The art of the sucker …this is pretty funny (it’s funny because people actually thought Trump would build a wall, when he couldn’t even get tax cuts implemented and or Obamacare overturned in a GOP-controlled House). Due to many factors, the administration is stuck in quicksand, as has been the case since January. Nothing has… Continue reading The wall: it ain’t happening
Month: August 2017
Taleb: How to be Rational about Rationality: Analysis
Nassim Nicholas Tooleb has a new article How to be Rational about Rationality – INCERTO – Medium Tooleb says the same ol’ stuff every time: scientists are overconfident, epistemological uncertainty, hidden risks, etc. Survival comes first, truth, understanding, and science later In other words, you do not need science to survive (we’ve done it for… Continue reading Taleb: How to be Rational about Rationality: Analysis
The Bell Curve is Becoming Reality
The Futile Pursuit of Equality …it’s not just insta-rich tech entrepreneurs who are on the top of America’s post-2008 hierarchy of importance; theoretical physicists, economists, programmers, policy wonks, the high-functioning autistic savant, quants, and mathematicians – regardless of personal wealth – also occupy a lofty position. In more ways than one, The Bell Curve is… Continue reading The Bell Curve is Becoming Reality
Charlottesville: Poor Security To Blame?
Big if true. pic.twitter.com/quSSq9DjvA — Richard Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) August 17, 2017 The mistake was poor security of the venue. The majority of Klan and Nazi rallies are uneventful. Antifa add a new dimension to the problem, since they tend to be aggressive. But fighting back creates poor optics in the media, which is why the… Continue reading Charlottesville: Poor Security To Blame?
Defending Economics
Over the past month, there have been a spate of negative articles about economics, with some comparing it to a ‘fake science’ such as astrology, and or how the inability of economists to predict the 2008 crisis is evidence of the failure of economics: The new astrology How economics became a religion Even though I’m… Continue reading Defending Economics
blackpilling
Ryan Landry of Social Matter Weimerica Weekly – Episode 71 – All Sides Blackpilling I agree Hillary would have been worse than Trump, but that alone is not good enough. Like saying that testicular cancer has a higher survival rather than mesothelioma, which according to the CDC it does, but politics is cancer, no matter… Continue reading blackpilling
Charlottesville: Why You Cannot Trust the Video Footage
It was Saturday afternoon when I became aware of the Charlottesville story, via tweets and Reddit. Unfortunately, like probably most people, my opinions were formed by a smattering of loosely-connected video clips showing a black muscle car plowing into people protesting a ‘white nationalist’ gathering. Because my attention at the time was focused on the… Continue reading Charlottesville: Why You Cannot Trust the Video Footage
Verbal…Harder than Math? Part 2
Part 1: Verbal Harder Than Math? A month ago, Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, who was also the first female Field’s Metal winner, died. From her obituary, this passage stood out: Maryam Mirzakhani was born on May 3, 1977, in Tehran. As a child, she read voraciously and wanted to become a writer. Iran was at… Continue reading Verbal…Harder than Math? Part 2
In Defense of the Journalistic Method
It’s easy to disparage journalists until you try to do it yourself and realize the difficulty of composing and conveying a generally cogent, thoughtful yet enticing argument in 1000-1500 words to an audience that has high expectations, that isn’t total crap or mean-spirited and abrasive. When you read a professionally-done article, you may leave disagreeing… Continue reading In Defense of the Journalistic Method
Putting Charlottesville in perspective
The news cycle had slowed to a trickle, until a crescendo of stories–Google memo, North Korea, and Charlottesville–all hit in the span of a week. I’m so sick to death of the virtue signaling and spiraling–both by the the NRO right and predictably the left–in the wake of the Charlottesville ‘terror attack’ (yes, that is… Continue reading Putting Charlottesville in perspective