No boss, no tie, no problem

Virginia Postrel, author of two great books (this one and that one), quotes Cathy Siepp on one of the central themes of Free Agent Nation: Diversification applies to human capital, too; You’re better off with several clients and customers than with one boss. (Three post-Labor Day cheers for Harry Markowitz!) Meanwhile, across the pond, Kathryn Hughes deftly chronicles the slow death of the neck tie, which she calls “an entirely redundant bit of kit left over from a much earlier phase of evolution.” And ever up-to-speed on the latest developments outside the Beltway, The Washington Post declares that America has become — get this — “A Nation of Free Agents.”