Linky Links

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

- VDH: Immigration gone wild.

- India proposes charging OpenAI, Google for training AI on copyright content. Seems fair.

- Do we need to fight an offensive war in a funnel in the western Pacific? Interesting point and we do need to wake up to the threat.

- Jonathan Turley: The rise and fall of the American Bar Association. Some companies no longer accept applications from Ivy League schools because they've been tainted, will we soon see the same kind of attitude toward ABA members? Go woke go broke in action.

Linky Links

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

- Money saving tips from Mr. Money Mustache

- From the archives: The last battle of the American Revolutionary War was actually fought in India?

- Succession by Defenestration. Not sure if Jonathan Turley coined that phrase but I like it!

- Politically Homeless: Considering voting Republican for the first time. There's a lot of people in the same situation.

Linky Links

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

- Daniele Boelelli on Bruce Lee 50-years from his death.  

- Ann Althouse on the Jason Aldean music video controversy. Reminded of the Ted Nugent quote, "You have to let the crazy people talk so you can find out who the crazy people are." (HT Cultural Offering)

- Pfizer would rather abandon 1.8 million potential customers than have to explain why they believed they could get away with saying their Covid-19 vaccines would actually work.

- Is Newsweek coming out in favor of RFK Jr.? Or are they straddling the fence? Either way - not a good sign for Joe Biden.

Linky Links

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

- Laughed way too much at this. I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy.

- Noah Smith on Indiamerica. India is a country we should be closer with - for many reason.

- High school debates have become the new woke target. This trend needs to be reversed. These people cannot take the light of day.

- Is this the beginning of the end for Vladimir Putin? Article asks, "Is this too good to be true?" and I agree (but for different reasons). Learn to spot propaganda.

More Linky Links

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

- Steven Pressfield on Children in the Wilderness. Make sure your kids know all about Moses. People are starting to forget.

- Noah Smith on when trying to "shape" AI innovation to protect workers is a bad idea. Well worth your time.

- The Diversity Myth by Peter Thiel. Again worth your time. Some of my favorite writers today.

- Brazil at Silicon Valley. We should be working to get closer to Brazil (and India).

Linky Links

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

- The case for reading fiction from Harvard Business Review.

- Interesting - reportedly US intel helped India rout China in 2022 border clash. We need to be closer allies with India. 

- If you have a Samsung cell phone there's a critical security bug you need to be aware of.

- Matt Ridley on the "Racoon dogs" being the latest - it wasn't a lab leak distraction out of China. It was a lab leak. "Don't trust China - China is asshole!"

More Linky Links

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

- A major reason why manufacturers are looking at places like India and Vietnam as alternatives to China. (Via)

- Cool resource - the Biodiversity Heritage Library has around 150,000 illustrations available free for download.

- Marc Andreessen - On the Candlemaker's Petition. Be sure to read the footnotes as you go.

- "I worked on Google's AI. My biggest fears are coming true." Key line to me, "there's no way of knowing the side effects of this technology." We're potentially opening a Pandora's box.

Linky Links

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

- Why India did not allow Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. We could learn a lot from India.

- Great Lee Marvin story from the archives. 

- Don't think Biden will recover from the classified documents scandal. Mostly because the powers that be in the Democratic Party don't want to risk themselves to save Joe or Hunter. 

- If you're wondering what to get me for Christmas ($777,000 so you may want to start saving up now)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Elon Musk this week announced that Tesla Solar Panels and Solar Roof will only be sold as a package with Powerwall batteries. I predicted this about a year ago. Many of the Tesla products make natural packages which are good for the consumer and also good for Tesla's bottom line... The Biden Administration is not doing a good job with India. A horrible job actually... The government's reaction to Covid-19 can be honestly summered up as "We're confused and afraid so we're going to take away your freedoms." That's it - that's been their whole reaction... Another natural package for Elon Musk would be to integrate a SpaceX Starlink receiver into the Tesla Semi and offer mobile Internet as a service for all Semi trucks sold... People aren't getting into journalism for the money because there isn't any (anymore). In the past gifted writers like David Halberstam did get into journalism (Halberstam most notably as a correspondent in Vietnam). But today "the best and the brightest" are seeking career paths elsewhere. Makes you wonder if the best and brightest aren't going into journalism then what does that make those who are?... 

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing.

- Can happiness be learned? I think so.

- Matt Ridley on China and India and innovation. Freedom is the not-so secret sauce. 

- It's All Just Displacement. Interesting read. "The vast majority of the country is not woke, including the vast majority of women and people of color. How could it possibly be healthy for the entire media industry to be captured by any single niche political movement, let alone one that nobody likes?" Interesting question.

- Well done explanation of NFT's - and why they're good!

Annual CO2 Emissions

This article does a good job to peg the bulk of CO2 emissions coming from Asia but it's recommended path of action is Pollyanna-ish and foolish. Lots of talk about massive solar projects but two words missing throughout - Nuclear Power.   

Our "moral example" means squat to China. We should not tank our economy in the hopes China will "see the light."

When looking at the graph above remember both China and India signed the Paris Accords in 2015.  Don't trust China - China is asshole!

Linky Links

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

- I think this is a good idea. If the Bigfoot Hunting Licenses were suitable for framing I'd consider buying one.

- Medal of Honor winner among those who attended Washington protest 

- Keep an eye on the India-China tensions. This rivalry could heat up in quick order.

- Blue States COVID restrictions are killing jobs. "The average unemployment in the 10 least-restrictive states is 4.7% - well below the national average of 6.7%... Among the states with the most restrictions, the unemployment rate is an average of 7.1%." 

Linky Links

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

- Heh Heh

- Things you probably didn't know about the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack

- Ancient bust of Greek god Hermes found during work on Athens' sewer system

- One of the world's most beautiful libraries also lets you sleep over. Adding another place to my bucket list. (BTW - the last three links came via Daddypundit a worthy blog I just became aware of)

- Neil Gaiman's 8 rules for writing

- Not for nothing but India and Japan are really not on good terms with China. We need to support India, Taiwan and Japan.

- Hilarious!

Linky Links

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

- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: Social justice messaging will be largely left off the court next season. They know their political stances have driven away fans and its costing them money. 

- Tesla disbands US media relations team. Amazing - Tesla doesn't need to spend on advertising because word of mouth and demand are so strong and now they don't need a PR staff because no staff could compete with Elon Musk's Twitter account.

- More good news for Middle East Peace.

- Interesting - I knew an alliance existed but didn't know it was called "The Quad"

- I like this idea - Rural Post Offices could become Internet WiFi hotspots and 5G antenna locations. 

Linky Links

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

- The India-China Rivalry: Towards a Two-Front War in the Himalayas? 

- First or second chair?

- Holy Shit! Chadwick Boseman has passed away aged just 43-years old. This was a shock. He died after a long battle with colon cancer. And he died on Jack Kirby's birthday.

- I'm surprised this scenario hasn't happened already. 

- Richard Grenell on how to remake the US foreign service and embassies for the modern world. Agree 100%.

- This is why we should just re-open the entire country. And make a combo of hydroxychloroquine and zinc available over the counter.

- Elon Musk unveils Neuralink in live demo. Game changer!

Linky Links

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

- The decoupling continues - Apple now making the iPhone 11 in India instead of China.

- Joe Rogan is moving to Texas

- I'd agree that Dire Straits' Making Movies is a perfect album with a single weak song. I'd also add that Tunnel of Love is one of my go-to songs on a bar jukebox.

- VDH: Trump's Reactive Engagement

- Universal Pictures is negotiating to film first movie in space - Starring Tom Cruise aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon

- Heh Heh - Desperate CDC now just claiming that wearing a mask with make you rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams

Linky Links

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

- India's nuclear focus shifts from Pakistan to China, Beijing now in range of New Dehli's missiles. You tend to forget that India is also a nuclear power.

- Yale professor says Hydroxychloroquine could save 100,000 lives.

- VDH on why this "Revolution" isn't like the 60's.

- Agree 100% - the chaos of the upcoming 2020 NFL season give the Patriots a big advantage because they have Bill Belichick

- MIT engineers come up with a reusable mask that's as effective as N95 masks

- Not to be outdone - University of Toronto scientists test a mask coating that can deactivate 99% of SARS-COV-2 virus

Linky Links

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

- How can you not like Steve Buscemi?

- Interesting thread on the clash on the India and China border.

- Analysis - True!

- "The last time I checked Illinois citizens are also Americans and Americans don't get ruled." Amen!

- VDH "Obama's policies are in tatters, and the worst scandals of his White House are coming to light." I've long said that history would not be kind to the Obama Administration.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I've lost track of things - how did that World War III thing with Iran a couple months ago work out?... Cool - Winners of the 2020 Big Picture Natural World photography competition... Social Darwinism? Is that like Social drinking? I only believe in evolution when with friends and then only in moderation... The soundtrack to the movie Grosse Point Blank is one of the best and most underrated in history... And speaking of music the great Dave Grohl on the power of concerts. Going to see live bands is one of the things I miss most. Never been a fan of crowds but if you give me the opportunity to see a band like Foo Fighters at a place like Fenway - I'm there in a heartbeat... Apple looking to move a big chunk of manufacturing out of China and into India. The move supposedly will make Apple India's largest exporter. This is on top of Apple moving some other production to Brazil. But if Foxconn is still its primary contractor is this really decoupling?... And once again speaking of music - what a nice way to start your morning reading about and listening to the song The Highwayman sung by The Highwaymen...

Linky Links

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

- India clashes with China. Part of me wonders if India may be making a play for China's pharmaceutical business.

- Kevin Kelly offers 68 pieces of advice on his 68th birthday. Good stuff.

- Not a fan of Aaron Rogers but this stat does make me feel bad for him.

- How to build a breakthrough - the secret of Backcasting. "The future doesn't happen to us; it happens because of us."