Re: [tlug] [OT] Say _no_ to the Microsoft Office format as an ISO standard

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Shawn writes:

 > I saw an article about Gregory Clark, an economic historian at the
 > University of California, Davis, who posits that the Industrial
 > Revolution -- the surge in economic growth that occurred first in
 > England around 1800 $(G!7(B occurred because of a change in the nature of the
 > human population.  This was, the argument goes, a result of the upper
 > class having more offspring and passing their values along thus allowing
 > escape from the Malthusian trap (i.e. higher populations consuming
 > economic gains for a result of continued poverty).

I have Kibo-distance 2 from Gregory (ie, I know personally somebody
who works with him) and he's a bit of a crackpot.  Specifically, this
particular hypothesis is moot (can't be proved *or* disproved),
because there's plenty of evidence that improvements in health
technology and capital market efficiency can account for economic
takeoff, and increased incomes (without necessarily mixing with
traditionally "upper class" strata) for the demographic transition to
lower birth rates.

It's a nice theory.

 > Maybe we linux users should strive to have more offspring.

I think that in Tokyo we're already beating the norm. :-)

Apparently there's a serious theory/worry that "yankii" kids are going
to become the predominant strain of Japanese because of their high
fertility rates.  I wonder if we'll be considered a plus or a minus to
Japanese society!  :-)