of Warwick). AI Summary Made by Wordtune: On October 31st I received this article in my inbox. Like the author, I believe that JD Vance’s position on the higher education industry has some merit. … Read more
CPA Canada admits it’s having trouble attracting new recruits into the profession. According to a recent article in the profession’s PIVOT Magazine: “Mitch Stein – an Associate Professor of Managerial Accounting and Control at the Ivey School of Business and Director of the CPA Ontario Centre for Accounting and the Public Interest, and many other … Read more
The late Milton Friedman is arguably the high priest of ‘libertarian economics’ – which is also called ‘neo-liberal economics’ – or more commonly ‘neoclassical economics’. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Friedman’s influence has been massive and it continues today. My own library of audiobooks contains 2 of his titles: First, Capitalism and … Read more
According to Oxford University’s OUR WORLD IN DATA, there’s significantly greater income inequality in the US than in all the other G7 countries. They have much more in common with countries under authoritarian rule. Russia and India (which is arguably democratic) exceed all countries in the European Union – as does China – in terms … Read more
Many years ago, I was chatting with a neighbour at my parent’s home on beautiful Saturna Island, located between Vancouver and Victoria on British Columbia’s idyllic West Coast. She asked me what I did for a living, and I told her I was a tax accountant. She assumed I meant personal tax returns, so I … Read more
Microsoft’s CoPilot Service is revolutionizing internet search. A few days ago, I got an email from BUSINESS INSIDER about an article which purported to detail Microsoft’s struggles with Copilot. The title was: Inside Microsoft’s struggles with Copilot According to the article “Customers are dissatisfied, rivals are circling, and company insiders are skeptical: a BI exclusive.” … Read more
Introduction to AI Does Not Pose an Existential Risk to Humanity This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. You can use/share it anyway you want, provided you attribute it to me (Blair Fix) and link to Economics from the Top Down. ABOUT THIS ARTICLE – Editor I was first introduced to … Read more
SUPERSIZE ME Our Insatiable Appetite for Stuff (and Services) Average House Sizes 1950 to 2010 Average House Size 1950 to 2010 (SOURCE: Darrin Qualman’s Blog – 2018) AI Summary by WORDTUNE The average size of a newly constructed single-family detached home in the US is now 2,600 square feet and probably 2,200 in Canada. The … Read more
ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS FOR SMALL BUSINESS IN CANADA How Enhancements to Information Technology Have Impacted Accounting Systems for Small Business in Canada There is no doubt that improvements in information technologies have brought with them a great deal of change to the way we live our lives. Think smartphones, NetFlix™, Spotify™, and remote work. As a … Read more