It’s never too late to teach an old pig new tricks. In 2002, I launched Bacon’s Rebellion as a digital newsletter. In 2005, I switched to blogging. Now, as the world has moved decisively to podcasts, I’ll give podcasting a try. I’ll be interviewing people involved in the arts, sciences, culture, business, and politics on matters of interest to Virginians. I like the idea of engaging in conversations that allow the participants to explore an issue in depth. Old guys like me may not be technologically savvy — it will take me ten times longer to master the technology of producing a podcast than most young people would — but perhaps my decades of lived experience will yield a few insights worth sharing.

Although the podcast will lean libertarian/conservative, I plan to hold conversations with thoughtful people across the partisan/ideological spectrum to explore what ails our society and what Virginians can do to build more prosperous, livable and sustainable communities. While seeking to understand our differences in our increasingly fractious society, I’ll also be looking for common ground.

Why name the podcast Oinkonomics? In part, it’s an homage to my name, Bacon. But it is also suggestive of my partiality for using economic frames of reference — resource scarcity, alternate opportunity cost, return on investment — for analyzing public policy issues. At the same time, I acknowledge that people are not always economically rational. Human nature is a stubborn thing. In combination, economics and human nature are pretty useful prisms through which to view the world. I hope listeners will agree. — JAB