Monday, May 19, 2025
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Peter Attia on REM sleep latency and Alzheimer's disease. More reason to get a good night's sleep.
- The Grand Encyclopedia of Eponymous Laws. Some of these are pretty good.
- Jonathan Turley - why the Biden tapes with Hur are virtual racketeering indictments.
- There's been a huge jump in violent crime in AOC's District since she took office. Elections have consequences.
Sunday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
The audio of Joe Biden's interview with Special Prosecutor Robert Hur in 2023 is devastating - to the reputations of Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi. It is painfully clear that Biden was not in charge and the question becomes - who was in charge for all those years?
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!
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Matt Taibbi: Who started the Lawfare era? Peru, Canada, and turtles all the way down.
- From the archives: Walton and the Wizard. I miss Bill Walton.
- The World's Largest Economies (including US States).
- Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing and His Daily Creative Routine.
Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
The Knicks completely dismantled the Celtics last night to win the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. I quit watching in the third quarter it was so bad a beating. Looking forward to a summer of just the beach, golf, and hiking until football season.
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!
Friday, May 16, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Modern Societal Alarm Bells. These are true but most are reversable.
- School uses AI to teach students.
- Good question: what was Pete Buttigieg doing?
- New study finds that tea and chocolate can reduce blood pressure. I'll believe the studies I want to believe.
Some Memes You May Enjoy
Friday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
We are only a little over 100 days into the new Trump Administration but are we already at the point where Donald Trump can feel he laid out his agenda (much of it via Executive Orders) and now just go on a world tour giving speeches and signing deals? Meanwhile back at home members of his Administration are taking care of business. This week it was RFK Jr. testifying to Congress and laying out the MAHA agenda and Border Czar Tom Holman on CNN dismantling the press and AOC. Next week it could easily be JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Bessent, Marco Rubio, Pete Hesgeth, and others taking the spotlight. Meanwhile Trump just glories in a world tour. My concern is that this may be too much too fast.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Go Celtics!
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!
Thursday, May 15, 2025
More Linky Links
More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Why are interest rates so high? It's bad fiscal policy. The interest rates are tied to the national debt.
- Weight Watchers files for bankruptcy protection. There's a trimming the fat joke to be made here. (HT Cultural Offering)
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Good advice from Tim Ferriss. Reminds me of the CEO who would write DNT, DNT over and over during meetings. When asked what it meant he said it was a reminder to Do Not Talk.
- Interesting list - recently retired Saints QB Derek Carr is 16th in career earning but some of the other names are just as surprising.
Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
The Celtics won game 5 of their series against the Knicks last night forcing a game 6 at Madison Square Garden. That becomes a key game. If Boston wins that one you know they'll be favored to win a game 7 at the TD Garden and move on to the conference finals.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks and go Celtics!
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!
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- In regard to that 747 from Qatar.
- Celtics Jayson Tatum ruptures Achille's - out of rest of playoffs. Oh great!
- US Military aims to reopen Adak Naval base in Alaska to counter Pacific threats (read China).
- Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe among players reinstated by MLB.
Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Occasionally I'll use the phrase "as an aside" in my Flotsam and Jetsam posts and it occurred to me that it's kind of redundant - everything in a Flotsam and Jetsam post is by definition "an aside."
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Go Celtics (way too early for the playoffs to end).
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!
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Godel, Escher, Bach
Douglas Hofstadter writes in Godel, Escher, Bach, "Do words and thoughts follow formal rules, or do they not? That problem is the problem of the book." That also seems to be the very crux of a working AI system - getting words, numbers, and algorithms to follow rules.
GEB writes that, "Mathematicians (and more recently linguists, philosophers, and some others) are the only users of formal systems, and they invariably have an interpretation in mind for the formal systems which they use and publish." That "some others" were clearly AI programmers in hindsight.
Did Godel, Escher, Bach predict blockchain in a way? It talks about steps to a formal system being linked in an ironclad way - just as blockchain establishes ownership in an ironclad way. Does this mean that blockchain was a precursor to AI or did they develop in parallel?
Did the book predict AI? It writes about written symbols being translated to algorithms of typographical rules including all the Internet and the very rules of physics. Are AI hallucinations inclusions of non-theorems in the AI system? Is that how we get black founding fathers? Is DEI itself a non-theorem?
Enjoying the book but it is challenging.
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Joint Us-China statement on economic trade meeting. The very definition of a reciprocal trade agreement.
- RFK Jr. says Trump just did what no Democrat ever had the guts to do. This is a huge moment.
- VDH: The Decivilizing of America. It needs to be stressed that this was intentional.
- Should public sector unions have collective bargaining rights? On he fence on this issue. On one hand unfunded (or underfunded) retirement benefits for public sector employees is one f the biggest under reported stories of our time. On the other hand local and state governments call for high standards without wanting to offer commiserate pay.
Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
It was tough watching the Celtics lose a 14-point lead to the Knicks, then possibly lose Jason Tatum for the playoffs, and then lose the game to New York to fall behind in the series 3-1. It was tough.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Thanks and I hope Tatum is OK.
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!
Monday, May 12, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Is the US Navy sleepwalking into defeat? Time to wake up.
- Deputy Director Dan Bongino with an update on the work being done at the FBI. Never forget he took a huge pay cut to do this work for the American people.
- Are we about to see huge pharma costs to the end-user get slashed? Will this also mean drastic reduction in healthcare costs?
- Germany halts surveillance of AfD amid US pressure. Sounds like they were caught in the act and called on their censorship.
Mark Twain and the Orange Men
Watched the show of Conan O'Brien receiving the Mark Twain Award at the Kennedy Center on Netflix over the weekend. I knew there would be a leftist anti-Donald Trump slant to the whole show but was willing to watch and enjoy some good laughs because I truly enjoy Conan O'Brien. But when they tried to co-opt Mark Twain as a supporter of their positions - I felt they went way too far.
Have a new post up on Substack on the show (because I had to say something).
Monday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
With the news that China and the US have reached a tariff reduction agreement the stock markets have soared. I really want to see the details of this agreement but can't help but wonder why a Communist country is so eager to get tariffs reduced. Isn't communism supposed to level everyone not place a premium on financial advantages that could make certain individuals rich?
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!
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Richard Feynman
Today would have been Richard Feynman's 107th birthday. There was a certain good feeling about reading Godel, Escher, Bach while thinking of him. This was of course a physics Nobel Prize winner who took a year off to study biology while at Cal Tech and almost solved the riddle of the DNA double helix before Watson and Crick did - and he would have too if his year "off" didn't run out.
Feynman was notoriously famous for working on problems like the structure of DNA and then just putting it aside in a file. His file cabinet is said to be chock full of such half-finished problems. I have long thought that a great use for AI would be to put this amazing computing power to work to solve these "files" for the benefit of mankind.
As always I recommend the book Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman in his honor.
I would also recommend the essay What Impossible Meant to Feynman. Often when I learn something new I'd find myself exclaiming "Impossible!"
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- The great vaccine scam: How they tricked the world - and profited off their lies. This is scary, fact based information.
- "On to Cincinnati" - the art of inspiring improvement. With "on to" being the key words.
- Peter Attia: Do fat cells "remember" obesity even after weight loss?
Mother's Day Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Happy Mother's Day! If you are lucky enough to have your mom still alive - be sure to call or visit her today. And if you have a grandchild be sure to wish your daughter or step daughter a happy Mother's Day!
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!
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Some Memes You May Enjoy
Many a truth is said in jest.
- I like subtle (you may have to be of a certain age to get this)
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Interesting article in the Boston Globe. Here's the text.
- From the archives - the broadband van life.
- Mike Rowe was ahead of the curve on this.
- Richard Grinnell call out actors for political intolerance. Just learned Grinnell was the Director of the Kennedy Center. Support his stance 100%.
Casey Means
Saw a clip of a speech of Dr. Casey Means who was Donald Trump's pick to be Surgeon General. and was impressed. Also saw people like
- VP JD Vance
- Senator Rand Paul
All supporting her. But then I saw this tweet by Nicole Shanahan and didn't know what to think.
Today RFK Jr. posted his own position on X and his position on Casey Means pick:
The absurd attacks on Casey Means reveal just how far off course our healthcare conversations have veered, and how badly entrenched interests--including Big Food and its industry-funded social media gurus--are terrified of change.
I should learn to trust my own opinion. Heard Casey and her brother Calley on the Joe Rogan podcast and was impressed.
Saturday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Disney announced they will be opening a new theme park in Abu Dhabi. It would be amusing if certain people at ESPN then lobbied to then have a WNBA game played there and Abu Dhabi said sure but the players have wear burkas. Strangely a game in those circumstances might be the highest viewed WNBA game ever.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Link 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!
Friday, May 09, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- First it was the Trump Administration telling illegal immigrants to deport themselves - now is Wall Street telling Google to break itself up?
- Leo XIV named first American Pope.
- Interesting - the trues size of countries.
- Albertexit? I've been talking about this for a while. Remember Alberta doesn't have to be the 51st state either. They could be a stand alone nation on the population scale of about Finland's.
Friday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Had a weird night. Was tired so I went to bed early, then I couldn't sleep and watched some TV, then I finally went back to bed and overslept. Sorry for the weird posting schedule today. Being retired and free to sleep when you wish is nice but I like having a semblance of a regular day.
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!
Some Memes You May Enjoy
Many a truth is said in jest.
- Heh Heh
- That would explain why they're so "lifelike"
Thursday, May 08, 2025
Godel, Escher, Bach
GEB is nominally a book about a mathematician, an artist, and a musician but as the author writes in the 20-year anniversary edition, "In a word GEB is a very personal attempt to say how it is that animate beings can come out of inanimate matter." Or to the point, "I have tried to weave an Eternal Golden Braid out of these three strands: Godel, Escher, Bach."
The book is structured in an unusual way: as counterpoint between Dialogues and Chapters. Math is hard enough but this structure tends to lessen the burden. I'm resigned to not fully understanding the math in my first reading. The book is essentially about "Strange Loops" with perhaps the most pressing today being can intelligent behavior be programmed? The author puts forth that this seeming contradiction is no contradiction at all. I guess we'll see.
The book has been called the bible of artificial intelligence since it first came out who's to argue.
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- NY Dems support of Letisha James keeps getting more bizarre (and more costly).
- Mike Rowe makes a lot of sense.
- Informal, Hyperlocal History. Can't help but think of Louis L' Amour who grew up in the west and used local stories known to the "old timers" as the basis of many of his books.
Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Went to bed last night around 9:30 with the Celtics up by 10 points. I was tired (all the travel and walking may have caught up with me). Figured if Boston went on to win - it's only game 2 of a 7 game series. And if the Knicks pull off the comeback and win - I really didn't want to see that. I'm glad I went to bed - New York now leads the series 2-0.
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!
Wednesday, May 07, 2025
Pysics and Economics
Likewise, economics has been divided into the study of the large (Macroeconomics) and the personal (Microeconomics). Yet you never seem to read or hear about any economists working on a unifying theory of economics. This seems odd to me. Like such a theory is not a priority. Makes me wonder if it is because economic decisions are made by people who aren't always rational or because economics isn't really a science?
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Black Holes are maximally weird. I was unaware this was officially Black Hole week.
- Interesting - how the US built 5,000 ships in WW II.
- The importance of saying no.
- From the archive: Inversion and the power of avoiding stupidity.
Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Remember Real ID requirements go into effect today - so if you're travelling budget extra time at the airport security lines as TSA members get used to the new requirements. And for God's sake if you don't have a real ID be sure to bring your valid passport.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Go Celtics!
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!
Tuesday, May 06, 2025
More Linky Links
More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Julian Edelman is elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame. He joins Bill Parcells as 2025 inductees but I feel for Logan Mankins and Adam Vinatieri who are also both Hall of Fame Pats to many people.
- Daily Coach: Derek Jeter on failure.
- From the archives: A1 Sauce the steak sauce created for a king. It wasn't even originally meant for steak.
- Jonathan Turley: Katherine Maher makes the case that NPR should be defunded. Defund NPR and PBS ASAP!
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Tulsi Gabbard announces an investigation into Anthony Fauci and gain of function illegal research.
- Create the Setting for Creativity. Getting into the habit of writing things down can be a super power.
- And then there were eight. A look at the remaining teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
- VDH: From one fake left-wing hysteria to the next. The public is growing very tired of calls that "the sky is falling" from the Democrats and the media.
Tuesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Flight home from Louisville was delayed and landed when Boston was beating the Knicks in the third by 16. By the time I got my car out of the garage (I really hate Logan Airport) it was tied and had to listen to the 4th quarter and the overtime loss for the Celtics on the radio. Not sure what's worse watching it happen or listening to it on the radio.
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!
Monday, May 05, 2025
Monday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Still in Louisville but traveling home later. Had a great time at the Kentucky Derby and highly recommend the experience. But now its time to go home. Posting may be a little wonky today.
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!
The Power of Compounding
Just 1% better each day. Now multiply that by years!
"All benefits in life come from compound interest, whether in money, relationships, love, health, activities, or habits." - Naval Ravikant
Sunday, May 04, 2025
More Kentucky Derby Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
To answer the question - no I didn't make money or have a winning bet on the Derby. I was up most of the day but the big race put me in the red. I am happy for Junior Alvarado and overall I had a great time. Highly recommend the experience.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Did I mention that I finished in the red?
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!
Saturday, May 03, 2025
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Full DOGE interview on Fox News.
- Reminder that the illegal immigrant murders had victims that should not be forgotten.
Kentucky Derby Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Has to be said that there are some nice neighborhoods in Louisville but Churchill Downs in not in one of them. NTTAWWT.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. Today may be the one day I actually support Journalism.
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!
Friday, May 02, 2025
Friday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Flying out this morning to watch the Kentucky Oaks today and the Kentucky Derby tomorrow. Truly is a bucket list event for the two of us and looking forward to it. Posting probably will be spotty thought I've become a creature of habit.
As always - please Subscribe, hit the Like button, or share the Link. With my anticipated losses a paid subscription would be greatly appreciated!
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!
Thursday, May 01, 2025
Some Memes You May Enjoy
Many a truth is said in jest.
- I'm an awful person for laughing at this
More Linky Links
More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Trump's first 100 days victory lap.
- VDH: The Trump Counterrevolution and the Moral Ledger.
- Information on the US and Ukraine mineral resources deal.
- Abrego Garcia case keeps getting worse for the Democrats, Are the Dems finally the first rule of holes? Think the damage may already be done.
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Daily productivity tips from Tim Ferriss.
- Could Alberta vote to be an independent nation? (HT Execupundit)
- The Opportunity Behind Every Closed Door.
- Bill Belichick slams CBS for "false narrative.." I'm on team Belichick on this one.
Thursday Flotsam and Jetsam
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack,
Have to say that the Wall Street Journal purposefully lying and saying Tesla is looking for a new CEO via a HR firm of all things is a new low. And I had hoped that the WSJ might be different from the rest of the corporate media. But no.
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!
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