Perhaps the idea of fragileness is much more than it may appear. Of course, these thoughts are related to Prof Nassim’s idea of Anti-fragile, including his book and podcasts. But why is it so hard for many people to understand? Partly it has to do with the natural psychology that is heredity for humans. In short, we get or make probabilities about future probabilities predictably wrong. The past is not always a judgement of the future, moreover it repeats itself as if in a closed loop. It seems also true that knowledge of these bias bases can not easily be altered by education but by experience itself. The price of the experience unfortunately is normally an order of magnitude greater than the evidence of this awareness intelligence.

Naissim breaks the problem into two parts: the individual and the collective or personal and macro. Perhaps the personal is more important because it is in the bounds of what or how we can become less fragile, the things or actions we have direct influence over. The question is not if but when — -indeed there are some, perhaps many, people who can live out their lives without having to face alternative realities. Perhaps a prerequisite of awareness of our fragile vulnerability is in itself useful though millions of Jewish people during WWII would take exception. Or perhaps we just don’t get around to it because we want to believe we are the exception and not the rule. Some may even believe in divine intervention. But this much is certain: survival — yours and your family are dependent on our ability to address this awareness, our most likely fragile state.

We, our society, have created a “just in time logistics reality” that is likely more fragile than we would like to believe. The Texas electric outage killed nearly 300 people but this observation pales when realizing the complexity of the functioning of the whole system. One problem unique to a state that has the reserve currency is that it is subsidized by its unique position — a position that is degrading as I write this — -the rest of the world is dumping dollars. You only have to look at the external central banks gold to dollar ratio to alter your awareness. Indeed, the Japanese Carrier trade is over, Canada is dumping US bonds, and China has already cut its US debt holdings in half. The physical world changes slowly relative to a monetary world that can alter in seconds. The Shadow banking system is already showing fractures — — if it can touch Blackrock, the largest capitalized company in the world — it can touch you.

How do you become less fragile? Nassim outlines the essentials: Liquidity, 3 to 6 months living expenses outside the bank (your money in the bank is not yours but belongs to the bank) you might get your money, but the question is when? When the logistics fail or develop spotty sustainability, have some items that will sustain you like food, water and hard assets — those without or very low counterparty risks. Social unrest will vary but for my zip code it will be more rapid than most. Limit government dependency, even if it’s possible, the cost benefit ratio is questionable when things go south. This is not a guns or butter problem but both.

From the larger picture, I have touched on a few issues above but there is something more or less equal to the natural tendency to underestimate a future probability. In real life, independent events follow the normal compounding cumulative impacts that raises the expected probability (which has a natural bias) to something larger. So, any future outcome is most likely greater than what we like to believe. This type of thinking is hard to overcome. Some things, like the national debt, have a statistical chance that we are in a debt death spiral. The only out is insolvency or inflation. Inflation wins — hands down but I find it interesting and, if invested, you should do as well.

For example, take the excellent article on the Schiller CAPE index which is well written and provides perhaps an understated view. The CPI is questionable — compare it to Shadow Statistics or split the difference, and the outcome is even less favorable. The point of when you enter the game is statistically more important than actual valuation.

The Shiller CAPE Says the S&P 500 Is Priced for a Lost Decade. | by AMO Publications | Investor’s Handbook | Apr, 2026 | Medium

It is the hope that all of us are moving to become less fragile or as Nassim would say Anti Fragile.

No Time. We are all prisoners of time but oddly to escape time is to live a more full life; if I miss a bullet, I get a waiver on time. When we are fully engaged in life we lose consciousness of time, we step closer to the edge of infinity. Is it not strange, to have so great of a gain that we lose the awareness of time no matter how fleeting or long? Image life as living at the edge of a black hole but within its gravitational pull. As we move through life we experience time, at first, at a weak but then anaccelerating rate. In the end, I imagine it as a flash, a transition from mortality to immortality. What comes out of this transition, does not matter if it is darkness or light; it’s the experience of a one-off event.

Newton died broke but we can not deny his intelligence or what great gifts in math and science he gave to humanity. We can not run nor hide from the concept of the second derivative. Perhaps it is a good idea to live our lives as Newton conceptualized and then mathematically expressed this idea. In poetry, I can do no better than to quote E. E. Cummings: “somewhere I have never gladly travelled beyond any experience”.

Friends, neighbors, and co-tenants, this is to follow up on the Alert by a tenant(s) posted in writing of an animal at large and as of yet, of unknown description that could be a threat to the community. We can only speculate on the common good and sameness in sharing if not a description, a hint of its nomenclature would have been beneficial. Stay alert and stay alive. Frankly, I feel, as you do, the mental anguish and pain of this unknown animal which may be a kitty cat, a dog, or even a python.

I note this later because I had a dream and in that dream, one of the tenants gets in their car and puts their head against the backrest, and thinks about the coming day and perhaps that first Starbucks latte, a dream-like state of tranquility until suddenly, very suddenly, something cold and scaly wraps around their throat, pinning their head to the backrest, pressure intensifying, hands frozen to the wheel in terror, Slowly, ever so slowly, your breath is taken from you and you begin to drift into that final goodnight and your last thought is: “Damn, I should have looked in the backseat.” In my case, it might have been the words of Billy Joel, “As I go walking in my sleep through The River of Dreams,” but who knows our thoughts at a moment such as this?

The reality is stranger than the dream. I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart palpitating — — the remorse is almost unbearable. Then it hits me like a cannonball; suppose a python is not an animal but only a reptile. I’m confused, disoriented, and in a state of shock. I race downstairs, fire up my computer, and type with trembling hands in my AI program that Knows All and that answers the question: Is a python an animal? Forthwith comes the AI answer, perhaps in milliseconds. Time is distorted but worries fly out the window when the AI states unequivocally:

Yes, a python is an animal. It is a genus of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia1. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world1. Pythons are oviparous, laying eggs that females incubate until they hatch1. Being naturally non-venomous, pythons must constrict their prey to suffocate it prior to consumption1. Pythons are found in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia1. They are ambush predators that primarily kill prey by constriction, causing cardiac arrest1. Pythons are poached for their meat and skin, leading to a billion-dollar global trade1. They can carry diseases, such as salmonella and leptospirosis, which can be transmitted to humans.

This was a profound relief but I chastise myself for not knowing and now, upon reflection, must confess that intellect can generationally degrade and for me, this is a certainty. You see, Joseph Banks was head of the Royal Society of England until his death ( the other members would not let him resign.) He came from Lincolnshire, England but was born in London, and was in the company of Newton, Darwin, Ben Franklin, etc. His specialty was biology. I do not apologize for his intellect but only point out the lack of mine.

Joseph Banks was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences12. He was born on February 13, 1743, in London, England23. Banks was educated at Eton College and the University of Oxford, and left in 1763 with an extensive knowledge of natural history3. He was a member of the Royal Society and served as its president for over 40 years2. Banks was also a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society of Arts1. He is known for his promotion of science2.

Ain’t AI great or what?

The very next night, in my heightened state of anxiety, I finally, in the late hours of early morning, was able to fall into a slumber of restless sleep, and then too, a second dream appeared as real as peanut butter. We, our collective community. are standing behind the building (I can only thank God that I cleared the tree away so that we had sufficient space — — we have space but do we have faith?)

We are holding hands in a circle and to my astonishment a small but detectable current began to move from hand to hand in our circle. Even though each and everyone experienced the current differently, the current itself had the same frequency, voltage, and amperage or so it seems. Not to draw Biblical parallels but the burning bush and parting of the waters sprang to mind. Dear reader, this is not to say divinity itself played a role but merely to point out the level of our intensity. As we stood there in deep contemplation, if not in prayer, but in the certainty of our mission., a dark ominous cloud descended over us while we held hands spellbound, by the small current that ran through us. Indeed, metaphorically speaking, the cause(s) of this current is not known whether spiritual or otherwise. Personally, I discount, perhaps wrongly, the spiritual because in my estimation the problem is not of the size that it warrants divine intervention, a value judgment on my part to be sure.

And then it happens: one member in the circle drops hands and slowly moves with deliberation to the center. Kneeling down the person begins to speak in tongues much like you would see in an Evangelical tent revival. Now this is becoming increasingly spooky (no pun). As we stood, trance-like, the person returned to the circle in an automated or robot-like fashion and then looked up into that ominous dark cloud that seemed to have its own vibration or frequency. We too, also followed that gaze to that strange cloud but then it started to lift in a vertical manner and at a certain height morphed into an alien-like flying saucer — — in a flash, it zipped off into infinity. It was at this moment we all knew the unspoken truth, and there was no need for words, it all became crystal clear and undeniable.

This calls to mind a parable of sorts: When you find the need for solitude and contemplation; a short walk in the woods, to bond with nature, can be helpful. To admire and rejoice in God’s gifts and to feel the soul renewed. There you are, sitting on a log enjoying nature, and as Theodore Roosevelt would most likely shout:: dee-lightful. Behold, a rabbit hippity hops and stops directly in front of you, looks you directly in the eye, and says “Go Preach.” Well now, brothers and sisters, you had better damn well go preach.

That said, in my remorse and lack of skill as a landlord, a poor one with little talent and falling back, as often as not, on empathy and goodwill. Herein lies the root of the Problem: Thinking about thinking. Sounds strange right — even the words. Allow me to explain because this bears directly to the problem we have. When we have a mental first derivative it measures the rate of our mental change. The problem is not the rate of change but the second derivative of the first or a measure of the rate of change as a function of the rate of change. This is not splitting hairs but tackles the thorny issue of rationality and sanity. Pirsig, in the pursuit of rationality, went insane — in a catatonic state. His writing is only after a complete mental breakdown — a clear second derivative problem or a sudden mental exponential overload. One can only imagine what he was unable to provide humanity prior to his mental issues.

Robert Maynard Pirsig was an American writer and philosopher. He was the author of the philosophical novels Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974) and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals (1991)1. Pirsig was born on September 6, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1.He graduated from high school at 15 and enlisted in the Army after World War II2. While stationed in South Korea, he encountered the Asian philosophies that would underpin his work2. Pirsig studied biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, he describes the central character, thought to represent himself, as being an atypical student, interested in science in itself rather than a professional career path1. In the course of his studies, Pirsig became intrigued by the multiplicity of putative causes for a given phenomenon, and increasingly focused on the role played by hypotheses in the scientific method and sources from which they originate1. His preoccupation with these matters led to a decline in his grades and expulsion from the university1. Pirsig subsequently studied philosophy at Banaras Hindu University in India and the Committee on the Analysis of Ideas and Study of Methods at the University of Chicago1. In 1958 he earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota1.

Hang tight: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is certainly true for our little subdivision named Mundito Habitat — -or small-world living. Other than drinking water, most problems can be resolved only by their complexity and by extension, their metaphysical properties. For example, we do not and can not know why the information that is known and asserted in writing but not shared has become the community’s existential threat. This, for me, becomes something like The Glass Bead Game.

The Glass Bead Game is a novel by Hermann Hesse, a German author1. The novel is also known as Magister Ludi, Latin for “Master of the Game,” an honorific title awarded to the book’s central character1. The Glass Bead Game is a complex and multi-layered work that explores the nature of creativity, intellectualism, and spirituality1. The novel is set in a fictional province of central Europe called Castalia, which was reserved by political decision for the life of the mind; technology and economic life are kept to a strict minimum1. Castalia is home to an austere order of intellectuals with a twofold mission: to run boarding schools, and to cultivate and play the Glass Bead Game, whose exact nature remains elusive and whose devotees occupy a special school in Castalia known as Waldzell1. The rules of the game are only alluded to — they are so sophisticated that they are not easy to imagine. Playing the game well requires years of hard study of music, mathematics, and cultural history. The game is essentially an abstract synthesis of all arts and sciences. It proceeds by players making deep connections between seemingly unrelated topics1. The plot chronicles Knecht’s education as a youth, his decision to join the order, his mastery of the Game, and his advancement in the order’s hierarchy to eventually become Magister Ludi, the executive officer of the Castalian Order’s game administrators1.

So, friends and neighbors, let’s play a game that is more complicated than a simple syllogism. There must be a motive for concealing this threat to the community, even perhaps a dark motive, and since money is the greatest of all motivators in our society, let’s begin with money, but remember, The Glass Bead Game is not just an exploration into the mind but a synthesis of social order and responsibility that involves many disciplines. It is highly incorrect to use the term money since money is defined by its intrinsic quality. Really what we are talking about is a fiat currency that has zero intrinsic value other than the false belief in its existence. Let’s pick a fiat number, Oh hell, any number will do like $36,000 for instance. This is only speculation but supposes that this threat(s) is withheld unless I cough up the dough so to speak. The landlord is at risk from the unknown threat(s) to the community as well as the demand for monetary consideration. Trapped between information and responsibility. What to do? What to Do? There is no easy answer to this question because when word gets out on how to extort money from the landlord all the other tenants will want a piece of the pie, cake, or whatever. So now the landlord recognizes what Ben Bernanke called helicopter money. The landlord must think what is his potential total loss, or 4 times $36.000 or $144,000. But wait, it’s not that simple, If my marginal tax is 20% and property and other taxes are 10% then the total cost is 1.3 x 144,000 is $187,200, Let’s further assume that our taxes pay the salary indirectly of the tenant(s) who, perhaps is a public employee(s), is making the initial claim on the money. This is a clear win-win for the extorting tenant(s). Can the landlord deduct the extorted money as a business expense against his own taxes? The answer, friends, and neighbors, is NO!! Because extortion is a crime and if the landlord participates he also is a criminal. What to do? What to do? Someone may have fallen down a wishing well that is not going to turn into a yellow brick road. Even when speaking in hypothetical terms it shakes me up, rattles my bones, and makes me want to be a better man (landlord.)

If I were to ask the community to vote, something like a democratic solution. For example, we all lose in the case of a national election. If Trump is reelected. Then, I must have faith in the intangibles of good faith and will. That, I assure you, is how I would like to live. What to do? What to do? This is not just a legal dilemma but it also has moral and ethical overtones.

When a patron of Voltaire commissioned a novel and shortly thereafter Voltaire provided it to the patron. The patron asked Voltaire how he had written it so fast, Voltaire said: “ Madame, If I had more time it would have been half as long.”

Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and historian. His real name was François-Marie Arouet. He was born on November 21, 1694, in Paris, France, and died on May 30, 1778, in Paris at the age of 83. Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. He was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, but also scientific expositions. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets. His best-known work is Candide12.

We all have two pictures of the world: the big one(macro) and the small one (micro). Many of us spend the dominant amount of our time in the latter with family, friends, and personal lives. In the personal realm, we are limited by scale or size as described in a previous article. Most of what we view in the macro world comes to us by way of the internet, TV, books, or other media. A good example is the book “Megathreats” by Nouriel Roubini which looks at ten dangerous trends or systemic threats that, in some cases, do not have a graceful solution.

Each piece of new information helps us to shape or reshape our cognitive biases, assuming we are receptive and somewhat adaptive to changing our views or opinions. For example, as more information about Trump’s character and integrity is known then the number of people endorsing him diminishes. Still, the number of Trump supporters is rather large which suggests that a strong cognitive bias can not be altered easily by facts. Even something as strong as a scientific fact, a rigorous fact is deniable. We want to believe so strongly we reject reality itself, a flat earth view.

One Mundito(OM), of course, is the micro. The problem is that macro events can have a devasting impact on all of us. Intentional living allows us some flexibility or partial backstops to potential systemic disruptions. The push and pull of ideas at the personal level allow decision-making that not only reshapes our thinking but also contributes to a better allocation of our time and resources. Not to mention the value of social interaction itself.

OM has a 23KW solar system that is tied to the grid. When the grid fails (a macro event) our solar system does not work. Can we negate this fact by going to an off-grid (microgrid) solution? The answer is yes but is it feasible? Like much of life, it is not an answer that can be removed from its context — do small-scale economies work, and at what scale? OM is designed to accommodate, by way of scale, systemic issues while allowing an individual/family a variable autonomous lifestyle. The elasticity of social integration is a difficult but not unsurmountable issue in addressing problems of scale. and also other systemic threats.

One reason we tend not to pay as much attention to life’s larger impacts is that we feel far removed or out of control in terms of the problem itself. Moreover, in a mental sense, these macro issues get regulated to the third person — they. One important attribute of intentional living is not necessarily to solve these impacts but to buffer their consequences. In some cases, like the microgrid, it can isolate the dependency entirely.

Writing helps us to think but is not a substitute for living. For that, you need a philosophy to provide the parameters that define your sense of self. Easier said than done. Stoicism is my path and it is always a work in progress. OM is my expression of a hopeful contribution to the greater good. My micro view however can never be completely divorced from the bigger reality.

It has been said that the Yen is a bug looking for a windshield. Image a car moving at some speed toward a bug on the same plane or level as the car. We know for sure the car is coming at the bug faster than the bug is moving. However, we do not know, in a time sense, where the car is in relation to the bug or even if the bug is moving toward or away from the car — the bug's ability to move is normally small relative to the car’s speed. The bug’s value is highly dynamic and depends on many external and internal events.

Now, for sure, Japan's currency reserves are about 1.3 trillion dollars. This is like a large buffer that can help to accelerate the movement of the bug — -a movement (from our viewpoint)in the wrong direction after we have taken a 3X short position. One restricting factor is the level of liquidity of those dollars. We know from past experience that about 60 billion dollars of central bank intervention can do considerably to arrest the yen’s falling value relative to the dollar— -assuming its relative position at the time of intervention. For now, that is a relatively small amount.

The US is under considerable pressure to lower the value of the dollar, our allies are suffering greatly, especially those with dollar-denominated debt. Japan holds a nominal dollar debt. The dollar has to fall but when and by how much; as US interest rates rise it hampers dollar weakness — QT is expected to end by Q2 2023. So there are some headwinds for the yen weakening but there is hope on the horizon.

One metric to consider is the yen’s point of inflection — there are those that think that is about 180 but to be fair this is probably a wild-ass guess. An even harder problem is Japan’s central bank's resolve (they are essentially the last man standing) to protect the yen in this showdown. The end for the yen is certain, now only remains when — -the car may slow down but never stops or changes direction— at some point, the bug will have a very unpleasant moment and be devoured by its own black hole either slowly, at first, or very fast later at the inflection point.

Japan's debt is about 2.7 times its GDP — 270%!!! ouch. So the rules of the game are dependent on the value of the yen in dollars to start a serious consideration of a new 3X short on the yen, for now, that would be 100–110 range (Can we get there?) but as Keynes noted when he was asked why he changed his opinion, Keynes said: “ When the facts change, I change — what do you do?”

This is not intended as investment advice, only to describe, at some point, the potential demise of the yen from a speculative point of view.

End Note: Surprise, surprise — before posting, the Japan central bank moved interest rates — 10 yr notes from .25% to .50% which directly or indirectly impacts discretionary spending and/or total debit. Worth noting. Also, when the Japanese central bank must choose between protecting the currency or protecting the bondholders who ultimately wins?

For a nation that prides itself on capitalism, why pray tell, are banks and automakers bailed out — -systemic risk is a lame excuse for the power these entities hold over both the political and monetary systems. During the last major crisis, Hank Paulson demanded that Congress cough up mega billions for the banks or the nation would fall apart — -this is utter nonsense. If you or I go under the rules change. Bankruptcy offers a new start but with credit restrictions. It is as if there are two sets of rules, those for abstract entities like corporations and LLCs and those for the average citizen. These entities are rarely if ever held accountable and at the personal level (only a small or token slap on the hand for criminal activity) because they are shielded by the very entities they represent.

Do you really want to know how bad it is? A former President can bury his ex-wife on a golf course and take a tax credit since now the golf course is part Cemetary with one occupant — near hole Number 1 — a new meaning for a hole in one. This is how taxes and other laws are made to backstop the rich and now some not-so-famous elected officials. You can’t make this stuff up, this is not The Sound of Music. We live in a country of over 300 million and yet we are unable to find an honorable person to lead the country. Now, this would be sad if not so critical.

I am not apolitical but independent and hope I can think independently if not, in all cases, objectively. (Reader: do you really have faith in a system that is so biased that it has your 6? History is not on your or my side, just saying). I would be the last person to recommend any form of alternative lifestyle if it was simply a matter of political or economic risk. Size matters but does not protect you or me from systemic risk: corrupt politicians, bais legal status, climate change, etc. My goal remains at the direct desirability of personal interaction or social cohesion at a very small scale: One Mundito aka one small world — Intentional Living at Size 5.

If we cannot change ourselves how can we reasonably expect to show a dim light on those alternatives that may have merit? Too big to fail relies on, unfortunately, the good faith we put in others that sometimes seems to divide rather than unite in a common cause, leaving us diminished and more isolated in many ways.

Intentional Living: No one should believe that intentional or cohousing solves the myriad of issues that are geopolitical or domestic issues. For the reader who would like to speculate on the near future, you might like to read “Splinterlands” by John Feffer. Also, a recent Futurism article highlights the risks to biodiversity and unlimited growth.

What can one person give another that is worthy of reciprocity? To me, it is a sense of belonging or being connected with something greater than ourselves but with personal or direct feedback — it's metaphysical, a sense of ownership in a continuous form, residing, in some sense, abstract or intangible but tactical. What I give you is the same, in your own way, as mine.

I could give you a gift, money, or a one-off compliment. All of these things are good but lack lasting continuity — -a holistic sense. In previous articles, I have discussed why size matters and assuming a certain size based on the number of direct possible interactions and how that option translates into a physical space. The last article was a look at the functionality or insights into how they are related to scale. Now, what follows, is a sanity look at the benefits of small-scale economies. But first:

For those readers familiar with Neil Howe’s The Fourth Turning, we may be at the beginning of the last turn or fourth cycle. Certainly, the autocratic vs democratic approach to governing can not be overstated — the great divide. You be the judge if there are elements of truth by looking at this youtube interview with Howe.

One Mundito (OM) is most likely the only physical structure that is limited to 5 townhomes in one building with a common core, an intentional living community in the US. OM is entirely owned with no debt or mortgage of any kind. As an originator of this concept, I will provide additional funding of$120,000 for upkeep and maintenance in addition to the normal agreed-upon upkeep requirements. Persons interested in this intentional living concept can contact me for additional information or make recommendations for improvements.

As an economist, any form or system must demonstrate an expected return greater than the alternative of a sole owner/family of about the same size in sq ft. That payback can be viewed as the compound annual rate of return for any system. To approximate this return take the number 72 and divide it by the number of years the project cost is recovered. For example, our dual valve rainwater system cost about $2400 dollars, saving about 4000 gals a month or, at $59 per 1000 gal. in billing. It takes about 41 months to pay off the system. Now we just need to divide 41 by 12 to get the number of years — -3.39 yrs, then divide 72 by 3.39 giving us an approximate compound annual rate of return of 21.2%. This system serves 15 toilets and 5 washing machines. If the water system was only about payback then that is simple. The greater issue is Water Security — this is not about dollars but access to water when there is no central supply. This is no different than energy — our 23KW system below:

Writing words about numbers are, for the most part, boring. I could extend and pretend but the truth of the matter is so far removed from numbers it is nearly pointless. If numbers could supersede the greater ideal or the greater good, then I would continue. The founders of our nation lived with the spirit and hope in what is called The Age of Enlightenment — -the spring that gathered great minds to higher ideals. Our winter is not the winter of discontent but an opportunity to revisit the building of a new foundation for a new spring that surely follows winter. It is only by, if not breaking, then alternating the social order in many small steps, that is necessary and worthwhile. As a stoic, I try to live each day with meaning toward that greater good even if I fall short in many ways.

The book, “Small is Beautiful” by Schumacher and, others over the years triggered my thinking and expanded on it, which is some 50 years in the making. Perhaps it will be that I achieve that foundational end to what can only be realized by the few who move in the same direction, a consistent and conscious effort. Doing is more than dreaming or for that matter writing. Having lived in OM for a year, the physical design seems to meet my expectations and a bit more.

OM now has a workshop, a screened Gazebo for social events, and a storage container. Life is always a work in progress, if you are lucky and given the opportunity, you should take it. I more than like what I do — there is no end until death so each day counts. It has always been the common bond and the general consensus of unity that moves any civilization forward. The isolation or fragmented social order is its own pandemic, in part by technical leaps but mostly by the design and a deep shaping of our cognitive biases. Any step that offers greater direct social cohesion is a step forward.

We do not know the future but can only make choices that help to shape it no matter how small or large.

Wishing you all the best in 2023 — stay safe & make a difference- till then, wb

Stoicism is about what to do next. What to do after the involuntary first impression has been given its moment. As Donald Robertson writes in his wonderful book, How To Think Like a Roman Emperor, “The Stoic tells himself that although the situation may appear frightening, the truly important thing in life is how he chooses to respond.”

In the previous two articles, we discussed if size matters and an overview of one physical option of Intentional Living based on a five-unit complex — - of five townhome-like units with a common core of 425 sq ft that is accessible on the second level by all independent units. Only time and the common need dictate the level of cooperation and interaction — there is no eutopia, only practical and emotional advantages to social cohesion. What are some of the advantages of this form of co-housing or intentional living — -One Mundito (OM):

Small-Scale Economies:

The benefits of scale, independent of size, are well known but are, for the most part, not easily capitalized on at the individual/family level. However, small groups have or can entertain any number of options that offer benefits/savings. For example, the OM’s on-demand in-series hot water system uses only two 9.3 GPM units rather than five–that’s a direct 60 percent reduction in capital expense. Each and every item discussed is directly or indirectly linked to this idea of plausible scale.

Security:

Feeling secure and safe is fundamental. When any society is fractured by political ideology and socioeconomic divides, this includes disruptions to the infrastructure, it is at those times, a shared collective can step up and offer a more secure environment to protect their common interests. (What happens when the lights go out in NYC?) One Mundito is surrounded by floodlights(on a centralized circuit timer which ensures the lights will come on and off when needed to protect the common need) and more than 20 cameras offer a measure of additional comfort. The smoke/fire alarm is tied via the internet to a central dispatch office. But a small group provides by way of eyes-on as a deterrent in reducing planned random criminal activity or other disruptions.

Water:

Before building OM, I had thought about different options for water use and water availability. As a resource, water is normally taken for granted. The Houston water system has aged and disruptions are becoming more frequent. Like all utilities in the digital environment, water systems can have cyber disruptions. A second consideration is that water costs are escalating to meet bond and other revenue requirements. (Note, the waste fees are based on water consumption and are higher for wastewater than potable water in Houston, TX) OM has a 3,000-gallon storage tank (shown in the top pic) for rainwater harvesting that feeds a dual valve supply line to the 15 toilets and 5 washing machines via the storage system. Water security is as important as water supply. Shown below is the water pump system with pressure cutoff and filtering system. Estimated 36,000 gals saved per year. Fortunately, the annual rainfall distribution is favorable in our area.

Energy:

Each TH has independent circuit panels. However, four of the units have one circuit tied back to the 22KW NG backup system to ensure power is not lost to the refrigerators plus connections for auxiliary power during blackout periods. The primary meter is used for the solar panel interconnect. We have a 23KW solar system consisting of 425w panels and each of the 55 panels is controlled by an Emphase micro-inverter for each panel to monitor output and maintenance. The current solar payback should be less than 5 years with the 30 percent solar tax credit. (In the image below, the water storage tank is shown just behind the carport.)

Communications:

Each unit has several Cat6 internet hard-wired connections. The cat6 lines are connected to a 48 port POE Cisco 1 GB switch with an APC power backup. The wireless service is Wifi 6. Our fiber optic broadband connection is 1 GB up and down. The central router modem can be easily expanded by a mesh network or individual access points as needed. The Cat 6 lines test out at 950MB up and down. An alternative to cable TV is provided by quad shield RG6 connections to each unit with a power booster over-the-air antenna. As the world becomes more data-centric, the more bandwidth the better. The racking system is shown below.

Common Areas:

A standalone pavilion offers shared/individual options for meals, leisure, and other outdoor activities. We have hard-wired a wireless internet access point to the main bldg. Likewise, we have Bluetooth-accessible speakers linked for providing streaming options. This is a 16 x 24' screened-in area plus an attached area for outdoor grilling(Note-there are two commercial-grade stainless steel sinks both inside the gazebo & in the outside cooking area.) Future changes or capital improvements are determined by the participant’s input and the needs of OM.

Opportunity for Passive Income:

The blockchain provides numerous ways to create sources of income by mining, staking, nodes like “The Peoples Network” aka Helium, or direct token ownership that helps to diversify fiat monetary risk. Likewise, an XA-miner provides a SCprime token-based decentralized data storage system. The second-floor common area allows for various content development and interaction in a neutral space for joint endeavors. Any revenue flows help to decrease variable operating costs. More apps like Defi and numerous other areas of trusted or identity concerns are in place, in development, or on the horizon.

Thoughts & Issues–Consensus Focused:

A consensus-based system offers greater participation in an exponentially changing technological society. For all the great benefits of social media, computer interaction lacks the dynamics of small group elasticity of thought and action, not to mention tactical expression and feedback. These two things are: social cohesion at scale and the systems at large are highly complementary. (The total number of independent interactions for a group size of N: = N x (N-1)/2 or for a group of five there are 10 independent interactions possible.) There are limits to workable solutions for any endeavor, but scale matters. Of course, there can be many more hiccups, including things that can go wrong such as; random or Black Swan events — -the always uncertain future.

next, Size 5: Numbers vs Philosophy: The Case for One Mundito, until then wb

In a short Intro to social scale or size we found that units (single/family) can function well at a size 5: N x (N-1)/2 or a total of ten unique direct interactions, This article looks at a physical design that would achieve this while allowing for as much flexibility of social interaction as possible. The photo above is the subject for this description of how and why it more or less works.

Note: The physical is only as good as its overall contribution to the metaphysical — -form follows function.

“I think all good discoveries have an element of serendipity within them — because if it was obvious you would already have done it.” unk

(But first, who has got your six? History is rather clear on this matter but to be honest, it is only a side issue — -we hope for the best.}

Site Plan:

Mundito Habitat(One Small Habitat) is the official platted subdivision name of a 36,000 sq ft development that is called One Mundito aka One Small World. Two gates control access to this world. The area that fronts the carport is a TrueGrid mesh paving, allowing for water permeability. There is also a separate drainage system installed. Each unit has 2 parking spaces with additional spaces available. On-site is a 16 x 24 screened gazebo and cooking area as well as two outside storage/workshop buildings. The use of the open area will be determined by consensus.

The Primary Structure:

There are five independent townhomes-like units — all identical in size and layout with each townhome having about 1900 sq ft. From the picture above, each unit has two doors and eight windows. The external exposure is about 45 percent smaller than a standard 40 x 48’ single-family dwelling of similar size or almost twice as efficient. In Houston, Tx, the number of degree days over 90F can be more than 100 — ouch! The bldg outline is below. The second level core of about 425 sq ft is the common area — more on the current uses of the common area later.

The building is roughly a hacked cross-section of the last of the five regular solids, a pentagonal dodecahedron,

Building Design:

The goal is complex but purely from a design point, it is all about efficiency and control of operational expenses, those small-scale economies. The exterior walls are 2×6 with added foiled rigged insulation, an R25 wall. All units have double-insulated adjacent walls with a 1.5-inch dead space for sound attenuation. There are 8 windows and two doors. All units are totally independent with a core common area of 425 sq ft on the second level. This area provides for a communication center, security, and other needs or decisions for property improvement/management. One Mundito obtained occupancy in Dec 2021. The building permit was issued at about the same time as Covid was finally announced by Trump who also played the leading role in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (i think?) This caused delays and supply issues and too, I came down with a rather bad case that lasted about 3 weeks with some after-effects. Not to mention the almost infinite number of problems from city bureaucrats and planners! Don’t go there — we are talking about suicide issues. We are the government and we are here to help — NOT.

Townhome Description:

Each of the five townhomes is 1900+ sq ft and has 2 and 1/2 baths, two bedrooms, a utility room, and open living space on the lower level with an island-based kitchen. The design minimizes external surface exposure by more than 40 percent compared to a single-family dwelling yet has eight large egress windows spanning 100 ft of exposed area: 50 feet on each level. The THs are thermostatically controlled independently on each level. Interestingly, I find that rarely do we use the lower-level thermostat. (More later on unit efficiency and small-scale economies — for a more macro perspective read Small is Beautiful by E.F, Schumacher. Note: there were some minor modifications and compromises to the first-floor layout below:

There are two bedrooms and two baths on the second level. At the top of the starts, you can gain access to the pentagonal core, the common area of about 425’ — all members have access to this core, and each unit independently controls access or restriction to access of the individual units. (For Blockchain enthusiasts, this is akin to Dfinity’s Network Nervous System — gotta like those titles) Indeed, we are currently running some passive income systems in this arena — more later. So, as you can see, a very simple but efficient design that allows for flexibility and independence as well as interdependency. Now dear reader, understand completely — -I know not where I go but the great good is at heart — -for a good read: Soul in the Game — The Art of a Meaningful Life by Vitaliy Katsenelson. As Meatloaf would have said, “I Could Not have said it Better Myself.”

All this talk about form, yet the meat of the matter is more intangible — metaphysical — emotional which is the tougher problem to describe but, I hope, worthwhile.

Next — functionality — until then, wb

Smith and those that followed got it right, the division of labor does, in most cases, advance output. The downside to this remarkable insight results in not only more goods and services but the concentration of capital and, unfortunately, greater social isolation or a higher fragmented social order. We have adopted, for better or worse, the ultimate division, the lowest common denominator, of one person/family to everything else. This is justifiable in the drive to participate in this vastly complex society that we are a part of — — essentially a one-to-many problem of social isolation or the simple veneer of social cohesion in the form of social media or collective social organizations.

As the world advances, we, as the smallest units of labor grow smaller in relation to the technostructure that supports us, a structure that grows larger as we diminish in relation to it. As I write this I am keenly aware of my own race to keep up with change but also aware of how abstract and isolated I am. I, like many of you, since this remoteness, the lack of personal contact, and the absents of bonding at the personal level. For some, I am sure, this is fine, perhaps desirable, but for most of us, our sense of worth is more closely tied to a bounding that requires more direct personal interaction. This is not the fault of Smith’s observation but the outcome of an idea, perhaps necessary, at the beginning of the industrial era.

I am not unique in this observation and there are many others who have written about social isolation or a highly fragmented relationship between ourselves that has become the ground beneath our feet. Capital concentrations do not find this type of problem worthy and, indeed benefit, in many ways, a fragmented society based on the common denominator: the individual/family.

Size matters whether at the individual level or in terms of social interaction. Corporations, in many cases, create small groups to develop new or revise existing products — this idea is not atypical but mostly the norm. But what about the opposite, what size in relation to the general problem of living and adding meaning to another person and yourself? This idea is not new and I first thought about it after reading “Small is beautiful” by E. F, Schumacher in the mid-’70s. Schumacher was keenly aware of the scale of human endeavor. Independent of output, scale/size matters, perhaps more than we realize. Unfortunately, there is no fixed answer but only answers that resonate with any given issue. This became my focus in life and unfortunately played a large part in destroying my first marriage, my fault entirely, Essentially, I began with the question of SIZE which relates to scale.

The decades passed and on two separate occasions, I failed into translating size into its physical equivalent. I knew then, as now, that the physical is a prerequisite but the goal is metaphysical — a work in progress-life. Still, form follows function so I will let you the reader judge me on the resulting physical, I am not an architect, simply a person with an idea.

Now we have not addressed size as an issue itself and its limits with respect to the interpersonal which relates to the physical. Direct, or one-to-one, interactions are limited. This is easily determined by the equation N=n x (n-1)/2. Math is helpful but only as a starting point. For example, five people can have a total of 10 independent interactions, In reality, a second consideration is collective decisions — for the blockchain, this is a DAO process, So, if the base is 5, decisions are more quickly resolved with an odd base-the tie vote is eliminated This does not, of course, apply to rule-based decisions. For my purpose, a group of size five forms the foundation for my endeavor, my mundito — -my small world.

Benjamin Franklin founded an informal group called the Junto in Philidelphia to exchange books and discuss ideas. Later the Junto keep many of their books in a central location to be checked out by the members, the basis for our current library system. (Junto in Spanish means together.) So it seems appropriate to think in terms of a social junto, an interdependent effort for one form of social cohesion, This is not an abstract thought but a work in progress that hopefully deserves your consideration — IMHO — please bare with me on this my personal journey and follow my steps in addressing this concern, my Soul & Skin in the Game,

Self-esteem is at its best at the personal level, we can see and feel personal feedback that elevates us to our own sense of self-worth in a more wholesome context. This is a process, not an end. If social cohesion, at the personal, requires mobility, then it is axiomatic that it degrades with the time value of that movement.

Next, the physical manifested, limitations and considerations — some thoughts on social cohesion in my mundito — till then, wb