It's not enough for members of Congress to return the nearly $70 million in donations from FTX connected funds but they must also explain their actions. The system is corrupt.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Ricky Gervais at the 2020 Golden Globes Awards
What seemed like jokes 2-years ago were really truth bombs.
Niall Ferguson on SBF and FTX
Niall Ferguson on SBF and FTX and their historical parallels.
One of the best summations, explanations, and historical analysis you'll read anywhere on SBF and FTX.
The Not To Do List
Tim Ferris with 9 things not to do to make yourself more productive.
Thought this would pair well with "the to do list" posted earlier.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"We eternally inhabit order, surrounded by chaos." - Jordan Peterson
"How can you make a revolution without firing squads?" - Lenin
"I'll find him for three but I'll catch him, and kill him for ten." - Captain Quint
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties." - John Milton
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- Getting Wealthy vs Staying Wealthy by Morgan Housel
- How to correct the three most common cue mistakes in pool
- Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing (and his daily creative routine)
Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Officially have my first head cold of the season. Thanks Obama! Please subscribe, hit the Like button and share with others. Thanks.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Most people would rather be mugged than audited." - Jordan Peterson
"I no longer listen to what people say, I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies." - Winston Churchill
"It is shocking how many journalists viciously attack free speech, but somehow think they're the good guys!" - Elon Musk
"There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future." - Saint Augustine
Monday, November 28, 2022
Twitter Advertisers
These companies bailing on Twitter were fine with censorship and child porn but not with free speech and zero tolerance towards child exploitation. It's really that simple. When people tell you who they are - believe them.
These companies include:
American Express, AT&T, BlackRock, Balenciaga, Citigroup, CNN, Dell, DirecTV, Discover, HP, LinkedIn, Facebook, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Verizon, Wells Fargo
Avoid these companies if at all possible.
They Really Know Their Audience
"Absolutely incredible ad targeting." - Marc Andreessen. Agreed - and pretty humorous as well.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"We decided that it was no good asking what is the meaning of life, because life isn't an answer, life is a question, and you, yourself, are the answer." - Ursula Le Guin
"Knowledge is a curse because once we have it, you can't imagine what it's not like not to posses it." - Nicholas Epley
"If your choices are beautiful, so too will you be." - Epictetus
"When in doubt, just take the next small step." - Paulo Coelho
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Sam Harris
Once upon a time I followed Sam Harris on Twitter and listened to his podcast. I first stopped listening to his podcast because I found him too pretentious. Then as he became unhinged by Trump and then COVID I first unfollowed him on Twitter then had to mute his account. Now Sam Harris has rage-deleted his Twitter account altogether. For such a smart person he seemingly couldn't understand this simple advice from GK Chesterton.
It would be amusing if someone started a Sam Harris parody Twitter account that posted just big pharma COVID related talking points and anti-Trump rants. Think that would be funny. Maybe call it "Woking Up." Not piling on here but sometimes mocking is the best remedy and Sam Harris deserves mocking at this point.
Find Something Beautiful Today
This would absolutely be the only meal I'd eat (or be able to eat) all day. (Photo via) Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"I know of only two very real evils in life: remorse and illness." - Leo Tolstoy
"The wide world is all about you, you can fence yourself in, but you cannot forever fence it out." - JRR Tolkien
"If the able and good withdraw themselves from Society [Government], the venal and ignorant will succeed." - John Tyler 1783
"In my kingdom you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in the same place." - Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Basketball (and Life) Advice from Coach Tom Crean
Defend the way you hate to be defended. Hit people on block outs the way that you hate to get hit. Be the teammate you wish you had when you need a boost of confidence and energy.
Cinema's Greatest Scene
Tough to argue against that but also think the opening bank robbery scene of The Dark Knight or the farmhouse interrogation scene in Inglorious Basterds are also worthy of consideration.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"When you focus on you, you grow. When you focus on shit, shit grows." - Dwayne Johnson
"What happens after you die? Lots of things happen after you die - they just don't involve you." - Louis C.K.
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." - Flannery O'Connor
"Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life." - Jerzy Gregorek
I'd Watch This Show
Friday, November 25, 2022
Why Isn't SBF In Handcuffs Yet?
Excellent question that deserves an answer: why isn't Sam Bankman-Fried already in custody?
Remember when George W was in office and the media seemed to be crowing about some member of the Bush White House soon being "frog-marched" into jail on a regular basis? (None ever were.) Now we have someone in SBF who truly deserves being frog-marched into jail and there's silence? The skeptic in me thinks that if SBF is led away in handcuffs then those who received money from him and FXT will feel pressure to return those funds.
Farnam Street Knowledge
Ben Franklin: The Thirteen Necessary Virtues
Franklin understood the power of habits long before James Clear was born.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"I am among those who think that science has great beauty." - Marie Curie
"A multitude of words is no proof of a prudent mind." - Thales of Miletus
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Never compromise on fundamental ethics. Never, Be honorable and never read anything in the New York Times." - Nicholas Nassim Taleb
Thursday, November 24, 2022
An Oral History of WKRP's Classic Turkey Drop Episode
One of the most iconic episodes in TV history. Makes for good Thanksgiving reading. "As God as my witness I thought turkey's could fly."
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Cultivating judgement about the difference between virtue and vice is the beginning of wisdom, something that can never be out of date." - Dr. Norman Doidge
"You are going to die anyway. Things are going to happen anyway. Why shouldn't you be happy? You gain nothing by being bothered by life's events. You just suffer. There's always going to be something that can bother you, if you let it." - Michael Singer
"They want to punish you for your speech because they can't punish you for your thoughts." - Naval Ravikant
"Taco Bell. In your intestines for a good time, not for a long time." - Senile Don Draper
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Police Quotas - Always a Bad Idea
In the United States just under 1 percent of the population is incarcerated, mostly for just cause. However, I'm guessing if you took into account the percentage of US citizens who has had to pay a fine for speeding or other minor offenses because of police quotas the the number would approach or pass the Soviet figure of 15 percent.
Not trying to equate spending time in a gulag to paying a speeding ticket just pointing our that police quotas are always wrong in my opinion.
Don't Mess With Texas
The Texas State Securities Board has announced they are investigating Tom Brady and other celebrity endorsers regarding their involvement in the FTX financial collapse. This inquiry may expand to include other states and may spark federal involvement.
While this is obviously not good news for Tom Brady, Steph Curry, and the other celebrities who took money to hype FTX, the angle I'm most interested in is if these celebrities can be held accountable for the products or companies they shill for. That precedent could have wide ranging effects even down to college sports where NIL (name, image and likeness) money is just another form of celebrity endorsements.
Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Tomorrow at Thanksgiving dinner I'm going to resist the urge to quietly sing, "I'm too sexy for my shirt" but I may hum the song for most of the meal. If anything made you think or smile - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share with others. I'm truly grateful for all those who have already subscribed. Thank you.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception." - Aldous Huxley
"The problem is not you being uneducated. The problem is that you are educated just enough to believe what you have been taught, and not educated enough to question anything from what you have been taught." - Richard Feynman
"Today, we have the gift of life. No matter our longevity, life is finite. Never miss the opportunity to show those you love, admire, and appreciate that you care." - George Raveling
"No loss should be more regrettable to us than losing our time, for it is irretrievable." - Zeno
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Ukraine - The View from Poland
Interesting analysis and update of the events in Ukraine (remember the war is still going on).
Americans and their short attention spans have mostly replaced "thoughts and prayers" for Ukraine with thoughts and prayers of how they are going to pay for winter heating and Christmas gifts at the same time but there's still a war going on.
The effort to post and share this update is appreciated.
Gratitude
This is a short film that hopefully puts you in the proper frame of mind for the week. Not just for Thanksgiving but for any week in your life.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"You have an hour free. You can do whatever you want. Whatever it is you choose to do... at the end of that hour, will you feel you did the right thing? It's many of those hours that make a life." - Agnes Callard
"Men don't get periods. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk." - Bridget Phetasy
"Take responsibility for your life. Do not pollute your beautiful, radiant inner Being nor the Earth with negativity." - Eckhart Tolle
"I always spent money on books. I never viewed that as an expense. That's an investment to me." - Naval Ravikant
Monday, November 21, 2022
Farnam Street Knowledge
How Julia Child Used First Principles Thinking.
One of the best real world explanations of first principles thinking you'll read anywhere.
Under Elon Musk, Twitter is “Taking Child Exploitation Seriously”
She pointed out that under the new leadership, Twitter is "taking child exploitation seriously." However, there is still much work to be done. There is an ongoing lawsuit against the social media platform that began before Elon Musk purchased it. The plaintiffs, John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 were minors who were sexually exploited, and videos of that exploitation were posted to Twitter. When the two, who are now adults, begged Twitter to remove the content, Twitter refused.
The content that the plaintiffs wanted Twitter to remove had over 167,000 views and 2,223 retweets.
Tar and feathers are too good for those people who allowed this to happen. Keep up the good work Mr. Musk. Zero tolerance for this material or behavior.
Monday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
With the holiday shopping season always getting pushed back does that mean today's Black Monday? Because if so that's bad - it mean we've lost memory of economic crashes and may therefore be heading for another. With that pleasant thought in mind - please subscribe, hit the Like button and share with others. Thanks.
Whaling and Culling at Twitter
A prophetic post called out exactly what was happening at Twitter.
The "whaling and culling" is done and now the growth of the product and platform will follow. Based on this post from Marc Andreessen I'm guessing Elon wouldn't even have to wait a year to issue an IPO to make his $44 billion back.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Look at the lilies, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin." - Jesus
"It is the nature of truth that once you see it, you can't unsee it." - Naval Ravikant
"Those that say individuals are not capable of changing anything are only looking for excuses," - Vaclav Havel
"People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do." - Thomas Sowell
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.
- The FBI has become a clown show
- The Babylon Bee Explains the FXT scandal (HT Liberty Man)
- The reason Alex Jones has not been back on the Joe Rogan Experience
- Sanderson's Laws of Magic. Interesting stuff for Sci-Fi fans.
Crypto and the Dollar Are Partners, Not Rivals
Niall Ferguson with a semi-prophetic article on crypto from this past May. He even called out SBF and FXT's business model, "Never mind the Wild West; this is the Wacko West."
Long read but worth the time.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"The closer you are to the truth, the more silent you become inside." - Naval Ravikant
"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Teddy Roosevelt
"Convince yourself that everything is the gift from the gods, that things are good and always will be." - Marcus Aurelius
"The overreducated are worse off than the undereducated, having traded common sense for the illusion of knowledge." - Naval Ravikant
Sometimes History Rhymes
Alarmingly sounds familiar doesn't it?
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Actual Mickey Mantle Quote
In 1972 the Yankees asked former players about their most outstanding experience at Yankee Stadium. Mantle's response was a little X-rated. (Photo via and story via)
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope hope may resonate with you.
"The main thing - treat people with respect and you can avoid most of the problems this world has to offer." - Joshua Brown
"The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly." - Robert Anton Wilson
"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." - Thomas Sowell
"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." - John Muir
On This Day in History
"On November 19, 1969 - Apollo program Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land at Oceanus Procellarum (the "Ocean of Storms") and become the third and forth humans to walk on the Moon." - World of Engineering
Amazing how famous Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became in history yet how obscure the third and forth people to walk on the Moon became to the common person. Like how nobody remembers the second person to break the 4-minute mile. Or the second person to break the sound barrier.
Friday, November 18, 2022
The $32 Billion Crypto Scammer
Michael Green with an excellent recap and analysis of what happened with SBF and FTX.
This line seems to hit to the heart of the matter:
We have to wonder if SBF saw the writing on the wall and hoped to achieve a similar outcome [to former Democratic Governor of New Jersey John Corzine who got a slap on the wrist for his fraudulent dealings] with his donations to the Democratic Party by becoming Too Big to Jail.
One of the Democratic Party politicians SBF donated to was Maxine Waters who is now heading a Congressional oversight committee looking into SBF. How convenient.
The Biden Administration Explained in Two Sentences?
The above appears in the foreword to Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos and it struck me as almost a perfect summation of the Biden Administration in two simple sentences.
Linky Links
Haven't done one of these posts in quite a while but I've go too many tabs open and all of them (that aren't work related) are worthy of sharing.
- Steven Pressfield and the Goddess at Our Shoulder. Writing and philosophical life advice taken from The Odyssey
- Visualizing FTX's balance sheet before bankruptcy. Oh what a tangled web. So tangled its like trying to find the queen in three card monte.
- Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA discovered in ancient South America. We have no clue on how old mankind really is.
- Paul Graham's essay How to Think for Yourself. From the archives but definitely worth the time.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"If you aren't curious about it, you'll never be good at it." - Naval Ravikant
"A gentleman is never rude except on purpose." - Christopher Hitchens
"Perspective changes everything. Billions of people would instantly trade their problems for your problems." - Shane Parrish
"I have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream." - Martin Luther King Jr.
The Day We Met Calvin and Hobbes
On this day in 1985 the world was introduced to a boy and his tiger.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Twitter 2.0
Elon Musk presents his vision to Twitter employees in an email some are calling "a fork in the road." He's given employees until 5:00 PM ET today to declare if they are committed to the new vision. If they're not - they get 3 months severance pay and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
As Yogi Berra once said, "When you see a fork in the road - take it."
Musk didn't just buy Twitter because he wanted to insure free speech in the public square. He must of had a plan of what the platform could become if it had the proper ownership and vision. If Twitter were still a public company I'd probably be recommending the stock. Since it's no longer public my prediction is sometime in 2024, after Twitter 2,0 has been out in the wild for a while, Twitter will offer a new IPO and Musk will not only recoup his $44 billion investment but also make billions in the process.
Red Meat is Not a Health Risk
Years of shoddy research have overstated the risk.
The only risk it seems, according to the article, is that too much red meat may push out calories from fresh vegetables. Mankind is supposed to be omnivores and eat both meat and vegetables - but not processed food.
Problem is people like Bill Gates can't make money from non-processed foods. So we get more shoddy research or claims that cows are causing global warming.
Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Wonder which will be higher - the number of goals scored per day or the heat stroke and other mysterious deaths in Qatar during the World Cup? If you've been sitting on the fence about subscribing - please do - it's free after all. Thanks in advance. And if you've already subscribed - thank you - and please share the link with others. Spreading the word is the nicest thing you could do for me (other than buying me beer).
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." - Teddy Roosevelt
"Are you moving with direction or just moving?" - Shane Parrish
"Three temptations torture people: sexual desire, pride, and lust for wealth." - Leo Tolstoy
"My partner Charlie says there are only three ways a smart person can go broke: liquor, ladies, and leverage. Now the truth is, the first two he just added because they started with L... It's leverage." - Warren Buffet
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The Army - Navy Game
The series has been discontinued a couple of times because of anger. Very soon after it began, President Grover Cleveland stopped it. It seems that following the game of 1893, a brigadier general and a rear admiral got into such a bitter argument about it that they challenged each other to a duel. There was no Army-Navy game for five years. - Dan Jenkins
From the book Saturday's America. Now I want to know more of this story about the almost duel.
AirPods as Hearing Aids?
AirPods may be considered expensive by some when it comes to headsets but when it comes to the costs of hearing aids - they are a big bargain.
Is there less social stigma in wearing AirPods vs wearing a hearing aid? Probably so.
Is China’s GDP Overstated By 60%?
Some very good points here in support of the evidence of the above video. I've long thought the CCP was overstating their numbers so I'm prone to believe these claims. It could also help explain Xi Jinping's economic crackdown. Perhaps he knows the GDP lying is unsustainable and wants to try to ensure when the bill finally comes the crash is not fatal.
As was pointed out in the comments to the post - we know for a fact that the USSR always overstated their economic numbers. Why would we believe the CCP would act differently?
RIP Henry (Macrocat)
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Can't recommend this book enough.
Any you can get the digital version for free in a number of different formats.
Download your copy today. You won't regret it.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes that I hope may resonate with you.
"Social media is to socializing what masturbation is to sex." - Oliver Markus Malloy
"Creativity starts with an empty calendar and ends with a full one." - Naval Ravikant
"Be a good animal, true to your instincts." - D.H. Lawrence
"The person who carefully designs their daily routine goes further than the person that negotiates with themselves every day." - Shane Parrish
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
The FCC and "Public Convenience, Interest, or Necessity"
Different rules were applied to radio stations than to newspapers and regulation DID impede free speech. The radio model was later applied to TV stations as well. The dawn of the Internet reduced this government and sponsor interference with free speech through the growth of blogs, podcasts, and YouTube (and other platforms) videos. Now big tech, in combination with corporate media, and the government is clawing back the defacto censoring capabilities the FCC for so long has wielded over radio and TV stations.
"Public convenience, interest, or necessity" could be interpreted to mean almost anything. And it has been interpreted as such largely depending on the political leanings of the regulators.
Interesting
Look who funded the trial that said that Ivermectin was not an effective course of treatment for Covid. And people wonder why so many believe in conspiracy theories. We're almost at the point where an "expert" is not reliable unless they've been on Joe Rogan's podcast. (Via)
Healthcare Spending and Life Expectancy by Country
Interesting look at healthcare expenditure vs life expectancy.
The US by far spends the most on healthcare ($10,921 per capita) but our life expectancy where we're 48th (basically tied with Thailand who spends $296 per capita) leaves a lot to be desired. The American lifestyle and diet probably have a lot do do with the poor healthcare ROI but also guessing the way we handle healthcare has a lot of fat that can be trimmed.
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth." - George Orwell
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius
"Grandpa pissed his pants again - he don't give a damn." - Warren Zevon
"Excellence withers without an adversary." - Seneca
Monday, November 14, 2022
Nord Stream 2 Story - Not Going Away
It's coming on 2 months since the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was rocked by 2 major explosions and the story refuses to go away. Now come the reports that satellite monitors found 2 "dark" vessels with their AIS trackers turned off in the area of the explosions.
Was it the Russians who sabotaged their own pipeline? Did NATO destroy it in a potential act of war? Was it just faulty maintenance? Such an important story seems to being memory-holed by corporate media in the short attention span world we live in (2 months may as well be 2 years).
Perhaps we won't know the truth until the definitive book is written in 20-years. Perhaps we'll never know.
Monday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Sometimes it makes sense to bet the preferred narrative. On Saturday the Big 12 was rooting for TCU to beat Texas and TCU won. On Sunday the NFL was rooting for Germany to see the GOAT Tom Brady lead his team to victory and the Buccaneers won. Sometimes the betting choices should be obvious. Feel sorry for me for not betting the obvious while you subscribe, hit the Like button, and share with others.
You Learn Something New Every Day
The sayings "upper case" and "lower case" came from the early days of the printing press. Makes a lot of sense but I never gave it much thought. (Via)
Quotes for Today
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"You never know what the American public is going to do, but you know that they will do it all at once." - Bill Seidman
"So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation's future is at stake." - John F. Kennedy
"Quantum mechanics reveals to us that the more we look at the detail of the world, the less constant it is." - Carlo Rovelli
"Twitter isn't real life." - Dave Chappelle
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Posted by Elon Musk on Twitter
Analysis true! If Elon can joke about this I'm guessing he didn't have any money in FXT.
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