Sensationalism and misleading/confusing headlines in the financial media

One of the major problems with the financial media is not that it’s inaccurate per say (or so-called ‘fake news’), but it’s a combination sensationalism and data being taken out of context. The reporting of the data is the bigger problem than the data itself. I’ll give two examples. It’s all over the news that… Continue reading Sensationalism and misleading/confusing headlines in the financial media

Nothing about America’s Healthcare System Makes Sense

Amazing how much health insurance stocks have gone up over the past decade. Humana stock for example: We don’t have healthcare in America, it’s more like sick care. Healthcare implies that people are getting better, but no one is getting better. No one is being cured, just having symptoms managed. Hundreds of billions, possibly as… Continue reading Nothing about America’s Healthcare System Makes Sense

‘Professional Morons’

If having a syringe, an LBGT flag, a BLM fist, and or Ukraine flag in your Twitter handle signifies support for ‘the current thing’, then having #bitcoin hashtag in your profile description and or having an NFT-themed avatar, signifies being an idiot who has lost or will lose a lot of money. Here’s one such… Continue reading ‘Professional Morons’

The abortion debate continued: Roe v. Wade Overturned, and Abortion and Eugenics

Scott Aaronson weighs in on the overturning of Roe v. Wade : In 1973, the US Supreme Court enshrined the right to abortion—considered by me and ~95% of everyone I know to be a basic pillar of modernity—in such a way that the right could be overturned only if its opponents could somehow gain permanent… Continue reading The abortion debate continued: Roe v. Wade Overturned, and Abortion and Eugenics

‘1,000 True Fans’, ‘Long Tail’, ‘Grit’, and other popular bullshit

I saw this The Rise of the Internet’s Creative Middle Class This passage regarding the show “Breaking Points” stood out: Ball and Enjeti are not immensely popular influencers earning many millions of dollars from a vast audience of followers. But they’re also not toiling away on a show that’s effectively a nonprofitable side hustle. They… Continue reading ‘1,000 True Fans’, ‘Long Tail’, ‘Grit’, and other popular bullshit

The deconsolidation of power

From Tablet Magazine The Red-Pill Prince Power, according to Yarvin, is like computer code, binary. It is either on or off; final and absolute, or merely a glorified form of servitude. Even the tech giants, which he considers the only efficient organizations left in the United States, are powerless. Facebook may be able to ban… Continue reading The deconsolidation of power

Why the college bubble won’t pop

From the American Conservative: The College Bubble Won’t Just Pop Although taken for granted by millions of Americans, the choice to obtain a college degree mystifies economists. Teenagers making the first significant financial decision of their lives are paraded through prospective student tours—essentially timeshare presentations for minors—and finally make an arbitrary pick where they will… Continue reading Why the college bubble won’t pop

Why did inflation spiral out of control: a retrospective

This aged poorly Sorry, deficit hawks: low interest rates are here to stay And then in April 2022 he reverses course, arguing that policy makers are not doing enough about inflation. The timing of first article, August 19, 2021, couldn’t have been worse. Although inflation was starting to pick up a bit, treasury yields were… Continue reading Why did inflation spiral out of control: a retrospective

School and College: it’s more than just conformity and obedience

It’s intellectually trendy nowadays to downplay the importance and or significance of college. Some common arguments I see are: “It’s just signaling” “It’s just conformity/obedience” “College is only good for measuring conscientiousness” There is truth to all of these. But I still stand by the perhaps less popular assertion that college, especially for STEM but… Continue reading School and College: it’s more than just conformity and obedience