Author: smartistone

I saw this going viral: Harvard says tuition will be free for families making $200K or less. According to Harvard’s website, the average annual tuition for an undergraduate student is $56,550. But with the addition of housing, food, health services and other student services, the annual cost of attending Harvard is $82,866, according to the… Continue reading Harvard offers free tuition for families making $200K or less: My thoughts

Over the past few months, the legendary investor Warren Buffett has been showered with adulation by the media for raising cash in 2024, having seemingly anticipated the downturn of 2025. Note: We’re talking Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway, not Buffett himself, although these are often used interchangeably. From Business Insider, The internet is in awe of… Continue reading Debunking the Media Hype over Warren Buffett’s Cash Pile and Market Timing

Similar to physique or strength inflation, where anything less than shredded abs or 600lbs deadlifts are seen are ‘mid’ or average, a similar trend, I think, is observed with intellect, such as claims of Elon Musk being dull, unread, or not sounding that smart. Certain pundits have unrealistic or inflated expectations of what is expected… Continue reading Intellectual Inflation

I saw this going viral, from Less Wrong: Elon Musk May Be Transitioning to Bipolar Type I: In 2023, Gwern published an excellent analysis suggesting Elon Musk exhibits behavioral patterns consistent with bipolar II disorder. The evidence was compelling: cycles of intense productivity followed by periods of withdrawal, risk-taking behavior (like crashing an uninsured McLaren),… Continue reading Stop trying to diagnose Elon Musk over the internet

From Richard Hanania, Liberals Only Censor. Musk Seeks to Lobotomize. In theory or in an ideal world, everyone would aim for the truth or only defer to ‘trustworthy sources’ (whatever those are). But such a world has probably never existed even before the advent of social media, and certainty doesn’t in modern America. The author’s… Continue reading Elon Musk, and the decline of the credibility of experts and expertise

A couple months ago I saw this exchange between Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D., who according to Google is a “…tenured Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK),” who discounts the possibility of obese people having abnormally slow metabolisms to account for their obesity and inability to lose weight:… Continue reading “That study does not meant what you think it does” the problem with science and science reporting

Before the rise of social media—and especially pre-Covid—the opportunities to capitalize from one’s attractiveness or athleticism were mostly limited to modeling, acting–or for the most gifted–professional sports. However, the emergence of the ‘fitness influencer category’, combined with the growing perception of being overweight as low status in a visually-driven online world, has created an entire… Continue reading Metabolism , fitness influencers, and looking good into adulthood

For reason that elude me, health/fitness-twitter has carved out an exception for sumo wrestlers in so far as obesity is concerned. I disagree; you cannot criticize obesity and create an exception for sumo wresters. Sumo wrestling is the only sport I watch. I consider it the most unique sport in the world. It is exists… Continue reading Sumo wrestler myths–enough with the hype about the sport

From Freddie DeBoar, The Creative Underclass is Still Raging: These people look out at a world filled with creators creating, look at the considerable benefits they accrue (in money, yes, but more importantly in status) and they want. They want what others have. And want breeds resentment, especially when it’s so plain that some of… Continue reading ‘Thought leader’ is just another form of elite status

Bitcoin is continuing to crash as it becomes apparent the anticipated Bitcoin reserve is not happening. Coinbase and MicroStrategy stock are down 25-30% for the week alone, erasing the post-election gains: This signifies a total loss of confidence by market participants of Trump to deliver on anything. It’s total despondency on X/Twitter: People are realizing… Continue reading A great start to 2025 as Bitcoin falters, no reserve