Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"In any situation in life, you always have three choices: you can change it, you can accept it, or you can leave it." - Naval Ravikant
"The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel." - Horace Walpole
"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." - Scott Adams
"You cannot live a free life without having your own thoughts." - Justice Clarence Thomas
Don't spend too much.
Save the difference.
Invest.
Low costs.
Long term.
Really isn't more complicated than that.
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors. If you'd like to console a disconsolate Celtics fan please subscribe (it's FREE), hit the Like button, and share with others if anything I wrote made you smile or think. We'll get 'em next season!
Steven Pressfield with some excellent advice not just for writers but for everyone in general:
I will expect no remuneration until I have created value for someone else. - Dan Sullivan
An excellent coda to live by whether you be a writer, entrepreneur, or otherwise. The thing that gives me pause, however, is the fact that I've been doing this blog for 16+ years but haven't made any money off it. Does that mean I'm not creating value? I'm doing it wrong? I prefer to view the situation as me not being an artist but an artiste - in the way Pressfield explained.
Think other bloggers who are also compelled to toil at this often thankless task will understand the feeling.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Devote the rest of your life to making progress." - Epictetus
"The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding." - Ariel Durant
"When the universe has crushed him man will still be nobler than that which kills him, because he knows that he is dying, and of its victory the universe knows nothing." - Pascal
"First, you know it. Then, you understand it. Then, you can explain it. Then, you can feel it. Finally, you are it." - Naval Ravikant
China bank protest stopped by health codes turning red. "COVID" surveillance infrastructure used to stifle dissent. Who didn't see this coming?
"Don't trust China - China is asshole!" And don't let people talk you into following China's lead. No health passports and no cashless societies.
Here are the Top 10 baby names for boys and girls according to the Social Security Administration.
Guessing the least popular baby name for a boy was once again Adolph and for girls it was Hillary once again.
"Mr. Bezos loves the working man. He loves to see them work. And work."**
"Extravagant finance was written on the head of their indictment, and it will be written on their tombstone." - Churchill on the Democratic Party (actually the Tory Party)
"The essence of American journalism is vulgarity divested of truth." (No need to update that quote.)
* Originally "The Tory's are willing to make great scarifies for the their opinions, but they have no opinions."
** Originally "Mr. Chamberlain loves the working man. He loves to see him work."
Some news from the world of EV's (Electric Vehicles):
Based on filings it looks like Tesla's insurance offering is expected to soon be offered in Florida and Maryland as well as being already available in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia. Tesla insurance could be available in Maryland as soon as today. Tesla's goal is to eventually have 80% of all Tesla cars in the US getting their insurance from Tesla. Don't sleep on how big and profitable this could be for the company.
Ford is instructing dealers to temporarily stop selling electric Mustang Mach-E crossovers due to a potential safety defect that could cause the vehicles to become immobile (not a good thing). The Ford Mustang Mach-E is manufactured in Mexico - not in the US. Not EV news but Ford is also recalling 3.3 million vehicles due to rollaway concerns.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"I've been a rebel all my life, against tyranny and arrogant authority, which is what we have now." - Eric Clapton
"Determination mixed with resourcefulness is nearly unstoppable." - Shane Parrish
"The most important trick to being happy is to realize happiness is a skill you develop and a choice you make. You choose to be happy, and then you work at it." - Naval Ravikant
"Patience is a competitive advantage. In a surprising number of fields, you can find success if you are simply willing to do the reasonable thing longer than most people." - James Clear
Former Boston Bruins head coach has been hired to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Congrats coach! Just 10-days out of a job.
I'm of two minds on the Bruins firing Cassidy. First I strongly believe in the Scotty Bowman rule - that a head coach should never stay beyond 8-years with a team. Bowman was the greatest coach in NHL history and he never did despite the success in Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Although Cassidy was only coach for six seasons - he was an assistant in Boston before that. So maybe close enough to the 8-year rule?
However, I don't like that Cassidy seems to have been made the scapegoat for not going further this postseason. What about GM Don Sweeney or team President Cam Neeley? If you're placing blame - shouldn't they be sharing the blame equally? Hate to say it because Neeley was one of my favorite Bruins ever but he's starting to give off John Elway with the Denver Broncos type vibes. Maybe number 8 is in over his head as the team's top executive?
With Las Vegas now having former Boston coaches heading both the Raiders and Golden Knights I can see many New Englanders adopting Las Vegas teams as their second favorites to root for in the NHL and NFL. I know I already have.
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whipping post. This morning is one of those times. Please subscribe (if you haven't already), hit the Like button, and share with others.
VDH with a scathing critique on what has ruined California.
In truth, the implosion of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and California more broadly is no accident. Destroying all the bounty that was inherited from far better and far-seeing generations was the logical result of deliberate policies—reflecting the self-interest of a few million rich, educated professionals. They apparently decided that their genius and superior morality had transcended worries over ancient challenges of food, water, shelter, transportation, and received law and custom.
Hard to argue against his reasoning. And those who run California want the rest of America to follow their lead!
"Hubristic and stupid" indeed!
DEF is the acronym for Diesel Exhaust Fluid. Every diesel truck that has been made since 2010 is required to use it... DEF is kept in a separate tank in the truck and the trucks using it will not start unless the DEF system is working properly. There are regulators inside the engine that mix DEF with the diesel exhaust to reduce diesel emissions. That's the purpose of DEF.
This is very bad news. But excellent reporting in connecting the dots.
The behind the scenes players are Russia, China and... BlackRock!
Why is it that whenever BlackRock is in the news - the news is bad for America and for the average American? Don't forget BlackRock is very chummy with the Communist Chinese Party.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Violent revolutions do not so much redistribute wealth as destroy it." - Will and Ariel Durant
"History reports that the men who can manage men manage the men who can manage only things, and the men who can manage money manage all." - Will Durant
"Focus is not something you aspire to... or something you do on Monday. It's something you do every minute." - Jony Ivy
"You can increase your happiness over time, and it starts with believing you can do it." - Naval Ravikant
Yes - it's a real holiday! My daughter helped make the above batches. Celebrate responsibly - or however you damn please!
One of the basics that is never properly taught - except here!
Definitely going to get a cigar after watching this!
Cassini's last image before entering Saturn's atmosphere and burning up. (Photo via) Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.
New rules may make retail frontrunning virtually impossible. Bad news for companies like Robinhood.
I too will believe it when I see it.
Had me fooled at first glance.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
And also out of the bedroom and the schoolrooms. A nation of overweight people, who are confused over their genders and who don't know basic math or science is where we're headed. (Via)
US General says SpaceX Starlink has "destroyed Vladimir Putin's information campaign" in Ukraine amid Russian invasion. The importance of Starlink in maintaining command and control for the Ukrainians cannot be understated.
It's only been available for a couple of weeks but Starlink for RV's has already had over 30,000 orders. Important to note that the service is still not rated for moving vehicles. That's supposedly coming soon.
Not just China but also Wokistan here in the US. The Taiwan flag was back on the jacket but the movie was also absent any woke messaging. This second item, in my mind, is the real reason the movie is doing so well at the box office.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"What you feel tells you nothing about the facts - it merely tells you something about your estimate of the facts." - Naval Ravikant
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." - Isaac Newton
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
I say "mucho" to all my Hispanic friends. It means a lot to them. Please subscribe, hit the Like button and share with others. Mucho appreciated.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"I was raised to honor my flag and my country." - General Chuck Yeager
"What we wish to be true clouds our perception of what is true. Suffering is the moment when we can no longer deny reality." - Naval Ravikant
"The middle class, as well as the rich, began to distrust democracy as empowered envy, and the poor distrusted it as a sham equality of votes nullified by gaping inequality of wealth." - Will and Ariel Durant
"If everyone puts their problems out on the table, you'll pick yours back up real quick." - Chris Bosh
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"You're going to die one day, and none of this is going to matter. So enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment. And do your work." - Naval Ravikant
"To break sharply with the past is to court the madness that may follow the shock of sudden blows or mutilations." - Will and Ariel Durant
"If you have a problem that can be fixed, there is no use in worrying. If you have a problem that cannot be fixed, there is no use in worrying." - Buddhist proverb
"It's almost impossible to predict the future. But it's also unnecessary, because 'most people are living in the past.' All you have to do is see the present before everyone else does." - Jason Crawford
And unlike Swift's Modest Proposal this one has a realistic chance of succeeding.
Have a new article up on Substack. Please show your support by sharing the post with others, subscribing, or hitting the Like button. Thanks!
Karl Popper on The Line Between Science and Pseudoscience.
Always liked the observation that if something needs to add the word "science" to itself (Political Science, Environmental Science, etc.) that means it really isn't a "science." Computer Science may be the one exception but that term came about when computers were new and nobody knew what to call the study of computers.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Let us not postpone anything, let us engage in combats with life each day." - Seneca
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"My body is not a temple, it is a Catholic church. Full of wine, bread and guilt." - Helen Ingram
"When they say trust the science. What they mean is don't ask questions." - Oliver Cantin
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Life would be tragic if it weren't so funny." - Stephen Hawking
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius
"When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine." - Picasso
"There is no such thing as work-life balance. There is only your life. Spend it on things you care about and find meaningful." - Max Hodak
After three months of fighting the battlelines clarify.
The Soviets Russians have gained a lot of territory in Eastern Ukraine but the invaders could be bled white trying to keep it. This war is going to be long and ugly.
Morgan Housel has a new post up on the probability of good things and bad things happening. And why we shouldn't be so surprised when they do.
"With a large enough sample size, any outrageous thing is apt to happen." So very true.
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
I feel the need - the need for speed! And also the need for you to Subscribe, hit the Like button, and share the link with others.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Be orderly in your work life so you can be disorderly in your creative life." - Flaubert
"Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope that it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears." - Ronald Reagan
"The ultimate purpose of education is to change an empty mind into an open one." - Malcolm Forbes
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it." - Howard Thurman
Elon Musk had offered $54.20 a share for Twitter but now the deal is stalled because of some evidence that the number of spam accounts and bots may be much higher than the 5% Twitter executives had listed in federal filings. Musk feels the company has been stonewalling him in explaining how they account for spam accounts and bots. Not just stonewalling but in "material breech" of the merger agreement. So now he may just walk away.
"Twitter has disclosed its bot estimate to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for years, while cautioning that its estimate might be too low." However, if simple scrutiny from Musk and his team would show that the estimate is 4 times as many (as Musk has speculated) that raises the question if Twitter execs had knowingly filed fraudulent reports with the SEC.
Some critics of Musk say that since he waived due diligence that he now has to go through with the deal at the $54.20 price but SEC Rule 10b-5 "prohibits any act or omission resulting in fraud or deceit in connection with the purchase or sale of any security." Musk would argue that knowingly grossly underreporting the number of bots would be covered by Rule 10b-5.
The Texas Attorney General has already said he's opening an investigation into Twitter (Musk and Tesla are based in Texas). Could an investigation by the SEC be far behind? If the deal does fall apart the SEC should have no choice but to open an investigation. Twitter has now placed itself in a position where it will have to explain the bot numbers to Musk's satisfaction or potentially risk jail time and fines for those who filed the SEC reports.
Get your popcorn out.
A good introduction to Marcus Aurelius. Worthwhile even if you're familiar with the man and his teachings or not.
Any good leader would benefit from practicing the 3 Stoic exercises listed.
What is tragic about Marcus, as one scholar wrote, is how his "philosophy - which is about self-restraint, and respect for others - was so abandoned by the imperial line he anointed on his death."
Luckily for history Russell Crowe was around to kill Commodus in the end. (Just kidding but sometimes I do hear Richard Harris' voice when reading a Marcus Aurelius quote.)
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"'Experts' said rising seas from climate change would leave the Maldive Islands underwater in 30 years. It's 32 years later. The Maldives are larger!" - Matt Ridley
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw
"Organizations don't automatically obey the law. Management does not automatically adopt sound practices. Leaders don't automatically consider whether their policies are ethically sound. People don't automatically do what is in their best interest." - Michael Wade
"Apply specific knowledge with leverage and eventually, you will get what you deserve." - Naval Ravikant
"Our lives are the blink of a firefly in the night. You're just barely here. You have to make the most of every minute, which doesn't mean you chase some stupid desire for your entire life. What it means is every second you have on this planet is very precious, and it's your responsibility to make sure you're happy and interpreting everything in the best possible way." - Naval Ravikant
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Do I want the present moment to be my friend or enemy? The present moment is inseparable from life, so you are really deciding what kind of relationship you want to have with life." - Eckhart Tolle
"The NCAA's business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America." - Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
"A year from now, you will wish you had started today." - Karen Lamb
"In the end, winning is sleeping better." - Jodie Foster
I'm no biologist but I'm pretty sure that's what a MAN looks like. (Via)
Some quotes that I hope may resonate with you.
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." - Soren Kierkegaard
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man stupid and blind in the eyes." - Orson Scott Card
"I support anyone's right to be who they want to be. My question is; to what extent do I have to participate in your self image." - Dave Chappelle
"Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in." - Aristotle
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
"Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one." If you recognize that - the jingle will probably stick with you all morning. Please subscribe to my Substack account (if you haven't done so already). I thank you for your support.
VDH with a look at whether Donald Trump will run again for President in 2024.
I'm of two minds on the subject. One aspect VDH does not mention is fund-raising. Trump would be capable of raising much more cash than any other candidate and that might play a big role in the mean-tweeter's decision.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"The trouble is, you think you have time." - Buddha
"Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The only end of writing is to enable readers better to enjoy life, or better to endure it." - Samuel Johnson
"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." - Albert Einstein
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Midway - a battle sited by most historians as the turning point in the Pacific in World War II. Below is a good article on the history of the Battle of Midway and its significance.
The importance of the Battle of Midway.Jackie MacMullan with a powerful profile of Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka. After reading this, even if you're not a Celtics or even an NBA fan, tell me you're not rooting for Ime Udoka to succeed.
Also Jackie Mac is semi-retired from writing these days but pieces like this show there's still no one better covering the NBA.
I am greatly amused by stories like this.
Pride goeth before a fall (and also sometimes apparently before acts of treason). HT Instapundit
EDF rules out keeping nuclear plant open despite energy crisis.
Can't help but wonder if this is somehow a Brexit related payback.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." - Albert Camus
"Reading for curiosity is better than reading for self improvement." - Shane Parrish
"Very smart people tend to be weird since they insist on thinking everything through for themselves." -
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds back." - Proverbs 29:11
Morgan Housel with a new essay on BS that's worth your time. There's certainly a lot of BS these days in all forms, shapes and sizes.
Having a good BS detector counts as a super power in my book.
Two articles on Netflix's stumble and how it effects Hollywood and streaming in general:
Peter Kafka - Netflix Slips and Hollywood Cheers. Maybe It Shouldn't
Behind Netflix's Leaner Movie Mandate: Bigger, Fewer, and Better
The Golden Age of streaming is probably over. People should probably brace themselves for poorer quality, fewer choices, and higher prices going forward. There will be just enough gold dust content sprinkled in amongst the chicken shit to keep the eyeballs.
Read more books!
At first blush the product seems way over-priced. That's about triple what NESN charges the cable operators to carry the network. But perhaps that's the point. Perhaps the initial price had to be high enough that the cable operators did not feel threatened. In the age of cord cutting - live sports, like Red Sox and Bruins games, are the one last advantage to having a cable subscription.
It looks like the app is free (or minimal charge) to those who already have NESN through a cable operator. I'm guessing that one result of the new app will be NESN 360 passcode info will shortly be more shared in New England than Neftflix passcodes.
Interesting article - The War in Ukraine Can be Over if the U.S. Wants It.
As the journalist Anatol Lieven has argued, it is time for America and Europe to celebrate Ukraine's resistance and broker a peace agreement that both limits Russia's ambitions and, crucially, permits Putin to save face... Ceding the Donbas to Russia is, in reality, a minor concession to Putin - it is partially Russia-controlled already - that would also potentially allow him to exit the war...
I would agree that the US should also toss in that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO (but that Sweden and Finland would).
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Sin that pays its way can travel freely, and without a passport; whereas Virtue, if a pauper, is stopped at all frontiers." - Herman Melville
"Without hard work, you'll develop neither judgement nor leverage." - Naval Ravikant
"Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing." - Zeno
"The truth is most people don't change their mind they just die." - Elon Musk
What a great story - something that should be shared by every parent to every child.
Probably only slightly related but the story immediately made me think of the AJ Jacobs book Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey in which the author sets out to thank every single person involved in producing his morning coffee.
Staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci in 1516 (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.
Crypto and Web3 is the first thing Marc Andreessen has ever compared to "the Internet." This is significant for a number of reasons. Obviously it's important that the comment comes from Andreessen, one of the founding fathers of the Internet. Then there's the empirical truth that both many of the founding VC's of the Internet and many of today's brightest engineers are jumping into Web3 with both feet.
It's like a tsunami of change that currently only appears as a small wave in the distance. But it's coming nonetheless.
Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.
As Kamala Harris would say, "Having a new post up on Substack is like having a new post up on Substack." Please hit the Like button and share with others. Thanks!
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"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
"Karma is just you, repeating your patterns, virtues and flaws until you finally get what you deserve." - Naval Ravikant
"If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough." - Meister Eckhart
"We learn from history that we do not learn from history." - Hegel
