Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The 2021 net migration rate for Iraq is 0.359 per 1,000 population. That means net more people are moving into Iraq than into California or New York. Think about that for a minute... What will history recognize as the worse fashion fad? Pussy Hats or bell-bottom corduroy's?... Seems unfair that people remember Wally Pipp as the man who was replaced by Lou Gehrig but hardly anyone remembers Babe Dahlgren. He was the man who replaced Lou Gehrig... Salt (NaCl) is the only family of rocks eaten by humans... There were a lot of happy New England Patriots fans last night as Bill Belichick selected Alabama QB Mac Jones with the 15th pick. Belichick wasted no time submitting the pick either an indication they were really happy that the QB dropped to them. I hope the second-guessers at least give us a day to enjoy the pick... Would love to see a reporter ask a confused Joe Biden if he owns a pussy hat. How do you think Kamala Harris would react to such a question? Please someone make this happen...  

Linky Links

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

- 13 reasons why anyone can benefit from a daily writing habit

-  Going under the radar - Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou still fighting extradition to the US from Canada.

- Heh Heh

- Bill Walsh and the art of elimination

I Know Great Art When I See It

 

Linky Links

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

- Changes at Basecamp. This is fantastic! "You shouldn't have to wonder [at work] if staying out of it means you're complicit, or wading into it means you're a target." "Back to basics, back to individual responsibility, back to work." Indeed! Hope many other companies follow this lead. (HT Execupundit)

- Texting 988 for the Suicide Prevention Hotline sounds like a worthy idea.

- Tesla Dojo Supercomputer explained. An interesting look at part of Tesla that doesn't get much discussion.

- And he's probably going to waste the rest of the money (HT Newmark's Door)

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Why can't Type II Diabetics sue Kellogg's for making Pop Tarts and McDonalds for Super-sized sodas the way lung cancer patients sued the tobacco companies? Would it surprise anyone if there were class action lawsuits down the line?... Vermont making billboards illegal really adds to the aesthetic of the state. Next they should outlaw just randomly leaving old tires on every other street. That would be nice... Was a little surprised at the news Elon Musk would be hosting SNL and "what's in it for him" is a valid question. I guess it's a cool thing billionaire geniuses get to do. I think if Tony Stark was a real life character he's host SNL too... Not sure where he'll end up but I find myself pulling for Mac Jones. Heard that he comes from a tennis background and that makes me think of Drew Brees who at one point was one of the top amateurs in the country and who was a training partner to Andre Agassi. Brees was picked 32nd in 2001 and he turned out pretty good... 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack. If you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have." - Gregory McKeown

"We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves." - Aldous Huxley

"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared." - Thomas Jefferson

"Be stubborn on destinations, flexible on tactics, and relentless on progress." - Shane Parrish

"Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach." - Seneca

Heh Heh

 

The New Creationists

If you stop and think about it the people who believe we are living in a Simulation are no different than people who believe in Creationism. 

The "simulation" obviously has "intelligent design" and someone had to "create" the simulation right? Creationism is the idea that some Supreme Being designed and created the world. People who believe in the Simulation usually believe some extraterrestrial civilization may have done it (just to add another layer of weirdness and sci-fi elements I guess).

Both systems of thought run into the same problem - who created the creator(s)? To me the most ironic part of this is that many who most ardently believe we are living in a simulation are also fervent atheists. They just don't see how they are no different than people who believe in Creationism.  That's amusing to me. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Reminder that it's been 18 months and not only has no evidence of bat to human transmission been discovered - the "wet markets" in Wuhan are still open and operating. The disease came from a lab... Business idea - make the plants marijuana and sell hundreds of these at Phish concerts... A local Dunkin Donuts in Rutland, MA has been closed for 3-weeks because they can't find enough employees willing to work. This is not good. That is not good at all... Kind of admire the evil genius of this ad... Fair is fair - it is rumored that Apple is looking at getting into the EV car game so why shouldn't Tesla get into the browser and operating system game? Tesla could even just buy Duck Duck Go at this point, come out with their own operating system and launch a line of smart phones. You know there are millions of people who would buy a Tesla phone sight unseen... 

Top 5 Marion's (or Marian's) of All-Time

1. Maid Marian - from Robin Hood fame

2. John Wayne (real name Marion Michael Morrison)

3. Marion Cunningham - Richie's mom on Happy Day's (played by Marion Ross)

4. Marion Berry (crack addict mayor of DC)

5. (tie) Marion Jones - track star/ steroids user and (tie) Francis Marion - Revolutionary War hero and basis of Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot

Linky Links

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

- 99 bits of unsolicited advice from Kevin Kelly. Some real gems in there.

- Hundreds of US scientists feared compromised by China. 

- The interesting history of the HMS Porcupine.

- Stephen Curry is never satisfied.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Hypothesis: if AOC hadn't chased away the proposed Amazon East Coast HQ and the 25,000 plus jobs it would have brought many people would have moved to or stayed in NYC and New York wouldn't be losing a Congressional seat. Just saying... Really enjoyed the Marvel series Falcon and the Winter Soldier but I kept having the thought how amusing it would be to print up bumper stickers that replaces the Flag Smashers logo with the DNC logo to re-use the "One World. One People." catch-phrase...  Heh Heh... Explanatory Knowledge would be a good name for a blog... Truth be told - I'm a little disappointed 2020 didn't actually give us murder hornets... So the Oscars were watched by just 9.85 million people. That means Hollywood's signature event now just has ratings slightly better that this year's Peach Bowl which "pitted" Georgia against Cincinnati (hardly a marque bowl game). That game was watched by almost 9 million...

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you eat, invest, and think according to what the 'news' advocates, you'll end up nutritionally, financially and morally bankrupt." - Naval Ravikant

"The coronavirus panic is dumb." - Elon Musk

"Virtually no idea is too ridiculous to be accepted, even by very intelligent and highly educated people, if it provides a way for them to feel special and important. Some confuse that feeling with idealism." - Thomas Sowell

"It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste most of it." - Seneca

"When specific knowledge is taught, it's through apprenticeships, not schools." - Naval Ravikant

"That thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult - if you don't lose it." - Kevin Kelley

The Eisenhower Matrix

 Excellent piece of advice on how to prioritize.

Linky Links

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

- Matt Taibbi: Why "Securing Democracy" Will Be Taught in Journalism Schools. Interesting tale of Glenn Greenwald's new book but I think Taibbi gives journalism schools too much credit in his title of the article.  

- NASA'a bold bet on Starship for the Moon may change spaceflight forever

- Matt Taibbi with an interesting and honest look at why some Democrats are so eager to repeal the SALT cap and basically give a tax break to the wealthiest 1% in Blue States.

-  Heh Heh

A Few Good Belichicks

"Son, we live in a wold that has playoff games, and those playoff games have to be played by men with talent. Who's gonna do it? You Felger? You, Tom Curran? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for N'Keal Harry and you curse my draft picks. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know, that N'Keal Harry's pick, while tragic, was the best we had on our board. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, 'wins playoff games.' You don't want the truth because deep down in the places you don't talk about on sports talk radio, you want me in that draft room. You need me in that draft room. We use words like talent, intelligence, character. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent building a winning organization. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man whose income comes from the very wins that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide those wins! I would rather you just said 'thank you' and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you take a job yourself in a front office. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!"

[The NFL Draft is Thursday which means until then Boston sports reporters will continuously speculate on who Bill Belichick and the Patriots will pick and they will also continuously litigate Belichick's capability as a General Manager. It's predictable and stupid.]

ASK - Good Advice

 

Tower of Song

 

This post at American Digest on The Tower of Song made me think of the above collaboration version between Cohen and U2. Enjoy!

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?... 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate you.

"None of my inventions came by accident. I see a worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."  - Thomas Edison

"Never trust a big butt and a smile." - Bell Biv Devoe

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct." - Neils Bohr

"Liberty without learning is always in peril and learning without liberty is always in vain." - John F. Kennedy

"No matter where or what, there are makers, takers, and fakers." - Robert Heinlein