Monday, May 22, 2023

Find Something Beautiful Today

The interior or the Orient Express (one of my bucket list things to do). Photo via. Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation." - Margaret Chase Smith

"Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy." - Naval Ravikant

"Education is greatest blessing if of best sorts. Otherwise no earthly use." - Rudyard Kipling

"Life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask." - Tim Ferris

Justified

 

One of my favorite shows of all time.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Clever

Via

Sunday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Hope you're having as good a weekend as I am (despite the Celtics trying to bring me down). As always - if anything made you think or smile - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share with others.

Saturday Morning Cartoons (for Adults)

 

Someone replaced George Carlin's Thomas the Tank Engine narration with some of his raunchier material. Obviously very NSFW. 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"All very successful commanders are prima donnas and must be so treated." - General George Patton

"I can buy anything I want, basically but I can't buy time." - Warren Buffett

"I just want a normal person as President." - Elon Musk

"Those we lead must be taught how to behave like champions. It's a cultivated and developed habit that's not natural or instinctive for most." - Mike Lombardi

Great Advice

HT Some Its Just as Well

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer

 

Always makes me think of my daughter. Congrats Kelly and Jeff.

Linky Links

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

- Studies show that meat, eggs, and dairy are vital sources of "much-needed nutrients." The USDA's food pyramid has always been a bad joke.

- Really have to admit that Elon Musk would make a scary real-life Doctor Who or Bond villain

- Perhaps the greatest golf photo of all time

- Reminder of the kind of American Jim Brown was - RIP

Farnam Street Knowledge

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"There's no shame in not knowing things! The only shame is to pretend that we know everything." - Richard Feynman

"Who would call a day spent reading a good day? But a life spent reading - that is a good life." - Annie Dillard

"Nobody in the history of the planet has ever complied their way out of totalitarian control." - Robert Kennedy Jr.

"A man who does not have a picture of the whole in his head cannot possibly arrange the pieces." - Michel de Montaigne

Socialism

Via

Friday, May 19, 2023

More Linky Links

More stuff I thought I'd share.

- NFL fans become nervous after YouTube TV has issues during final minutes of NBA game. There will be issues. There always are.

- National security experts: War in Ukraine an "unmitigated disaster."  

- Chris "the Bear" Fallica's Preakness picks.

- Tesla wins big Supreme Court case. Big win for consumers.

Global Warming is a Hoax

"April 2023 cooler in the US than 1895, despite a 1000% increase in industrial era atmospheric CO2. Emissions-driven warming is a total hoax." Data via NOAA. (Via)

Linky Links

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

- Mike Lombardi really isn't a fan of how the 76ers built their team.

- John Collison on Stripe's crypto strategy.

- Interesting - why Kentucky Derby favorite Forte was scratched just before the race and why he's not running in the Preakness. It wasn't because of a failed drug test.

- Always amusing when satire - becomes reality. Or was it vice versa?

Friday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Always thought that Andre the Giant should have won Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Princess Bride but he wasn't even nominated! As always, if anything made you think or smile - please Subscribe (what are you waiting for?), hit the Like button, or share the link with others. Thanks!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"It's not Republican, it's not Democrat. Honestly, it's not liberal, it's not conservative. It's economics. If you tax people who work and you pay people who don't work, don't be surprised when you get a lot of people not working." - Arthur Laffer

"There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by." - Annie Dillard

"From the beginning of our existence as a nation, our greatest political leaders were cautioning us that America could not be an empire abroad and continue to be a democracy at home." - Robert Kennedy Jr.

"I was just absolutely obsessed with Truth. The obsession with Truth is why I studied Physics, because physics attempts to understand the truth of the universe." - Elon Musk

So Very True

Via

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Antoine Dupont - the Best Rugby Player in the World

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- I have a Twitter blue check though its funny I don't identify as a sex worker. I'd disagree that traffic is down on Twitter as well, however, I wasn't following any of the anti-Elon crowd to begin with.

- Kevin Feige on getting comfortable with failure.

- Interesting - an AI Chatbot was asked to read the Durham Report and give Top 5 observations about General Flynn. And then - the AI was asked what should be done. (Via)

- The new Netflix.

Don't Be Accomplices in 2024

Via

Linky Links

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

-  I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy. (HT The View from Lady Lake)

- Interesting - The World's Top 50 Endowment Funds. Stanford overtaking Harvard shows how the power of Silicon Valley has overtaken old money influence.

- And just like that - Florida and Texas added Portland Maine to the list of cities they'll be busing illegal immigrants to. (HT Feral Irishman)

- Heh Heh - this is great! Reminds me of how a guy made lots of money by simply selling generic toilet paper by naming it Shit Be Gone.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"No man who owns his own house and lot can be a Communist. He has too much to do." - Bill Levitt

"If your opinions on one subject can be predicted from your opinions on another, you may be in the grip of an ideology. When you truly think for yourself, your conclusions will not be predictable." - Kevin Kelly

"Inspiration is perishable - act on it immediately. - Naval Ravikant

"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing." - Doyle Brunson

Speaking of the Princess Bride

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Celtics Free Agents

According to this list - the Boston Celtics really only have three free agents this upcoming off-season: Grant Williams, Blake Griffin, and Danilo Gallinari (who never played a second for Boston since signing because of injury). 

Gallinari has a $6.8 million player option for next year and I'd expect him to be in a Celtics uniform next season. Grant Williams is a restricted free agent so I'd expect the Celtics to let him test the market and then decide if they want to match whatever offer he receives. Williams is a pest that I enjoy watching. If he's playing against your team - you'd definitely dislike the guy. Blake Griffin may simply retire (or sign a 1-year contract at the veteran minimum).

The big question this summer will be if Jaylen Brown becomes eligible for a super-max extension and if he signs it.

This is a long way around the barn way of saying that the Boston Celtics team that takes the floor tonight against the Miami heat will be mostly intact next season as well (barring trades or injuries). That's good news for Boston fans.

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Glenn Reynolds: Democrats throwing blacks under the bus in favor of progressive policies. Blacks or Jews who vote Democrat are really doing so against their own interests.

- The Tablet on Silicon Valley's Civil War. Put me firmly in the Andreessen/Musk/Thiel camp. 

- Reminder that Donald Trump still has a $475 million defamation suit pending against CNN. Based upon the recent Durham report I wouldn't be surprised if CNN is now anxious to settle the case out of court.

- Nuclear is humanity's greenest energy option. Thanks for stating the obvious.

Linky Links

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

- Gen Z is ditching smartphones for flip phones. Don't think its so much nostalgia but more of an awareness of how unhealthy social media can be for a person.  (HT Execupundit)

- The Biden Administration is so very, very corrupt.

- Is playing in the NHL hazardous to your health? Interesting study but it raised more questions with me than it answered. 

- Jason Tatum befriends 10-year old cancer patient. After reading that - how can you not root for Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack

 A generous reader has made a pledge to support my efforts on Substack. In order to accept this generosity I need to turn on paid subscriptions which I will do today. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up this is happening in case others feel they too would like to show support of my efforts. I literally make nothing from either this blog or from Substack. Up until now. 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise." - W.B. Yeats

"That which you most need will be found where you least want to look." - Carl Jung

"The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln, 

"The best way, perhaps the only way, to change others is to become an example." - Naval Ravikant

Good Advice

Via

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Debt Ceiling

Via

More Linky Links

More links I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Last week it was a call from the Left to take a closer look at RFK Jr. This week it's The American Conservative pointing out The Courage of RFK Jr. "The urgency of his message obliges all Americans of conscience - left or right - to listen."

- The Tablet on the alliance between Big Pharma and marketing firms that have replaced the maxim "first do no harm" with the phrase "show me the money." Make time to read this today!

- Trump says if re-elected he'll release ALL of the JFK assassination files. This is a direct result of RFK Jr. already being a factor in 2024.

- How we spend our days is how we spend our lives - choosing presence over productivity.

The Biden Administration is Turning the US into a Third World Nation

Via

Linky Links

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

- Strange that I never heard this story before

- Far Side comics in real life.

- Attorneys score big win against FDA and Pfizer and Moderna. But yet documents don't have to be released for another 2-years. Look for those involved to take golden parachutes and move to warm countries without extradition with the US in about a year and a half.

- George Carlin talks about the human race "circling the drain."

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"When things happen too fast, nobody can be certain about anything at all, not even about himself." - Milan Kundera

"I was in darkness, but I took three steps and found myself in paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word; and the third, a good deed." - Friedrich Nietzsche 

"To clarify, the recent Huberman Lab Podcast I did on psilocybin was about psilocybin. I was not actually on psilocybin when I recorded it." - Andrew Huberman

"My observation has always been that after a certain key point you must move ahead as if a project were assured - in order to assure it - because if you wait around for all the pieces of the puzzle to fit before closing the deal, you can wait forever." - Bill Zeckendorf

Important Reminder

Via

Monday, May 15, 2023

RIP Texas Dolly

Poker legend Doyle Brunson has passed away at 89 years of age. Doyle was a pioneer in poker and Brunson and his son Todd are the only father/son duo to have both won World Series of Poker bracelets.

Have a feeling many people will be playing 10-duece the next week or so in his honor. Time to break out Super System II to brush up on the poker wisdom Doyle bequeathed us. Can't wait to read all the great Texas Dolly stories that get told over the next few weeks. 

He was one of a kind. There will not be another.

The FBI is Just Gaslighting America at This Point

And they're doing it in full public view. Look at this series of events and tell me I'm wrong:

Step One: The "Patriot Front" protests looking for all the world like white nationalists (who happen to have masks and police protection).

Step Two: They "escape" with full police protection while they go somewhere secret to change back into their FBI garb.

And the corporate media turns a blind eye. Maybe they would report Step One to raise the specter of white nationalism but come on man. Who are you kidding at this point?

Honesty in Politics

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Shakespeare and Company. Sadly many of the used bookstores in my area are closed because of lack of patronage.

- Former AOC aide now head of NYC Communist Party. Is anyone surprised? My only surprise is that she's not Chinese.

- Jonathan Turley on America's Pravda-like corporate media. The only solution is to make them irreverent by not reading or watching them. What America should do to corporate media should make what's happening to Bud Light look like a walk in the park. 

- Exhibit A of the corruption of the corporate media. (Via)

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"When reading the news, you can increase your productivity 100x by asking, 'Will I care about this a year from now?'" - Morgan Housel

"I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm ground of Result and Fact." - Winston Churchill

"The country is being destroyed by stupid people." - Donald Trump

"I drink to make other people more interesting." - Ernest Hemingway 

True

Via

Sunday, May 14, 2023

When You're Falling - Afro Celt Sound System

 

With Peter Gabriel on vocals.

USDA Just Admitted Industrial Seed Oils are Bad for You

Stay away from fried foods and for God's sake stay away from seed oils. (Via)

Sunday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Some people just want to watch the world burn. Unfortunately those people now seem to be running the US government. Not a mother but if you'd Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the link with others it would make my Mother's Day. Thanks. 

WTF?

It would be much cheaper for each State to ban TikTok than to pay the millions in mental health costs years from now. And make no mistake - China is at war with the US but doing it in ways that Xi Jinping can deny - just like their manufacturing of fentanyl. (Via)

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many." - Mark Twain

"If you want to find a better path, you have to be willing to explore a different path. That sounds simple, but how often do you try something different?" - James Clear

"Call me old fashioned, but I think it's important that words are used correctly and in line with their definitions, rather than people's arbitrary 'feelings.'" - Zuby

"If the primary purpose of school was education, the Internet should obsolete it. But school is mainly about credentialing." - Naval Ravikant

Happy Mother's Day

Be sure to call your mom today! And remember - no NASCAR races on Mother's Day (though the NBA and MLB still play).

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Heh Heh

More here.

Boston Bruins

It's been more than two weeks since the Boston Bruins lost the deciding game 7 against the Florida Panthers. To say that the series loss shocked and depressed Boston fans would be an understatement (myself included). You have to understand that any Bruins season that ends before the anniversary of Bobby Orr's iconic goal (May 10, 1970) is considered a failure. This season even more so because Boston had set the NHL record for success in the regular season and were the top ranked team in the playoffs. 

It should be remembered, though, that great things were not expected of this team before the season started. They were a 25-1 long shot to win the Stanley Cup before the first puck was dropped in the season. They were a long shot for a reason. New coach, and big questions on both the goaltending and blue line fronts. These expected deficiencies did not rear their heads during the regular season. In fact the Bruins had the best goaltending in the league. It was in the first round of the playoffs that these deficiencies made their presence known and now hockey fans in Boston are forced to watch other cities strive for the cup.

What saddens me the most is that this was no way for Captain Patrice Bergeron to end his Hall of Fame career. If he does retire, he'll do so as the reigning Selke Award winner as the top defensive forward in the NHL. Basically still at the top of his game. Bergeron is one of the nicest people in all of sports and I'll be sad to see him go if he does decide to hang up his skates.

Linky Links

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

- Interesting perspective: Should the Left give RFK Jr. a chance? RFK Jr. is reportedly already up to 19% in the polls.

- The daily routines of famous creatives.

- Heh Heh

- Understanding the underlying mechanisms of healthy brain aging.

On the Actions of Crowds

Troops of penguins, if they have been out of the water for a time, are very wary about diving into the sea; after all, there are often unfriendly creatures down there. Instead, these gregarious birds solemnly cluster around the edge of the ice, studying the water, leaning over the edge, backing away, bowing, and politely making room for anyone else who might want to step to the brink and maybe even test the water. Soon, building up excitement, the whole troop begins milling and shifting at the water's edge. As happens in crowds, even the politest of crowds, near a brink, someone sooner or later is jostled over the side. Once this happens, the who troop stands still and watches. If their "volunteer" is attacked or gobbled up, his friends and relatives find some way to entertain themselves on shore for a while longer. If, on the other hand, the penguin goes through a series of aquabatics with no ill result, the whole gang of his fellows stage a swim-in. - Bill Zeckendorf

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The biggest lie we tell ourselves is 'I don't need to write this down because I will remember it.'" - Kevin Kelly

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts." - Richard Feynman

"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?" - Rumi

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." - C.S. Lewis

Truth

Via

Friday, May 12, 2023

Find Something Beautiful Today

Statue of King Arthur by Rubin Eynon, Tintagel Castle England. (Photo via) Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Linky Links

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

- Don't care what NFL team you root for - this is friggin' funny.

- Noah Smith explains his new industrial policy. Don't always agree with Noah but he makes some good points.

- Speaking of the NFL - the Monday Night Football schedule seems a little underwhelming.

- Richard Feynman on Love, Life, and Science. Yesterday would have been his 105th birthday.

True

Via

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." - John Keats

"Trust nothing, not even nothing." - Elon Musk

"You get a little moody sometimes but I think that's because you like to read. People that like to read are always a little fucked up." - Pat Conroy

"There should be more sincerity and heart in human relations, more silence and simplicity in our interactions. Be rude when you're angry, laugh when something is funny, and answer when you're asked." - Anton Chekhov

Awesome - Wes Anderson's Lord of the Rings

 
HT Digg

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Linky Links

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

Laughed way too much at this. (Old joke too)

- HSBC downgrades Anheuser-Busch stock. But only to "hold" when it should be sell! sell! sell! They aren't recovering from this mistake.

- Cool - VAST announces the Haven-1 and VAST-1 missions. The first commercial space station is scheduled for August 2025 using SpaceX Falcoln-9 rockets.

- The wind and solar power myth has finally been exposed. Excellent primer on why wind and solar power could never work. "Wind and solar are, in fact, completely pointless." Nuclear power is the way - it is known.

Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Boy did I oversleep this morning. You'd think I'd feel great after all that sleep but no. Perhaps I'm worried that people aren't Subscribing, hitting the Like button, or sharing my posts.

Farnam Street Knowledge


 

How to Win Friends and Influence People: The Best Summary

 Some great nuggets of advice.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"You can't improve if you don't know what you're doing wrong." - Shane Parrish

"Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life." - Robin Sharma

"What if this life is the paradise we were promised, and we're just squandering it?" - Naval Ravikant

"If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep you will work until you die." - Warren Buffett

Sweden Did Not Do Lockdowns

Via

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

No Idea if This is Real

But it is funny. (Via)

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Georgia declines invitation to Biden White House. Feel free to blame either politics or incompetence.

- Heh Heh. (HT Some It's Just as Well)

- Niall Ferguson on Cold War II and the potential war over Taiwan. Really worth your time (as Niall Ferguson always is).

- RIP Metaverse. Argument says AI has killed the Metaverse. I'd argue that it was stillborn to begin with.

You're Not Racist

You're just stupid for paying attention to what corporate media is trying to jam down your throat. (Via)

Linky Links

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

- Can Joe Rogan make Austin the comedy capital of America? Think he already has.

- Climate change? Remember you're supposed to follow the science.

- Surprised Bud Light isn't getting even more cancelled after this old commercial resurfaces. How dare they make fun of men identifying as women.

- Is it me or does JFK look stoned in this picture? (Via)

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required." - Winston Churchill

"If you want to be a clear thinker you cannot pay attention to politics because it'll destroy your ability to think." - Naval Ravikant

"That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history." - Aldous Huxley

"The natural world is the greatest source of excitement, of visible beauty, of intellectual interest. The greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." - Sir David Attenborough

Tucker and Twitter

Tucker Carlson just announced that Twitter will be his new platform. This is something I had predicted. And it is something that will make Twitter the most trusted news source in the world and overnight make that $44 billion Elon Musk spent on Twitter seem like a bargain.

There is currently no official deal between Tucker and Musk.

Tuesday, May 09, 2023

Today's Musical Interlude

 

Warren Zevon live - Accidently Like a Martyr.

Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

Have you ever heard anyone describe Missy Elliot as Rock and Roll? Yet she's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while Warren Zevon and Bad Company are not. Shame on you Cleveland. As always please Subscribe, hit the Like button, and share with others. And remember to enjoy every sandwich.

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh 

- California defaults on $18.6 billion debt. Gavin Newsome makes bad decision after bad decision and then thinks the rest of the country should not only bail him out but also praise him.

- There's an epidemic of childhood obesity in the US but are things so bad it warrants putting kids on Ozempic

- On the flip side - 81-year old English man found to have the lowest recorded resting heart rate at just 26 beats per minute.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Our public health betters said mRNA side effects were temporary but the protection would last forever. $100 billion and three billion jabs later, turns out to be the other way around. Oops!" - Alex Berenson

"Bud Light helped more people quit drinking than AA ever has." - Kevin Sorbo

"Civilization is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces." - Rousseau

"It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly." - Bertrand Russell

How Far the Democratic Party has Changed

Monday, May 08, 2023

60 Years Ago Today

Perhaps the most successful movie franchise in history was kicked off with the best Bond of them all - Sir Sean Connery.

Not Everyone in the UK was into the Investiture of King Charles III

 

Glasgow Celtic fans let their feelings known.

Linky Links

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

- SpaceX's Starlink now has over 1.5 million subscribers. That's over $140 million a month in revenue. Amazing!

- Heh Heh

- Always remember to put the glass down. Great advice!

- One of the great problems in society nobody talks about. And we let the crazy roam free until they do something violent or criminal. This is not compassion.

Richard Feynman on Curiousity

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile." - Mark Twain

"Write your goals on a sheet of paper. Circle the three most important. Avoid doing any work on anything that's not circled." - Shane Parrish

"First and above all else, you must secure life, liberty, and the right to pursue your own happiness. That's politics done right, hard earned, often by war." - Charles Krauthammer

"If you want to destroy any nation without war, make adultery or nudity common in the young generation." - Saladin

Find Something Beautiful Today

Photo via. Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Sunday, May 07, 2023

My Plan for Today

Oh and golf. I'll also be golfing today.

Linky Links

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

- Interesting look at King Charles III and the town he created - Nansledan.

- Did AI just help create the perfect US roadtrip?

- The Reformers looks really interesting. Also interesting that the documentary is being posted on Substack which along with Twitter may become dominant video platforms to challenge YouTube. 

- True!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"You have to be odd to be number one." - Dr. Seuss

"You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic." - Lewis Carroll

"If you want to be wealthy, spend your time earning, learning, or relaxing. Outsource or ignore everything else." - Naval Ravikant

"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey, he is obligated to do so." - Thomas Jefferson

Reminder

Saturday, May 06, 2023

Linky Links

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

- Pro disc golfer disqualified after testing negative for cannabis.

- Interesting - Apple users can send emergency SOS texts via satellite. Have to be iPhone 14's or better though.

- Heh Heh (HT Feral Irishman)

- Morgan Housel on Vicious Traps. Good article but he's 100% wrong about Elon Musk and Twitter.

Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam

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

All the horses I was going to bet on seem to be scratched. Will spend much of the day figuring out my bets. You have to have some action on the race - right? As always please Subscribe, hit the Like button, and share with others. Thanks. 

Happy Kentucky Derby Day


Beers will be drunk, money will be bet, and fun will be had. Good luck with all your bets and pools. May the odds ever be in your favor!

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Remember that when you're in the right you can afford to keep your temper, and that when you're in the wrong you can't afford to lose it." - George Lorimer

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." - Matthew 24:11

"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing." - Charles Bukowski

"If you create it for yourself, it's art. If you create it for others, it's business." - Naval Ravikant

Weekend Life Advice

Friday, May 05, 2023

More Linky Links

 More stuff I found interesting or amusing.

- Alabama baseball coach fired after suspicious betting activity. Coaches betting is a no-no. Betting against your team is a real NO-NO.

- Heh Heh

Anheuser-Busch CEO finally disavows Dylan Mulvaney partnership. Article does a good job documenting the controversy and the ripples it has caused in the beer industry.

- Westinghouse unveils the AP300 - a new small modular 300-400KW nuclear reactor. Faster please!

RFK Jr. on Crypto

Getting the crypto community and those who never got a Covid vaccine on his side and suddenly RFK Jr. may have a budding coalition worth taking notice of. Let's not forget anyone who had severe side effects to an mRNA vaccine or their families if those side effects were fatal. RFK Jr. may not get a lot of corporate media exposure but on Twitter and podcasts - he'll be the man.

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh 

- Hoover Institution (always thought it was the Hoover Institute) looks at the War in Ukraine. How we got here, where it stands, and can a peace settlement be reached.

- Fair is fair

- Interesting (and scary) - are we in the endgame of the US financial system? "What you are witnessing is the consolidation and nationalization of the banking system in real time." Yes - this may be a pitch for crypto but it makes you wonder.

Just About Right

Except people went back to drinking tea. (Via)

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Everything the state says is a lie, everything it has is stolen." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"All benefits in life come from compound interest, whether in money, relationships, love, health, activities, or habits." - Naval Ravikant

"We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology." - E.O. Wilson

"We've had a good run." - Gordon Lightfoot

Looks Like the "Sleepy" Joe Name has been Replaced

Thursday, May 04, 2023

Have We Turned the Corner on Inflation?

Via

Linky Links

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

- Florida man wins women's poker tournament.  "It does speak loudly to the insanity that's playing out on a wider scale."

- Heh Heh - modern dating

- If 2023 had a slogan

- The assets and liabilities of US banks.

Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack

Bet you didn't think you'd be seeing a Village People reference today - did ya? Please Subscribe, hit the Like button (costs nothing to be nice), and share with others. Just by mentioning the Village People did the song YMCA start playing in your head? How about now?

Reminder of the Power of Compounding

Just 1% better each day. Now multiply that by years! (Via)

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you don't know what your top three priorities are, you don't have priorities." - Donald Rumsfeld

"Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." - Paulo Coelho

"You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time." - M. Scott Peck

"The only trick was not to be so awed and frightened by the present that you were not able to see the future that lay within it." - Bill Zeckendorf

The Great Resist

Via

Wednesday, May 03, 2023

Find Something Beautiful Today

A bench at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt (via The View from Lady Lake). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- China's exports since 2001.

- Steven Pressfield on David Baldacci's "all is lost" moment.

- Why teens are suddenly obsessed with chess. There's hope for the next generation! (HT Newmark's Door)

- How the writers strike could affect everything you watch. The Writers Guild went on strike at midnight but since I only watch sports - I'm not affected.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place


Recently I came to the realization that I enjoy clean, well-lighted places to drink and read my books. Being fairly well-read and a fan of Hemingway I also immediately recognized this thought as close to the title of his 1933 short story, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.

This prompted me to Google the short story and I immediately got this on what Hemingway was trying to say:

In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway suggests that life has no meaning and that man is an insignificant spec in a great sea of nothingness. 

No - maybe Hemingway was simply saying a clean, well-lighted place is much better than a dark, grimy bar. Sometimes the curtains are just fucking blue!

I have three clean, well-lighted places in my local bar rotation and am always looking for more. For the other bars in my rotation I have my back lit Kindle.

Linky Links

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

- Smaller, Cheaper, Safer: The next generation of nuclear power, explained. Long been a proponent of nuclear power but its interesting that outlets like Vox are also now joining the bandwagon.

- Glenn Reynolds on the Supreme Court being lectured to on ethics by scoundrels

- Nation surprised to find out Late-Night TV actually had writers. If Hollywood goes on strike and nobody notices - does it make a sound?

- Interesting Jeopardy! mystery finally solved.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Men cannot improve society by setting fire to it: they must seek out its old virtues, and bring them back into the light." - Russell Kirk 

"The most courageous decision that you can make each day is to be in a good mood." - Voltaire

"Almost every conspiracy theory that people had about Twitter turned out to be true." - Elon Musk

"A personal metric: how much of the day is spent doing things out of obligation rather than out of interest?" - Naval Ravikant

Biden Administration Announces New Press Secretary

Tuesday, May 02, 2023

Top TV Theme Songs

Execupundit has his list of what he considers the top TV theme songs of all time.  While these lists are subjective - I still feel comfortable with my Top 5 choices from December 2004 (been doing this blog a damn long time):

Top 5 TV Theme Songs

1. Hawaii Five-O
2. Barney Miller
3. Rockford Files
4. Cheers
5. (tie) Bonanza (tie) Rawhide

Although rethinking about having Peter Gunn on the list (mainly because I associate it with the Spy Hunter video game) and think the theme song to Game of Thrones definitely deserves a spot somewhere.

Currently Reading - Zeckendorf

Currently reading, Zeckendorf the autobiography of Bill Zeckendorf. The subtitle explains, "The autobiography of the man who played a real-life game of Monopoly and won the largest real estate empire in history." That may be a little hyperbolic but I'm enjoying it all the same. 

Zeckendorf is probably the man most responsible for the United Nations being located in NYC where it is today:

Philadelphia would be selected, and so certain did the choice seem, that in December, 1946, Philadelphia was in process of condemning property for its proposed UN location... 

"We've been up all night patching up the details, but its going to work. The old man [Rockefeller] is going to give that 8.5 million dollars to the UN, and they're going to take your property."... 

On Saturday, December 14, eight days after my first call to [Mayor] O'Dwyer, the General Assembly formally approved New York City as the site for United Nations headquarters...

Another constructive and important result of my involvement with the United Nations is that it led to my first meeting with the Rockefellers, whose vision and magnanimity made the UN settlement in New York possible...

At the dedication ceremonies for the new buildings, my wife and I were seated well to the back of the area, while a great many others, who had far less to do with the realization of the project, were at the front and center of activities...

The official proposed site in NYC was rejected out of hand by the UN and it seemed certain the Philadelphia had beat out San Francisco as the eventual site but for Bill Zeckendorf's foresight and action. Yet it is the Rockefellers who get the credit for changing history and Bill Zeckendorf is largely forgotten.

Like I said - enjoying this book very much.

Linky Links

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

- The answer to this question is self-evident if you've been paying attention.

- Interesting - Starlink base stations now available at Home Depots for $600. If they were really targeting rural areas they'd be available at Tractor Supply.

- Local carpenter continues to spread disinformation deemed dangerous by religious experts

- Indoor beekeeping looks pretty cool

Gordon Lightfoot

 

The great Gordon Lightfoot has passed. Here's a rather good interview of Lightfoot from a few years ago. If You Could Read My Mind is a vastly underrated song.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterword." - Vernon Law

 "It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary, only the wise men are able to understand them." - Paulo Coelho

"Facing the press is more difficult than bathing a leper." - Mother Teresa

"Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions." - Edward R. Murrow

The King Still Has One More Move

Monday, May 01, 2023