There is ambiguity about what it constitutes for something to be alive. If — once initiated, that is, born — reproduction, variation, aggregation into more complex forms, and extinction are definitive, then a free-running computer program named Tierra may meet the test, since it does all of these. So, for that matter, might a computer meeting the famous Turing test: namely, if you can’t tell the difference between the answers a human or a machine gives to your question, then both should be considered to be conscious and hence alive. read more »

Before we get to who’s on top, it would be useful to know the dimensions of the heap. After all, a molehill is a mountain to an ant, but not to a kangaroo. Kitsap County’s labor force — especially in the non-defense private sector — turns out to be modest. How large, then, is it?

New reports pinpoint the dramatic scale of our worsening national economy and its effect in Kitsap County. read more »

Statistics can be dangerous to one’s mental health. Mindful of their numbing effect, we will only mention a few of them in this column. What’s more, they simply serve as clues to a larger puzzle that eventually reveals an effective economic development strategy for our peninsular community. If you are intrigued by crosswords, cryptography or companion planting, read on!

We’ve previously discussed the living wage. read more »

Let us connect the desires of Kitsap residents with the example of life in a neighbor to the north to make a modest point about the coexistence of a good standard of living with a high quality of life. read more »

Imagine that you planned to retire on an acre of land in a modest home you’ve fixed up over the years. One day, a four thousand square foot house rises on an acre across the street, with an asking price of $150 per square foot. Then imagine that someone from California buys it at the asking price. Just like that, your little house and land will rise in value once that building sells. read more »

The Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council is committed to attract and retain primary jobs paying a living wage. What, pray tell, is a “living” wage? What bare necessities are presumed? What level of comfort does this imply?

My European parents made do during my early years by finding rushes to make brooms, using needle and thread to sew shoes, picking berries in the woods, sorrel and nettles in the fields, and bartering their linguistic skills to keep us alive. It can be said they earned a living wage, since we did remain alive. read more »

If both of us can grow tomatoes and potatoes, but you can grow tomatoes better than I, and I can grow potatoes better than you, and we both want tomatoes and potatoes, does it make sense for each of us to raise both? Not really. After all, why should I use my time to inefficiently grow tomatoes when I can efficiently grow potatoes — and can exchange some of my produce for some of yours? read more »

We last spoke about the contrast between primary and secondary jobs, and about how the former brings wealth into our area to support the latter. Whereas the relationship between these two types of jobs is serial, we encounter a different kind of dynamic in maintaining the long-term stability of an entire local economy. The Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council sums up this dynamic with the call for diversification in jobs. read more »

Words often mean less than they imply. When the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council speaks about its focus on “primary jobs,” rather than “secondary” jobs, should some employers and employees feel slighted because they fall into the latter category? After all, doesn’t this imply they are less valuable, or second-rate? Not at all. read more »