Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Treat yourself like someone you're responsible for helping." - Jordan Peterson

"But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you... it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." - Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama

"My only measure of success is how much time you have to kill." - Nassim Taleb

"You want to be free, but accountable." - Naval Ravikant

"That which is against communism is for humanity." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"There are just two rules of governance in a free society. Mind your own business. Keep your hands to yourself." - P.J. O'Rourke

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 10 Awful Words and the People They're Named For

- This will always be my favorite photo of Prince Philip

- Interesting - The rice of the sea: how a tiny grain could change the way humanity eats

-  Heh Heh So True! Karens all the way down.

- How much Hideki Matsuyama may have made from winning the Masters after taxes.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How spoiled are Boston sports fans? Largely because we've had 12 championships since 2000 (6 Patriots, 4 Red Sox and one each for Celtics and Bruins) - most sports fans don't even bother to count the 6 NCAA Men's Hockey championships (7 if you count Providence College's) since 2000 (4 Boston College, Boston University and now UMass)... Heh Heh... Texas passes the Star Spangled Banner Act which makes it mandatory to play the National Anthem at sporting events. Good job Mark Cuban for making this an issue and making people believe you actually hate the country that made you a billionaire... Still say that miniature pony chariot races would be a TV ratings bonanza. Especially if they had monkeys as the charioteers... This book is not about what I hoped it was about... 

Truth

 

Julian Edelman

New England Patriots great Julian Edelman has decided to retire. Edelman is one of those rare athletes who you've never heard a negative thing about. Fans loved pulling for him because he wasn't the most gifted athlete but he made the most of what he had by always giving 100% effort. That did not go unnoticed. 

Julian was "clutch" and always seemed to come up biggest in the playoffs. Edelman had the greatest catch in Patriots playoff history (perhaps in all Super Bowl history). Note: Malcolm Butler's was an interception not a catch.

Edelman is also one of the most creative athletes out there as evidenced by this short video (where he calls Tom Brady his SISTER). He will do very well in his post-playing career. Some network will be sure to gobble him up as an NFL commentator but I have an idea that Edelman is destined for more than being pigeon holed as just an NFL commentator. Perhaps he's the next Pat McAfee? Or Michael Strahan?

One of the most underrated "what ifs" in Boston sports history is what kind of career could Julian Edelman have had if he didn't blow out his knee on sub-standard turf in Houston.  

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If CNN did decide to leave Atlanta because of the new Voting Laws - how many journalists would have to lose their jobs to help pay for the move? It's not like CNN is flush with ratings cash at the moment... This was a cool little story... The White House Correspondents Dinner was supposed to be April 24th but guessing from the zero discussion about it that there will be no event this year and no explanation as to why it was cancelled. Any explanation would prove politically inconvenient and we can't have that... Marvel should come out with a new character - Super Harpy. It would be a character named Karen whose super power would be hectoring people over every little thing until the person loses their will. Of course this character would be a villain... Is there a more common or unimaginative name than Branch River? Every State must have at least one... 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The 6-Foot Mandate was Bad Science. So much bad science in one frigging year.

- Map of all physics particles and forces. Going to have to review this several times to let it sink in.

- VDH: Wealthy and Woke. Agree 100%. Don't let these rich blowhards lecture you on anything. 

- Bari Weiss: What Should be Done to Curb Big Tech? I agree with the Common Carrier argument. (HT Execupundit) 

Uncontrollable Urge - Devo

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh Heh - awesome!

- Interesting - China's Semiconductor Industry: Shell Games All the Way Down

- Saw these being posted on Twitter and wondered what was going on.

- Potentially a major milestone in fusion technology. 

- The Four Buddhist Mantras for Turning Fear into Love

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Congratulations to UMass the 2021 NCAA Men's Hockey National Champions! I wonder if there will be a victory parade in Amherst?... They should hand out the 2021 MLB Comeback Player of the Year right now... An updated version of A Few Good Men would have Lt Daniel Kaffee arguing that Corporal Dawson and Private Downey weren't giving Santiago a Code Red - they were just trying to get him to wear his mask. Of course an updated version would have to change the title to A Few Good People Who Self-Identify As They Wish... In the discussion of the greatest American writer since Hemingway the name Ray Bradbury has to be in the discussion... An inconvenient truth is that Al Gore's documentary  of the same name has not aged well or held up factually. When's the last time you saw it offered or advertised on a streaming service? That movie has pretty much gone down the memory hole... All the best to Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Get well soon America needs your voice of reason... 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which a man can aspire." - Viktor Frankl

"Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life." - Jerzy Gregorek

"It's ironic that of all the Kardashsians Caitlyn has had the least work done." - Tim Dillion

"Risk comes from not knowing what your doing." - Warren Buffett

"Build others up and they'll enable your success. Tear them down and they'll wait for you to fail." - Shane Parrish

"Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how.'" - Viktor Frankl

Richard Feynman

 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Risk is what's left when you think you've thought of everything." - Carl Richard

"I'm not an investor. I like to make technologies real that I think are important for the future and useful in some sort of way." - Elon Musk

"To infinity and beyonnnnddddd." - President Joe Biden

"Companies should have to get shareholder permission to take political stances." - Glenn Reynolds

"Anyone want to see if we can't get a MAGA event scheduled in Atlanta for the date of the ASG?" - Curt Schilling

"Every battle is won before it is fought." - Sun Tzu

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Matt Taibbi: The Two Faces of Joe Biden

- An excellent explanation of the results and implications of this week's Fermilab's Muon g-2 findings.  

- Time to push back indeed!

- How Social Justice logic works

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If I were to run for office in 2022 my campaign slogan would simply be "Enough is Enough." I think that would resonate so much that an Enough is Enough Third Party could actually win a good number of elections taking voters from both sides of the aisle... We are less than 3-weeks from the White House Correspondents Dinner (April 24th) yet we've heard surprisingly little about the event. What are the odds it gets postponed or cancelled for *cough* COVID *cough* reasons? The real reason will be that President Biden isn't competent enough to handle such a non-scripted event. If the Nerd Prom gets cancelled look for articles about the 25th Amendment to suddenly become de rigueur... Hill I'll die on - Bob Seger is a superior artist to Bruce Springsteen. Love them both but seriously when do you ever hear a Bruce Springsteen live version of any of his songs on the radio or elsewhere? Meanwhile Bob Seger songs are almost always the live versions because he's that damn good. Also willing to bet Seger had more "hits" than Springsteen... The hospital in the Harry Potter books was called Saint Mungo's. Did you know there was an actual Saint Mungo? He's the patron saint of Glasgow, Scotland... Cult of Inhibitions - band name or all-inclusive singles resort?...  

Van Gough's Starry Night (Created by Dominoes)

Global Warming

The above graph shows that according to satellite based temperature readings the world is on a warming trend. However, the rate of warming is nowhere near the alarmists predictions of most "experts" models.

You could also see that if you averaged out the 42-years shown on the graph there'd be no increase at all. That's just to show that you could make the stats show what you want. Secondarily 42-years is nothing when it comes to plotting the historical nature of the Earth.

One final thought I'd like to get out of my head - who's to say a little warming isn't a good thing? I live in New England and would personally welcome slightly warmer weather. Also warmer temperatures could also mean that the Plains of Canada, Siberia, and Mongolia would be able to produce more crops to help alleviate any global hunger. Wouldn't that be a good thing? The warming period during Medieval times gave rise to the Renaissance - wasn't that a good thing? And back then fossil fuels had nothing to do with the rise in temperatures. 

Graph via.   

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Comedian K-von quadruples fan base with Biden barbs. Good for him.

-  Yes - you love to see it.

- Planning on having a lot of "infrastructure" this weekend. (HT Instapundit)

- VDH: Laudator Temporis Acti (Praiser of times past). He's not wrong. 

- Space-based solar power (wait isn't all solar power space-based?) getting key test aboard US Military's (Space Force) X-37B. I've long been fascinated by the X-37B which is the defacto replacement for the Space Shuttle. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If the Democrats wanted to dump Joe Biden in favor of Kamala Harris but didn't want to get their hands dirty trying to suggest the 25th Amendment themselves - the easiest way would be to have Biden sign a bunch of un-Constitutional gun control Executive Orders and see the Republicans get outraged. Just saying... It would be funny if a number of Atlanta Braves players sued MLB and Rob Manfred for creating a hostile work environment. What could Rob Manfred possibly say in response? Cha-ching! Cash in boys!... Why is it the media and the "experts" always seem to be so wrong... Wonder if it's possible for a State like Texas or Florida to tax YouTube - say at $.01 per video view in the state - and then use those funds for a favorite cause like fighting homelessness or providing broadband to low income families. What would be to stop a tax like that? They delete videos that go against the grain of their political aims and the Republican Governors tax their asses. Seems fair... John Kerry has always been a frigging idiot... 

Today in History

Today is the anniversary of Robert E. Lee surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox in 1865.  One of the most important dates in US history goes by with little or no mention and we wonder why kids today seem so uninformed.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Democrats control of the House is increasingly fragile. And it is true that the President's party normally loses ground in midterm elections. (HT Newmark's Door)

- I'm amused that this this may be the new look of protest.

- Fascinating discussion - Peter Thiel and The Nixon Seminar (here's the transcript if you prefer to read the exchanges). Going to listen to this seminar more than once. 

- MLB anti-trust exemption may be coming to an end because of moving the All-Star game. Good! The owners will be best pleased with Rob Manfred when that happens. 

The Masters and Protest

The Masters handled the woke mob better than anyone. Back when uber harpy Martha Burk threatened a protest and boycott of any advertiser who had commercials during the telecast of the 2003 Masters - they simply said, "Fine then we'll have no commercials." Golf fans loved it! And now - when's the last time you heard about Martha Burk?

The issue was about women members and quietly the club added Condi Rice as a member and the issue went away. Likewise I think quietly after this weekend you'll either see Rob Manfred forced to resign his membership in Augusta National or his membership will be rescinded. 

People should have learned from the Masters' example.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Recently heard Ernest Hemingway described as the most important American writer since Mark Twain. That of course made me wonder - who is the most important American writer since Hemingway? Technically John Steinbeck outlived Hemingway but I consider him a contemporary. Kurt Vonnegut? Please don't say Stephen King. Who? Seriously.. In 1978 China was far from an economic powerhouse but they allowed free trading zones imitating Hong Kong. That allowed the rise of their economy because of entrepreneurs like Jack Ma. Now both Hong Kong and Jack Ma are in shackles. Is it really reasonable for people to expect China's growth to continue unabated under those circumstances?... Perhaps my favorite tattoo story (and Sailor is Poker Hall of Famer Sailor Roberts)... So let me get this straight some people are for vaccine passports but these same people are against DNA samples from illegal immigrants with children crossing the border to see if they are actually the parents or the children are victims of human traffickers. The same people are able to hold both of these demands in their heads - simultaneously... Any truth to the rumor that Jell-O Pudding Pops have signed Deshaun Watson as their new celebrity spokesperson?...     

Freedom

 

"Here's a scene from Passport to Pimlico where people in a pub tear up their papers when confronted by an officious policeman. Sick of post-war rationing and controls, the mood for liberation then.

And now?" - Matt Ridley

Not to be outdone - Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Amen Governor - Amen!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Leave other people's mistakes where they lie." - Marcus Aurelius

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm just a caveman. Your world frightens and confuses me." - Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

"Happiness, as it's said, is just results minus expectations. The hardest financial skill is getting the goalposts to stop moving. Social comparison is the battle that can never be won." - Morgan Housel

"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage." - Thucydides

"Governments create nothing and have nothing to give but what they have first taken away." - Winston Churchill

"In the short term, you are as good as your intensity. In the long term, you are only as good as your consistency." - Shane Parrish

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- How trader Jeff Yass parlayed poker and horse race handicapping into a $12 billion fortune. Interesting read. 

- UFO mystery objects remain unidentified. I have my own (tinfoil hat) theory that I'll post one of these days.

- Tom Brady is launching an NFT company.

- Justice Clarence Thomas provides legal roadmap to tearing down social media censorship. Amused by the idea that the conservative Justice Thomas could become a hero to leftists like Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

How the world will end according to my latest fever dream - someone will bet Elon Musk that he can't boil the oceans... Have to think with the move of many companies to work from home flexibility and with new broadband sources like SpaceX's Starlink service I believe that many people may be adopting a van life / RV lifestyle in the not too distant future... The perfect counter programming for the All-Star game would be a UFC title card held in Atlanta that same night. Dana White could even have former President Trump as his guest of honor. That event's TV ratings would dwarf baseball's. Only problem is the UFC just signed a big contract with ESPN and ESPN is broadcasting the All-Star game... Speaking of the All-Star game - Joe Biden and Rob Manfred giving this guy a run for his money... Funny but 4-years ago the best basketball team in NYC was arguably the Harlem Globetrotters. The Knicks and the Nets have come a long way... 

Truth