Stop Kenneth Branagh Before He Kills Again

Kenneth Branagh has a new movie Death on the Nile coming out where he reprises his role as "world famous detective" Hercule Poirot. I will not be seeing this movie as I rate his 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express as THE worst movie I ever bought a ticket to. How bad was it? This is what I wrote after seeing it:

So last night I finally saw Murder on the Orient Express and it was awful! How awful? This was an actual conversation with my girlfriend:

Me: This movie is awful compared to the original.
Her: This movie is awful compared to anything.

Your taste in movies may differ.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." - William James

"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." - Winston Churchill 

"Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore." - Albert Einstein

"Knowledge is either from direct experience or from verifiable, falsifiable science. There is knowledge that is transmitted but not verifiable / falsifiable, and this knowledge is indistinguishable from that which is false." - Naval Ravikant 

The 1970's Were a Very Different Time

Monday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Don't click if you're easily offended! 

Scott Adams' Happiness Formula

Farnam Street Knowledge

 

How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.

Some Farnam Street knowledge to start off the week.

Investing in American Dynamism

Interesting announcement from Andreessen-Horowitz:

The American Dynamism practice invests in founders and companies that support the national interest, including but not limited to aerospace, defense, education, housing, transportation, public safety, supply chain, industrials, and manufacturing. We believe these areas represent tremendous venture-scale opportunities. More importantly, these categories serve as a critical foundation to making America the country people want to be from, immigrate to, and build a life and career or company in.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes that I hope may resonate with you.

"I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it." - George Carlin

"Do one thing today that makes tomorrow easier. Repeat." - Shane Parrish

"But I will accept any rules you feel necessary for your freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them, if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." - Robert Heinlein

"Gratitude is the wine of the soul. Go on. Get drunk!" - Rumi

Martin Luther King Jr.

Fantastic Look at Our Supply Chain Issues

Some really good insights into our supply chain issues. As we were locked down we bought more imported goods because Americans had the money they were saving from going out to restaurants. Historic demand overwhelmed a fragile system. Meanwhile lockdowns reduced manufacturing and our exports were correspondingly down.

So many issues. It's like Season two of The Wire. Long but interesting interview.

Heh Heh

Via

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"But when we repeat 1 percent errors, day after day, by replicating poor decisions, duplicating tiny mistakes, and rationalizing little excuses, our small choices compound into toxic results." - James Clear

"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." - William Gibson

"I went to the doctor and told him 'my penis was burning.' He said, 'that just means someone is talking about it.'" - Gary Shandling

"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." - Pablo Picasso

Dr. Seuss

OK - This is Funny

Via

100 Tips for a Better Life

Just as the title explains - 100 tips for a better life.

Some good advice in there. One of those articles you should bookmark and return to from time to time. 

Politicizing COVID-19 from the Start

"From the moment COVID-19 appeared, the pandemic became inseparable from politics." VDH spitting some truth.  

I'd vote for the candidate in 2024 who proposes a DOJ that will prosecute the maleficence listed in the article.

Farnam Street Knowledge

Atomic Habits

"The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least. It's easier to practice self-restraint when you don't have to use it very often. So, yes, perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing you were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment." - James Clear 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement." - James Clear

"If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough." - Mario Andretti

"Ever since we discovered that Earth is round and turns like a mad spinning-top, we have understood that reality is not as it appears to us; every time we glance a new aspect of it, it is a deeply emotional experience. Another veil has fallen." - Carlo Rovelli

"If you feel pain you're alive, if you feel other peoples pain, you are a human being." - Leo Tolstoy

Heh Heh

Via

Find Something Beautiful Today

View of Venus transiting in front of the Sun. Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit. 

Netflix Continues to Infiltrate Professional Sports

Interesting look at the effect Netflix had on Formula One through their 10-part docuseries (now in season 4?) and how the PGA is next up to get the Netflix treatment.  

I've been meaning to watch the F1 series on Netflix (but outside of live sports - I don't watch a lot of TV) but I would definitely watch the PGA series. Especially an episode that gave a behind the scenes look at what it's like playing the Masters.  Surprised the folks at Augusta agreed to open the kimono for the show.

What a World

Some historical vignettes from Morgan Housel.

The one about Kingsford Charcoal was perhaps my favorite. 

Team Biden's Plan to Ensure "Scientific Integrity" Should Start with Itself

Glenn Reynolds on how to regain trust in science. "So how do you promote scientific integrity? To start with: by not lying." I'm afraid that's asking too much.

Turns out those who supported the Great Barrington Declaration were right. How about we start by banning any doctor or scientist who opposed that from any federally funded scientific position? Harsh - yes. But much less harsh than heads on spikes which is what they might deserve.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." - Socrates

"I don't think parents should be telling schools what to teach." - Terry McAuliffe

"I really believe that normal people are only capable of accomplishing normal things. I don't know that I ever had a great player that was normal." - John Madden

"You can get to about the 90th percentile in your field by working either smart or hard, which is still a great accomplishment. But getting to the 99th percentile requires both - you will be competing with other very talented people who will have great ideas and be willing to work a lot." - Sam Altman

Heh Heh

Via

Heh Heh

Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Hakuna Matata!  Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share with others!

Is Jon Lester a Hall of Famer?

 Is Jon Lester a Hall of Famer? As much as I love Jon Lester - I would have to say NO.

In his 16-year MLB career he had 200 wins, 2,488 K's, and a 3.66 ERA (117 ERA+). That's good but not Hall of Fame good. He also made over $198 million in his career so don't feel too badly about Jon not getting into Cooperstown.

People are making the argument for Lester because of his postseason heroics. He was a stud on three World Series Championship teams (two in Boston and one in Chicago). He was a cancer survivor and all-around good guy. Hard not to root for him.

I love Jon Lester and the way the Red Sox treated him as they parted ways was when I started to get disenchanted with the organization. If the organization didn't lowball Lester (initial offer of $70 million 4-years when he ended up signing for $155 million over six) and had offered him a fair deal he'd have never left Boston. But in 2014 owner John Henry didn't want to invest long term in a 31-year old pitcher.

He pitched another 7 seasons after leaving Boston and now people are making arguments about if he's a Hall of Famer. If he does get in - I hope he wears a Cubs hat.

Scientists: Cannabis Can Prevent Covid-19 Infection

There's a lot of "mays" and "coulds" in the article and pot as a therapeutic only seems to work on vaccinated people. Call me skeptical. Especially when this is the conclusion:

While we don't want to get overexcited, we think it's clear what the Biden administration should do next: legalize pot so that this research can look into all avenues including THC-A, fill America's breadbasket with cannabis plants, and send every person in America all the pot extracts they need to finally end this thing. 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you. 

"It is capitalism that pulled billions out of poverty. Not vapid virtue signaling." - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it." - Swedish proverb

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." - Lao Tzu

"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." - Socrates

CS Lewis Predicted Our Current Situation

Heh Heh

Via

What Happened to the Eviction Tsunami?

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." - Mark Twain

The flood of pandemic related evictions predicted by the "experts" and their models never happened. The question is asked "why?" 

Occam's razor says maybe because it was a prediction by experts and their models? And was compounded by the media and click-bait journalism?

Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Please subscribe, hit the Like button or share with others - hell why not do all three? 

Good Question

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Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Living deliberately is about awareness and purposeful action. If we take the necessary steps to craft each day deliberately, when our final day arrives we'll be able to look back at a life brimming with joy, fulfillment and satisfaction." - Shane Parrish

"And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself." - Benjamin Franklin

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." - Robert Godard

Great Advice