Tuesday, December 07, 2010
What You Have That George Vanderbilt Didn't
Bryan Caplan:I just returned from the Biltmore, America's largest home. Built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895, the Biltmore is a symbol of how good the rich had it during the Gilded Age. I'm sure that most of the other visitors would answer "very good indeed."
But how many would actually want to trade places with George? Despite his massive library, organ, and so on, I submit that any modern with a laptop and an internet connection has a vastly better book and music collection than he did. For all his riches, he didn't have air conditioning; he had to suffer through the North Carolina summers just like the poorest of us. Vanderbilt did travel the world, but without the airplane, he had to do so at a snail's pace.
Perhaps most shockingly, he suffered "sudden death from complications following an appendectomy" at the age of 51. (Here's the original NYT obituary). Whatever your precise story about the cause of rising lifespans, it's safe to say that George's Bane wouldn't be fatal today.
Vanderbilt clearly had it better than most of the people in his era. But the world has improved so much that, all things considered, the average American is now better off than this prince of the Gilded Age. I can't be sure, but I bet that George would have agreed. How much do you think he would have paid to live for a single day in your shoes?
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
No Baggage Challenge: Winners Chosen
About a month ago, I entered into the SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge Contest, hoping to get chosen to travel around the world with no luggage. (See my entry, including videos, here.) I received tremendous support from friends and family, with many votes for me on Facebook and via e-mail. I even went so far as to do a trial run no baggage trip over Thanksgiving -- traveling for five days with nothing but what would fit in my jacket.Scott Jordan, Founder and CEO of SCOTTEVEST, announced the winner today. Two others and I came in as a runners-up and Scott's generously decided to give each of us a significant credit for some SCOTTEVEST gear. This was totally unexpected and a wonderful surprise. (And comes in on the heels of me winning a free SCOTTEVEST Carry-On Coat from Gear Diary yesterday -- a total of ~ $500 SCOTTEVEST gear in two days!) In addition, I also received a personal video message from Scott shortly before he announced the winners to the general public. This was an incredibly classy personal touch that left me deeply impressed.
I was already a huge SCOTTEVEST fan. Scott has succeeded in making me an even bigger one.
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