Absurd
California is going to unleash driverless cars on the road despite ZERO public data on safety, feasibility, etc.
I find it worrying how much trust Americans are willing to place in technology and how little trust we put in each other. It is a recipe for a fast downward spiral of increasing dependence.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
Overrated - Underrated
One of my favorite podcast segments is Tyler Cowen's overrated - underrated he does with guests.
How about this: the Olympics?
Underrated! I almost completely zoned out on the Olympics for at least a decade. I swear, I've totally and completely missed at least 4 of them. Like I didn't even remember they happened. But last night, caught some of the women's figure skating. Holy shit! What high drama! The two Russian girls....incredible. You have this frontrunner girl, having come back from injury, everybody unanimously thinks is the best in the world and then she gets upstaged completely by her 15 year old like protege. So this protege is just killing it and then in the final skate, the frontrunner who is just tense and you can just read on her face and body: ultra competitive, goes out and does the skate of her life. She's crying from emotion afterwards. Kills it. And then still loses by 1 point to the protege, who has the more natural talent and strength. I found it incredibly captivating. The frontrunner was like all soul and passion, the protege, all strength, grace, and talent. What a match up.
And this also...part of my prior dislike of the Olympic sports has to do with the stupidity of a lot of them. Luging? Biathlon? It's like who cares. And typically, I feel the same about ice skating. But my mind has flipped 180 degrees. I say, we ought to be embracing this absurd, and perhaps stupid pursuits of excellence. Because the pursuit of excellence is getting lost in our society today. With all the drumbeats of equality and diversity and metoo and victimhood, etc, what we need more of is beauty, aesthetics, tradition, and excellence. This is what the Olympics stands for and strange as it sounds, I think this thing that was getting lost is now needed much more than before.
One of my favorite podcast segments is Tyler Cowen's overrated - underrated he does with guests.
How about this: the Olympics?
Underrated! I almost completely zoned out on the Olympics for at least a decade. I swear, I've totally and completely missed at least 4 of them. Like I didn't even remember they happened. But last night, caught some of the women's figure skating. Holy shit! What high drama! The two Russian girls....incredible. You have this frontrunner girl, having come back from injury, everybody unanimously thinks is the best in the world and then she gets upstaged completely by her 15 year old like protege. So this protege is just killing it and then in the final skate, the frontrunner who is just tense and you can just read on her face and body: ultra competitive, goes out and does the skate of her life. She's crying from emotion afterwards. Kills it. And then still loses by 1 point to the protege, who has the more natural talent and strength. I found it incredibly captivating. The frontrunner was like all soul and passion, the protege, all strength, grace, and talent. What a match up.
And this also...part of my prior dislike of the Olympic sports has to do with the stupidity of a lot of them. Luging? Biathlon? It's like who cares. And typically, I feel the same about ice skating. But my mind has flipped 180 degrees. I say, we ought to be embracing this absurd, and perhaps stupid pursuits of excellence. Because the pursuit of excellence is getting lost in our society today. With all the drumbeats of equality and diversity and metoo and victimhood, etc, what we need more of is beauty, aesthetics, tradition, and excellence. This is what the Olympics stands for and strange as it sounds, I think this thing that was getting lost is now needed much more than before.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Netflix is a Parasite
Watching Chris Rock's new special. Not his best material. My impression of Netflix: a rich star fucking machine. They just throw money at these stars, they don't get the best from them.
That said, I've loving Babylon Berlin. But then again, that's just German TV, not actually produced by Netflix.
Watching Chris Rock's new special. Not his best material. My impression of Netflix: a rich star fucking machine. They just throw money at these stars, they don't get the best from them.
That said, I've loving Babylon Berlin. But then again, that's just German TV, not actually produced by Netflix.
Seen on a Blog
"How come the Russians knew to focus on the purple states and Hillary didn't?"
Exactly.
Foreign countries are going to try and mess with our elections. The outrage about Russia has nothing to do with what actually happened, but entirely to do with the coastal elite being horrified by Trump.
"How come the Russians knew to focus on the purple states and Hillary didn't?"
Exactly.
Foreign countries are going to try and mess with our elections. The outrage about Russia has nothing to do with what actually happened, but entirely to do with the coastal elite being horrified by Trump.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Chart
A fairly clear chart why people are having fewer kids. Healthcare, college costs, daycare, and housing are all increasing in cost whereas TV, cell phones, clothes, and software are dropping in cost. Things cost more, you get less of it -- things cost less -- you get more of it.
A fairly clear chart why people are having fewer kids. Healthcare, college costs, daycare, and housing are all increasing in cost whereas TV, cell phones, clothes, and software are dropping in cost. Things cost more, you get less of it -- things cost less -- you get more of it.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Sell Signal
McDonalds is taking cheeseburgers off their happy meal menu.
I have MCD stock and this, to me, is a major sell signal. What an idiotic idea.
McDonalds is taking cheeseburgers off their happy meal menu.
I have MCD stock and this, to me, is a major sell signal. What an idiotic idea.
School Shooting
What's striking about the debate that emerges about every school shooting is whether we should control guns (which has a small chance of working) or addressing mental health (which seems like a gargantuan task), but no one proposes limiting media coverage of these school shootings, which would almost certainly cause fewer people to copycat.
What's striking about the debate that emerges about every school shooting is whether we should control guns (which has a small chance of working) or addressing mental health (which seems like a gargantuan task), but no one proposes limiting media coverage of these school shootings, which would almost certainly cause fewer people to copycat.
Monday, February 12, 2018
Good
Unilever threatening to pull ads from Facebook, Google, etc.
Seems to be these big tech firms deserve to be on the receiving end of lectures and condemnation vs. the giving end.
Unilever threatening to pull ads from Facebook, Google, etc.
Seems to be these big tech firms deserve to be on the receiving end of lectures and condemnation vs. the giving end.
Monday, February 05, 2018
My Suggestion: Don't Move There
Edina public schools down the shithole due to "equality" and "racial consciousness."
The author asks at the end of the article:
Edina public schools down the shithole due to "equality" and "racial consciousness."
The author asks at the end of the article:
I might be wrong, but I don’t believe that most liberals agree with this identity politics extremism in its various intersectional manifestations. Why don’t they stand up to it? Some do; the people who contribute to the 4thWaveNow site, where Sarah R.’s story appeared, aren’t all conservatives by any means. Where are the old-fashioned liberals? Do they really want to see their institutions radicalized? Do they honestly think this is going to work out for the common good? Where do they think this is going to end, anyway? I’m asking in all seriousness. `The old fashioned liberal is right here, my friend.
Sunday, February 04, 2018
#MeToo Backlash
Color me unsurprised.
Political ideologues generally could use some game theory study. They're only able to see about 2-3 moves ahead and ultimately do themselves and their causes more harm than good. The problem for the rest of us, is that they often manage to damage everything around them in the process.
Color me unsurprised.
Political ideologues generally could use some game theory study. They're only able to see about 2-3 moves ahead and ultimately do themselves and their causes more harm than good. The problem for the rest of us, is that they often manage to damage everything around them in the process.
12 Rules for Life
As I'm reading the Jordan Peterson book and everyone else is doing it...
1. Avoid Drugs. Drug use (or selling) is a good sign something is wrong or you are somehow on the wrong trajectory. Try to figure out what that thing is. Maybe it's just being young and stupid...but even if it is, it's not a bad idea to be young and stupid for less vs. more time. Or, it could be self-medicating. Not bad to try and figure out what that thing is, either.
2. Save Your Money
3. Aim High. Even if you fail to meet goals, etc, you will generally be objectively better off to have "gone for it" than to have not in order to avoid disappointment. I'd apply this to a lot of the important things in life - career, love, etc.
4. Err of the side of too many sexual encounters versus too few.
5. For exercise, choose activities that bring you joy as you are more likely to stick with it and thus bring you better fitness, health, and also be fun. And if you are busy, take the stairs versus the elevator.
6. In contrast, for career, choose something you are good at versus something that brings you joy. Because you spend so much time with it, you will start to enjoy things you are good at and I imagine start to dislike things you aren't after awhile. Also, you stand to make more money this way.
7. If you want to have kids, start making decisions in advance of having kids that lay the groundwork for it. For example - young men: get a job, young women - don't date losers. And once you're close, don't wait for the perfect moment, just jump in.
8. I've never met anyone I thought read too much. On the other hand, almost everyone I know has spent too much time in school.
9. Understand life to be a series of phases. Therefore, do not assume what is happening in this moment is by any means permanent. Thus, if things are going well, enjoy it and see #2. And if things are not, do not wallow, just consider that things can and will get better, especially if you make choices that will lead you there.
10. Surround yourself with good people and people you like and preferably BOTH. It makes everything a lot easier.
11. If you are American, find ways to meet and befriend people from as many foreign countries as you can. The best option, of course, is to travel a lot and for extended periods of time. If money or time or obligations limits this possibility, you can also find ways to meet foreigners and immigrants in the United States. One of the downsides of being American today is that it's easy to believe the world revolves around us and that all of our political and social pathologies are unique to us. They are not. You learn this very quickly and intuitively when interacting with foreigners. One of my favorite aspects of living in Los Angeles - a truly global city - is the vast number of foreigners I interact with in all sorts of walks of life - from studying with, to teaching, to working for/with, living next to, going to daycare, friends/family, playing soccer, etc. Just to sample a list off the top of my head, countries include - Taiwan, Philippines, Armenia, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, India, China, Korea, Nigeria, Rwanda, Germany, Italy, UK, Columbia, Canada, Iran, Turkey, Russia, France, Sweeden...I mean that's a pretty damn good list. It's all around us everywhere in LA - maybe not as much in other places - but I find this a pretty remarkable and under explored and appreciated part of life.
12. Reduce drag in your life. This will mean different things to different people. For me, an example: I hate shopping for clothes, so I just decided I'm going to buy most everything from JCrew. I probably am not getting the best "deals" or maximizing my "look," but it's one less thing for me to think about. If I need a shirt or pair of pants, I just go to JCrew, see what I like and buy it. Done. A similar idea is to always try and minimize my commute. Many folks have a basic choice: less house/less commute vs. more house/more commute. I say choose the the former.
I realize I am less qualified than most others making these lists, but they are sort of fun. There's a good chance I'm wrong about 50% of them, but I'm not sure which 50%.
As I'm reading the Jordan Peterson book and everyone else is doing it...
1. Avoid Drugs. Drug use (or selling) is a good sign something is wrong or you are somehow on the wrong trajectory. Try to figure out what that thing is. Maybe it's just being young and stupid...but even if it is, it's not a bad idea to be young and stupid for less vs. more time. Or, it could be self-medicating. Not bad to try and figure out what that thing is, either.
2. Save Your Money
3. Aim High. Even if you fail to meet goals, etc, you will generally be objectively better off to have "gone for it" than to have not in order to avoid disappointment. I'd apply this to a lot of the important things in life - career, love, etc.
4. Err of the side of too many sexual encounters versus too few.
5. For exercise, choose activities that bring you joy as you are more likely to stick with it and thus bring you better fitness, health, and also be fun. And if you are busy, take the stairs versus the elevator.
6. In contrast, for career, choose something you are good at versus something that brings you joy. Because you spend so much time with it, you will start to enjoy things you are good at and I imagine start to dislike things you aren't after awhile. Also, you stand to make more money this way.
7. If you want to have kids, start making decisions in advance of having kids that lay the groundwork for it. For example - young men: get a job, young women - don't date losers. And once you're close, don't wait for the perfect moment, just jump in.
8. I've never met anyone I thought read too much. On the other hand, almost everyone I know has spent too much time in school.
9. Understand life to be a series of phases. Therefore, do not assume what is happening in this moment is by any means permanent. Thus, if things are going well, enjoy it and see #2. And if things are not, do not wallow, just consider that things can and will get better, especially if you make choices that will lead you there.
10. Surround yourself with good people and people you like and preferably BOTH. It makes everything a lot easier.
11. If you are American, find ways to meet and befriend people from as many foreign countries as you can. The best option, of course, is to travel a lot and for extended periods of time. If money or time or obligations limits this possibility, you can also find ways to meet foreigners and immigrants in the United States. One of the downsides of being American today is that it's easy to believe the world revolves around us and that all of our political and social pathologies are unique to us. They are not. You learn this very quickly and intuitively when interacting with foreigners. One of my favorite aspects of living in Los Angeles - a truly global city - is the vast number of foreigners I interact with in all sorts of walks of life - from studying with, to teaching, to working for/with, living next to, going to daycare, friends/family, playing soccer, etc. Just to sample a list off the top of my head, countries include - Taiwan, Philippines, Armenia, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, India, China, Korea, Nigeria, Rwanda, Germany, Italy, UK, Columbia, Canada, Iran, Turkey, Russia, France, Sweeden...I mean that's a pretty damn good list. It's all around us everywhere in LA - maybe not as much in other places - but I find this a pretty remarkable and under explored and appreciated part of life.
12. Reduce drag in your life. This will mean different things to different people. For me, an example: I hate shopping for clothes, so I just decided I'm going to buy most everything from JCrew. I probably am not getting the best "deals" or maximizing my "look," but it's one less thing for me to think about. If I need a shirt or pair of pants, I just go to JCrew, see what I like and buy it. Done. A similar idea is to always try and minimize my commute. Many folks have a basic choice: less house/less commute vs. more house/more commute. I say choose the the former.
I realize I am less qualified than most others making these lists, but they are sort of fun. There's a good chance I'm wrong about 50% of them, but I'm not sure which 50%.
In A World Without Curry...
Who would the best point guard in the NBA be? Nominations:
Westbrook
Irving
Lillard
Wall
Harden (do we call him a PG)
CP3
Too many to count...
The scariest are Westbrook and Wall for their athleticism and two way capability (if they apply themselves).
Offensively, Harden and Irving have to be the two best.
CP3 for his bball IQ.
But if I were building a team from scratch and got one of these guys, I'm not sure I wouldn't take Lillard. He seems like possibly the best teammate of the bunch and the guy has balls of steel. He's maybe the best "alpha" of the lot. Consider - Westbrook and Wall are both a little weird and seem to rub others the wrong way. CP3, too, but in a different way. Irving believes the world is flat and has only succeeded as a #2 guy (thus far) and Harden is notorious for being a little soft when it matters. Lillard is none of those things.
Who would the best point guard in the NBA be? Nominations:
Westbrook
Irving
Lillard
Wall
Harden (do we call him a PG)
CP3
Too many to count...
The scariest are Westbrook and Wall for their athleticism and two way capability (if they apply themselves).
Offensively, Harden and Irving have to be the two best.
CP3 for his bball IQ.
But if I were building a team from scratch and got one of these guys, I'm not sure I wouldn't take Lillard. He seems like possibly the best teammate of the bunch and the guy has balls of steel. He's maybe the best "alpha" of the lot. Consider - Westbrook and Wall are both a little weird and seem to rub others the wrong way. CP3, too, but in a different way. Irving believes the world is flat and has only succeeded as a #2 guy (thus far) and Harden is notorious for being a little soft when it matters. Lillard is none of those things.
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