Linky Links

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

- The paradox of medical AI implementation. Medical AI is not there yet - but soon?

- From the archives: In praise of slowness.

- Interesting - Magnified Sand.

- The fastest V-Shaped Recovery Ever. Lot of information to give one pause (BTW "semi" stand for semiconductor not semi-truck).

Linky Links

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

- Let the Royal Navy patrol the English channel.

- He has become a one-trick pony hasn't he.

- RIP Chuck Norris.

- Democrats don't have a growth program. Maybe they have AOC and Paul Krugman making policy?

Linky Links

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

- Why did Democrats fight so long - before caving?

- How Obamacare works - or since it was enacted - doesn't work.

- LSU now saying it did not formally terminate Brian Kelly. That's a bold strategy there LSU - let's see if it works.

- VDH: The race for the Trump economy. Would be funny if the Trump Administration adopted the phrase "Build back better - this time for real!" as their motto.

Linky Links

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

- Reforming Social Security: A how to guide.

- It's still the economy, stupid. The Trump Administration should meet with industry leaders and ask two simple questions: how do we make your product priced less for the public and how can we help you maintain profitability?

- Are we about to see a flood of Russiagate conspiracy subpoenas? 

- Did we have the secret to cheap energy for decades? And did China find it in our archives?

Global Car Production

Via

Linky Links

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

- But I was told Three Mile Island and Microsoft were bad.

- Take Something Away. Good advice.

- The Pixar story rules. (Via Tim Ferriss)

- Foundations: Why Britain's economy has stagnated. Long read.

Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- Wait that's not Tim Walz?

- Going to hell for laughing at this

- Always laugh at this

- Don't trust what you see with your own eyes (or pay at the gas pump)

The Price of Gas

No idea how reliable the data used for the above map is but it does illustrate that the problem of high gas prices effect all nations. You would think the political maxim "Its the economy stupid!" would apply but in some countries, like the US ,some politicians actively make lower gas prices harder to obtain. Higher gas prices also make the price of almost everything go up. It makes no sense and makes life harder on the very people the politicians are supposed to represent.

Map via.

New Vehicle Sales

Saw this chart (left) with this "explanation" for slowing vehicle sales:

"Vehicle sales falling in almost every major market while GDP grows. New territory.

At some point we're going to have to acknowledge that either:

1. New mobility models and generational shifts are having a real impact.
2. There's a global recession coming
3. Both 1 and 2"

I see global vehicle sales falling and I assume it is mainly for three reasons (and none of them are related to a global recession):

1. Vehicles are built to last these days. Growing up if a car hit 200,000 miles it was cause for a newspaper story and maybe even a commercial by the car manufacturer. Today it is pretty common for cars to hit 200,000 miles. People are holding on to their vehicles longer than in the past.
2. It used to be that new college graduates were a big segment of the new car market but with the explosion of college related debt many new graduates are loath to add to their monthly nut.
3. People have come to realize that a new car loses a significant amount of value the minute to leaves the dealer lot. Many have decided to forego the new car market for a used car instead.

That's what I see when I see the above graph.

Linky Links

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

- Milky Way Galaxy is warped and twisted, not flat.

- Your move, pessimists

-  Interesting look at the staying power of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- The rise and fall of superhero Robert Mueller. Matt Taibbi does a nice job in summarizing the religious furor the left gave to Mueller. Give Taibbi credit he does have a talent for turning a phrase.

- And speaking of good writing - this is an example of why Jackie Mac is the best NBA writer on the planet.

- Video reminder of why Ty Law was one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history. Also made me smile to be reminded how much Law absolutely owned Peyton Manning.

- Dianne Francis on the bungled legalization of cannabis in Canada. That "black market dope continues to sell for nearly half the price of the legal stuff" is just the start of the issues in America's hat.

Linky Links

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

- This Ghostbusters cartoon is touching

- Interesting theory about who Andy's mom really was in the Toy Story movies

- Nice story about Nick Francona going from Marine scout-sniper unit leader in Afghanistan to the Angels front office

- The kind of economic stats the MSM doesn't seem to want to acknowledge

Linky Links

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

- 33 Shocking Facts that show how the economy has tanked under Obama. Some really depressing stuff in there like #14 that points out the poverty rate is actually higher today than when the War on Poverty began in 1965.

- Heh heh - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in 61 seconds

- Did Bobby Riggs throw the Battle of the Sexes? Very interesting story - I think he did it.

- The ultimate cheat sheet for starting and running a company. Good stuff.

- The story of the space station crew stranded by the Columbia disaster

Good Economic News

Some encouraging reading this Thanksgiving - a blogger who has never been wrong on the economy (according to the Motley Fools) says the economy is now in the best shape since 1997. Wow!

Bill McBride seems like a very interesting guy. Going to add his blog Calculated Risk to the blogroll.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thoughts I'd share.

Interesting - the science of Martian sunsets

This sounds like a very cool project - 94 Elements

Wow - How 4 years of Barack Obama have undone 8 years of Ronald Reagan

This makes sense - why men no longer wear hats. It should be noted that you can still wear a baseball cap in a car.

An excellent example of how a sportswriter's ego gets in the way. Ron Borges is a clown. 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

How did James Cameron manage to "Tweet" from the bottom of the Marianas Trench? Simple

Silly? Yes. But I found it funny.

Doctor Who Series Seven Trailer

A very disturbing chart on the US economy

Happy drunk guy in Las Vegas is mesmerizing 

Interesting - Tuna, swordfish, Humbolt squid and other sharks fear this fish

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Pink Floyd - 30 years of the band in 17 minutes. I'm a fan of the band.

- Interesting podcast interview of Jon Hamm by Marc Maron.

- What if the NFL played by teacher's rules? Very true. Excellent analogy.

- George Harrison on the Dick Cavett Show from 1971

- Interesting tale of Niels Bohr dissolving two Nobel Prize medals to keep them out of the hands of the Nazi

- Scary stuff - the Obama Presidency by the Numbers

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Joe Posnanski's great piece on LeBron James and Dan Gilbert

- Tomorrow, Watch the Largest Asteroid Flyby Ever, Live

- The best players never to make an All-Star team. I was surprised by Kirk Gibson's name on the list.

- A Chart of Unemployment Since 1995. Cause and effect.

- 10 Things You Might Not Know About Indian Reservation Gambling

- Great movie insults (NSFW)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Celtics game almost made me sick last night. Seriously. I had to chew Tums during the whole 4th quarter. Between the Celtics blowing an 11-point lead, the awful offense of the Celtics late in the game, the questionable officials and the ABC announcers openly rooting for the Lakers - I thought I was going to throw-up... I don't see the resemblance either... Doc Rivers tried to keep the team fresh for the playoffs but in the end I think age caught up with the Celtics. There were no hops in Kevin Garnett's legs last night. None at all. He had creaky old knees last night. Ray Allen? When you get worn down your shot is one of the first things to suffer and his shooting was tired last night. Paul Pierce? How many drives to the basket did you see him finish by dunking the ball? I don't care what anyone says - the Celtics showed their age last night and their age didn't have enough left in the tank when it came to the 4th quarter last night... This story is just bizarre. Throwing a puppy at the Hells Angels and then stealing a bulldozer to get away? Bizarre... No team in the AL West has a winning record against teams above .500... Exactly how insane have big banks' risky gambles on derivatives gotten? Check out the jaw-dropping chart. That's scary stuff... One of George W Bush's least heralded accomplishments was the creation of the largest marine sanctuary in the world. Over 84 million acres the sanctuary is larger than 46 of our 50 states. I just bring this up for obvious reasons... World Cup Fever... Did you know that M&M's stands for "Mars & Murrie's," the last names of the candy's founders? I did not know that...

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Heh heh - Hans Solo

- 10 Coolest Secret Safes

- Obama has no balls

- Peak Everything

- Heh heh - the world's best engine

Saturday Links

Some links to peruse at your leisure.

- The greatest art heist in history is still unsolved after 19 years. "The statute of limitations on prosecuting the thieves for the robbery has expired, but those who transport or hide the art could face charges."

- Interesting take on the economic climate.

- Heh Heh: Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC: Wolverine and Watchmen (Dr. Manhattan)

- Interesting chat with Dr. Brad Humphrey on sports and economics.