Linky Links

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

- Americans use less energy than 50-years ago.

- Kevin Kelly with 88 prompts for long term thinking.

- I feel seen.

- More on the potential death of horse racing's Triple Crown.

Linky Links

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

- Matt Ridley on the most important thing to happen in 1776. Being English I'm not surprised he picked James Watt's steam engine but he does have a point.

- Great lawn for the 4th of July. How about a great lawn year round!

- DataRepublican: On the History Jefferson warned us not to forget

- Classic comedy bit.

Linky Links

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

- The 1 Thing That Terrifies an Optimist.

- Lost history: Gog and Magog. Perishing from fire from above. Sounds like a contemporary issue playing out now.

- States sign up to receive nuclear waste, build new-generation nuclear reactors. Like the new YIMBY.

- Musing about Morphic Resonance. Was unfamiliar with morphic resonance.

More Linky Links

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

- Significance greater than success.

- Expectation, policy, and and the anatomy of recent inflation.

- Matt Ridley: The gas price shock will expose Britain's catastrophic energy misjudgment.

- Will Scandinavian and Baltic Europe lead our European allies to the Strait of Hormuz?

Linky Links

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

- Tim Ferriss: What 20+ years of "optimizing" has taught me. Good advice. (HT A Layman's Blog)

- Data Republican: State of the Iranian conflict. Long read but excellent summary.

- a16z's Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps.

- The shrinking economic weight of energy.

Linky Links

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

- The Russo-Ukrainian war hits four, "It is now D-1,481. The US was in WW II just 1,361 days."

- Does peak population mean peak energy?

- Rolling up the red carpet to the Kennedy Center.

- Tyler Cowen's 12 rules for life.

Linky Links

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

- An appreciation of Bobby Weir from his daughter Cloe. Saying he lived his life "drifting and dreaming" is something we should all aspire to in our own lives.

- The situation has definitely changed in Latin America. A first hand account of what happened in Venezuela.

- How many lives will this AI model save? "Why doomers keep losing."

- Ridiculous isn't it?

Linky Links

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

- It's time to affirm that character is greater than color. Agree but wasn't reverse discrimination already ruled illegal by the Supreme Court?

- Sponsoring an immigrant has financial repercussions. And the bills are coming due.

- Kevin Kelly: The Oil and Water Planet. Some may see this as an anti-oil post but I view it as a pro nuclear power argument. Water is for drinking.

- Prediction Markets are (Obviously) Gambling.

Linky Links

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

- Why Congress should let the enhanced ACA subsidies expire. Agree 100%.

- From the archives: Do other countries do it? A simple litmus test for RFK Jr's ideas.

- Antisemitism and Anti-Americanism are Evil Twins. Agree 100%.

- Energy and the EU. "National security requires AI. AI requires energy." Not a fan of solar though.

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?

Linky Links

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

- VDH: In the end, everyone hated Iranian theocracy. 

- Kevin O'Connor with draft grades on every NBA second round pick. Think he'd be the first person to tell you this is way to early to tell how most of these players will pan out.

- Why are homes in Western states so expensive? Good question.

- This is plain scary.

Linky Links

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

- VDH: Who are really the lawless and dictatorial? He's not wrong.

- Remembering "The Stacks." I have fond memories of finding a desk to do work in a random floor of "stacks" and taking a break to peruse the stacks and pick a random book. Was it procrastination or exploration of the mind?

- Conservative Karol Nawrocki won Poland's presidential runoff - 50.89% to 49.11%. Can you imagine the AP's headline if the results were reversed?

- Trump Administration is betting on Alaskan energy. Don't underestimate the energy needs of AI data centers in South Korea or Japan. Guessing these announcements wouldn't be made if deals weren't already worked out.

Linky Links

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

- 21-days into the Trump Administration how the world views the US.

- Note from boss to employees. Good advice. I'd add that if you've just starting out find what you boss hates spending time to do and try to take it off their plate. Great way to add value.

- The Historical Case for Trump's Riviera. (HT Execupundit)

- International Energy Association scenarios. "Energy experts." 

Linky Links

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

- Jonathan Turley: WSJ exposes effort to keep Biden's decline hidden.

- What was so different this time about Trump's victory?

- Energy cheat sheet. Calling it a "cheat sheet" is a bit of a misnomer as its a long read. Energy is indispensable to our everyday lives but very few actually understand how it works. I don't claim to understand the physics of energy but this "cheat sheet" is helpful.

- The origin of "Om" (and the Trinity?)

Linky Links

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

- China's economy, real estate bubble and all, looking a lot like Japan's from a couple decades ago. I've long said China's economy is much weaker than believed. 

- Dolphins CB sends warning to other players - "DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you.

- Is reverse aging already possible?

- Very cool - small water powered generator. Imagine this would be very handy for people living off the grid in the woods.

Does This Change Your Understanding of Renewable Energy Sources?

Wind and Solar represent just 1.8% of all energy sources and some people think we should be relying on them for all our energy needs. Those people are morons. (Via)

Climate Panic Behind Energy Crisis

Michael Shellenberger's testimony in front of Congress.

At the same time, I am deeply troubled by the way concern over climate change is being used to repress domestic energy production. The U.S. is failing to produce sufficient quantities of natural gas and oil for ourselves and our allies. The result is the worst energy crisis in 50 years, continuing inflation, and harm to workers and consumers in the U.S. and the Western world. Energy shortages are already resulting in rising social disorder and the toppling of governments, and they are about to get much worse.

Well said. Read the whole post.

Energy Independence Matters

HT Instapundit

Germany's Energy Policies

George Bernard Shaw was right when he said the Germans were a people with contempt for common sense. (Image via)

It's Much More Than a Supply Chain Issue

They say the first step is to admit you have a problem. America has a problem. Actually several - but they are all inter-related. Joel Klotkin does a good job of laying out some of the issues in this Slow Boat from China article.

Yes there is a supply chain issue. But having to wait on key components because the pandemic has upset the global shipping is just part of the problem. First companies adopted JIT (Just in Time) production policies to keep inventories low and boost the bottom line. Then companies moved production abroad because costs were lower and the "elites" of the coasts were preaching "globalization."  All three of these issues are inter-related but are all solvable.

The first step is self-sufficiency. We were energy independent until the Biden Administration made some stupid decisions because of "optics." The increase in gas prices ($1-2 per gallon increases pretty much in every state) coupled with the worst inflation since Jimmy Carter has wiped out any wage gains made by the lower and middle classes in this country. Going back to the policies that made us energy independent in the first place is the first step. 

Companies now realize that supply chain vulnerabilities are not worth the shrinking costs savings JIT and off-shoring provided. Moving production back home (or closer to home) is good business and good for the US economy as a whole.

"My name is America and I have an economics problem." "Hi America!" Now let's get onto the other steps toward economic recovery.