if I could write a book

Your Sunday reading. I get the feeling - I am intuiting it, for those whose interests veer towards extermination of regular rules of grammar - that this is going to be a fairly busy week and so, when eventually I get to the keyboard after dinner and washing up, I'm not going to be much in the mood for writing stuff or even doing the little search/link/thing.

So, as always courtesy of Bookforum, a couple of articles that I found intriguing in their own way.

As the global economy swoons, the prospects for the numerati grow brighter. Their efforts to target people carry the promise of efficiency and lower costs.

Only if you take a very benign view of the objectives of commerce. What will normally happen is that those who pay for the data will be looking to exploit it in either a novel or more efficient way. Novel = immediate immense commercial benefits, whereas more efficient = gradual profit increase.

Just a quick aside: yes, I am aware that "=" is not consistent with any interpretation of the regular rules of grammar. Don't be looking for consistency around these parts, it inhibits my ability to rant or, even worse, poke fun.

What Margaret Thatcher actually said about society. As is always the case with the utterances of politicians, she has been taken out of context. However, at least we get confirmation of the role of Hayek and the Austrian School in her policy inclinations. Just as an aside, if Austria's so wonderful, why don't you go and live there?

Finally, ordinary middle class communities, with or without traditional churches but more likely with contemporary variations thereof, point the way to the future of cities that will not decay.

At least it's one in the eye for Richard Florida and his particular recommendations for high income cities and regions and, simultaneously, a little swipe at the pursuit of econonomic outcomes uber alles. I did wonder when Maryborough Council (I think it was there) started spouting imminent adherence to the Florida model. That was just a step too far.

Do have a lovely week.