The Election of 1824

"When the 261 electoral votes were counted, none of the candidates received a majority. [John Quincy] Adams carried New York and New England with 84, [Andrew] Jackson stood first with 99, [William] Crawford had 41, and [Henry] Clay had 37. That meant for the second time in twenty-five years, the election would be thrown into the House of Representatives...

John Quincy Adams was elected, thirteen states to eleven. Adams had picked up all six states that had not been initially committed and became the first minority president in the nation's history.

...When Adams did appoint Clay to the state department, Jackson's supporters were predictably furious. John Randolph called it a corrupt bargain: 'the combination of the puritan with the blackleg.' Clay challenged Randolph to a duel. Both fired at each other, and fortunately both missed. Such was the presidential transition of 1825." - John Marshall: Definer of a Nation

 And we think politics is divisive today!

True

Linky Links

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

- Get government out of the graffiti business.

- Interesting aspect of Venezuela and the war in Iran I hadn't considered.

- Could Trump's Venezuela oil deal crush Democrats' midterm strategy?

- Secretary Bessent calls out Elizabeth Warren. A false display of knowledge from a false Indian? I'm shocked!

Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Today is week zero in college football and I plan to be watching football most of the day. Unless I go to the beach. Which could happen.

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Sometimes Its Just Incompetence

Live in the Present

Have a new post up on Substack on some life advice quotes on living in the present from many sources.

Trying to be present in your every day life is the only way to find any happiness.

Worth trying to adopt at least one of these quotes.

Linky Links

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

- Judge's order prohibits SEC from blocking athlete's return.

- Guns and ammo pricing - 1986 vs 2026.

- The cost of decoupling with China.

- Shamed to admit I did not know the story of the 400. I fully agree - this should be a major movie.

Joe Rogan - Freedom

Phrase of the Day

Friday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

College football's week 0 is finally upon us but as glad as I am to welcome real football back - I'm also saddened by the realization summer is almost over. You have to take your beach days when you can get them while they're still around.

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

One of My Favorites

Linky Links

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

- Rocky Horror star Tim Curry found dead at 80. RIP.

- Should quarterbacks be jacked?

- Treasury takes action against violent far left terrorist organizations. Good!

- Matt Ridley: Famine is not an option. The miracles of trade and technology - progress!

Antifragile

"It does not mean that libraries (physical and virtual) are not acceptable; it mean that they should not be the source of any idea. Students pay to write essays on topics for which they have to derive knowledge from a library as a self-enhancement exercise; a professional who is compensated to write and is taken seriously by others should use a more potent filter. Only distilled ideas, ones that sit in us for a long time, are acceptable - and those that come from reality." - Nassim Nicholas Taleb Antifragile

As I read this it occurred to me that it equally could be applied to AI which, if you think about it, represent an LLM of all the books ever written. However, if you don't understand how a subject truly works just gives you at best a surface knowledge which in Taleb's words would probably make you fragile.

Statement from the Big 12

Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- The perfect home.

- About time!

- Sadly true.

- Many a truth is said in jest.

Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Haven't commented on the Jed York situation mostly because it just seems sordid. Besides what if he sought out prostitutes in East Palestine Ohio because he was subjected to power lines for too long?

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

True

College Football Thoughts

Some college football observations as we approach week 0 games and wait to see if NFL players with eligibility left can join college rosters.

Was having these thoughts anyway and figured why not jot them down and put up on Substack.

Life Advice from Naval Ravikant

Linky Links

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

- Dolly Parton, beloved country music icon dies at 80 after 'brief battle with cancer.' There will never be another like her,

- Many a truth is said in jest.

- CTE worse in NFL players than previously thought.

- A story the media won't cover.

Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Dolly Parton passed away aged 80. She was an American original and icon. There are no words.

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Dolly Pardon

Farnam Street Knowledge

Linky Links

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

- Kevin Kelly: A Billion Dollars. Many have played the game "What would you do if you hit the lottery?" Well - what would you do? Your dreams may cost less than you think

- Michael Wade: Learning how we learn.

- The DataRepublicanDrama or: Social media can be a really stupid place full of really stupid people and increasingly I fear there's nothing to do about it. Scary.

- This AI regulatory capture is equally scary.

Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

The NFL regular season is almost upon us and honestly with the prices of game tickets, parking, beer and snacks at the stadium - going to a home game is getting beyond the reach of the average family. This is why watching at home or out at a bar is becoming more and more important. It's also may be the NFL pricing themselves out of attracting future generations of fans. 

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Get Your Popcorn Ready

Linky Links

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

- Pilgrimage to viking Bjorko. Interesting look at Viking history.

- The Trap Needs No Trapper. I stand with DataRepublican.

- Yikes! Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt's 100 meter world record.

- Zelenskyy rejects wartime elections. Just like Abraham Lincoln did - oh wait.

I Thought Lincoln Said That

Monday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

The current hysteria over AI and datacenters makes me think of the past hysteria over Amazon and how NYC was chosen to be the new East Coast hub but AOC used that hysteria to get Amazon to take their thousands of jobs elsewhere instead. Now NYC got communism. It's all related.

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Life Advice from CS Lewis

Linky Links

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

- Income per capita and fertility and now positively correlated across OECD countries.

- Electrons are the new bullets. War (batteries not included).

- The income a family needs to live comfortably in each state.

- Steven Pressfield conversation with Rick Rubin.

Climbing the Wrong Hill by Chris Dixon

Sunday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

The price of beef has risen through the roof since Covid but between the cattle farmers and the grocery stores selling beef to US families are the processing plants that are acting as middlemen perhaps not taking the blame for their role in inflated prices?

As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Next up let's do something about the price of bacon. Who's with me?  

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

Have a new Quotes for Today up on my Substack. As I've mentioned doing this as a way to thank those who have Subscribed. If you are a Subscriber - you should have received an email. Thanks.

Rules of a Kingsman Gentleman