0zer0

There's a new 3Blue1Brown video hinting in the same direction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYgs6v2YfU

This.

The full set of constraints (monopoly, durability, constant MC, timelessness) can hardly ever be fulfilled. So it is not falsifiable by empirical data.

But nobody has questioned the logic conjecture itself here, even the article doesn't try. It seems pretty plausible, doesn't it?

I disagree. Imho, the problem of this simple model is to find a situation in reality which is close enough to fulfill the constraints.

E.g., it is implied that consumers can postpone their purchase longer than the monopolist is willing to realize the profit. Is it the case here?

Or is there actually a game so durable that is not losing its appeal over time?

And is there a game which can be considered a monopoly (as an activity for spending free time)?

All of these points have to be fulfilled, none of them is, i.e., the conjecture simply doesn't apply.

It is a very unrealistic and simple model. The question remains, however, what is meant by the

quite general conditions [under which] the logic goes through.

This seems pretty contradictory. There is no hint at which of the constraints is edited to fit better to reality.

Kind of. The whole setup is pretty improbable.

There is durable good which means that consumers will only buy once (pharma doesn't seem to fit here).

And there is the monopolist. So there shouldn't be any outside options, as the last paragraph claims in the OP.

And the marginal costs seem to be constant. Which is only the case for things like data or software. For most goods, however, one needs to invest in production facilities to increase output for a bigger number of goods. In this case the marginal costs will increase as well and so it would make sense to first sell a lower number of goods for a higher price.

Somehow, it doesn't quite add up for me, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It reminds me of the unexpected hanging paradox.

This. With this much income you should qualify for a Blue Card. The 27 months start when you are eligible, not when you are actually holding the Blue Card. A friend of mine (w/ Blue Card) got permanent citizenship in Germany after the 3 years and was not asked/tested for any language skills. As long as you speak a little German to follow the process it is pretty easy.

Fascinating animation. But there is one thing I don't understand. What is the purpose of the left axle gear (green)? It is not fixed to the axle because it rotates in the same direction in both modes. Wouldn't is be more efficient to connect the wind-up gear directly to the right axle gear (blue) and through pushing to the left spring gear (red)?

I think it is for this reason that Switzerland has a fixed budget for their railway construction. And it seems to pay off, Swiss railway is exceptional.

Really nice clock.

One nitpick on the day/night line: This is strongly dependent on the latitude, i.e. it kind of collides with your notion of the world clock. Maybe you boldface the label for the city to which it is referring.