Category: Uncategorized

If one does a Google search for why Communism is appealing to some, the results, like most Google searches, are underwhelming, full of low-quality Quora links and other crud. No one can provide an adequate explanation for why Communism, but also Nazism and other totalitarian ideologies, are appealing to some. How could anyone support these… Continue reading The appeal of Communism and similar collectivist ideologies

Trump signed a spending bill which was, predictably, underwhelming. Some pundits are arguing that that Trump may be impeached if the GOP loses the House, or that Trump may lose in 2020 due to waffling on important issues. As I said before, politics is about identity and affiliation first and logical consistency and issues second.… Continue reading Trump analysis

Yes, Jordan Peterson Really Is That Smart The title is somewhat misleading because by ‘smart’ the author means media savvy and nuanced, not smart as in an IQ score. Dr. Peterson estimates his own IQ to be 150, which is a 1/5,000 rarity score. This means by every measure Dr. Peterson is really smart. This… Continue reading Dr. Peterson is really smart

Facebook is reportedly under FTC investigation over its handling of user data Apparently Facebook helped itself to too much user data, evoking the ire of lawmakers and some of the public [which I will get to shortly]. My prediction is, this will blow over. The left is saying Facebook’s troubles could be the start of… Continue reading The FTC investigation of Facebook, analysis

The news cycle has been glacial as of late. A year ago, the left was certain Muller/FBI had a bombshell against Trump and by 2018 Trump would be packing his bags, but now 14 months into his presidency, the left is not an inch closer to getting Trump impeached than they were a year ago.… Continue reading The daily view 3/21/2018

The Role of Luck in Life Success Is Far Greater Than We Realized As a hard-line biological determinist, a few years ago I would have dismissed the importance of luck, and although I’m still a determinist, I now realize that luck plays a much bigger role in terms of individual success than I previously thought.… Continue reading The Role of Luck in Life Success

A couple days ago, I dismissed the possibility of America having the same fate as the Roman Empire. But the question of collapse is a common theme of the far-right, and I wish I had a better answer to the collapse question than “It won’t happen.” So after some rumination, I have found a scenario… Continue reading A Scenario for how America Falters

The coin massacre continues: Bitcoin has now fallen 4000 points since I put out my memo 2.5 weeks ago telling people to sell. Will there be a price that if Bitcoin hits, my bearish thesis will be invalidated? The answer is, Bitcoin is never going to go high enough that I would have to make… Continue reading The coin massacre continues

This article went viral: “Peak Civilization”: The Fall of the Roman Empire A silver mask that had belonged to a Roman cavalryman of imperial times. It was found on the site of the battle of Teutoburg, fought in September 9 a.d. This year, 2009, marks the 2000th anniversary of the battle that led to the… Continue reading Is America Rome 2.0? Likely not

The news cycle has been pretty slow as of late, with the exception of tariffs and such, which as discussed last week are of scant economic significance despite all media attention. The administration revolving door keeps spinning, with Tillerson, McMaster, and Gary Cohn out. Given that the administration still seems to be suffering from the… Continue reading Some random thoughts