![](\"/assets/images/RogueOne.jpg\")
Following the release of J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens, the Star Wars franchise arguably is as popular as it’s ever been. But it also finds itself standing at a crossroads. In response to George Lucas' polarizing prequel trilogy, the sci-fi saga has worked to resurrect its original image and feel - and while that has meant a wonderful return to practical filmmaking and concise storytelling, it also led Abrams' movie to feel like an echo of A New Hope, the 1977 blockbuster that started it all. This has raised an important uncertainty amongst fans: can new Star Wars titles remain beholden to what made the classic films great, while simultaneously developing unique and special narratives? Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story proves that the answer to this question is an unequivocal “Yes.”
\n\nFinding the balance between the old and new within Rogue One starts with its conceit and approach, magnifying a story audiences think they already know with an aesthetic that’s fresh within this franchise. Expanding a single line from the opening crawl of A New Hope, Rogue One tells the tale of the rebel spies who stole the original plans for the Death Star, all while putting a much heavier emphasis on the “Wars” aspect of Star Wars and exploring a gritty, more realistic feel. The combination not only lends itself to a thrilling, fun and dark narrative that is full of legitimate surprises, but even allows the introduction of elements and details that actually make its predecessors stronger. It’s a film that introduces exciting original characters, worlds and ideas while also managing to give us some of the best Darth Vader material that we’ve ever seen.
\n\nInstrumental in this is Rogue One’s new ensemble of protagonists – none of whom have any direct connections to previously established heroes (which is incredibly important within trying to open up the universe beyond the Skywalker clan). While Star Wars has notoriously always operated in black and white morality – the Rebels purely representing good, and the Empire evil –the Rogue One script by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy introduces important grey areas that emerge naturally from the reality of the subject matter, and effectively add depth to the characters and the stakes of their mission.
\n\nAt the head of this is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a young woman who has spent her life on the run from the Empire doing anything required in order to survive – but it fully extends to her compatriots as well, from Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel spy whose commitment to the cause has taken him down some extremely dark roads; to Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), an Imperial cargo pilot who defects in hopes of repentance. It can’t be said that these characters wind up undergoing extreme arcs that make them different people by the time the movie is over, but each of them enhances the story being told, and they all have vital roles to play within it – deepening themes of hope and sacrifice that have always been inherent to Star Wars.
\n\nAll of this may seem to point to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story being an entirely bleak affair, but working to measure tone is actually yet another one of the movie’s strengths. Audiences definitely won’t be laughing whenever the Empire is flexing its muscles (or really during any scene featuring Ben Mendelsohn’s intimidating Lt. Commander Orson Krennic), but it certainly does have a sense of humor that derives organically. While never being anything as reductive as “comic relief,” the greatest assets the film has in this respect are unquestionably Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe (a blind warrior monk with a deep faith in The Force), and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid that has a tendency to say exactly what’s on its mind). Much more than just delivering quippy lines, their best moments really just come from their natural attitudes and interactions – whether it’s their individual contempt for authority, or fun relationships with the other members of their team (particularly Wen Jiang’s heavy gun-toting Baze Malbus and Jyn Erso, respectively). This levity that not only prevents the blockbuster from feeling overly harsh and dreary, but endears you to the heroes and makes you root for their victory and survival that much more.
\n\nIt’s a similar balance that plays into Rogue One’s style and action as well, somehow managing to be both unlike anything we’ve seen before from the franchise, while also being undeniably Star Wars. Gareth Edwards' on-the-ground approach during the movie’s many bombastic and exciting action sequences makes you feel the dirt spray on your face, and actually experience the danger and consequences of the battles – an element that hasn’t been featured in these movies before. There is an incredible variety established within the set pieces as well, not only in setting, fighting style and weaponry, but also just from a creative aesthetic perspective – with many new kinds of Stormtroopers featured and even a few new spaceships thrown into the mix. Most importantly, every bit of action is important and furthers the plot in a significant way, all leading to a third act and final climatic Rebels vs. Empire showdown that can be described with no other term than “perfect.”
\n\nThere are elements of Rogue One that do somewhat hold the film back – such as a few underdeveloped plot elements, and a desire to see more of the relationship between Orson Krennic and Mads Mikkelson’s Galen Erso (Jyn’s father and the creator of the Death Star) – but these are minor issues in the grand scheme. Much more significant is the specific vision of Gareth Edwards, the fantastic plot execution, and it’s deep connection to what makes these movies great in the first place - all of which spell incredible things for the future of Star Wars. If the franchise can continually pull off blockbusters with the same level of creative energy and the proper amount of reverence as Rogue One does, there’s every reason to expect greatness for years to come.
\n", "content_html": "
Following the release of J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens, the Star Wars franchise arguably is as popular as it’s ever been. But it also finds itself standing at a crossroads. In response to George Lucas' polarizing prequel trilogy, the sci-fi saga has worked to resurrect its original image and feel - and while that has meant a wonderful return to practical filmmaking and concise storytelling, it also led Abrams' movie to feel like an echo of A New Hope, the 1977 blockbuster that started it all. This has raised an important uncertainty amongst fans: can new Star Wars titles remain beholden to what made the classic films great, while simultaneously developing unique and special narratives? Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story proves that the answer to this question is an unequivocal “Yes.”
\n\nFinding the balance between the old and new within Rogue One starts with its conceit and approach, magnifying a story audiences think they already know with an aesthetic that’s fresh within this franchise. Expanding a single line from the opening crawl of A New Hope, Rogue One tells the tale of the rebel spies who stole the original plans for the Death Star, all while putting a much heavier emphasis on the “Wars” aspect of Star Wars and exploring a gritty, more realistic feel. The combination not only lends itself to a thrilling, fun and dark narrative that is full of legitimate surprises, but even allows the introduction of elements and details that actually make its predecessors stronger. It’s a film that introduces exciting original characters, worlds and ideas while also managing to give us some of the best Darth Vader material that we’ve ever seen.
\n\nInstrumental in this is Rogue One’s new ensemble of protagonists – none of whom have any direct connections to previously established heroes (which is incredibly important within trying to open up the universe beyond the Skywalker clan). While Star Wars has notoriously always operated in black and white morality – the Rebels purely representing good, and the Empire evil –the Rogue One script by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy introduces important grey areas that emerge naturally from the reality of the subject matter, and effectively add depth to the characters and the stakes of their mission.
\n\nAt the head of this is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a young woman who has spent her life on the run from the Empire doing anything required in order to survive – but it fully extends to her compatriots as well, from Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel spy whose commitment to the cause has taken him down some extremely dark roads; to Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), an Imperial cargo pilot who defects in hopes of repentance. It can’t be said that these characters wind up undergoing extreme arcs that make them different people by the time the movie is over, but each of them enhances the story being told, and they all have vital roles to play within it – deepening themes of hope and sacrifice that have always been inherent to Star Wars.
\n\nAll of this may seem to point to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story being an entirely bleak affair, but working to measure tone is actually yet another one of the movie’s strengths. Audiences definitely won’t be laughing whenever the Empire is flexing its muscles (or really during any scene featuring Ben Mendelsohn’s intimidating Lt. Commander Orson Krennic), but it certainly does have a sense of humor that derives organically. While never being anything as reductive as “comic relief,” the greatest assets the film has in this respect are unquestionably Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe (a blind warrior monk with a deep faith in The Force), and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid that has a tendency to say exactly what’s on its mind). Much more than just delivering quippy lines, their best moments really just come from their natural attitudes and interactions – whether it’s their individual contempt for authority, or fun relationships with the other members of their team (particularly Wen Jiang’s heavy gun-toting Baze Malbus and Jyn Erso, respectively). This levity that not only prevents the blockbuster from feeling overly harsh and dreary, but endears you to the heroes and makes you root for their victory and survival that much more.
\n\nIt’s a similar balance that plays into Rogue One’s style and action as well, somehow managing to be both unlike anything we’ve seen before from the franchise, while also being undeniably Star Wars. Gareth Edwards' on-the-ground approach during the movie’s many bombastic and exciting action sequences makes you feel the dirt spray on your face, and actually experience the danger and consequences of the battles – an element that hasn’t been featured in these movies before. There is an incredible variety established within the set pieces as well, not only in setting, fighting style and weaponry, but also just from a creative aesthetic perspective – with many new kinds of Stormtroopers featured and even a few new spaceships thrown into the mix. Most importantly, every bit of action is important and furthers the plot in a significant way, all leading to a third act and final climatic Rebels vs. Empire showdown that can be described with no other term than “perfect.”
\n\nThere are elements of Rogue One that do somewhat hold the film back – such as a few underdeveloped plot elements, and a desire to see more of the relationship between Orson Krennic and Mads Mikkelson’s Galen Erso (Jyn’s father and the creator of the Death Star) – but these are minor issues in the grand scheme. Much more significant is the specific vision of Gareth Edwards, the fantastic plot execution, and it’s deep connection to what makes these movies great in the first place - all of which spell incredible things for the future of Star Wars. If the franchise can continually pull off blockbusters with the same level of creative energy and the proper amount of reverence as Rogue One does, there’s every reason to expect greatness for years to come.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/21/gradually-then-suddenly/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/21/gradually-then-suddenly/", "title": "Gradually, Then Suddenly", "date_published": "2019-01-21T02:23:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-01-21T02:23:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Tim O’Reilly writes about some technology-related changes happening in the world where incremental advances in recent years are set to soon become pervasive.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "2) The rest of the world is leapfrogging the US
The volume of mobile payments in China is $13 trillion versus the US’s $50 billion, while credit cards never took hold. Already Zipline’s on-demand drones are delivering 20% of all blood supplies in Rwanda and will be coming soon to other countries (including the US). In each case, the lack of existing infrastructure turned out to be an advantage in adopting a radically new model. Expect to see this pattern recur, as incumbents and old thinking hold back the adoption of new models.
Tim O’Reilly writes about some technology-related changes happening in the world where incremental advances in recent years are set to soon become pervasive.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/22/impeaching-donald-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/22/impeaching-donald-trump/", "title": "Impeaching Donald Trump", "date_published": "2019-01-22T12:10:13-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-01-22T12:10:13-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "2) The rest of the world is leapfrogging the US
The volume of mobile payments in China is $13 trillion versus the US’s $50 billion, while credit cards never took hold. Already Zipline’s on-demand drones are delivering 20% of all blood supplies in Rwanda and will be coming soon to other countries (including the US). In each case, the lack of existing infrastructure turned out to be an advantage in adopting a radically new model. Expect to see this pattern recur, as incumbents and old thinking hold back the adoption of new models.
Yoni Appelbaum clearly and methodically lays out the case that Congress should begin the impeachment process against Donald Trump in The Atlantic.
\n\n\n\n\nThe oath of office is a president’s promise to subordinate his private desires to the public interest, to serve the nation as a whole rather than any faction within it. Trump displays no evidence that he understands these obligations. To the contrary, he has routinely privileged his self-interest above the responsibilities of the presidency. He has failed to disclose or divest himself from his extensive financial interests, instead using the platform of the presidency to promote them. This has encouraged a wide array of actors, domestic and foreign, to seek to influence his decisions by funneling cash to properties such as Mar-a-Lago (the “Winter White House,” as Trump has branded it) and his hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. Courts are now considering whether some of those payments violate the Constitution.
More troubling still, Trump has demanded that public officials put their loyalty to him ahead of their duty to the public. On his first full day in office, he ordered his press secretary to lie about the size of his inaugural crowd. He never forgave his first attorney general for failing to shut down investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and ultimately forced his resignation. “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty,” Trump told his first FBI director, and then fired him when he refused to pledge it.
Trump has evinced little respect for the rule of law, attempting to have the Department of Justice launch criminal probes into his critics and political adversaries. He has repeatedly attacked both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His efforts to mislead, impede, and shut down Mueller’s investigation have now led the special counsel to consider whether the president obstructed justice.
America has urgent challenges to address on behalf of all of its citizens and they’re just not getting much consideration. Instead, we’ve given the attention of the country over to a clown and a charlatan who wants nothing more than for everyone to adore and enrich him.
\n", "content_html": "Yoni Appelbaum clearly and methodically lays out the case that Congress should begin the impeachment process against Donald Trump in The Atlantic.
\n\n\n\n\nThe oath of office is a president’s promise to subordinate his private desires to the public interest, to serve the nation as a whole rather than any faction within it. Trump displays no evidence that he understands these obligations. To the contrary, he has routinely privileged his self-interest above the responsibilities of the presidency. He has failed to disclose or divest himself from his extensive financial interests, instead using the platform of the presidency to promote them. This has encouraged a wide array of actors, domestic and foreign, to seek to influence his decisions by funneling cash to properties such as Mar-a-Lago (the “Winter White House,” as Trump has branded it) and his hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. Courts are now considering whether some of those payments violate the Constitution.
More troubling still, Trump has demanded that public officials put their loyalty to him ahead of their duty to the public. On his first full day in office, he ordered his press secretary to lie about the size of his inaugural crowd. He never forgave his first attorney general for failing to shut down investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and ultimately forced his resignation. “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty,” Trump told his first FBI director, and then fired him when he refused to pledge it.
Trump has evinced little respect for the rule of law, attempting to have the Department of Justice launch criminal probes into his critics and political adversaries. He has repeatedly attacked both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His efforts to mislead, impede, and shut down Mueller’s investigation have now led the special counsel to consider whether the president obstructed justice.
America has urgent challenges to address on behalf of all of its citizens and they’re just not getting much consideration. Instead, we’ve given the attention of the country over to a clown and a charlatan who wants nothing more than for everyone to adore and enrich him.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/25/xml-v-json/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/25/xml-v-json/", "title": "XML v JSON", "date_published": "2019-01-25T01:24:30-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-01-25T01:24:30-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "XML and JSON are the two most common formats for data interchange in the Web today. XML was created by the W3C in 1996, and JSON was publicly specified by Douglas Crockford in 2002. Although their purposes are not identical, they are frequently used to accomplish the same task, which is data interchange. Both have well-documented open standards on the Web (RFC 7159, RFC 4825), and both are human and machine-readable. Neither one is absolutely superior to the other, as each is better suited for different use cases.
\n\nThere are several advantages that XML has over JSON. One of the biggest differences between the two is that in XML you can put metadata into the tags in the form of attributes. With JSON, the programmer could accomplish the same goal that metadata achieves by making the entity an object and adding the attributes as members of the object. However, the way XML does it may often be preferable, given the slightly misleading nature of turning something into an object that is not one in the client program. For example, if your C++ program sends an int via JSON and needs metadata to be sent along with it, you would have to make it an object, with one name/value pair for the actual value of the int, and more name/value pairs for each attribute. The program that receives the JSON would read it as an object, when in fact it is not one. While this is a viable solution, it defies one of JSON’s key advantages: “JSON’s structures look like conventional programming language structures. No restructuring is necessary.”[2]
\n\nAlthough I will argue later that this can also be a drawback of XML, its mechanism to resolve name conflicts, prefixes, gives it power that JSON does not have. With prefixes, the programmer has the ability to name two different kinds of entities the same thing.[1] This would be advantageous in situations where the different entities should have the same name in the client program, perhaps if they are used in entirely different scopes.
\n\nAnother advantage of XML is that most browsers render it in a highly readable and organized way. The tree structure of XML lends itself well to this formatting, and allows for browsers to let users to naturally collapse individual tree elements. This feature would be particularly useful in debugging.
\n\nOne of the most significant advantages that XML has over JSON is its ability to communicate mixed content, i.e. strings that contain structured markup. In order to handle this with XML, the programmer need only put the marked-up text within a child tag of the parent in which it belongs. Similar to the metadata situation, since JSON only contains data, there is no such simple way to indicate markup. It would again require storing metadata as data, which could be considered an abuse of the format.
\n\nJSON has several advantages as well. One of the most obvious of these is that JSON is significantly less verbose than XML, because XML necessitates opening and closing tags (or in some cases less verbose self-closing tags), and JSON uses name/value pairs, concisely delineated by “{“ and “}” for objects, “[“ and “]” for arrays, “,” to separate pairs, and “:” to separate name from value. Even when zipped (using gzip), JSON is still smaller and it takes less time to zip it.[6] As determined by Sumaray and Makki as well as Nurseitov, Paulson, Reynolds, and Izurieta in their experimental findings, JSON outperforms XML in a number of ways. First, naturally following from its conciseness, JSON files that contain the same information as their XML counterparts are almost always significantly smaller, which leads to faster transmission and processing. Second, difference in size aside, both groups found that JSON was serialized and deserialized drastically faster than XML.[3][4] Third, the latter study determined that JSON processing outdoes XML in CPU resource utilization. They found that JSON used less total resources, more user CPU, and less system CPU. The experiment used RedHat machines, and RedHat claims that higher user CPU usage is preferable.[3] Unsurprisingly, the Sumaray and Makki study determined that JSON performance is superior to XML on mobile devices too.[4] This makes sense, given that JSON uses less resources, and mobile devices are less powerful than desktop machines.
\n\nYet another advantage that JSON has over XML is that its representation of objects and arrays allows for direct mapping onto the corresponding data structures in the host language, such as objects, records, structs, dictionaries, hash tables, keyed lists, and associative arrays for objects, and arrays, vectors, lists, and sequences for arrays.[2] Although it is perfectly possible to represent these structures in XML, it is only as a function of the parsing, and it takes more code to serialize and deserialize properly. It also would not always be obvious to the reader of arbitrary XML what tags represent an object and what tags represent an array, especially because nested tags can just as easily be structured markup instead. The curly braces and brackets of JSON definitively show the structure of the data. However, this advantage does come with the caveat explained above, that the JSON can inaccurately represent the data if the need arises to send metadata.
\n\nAlthough XML supports namespaces and prefixes, JSON’s handling of name collisions is less verbose than prefixes, and arguably feels more natural with the program using it; in JSON, each object is its own namespace, so names may be repeated as long as they are in different scopes. This may be preferable, as in most programming languages members of different objects can have the same name, because they are distinguished by the names of the objects to which they belong.
\n\nPerhaps the most significant advantage that JSON has over XML is that JSON is a subset of JavaScript, so code to parse and package it fits very naturally into JavaScript code. This seems highly beneficial for JavaScript programs, but does not directly benefit any programs that use languages other than JavaScript. However, this drawback has been largely overcome, as currently the JSON website lists over 175 tools for 64 different programming languages that exist to integrate JSON processing. While I cannot speak to the quality of most of these tools, it is clear that the developer community has embraced JSON and has made it simple to use in many different platforms.
\n\nSimply put, XML’s purpose is document markup. This is decidedly not a purpose of JSON, so XML should be used whenever this is what needs to be done. It accomplishes this purpose by giving semantic meaning to text through its tree-like structure and ability to represent mixed content. Data structures can be represented in XML, but that is not its purpose.
\n\nJSON’s purpose is structured data interchange. It serves this purpose by directly representing objects, arrays, numbers, strings, and booleans. Its purpose is distinctly not document markup. As described above, JSON does not have a natural way to represent mixed content.
\n", "content_html": "XML and JSON are the two most common formats for data interchange in the Web today. XML was created by the W3C in 1996, and JSON was publicly specified by Douglas Crockford in 2002. Although their purposes are not identical, they are frequently used to accomplish the same task, which is data interchange. Both have well-documented open standards on the Web (RFC 7159, RFC 4825), and both are human and machine-readable. Neither one is absolutely superior to the other, as each is better suited for different use cases.
\n\nThere are several advantages that XML has over JSON. One of the biggest differences between the two is that in XML you can put metadata into the tags in the form of attributes. With JSON, the programmer could accomplish the same goal that metadata achieves by making the entity an object and adding the attributes as members of the object. However, the way XML does it may often be preferable, given the slightly misleading nature of turning something into an object that is not one in the client program. For example, if your C++ program sends an int via JSON and needs metadata to be sent along with it, you would have to make it an object, with one name/value pair for the actual value of the int, and more name/value pairs for each attribute. The program that receives the JSON would read it as an object, when in fact it is not one. While this is a viable solution, it defies one of JSON’s key advantages: “JSON’s structures look like conventional programming language structures. No restructuring is necessary.”[2]
\n\nAlthough I will argue later that this can also be a drawback of XML, its mechanism to resolve name conflicts, prefixes, gives it power that JSON does not have. With prefixes, the programmer has the ability to name two different kinds of entities the same thing.[1] This would be advantageous in situations where the different entities should have the same name in the client program, perhaps if they are used in entirely different scopes.
\n\nAnother advantage of XML is that most browsers render it in a highly readable and organized way. The tree structure of XML lends itself well to this formatting, and allows for browsers to let users to naturally collapse individual tree elements. This feature would be particularly useful in debugging.
\n\nOne of the most significant advantages that XML has over JSON is its ability to communicate mixed content, i.e. strings that contain structured markup. In order to handle this with XML, the programmer need only put the marked-up text within a child tag of the parent in which it belongs. Similar to the metadata situation, since JSON only contains data, there is no such simple way to indicate markup. It would again require storing metadata as data, which could be considered an abuse of the format.
\n\nJSON has several advantages as well. One of the most obvious of these is that JSON is significantly less verbose than XML, because XML necessitates opening and closing tags (or in some cases less verbose self-closing tags), and JSON uses name/value pairs, concisely delineated by “{“ and “}” for objects, “[“ and “]” for arrays, “,” to separate pairs, and “:” to separate name from value. Even when zipped (using gzip), JSON is still smaller and it takes less time to zip it.[6] As determined by Sumaray and Makki as well as Nurseitov, Paulson, Reynolds, and Izurieta in their experimental findings, JSON outperforms XML in a number of ways. First, naturally following from its conciseness, JSON files that contain the same information as their XML counterparts are almost always significantly smaller, which leads to faster transmission and processing. Second, difference in size aside, both groups found that JSON was serialized and deserialized drastically faster than XML.[3][4] Third, the latter study determined that JSON processing outdoes XML in CPU resource utilization. They found that JSON used less total resources, more user CPU, and less system CPU. The experiment used RedHat machines, and RedHat claims that higher user CPU usage is preferable.[3] Unsurprisingly, the Sumaray and Makki study determined that JSON performance is superior to XML on mobile devices too.[4] This makes sense, given that JSON uses less resources, and mobile devices are less powerful than desktop machines.
\n\nYet another advantage that JSON has over XML is that its representation of objects and arrays allows for direct mapping onto the corresponding data structures in the host language, such as objects, records, structs, dictionaries, hash tables, keyed lists, and associative arrays for objects, and arrays, vectors, lists, and sequences for arrays.[2] Although it is perfectly possible to represent these structures in XML, it is only as a function of the parsing, and it takes more code to serialize and deserialize properly. It also would not always be obvious to the reader of arbitrary XML what tags represent an object and what tags represent an array, especially because nested tags can just as easily be structured markup instead. The curly braces and brackets of JSON definitively show the structure of the data. However, this advantage does come with the caveat explained above, that the JSON can inaccurately represent the data if the need arises to send metadata.
\n\nAlthough XML supports namespaces and prefixes, JSON’s handling of name collisions is less verbose than prefixes, and arguably feels more natural with the program using it; in JSON, each object is its own namespace, so names may be repeated as long as they are in different scopes. This may be preferable, as in most programming languages members of different objects can have the same name, because they are distinguished by the names of the objects to which they belong.
\n\nPerhaps the most significant advantage that JSON has over XML is that JSON is a subset of JavaScript, so code to parse and package it fits very naturally into JavaScript code. This seems highly beneficial for JavaScript programs, but does not directly benefit any programs that use languages other than JavaScript. However, this drawback has been largely overcome, as currently the JSON website lists over 175 tools for 64 different programming languages that exist to integrate JSON processing. While I cannot speak to the quality of most of these tools, it is clear that the developer community has embraced JSON and has made it simple to use in many different platforms.
\n\nSimply put, XML’s purpose is document markup. This is decidedly not a purpose of JSON, so XML should be used whenever this is what needs to be done. It accomplishes this purpose by giving semantic meaning to text through its tree-like structure and ability to represent mixed content. Data structures can be represented in XML, but that is not its purpose.
\n\nJSON’s purpose is structured data interchange. It serves this purpose by directly representing objects, arrays, numbers, strings, and booleans. Its purpose is distinctly not document markup. As described above, JSON does not have a natural way to represent mixed content.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/31/what-global-warming/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/01/31/what-global-warming/", "title": "What Global Warming?", "date_published": "2019-01-31T00:18:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-01-31T00:18:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/images/polarvortex-2019.png\")
Millions of Americans in the midwdest woke up to temperatures an astonishing 50 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) below normal this week – as low as 35 degrees below zero. Combine with a strong wind, and the winchill can be as low as -60 F. At the same time, the North Pole is facing a heat wave with temperatures approaching the freezing point – about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (14 C) above normal.
\n\nThis cold is nothing to sneeze at. The National Weather Service is warning of brutal, life-threatening conditions. Frostbite will strike fast on any exposed skin. Of course the climate change deniers are all out in force smugly asking “What ever happend to Global Warming?”
\n\n\nIn the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
\nJennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, writes that the polar vortex bringing cold air into the Midwest is connected to the rapidly warming Arctic.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Because of rapid Arctic warming, the north/south temperature difference has diminished. This reduces pressure differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, weakening jet stream winds. And just as slow-moving rivers typically take a winding route, a slower-flowing jet stream tends to meander.
Large north/south undulations in the jet stream generate wave energy in the atmosphere. If they are wavy and persistent enough, the energy can travel upward and disrupt the stratospheric polar vortex. Sometimes this upper vortex becomes so distorted that it splits into two or more swirling eddies.
These “daughter” vortices tend to wander southward, bringing their very cold air with them and leaving behind a warmer-than-normal Arctic.
Millions of Americans in the midwdest woke up to temperatures an astonishing 50 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) below normal this week – as low as 35 degrees below zero. Combine with a strong wind, and the winchill can be as low as -60 F. At the same time, the North Pole is facing a heat wave with temperatures approaching the freezing point – about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (14 C) above normal.
\n\nThis cold is nothing to sneeze at. The National Weather Service is warning of brutal, life-threatening conditions. Frostbite will strike fast on any exposed skin. Of course the climate change deniers are all out in force smugly asking “What ever happend to Global Warming?”
\n\n\nIn the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019
\nJennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, writes that the polar vortex bringing cold air into the Midwest is connected to the rapidly warming Arctic.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/02/01/snl-cards/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/02/01/snl-cards/", "title": "SNL Cards", "date_published": "2019-02-01T13:34:07-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-01T13:34:07-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Because of rapid Arctic warming, the north/south temperature difference has diminished. This reduces pressure differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, weakening jet stream winds. And just as slow-moving rivers typically take a winding route, a slower-flowing jet stream tends to meander.
Large north/south undulations in the jet stream generate wave energy in the atmosphere. If they are wavy and persistent enough, the energy can travel upward and disrupt the stratospheric polar vortex. Sometimes this upper vortex becomes so distorted that it splits into two or more swirling eddies.
These “daughter” vortices tend to wander southward, bringing their very cold air with them and leaving behind a warmer-than-normal Arctic.
\nIts kind of amazing how this is still a manual process. Sure the cards could be printed digitally, but I think the actors appreciate the “human” touch involved. Some things are just best done in the analog world.
\nIts kind of amazing how this is still a manual process. Sure the cards could be printed digitally, but I think the actors appreciate the “human” touch involved. Some things are just best done in the analog world.
\n\nUnlike @Facebook, which has no real competition, @Apple’s app ecosystem is dwarfed by Android and its apps. If you prefer much looser enforcement vs bad actors, more malware, less privacy and a platform maker that itself collects private information by the ton, you have a choice.
— Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) January 31, 2019
Control has its benefits. Facebook and Google really need to emulate Apple and protect their users.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nUnlike @Facebook, which has no real competition, @Apple’s app ecosystem is dwarfed by Android and its apps. If you prefer much looser enforcement vs bad actors, more malware, less privacy and a platform maker that itself collects private information by the ton, you have a choice.
— Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) January 31, 2019
Control has its benefits. Facebook and Google really need to emulate Apple and protect their users.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/02/08/queen-of-condescending-applause/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/02/08/queen-of-condescending-applause/", "title": "The Clap", "date_published": "2019-02-08T02:29:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-02-08T02:29:22-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From an editorial from Monica Hesse in the Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n\n“You weren’t supposed to do that,” he said, chiding them for unexpectedly cheering at a moment he hadn’t anticipated.
No, they weren’t. The attention was to have been on him. This was to have been an uninterrupted performance.
But instead, Nancy Pelosi clapped for the president, and a group of congresswomen sat for the president, and they both displayed the art of stealing someone’s thunder without saying anything at all.
![](\"/images/PelosiOneHandClap.jpg\")
This is the look of a women who knows something that we are all going to find out very soon. This just might be the image that defines the Trump presidency.
\n", "content_html": "From an editorial from Monica Hesse in the Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n\n“You weren’t supposed to do that,” he said, chiding them for unexpectedly cheering at a moment he hadn’t anticipated.
No, they weren’t. The attention was to have been on him. This was to have been an uninterrupted performance.
But instead, Nancy Pelosi clapped for the president, and a group of congresswomen sat for the president, and they both displayed the art of stealing someone’s thunder without saying anything at all.
This is the look of a women who knows something that we are all going to find out very soon. This just might be the image that defines the Trump presidency.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/05/16/gps-distance/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/05/16/gps-distance/", "title": "GPS Distance", "date_published": "2019-05-16T03:23:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-05-16T03:23:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I recently had to calculate the distance between a large number of co-ordinates. I could have used one of the many Ruby Gems that are available but due to business limitations had to develop the code myself. After some research I came across the haversine formula.
\n\n\n\nThe haversine formula is an equation important in navigation, giving great-circle distances between two points on a sphere from their longitudes and latitudes. It is a special case of a more general formula in spherical trigonometry, the law of haversines, relating the sides and angles of spherical triangles.
You can read the full details on the maths here. For those who just want the code here is the implemenation I came up with:
\n\nmodule GPS\n class Distance\n RAD_PER_DEG = Math::PI / 180\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES = 3956\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS = 6371 # some algorithms use 6367\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_FEET = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES * 5280\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_METERS = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS * 1000\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_NAUTICAL_MILES = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES / 1.15078\n\n attr_accessor :great_circle_distance\n attr_accessor :point1\n attr_accessor :point2\n\n def initialize(great_circle_distance = 0)\n @great_circle_distance = great_circle_distance\n @point1 = [0,0]\n @point2 = [0,0]\n end\n\n def to_miles\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES\n end\n alias_method :to_mi, :to_miles\n\n def to_kilometers\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS\n end\n alias_method :to_km, :to_kilometers\n\n def to_meters\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_METERS\n end\n alias_method :to_m, :to_meters\n\n def to_feet\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_FEET\n end\n alias_method :to_ft, :to_feet\n\n def to_nautical_miles\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_NAUTICAL_MILES\n end\n alias_method :to_nm, :to_nautical_miles\n\n private\n\n # Radians per degree\n def rpd(num)\n num * RAD_PER_DEG\n end\n\n def calculate\n # Accept two arrays of points in addition to four coordinates\n if point1.is_a?(Array) && point2.is_a?(Array)\n lat2, lon2 = point2\n lat1, lon1 = point1\n elsif\n raise ArgumentError\n end\n dlon = lon2 - lon1\n dlat = lat2 - lat1\n a = (Math.sin(rpd(dlat)/2))**2 + Math.cos(rpd(lat1)) * Math.cos((rpd(lat2))) * (Math.sin(rpd(dlon)/2))**2\n @great_circle_distance = 2 * Math.atan2( Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1-a))\n end\n end\nend\nHere is a quick script on how to use it:
\n\nirb(main):001:0> d = GPS::Distance.new\n=> #<GPS::Distance:0x007fb93b036050 @great_circle_distance=0, @point1=[0, 0], @point2=[0, 0]>\nirb(main):002:0> d.point1 = [40.7457395,-73.991623]\n=> [40.7457395, -73.991623]\nirb(main):003:0> d.point2 = [40.9176771,-74.2082467]\n=> [40.9176771, -74.2082467]\nirb(main):004:0> d.to_meters\n=> 26413.70207758391\nirb(main):005:0> d.to_kilometers\n=> 26.413702077583906\nirb(main):006:0> d.to_miles\n=> 16.40128793265138\nirb(main):007:0> d.to_feet\n=> 86598.80028439929\nirb(main):008:0>\nHope this helps. If you have any questions, or comments feel free to leave a message or contact me directly.
\n", "content_html": "I recently had to calculate the distance between a large number of co-ordinates. I could have used one of the many Ruby Gems that are available but due to business limitations had to develop the code myself. After some research I came across the haversine formula.
\n\n\n\nThe haversine formula is an equation important in navigation, giving great-circle distances between two points on a sphere from their longitudes and latitudes. It is a special case of a more general formula in spherical trigonometry, the law of haversines, relating the sides and angles of spherical triangles.
You can read the full details on the maths here. For those who just want the code here is the implemenation I came up with:
\n\nmodule GPS\n class Distance\n RAD_PER_DEG = Math::PI / 180\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES = 3956\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS = 6371 # some algorithms use 6367\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_FEET = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES * 5280\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_METERS = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS * 1000\n GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_NAUTICAL_MILES = GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES / 1.15078\n\n attr_accessor :great_circle_distance\n attr_accessor :point1\n attr_accessor :point2\n\n def initialize(great_circle_distance = 0)\n @great_circle_distance = great_circle_distance\n @point1 = [0,0]\n @point2 = [0,0]\n end\n\n def to_miles\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_MILES\n end\n alias_method :to_mi, :to_miles\n\n def to_kilometers\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_KILOMETERS\n end\n alias_method :to_km, :to_kilometers\n\n def to_meters\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_METERS\n end\n alias_method :to_m, :to_meters\n\n def to_feet\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_FEET\n end\n alias_method :to_ft, :to_feet\n\n def to_nautical_miles\n calculate\n @great_circle_distance * GREAT_CIRCLE_RADIUS_NAUTICAL_MILES\n end\n alias_method :to_nm, :to_nautical_miles\n\n private\n\n # Radians per degree\n def rpd(num)\n num * RAD_PER_DEG\n end\n\n def calculate\n # Accept two arrays of points in addition to four coordinates\n if point1.is_a?(Array) && point2.is_a?(Array)\n lat2, lon2 = point2\n lat1, lon1 = point1\n elsif\n raise ArgumentError\n end\n dlon = lon2 - lon1\n dlat = lat2 - lat1\n a = (Math.sin(rpd(dlat)/2))**2 + Math.cos(rpd(lat1)) * Math.cos((rpd(lat2))) * (Math.sin(rpd(dlon)/2))**2\n @great_circle_distance = 2 * Math.atan2( Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1-a))\n end\n end\nend\nHere is a quick script on how to use it:
\n\nirb(main):001:0> d = GPS::Distance.new\n=> #<GPS::Distance:0x007fb93b036050 @great_circle_distance=0, @point1=[0, 0], @point2=[0, 0]>\nirb(main):002:0> d.point1 = [40.7457395,-73.991623]\n=> [40.7457395, -73.991623]\nirb(main):003:0> d.point2 = [40.9176771,-74.2082467]\n=> [40.9176771, -74.2082467]\nirb(main):004:0> d.to_meters\n=> 26413.70207758391\nirb(main):005:0> d.to_kilometers\n=> 26.413702077583906\nirb(main):006:0> d.to_miles\n=> 16.40128793265138\nirb(main):007:0> d.to_feet\n=> 86598.80028439929\nirb(main):008:0>\nHope this helps. If you have any questions, or comments feel free to leave a message or contact me directly.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/06/13/stewart-s-defense-of-9-slash-11-first-responders/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/06/13/stewart-s-defense-of-9-slash-11-first-responders/", "title": "Stewart's Defense of 9/11 First Responders", "date_published": "2019-06-13T23:48:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-06-13T23:48:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you didn’t have the opportunity yesterday to watch Jon Stewart’s scathing and powerful opening statement before a House subcommittee about providing health benefits for surviving 9/11 first responders, you really should; it’s quite something:
\n\n\n\n\nAs I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to. Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me a nearly empty Congress.
Shameful. It’s an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution. You should be ashamed of yourselves, for those that aren’t here, but you won’t be. Because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber.
\nThis is the kind of talk we need in modern politics. If Stewart runs for office, he has my vote.
If you didn’t have the opportunity yesterday to watch Jon Stewart’s scathing and powerful opening statement before a House subcommittee about providing health benefits for surviving 9/11 first responders, you really should; it’s quite something:
\n\n\n\n\nAs I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to. Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me a nearly empty Congress.
Shameful. It’s an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution. You should be ashamed of yourselves, for those that aren’t here, but you won’t be. Because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber.
\nThis is the kind of talk we need in modern politics. If Stewart runs for office, he has my vote.
![](\"/assets/images/loose_election.jpg\")
Last week’s Democratic debate - lets just say it was depressing. Besides going on and on about how much the Democrats care about illegal aliens - and I get it, I am a supporter of treating people entering our country illegal or not - with dignity and respect. But when asked the question - do you think illegal immigrations should receive health care? - everyone candidate raised their hand.
\n\nWhat I wish they said was – “Yes. As should every American”
\n", "content_html": "
Last week’s Democratic debate - lets just say it was depressing. Besides going on and on about how much the Democrats care about illegal aliens - and I get it, I am a supporter of treating people entering our country illegal or not - with dignity and respect. But when asked the question - do you think illegal immigrations should receive health care? - everyone candidate raised their hand.
\n\nWhat I wish they said was – “Yes. As should every American”
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/01/that-answer-is-unacceptable/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/01/that-answer-is-unacceptable/", "title": "that answer is unacceptable", "date_published": "2019-07-01T00:52:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-07-01T00:52:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\n
When asked by Rachel Maddow, “Why isn’t [the Afghanistan war] over? Why can’t presidents of very different parties and very different temperaments get us out of there? And how could you?” Ryan had a ready, pre planned scripted answer:
\n\n\n\n\nI appreciate that question. So I—I’ve been in Congress 17 years and 12 of those years I’ve sat on the Armed Services Committee either the Defense Appropriations Committee or the Armed Services Committee. And the lesson that I’ve learned over the years is that you have to stay engaged in these situations. Nobody likes it. It’s long. It’s tedious.
Ryan didn’t answer the question. He didn’t talk of American goals, exit strategies or cost. Instead he was defending a war that is in its 18th year which has no end in site. A war in which we just lost two more - bringing the total to 3,551 Americans. No policy statement. No stance on the subject. Just we need to do more of the same - that I have done for the last 17 years.
\n\nAnd Tulsi Gabbard offered the best foreign policy statement of the night:
\n\n\n\n\nIs that what you will tell the parents of those two soldiers who were just killed in Afghanistan? Well, we just have to be engaged? As a soldier, I will tell you that answer is unacceptable. We have to bring our troops home from Afghanistan…We have spent so much money. Money that’s coming out of every one of our pockets…We are no better off in Afghanistan today than we were when this war began. This is why it is so important to have a president — commander in chief who knows the cost of war and is ready to do the job on day one.
This is what the Democratic party needs more of – simple, direct and common sense policy. You want to win against Trump – that is how you do it.
\n", "content_html": "
\n
When asked by Rachel Maddow, “Why isn’t [the Afghanistan war] over? Why can’t presidents of very different parties and very different temperaments get us out of there? And how could you?” Ryan had a ready, pre planned scripted answer:
\n\n\n\n\nI appreciate that question. So I—I’ve been in Congress 17 years and 12 of those years I’ve sat on the Armed Services Committee either the Defense Appropriations Committee or the Armed Services Committee. And the lesson that I’ve learned over the years is that you have to stay engaged in these situations. Nobody likes it. It’s long. It’s tedious.
Ryan didn’t answer the question. He didn’t talk of American goals, exit strategies or cost. Instead he was defending a war that is in its 18th year which has no end in site. A war in which we just lost two more - bringing the total to 3,551 Americans. No policy statement. No stance on the subject. Just we need to do more of the same - that I have done for the last 17 years.
\n\nAnd Tulsi Gabbard offered the best foreign policy statement of the night:
\n\n\n\n\nIs that what you will tell the parents of those two soldiers who were just killed in Afghanistan? Well, we just have to be engaged? As a soldier, I will tell you that answer is unacceptable. We have to bring our troops home from Afghanistan…We have spent so much money. Money that’s coming out of every one of our pockets…We are no better off in Afghanistan today than we were when this war began. This is why it is so important to have a president — commander in chief who knows the cost of war and is ready to do the job on day one.
This is what the Democratic party needs more of – simple, direct and common sense policy. You want to win against Trump – that is how you do it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/02/walkman-40-years-old-today/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/02/walkman-40-years-old-today/", "title": "Walkman 40 years old today", "date_published": "2019-07-02T11:49:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-07-02T11:49:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/Walkman.jpg\")
On July 1 of 1979 - Sony first began to sell the TPS-L2 Soundabout, and soon rechristened the Walkman.
\n\nIt’s weird to think that, in the years before the Walkman, there was no way to listen to music privately while out in public. There were ways to bring music with you — on transistor radios, on boom boxes, on car stereos — but they forced you to subject everyone around you to that music, as well. The Walkman freed us up. It allowed us to make music more a part of our lives, to build our own private soundworlds.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/walman-sports.jpg\")
It was a transformative invention, one of the few that utterly upended the way we listen to music. Soon enough, more and more portable cassette players would hit the market, and the price fortunately dropped. But no matter which company made them, we still used the word “Walkman” to describe them.
\n", "content_html": "
On July 1 of 1979 - Sony first began to sell the TPS-L2 Soundabout, and soon rechristened the Walkman.
\n\nIt’s weird to think that, in the years before the Walkman, there was no way to listen to music privately while out in public. There were ways to bring music with you — on transistor radios, on boom boxes, on car stereos — but they forced you to subject everyone around you to that music, as well. The Walkman freed us up. It allowed us to make music more a part of our lives, to build our own private soundworlds.
\n\n
It was a transformative invention, one of the few that utterly upended the way we listen to music. Soon enough, more and more portable cassette players would hit the market, and the price fortunately dropped. But no matter which company made them, we still used the word “Walkman” to describe them.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/26/a-pixel-is-not-a-square/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/26/a-pixel-is-not-a-square/", "title": "A pixel is not a square!", "date_published": "2019-07-26T16:17:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-07-26T16:17:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A technical memo that I came across by Alvy Ray Smith from July 15, 1995. A good point is made here. Every other book/article/graphics tutorial always models a pixel as a square.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "A pixel is a point sample. It exists only at a point. For a color picture, a pixel might actually contain three samples, one for each primary color contributing to the picture at the sampling point. We can still think of this as a point sample of a color. But we cannot think of a pixel as a square—or anything other than a point. There are cases where the contributions to a pixel can be modeled, in a low-order way, by a little square, but not ever the pixel itself.
A technical memo that I came across by Alvy Ray Smith from July 15, 1995. A good point is made here. Every other book/article/graphics tutorial always models a pixel as a square.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/26/builders-remorse/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/07/26/builders-remorse/", "title": "Builder's Remorse", "date_published": "2019-07-26T16:26:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-07-26T16:26:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A pixel is a point sample. It exists only at a point. For a color picture, a pixel might actually contain three samples, one for each primary color contributing to the picture at the sampling point. We can still think of this as a point sample of a color. But we cannot think of a pixel as a square—or anything other than a point. There are cases where the contributions to a pixel can be modeled, in a low-order way, by a little square, but not ever the pixel itself.
A great post by Tim Carmody on kottke.org.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "This is the builder’s remorse. Not that you invented a thing, not that the consequences were unforeseen. It’s that you gave the thing to a power structure where things were overwhelmingly likely to end in ruin. You gave the power to people who don’t care about what you claim to care about. And that problem, because of the nature and structure of money and power, is extremely hard to avoid.
A great post by Tim Carmody on kottke.org.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/08/04/gun-control/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/08/04/gun-control/", "title": "Gun Control", "date_published": "2019-08-04T19:07:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-08-04T19:07:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This is the builder’s remorse. Not that you invented a thing, not that the consequences were unforeseen. It’s that you gave the thing to a power structure where things were overwhelmingly likely to end in ruin. You gave the power to people who don’t care about what you claim to care about. And that problem, because of the nature and structure of money and power, is extremely hard to avoid.
America’s gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world and its rate of gun-related homicide is the highest. Of the world’s 23 “rich” countries, the U.S. gun-related murder rate is almost 20 times that of the other 22. With almost one privately owned firearm per person, America’s ownership rate is the highest in the world; tribal-conflict-torn Yemen is ranked second, with a rate about half of America’s.
\n\nHere is what gun control looks like in Japan:
\n\n\n\n\nTo get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you’ll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don’t forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.
Contrast this with Texas, USA:
\n\n\n\n\nAnyone can openly carry rifles in Texas without a permit, and a handgun license lets them put semi-automatics over their shoulders or pistols on their hips when they run to the corner store. Spotting an armed Walmart shopper in the produce aisle is not exactly a cultural rarity. When open-carry laws were approved in Texas, Walmart adopted a policy that employees must request to see a shopper's gun license before allowing them to carry their weapon in the store. Open-carry activists were not happy with the corporate decision.
So how does this translate into gun violence? Here are the numbers for 2019 (only half way through the year as of this writing) gun death rates per 100,000 people from World Population Review for Japan & the US.
\n\n| Country | \nTotal | \nHomicide | \nsuicide | \nAccidental | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | \n0.06 | \n0.00 | \n0.04 | \n0.1 | \n
| USA | \n12.21 | \n4.46 | \n7.32 | \n0.15 | \n
And for those who are numerically challenged - here it is visually:
\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\nTo our elected officials - we don’t need our thoughts and prayers. We don’t need the outpouring of emotion and the standard visits with the family. We need GUN CONTROL NOW. Japan’s gun policies would be a great place to start.
America’s gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world and its rate of gun-related homicide is the highest. Of the world’s 23 “rich” countries, the U.S. gun-related murder rate is almost 20 times that of the other 22. With almost one privately owned firearm per person, America’s ownership rate is the highest in the world; tribal-conflict-torn Yemen is ranked second, with a rate about half of America’s.
\n\nHere is what gun control looks like in Japan:
\n\n\n\n\nTo get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you’ll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don’t forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.
Contrast this with Texas, USA:
\n\n\n\n\nAnyone can openly carry rifles in Texas without a permit, and a handgun license lets them put semi-automatics over their shoulders or pistols on their hips when they run to the corner store. Spotting an armed Walmart shopper in the produce aisle is not exactly a cultural rarity. When open-carry laws were approved in Texas, Walmart adopted a policy that employees must request to see a shopper's gun license before allowing them to carry their weapon in the store. Open-carry activists were not happy with the corporate decision.
So how does this translate into gun violence? Here are the numbers for 2019 (only half way through the year as of this writing) gun death rates per 100,000 people from World Population Review for Japan & the US.
\n\n| Country | \nTotal | \nHomicide | \nsuicide | \nAccidental | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | \n0.06 | \n0.00 | \n0.04 | \n0.1 | \n
| USA | \n12.21 | \n4.46 | \n7.32 | \n0.15 | \n
And for those who are numerically challenged - here it is visually:
\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\nTo our elected officials - we don’t need our thoughts and prayers. We don’t need the outpouring of emotion and the standard visits with the family. We need GUN CONTROL NOW. Japan’s gun policies would be a great place to start.
For the Atlantic, Olga Khazan writes about an approach to physical fitness called “greasing the groove”, which some people have translated into the Michael Pollan-esque “lift weight, not too much, most of the days”.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "One way to grease the groove is to just do the exercise whenever you think of it. Ben Greenfield, in Beyond Training, describes how he would do three to five pull-ups every time he walked under a pull-up bar installed in his office doorway. By the end of the day, he’d have performed 30 to 50 pull-ups with minimal effort.
\n\nMcKay opted for something similar: He set up a pull-up bar in his door frame, and every time he walked under it, he would do one. “You’re allowing yourself to practice more without going to fatigue,” he says. “If you’re constantly thrashing your body, doing max sets every time you do a pull up, you’re gonna have a bad time.” Anyone who has tried to climb the stairs to their apartment on achy quads after an overly ambitious leg day knows the risks of overexertion. Within a month, McKay says, he went from being able to do about five pull-ups to about 15.
For the Atlantic, Olga Khazan writes about an approach to physical fitness called “greasing the groove”, which some people have translated into the Michael Pollan-esque “lift weight, not too much, most of the days”.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/01/hal-9000-prop/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/01/hal-9000-prop/", "title": "HAL 9000 Prop", "date_published": "2019-10-01T15:50:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-01T15:50:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "One way to grease the groove is to just do the exercise whenever you think of it. Ben Greenfield, in Beyond Training, describes how he would do three to five pull-ups every time he walked under a pull-up bar installed in his office doorway. By the end of the day, he’d have performed 30 to 50 pull-ups with minimal effort.
\n\nMcKay opted for something similar: He set up a pull-up bar in his door frame, and every time he walked under it, he would do one. “You’re allowing yourself to practice more without going to fatigue,” he says. “If you’re constantly thrashing your body, doing max sets every time you do a pull up, you’re gonna have a bad time.” Anyone who has tried to climb the stairs to their apartment on achy quads after an overly ambitious leg day knows the risks of overexertion. Within a month, McKay says, he went from being able to do about five pull-ups to about 15.
I have always been fascinated by Fisheye lenses. Their crazy 180 degree (and sometimes more!) angle of view leads to some crazy images. However, I could never justify owning one as I had no idea what I would be using one for - besides the occasional goofy portraiture.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/hal9000Lens.jpg\")
But here an interesting article over at Kosmo Foto about another use for a Nikon 8mm F8 Fisheye.
\n\n\n\nHAL 9000 needed to be all-seeing — the film’s plot hinges on his ability to detect a conversation between two of the crew. So he decided to use a camera lens.
\n\nThe on-screen HAL 9000 — the single “eye” in blazing red — was played by one of Nikon’s most extreme lenses, its 8mm f/8 fisheye. But how did they add the glow? Simple — they used the camera’s very own red filter (R60) which screws on to the back of the lens. Then they simply shone a light through it.
Peter Jackson owns one of the original props now, and showed it to Adam Savage. What a clever use for a $1500+ specialty lens.
\n\nThere are so many aspects of 2001: A Space Odyssey that were so dead on. HAL 9000 was everywhere. Quietly listening. Quietly analyzing. And Quietly plotting. Its amazing that all of the devices strewn through out our homes are doing the same thing - our iPhones, Alexa, Google Home, etc.
\n\nGives me the chills…
\n", "content_html": "I have always been fascinated by Fisheye lenses. Their crazy 180 degree (and sometimes more!) angle of view leads to some crazy images. However, I could never justify owning one as I had no idea what I would be using one for - besides the occasional goofy portraiture.
\n\n
But here an interesting article over at Kosmo Foto about another use for a Nikon 8mm F8 Fisheye.
\n\n\n\nHAL 9000 needed to be all-seeing — the film’s plot hinges on his ability to detect a conversation between two of the crew. So he decided to use a camera lens.
\n\nThe on-screen HAL 9000 — the single “eye” in blazing red — was played by one of Nikon’s most extreme lenses, its 8mm f/8 fisheye. But how did they add the glow? Simple — they used the camera’s very own red filter (R60) which screws on to the back of the lens. Then they simply shone a light through it.
Peter Jackson owns one of the original props now, and showed it to Adam Savage. What a clever use for a $1500+ specialty lens.
\n\nThere are so many aspects of 2001: A Space Odyssey that were so dead on. HAL 9000 was everywhere. Quietly listening. Quietly analyzing. And Quietly plotting. Its amazing that all of the devices strewn through out our homes are doing the same thing - our iPhones, Alexa, Google Home, etc.
\n\nGives me the chills…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/04/just-want-normal-libraries/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/04/just-want-normal-libraries/", "title": "We Just want Normal Libraries", "date_published": "2019-10-04T17:43:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-04T17:43:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/library.png\")
Alia Wong writes an interesting article in The Atlantic - talking about how maybe in the digital age we are trying to re-invent what is and alway was unbroken:
\n\n\n\nLikely in the hopes of proving that they have more to offer than a simple internet connection does, many college libraries are pouring resources into interior-design updates and building renovations, or into “glitzy technology,” such as 3-D printers and green screens, that is often housed in “media centers” or “makerspaces.”
\n\nYet much of the glitz may be just that—glitz. Survey data and experts suggest that students generally appreciate libraries most for their simple, traditional offerings: a quiet place to study or collaborate on a group project, the ability to print research papers, and access to books. Notably, many students say they like relying on librarians to help them track down hard-to-find texts or navigate scholarly journal databases. “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers,” as the writer Neil Gaiman once said. “A librarian can bring you back the right one.”
The library has always been for most people a collection of books and a quite place to read them - but it has also been a vital and central infrastructure of a functioning urban society.
\n\nAs best summarized by Ruth Faklis, director of the Prairie Trail Public Library District in suburban Chicago
\n\n\n\nIt never ceases to amaze me just what libraries are looked upon to provide. This includes, but is not limited to, [serving as] keepers of the homeless … while simultaneously offering latch-key children a safe and activity-filled haven. We have been asked to be voter-registration sites, warming stations, notaries, technology-terrorism watchdogs, senior social-gathering centers, election sites, substitute sitters during teacher strikes, and the latest — postmasters. These requests of society are ever evolving. Funding is not generally attached to these magnanimous suggestions, and when it is, it does not cover actual costs of the additional burden, thus stretching the library’s budget even further. I know of no other government entity that is asked to take on additional responsibilities not necessarily aligned with its mission
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
\n", "content_html": "
Alia Wong writes an interesting article in The Atlantic - talking about how maybe in the digital age we are trying to re-invent what is and alway was unbroken:
\n\n\n\nLikely in the hopes of proving that they have more to offer than a simple internet connection does, many college libraries are pouring resources into interior-design updates and building renovations, or into “glitzy technology,” such as 3-D printers and green screens, that is often housed in “media centers” or “makerspaces.”
\n\nYet much of the glitz may be just that—glitz. Survey data and experts suggest that students generally appreciate libraries most for their simple, traditional offerings: a quiet place to study or collaborate on a group project, the ability to print research papers, and access to books. Notably, many students say they like relying on librarians to help them track down hard-to-find texts or navigate scholarly journal databases. “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers,” as the writer Neil Gaiman once said. “A librarian can bring you back the right one.”
The library has always been for most people a collection of books and a quite place to read them - but it has also been a vital and central infrastructure of a functioning urban society.
\n\nAs best summarized by Ruth Faklis, director of the Prairie Trail Public Library District in suburban Chicago
\n\n\n\nIt never ceases to amaze me just what libraries are looked upon to provide. This includes, but is not limited to, [serving as] keepers of the homeless … while simultaneously offering latch-key children a safe and activity-filled haven. We have been asked to be voter-registration sites, warming stations, notaries, technology-terrorism watchdogs, senior social-gathering centers, election sites, substitute sitters during teacher strikes, and the latest — postmasters. These requests of society are ever evolving. Funding is not generally attached to these magnanimous suggestions, and when it is, it does not cover actual costs of the additional burden, thus stretching the library’s budget even further. I know of no other government entity that is asked to take on additional responsibilities not necessarily aligned with its mission
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/04/1979-fifty-songs-3-minutes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/04/1979-fifty-songs-3-minutes/", "title": "1979 - fifty songs 3 minutes", "date_published": "2019-10-04T18:00:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-04T18:00:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Chicago mashup masters The Hood Internet has released a musical tribute to 1979, combining 50 songs released that year into a tight 3-minute mix. This shouldn’t work, but it does!
\n\nFeaturing:
\n\nABBA, AC/DC, Anita Ward, Billy Joel, Blondie, Boomtown Rats, The Buggles, The Cars, Charlie Daniels Band, Cheap Trick, Chic, The Clash, The Cure, Donna Summer, Doobie Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, The Flying Lizards, Gang of Four, The Gap Band, Gary Numan, Joy Division, Kiss, The Knack, Kool & The Gang, Lipps Inc, M, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Pink Floyd, The Police, The Pretenders, Prince, Queen, Rainbow, Rupert Holmes, Sister Sledge, The Specials, Squeeze, The Sugarhill Gang, Supertramp, Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Van Halen, The Whispers, Wire
\n\nNext four are due every week this month 1980-1983!!!
\n", "content_html": "Chicago mashup masters The Hood Internet has released a musical tribute to 1979, combining 50 songs released that year into a tight 3-minute mix. This shouldn’t work, but it does!
\n\nFeaturing:
\n\nABBA, AC/DC, Anita Ward, Billy Joel, Blondie, Boomtown Rats, The Buggles, The Cars, Charlie Daniels Band, Cheap Trick, Chic, The Clash, The Cure, Donna Summer, Doobie Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, The Flying Lizards, Gang of Four, The Gap Band, Gary Numan, Joy Division, Kiss, The Knack, Kool & The Gang, Lipps Inc, M, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Pink Floyd, The Police, The Pretenders, Prince, Queen, Rainbow, Rupert Holmes, Sister Sledge, The Specials, Squeeze, The Sugarhill Gang, Supertramp, Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Van Halen, The Whispers, Wire
\n\nNext four are due every week this month 1980-1983!!!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/07/model-3-24-percent-of-small-and-midsize/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/07/model-3-24-percent-of-small-and-midsize/", "title": "Model 3 - 24% of small and midsize", "date_published": "2019-10-07T12:39:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-07T12:39:48-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From CleanTechnica
\n\n\n\n\nAt the moment, while the verdict isn’t final, things are looking good for Tesla and Tesla fans. We don’t know precise Tesla Model 3 sales figures in the US, and even educated estimates are very rough estimates until we get more data from Europe and China, but our expectation is that there were between 40,000 and 50,000 deliveries in the US in the third quarter. On the more conservative side, we’ve estimated 43,000 US deliveries. That blows away sales of any other midsize or small luxury car.
![](\"/assets/images/teslamodel3sales.png\")
From CleanTechnica
\n\n\n\n\nAt the moment, while the verdict isn’t final, things are looking good for Tesla and Tesla fans. We don’t know precise Tesla Model 3 sales figures in the US, and even educated estimates are very rough estimates until we get more data from Europe and China, but our expectation is that there were between 40,000 and 50,000 deliveries in the US in the third quarter. On the more conservative side, we’ve estimated 43,000 US deliveries. That blows away sales of any other midsize or small luxury car.
Unveiled on social media to celebrate global James Bond Day - 007 Daniel Craig looking moody and focused in a tuxedo, framed against a blue wall. Whatever he’s gazing intently at in the film won’t be revealed until April 2020.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/notimetodie.jpg\")
Unveiled on social media to celebrate global James Bond Day - 007 Daniel Craig looking moody and focused in a tuxedo, framed against a blue wall. Whatever he’s gazing intently at in the film won’t be revealed until April 2020.
\n\n
‘The Testaments’ is the long-awaited sequel to the ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. It takes us back to Gilead and shows us how the cruel country came to exist out of what was once America.
\n\nWhile the first book focused on the tale of a single Handmaid, this book tells of three other women who lived during the time of Gilead. We start with the perspective of a character who featured prominently in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’- Aunt Lydia. We follow how her life changed when Gilead was formed and see how circumstances forced her to become the monster she seemed.
\n\nThe second perspective is that of a young girl raised in Gilead called Agnes and the third of a girl raised in Canada called Daisy. Their vivid perspectives beautifully contrast the difference in their upbringing and international perspective on issues of the time. Daisy is like a modern American teen while Agnes almost seems like a child from a classic.
\n\nThe writing in the book is as beautiful as the last, it flows easily and wraps itself around the reader drawing them into a world that is scarily familiar to our own. Atwood’s style describes both settings and emotions vividly, truly taking readers on an experience. The book is a must read for anyone who enjoyed ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ for it gives readers a wider perspective on Offred’s life and the consequences of her decisions.
\n", "content_html": "‘The Testaments’ is the long-awaited sequel to the ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. It takes us back to Gilead and shows us how the cruel country came to exist out of what was once America.
\n\nWhile the first book focused on the tale of a single Handmaid, this book tells of three other women who lived during the time of Gilead. We start with the perspective of a character who featured prominently in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’- Aunt Lydia. We follow how her life changed when Gilead was formed and see how circumstances forced her to become the monster she seemed.
\n\nThe second perspective is that of a young girl raised in Gilead called Agnes and the third of a girl raised in Canada called Daisy. Their vivid perspectives beautifully contrast the difference in their upbringing and international perspective on issues of the time. Daisy is like a modern American teen while Agnes almost seems like a child from a classic.
\n\nThe writing in the book is as beautiful as the last, it flows easily and wraps itself around the reader drawing them into a world that is scarily familiar to our own. Atwood’s style describes both settings and emotions vividly, truly taking readers on an experience. The book is a must read for anyone who enjoyed ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ for it gives readers a wider perspective on Offred’s life and the consequences of her decisions.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/10/the-making-of-operator-41-for-apple-arcade/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/10/the-making-of-operator-41-for-apple-arcade/", "title": "The Making Of Operator 41 for Apple Arcade", "date_published": "2019-10-10T05:03:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-10T05:03:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A very cool game game for the Apple Arcade. Great Cold War era feel - reminds me of the my youth with games like Castle Wolfenstein and Spy Vs Spy.
\n\nAmazingly, developer Shifty Eye Games consists Spruce Campbell who is only 14 years old! You can check it out here.
\n", "content_html": "A very cool game game for the Apple Arcade. Great Cold War era feel - reminds me of the my youth with games like Castle Wolfenstein and Spy Vs Spy.
\n\nAmazingly, developer Shifty Eye Games consists Spruce Campbell who is only 14 years old! You can check it out here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/17/code-that-changed-everything/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/17/code-that-changed-everything/", "title": "Code That Changed Everything", "date_published": "2019-10-17T12:17:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-17T12:17:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Slate came up with a list of the 36 world-changing pieces of code, including the code responsible for the 1202 alarm thrown by the Apollo Guidance Computer during the first Moon landing, the HTML hyperlink, PageRank, the guidance system for the Roomba, and Bitcoin.
\n\nMy favorites - Of course the piece of code from 1972 that launched a generation of developers, myself included:
\n\n#include <stdio.h>\n\nmain()\n{\n printf(\"hello, world\\n\")\n}\nThat snippet of code, or some form of it is the first thing a budding developer writes. Even today.
\n\nAnd the infamous null terminated string:
\n\nchar yellow[26] = {'y', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', 'w', '\\0'};\nFrom the Slate article:
\n\n\n\n\nIn 1972, Dennis Ritchie made a fateful decision: to represent text in his new language with something called a null-terminated string. The concept had been around earlier, but he enshrined it in his new language, which he called C, and the legacy of that decision has been with us ever since.
There are two primary ways that programming languages represent a piece of text: It can have an intrinsic, explicit length—“I contain exactly 10 characters and no more.” Or it can be null-terminated—“Here are a bunch of characters, keep going until you hit the zero-byte at the end, good luck!”
An extremely common mistake in C code is to copy a long string into a shorter string and overflow the end, meaning you are destroying other data that just happened to be nearby. It’s like scribbling past the edge of a whiteboard.
Besides merely causing the program to malfunction, such bugs can be exploited to change a program’s behavior by convincing it to overwrite something with specific, carefully crafted data. These are the buffer overflow attacks. Very nearly every security exploit you’ve ever heard of starts here, beginning with the Morris Worm in 1988.
You can code carefully in C to avoid these kinds of bugs, but the language makes this class of mistake easy to make and hard to detect. Nearly every modern language eschews the null-terminated string, but C and C++ still run the substrate of the world, from your router to your “smart” lightbulbs. So we’re still playing whack-a-mole with this class of bug nearly 50 years later.
Its intersting how Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie in their classic book The C Programming Language gave us the both the lingua franca of the modern software world, and its greatest design flaw.
\n", "content_html": "Slate came up with a list of the 36 world-changing pieces of code, including the code responsible for the 1202 alarm thrown by the Apollo Guidance Computer during the first Moon landing, the HTML hyperlink, PageRank, the guidance system for the Roomba, and Bitcoin.
\n\nMy favorites - Of course the piece of code from 1972 that launched a generation of developers, myself included:
\n\n#include <stdio.h>\n\nmain()\n{\n printf(\"hello, world\\n\")\n}\nThat snippet of code, or some form of it is the first thing a budding developer writes. Even today.
\n\nAnd the infamous null terminated string:
\n\nchar yellow[26] = {'y', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', 'w', '\\0'};\nFrom the Slate article:
\n\n\n\n\nIn 1972, Dennis Ritchie made a fateful decision: to represent text in his new language with something called a null-terminated string. The concept had been around earlier, but he enshrined it in his new language, which he called C, and the legacy of that decision has been with us ever since.
There are two primary ways that programming languages represent a piece of text: It can have an intrinsic, explicit length—“I contain exactly 10 characters and no more.” Or it can be null-terminated—“Here are a bunch of characters, keep going until you hit the zero-byte at the end, good luck!”
An extremely common mistake in C code is to copy a long string into a shorter string and overflow the end, meaning you are destroying other data that just happened to be nearby. It’s like scribbling past the edge of a whiteboard.
Besides merely causing the program to malfunction, such bugs can be exploited to change a program’s behavior by convincing it to overwrite something with specific, carefully crafted data. These are the buffer overflow attacks. Very nearly every security exploit you’ve ever heard of starts here, beginning with the Morris Worm in 1988.
You can code carefully in C to avoid these kinds of bugs, but the language makes this class of mistake easy to make and hard to detect. Nearly every modern language eschews the null-terminated string, but C and C++ still run the substrate of the world, from your router to your “smart” lightbulbs. So we’re still playing whack-a-mole with this class of bug nearly 50 years later.
Its intersting how Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie in their classic book The C Programming Language gave us the both the lingua franca of the modern software world, and its greatest design flaw.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/18/gun-shop/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/18/gun-shop/", "title": "Gun Shop", "date_published": "2019-10-18T04:13:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-18T04:13:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis film shows 2,328 firearms, out of the 393 million currently in the US. Arranged in a dizzying 24 frames per second progression, from handguns to semi-automatic assault rifles, “Gun Shop” encourages viewers to critically examine America’s love affair with guns.
The US has the highest gun ownership per capita in the world, more than twice that of the second place country, Yemen. Collectively, civilians in the US own 46% of the guns in the world. We have sickness in this country.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis film shows 2,328 firearms, out of the 393 million currently in the US. Arranged in a dizzying 24 frames per second progression, from handguns to semi-automatic assault rifles, “Gun Shop” encourages viewers to critically examine America’s love affair with guns.
The US has the highest gun ownership per capita in the world, more than twice that of the second place country, Yemen. Collectively, civilians in the US own 46% of the guns in the world. We have sickness in this country.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/22/brainstorming-with-the-next-team/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/22/brainstorming-with-the-next-team/", "title": "Brainstorming with the Next Team 1985", "date_published": "2019-10-22T01:18:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-22T01:18:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nStarting at 18:24:
\n\n", "content_html": "I felt it the first time when I visited a school. It was third and fourth graders, and they had a whole classroom full of Apple II’s. I spent a few hours there, and I saw these third and fourth graders growing up completely different than I grew up because of this machine.
What hit me about it was that here was this machine that very few people designed — about four in the case of the Apple II — who gave it to some other people who didn’t know how to design it but knew how to make it, to manufacture it. They could make a whole bunch of them. And then they give it some people that didn’t know how to design it or manufacture it, but they knew how to distribute it. And then they gave it to some people that didn’t knew how to design or manufacture or distribute it, but knew how to write software for it.
Gradually this sort of inverse pyramid grew. It finally got into the hands of a lot of people — and it all blossomed out of this tiny little seed.
It seemed like an incredible amount of leverage. It all started with just an idea. Here was this idea, taken through all of these stages, resulting in a classroom full of kids growing up with some insights and fundamentally different experiences which, I thought, might be very beneficial to their lives. Because of this germ of an idea a few years ago.
That’s an incredible feeling to know that you had something to do with it, and to know it can be done, to know that you can plant something in the world and it will grow, and change the world, ever so slightly.
\nStarting at 18:24:
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/22/t47-megapixel-m43-sensor/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/22/t47-megapixel-m43-sensor/", "title": "47 megapixel M43 sensor", "date_published": "2019-10-22T01:39:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-22T01:39:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I felt it the first time when I visited a school. It was third and fourth graders, and they had a whole classroom full of Apple II’s. I spent a few hours there, and I saw these third and fourth graders growing up completely different than I grew up because of this machine.
What hit me about it was that here was this machine that very few people designed — about four in the case of the Apple II — who gave it to some other people who didn’t know how to design it but knew how to make it, to manufacture it. They could make a whole bunch of them. And then they give it some people that didn’t know how to design it or manufacture it, but they knew how to distribute it. And then they gave it to some people that didn’t knew how to design or manufacture or distribute it, but knew how to write software for it.
Gradually this sort of inverse pyramid grew. It finally got into the hands of a lot of people — and it all blossomed out of this tiny little seed.
It seemed like an incredible amount of leverage. It all started with just an idea. Here was this idea, taken through all of these stages, resulting in a classroom full of kids growing up with some insights and fundamentally different experiences which, I thought, might be very beneficial to their lives. Because of this germ of an idea a few years ago.
That’s an incredible feeling to know that you had something to do with it, and to know it can be done, to know that you can plant something in the world and it will grow, and change the world, ever so slightly.
![](\"/assets/images/Sony_47_mpix.jpeg\")
Sony has released a document detailing the specifications for a 47-megapixel Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor capable of shooting up to 8K video up to 30 frames per second (fps).
\n\nAccording to the features list, the sensor features 12-bit A/D conversion, has a 2.315 micrometer (μm) pixel size and offers a variable-speed electronic shutter function. Decreased power consumption is also noted, which should help extend the battery life of any camera it’s used in (or at least make up for a fragment of the increased processing power that will be required to handle all of the data).
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/Sony_MFT_Sensor_Table.jpeg\")
Both of Olympus and Panasonic have been making cameras with amazing features and industrial design. If they put this in the next version of their flagship bodies - this would be a game changer. The biggest harp people have with the M43 cameras are the sensor resolution.
\n\nThis sensor makes the following possible:
\n\nCombine this with the next generation computational photography hinted at in the EM1x - and well you can shore bet it is keeping the product planners at Canon, Nikon and Sony up at night.
\n\nM43 is dead - Long live M43 !
\n", "content_html": "
Sony has released a document detailing the specifications for a 47-megapixel Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor capable of shooting up to 8K video up to 30 frames per second (fps).
\n\nAccording to the features list, the sensor features 12-bit A/D conversion, has a 2.315 micrometer (μm) pixel size and offers a variable-speed electronic shutter function. Decreased power consumption is also noted, which should help extend the battery life of any camera it’s used in (or at least make up for a fragment of the increased processing power that will be required to handle all of the data).
\n\n
Both of Olympus and Panasonic have been making cameras with amazing features and industrial design. If they put this in the next version of their flagship bodies - this would be a game changer. The biggest harp people have with the M43 cameras are the sensor resolution.
\n\nThis sensor makes the following possible:
\n\nCombine this with the next generation computational photography hinted at in the EM1x - and well you can shore bet it is keeping the product planners at Canon, Nikon and Sony up at night.
\n\nM43 is dead - Long live M43 !
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/2024-summer-olympics-logo/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/2024-summer-olympics-logo/", "title": "2024 Summer Olympics Logo", "date_published": "2019-10-27T15:16:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-27T15:16:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The 2024 Olympic Summer Games logo features Marianne - the “national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution”.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/paris-2024-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
Journalist Megan Clement explains it best:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The French Olympic logo tumbles out of bed on a Parisian morning. She tousles her messy bob, dons breton stripes and ballet flats and whisks down the stairs from her fifth-floor apartment to grab a baguette before enigmatically texting two men who are pursuing her romantically.
The 2024 Olympic Summer Games logo features Marianne - the “national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution”.
\n\n
Journalist Megan Clement explains it best:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/uk-establishing-a-darpa-like-agency/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/uk-establishing-a-darpa-like-agency/", "title": "UK establishing a DARPA-like Agency", "date_published": "2019-10-27T15:37:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-27T15:37:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The French Olympic logo tumbles out of bed on a Parisian morning. She tousles her messy bob, dons breton stripes and ballet flats and whisks down the stairs from her fifth-floor apartment to grab a baguette before enigmatically texting two men who are pursuing her romantically.
\n\n\nThe idea was unveiled last week in the Queen’s Speech, in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new government announced its legislative plans, but details about the agency are scarce. Skidmore told the Parliament committee that this new agency would sit outside UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the main government funding agency, to have the independence to focus on cutting-edge projects. He said it would “distinguish itself from the traditional grant-led application processes” by having minimal bureaucracy and core leaders who see the projects through.
If the agency is as successful as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been for the US - get ready for even more of an acceleration of technology.
\n\nSo what has DARPA actual done for the US? The mouse, the internet, GPS, drones, and Siri. Just to name a few. Now that the US just might have a competitor in the race, it could get very interesting…
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nThe idea was unveiled last week in the Queen’s Speech, in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new government announced its legislative plans, but details about the agency are scarce. Skidmore told the Parliament committee that this new agency would sit outside UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the main government funding agency, to have the independence to focus on cutting-edge projects. He said it would “distinguish itself from the traditional grant-led application processes” by having minimal bureaucracy and core leaders who see the projects through.
If the agency is as successful as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been for the US - get ready for even more of an acceleration of technology.
\n\nSo what has DARPA actual done for the US? The mouse, the internet, GPS, drones, and Siri. Just to name a few. Now that the US just might have a competitor in the race, it could get very interesting…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/snl-cold-open-trump-rally/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/10/27/snl-cold-open-trump-rally/", "title": "SNL Cold Open Trump Rally", "date_published": "2019-10-27T16:02:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-10-27T16:02:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nPresident Trump holds a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico SNL style. As usual the usual cast of zany supporters and administration officials. As usual, SNL completely nails it.
\nPresident Trump holds a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico SNL style. As usual the usual cast of zany supporters and administration officials. As usual, SNL completely nails it.
![](\"/assets/images/anthonybourdain.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "CNN Films, HBO Max, and Focus Features are partnering on the still-untitled film, which is produced by Neville’s Tremolo Productions. Focus will release the documentary first in theaters before a television premiere on CNN, followed by a streaming bow on the soon-to-launch HBO Max, coming in 2020. Dates for the release have yet to be announced.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/16/video-game-console-logos/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/16/video-game-console-logos/", "title": "Video Game Console Logos", "date_published": "2019-11-16T00:57:28-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-16T00:57:28-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "CNN Films, HBO Max, and Focus Features are partnering on the still-untitled film, which is produced by Neville’s Tremolo Productions. Focus will release the documentary first in theaters before a television premiere on CNN, followed by a streaming bow on the soon-to-launch HBO Max, coming in 2020. Dates for the release have yet to be announced.
A collection video game console logos from 1976 to the present by Reagan Ray. Explained in his own words:
\n\n\n\n\nThis list covers the second (1976) through eighth (present) generation consoles. According to Wikipedia, there were 687 first-generation consoles produced, so I decided that was a rabbit hole I didn't want to enter. I had fun designing the page to look like an old video game ad or one of those posters that came in Nintendo Power.
![](\"http://reaganray.com/img/blog/video-game-consoles/commodore64.png\")
Each one had its great titles and was extremely popular in its day - but the Commodore 64 was truly transformative. Most kids got them because they were the best video game machine available - but it introduced an entire generation to programming. But that is another story - see the rest of the logos here.
\n", "content_html": "A collection video game console logos from 1976 to the present by Reagan Ray. Explained in his own words:
\n\n\n\n\nThis list covers the second (1976) through eighth (present) generation consoles. According to Wikipedia, there were 687 first-generation consoles produced, so I decided that was a rabbit hole I didn't want to enter. I had fun designing the page to look like an old video game ad or one of those posters that came in Nintendo Power.
Each one had its great titles and was extremely popular in its day - but the Commodore 64 was truly transformative. Most kids got them because they were the best video game machine available - but it introduced an entire generation to programming. But that is another story - see the rest of the logos here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/17/starting-to-blog/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/17/starting-to-blog/", "title": "starting to blog", "date_published": "2019-11-17T21:59:00-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-17T21:59:00-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "The best time to start a blog is 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/17/efficiency-does-not-look-good/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/17/efficiency-does-not-look-good/", "title": "Efficiency ain’t pretty", "date_published": "2019-11-17T22:10:46-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-17T22:10:46-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The best time to start a blog is 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.
From the article The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up by Florent Crivello:
\n\n\n\nIndeed, that love of order is above all else about appearances. Streets arranged in grids, people waiting in clean lines, cars running at the same speed… But everything that looks good doesn’t necessarily work well. In fact, those two traits are opposed more often than not: efficiency tends to look messy, and good looks tend to be inefficient.
Our tendency to use straight lines in design, in many instances, does give us a false sense of efficiency. This tweet by Joe Liss gives a good example:
\n\n\nWhen computers design things, they look very different.
— Jo Liss (@jo_liss) December 8, 2015
Tensile structure before/after topological optimization: pic.twitter.com/dazNjLr92C
From the article The Efficiency-Destroying Magic of Tidying Up by Florent Crivello:
\n\n\n\nIndeed, that love of order is above all else about appearances. Streets arranged in grids, people waiting in clean lines, cars running at the same speed… But everything that looks good doesn’t necessarily work well. In fact, those two traits are opposed more often than not: efficiency tends to look messy, and good looks tend to be inefficient.
Our tendency to use straight lines in design, in many instances, does give us a false sense of efficiency. This tweet by Joe Liss gives a good example:
\n\n\nWhen computers design things, they look very different.
— Jo Liss (@jo_liss) December 8, 2015
Tensile structure before/after topological optimization: pic.twitter.com/dazNjLr92C
![](\"/assets/images/taxi-roofs.jpg\")
\n
\n\n\nIf you need to take a taxi, cross your fingers. Mumbai's 58,000 metered taxis (or kaali-peelis as the black-and-yellow fleet is affectionately called) are driven by a temperamental species. They refuse short-distance rides. They're picky about out-of-the-way destinations. They're simlpy grouchy — even on a good day.
But once you've scored a taxi, get in and look up. You'll notice a canvas that holds the most unusual art. Approximately half the city’s cabs decorate their ceilings and doors in some kind of colorful plastic or vinyl sheeting.
You can checkout all of Rachel’s work at her instagram page.
\n", "content_html": "\n
\n\n\nIf you need to take a taxi, cross your fingers. Mumbai's 58,000 metered taxis (or kaali-peelis as the black-and-yellow fleet is affectionately called) are driven by a temperamental species. They refuse short-distance rides. They're picky about out-of-the-way destinations. They're simlpy grouchy — even on a good day.
But once you've scored a taxi, get in and look up. You'll notice a canvas that holds the most unusual art. Approximately half the city’s cabs decorate their ceilings and doors in some kind of colorful plastic or vinyl sheeting.
You can checkout all of Rachel’s work at her instagram page.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/naive-bayes-classifier/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/naive-bayes-classifier/", "title": "Naive Bayes classifier", "date_published": "2019-11-23T01:26:17-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-23T01:26:17-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This is absolutely the best explanation of a Naive Bayes classifier! Probably the best 20 minutes or so you will spend today. Check it out here:
\n", "content_html": "This is absolutely the best explanation of a Naive Bayes classifier! Probably the best 20 minutes or so you will spend today. Check it out here:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/eastger-egg-in-c64-basic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/eastger-egg-in-c64-basic/", "title": "Easter egg in C64 Basic", "date_published": "2019-11-23T11:31:56-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-23T11:31:56-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Its hidden in the random number generator!\n
Its hidden in the random number generator!\n
Sacha Baron Cohen, best known as Borat - on Facebook, Google and Twitter when he was presented with his ADL International Leadership Award :
\n\n\n\n\nThink about it. Facebook, YouTube and Google, Twitter and others — they reach billions of people. The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged — stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. It’s why YouTube recommended videos by the conspiracist Alex Jones billions of times. It’s why fake news outperforms real news, because studies show that lies spread faster than truth. And it’s no surprise that the greatest propaganda machine in history has spread the oldest conspiracy theory in history- — the lie that Jews are somehow dangerous. As one headline put it, “Just Think What Goebbels Could Have Done with Facebook.”
On the internet, everything can appear equally legitimate. Breitbart resembles the BBC. The fictitious Protocols of the Elders of Zion look as valid as an ADL report. And the rantings of a lunatic seem as credible as the findings of a Nobel Prize winner. We have lost, it seems, a shared sense of the basic facts upon which democracy depends.
When I, as the wanna-be-gansta Ali G, asked the astronaut Buzz Aldrin “what woz it like to walk on de sun?” the joke worked, because we, the audience, shared the same facts. If you believe the moon landing was a hoax, the joke was not funny.
When Borat got that bar in Arizona to agree that “Jews control everybody’s money and never give it back,” the joke worked because the audience shared the fact that the depiction of Jews as miserly is a conspiracy theory originating in the Middle Ages.
But when, thanks to social media, conspiracies take hold, it’s easier for hate groups to recruit, easier for foreign intelligence agencies to interfere in our elections, and easier for a country like Myanmar to commit genocide against the Rohingya.
and against Zuckerberg specifically:
\n\n\n\n\nFirst, Zuckerberg tried to portray this whole issue as “choices…around free expression.” That is ludicrous. This is not about limiting anyone’s free speech. This is about giving people, including some of the most reprehensible people on earth, the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims.
Second, Zuckerberg claimed that new limits on what’s posted on social media would be to “pull back on free expression.” This is utter nonsense. The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law” abridging freedom of speech, however, this does not apply to private businesses like Facebook. We’re not asking these companies to determine the boundaries of free speech across society. We just want them to be responsible on their platforms.
If a neo-Nazi comes goose-stepping into a restaurant and starts threatening other customers and saying he wants kill Jews, would the owner of the restaurant be required to serve him an elegant eight-course meal? Of course not! The restaurant owner has every legal right and a moral obligation to kick the Nazi out, and so do these internet companies.
It is imperative that we hold these companies accountable - they should be forced to follow the same rules as the television and print organizations must adhere to.
\n", "content_html": "Sacha Baron Cohen, best known as Borat - on Facebook, Google and Twitter when he was presented with his ADL International Leadership Award :
\n\n\n\n\nThink about it. Facebook, YouTube and Google, Twitter and others — they reach billions of people. The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged — stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. It’s why YouTube recommended videos by the conspiracist Alex Jones billions of times. It’s why fake news outperforms real news, because studies show that lies spread faster than truth. And it’s no surprise that the greatest propaganda machine in history has spread the oldest conspiracy theory in history- — the lie that Jews are somehow dangerous. As one headline put it, “Just Think What Goebbels Could Have Done with Facebook.”
On the internet, everything can appear equally legitimate. Breitbart resembles the BBC. The fictitious Protocols of the Elders of Zion look as valid as an ADL report. And the rantings of a lunatic seem as credible as the findings of a Nobel Prize winner. We have lost, it seems, a shared sense of the basic facts upon which democracy depends.
When I, as the wanna-be-gansta Ali G, asked the astronaut Buzz Aldrin “what woz it like to walk on de sun?” the joke worked, because we, the audience, shared the same facts. If you believe the moon landing was a hoax, the joke was not funny.
When Borat got that bar in Arizona to agree that “Jews control everybody’s money and never give it back,” the joke worked because the audience shared the fact that the depiction of Jews as miserly is a conspiracy theory originating in the Middle Ages.
But when, thanks to social media, conspiracies take hold, it’s easier for hate groups to recruit, easier for foreign intelligence agencies to interfere in our elections, and easier for a country like Myanmar to commit genocide against the Rohingya.
and against Zuckerberg specifically:
\n\n\n\n\nFirst, Zuckerberg tried to portray this whole issue as “choices…around free expression.” That is ludicrous. This is not about limiting anyone’s free speech. This is about giving people, including some of the most reprehensible people on earth, the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims.
Second, Zuckerberg claimed that new limits on what’s posted on social media would be to “pull back on free expression.” This is utter nonsense. The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law” abridging freedom of speech, however, this does not apply to private businesses like Facebook. We’re not asking these companies to determine the boundaries of free speech across society. We just want them to be responsible on their platforms.
If a neo-Nazi comes goose-stepping into a restaurant and starts threatening other customers and saying he wants kill Jews, would the owner of the restaurant be required to serve him an elegant eight-course meal? Of course not! The restaurant owner has every legal right and a moral obligation to kick the Nazi out, and so do these internet companies.
It is imperative that we hold these companies accountable - they should be forced to follow the same rules as the television and print organizations must adhere to.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/indias-meghalaya-living-root-bridges/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/indias-meghalaya-living-root-bridges/", "title": "India's Meghalaya 'living root bridges'", "date_published": "2019-11-23T12:06:14-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-23T12:06:14-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/tree-bridge.jpg\")
Katie Hunt, writing for CNN
\n\n\n\n\nUnlike bridges made from wood or bamboo, they aren't easily swept away and they don't rot -- a common problem in what is often described as the world's wettest region. They've also proven more durable than bridges made from modern steel structures that quickly rust and decay in the damp climate, said Ludwig.
\"It's an ongoing process of growth, decay and regrowth, and it's a very inspiring example of regenerative architecture,\" he said.
The bridges are made and maintained by individuals, families and communities from the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia people.
Also, here is another article by Timoty Allen - ‘Living Root Bridges’
\n", "content_html": "
Katie Hunt, writing for CNN
\n\n\n\n\nUnlike bridges made from wood or bamboo, they aren't easily swept away and they don't rot -- a common problem in what is often described as the world's wettest region. They've also proven more durable than bridges made from modern steel structures that quickly rust and decay in the damp climate, said Ludwig.
\"It's an ongoing process of growth, decay and regrowth, and it's a very inspiring example of regenerative architecture,\" he said.
The bridges are made and maintained by individuals, families and communities from the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia people.
Also, here is another article by Timoty Allen - ‘Living Root Bridges’
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/us-recession-chances/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/us-recession-chances/", "title": "US Recession Chances", "date_published": "2019-11-23T13:08:27-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-23T13:08:27-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Reade Pickert, Yue Qiu and Alexander McIntyre from Bloomberg predict that the US going into recession in the next 12 months is at 26%.
\n\n\n\n\nWhile recession chatter endures amid a persistent trade war with China and a further retrenchment in corporate investment, robust signals from other aspects of the U.S. economy—like the labor market—have eased concerns of an imminent downturn.
Bloomberg Economics created a model to determine America’s recession odds. Right now, the indicator estimates the chance of a U.S. recession at some point in the next year is 26%, down slightly from 27% in early October. That reading is higher than it was a year ago but significantly lower than before the last recession. There are reasons to keep a close eye on the economy, but it’s not time to panic yet.
As for me, I am starting to hoard cash.
\n", "content_html": "Reade Pickert, Yue Qiu and Alexander McIntyre from Bloomberg predict that the US going into recession in the next 12 months is at 26%.
\n\n\n\n\nWhile recession chatter endures amid a persistent trade war with China and a further retrenchment in corporate investment, robust signals from other aspects of the U.S. economy—like the labor market—have eased concerns of an imminent downturn.
Bloomberg Economics created a model to determine America’s recession odds. Right now, the indicator estimates the chance of a U.S. recession at some point in the next year is 26%, down slightly from 27% in early October. That reading is higher than it was a year ago but significantly lower than before the last recession. There are reasons to keep a close eye on the economy, but it’s not time to panic yet.
As for me, I am starting to hoard cash.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/telsa-cybertruck/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/23/telsa-cybertruck/", "title": "Telsa Cybertruck", "date_published": "2019-11-23T21:44:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-23T21:44:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "Marty McFly : Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a truck... out of a DeLorean?
Dr. Emmett Brown : The way I see it, if you're gonna build an electric truck, why not do it with some style?
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/25/be-specific/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/25/be-specific/", "title": "Be specific", "date_published": "2019-11-25T01:58:52-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-25T01:58:52-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Marty McFly : Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a truck... out of a DeLorean?
Dr. Emmett Brown : The way I see it, if you're gonna build an electric truck, why not do it with some style?
![](\"/assets/images/devilmusic.jpg\")
![](\"/assets/images/limewire.jpg\")
A fascinating history of LimWire from the people who developed the software. I was a huge fan and user of LimeWire back in the day. Miles Klee best summarizes the experience:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "At the height of LimeWire, Facebook and YouTube were brand new, and they hadn’t yet monopolized how we interact. Web 2.0 sought to turn your real-life friends into followable accounts and avatars, whereas LimeWire capitalized on near-random, anonymous connections between strangers. You couldn’t talk to whoever was hosting the file you wanted; you had to live by your wits and decide whom to trust. Primitive as that sounds, it made for a thrilling suspense you’ll never find in the walled gardens of today’s social media.
A fascinating history of LimWire from the people who developed the software. I was a huge fan and user of LimeWire back in the day. Miles Klee best summarizes the experience:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/25/tim-cook-appears-alongside-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/11/25/tim-cook-appears-alongside-trump/", "title": "Tim Cook Appears Alongside Trump", "date_published": "2019-11-25T22:46:02-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-25T22:46:02-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "At the height of LimeWire, Facebook and YouTube were brand new, and they hadn’t yet monopolized how we interact. Web 2.0 sought to turn your real-life friends into followable accounts and avatars, whereas LimeWire capitalized on near-random, anonymous connections between strangers. You couldn’t talk to whoever was hosting the file you wanted; you had to live by your wits and decide whom to trust. Primitive as that sounds, it made for a thrilling suspense you’ll never find in the walled gardens of today’s social media.
![](\"/assets/images/tim-cook-texas-factory.jpg\")
Donald Trump visited an Apple factory in Texas last Wednesday and tweeted the following:
\n\n\nToday I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high paying jobs back to America. Today Nancy Pelosi closed Congress because she doesn’t care about American Workers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019
No President Trump, you did not open the factory today. Apple has been making Mac Pros there since 2013.
\n\nJack Nicas reports for New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nOn Wednesday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Cook a “very special person” because of his ability to create jobs. He turned to Mr. Cook and said, “What would you say about our economy compared to everybody else?”
Mr. Cook replied, “I think we have the strongest economy in the world.”
“Strongest in the world,” Mr. Trump said.
The president then took questions on the impeachment inquiry and launched into a tirade against “the fake press.” Mr. Cook stood silently nearby.
Mr. Cook stood silently nearby.
\n\nThis will be a part of Tim Cook’s legacy - and will overshadow his work on many other progressive issues. I hope the tax cuts and avoiding tariffs was worth it.
\n", "content_html": "
Donald Trump visited an Apple factory in Texas last Wednesday and tweeted the following:
\n\n\nToday I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high paying jobs back to America. Today Nancy Pelosi closed Congress because she doesn’t care about American Workers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2019
No President Trump, you did not open the factory today. Apple has been making Mac Pros there since 2013.
\n\nJack Nicas reports for New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nOn Wednesday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Cook a “very special person” because of his ability to create jobs. He turned to Mr. Cook and said, “What would you say about our economy compared to everybody else?”
Mr. Cook replied, “I think we have the strongest economy in the world.”
“Strongest in the world,” Mr. Trump said.
The president then took questions on the impeachment inquiry and launched into a tirade against “the fake press.” Mr. Cook stood silently nearby.
Mr. Cook stood silently nearby.
\n\nThis will be a part of Tim Cook’s legacy - and will overshadow his work on many other progressive issues. I hope the tax cuts and avoiding tariffs was worth it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/01/we-dont-have-the-power/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/01/we-dont-have-the-power/", "title": "We don't have power", "date_published": "2019-12-01T02:31:52-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-01T02:31:52-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Richard Morgan writes in the Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "What is most galling about this economy is that we are supposed to proffer compliance and complicity as companies profit amorally off of us. Facebook unveils supposedly robust privacy protections on the same day it launches a service to connect you with your “secret crush.” You’re supposed to pay whatever rent landlords want, whatever bills hospitals charge, whatever price surge the car-share makes up. From Apple to John Deere, digital-rights-management technology has made us “tenants on our own devices.” The terms of service turn us into the servants. And what recourse do we have? We ask to speak with the manager, vent to Yelp, endure the hold muzak and hack our way to rival bargains. But let’s be honest: We don’t have power.
Richard Morgan writes in the Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/amazon-2019-black-friday-deals/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/amazon-2019-black-friday-deals/", "title": "Amazon 2019 Cyber Monday Deals", "date_published": "2019-12-02T01:46:06-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-02T01:46:06-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What is most galling about this economy is that we are supposed to proffer compliance and complicity as companies profit amorally off of us. Facebook unveils supposedly robust privacy protections on the same day it launches a service to connect you with your “secret crush.” You’re supposed to pay whatever rent landlords want, whatever bills hospitals charge, whatever price surge the car-share makes up. From Apple to John Deere, digital-rights-management technology has made us “tenants on our own devices.” The terms of service turn us into the servants. And what recourse do we have? We ask to speak with the manager, vent to Yelp, endure the hold muzak and hack our way to rival bargains. But let’s be honest: We don’t have power.
Here are the best deals for Amazon 2019 Cyber Monday:
\n\nApple MacBook Air - Save $300 on an silver 8 Gb, 128GB SSD MacBook Air. The best laptop to travel with and with performance to just about everything most people will need to do.
\n\nSimpliSafe Home Security System - Easy to install and including a base station, keypad, 4 entry sensors, 2 motion sensors, a SimpliCam and a free month of monitoring, this bundle is a good choice for those looking to implement a new security system.
\n\nAirpods Pro - Best wireles headphones for iOS users. Down to $235 - saves you $14 dollars. The best price I have seen.
\n\nAncestory DNA Kit - Save $50 on if you want to gain insight on where you came from.
\n\nFitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate & Fitness Tracker - A great alternative to the Apple Watch if all you want is a fitness tracker. Save $30
\n", "content_html": "Here are the best deals for Amazon 2019 Cyber Monday:
\n\nApple MacBook Air - Save $300 on an silver 8 Gb, 128GB SSD MacBook Air. The best laptop to travel with and with performance to just about everything most people will need to do.
\n\nSimpliSafe Home Security System - Easy to install and including a base station, keypad, 4 entry sensors, 2 motion sensors, a SimpliCam and a free month of monitoring, this bundle is a good choice for those looking to implement a new security system.
\n\nAirpods Pro - Best wireles headphones for iOS users. Down to $235 - saves you $14 dollars. The best price I have seen.
\n\nAncestory DNA Kit - Save $50 on if you want to gain insight on where you came from.
\n\nFitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate & Fitness Tracker - A great alternative to the Apple Watch if all you want is a fitness tracker. Save $30
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/r10-rock-albums-you-should-own-on-vinyl/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/r10-rock-albums-you-should-own-on-vinyl/", "title": "Rock Albums You Should Own on Vinyl", "date_published": "2019-12-02T02:56:39-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-02T02:56:39-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "They say whats old eventually becomes new again. Can’t be truer then the current audio scene. While everything is available at your fingertips on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music - the music they pump out of your speakers is castrated.
\n\nMP3, by definition compresses the hell out of the digital stream. In order to save ever precious time to download, it strips the treble that you probably won’t hear. It’ll drop the bass that your speakers couldn’t possibly reproduce. And the mid range, well the little 1s & 0s just turn them into indistinct mush. You are not hearing what the Artist intended you to hear. You are getting a cold, harsh digital representation of what an algorithm is calculating for you.
\n\nSure, you can make the arguments that you can’t really hear what the MP3 drops. What they don’t tell you is that you can feel what they are leaving out. The bass lines that just hit you in the gut. Every nuance that comes into a wailing guitar riff. Its just not sound, its a feeling. And the only format that has captured that feeling is Vinyl.
\n\nBut what vinyl albums should you have in your collection? Well here are my top 10 in no particular order:
\n\nIn 1980, AC/DC looked to be on their way up. They had released a series of successful records, finally broke the US with their album Highway To Hell, and were set to record the album that would eventually become Back In Black. However, in February 1980, the band’s original singer Bon Scott was found dead in London. After Scott’s funeral – and with some encouragement from his parents – the band went straight to finding a new frontman, and Brian Johnson was announced as the new singer for AC/DC in April 1980.
\n\nThe band pay tribute to their former singer with the album’s black cover: it was meant to be entirely black with embossed lettering, but the record label insisted on including grey for the band’s logo. The album also starts with bells ringing for Bon Scott. Apart from that brief opening, there are no reflective, mourning or sad songs. In general, the band stuck with what they knew: simple, hard-hitting rock and roll.
\n\nBack In Black is full of riffs that every novice guitar player will attempt to learn at least once, and has solos that experienced players wish they could emulate. Songs like You Shook Me All Night Long have infection choruses that suit the massive arenas they would eventually fill, and Shoot To Thrill is an adrenaline-filled rock anthem that would be used on film soundtracks years after its release. Back In Black’s catchy riffs and quotable lyrics are so synonymous with rock music that they are known by even the casual listener, and are still staples in AC/DC’s live performances to this day.
\n\nAs anyone who likes unsociably loud music will tell you, heavy metal is popularly thought to have been born in 1970 when Brummie headbangers Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut album. Let’s go one further and suggest that heavy metal really hit its stride for the first time with Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid, a heavier, more threatening and more nuanced collection of songs.
\n\nThe one-two opening shot of War Pigs and Paranoid itself simply cannot be bettered in the metal world. The former, a critique of warfare and in particular of the American government’s policies regarding Vietnam, sees lyricist and bassist Geezer Butler on peak form – even if he can’t find a better way to rhyme ‘masses’ than with itself in the couplet ‘Generals gathered in their masses/Just like witches at black masses’. The latter, a zippy paean to mental instability, is probably Sabbath’s best-known song, executed at a rare, non-doomy tempo. The album then moves on to the sensuous instrumental Planet Caravan, a beautiful, landscaped song, before the pulverising hammer blow of Iron Man. It’s not sheer power that makes Paranoid a unique album, although it has that to spare: it’s the keen awareness of songwriting dynamics displayed by Butler plus singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, all still in their very early 20s at the time of recording. That a record such as this was written and delivered by such young musicians is nothing short of miraculous, albeit in the infernal rather than heavenly sense.
\n\nNo record collector wants sticky fingers on vinyl. Sticky Fingers on vinyl, however, is a different story. Recorded over two years in three locations (Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, frontman Mick Jagger’s own country home and Olympic Studios in London), Sticky Fingers was the first LP by The Rolling Stones to be released on their own Rolling Stones Records. The album is also the first to feature Mick Taylor, who replaced guitarist Brian Jones in 1969. Amongst the handful of guest musicians to appear on the record, The Who’s Pete Townsend is perhaps the most notable, believed to have contributed backing vocals to Sway.
\n\nAs well as being revered as one of The Rolling Stones’ best, Sticky Fingers boasts one of the most classic album covers in rock. The artwork – concepted by renowned artist Andy Warhol – was photographed by Billy Name and features a fully-working zip on most original pressings. Due to the LP’s unique construction, hidden underneath the cover art is a second print of presumably the same model stripped down underpants embellished with Warhol’s name and the curious line: “This photograph may not be – etc.” The model was widely believed to be Jagger himself upon the record’s release, though is now known not to be the case. In fact the identity of the crotch’s owner remains a mystery. And though only small on the reverse of the record, Sticky Fingers was the first time The Rolling Stones’ now iconic tongue and lips logo had been used.
\n\nIf 1983’s Pyromania had Def Leppard dipping their toe into pop’s waters, Hysteria was a cannonball at the deep end. From the beginning, the album’s concept had remained the same – to be a hard rock version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, on which every track could be a hit single (and indeed seven of the 12 tracks were, one more single than Thriller). At just over 25 million copies sold worldwide, Hysteria remains the band’s best-selling record.
\n\nDef Leppard’s turbocharged fourth record infamously took almost four years to produce and at a cost just shy of $5 million. At a run time of around 63 minutes, Hysteria really stretched the limits of how long a standard album at the time could be – unfortunately for audiophiles, to the detriment of the vinyl pressings. Over an hour’s worth of music is way too much to squeeze onto a single platter and retain a high standard of audio quality. More recent vinyl releases of the album remedy this by running over two LPs, most notably the 30th Anniversary gatefold vinyl re-issue, featuring fully remastered tracks on a strikingly translucent orange 180g wax.
\n\nWhen Neil Young released Harvest in ’72, he was elevated to the status of household name, largely because of the hugely-acclaimed songs Heart Of Gold and The Needle And The Damage Done. The former is more easily digestible and catchier; the latter is darker, more gloomy in tone and production because it was recorded live, and also better. The Needle And The Damage Done, recorded in concert at UCLA the previous year, was a paean to those of Young’s friends who had succumbed to heroin overdoses, in particular his previous bassist Danny Whitten. It ends suddenly, halfway through a chord sequence, lending this otherwise slick album a threatening edge.
\n\nCritics didn’t give Harvest particularly good reviews at the time of its release: some felt that he was repeating the After The Gold Rush formula a little too readily. However, in years to come the album was recognised as an all-time classic – even by the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose song Sweet Home Alabama was written in response to some anti-Southern sentiments expressed by Young in the song Alabama.
\n\n“Welcome to the Hotel California.” On the Eagles’ fifth studio album, they conjured up the allegorical hotel as a means to convey their disillusionment with the supposed ‘American dream’ – just the beginning of a wider commentary on the self-destructive nature of the rock music industry at the time, the United States and the wider world. Indisputably one of the most iconic rock albums of all time, Hotel California won the band a Grammy Award (Record Of The Year for the album’s title track) and has sold over 30 million copies (the Eagles’ second highest selling album of all, after the success of Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975).
\n\nHotel California marked guitarist Joe Walsh’s band debut, whilst also the final LP with bassist Randy Meisner. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios, Florida and Record Plant Studios, California with producer Bill Szymczyk who had also worked on the Eagles’ previous record, One Of These Nights. Recording sessions at Criteria Studios were often disrupted by the noise from Black Sabbath working on Technical Ecstasy in the studio next door.
\n\nIn reality, Zep were guided by Page and no-one else – which explains the direction Led Zeppelin III took. While Zep’s debut album and the follow-up, both released in 1969, had essentially been LPs of hard rock songs with a few acoustic parts here and there, III was mostly unplugged. A calmer, sweeter, more relaxed vibe permeated the record as a result, itself aided by the fact that Page and Plant composed the songs in a remote Welsh cottage called Bron-Yr-Aur. With no running water or electricity, the twosome pulled out acoustic guitars, began writing – and in doing so established the great rock tradition of ‘getting it together in the country’.
\n\nSit back in your beanbag, slap some headphones on and immerse yourself in the opening cut, ‘Immigrant Song’ – the heaviest song on the album. Page’s classic octave-based guitar riff chimes in, while Plant delivers the wail for which he had already become famous. Friends is a deeper song, despite being largely acoustic: where it excels is with its unusual orchestration of Indian-sounding strings.
\n\nWe all agree that III is a splendid album nowadays, but critics just didn’t get it at the time. Neither heavy enough for headbangers nor progressive enough for Jethro Tull fans, it fell between two stools, it was thought. How wrong they were, and how wonderful hindsight is.
\n\nOn their 11th record, Fleetwood Mac crafted a bittersweet masterpiece fuelled by perhaps one of rock’s most infamous melodramas. Released in 1977, the intensely personal Rumours has become the seventh highest-selling studio album of all time with over 45 million copies sold worldwide. Also winning the five-piece a Grammy award for Album Of The Year in 1978, the iconic record not only features Fleetwood Mac’s best work but some of the best songwriting of all time.
\n\nThe seminal LP featured the fifth incarnation of the band - the duo of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks joining Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and John McVie two years previous following the departure of Bob Welch. A transition triggered on 1975’s eponymous release, Rumours completes Fleetwood Mac’s progression from a band of blues cliches to one of bright pop singles and immaculate songwriting.
\n\nAmong the plethora of official and unofficial rereleases over the past 40 years, audiophiles will revel in the 2011 version that was released for US Record Store Day, which was cut at 45rpm on heavyweight 180g vinyl and remastered from the original analogue tapes to achieve maximum audio quality.
\n\nOften considered one of the greatest albums of all time, and cementing Jimi Hendrix’s status as the original guitar hero, Are You Experienced remains a significant milestone in the history of rock music over 50 years since its release.
\n\nRecording for the album was done in between a busy schedule of live performances, though the trio notoriously laid down entire tracks with minimal fuss. Most notably, ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ was reportedly recorded in a single take having only been written the night before by Hendrix. It’s estimated that the album cost no more than £1,500 to produce.
\n\nThe original UK release of the LP in May 1967 featured a mono mix, but a stereo mix was also produced when the record made its way to the US in August of the same year. There are several differences between the two mixes, including a drumroll on May This Be Love and the sound of Hendrix turning pages of lyrics which are not audible on the mono mix.
\n\nTo this day, Appetite For Destruction is the best selling debut album, and one of the best selling albums of all time. Guns N’ Roses brought an edge to rock music inside and outside the studio that hadn’t been seen since the Rolling Stones days.
\n\nAppetite For Destruction features the singles ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘Paradise City’, which all made it to the top ten in the US charts. The opening of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ perfectly captures you by teasing with light echoing guitar before building and then exploding into the blues-grooving main riff. Rather then having a Side A and Side B, Appetite For Destruction has a G and R Side, with the Guns side featuring the songs on drugs and life in Hollywood and the Roses side comprised of songs on love and sex.
\n\nThe original vinyl release had a different cover to the iconic Celtic cross with the skull of each band member. The first release of the record featured artwork by Robert Williams of a woman being sexually assaulted by a robot and a monster about to attack the robot. Stores refused to stock the album and the record label replaced the artwork with the one we all know. The version with the banned artwork isn’t hard to find if you look through online auction sites, but you should expect to pay at least double what you would for the same album with the reissued artwork.
\n\nEntirely written by Pete Townshend, Quadrophenia follows teenager Jimmy: a misfit kid struggling to work out his place in the world – until, that is, he discovers the mod movement and The Who. Fed up of his life at home, his dead-end job and relationships with friends and family, he moves from London to Brighton. Jimmy suffers from schizophrenia and has four personalities, which explains the album title. Each of the personalities reflects a member of the band, and explores a theme which reoccurs in the album. Quadrophenia spoke to teens of the time who could relate to its teenage angst.
\n\nOn the vinyl release, inside the gatefold is a summary of the plot of Quadrophenia as well as a booklet of photographs showing Brighton and London during the mod scene, when then album was set.
\n\nA Night At The Opera cemented Queen as a household name and – pardon the pun – music royalty. The album features Queen’s normal variety of genres, as well as experimentation of sounds and recording techniques. There are tracks that are all-out rock but the band doesn’t seem to take themselves too seriously in their music. Take for example Seaside Rendezvous, where Mercury imitates woodwind instruments using just his voice.
\n\nHowever, they have the occasional serious moment such as in the opening track Death On Two Legs, which is said to be a hate song directed towards Queen’s original manager. Love Of My Life was written by Freddie Mercury about his then-girlfriend Mary Austin, but Brian May would later rearrange the song and after Mercury’s death, dedicate it to him when playing it live.
\n\nYou can’t mention a Night At The Opera without bringing up ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the best-selling commercial single of all time in the UK and one of the band’s most well-known songs. It was also the most expensive single to produce at the time of its release, being recording in multiple studios and taking over three weeks to make. It was twice the length of most singles and received only mixed reviews at the time, if you can believe it. Now it is one of the most well-known rock songs of all time; it has topped charts around the world and remains to be a popular choice with drunk karaoke singers everywhere.
\n\nLed Zeppelin IV sounded amazing in 1971 and it sounds amazing now. It has an essential purity, four towering musicians locked together, making music that is setting their spirits free. It arrived at a moment in pop history when rock was reconfiguring itself. The Beatles had broadened the scope of popular music to such an extent that it is not really possible to consider them purely as a rock band but, in their wake, there were a lot of bands trying both to get back to the more primal drive of the original electric music that had inspired them and to carry it into bolder, more adult places. Jimi Hendrix was pushing the guitar towards the sonic outer limits, Pink Floyd were concocting lush space age soundscapes, The Who were adding keyboards and sequencers to their gobsmacking hard rock crunch, The Rolling Stones were digging down into the music’s bluesy roots, David Bowie and Mick Ronson were waiting in the wings with their glam sci-fi inventions. But when it comes to the absolute essence of power, sexiness and rhythmic attack of guitar, bass, drums and voice, Led Zeppelin were the band in the driving seat. They had essentially already invented the genre of heavy rock and were at the height of their confidence, creativity and youthful ambition. Led Zeppelin IV threw down the gauntlet for a whole generation. Even when punk came to knock down everything that came before, this album was left standing.
\n\nMany bands preceding Zeppelin rocked everybody’s socks off, and there are absolutely classic albums from The Who, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and Hendrix. In the years since, The Sex Pistols, U2, Nirvana and Radiohead are all guitar bands who have had musical moments that shook the whole world. But even their best albums cannot stand up against Led Zeppelin IV. It is, quite simply, the greatest rock album ever made.
\n", "content_html": "They say whats old eventually becomes new again. Can’t be truer then the current audio scene. While everything is available at your fingertips on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music - the music they pump out of your speakers is castrated.
\n\nMP3, by definition compresses the hell out of the digital stream. In order to save ever precious time to download, it strips the treble that you probably won’t hear. It’ll drop the bass that your speakers couldn’t possibly reproduce. And the mid range, well the little 1s & 0s just turn them into indistinct mush. You are not hearing what the Artist intended you to hear. You are getting a cold, harsh digital representation of what an algorithm is calculating for you.
\n\nSure, you can make the arguments that you can’t really hear what the MP3 drops. What they don’t tell you is that you can feel what they are leaving out. The bass lines that just hit you in the gut. Every nuance that comes into a wailing guitar riff. Its just not sound, its a feeling. And the only format that has captured that feeling is Vinyl.
\n\nBut what vinyl albums should you have in your collection? Well here are my top 10 in no particular order:
\n\nIn 1980, AC/DC looked to be on their way up. They had released a series of successful records, finally broke the US with their album Highway To Hell, and were set to record the album that would eventually become Back In Black. However, in February 1980, the band’s original singer Bon Scott was found dead in London. After Scott’s funeral – and with some encouragement from his parents – the band went straight to finding a new frontman, and Brian Johnson was announced as the new singer for AC/DC in April 1980.
\n\nThe band pay tribute to their former singer with the album’s black cover: it was meant to be entirely black with embossed lettering, but the record label insisted on including grey for the band’s logo. The album also starts with bells ringing for Bon Scott. Apart from that brief opening, there are no reflective, mourning or sad songs. In general, the band stuck with what they knew: simple, hard-hitting rock and roll.
\n\nBack In Black is full of riffs that every novice guitar player will attempt to learn at least once, and has solos that experienced players wish they could emulate. Songs like You Shook Me All Night Long have infection choruses that suit the massive arenas they would eventually fill, and Shoot To Thrill is an adrenaline-filled rock anthem that would be used on film soundtracks years after its release. Back In Black’s catchy riffs and quotable lyrics are so synonymous with rock music that they are known by even the casual listener, and are still staples in AC/DC’s live performances to this day.
\n\nAs anyone who likes unsociably loud music will tell you, heavy metal is popularly thought to have been born in 1970 when Brummie headbangers Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut album. Let’s go one further and suggest that heavy metal really hit its stride for the first time with Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid, a heavier, more threatening and more nuanced collection of songs.
\n\nThe one-two opening shot of War Pigs and Paranoid itself simply cannot be bettered in the metal world. The former, a critique of warfare and in particular of the American government’s policies regarding Vietnam, sees lyricist and bassist Geezer Butler on peak form – even if he can’t find a better way to rhyme ‘masses’ than with itself in the couplet ‘Generals gathered in their masses/Just like witches at black masses’. The latter, a zippy paean to mental instability, is probably Sabbath’s best-known song, executed at a rare, non-doomy tempo. The album then moves on to the sensuous instrumental Planet Caravan, a beautiful, landscaped song, before the pulverising hammer blow of Iron Man. It’s not sheer power that makes Paranoid a unique album, although it has that to spare: it’s the keen awareness of songwriting dynamics displayed by Butler plus singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, all still in their very early 20s at the time of recording. That a record such as this was written and delivered by such young musicians is nothing short of miraculous, albeit in the infernal rather than heavenly sense.
\n\nNo record collector wants sticky fingers on vinyl. Sticky Fingers on vinyl, however, is a different story. Recorded over two years in three locations (Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, frontman Mick Jagger’s own country home and Olympic Studios in London), Sticky Fingers was the first LP by The Rolling Stones to be released on their own Rolling Stones Records. The album is also the first to feature Mick Taylor, who replaced guitarist Brian Jones in 1969. Amongst the handful of guest musicians to appear on the record, The Who’s Pete Townsend is perhaps the most notable, believed to have contributed backing vocals to Sway.
\n\nAs well as being revered as one of The Rolling Stones’ best, Sticky Fingers boasts one of the most classic album covers in rock. The artwork – concepted by renowned artist Andy Warhol – was photographed by Billy Name and features a fully-working zip on most original pressings. Due to the LP’s unique construction, hidden underneath the cover art is a second print of presumably the same model stripped down underpants embellished with Warhol’s name and the curious line: “This photograph may not be – etc.” The model was widely believed to be Jagger himself upon the record’s release, though is now known not to be the case. In fact the identity of the crotch’s owner remains a mystery. And though only small on the reverse of the record, Sticky Fingers was the first time The Rolling Stones’ now iconic tongue and lips logo had been used.
\n\nIf 1983’s Pyromania had Def Leppard dipping their toe into pop’s waters, Hysteria was a cannonball at the deep end. From the beginning, the album’s concept had remained the same – to be a hard rock version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, on which every track could be a hit single (and indeed seven of the 12 tracks were, one more single than Thriller). At just over 25 million copies sold worldwide, Hysteria remains the band’s best-selling record.
\n\nDef Leppard’s turbocharged fourth record infamously took almost four years to produce and at a cost just shy of $5 million. At a run time of around 63 minutes, Hysteria really stretched the limits of how long a standard album at the time could be – unfortunately for audiophiles, to the detriment of the vinyl pressings. Over an hour’s worth of music is way too much to squeeze onto a single platter and retain a high standard of audio quality. More recent vinyl releases of the album remedy this by running over two LPs, most notably the 30th Anniversary gatefold vinyl re-issue, featuring fully remastered tracks on a strikingly translucent orange 180g wax.
\n\nWhen Neil Young released Harvest in ’72, he was elevated to the status of household name, largely because of the hugely-acclaimed songs Heart Of Gold and The Needle And The Damage Done. The former is more easily digestible and catchier; the latter is darker, more gloomy in tone and production because it was recorded live, and also better. The Needle And The Damage Done, recorded in concert at UCLA the previous year, was a paean to those of Young’s friends who had succumbed to heroin overdoses, in particular his previous bassist Danny Whitten. It ends suddenly, halfway through a chord sequence, lending this otherwise slick album a threatening edge.
\n\nCritics didn’t give Harvest particularly good reviews at the time of its release: some felt that he was repeating the After The Gold Rush formula a little too readily. However, in years to come the album was recognised as an all-time classic – even by the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose song Sweet Home Alabama was written in response to some anti-Southern sentiments expressed by Young in the song Alabama.
\n\n“Welcome to the Hotel California.” On the Eagles’ fifth studio album, they conjured up the allegorical hotel as a means to convey their disillusionment with the supposed ‘American dream’ – just the beginning of a wider commentary on the self-destructive nature of the rock music industry at the time, the United States and the wider world. Indisputably one of the most iconic rock albums of all time, Hotel California won the band a Grammy Award (Record Of The Year for the album’s title track) and has sold over 30 million copies (the Eagles’ second highest selling album of all, after the success of Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975).
\n\nHotel California marked guitarist Joe Walsh’s band debut, whilst also the final LP with bassist Randy Meisner. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios, Florida and Record Plant Studios, California with producer Bill Szymczyk who had also worked on the Eagles’ previous record, One Of These Nights. Recording sessions at Criteria Studios were often disrupted by the noise from Black Sabbath working on Technical Ecstasy in the studio next door.
\n\nIn reality, Zep were guided by Page and no-one else – which explains the direction Led Zeppelin III took. While Zep’s debut album and the follow-up, both released in 1969, had essentially been LPs of hard rock songs with a few acoustic parts here and there, III was mostly unplugged. A calmer, sweeter, more relaxed vibe permeated the record as a result, itself aided by the fact that Page and Plant composed the songs in a remote Welsh cottage called Bron-Yr-Aur. With no running water or electricity, the twosome pulled out acoustic guitars, began writing – and in doing so established the great rock tradition of ‘getting it together in the country’.
\n\nSit back in your beanbag, slap some headphones on and immerse yourself in the opening cut, ‘Immigrant Song’ – the heaviest song on the album. Page’s classic octave-based guitar riff chimes in, while Plant delivers the wail for which he had already become famous. Friends is a deeper song, despite being largely acoustic: where it excels is with its unusual orchestration of Indian-sounding strings.
\n\nWe all agree that III is a splendid album nowadays, but critics just didn’t get it at the time. Neither heavy enough for headbangers nor progressive enough for Jethro Tull fans, it fell between two stools, it was thought. How wrong they were, and how wonderful hindsight is.
\n\nOn their 11th record, Fleetwood Mac crafted a bittersweet masterpiece fuelled by perhaps one of rock’s most infamous melodramas. Released in 1977, the intensely personal Rumours has become the seventh highest-selling studio album of all time with over 45 million copies sold worldwide. Also winning the five-piece a Grammy award for Album Of The Year in 1978, the iconic record not only features Fleetwood Mac’s best work but some of the best songwriting of all time.
\n\nThe seminal LP featured the fifth incarnation of the band - the duo of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks joining Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and John McVie two years previous following the departure of Bob Welch. A transition triggered on 1975’s eponymous release, Rumours completes Fleetwood Mac’s progression from a band of blues cliches to one of bright pop singles and immaculate songwriting.
\n\nAmong the plethora of official and unofficial rereleases over the past 40 years, audiophiles will revel in the 2011 version that was released for US Record Store Day, which was cut at 45rpm on heavyweight 180g vinyl and remastered from the original analogue tapes to achieve maximum audio quality.
\n\nOften considered one of the greatest albums of all time, and cementing Jimi Hendrix’s status as the original guitar hero, Are You Experienced remains a significant milestone in the history of rock music over 50 years since its release.
\n\nRecording for the album was done in between a busy schedule of live performances, though the trio notoriously laid down entire tracks with minimal fuss. Most notably, ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ was reportedly recorded in a single take having only been written the night before by Hendrix. It’s estimated that the album cost no more than £1,500 to produce.
\n\nThe original UK release of the LP in May 1967 featured a mono mix, but a stereo mix was also produced when the record made its way to the US in August of the same year. There are several differences between the two mixes, including a drumroll on May This Be Love and the sound of Hendrix turning pages of lyrics which are not audible on the mono mix.
\n\nTo this day, Appetite For Destruction is the best selling debut album, and one of the best selling albums of all time. Guns N’ Roses brought an edge to rock music inside and outside the studio that hadn’t been seen since the Rolling Stones days.
\n\nAppetite For Destruction features the singles ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘Paradise City’, which all made it to the top ten in the US charts. The opening of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ perfectly captures you by teasing with light echoing guitar before building and then exploding into the blues-grooving main riff. Rather then having a Side A and Side B, Appetite For Destruction has a G and R Side, with the Guns side featuring the songs on drugs and life in Hollywood and the Roses side comprised of songs on love and sex.
\n\nThe original vinyl release had a different cover to the iconic Celtic cross with the skull of each band member. The first release of the record featured artwork by Robert Williams of a woman being sexually assaulted by a robot and a monster about to attack the robot. Stores refused to stock the album and the record label replaced the artwork with the one we all know. The version with the banned artwork isn’t hard to find if you look through online auction sites, but you should expect to pay at least double what you would for the same album with the reissued artwork.
\n\nEntirely written by Pete Townshend, Quadrophenia follows teenager Jimmy: a misfit kid struggling to work out his place in the world – until, that is, he discovers the mod movement and The Who. Fed up of his life at home, his dead-end job and relationships with friends and family, he moves from London to Brighton. Jimmy suffers from schizophrenia and has four personalities, which explains the album title. Each of the personalities reflects a member of the band, and explores a theme which reoccurs in the album. Quadrophenia spoke to teens of the time who could relate to its teenage angst.
\n\nOn the vinyl release, inside the gatefold is a summary of the plot of Quadrophenia as well as a booklet of photographs showing Brighton and London during the mod scene, when then album was set.
\n\nA Night At The Opera cemented Queen as a household name and – pardon the pun – music royalty. The album features Queen’s normal variety of genres, as well as experimentation of sounds and recording techniques. There are tracks that are all-out rock but the band doesn’t seem to take themselves too seriously in their music. Take for example Seaside Rendezvous, where Mercury imitates woodwind instruments using just his voice.
\n\nHowever, they have the occasional serious moment such as in the opening track Death On Two Legs, which is said to be a hate song directed towards Queen’s original manager. Love Of My Life was written by Freddie Mercury about his then-girlfriend Mary Austin, but Brian May would later rearrange the song and after Mercury’s death, dedicate it to him when playing it live.
\n\nYou can’t mention a Night At The Opera without bringing up ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the best-selling commercial single of all time in the UK and one of the band’s most well-known songs. It was also the most expensive single to produce at the time of its release, being recording in multiple studios and taking over three weeks to make. It was twice the length of most singles and received only mixed reviews at the time, if you can believe it. Now it is one of the most well-known rock songs of all time; it has topped charts around the world and remains to be a popular choice with drunk karaoke singers everywhere.
\n\nLed Zeppelin IV sounded amazing in 1971 and it sounds amazing now. It has an essential purity, four towering musicians locked together, making music that is setting their spirits free. It arrived at a moment in pop history when rock was reconfiguring itself. The Beatles had broadened the scope of popular music to such an extent that it is not really possible to consider them purely as a rock band but, in their wake, there were a lot of bands trying both to get back to the more primal drive of the original electric music that had inspired them and to carry it into bolder, more adult places. Jimi Hendrix was pushing the guitar towards the sonic outer limits, Pink Floyd were concocting lush space age soundscapes, The Who were adding keyboards and sequencers to their gobsmacking hard rock crunch, The Rolling Stones were digging down into the music’s bluesy roots, David Bowie and Mick Ronson were waiting in the wings with their glam sci-fi inventions. But when it comes to the absolute essence of power, sexiness and rhythmic attack of guitar, bass, drums and voice, Led Zeppelin were the band in the driving seat. They had essentially already invented the genre of heavy rock and were at the height of their confidence, creativity and youthful ambition. Led Zeppelin IV threw down the gauntlet for a whole generation. Even when punk came to knock down everything that came before, this album was left standing.
\n\nMany bands preceding Zeppelin rocked everybody’s socks off, and there are absolutely classic albums from The Who, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and Hendrix. In the years since, The Sex Pistols, U2, Nirvana and Radiohead are all guitar bands who have had musical moments that shook the whole world. But even their best albums cannot stand up against Led Zeppelin IV. It is, quite simply, the greatest rock album ever made.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/nyc-subway-map/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/02/nyc-subway-map/", "title": "NYC Subway Map", "date_published": "2019-12-02T22:56:10-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-02T22:56:10-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The New York Times has a great interactive history of the Subway System.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The primary designer assigned to the 1979 redesign, Nobuyuki Siraisi, was a trained sculptor and painter. He prepared for the task of representing the subway lines using an unconventional method.
He rode the length of every train line with his eyes closed, feeling the curve of each track and then drawing the path he perceived in his sketchbook.
The New York Times has a great interactive history of the Subway System.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/03/most-popular-tv-series-1986-2019/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/03/most-popular-tv-series-1986-2019/", "title": "Most Popular TV Series 1986-2019", "date_published": "2019-12-03T00:03:02-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-03T00:03:02-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The primary designer assigned to the 1979 redesign, Nobuyuki Siraisi, was a trained sculptor and painter. He prepared for the task of representing the subway lines using an unconventional method.
He rode the length of every train line with his eyes closed, feeling the curve of each track and then drawing the path he perceived in his sketchbook.
\nTimeline history of the most viewed TV series from 1986 to 2019. I had no idea that some of these TV shows were as popular as they were - specifically ER and Desperate House Wives. The most surprising is that The Simpsons never really cracked the top…
\nTimeline history of the most viewed TV series from 1986 to 2019. I had no idea that some of these TV shows were as popular as they were - specifically ER and Desperate House Wives. The most surprising is that The Simpsons never really cracked the top…
Nate Sloan writes in the New York Times about how the Jonas Brother’s song “Sucker” has “drum brake of stupefyingly funky proportions.”
\n\nAhem. No. It does not. What is stupefying is that Sloan compares the drumming in “Sucker” to Clyde Stubblefield - James Brown’s drummer. As Rick Beato in the video below brilliantly explains:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "So being funky is not about sounding like a drum machine and having perfect time - its actually being Funky
Nate Sloan writes in the New York Times about how the Jonas Brother’s song “Sucker” has “drum brake of stupefyingly funky proportions.”
\n\nAhem. No. It does not. What is stupefying is that Sloan compares the drumming in “Sucker” to Clyde Stubblefield - James Brown’s drummer. As Rick Beato in the video below brilliantly explains:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/08/caroll-spinney-puppeteer-dies/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/08/caroll-spinney-puppeteer-dies/", "title": "Caroll Spinney, puppeteer, dies", "date_published": "2019-12-08T15:03:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-08T15:03:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So being funky is not about sounding like a drum machine and having perfect time - its actually being Funky
Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who is responsible for Big Bird and Oscar the grouch has passed away.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/spinney_bigbird.jpg\")
From the Economist:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "A puppeteer since childhood, he also operated Oscar the Grouch, the sour to Big Bird’s sweet. Oscar, who hoarded junk and lived in a rubbish bin, gave children permission to be cranky once in a while. Mr Spinney’s own childhood was tough. His father was exceedingly frugal and sometimes violent. His mother encouraged his love of puppets and art. He spent a decade working in children’s television, but wanted to do something “more important”. A chance meeting with Jim Henson, the Muppets’ creator, gave him that opportunity.
Big Bird became ubiquitous, the man inside remained unknown. In his memoirs Mr Spinney wrote that it was only the bird that was famous. But ensouling him was instructive. Among the chapter headings were “Find your inner bird”, and “Don’t let your feathers get ruffled”.
Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who is responsible for Big Bird and Oscar the grouch has passed away.
\n\n
From the Economist:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/articles-of-iimpeachment/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/articles-of-iimpeachment/", "title": "The die is cast", "date_published": "2019-12-15T15:41:12-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-15T15:41:12-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A puppeteer since childhood, he also operated Oscar the Grouch, the sour to Big Bird’s sweet. Oscar, who hoarded junk and lived in a rubbish bin, gave children permission to be cranky once in a while. Mr Spinney’s own childhood was tough. His father was exceedingly frugal and sometimes violent. His mother encouraged his love of puppets and art. He spent a decade working in children’s television, but wanted to do something “more important”. A chance meeting with Jim Henson, the Muppets’ creator, gave him that opportunity.
Big Bird became ubiquitous, the man inside remained unknown. In his memoirs Mr Spinney wrote that it was only the bird that was famous. But ensouling him was instructive. Among the chapter headings were “Find your inner bird”, and “Don’t let your feathers get ruffled”.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-impeachment.jpg\")
The House Judiciary Committee approved the articles of impeachment against President Trump, putting into motion the official vote by The House this week. You can read the articles of impeachment with analysis by Peter Baker.
\n\nIt will pass on bi-partisan basis, and the Senate will have to run the trial to see if the President should be removed from office. Trump will be only the third president to be impeached.
\n\nThe Economist in a great article, succinctly lays out the argument for them:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The pressure put on Mr Zelensky, on the other hand, has risen to that level; Mr Trump’s main aim was to undermine a political rival. It is true that the aim was not achieved. Ukraine has announced no investigations, and the military aid that was withheld while those announcements were under discussion was in the end mostly released. In the absence of direct testimony as to the motives for the hold, conditionality might have been easier to prove if its release had followed the achievement of Mr Trump’s aims, rather than Congress and the public finding out what was going on.
But just as the Watergate burglary was a crime despite the fact that the burglars did not accomplish their purpose, so an abuse of power in pursuit of personal political benefit is an abuse of power even if the benefit is not, in the end, forthcoming. The House investigation shows that Mr Trump bent American foreign policy to improve his electoral chances. And he has taken extreme measures to stop Congress from investigating how far the bending went, something which the constitution gives it every right to do.
The House Judiciary Committee approved the articles of impeachment against President Trump, putting into motion the official vote by The House this week. You can read the articles of impeachment with analysis by Peter Baker.
\n\nIt will pass on bi-partisan basis, and the Senate will have to run the trial to see if the President should be removed from office. Trump will be only the third president to be impeached.
\n\nThe Economist in a great article, succinctly lays out the argument for them:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/amazon-new-york-city-expansion/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/amazon-new-york-city-expansion/", "title": "Amazon New York City Expansion", "date_published": "2019-12-15T22:14:40-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-15T22:14:40-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The pressure put on Mr Zelensky, on the other hand, has risen to that level; Mr Trump’s main aim was to undermine a political rival. It is true that the aim was not achieved. Ukraine has announced no investigations, and the military aid that was withheld while those announcements were under discussion was in the end mostly released. In the absence of direct testimony as to the motives for the hold, conditionality might have been easier to prove if its release had followed the achievement of Mr Trump’s aims, rather than Congress and the public finding out what was going on.
But just as the Watergate burglary was a crime despite the fact that the burglars did not accomplish their purpose, so an abuse of power in pursuit of personal political benefit is an abuse of power even if the benefit is not, in the end, forthcoming. The House investigation shows that Mr Trump bent American foreign policy to improve his electoral chances. And he has taken extreme measures to stop Congress from investigating how far the bending went, something which the constitution gives it every right to do.
![](\"/assets/images/amazon-hq.jpeg\")
Amazon agrees to open in Hudson Yards in a deal without any financial incentives from New York City or state.
\n\n\n\n\n\"It’s clear the main reason Amazon wanted to be here was the availability of a skilled tech workforce plus the synergy with related industries,” said James Parrott, an economist at the New School. “And New York City still retains that attraction.”
Exactly - and our politicians need to understand that. There is no place on earth like New York City. Our government should not be paying and pleading for the big multi-nationals - they need NYC more then NYC needs them. And they should be paying brunt of the cost of construction/support structure - not the residents. And good for AOC, one of the few politicians who truly gets it.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "After the Journal reported on Amazon’s new lease, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), a vocal critic of the HQ2 effort who represents neighborhoods near the proposed site, tweeted, “Won’t you look at that: Amazon is coming to NYC anyway - *without* requiring the public to finance shady deals, helipad handouts for Jeff Bezos, & corporate giveaways.”
Amazon agrees to open in Hudson Yards in a deal without any financial incentives from New York City or state.
\n\n\n\n\n\"It’s clear the main reason Amazon wanted to be here was the availability of a skilled tech workforce plus the synergy with related industries,” said James Parrott, an economist at the New School. “And New York City still retains that attraction.”
Exactly - and our politicians need to understand that. There is no place on earth like New York City. Our government should not be paying and pleading for the big multi-nationals - they need NYC more then NYC needs them. And they should be paying brunt of the cost of construction/support structure - not the residents. And good for AOC, one of the few politicians who truly gets it.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/times-2019-person-of-the-year-greta-thunberg/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/15/times-2019-person-of-the-year-greta-thunberg/", "title": "Time's 2019 Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg", "date_published": "2019-12-15T22:35:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-15T22:35:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "After the Journal reported on Amazon’s new lease, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), a vocal critic of the HQ2 effort who represents neighborhoods near the proposed site, tweeted, “Won’t you look at that: Amazon is coming to NYC anyway - *without* requiring the public to finance shady deals, helipad handouts for Jeff Bezos, & corporate giveaways.”
![](\"/assets/images/poy2019.jpg\")
From John Gruber at Daring Fireball :
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Superman is an inherently goofy premise even among the goofy premises of nearly all comic book superheroes. Most superheroes have limited powers and some sort of balanced weaknesses. Superman has nearly unlimited powers and just one very specific, very narrow weakness. And that weakness makes no sense whatsoever — how in the world would chunks of the planet Krypton make their way anywhere outside the Krypton solar system? And don’t get me started on the way no one notices Clark Kent looks like Superman because he’s wearing glasses. I mean come on.
But when I was a kid the thing I found most bothersome about the whole premise was the idea that if a scientist determined and had evidence to prove a severe global calamity was imminent, the public would simply ignore the warning. Here on real Earth, scientists are the ones who warn us of incoming hurricanes and who told us that vaccines could keep us from contracting terrible diseases, and we listened to them.
But here we are with climate change. The Krypton parable no longer seems funny. And with climate change it’s not just one scientist — it’s as close to expert consensus as science ever gets. I’m sure it never even occurred to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to have not just Jor-El but 99 percent of Krypton’s scientists arguing that the planet was doomed — and still having the leaders of the world respond with inaction. That Thunberg has been able to nudge the world in the direction of action — to move the needle even a little — is remarkable.
From John Gruber at Daring Fireball :
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/17/why-are-tvs-so-cheap/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/17/why-are-tvs-so-cheap/", "title": "Why are TVs so cheap?", "date_published": "2019-12-17T00:55:56-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-17T00:55:56-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Superman is an inherently goofy premise even among the goofy premises of nearly all comic book superheroes. Most superheroes have limited powers and some sort of balanced weaknesses. Superman has nearly unlimited powers and just one very specific, very narrow weakness. And that weakness makes no sense whatsoever — how in the world would chunks of the planet Krypton make their way anywhere outside the Krypton solar system? And don’t get me started on the way no one notices Clark Kent looks like Superman because he’s wearing glasses. I mean come on.
But when I was a kid the thing I found most bothersome about the whole premise was the idea that if a scientist determined and had evidence to prove a severe global calamity was imminent, the public would simply ignore the warning. Here on real Earth, scientists are the ones who warn us of incoming hurricanes and who told us that vaccines could keep us from contracting terrible diseases, and we listened to them.
But here we are with climate change. The Krypton parable no longer seems funny. And with climate change it’s not just one scientist — it’s as close to expert consensus as science ever gets. I’m sure it never even occurred to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to have not just Jor-El but 99 percent of Krypton’s scientists arguing that the planet was doomed — and still having the leaders of the world respond with inaction. That Thunberg has been able to nudge the world in the direction of action — to move the needle even a little — is remarkable.
![](\"/assets/images/smart-tv.jpg\")
Because the product is not the TV anymore – its you. As explained by Noah Kulwin :
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "For many big companies that make physical products, the business of making stuff isn’t sufficiently lucrative anymore. Automakers, for example, can now expect to see bigger profits from the loans they make on selling cars than from selling the actual cars. And like the TV manufacturers and car companies, even ad-unfriendly tech giants like Apple know that their real margins won’t come from hardware anymore — it’s why Cupertino is spending massively on content to shore up its growing “services” revenue.
The trade-offs for cheap TVs is that customers are themselves becoming the product for TV makers, which reflects the grandest Silicon Valley innovation of the last ten years: the digital ad business that catapulted Google and Facebook to their present-day stratospheric market valuations. It is, generally speaking, less labor-intensive and more exploitative of both workers and consumers. For something to be as cheap as a great TV, people have to give something up — whether they know it or not.
Because the product is not the TV anymore – its you. As explained by Noah Kulwin :
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/22/mr-robinson-is-back/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/22/mr-robinson-is-back/", "title": "Mr. Robinson is back!", "date_published": "2019-12-22T13:58:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-22T13:58:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "For many big companies that make physical products, the business of making stuff isn’t sufficiently lucrative anymore. Automakers, for example, can now expect to see bigger profits from the loans they make on selling cars than from selling the actual cars. And like the TV manufacturers and car companies, even ad-unfriendly tech giants like Apple know that their real margins won’t come from hardware anymore — it’s why Cupertino is spending massively on content to shore up its growing “services” revenue.
The trade-offs for cheap TVs is that customers are themselves becoming the product for TV makers, which reflects the grandest Silicon Valley innovation of the last ten years: the digital ad business that catapulted Google and Facebook to their present-day stratospheric market valuations. It is, generally speaking, less labor-intensive and more exploitative of both workers and consumers. For something to be as cheap as a great TV, people have to give something up — whether they know it or not.
Things have changed in Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood. The white people came and changed everything. His crack cooking friend Franky down the hall has left - flipped his apartment for $1.2 million to Damian and Mikka. And thanks to 23AndMe - he has found family he never knew he had.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHey kids, can you say “gentrification”? It’s like a magic trick. White people pay a lot of money, and then poof, all the black people are gone. But where do they go, boys and girls? Back to where they come from, of course. Atlanta.
Things have changed in Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood. The white people came and changed everything. His crack cooking friend Franky down the hall has left - flipped his apartment for $1.2 million to Damian and Mikka. And thanks to 23AndMe - he has found family he never knew he had.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHey kids, can you say “gentrification”? It’s like a magic trick. White people pay a lot of money, and then poof, all the black people are gone. But where do they go, boys and girls? Back to where they come from, of course. Atlanta.
Finland built a 6-week online course for its citizens to learn the basics of AI. Now it’s open to the rest of the world.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/finlandai.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\n\nThere are already quite a few sites for people looking to learn the basics of AI, but Finland’s offering seems worth your time if you’re interested in such a thing. It’s nicely designed, offers short tests at the end of each section, and covers a range of topics from the philosophical implications of AI to technical subjects like Bayesian probability. It’s supposed to take about six weeks to finish, with each section taking between five and 10 hours.
The Finnish government said it originally designed the course to give its citizen an advantage in AI. Finland has always punched above its weight in the tech and education, so it seems sensible to marry the two strengths. Megan Schaible of the tech consultancy Reaktor, which helped design the course, said the motivation was “to prove that AI should not be left in the hands of a few elite coders.”
You can start your course here
\n", "content_html": "Finland built a 6-week online course for its citizens to learn the basics of AI. Now it’s open to the rest of the world.
\n\n
\n\n\nThere are already quite a few sites for people looking to learn the basics of AI, but Finland’s offering seems worth your time if you’re interested in such a thing. It’s nicely designed, offers short tests at the end of each section, and covers a range of topics from the philosophical implications of AI to technical subjects like Bayesian probability. It’s supposed to take about six weeks to finish, with each section taking between five and 10 hours.
The Finnish government said it originally designed the course to give its citizen an advantage in AI. Finland has always punched above its weight in the tech and education, so it seems sensible to marry the two strengths. Megan Schaible of the tech consultancy Reaktor, which helped design the course, said the motivation was “to prove that AI should not be left in the hands of a few elite coders.”
You can start your course here
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/30/teaching-a-delorean-how-to-drift/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2019/12/30/teaching-a-delorean-how-to-drift/", "title": "Teaching a DeLorean how to drift", "date_published": "2019-12-30T00:26:08-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-12-30T00:26:08-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A group of Stanford engineers has built an electric self-driving DeLorean that they’ve taught how to drift through a fairly complicated kilometer-long course “with the agility and precision of a human driver”. The car only needed to “see” a GPS course in order to successfully complete it.
\n\nAs Doc Brown would say “The way I see it, if you’re gonna teach an autonomous car to drift, why not do it with some style?”
\n", "content_html": "A group of Stanford engineers has built an electric self-driving DeLorean that they’ve taught how to drift through a fairly complicated kilometer-long course “with the agility and precision of a human driver”. The car only needed to “see” a GPS course in order to successfully complete it.
\n\nAs Doc Brown would say “The way I see it, if you’re gonna teach an autonomous car to drift, why not do it with some style?”
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/03/were-going-back-to-the-moon/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/03/were-going-back-to-the-moon/", "title": "We're going back to the Moon", "date_published": "2020-01-03T14:40:21-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-03T14:40:21-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\n
\n\n\nWith the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars.
You can find out the full details on NASA’s Artemis site
\n", "content_html": "
\n
\n\n\nWith the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars.
You can find out the full details on NASA’s Artemis site
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/05/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/05/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review/", "title": "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review", "date_published": "2020-01-05T15:43:10-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-05T15:43:10-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker.jpg\")
Well, here we are at the end of all things. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the movie billed as the conclusion to the saga/mythology/lifestyle choice that George Lucas launched some 42 years ago with an unassuming little $9 million space opera called Star Wars. That of course was back in those innocent days when not every film carried a subtitle, and not every story choice was fraught with meaning for films yet to even be conceived.
\n\nFollowing the divisive, and at times toxic, debate over the previous installment, 2017’s The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker has been tasked with the unenviable challenge of not just providing a satisfying finale to the current trilogy, but also to the entire nine-film storyline that encompasses the Skywalker family melodrama and a galactic battle between good and evil. It also needs to please a plethora of fans with many different ideas of what this thing is supposed to be.
\n\nDoes The Rise of Skywalker succeed? Did director/co-writer J.J. Abrams (encoring after setting the whole thing in motion with 2015’s The Force Awakens) make something that managed to answer all the questions and deliver an exciting story while simultaneously honoring and burying the past?
\n\nNah. Not really.
\n\nStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a master class in ticking off boxes, a movie that lumbers to a shaky start but eventually delivers a certain level of surface excitement and rapid-fire pacing that obscures just how flimsily constructed its narrative is. The movie is less a story than a compendium of things that need to happen just to create the superficial sensations certain Star Wars fans want to experience–and those things often work well as they happen, only for the viewer to chuckle afterward over how he or she has been played again.
\n\nIn other words, this is very much a J.J. Abrams movie: expertly made and well-acted (perhaps the best-acted of the entire new trilogy), but with no distinct point-of-view. It’s lots of callbacks and “surprise” cameos, and a narrative that’s very loosely remixed from a previous installment in the franchise. It throws a couple of bones to people who liked The Last Jedi’s deliberate subversion and deconstruction of Star Wars tropes, but make no mistake, it also explicitly and aggressively rejects that film’s concerns, applying a certain amount of retconning to the saga that may try even the hardiest series originalist.
\n\nThe first half hour of the movie almost derails it entirely, as it bounces from one environment to another setting up both the new plot and reconnecting us with the characters in a clunky, almost random fashion. It is absolutely no spoiler to say that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is reintroduced within the opening moments of the film, but we will leave it for another time (and probably another writer, to be honest) to discuss the whys and hows of his presence here after 30 years. A whole lot of exposition and action follows haphazardly until we finally settle into the bulk of the main narrative.
\n\nThat narrative follows our core returning heroes–Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac), plus C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and Chewie (Joonas Suotamo)–as they embark on a quest to find the kind of MacGuffin that usually ends up being the result of lazy screenwriting more than any Hitchcockian misdirection. While the search itself is needlessly elongated and convoluted, it does contain some of the movie’s best moments–at last we get to see our heroes mostly together, bickering affectionately and working toward a shared goal.
\n\nMeanwhile, back at whatever planet the rebel/Resistance base is now located on, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and her tattered, dwindling troops are trying to put on a brave front in light of the news of Palpatine’s re-emergence on the scene. And of course there’s her son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who still grapples with his loyalties in the First Order’s new role.
\n\nGetting any further into the plot would be spoilery, but suffice to say that there are revelations afoot which will do nothing to alleviate the divisions among Star Wars fans–divisions that have sadly been fueled in many ways by pre-existing prejudices that have nothing to do with the story at hand. Some old friends, such as Lando Calrissian (a delighted-to-be-there Billy Dee Williams), are trotted out along with a handful of new characters, but one gets the sense that they don’t contribute much to the narrative overall and are merely there as glorified walk-ons.
\n\nAs for our main heroes, all of them do their best work in the series to date. Driver’s Kylo Ren is still this trilogy’s most interesting creation, a truly conflicted character whose leanings and motivations are always in question. His final arc, while not entirely unforeseen, is still the most unpredictable of the bunch and Driver can do a lot with steely glares and silent gestures.
\n\nAs for our central trio of Rey, Finn and Poe, they’ve always felt like a three-way redistribution of Luke, Leia and Han’s characteristics more than three-dimensional beings, but they get to add a bit more nuance here that makes them seem more alive than they have in the two previous adventures. Rey and Kylo also get to share some of their most intense exchanges of all three films, their relationship given a new resonance here, and also engage in one hell of a lightsaber duel atop the ruins of the old Death Star that is as much of a showstopper as the brief clips we’ve seen beforehand suggest.
\n\nCarrie Fisher’s much-documented appearance in the movie is, with perhaps one exception toward the end, handled about as seamlessly as it probably could be. Created from eight minutes of existing but excised The Force Awakens footage (and a different plotline entirely), it’s integrated well enough into this story to allow Leia a proper, if diminished, role in these concluding proceedings without simply having to write her out of the movie entirely.
\n\nThat’s one of those boxes that the movie at least checks off somewhat successfully. A lot of other moments in The Rise of Skywalker play out as curtain calls or “greatest hits” without doing much to serve the larger story. That story itself leads to a very familiar third act: one which doesn’t have the same stakes or emotional pull because we’ve seen so much of it before. A parade of beloved characters walking through and waving as well-remembered scenes are re-enacted around them is not a story, but a pantomime.
\n\nAnd that, in the end, is the biggest problem with The Rise of Skywalker and this entire new trio of Star Wars entries: we’ve seen so much of it before, in slightly different form. That issue itself stems from the very origins of this chapter: a desire on the part of a corporate parent (Disney) to put more Star Wars movies on the screen but a lack of a strong central vision of what story to tell going forward. The result has been a franchise at war with itself, even as its fans go to war against each other: a literal, real-life embodiment of the entire brand’s title–with no clear victor in sight.
\n", "content_html": "
Well, here we are at the end of all things. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the movie billed as the conclusion to the saga/mythology/lifestyle choice that George Lucas launched some 42 years ago with an unassuming little $9 million space opera called Star Wars. That of course was back in those innocent days when not every film carried a subtitle, and not every story choice was fraught with meaning for films yet to even be conceived.
\n\nFollowing the divisive, and at times toxic, debate over the previous installment, 2017’s The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker has been tasked with the unenviable challenge of not just providing a satisfying finale to the current trilogy, but also to the entire nine-film storyline that encompasses the Skywalker family melodrama and a galactic battle between good and evil. It also needs to please a plethora of fans with many different ideas of what this thing is supposed to be.
\n\nDoes The Rise of Skywalker succeed? Did director/co-writer J.J. Abrams (encoring after setting the whole thing in motion with 2015’s The Force Awakens) make something that managed to answer all the questions and deliver an exciting story while simultaneously honoring and burying the past?
\n\nNah. Not really.
\n\nStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a master class in ticking off boxes, a movie that lumbers to a shaky start but eventually delivers a certain level of surface excitement and rapid-fire pacing that obscures just how flimsily constructed its narrative is. The movie is less a story than a compendium of things that need to happen just to create the superficial sensations certain Star Wars fans want to experience–and those things often work well as they happen, only for the viewer to chuckle afterward over how he or she has been played again.
\n\nIn other words, this is very much a J.J. Abrams movie: expertly made and well-acted (perhaps the best-acted of the entire new trilogy), but with no distinct point-of-view. It’s lots of callbacks and “surprise” cameos, and a narrative that’s very loosely remixed from a previous installment in the franchise. It throws a couple of bones to people who liked The Last Jedi’s deliberate subversion and deconstruction of Star Wars tropes, but make no mistake, it also explicitly and aggressively rejects that film’s concerns, applying a certain amount of retconning to the saga that may try even the hardiest series originalist.
\n\nThe first half hour of the movie almost derails it entirely, as it bounces from one environment to another setting up both the new plot and reconnecting us with the characters in a clunky, almost random fashion. It is absolutely no spoiler to say that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is reintroduced within the opening moments of the film, but we will leave it for another time (and probably another writer, to be honest) to discuss the whys and hows of his presence here after 30 years. A whole lot of exposition and action follows haphazardly until we finally settle into the bulk of the main narrative.
\n\nThat narrative follows our core returning heroes–Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac), plus C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and Chewie (Joonas Suotamo)–as they embark on a quest to find the kind of MacGuffin that usually ends up being the result of lazy screenwriting more than any Hitchcockian misdirection. While the search itself is needlessly elongated and convoluted, it does contain some of the movie’s best moments–at last we get to see our heroes mostly together, bickering affectionately and working toward a shared goal.
\n\nMeanwhile, back at whatever planet the rebel/Resistance base is now located on, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and her tattered, dwindling troops are trying to put on a brave front in light of the news of Palpatine’s re-emergence on the scene. And of course there’s her son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who still grapples with his loyalties in the First Order’s new role.
\n\nGetting any further into the plot would be spoilery, but suffice to say that there are revelations afoot which will do nothing to alleviate the divisions among Star Wars fans–divisions that have sadly been fueled in many ways by pre-existing prejudices that have nothing to do with the story at hand. Some old friends, such as Lando Calrissian (a delighted-to-be-there Billy Dee Williams), are trotted out along with a handful of new characters, but one gets the sense that they don’t contribute much to the narrative overall and are merely there as glorified walk-ons.
\n\nAs for our main heroes, all of them do their best work in the series to date. Driver’s Kylo Ren is still this trilogy’s most interesting creation, a truly conflicted character whose leanings and motivations are always in question. His final arc, while not entirely unforeseen, is still the most unpredictable of the bunch and Driver can do a lot with steely glares and silent gestures.
\n\nAs for our central trio of Rey, Finn and Poe, they’ve always felt like a three-way redistribution of Luke, Leia and Han’s characteristics more than three-dimensional beings, but they get to add a bit more nuance here that makes them seem more alive than they have in the two previous adventures. Rey and Kylo also get to share some of their most intense exchanges of all three films, their relationship given a new resonance here, and also engage in one hell of a lightsaber duel atop the ruins of the old Death Star that is as much of a showstopper as the brief clips we’ve seen beforehand suggest.
\n\nCarrie Fisher’s much-documented appearance in the movie is, with perhaps one exception toward the end, handled about as seamlessly as it probably could be. Created from eight minutes of existing but excised The Force Awakens footage (and a different plotline entirely), it’s integrated well enough into this story to allow Leia a proper, if diminished, role in these concluding proceedings without simply having to write her out of the movie entirely.
\n\nThat’s one of those boxes that the movie at least checks off somewhat successfully. A lot of other moments in The Rise of Skywalker play out as curtain calls or “greatest hits” without doing much to serve the larger story. That story itself leads to a very familiar third act: one which doesn’t have the same stakes or emotional pull because we’ve seen so much of it before. A parade of beloved characters walking through and waving as well-remembered scenes are re-enacted around them is not a story, but a pantomime.
\n\nAnd that, in the end, is the biggest problem with The Rise of Skywalker and this entire new trio of Star Wars entries: we’ve seen so much of it before, in slightly different form. That issue itself stems from the very origins of this chapter: a desire on the part of a corporate parent (Disney) to put more Star Wars movies on the screen but a lack of a strong central vision of what story to tell going forward. The result has been a franchise at war with itself, even as its fans go to war against each other: a literal, real-life embodiment of the entire brand’s title–with no clear victor in sight.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/08/c/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/08/c/", "title": "C", "date_published": "2020-01-08T03:15:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-08T03:15:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Michael Byrne in a Vice article:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen techno-human civilization has finally collapsed, perhaps the result of a nuclear war programmed in C or the result of a bacterial superstrain isolated by software implemented in C, and we have been returned to our caves to gnaw bones and fight over rotten meat, there will still be a program written in C executing somewhere.
All of this isn't just because a lot of people really like coding in C, though it's been estimated that almost 20 percent of all coders use the language (see below). C is far deeper than what we normally think of when we think of \"programming language.\" There are languages that we consider to be more or less foundational—Java, Python, Ruby, Lisp, etc.—which are the very general-purpose languages. C is also general-purpose programming language, but the difference is that C has become the de facto language of machines themselves, whether it's a five dollar microcontroller or a deep-space probe.
My argument is that I like coding in C. For all its faults, I love C for its simplicity, stability - and for the most part staying virtually unchanged for over a little over half a century. It is in complete opposite to the current trendy fad - JavaScript - where developers are constantly creating new languages to avoid using it.
\n\nIt is the closest thing we have to a defacto standard in the computer world.
\n", "content_html": "Michael Byrne in a Vice article:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen techno-human civilization has finally collapsed, perhaps the result of a nuclear war programmed in C or the result of a bacterial superstrain isolated by software implemented in C, and we have been returned to our caves to gnaw bones and fight over rotten meat, there will still be a program written in C executing somewhere.
All of this isn't just because a lot of people really like coding in C, though it's been estimated that almost 20 percent of all coders use the language (see below). C is far deeper than what we normally think of when we think of \"programming language.\" There are languages that we consider to be more or less foundational—Java, Python, Ruby, Lisp, etc.—which are the very general-purpose languages. C is also general-purpose programming language, but the difference is that C has become the de facto language of machines themselves, whether it's a five dollar microcontroller or a deep-space probe.
My argument is that I like coding in C. For all its faults, I love C for its simplicity, stability - and for the most part staying virtually unchanged for over a little over half a century. It is in complete opposite to the current trendy fad - JavaScript - where developers are constantly creating new languages to avoid using it.
\n\nIt is the closest thing we have to a defacto standard in the computer world.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/11/winners-take-all/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/11/winners-take-all/", "title": "Winners Take All", "date_published": "2020-01-11T14:17:27-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-11T14:17:27-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Winners Take All is Anand Giridharadas’ 2018 book about how “the global elite’s efforts to ‘change the world’ preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve”.
\n\n\n\n\nWhy, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? His groundbreaking investigation has already forced a great, sorely needed reckoning among the world’s wealthiest and those they hover above, and it points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world — a call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
The RSA made an animated video of a talk by Giridharadas that provides a graet summary of the central theme in five minutes — it’s a good watch/listen. Full talk is available here.
\n\nWinners Take All is Anand Giridharadas’ 2018 book about how “the global elite’s efforts to ‘change the world’ preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve”.
\n\n\n\n\nWhy, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? His groundbreaking investigation has already forced a great, sorely needed reckoning among the world’s wealthiest and those they hover above, and it points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world — a call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
The RSA made an animated video of a talk by Giridharadas that provides a graet summary of the central theme in five minutes — it’s a good watch/listen. Full talk is available here.
\n\nFroma Harrop argues that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) should leave the Democratic Party because she is not playing nice and stepping in line.
\n\n\n\n\nAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez was not entirely wrong when she said, \"In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party,\" in an interview with New York magazine.
..
..
..Ocasio-Cortez most likely doesn't have the guts to leave the Democratic Party probably for the same reason that Bernie Sanders ensures he has the \"D\" after his name whenever he runs for office. In the 2006 and 2012 Senate races, Sanders ran as a Democrat in the primary, then refused the nomination when he won so he could run as in Independent without facing a Democratic challenger.
AOC might also want to also have it both ways, using the Democratic designation to get elected in her liberal district while bashing the party that gave her power.
If AOC identified as a Democratic Socialist in 2020, she could conceivably win reelection to Congress, given her celebrity and her genius on social media. And she wouldn't have to be in the same party as Joe Biden. Why doesn't she try it?
To answer her question, that’s what a political party is for. It’s not a hobby; it’s not an association for making friends or hosting stimulating conversations and seminars; it’s not “a 30-year project”. Its purpose is to win and exercise power in the here and now. If AOC can use the Democratic party and mold the party for a new electorate - in my opinion that’s a good thing.
\n", "content_html": "Froma Harrop argues that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) should leave the Democratic Party because she is not playing nice and stepping in line.
\n\n\n\n\nAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez was not entirely wrong when she said, \"In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party,\" in an interview with New York magazine.
..
..
..Ocasio-Cortez most likely doesn't have the guts to leave the Democratic Party probably for the same reason that Bernie Sanders ensures he has the \"D\" after his name whenever he runs for office. In the 2006 and 2012 Senate races, Sanders ran as a Democrat in the primary, then refused the nomination when he won so he could run as in Independent without facing a Democratic challenger.
AOC might also want to also have it both ways, using the Democratic designation to get elected in her liberal district while bashing the party that gave her power.
If AOC identified as a Democratic Socialist in 2020, she could conceivably win reelection to Congress, given her celebrity and her genius on social media. And she wouldn't have to be in the same party as Joe Biden. Why doesn't she try it?
To answer her question, that’s what a political party is for. It’s not a hobby; it’s not an association for making friends or hosting stimulating conversations and seminars; it’s not “a 30-year project”. Its purpose is to win and exercise power in the here and now. If AOC can use the Democratic party and mold the party for a new electorate - in my opinion that’s a good thing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/13/wall-street-bonus-culture-is-ending/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/13/wall-street-bonus-culture-is-ending/", "title": "Wall Street Bonus culture is ending", "date_published": "2020-01-13T11:04:04-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-13T11:04:04-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Yet another industry is being eaten by software- looks like Wall Street is the latest casualty.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Roosevelt Bowman, who traded bonds at Lehman Brothers back in 2008, learned to code as the firm collapsed. More than a decade later and now senior investment strategist at AllianceBernstein Holdings LP’s private wealth-management division, he uses programming languages such as R and Python regularly in his job in New York.
At UBS, Purves is spearheading an effort to digitize the investment bank’s trading of fixed income and equities and as part of that he went on a course with Silicon Valley’s Singularity University to learn how experienced bankers can evolve and stay relevant. When it comes to new hires, Purves says, the best candidates are those that have the least to “unlearn.” They are team players with computer science skills who are often new to banking, he said.
Jack Miller, head of trading for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee, agrees. For the first time last year, he included proficiency in coding as a requirement for a junior trader job, but hasn’t found anyone yet with the right mix of technical and people skills.
Yet another industry is being eaten by software- looks like Wall Street is the latest casualty.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/13/tesla-surges-above-500-dollars/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/13/tesla-surges-above-500-dollars/", "title": "Tesla worth more than GM and Ford - combined", "date_published": "2020-01-13T11:32:05-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-13T11:32:05-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Roosevelt Bowman, who traded bonds at Lehman Brothers back in 2008, learned to code as the firm collapsed. More than a decade later and now senior investment strategist at AllianceBernstein Holdings LP’s private wealth-management division, he uses programming languages such as R and Python regularly in his job in New York.
At UBS, Purves is spearheading an effort to digitize the investment bank’s trading of fixed income and equities and as part of that he went on a course with Silicon Valley’s Singularity University to learn how experienced bankers can evolve and stay relevant. When it comes to new hires, Purves says, the best candidates are those that have the least to “unlearn.” They are team players with computer science skills who are often new to banking, he said.
Jack Miller, head of trading for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee, agrees. For the first time last year, he included proficiency in coding as a requirement for a junior trader job, but hasn’t found anyone yet with the right mix of technical and people skills.
![](\"/assets/images/2019-Tesla-Model3.jpeg\")
Tesla is now by far the most valuable car company in America. Tesla’s market capitalization is $93 billion, compared to $50 billion for General Motors and $37 billion for Ford. Remarkable considering GM sold around 20 times as many cars as Tesla in 2019, while Ford sold more than six times as many.
\n\nTesla is the Apple of the automobile industry. If I were a car manufacturer right now, I would be loosing a lot of sleep.
\n\nTimoth B. Lee in Wired sums it up the best:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "I’m not the first person to compare Tesla to Apple, but I think the comparison makes sense. Apple has only 15 to 20 percent of the global smartphone market, well below Google’s Android. But the distinctiveness of the iPhone platform, combined with the loyalty of the Apple customer base, means that Apple can charge a premium for the iPhone. As a result, Apple’s share of smartphone industry profits is much larger than its share of unit shipments or revenue.
\n\nWe don’t know what the electric car marketplace will look like a decade from now. But it’s not hard to imagine it evolving in a similar direction, with Tesla becoming the Apple of transportation. People will be willing to pay a few thousand dollars extra for the prestige and unique features of a Tesla—just as they’re willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars for an iPhone. And in the ruthlessly competitive car industry, even a small difference in price can translate into a big difference in profits.
Tesla is now by far the most valuable car company in America. Tesla’s market capitalization is $93 billion, compared to $50 billion for General Motors and $37 billion for Ford. Remarkable considering GM sold around 20 times as many cars as Tesla in 2019, while Ford sold more than six times as many.
\n\nTesla is the Apple of the automobile industry. If I were a car manufacturer right now, I would be loosing a lot of sleep.
\n\nTimoth B. Lee in Wired sums it up the best:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/19/speaker-nancy-pelosi-real-time-with-bill-maher/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/19/speaker-nancy-pelosi-real-time-with-bill-maher/", "title": "Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Real Time with Bill Maher", "date_published": "2020-01-19T01:33:04-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-19T01:33:04-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I’m not the first person to compare Tesla to Apple, but I think the comparison makes sense. Apple has only 15 to 20 percent of the global smartphone market, well below Google’s Android. But the distinctiveness of the iPhone platform, combined with the loyalty of the Apple customer base, means that Apple can charge a premium for the iPhone. As a result, Apple’s share of smartphone industry profits is much larger than its share of unit shipments or revenue.
\n\nWe don’t know what the electric car marketplace will look like a decade from now. But it’s not hard to imagine it evolving in a similar direction, with Tesla becoming the Apple of transportation. People will be willing to pay a few thousand dollars extra for the prestige and unique features of a Tesla—just as they’re willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars for an iPhone. And in the ruthlessly competitive car industry, even a small difference in price can translate into a big difference in profits.
\nNancy Pelosi made an appearance on Bill Maher’s season opening episode - needling President Trump:
\n\nIf I knew that the president is listening, I would want him to know that he is impeached forever, and he is impeached forever because he used the office of the president to try to influence a foreign country for his personal and political benefit. In doing so, he undermined our national security, he was disloyal to his oath of office to protect the Constitution and he placed in jeopardy the integrity of our election. He gave us no choice.
Nothing would please me more then if this women would run against President Trump. When asked about how Democrats often fall victim through their own purity tests - Speaker Pelosi:
\n\n\n\nI don’t worry about that … And in the recent elections we won. And we showed in the house we know how to win. Disciplined, focused, cold-blooded in terms of just winning.
I agree with Bill Maher - Speaker Pelosi is our Iron Lady.
\n", "content_html": "
\nNancy Pelosi made an appearance on Bill Maher’s season opening episode - needling President Trump:
\n\nIf I knew that the president is listening, I would want him to know that he is impeached forever, and he is impeached forever because he used the office of the president to try to influence a foreign country for his personal and political benefit. In doing so, he undermined our national security, he was disloyal to his oath of office to protect the Constitution and he placed in jeopardy the integrity of our election. He gave us no choice.
Nothing would please me more then if this women would run against President Trump. When asked about how Democrats often fall victim through their own purity tests - Speaker Pelosi:
\n\n\n\nI don’t worry about that … And in the recent elections we won. And we showed in the house we know how to win. Disciplined, focused, cold-blooded in terms of just winning.
I agree with Bill Maher - Speaker Pelosi is our Iron Lady.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/19/kenobi-fan-film/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/19/kenobi-fan-film/", "title": "Kenobi Fan Film", "date_published": "2020-01-19T02:23:37-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-19T02:23:37-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThat moment when a fan film feels more like star wars than the huge Disney productions. You don’t need 1000s of starships or hundreds of Jedi. You just need big stories – saving a little boy can have more then enough drama for a movie.
\nThat moment when a fan film feels more like star wars than the huge Disney productions. You don’t need 1000s of starships or hundreds of Jedi. You just need big stories – saving a little boy can have more then enough drama for a movie.
![](\"/assets/images/candidates-banner.png\")
The Washington Post has a great 20 question quiz to see which 2020 Democratic candidate you most closely align with.
\n\nSurprise - I am most agreeable to Elizabeth Warren with Bernie Sanders a close second. Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most? Take the quiz here.
\n", "content_html": "
The Washington Post has a great 20 question quiz to see which 2020 Democratic candidate you most closely align with.
\n\nSurprise - I am most agreeable to Elizabeth Warren with Bernie Sanders a close second. Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most? Take the quiz here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/22/march-release-of-iphone-9-imminent/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/22/march-release-of-iphone-9-imminent/", "title": "March release of iPhone 9 imminent", "date_published": "2020-01-22T15:53:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-22T15:53:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/iphone9.jpg\")
Looks like we have the successor to the iPhone SE - which in my opinion, was the greatest iPhone form factor ever made - scheduled for release in March. With the price expected to be at $399 - Apple is going to sell a ton of these. I just might be on the buy list for one of these.
\n\nThe spec run-down form phoneArena.com:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "If you’ve somehow missed the constant bombardment of iPhone 9 leaks, here’s a quick rundown of what we’re expecting right now.
Design-wise, the phone should look almost identical to the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display and a home button with Touch ID. Unlike the iPhone 8, however, inside there will be Apple’s latest A13 system chip with all of its benchmark-topping power.
On the back, a single wide-angle camera will have to fill all the photography needs, just like in the good old days. If the iPhone 9 gets the lens from the iPhone 11 series alongside Night Mode, we doubt there will be anyone complaining.
Looks like we have the successor to the iPhone SE - which in my opinion, was the greatest iPhone form factor ever made - scheduled for release in March. With the price expected to be at $399 - Apple is going to sell a ton of these. I just might be on the buy list for one of these.
\n\nThe spec run-down form phoneArena.com:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/25/if-right-doesnt-matter-were-lost-if-the-truth-doesnt-matter-were-lost/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/01/25/if-right-doesnt-matter-were-lost-if-the-truth-doesnt-matter-were-lost/", "title": "If Right doesn't matter, we're lost. If the Truth doesn't matter, we're lost.", "date_published": "2020-01-25T00:17:00-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-25T00:17:00-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you’ve somehow missed the constant bombardment of iPhone 9 leaks, here’s a quick rundown of what we’re expecting right now.
Design-wise, the phone should look almost identical to the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display and a home button with Touch ID. Unlike the iPhone 8, however, inside there will be Apple’s latest A13 system chip with all of its benchmark-topping power.
On the back, a single wide-angle camera will have to fill all the photography needs, just like in the good old days. If the iPhone 9 gets the lens from the iPhone 11 series alongside Night Mode, we doubt there will be anyone complaining.
Adam Schiff’s summary argument in the Senate trial of Donald Trump’s impeachment. It sums up the state of the world today.
\n\n\nDonald Trump must be convicted and removed from office.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 24, 2020
Because he will always choose his own personal interest over our national interest.
Because in America, right matters. Truth matters.
If not, no Constitution can protect us.
If not, we are lost. pic.twitter.com/USfx6v9KsT
Adam Schiff’s summary argument in the Senate trial of Donald Trump’s impeachment. It sums up the state of the world today.
\n\n\nDonald Trump must be convicted and removed from office.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 24, 2020
Because he will always choose his own personal interest over our national interest.
Because in America, right matters. Truth matters.
If not, no Constitution can protect us.
If not, we are lost. pic.twitter.com/USfx6v9KsT
A mechanical keyboard is a keyboard built with high quality, typically spring activated, key switches. These key switches vary based on the keyboard’s application or user preference.
\n\nWhile some of the first widely sold keyboards such as IBM’s Model M in the 1980’s utilized mechanical switches, the 1990’s brought on a wave of inexpensive rubber dome keyboards that flooded the keyboard market. Rubber dome keyboards represent over 90% of keyboards in use today and provide an inexpensive but dissatisfying feel and typing experience.
\n\nMechanical keyboards raise the bar in every way. A mechanical keyboard’s switches, framing, functionality, type print methods, key construction, PCB board, LED lighting (sharpness, brightness, adjustability), and a slew of other features are far superior compared to traditional rubber dome keyboards. Most of these improvements boil down to one thing - feel. Mechanical keyboards simply feel better than rubber dome keyboards.
\n\nOver the last few years, mechanical keyboards have become extremely popular. And as a developer I prefer the force feed back and the reassuring click and tactile feed back that they provide. However there is a huge variety of keyboards available with different layouts, key types and price points. How do you pick one that is right for you?
\n\nAfter trying many of mechanical keyboards, I can honestly recommend the Logitech G Pro Gaming keyboard. Don’t let the gaming part fool you. This is a serious keyboard that gives one of the best performances at a very reasonable price.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/LogitechGProKeyboard.png\")
The Logitech G Pro Gaming keyboard comes with a just the essentials - the keyboard itself, a braided micro-USB cable and a small leaflet that tells you how to plug in the keyboard. Thats about it. You’ll either want to hold on to the box or invest in a separate case as one is not included.
\n\nThe G Pro’s braided micro-USB cable deserves mention. With hooks on either side, it provides for a secure fit. This is good for securing the cable so you don’t accidentally remove it while in use. And the braided cable looks to be strong - no fraying or cutting problems here.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/keyboard-cord.jpg\")
The G Pro looks like what would happen if we were to take a standard full mechanical keyboard and simply chop off the numpad with some kind of high-tech paper cutter. It has a full selection of keys (minus the numpad), in addition to a key that controls the lighting and one that activates a Game Mode. The Game Mode is useless for programmers. It prevents you from clicking keys such as Alt-Tab or the Windows button, so that you won’t accidentally shut down your game midway. I wish this key was programmable to something else - but alas, you can’t.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/GPro-Keyboard-angle.jpg\")
That’s most of what there is to say about the keyboard’s looks. It’s small (14.2 x 6.0 x 1.4 inches), attractive and streamlined. Instead of employing discrete media controls, you can use the Fn key and the top row of Function buttons. Discrete controls would have been nice, but the advantage here is that they don’t clutter the keyboard.
\n\nThe keyboard makes use of the company’s ubiquitous Romer-G mechanical switches. If you’ve never tried them before, they feel like Cherry MX Browns: tactile and fairly quiet. While Cherries are the standard to beat, Romer-Gs are supposed to be a hair faster, more responsive and more durable, so you could do much worse. Taken on their own merits, they’re pretty comfortable.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/romer-g.jpg\")
The Romer-G switches are great for typing. With the G Pro, I typed 115 words per minute with nine errors. Thats pretty good - at least for me.
\n\nThe Logitech G Pro runs on the Logitech Gaming Software, which is excellent. You can program the F1 through F12 keys, as well as adjust the backlighting and keep track of your stats (where your fingers spend the most time, how often you press buttons, and so forth).
\n\nThere’s one onboard profile for the G Pro keyboard. This profile stores one lighting profile, which means that you can hook up the keyboard to any computer and have it retain any key colors that you care to program.
\n\nI’m not sure if this constitutes a bona fide “Big Deal,” but it’s a helpful feature, particularly because the keyboard’s default color wave can be somewhat distracting, and turning off lighting entirely makes the peripheral feel a little plain. My only complaint is that it took me a little while to figure out how to save the onboard profile. Hardly a deal breaker.
\n\nI put the G Pro through its paces, with both e-sports and narrative-driven titles, and it worked well in both cases. I had no trouble gliding around the battlefield as Mercy in Overwatch or commanding Jaina Proudmoore to encase enemies in ice in Heroes of the Storm. Likewise, the keyboard was competent and responsive when I was adventuring through the realm of Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV or taking down bandit camps in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/gpro-sideview.jpg\")
The keyboard’s compact size is a boon. It was easy to play Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm with the keyboard straight in front of me, or off to the side at an angle; such maneuverability is sometimes necessary, depending on how much space you have at a tournament. Otherwise, it’s just as responsive as Logitech Orion keyboards, which have already proved their worth as e-sports peripherals.
\n\nThe Logitech G Pro is a great keyboard. If you want a small mechanical keyboard that’s suitable for long stints of daily typing or coding and you don’t want to sacrifice comfort or performance, the Logitech G Pro is the one you should get. Just ignore the gaming keyboard part. And at $79 dollars - you aren’t going to get a better deal. The only downsides - and I am nitpicking here - is the lack of a case and being able to program the gaming button. Get yours here.
\n", "content_html": "A mechanical keyboard is a keyboard built with high quality, typically spring activated, key switches. These key switches vary based on the keyboard’s application or user preference.
\n\nWhile some of the first widely sold keyboards such as IBM’s Model M in the 1980’s utilized mechanical switches, the 1990’s brought on a wave of inexpensive rubber dome keyboards that flooded the keyboard market. Rubber dome keyboards represent over 90% of keyboards in use today and provide an inexpensive but dissatisfying feel and typing experience.
\n\nMechanical keyboards raise the bar in every way. A mechanical keyboard’s switches, framing, functionality, type print methods, key construction, PCB board, LED lighting (sharpness, brightness, adjustability), and a slew of other features are far superior compared to traditional rubber dome keyboards. Most of these improvements boil down to one thing - feel. Mechanical keyboards simply feel better than rubber dome keyboards.
\n\nOver the last few years, mechanical keyboards have become extremely popular. And as a developer I prefer the force feed back and the reassuring click and tactile feed back that they provide. However there is a huge variety of keyboards available with different layouts, key types and price points. How do you pick one that is right for you?
\n\nAfter trying many of mechanical keyboards, I can honestly recommend the Logitech G Pro Gaming keyboard. Don’t let the gaming part fool you. This is a serious keyboard that gives one of the best performances at a very reasonable price.
\n\n
The Logitech G Pro Gaming keyboard comes with a just the essentials - the keyboard itself, a braided micro-USB cable and a small leaflet that tells you how to plug in the keyboard. Thats about it. You’ll either want to hold on to the box or invest in a separate case as one is not included.
\n\nThe G Pro’s braided micro-USB cable deserves mention. With hooks on either side, it provides for a secure fit. This is good for securing the cable so you don’t accidentally remove it while in use. And the braided cable looks to be strong - no fraying or cutting problems here.
\n\n
The G Pro looks like what would happen if we were to take a standard full mechanical keyboard and simply chop off the numpad with some kind of high-tech paper cutter. It has a full selection of keys (minus the numpad), in addition to a key that controls the lighting and one that activates a Game Mode. The Game Mode is useless for programmers. It prevents you from clicking keys such as Alt-Tab or the Windows button, so that you won’t accidentally shut down your game midway. I wish this key was programmable to something else - but alas, you can’t.
\n\n
That’s most of what there is to say about the keyboard’s looks. It’s small (14.2 x 6.0 x 1.4 inches), attractive and streamlined. Instead of employing discrete media controls, you can use the Fn key and the top row of Function buttons. Discrete controls would have been nice, but the advantage here is that they don’t clutter the keyboard.
\n\nThe keyboard makes use of the company’s ubiquitous Romer-G mechanical switches. If you’ve never tried them before, they feel like Cherry MX Browns: tactile and fairly quiet. While Cherries are the standard to beat, Romer-Gs are supposed to be a hair faster, more responsive and more durable, so you could do much worse. Taken on their own merits, they’re pretty comfortable.
\n\n
The Romer-G switches are great for typing. With the G Pro, I typed 115 words per minute with nine errors. Thats pretty good - at least for me.
\n\nThe Logitech G Pro runs on the Logitech Gaming Software, which is excellent. You can program the F1 through F12 keys, as well as adjust the backlighting and keep track of your stats (where your fingers spend the most time, how often you press buttons, and so forth).
\n\nThere’s one onboard profile for the G Pro keyboard. This profile stores one lighting profile, which means that you can hook up the keyboard to any computer and have it retain any key colors that you care to program.
\n\nI’m not sure if this constitutes a bona fide “Big Deal,” but it’s a helpful feature, particularly because the keyboard’s default color wave can be somewhat distracting, and turning off lighting entirely makes the peripheral feel a little plain. My only complaint is that it took me a little while to figure out how to save the onboard profile. Hardly a deal breaker.
\n\nI put the G Pro through its paces, with both e-sports and narrative-driven titles, and it worked well in both cases. I had no trouble gliding around the battlefield as Mercy in Overwatch or commanding Jaina Proudmoore to encase enemies in ice in Heroes of the Storm. Likewise, the keyboard was competent and responsive when I was adventuring through the realm of Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV or taking down bandit camps in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
\n\n
The keyboard’s compact size is a boon. It was easy to play Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm with the keyboard straight in front of me, or off to the side at an angle; such maneuverability is sometimes necessary, depending on how much space you have at a tournament. Otherwise, it’s just as responsive as Logitech Orion keyboards, which have already proved their worth as e-sports peripherals.
\n\nThe Logitech G Pro is a great keyboard. If you want a small mechanical keyboard that’s suitable for long stints of daily typing or coding and you don’t want to sacrifice comfort or performance, the Logitech G Pro is the one you should get. Just ignore the gaming keyboard part. And at $79 dollars - you aren’t going to get a better deal. The only downsides - and I am nitpicking here - is the lack of a case and being able to program the gaming button. Get yours here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/03/anders-hejlsberg-on-compiler-construction/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/03/anders-hejlsberg-on-compiler-construction/", "title": "Anders Hejlsberg on Compiler Construction", "date_published": "2020-02-03T21:15:33-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-02-03T21:15:33-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAnders Hejlsberg gives a talk on compiler construction. For those who don’t know, Hejlsberg is the one who gave us Turbo Pascal, Delphi, C# and most recently TypeScript. An excellent intro to modern compiler construction by one of the true masters of the field.
\nAnders Hejlsberg gives a talk on compiler construction. For those who don’t know, Hejlsberg is the one who gave us Turbo Pascal, Delphi, C# and most recently TypeScript. An excellent intro to modern compiler construction by one of the true masters of the field.
![](\"/assets/images/moon2024.jpg\")
\n\n\nNo one has been to the moon since 1972, even though, back in 2004, then-President George W. Bush laid out several goals for NASA, including a \"return to the moon by 2020 as the launching point for missions beyond.\"
Moonshot in 2024? Thas 4 years from now! No chance.
\n\nThis isn’t the 1950s. We don’t just throw people atop rockets anymore. These are vehicles, aircraft. There is absolutely no way any of the current crop of space vehicles could be made ready for a trip to the moon anytime before 2024.
\n\nGoing beyond low orbit, away from the sub-45min return time, is something we haven’t done in generations. The craft need to be tested, repeatedly. Each test flight then has to be analyzed before the next test flight. The turnaround for a single test will be many months, even a year. Getting all the bits and pieces together would then take many more years of integration work.
\n\nLook at the F-35. Look at the 737-max. These are complicated systems with layers of dependencies. Our society today simply does not accept the cowboy approach to safety that was the original moon race. The next moon landing will only happen after a decade-long deliberative, iterative, campaign requiring the support of many subsequent governments.
\n\nIt is good to have a goal. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nNo one has been to the moon since 1972, even though, back in 2004, then-President George W. Bush laid out several goals for NASA, including a \"return to the moon by 2020 as the launching point for missions beyond.\"
Moonshot in 2024? Thas 4 years from now! No chance.
\n\nThis isn’t the 1950s. We don’t just throw people atop rockets anymore. These are vehicles, aircraft. There is absolutely no way any of the current crop of space vehicles could be made ready for a trip to the moon anytime before 2024.
\n\nGoing beyond low orbit, away from the sub-45min return time, is something we haven’t done in generations. The craft need to be tested, repeatedly. Each test flight then has to be analyzed before the next test flight. The turnaround for a single test will be many months, even a year. Getting all the bits and pieces together would then take many more years of integration work.
\n\nLook at the F-35. Look at the 737-max. These are complicated systems with layers of dependencies. Our society today simply does not accept the cowboy approach to safety that was the original moon race. The next moon landing will only happen after a decade-long deliberative, iterative, campaign requiring the support of many subsequent governments.
\n\nIt is good to have a goal. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/13/time-is-now/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/13/time-is-now/", "title": "Time is now!", "date_published": "2020-02-13T00:05:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-02-13T00:05:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Michael Render (aka Killer Mike) gave a rousing speech in support of Senator Bernie Sanders. This is the most powerful ad I have seen this election season. The Sanders champaign should blanket the airwaves with this.
\n\n\n\n\nLook to your neighbor and say:
Neighbor, the time is now.
There are more of us.
We're stronger.
We will wait no longer.
The time is now.
When you go to the that booth next year,
I need you to carry in that booth the memory of this room
Black.
White.
Straight.
Gay.
Men.
Female.
We are together.
We are united.
Our time is right now.
We will not wait four more years.
We will not wait 20 more years.
We will not wait two more Presidents.
We will not wait three more Presidents.
The time is now.
The time is not in the future.
The time is not some abstract time.
The time is not something that might be.
The time ain't something that could be.
The time ain't nothing that should be.
That would be.
It ain't tomorrow.
It ain't the day after.
It ain't coming next week.
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
Revolution indeed. The time is now!
\n", "content_html": "Michael Render (aka Killer Mike) gave a rousing speech in support of Senator Bernie Sanders. This is the most powerful ad I have seen this election season. The Sanders champaign should blanket the airwaves with this.
\n\n\n\n\nLook to your neighbor and say:
Neighbor, the time is now.
There are more of us.
We're stronger.
We will wait no longer.
The time is now.
When you go to the that booth next year,
I need you to carry in that booth the memory of this room
Black.
White.
Straight.
Gay.
Men.
Female.
We are together.
We are united.
Our time is right now.
We will not wait four more years.
We will not wait 20 more years.
We will not wait two more Presidents.
We will not wait three more Presidents.
The time is now.
The time is not in the future.
The time is not some abstract time.
The time is not something that might be.
The time ain't something that could be.
The time ain't nothing that should be.
That would be.
It ain't tomorrow.
It ain't the day after.
It ain't coming next week.
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
The time is
Now!
Revolution indeed. The time is now!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/19/the-rule-of-law-failing-under-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/02/19/the-rule-of-law-failing-under-trump/", "title": "The Rule Of Law Failing Under Trump", "date_published": "2020-02-19T00:49:01-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-02-19T00:49:01-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rachel Maddow on the resignation of the four prosecutors in the Roger Stone sentencing case.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere's no line that this President will not cross. Tell me if you can imagine one. Tell me the thing that would be bad for America but good for him - he wouldn't do it because it'd be bad for the country. What's beyond the pale for him?
Rachel Maddow on the resignation of the four prosecutors in the Roger Stone sentencing case.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThere's no line that this President will not cross. Tell me if you can imagine one. Tell me the thing that would be bad for America but good for him - he wouldn't do it because it'd be bad for the country. What's beyond the pale for him?
New poll has Sanders support at 31% nationally, up 9 points since December, the last time the poll asked about Democratic voters' preferences. Next closest contender has 19%.
\n\nNew poll has Sanders support at 31% nationally, up 9 points since December, the last time the poll asked about Democratic voters' preferences. Next closest contender has 19%.
\n\nIn his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder looks at lessons from the collapse of various democracies across Europe over the course of the 20th century. A short read on the lessons to be learned and the what we can to protect our democracy.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The European history of the twentieth century shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse and ordinary men can find themselves standing over death pits with guns in their hands. We might be tempted to think that our democratic heritage automatically protects us from such threats. This is a misguided reflex. Americans today are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or Communism in the twentieth century. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so.
In his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder looks at lessons from the collapse of various democracies across Europe over the course of the 20th century. A short read on the lessons to be learned and the what we can to protect our democracy.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/11/coronavirus-covid-19-facts-not-fiction/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/11/coronavirus-covid-19-facts-not-fiction/", "title": "Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Facts not Fiction", "date_published": "2020-03-11T11:49:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-11T11:49:43-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The European history of the twentieth century shows us that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse and ordinary men can find themselves standing over death pits with guns in their hands. We might be tempted to think that our democratic heritage automatically protects us from such threats. This is a misguided reflex. Americans today are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or Communism in the twentieth century. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so.
Before the media sensationalizes this and the politicians amp this up even higher, lets stop for a minute and look at the facts so far. I am not saying we do not take immediate action to prevent further spread, but folks, its not the end of the wold.\n\n![](\"/assets/images/covid19-facts.jpeg\")
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/covid19-recovery.jpeg\")
Before the media sensationalizes this and the politicians amp this up even higher, lets stop for a minute and look at the facts so far. I am not saying we do not take immediate action to prevent further spread, but folks, its not the end of the wold.\n\n\n\n
While there has been a mad rush by people all over the country to buy hand sanitizers of all types, good old hand soap is known to work best against viruses such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
\n\nHere is an excellent thread on why:
\n\n\n1/25 Part 1 - Why does soap work so well on the SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus and indeed most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer. A two part thread about soap, viruses and supramolecular chemistry #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OCwqPjO5Ht
— Palli Thordarson (@PalliThordarson) March 8, 2020
While there has been a mad rush by people all over the country to buy hand sanitizers of all types, good old hand soap is known to work best against viruses such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
\n\nHere is an excellent thread on why:
\n\n\n1/25 Part 1 - Why does soap work so well on the SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus and indeed most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer. A two part thread about soap, viruses and supramolecular chemistry #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OCwqPjO5Ht
— Palli Thordarson (@PalliThordarson) March 8, 2020
![](\"/assets/images/airline-bailout-2020.jpg\")
The Airlines for America on Monday claimed that all seven major U.S. passenger carriers would run out of money between July and December. Therefore they are asking $50 billion in assistance from the federal government. And the way they are asking for it is to divide it evenly between grants and low-interest loans.
\n\nBut why do they even need this money? Airlines are coming off a historic 10 year boom. And the mergers have given Delta, United, American, and Southwest about 80 percent of the U.S. market. Delta’s profits for each of the past five years, back from 2019 to 2015, were $4.8 billion, $3.9 billion, $3.2 billion, $4.2 billion, and $4.5 billion. Thats $21.6 billion. And this when the oil prices are low with the economy was booming.
\n\nSo where did all that money go? They spent all of that profit on themselves and their executives. According to Bloomberg the airlines spent 96 percent on cash buybacks and executive compensation.
\n\nSure the Covid-19 threw everyone into a downward spiral. But it wasn’t as if this was not completely out of the blue. American Airlines actually reported in their December 31, 2018 Annual Report Form 10-K the following:
\n\n\n\nIn particular, an outbreak of a contagious disease such as the Ebola virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, H1N1 influenza virus, avian flu, Zika virus or any other similar illness, if it were to become associated with air travel or persist for an extended period, could materially affect the airline industry and us by reducing revenues and adversely impacting our operations and passengers' travel behavior.
So instead of saving their pennies for such an event, the airline companies spent all of that cash to enrich themselves.
\n\nIf any American family operated like that, we would say its financial mismanagement. When the American people ask for government assistance - we get told that we should have managed our money better.
\n\nBut yea we get it. We need robust air infrastructure to grow and support our economy. But you have some gaul asking for free money (also known as grants) and a low interest loans. Needless to say, the airlines should not get to dictate terms.
\n\nThis is how this bailout should be structured:
\n\nAnd the government should seriously consider breaking up the big four - but that is a post for another time.
\n", "content_html": "
The Airlines for America on Monday claimed that all seven major U.S. passenger carriers would run out of money between July and December. Therefore they are asking $50 billion in assistance from the federal government. And the way they are asking for it is to divide it evenly between grants and low-interest loans.
\n\nBut why do they even need this money? Airlines are coming off a historic 10 year boom. And the mergers have given Delta, United, American, and Southwest about 80 percent of the U.S. market. Delta’s profits for each of the past five years, back from 2019 to 2015, were $4.8 billion, $3.9 billion, $3.2 billion, $4.2 billion, and $4.5 billion. Thats $21.6 billion. And this when the oil prices are low with the economy was booming.
\n\nSo where did all that money go? They spent all of that profit on themselves and their executives. According to Bloomberg the airlines spent 96 percent on cash buybacks and executive compensation.
\n\nSure the Covid-19 threw everyone into a downward spiral. But it wasn’t as if this was not completely out of the blue. American Airlines actually reported in their December 31, 2018 Annual Report Form 10-K the following:
\n\n\n\nIn particular, an outbreak of a contagious disease such as the Ebola virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, H1N1 influenza virus, avian flu, Zika virus or any other similar illness, if it were to become associated with air travel or persist for an extended period, could materially affect the airline industry and us by reducing revenues and adversely impacting our operations and passengers' travel behavior.
So instead of saving their pennies for such an event, the airline companies spent all of that cash to enrich themselves.
\n\nIf any American family operated like that, we would say its financial mismanagement. When the American people ask for government assistance - we get told that we should have managed our money better.
\n\nBut yea we get it. We need robust air infrastructure to grow and support our economy. But you have some gaul asking for free money (also known as grants) and a low interest loans. Needless to say, the airlines should not get to dictate terms.
\n\nThis is how this bailout should be structured:
\n\nAnd the government should seriously consider breaking up the big four - but that is a post for another time.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/20/socialism-of-the-rich-capitalism-for-the-rest/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/20/socialism-of-the-rich-capitalism-for-the-rest/", "title": "Socialism for the Rich, Capitalism for the Rest", "date_published": "2020-03-20T14:01:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-20T14:01:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Robert Reich is a former U.S. secretary of Labor and the author of many books, most recently Common Good. Here he is talking about socialism.
\n\n
\n
\n\n\nIf you want to call it socialism - fine. I call it fair.
Robert Reich is a former U.S. secretary of Labor and the author of many books, most recently Common Good. Here he is talking about socialism.
\n\n
\n
\n\n\nIf you want to call it socialism - fine. I call it fair.
Tomas Pueyo has published Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance. A highly recommended read.
\n\n![](\"https://miro.medium.com/max/6732/1*ok3NLISRGvK-4SQyDA5KTg.png\")
First comes the Hammer — we use aggressive measures for weeks, giving our healthcare system time to ramp up & scientists time to research the hell out of this thing and for the world’s testing capability to get up to speed.
\n\n\n\n\nStrong coronavirus measures today should only last a few weeks, there shouldn’t be a big peak of infections afterwards, and it can all be done for a reasonable cost to society, saving millions of lives along the way. If we don’t take these measures, tens of millions will be infected, many will die, along with anybody else that requires intensive care, because the healthcare system will have collapsed.
And then we Dance.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "If you hammer the coronavirus, within a few weeks you’ve controlled it and you’re in much better shape to address it. Now comes the longer-term effort to keep this virus contained until there’s a vaccine.
This is probably the single biggest, most important mistake people make when thinking about this stage: they think it will keep them home for months. This is not the case at all. In fact, it is likely that our lives will go back to close to normal.
Tomas Pueyo has published Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance. A highly recommended read.
\n\n
First comes the Hammer — we use aggressive measures for weeks, giving our healthcare system time to ramp up & scientists time to research the hell out of this thing and for the world’s testing capability to get up to speed.
\n\n\n\n\nStrong coronavirus measures today should only last a few weeks, there shouldn’t be a big peak of infections afterwards, and it can all be done for a reasonable cost to society, saving millions of lives along the way. If we don’t take these measures, tens of millions will be infected, many will die, along with anybody else that requires intensive care, because the healthcare system will have collapsed.
And then we Dance.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/23/coronavirus-test-results-within-45-minutes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/23/coronavirus-test-results-within-45-minutes/", "title": "Coronavirus test results within 45 minutes", "date_published": "2020-03-23T01:36:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-23T01:36:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you hammer the coronavirus, within a few weeks you’ve controlled it and you’re in much better shape to address it. Now comes the longer-term effort to keep this virus contained until there’s a vaccine.
This is probably the single biggest, most important mistake people make when thinking about this stage: they think it will keep them home for months. This is not the case at all. In fact, it is likely that our lives will go back to close to normal.
Kanishka Singh at Reuters is reporting that a test for the Coronavirus with a test which can give results in 45 minutes:
\n\n\n\n\nThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus diagnostic test, with a detection time of about 45 minutes, as the United States struggles to meet the demand for coronavirus testing.
The test’s developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms. The company plans to begin shipping it to hospitals next week, it said.
The FDA confirmed its approval in a separate statement. It said the company intends to roll out the availability of its testing by March 30.
This is great new and will surely become a key turning point in our fight against Coronavirus.
\n", "content_html": "Kanishka Singh at Reuters is reporting that a test for the Coronavirus with a test which can give results in 45 minutes:
\n\n\n\n\nThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus diagnostic test, with a detection time of about 45 minutes, as the United States struggles to meet the demand for coronavirus testing.
The test’s developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms. The company plans to begin shipping it to hospitals next week, it said.
The FDA confirmed its approval in a separate statement. It said the company intends to roll out the availability of its testing by March 30.
This is great new and will surely become a key turning point in our fight against Coronavirus.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/psafe-grocery-shopping-in-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/psafe-grocery-shopping-in-pandemic/", "title": "Safe Grocery Shopping in a Pandemic", "date_published": "2020-03-28T02:20:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-28T02:20:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen MD has made a excellent video on how to take the proper precautions when dealing with groceries and take out food. If a lot of this seems like overkill - it isn’t. This is known as the paradox of preparation.
\n\n\nHopefully we all look back on these videos and chuckle at our over reactions.
\n", "content_html": "Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen MD has made a excellent video on how to take the proper precautions when dealing with groceries and take out food. If a lot of this seems like overkill - it isn’t. This is known as the paradox of preparation.
\n\n\nHopefully we all look back on these videos and chuckle at our over reactions.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/us-is-now-the-epicenter/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/us-is-now-the-epicenter/", "title": "US is now the Epicenter", "date_published": "2020-03-28T02:51:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-28T02:51:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "There are now at least 82,174 cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in the United States, according to worldometer, a website that tracks coronavirus cases. That’s higher than the case count in either Italy (which has 80,589 cases) or China (which has 81,285 cases).
\n\nAnd it is a sprawling, cacophonous democracy, where states set their own policies and President Trump has sent mixed messages about the scale of the danger and how to fight it, ensuring there was no coherent, unified response to a grave public health threat.
From the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/trumps-evolution-on-covid-19/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/28/trumps-evolution-on-covid-19/", "title": "Trumps evolution on COVID-19", "date_published": "2020-03-28T03:01:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-28T03:01:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "There are now at least 82,174 cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in the United States, according to worldometer, a website that tracks coronavirus cases. That’s higher than the case count in either Italy (which has 80,589 cases) or China (which has 81,285 cases).
\n\nAnd it is a sprawling, cacophonous democracy, where states set their own policies and President Trump has sent mixed messages about the scale of the danger and how to fight it, ensuring there was no coherent, unified response to a grave public health threat.
Trumps handling of Coronavirus pandemic. This is what happens when you put the most self centered man in the most powerful office in the world.\n
Trumps handling of Coronavirus pandemic. This is what happens when you put the most self centered man in the most powerful office in the world.\n
As reported in the Los Angeles Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThey were ready to roll whenever disaster struck California: three 200-bed mobile hospitals that could be deployed to the scene of a crisis on flatbed trucks and provide advanced medical care to the injured and sick within 72 hours.
Each hospital would be the size of a football field, with a surgery ward, intensive care unit and X-ray equipment. Medical response teams would also have access to a massive stockpile of emergency supplies: 50 million N95 respirators, 2,400 portable ventilators and kits to set up 21,000 additional patient beds wherever they were needed.
So what happened to it all? As usual, the government got rid of it all in order to save money. At one point, the California government even considered selling the equipment on eBay. The infuriating part is all of this cost no more than $5.8 million per year - today, California will pay a lot more then that to help Corona virus patients:
\n\n\n\nIn televised remarks Monday, Newsom said the state will lease beds in struggling hospitals around the state and is eyeing convention centers, motels and state university dormitories for use as hospital wards. One such lease, in Daly City, may cost the state as much as $3.2 million a month for 177 beds.
You read that right – $3.2 million a month for just 177 beds !!!. When this is all over, we need to reassess how we prepare for future emergencies. Because in an ever connected world, the risk of outbreaks like the Covid-19 virus are higher than ever before.
\n", "content_html": "As reported in the Los Angeles Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThey were ready to roll whenever disaster struck California: three 200-bed mobile hospitals that could be deployed to the scene of a crisis on flatbed trucks and provide advanced medical care to the injured and sick within 72 hours.
Each hospital would be the size of a football field, with a surgery ward, intensive care unit and X-ray equipment. Medical response teams would also have access to a massive stockpile of emergency supplies: 50 million N95 respirators, 2,400 portable ventilators and kits to set up 21,000 additional patient beds wherever they were needed.
So what happened to it all? As usual, the government got rid of it all in order to save money. At one point, the California government even considered selling the equipment on eBay. The infuriating part is all of this cost no more than $5.8 million per year - today, California will pay a lot more then that to help Corona virus patients:
\n\n\n\nIn televised remarks Monday, Newsom said the state will lease beds in struggling hospitals around the state and is eyeing convention centers, motels and state university dormitories for use as hospital wards. One such lease, in Daly City, may cost the state as much as $3.2 million a month for 177 beds.
You read that right – $3.2 million a month for just 177 beds !!!. When this is all over, we need to reassess how we prepare for future emergencies. Because in an ever connected world, the risk of outbreaks like the Covid-19 virus are higher than ever before.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/29/the-british-on-us-healthcare-costs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/29/the-british-on-us-healthcare-costs/", "title": "The British on US Healthcare Costs", "date_published": "2020-03-29T04:44:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-29T04:44:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "With the US becoming ground zero for the Corona virus epidemic, our health care systems' flaws are being brutally exposed. Here is PoliticsJOE asking the British, who have the NHA, what they think it costs in the us to have basic health care services.
\n\nTheir comment on our ridiculous system is:
\n\n\n\nIs there a price for that?
and
\n\n\n\nSo if you are poor you are dead
Exactly.
\n\nWith the US becoming ground zero for the Corona virus epidemic, our health care systems' flaws are being brutally exposed. Here is PoliticsJOE asking the British, who have the NHA, what they think it costs in the us to have basic health care services.
\n\nTheir comment on our ridiculous system is:
\n\n\n\nIs there a price for that?
and
\n\n\n\nSo if you are poor you are dead
Exactly.
\n\nCovid-19 is turning out to be one of those events in history that will have a repercussions far into the future. Maybe this will finally expose the gross inequalities in our society. Eric Levitz writes in the Intelligencer
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The coronavirus crisis is changing our world in many sorrowful respects. It has rendered our already atomized and aching society poorer, sicker, and lonelier than it was a few months ago. If this week’s bailout legislation plays out as some progressive analysts predict, the pandemic’s economic side effects will accelerate corporate concentration and income inequality.
\n\nBut this disaster also offers a vital opportunity for beneficent forms of change. By accentuating the perversity of our nation’s employment-based health insurance model — which is now causing millions of workers to lose coverage in the midst of a pandemic — the crisis creates an opening for progressives to remake the politics of health reform. By spotlighting the indispensable labor that grocery store clerks and delivery drivers contribute, it could help unionists illustrate the market’s unjust undervaluation of such “low-skill” work. And by politicizing just about every aspect of our economy — which is to say, by forcing Congress to demonstrate the private sector’s dependence on the state, and to allocate scarce subsidies and credit between corporations, small businesses, and individuals — the crisis gives us a fighting chance to secure a more democratic and egalitarian form of economic governance.
\n\nUnless, ya know, we just throw up our hands, curse those clowns in Congress, and wait for Jerome Powell & Co. to restore some facsimile of the world we just lost.
Covid-19 is turning out to be one of those events in history that will have a repercussions far into the future. Maybe this will finally expose the gross inequalities in our society. Eric Levitz writes in the Intelligencer
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/chinas-air-pollution-has-dropped-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/chinas-air-pollution-has-dropped-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/", "title": "China's air pollution has dropped during the coronavirus outbreak", "date_published": "2020-03-31T01:26:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-31T01:26:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The coronavirus crisis is changing our world in many sorrowful respects. It has rendered our already atomized and aching society poorer, sicker, and lonelier than it was a few months ago. If this week’s bailout legislation plays out as some progressive analysts predict, the pandemic’s economic side effects will accelerate corporate concentration and income inequality.
\n\nBut this disaster also offers a vital opportunity for beneficent forms of change. By accentuating the perversity of our nation’s employment-based health insurance model — which is now causing millions of workers to lose coverage in the midst of a pandemic — the crisis creates an opening for progressives to remake the politics of health reform. By spotlighting the indispensable labor that grocery store clerks and delivery drivers contribute, it could help unionists illustrate the market’s unjust undervaluation of such “low-skill” work. And by politicizing just about every aspect of our economy — which is to say, by forcing Congress to demonstrate the private sector’s dependence on the state, and to allocate scarce subsidies and credit between corporations, small businesses, and individuals — the crisis gives us a fighting chance to secure a more democratic and egalitarian form of economic governance.
\n\nUnless, ya know, we just throw up our hands, curse those clowns in Congress, and wait for Jerome Powell & Co. to restore some facsimile of the world we just lost.
A sliver lining from the Covid-19 pandemic? I’ll take any good news at the moment. Here is the satellite imagery of Wuhan from NASA:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/wuhan-pollution.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "NASA stated on Saturday that it had seen \"significant decreases\" in noxious nitrogen dioxide over China through February. Nitrogen dioxide is emitted by burning fuel, cars, power plants, and construction machinery, and it can aggravate respiratory symptoms and asthma, among other negative effects.
China's cities rank among the most polluted in the world, with Hotan and Kashgar in the top 20 according to an IQAir report.
NASA published satellite imagery on Saturday, which you can see above, showing nitrogen dioxide levels in China before and after the country began imposing lockdowns on 23 January.
A sliver lining from the Covid-19 pandemic? I’ll take any good news at the moment. Here is the satellite imagery of Wuhan from NASA:
\n\n
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/minimal-photography/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/minimal-photography/", "title": "Minimal Photography", "date_published": "2020-03-31T04:37:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-31T04:37:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "NASA stated on Saturday that it had seen \"significant decreases\" in noxious nitrogen dioxide over China through February. Nitrogen dioxide is emitted by burning fuel, cars, power plants, and construction machinery, and it can aggravate respiratory symptoms and asthma, among other negative effects.
China's cities rank among the most polluted in the world, with Hotan and Kashgar in the top 20 according to an IQAir report.
NASA published satellite imagery on Saturday, which you can see above, showing nitrogen dioxide levels in China before and after the country began imposing lockdowns on 23 January.
I came across Marcus Cederberg and his minimalist photography. Amazing work - so calming in this time of uncertainty. What is minimalist photography you ask?
\n\n\n\n\nTo be able to tell as much as possible, with as little as possible, is the challenge with minimalism photography. I try not only to make the viewer somewhat curious but I also often try to tell a small story with the picture. And doing that with as much negative space as possible, is real challenge sometimes !
Here are some of his photographs - please visit his site and you can follow his work on instagram pages.
\n\n![](\"https://product-image.juniqe-production.juniqe.com/media/catalog/product/seo-cache/x800/728/20/728-20-202P-Black/Walking-on-Sunshine-Marcus-Cederberg-Poster-in-Standard-Frame.jpg\")
![](\"https://product-image.juniqe-production.juniqe.com/media/catalog/product/seo-cache/x800/728/39/728-39-202P-Black/Lonely-Lunch-Marcus-Cederberg-Poster-in-Standard-Frame.jpg\")
![](\"https://product-image.juniqe-production.juniqe.com/media/catalog/product/seo-cache/x800/728/52/728-52-202P-Black/Reading-From-Above-Marcus-Cederberg-Poster-in-Standard-Frame.jpg\")
I came across Marcus Cederberg and his minimalist photography. Amazing work - so calming in this time of uncertainty. What is minimalist photography you ask?
\n\n\n\n\nTo be able to tell as much as possible, with as little as possible, is the challenge with minimalism photography. I try not only to make the viewer somewhat curious but I also often try to tell a small story with the picture. And doing that with as much negative space as possible, is real challenge sometimes !
Here are some of his photographs - please visit his site and you can follow his work on instagram pages.
\n\n
McKay Coppins writes in the Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nAt the driving range, while Frost and his like-minded friends slathered on hand sanitizer and kept six feet apart, the white-haired Republicans seemed to delight in breaking the new rules. They made a show of shaking hands, and complained loudly about the “stupid hoax” being propagated by virus alarmists. When their tee times were up, they piled defiantly into golf carts, shoulder to shoulder, and sped off toward the first hole.
Frost felt conflicted. He wanted to encourage the men, some of whom he’d known for years, to be more careful. “I care about their well-being,” he told me. “But it’s a tough call, just personally, because it’s become a political thing.”
These people should be arrested. Confirmed cases are at almost 788,000 worldwide and 37,000+ dead as of the time of this writing according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The US has now surpassed Italy as the epicenter with 164,610 cases and 3,170 deaths.
\n\nIt is really scary how a lot of people are taking pride in their ignorance and putting the health of everyone in the country at risk. This is not a hoax. It does not discriminate based on sex, religion, ethnic origin, color of your skin or country of origin. It certainly doesn’t care what your political affiliations are.
\n", "content_html": "McKay Coppins writes in the Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nAt the driving range, while Frost and his like-minded friends slathered on hand sanitizer and kept six feet apart, the white-haired Republicans seemed to delight in breaking the new rules. They made a show of shaking hands, and complained loudly about the “stupid hoax” being propagated by virus alarmists. When their tee times were up, they piled defiantly into golf carts, shoulder to shoulder, and sped off toward the first hole.
Frost felt conflicted. He wanted to encourage the men, some of whom he’d known for years, to be more careful. “I care about their well-being,” he told me. “But it’s a tough call, just personally, because it’s become a political thing.”
These people should be arrested. Confirmed cases are at almost 788,000 worldwide and 37,000+ dead as of the time of this writing according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The US has now surpassed Italy as the epicenter with 164,610 cases and 3,170 deaths.
\n\nIt is really scary how a lot of people are taking pride in their ignorance and putting the health of everyone in the country at risk. This is not a hoax. It does not discriminate based on sex, religion, ethnic origin, color of your skin or country of origin. It certainly doesn’t care what your political affiliations are.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/tracking-spring-breakers-across-the-us/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/03/31/tracking-spring-breakers-across-the-us/", "title": "Tracking spring breakers across the US", "date_published": "2020-03-31T05:31:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-31T05:31:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThis video has a great example of why social distancing is so crucial in our fight against COVID-19. Using anonymized cell phone geo-location from people who recklessly gathered on a single beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this video shows just how far those people spread across the country when they went home, possibly taking COVID-19 with them. They ended up all over the country.
\nThis video has a great example of why social distancing is so crucial in our fight against COVID-19. Using anonymized cell phone geo-location from people who recklessly gathered on a single beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this video shows just how far those people spread across the country when they went home, possibly taking COVID-19 with them. They ended up all over the country.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-signs-bill.jpg\")
Paul Krugman, in an opinion piece in New York Times, has the best explanation on conservative’s virus denial:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "But I suspect that the disastrous response to Covid-19 has been shaped less by direct self-interest than by two indirect ways in which pandemic policy gets linked to the general prevalence of zombie ideas in right-wing thought.
\n\nFirst, when you have a political movement almost entirely built around assertions that any expert can tell you are false, you have to cultivate an attitude of disdain toward expertise, one that spills over into everything. Once you dismiss people who look at evidence on the effects of tax cuts and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, you’re already primed to dismiss people who look at evidence on disease transmission. This also helps explain the centrality of science-hating religious conservatives to modern conservatism, which has played an important role in Trump’s failure to respond.
\n\nSecond, conservatives do hold one true belief: namely, that there is a kind of halo effect around successful government policies. If public intervention can be effective in one area, they fear — probably rightly — that voters might look more favorably on government intervention in other areas. In principle, public health measures to limit the spread of coronavirus needn’t have much implication for the future of social programs like Medicaid. In practice, the first tends to increase support for the second.
Paul Krugman, in an opinion piece in New York Times, has the best explanation on conservative’s virus denial:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/01/release-the-original-trilogy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/01/release-the-original-trilogy/", "title": "Release the Original Trilogy", "date_published": "2020-04-01T11:47:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-01T11:47:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But I suspect that the disastrous response to Covid-19 has been shaped less by direct self-interest than by two indirect ways in which pandemic policy gets linked to the general prevalence of zombie ideas in right-wing thought.
\n\nFirst, when you have a political movement almost entirely built around assertions that any expert can tell you are false, you have to cultivate an attitude of disdain toward expertise, one that spills over into everything. Once you dismiss people who look at evidence on the effects of tax cuts and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, you’re already primed to dismiss people who look at evidence on disease transmission. This also helps explain the centrality of science-hating religious conservatives to modern conservatism, which has played an important role in Trump’s failure to respond.
\n\nSecond, conservatives do hold one true belief: namely, that there is a kind of halo effect around successful government policies. If public intervention can be effective in one area, they fear — probably rightly — that voters might look more favorably on government intervention in other areas. In principle, public health measures to limit the spread of coronavirus needn’t have much implication for the future of social programs like Medicaid. In practice, the first tends to increase support for the second.
From Drew Stewart over at Wired:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "For the past 20-plus years, we’ve been allowing the Saga Editions to stand in for the originals in box sets and in retrospective videos. An entire generation is growing up under the mistaken impression that these are the movies their parents fell in love with. We can’t stand for this anymore. The Saga Editions could exist in their own corner, but there is no reason that the original pieces of film history should be locked in a vault somewhere.
\n\nThe problem I’ve been seeing recently is an “I got mine” attitude. Disney doesn’t seem to mind the fan restorations, and the more people go around saying “Well, I guess it’s not coming—doesn’t matter to me because I’ve got [Despecialized/4K77/VHS],” the less likely it becomes that Disney will bother to release the original versions. I’m not saying we can’t have and enjoy the fan preservations, I’m saying we can’t pretend they would be anything compared to a professional restoration of backups we know they have just sitting in an archive. We have to make the demand.
\n\nEven J.J. Abrams recently said in an interview that “it would be great to have [the originals] available for a mainstream audience.” But when he asked about it, he was told such a release was not necessarily possible “for reasons I don’t quite understand.” So when he watches the originals, he has to watch Despecialized. The man directed two Star Wars movies probably has to pirate the same versions fans do. That’s insane.
\n\nThe simple fact is that the originals are historical artifacts that can stand on their own, separate from the franchise they birthed. For all the reasons detailed here, fans should be able to watch the versions that hit theaters some four decades ago. Moreover, Disney paid $4 billion for this franchise, it should want fans to want to watch them. The demand is there; the company could likely bring a lot of converts to Disney+ if they just met it.
\n\nThis isn’t a call for a boycott, nor is it a call for a Disney/Lucasfilm pile-on. Instead, it’s a call for one thing, and one thing only: #ReleaseTheOriginalTrilogy.
From Drew Stewart over at Wired:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/02/trump-on-covid-19-health-care/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/02/trump-on-covid-19-health-care/", "title": "Trump & Pence on healthcare", "date_published": "2020-04-02T21:49:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-02T21:49:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "For the past 20-plus years, we’ve been allowing the Saga Editions to stand in for the originals in box sets and in retrospective videos. An entire generation is growing up under the mistaken impression that these are the movies their parents fell in love with. We can’t stand for this anymore. The Saga Editions could exist in their own corner, but there is no reason that the original pieces of film history should be locked in a vault somewhere.
\n\nThe problem I’ve been seeing recently is an “I got mine” attitude. Disney doesn’t seem to mind the fan restorations, and the more people go around saying “Well, I guess it’s not coming—doesn’t matter to me because I’ve got [Despecialized/4K77/VHS],” the less likely it becomes that Disney will bother to release the original versions. I’m not saying we can’t have and enjoy the fan preservations, I’m saying we can’t pretend they would be anything compared to a professional restoration of backups we know they have just sitting in an archive. We have to make the demand.
\n\nEven J.J. Abrams recently said in an interview that “it would be great to have [the originals] available for a mainstream audience.” But when he asked about it, he was told such a release was not necessarily possible “for reasons I don’t quite understand.” So when he watches the originals, he has to watch Despecialized. The man directed two Star Wars movies probably has to pirate the same versions fans do. That’s insane.
\n\nThe simple fact is that the originals are historical artifacts that can stand on their own, separate from the franchise they birthed. For all the reasons detailed here, fans should be able to watch the versions that hit theaters some four decades ago. Moreover, Disney paid $4 billion for this franchise, it should want fans to want to watch them. The demand is there; the company could likely bring a lot of converts to Disney+ if they just met it.
\n\nThis isn’t a call for a boycott, nor is it a call for a Disney/Lucasfilm pile-on. Instead, it’s a call for one thing, and one thing only: #ReleaseTheOriginalTrilogy.
When Pence was asked by Fox no less, about how we are going to cover Americans without healthcare - Pence:
\n\n\n\nSo I was at Walmart this afternoon in South Carolina ….
The pandemic has shown not only the fragile state of the economy, but how flawed our health care system is.
\n\nWith the Covid-19 pandemic expected to cause 20+ million being unemployed - adding to the already 40+ million people without health insurance, now is the time for a single payer health care initiative if ever there was one.
\n\nIf they are serious, here is how you would answer that question:
\n\n\n\nFor now, the next stimulus bill will cover all Corona Virus related medical costs. Americans will not have to worry. Once we get past this pandemic - and we will - I will be meeting with both sides of the isle so that we can provide every American guaranteed access to the health care they need
But instead we get a long winded answer, that talks about how Walmart is stepping up to the plate. Trump isn’t going to do anything. Biden won’t either. We need Bernie and his Revolution.
\n", "content_html": "When Pence was asked by Fox no less, about how we are going to cover Americans without healthcare - Pence:
\n\n\n\nSo I was at Walmart this afternoon in South Carolina ….
The pandemic has shown not only the fragile state of the economy, but how flawed our health care system is.
\n\nWith the Covid-19 pandemic expected to cause 20+ million being unemployed - adding to the already 40+ million people without health insurance, now is the time for a single payer health care initiative if ever there was one.
\n\nIf they are serious, here is how you would answer that question:
\n\n\n\nFor now, the next stimulus bill will cover all Corona Virus related medical costs. Americans will not have to worry. Once we get past this pandemic - and we will - I will be meeting with both sides of the isle so that we can provide every American guaranteed access to the health care they need
But instead we get a long winded answer, that talks about how Walmart is stepping up to the plate. Trump isn’t going to do anything. Biden won’t either. We need Bernie and his Revolution.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/02/texas-sh-star-t-show/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/02/texas-sh-star-t-show/", "title": "Trump’s Border Wall-Texas Sh*t Show!", "date_published": "2020-04-02T22:41:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-02T22:41:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "When racism meets industrial scale arts and craft. Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal exposes ridiculous the border wall is. It is amazing that this is happening in America.
\n\n\nI would pay to see Donald Trump vs Nayda Alvarez !
\n", "content_html": "When racism meets industrial scale arts and craft. Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal exposes ridiculous the border wall is. It is amazing that this is happening in America.
\n\n\nI would pay to see Donald Trump vs Nayda Alvarez !
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/03/covid-19-travel-posters/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/03/covid-19-travel-posters/", "title": "Covid-19 travel posters", "date_published": "2020-04-03T00:31:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-03T00:31:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jennifer Baer has created some travel posters for the world wide pandemic. They are available for purchase here. Here are is my favorite:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/surfthecouch.jpeg\")
Jennifer Baer has created some travel posters for the world wide pandemic. They are available for purchase here. Here are is my favorite:
\n\n
Millions are getting kicked of their company sponsored health care. And Biden, doesn’t care.
\n\nMillions are getting kicked of their company sponsored health care. And Biden, doesn’t care.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/bernie-sanders.jpg\")
In an opinion piece in The New Yorker:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The argument for resuming a viable social-welfare state is about not only attending to the immediate needs of tens of millions of people but also reëstablishing social connectivity, collective responsibility, and a sense of common purpose, if not common wealth. In an unrelenting and unemotional way, covid-19 is demonstrating the vastness of our human connection and mutuality. Our collectivity must be borne out in public policies that repair the friable welfare infrastructure that threatens to collapse beneath our social weight. A society that allows hundreds of thousands of home health-care workers to labor without health insurance, that keeps school buildings open so that black and brown children can eat and be sheltered, that allows millionaires to stow their wealth in empty apartments while homeless families navigate the streets, that threatens eviction and loan defaults while hundreds of millions are mandated to stay inside to suppress the virus, is bewildering in its incoherence and inhumanity.
Naomi Klein has written about how the political class has used social catastrophes to create policies that allow for private plunder. She calls it “disaster capitalism,” or the “shock doctrine.” But she has also written that, in each of these moments, there are also opportunities for ordinary people to transform their conditions in ways that benefit humanity. The class-driven hierarchy of our society will encourage the spread of this virus unless dramatic and previously unthinkable solutions are immediately put on the table. As Sanders has counselled, we must think in unprecedented ways. This includes universal health care, an indefinite moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, the cancellation of student-loan debt, a universal basic income, and the reversal of all cuts to food stamps. These are the basic measures that can staunch the immediate crisis of deprivation—of millions of layoffs and millions more to come.
The Sanders campaign was an entry point to this discussion. It has shown public appetite, even desire, for vast spending and new programs. These desires did not translate into votes because they seemed like a risky endeavor when the consequence was four more years of Trump. But the mushrooming crisis of covid-19 is changing the calculus. As federal officials announce new trillion-dollar aid packages daily, we can never go back to banal discussions of “How will we pay for it?” How can we not? Now is a moment to remake our society anew.
In an opinion piece in The New Yorker:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/03/stay-the-f-star-ck-home/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/03/stay-the-f-star-ck-home/", "title": "Stay the F*ck Home", "date_published": "2020-04-03T19:10:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-03T19:10:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The argument for resuming a viable social-welfare state is about not only attending to the immediate needs of tens of millions of people but also reëstablishing social connectivity, collective responsibility, and a sense of common purpose, if not common wealth. In an unrelenting and unemotional way, covid-19 is demonstrating the vastness of our human connection and mutuality. Our collectivity must be borne out in public policies that repair the friable welfare infrastructure that threatens to collapse beneath our social weight. A society that allows hundreds of thousands of home health-care workers to labor without health insurance, that keeps school buildings open so that black and brown children can eat and be sheltered, that allows millionaires to stow their wealth in empty apartments while homeless families navigate the streets, that threatens eviction and loan defaults while hundreds of millions are mandated to stay inside to suppress the virus, is bewildering in its incoherence and inhumanity.
Naomi Klein has written about how the political class has used social catastrophes to create policies that allow for private plunder. She calls it “disaster capitalism,” or the “shock doctrine.” But she has also written that, in each of these moments, there are also opportunities for ordinary people to transform their conditions in ways that benefit humanity. The class-driven hierarchy of our society will encourage the spread of this virus unless dramatic and previously unthinkable solutions are immediately put on the table. As Sanders has counselled, we must think in unprecedented ways. This includes universal health care, an indefinite moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, the cancellation of student-loan debt, a universal basic income, and the reversal of all cuts to food stamps. These are the basic measures that can staunch the immediate crisis of deprivation—of millions of layoffs and millions more to come.
The Sanders campaign was an entry point to this discussion. It has shown public appetite, even desire, for vast spending and new programs. These desires did not translate into votes because they seemed like a risky endeavor when the consequence was four more years of Trump. But the mushrooming crisis of covid-19 is changing the calculus. As federal officials announce new trillion-dollar aid packages daily, we can never go back to banal discussions of “How will we pay for it?” How can we not? Now is a moment to remake our society anew.
Samuel L. Jackson recites a short story/poem by Adam Mansbach (author of Go the Fuck to Sleep) to Jimmy Kimmel called Stay the Fuck at Home (starts at 6:00).
\n\nSamuel L. Jackson recites a short story/poem by Adam Mansbach (author of Go the Fuck to Sleep) to Jimmy Kimmel called Stay the Fuck at Home (starts at 6:00).
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/nasa-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
I am so glad they went back to the original logo!
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Enter a cleaner, sleeker design born of the Federal Design Improvement Program and officially introduced in 1975. It featured a simple, red unique type style of the word NASA. The world knew it as “the worm.” Created by the firm of Danne & Blackburn, the logo was honored in 1984 by President Reagan for its simplistic, yet innovative design.
NASA was able to thrive with multiple graphic designs. There was a place for both the meatball and the worm. However, in 1992, the 1970s brand was retired - except on clothing and other souvenir items - in favor of the original late 1950s graphic.
Until today.
I am so glad they went back to the original logo!
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/do-it-yourself-masks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/do-it-yourself-masks/", "title": "do-it-yourself masks", "date_published": "2020-04-04T00:38:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-04T00:38:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Enter a cleaner, sleeker design born of the Federal Design Improvement Program and officially introduced in 1975. It featured a simple, red unique type style of the word NASA. The world knew it as “the worm.” Created by the firm of Danne & Blackburn, the logo was honored in 1984 by President Reagan for its simplistic, yet innovative design.
NASA was able to thrive with multiple graphic designs. There was a place for both the meatball and the worm. However, in 1992, the 1970s brand was retired - except on clothing and other souvenir items - in favor of the original late 1950s graphic.
Until today.
![](\"/assets/images/face-mask.jpeg\")
In the recommendation published online Friday, the CDC said that because the virus can “spread between people interacting in close proximity,” they would recommend “wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
\n\nHere are detailed instructions for do-it-yourself masks made from whatever materials you have available.
\n\nStay at home, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, keep your distance from others when out, and, when out, wear a face mask.
\n", "content_html": "
In the recommendation published online Friday, the CDC said that because the virus can “spread between people interacting in close proximity,” they would recommend “wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
\n\nHere are detailed instructions for do-it-yourself masks made from whatever materials you have available.
\n\nStay at home, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, keep your distance from others when out, and, when out, wear a face mask.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/usa-is-now-a-sh-star-t-hole-country/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/usa-is-now-a-sh-star-t-hole-country/", "title": "USA is now a sh*t hole country", "date_published": "2020-04-04T03:22:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-04T03:22:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As of today (April 4th, 2020) - our current situation:
\n\nThe United States of America is now a third world country. Or as our President likes to say - a Shit Hole Country.
\n\nThanks Donald Trump. And thank you Republicans. History will not remember you kindly. But it is us - the American people who are ultimately responsible. We put these people in power.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices.
As of today (April 4th, 2020) - our current situation:
\n\nThe United States of America is now a third world country. Or as our President likes to say - a Shit Hole Country.
\n\nThanks Donald Trump. And thank you Republicans. History will not remember you kindly. But it is us - the American people who are ultimately responsible. We put these people in power.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/the-fox-effect/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/04/the-fox-effect/", "title": "The Fox Effect", "date_published": "2020-04-04T15:15:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-04T15:15:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices.
When asked if Fox coverage will cause people to die, Ashish Jha:
\n\n\n\nYes. Some commentators in the right-wing media spread a very specific type of misinformation that I think has been very harmful
The Fox organization is concerned about being sued - good. And I hope they they do. While they are at it, lock up all the anchors too.
\n", "content_html": "When asked if Fox coverage will cause people to die, Ashish Jha:
\n\n\n\nYes. Some commentators in the right-wing media spread a very specific type of misinformation that I think has been very harmful
The Fox organization is concerned about being sued - good. And I hope they they do. While they are at it, lock up all the anchors too.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/05/coronavirus-illustration/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/05/coronavirus-illustration/", "title": "Coronavirus Illustration", "date_published": "2020-04-05T23:49:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-05T23:49:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/covid-19.png\")
\n\n\nWe have all seen the above image of this silent enemy by now. Here is how Alissa Eckert describes her illustration of the novel Coronavirus:
\n\n", "content_html": "But for the coronavirus illustration, they went with what professional medical artists call a “beauty shot”: a detailed, solo close-up.
“We just call attention to the one virus,” she said.
The novel coronavirus, like all viruses, is covered with proteins that give it its character and traits. There are the spike proteins, or S-proteins — the red clusters in the image — which allow the virus to attach to human cells. Envelope or E-proteins, represented by yellow crumbs, help it get into those cells. And membrane proteins, or M-proteins, shown in orange, give the virus its form.
\n\n\nWe have all seen the above image of this silent enemy by now. Here is how Alissa Eckert describes her illustration of the novel Coronavirus:
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/06/republican-mea-culpa/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/06/republican-mea-culpa/", "title": "Republican Mea culpa?", "date_published": "2020-04-06T00:59:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-06T00:59:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But for the coronavirus illustration, they went with what professional medical artists call a “beauty shot”: a detailed, solo close-up.
“We just call attention to the one virus,” she said.
The novel coronavirus, like all viruses, is covered with proteins that give it its character and traits. There are the spike proteins, or S-proteins — the red clusters in the image — which allow the virus to attach to human cells. Envelope or E-proteins, represented by yellow crumbs, help it get into those cells. And membrane proteins, or M-proteins, shown in orange, give the virus its form.
Stuart Stevens, author of “It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump,” is a well known and highly successful Republican strategist admits that the party is deeply flawed and his role in it. The first step to fixing a problem is to admit there is one. Let us hope more Republican have a similar about face.
\n\n\n\n\nDon’t just blame President Trump. Blame me — and all the other Republicans who aided and abetted and, yes, benefited from protecting a political party that has become dangerous to America. Some of us knew better.
But we built this moment. And then we looked the other way.
Many of us heard a warning sound we chose to ignore, like that rattle in your car you hear but figure will go away. Now we’re broken down, with plenty of time to think about what should have been done.
The failures of the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis can be traced directly to some of the toxic fantasies now dear to the Republican Party. Here are a few: Government is bad. Establishment experts are overrated or just plain wrong. Science is suspect. And we can go it alone, the world be damned.
All of these are wrong, of course. But we didn’t get here overnight. It took practice.
And here is an excellent interview by Michel Martin at Amanpour & Co. :
\n\nStuart Stevens, author of “It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump,” is a well known and highly successful Republican strategist admits that the party is deeply flawed and his role in it. The first step to fixing a problem is to admit there is one. Let us hope more Republican have a similar about face.
\n\n\n\n\nDon’t just blame President Trump. Blame me — and all the other Republicans who aided and abetted and, yes, benefited from protecting a political party that has become dangerous to America. Some of us knew better.
But we built this moment. And then we looked the other way.
Many of us heard a warning sound we chose to ignore, like that rattle in your car you hear but figure will go away. Now we’re broken down, with plenty of time to think about what should have been done.
The failures of the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis can be traced directly to some of the toxic fantasies now dear to the Republican Party. Here are a few: Government is bad. Establishment experts are overrated or just plain wrong. Science is suspect. And we can go it alone, the world be damned.
All of these are wrong, of course. But we didn’t get here overnight. It took practice.
And here is an excellent interview by Michel Martin at Amanpour & Co. :
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/covid-19-geoplitical.jpg\")
Can the Covid-19 epidemic upturn the global power structure going forward? Michel Duclos at Institut Montaigne makes a good case that it just might:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“Great Power competition” – dominated practically by the rivalry between the United States and China, as well as Russia – has become the dominant factor. International institutions have entered a phase of weakening, due partly to an American withdrawal, and partly to discord among major powers. It follows that the WHO is not playing the central role it should in the Covid-19 crisis. It was informed too late by China, to the detriment of other states' ability to react, and having to comply with Chinese injunctions before declaring a state of pandemic. WHO gives the sense that it is echoing a “Chinese line” on the fight against the virus. China, by the way, is reaping the benefits of the investment it has put in the UN system in recent years. This brings us to our second starting point: the increased space taken by China and Asia in world affairs.
\n\nIt had been commonplace for years to observe the rise of China and Asia. Covid-19 provides a somewhat negative illustration of this, but one that is immediately clear. Beijing’s initial policy of opacity, as noted above, contributed greatly to the spread of the pandemic. But the most striking element is elsewhere. On the one hand, because of value chains’ structure today, the shutdown of a large part of the Chinese economy has had, and continues to have, major effects on the world economy; unlike 2008, today’s financial crisis is second only to a crisis of supply and demand in the real economy. On the other hand, the “Great Power competition” not only puts international solidarity on the back burner, but above all translates into an astonishing “soft power”competition between China and its main rivals.
\n\nFrom this point of view, we have witnessed an unprecedented demonstration. The People’s Republic of China was in difficulty at the beginning of the crisis, due to its initial attitude of repression of Wuhan’s whistle-blowers; forced closures of its factories; and then appearing to overcome the epidemic thanks to authoritarian quarantine measures, combined with an unprecedented use of artificial intelligence. Finally, China emerged from the ordeal while Europeans, now the main area of infection, were slow to implement drastic measures, while the Trump administration demonstrated its messy incompetence. China today is reviving its economy at a time when stock markets are collapsing in the West. It is fighting against the misplaced xenophobic insinuations of Donald Trump in an absurd battle of disinformation, and above all, it is acting as a lifeline for Italy or Serbia, partly because of the clumsiness of their European partners. In the emerging world, China is certainly appearing as the power that can assist internationally, which was once the United States’ go-to role.
\n\nChina perhaps has an interest in not pushing this propaganda war too far, as it is not immune to a Covid-19 rebound, or other twists and turns. However, for now at least, the debate between authoritarianism, populism and liberalism is being revived in our democracies. It is too early to know how this debate will turn out. For some, the scale of the crisis can lead to a rehabilitation of expertise, institutions and international cooperation, and devalues the populists' more cookie-cutter approach. Others, on the other hand, inspired by sovereigntist ideas, argue that the European institutions have proved to be irrelevant and had to support and pursue measures to re-establish border controls.
\n\nThe kind of undeclared Cold War that had been brewing for some time shows its true face under the harsh light of Covid-19.
\n\nWhat we would like to especially note at this point is the conjunction that is taking place before our eyes between geopolitical competition and competing political models, along the lines of lessons that emerged from Institut Montaigne’s study on “neo-authoritarians”. The “Chinese model” emerges in this case as a reference for the global anti-liberal current, while China shamelessly tries to capitalize on the country’s “victory against the virus” to promote its political system. The kind of undeclared Cold War that had been brewing for some time shows its true face under the harsh light of Covid-19.
Can the Covid-19 epidemic upturn the global power structure going forward? Michel Duclos at Institut Montaigne makes a good case that it just might:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/07/oil-companies-collapse-clean-energy-thrives/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/07/oil-companies-collapse-clean-energy-thrives/", "title": "Oil companies collapse, Clean energy thrives", "date_published": "2020-04-07T22:48:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-07T22:48:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“Great Power competition” – dominated practically by the rivalry between the United States and China, as well as Russia – has become the dominant factor. International institutions have entered a phase of weakening, due partly to an American withdrawal, and partly to discord among major powers. It follows that the WHO is not playing the central role it should in the Covid-19 crisis. It was informed too late by China, to the detriment of other states' ability to react, and having to comply with Chinese injunctions before declaring a state of pandemic. WHO gives the sense that it is echoing a “Chinese line” on the fight against the virus. China, by the way, is reaping the benefits of the investment it has put in the UN system in recent years. This brings us to our second starting point: the increased space taken by China and Asia in world affairs.
\n\nIt had been commonplace for years to observe the rise of China and Asia. Covid-19 provides a somewhat negative illustration of this, but one that is immediately clear. Beijing’s initial policy of opacity, as noted above, contributed greatly to the spread of the pandemic. But the most striking element is elsewhere. On the one hand, because of value chains’ structure today, the shutdown of a large part of the Chinese economy has had, and continues to have, major effects on the world economy; unlike 2008, today’s financial crisis is second only to a crisis of supply and demand in the real economy. On the other hand, the “Great Power competition” not only puts international solidarity on the back burner, but above all translates into an astonishing “soft power”competition between China and its main rivals.
\n\nFrom this point of view, we have witnessed an unprecedented demonstration. The People’s Republic of China was in difficulty at the beginning of the crisis, due to its initial attitude of repression of Wuhan’s whistle-blowers; forced closures of its factories; and then appearing to overcome the epidemic thanks to authoritarian quarantine measures, combined with an unprecedented use of artificial intelligence. Finally, China emerged from the ordeal while Europeans, now the main area of infection, were slow to implement drastic measures, while the Trump administration demonstrated its messy incompetence. China today is reviving its economy at a time when stock markets are collapsing in the West. It is fighting against the misplaced xenophobic insinuations of Donald Trump in an absurd battle of disinformation, and above all, it is acting as a lifeline for Italy or Serbia, partly because of the clumsiness of their European partners. In the emerging world, China is certainly appearing as the power that can assist internationally, which was once the United States’ go-to role.
\n\nChina perhaps has an interest in not pushing this propaganda war too far, as it is not immune to a Covid-19 rebound, or other twists and turns. However, for now at least, the debate between authoritarianism, populism and liberalism is being revived in our democracies. It is too early to know how this debate will turn out. For some, the scale of the crisis can lead to a rehabilitation of expertise, institutions and international cooperation, and devalues the populists' more cookie-cutter approach. Others, on the other hand, inspired by sovereigntist ideas, argue that the European institutions have proved to be irrelevant and had to support and pursue measures to re-establish border controls.
\n\nThe kind of undeclared Cold War that had been brewing for some time shows its true face under the harsh light of Covid-19.
\n\nWhat we would like to especially note at this point is the conjunction that is taking place before our eyes between geopolitical competition and competing political models, along the lines of lessons that emerged from Institut Montaigne’s study on “neo-authoritarians”. The “Chinese model” emerges in this case as a reference for the global anti-liberal current, while China shamelessly tries to capitalize on the country’s “victory against the virus” to promote its political system. The kind of undeclared Cold War that had been brewing for some time shows its true face under the harsh light of Covid-19.
![](\"/assets/images/clean-energy.jpg\")
\n\nIvan Penn in the New York Times writes:
\n\n\nA few years ago, the kind of double-digit drop in oil and gas prices the world is experiencing now because of the coronavirus pandemic might have increased the use of fossil fuels and hurt renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms.
That is not happening.
In fact, renewable energy sources are set to account for nearly 21 percent of the electricity the United States uses for the first time this year, up from about 18 percent last year and 10 percent in 2010, according to one forecast published last week. And while work on some solar and wind projects has been delayed by the outbreak, industry executives and analysts expect the renewable business to continue growing in 2020 and next year even as oil, gas and coal companies struggle financially or seek bankruptcy protection.
While oil and coal will be around for some time to come, they will continue to be a shrinking industry. The switch to clean energy bring be more jobs, cleaner environment, less medical issues, and energy independence. This is even more reason for the US to support clean energy initiatives.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nIvan Penn in the New York Times writes:
\n\n\nA few years ago, the kind of double-digit drop in oil and gas prices the world is experiencing now because of the coronavirus pandemic might have increased the use of fossil fuels and hurt renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms.
That is not happening.
In fact, renewable energy sources are set to account for nearly 21 percent of the electricity the United States uses for the first time this year, up from about 18 percent last year and 10 percent in 2010, according to one forecast published last week. And while work on some solar and wind projects has been delayed by the outbreak, industry executives and analysts expect the renewable business to continue growing in 2020 and next year even as oil, gas and coal companies struggle financially or seek bankruptcy protection.
While oil and coal will be around for some time to come, they will continue to be a shrinking industry. The switch to clean energy bring be more jobs, cleaner environment, less medical issues, and energy independence. This is even more reason for the US to support clean energy initiatives.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/09/bernie-sanders-drop-out/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/09/bernie-sanders-drop-out/", "title": "Bernie Sanders Suspends Campaign", "date_published": "2020-04-09T21:40:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-09T21:40:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/sanders-drops-out.jpg\")
\n\nSydney Ember in the New York Times writes:
\n\nMr. Sanders, 78, leaves the campaign having almost single-handedly moved the Democratic Party to the left. He inspired the modern progressive movement with his expansive policy agenda and his impassioned message that “health care is a human right,” and electrified a legion of loyal supporters who wholeheartedly embraced his promise to lift up those who need it most. He also transformed the way Democratic campaigns raised money, eschewing big fund-raisers and instead relying on an army of small-dollar donors.
Americans know that he is the son and grandson of immigrants, an old-school, Great Society, FDR Democrat who puts workers 1st.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nSydney Ember in the New York Times writes:
\n\nMr. Sanders, 78, leaves the campaign having almost single-handedly moved the Democratic Party to the left. He inspired the modern progressive movement with his expansive policy agenda and his impassioned message that “health care is a human right,” and electrified a legion of loyal supporters who wholeheartedly embraced his promise to lift up those who need it most. He also transformed the way Democratic campaigns raised money, eschewing big fund-raisers and instead relying on an army of small-dollar donors.
Americans know that he is the son and grandson of immigrants, an old-school, Great Society, FDR Democrat who puts workers 1st.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/10/full-recovery-unlikely/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/10/full-recovery-unlikely/", "title": "Full Recovery Unlikely", "date_published": "2020-04-10T14:13:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-10T14:13:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Alec Levenson for the MIT Sloan Management has a bleak pessimistic view on an eventual economic recovery from the Corona virus pandemic.
\n\n\n\n\nIt takes time for business and society to settle into a new normal following a large-scale economic disruption. Even if the health care challenges from COVID-19 are solved before the end of this year, which seems highly unlikely, businesses will face many more months, and likely years, beyond the anticipated adjustment periods budgeted in their scenario planning and operations.
The shifts in consumer demand will require expansion in some industries and contraction in others. Future growth in consumer spending is likely to be slower than it has been for many years. Increased government regulation of gig and other nonregular work will require adaptation and changes in work practices. The disruptions in face-to-face work will be a drag on economic efficiency, leading to slower growth in revenues, lower profit margins, and reduced cash flow. And reconfiguring business models for greater resiliency will require significant investments of working capital into operations in ways that will not show any ROI until the next pandemic hits.
We will get to the new normal eventually. The corporate leaders who recognize these new challenges now and move quickly to adapt to them will put their companies in the best position to thrive throughout the 2020s.
I’ll take a much more optimistic view. This will force issues such as the need for universal healthcare, workers rights, and corporate regulations to be strengthened and enacted.
\n\nWhile this will take the better part of the decade, we will recover from this.
\n", "content_html": "Alec Levenson for the MIT Sloan Management has a bleak pessimistic view on an eventual economic recovery from the Corona virus pandemic.
\n\n\n\n\nIt takes time for business and society to settle into a new normal following a large-scale economic disruption. Even if the health care challenges from COVID-19 are solved before the end of this year, which seems highly unlikely, businesses will face many more months, and likely years, beyond the anticipated adjustment periods budgeted in their scenario planning and operations.
The shifts in consumer demand will require expansion in some industries and contraction in others. Future growth in consumer spending is likely to be slower than it has been for many years. Increased government regulation of gig and other nonregular work will require adaptation and changes in work practices. The disruptions in face-to-face work will be a drag on economic efficiency, leading to slower growth in revenues, lower profit margins, and reduced cash flow. And reconfiguring business models for greater resiliency will require significant investments of working capital into operations in ways that will not show any ROI until the next pandemic hits.
We will get to the new normal eventually. The corporate leaders who recognize these new challenges now and move quickly to adapt to them will put their companies in the best position to thrive throughout the 2020s.
I’ll take a much more optimistic view. This will force issues such as the need for universal healthcare, workers rights, and corporate regulations to be strengthened and enacted.
\n\nWhile this will take the better part of the decade, we will recover from this.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/11/privacy-friendly-contact-tracing/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/11/privacy-friendly-contact-tracing/", "title": "Privacy Friendly Contact Tracing", "date_published": "2020-04-11T14:53:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-11T14:53:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Nicky Case has a great comic explaining of how we can use apps to automatically do contact tracing for Covid-19 infections while protecting people’s privacy.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/contact-tracing-comic.jpg\")
Nicky Case has a great comic explaining of how we can use apps to automatically do contact tracing for Covid-19 infections while protecting people’s privacy.
\n\n
Michel Martin asks Rep. Porter about Covid-19 testing and about the handling of the government’s handling of the pandemic response - another great interview by Amanpour & Co.
\n\n\nI think Rep. Katie Porter is amazing - another Democratic Representative that Joe Biden should consider as a running mate.
\n", "content_html": "Michel Martin asks Rep. Porter about Covid-19 testing and about the handling of the government’s handling of the pandemic response - another great interview by Amanpour & Co.
\n\n\nI think Rep. Katie Porter is amazing - another Democratic Representative that Joe Biden should consider as a running mate.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/12/why-us-nurses-are-wearing-garbage-bags/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/12/why-us-nurses-are-wearing-garbage-bags/", "title": "Why US Nurses are wearing Garbage bags", "date_published": "2020-04-12T02:37:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-12T02:37:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "For the longest time, US politicians were assuring the US had the best health care system in the world. But the Covid-19 pandemic has shown just how fragile and dangerous our healthcare system is.
\n\nWith an administration that will not step in to help, it is each man for himself. States are biding against each other and the federal government. Companies such as 3M are selling to the highest bidder - even shipping product to foreign nations instead of meeting the US demand.
\n\nSusan B. Glasser for the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "A few weeks ago, it was already apparent that the federal response to the pandemic was late, disorganized, and putting large numbers of American lives at risk. What is becoming apparent now is something just as unthinkable: Trump’s reluctance to have the federal government play the role for which it was designed in such an emergency. At his press briefing last week, Kushner introduced Polowczyk, the Navy rear admiral, as “the best man we have in the country for logistics and supplies.” This week, a senior Administration official told me that not only have supplies been flowing from the federal government to where they are needed but the worst-case scenarios of hospitals literally running out of ventilators appear to have been averted for now. But Kushner’s public statements, and those of the President over the past couple weeks, griping about various Democratic governors and complaining about their inflated demands on the national stockpile, suggest states and cities are stuck in a Darwinian competition with one another, and with the federal government, for scarce supplies, and there is little transparency in how or why FEMA's decisions are being made.
For the longest time, US politicians were assuring the US had the best health care system in the world. But the Covid-19 pandemic has shown just how fragile and dangerous our healthcare system is.
\n\nWith an administration that will not step in to help, it is each man for himself. States are biding against each other and the federal government. Companies such as 3M are selling to the highest bidder - even shipping product to foreign nations instead of meeting the US demand.
\n\nSusan B. Glasser for the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/13/millennials-dont-stand-a-chance/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/13/millennials-dont-stand-a-chance/", "title": "Millennials Don’t Stand a Chance", "date_published": "2020-04-13T11:13:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-13T11:13:57-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A few weeks ago, it was already apparent that the federal response to the pandemic was late, disorganized, and putting large numbers of American lives at risk. What is becoming apparent now is something just as unthinkable: Trump’s reluctance to have the federal government play the role for which it was designed in such an emergency. At his press briefing last week, Kushner introduced Polowczyk, the Navy rear admiral, as “the best man we have in the country for logistics and supplies.” This week, a senior Administration official told me that not only have supplies been flowing from the federal government to where they are needed but the worst-case scenarios of hospitals literally running out of ventilators appear to have been averted for now. But Kushner’s public statements, and those of the President over the past couple weeks, griping about various Democratic governors and complaining about their inflated demands on the national stockpile, suggest states and cities are stuck in a Darwinian competition with one another, and with the federal government, for scarce supplies, and there is little transparency in how or why FEMA's decisions are being made.
![](\"/assets/images/millennials.jpg\")
Annie Lowery in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nPut it all together, and the Millennials had no chance to build the kind of nest eggs that older generations did—the financial cushions that help people weather catastrophes, provide support to sick or down-on-their luck relatives, start businesses, invest in real estate, or go back to school. Going into the 2008 financial crisis, Gen Xers had twice the assets that Millennials have today; right now, Gen Xers have four times the assets and double the savings of younger adults.
How are all of these people going to contribute to the US economy when they are struggling to just get by? It’s time to bail out the millennials, not the mega corporations.
\n", "content_html": "
Annie Lowery in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nPut it all together, and the Millennials had no chance to build the kind of nest eggs that older generations did—the financial cushions that help people weather catastrophes, provide support to sick or down-on-their luck relatives, start businesses, invest in real estate, or go back to school. Going into the 2008 financial crisis, Gen Xers had twice the assets that Millennials have today; right now, Gen Xers have four times the assets and double the savings of younger adults.
How are all of these people going to contribute to the US economy when they are struggling to just get by? It’s time to bail out the millennials, not the mega corporations.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/14/a-crash-course-on-journalism/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/14/a-crash-course-on-journalism/", "title": "A crash course on Journalism", "date_published": "2020-04-14T12:58:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-14T12:58:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "CBS News' Paula Reid just gave a crash course on how to speaking truth to power:
\n\nCBS News' Paula Reid just gave a crash course on how to speaking truth to power:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/dare-to-be-stupid.jpg\")
Known for more than forty years as America’s premier satirist of popular music and culture, “Weird Al” Yankovic (aka, Alfred Matthew Yankovic ) has had almost as many careers. He has accordingly been a comedian, singer/songwriter, music producer, actor, director, and writer–often all at the same time. Mr. Yankovic has won five Grammy Awards and has sold more comedy recordings than anyone else in history.
\n\nSam Andeson writes on the legend of Weird Al Yankovic :
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Weird Al has now been releasing song parodies for seven presidential administrations. He has outlasted two popes and five Supreme Court justices. He is one of only five artists (along with his early muses, Michael Jackson and Madonna) to have had a Top 40 single in each of the last four decades. Yankovic has turned out to be one of America’s great renewable resources. He is a timeless force that expresses itself through hyperspecific cultural moments, the way heat from the center of the earth manifests, on the surface, through the particularity of geysers. In 1996, after Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” became a national earworm, Weird Al took its thumping beat and its heavenly choir and turned it into “Amish Paradise,” a ridiculous banger about rural chores. When Chamillionaire’s “Ridin.” hit No. 1 in 2006, Weird Al took a rap about driving in a car loaded with drugs and translated it into a monologue about the glories of being a nerd. Whatever is popular at the moment, Yankovic can hack into its source code and reprogram it.
His work has inspired waves of creative nerds. Andy Samberg, the actor and a member of the comedy group the Lonely Island, told me that he grew up having Weird Al dance parties with his family. “Each new generation of younger kids is like, ‘Wait, this can exist?’” Samberg said.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Weird Al obsessive, credits Yankovic as an influence on “Hamilton.” Miranda once lip-synced “Taco Grande” (a Mexican-food-themed parody of the 1990 hit “Rico Suave”) in front of his sixth-grade class, He told me that he prefers many Weird Al songs to the originals. “Weird Al is a perfectionist,” Miranda said. “Every bit as much as Michael Jackson or Kurt Cobain or Madonna or any artist he has ever spoofed. So you get the musical power of the original along with this incredible twist of Weird Al’s voice and Weird Al’s brain. The original songs lose none of their power, even when they’re on a polka with burping sound effects in the background. In fact, it accelerates their power. It’s both earnest and a parody.”
Known for more than forty years as America’s premier satirist of popular music and culture, “Weird Al” Yankovic (aka, Alfred Matthew Yankovic ) has had almost as many careers. He has accordingly been a comedian, singer/songwriter, music producer, actor, director, and writer–often all at the same time. Mr. Yankovic has won five Grammy Awards and has sold more comedy recordings than anyone else in history.
\n\nSam Andeson writes on the legend of Weird Al Yankovic :
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/16/coronavirus-vaccine/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/16/coronavirus-vaccine/", "title": "Coronavirus Vaccine", "date_published": "2020-04-16T03:44:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-16T03:44:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Weird Al has now been releasing song parodies for seven presidential administrations. He has outlasted two popes and five Supreme Court justices. He is one of only five artists (along with his early muses, Michael Jackson and Madonna) to have had a Top 40 single in each of the last four decades. Yankovic has turned out to be one of America’s great renewable resources. He is a timeless force that expresses itself through hyperspecific cultural moments, the way heat from the center of the earth manifests, on the surface, through the particularity of geysers. In 1996, after Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” became a national earworm, Weird Al took its thumping beat and its heavenly choir and turned it into “Amish Paradise,” a ridiculous banger about rural chores. When Chamillionaire’s “Ridin.” hit No. 1 in 2006, Weird Al took a rap about driving in a car loaded with drugs and translated it into a monologue about the glories of being a nerd. Whatever is popular at the moment, Yankovic can hack into its source code and reprogram it.
His work has inspired waves of creative nerds. Andy Samberg, the actor and a member of the comedy group the Lonely Island, told me that he grew up having Weird Al dance parties with his family. “Each new generation of younger kids is like, ‘Wait, this can exist?’” Samberg said.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Weird Al obsessive, credits Yankovic as an influence on “Hamilton.” Miranda once lip-synced “Taco Grande” (a Mexican-food-themed parody of the 1990 hit “Rico Suave”) in front of his sixth-grade class, He told me that he prefers many Weird Al songs to the originals. “Weird Al is a perfectionist,” Miranda said. “Every bit as much as Michael Jackson or Kurt Cobain or Madonna or any artist he has ever spoofed. So you get the musical power of the original along with this incredible twist of Weird Al’s voice and Weird Al’s brain. The original songs lose none of their power, even when they’re on a polka with burping sound effects in the background. In fact, it accelerates their power. It’s both earnest and a parody.”
Derek Lowe on his blog at Science Translational Medicine provides some good news regarding a Covid-19 vaccine. Once a vaccine is developed and approved by the FDA, how quickly will we be able to manufacture and have a large scale application of the vaccine.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Time for another look at the coronavirus vaccine front, since we have several recent news items. Word has come from GSK and Sanofi that they are going to collaborate on vaccine development, which brings together two of the more experienced large organizations in the field. It looks like Sanofi is bringing the spike protein and GSK is bringing the adjuvant (more on what that means below). Their press release says that they plan to go into human patients late this year and to have everything ready for regulatory filing in the second half of 2021. For its part, Pfizer has announced that they’re pushing up their schedule with BioNTech and possibly starting human trials in August, which probably puts them on a similar timeline for eventual filing.
“But that’s next year!” will be the reaction of many who are hoping for a vaccine ASAP, and I can understand why. The thing is, that would be absolutely unprecedented speed, way past the current record set by the Ebola vaccine, which took about five years. More typical development times are ten years or more. But hold that thought while you peruse another news item today from J&J. They have an even more aggressive timeline proposed for their own vaccine work: they have already announced that they have a candidate, and they say that they plan first-in-human trials in September. Data will be available from those in December, and in January 2021 they say that they will have the first batches of vaccine ready for an FDA Emergency Use Authorization. Now that is shooting for the world record on both the scientific and regulatory fronts.
Derek Lowe on his blog at Science Translational Medicine provides some good news regarding a Covid-19 vaccine. Once a vaccine is developed and approved by the FDA, how quickly will we be able to manufacture and have a large scale application of the vaccine.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/17/corona-virus-in-nursing-homes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/17/corona-virus-in-nursing-homes/", "title": "Corona Virus in Nursing Homes", "date_published": "2020-04-17T00:23:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-17T00:23:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Time for another look at the coronavirus vaccine front, since we have several recent news items. Word has come from GSK and Sanofi that they are going to collaborate on vaccine development, which brings together two of the more experienced large organizations in the field. It looks like Sanofi is bringing the spike protein and GSK is bringing the adjuvant (more on what that means below). Their press release says that they plan to go into human patients late this year and to have everything ready for regulatory filing in the second half of 2021. For its part, Pfizer has announced that they’re pushing up their schedule with BioNTech and possibly starting human trials in August, which probably puts them on a similar timeline for eventual filing.
“But that’s next year!” will be the reaction of many who are hoping for a vaccine ASAP, and I can understand why. The thing is, that would be absolutely unprecedented speed, way past the current record set by the Ebola vaccine, which took about five years. More typical development times are ten years or more. But hold that thought while you peruse another news item today from J&J. They have an even more aggressive timeline proposed for their own vaccine work: they have already announced that they have a candidate, and they say that they plan first-in-human trials in September. Data will be available from those in December, and in January 2021 they say that they will have the first batches of vaccine ready for an FDA Emergency Use Authorization. Now that is shooting for the world record on both the scientific and regulatory fronts.
Ireland, a country with 448 deaths as of today, has successfully contained the Covid-19 in their country. How did they do it?
\n\nThis effectively contained them to 448 deaths in all of Ireland. Upon further investigation they noticed that more than half of those deaths were in nursing homes.
\n\nThe health director of Ireland, having secured the general population, is now directing resources. He is asking all health care workers, firefighters, nursing aids, even caterers to work in nursing homes. Further more, he is guaranteeing that these volunteers will get paid and receive proper protective equipment.
\n\nWith the US nursing homes under siege, what is our government doing? NOTHING. They are left to fend for themselves.
\n
Ireland, a country with 448 deaths as of today, has successfully contained the Covid-19 in their country. How did they do it?
\n\nThis effectively contained them to 448 deaths in all of Ireland. Upon further investigation they noticed that more than half of those deaths were in nursing homes.
\n\nThe health director of Ireland, having secured the general population, is now directing resources. He is asking all health care workers, firefighters, nursing aids, even caterers to work in nursing homes. Further more, he is guaranteeing that these volunteers will get paid and receive proper protective equipment.
\n\nWith the US nursing homes under siege, what is our government doing? NOTHING. They are left to fend for themselves.
\n
Julio Vincent Gambuto highlights what what the Covid-19 pandemic exposed about our country - that the United States leadership is indifferent to its own people.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Until then, get ready, my friends. What is about to be unleashed on American society will be the greatest campaign ever created to get you to feel normal again. It will come from brands, it will come from government, it will even come from each other, and it will come from the left and from the right. We will do anything, spend anything, believe anything, just so we can take away how horribly uncomfortable all of this feels. And on top of that, just to turn the screw that much more, will be the one effort that’s even greater: the all-out blitz to make you believe you never saw what you saw. The air wasn’t really cleaner; those images were fake. The hospitals weren’t really a war zone; those stories were hyperbole. The numbers were not that high; the press is lying. You didn’t see people in masks standing in the rain risking their lives to vote. Not in America. You didn’t see the leader of the free world push an unproven miracle drug like a late-night infomercial salesman. That was a crisis update. You didn’t see homeless people dead on the street. You didn’t see inequality. You didn’t see indifference. You didn’t see utter failure of leadership and systems.
Julio Vincent Gambuto highlights what what the Covid-19 pandemic exposed about our country - that the United States leadership is indifferent to its own people.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/17/john-conway-dies/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/17/john-conway-dies/", "title": "John Conway Dies", "date_published": "2020-04-17T18:36:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-17T18:36:40-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Until then, get ready, my friends. What is about to be unleashed on American society will be the greatest campaign ever created to get you to feel normal again. It will come from brands, it will come from government, it will even come from each other, and it will come from the left and from the right. We will do anything, spend anything, believe anything, just so we can take away how horribly uncomfortable all of this feels. And on top of that, just to turn the screw that much more, will be the one effort that’s even greater: the all-out blitz to make you believe you never saw what you saw. The air wasn’t really cleaner; those images were fake. The hospitals weren’t really a war zone; those stories were hyperbole. The numbers were not that high; the press is lying. You didn’t see people in masks standing in the rain risking their lives to vote. Not in America. You didn’t see the leader of the free world push an unproven miracle drug like a late-night infomercial salesman. That was a crisis update. You didn’t see homeless people dead on the street. You didn’t see inequality. You didn’t see indifference. You didn’t see utter failure of leadership and systems.
![](\"/assets/images/rip_john_conway.gif\")
\n\n\nJohn Conway dies from Covid-19 at age 82. John Conway, an English mathematician, is best known as the inventor of the Game of Life.
\n\n\nJohn Conway dies from Covid-19 at age 82. John Conway, an English mathematician, is best known as the inventor of the Game of Life.
\n\nSteve Schmidt, former Republican strategist, tells MSNBC’s Ari Melber that many avoidable problems in the US response to the coronavirus pandemic revealed Trump’s failures as a president. Historians will look back on this as a time when a reality show star “New York con man” narrowly ended up as President and was simply not prepared.
\n\nIt is about time that the Republicans standup to Trump’s dangerous ineptitude.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nSteve Schmidt, former Republican strategist, tells MSNBC’s Ari Melber that many avoidable problems in the US response to the coronavirus pandemic revealed Trump’s failures as a president. Historians will look back on this as a time when a reality show star “New York con man” narrowly ended up as President and was simply not prepared.
\n\nIt is about time that the Republicans standup to Trump’s dangerous ineptitude.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/capitialism-vs-cronysim/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/capitialism-vs-cronysim/", "title": "Capitialism or Cronysim", "date_published": "2020-04-18T20:16:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-18T20:16:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From John Grubber at Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Take the cruise line industry. They’re getting crushed by this pandemic for obvious reasons, and they very much want to be bailed out by the U.S. government. But why do they deserve it? For tax and regulatory reasons, they don’t even register their ships in the U.S. — Carnival Cruise Lines is incorporated in Panama, Norwegian in Bermuda, and Royal Caribbean in Liberia. Bermuda is not part of Norway and, last I checked, Liberia is not in the Caribbean. Not only do these companies want U.S. funded bailouts, they don’t even want to pay U.S. taxes or comply with U.S. laws during normal times.
The thing to remember is that if allowed to fail, the cruise ships won’t sink to the bottom of the ocean. The jobs won’t disappear. The companies will go into bankruptcy, existing shareholder equity will get wiped out, and new ownership will take over. A bailout won’t rescue the industry or the jobs — it will rescue the shareholders.
From John Grubber at Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/its-time-to-build/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/its-time-to-build/", "title": "It's Time to Build", "date_published": "2020-04-18T20:26:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-18T20:26:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Take the cruise line industry. They’re getting crushed by this pandemic for obvious reasons, and they very much want to be bailed out by the U.S. government. But why do they deserve it? For tax and regulatory reasons, they don’t even register their ships in the U.S. — Carnival Cruise Lines is incorporated in Panama, Norwegian in Bermuda, and Royal Caribbean in Liberia. Bermuda is not part of Norway and, last I checked, Liberia is not in the Caribbean. Not only do these companies want U.S. funded bailouts, they don’t even want to pay U.S. taxes or comply with U.S. laws during normal times.
The thing to remember is that if allowed to fail, the cruise ships won’t sink to the bottom of the ocean. The jobs won’t disappear. The companies will go into bankruptcy, existing shareholder equity will get wiped out, and new ownership will take over. A bailout won’t rescue the industry or the jobs — it will rescue the shareholders.
As the Coronavirus rages through US communities - one thing is devastatingly clear. We, the United States, no longer build anything of true value. All of the essential needs - masks, protective gear for healthcare workers, ventilator machines, medication, housing, transportation, infrastructure - are not built in the United States.
\n\nMarc Andreessen writes in his post - It’s Time To Build:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "It’s time for full-throated, unapologetic, uncompromised political support from the right for aggressive investment in new products, in new industries, in new factories, in new science, in big leaps forward.
The left starts out with a stronger bias toward the public sector in many of these areas. To which I say, prove the superior model! Demonstrate that the public sector can build better hospitals, better schools, better transportation, better cities, better housing. Stop trying to protect the old, the entrenched, the irrelevant; commit the public sector fully to the future. Milton Friedman once said the great public sector mistake is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results. Instead of taking that as an insult, take it as a challenge — build new things and show the results!
Show that new models of public sector healthcare can be inexpensive and effective — how about starting with the VA? When the next coronavirus comes along, blow us away! Even private universities like Harvard are lavished with public funding; why can’t 100,000 or 1 million students a year attend Harvard? Why shouldn’t regulators and taxpayers demand that Harvard build? Solve the climate crisis by building — energy experts say that all carbon-based electrical power generation on the planet could be replaced by a few thousand new zero-emission nuclear reactors, so let’s build those. Maybe we can start with 10 new reactors? Then 100? Then the rest?
In fact, I think building is how we reboot the American dream. The things we build in huge quantities, like computers and TVs, drop rapidly in price. The things we don’t, like housing, schools, and hospitals, skyrocket in price. What’s the American dream? The opportunity to have a home of your own, and a family you can provide for. We need to break the rapidly escalating price curves for housing, education, and healthcare, to make sure that every American can realize the dream, and the only way to do that is to build.
Building isn’t easy, or we’d already be doing all this. We need to demand more of our political leaders, of our CEOs, our entrepreneurs, our investors. We need to demand more of our culture, of our society. And we need to demand more from one another. We’re all necessary, and we can all contribute, to building.
As the Coronavirus rages through US communities - one thing is devastatingly clear. We, the United States, no longer build anything of true value. All of the essential needs - masks, protective gear for healthcare workers, ventilator machines, medication, housing, transportation, infrastructure - are not built in the United States.
\n\nMarc Andreessen writes in his post - It’s Time To Build:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/weve-built-cities-we-cant-afford/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/18/weve-built-cities-we-cant-afford/", "title": "We've Built Cities We Can't Afford", "date_published": "2020-04-18T20:43:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-18T20:43:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It’s time for full-throated, unapologetic, uncompromised political support from the right for aggressive investment in new products, in new industries, in new factories, in new science, in big leaps forward.
The left starts out with a stronger bias toward the public sector in many of these areas. To which I say, prove the superior model! Demonstrate that the public sector can build better hospitals, better schools, better transportation, better cities, better housing. Stop trying to protect the old, the entrenched, the irrelevant; commit the public sector fully to the future. Milton Friedman once said the great public sector mistake is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results. Instead of taking that as an insult, take it as a challenge — build new things and show the results!
Show that new models of public sector healthcare can be inexpensive and effective — how about starting with the VA? When the next coronavirus comes along, blow us away! Even private universities like Harvard are lavished with public funding; why can’t 100,000 or 1 million students a year attend Harvard? Why shouldn’t regulators and taxpayers demand that Harvard build? Solve the climate crisis by building — energy experts say that all carbon-based electrical power generation on the planet could be replaced by a few thousand new zero-emission nuclear reactors, so let’s build those. Maybe we can start with 10 new reactors? Then 100? Then the rest?
In fact, I think building is how we reboot the American dream. The things we build in huge quantities, like computers and TVs, drop rapidly in price. The things we don’t, like housing, schools, and hospitals, skyrocket in price. What’s the American dream? The opportunity to have a home of your own, and a family you can provide for. We need to break the rapidly escalating price curves for housing, education, and healthcare, to make sure that every American can realize the dream, and the only way to do that is to build.
Building isn’t easy, or we’d already be doing all this. We need to demand more of our political leaders, of our CEOs, our entrepreneurs, our investors. We need to demand more of our culture, of our society. And we need to demand more from one another. We’re all necessary, and we can all contribute, to building.
\n
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "In this sense, Kansas City, Missouri is no different than most communities in the United States and Canada. In the last 70 years, the physical size of Kansas City has quadrupled while the population has remained relatively stable. (Put another way, every resident of Kansas City is on the hook for maintaining four times as much of the city as his or her predecessors.) In Kansas City, there are 6,500 linear miles of lanes just in the city street system—so not including county, state and federal roadways. This is the equivalent of driving from New York to San Francisco and back, with a bonus trip to Portland, Maine. According to the Kansas City public works department, to maintain and replace existing roads it needs ten times more money each year than it can ask for.
\n
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/20/a-roadmap-to-pandemic-resilience/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/20/a-roadmap-to-pandemic-resilience/", "title": "A Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience", "date_published": "2020-04-20T23:01:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-20T23:01:49-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In this sense, Kansas City, Missouri is no different than most communities in the United States and Canada. In the last 70 years, the physical size of Kansas City has quadrupled while the population has remained relatively stable. (Put another way, every resident of Kansas City is on the hook for maintaining four times as much of the city as his or her predecessors.) In Kansas City, there are 6,500 linear miles of lanes just in the city street system—so not including county, state and federal roadways. This is the equivalent of driving from New York to San Francisco and back, with a bonus trip to Portland, Maine. According to the Kansas City public works department, to maintain and replace existing roads it needs ten times more money each year than it can ask for.
A bipartisan group of experts in public health, economics, technology, and ethics have produced a plan for a phased reopening of public life in the United States through testing, tracing, and supported isolation.
\n\nAmong the report’s top recommendations is the need to deliver at least 5 million tests per day by early June to help ensure a safe social opening. This number will need to increase to 20 million tests per day by mid-summer to fully re-mobilize the economy.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/pandemic-resilience.jpg\")
Summary of the findings:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "What we need to do is much bigger than most people realize. We need to massively scale-up testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine-together with providing the resources to make these possible for all individuals.
Broad and rapid access to testing is vital for disease monitoring, rapid public health response, and disease control.
We need to deliver 5 million tests per day by early June to deliver a safe social reopening. This number will need to increase over time (ideally by late July) to 20 million a day to fully remobilize the economy. We acknowledge that even this number may not be high enough to protect public health. In that considerably less likely eventuality, we will need to scale-up testing much further. By the time we know if we need to do that, we should be in a better position to know how to do it. In any situation, achieving these numbers depends on testing innovation.
Between now and August, we should phase in economic mobilization in sync with growth in our capacity to provide sustainable testing programs for mobilized sectors of the workforce.
The great value of this approach is that it will prevent cycles of opening up and shutting down. It allows us to steadily reopen the parts of the economy that have been shut down, protect our frontline workers, and contain the virus to levels where it can be effectively managed and treated until we can find a vaccine.
We can have bottom-up innovation and participation and top-down direction and protection at the same time; that is what our federal system is designed for.
This policy roadmap lays out how massive testing plus contact tracing plus social isolation with strong social supports, or TTSI, can rebuild trust in our personal safety and the safety of those we love. This will in turn support a renewal of mobility and mobilization of the economy. This paper is designed to educate the American public about what is emerging as a consensus national strategy.
A bipartisan group of experts in public health, economics, technology, and ethics have produced a plan for a phased reopening of public life in the United States through testing, tracing, and supported isolation.
\n\nAmong the report’s top recommendations is the need to deliver at least 5 million tests per day by early June to help ensure a safe social opening. This number will need to increase to 20 million tests per day by mid-summer to fully re-mobilize the economy.
\n\n
Summary of the findings:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/21/a-message-to-protestors/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/21/a-message-to-protestors/", "title": "A message to Protestors", "date_published": "2020-04-21T00:52:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-21T00:52:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What we need to do is much bigger than most people realize. We need to massively scale-up testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine-together with providing the resources to make these possible for all individuals.
Broad and rapid access to testing is vital for disease monitoring, rapid public health response, and disease control.
We need to deliver 5 million tests per day by early June to deliver a safe social reopening. This number will need to increase over time (ideally by late July) to 20 million a day to fully remobilize the economy. We acknowledge that even this number may not be high enough to protect public health. In that considerably less likely eventuality, we will need to scale-up testing much further. By the time we know if we need to do that, we should be in a better position to know how to do it. In any situation, achieving these numbers depends on testing innovation.
Between now and August, we should phase in economic mobilization in sync with growth in our capacity to provide sustainable testing programs for mobilized sectors of the workforce.
The great value of this approach is that it will prevent cycles of opening up and shutting down. It allows us to steadily reopen the parts of the economy that have been shut down, protect our frontline workers, and contain the virus to levels where it can be effectively managed and treated until we can find a vaccine.
We can have bottom-up innovation and participation and top-down direction and protection at the same time; that is what our federal system is designed for.
This policy roadmap lays out how massive testing plus contact tracing plus social isolation with strong social supports, or TTSI, can rebuild trust in our personal safety and the safety of those we love. This will in turn support a renewal of mobility and mobilization of the economy. This paper is designed to educate the American public about what is emerging as a consensus national strategy.
Doctor Dara Kass has a message for protestors:
\n\nDoctor Dara Kass has a message for protestors:
\n\nLas Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman says that she wants to reopen the city’s casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues for business so people can get back to work. Problem is she has no plan or authority to control those casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues regarding testing or social distancing.
\n\n\nWhen Anderson Cooper pushes her on her responsibility:
\n\n\n\nAnderson Cooper: That’s your position?\nCarolyn Goodman: No, that’s not my position but it is my position.
This women is bat sh*t crazy - she’s like the mayor in Jaws. Reminds me of “Who’s on first base?” skit by Abbott AND Costello.
\n\nHere is the truth that these right wing fools need to understand - if you pit capitalism against the science, science wins every time.
\n", "content_html": "Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman says that she wants to reopen the city’s casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues for business so people can get back to work. Problem is she has no plan or authority to control those casinos, restaurants and entertainment venues regarding testing or social distancing.
\n\n\nWhen Anderson Cooper pushes her on her responsibility:
\n\n\n\nAnderson Cooper: That’s your position?\nCarolyn Goodman: No, that’s not my position but it is my position.
This women is bat sh*t crazy - she’s like the mayor in Jaws. Reminds me of “Who’s on first base?” skit by Abbott AND Costello.
\n\nHere is the truth that these right wing fools need to understand - if you pit capitalism against the science, science wins every time.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/26/rolling-stones-perform-at-home/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/04/26/rolling-stones-perform-at-home/", "title": "Rolling Stones perform at home", "date_published": "2020-04-26T01:44:50-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-26T01:44:50-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Members of the Rolling Stones, each in their own home, got together via video to perform You Can’t Always Get What You Want. It’s the perfect song in times like these. Many of us aren’t getting what we want, but with a little patience and some luck we just might get what we need.
\n\nMembers of the Rolling Stones, each in their own home, got together via video to perform You Can’t Always Get What You Want. It’s the perfect song in times like these. Many of us aren’t getting what we want, but with a little patience and some luck we just might get what we need.
\n\nFilmmakers Ivan Cash and Jacob Jonas made a short crowd sourced video on how people all over the world are dealing with social distancing.
\n\n\n\nAmid what can feel like a constant deluge of depressing news, A Social Distance is a glimmer of hope and a welcome reprieve. The short documentary—co-directed by Jacob Jonas and Ivan Cash, scored by Steve Hackman, and premiering on The Atlantic today—offers a window into the ordinary quarantine experiences of people from more than 30 countries. In the self-submitted videos, people dance, play music, take us on a tour of their refrigerator, and introduce us to their pets. Edited together, these intimate moments create a synchronicity of humanity—a feeling of togetherness that’s difficult to conjure when you’re sequestered at home.
Filmmakers Ivan Cash and Jacob Jonas made a short crowd sourced video on how people all over the world are dealing with social distancing.
\n\n\n\nAmid what can feel like a constant deluge of depressing news, A Social Distance is a glimmer of hope and a welcome reprieve. The short documentary—co-directed by Jacob Jonas and Ivan Cash, scored by Steve Hackman, and premiering on The Atlantic today—offers a window into the ordinary quarantine experiences of people from more than 30 countries. In the self-submitted videos, people dance, play music, take us on a tour of their refrigerator, and introduce us to their pets. Edited together, these intimate moments create a synchronicity of humanity—a feeling of togetherness that’s difficult to conjure when you’re sequestered at home.
Here are some things that Donal Trump has said - from nuking tornados to taking over airports in the revolutionary war. And let’s not even get started on injecting people with disinfectant. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. What is really scary is that 40% of the country thinks this guy is a genius.
\n\nHere are some things that Donal Trump has said - from nuking tornados to taking over airports in the revolutionary war. And let’s not even get started on injecting people with disinfectant. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. What is really scary is that 40% of the country thinks this guy is a genius.
\n\nKatie Notopoulos over at Buzz Feed’s How to Plague advice column on when you should wear your mask:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "A good way to gauge the amount of distance where it’s OK to dangle your mask around your neck or off one ear is to imagine your mouth is your asshole. If you were completely alone, it would be fine to let your nude tushy hang out, but you’d want to pull on your pants as soon as you saw anyone coming, even from 100 feet away. Basically, if someone can see you, mask up.
Katie Notopoulos over at Buzz Feed’s How to Plague advice column on when you should wear your mask:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/04/we-need-to-ask-a-better-question/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/04/we-need-to-ask-a-better-question/", "title": "We need to ask better questions", "date_published": "2020-05-04T11:01:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-04T11:01:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A good way to gauge the amount of distance where it’s OK to dangle your mask around your neck or off one ear is to imagine your mouth is your asshole. If you were completely alone, it would be fine to let your nude tushy hang out, but you’d want to pull on your pants as soon as you saw anyone coming, even from 100 feet away. Basically, if someone can see you, mask up.
During the on going quarantine it is common for conversations and zoom meetings to begin with the obligatory ‘How are you doing?’ Ashley Fetters challenges us to ask a better question.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "If we want to take the extra step to show our loved ones that we’re really asking, though, and not just greeting them as we might have done in normal times, reaching for a question that more explicitly asks after their emotional or psychological well-being might help. “How are you coping?,” for instance, signals that you don’t expect whomever you’re talking with to be doing great, and that you are genuinely curious about how they’re handling things. “What’s been on your mind lately?” suggests openness to a deeper conversation. You might also follow up on a worry or concern they’ve mentioned before, and check in on how they’re feeling about it now.
However you choose to start your conversations during quarantine, perhaps the most important thing is to ask a genuine question that invites a genuine answer. One of the kindest gestures we can extend to others in a time like this is to make clear that they don’t have to pretend they’re fine.
During the on going quarantine it is common for conversations and zoom meetings to begin with the obligatory ‘How are you doing?’ Ashley Fetters challenges us to ask a better question.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/04/dolphins-coach-don-shula-dies-at-90/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/04/dolphins-coach-don-shula-dies-at-90/", "title": "Dolphins coach Don Shula dies at 90", "date_published": "2020-05-04T12:54:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-04T12:54:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If we want to take the extra step to show our loved ones that we’re really asking, though, and not just greeting them as we might have done in normal times, reaching for a question that more explicitly asks after their emotional or psychological well-being might help. “How are you coping?,” for instance, signals that you don’t expect whomever you’re talking with to be doing great, and that you are genuinely curious about how they’re handling things. “What’s been on your mind lately?” suggests openness to a deeper conversation. You might also follow up on a worry or concern they’ve mentioned before, and check in on how they’re feeling about it now.
However you choose to start your conversations during quarantine, perhaps the most important thing is to ask a genuine question that invites a genuine answer. One of the kindest gestures we can extend to others in a time like this is to make clear that they don’t have to pretend they’re fine.
Coach Shula presided over the only team to have a perfect 17-0 season. A record that no other team has matched since. Here is a great look at his amazing career.
\n\nCoach Shula presided over the only team to have a perfect 17-0 season. A record that no other team has matched since. Here is a great look at his amazing career.
\n\nWe finally we have a holiday that isn’t crippled by coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing.\nChoose whether you want to deepen your engagement by making it relevant, or just use it as an escape pod off the Star Destroyer. Or both. You must do what you think is right, of course.
\n\nMay the Force be with you. Always.
\n\nWe finally we have a holiday that isn’t crippled by coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing.\nChoose whether you want to deepen your engagement by making it relevant, or just use it as an escape pod off the Star Destroyer. Or both. You must do what you think is right, of course.
\n\nMay the Force be with you. Always.
\n\n\nDirectly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs
— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020
In any other country taunting or threatening a public official with the use of deadly force would be met with swift and probably deadly force. What exactly do these people hope to accomplish? This is a direct effort to intimidate our elected officials into voting their way. It isn’t gong to work. These left wing nuts hiding behind the second amendment should be arrested and tried as domestic terrorists.
\n", "content_html": "\nDirectly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs
— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020
In any other country taunting or threatening a public official with the use of deadly force would be met with swift and probably deadly force. What exactly do these people hope to accomplish? This is a direct effort to intimidate our elected officials into voting their way. It isn’t gong to work. These left wing nuts hiding behind the second amendment should be arrested and tried as domestic terrorists.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/05/herd-immunity-will-cost-millions-of-lives/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/05/herd-immunity-will-cost-millions-of-lives/", "title": "Herd Immunity will cost millions of lives", "date_published": "2020-05-05T03:29:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-05T03:29:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/herd-immunity.png\")
Herd immunity doesn’t stop a virus in its tracks. The number of infections continues to climb after herd immunity is reached. The problem with “natural” herd immunity & Covid-19 is that millions will die.
\n\nIn an opinion piece in the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "In the absence of a vaccine, developing immunity to a disease like Covid-19 requires actually being infected with the coronavirus. For this to work, prior infection has to confer immunity against future infection. While hopeful, scientists are not yet certain that this is the case, nor do they know how long this immunity might last. The virus was discovered only a few months ago.
But even assuming that immunity is long-lasting, a very large number of people must be infected to reach the herd immunity threshold required. Given that current estimates suggest roughly 0.5 percent to 1 percent of all infections are fatal, that means a lot of deaths.
Perhaps most important to understand, the virus doesn’t magically disappear when the herd immunity threshold is reached. That’s not when things stop — it’s only when they start to slow down.
Herd immunity doesn’t stop a virus in its tracks. The number of infections continues to climb after herd immunity is reached. The problem with “natural” herd immunity & Covid-19 is that millions will die.
\n\nIn an opinion piece in the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/06/normalizing-between-one-and-three-thousand-deaths/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/06/normalizing-between-one-and-three-thousand-deaths/", "title": "Normalizing three thousand deaths", "date_published": "2020-05-06T02:09:59-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-06T02:09:59-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In the absence of a vaccine, developing immunity to a disease like Covid-19 requires actually being infected with the coronavirus. For this to work, prior infection has to confer immunity against future infection. While hopeful, scientists are not yet certain that this is the case, nor do they know how long this immunity might last. The virus was discovered only a few months ago.
But even assuming that immunity is long-lasting, a very large number of people must be infected to reach the herd immunity threshold required. Given that current estimates suggest roughly 0.5 percent to 1 percent of all infections are fatal, that means a lot of deaths.
Perhaps most important to understand, the virus doesn’t magically disappear when the herd immunity threshold is reached. That’s not when things stop — it’s only when they start to slow down.
Jay Rosen perfectly describes Trump’s plan for dealing with Covid-19.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The plan is to have no plan, to let daily deaths between one and three thousand become a normal thing, and then to create massive confusion about who is responsible — by telling the governors they’re in charge without doing what only the federal government can do, by fighting with the press when it shows up to be briefed, by fixing blame for the virus on China or some other foreign element, and by “flooding the zone with shit,” Steve Bannon’s phrase for overwhelming the system with disinformation, distraction, and denial, which boosts what economists call “search costs” for reliable intelligence.
Stated another way, the plan is to default on public problem solving, and then prevent the public from understanding the consequences of that default. To succeed this will require one of the biggest propaganda and freedom of information fights in U.S. history, the execution of which will, I think, consume the president’s re-election campaign.
Jay Rosen perfectly describes Trump’s plan for dealing with Covid-19.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/06/mourning-in-america/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/06/mourning-in-america/", "title": "Mourning in America", "date_published": "2020-05-06T02:29:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-06T02:29:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The plan is to have no plan, to let daily deaths between one and three thousand become a normal thing, and then to create massive confusion about who is responsible — by telling the governors they’re in charge without doing what only the federal government can do, by fighting with the press when it shows up to be briefed, by fixing blame for the virus on China or some other foreign element, and by “flooding the zone with shit,” Steve Bannon’s phrase for overwhelming the system with disinformation, distraction, and denial, which boosts what economists call “search costs” for reliable intelligence.
Stated another way, the plan is to default on public problem solving, and then prevent the public from understanding the consequences of that default. To succeed this will require one of the biggest propaganda and freedom of information fights in U.S. history, the execution of which will, I think, consume the president’s re-election campaign.
\n\nUnder the leadership of Donal Trump our country is weaker and sicker and poorer.
\n\nUnder the leadership of Donal Trump our country is weaker and sicker and poorer.
Most people know Suzanne Vega from just two songs in the 80s - “Luka” and “Toms Diner”. But she has been making great music for the past 40 years. I have been a huge fan for years. Here is Susanne performing with brilliant guitarist Gerry Leonard.
\n\nMost people know Suzanne Vega from just two songs in the 80s - “Luka” and “Toms Diner”. But she has been making great music for the past 40 years. I have been a huge fan for years. Here is Susanne performing with brilliant guitarist Gerry Leonard.
\n\nSujatha Gidla, a NYC M.T.A. conductor in an opinion piece for the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThe conditions created by the pandemic drive home the fact that we essential workers — workers in general — are the ones who keep the social order from sinking into chaos. Yet we are treated with the utmost disrespect, as though we’re expendable. Since March 27, at least 98 New York transit workers have died of Covid-19. My co-workers say bitterly: “We are not essential. We are sacrificial.”
That may be true individually, but not in our numbers. Hopefully this experience will make us see clearly the crucial role we play in keeping society running so that we can stand up for our interests, for our lives. Like the Pittsburgh sanitation workers walking out to demand protective equipment. Like the G.E. workers calling on the company to repurpose plants to make ventilators instead of jet engines.
I took my second test on April 30. It was negative. Tomorrow, I will go back to work.
These are the true heroes in this pandemic. Not the politicians, not the movie stars, not the journalists. It is the garbage collectors, public transportation workers, the grocery workers. And of course the first responders and medical workers.
\n\nAnd these are the people that we treat the worst in society. These are the people we consistently pay the least. We provide no healthcare, no medical leave. Worst of all, most people think of them as lower class citizens. The lazy. The uneducated. The people who just need to “bootstrap themselves” to success. These are the soldiers on the wall.
\n\nThey are holding us together by a thinest of margins. We must correct these inequities.
\n", "content_html": "Sujatha Gidla, a NYC M.T.A. conductor in an opinion piece for the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThe conditions created by the pandemic drive home the fact that we essential workers — workers in general — are the ones who keep the social order from sinking into chaos. Yet we are treated with the utmost disrespect, as though we’re expendable. Since March 27, at least 98 New York transit workers have died of Covid-19. My co-workers say bitterly: “We are not essential. We are sacrificial.”
That may be true individually, but not in our numbers. Hopefully this experience will make us see clearly the crucial role we play in keeping society running so that we can stand up for our interests, for our lives. Like the Pittsburgh sanitation workers walking out to demand protective equipment. Like the G.E. workers calling on the company to repurpose plants to make ventilators instead of jet engines.
I took my second test on April 30. It was negative. Tomorrow, I will go back to work.
These are the true heroes in this pandemic. Not the politicians, not the movie stars, not the journalists. It is the garbage collectors, public transportation workers, the grocery workers. And of course the first responders and medical workers.
\n\nAnd these are the people that we treat the worst in society. These are the people we consistently pay the least. We provide no healthcare, no medical leave. Worst of all, most people think of them as lower class citizens. The lazy. The uneducated. The people who just need to “bootstrap themselves” to success. These are the soldiers on the wall.
\n\nThey are holding us together by a thinest of margins. We must correct these inequities.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/10/are-we-becoming-stupid/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/10/are-we-becoming-stupid/", "title": "Are we becoming stupid?", "date_published": "2020-05-10T00:40:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-10T00:40:42-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Just listening to our national discourse proves there is something to what Nicholas Carr is hinting at in “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains”
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "So, yes, you should be skeptical of my skepticism. Perhaps those who dismiss critics of the Internet as Luddites or nostalgists will be proved correct, and from our hyperactive, data-stoked minds will spring a golden age of intellectual discovery and universal wisdom. Then again, the Net isn’t the alphabet, and although it may replace the printing press, it produces something altogether different. The kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author’s words but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds. In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation, for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas. Deep reading, as Maryanne Wolf argues, is indistinguishable from deep thinking.
If we lose those quiet spaces, or fill them up with “content,” we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in our culture.
Just listening to our national discourse proves there is something to what Nicholas Carr is hinting at in “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains”
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/10/trump-utterly-incapable-of-leadership/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/10/trump-utterly-incapable-of-leadership/", "title": "Utterly Incapable Of Leadership", "date_published": "2020-05-10T16:35:01-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-10T16:35:01-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So, yes, you should be skeptical of my skepticism. Perhaps those who dismiss critics of the Internet as Luddites or nostalgists will be proved correct, and from our hyperactive, data-stoked minds will spring a golden age of intellectual discovery and universal wisdom. Then again, the Net isn’t the alphabet, and although it may replace the printing press, it produces something altogether different. The kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author’s words but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds. In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation, for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas. Deep reading, as Maryanne Wolf argues, is indistinguishable from deep thinking.
If we lose those quiet spaces, or fill them up with “content,” we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in our culture.
Coronavirus-related job losses top 20.5 million, as the unemployment rate reaches almost 15 percent, the highest rate since The Great Depression. Joy Reid and her panel discuss a new ad from The Lincoln Project called ‘Mourning in America, that details horrible outcomes of the mismanagement of the pandemic.
\n\n\nSteve Schmidt, a former Republican strategist no less, perfectly summarizes the Trump presidency.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "We see a man just so small, so outmatched, so in over his head. And so it is that at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, in a time of peace and prosperity generally, the United states elected very narrowly to the Presidency a reality television star, a failed business man, really a carnival barker. We had a real lack of imagination in this country for the capacity for the possibility of tragedy. And real tragedy has come. And we look at that ad, it was just a few days that it aired and yea it talks about 60,000 dead Americans and soon we’ll be at 100 thousand and soon we will be at 200 thousand. This is a man who promised to run saying, ‘I can fix it alone.’. ‘I will make America great again.’ And his legacy will be mass death, will be suffering at an epic level and economic collapse. Thats’s the trump legacy and he has demonstrated through this he has exactly zero capacity to lead this nation out of this mess. It will not be the work of one presidential term. It will be the work of many presidential terms for there to be a season of American recovery, and we see every day his incapacity to lead. In short less than 6 months the American people are going to have to decide in the most import election this country has had since 1864 whether the United States will go into a steep descent of decline or we can possibly begin to recover from the Trumpian disaster that the country faces.
Coronavirus-related job losses top 20.5 million, as the unemployment rate reaches almost 15 percent, the highest rate since The Great Depression. Joy Reid and her panel discuss a new ad from The Lincoln Project called ‘Mourning in America, that details horrible outcomes of the mismanagement of the pandemic.
\n\n\nSteve Schmidt, a former Republican strategist no less, perfectly summarizes the Trump presidency.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/14/prince-and-the-revolution-live-show-fairs-tonight/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/14/prince-and-the-revolution-live-show-fairs-tonight/", "title": "Prince and the Revolution Live Show Airs tonight", "date_published": "2020-05-14T14:29:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-14T14:29:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "We see a man just so small, so outmatched, so in over his head. And so it is that at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, in a time of peace and prosperity generally, the United states elected very narrowly to the Presidency a reality television star, a failed business man, really a carnival barker. We had a real lack of imagination in this country for the capacity for the possibility of tragedy. And real tragedy has come. And we look at that ad, it was just a few days that it aired and yea it talks about 60,000 dead Americans and soon we’ll be at 100 thousand and soon we will be at 200 thousand. This is a man who promised to run saying, ‘I can fix it alone.’. ‘I will make America great again.’ And his legacy will be mass death, will be suffering at an epic level and economic collapse. Thats’s the trump legacy and he has demonstrated through this he has exactly zero capacity to lead this nation out of this mess. It will not be the work of one presidential term. It will be the work of many presidential terms for there to be a season of American recovery, and we see every day his incapacity to lead. In short less than 6 months the American people are going to have to decide in the most import election this country has had since 1864 whether the United States will go into a steep descent of decline or we can possibly begin to recover from the Trumpian disaster that the country faces.
As part of a benefit for Covid-19 relief, The Prince Estate will be broadcasting a classic concert by Prince & the Revolution from 1985’s Purple Rain tour on YouTube. The stream (embedded below) will begin on Thursday, May 14 at 8pm ET and will only be available through Sunday, May 17.
\n\nAs part of a benefit for Covid-19 relief, The Prince Estate will be broadcasting a classic concert by Prince & the Revolution from 1985’s Purple Rain tour on YouTube. The stream (embedded below) will begin on Thursday, May 14 at 8pm ET and will only be available through Sunday, May 17.
\n\nThe spread of Covid-19 is not a cause by density, but by poverty and the massive wealth disparity in the United States. Combined with a weak to non-existent safety net for millions of displaced workers, the conditions are ripe for contagion spread. Dr. Mary T. Bassett, in an excellent article in the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Imagine a low-wage worker, who holds two jobs to support her family and pay the rent, who has to work during this pandemic because her job is “essential,” who works when sick because she has no sick leave. She travels on a crowded bus, puts off medical care because she lacks insurance, and then returns to an apartment crammed with young children and elderly family members. Maybe she fills in on the night shift as an aide at a nursing home.
This all conspires to make her especially vulnerable to the coronavirus — with the result that her household, her nursing home and her neighbors all are liable to become sick as well. In this scenario, “the city” is not to blame for the explosion in cases of Covid-19.
That disease is devastating cities like New York because of the structure of health care, the housing market and the labor market, not because of their density. The spread of the coronavirus didn’t require cities — we have also seen small towns ravaged. Rather, cities were merely the front door, the first stop.
It’s not that there are too many people in cities. It’s that too many of their residents are poor, and many of them are members of the especially vulnerable black, Latino and Asian populations.
The spread of Covid-19 is not a cause by density, but by poverty and the massive wealth disparity in the United States. Combined with a weak to non-existent safety net for millions of displaced workers, the conditions are ripe for contagion spread. Dr. Mary T. Bassett, in an excellent article in the New York Times:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/17/a-contemporaneous-history-of-the-absurd/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/17/a-contemporaneous-history-of-the-absurd/", "title": "A contemporaneous history of the absurd", "date_published": "2020-05-17T02:17:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-17T02:17:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Imagine a low-wage worker, who holds two jobs to support her family and pay the rent, who has to work during this pandemic because her job is “essential,” who works when sick because she has no sick leave. She travels on a crowded bus, puts off medical care because she lacks insurance, and then returns to an apartment crammed with young children and elderly family members. Maybe she fills in on the night shift as an aide at a nursing home.
This all conspires to make her especially vulnerable to the coronavirus — with the result that her household, her nursing home and her neighbors all are liable to become sick as well. In this scenario, “the city” is not to blame for the explosion in cases of Covid-19.
That disease is devastating cities like New York because of the structure of health care, the housing market and the labor market, not because of their density. The spread of the coronavirus didn’t require cities — we have also seen small towns ravaged. Rather, cities were merely the front door, the first stop.
It’s not that there are too many people in cities. It’s that too many of their residents are poor, and many of them are members of the especially vulnerable black, Latino and Asian populations.
Edward Luce in a well researched article for The Financial Times:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "What has gone wrong? I interviewed dozens of people, including outsiders who Trump consults regularly, former senior advisers, World Health Organization officials, leading scientists and diplomats, and figures inside the White House. Some spoke off the record.
Again and again, the story that emerged is of a president who ignored increasingly urgent intelligence warnings from January, dismisses anyone who claims to know more than him and trusts no one outside a tiny coterie, led by his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner – the property developer who Trump has empowered to sideline the best-funded disaster response bureaucracy in the world.
People often observed during Trump’s first three years that he had yet to be tested in a true crisis. Covid-19 is way bigger than that. “Trump’s handling of the pandemic at home and abroad has exposed more painfully than anything since he took office the meaning of America First,” says William Burns, who was the most senior US diplomat, and is now head of the Carnegie Endowment.
“America is first in the world in deaths, first in the world in infections and we stand out as an emblem of global incompetence. The damage to America’s influence and reputation will be very hard to undo.”
Edward Luce in a well researched article for The Financial Times:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/17/obamas-hbcu-commencement-speech/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/17/obamas-hbcu-commencement-speech/", "title": "Obama’s HBCU commencement speech", "date_published": "2020-05-17T02:29:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-17T02:29:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What has gone wrong? I interviewed dozens of people, including outsiders who Trump consults regularly, former senior advisers, World Health Organization officials, leading scientists and diplomats, and figures inside the White House. Some spoke off the record.
Again and again, the story that emerged is of a president who ignored increasingly urgent intelligence warnings from January, dismisses anyone who claims to know more than him and trusts no one outside a tiny coterie, led by his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner – the property developer who Trump has empowered to sideline the best-funded disaster response bureaucracy in the world.
People often observed during Trump’s first three years that he had yet to be tested in a true crisis. Covid-19 is way bigger than that. “Trump’s handling of the pandemic at home and abroad has exposed more painfully than anything since he took office the meaning of America First,” says William Burns, who was the most senior US diplomat, and is now head of the Carnegie Endowment.
“America is first in the world in deaths, first in the world in infections and we stand out as an emblem of global incompetence. The damage to America’s influence and reputation will be very hard to undo.”
In his first national address since the Covid-19 pandic, former President Barack Obama delivered a commencement speech to graduates at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) Saturday.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/obamahcbu.jpg\")
\n\n\nOn our current leadership in America:
\n\nMore than anything, this pandemic has fully finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing, A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.
On the Covid-19 pandemic:
\n\n\n\nLet’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.
And finally on challenge ahead for us:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "And on the big unfinished goals in this country, like economic and environmental justice and health care for everybody, broad majorities agree on the ends. That’s why folks with power will keep trying to divide you over the means. Because that’s how nothing changes. You get a system that looks out for the rich and powerful and nobody else. So expand your moral imaginations, build bridges, and grow your allies in the process of bringing about a better world.
In his first national address since the Covid-19 pandic, former President Barack Obama delivered a commencement speech to graduates at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) Saturday.
\n\n\n\n\nOn our current leadership in America:
\n\nMore than anything, this pandemic has fully finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing, A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.
On the Covid-19 pandemic:
\n\n\n\nLet’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.
And finally on challenge ahead for us:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/19/you-went-to-harvard-right/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/19/you-went-to-harvard-right/", "title": "You went to Harvard right?", "date_published": "2020-05-19T01:21:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-19T01:21:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "And on the big unfinished goals in this country, like economic and environmental justice and health care for everybody, broad majorities agree on the ends. That’s why folks with power will keep trying to divide you over the means. Because that’s how nothing changes. You get a system that looks out for the rich and powerful and nobody else. So expand your moral imaginations, build bridges, and grow your allies in the process of bringing about a better world.
\nBill Burr sums up the US college system perfectly:
\n\n\n\nThe funny thing about that scandal is that they got their dumb kids in there but then they were able to handle the curriculum with no problem. None of them flunked out. So evidently, the real difficulty is getting in. Once you are in, you are fine.
Conan:
\n\n\n\nYea. Yea.
Bill:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "You went to Harvard right?
\nBill Burr sums up the US college system perfectly:
\n\n\n\nThe funny thing about that scandal is that they got their dumb kids in there but then they were able to handle the curriculum with no problem. None of them flunked out. So evidently, the real difficulty is getting in. Once you are in, you are fine.
Conan:
\n\n\n\nYea. Yea.
Bill:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/19/harvards-reinhart-and-rogoff-say-this-time-really-is-different/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/19/harvards-reinhart-and-rogoff-say-this-time-really-is-different/", "title": "Harvard's Reinhart And Rogoff Predict a U Shape Recovery", "date_published": "2020-05-19T02:08:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-19T02:08:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "You went to Harvard right?
What will the economy look like when we finally turn the corner? And how ling will it take. That is the primary question on people mind. Despite what the Trump administration says, looks like we are in for a U shape recovery. And it will take five long years. At best.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/u-shape-recovery.png\")
Bloomberg Markets spoke to Reinhart, a former deputy director at the IMF who’s now a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Rogoff, a former IMF chief economist who’s now a professor at Harvard. It turns out this time really is different.
\n\n\n\nSo what does the economic recovery look like?
Carmen Reinhart:
\n\n\n\nAnd you want to talk about a negative productivity shock, too. The biggest positive productivity shock we’ve had over the last 40 years has been globalization together with technology. And I think if you take away the globalization, you probably take away some of the technology. So that affects not just trade, but movements and people. And then there are the socio-political ramifications. I liken the incident we’re in to The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy got sucked up in the tornado with her house, and it’s spinning around, and you don’t know where it will come down. That’s where our social, political, economic system is at the moment. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and it’s probably not in the pro-growth direction.\nThere is talk on whether it’s going to be a W-shape if there’s a second wave and so on. That’s a very real possibility given past pandemics and if there’s no vaccine. One thing that’s clear is the numbers are going to look spectacularly great in some months simply because you’re coming out from a base that was pretty devastated. That doesn’t imply that per capita incomes are going to go back in V-shape to what they were before.
\n\nThe shock has disrupted supply chains globally and trade big-time. The World Trade Organization tells you trade can decline anywhere between 13% and 32%. I don’t think you just break and re-create supply chains at the drop of a hat. There are a lot of geographic changes that are being necessitated because, if the economic downturn has been synchronous, the disease itself hasn’t been synchronous.
\n\nAnother reason I think the V-shape story is dubious is that we’re all living in economies that have a hugely important service component. How do we know which retailers are going to come back? Which restaurants are going to come back? Cinemas? When this crisis began to morph from a medical problem into a financial crisis, then it was clear we were going to have more hysteresis, longer-lived effects.
Kenneth Rogoff:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "In our book, Carmen and I use the definition of recovery as going back to the same income as the beginning. That, by the way, is really not the Wall Street definition of recovery, where recovery is going back to where the trend was. So we use a much more modest version of recovery. And still, with postwar financial crises before 2008-09, the average was four years, and for the Great Depression, 10 years. And there are many ways this feels more like the Great Depression.
\n\nAlso you probably need a debt moratorium that’s fairly widespread for emerging markets and developing economies. As an analogy, the IMF or Chapter 11 bankruptcy is very good at dealing with a couple of countries or a couple of firms at a time. But just as the hospitals can’t handle all the Covid-19 patients showing up in the same week, neither can our bankruptcy system and neither can the international financial institutions.
\n\nSo there are going to be phenomenal frictions coming out of this wave of bankruptcies, defaults. It’s probably going to be, at best, a U-shaped recovery. And I don’t know how long it’s going to take us to get back to the 2019 per capita GDP. I would say, looking at it now, five years would seem like a good outcome out of this.
What will the economy look like when we finally turn the corner? And how ling will it take. That is the primary question on people mind. Despite what the Trump administration says, looks like we are in for a U shape recovery. And it will take five long years. At best.
\n\n
Bloomberg Markets spoke to Reinhart, a former deputy director at the IMF who’s now a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Rogoff, a former IMF chief economist who’s now a professor at Harvard. It turns out this time really is different.
\n\n\n\nSo what does the economic recovery look like?
Carmen Reinhart:
\n\n\n\nAnd you want to talk about a negative productivity shock, too. The biggest positive productivity shock we’ve had over the last 40 years has been globalization together with technology. And I think if you take away the globalization, you probably take away some of the technology. So that affects not just trade, but movements and people. And then there are the socio-political ramifications. I liken the incident we’re in to The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy got sucked up in the tornado with her house, and it’s spinning around, and you don’t know where it will come down. That’s where our social, political, economic system is at the moment. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and it’s probably not in the pro-growth direction.\nThere is talk on whether it’s going to be a W-shape if there’s a second wave and so on. That’s a very real possibility given past pandemics and if there’s no vaccine. One thing that’s clear is the numbers are going to look spectacularly great in some months simply because you’re coming out from a base that was pretty devastated. That doesn’t imply that per capita incomes are going to go back in V-shape to what they were before.
\n\nThe shock has disrupted supply chains globally and trade big-time. The World Trade Organization tells you trade can decline anywhere between 13% and 32%. I don’t think you just break and re-create supply chains at the drop of a hat. There are a lot of geographic changes that are being necessitated because, if the economic downturn has been synchronous, the disease itself hasn’t been synchronous.
\n\nAnother reason I think the V-shape story is dubious is that we’re all living in economies that have a hugely important service component. How do we know which retailers are going to come back? Which restaurants are going to come back? Cinemas? When this crisis began to morph from a medical problem into a financial crisis, then it was clear we were going to have more hysteresis, longer-lived effects.
Kenneth Rogoff:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/20/dr-suess-in-the-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/20/dr-suess-in-the-pandemic/", "title": "Dr. Seuss in the Pandemic", "date_published": "2020-05-20T02:35:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-20T02:35:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In our book, Carmen and I use the definition of recovery as going back to the same income as the beginning. That, by the way, is really not the Wall Street definition of recovery, where recovery is going back to where the trend was. So we use a much more modest version of recovery. And still, with postwar financial crises before 2008-09, the average was four years, and for the Great Depression, 10 years. And there are many ways this feels more like the Great Depression.
\n\nAlso you probably need a debt moratorium that’s fairly widespread for emerging markets and developing economies. As an analogy, the IMF or Chapter 11 bankruptcy is very good at dealing with a couple of countries or a couple of firms at a time. But just as the hospitals can’t handle all the Covid-19 patients showing up in the same week, neither can our bankruptcy system and neither can the international financial institutions.
\n\nSo there are going to be phenomenal frictions coming out of this wave of bankruptcies, defaults. It’s probably going to be, at best, a U-shaped recovery. And I don’t know how long it’s going to take us to get back to the 2019 per capita GDP. I would say, looking at it now, five years would seem like a good outcome out of this.
Designer Jim Malloy has reimagined the books of Dr. Seuss for the coronavirus age and changing the author to “Dr. Fauci”. You can check out the results on Instagram and in this Instagram Story.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/dr-seuss-covid-01.jpg\")
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/dr-seuss-covid-03.jpg\")
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/dr-seuss-covid-04.jpg\")
\n
Designer Jim Malloy has reimagined the books of Dr. Seuss for the coronavirus age and changing the author to “Dr. Fauci”. You can check out the results on Instagram and in this Instagram Story.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series. Could you imagine if high school math classes were taught with the same excitement?
\n\nMathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series. Could you imagine if high school math classes were taught with the same excitement?
\n\n“Manic Monday” performed by Billie Joe of Green Day with the help of Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles. By the way, this is yet another song written by Prince. Billie Joe is an absolute beast - he should make an album of him doing covers of the 80s. I can’t believe Susanna Hoffs is 61 – still rock'n as ever!
\n\n“Manic Monday” performed by Billie Joe of Green Day with the help of Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles. By the way, this is yet another song written by Prince. Billie Joe is an absolute beast - he should make an album of him doing covers of the 80s. I can’t believe Susanna Hoffs is 61 – still rock'n as ever!
\n\nIn the past five months - since March, more Americans have died from Covid-19 than in the decade-plus of the Vietnam War and the death toll is a third of the number of Americans who died in World War II.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/nytimes-100k-deaths.jpg\")
\n\n\nPutting 100,000 dots or stick figures on a page “doesn’t really tell you very much about who these people were, the lives that they lived, what it means for us as a country,” Ms. Landon said. So, she came up with the idea of compiling obituaries and death notices of Covid-19 victims from newspapers large and small across the country, and culling vivid passages from them.
Alain Delaquérière, a researcher, combed through various sources online for obituaries and death notices with Covid-19 written as the cause of death. He compiled a list of nearly a thousand names from hundreds of newspapers. A team of editors from across the newsroom, in addition to three graduate student journalists, read them and gleaned phrases that depicted the uniqueness of each life lost:
“Alan Lund, 81, Washington, conductor with ‘the most amazing ear’ … ”
“Theresa Elloie, 63, New Orleans, renowned for her business making detailed pins and corsages … ”
“Florencio Almazo Morán, 65, New York City, one-man army … ”
“Coby Adolph, 44, Chicago, entrepreneur and adventurer … ”
The magnitude of loss is incomprehensible. The fallout of this will echo for decades, and touch each of us. When we get past this, the one thing we cannot do is forget all of these people. Each of these people was someone special, who in their own way, was contributing to make this nation great. And we owe to them to make this mean something. We owe it to them to rethink our supply systems, our health care system, and how we view each other.
\n", "content_html": "In the past five months - since March, more Americans have died from Covid-19 than in the decade-plus of the Vietnam War and the death toll is a third of the number of Americans who died in World War II.
\n\n
\n\n\nPutting 100,000 dots or stick figures on a page “doesn’t really tell you very much about who these people were, the lives that they lived, what it means for us as a country,” Ms. Landon said. So, she came up with the idea of compiling obituaries and death notices of Covid-19 victims from newspapers large and small across the country, and culling vivid passages from them.
Alain Delaquérière, a researcher, combed through various sources online for obituaries and death notices with Covid-19 written as the cause of death. He compiled a list of nearly a thousand names from hundreds of newspapers. A team of editors from across the newsroom, in addition to three graduate student journalists, read them and gleaned phrases that depicted the uniqueness of each life lost:
“Alan Lund, 81, Washington, conductor with ‘the most amazing ear’ … ”
“Theresa Elloie, 63, New Orleans, renowned for her business making detailed pins and corsages … ”
“Florencio Almazo Morán, 65, New York City, one-man army … ”
“Coby Adolph, 44, Chicago, entrepreneur and adventurer … ”
The magnitude of loss is incomprehensible. The fallout of this will echo for decades, and touch each of us. When we get past this, the one thing we cannot do is forget all of these people. Each of these people was someone special, who in their own way, was contributing to make this nation great. And we owe to them to make this mean something. We owe it to them to rethink our supply systems, our health care system, and how we view each other.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/29/you-are-not-seeing-socialism/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/29/you-are-not-seeing-socialism/", "title": "You are not seeing Socialism", "date_published": "2020-05-29T03:55:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-29T03:55:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that American democracy and our economic system is extremely fragile. Ok, unless you’re wealthy, in which case you will do fine - you will most likely come out with even more wealth. Of course, that is part of the plan.
\n\nPaul Field’s Facebook post says it best
\n\n\n", "content_html": "You are not seeing Socialism. What you are seeing is one of the wealthiest, geographically advantaged, productive capitalist societies in the world flounder and fail at its most basic test. Taking care of its people.
\n\n…
\n\nWhat you are seeing is a quarter century of technological brilliance being reduced to a narcissistic popularity contest. You’re seeing the folly of basing the health and welfare of an entire society on personal greed. You’re seeing all the necessary tools, for us to shrug off this crisis, go unused while people argue over who should get the credit and profit. Even worse, you’re seeing vital help withheld because recipients might not, “deserve it…”
\n\nYou’re seeing a lot of things nobody thought they’d ever see, but you’re not seeing Socialism…
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that American democracy and our economic system is extremely fragile. Ok, unless you’re wealthy, in which case you will do fine - you will most likely come out with even more wealth. Of course, that is part of the plan.
\n\nPaul Field’s Facebook post says it best
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/29/knight-rider-for-8-cellos/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/05/29/knight-rider-for-8-cellos/", "title": "Knight Rider for 8 cellos", "date_published": "2020-05-29T04:17:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-05-29T04:17:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "You are not seeing Socialism. What you are seeing is one of the wealthiest, geographically advantaged, productive capitalist societies in the world flounder and fail at its most basic test. Taking care of its people.
\n\n…
\n\nWhat you are seeing is a quarter century of technological brilliance being reduced to a narcissistic popularity contest. You’re seeing the folly of basing the health and welfare of an entire society on personal greed. You’re seeing all the necessary tools, for us to shrug off this crisis, go unused while people argue over who should get the credit and profit. Even worse, you’re seeing vital help withheld because recipients might not, “deserve it…”
\n\nYou’re seeing a lot of things nobody thought they’d ever see, but you’re not seeing Socialism…
Samara Ginsberg performs the Knight Rider intro theme with 8 cellos. The theme is one of the greatest of any TV show ever and is brilliantly performed here.
\n\nSounds like a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.
\n\n\n\nI wonder how many Firebirds Pontiac sold on the back of this show. And also check out her performance of the Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme).
\n", "content_html": "Samara Ginsberg performs the Knight Rider intro theme with 8 cellos. The theme is one of the greatest of any TV show ever and is brilliantly performed here.
\n\nSounds like a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.
\n\n\n\nI wonder how many Firebirds Pontiac sold on the back of this show. And also check out her performance of the Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme).
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/01/people-pushed-to-the-edge/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/01/people-pushed-to-the-edge/", "title": "People Pushed to the Edge", "date_published": "2020-06-01T02:47:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-01T02:47:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an oped for the LA Times
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an oped for the LA Times
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/04/police-warrior-training/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/04/police-warrior-training/", "title": "Police Warrior Training", "date_published": "2020-06-04T01:54:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-04T01:54:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.
The Minneapolis Police Department’s motto is “To Protect with Courage, To Serve with Compassion!”. However their training is the antithesis of that honorable goal. Melissa Segura for BuzzFeed:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "More than a year before a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned George Floyd to the ground in a knee chokehold, Mayor Jacob Frey banned “warrior” training for the city’s police force.
Private trainers across the country host seminars, frequently at taxpayer expense, teaching “killology” and pushing the notion that if officers aren’t willing to “snuff out a life” then they should “consider another line of work.” Frey explained that this type of training — which has accompanied the increasing militarization of the police over the last few decades — undermined the community-based policing he wanted the city to adopt after a string of high-profile killings in the region.
But then the police union stepped in.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis worked out a deal with a company to offer warrior training. For free. For as long as Frey was mayor.
The Minneapolis Police Department’s motto is “To Protect with Courage, To Serve with Compassion!”. However their training is the antithesis of that honorable goal. Melissa Segura for BuzzFeed:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/04/war-zone/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/04/war-zone/", "title": "War Zone", "date_published": "2020-06-04T02:26:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-04T02:26:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "More than a year before a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned George Floyd to the ground in a knee chokehold, Mayor Jacob Frey banned “warrior” training for the city’s police force.
Private trainers across the country host seminars, frequently at taxpayer expense, teaching “killology” and pushing the notion that if officers aren’t willing to “snuff out a life” then they should “consider another line of work.” Frey explained that this type of training — which has accompanied the increasing militarization of the police over the last few decades — undermined the community-based policing he wanted the city to adopt after a string of high-profile killings in the region.
But then the police union stepped in.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis worked out a deal with a company to offer warrior training. For free. For as long as Frey was mayor.
Trump shows his true colors - a wannabe dictator. The latest political ad from the Lincoln Project:
\n\nTrump shows his true colors - a wannabe dictator. The latest political ad from the Lincoln Project:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/JamesMattis.jpg\")
From The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nDonald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. […]
We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.
General Mattis, by saying we can unite without the Commander In Chief, General Mattis is essentially giving the US military and its citizens a vote of no confidence of the US President.
\n", "content_html": "
From The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nDonald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. […]
We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.
General Mattis, by saying we can unite without the Commander In Chief, General Mattis is essentially giving the US military and its citizens a vote of no confidence of the US President.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/tump-on-tiananmen-square/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/tump-on-tiananmen-square/", "title": "Tump on Tiananmen Square", "date_published": "2020-06-05T01:08:08-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-05T01:08:08-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Donald ‘Bunker Boy’ Trump in a 1990 interview:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen the now-Republican presidential frontrunner was asked his impression of the Soviet Union, the then-43-year-old replied:
“I was very unimpressed… Russia is out of control and the leadership knows it. That’s my problem with Gorbachev. Not a firm enough hand.”
He was asked whether he meant a “firm hand as in China?”, to which Trump replied:
“When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak… as being spit on by the rest of the world.”
Trump has been a dictator wanna be since the 1990s. And he wasn’t smart enough to hide it. He definitely isn’t hiding it today. People weren’t paying attention in 2016, hopefully they are paying attention now.
\n", "content_html": "Donald ‘Bunker Boy’ Trump in a 1990 interview:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen the now-Republican presidential frontrunner was asked his impression of the Soviet Union, the then-43-year-old replied:
“I was very unimpressed… Russia is out of control and the leadership knows it. That’s my problem with Gorbachev. Not a firm enough hand.”
He was asked whether he meant a “firm hand as in China?”, to which Trump replied:
“When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak… as being spit on by the rest of the world.”
Trump has been a dictator wanna be since the 1990s. And he wasn’t smart enough to hide it. He definitely isn’t hiding it today. People weren’t paying attention in 2016, hopefully they are paying attention now.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/trump-builds-the-wall/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/trump-builds-the-wall/", "title": "Trump Builds the Wall", "date_published": "2020-06-05T01:18:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-05T01:18:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Donald ‘Bunker Boy’ Trump finally built the wall he has been dreaming about for years. Instead of building it along the southern border, he built it in Washington DC. Complete with concrete barriers and fencing. Paid for by your tax dollars - not Mexico
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "All he can do is run and hide like a little bitch
Donald ‘Bunker Boy’ Trump finally built the wall he has been dreaming about for years. Instead of building it along the southern border, he built it in Washington DC. Complete with concrete barriers and fencing. Paid for by your tax dollars - not Mexico
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/what-leadership-looks-like/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/what-leadership-looks-like/", "title": "What leadership looks like", "date_published": "2020-06-05T01:35:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-05T01:35:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "All he can do is run and hide like a little bitch
![](\"/assets/images/barack-michelle-elijah.jpeg\")
No police, national guards, helicopters, FBI, tear gas, rubber bullets, riot gear or military equipment. Just the US citizenry in a peaceful march down the street led by the POTUS.
\n\nI miss the good old days of 2015.
\n", "content_html": "
No police, national guards, helicopters, FBI, tear gas, rubber bullets, riot gear or military equipment. Just the US citizenry in a peaceful march down the street led by the POTUS.
\n\nI miss the good old days of 2015.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/a-demonstration-of-fascism/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/05/a-demonstration-of-fascism/", "title": "A performance of fascism", "date_published": "2020-06-05T21:23:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-05T21:23:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "When you use your own military to attack the citizenry’s constitutional right to assemble and protest, it is not a show of strength. It is a show of fascism.
\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat I am seeing is the performance of Fascism. Donald Trump has told us before, but never quite as clear or frightening, he is showing us what he thinks power looks and sounds like. Troops on the steps of the memorial or guarding the White House.
\n\nWe are seeing military force and display to refuse to be accountable in any way. The fact that the troops are refusing to identify themselves. The fact that they are unmarked terrifies me. He thinks power sounds like Blackhawk helicopters used to clear protesters. He thinks it looks like tear gas used to clear protestors. He uses words like ‘Dominate’ over and over in his phone call with governors. It is a performance of power and fascism. Everything we know about fascism. It is power that is concentrated in the hands of one nation, one race, and its brutality suppresses dissent. we see that now. He has chosen his road, whether he realizes it or not.
\n\n[..]
\n\nI don’t make predictions, but I can tell you what we are observing. A power grab always begins as a performance. A claim is made and then an autocrat sees if it is accepted - if the performance is believed. That is what we are asking right right now.
When you use your own military to attack the citizenry’s constitutional right to assemble and protest, it is not a show of strength. It is a show of fascism.
\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat I am seeing is the performance of Fascism. Donald Trump has told us before, but never quite as clear or frightening, he is showing us what he thinks power looks and sounds like. Troops on the steps of the memorial or guarding the White House.
\n\nWe are seeing military force and display to refuse to be accountable in any way. The fact that the troops are refusing to identify themselves. The fact that they are unmarked terrifies me. He thinks power sounds like Blackhawk helicopters used to clear protesters. He thinks it looks like tear gas used to clear protestors. He uses words like ‘Dominate’ over and over in his phone call with governors. It is a performance of power and fascism. Everything we know about fascism. It is power that is concentrated in the hands of one nation, one race, and its brutality suppresses dissent. we see that now. He has chosen his road, whether he realizes it or not.
\n\n[..]
\n\nI don’t make predictions, but I can tell you what we are observing. A power grab always begins as a performance. A claim is made and then an autocrat sees if it is accepted - if the performance is believed. That is what we are asking right right now.
Ibram X. Kendi in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "To be black and conscious of anti-black racism is to stare into the mirror of your own extinction. Ask the souls of the 10,000 black victims of COVID-19 who might still be living if they had been white. Ask the souls of those who were told the pandemic was the “great equalizer.” Ask the souls of those forced to choose between their low-wage jobs and their treasured life. Ask the souls of those blamed for their own death. Ask the souls of those who disproportionately lost their jobs and then their life as others disproportionately raged about losing their freedom to infect us all. Ask the souls of those ignored by the governors reopening their states.
The American nightmare has everything and nothing to do with the pandemic. Ask the souls of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Step into their souls.
Ibram X. Kendi in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/14/just-wear-a-face-mask/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/14/just-wear-a-face-mask/", "title": "Just Wear a F'n Face Mask!", "date_published": "2020-06-14T00:53:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-14T00:53:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "To be black and conscious of anti-black racism is to stare into the mirror of your own extinction. Ask the souls of the 10,000 black victims of COVID-19 who might still be living if they had been white. Ask the souls of those who were told the pandemic was the “great equalizer.” Ask the souls of those forced to choose between their low-wage jobs and their treasured life. Ask the souls of those blamed for their own death. Ask the souls of those who disproportionately lost their jobs and then their life as others disproportionately raged about losing their freedom to infect us all. Ask the souls of those ignored by the governors reopening their states.
The American nightmare has everything and nothing to do with the pandemic. Ask the souls of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Step into their souls.
![](\"/assets/images/japanmask.jpg\")
\n\n\nWhy WHY WHY!!!! are we still talking about this? There’s no credible evidence that wearing a mask is harmful, so at worse it’s harmless. If there’s like a 1-in-10 chance that masks are somewhat helpful — and the growing amount of research suggests that both 1-in-10 and “somewhat helpful” are both understatements — isn’t it worth the tiny bit of effort to wear one and help keep our neighbors safe from potential fucking death? Just in case?
Japan is a great example. Japan is a country of megacities where most of the population uses public transport - but they have a total confirmed cases of Covid-19 of 17,382 with 924 deaths. The US has 2.12 million cases with 117 thousand deaths. You have to ask yourself what is Japan doing?
\n\n\n\n\n“Japan, I think a lot of people agree, kind of did everything wrong, with poor social distancing, karaoke bars still open and public transit packed near the zone where the worst outbreaks were happening,” Jeremy Howard, a researcher at the University of San Francisco who has studied the use of masks, said of the country’s early response. “But the one thing that Japan did right was masks.”
Lets not make wearing a mask yet another flash point in the culture wars. Wearing a mask is our cheapest, simplest and as of now most effective weapon against Covid-19. As our PINO once said - What have you got to loose?
\n\nSo please, WEAR A F'N MASK!
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nWhy WHY WHY!!!! are we still talking about this? There’s no credible evidence that wearing a mask is harmful, so at worse it’s harmless. If there’s like a 1-in-10 chance that masks are somewhat helpful — and the growing amount of research suggests that both 1-in-10 and “somewhat helpful” are both understatements — isn’t it worth the tiny bit of effort to wear one and help keep our neighbors safe from potential fucking death? Just in case?
Japan is a great example. Japan is a country of megacities where most of the population uses public transport - but they have a total confirmed cases of Covid-19 of 17,382 with 924 deaths. The US has 2.12 million cases with 117 thousand deaths. You have to ask yourself what is Japan doing?
\n\n\n\n\n“Japan, I think a lot of people agree, kind of did everything wrong, with poor social distancing, karaoke bars still open and public transit packed near the zone where the worst outbreaks were happening,” Jeremy Howard, a researcher at the University of San Francisco who has studied the use of masks, said of the country’s early response. “But the one thing that Japan did right was masks.”
Lets not make wearing a mask yet another flash point in the culture wars. Wearing a mask is our cheapest, simplest and as of now most effective weapon against Covid-19. As our PINO once said - What have you got to loose?
\n\nSo please, WEAR A F'N MASK!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/16/100-new-yorkers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/16/100-new-yorkers/", "title": "100 New Yorkers", "date_published": "2020-06-16T01:52:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-16T01:52:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Mona Chalabi created a drawing of 100 people who are representative of NYC’s population for a NY Times opinion piece on inequality and coronavirus. You can purchase prints here
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/100-new-yorkers.jpg\")
Mona Chalabi created a drawing of 100 people who are representative of NYC’s population for a NY Times opinion piece on inequality and coronavirus. You can purchase prints here
\n\n
Ezekiel J Emanuel, oncologist & bioethicist, compares the outcomes of several countries’ health care systems in his book “Which Country Has the World’s Best Health Care”. While American politicians and ill informed US citizens pretend that the US is #1, we rank last in a tie with China. An our response to the Covid-19 pandemic is proof of our dysfunctional health care system.
\n\nThe only thing the US is #1 in these days is military spending, gun violence, and number of Covid-19 patients of any country in the world.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The US spends more than any other nation, nearly $4 trillion, on healthcare. Yet, for all that expense, the US is not ranked #1 — not even close.
In Which Country Has the World’s Best Healthcare? Ezekiel Emanuel profiles 11 of the world’s healthcare systems in pursuit of the best or at least where excellence can be found. Using a unique comparative structure, the book allows healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers alike to know which systems perform well, and why, and which face endemic problems. From Taiwan to Germany, Australia to Switzerland, the most inventive healthcare providers tackle a global set of challenges — in pursuit of the best healthcare in the world.
Ezekiel J Emanuel, oncologist & bioethicist, compares the outcomes of several countries’ health care systems in his book “Which Country Has the World’s Best Health Care”. While American politicians and ill informed US citizens pretend that the US is #1, we rank last in a tie with China. An our response to the Covid-19 pandemic is proof of our dysfunctional health care system.
\n\nThe only thing the US is #1 in these days is military spending, gun violence, and number of Covid-19 patients of any country in the world.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/18/america-inspiration-for-adolf-hitler/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/18/america-inspiration-for-adolf-hitler/", "title": "America - The inspiration for Adolf Hitler?", "date_published": "2020-06-18T23:34:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-18T23:34:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The US spends more than any other nation, nearly $4 trillion, on healthcare. Yet, for all that expense, the US is not ranked #1 — not even close.
In Which Country Has the World’s Best Healthcare? Ezekiel Emanuel profiles 11 of the world’s healthcare systems in pursuit of the best or at least where excellence can be found. Using a unique comparative structure, the book allows healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers alike to know which systems perform well, and why, and which face endemic problems. From Taiwan to Germany, Australia to Switzerland, the most inventive healthcare providers tackle a global set of challenges — in pursuit of the best healthcare in the world.
![](\"/assets/images/hitler.jpg\")
I know that title might come of as click bait (okay maybe it is), but Alex Ross makes an interesting observation in The New Yorker.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The Nazis were not wrong to cite American precedents. Enslavement of African-Americans was written into the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson spoke of the need to “eliminate” or “extirpate” Native Americans. In 1856, an Oregonian settler wrote, “Extermination, however unchristianlike it may appear, seems to be the only resort left for the protection of life and property.” General Philip Sheridan spoke of “annihilation, obliteration, and complete destruction.” To be sure, others promoted more peaceful-albeit still repressive-policies. The historian Edward B. Westermann, in “Hitler’s Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars” (Oklahoma), concludes that, because federal policy never officially mandated the “physical annihilation of the Native populations on racial grounds or characteristics,” this was not a genocide on the order of the Shoah. The fact remains that between 1500 and 1900 the Native population of U.S. territories dropped from many millions to around two hundred thousand.
America’s knack for maintaining an air of robust innocence in the wake of mass death struck Hitler as an example to be emulated. He made frequent mention of the American West in the early months of the Soviet invasion. The Volga would be “our Mississippi,” he said. “Europe — and not America — will be the land of unlimited possibilities.” Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine would be populated by pioneer farmer-soldier families. Autobahns would cut through fields of grain. The present occupants of those lands — tens of millions of them — would be starved to death. At the same time, and with no sense of contradiction, the Nazis partook of a long-standing German romanticization of Native Americans. One of Goebbels’s less propitious schemes was to confer honorary Aryan status on Native American tribes, in the hope that they would rise up against their oppressors.
Jim Crow laws in the American South served as a precedent in a stricter legal sense. Scholars have long been aware that Hitler’s regime expressed admiration for American race law, but they have tended to see this as a public-relations strategy — an “everybody does it” justification for Nazi policies. Whitman, however, points out that if these comparisons had been intended solely for a foreign audience they would not have been buried in hefty tomes in Fraktur type. “Race Law in the United States,” a 1936 study by the German lawyer Heinrich Krieger, attempts to sort out inconsistencies in the legal status of nonwhite Americans. Krieger concludes that the entire apparatus is hopelessly opaque, concealing racist aims behind contorted justifications. Why not simply say what one means? This was a major difference between American and German racism.
I know that title might come of as click bait (okay maybe it is), but Alex Ross makes an interesting observation in The New Yorker.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/20/why-i-marched/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/20/why-i-marched/", "title": "Why we March", "date_published": "2020-06-20T22:49:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-20T22:49:42-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Nazis were not wrong to cite American precedents. Enslavement of African-Americans was written into the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson spoke of the need to “eliminate” or “extirpate” Native Americans. In 1856, an Oregonian settler wrote, “Extermination, however unchristianlike it may appear, seems to be the only resort left for the protection of life and property.” General Philip Sheridan spoke of “annihilation, obliteration, and complete destruction.” To be sure, others promoted more peaceful-albeit still repressive-policies. The historian Edward B. Westermann, in “Hitler’s Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars” (Oklahoma), concludes that, because federal policy never officially mandated the “physical annihilation of the Native populations on racial grounds or characteristics,” this was not a genocide on the order of the Shoah. The fact remains that between 1500 and 1900 the Native population of U.S. territories dropped from many millions to around two hundred thousand.
America’s knack for maintaining an air of robust innocence in the wake of mass death struck Hitler as an example to be emulated. He made frequent mention of the American West in the early months of the Soviet invasion. The Volga would be “our Mississippi,” he said. “Europe — and not America — will be the land of unlimited possibilities.” Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine would be populated by pioneer farmer-soldier families. Autobahns would cut through fields of grain. The present occupants of those lands — tens of millions of them — would be starved to death. At the same time, and with no sense of contradiction, the Nazis partook of a long-standing German romanticization of Native Americans. One of Goebbels’s less propitious schemes was to confer honorary Aryan status on Native American tribes, in the hope that they would rise up against their oppressors.
Jim Crow laws in the American South served as a precedent in a stricter legal sense. Scholars have long been aware that Hitler’s regime expressed admiration for American race law, but they have tended to see this as a public-relations strategy — an “everybody does it” justification for Nazi policies. Whitman, however, points out that if these comparisons had been intended solely for a foreign audience they would not have been buried in hefty tomes in Fraktur type. “Race Law in the United States,” a 1936 study by the German lawyer Heinrich Krieger, attempts to sort out inconsistencies in the legal status of nonwhite Americans. Krieger concludes that the entire apparatus is hopelessly opaque, concealing racist aims behind contorted justifications. Why not simply say what one means? This was a major difference between American and German racism.
![](\"/assets/images/why-i-protest.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a CommunistThen they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a SocialistThen they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionistThen they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a JewThen they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/21/our-responsibility-is-to-pay-what-we-owe/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/21/our-responsibility-is-to-pay-what-we-owe/", "title": "our responsibility is to pay what we owe", "date_published": "2020-06-21T22:28:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-21T22:28:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a CommunistThen they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a SocialistThen they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionistThen they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a JewThen they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
![](\"/assets/images/tim-cook.jpg\")
John Dikerson interviews CEO Tim Cook for Sunday Morning and asks Cook how he balances his fiduciary responsibility to paying as low taxes as possible and still be a good social citizen. Cook’s answer:
\n\n\n\nWell, our responsibility is to pay what we owe, just plain and simple.
Cook then goes on to talk about all the good that Apple does - citing their work on Covid-19. But that is a very small minded, and frankly, dishonest way to look at the situation. Did Apple donate important and meaningful aid and technology in the fight against Covid-19? Yes. Does that give them a right to pay lower taxes? No.
\n\nApple takes way more then it gives back - its not even close. Consider these facts:
\n\nAnd what has allowed Apple to be so successful? The United States government. They provided the infrastructure, social and political stability, and the economic engine to make Apple a possibility in the first place. And Apple, being the largest company in the world, gets far greater benefit from this than any other company. To say giving a $100 million donation to the Covid-19 fight makes this a fair exchange is insulting. It is just tiny part of Apple’s marketing and PR budget.
\n\nApple and other corporations should be made to pay more taxes than they are now - because corporations will not build what our country desperately needs. Corporations will not provide health care for all, fix our roads and infrastructure, invest in science and technology, provide education to our children and insure our country will continue to provide an environment where the next Apple can thrive.
\n\nI agree with Cook. Apple’s responsibility is to pay what they owe. It is our responsibility, as citizens, to realize that they owe more than what they are paying.
\n", "content_html": "
John Dikerson interviews CEO Tim Cook for Sunday Morning and asks Cook how he balances his fiduciary responsibility to paying as low taxes as possible and still be a good social citizen. Cook’s answer:
\n\n\n\nWell, our responsibility is to pay what we owe, just plain and simple.
Cook then goes on to talk about all the good that Apple does - citing their work on Covid-19. But that is a very small minded, and frankly, dishonest way to look at the situation. Did Apple donate important and meaningful aid and technology in the fight against Covid-19? Yes. Does that give them a right to pay lower taxes? No.
\n\nApple takes way more then it gives back - its not even close. Consider these facts:
\n\nAnd what has allowed Apple to be so successful? The United States government. They provided the infrastructure, social and political stability, and the economic engine to make Apple a possibility in the first place. And Apple, being the largest company in the world, gets far greater benefit from this than any other company. To say giving a $100 million donation to the Covid-19 fight makes this a fair exchange is insulting. It is just tiny part of Apple’s marketing and PR budget.
\n\nApple and other corporations should be made to pay more taxes than they are now - because corporations will not build what our country desperately needs. Corporations will not provide health care for all, fix our roads and infrastructure, invest in science and technology, provide education to our children and insure our country will continue to provide an environment where the next Apple can thrive.
\n\nI agree with Cook. Apple’s responsibility is to pay what they owe. It is our responsibility, as citizens, to realize that they owe more than what they are paying.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/24/republicans-trying-to-outlaw-encryption/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/24/republicans-trying-to-outlaw-encryption/", "title": "Republicans trying to outlaw encryption", "date_published": "2020-06-24T00:10:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-24T00:10:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Looks like the Republicans are at it again.
\n\n\n\n\nSenate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) today introduced the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, a bill to bolster national security interests and better protect communities across the country by ending the use of “warrant-proof” encrypted technology by terrorists and other bad actors to conceal illicit behavior.
You can’t just “add a backdoor” to a proper end-to-end encryption scheme. A good encryption system has no backdoors - and you can prove it mathematically. The only people that have access to the plain text data are those that have the keys. Which is why we can trust it.
\n\nBy adding a mandatory “backdoor” to encryption, If there is such a “backdoor”, then anyone who has that key can access any data that is encrypted with that encryption algorightm. You are negating the very purpose of its existence.
\n\nUnder the current laws, you can issue a warrant for the key holder to give you access to that key. So this law is really not at all required, and would destroy all of the security in secure transactional systems.
\n\nI am hoping this is just a political stunt by ignorant Senators.
\n", "content_html": "Looks like the Republicans are at it again.
\n\n\n\n\nSenate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) today introduced the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, a bill to bolster national security interests and better protect communities across the country by ending the use of “warrant-proof” encrypted technology by terrorists and other bad actors to conceal illicit behavior.
You can’t just “add a backdoor” to a proper end-to-end encryption scheme. A good encryption system has no backdoors - and you can prove it mathematically. The only people that have access to the plain text data are those that have the keys. Which is why we can trust it.
\n\nBy adding a mandatory “backdoor” to encryption, If there is such a “backdoor”, then anyone who has that key can access any data that is encrypted with that encryption algorightm. You are negating the very purpose of its existence.
\n\nUnder the current laws, you can issue a warrant for the key holder to give you access to that key. So this law is really not at all required, and would destroy all of the security in secure transactional systems.
\n\nI am hoping this is just a political stunt by ignorant Senators.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/25/american-exceptionalism-in-a-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/06/25/american-exceptionalism-in-a-pandemic/", "title": "American Exceptionalism in a Pandemic", "date_published": "2020-06-25T22:31:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-06-25T22:31:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/us-pandemic.jpg\")
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the United States of America is exceptional.
\n\nAmerica is exceptional. Just not in the way we would like to believe.
\n", "content_html": "
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the United States of America is exceptional.
\n\nAmerica is exceptional. Just not in the way we would like to believe.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/05/national-humilation/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/05/national-humilation/", "title": "National Humilation", "date_published": "2020-07-05T23:06:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-05T23:06:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Chris Hayes on the US handling of Covid-19:
\n\n\n\nThe crisis we now find ourselves in is a human tragedy and an economic calamity. But it is also a singular national humiliation. We’re living through a moment where the U.S. is a laughing stock and a subject of pity around the world.
Chris Hayes on the US handling of Covid-19:
\n\n\n\nThe crisis we now find ourselves in is a human tragedy and an economic calamity. But it is also a singular national humiliation. We’re living through a moment where the U.S. is a laughing stock and a subject of pity around the world.
![](\"/assets/images/us-covid-stupid.jpg\")
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, told a Senate committee today that the US could be heading towards 100,000 new reported cases of Covid-19 per day.
\n\nWe’ve known for months (and epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have known for their entire careers) what works and yet the federal government and many state governments have not listened and, in some cases, have actively suppressed use of such measures. So the pandemic will continue to escalate in the United States until proper measures are put in place by governments and people follow them. The virus will not change, the mathematics will not change, so we must.
\n\nBetting against math is stupid.
\n", "content_html": "
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, told a Senate committee today that the US could be heading towards 100,000 new reported cases of Covid-19 per day.
\n\nWe’ve known for months (and epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have known for their entire careers) what works and yet the federal government and many state governments have not listened and, in some cases, have actively suppressed use of such measures. So the pandemic will continue to escalate in the United States until proper measures are put in place by governments and people follow them. The virus will not change, the mathematics will not change, so we must.
\n\nBetting against math is stupid.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/08/chart-of-penguin-love/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/08/chart-of-penguin-love/", "title": "Chart of Penguin Love", "date_published": "2020-07-08T03:04:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-08T03:04:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/penguin-love-flowchart.jpg\")
Kyoto Aquarium and the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo keep high-resolution maps that track the Penguins serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing. Now this would make for an interesting reality show!
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto Aquarium and Sumida Aquarium, keep obsessive tabs on their penguins and maintain an updated flowchart that visualizes all their penguin drama.
As Kyoto-based researcher Oliver Jia points out, penguin drama can include serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing. And these Japanese aquariums have it all charted in a flowchart that can be studied for hours.
Kyoto Aquarium and the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo keep high-resolution maps that track the Penguins serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing. Now this would make for an interesting reality show!
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/08/what-police-believe/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/08/what-police-believe/", "title": "What Police Believe", "date_published": "2020-07-08T13:23:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-08T13:23:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto Aquarium and Sumida Aquarium, keep obsessive tabs on their penguins and maintain an updated flowchart that visualizes all their penguin drama.
As Kyoto-based researcher Oliver Jia points out, penguin drama can include serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing. And these Japanese aquariums have it all charted in a flowchart that can be studied for hours.
![](\"/assets/images/police-think.jpg\")
Vox’s Zack Beauchamp in What the police really believe
\n\n\n\n\nPolice officers across America have adopted a set of beliefs about their work and its role in our society. The tenets of police ideology are not codified or written down, but are nonetheless widely shared in departments around the country.
The ideology holds that the world is a profoundly dangerous place: Officers are conditioned to see themselves as constantly in danger and that the only way to guarantee survival is to dominate the citizens they’re supposed to protect. The police believe they’re alone in this fight; police ideology holds that officers are under siege by criminals and are not understood or respected by the broader citizenry. These beliefs, combined with widely held racial stereotypes, push officers toward violent and racist behavior during intense and stressful street interactions.
This ideology in stark contrast to the stated mission statements of most Police departments. For example the New Jersey State Police mission statement:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The New Jersey State Police is committed to protect, preserve, and safeguard the constitutional and civil rights of all citizens through impartial and courteous law enforcement with integrity and professionalism. We shall ensure public safety and provide quality service in partnership with our communities.
Vox’s Zack Beauchamp in What the police really believe
\n\n\n\n\nPolice officers across America have adopted a set of beliefs about their work and its role in our society. The tenets of police ideology are not codified or written down, but are nonetheless widely shared in departments around the country.
The ideology holds that the world is a profoundly dangerous place: Officers are conditioned to see themselves as constantly in danger and that the only way to guarantee survival is to dominate the citizens they’re supposed to protect. The police believe they’re alone in this fight; police ideology holds that officers are under siege by criminals and are not understood or respected by the broader citizenry. These beliefs, combined with widely held racial stereotypes, push officers toward violent and racist behavior during intense and stressful street interactions.
This ideology in stark contrast to the stated mission statements of most Police departments. For example the New Jersey State Police mission statement:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/09/bill-nye-on-wearing-a-mask/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/09/bill-nye-on-wearing-a-mask/", "title": "Bill Nye on Wearing a Mask", "date_published": "2020-07-09T20:47:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-09T20:47:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The New Jersey State Police is committed to protect, preserve, and safeguard the constitutional and civil rights of all citizens through impartial and courteous law enforcement with integrity and professionalism. We shall ensure public safety and provide quality service in partnership with our communities.
Bill Nye on why you should wear a mask - brilliant as always.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect you, sure, but the main reason we want you to wear a mask to protect ME from YOU! And the particles from your respiratory system into my respiratory system. Everybody - this is literally a matter of life or death.\"
Bill Nye on why you should wear a mask - brilliant as always.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect you, sure, but the main reason we want you to wear a mask to protect ME from YOU! And the particles from your respiratory system into my respiratory system. Everybody - this is literally a matter of life or death.\"
![](\"https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/acceptable_risk.png\")
Some of us are constantly running risk calculations in our heads for every little thing we do and don’t do during the course of the week during the pandemic.
\n\nAnd IT’S EXHAUSTING.
\n", "content_html": "
Some of us are constantly running risk calculations in our heads for every little thing we do and don’t do during the course of the week during the pandemic.
\n\nAnd IT’S EXHAUSTING.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/09/u-dot-s-sunbelt-outbreak/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/09/u-dot-s-sunbelt-outbreak/", "title": "U.S. Sunbelt Outbreak", "date_published": "2020-07-09T23:56:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-09T23:56:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nThere is no country in the world where confirmed coronavirus cases are growing as rapidly as they are in Arizona, Florida or South Carolina. The Sun Belt has become the global virus capital.
![](\"/assets/images/worlds-worst-outbreak.png\")
\n\n\nThere is no country in the world where confirmed coronavirus cases are growing as rapidly as they are in Arizona, Florida or South Carolina. The Sun Belt has become the global virus capital.
![](\"https://images.axios.com/3Ce4OGOYaBk0IVgthZ9Ss0Svo0E=/0x0:1920x1080/1920x1080/2020/07/10/1594339392914.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\n\n", "content_html": "By letting the coronavirus surge through the population with only minimal social distancing measures in place, the U.S. has accidentally become the world’s largest experiment in herd immunity.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/10/largest-test-yet-of-universal-basic-income/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/10/largest-test-yet-of-universal-basic-income/", "title": "largest test yet of universal basic income", "date_published": "2020-07-10T12:21:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-10T12:21:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "By letting the coronavirus surge through the population with only minimal social distancing measures in place, the U.S. has accidentally become the world’s largest experiment in herd immunity.
![](\"/assets/images/spain-universal-income.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "Spain's government has started what might just be remembered as the world’s biggest economics experiment. On 15 June, spurred by the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout, it launched a website offering monthly payments of up to €1,015 (US$1,145) to the nation’s poorest families.
The programme, which will support 850,000 households, is the largest test yet of an idea called universal basic income (UBI) — where people are given a cash payment each month to spend however they choose. Oft-discussed but never satisfactorily tested, economists around the world are watching closely to see what the impact of the scheme on livelihoods will be.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/10/us-is-diving-into-a-dark-covid-hole/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/10/us-is-diving-into-a-dark-covid-hole/", "title": "US is diving into a dark Covid hole", "date_published": "2020-07-10T15:48:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-10T15:48:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Spain's government has started what might just be remembered as the world’s biggest economics experiment. On 15 June, spurred by the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout, it launched a website offering monthly payments of up to €1,015 (US$1,145) to the nation’s poorest families.
The programme, which will support 850,000 households, is the largest test yet of an idea called universal basic income (UBI) — where people are given a cash payment each month to spend however they choose. Oft-discussed but never satisfactorily tested, economists around the world are watching closely to see what the impact of the scheme on livelihoods will be.
\nAny other president, with 130,000+ deaths and likely hitting 200,000 by September, would have put the power of the federal government behind quarantining measures, contract tracing and enforcing strict mask requirements.
It is scary how dysfunctional and delusional our administration is in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. As reported by Stephen Collinson, this is administration is practicing willful, if not criminal, mismanagement of the pandemic.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "As the US plunges into an ever deeper coronavirus morass, setting record new infection rates and the death curve begins to rise again, there's no prospect of the nightmare ending for months.
Delusion dominates an administration that perversely claims the United States is the world leader in beating this modern day plague. There are only contradictions, obfuscations and confusion from the federal officials who ought to be charting a national course.The massive integrated testing and tracing effort that could highlight and isolate infection epicenters doesn't exist. Attempts to reopen schools in a few weeks are already descending into farce amid conflicting messages from Washington.
Amid all of this, the coronavirus task force does not hold daily briefings, and when it does, they are an exercise in dodging difficult questions and self-congratulation.
\nAny other president, with 130,000+ deaths and likely hitting 200,000 by September, would have put the power of the federal government behind quarantining measures, contract tracing and enforcing strict mask requirements.
It is scary how dysfunctional and delusional our administration is in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. As reported by Stephen Collinson, this is administration is practicing willful, if not criminal, mismanagement of the pandemic.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/15/find-something-new/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/15/find-something-new/", "title": "Find Something New", "date_published": "2020-07-15T00:06:01-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-15T00:06:01-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As the US plunges into an ever deeper coronavirus morass, setting record new infection rates and the death curve begins to rise again, there's no prospect of the nightmare ending for months.
Delusion dominates an administration that perversely claims the United States is the world leader in beating this modern day plague. There are only contradictions, obfuscations and confusion from the federal officials who ought to be charting a national course.The massive integrated testing and tracing effort that could highlight and isolate infection epicenters doesn't exist. Attempts to reopen schools in a few weeks are already descending into farce amid conflicting messages from Washington.
Amid all of this, the coronavirus task force does not hold daily briefings, and when it does, they are an exercise in dodging difficult questions and self-congratulation.
Ivanka Trump today introduced her new campaign to raise awareness in young people about the pathways that exist to find a career. For those who are unhappy in their jobs - to perhaps go out and find something new. Anyone see the irony of this campaign starting on Bastille Day?
\n\nIvanka Trump, a person who has never had to apply for a job, started a company using her dad’s brand name and funding from Trump and the only reason why she holds the current job is because daddy is the President. This shows how completely detached they are from the everyday life of the average US Citizen. “Find Somthing New” - shows the long held belief by the elite wealthy class in this country that Americans are just lazy. If they would just go out and try to get a job - they would succeed.
\n\nThe problem is, for most people, THERE ARE NO JOBS. The government handed out $1200 dollar checks, and thats it. All of the protections are due to expire at the end of the month. Millions of people are about to be thrown out of their homes, loose their health insurance, and have themselves or family members infected with Covid.
\n\nAnd what comes out of the Trump administration to help these citizens in a once in a lifetime economic and public health emergency? Find Something New. There is no money here, no policy, no jobs bill. This is just empty rhetoric.
\n\nIvanka Trump is the modern day Marie Antoinette, and instead of ‘Let them eat cake’, we have ‘Find Something New’.
\n\nYes. American citizens are going to Find Something New in November. A new President of the United States.
\n", "content_html": "Ivanka Trump today introduced her new campaign to raise awareness in young people about the pathways that exist to find a career. For those who are unhappy in their jobs - to perhaps go out and find something new. Anyone see the irony of this campaign starting on Bastille Day?
\n\nIvanka Trump, a person who has never had to apply for a job, started a company using her dad’s brand name and funding from Trump and the only reason why she holds the current job is because daddy is the President. This shows how completely detached they are from the everyday life of the average US Citizen. “Find Somthing New” - shows the long held belief by the elite wealthy class in this country that Americans are just lazy. If they would just go out and try to get a job - they would succeed.
\n\nThe problem is, for most people, THERE ARE NO JOBS. The government handed out $1200 dollar checks, and thats it. All of the protections are due to expire at the end of the month. Millions of people are about to be thrown out of their homes, loose their health insurance, and have themselves or family members infected with Covid.
\n\nAnd what comes out of the Trump administration to help these citizens in a once in a lifetime economic and public health emergency? Find Something New. There is no money here, no policy, no jobs bill. This is just empty rhetoric.
\n\nIvanka Trump is the modern day Marie Antoinette, and instead of ‘Let them eat cake’, we have ‘Find Something New’.
\n\nYes. American citizens are going to Find Something New in November. A new President of the United States.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/19/covid-risk-chart/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/19/covid-risk-chart/", "title": "Covid Risk Chart", "date_published": "2020-07-19T16:58:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-19T16:58:48-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The risk of contracting Covid-19 while performing common activities vs. the risk of doing stupid stuff. Via xkcd.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/covid_risk_chart_2x.png\")
The risk of contracting Covid-19 while performing common activities vs. the risk of doing stupid stuff. Via xkcd.
\n\n
![](\"/assets/images/remdesivir.jpg\")
From Sharon Lerner over at The Intercept
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The details of the contracts, which were released to the nonprofit advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International, come as another pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, announced pricing for its Covid-19 therapy, remdesivir. That drug, which was developed with at least $79 million in federal funding, will cost private insurers $520 for a single vial, hundreds of times its production cost, which researchers at the University of Liverpool have estimated at 93 cents per dose.
In an open letter on pricing released Monday, Gilead chair and CEO Daniel O’Day said that “we approached this with the aim of helping as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible and in the most responsible way” and noted that in “normal circumstances,” the company would set the price according to the value a drug provides. Based on a study that shows that the hospital stays of patients who take remdesivir are four days shorter on average than those who didn’t take the drug, Gilead estimated that value to be $12,000.
But, given its low production cost, Gilead could profit from remdesivir even if it was priced at just $1 a day, according to an analysis by Public Citizen. Instead the drug, which was rolled out with the help of the Trump administration, will cost insurers between $3,120 for a five-day course of treatment and $5,720 for a 10-day course.
From Sharon Lerner over at The Intercept
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/20/the-butcher-of-the-valley/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/20/the-butcher-of-the-valley/", "title": "The Butcher of the Valley", "date_published": "2020-07-20T01:26:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-20T01:26:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The details of the contracts, which were released to the nonprofit advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International, come as another pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, announced pricing for its Covid-19 therapy, remdesivir. That drug, which was developed with at least $79 million in federal funding, will cost private insurers $520 for a single vial, hundreds of times its production cost, which researchers at the University of Liverpool have estimated at 93 cents per dose.
In an open letter on pricing released Monday, Gilead chair and CEO Daniel O’Day said that “we approached this with the aim of helping as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible and in the most responsible way” and noted that in “normal circumstances,” the company would set the price according to the value a drug provides. Based on a study that shows that the hospital stays of patients who take remdesivir are four days shorter on average than those who didn’t take the drug, Gilead estimated that value to be $12,000.
But, given its low production cost, Gilead could profit from remdesivir even if it was priced at just $1 a day, according to an analysis by Public Citizen. Instead the drug, which was rolled out with the help of the Trump administration, will cost insurers between $3,120 for a five-day course of treatment and $5,720 for a 10-day course.
![](\"/assets/images/zuckerberg.jpg\")
Kara Swisher in an opinion piece for the NY Times:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "This week, I finally settled on a simpler comparison: Think about Facebook as a seller of meat products.
Most of the meat is produced by others, and some of the cuts are delicious and uncontaminated. But tainted meat — say, Trump steaks — also gets out the door in ever increasing amounts and without regulatory oversight.
The argument from the head butcher is this: People should be free to eat rotten hamburger, even if it wreaks havoc on their gastrointestinal tract, and the seller of the meat should not be the one to tell them which meat is good and which is bad (even though the butcher can tell in most cases).
Basically, the message is that you should find the truth through vomiting and — so sorry — maybe even death.
Kara Swisher in an opinion piece for the NY Times:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/20/trump-moves-clinton-and-bush-portratits/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/20/trump-moves-clinton-and-bush-portratits/", "title": "Trump moves Clinton and Bush portratits", "date_published": "2020-07-20T06:06:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-20T06:06:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This week, I finally settled on a simpler comparison: Think about Facebook as a seller of meat products.
Most of the meat is produced by others, and some of the cuts are delicious and uncontaminated. But tainted meat — say, Trump steaks — also gets out the door in ever increasing amounts and without regulatory oversight.
The argument from the head butcher is this: People should be free to eat rotten hamburger, even if it wreaks havoc on their gastrointestinal tract, and the seller of the meat should not be the one to tell them which meat is good and which is bad (even though the butcher can tell in most cases).
Basically, the message is that you should find the truth through vomiting and — so sorry — maybe even death.
![](\"/assets/images/cliton-bush-portraits.jpg\")
Tump removed the portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from entrance to the executive mansion into the Old Family Dining Room.
\n\nJohn Gruber over at Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The story of these portraits, in itself, is not important. But what’s behind this petty insignificant-in-the-grand-scheme-of-events story is the same fundamental truth that is the cause of so many deeply important problems happening right now: Donald Trump has the small mind and emotional maturity of a petulant child.
Tump removed the portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from entrance to the executive mansion into the Old Family Dining Room.
\n\nJohn Gruber over at Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/23/software-replaces-models/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/23/software-replaces-models/", "title": "Software is Replacing models", "date_published": "2020-07-23T23:17:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-23T23:17:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The story of these portraits, in itself, is not important. But what’s behind this petty insignificant-in-the-grand-scheme-of-events story is the same fundamental truth that is the cause of so many deeply important problems happening right now: Donald Trump has the small mind and emotional maturity of a petulant child.
![](\"/assets/images/miquela.jpg\")
Marc Andreessen wrote an essay in August of 2011 stating that software is eating the world. While we think this is true, most people view it in the services or infrastructure world. The average person has grown accustom to technology replacing things such as payments, maps, conferencing and other convenience industries and tasks.
\n\nBut what happens when software actually comes after talent/beauty/entertainment industry? These have long been thought as insulated from the digital onslaught because they are intrinsic human qualities. Surely an algorithm can’t replace an artist? Or a beautiful model?
\n\nIf there is one thing that I have learned, and in many ways, have helped accelerate - is that nothing is left out of the reach of technology. Especially software. Sinead Bovell for Vogue:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Digital models and influencers are successfully breaking into the fashion industry from every angle. Some have even been signed to traditional modeling agencies. Take Miquela Sousa, a 19-year-old Brazilian American model, influencer, and now musician, who has amassed a loyal following of more than 2 million people on Instagram. She’s collaborated with Prada and Givenchy, has been featured in a Calvin Klein video with Bella Hadid, and she just released a song with singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor this past spring.
Impressive stuff, but there’s one thing that’s keeping real-life me at ease: Miquela, like Shudu, is a computer-generated image (CGI), not artificial intelligence (A.I.). That means that Miquela and Shudu can’t actually do anything on their own. They can’t think or learn or offer posing variations independently. But that won’t be the case for much longer.
[...]
But we human models have worked really hard to have our stories heard and our authentic experiences considered, and we’ve fought to change the perception that we are just a sample size or a prop for clothes. We’ve mobilized in groups, such as the Model Mafia network that I am a part of, to advocate for social issues and push back on exclusivity in the fashion industry. In some cases our activism has even cost us jobs. But now that we are finally starting to see changes in the industry, digital models can just land the jobs that we took risks for. Or worse, brands can just create CGIs that champion causes instead of actually having to invest in those causes themselves.
Marc Andreessen wrote an essay in August of 2011 stating that software is eating the world. While we think this is true, most people view it in the services or infrastructure world. The average person has grown accustom to technology replacing things such as payments, maps, conferencing and other convenience industries and tasks.
\n\nBut what happens when software actually comes after talent/beauty/entertainment industry? These have long been thought as insulated from the digital onslaught because they are intrinsic human qualities. Surely an algorithm can’t replace an artist? Or a beautiful model?
\n\nIf there is one thing that I have learned, and in many ways, have helped accelerate - is that nothing is left out of the reach of technology. Especially software. Sinead Bovell for Vogue:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/24/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-on-ted-yoho-remarks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/24/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-on-ted-yoho-remarks/", "title": "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Ted Yoho Remarks", "date_published": "2020-07-24T19:06:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-24T19:06:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Digital models and influencers are successfully breaking into the fashion industry from every angle. Some have even been signed to traditional modeling agencies. Take Miquela Sousa, a 19-year-old Brazilian American model, influencer, and now musician, who has amassed a loyal following of more than 2 million people on Instagram. She’s collaborated with Prada and Givenchy, has been featured in a Calvin Klein video with Bella Hadid, and she just released a song with singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor this past spring.
Impressive stuff, but there’s one thing that’s keeping real-life me at ease: Miquela, like Shudu, is a computer-generated image (CGI), not artificial intelligence (A.I.). That means that Miquela and Shudu can’t actually do anything on their own. They can’t think or learn or offer posing variations independently. But that won’t be the case for much longer.
[...]
But we human models have worked really hard to have our stories heard and our authentic experiences considered, and we’ve fought to change the perception that we are just a sample size or a prop for clothes. We’ve mobilized in groups, such as the Model Mafia network that I am a part of, to advocate for social issues and push back on exclusivity in the fashion industry. In some cases our activism has even cost us jobs. But now that we are finally starting to see changes in the industry, digital models can just land the jobs that we took risks for. Or worse, brands can just create CGIs that champion causes instead of actually having to invest in those causes themselves.
\nThis week Republican Representative Ted Yoho verbally accosted Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Capital Building, calling her “disgusting”, “crazy”, and a “fucking bitch”. Ocasio-Cortez’s responding on the on the House floor:
\n\n\n\n\nThis is not new, and that is the problem. Mr. Yoho was not alone. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Representative Roger Williams, and that’s when we start to see that this issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, and an entire structure of power that supports that. Because not only have I been spoken to disrespectfully, particularly by members of the Republican Party and elected officials in the Republican Party, not just here, but the President of the United States last year told me to go home to another country, with the implication that I don’t even belong in America. The governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis, before I even was sworn in, called me a “whatever that is”. Dehumanizing language is not new, and what we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern. This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanization of others.
[...]
I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to. Clearly when given the opportunity he will not and I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women, but what I do have issue with is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior. Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
I can’t shake the feeling that were are witnessing a future will one day be the President of the United States in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
\n", "content_html": "\nThis week Republican Representative Ted Yoho verbally accosted Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Capital Building, calling her “disgusting”, “crazy”, and a “fucking bitch”. Ocasio-Cortez’s responding on the on the House floor:
\n\n\n\n\nThis is not new, and that is the problem. Mr. Yoho was not alone. He was walking shoulder to shoulder with Representative Roger Williams, and that’s when we start to see that this issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, and an entire structure of power that supports that. Because not only have I been spoken to disrespectfully, particularly by members of the Republican Party and elected officials in the Republican Party, not just here, but the President of the United States last year told me to go home to another country, with the implication that I don’t even belong in America. The governor of Florida, Governor DeSantis, before I even was sworn in, called me a “whatever that is”. Dehumanizing language is not new, and what we are seeing is that incidents like these are happening in a pattern. This is a pattern of an attitude towards women and dehumanization of others.
[...]
I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to. Clearly when given the opportunity he will not and I will not stay up late at night waiting for an apology from a man who has no remorse over calling women and using abusive language towards women, but what I do have issue with is using women, our wives and daughters, as shields and excuses for poor behavior. Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect on the floor of this House towards me on television and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
I can’t shake the feeling that were are witnessing a future will one day be the President of the United States in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/24/two-ways-of-managing-the-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/24/two-ways-of-managing-the-pandemic/", "title": "Two ways of managing the Pandemic", "date_published": "2020-07-24T19:36:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-24T19:36:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/niagra-tourist.jpg\")
Recent picture of tour boats at the Niagra waterfalls show a people-laden vessel operated by US company Maid of the Mist sailing past a sparsely populated boat run by Canada’s Hornblower Niagara Cruises. The Maid of the Mist is operating at 50% occupancy under New York State’s rules, while the Hornblower vessel is limited to Ontario’s rules to just six passengers.
\n\nThe US has of this writing has 4.18 million cases as of and 148,000 deaths. Canada 113,000 caes with 8,800 deaths.
\n\nAmanda Barnes of Brampton, Ontario sums it up:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "I’m glad I’m in Canada, You can see why the pandemic is raging in the United States and not in Canada when you look at the difference between the boats.
Recent picture of tour boats at the Niagra waterfalls show a people-laden vessel operated by US company Maid of the Mist sailing past a sparsely populated boat run by Canada’s Hornblower Niagara Cruises. The Maid of the Mist is operating at 50% occupancy under New York State’s rules, while the Hornblower vessel is limited to Ontario’s rules to just six passengers.
\n\nThe US has of this writing has 4.18 million cases as of and 148,000 deaths. Canada 113,000 caes with 8,800 deaths.
\n\nAmanda Barnes of Brampton, Ontario sums it up:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/31/policy-of-mass-human-sacrifice/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/07/31/policy-of-mass-human-sacrifice/", "title": "Policy of Mass Human Sacrifice", "date_published": "2020-07-31T21:53:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-07-31T21:53:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I’m glad I’m in Canada, You can see why the pandemic is raging in the United States and not in Canada when you look at the difference between the boats.
\n\n", "content_html": "We’re talking about losing our own people, but the Republicans double down. They’re just letting these people go. It’s like a policy of mass human sacrifice.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/03/together-you-can-redeem-the-soul-of-our-nation/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/03/together-you-can-redeem-the-soul-of-our-nation/", "title": "Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation", "date_published": "2020-08-03T01:30:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-03T01:30:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "We’re talking about losing our own people, but the Republicans double down. They’re just letting these people go. It’s like a policy of mass human sacrifice.
![](\"/assets/images/john-lewis.jpg\")
In an essay by John Lewis - one of the “Big Six” leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and he fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.
Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.
In an essay by John Lewis - one of the “Big Six” leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and he fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/03/republicans-need-to-wake-up/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/03/republicans-need-to-wake-up/", "title": "Republicans need to wake up", "date_published": "2020-08-03T19:08:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-03T19:08:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.
Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.
Another powerful ad from The Lincoln Project - and how Trump supporters are in a state of denial.
\n\nAnother powerful ad from The Lincoln Project - and how Trump supporters are in a state of denial.
\n\n\n\n\nAbout two years ago, Microsoft publicly asked a question for the first time: “Should there be a Hippocratic Oath for software developers creating AI systems the way there is for doctors?”
You can’t graduate from the Air Force Academy without taking an ethics course. In the military, there is a code of justice and there are people whose sole job is to make sure this code is followed, even though this doesn’t mean that the military makes no mistakes.
There are no common ethics codes to determine how lethal autonomous weapons and systems that are developed for the military should be used once they end up in the hands of civilians.
“In the top 10 Computer Science departments in the nation, there is only one that requires taking an ethics course to graduate. Ethics is a field that will have to get infused into Computer Science education. There should be a stand-alone course called Ethics for AI that every computer science major must take.”
Maybe we should start with holding FAANG responsible with regulations that have real teeth before we ask developers to push back against them.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nAbout two years ago, Microsoft publicly asked a question for the first time: “Should there be a Hippocratic Oath for software developers creating AI systems the way there is for doctors?”
You can’t graduate from the Air Force Academy without taking an ethics course. In the military, there is a code of justice and there are people whose sole job is to make sure this code is followed, even though this doesn’t mean that the military makes no mistakes.
There are no common ethics codes to determine how lethal autonomous weapons and systems that are developed for the military should be used once they end up in the hands of civilians.
“In the top 10 Computer Science departments in the nation, there is only one that requires taking an ethics course to graduate. Ethics is a field that will have to get infused into Computer Science education. There should be a stand-alone course called Ethics for AI that every computer science major must take.”
Maybe we should start with holding FAANG responsible with regulations that have real teeth before we ask developers to push back against them.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/12/the-future-face-of-american-politics/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/12/the-future-face-of-american-politics/", "title": "the future face of american politics", "date_published": "2020-08-12T09:52:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-12T09:52:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/kamala-mother.jpg\")
Manisha Sina in the New York Times opinion essay on what Biden’s pick for a VP means for the future of American politics:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Like most Democrats, I support Joe Biden because the country can ill afford the continuation of the “American carnage” that Mr. Trump ironically claimed he would end in his Inaugural Address. Mr. Biden’s big tent policy, his adoption of progressive policies championed by his opponents, and his promise to select a woman candidate for the vice presidency, sealed the deal for me. Mr. Biden had the luck to choose from an array of talented women. His decision to pick Kamala Harris as his running mate seems like a personal gift to me. Not only does she represent the very groups mocked and vilified by Mr. Trump: women, Black people and immigrants, but also, as a woman of Afro-Indian descent she might well be the future face of American politics.
Manisha Sina in the New York Times opinion essay on what Biden’s pick for a VP means for the future of American politics:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/15/and-were-scared-of-socialism/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/15/and-were-scared-of-socialism/", "title": "And we're scared of Democratic Socialism", "date_published": "2020-08-15T09:53:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-15T09:53:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Like most Democrats, I support Joe Biden because the country can ill afford the continuation of the “American carnage” that Mr. Trump ironically claimed he would end in his Inaugural Address. Mr. Biden’s big tent policy, his adoption of progressive policies championed by his opponents, and his promise to select a woman candidate for the vice presidency, sealed the deal for me. Mr. Biden had the luck to choose from an array of talented women. His decision to pick Kamala Harris as his running mate seems like a personal gift to me. Not only does she represent the very groups mocked and vilified by Mr. Trump: women, Black people and immigrants, but also, as a woman of Afro-Indian descent she might well be the future face of American politics.
\nWhile Americans were so worried Socialism would take their freedoms, Capitalism stole their pensions, took their savings, sent jobs overseas, robbed their health care, dismantled the educational system, & put them in debt, leaving them only their racism, xenophobia, hate, & Trump
— TheLuckyHeron 🌍 (@LuckyHeronSay) August 14, 2020
\nWhile Americans were so worried Socialism would take their freedoms, Capitalism stole their pensions, took their savings, sent jobs overseas, robbed their health care, dismantled the educational system, & put them in debt, leaving them only their racism, xenophobia, hate, & Trump
— TheLuckyHeron 🌍 (@LuckyHeronSay) August 14, 2020
Toyota has expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services by allowing auto-makers to upload performance data to the Amazon cloud.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/toyota-service-manager.jpg\")
Official blurb from Toyota about it’s Mobilty Platform says it will offer:
\n\n\n\nnew contextual services such as car share, rideshare, full-service lease, and new corporate and consumer services such as proactive vehicle maintenance notifications and driving behavior-based insurance.
This is a shameless assault on consumer privacy. While the pitch will be to allow savings on insurance plan, I highly dought it. Most likely result of this is a restructuring of those plans to produce even more profit at the expense of driver rights.
\n", "content_html": "Toyota has expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services by allowing auto-makers to upload performance data to the Amazon cloud.
\n\n
Official blurb from Toyota about it’s Mobilty Platform says it will offer:
\n\n\n\nnew contextual services such as car share, rideshare, full-service lease, and new corporate and consumer services such as proactive vehicle maintenance notifications and driving behavior-based insurance.
This is a shameless assault on consumer privacy. While the pitch will be to allow savings on insurance plan, I highly dought it. Most likely result of this is a restructuring of those plans to produce even more profit at the expense of driver rights.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/19/michelle-obama-makes-the-case-for-against-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/19/michelle-obama-makes-the-case-for-against-trump/", "title": "Michelle Obama Makes the Case against Trump", "date_published": "2020-08-19T23:55:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-19T23:55:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Former first lady Michelle Obama tearing into Trump - using his own words against him.
\n\n\n\n\nSo let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.
Now, I understand that my message won’t be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a black woman speaking at the Democratic convention. But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.
So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can, and they will if we don’t make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.
...
We’ve got to vote early, in person if we can. We’ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they’re received. And then, make sure our friends and families do the same.
We have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown-bag dinner and maybe breakfast too, because we’ve got to be willing to stand in line all night if we have to.
Full transcript of the speech here.
\n", "content_html": "Former first lady Michelle Obama tearing into Trump - using his own words against him.
\n\n\n\n\nSo let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.
Now, I understand that my message won’t be heard by some people. We live in a nation that is deeply divided, and I am a black woman speaking at the Democratic convention. But enough of you know me by now. You know that I tell you exactly what I’m feeling. You know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.
So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can, and they will if we don’t make a change in this election. If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.
...
We’ve got to vote early, in person if we can. We’ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they’re received. And then, make sure our friends and families do the same.
We have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown-bag dinner and maybe breakfast too, because we’ve got to be willing to stand in line all night if we have to.
Full transcript of the speech here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/24/kellyanne-conway-resigns/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/24/kellyanne-conway-resigns/", "title": "Less Drama more Mama", "date_published": "2020-08-24T15:34:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-24T15:34:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "With the Trump campaign falling apart, Keyllyanne Conway resigns. Not surprising, Kellyanne Conway is not dumb. The whole ‘will leave her position at the end of the month to focus on her family’ thing is a convenient out.
\n\nKellyanne Conwway did something that most thought impossible. As campaign manager she brilliantly got Trump elected. If she stepped down afterwords, she could have had a brilliant future. But with all the lying, here career is pretty much over.
\n\nThen again this is politics…
\n\nWith the Trump campaign falling apart, Keyllyanne Conway resigns. Not surprising, Kellyanne Conway is not dumb. The whole ‘will leave her position at the end of the month to focus on her family’ thing is a convenient out.
\n\nKellyanne Conwway did something that most thought impossible. As campaign manager she brilliantly got Trump elected. If she stepped down afterwords, she could have had a brilliant future. But with all the lying, here career is pretty much over.
\n\nThen again this is politics…
\n\nWashington Post columnist Brian Klass documents deaths reported by various countries:
\n\n\nSunday update
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) August 23, 2020
Covid-19 deaths, yesterday:
Italy: 3
France: 9
Japan: 14
Canada: 7
UK: 18
Germany: 3
United States: 974
Population of countries above: 439 million
Population of United States: 328 million
It is almost over in the six countries reported above. While in the US the Covid-19 virus is raging averaging 1000 deaths per day.
\n\nBut what is even more shocking is that 57 percent of Repbulicans think that Covid-19 deaths are acceptable:
\n\nFrom a CBS News survey of over 2,000 registered voters:
\n\n\n\n\nNumber of U.S. deaths from coronavirus has been been acceptable / unacceptable:
This leads me to conclude that either a majority of Republicans are sociopaths or they’re so ignorant they have no idea how much worse the U.S. has handled COVID-19 than other industrialized nations.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Washington Post columnist Brian Klass documents deaths reported by various countries:
\n\n\nSunday update
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) August 23, 2020
Covid-19 deaths, yesterday:
Italy: 3
France: 9
Japan: 14
Canada: 7
UK: 18
Germany: 3
United States: 974
Population of countries above: 439 million
Population of United States: 328 million
It is almost over in the six countries reported above. While in the US the Covid-19 virus is raging averaging 1000 deaths per day.
\n\nBut what is even more shocking is that 57 percent of Repbulicans think that Covid-19 deaths are acceptable:
\n\nFrom a CBS News survey of over 2,000 registered voters:
\n\n\n\n\nNumber of U.S. deaths from coronavirus has been been acceptable / unacceptable:
This leads me to conclude that either a majority of Republicans are sociopaths or they’re so ignorant they have no idea how much worse the U.S. has handled COVID-19 than other industrialized nations.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/26/the-cult-of-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/26/the-cult-of-trump/", "title": "The cult of trump", "date_published": "2020-08-26T00:22:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-26T00:22:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/cult-of-trump.jpg\")
One thing that is obvious is that the Republican party no longer supports any positions - only what Trump tell them to support. History will remember this years Republican convention as the moment when the Republican party ceased to be a political party, instead turning into a cult. The cult of Donal Trump.
\n\nEzra Klein in an article for Vox sums it up best:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "I have covered American politics for two decades and never have I seen a party more ferociously committed to supporting whatever it is their leader tells them to support.
The problem for Republicans is that the main thing Trump has told them to support is himself. There are no detailed policy proposals, much less a coherent ideology or set of governing principles. And so speech after speech followed the same template: How was America going to stop the coronavirus? By reelecting Donald Trump. How was it going to revive its economy? By reelecting Donald Trump. How was it going to ensure domestic harmony? By reelecting Donald Trump.
The contradiction at the heart of the convention, of course, is that Donald Trump is currently president. I’m dead serious. How would reelecting Trump resolve these crises that Trump has proven unable to resolve — and has, in many cases, worsened — in office? No one even took a shot at that Rubik’s cube. Instead, the speakers awkwardly talked around the fact of Trump’s incumbency. He was presented, strangely, as both incumbent and challenger; the man who had fixed America’s problems, but also the man needed to fix an America beset by more problems than ever.
One thing that is obvious is that the Republican party no longer supports any positions - only what Trump tell them to support. History will remember this years Republican convention as the moment when the Republican party ceased to be a political party, instead turning into a cult. The cult of Donal Trump.
\n\nEzra Klein in an article for Vox sums it up best:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/27/impunity/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/27/impunity/", "title": "Flaunting Impunity", "date_published": "2020-08-27T22:51:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-27T22:51:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I have covered American politics for two decades and never have I seen a party more ferociously committed to supporting whatever it is their leader tells them to support.
The problem for Republicans is that the main thing Trump has told them to support is himself. There are no detailed policy proposals, much less a coherent ideology or set of governing principles. And so speech after speech followed the same template: How was America going to stop the coronavirus? By reelecting Donald Trump. How was it going to revive its economy? By reelecting Donald Trump. How was it going to ensure domestic harmony? By reelecting Donald Trump.
The contradiction at the heart of the convention, of course, is that Donald Trump is currently president. I’m dead serious. How would reelecting Trump resolve these crises that Trump has proven unable to resolve — and has, in many cases, worsened — in office? No one even took a shot at that Rubik’s cube. Instead, the speakers awkwardly talked around the fact of Trump’s incumbency. He was presented, strangely, as both incumbent and challenger; the man who had fixed America’s problems, but also the man needed to fix an America beset by more problems than ever.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-impunity.jpeg\")
\n
David A. Graham in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Incumbent presidents have two goals for their renomination convention: Show voters what they’ve achieved in their first four years, and tell them what they want to do with another four.
Donald Trump and his Republican Party have skipped the second part—the president has repeatedly whiffed on articulating a second-term agenda, and the Republican National Convention has decided not to bother with a platform. As for achievements, the administration has little to go on there, either. Most of Trump’s 2016 agenda remains incomplete, stalled, or never begun, while the economy is in a tailspin and nearly 180,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
Yet Trump is using the RNC to show the nation what he has learned over the past four years: the power of impunity. Throughout the convention, Trump, his family, and his aides are using the backdrop of the federal government, in defiance of precedent, propriety, and likely federal law. The president is not so much showing the majesty of the federal government—this is not its finest hour—as reveling in the knowledge that no one can or will stop him. It is a flex for its own sake, and at heart, that is his message about what he will deliver in a second term, too.
\n
David A. Graham in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/29/trump-failed/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/08/29/trump-failed/", "title": "Trump Failed 180,000+ Died", "date_published": "2020-08-29T01:12:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-08-29T01:12:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Incumbent presidents have two goals for their renomination convention: Show voters what they’ve achieved in their first four years, and tell them what they want to do with another four.
Donald Trump and his Republican Party have skipped the second part—the president has repeatedly whiffed on articulating a second-term agenda, and the Republican National Convention has decided not to bother with a platform. As for achievements, the administration has little to go on there, either. Most of Trump’s 2016 agenda remains incomplete, stalled, or never begun, while the economy is in a tailspin and nearly 180,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
Yet Trump is using the RNC to show the nation what he has learned over the past four years: the power of impunity. Throughout the convention, Trump, his family, and his aides are using the backdrop of the federal government, in defiance of precedent, propriety, and likely federal law. The president is not so much showing the majesty of the federal government—this is not its finest hour—as reveling in the knowledge that no one can or will stop him. It is a flex for its own sake, and at heart, that is his message about what he will deliver in a second term, too.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-failed.png\")
Joe Berkowits in an article Fast Company:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Watching the endless parade of speakers across the past four nights, one would scarcely piece together the fact that 181,000 Americans and counting have died from COVID-19. One might not realize that this level of death was far from assured, that the U.S. mortality rate, as a proportion of the population, is among the 10 highest in the world. One certainly would not know that President Trump dismissed early calls for action as a political maneuver from the Democrats, regularly suggested the virus would just go away “like a miracle” as recently as this past month, left sweeping decisions up to the governors of each state, and sent contradictory messages such as “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” to a scared populace unsure whether the lockdown was working or not. (It was.)
The convention speakers painted a picture of the coronavirus as an all-but-conquered foe, for whose defeat we have Donald Trump to thank. This image corresponded perfectly with the victory fireworks Trump’s team blasted off in the wake of his convention-closing speech.
Joe Berkowits in an article Fast Company:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/01/rise-of-the-right/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/01/rise-of-the-right/", "title": "Like The monster in a Godzilla movie", "date_published": "2020-09-01T00:49:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-01T00:49:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Watching the endless parade of speakers across the past four nights, one would scarcely piece together the fact that 181,000 Americans and counting have died from COVID-19. One might not realize that this level of death was far from assured, that the U.S. mortality rate, as a proportion of the population, is among the 10 highest in the world. One certainly would not know that President Trump dismissed early calls for action as a political maneuver from the Democrats, regularly suggested the virus would just go away “like a miracle” as recently as this past month, left sweeping decisions up to the governors of each state, and sent contradictory messages such as “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” to a scared populace unsure whether the lockdown was working or not. (It was.)
The convention speakers painted a picture of the coronavirus as an all-but-conquered foe, for whose defeat we have Donald Trump to thank. This image corresponded perfectly with the victory fireworks Trump’s team blasted off in the wake of his convention-closing speech.
\nRick Perlstein, author of the new book Reganland speaks with Walter Isaacson about how this sequence of events led to the current political climate in America. This interview is the best explanation of Trumpism came to be and what motivates it I have heard.
\n\nFrom the interview:
\n\n\n\nPundits are always declaring, you know, conservatism a dead letter in American politics after liberals win and it never is. Right? It always comes back like the monster in a Godzilla movie you know. And the process I describe in all these books is the weaponization of the fear, the resentment and the anxiety about the social changes that are happening in America that eventually become excepted as part of American life. But when they are introduced to the scene like the idea that gays and lesbians should have the same rites as everyone else, they are terrified. And you can kind of use that terror to kind of frighten people into voting for candidates who come into office and do things like, you know, cut taxes for corporations. Thats a playbook that they have run again and again and again that reaches its modern apotheoses with Ronald Regan and is repeated again and again.
\n\n…
\n\nThe Republicans refused to have a platform, they basically said our platform is supporting Donald Trump. So you know there is nothing wrong with being a conservative right? And there is nothing wrong with respecting the fears people have about social change. I think the challenge of leadership in a diverse and pluralist society is to respect the necessity of change but also kind of calm people’s fears about anxieties change brings.
And regarding the weaponization of resentment:
\n\n\n\nThats the theme of my book Nixon Land, in which the figure at the center Nixon basically forms a social club for all the nerds at his college you know. Kind of weaponizes their resentment of the cool kids who are in the fancy fraternity. That becomes his political template. The nerds in his college fraternity become the silent majority in his famous speech of 1969. Its Sarah Palin talking about how these cosmopolitan intellectuals are trying to tell you that they are all more smart than you are - but really, you are the smart one. That sort of resentment at liberal culture elites. As opposed to the resentment the Democrats have traditionally mobilized for the working class and their resentment of their bosses - who are kind of telling what to do at the workplace is absolutely central to conservatism becoming a popular movement.
It all comes back to Nixon….
\n\nThe best 20 minutes you will spend if you want to understand why we are where we are in the United States.
\n", "content_html": "\nRick Perlstein, author of the new book Reganland speaks with Walter Isaacson about how this sequence of events led to the current political climate in America. This interview is the best explanation of Trumpism came to be and what motivates it I have heard.
\n\nFrom the interview:
\n\n\n\nPundits are always declaring, you know, conservatism a dead letter in American politics after liberals win and it never is. Right? It always comes back like the monster in a Godzilla movie you know. And the process I describe in all these books is the weaponization of the fear, the resentment and the anxiety about the social changes that are happening in America that eventually become excepted as part of American life. But when they are introduced to the scene like the idea that gays and lesbians should have the same rites as everyone else, they are terrified. And you can kind of use that terror to kind of frighten people into voting for candidates who come into office and do things like, you know, cut taxes for corporations. Thats a playbook that they have run again and again and again that reaches its modern apotheoses with Ronald Regan and is repeated again and again.
\n\n…
\n\nThe Republicans refused to have a platform, they basically said our platform is supporting Donald Trump. So you know there is nothing wrong with being a conservative right? And there is nothing wrong with respecting the fears people have about social change. I think the challenge of leadership in a diverse and pluralist society is to respect the necessity of change but also kind of calm people’s fears about anxieties change brings.
And regarding the weaponization of resentment:
\n\n\n\nThats the theme of my book Nixon Land, in which the figure at the center Nixon basically forms a social club for all the nerds at his college you know. Kind of weaponizes their resentment of the cool kids who are in the fancy fraternity. That becomes his political template. The nerds in his college fraternity become the silent majority in his famous speech of 1969. Its Sarah Palin talking about how these cosmopolitan intellectuals are trying to tell you that they are all more smart than you are - but really, you are the smart one. That sort of resentment at liberal culture elites. As opposed to the resentment the Democrats have traditionally mobilized for the working class and their resentment of their bosses - who are kind of telling what to do at the workplace is absolutely central to conservatism becoming a popular movement.
It all comes back to Nixon….
\n\nThe best 20 minutes you will spend if you want to understand why we are where we are in the United States.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/03/trump-facist-drawings/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/03/trump-facist-drawings/", "title": "Trump Facist Drawings", "date_published": "2020-09-03T13:07:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-03T13:07:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/piascik-anti-fascist-01.jpg\")
![](\"/assets/images/piascik-anti-fascist-02.jpg\")
Chris Piascik has updated Godal’s drawings for 2020 to feature our own corrupt crackpot wannabe dictator. Calling Donald Trump a fascist is hardly controversial these days — he clearly is. What his supporters need to reckon with is: are they?
\n", "content_html": "
Chris Piascik has updated Godal’s drawings for 2020 to feature our own corrupt crackpot wannabe dictator. Calling Donald Trump a fascist is hardly controversial these days — he clearly is. What his supporters need to reckon with is: are they?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/04/donald-trump-unfit-to-be-commander-in-chief/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/04/donald-trump-unfit-to-be-commander-in-chief/", "title": "Donald Trump is a coward", "date_published": "2020-09-04T15:59:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-04T15:59:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/trump-coward.jpg\")
Jeffrey Goldberg in a shocking article for the Atlantic
\n\n\n\n\nWhen President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.
Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
Trump is a narcisist born of privilege who dodged the draft 5 times during the Vietnam war. For him to call the fallen veterans ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ just shows what a sorry, selfish, cowardly excuse Donal Trump is for a man.
\n", "content_html": "
Jeffrey Goldberg in a shocking article for the Atlantic
\n\n\n\n\nWhen President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.
Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
Trump is a narcisist born of privilege who dodged the draft 5 times during the Vietnam war. For him to call the fallen veterans ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ just shows what a sorry, selfish, cowardly excuse Donal Trump is for a man.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/13/i-need-my-feet-to-stand-up/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/13/i-need-my-feet-to-stand-up/", "title": "I need my feet to stand up", "date_published": "2020-09-13T16:44:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-13T16:44:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nWhen asked why he hardly uses pedals - Keith Richards, in his usual witty way, offers some sage advice all of us aspiring musicians should take to heart.
\n\n", "content_html": "As aware as I am that I was the bugger that started the foot pedal with Satisfaction, to me, that was a one of effect. I am not gonna go around on stage doing tip toes on different machines. I expect my sound to coming out of my amp and I don't wanna change it once its there. I am not fancy. I need my feet to stand up.
\nWhen asked why he hardly uses pedals - Keith Richards, in his usual witty way, offers some sage advice all of us aspiring musicians should take to heart.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/13/apocalyptic-red-western-skies/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/13/apocalyptic-red-western-skies/", "title": "Blade Runner 2020: San Francisco", "date_published": "2020-09-13T21:38:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-13T21:38:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As aware as I am that I was the bugger that started the foot pedal with Satisfaction, to me, that was a one of effect. I am not gonna go around on stage doing tip toes on different machines. I expect my sound to coming out of my amp and I don't wanna change it once its there. I am not fancy. I need my feet to stand up.
![](\"/assets/images/red-sky.jpg\")
I didn’t know there was a prequel..
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "All day yesterday, my social media feeds were full of photos taken of the skies on the west coast, bloodied red and orange from the wildfires raging in California, Oregon, and other western states. Each fresh photo I saw shocked me anew. Friends told me: as weird as the photos look, they don’t do justice to what this actually looks like and feels like in real life. Automatic cameras (as on smartphones) had a tough time capturing the skies because the onboard software kept correcting the red and orange colors out — the phones know, even if climate change denying politicians and voters don’t, that our skies aren’t supposed to be that color.
I didn’t know there was a prequel..
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/15/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/15/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/", "title": "Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden", "date_published": "2020-09-15T20:34:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-15T20:34:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "All day yesterday, my social media feeds were full of photos taken of the skies on the west coast, bloodied red and orange from the wildfires raging in California, Oregon, and other western states. Each fresh photo I saw shocked me anew. Friends told me: as weird as the photos look, they don’t do justice to what this actually looks like and feels like in real life. Automatic cameras (as on smartphones) had a tough time capturing the skies because the onboard software kept correcting the red and orange colors out — the phones know, even if climate change denying politicians and voters don’t, that our skies aren’t supposed to be that color.
![](\"/assets/images/biden-president-endorses.jpg\")
\n\nFrom the editors of Scientific American:
\n\n", "content_html": "Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly.
The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges. That is why we urge you to vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment. These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous and more equitable future.
\n\nFrom the editors of Scientific American:
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/17/us-judge-blocks-postal-service-changes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/09/17/us-judge-blocks-postal-service-changes/", "title": "US Judge blocks postal service changes", "date_published": "2020-09-17T18:52:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-09-17T18:52:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly.
The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges. That is why we urge you to vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment. These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous and more equitable future.
![](\"/assets/images/us-postal-services.jpeg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "A US judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election.
Judge Stanley Bastian said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the US Postal Service.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/protect-yourself-from-fcovid-19-aerosol-spread/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/protect-yourself-from-fcovid-19-aerosol-spread/", "title": "Protect yourself from Covid-19 Aerosol Spread", "date_published": "2020-10-06T02:01:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-06T02:01:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A US judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election.
Judge Stanley Bastian said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the US Postal Service.
![](\"/assets/images/aerosol-transmission.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
A group of scientists have written up a Google Doc of advice for the public in a FAQ on Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission.
\n\n\n\n\nThe goal of these FAQs is to provide information to the general public in an efficient manner about how to prevent aerosol transmission of COVID-19, with the hope that this will allow more informed decision making by individuals or organizations. All of this information has been posted in Twitter and other forums, but can be difficult to find. Having multiple experts working together, and having the ability to update this information also improves its quality. These FAQs represent our best understanding at this time, and should always be similar or more stringent than information provided by CDC, WHO, and most regional & local health authorities. If your authority has a more stringent guideline than discussed here, follow that more stringent guideline.
From the most important actionable take away form the FAQ:
\n\n\n\n\n3.5. How can I protect myself from aerosol transmission indoors?
We can never be perfectly safe, only safer. Hence, we need to take as many steps as possible to reduce the risk of our activities. You should try to avoid or reduce as much as possible situations that facilitate inhaling the “smoke” (exhaled air) from others. To reduce risk avoid:Crowded spaces
Close proximity to others
Low ventilation environments
Long durations
Places where people are not wearing masks
Talking, and especially loud talking / shouting / singing
High breathing rates (e.g., indoor aerobic exercise)Each one of these features potentially increases the aerosol concentration you might inhale indoors. So if you must enter one of the above situations, complete your tasks as quickly as possible to reduce your exposure duration and risk.
And of course, as always, wear a f**k'n face mask!
\n", "content_html": "
A group of scientists have written up a Google Doc of advice for the public in a FAQ on Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission.
\n\n\n\n\nThe goal of these FAQs is to provide information to the general public in an efficient manner about how to prevent aerosol transmission of COVID-19, with the hope that this will allow more informed decision making by individuals or organizations. All of this information has been posted in Twitter and other forums, but can be difficult to find. Having multiple experts working together, and having the ability to update this information also improves its quality. These FAQs represent our best understanding at this time, and should always be similar or more stringent than information provided by CDC, WHO, and most regional & local health authorities. If your authority has a more stringent guideline than discussed here, follow that more stringent guideline.
From the most important actionable take away form the FAQ:
\n\n\n\n\n3.5. How can I protect myself from aerosol transmission indoors?
We can never be perfectly safe, only safer. Hence, we need to take as many steps as possible to reduce the risk of our activities. You should try to avoid or reduce as much as possible situations that facilitate inhaling the “smoke” (exhaled air) from others. To reduce risk avoid:Crowded spaces
Close proximity to others
Low ventilation environments
Long durations
Places where people are not wearing masks
Talking, and especially loud talking / shouting / singing
High breathing rates (e.g., indoor aerobic exercise)Each one of these features potentially increases the aerosol concentration you might inhale indoors. So if you must enter one of the above situations, complete your tasks as quickly as possible to reduce your exposure duration and risk.
And of course, as always, wear a f**k'n face mask!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/a-civic-duty/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/a-civic-duty/", "title": "A CIVIC DUTY", "date_published": "2020-10-06T02:42:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-06T02:42:14-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A new acronym / mnemonic: A CIViC DUTY
\n\n![](\"https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118503210_10213699443720725_7178456647532895566_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=GvNFwz14PEMAX8jHFjS&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=666f12b888c1a0b8d852519001b8926c&oe=5FA32F81\")
America Edwards has created a great set of posters.
\n", "content_html": "A new acronym / mnemonic: A CIViC DUTY
\n\n
America Edwards has created a great set of posters.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/collapse-of-the-american-society/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/collapse-of-the-american-society/", "title": "Collapse of the American Society", "date_published": "2020-10-06T03:04:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-06T03:04:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Indi Samarajiva lived through the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka and just wrote about the decline of Sri Lankan society.
\n\n\n\n\nThis is how it happens. Precisely what you’re feeling now. The numbing litany of bad news. The ever rising outrages. People suffering, dying, and protesting all around you, while you think about dinner. If you’re trying to carry on while people around you die, your society is not collapsing. It’s already fallen down.
With 210,000+ Americans dead due to covid, protests all over America, and a government that is failing at the most basic level - are we witnessing the fall of American society?
\n\nI hope not, but with all that is going on, I am wondering what I am going to have for dinner…
\n", "content_html": "Indi Samarajiva lived through the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka and just wrote about the decline of Sri Lankan society.
\n\n\n\n\nThis is how it happens. Precisely what you’re feeling now. The numbing litany of bad news. The ever rising outrages. People suffering, dying, and protesting all around you, while you think about dinner. If you’re trying to carry on while people around you die, your society is not collapsing. It’s already fallen down.
With 210,000+ Americans dead due to covid, protests all over America, and a government that is failing at the most basic level - are we witnessing the fall of American society?
\n\nI hope not, but with all that is going on, I am wondering what I am going to have for dinner…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/get-well-and-get-it-together/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/06/get-well-and-get-it-together/", "title": "Get well and get it together", "date_published": "2020-10-06T03:54:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-06T03:54:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "I wish you all health and recovery and a long life. But we have to note the tragedy here. It is horrible, and awful, and profound. Sick and in isolation, Mr. President, you have become a symbol of your own failures — failures of recklessness, ignorance, arrogance — the same failures you have been inflicting on the rest of us. Get well and please — for the rest of us who don’t get to go to Walter Reed — get well and get it together.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/19/chris-christie-speaks-on-covid-19/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/19/chris-christie-speaks-on-covid-19/", "title": "Chris Christie speaks on COVID-19", "date_published": "2020-10-19T13:11:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-19T13:11:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I wish you all health and recovery and a long life. But we have to note the tragedy here. It is horrible, and awful, and profound. Sick and in isolation, Mr. President, you have become a symbol of your own failures — failures of recklessness, ignorance, arrogance — the same failures you have been inflicting on the rest of us. Get well and please — for the rest of us who don’t get to go to Walter Reed — get well and get it together.
\nFormer New Jersey governor Chris Christie is doing well after his bought with COVID-19 and spending 7 days in the ICU. He was given Eli Lilly anti-body treatment along with Remdesivir. In his own words:
\n\nso I received both of those in combination very early on in my illness. The doctors decided that because I am an asthmatic tat they wanted to be very aggressive with the treatment and I am, you know, very fortunate that I have a great hospital right near my home, I have health insurance and I was able to have myself taken care of quickly before the disease got out of control.
While I am glad that Governor Christie is doing well, he received health care that most Americans do not have access to. We have almost 40 million people who don’t have insurance. Most that do, have insurance that would not fully cover the treatment that Governor Christie has received.
\n\nAnd his party is working to remove what little protections that most Americans do have. The privilege on display is repulsive.
\n", "content_html": "
\nFormer New Jersey governor Chris Christie is doing well after his bought with COVID-19 and spending 7 days in the ICU. He was given Eli Lilly anti-body treatment along with Remdesivir. In his own words:
\n\nso I received both of those in combination very early on in my illness. The doctors decided that because I am an asthmatic tat they wanted to be very aggressive with the treatment and I am, you know, very fortunate that I have a great hospital right near my home, I have health insurance and I was able to have myself taken care of quickly before the disease got out of control.
While I am glad that Governor Christie is doing well, he received health care that most Americans do not have access to. We have almost 40 million people who don’t have insurance. Most that do, have insurance that would not fully cover the treatment that Governor Christie has received.
\n\nAnd his party is working to remove what little protections that most Americans do have. The privilege on display is repulsive.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/20/local-covid-19-social-distancing-signs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/20/local-covid-19-social-distancing-signs/", "title": "Local Covid-19 Social Distancing Signs", "date_published": "2020-10-20T01:04:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-20T01:04:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rebecca Boyle recently asked her followers to share their local Covid-19 signage and their responses are here. My favorites:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/social-distance3.jpeg\")
\n
\n![](\"/assets/images/social-distance1.jpeg\")
Rebecca Boyle recently asked her followers to share their local Covid-19 signage and their responses are here. My favorites:
\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\nApple has launched Apple Music TV, a free 24-hour curated livestream of popular music videos that will also include “exclusive new music videos and premiers, special curated music video blocks, and live shows and events as well as chart countdowns and guests,” according to the announcement.
You know what would be great? If they bring back the original MTV VJs like Mark Godman and Martha Quinn. Sting said it best:
\n\n
\nSomehow “I want my Apple Music TV” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
\n\n\nApple has launched Apple Music TV, a free 24-hour curated livestream of popular music videos that will also include “exclusive new music videos and premiers, special curated music video blocks, and live shows and events as well as chart countdowns and guests,” according to the announcement.
You know what would be great? If they bring back the original MTV VJs like Mark Godman and Martha Quinn. Sting said it best:
\n\n
\nSomehow “I want my Apple Music TV” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
![](\"/assets/images/biden-salute.jpeg\")
\n
\nWilliam McRaven, in an op-ed for the The Wall Street Journal:
\n\n", "content_html": "This week I went to the polls in Texas. Truth be told, I am a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government, strong-defense and a national-anthem-standing conservative. But, I also believe that black lives matter, that the Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship, that diversity and inclusion are essential to our national success, that education is the great equalizer, that climate change is real and that the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy. Most important, I believe that America must lead in the world with courage, conviction and a sense of honor and humility.
If we remain indifferent to our role in the world, if we retreat from our obligation to our citizens and our allies and if we fail to choose the right leader, then we will pay the highest price for our neglect and shortsightedness.
I voted for Joe Biden.
\n
\nWilliam McRaven, in an op-ed for the The Wall Street Journal:
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/24/back-to-the-future-35th-anniversary/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/24/back-to-the-future-35th-anniversary/", "title": "Back to the Future 35th Anniversary ", "date_published": "2020-10-24T18:48:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-24T18:48:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This week I went to the polls in Texas. Truth be told, I am a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government, strong-defense and a national-anthem-standing conservative. But, I also believe that black lives matter, that the Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship, that diversity and inclusion are essential to our national success, that education is the great equalizer, that climate change is real and that the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy. Most important, I believe that America must lead in the world with courage, conviction and a sense of honor and humility.
If we remain indifferent to our role in the world, if we retreat from our obligation to our citizens and our allies and if we fail to choose the right leader, then we will pay the highest price for our neglect and shortsightedness.
I voted for Joe Biden.
Hard to believe Back to the Future is 35 years old this year.
\n\nOne of the greatest movies ever made. Easily the best time-travel story. The writing is rock-solid, the double-act of Michael J.Fox & Christopher Lloyd are the heart and soul of this story and the timeless and epic score of Alan Silvestri gives the movie so much heart that makes it feel larger in scale.
\n\nThis movie has something that modern Hollywood lacks - a soul. Very few movies today have performances that make you want to watch them again. I have lost count of how many times I’ve seen it over the years but I still laugh every time Biff gets “the make like a tree” line wrong and the penultimate Clock Tower scene is a still a pulse-racing experience to this day. Doc Brown is on of my favorite characters of all time.
\n\n35 years. Watch it today and its just as charming, funny, nail biting as when I saw it when I was as 12. They just don’t make movies like they used to. Here is a reimagining using 8 fan made animations that Universal strung together to reimagine Back to the Future.
\n\n
\nAnd here is a recent cast re-uniting:\n
\nAnd I am still waiting for my hover board.
Hard to believe Back to the Future is 35 years old this year.
\n\nOne of the greatest movies ever made. Easily the best time-travel story. The writing is rock-solid, the double-act of Michael J.Fox & Christopher Lloyd are the heart and soul of this story and the timeless and epic score of Alan Silvestri gives the movie so much heart that makes it feel larger in scale.
\n\nThis movie has something that modern Hollywood lacks - a soul. Very few movies today have performances that make you want to watch them again. I have lost count of how many times I’ve seen it over the years but I still laugh every time Biff gets “the make like a tree” line wrong and the penultimate Clock Tower scene is a still a pulse-racing experience to this day. Doc Brown is on of my favorite characters of all time.
\n\n35 years. Watch it today and its just as charming, funny, nail biting as when I saw it when I was as 12. They just don’t make movies like they used to. Here is a reimagining using 8 fan made animations that Universal strung together to reimagine Back to the Future.
\n\n
\nAnd here is a recent cast re-uniting:\n
\nAnd I am still waiting for my hover board.
We are just over one week till the 2020 election (8 days, 11 hours, and 27 seconds of this writing). Regardless of where you stand on policy or what your political affiliation is, it is time to return to decency and intelligence in the White House. That doesn’t mean that we agree on everything, but it does mean that we can have a constructive, reasoned and intelligent conversation.
\n\nAnd just in case you forgot what that looks like:
\n\n
\nSo go out and vote. Leave no doubt.
We are just over one week till the 2020 election (8 days, 11 hours, and 27 seconds of this writing). Regardless of where you stand on policy or what your political affiliation is, it is time to return to decency and intelligence in the White House. That doesn’t mean that we agree on everything, but it does mean that we can have a constructive, reasoned and intelligent conversation.
\n\nAnd just in case you forgot what that looks like:
\n\n
\nSo go out and vote. Leave no doubt.
Jordan Klepper on what hopefully is the last Trump rally of the 2020 campaign:
\n\n\n\nTony, I need my sheet. I’m gonna give you facts. That fact sheet.
\n\nThat fact sheet is in my car.
Trump supporter pulling out her cell phone to find those facts.
\n\n\n\n\n\nOkay, jobs added 4 million. Under Biden and Obama negative 2.8 million.
What is your website you are on?
\n\nI don’t know.
And what is going to happen if Trump doesn’t win the 2020 election? What are his bat shit crazy supporters going to do?
\n\n\n\n\n\nI will not live under a socialist government. Just look up the three red flags on the Biden campaign poster, there’s three red lines.
yea
\n\n\n\nLook it up on Google.
Well I think it’s an E
\n\n\n\nIts supposed to be an E but look at the tree red flags or red banners.
And they mean?
\n\n\n\nCommunism
He snuck communism right there on the flag?
\n\n\n\nYou got it.
you don’t want to be in a place with socialized medicine?
\n\n\n\nNope.
So where would you go?
\n\n\n\nI am gonna look at Costa Rica.
Costa Rica? Which has universal health care?
\n\n\n\nYea, I mean, I’m not gonna live under socialist rule. I don’t think Biden is gonna make the four years, and the camelback, forget it.
Camelback? Who’s that?
\n\nKamala.
These people are so ignorant. Whats scary and disturbing is how they all revel in their ignorance. And ignorance would be bad enough - if not for their racism. Here is hoping that this is an anomaly in American political history. Seven More days to go…
\n", "content_html": "Jordan Klepper on what hopefully is the last Trump rally of the 2020 campaign:
\n\n\n\nTony, I need my sheet. I’m gonna give you facts. That fact sheet.
\n\nThat fact sheet is in my car.
Trump supporter pulling out her cell phone to find those facts.
\n\n\n\n\n\nOkay, jobs added 4 million. Under Biden and Obama negative 2.8 million.
What is your website you are on?
\n\nI don’t know.
And what is going to happen if Trump doesn’t win the 2020 election? What are his bat shit crazy supporters going to do?
\n\n\n\n\n\nI will not live under a socialist government. Just look up the three red flags on the Biden campaign poster, there’s three red lines.
yea
\n\n\n\nLook it up on Google.
Well I think it’s an E
\n\n\n\nIts supposed to be an E but look at the tree red flags or red banners.
And they mean?
\n\n\n\nCommunism
He snuck communism right there on the flag?
\n\n\n\nYou got it.
you don’t want to be in a place with socialized medicine?
\n\n\n\nNope.
So where would you go?
\n\n\n\nI am gonna look at Costa Rica.
Costa Rica? Which has universal health care?
\n\n\n\nYea, I mean, I’m not gonna live under socialist rule. I don’t think Biden is gonna make the four years, and the camelback, forget it.
Camelback? Who’s that?
\n\nKamala.
These people are so ignorant. Whats scary and disturbing is how they all revel in their ignorance. And ignorance would be bad enough - if not for their racism. Here is hoping that this is an anomaly in American political history. Seven More days to go…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/30/advice-from-john-mayer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/10/30/advice-from-john-mayer/", "title": "John Mayer on improving 5x", "date_published": "2020-10-30T22:48:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-10-30T22:48:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\nTrace back why you like the thing, and learn the thing that made the thing you like, and you'll be five times better every time you do that.
\n\n\n\n\nTrace back why you like the thing, and learn the thing that made the thing you like, and you'll be five times better every time you do that.
Van Jones on CNN expresses what we are all (at least the 75 million plus Americans that voted for Biden) are feeling today.
\n\nVan Jones on CNN expresses what we are all (at least the 75 million plus Americans that voted for Biden) are feeling today.
\n\nMax DeNike aggregated the richest families in the United States, by state.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/rich-families.png\")
\n
\nSo whats common among all of these? You guessed it - they are all white.
Max DeNike aggregated the richest families in the United States, by state.
\n\n\n
\nSo whats common among all of these? You guessed it - they are all white.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-maga-rally.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito just complained that “you can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Now it’s considered bigotry.” This is a standard complaint of the right: the real victim is the racist who has been called a racist, not the victim of his racism, the real oppression is to be impeded in your freedom to oppress. And of course Alito is disingenuous; you can say that stuff against marriage equality (and he did). Then other people can call you a bigot, because they get to have opinions too, but in his scheme such dissent is intolerable, which is fun coming from a member of the party whose devotees wore “fuck your feelings” shirts at its rallies and popularized the term “snowflake.”
Nevertheless, we get this hopelessly naive version of centrism, of the idea that if we’re nicer to the other side there will be no other side, just one big happy family. This inanity is also applied to the questions of belief and fact and principle, with some muddled cocktail of moral relativism and therapists’ “everyone’s feelings are valid” applied to everything. But the truth is not some compromise halfway between the truth and the lie, the fact and the delusion, the scientists and the propagandists. And the ethical is not halfway between white supremacists and human rights activists, rapists and feminists, synagogue massacrists and Jews, xenophobes and immigrants, delusional transphobes and trans people. Who the hell wants unity with Nazis until and unless they stop being Nazis?
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/swiss-cheese-covid-19-defense/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/swiss-cheese-covid-19-defense/", "title": "Swiss Cheese Covid-19 Defense", "date_published": "2020-11-24T00:08:26-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-11-24T00:08:26-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito just complained that “you can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Now it’s considered bigotry.” This is a standard complaint of the right: the real victim is the racist who has been called a racist, not the victim of his racism, the real oppression is to be impeded in your freedom to oppress. And of course Alito is disingenuous; you can say that stuff against marriage equality (and he did). Then other people can call you a bigot, because they get to have opinions too, but in his scheme such dissent is intolerable, which is fun coming from a member of the party whose devotees wore “fuck your feelings” shirts at its rallies and popularized the term “snowflake.”
Nevertheless, we get this hopelessly naive version of centrism, of the idea that if we’re nicer to the other side there will be no other side, just one big happy family. This inanity is also applied to the questions of belief and fact and principle, with some muddled cocktail of moral relativism and therapists’ “everyone’s feelings are valid” applied to everything. But the truth is not some compromise halfway between the truth and the lie, the fact and the delusion, the scientists and the propagandists. And the ethical is not halfway between white supremacists and human rights activists, rapists and feminists, synagogue massacrists and Jews, xenophobes and immigrants, delusional transphobes and trans people. Who the hell wants unity with Nazis until and unless they stop being Nazis?
![](\"/assets/images/swiss-cheese-pandemic.jpg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "Virologist Dr. Ian Mackay has visualized the Swiss cheese Covid-19 defense in a wonderful way (pictured above). Each layer of cheese represents a personal or shared intervention — like mask wearing, limiting your time indoors w/ crowds, proper ventilation, quarantine, vaccines — and the holes are imperfections. Applied together, these imperfect measures work like a filter and can vastly improve chances of success. He even added a “misinformation mouse” chewing through one of the cheese slices to represent how deceptive information can weaken these defenses.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/apples-security-officer-inicted/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/apples-security-officer-inicted/", "title": "Apple's Chief Security Officer Indicted", "date_published": "2020-11-24T00:15:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-11-24T00:15:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Virologist Dr. Ian Mackay has visualized the Swiss cheese Covid-19 defense in a wonderful way (pictured above). Each layer of cheese represents a personal or shared intervention — like mask wearing, limiting your time indoors w/ crowds, proper ventilation, quarantine, vaccines — and the holes are imperfections. Applied together, these imperfect measures work like a filter and can vastly improve chances of success. He even added a “misinformation mouse” chewing through one of the cheese slices to represent how deceptive information can weaken these defenses.
\n\n\nA grand jury issued two indictments on Thursday, Nov. 19, against Undersheriff Rick Sung, 48, and Capt. James Jensen, 43, who are accused of requesting bribes for concealed firearms licenses, also known as CCW licenses. Insurance broker Harpreet Chadha, 49, and Apple’s Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer, 50, are accused of offering bribes to receive the permits, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said during a press conference on Monday morning.
The two-year investigation by the district attorney’s office found that Sung, who was allegedly aided by Jensen in one instance, held up the distribution of CCW licenses and refused to release them until the applicants gave something of value. […]
Sung and Jensen allegedly held up four gun licenses from Apple employees and extracted from Moyer a promise that Apple would donate iPads to the sheriff’s office. A donation of 200 iPads worth nearly $70,000 was ended at the last minute after Aug. 2, 2019, when Sung and Moyer learned that the district attorney’s office had issued a search warrant seizing all of the sheriff’s office’s CCW license records.
Can’t understand this obsession with carrying firearms…
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nA grand jury issued two indictments on Thursday, Nov. 19, against Undersheriff Rick Sung, 48, and Capt. James Jensen, 43, who are accused of requesting bribes for concealed firearms licenses, also known as CCW licenses. Insurance broker Harpreet Chadha, 49, and Apple’s Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer, 50, are accused of offering bribes to receive the permits, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said during a press conference on Monday morning.
The two-year investigation by the district attorney’s office found that Sung, who was allegedly aided by Jensen in one instance, held up the distribution of CCW licenses and refused to release them until the applicants gave something of value. […]
Sung and Jensen allegedly held up four gun licenses from Apple employees and extracted from Moyer a promise that Apple would donate iPads to the sheriff’s office. A donation of 200 iPads worth nearly $70,000 was ended at the last minute after Aug. 2, 2019, when Sung and Moyer learned that the district attorney’s office had issued a search warrant seizing all of the sheriff’s office’s CCW license records.
Can’t understand this obsession with carrying firearms…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/one-shot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/one-shot/", "title": "One Shot", "date_published": "2020-11-24T00:34:50-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-11-24T00:34:50-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "Awarded the prestigious Candido Cannavo Award at the Milan Sport Film Festival 2018.
Built around the 100m men’s final in Rio de Janeiro, ONE SHOT explores the important role sport photographers have in capturing history. ONE SHOT is narrated by Olympic Champion Jonathan Edwards and features many multi-awarded photographers including Lucy Nicholson, Dave Burnett, Bob Martin, Tim de Waele and Japan’s own Tsuyoshi Matsumoto.
It also features 146 images representing some of the best works of another 96 photographers who have covered multiple Olympics going back over 50 years , with famous names such as Tony Duffy, Mike Powell, Heinz Kluetmeier, Franck Fife, Peter Read Miller, Doug Mills, Carl Yarbrough, John G. Zimmerman, Michael Kappeler, Kai Pfaffenbach, Gary Hershorn, Charlie Riedel, Simon Bruty, Jerry Lampen, Al Bello, Chang W. Lee to name but a few.
‘ONE SHOT looks at Olympians caught in time. The history makers of the Games captured in a single iconic moment. A story that has taken a lifetime to create and told in One Shot. One freeze frame.
With its official screening at the The Olympic Museum and then on the Olympic Channel and NBC Sports, in November 2018 ONE SHOT was awarded the prestigious Candido Cannavo Award at the World Final of the Milan Sport Film Festival 2018.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/nikon-classes-are-free-for-the-holidays/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/11/24/nikon-classes-are-free-for-the-holidays/", "title": "Nikon Classes are free for the holidays", "date_published": "2020-11-24T00:56:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-11-24T00:56:22-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Awarded the prestigious Candido Cannavo Award at the Milan Sport Film Festival 2018.
Built around the 100m men’s final in Rio de Janeiro, ONE SHOT explores the important role sport photographers have in capturing history. ONE SHOT is narrated by Olympic Champion Jonathan Edwards and features many multi-awarded photographers including Lucy Nicholson, Dave Burnett, Bob Martin, Tim de Waele and Japan’s own Tsuyoshi Matsumoto.
It also features 146 images representing some of the best works of another 96 photographers who have covered multiple Olympics going back over 50 years , with famous names such as Tony Duffy, Mike Powell, Heinz Kluetmeier, Franck Fife, Peter Read Miller, Doug Mills, Carl Yarbrough, John G. Zimmerman, Michael Kappeler, Kai Pfaffenbach, Gary Hershorn, Charlie Riedel, Simon Bruty, Jerry Lampen, Al Bello, Chang W. Lee to name but a few.
‘ONE SHOT looks at Olympians caught in time. The history makers of the Games captured in a single iconic moment. A story that has taken a lifetime to create and told in One Shot. One freeze frame.
With its official screening at the The Olympic Museum and then on the Olympic Channel and NBC Sports, in November 2018 ONE SHOT was awarded the prestigious Candido Cannavo Award at the World Final of the Milan Sport Film Festival 2018.
![](\"/assets/images/nikonfreeschool.png\")
From November 23rd through December 31st, all classes in Nikon School Online can be streamed for free. All you need to do is sign up for an account with your name and email address.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "
From November 23rd through December 31st, all classes in Nikon School Online can be streamed for free. All you need to do is sign up for an account with your name and email address.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/02/scott-atlas-dr-death/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/02/scott-atlas-dr-death/", "title": "Scott Atlas did more damage than you can imagine", "date_published": "2020-12-02T11:21:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-02T11:21:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nWhy do they keeping paying respect to Atlas by referring to him as a doctor? He has clearly shown that he has violated a doctor’s primary oath - do no harm. Scott Atlas should have his license revoked. At the very least stop giving him professional respect.
\nWhy do they keeping paying respect to Atlas by referring to him as a doctor? He has clearly shown that he has violated a doctor’s primary oath - do no harm. Scott Atlas should have his license revoked. At the very least stop giving him professional respect.
![](\"/assets/images/gohomenow.jpg\")
Derek Thompson in The Atlantic
\n\n\n\n\nWe’re also likely to see a historic increase in testing from all these people returning from their Thanksgiving vacation. On Sunday, the White House coronavirus-task-force coordinator, Deborah Birx, told CBS that everybody who traveled should “assume that you were exposed and you became infected.” That would mean tens of millions of people trying to get tested in the next week or so, leading to a backlog on top of the backlog.
In sum, the next few weeks are going to be a statistical blur at the very moment when families are looking for clarity regarding the winter holidays. As COVID-19 hospitalizations reach an all-time high, we are facing a normal weekend testing delay, exacerbated by a major holiday, complicated by the already rising COVID-19 caseload, and further burdened by the imminent wave of tests that will be demanded by people coming back from their Thanksgiving trip. For that reason, state and local governments, businesses, and families might have to fly blind for a while in the fog of pandemic.
The safe assumption is that cases, hospitalizations, and deaths will all reach new highs before Christmas. The virus is simply everywhere. While the spring wave slammed into the Northeast and the summer surge swept over the South, the latest surge, while concentrated in the Midwest, is truly national. Almost every state has seen an increase in cases since September, and nearly 40 states saw COVID-19 hospitalizations reach record highs in the past three weeks. Right when Americans should have separated themselves from new exposures, millions of them shuffled and reshuffled themselves into new combinations of people. This epidemiological experiment seems destined to produce more deaths, more grieving, more illness, and more exhausted health-care workers, who were already on a “catastrophic path” before 9 million people filed through TSA checkpoints in the past week.
Seriously? What the hell is wrong with people? Buckle up - we are headed for the worst public health catastrophe in US history. Stay home. Hibernate.
\n", "content_html": "
Derek Thompson in The Atlantic
\n\n\n\n\nWe’re also likely to see a historic increase in testing from all these people returning from their Thanksgiving vacation. On Sunday, the White House coronavirus-task-force coordinator, Deborah Birx, told CBS that everybody who traveled should “assume that you were exposed and you became infected.” That would mean tens of millions of people trying to get tested in the next week or so, leading to a backlog on top of the backlog.
In sum, the next few weeks are going to be a statistical blur at the very moment when families are looking for clarity regarding the winter holidays. As COVID-19 hospitalizations reach an all-time high, we are facing a normal weekend testing delay, exacerbated by a major holiday, complicated by the already rising COVID-19 caseload, and further burdened by the imminent wave of tests that will be demanded by people coming back from their Thanksgiving trip. For that reason, state and local governments, businesses, and families might have to fly blind for a while in the fog of pandemic.
The safe assumption is that cases, hospitalizations, and deaths will all reach new highs before Christmas. The virus is simply everywhere. While the spring wave slammed into the Northeast and the summer surge swept over the South, the latest surge, while concentrated in the Midwest, is truly national. Almost every state has seen an increase in cases since September, and nearly 40 states saw COVID-19 hospitalizations reach record highs in the past three weeks. Right when Americans should have separated themselves from new exposures, millions of them shuffled and reshuffled themselves into new combinations of people. This epidemiological experiment seems destined to produce more deaths, more grieving, more illness, and more exhausted health-care workers, who were already on a “catastrophic path” before 9 million people filed through TSA checkpoints in the past week.
Seriously? What the hell is wrong with people? Buckle up - we are headed for the worst public health catastrophe in US history. Stay home. Hibernate.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/03/fast-cool-long-lasting/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/03/fast-cool-long-lasting/", "title": "Fast. Cool. Energy Efficient.", "date_published": "2020-12-03T01:33:37-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-03T01:33:37-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/m1chip.png\")
Apple is about to disrupt the microprocessor industry. The M1 chip is as industry shaking as the iPhone.
\n\nJohn Grubber at Daring Fireball sums it up perfectly:
\n\n\n\n\nM1 Macs embarrass all other PCs — all Intel-based Macs, including automobile-priced Mac Pros, and every single machine running Windows or Linux. Those machines are just standing around in their underwear now because the M1 stole all their pants. Well, that just doesn’t happen, your instincts tell you. One company, even a company like Apple, doesn’t just embarrass the entire rest of a highly-competitive longstanding industry. But just because something hasn’t happened — or hasn’t happened in a very long while — doesn’t mean it can’t happen. And in this case, it just happened.
[...]
For the industry as a whole, though, the M1 Macs have dropped as a bit of a shock. One reason for this, I think, is that Apple’s silicon prowess in iOS devices has been a slow boil. iPhones and iPads are better computers — faster and more efficient — than their Android competitors. But it’s been an annual incremental game. And it’s hard to tell what’s attributable to iOS’s software efficiency vs. Android and what’s attributable to Apple’s silicon prowess vs. Qualcomm and Samsung and whoever else is making chips for Android devices.
M1 Macs completely upend what we can and should expect from PCs. It’s a breakthrough along the lines of the iPhone itself in 2007.
The adage is, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Emphasis on probably — the M1 Macs are an exception. They really are that good.
Intel x86 is the modern Zune. Believe the hype - lest you sound like this guy:
\n", "content_html": "
Apple is about to disrupt the microprocessor industry. The M1 chip is as industry shaking as the iPhone.
\n\nJohn Grubber at Daring Fireball sums it up perfectly:
\n\n\n\n\nM1 Macs embarrass all other PCs — all Intel-based Macs, including automobile-priced Mac Pros, and every single machine running Windows or Linux. Those machines are just standing around in their underwear now because the M1 stole all their pants. Well, that just doesn’t happen, your instincts tell you. One company, even a company like Apple, doesn’t just embarrass the entire rest of a highly-competitive longstanding industry. But just because something hasn’t happened — or hasn’t happened in a very long while — doesn’t mean it can’t happen. And in this case, it just happened.
[...]
For the industry as a whole, though, the M1 Macs have dropped as a bit of a shock. One reason for this, I think, is that Apple’s silicon prowess in iOS devices has been a slow boil. iPhones and iPads are better computers — faster and more efficient — than their Android competitors. But it’s been an annual incremental game. And it’s hard to tell what’s attributable to iOS’s software efficiency vs. Android and what’s attributable to Apple’s silicon prowess vs. Qualcomm and Samsung and whoever else is making chips for Android devices.
M1 Macs completely upend what we can and should expect from PCs. It’s a breakthrough along the lines of the iPhone itself in 2007.
The adage is, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Emphasis on probably — the M1 Macs are an exception. They really are that good.
Intel x86 is the modern Zune. Believe the hype - lest you sound like this guy:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/03/when-states-do-nothing/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/03/when-states-do-nothing/", "title": "When states do nothing", "date_published": "2020-12-03T22:39:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-03T22:39:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/iowa-does-nothing.jpg\")
\n\n\nThe story of the coronavirus in this state is one of government inaction in the name of freedom and personal responsibility. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has followed President Donald Trump’s lead in downplaying the virus’s seriousness. She never imposed a full stay-at-home order for the state and allowed bars and restaurants to open much earlier than in other places. She imposed a mask mandate for the first time this month—one that health-care professionals consider comically ineffectual—and has questioned the science behind wearing masks at all. Through the month of November, Iowa vacillated between 1,700 and 5,500 cases every day. This week, the state’s test-positivity rate reached 50 percent. Iowa is what happens when a government does basically nothing to stop the spread of a deadly virus.
[..]
[Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds] did not require Iowans to wear a mask in public, ignoring requests from local public-health officials and the White House Coronavirus Task Force and arguing that the state shouldn’t make that choice for its people. “The more information that we give them, then personally they can make the decision to wear a mask or not,” Reynolds said in June. She also wouldn’t require face coverings in public schools, where she ordered that students spend at least 50 percent of their instructional time in classrooms. When Iowa City and other towns began to issue their own mask requirements, Reynolds countered that they were not enforceable, undermining their authority.
All we need to do as a society is to achieve 95% mask usage and the pandemic would be controlled and life can began to return to normal. This is isn’t wishful thinking. Just look to South Korea as an example. South Korea has a total of 35,703 cases with 529 deaths as of this writing - the United States has 13,999,385 cases with 273,518 deaths.
\n\nWear a damn mask.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nThe story of the coronavirus in this state is one of government inaction in the name of freedom and personal responsibility. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has followed President Donald Trump’s lead in downplaying the virus’s seriousness. She never imposed a full stay-at-home order for the state and allowed bars and restaurants to open much earlier than in other places. She imposed a mask mandate for the first time this month—one that health-care professionals consider comically ineffectual—and has questioned the science behind wearing masks at all. Through the month of November, Iowa vacillated between 1,700 and 5,500 cases every day. This week, the state’s test-positivity rate reached 50 percent. Iowa is what happens when a government does basically nothing to stop the spread of a deadly virus.
[..]
[Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds] did not require Iowans to wear a mask in public, ignoring requests from local public-health officials and the White House Coronavirus Task Force and arguing that the state shouldn’t make that choice for its people. “The more information that we give them, then personally they can make the decision to wear a mask or not,” Reynolds said in June. She also wouldn’t require face coverings in public schools, where she ordered that students spend at least 50 percent of their instructional time in classrooms. When Iowa City and other towns began to issue their own mask requirements, Reynolds countered that they were not enforceable, undermining their authority.
All we need to do as a society is to achieve 95% mask usage and the pandemic would be controlled and life can began to return to normal. This is isn’t wishful thinking. Just look to South Korea as an example. South Korea has a total of 35,703 cases with 529 deaths as of this writing - the United States has 13,999,385 cases with 273,518 deaths.
\n\nWear a damn mask.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/05/limitations-of-ibis/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/05/limitations-of-ibis/", "title": "Limitations of IBIS", "date_published": "2020-12-05T02:11:24-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-05T02:11:24-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "IBIS is one of the most useful advancements in digital photography. Olympus arguably had the most sophisticated implementation for its Micro Four Thirds system - which supported an amazing 6.3 stops! Which begs the question just how far can this technology go?
\n\nOlympus claimed that 6.3 stops was the theoretical limit due to the earth’s rotation, not the electronics. David Berryrieser in at The Center Column has a detailed mathematical explanation. Here is a summary for those who are terrified of a little math :)
\n\n\n\n\nTo illustrate , lets imagine that you are somewhere on the Earth’s surface, pointing the camera due East or West. For simplicity, lets assume you are on the equator, but your latitude doesn’t actually matter for this analysis. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, so Earth rotates at a rate of 2π/86400 radians/second, or 7.27*10^-5 rad/s. That means that your subject, which is presumably stationary on Earth’s surface as well, is rotating at this rate. Your camera, which is using its IBIS system to attempt to keep everything as still as possible, may not realize that you are rotating with your subject and will instead try to zero out any rotation of the camera, including that of the Earth. More technically, the camera is trying to maintain stability with respect to an inertial reference frame, which by virtue of the Earth’s rotation, you and your subject are not.
Lets face it though, nothing will beat good technique and a tripod!
\n", "content_html": "IBIS is one of the most useful advancements in digital photography. Olympus arguably had the most sophisticated implementation for its Micro Four Thirds system - which supported an amazing 6.3 stops! Which begs the question just how far can this technology go?
\n\nOlympus claimed that 6.3 stops was the theoretical limit due to the earth’s rotation, not the electronics. David Berryrieser in at The Center Column has a detailed mathematical explanation. Here is a summary for those who are terrified of a little math :)
\n\n\n\n\nTo illustrate , lets imagine that you are somewhere on the Earth’s surface, pointing the camera due East or West. For simplicity, lets assume you are on the equator, but your latitude doesn’t actually matter for this analysis. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, so Earth rotates at a rate of 2π/86400 radians/second, or 7.27*10^-5 rad/s. That means that your subject, which is presumably stationary on Earth’s surface as well, is rotating at this rate. Your camera, which is using its IBIS system to attempt to keep everything as still as possible, may not realize that you are rotating with your subject and will instead try to zero out any rotation of the camera, including that of the Earth. More technically, the camera is trying to maintain stability with respect to an inertial reference frame, which by virtue of the Earth’s rotation, you and your subject are not.
Lets face it though, nothing will beat good technique and a tripod!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/06/did-you-not-know-who-this-man-was/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/06/did-you-not-know-who-this-man-was/", "title": "Did You Not Know Who This Man Was?", "date_published": "2020-12-06T18:11:37-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-06T18:11:37-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jake Tapper has a question for the GOP:
\n\n\n\n\nAnd more importantly, tragically, unacceptably, horrifyingly even putting lives at risk - it has to be asked. Did you not know who this man was when you took him in?
The horrifying truth is that they did know. The GOP decided to put their self interest, their pursuit of power and their party before the United States and their constituents. This administration and the members of the GOP have put the final nail into the coffin of “The Party of Lincoln”.
\n\nJake Tapper has a question for the GOP:
\n\n\n\n\nAnd more importantly, tragically, unacceptably, horrifyingly even putting lives at risk - it has to be asked. Did you not know who this man was when you took him in?
The horrifying truth is that they did know. The GOP decided to put their self interest, their pursuit of power and their party before the United States and their constituents. This administration and the members of the GOP have put the final nail into the coffin of “The Party of Lincoln”.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/m1motherboard.jpg\")
In his excellent piece on Why Is Apple’s M1 Chip So Fast?, Erik Engheim summarizes Apple’s greatest advantage in the upcoming CPU wars.
\n\n\n\n\nHere we get a big problem with the Intel and AMD business model. Their business models are based on selling general-purpose CPUs, which people just slot onto a large PC motherboard. Thus computer-makers can simply buy motherboards, memory, CPUs, and graphics cards from different vendors and integrate them into one solution.
But we are quickly moving away from that world. In the new SoC world, you don’t assemble physical components from different vendors. Instead, you assemble IP (intellectual property) from different vendors. You buy the design for graphics cards, CPUs, modems, IO controllers, and other things from different vendors and use that to design an SoC in-house. Then you get a foundry to manufacture this.
Now you got a big problem, because neither Intel, AMD, or Nvidia are going to license their intellectual property to Dell or HP for them to make an SoC for their machines.
[...]
For Apple this is simple. They control the whole widget. They give you, for example, the Core ML library for developers to write machine learning stuff. Whether Core ML runs on Apple’s CPU or the Neural Engine is an implementation detail developers don’t have to care about.
Buckle in - we are in for a very interesting 2021!
\n", "content_html": "
In his excellent piece on Why Is Apple’s M1 Chip So Fast?, Erik Engheim summarizes Apple’s greatest advantage in the upcoming CPU wars.
\n\n\n\n\nHere we get a big problem with the Intel and AMD business model. Their business models are based on selling general-purpose CPUs, which people just slot onto a large PC motherboard. Thus computer-makers can simply buy motherboards, memory, CPUs, and graphics cards from different vendors and integrate them into one solution.
But we are quickly moving away from that world. In the new SoC world, you don’t assemble physical components from different vendors. Instead, you assemble IP (intellectual property) from different vendors. You buy the design for graphics cards, CPUs, modems, IO controllers, and other things from different vendors and use that to design an SoC in-house. Then you get a foundry to manufacture this.
Now you got a big problem, because neither Intel, AMD, or Nvidia are going to license their intellectual property to Dell or HP for them to make an SoC for their machines.
[...]
For Apple this is simple. They control the whole widget. They give you, for example, the Core ML library for developers to write machine learning stuff. Whether Core ML runs on Apple’s CPU or the Neural Engine is an implementation detail developers don’t have to care about.
Buckle in - we are in for a very interesting 2021!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/10/apple-search-engine/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/10/apple-search-engine/", "title": "Apple Search Engine", "date_published": "2020-12-10T02:11:07-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-10T02:11:07-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/applesearch.jpg\")
Looks like Apple is seriously ramping up its search bot activity. This looks like a direct result of U.K. competition commission threat to break up the Google/Apple agreement to be the default search engine on iOS devices.
\n\nBut does Apple really have a chance of disrupting Google at its own game? FastCompany’s Hamza Mudassir:
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Apple’s search engine will have a different future if rumors about its business model are true. Apple has been focusing heavily on user privacy recently, including but not limited to publicly refusing to give secret access to its devices to the FBI. It will be very much in line with this “privacy first” position that Apple chooses not to make money from advertising, which involves exposing customer usage data to third parties. Instead, it could simply sell more of its highly profitable devices and subscriptions to privacy-conscious customers. By not following Google’s footsteps, Apple does not have to engage with the search giant on its terms.
Looks like Apple is seriously ramping up its search bot activity. This looks like a direct result of U.K. competition commission threat to break up the Google/Apple agreement to be the default search engine on iOS devices.
\n\nBut does Apple really have a chance of disrupting Google at its own game? FastCompany’s Hamza Mudassir:
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/14/northern-lights-photographer-of-the-year-for-2020/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/14/northern-lights-photographer-of-the-year-for-2020/", "title": "Northern Lights Photographer of the Year for 2020", "date_published": "2020-12-14T23:25:39-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-14T23:25:39-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Apple’s search engine will have a different future if rumors about its business model are true. Apple has been focusing heavily on user privacy recently, including but not limited to publicly refusing to give secret access to its devices to the FBI. It will be very much in line with this “privacy first” position that Apple chooses not to make money from advertising, which involves exposing customer usage data to third parties. Instead, it could simply sell more of its highly profitable devices and subscriptions to privacy-conscious customers. By not following Google’s footsteps, Apple does not have to engage with the search giant on its terms.
![](\"/assets/images/northern-lights-2020-01-maze.jpg\")
Maze’s photo, of the aurora australis in Tasmania, is stunning — one of the best astronomy photos I have ever seen. Here’s how he captured it:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Captured in this image is a trifecta of astronomical phenomena that made for some of the best astrophotography conditions one can witness in Australia, namely, the setting Milky Way galactic core, zodiacal light, and of course, the elusive Aurora Australis. On top of this, a sparkling display of oceanic bioluminescence adorned the crashing waves, adding the cherry on top to what was already a breathtaking experience.
Having been out of reception and civilization for over a day, fellow photographer Luke Tscharke and I had no idea the aurora would strike on this night. We’d just heard rumors of a potential solar storm. We could barely contain our excitement when the lights first showed up on our camera’s screens. We later realized we were in the best place on the entire continent to witness the rare show, with Lion Rock being on the southernmost cape of Tasmania and much more cloud-free than the rest of the state at the time.
The colors that our cameras picked up were incredible, too. Rather than the classic green, the display ranged from yellow and orange to pink and purple. When I’d captured enough frames that I was happy with, I simply stood by my camera with my head tilted towards the sky, occasionally swirling my hand around in the sparkling water by my feet. I’m forever grateful for moments in nature like this that show us the true wonders of our planet.
Maze’s photo, of the aurora australis in Tasmania, is stunning — one of the best astronomy photos I have ever seen. Here’s how he captured it:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/21/if-you-fall-through-thin-ice/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/21/if-you-fall-through-thin-ice/", "title": "If You Fall Through Thin Ice", "date_published": "2020-12-21T14:09:19-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-21T14:09:19-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Captured in this image is a trifecta of astronomical phenomena that made for some of the best astrophotography conditions one can witness in Australia, namely, the setting Milky Way galactic core, zodiacal light, and of course, the elusive Aurora Australis. On top of this, a sparkling display of oceanic bioluminescence adorned the crashing waves, adding the cherry on top to what was already a breathtaking experience.
Having been out of reception and civilization for over a day, fellow photographer Luke Tscharke and I had no idea the aurora would strike on this night. We’d just heard rumors of a potential solar storm. We could barely contain our excitement when the lights first showed up on our camera’s screens. We later realized we were in the best place on the entire continent to witness the rare show, with Lion Rock being on the southernmost cape of Tasmania and much more cloud-free than the rest of the state at the time.
The colors that our cameras picked up were incredible, too. Rather than the classic green, the display ranged from yellow and orange to pink and purple. When I’d captured enough frames that I was happy with, I simply stood by my camera with my head tilted towards the sky, occasionally swirling my hand around in the sparkling water by my feet. I’m forever grateful for moments in nature like this that show us the true wonders of our planet.
Another item to file under useless information that just might one day save your life. Kenton Whitman explains how to survive a fall through ice on a frozen lake or river.
\n\n\n\n\nWhile it varies with water temperature and body mass, it can take 30 minutes or more for most adults to become even mildly hypothermic in ice water. Knowing this is vitally important in a survival situation, since people would be far less likely to panic if they knew that hypothermia would not occur quickly and that they have some time to make good decisions and actions to save themselves.
In other words - keep calm and kick your way out.
\n", "content_html": "Another item to file under useless information that just might one day save your life. Kenton Whitman explains how to survive a fall through ice on a frozen lake or river.
\n\n\n\n\nWhile it varies with water temperature and body mass, it can take 30 minutes or more for most adults to become even mildly hypothermic in ice water. Knowing this is vitally important in a survival situation, since people would be far less likely to panic if they knew that hypothermia would not occur quickly and that they have some time to make good decisions and actions to save themselves.
In other words - keep calm and kick your way out.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/24/apple-car/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/24/apple-car/", "title": "Apple Car", "date_published": "2020-12-24T22:12:03-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-24T22:12:03-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Starting in 2014, Apple began working on “Project Titan,” with upwards of 1,000 employees working on developing an electric vehicle at a secret location near its Cupertino headquarters.
\n\nOver the course of the last several years, rumors even suggested Apple shelved plans for a car, but Apple has overcome development problems and still plans to develop a consumer-facing car.
\n\nStephen Nellis, Norihiko Shirouzu, and Paul Lienert, reporting for Reuters:
\n\n\n\n\nApple Inc. is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. […]
As for the car’s battery, Apple plans to use a unique “monocell” design that bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials, one of the people said.
Apple’s design means that more active material can be packed inside the battery, giving the car a potentially longer range. Apple is also examining a chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person said, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.
”It’s next level,” the person said of Apple’s battery technology. “Like the first time you saw the iPhone.”
The iPhone was a shift in what a phone was. Apple redefined the phone as a personal computing device that had a phone app. Everyone else was making phones that just happened to have compute capability bolted on.
\n\nIt’ll be interesting to see what Apple has up its sleeves.
\n", "content_html": "Starting in 2014, Apple began working on “Project Titan,” with upwards of 1,000 employees working on developing an electric vehicle at a secret location near its Cupertino headquarters.
\n\nOver the course of the last several years, rumors even suggested Apple shelved plans for a car, but Apple has overcome development problems and still plans to develop a consumer-facing car.
\n\nStephen Nellis, Norihiko Shirouzu, and Paul Lienert, reporting for Reuters:
\n\n\n\n\nApple Inc. is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. […]
As for the car’s battery, Apple plans to use a unique “monocell” design that bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials, one of the people said.
Apple’s design means that more active material can be packed inside the battery, giving the car a potentially longer range. Apple is also examining a chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person said, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.
”It’s next level,” the person said of Apple’s battery technology. “Like the first time you saw the iPhone.”
The iPhone was a shift in what a phone was. Apple redefined the phone as a personal computing device that had a phone app. Everyone else was making phones that just happened to have compute capability bolted on.
\n\nIt’ll be interesting to see what Apple has up its sleeves.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/29/american-dream-is-now-aspirational/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2020/12/29/american-dream-is-now-aspirational/", "title": "The aspirational American Dream", "date_published": "2020-12-29T12:17:33-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-12-29T12:17:33-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/simpsons-aspirational.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Dani Exliex Ryskamp in The Atlantic - The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Adjusted for inflation, Homer’s 1996 income of $25,000 would be roughly $42,000 today, about 60 percent of the 2019 median U.S. income. But salary aside, the world for someone like Homer Simpson is far less secure. Union membership, which protects wages and benefits for millions of workers in positions like Homer’s, dropped from 14.5 percent in 1996 to 10.3 percent today. With that decline came the loss of income security and many guaranteed benefits, including health insurance and pension plans. In 1993’s episode “Last Exit to Springfield,” Lisa needs braces at the same time that Homer’s dental plan evaporates. Unable to afford Lisa’s orthodontia without that insurance, Homer leads a strike. Mr. Burns, the boss, eventually capitulates to the union’s demand for dental coverage, resulting in shiny new braces for Lisa and one fewer financial headache for her parents. What would Homer have done today without the support of his union?
The purchasing power of Homer’s paycheck, moreover, has shrunk dramatically. The median house costs 2.4 times what it did in the mid-’90s. Health-care expenses for one person are three times what they were 25 years ago. The median tuition for a four-year college is 1.8 times what it was then. In today’s world, Marge would have to get a job too. But even then, they would struggle. Inflation and stagnant wages have led to a rise in two-income households, but to an erosion of economic stability for the people who occupy them.
[...]
Someone I follow on Twitter, Erika Chappell, recently encapsulated my feelings about The Simpsons in a tweet: “That a show which was originally about a dysfunctional mess of a family barely clinging to middle class life in the aftermath of the Reagan administration has now become aspirational is frankly the most on the nose manifestations [sic] of capitalist American decline I can think of.”
For many, a life of constant economic uncertainty—in which some of us are one emergency away from losing everything, no matter how much we work—is normal. Second jobs are no longer for extra cash; they are for survival. It wasn’t always this way. When The Simpsons first aired, few would have predicted that Americans would eventually find the family’s life out of reach. But for too many of us now, it is.
Dani Exliex Ryskamp in The Atlantic - The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/06/republicans-meet-their-monster/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/06/republicans-meet-their-monster/", "title": "Republicans Meet their Monster", "date_published": "2021-01-06T23:03:57-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-06T23:03:57-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Adjusted for inflation, Homer’s 1996 income of $25,000 would be roughly $42,000 today, about 60 percent of the 2019 median U.S. income. But salary aside, the world for someone like Homer Simpson is far less secure. Union membership, which protects wages and benefits for millions of workers in positions like Homer’s, dropped from 14.5 percent in 1996 to 10.3 percent today. With that decline came the loss of income security and many guaranteed benefits, including health insurance and pension plans. In 1993’s episode “Last Exit to Springfield,” Lisa needs braces at the same time that Homer’s dental plan evaporates. Unable to afford Lisa’s orthodontia without that insurance, Homer leads a strike. Mr. Burns, the boss, eventually capitulates to the union’s demand for dental coverage, resulting in shiny new braces for Lisa and one fewer financial headache for her parents. What would Homer have done today without the support of his union?
The purchasing power of Homer’s paycheck, moreover, has shrunk dramatically. The median house costs 2.4 times what it did in the mid-’90s. Health-care expenses for one person are three times what they were 25 years ago. The median tuition for a four-year college is 1.8 times what it was then. In today’s world, Marge would have to get a job too. But even then, they would struggle. Inflation and stagnant wages have led to a rise in two-income households, but to an erosion of economic stability for the people who occupy them.
[...]
Someone I follow on Twitter, Erika Chappell, recently encapsulated my feelings about The Simpsons in a tweet: “That a show which was originally about a dysfunctional mess of a family barely clinging to middle class life in the aftermath of the Reagan administration has now become aspirational is frankly the most on the nose manifestations [sic] of capitalist American decline I can think of.”
For many, a life of constant economic uncertainty—in which some of us are one emergency away from losing everything, no matter how much we work—is normal. Second jobs are no longer for extra cash; they are for survival. It wasn’t always this way. When The Simpsons first aired, few would have predicted that Americans would eventually find the family’s life out of reach. But for too many of us now, it is.
![](\"/assets/images/trump-capital-assault.jpg\")
The political enablers of Donald Trump finally met the monster they created face to face. This will be their legacy.
\n\nElaine Godfrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "But the morning’s fevered theorizing about election fraud and “Stop the steal!” chants, which at first felt more pitiful than threatening, gave way to violence by the afternoon. The mob stormed the Capitol, chased police officers up the marble steps, and forced the evacuation of the vice president as hundreds of lawmakers and congressional staff huddled under desks and reached for gas masks. It was a grave moment for American democracy, and a clarifying one as well: Today was one of the few times that Trump’s most extreme supporters actually encountered the Republican lawmakers who have stoked their anger and encouraged their delusions for years.
The politicians who enabled Trump did not expect the president’s followers to ever break through the glass windows of the Capitol and ascend the Senate dais. They did not anticipate that a man wearing a camp auschwitz shirt or others, with Confederate flags or dressed as fur-clad Vikings, would breach the building; that a woman would lie dying by one of the building’s entrances, shot by Capitol Police. Trump, for them, has been a blunt instrument they can use to retain power, appoint conservative judges, and pass tax cuts. Today, these Republicans finally confronted the monster they’ve created.
The political enablers of Donald Trump finally met the monster they created face to face. This will be their legacy.
\n\nElaine Godfrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/07/republicans-this-is-on-you/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/07/republicans-this-is-on-you/", "title": "Republicans - this is on you.", "date_published": "2021-01-07T12:45:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-07T12:45:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But the morning’s fevered theorizing about election fraud and “Stop the steal!” chants, which at first felt more pitiful than threatening, gave way to violence by the afternoon. The mob stormed the Capitol, chased police officers up the marble steps, and forced the evacuation of the vice president as hundreds of lawmakers and congressional staff huddled under desks and reached for gas masks. It was a grave moment for American democracy, and a clarifying one as well: Today was one of the few times that Trump’s most extreme supporters actually encountered the Republican lawmakers who have stoked their anger and encouraged their delusions for years.
The politicians who enabled Trump did not expect the president’s followers to ever break through the glass windows of the Capitol and ascend the Senate dais. They did not anticipate that a man wearing a camp auschwitz shirt or others, with Confederate flags or dressed as fur-clad Vikings, would breach the building; that a woman would lie dying by one of the building’s entrances, shot by Capitol Police. Trump, for them, has been a blunt instrument they can use to retain power, appoint conservative judges, and pass tax cuts. Today, these Republicans finally confronted the monster they’ve created.
\nDay 1 vs. Day 1,448 pic.twitter.com/OohffkCQrc
— 11th Hour (@11thHour) January 6, 2021
\nDay 1 vs. Day 1,448 pic.twitter.com/OohffkCQrc
— 11th Hour (@11thHour) January 6, 2021
\n\n\nDonald Trump unleashed a mob on Capitol Hill. What he has done is without precedent in American history. Even if he had seven minutes left in his presidency, he should not be permitted to spend another second as the President. Nancy Pelosi should call an emergency session of the House tonight and impeach the president, and Mitch McConnell should convene the Senate tomorrow and call a vote to remove Trump from the presidency.
If there ever was a need for invoking the 25th Amendment, the time is now.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nDonald Trump unleashed a mob on Capitol Hill. What he has done is without precedent in American history. Even if he had seven minutes left in his presidency, he should not be permitted to spend another second as the President. Nancy Pelosi should call an emergency session of the House tonight and impeach the president, and Mitch McConnell should convene the Senate tomorrow and call a vote to remove Trump from the presidency.
If there ever was a need for invoking the 25th Amendment, the time is now.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/08/the-mob/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/08/the-mob/", "title": "The Mob", "date_published": "2021-01-08T01:15:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-08T01:15:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "An angry seditious mob, incited by President Trump, attacked the US Capital building yesterday.
\n\nWho were these people? Well I can tell you who they weren’t:
\n\nI think you can figure this one out.
\n\n\n
\n![](\"/assets/images/rioters1.jpg\")
\n
\n![](\"/assets/images/rioters2.jpg\")
\n
\n![](\"/assets/images/rioters3.jpg\")
\n
An angry seditious mob, incited by President Trump, attacked the US Capital building yesterday.
\n\nWho were these people? Well I can tell you who they weren’t:
\n\nI think you can figure this one out.
\n\n\n
\n\n
\n\n
\n\n
Pete Souza, former Official White House Photographer for U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama reminds us what a normal presidency looks like.
\n\nPete Souza, former Official White House Photographer for U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama reminds us what a normal presidency looks like.
\n\n\n\n\nAs a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints; at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.
Facebook and Twitter should take note.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nAs a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints; at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.
Facebook and Twitter should take note.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/08/brianna-keilar-be-bringing-receipts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/08/brianna-keilar-be-bringing-receipts/", "title": "Brianna Keilar rolling the tape ", "date_published": "2021-01-08T04:06:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-08T04:06:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "CNN’s Brianna Keilar - what truth to power looks like:
\n\nCNN’s Brianna Keilar - what truth to power looks like:
\n\nI completely agree with Kara Swisher:
\n\n\n\n\nThat is why Twitter and Facebook and YouTube, which are the three main conduits of online communications for most Americans, must now de-platform Trump permanently.
I do not call for this lightly and have always thought that he should get a wider berth owing to being the most newsworthy person on the planet. But it’s long past time to make an example of him as a persistent violator of platform rules who cynically games their laudable impulse toward allowing as much speech as possible. […]
Twitter — Trump’s favored online communications vehicle — says as much in its civic integrity policy, noting that “you may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes.” Well, he has done that over and over on social media, raging like the monster that he has always been.
Considering the traffic that Trump drives to these services and by definition profits, I am not holding my breath that they will do the right thing.
\n", "content_html": "I completely agree with Kara Swisher:
\n\n\n\n\nThat is why Twitter and Facebook and YouTube, which are the three main conduits of online communications for most Americans, must now de-platform Trump permanently.
I do not call for this lightly and have always thought that he should get a wider berth owing to being the most newsworthy person on the planet. But it’s long past time to make an example of him as a persistent violator of platform rules who cynically games their laudable impulse toward allowing as much speech as possible. […]
Twitter — Trump’s favored online communications vehicle — says as much in its civic integrity policy, noting that “you may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes.” Well, he has done that over and over on social media, raging like the monster that he has always been.
Considering the traffic that Trump drives to these services and by definition profits, I am not holding my breath that they will do the right thing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/09/one-photo-says-everything/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/09/one-photo-says-everything/", "title": "one photo says everything", "date_published": "2021-01-09T00:05:23-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-09T00:05:23-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
We’re taught to believe that America is the greatest country on earth and that it couldn’t possibly get any better. Let’s put that claim to the test. This video compares the US to other wealthy nations using several key metrics: “low-skilled” job compensation, vacation time, length of the work week, and paid parental leave.
\n\n
\nIt should be absolutely embarrassing that the wealthiest country the world has ever seen ranks dead last in every category.
We’re taught to believe that America is the greatest country on earth and that it couldn’t possibly get any better. Let’s put that claim to the test. This video compares the US to other wealthy nations using several key metrics: “low-skilled” job compensation, vacation time, length of the work week, and paid parental leave.
\n\n
\nIt should be absolutely embarrassing that the wealthiest country the world has ever seen ranks dead last in every category.
\n\n\nAfter close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
Finally. We will never have to read another incoherent, racist, threatening tweet from this buffoon ever again.
\n\nTwitter has provided the best statement on how Donal Trump will be rememberd.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nAfter close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
Finally. We will never have to read another incoherent, racist, threatening tweet from this buffoon ever again.
\n\nTwitter has provided the best statement on how Donal Trump will be rememberd.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/09/eight-questions-for-president-obama/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/09/eight-questions-for-president-obama/", "title": "Eight Questions for President Obama", "date_published": "2021-01-09T23:48:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-09T23:48:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "President Obama - you know you can still run for Senate again right?
\n", "content_html": "President Obama - you know you can still run for Senate again right?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/15/the-deplorables/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/15/the-deplorables/", "title": "The Deplorables", "date_published": "2021-01-15T22:53:03-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-15T22:53:03-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Hillary Clinton during a September 2016 fund raiser event:
\n\n\n\n\n“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?” Clinton said. “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”
And they just proved it on January 6th.
\n", "content_html": "Hillary Clinton during a September 2016 fund raiser event:
\n\n\n\n\n“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?” Clinton said. “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”
And they just proved it on January 6th.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/15/the-lies-we-tell-ourselves/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/15/the-lies-we-tell-ourselves/", "title": "The Lies We Tell Ourselves", "date_published": "2021-01-15T23:12:17-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-15T23:12:17-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Sam Sanders in an opinion piece for NPR:
\n\n\n\n\nThere is a lie some Americans tell themselves when America is on its worst behavior: “This isn’t America!” or “This isn’t who we are!” or “We’re better than this!”
You heard versions of this lie again this week after armed insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on urging from President Trump, attempting to undo the results of last November’s election.
Even in the halls of Congress, after the broken glass was cleared and U.S. senators and representatives were allowed back into their chambers from undisclosed locations, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska came back to this refrain: “Our kids need to know that this isn’t what America is.”
We are a country built on fabrication, nostalgia and euphemism. And every time America shows the worst of itself, all the contradictions collapse into the lie I’ve heard nonstop for the last several years: “This isn’t who we are.”
January 6th told us exactly what and who we are. Now the questions is - how do start to become who we strive to be.
\n", "content_html": "Sam Sanders in an opinion piece for NPR:
\n\n\n\n\nThere is a lie some Americans tell themselves when America is on its worst behavior: “This isn’t America!” or “This isn’t who we are!” or “We’re better than this!”
You heard versions of this lie again this week after armed insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on urging from President Trump, attempting to undo the results of last November’s election.
Even in the halls of Congress, after the broken glass was cleared and U.S. senators and representatives were allowed back into their chambers from undisclosed locations, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska came back to this refrain: “Our kids need to know that this isn’t what America is.”
We are a country built on fabrication, nostalgia and euphemism. And every time America shows the worst of itself, all the contradictions collapse into the lie I’ve heard nonstop for the last several years: “This isn’t who we are.”
January 6th told us exactly what and who we are. Now the questions is - how do start to become who we strive to be.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/16/a-truth-reckoning/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/16/a-truth-reckoning/", "title": "A truth reckoning", "date_published": "2021-01-16T00:40:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-16T00:40:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/trumpliars.jpg\")
Randall Lane in Forbes:
\n\n\n\n\nSimple: Don’t let the chronic liars cash in on their dishonesty. Press secretaries like Joe Lockhart, Ari Fleischer and Jay Carney, who left the White House with their reputations in various stages of intact, made millions taking their skills — and credibility — to corporate America. Trump’s liars don’t merit that same golden parachute. Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie. We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away.
This isn’t cancel culture, which is a societal blight. (There’s surely a nice living for each of these press secretaries on the true-believer circuit.) Nor is this politically motivated, as Forbes’ pro-entrepreneur, pro-growth worldview has generally placed it in the right-of-center camp over the past century — this standard needs to apply to liars from either party. It’s just a realization that, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, in a thriving democracy, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Our national reset starts there.
This hurts Retrumplicans the only place they care about. Their pocket books.
\n", "content_html": "
Randall Lane in Forbes:
\n\n\n\n\nSimple: Don’t let the chronic liars cash in on their dishonesty. Press secretaries like Joe Lockhart, Ari Fleischer and Jay Carney, who left the White House with their reputations in various stages of intact, made millions taking their skills — and credibility — to corporate America. Trump’s liars don’t merit that same golden parachute. Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie. We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away.
This isn’t cancel culture, which is a societal blight. (There’s surely a nice living for each of these press secretaries on the true-believer circuit.) Nor is this politically motivated, as Forbes’ pro-entrepreneur, pro-growth worldview has generally placed it in the right-of-center camp over the past century — this standard needs to apply to liars from either party. It’s just a realization that, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, in a thriving democracy, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Our national reset starts there.
This hurts Retrumplicans the only place they care about. Their pocket books.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/16/dr-brian-may/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/16/dr-brian-may/", "title": "Dr. Brian May", "date_published": "2021-01-16T01:00:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-16T01:00:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAs a member of Queen, Brian May became regarded as a virtuoso musician and he was identified with a distinctive sound created through his layered guitar work, often using a home-built electric guitar called the Red Special. May wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “We Will Rock You”, “I Want It All”, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “Flash”, “Hammer to Fall”, “Save Me”, “Who Wants to Live Forever”, “Too Much Love Will Kill You”, and “The Show Must Go On”.
\nAs a member of Queen, Brian May became regarded as a virtuoso musician and he was identified with a distinctive sound created through his layered guitar work, often using a home-built electric guitar called the Red Special. May wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “We Will Rock You”, “I Want It All”, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “Flash”, “Hammer to Fall”, “Save Me”, “Who Wants to Live Forever”, “Too Much Love Will Kill You”, and “The Show Must Go On”.
Kellyanne Conway was an enabler for Donal Trump. She will be forever remembered for coining the term ‘alternative facts’. Even when given a platform to admit fault and build a path forward - she lies, spins, deflects.
\n\n
\nStop giving Kellyanne Conway a platform to revise history.
Kellyanne Conway was an enabler for Donal Trump. She will be forever remembered for coining the term ‘alternative facts’. Even when given a platform to admit fault and build a path forward - she lies, spins, deflects.
\n\n
\nStop giving Kellyanne Conway a platform to revise history.
Jordan Klepper leads a focus group to understand the minds of Trumpers. Well, at least we can all agree with the final conclusion.
\n\nJordan Klepper leads a focus group to understand the minds of Trumpers. Well, at least we can all agree with the final conclusion.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n74% of Republicans believe Joe Biden didn't win the Presidency legitimately. Now this is the country the Biden administration and Democratic Senate and House are tasked with governing. A country that requires 25,000 armed troops to keep the peace on inauguration day.
Thanks to Donal Trump and his enablers - the US can no longer claim to be an example a peaceful transition of power. Good news is, this is Donald Trump’s last day as President of the United States.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n74% of Republicans believe Joe Biden didn't win the Presidency legitimately. Now this is the country the Biden administration and Democratic Senate and House are tasked with governing. A country that requires 25,000 armed troops to keep the peace on inauguration day.
Thanks to Donal Trump and his enablers - the US can no longer claim to be an example a peaceful transition of power. Good news is, this is Donald Trump’s last day as President of the United States.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/20/the-week-after-twitter-banned-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/20/the-week-after-twitter-banned-trump/", "title": "The week after Twitter banned Trump", "date_published": "2021-01-20T02:15:41-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-20T02:15:41-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n\nOnline misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively.
The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that conversations about election fraud dropped from 2.5 million mentions to 688,000 mentions across several social media sites in the week after Trump was banned from Twitter.
Imagine if this was done half way through the Trump Presidency.
\n", "content_html": "The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\n\nOnline misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively.
The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that conversations about election fraud dropped from 2.5 million mentions to 688,000 mentions across several social media sites in the week after Trump was banned from Twitter.
Imagine if this was done half way through the Trump Presidency.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/20/americas-white-supremacist-president/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/20/americas-white-supremacist-president/", "title": "America's White Supremacist President", "date_published": "2021-01-20T23:54:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-20T23:54:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/white-president.jpg\")
\n\n\nIt was popular, at the time of Donald Trump’s ascension, to stand on the thinnest of reeds in order to avoid stating the obvious. It was said that the Trump presidency was the fruit of “economic anxiety,” of trigger warnings and the push for trans rights. We were told that it was wrong to call Trump a white supremacist, because he had merely “drawn upon their themes.”
One hopes that after four years of brown children in cages; of attempts to invalidate the will of Black voters in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Detroit; of hearing Trump tell congresswomen of color to go back where they came from; of claims that Joe Biden would turn Minnesota into “a refugee camp”; of his constant invocations of “the Chinese virus,” we can now safely conclude that Trump believes in a world where white people are — or should be — on top. It is still deeply challenging for so many people to accept the reality of what has happened — that a country has been captured by the worst of its history, while millions of Americans cheered this on.
The worst president the United States has ever had. We can add insurrectionist to that long list. He will go screaming, kicking, yelling, pouting, screaming. But he is out. And it wasn’t the courts - it was the American voters.
\n\nI am regaining faith in this country. It’s going to be a long journey, and as with any journey it begins with a first step. That step was taken today.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nIt was popular, at the time of Donald Trump’s ascension, to stand on the thinnest of reeds in order to avoid stating the obvious. It was said that the Trump presidency was the fruit of “economic anxiety,” of trigger warnings and the push for trans rights. We were told that it was wrong to call Trump a white supremacist, because he had merely “drawn upon their themes.”
One hopes that after four years of brown children in cages; of attempts to invalidate the will of Black voters in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Detroit; of hearing Trump tell congresswomen of color to go back where they came from; of claims that Joe Biden would turn Minnesota into “a refugee camp”; of his constant invocations of “the Chinese virus,” we can now safely conclude that Trump believes in a world where white people are — or should be — on top. It is still deeply challenging for so many people to accept the reality of what has happened — that a country has been captured by the worst of its history, while millions of Americans cheered this on.
The worst president the United States has ever had. We can add insurrectionist to that long list. He will go screaming, kicking, yelling, pouting, screaming. But he is out. And it wasn’t the courts - it was the American voters.
\n\nI am regaining faith in this country. It’s going to be a long journey, and as with any journey it begins with a first step. That step was taken today.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/madam-vice-president/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/madam-vice-president/", "title": "Kamala Harris - Madam Vice President", "date_published": "2021-01-21T01:15:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-21T01:15:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/kamala-harris.jpg\")
The first Black Vice President. The first person of South Asian descent to be Vice President. The first woman to hold that office. This is the look of political power in the future. There is a lot to celebrate today.
\n\nTo all the right wingers - get used to it.
\n", "content_html": "
The first Black Vice President. The first person of South Asian descent to be Vice President. The first woman to hold that office. This is the look of political power in the future. There is a lot to celebrate today.
\n\nTo all the right wingers - get used to it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/wake-up-call-for-republicans/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/wake-up-call-for-republicans/", "title": "Wake up call for Republicans", "date_published": "2021-01-21T01:24:27-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-21T01:24:27-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Matthew Cook in a plea for Republicans and Trump supporters to wake-up.
\n\n\n\n\nThis is a wake-up call for Republicans. America elected Joe Biden by over 7 million votes, and you’re confused because you didn’t see us flock to his rallies and cheer his smackdowns like we were at a pro wrestling event during a global pandemic. We don’t wear matching hats or have “no more malarkey” flags waving from the backs of our trucks. Do you know why? Because Biden is not our tribal warlord. We believe the job of a U.S. President is to represent more than one interest group. That’s why 81 million of us turned out to stop a narcissistic personality cult that embodies all seven of the deadly sins — most of all pride, which you’ve taken to levels of blasphemy, claiming your political leaders are handpicked by Jesus Christ.
This country is called the United States and we have multiple converging crises that need adult supervision but we are being distracted trying to get control over a critical mass of you who no longer believe in reality.
This took a psychotic narcissistic President, with what is essentially a state run media outlet in Fox, two of the largest tech companies (Facebook & Twitter) in a perfect storm with Republican leaders such as Ted Cruz & Josh Hawley 4 years to spread lies and disinformation that eventually led to an insurrection by American citizens. I fear it’s going to take a lot more time to bring the Party of Lincoln back to its roots.
\n\nThat is if the party survives at all.
\n", "content_html": "Matthew Cook in a plea for Republicans and Trump supporters to wake-up.
\n\n\n\n\nThis is a wake-up call for Republicans. America elected Joe Biden by over 7 million votes, and you’re confused because you didn’t see us flock to his rallies and cheer his smackdowns like we were at a pro wrestling event during a global pandemic. We don’t wear matching hats or have “no more malarkey” flags waving from the backs of our trucks. Do you know why? Because Biden is not our tribal warlord. We believe the job of a U.S. President is to represent more than one interest group. That’s why 81 million of us turned out to stop a narcissistic personality cult that embodies all seven of the deadly sins — most of all pride, which you’ve taken to levels of blasphemy, claiming your political leaders are handpicked by Jesus Christ.
This country is called the United States and we have multiple converging crises that need adult supervision but we are being distracted trying to get control over a critical mass of you who no longer believe in reality.
This took a psychotic narcissistic President, with what is essentially a state run media outlet in Fox, two of the largest tech companies (Facebook & Twitter) in a perfect storm with Republican leaders such as Ted Cruz & Josh Hawley 4 years to spread lies and disinformation that eventually led to an insurrection by American citizens. I fear it’s going to take a lot more time to bring the Party of Lincoln back to its roots.
\n\nThat is if the party survives at all.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/new-adminstration-new-website/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/21/new-adminstration-new-website/", "title": "New administration, new website.", "date_published": "2021-01-21T01:51:14-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-21T01:51:14-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/biden-harris.jpg\")
Change is everywhere. Even the new The White House website is more inclusive, focused and hopeful.
\n\nAs the great American poet Bob Dylan once said - The Times They Are A-Changin'. This time for the better.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "
Change is everywhere. Even the new The White House website is more inclusive, focused and hopeful.
\n\nAs the great American poet Bob Dylan once said - The Times They Are A-Changin'. This time for the better.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/22/intel-should-be-worried/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/22/intel-should-be-worried/", "title": "Intel should be worried", "date_published": "2021-01-22T05:02:48-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-22T05:02:48-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/m1-v-intel.jpg\")
\n
\nTom Warren reporting in The Verge:
\n\n\n\"We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino” makes, Gelsinger reportedly told Intel employees. “We have to be that good, in the future.\"
The Apple M1 chip is out. It has proven to be faster than Intel’s best - both in performance and power consumption. To make matters worse, Apple has already transitioned its OS and vendors are quickly porting their Intel based software over to the new architecture.
\n\nTraditionally, Intel would have some time to play catchup as the software needs to be upgraded to the new silicon. Thanks to Apple’s Rosetta technology, Intel native apps run without modification on Apple silicon - with little or no performance hit. Lets not forget, this is Apple fourth transition (68K -> PowerPC -> Intel -> Apple Silicon). They have successfully done it three times before, and the fourth is already proving to be no different.
\n\nIntel’s new CEO Pat Gelsinger seems awfully arrogant calling Apple a “life style company.” The introduction of Apples ARM silicon in their computer line is as industry shaking as the release of the iPhone. Just ask how things turned out for Nokia, RIM, Microsoft and Palm.
\n\nIntel shouldn’t be making wise cracks. They should be scared to death. Pat Gelsinger should be paranoid.
\n\nDon’t be this guy:
\n\n\n
\nTom Warren reporting in The Verge:
\n\n\n\"We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino” makes, Gelsinger reportedly told Intel employees. “We have to be that good, in the future.\"
The Apple M1 chip is out. It has proven to be faster than Intel’s best - both in performance and power consumption. To make matters worse, Apple has already transitioned its OS and vendors are quickly porting their Intel based software over to the new architecture.
\n\nTraditionally, Intel would have some time to play catchup as the software needs to be upgraded to the new silicon. Thanks to Apple’s Rosetta technology, Intel native apps run without modification on Apple silicon - with little or no performance hit. Lets not forget, this is Apple fourth transition (68K -> PowerPC -> Intel -> Apple Silicon). They have successfully done it three times before, and the fourth is already proving to be no different.
\n\nIntel’s new CEO Pat Gelsinger seems awfully arrogant calling Apple a “life style company.” The introduction of Apples ARM silicon in their computer line is as industry shaking as the release of the iPhone. Just ask how things turned out for Nokia, RIM, Microsoft and Palm.
\n\nIntel shouldn’t be making wise cracks. They should be scared to death. Pat Gelsinger should be paranoid.
\n\nDon’t be this guy:
\n\nThough the latest episode of “Real Time” was the first of the Joe Biden era, Bill Maher used his “New Rules” segment to talk not about the newly minted administration, but instead about Republicans.
\n\nOn Josh Hawley:
\n\n\n\nOh, he’s an up-and-comer. Washington insider says he’s among 2021’s most punchable faces. Handsome, youthful and vigorous, he’s the far-right JFK with a little dash of KKK. And as the son of a wealthy banker and a graduate of Stanford, Yale and a private prep school, Josh knows what he hates most in this world: elites. Loathsome and transparently ambitious, Josh was the first editor to formally choose Trump’s baseless election fraud conspiracy over his pledge to uphold the Constitution. But before you say he’s anti-democratic, Josh wants you to know that he’s just asking questions. Questions like, ‘Why does the winner of an election always have to be the guy who gets the most votes?'
On Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert:
\n\n\n\nNot to be outdone in the area of hating government from the inside, freshmen Colorado rep and high school dropout Lauren Boebert is some of you may have already thought of — if you ever thought — ‘What would happen if Michelle Bachman smoked bath salts?’ This sassy gal was taking her hoops out to fight the libtards and she, and she wants everyone to know she has exactly one issue: guns. Spoiler alert, she likes them. She is from a town named Rifle and owns a restaurant called Shooters, where the waitstaff, no kidding, are encouraged to carry loaded weapons on the job. My suggestion if you eat there, make sure you tip at least 20%! I ate there once, I asked the waiter ‘How fresh is the fish?’ He said ‘I don’t know, you feel lucky, punk?'
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Green, a QAnon supporter:
\n\n\n\nThe true mayor of crazy town, and everyone’s favorite Karen. The congresswoman who makes most people say, ‘How is she not a teacher from Florida who f—s her students?’ I don’t know, but holy s— is this lady crazy? She does not listen to lobbyists and special interests. No, she listens to microwaves. I’m talking dogs. She is an all-in QAnon believer who thinks science and reason are a conspiracy to trick people into thinking. Reagan saw a shining city on a hill, this chick sees spiders on her arms. Move over AOC, say hello to WTF.
Yea - the newest members of the Republican Class of 2021. Sit tight, its going to be a long 4 years.
\n", "content_html": "Though the latest episode of “Real Time” was the first of the Joe Biden era, Bill Maher used his “New Rules” segment to talk not about the newly minted administration, but instead about Republicans.
\n\nOn Josh Hawley:
\n\n\n\nOh, he’s an up-and-comer. Washington insider says he’s among 2021’s most punchable faces. Handsome, youthful and vigorous, he’s the far-right JFK with a little dash of KKK. And as the son of a wealthy banker and a graduate of Stanford, Yale and a private prep school, Josh knows what he hates most in this world: elites. Loathsome and transparently ambitious, Josh was the first editor to formally choose Trump’s baseless election fraud conspiracy over his pledge to uphold the Constitution. But before you say he’s anti-democratic, Josh wants you to know that he’s just asking questions. Questions like, ‘Why does the winner of an election always have to be the guy who gets the most votes?'
On Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert:
\n\n\n\nNot to be outdone in the area of hating government from the inside, freshmen Colorado rep and high school dropout Lauren Boebert is some of you may have already thought of — if you ever thought — ‘What would happen if Michelle Bachman smoked bath salts?’ This sassy gal was taking her hoops out to fight the libtards and she, and she wants everyone to know she has exactly one issue: guns. Spoiler alert, she likes them. She is from a town named Rifle and owns a restaurant called Shooters, where the waitstaff, no kidding, are encouraged to carry loaded weapons on the job. My suggestion if you eat there, make sure you tip at least 20%! I ate there once, I asked the waiter ‘How fresh is the fish?’ He said ‘I don’t know, you feel lucky, punk?'
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Green, a QAnon supporter:
\n\n\n\nThe true mayor of crazy town, and everyone’s favorite Karen. The congresswoman who makes most people say, ‘How is she not a teacher from Florida who f—s her students?’ I don’t know, but holy s— is this lady crazy? She does not listen to lobbyists and special interests. No, she listens to microwaves. I’m talking dogs. She is an all-in QAnon believer who thinks science and reason are a conspiracy to trick people into thinking. Reagan saw a shining city on a hill, this chick sees spiders on her arms. Move over AOC, say hello to WTF.
Yea - the newest members of the Republican Class of 2021. Sit tight, its going to be a long 4 years.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/30/the-slabs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/01/30/the-slabs/", "title": "The Slabs", "date_published": "2021-01-30T22:44:16-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-01-30T22:44:16-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Danny MacAskill visits the Isle of Skye with his mountain bike to find an impossibly steep route down the Dubh Slabs.
\n\n\n\nThat was pretty scary.
I’ll say.
\n\nDanny MacAskill visits the Isle of Skye with his mountain bike to find an impossibly steep route down the Dubh Slabs.
\n\n\n\nThat was pretty scary.
I’ll say.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/Prince-Jonathan-Daniel.jpg\")
The best Super Bowl halftime performance is Prince’s performance during Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Anil Dash’s excellent write-up:
\n\n\n\n\nPrince’s halftime show wasn’t just a fun diversion from a football game; it was a deeply personal statement on race, agency & artistry from an artist determined to cement his long-term legacy. And he did it on his own terms, as always.
Opening with the stomp-stomp-clap of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, Prince went for crowd participation right from the start, with a nod to one of the biggest stadium anthems of all time — and notably, is one of the songs in the set that he never performed any time before or after. Indeed, though his 1992 song “3 Chains O’ Gold” was clearly a pastiche of the then-rejuvenated “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Prince had rarely, if ever, played any Queen covers at all in his thousands of live shows.
But with that arena-rock staple, Prince was signaling that he was going to win over a football crowd. He launched straight into “Let’s Go Crazy” at the top of the set. As one of the best album- and concert-opening songs of all time, this was a perfect choice. Different from any other Super Bowl performer before or since, Prince actually does a call-and-response section in the song, emphasizing that this is live, and connecting him explicitly to a timeless Black music tradition.
Watch the full show here.
\n\n
The best Super Bowl halftime performance is Prince’s performance during Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Anil Dash’s excellent write-up:
\n\n\n\n\nPrince’s halftime show wasn’t just a fun diversion from a football game; it was a deeply personal statement on race, agency & artistry from an artist determined to cement his long-term legacy. And he did it on his own terms, as always.
Opening with the stomp-stomp-clap of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, Prince went for crowd participation right from the start, with a nod to one of the biggest stadium anthems of all time — and notably, is one of the songs in the set that he never performed any time before or after. Indeed, though his 1992 song “3 Chains O’ Gold” was clearly a pastiche of the then-rejuvenated “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Prince had rarely, if ever, played any Queen covers at all in his thousands of live shows.
But with that arena-rock staple, Prince was signaling that he was going to win over a football crowd. He launched straight into “Let’s Go Crazy” at the top of the set. As one of the best album- and concert-opening songs of all time, this was a perfect choice. Different from any other Super Bowl performer before or since, Prince actually does a call-and-response section in the song, emphasizing that this is live, and connecting him explicitly to a timeless Black music tradition.
Watch the full show here.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/apple-car.jpg\")
Phil LeBeau and Meghan Reeder over at CNBC:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "After years of speculation that it will eventually get into the auto business with its own vehicle, Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia according to multiple sources who briefed CNBC on the plan.
The so-called “Apple Car,” which is being developed by a team at Apple, is tentatively scheduled to go into production in 2024, though people familiar with the talks between Apple and Hyundai-Kia say the eventual rollout could be pushed back.
[…]
Sources familiar with Apple’s interest in working with Hyundai say the tech giant wants to build the “Apple Car” in North America with an established automaker willing to allow Apple to control the software and hardware that will go into the vehicle.
In other words, this will be an “Apple Car,” not a Kia model featuring Apple software.
Phil LeBeau and Meghan Reeder over at CNBC:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/folded-map-project/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/folded-map-project/", "title": "Folded Map Project", "date_published": "2021-02-12T01:28:58-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-12T01:28:58-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "After years of speculation that it will eventually get into the auto business with its own vehicle, Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia according to multiple sources who briefed CNBC on the plan.
The so-called “Apple Car,” which is being developed by a team at Apple, is tentatively scheduled to go into production in 2024, though people familiar with the talks between Apple and Hyundai-Kia say the eventual rollout could be pushed back.
[…]
Sources familiar with Apple’s interest in working with Hyundai say the tech giant wants to build the “Apple Car” in North America with an established automaker willing to allow Apple to control the software and hardware that will go into the vehicle.
In other words, this will be an “Apple Car,” not a Kia model featuring Apple software.
![](\"/assets/images/folded-map-01.jpg\")
Tonika Johnson’s Folded Map Project explores the differences and similarities across this boundary by comparing an addresses on the North Side with the corresponding addresses on the South Side of Chicago.
\n\nIn an interview by Paulette Beete for Colossal:
\n\n\n\n\nThe ultimate point that I was trying to get across was that Chicago’s history of segregation is still with all of us today. I wanted to prove this point for people who might not make that connection [between] the disparity that exists and the history behind it. I wanted the project to be an entree into expanding people’s minds of Chicago’s history of segregation through thinking about their own lived experience. I really appreciated being able to do that through art, through photos and portraits and video because I wasn’t blaming people who live on these different sides. I was offering them insight into the larger question of, “did you really choose this? Does our segregation reflect how we want to interact? And if it doesn’t, then you have to question why is it this way?”
There is this narrative that people think [Chicagoans] don’t interact. But we do, a lot, especially through art. That’s how we know the city is segregated. (laughing) We know that we’re disrupting this segregation when we come together. And that’s why I think art is such a beautiful common denominator.
This project is a reminder of the economic inequality and the effects of America’s historical segregation policies far reaching effects. Which are still on display, for anyone who cares to notice.
\n", "content_html": "
Tonika Johnson’s Folded Map Project explores the differences and similarities across this boundary by comparing an addresses on the North Side with the corresponding addresses on the South Side of Chicago.
\n\nIn an interview by Paulette Beete for Colossal:
\n\n\n\n\nThe ultimate point that I was trying to get across was that Chicago’s history of segregation is still with all of us today. I wanted to prove this point for people who might not make that connection [between] the disparity that exists and the history behind it. I wanted the project to be an entree into expanding people’s minds of Chicago’s history of segregation through thinking about their own lived experience. I really appreciated being able to do that through art, through photos and portraits and video because I wasn’t blaming people who live on these different sides. I was offering them insight into the larger question of, “did you really choose this? Does our segregation reflect how we want to interact? And if it doesn’t, then you have to question why is it this way?”
There is this narrative that people think [Chicagoans] don’t interact. But we do, a lot, especially through art. That’s how we know the city is segregated. (laughing) We know that we’re disrupting this segregation when we come together. And that’s why I think art is such a beautiful common denominator.
This project is a reminder of the economic inequality and the effects of America’s historical segregation policies far reaching effects. Which are still on display, for anyone who cares to notice.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/catching-the-virus-from-surfaces/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/catching-the-virus-from-surfaces/", "title": "Catching the virus from surfaces?", "date_published": "2021-02-12T01:44:23-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-12T01:44:23-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Derek Thompson, in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Six months ago, I wrote that Americans had embraced a backwards view of the coronavirus. Too many people imagined the fight against COVID-19 as a land war to be waged with sudsy hand-to-hand combat against grimy surfaces. Meanwhile, the science suggested we should be focused on an aerial strategy. The virus spreads most efficiently through the air via the spittle spray that we emit when we exhale — especially when we cough, talk loudly, sing, or exercise. I called this conceptual error, and the bonanza of pointless power-scrubbing that it had inspired, “hygiene theater.”
My chief inspiration was an essay in the medical journal The Lancet called “Exaggerated Risk of Transmission of COVID-19 by Fomites.” (Fomites is a medical term for objects and surfaces that can pass along an infectious pathogen.) Its author was Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. At the time, Goldman was a lonely voice in the wilderness. Lysol wipes were flying off the shelves, and it was controversial to suggest that this behavior was anything less than saintly and salutary. Other journals had rejected Goldman’s short essay, and some were still publishing frightening research about the possible danger of our groceries and Amazon packages.
But half a year later, Goldman looks oracular. Since last spring, the CDC has expanded its guidance to clarify that the coronavirus “spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces.” In the past month, the leading scientific journal Nature published both a long analysis and a sharp editorial reiterating Goldman’s thesis. “A year into the pandemic, the evidence is now clear,” the editorial begins. “Catching the virus from surfaces — although plausible — seems to be rare.”
Derek Thompson, in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/the-house-that-tim-cook-built/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/the-house-that-tim-cook-built/", "title": "The House that Tim Cook Built", "date_published": "2021-02-12T01:56:10-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-12T01:56:10-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Six months ago, I wrote that Americans had embraced a backwards view of the coronavirus. Too many people imagined the fight against COVID-19 as a land war to be waged with sudsy hand-to-hand combat against grimy surfaces. Meanwhile, the science suggested we should be focused on an aerial strategy. The virus spreads most efficiently through the air via the spittle spray that we emit when we exhale — especially when we cough, talk loudly, sing, or exercise. I called this conceptual error, and the bonanza of pointless power-scrubbing that it had inspired, “hygiene theater.”
My chief inspiration was an essay in the medical journal The Lancet called “Exaggerated Risk of Transmission of COVID-19 by Fomites.” (Fomites is a medical term for objects and surfaces that can pass along an infectious pathogen.) Its author was Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. At the time, Goldman was a lonely voice in the wilderness. Lysol wipes were flying off the shelves, and it was controversial to suggest that this behavior was anything less than saintly and salutary. Other journals had rejected Goldman’s short essay, and some were still publishing frightening research about the possible danger of our groceries and Amazon packages.
But half a year later, Goldman looks oracular. Since last spring, the CDC has expanded its guidance to clarify that the coronavirus “spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces.” In the past month, the leading scientific journal Nature published both a long analysis and a sharp editorial reiterating Goldman’s thesis. “A year into the pandemic, the evidence is now clear,” the editorial begins. “Catching the virus from surfaces — although plausible — seems to be rare.”
![](\"/assets/images/tim-cook-1.jpg\")
John Sculley was the Pepsi guy.
\nGil Amelio was the leaking ship.
\nSteve Jobs was the visionary.
\nTim Cook is the builder.
\n\n", "content_html": "Apple’s turnaround in the ensuing years has generally been attributed to Jobs’s product genius, beginning with the candy-colored iMacs that turned once-beige appliances into objets d’office. But equally important in Apple’s transformation into the economic and cultural force it is today was Cook’s ability to manufacture those computers, and the iPods, iPhones, and iPads that followed, in massive quantities. For that he adopted strategies similar to those used by HP, Compaq, and Dell, companies that were derided by Jobs but had helped usher in an era of outsourced manufacturing and made-to-order products.
John Sculley was the Pepsi guy.
\nGil Amelio was the leaking ship.
\nSteve Jobs was the visionary.
\nTim Cook is the builder.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/what-i-think-of-bitcoin/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/12/what-i-think-of-bitcoin/", "title": "What I Think of Bitcoin", "date_published": "2021-02-12T02:32:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-12T02:32:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Apple’s turnaround in the ensuing years has generally been attributed to Jobs’s product genius, beginning with the candy-colored iMacs that turned once-beige appliances into objets d’office. But equally important in Apple’s transformation into the economic and cultural force it is today was Cook’s ability to manufacture those computers, and the iPods, iPhones, and iPads that followed, in massive quantities. For that he adopted strategies similar to those used by HP, Compaq, and Dell, companies that were derided by Jobs but had helped usher in an era of outsourced manufacturing and made-to-order products.
Ray Dalio channels my thoughts on bitcoin:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "As an extension of Bitcoin¹ being digital are the questions of how private it is and what the government will allow and not allow it to be. Regarding privacy, it appears that Bitcoin will unlikely be as private as some people surmise. It is, after all, a public ledger and a material amount of Bitcoin is held in a non-private manner. If the government (and perhaps hackers) want to see who has what, I doubt that privacy could be protected. Also, it appears to me that if the government wanted to get rid of its use, most of those who are using it wouldn’t be able to use it so the demand for it would plunge. Rather than it being far-fetched that the government would invade the privacy and/or prevent the use of Bitcoin (and its competitors) it seems to me that the more successful it is the more likely these possibilities would be. Starting with the formation of the first central bank (the Bank of England in 1694), for good logical reasons governments wanted control over money and they protected their abilities to have the only monies and credit within their borders. When I a) put myself in the shoes of government officials, b) see their actions, and c) hear what they say, it is hard for me to imagine that they would allow Bitcoin (or gold) to be an obviously better choice than the money and credit that they are producing. I suspect that Bitcoin’s biggest risk is being successful, because if it’s successful, the government will try to kill it and they have a lot of power to succeed.
Ray Dalio channels my thoughts on bitcoin:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/13/trump-acquitted/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/13/trump-acquitted/", "title": "Trump Acquitted", "date_published": "2021-02-13T02:32:32-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-13T02:32:32-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As an extension of Bitcoin¹ being digital are the questions of how private it is and what the government will allow and not allow it to be. Regarding privacy, it appears that Bitcoin will unlikely be as private as some people surmise. It is, after all, a public ledger and a material amount of Bitcoin is held in a non-private manner. If the government (and perhaps hackers) want to see who has what, I doubt that privacy could be protected. Also, it appears to me that if the government wanted to get rid of its use, most of those who are using it wouldn’t be able to use it so the demand for it would plunge. Rather than it being far-fetched that the government would invade the privacy and/or prevent the use of Bitcoin (and its competitors) it seems to me that the more successful it is the more likely these possibilities would be. Starting with the formation of the first central bank (the Bank of England in 1694), for good logical reasons governments wanted control over money and they protected their abilities to have the only monies and credit within their borders. When I a) put myself in the shoes of government officials, b) see their actions, and c) hear what they say, it is hard for me to imagine that they would allow Bitcoin (or gold) to be an obviously better choice than the money and credit that they are producing. I suspect that Bitcoin’s biggest risk is being successful, because if it’s successful, the government will try to kill it and they have a lot of power to succeed.
\n\n", "content_html": "Former president Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, becoming the first president in U.S. history to face a second impeachment trial — and surviving it in part because of his continuing hold on the Republican Party despite his electoral defeat in November.
That grip appeared to loosen slightly during the vote Saturday afternoon, when seven Republicans crossed party lines to vote for conviction — a sign of the rift the Capitol siege has caused within GOP ranks and the desire by some in the party to move on from Trump. Still, the 57-to-43 vote, in which all Democrats and two independents voted against the president, fell far short of the two-thirds required to convict.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/16/flipping-red-states/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/16/flipping-red-states/", "title": "flipping red states", "date_published": "2021-02-16T23:47:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-16T23:47:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Former president Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, becoming the first president in U.S. history to face a second impeachment trial — and surviving it in part because of his continuing hold on the Republican Party despite his electoral defeat in November.
That grip appeared to loosen slightly during the vote Saturday afternoon, when seven Republicans crossed party lines to vote for conviction — a sign of the rift the Capitol siege has caused within GOP ranks and the desire by some in the party to move on from Trump. Still, the 57-to-43 vote, in which all Democrats and two independents voted against the president, fell far short of the two-thirds required to convict.
Stacey Abrams & Lauren Groh-Wargo on how they increased Democratic votes in Georgia:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Georgians deserved better, so we devised and began executing a 10-year plan to transform Georgia into a battleground state. As the world knows, President Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in November, and the January runoff elections for two Senate seats secured full congressional control for the Democratic Party. Yet the result wasn’t a miracle or truly a surprise, at least not to us. Years of planning, testing, innovating, sustained investment and organizing yielded the record-breaking results we knew they could and should. The lessons we learned can help other states looking to chart a more competitive future for Democrats and progressives, particularly those in the Sun Belt, where demographic change will precede electoral opportunity.
We realize that many people are thinking about Stacey’s political future, but right now we intend to talk about the unglamorous, tedious, sometimes technical, often contentious work that creates a battleground state. When fully embraced, this work delivers wins — whether or not Donald Trump is on the ballot — as the growth Georgia Democrats have seen in cycle after cycle shows. Even in tough election years, we have witnessed the power of civic engagement on policy issues and increases in Democratic performance. This combination of improvements has also resulted in steady gains in local races and state legislative races, along with the continued narrowing of the statewide loss margin in election after election that finally flipped the state in 2020 and 2021.
The task is hard, the progress can feel slow, and winning sometimes means losing better. In 2012, for example, we prevented the Republicans from gaining a supermajority in the Georgia House of Representatives, which would have allowed them to pass virtually any bill they wanted. We won four seats they had drawn for themselves, and in 2014 we maintained those gains — just holding our ground was a victory.
The steps toward victory are straightforward: understand your weaknesses, organize with your allies, shore up your political infrastructure and focus on the long game. Georgia’s transformation is worth celebrating, and how it came to be is a long and complicated story, which required more than simply energizing a new coterie of voters. What Georgia Democrats and progressives accomplished here — and what is happening in Arizona and North Carolina — can be exported to the rest of the Sun Belt and the Midwest, but only if we understand how we got here.
Stacey Abrams & Lauren Groh-Wargo on how they increased Democratic votes in Georgia:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/16/we-are-not-afraid/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/16/we-are-not-afraid/", "title": "We are not afraid", "date_published": "2021-02-16T23:58:20-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-16T23:58:20-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Georgians deserved better, so we devised and began executing a 10-year plan to transform Georgia into a battleground state. As the world knows, President Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in November, and the January runoff elections for two Senate seats secured full congressional control for the Democratic Party. Yet the result wasn’t a miracle or truly a surprise, at least not to us. Years of planning, testing, innovating, sustained investment and organizing yielded the record-breaking results we knew they could and should. The lessons we learned can help other states looking to chart a more competitive future for Democrats and progressives, particularly those in the Sun Belt, where demographic change will precede electoral opportunity.
We realize that many people are thinking about Stacey’s political future, but right now we intend to talk about the unglamorous, tedious, sometimes technical, often contentious work that creates a battleground state. When fully embraced, this work delivers wins — whether or not Donald Trump is on the ballot — as the growth Georgia Democrats have seen in cycle after cycle shows. Even in tough election years, we have witnessed the power of civic engagement on policy issues and increases in Democratic performance. This combination of improvements has also resulted in steady gains in local races and state legislative races, along with the continued narrowing of the statewide loss margin in election after election that finally flipped the state in 2020 and 2021.
The task is hard, the progress can feel slow, and winning sometimes means losing better. In 2012, for example, we prevented the Republicans from gaining a supermajority in the Georgia House of Representatives, which would have allowed them to pass virtually any bill they wanted. We won four seats they had drawn for themselves, and in 2014 we maintained those gains — just holding our ground was a victory.
The steps toward victory are straightforward: understand your weaknesses, organize with your allies, shore up your political infrastructure and focus on the long game. Georgia’s transformation is worth celebrating, and how it came to be is a long and complicated story, which required more than simply energizing a new coterie of voters. What Georgia Democrats and progressives accomplished here — and what is happening in Arizona and North Carolina — can be exported to the rest of the Sun Belt and the Midwest, but only if we understand how we got here.
Volkswagen CEO Deiss is not afraid of an Apple Electric car.
\n\n\n\n\nGermany’s Volkswagen is not concerned by any Apple plans for a passenger vehicle that could include the iPhone maker’s battery technology, its chief executive Herbert Diess said.
[...]
“The car industry is not a typical tech-sector that you could take over at a single stroke,” Diess was quoted as saying an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. “Apple will not manage that overnight,” he added.
While Apple’s plans are not public, Diess said its intentions as such were “logical” because the company had expertise in battderies, software and design, and that it had deep pockets to build on these competencies.
“Still, we are not afraid,” he said.
Hmm. Where have we heard this before? Lets back track to 2006, a few months before the announcement of the iPhone. Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s remarks:
\n\n\n\n\nWe’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in
Let us not forget Microsoft CEO on the introduction of the iPhone.
\n\n\n\n$500 fully subsidized? With a plan? I said that is the most expensive phone in the world and doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard. Which makes it not a very good email machine.
We have a video of trail of that one:
\n\n\nBoth Palm and Microsoft left the mobile cell phone business soon after.
\n\nWhatever Apple’s first electric car introduction is, it will probably won’t be the best. That misses the big picture.
\n\nWhen Apple enters a market, they rarely have the best product. In many key specs, it is inferior. The very first Apple II computer, it wasn’t the cheapest or the fastest. But it was a completely assembled machine that was well designed and worked out of the box. For the Macintosh, they re-imagined how users interacted with the computer. With the iPhone, they didn’t release a new phone. They released a Unix based pocket computer with a phone app.
\n\nApple just does not enter a market, they re-imagine the market place and tilt it to their advantage . Volkswagen CEO Deiss should be afraid. Very afraid.
\n", "content_html": "Volkswagen CEO Deiss is not afraid of an Apple Electric car.
\n\n\n\n\nGermany’s Volkswagen is not concerned by any Apple plans for a passenger vehicle that could include the iPhone maker’s battery technology, its chief executive Herbert Diess said.
[...]
“The car industry is not a typical tech-sector that you could take over at a single stroke,” Diess was quoted as saying an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. “Apple will not manage that overnight,” he added.
While Apple’s plans are not public, Diess said its intentions as such were “logical” because the company had expertise in battderies, software and design, and that it had deep pockets to build on these competencies.
“Still, we are not afraid,” he said.
Hmm. Where have we heard this before? Lets back track to 2006, a few months before the announcement of the iPhone. Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s remarks:
\n\n\n\n\nWe’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in
Let us not forget Microsoft CEO on the introduction of the iPhone.
\n\n\n\n$500 fully subsidized? With a plan? I said that is the most expensive phone in the world and doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard. Which makes it not a very good email machine.
We have a video of trail of that one:
\n\n\nBoth Palm and Microsoft left the mobile cell phone business soon after.
\n\nWhatever Apple’s first electric car introduction is, it will probably won’t be the best. That misses the big picture.
\n\nWhen Apple enters a market, they rarely have the best product. In many key specs, it is inferior. The very first Apple II computer, it wasn’t the cheapest or the fastest. But it was a completely assembled machine that was well designed and worked out of the box. For the Macintosh, they re-imagined how users interacted with the computer. With the iPhone, they didn’t release a new phone. They released a Unix based pocket computer with a phone app.
\n\nApple just does not enter a market, they re-imagine the market place and tilt it to their advantage . Volkswagen CEO Deiss should be afraid. Very afraid.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/18/why-are-covid-19-cases-dropping/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/02/18/why-are-covid-19-cases-dropping/", "title": "Why are COVID-19 cases dropping?", "date_published": "2021-02-18T00:23:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-18T00:23:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Derek Thompson in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nOne month ago, the CDC published the results of more than 20 pandemic forecasting models. Most projected that COVID-19 cases would continue to grow through February, or at least plateau. Instead, COVID-19 is in retreat in America. New daily cases have plunged, and hospitalizations are down almost 50 percent in the past month. This is not an artifact of infrequent testing, since the share of regional daily tests that are coming back positive has declined even more than the number of cases. Some pandemic statistics are foggy, but the current decline of COVID-19 is crystal clear.
What’s behind the change? Americans’ good behavior in the past month has tag-teamed with (mostly) warming weather across the Northern Hemisphere to slow the pandemic’s growth; at the same time, partial immunity and vaccines have reduced the number of viable bodies that would allow the coronavirus to thrive. But the full story is a bit more complex.
Everyone is looking for a good answer and ignoring the obvious. Sure the vaccine, seasonality, partial immunity are all a contributing factor. However, the easiest explanation tends to be the right one. We don’t need to overthink this. As scientists have said all along - wearing a mask and social distancing is the best defense we have against this pandemic.
\n", "content_html": "Derek Thompson in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nOne month ago, the CDC published the results of more than 20 pandemic forecasting models. Most projected that COVID-19 cases would continue to grow through February, or at least plateau. Instead, COVID-19 is in retreat in America. New daily cases have plunged, and hospitalizations are down almost 50 percent in the past month. This is not an artifact of infrequent testing, since the share of regional daily tests that are coming back positive has declined even more than the number of cases. Some pandemic statistics are foggy, but the current decline of COVID-19 is crystal clear.
What’s behind the change? Americans’ good behavior in the past month has tag-teamed with (mostly) warming weather across the Northern Hemisphere to slow the pandemic’s growth; at the same time, partial immunity and vaccines have reduced the number of viable bodies that would allow the coronavirus to thrive. But the full story is a bit more complex.
Everyone is looking for a good answer and ignoring the obvious. Sure the vaccine, seasonality, partial immunity are all a contributing factor. However, the easiest explanation tends to be the right one. We don’t need to overthink this. As scientists have said all along - wearing a mask and social distancing is the best defense we have against this pandemic.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/02/through-a-nurses-eyes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/02/through-a-nurses-eyes/", "title": "Through a Nurse’s Eyes", "date_published": "2021-03-02T01:01:59-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-02T01:01:59-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nSo many Americans have died in hospitals without family by their side, but they were not alone. Nurses brush patients’ teeth, change their catheters and hold their hands in their final moments.
The true heroes of this pandemic. Thank your a health care workers when you see them. Wear your mask. Write your senators and representatives to give these nurses and physicians the support they need.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nSo many Americans have died in hospitals without family by their side, but they were not alone. Nurses brush patients’ teeth, change their catheters and hold their hands in their final moments.
The true heroes of this pandemic. Thank your a health care workers when you see them. Wear your mask. Write your senators and representatives to give these nurses and physicians the support they need.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/12/private-schools-have-become-truly-obscene/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/12/private-schools-have-become-truly-obscene/", "title": "Private Schools Have Become Truly Obscene", "date_published": "2021-03-12T01:26:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-12T01:26:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "In a just society, there wouldn’t be a need for these expensive schools, or for private wealth to subsidize something as fundamental as an education. We wouldn’t give rich kids and a tiny number of lottery winners an outstanding education while so many poor kids attend failing schools. In a just society, an education wouldn’t be a luxury item.
We have become a country with vanishingly few paths out of poverty, or even out of the working class. We’ve allowed the majority of our public schools to founder, while expensive private schools play an outsize role in determining who gets to claim a coveted spot in the winners’ circle. Many schools for the richest American kids have gates and security guards; the message is you are precious to us. Many schools for the poorest kids have metal detectors and police officers; the message is you are a threat to us.
Public-school education—the specific force that has helped generations of Americans transcend the circumstances of their birth—is profoundly, perhaps irreparably, broken.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/12/tina/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/12/tina/", "title": "Tina", "date_published": "2021-03-12T01:49:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-12T01:49:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In a just society, there wouldn’t be a need for these expensive schools, or for private wealth to subsidize something as fundamental as an education. We wouldn’t give rich kids and a tiny number of lottery winners an outstanding education while so many poor kids attend failing schools. In a just society, an education wouldn’t be a luxury item.
We have become a country with vanishingly few paths out of poverty, or even out of the working class. We’ve allowed the majority of our public schools to founder, while expensive private schools play an outsize role in determining who gets to claim a coveted spot in the winners’ circle. Many schools for the richest American kids have gates and security guards; the message is you are precious to us. Many schools for the poorest kids have metal detectors and police officers; the message is you are a threat to us.
Public-school education—the specific force that has helped generations of Americans transcend the circumstances of their birth—is profoundly, perhaps irreparably, broken.
\nTina an upcoming documentary Tina Turner, with interviews with Angela Bassett, Oprah, Kurt Loder, and Tina Turner herself. Airing March 27th on HBO.
\nTina an upcoming documentary Tina Turner, with interviews with Angela Bassett, Oprah, Kurt Loder, and Tina Turner herself. Airing March 27th on HBO.
\n\n", "content_html": "Well we are the silly people now. You know who doesnt' care that there's a stereo type of a Chinese man in a Dr Suess book? China. All 1.4 billion of them could give a crouching tiger flying fuck. Because they are not a silly people. If anything they are as serious as a prison fight.
Look we all know China does bad stuff. They break promises about Hong Kong autonomy, they put leaders in camps and punish dissent. We don't want to be that. But there has gotta be something between authoratarian government that tells everyone what to do and a representative government that can't do anything.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/15/yo-yo-ma-plays-impromptu-cello-concert-at-covid-19-vaccination-clinic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/15/yo-yo-ma-plays-impromptu-cello-concert-at-covid-19-vaccination-clinic/", "title": "Yo-Yo Ma Plays Impromptu Cello Concert at Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic ", "date_published": "2021-03-15T15:13:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-15T15:13:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Well we are the silly people now. You know who doesnt' care that there's a stereo type of a Chinese man in a Dr Suess book? China. All 1.4 billion of them could give a crouching tiger flying fuck. Because they are not a silly people. If anything they are as serious as a prison fight.
Look we all know China does bad stuff. They break promises about Hong Kong autonomy, they put leaders in camps and punish dissent. We don't want to be that. But there has gotta be something between authoratarian government that tells everyone what to do and a representative government that can't do anything.
\n\n", "content_html": "When Ma had first visited the clinic for his first shot, he did so quietly, taking in the surroundings, staff said. But brought his cello when he returned for the second shot.
Staff described how a hush fell across the clinic as Ma began to play. “It was so weird how peaceful the whole building became, just having a little bit of music in the background,” said Leslie Drager, the lead clinical manager for the vaccination site, according to the Washington Post.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/15/ykk-zippers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/15/ykk-zippers/", "title": "YKK zippers", "date_published": "2021-03-15T15:27:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-15T15:27:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "When Ma had first visited the clinic for his first shot, he did so quietly, taking in the surroundings, staff said. But brought his cello when he returned for the second shot.
Staff described how a hush fell across the clinic as Ma began to play. “It was so weird how peaceful the whole building became, just having a little bit of music in the background,” said Leslie Drager, the lead clinical manager for the vaccination site, according to the Washington Post.
![](\"/assets/images/ykk-zip.jpeg\")
Want to know if something is high quality? Pay attention to the details. For example - I don’t buy anything that doesn’t have YKK zippers.
\n\nJosh Centers for the The Prepared:
\n\n\n\n\nA “pro tip” for evaluating the quality of a piece of gear is to look at the small details, such as zippers and stitching. Cheap-minded manufacturers will skimp on those details because most people just don’t notice, and even a cheap component will often last past a basic warranty period, so it’s an easy way to increase profits without losing sales or returns.
If a designer does bother to invest in quality components, that’s a tried-and-true sign that the overall product is better than the competition. Zippers are a classic example when looking at backpacks, clothing, and similar gear. And although there are a few other fine zipper brands out there, the king is YKK Group — to the point that the first thing some gear reviewers look for is the “YKK” branding on the zipper pull tab.
My dad used to do some work for YKK back in the ‘90s, so I wanted to dig deeper into why they’re the king and what makes their zippers so associated with quality.
[...]
YKK Zippers are amazing, because they self-lubricate the more you use them. You’ll notice that other brands of zippers become sticky and gritty over time. Not with YKK… They will feel more smooth, the more you use them.
I have products that I have been using for the past 25 years that use them. I have never had a YKK zipper fail on me.
\n", "content_html": "
Want to know if something is high quality? Pay attention to the details. For example - I don’t buy anything that doesn’t have YKK zippers.
\n\nJosh Centers for the The Prepared:
\n\n\n\n\nA “pro tip” for evaluating the quality of a piece of gear is to look at the small details, such as zippers and stitching. Cheap-minded manufacturers will skimp on those details because most people just don’t notice, and even a cheap component will often last past a basic warranty period, so it’s an easy way to increase profits without losing sales or returns.
If a designer does bother to invest in quality components, that’s a tried-and-true sign that the overall product is better than the competition. Zippers are a classic example when looking at backpacks, clothing, and similar gear. And although there are a few other fine zipper brands out there, the king is YKK Group — to the point that the first thing some gear reviewers look for is the “YKK” branding on the zipper pull tab.
My dad used to do some work for YKK back in the ‘90s, so I wanted to dig deeper into why they’re the king and what makes their zippers so associated with quality.
[...]
YKK Zippers are amazing, because they self-lubricate the more you use them. You’ll notice that other brands of zippers become sticky and gritty over time. Not with YKK… They will feel more smooth, the more you use them.
I have products that I have been using for the past 25 years that use them. I have never had a YKK zipper fail on me.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/17/this-is-the-way/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/17/this-is-the-way/", "title": "This is the way", "date_published": "2021-03-17T23:27:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-17T23:27:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Star Wars fans in Yakutsk, Russia built a scale model of the Razor Crest ship from The Mandalorian.
\n\nStar Wars fans in Yakutsk, Russia built a scale model of the Razor Crest ship from The Mandalorian.
\n\nTimes they are a changing. Okay, maybe not.
\n\nTimes they are a changing. Okay, maybe not.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/COVID-policies-compared-2.png\")
\n\n", "content_html": "Now that we're hopefully on the way out of the COVID pandemic and people (myself included) are celebrating how awesome these innovative vaccines are and how great it is that we'll be able to go back to the things we've missed, I want to point out that none of this needed to happen. Many countries were able to rapidly contain COVID, including Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. We're looking back on one of the biggest failures of our government ever, not just at the national level, but also at the state and local level. This means we need to study all the countries that aced the COVID test and learn how they did it.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/22/meghan-markle-didnt-do-the-work/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/22/meghan-markle-didnt-do-the-work/", "title": "Meghan Markle Didn't do the work", "date_published": "2021-03-22T02:46:50-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-22T02:46:50-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Now that we're hopefully on the way out of the COVID pandemic and people (myself included) are celebrating how awesome these innovative vaccines are and how great it is that we'll be able to go back to the things we've missed, I want to point out that none of this needed to happen. Many countries were able to rapidly contain COVID, including Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. We're looking back on one of the biggest failures of our government ever, not just at the national level, but also at the state and local level. This means we need to study all the countries that aced the COVID test and learn how they did it.
![](\"/assets/images/meghanmarkle.jpeg\")
Caitlin Flanagan in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nWith the calumny of the flower-girl dresses cleared up, it was time to roll a piece of previously recorded tape, featuring Meghan, Harry, and Oprah squeezed into the young couple’s chicken coop, which is populated with “rescue chickens.” (Meghan: “I just love rescuing.”) What was the best thing about their new life? Oprah asked from inside the coop. The chance “to live authentically,” Meghan said, as though she and Harry were mucking out stables in Hertfordshire, not tending to rescue chickens on a $15 million estate. “It’s so basic,” she continued, “but it’s really fulfilling. Just getting back down to basics.
[...]
Part of Meghan’s problem, it turned out, was her naïveté about the workings of the Royal Family, which she had assumed would be similar to the workings of celebrity culture. What was she, Meghan Markle, a simple girl from Los Angeles, to have understood about such an institution as the British? How was she to know that Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith was in any way different from the Lady of Gaga? One wonders whether her study of foreign service and international relations, her internship at the American embassy in Argentina, and her work with the UN might have clued her in to the fact that a whole world exists beyond the Jamba Juice on La Brea and the set of Deal or No Deal, on which she had once been one of the beautiful “suitcase girls.” Apparently, they had not.
She told Oprah that she had never even Googled her future husband’s name—a remark that united the viewing world in hilarity, time zone by time zone. It was an assertion that strained credulity, but it was necessary to her contention that she’d had no idea that the Windsors had not, as we now say, “done the work” when it came to exploring their own racial biases. Had she herself done some work by punching her beloved’s name into a search engine, she would have understood that she was not marrying the most racially conscious person on the planet. She would have seen pictures of him dressed as a Nazi at a costume party (his great-granduncle—briefly Edward VIII—had palled around with Adolf Hitler) and a videotape of him introducing a fellow cadet as “our little Paki friend.” The Palace said that “Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon.” But the palace had no good explanation for why Harry introduced another cadet in the video by saying, “It’s Dan the Man. Fuck me, you look like a raghead.”
[..]
And Harry sat there beside her, 7,000 miles from home, in the land of rich Californians and Meyer lemons and eucalyptus trees trailing Spanish moss. He had plighted his troth to this unexpected and very beautiful woman; he had hurt his grandmother, and alienated his father and his only brother. He had thought that having Bishop Michael Bruce Curry deliver the homily at his wedding would reverse a thousand years of English racial attitudes, but he had been wrong about that.**He was a combat veteran, a prince, the grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson of English monarchs, and now he was going to have to think up some podcasts.
The amount of entitlement and privilege on display here by these two is repulsive. I don’t feel bad for either of them - Meghan can rescue chickens the rest of her life, and Harry can spend his days in that garden thinking up the next great podcast.
\n\nI hope they do well. I really do. Just spare us the details. Please.
\n", "content_html": "
Caitlin Flanagan in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nWith the calumny of the flower-girl dresses cleared up, it was time to roll a piece of previously recorded tape, featuring Meghan, Harry, and Oprah squeezed into the young couple’s chicken coop, which is populated with “rescue chickens.” (Meghan: “I just love rescuing.”) What was the best thing about their new life? Oprah asked from inside the coop. The chance “to live authentically,” Meghan said, as though she and Harry were mucking out stables in Hertfordshire, not tending to rescue chickens on a $15 million estate. “It’s so basic,” she continued, “but it’s really fulfilling. Just getting back down to basics.
[...]
Part of Meghan’s problem, it turned out, was her naïveté about the workings of the Royal Family, which she had assumed would be similar to the workings of celebrity culture. What was she, Meghan Markle, a simple girl from Los Angeles, to have understood about such an institution as the British? How was she to know that Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith was in any way different from the Lady of Gaga? One wonders whether her study of foreign service and international relations, her internship at the American embassy in Argentina, and her work with the UN might have clued her in to the fact that a whole world exists beyond the Jamba Juice on La Brea and the set of Deal or No Deal, on which she had once been one of the beautiful “suitcase girls.” Apparently, they had not.
She told Oprah that she had never even Googled her future husband’s name—a remark that united the viewing world in hilarity, time zone by time zone. It was an assertion that strained credulity, but it was necessary to her contention that she’d had no idea that the Windsors had not, as we now say, “done the work” when it came to exploring their own racial biases. Had she herself done some work by punching her beloved’s name into a search engine, she would have understood that she was not marrying the most racially conscious person on the planet. She would have seen pictures of him dressed as a Nazi at a costume party (his great-granduncle—briefly Edward VIII—had palled around with Adolf Hitler) and a videotape of him introducing a fellow cadet as “our little Paki friend.” The Palace said that “Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon.” But the palace had no good explanation for why Harry introduced another cadet in the video by saying, “It’s Dan the Man. Fuck me, you look like a raghead.”
[..]
And Harry sat there beside her, 7,000 miles from home, in the land of rich Californians and Meyer lemons and eucalyptus trees trailing Spanish moss. He had plighted his troth to this unexpected and very beautiful woman; he had hurt his grandmother, and alienated his father and his only brother. He had thought that having Bishop Michael Bruce Curry deliver the homily at his wedding would reverse a thousand years of English racial attitudes, but he had been wrong about that.**He was a combat veteran, a prince, the grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson of English monarchs, and now he was going to have to think up some podcasts.
The amount of entitlement and privilege on display here by these two is repulsive. I don’t feel bad for either of them - Meghan can rescue chickens the rest of her life, and Harry can spend his days in that garden thinking up the next great podcast.
\n\nI hope they do well. I really do. Just spare us the details. Please.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/24/30-cover-songs-better-than-the-originals/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/24/30-cover-songs-better-than-the-originals/", "title": "Cover Songs Better Than the Originals", "date_published": "2021-03-24T02:21:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-24T02:21:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "An amazing playlist of covers and the original songs.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "An amazing playlist of covers and the original songs.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/24/whatever-it-takes-to-get-things-done/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/24/whatever-it-takes-to-get-things-done/", "title": "whatever it takes to get things done", "date_published": "2021-03-24T02:39:59-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-24T02:39:59-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/biden-oval-signing.jpg\")
David A. Graham in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "That writer was me, and the quick passage of now-President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief package is, among other things, a rebuke of my analysis. Biden’s success suggests that I misunderstood how his many years in the Senate have shaped his approach to politics.
David A. Graham: Biden is in denial about the Republican Party
I thought that Biden’s frequent paeans to the Senate of yore meant that he would prioritize cutting deals across the aisle above all. During his presidential campaign, Biden was happy to encourage this impression. But there’s another, contradictory lesson of the old Senate, and it’s the one that Biden has followed thus far as president: You do whatever it takes to get things done.
David A. Graham in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/25/californication/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/25/californication/", "title": "Album of the Week: Californication", "date_published": "2021-03-25T02:44:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-25T02:44:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "That writer was me, and the quick passage of now-President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief package is, among other things, a rebuke of my analysis. Biden’s success suggests that I misunderstood how his many years in the Senate have shaped his approach to politics.
David A. Graham: Biden is in denial about the Republican Party
I thought that Biden’s frequent paeans to the Senate of yore meant that he would prioritize cutting deals across the aisle above all. During his presidential campaign, Biden was happy to encourage this impression. But there’s another, contradictory lesson of the old Senate, and it’s the one that Biden has followed thus far as president: You do whatever it takes to get things done.
![](\"/assets/images/californication.jpeg\")
Welcome to a new weekly series of blog posts inspired by my upgrade to a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Stereo Network Streamer. What is a network audio streamer you ask? That is one complicated rabbit hole to go down. Simply put, its is a device that lets you stream music from the cloud. But that is a discussion for another time.
\n\nThe idea here is to present an album each week that I have throughly enjoyed. For this inaugural week it is Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
\n\nGreg Tate sums it best:
\n\n\n\n\nHistorically, though, RHCP albums have been long on sock-it-to-me passion but short on the songcraft that made their hero George Clinton’s most acid-addled experiments lyrically haunting and melodically infectious. Up until this new Peppers joint, Californication, that is. For Lord knows what reasons — age, sobriety, Blonde on Blonde ambitions or worship at the altar of Billy Corgan — they’ve settled down and written a whole album’s worth of tunes that tickle the ear, romance the booty, swell the heart, moisten the tear ducts and dilate the third eye. All this inside of song forms and production that reveal sublime new facets upon each hearing.
Anthony Kiedis has found the blues. John Frusciante’s work on the guitar is right up there with Hendrix. Flea’s leads and bass lines on solidifies him as one of, if not the bassist of the past three decades. With the title track Californication, RHCP has blown past their funk-rap past outing to something that is truly a classic.
\n\n\n\n\nIt's the edge of the world and all of Western civilization
The sun may rise in the East at least it's settled in a final location
It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication
And we are all buying it.
\n", "content_html": "
Welcome to a new weekly series of blog posts inspired by my upgrade to a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Stereo Network Streamer. What is a network audio streamer you ask? That is one complicated rabbit hole to go down. Simply put, its is a device that lets you stream music from the cloud. But that is a discussion for another time.
\n\nThe idea here is to present an album each week that I have throughly enjoyed. For this inaugural week it is Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
\n\nGreg Tate sums it best:
\n\n\n\n\nHistorically, though, RHCP albums have been long on sock-it-to-me passion but short on the songcraft that made their hero George Clinton’s most acid-addled experiments lyrically haunting and melodically infectious. Up until this new Peppers joint, Californication, that is. For Lord knows what reasons — age, sobriety, Blonde on Blonde ambitions or worship at the altar of Billy Corgan — they’ve settled down and written a whole album’s worth of tunes that tickle the ear, romance the booty, swell the heart, moisten the tear ducts and dilate the third eye. All this inside of song forms and production that reveal sublime new facets upon each hearing.
Anthony Kiedis has found the blues. John Frusciante’s work on the guitar is right up there with Hendrix. Flea’s leads and bass lines on solidifies him as one of, if not the bassist of the past three decades. With the title track Californication, RHCP has blown past their funk-rap past outing to something that is truly a classic.
\n\n\n\n\nIt's the edge of the world and all of Western civilization
The sun may rise in the East at least it's settled in a final location
It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication
And we are all buying it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/29/church-organ-music-with-a-commodore-64/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/29/church-organ-music-with-a-commodore-64/", "title": "Church Organ Music With a Commodore 64", "date_published": "2021-03-29T13:40:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-29T13:40:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nLinus Akesson he remapped the keys of a Commodore 64 so he could play it like an accordion, ran it though a reverb machine, and created the sixtyforgan. The Bach piece he plays at the end of the video above sounds so much like it’s being played on an organ.
Spring reverb + Commodore 64. I have said it before, the Commodore 64 was the greatest home computer ever made. I can’t tell you how many fellow developers started their programming careers on that machine. Far ahead of its time.
\n", "content_html": "
\nLinus Akesson he remapped the keys of a Commodore 64 so he could play it like an accordion, ran it though a reverb machine, and created the sixtyforgan. The Bach piece he plays at the end of the video above sounds so much like it’s being played on an organ.
Spring reverb + Commodore 64. I have said it before, the Commodore 64 was the greatest home computer ever made. I can’t tell you how many fellow developers started their programming careers on that machine. Far ahead of its time.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/30/using-mermaid-with-jekyll/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/30/using-mermaid-with-jekyll/", "title": "Using mermaid with Octopress/Jekyll", "date_published": "2021-03-30T02:50:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-30T02:50:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Markdown is a pretty nice tool for developers to write documents. But it doesn’t support creating graphs & charts easily. Mermaid is a powerful js library which can convert a text described graph or chart and render it. It’s a perfect tool when using with Octopress (A bloging tool based on Jekyll). Here I’ll show you how to integrate the mermaid with minimal effort into your Octopress (or Jekyll) website.
\n\nFor the purposes of this tutorial - I will be be using Octopress, but this should be fairly trivial to also add this to your Jekyll template.
\n\nWhile there is a Jekyll Mermaid plugin available, it is much more complicated to setup and use. We will be using the mermaid CDN directly. Lets get started.
\n\nIn your Octopress blog directory, navigate to the source/_includes/head.html file and add the following anywhere between the
tags. If you are using Jekyll, just add it to where ever your header tags are defined (usually in _layouts/default.html).\n\n1\n2\n | |
Since Markdown is pretty friendly to html tags, you can simply add a diagram by wrapping mermaid markup in a div with class “mermaid” for example:
\n\n1\n2\n3\n4\n5\n6\n7\n | |
Which when rendered outputs:
\n\nYou can try out your code before deployment using a live editor. Mermaid documentation can be found here.
\n\nThats it! If you have any questions feel free to get in touch or leave a comment.
\n", "content_html": "Markdown is a pretty nice tool for developers to write documents. But it doesn’t support creating graphs & charts easily. Mermaid is a powerful js library which can convert a text described graph or chart and render it. It’s a perfect tool when using with Octopress (A bloging tool based on Jekyll). Here I’ll show you how to integrate the mermaid with minimal effort into your Octopress (or Jekyll) website.
\n\nFor the purposes of this tutorial - I will be be using Octopress, but this should be fairly trivial to also add this to your Jekyll template.
\n\nWhile there is a Jekyll Mermaid plugin available, it is much more complicated to setup and use. We will be using the mermaid CDN directly. Lets get started.
\n\nIn your Octopress blog directory, navigate to the source/_includes/head.html file and add the following anywhere between the
tags. If you are using Jekyll, just add it to where ever your header tags are defined (usually in _layouts/default.html).\n\n1\n2\n | |
Since Markdown is pretty friendly to html tags, you can simply add a diagram by wrapping mermaid markup in a div with class “mermaid” for example:
\n\n1\n2\n3\n4\n5\n6\n7\n | |
Which when rendered outputs:
\n\nYou can try out your code before deployment using a live editor. Mermaid documentation can be found here.
\n\nThats it! If you have any questions feel free to get in touch or leave a comment.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/30/moderna-and-pfizer-vaccines-are-highly-effective/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/30/moderna-and-pfizer-vaccines-are-highly-effective/", "title": "Moderna and Pfizer Vaccines are highly effective", "date_published": "2021-03-30T03:51:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-30T03:51:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/mass-vaccination.jpeg\")
The New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThe coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are proving highly effective at preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic infections under real-world conditions, federal health researchers reported on Monday.
Consistent with clinical trial data, a two-dose regimen prevented 90 percent of infections by two weeks after the second shot. One dose prevented 80 percent of infections by two weeks after vaccination. […]
Scientists have debated whether vaccinated people may still get asymptomatic infections and transmit the virus to others. The new study, by researchers at the C.D.C., suggested that since infections were so rare, transmission is likely rare, too.
There also has been concern that variants may render the vaccines less effective. The study’s results do not confirm that fear. Troubling variants were circulating during the time of the study — from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021 — yet the vaccines still provided powerful protection.
The vaccines don’t just prevent the vaccinated from getting sick, but they almost certainly stop asymptomatic spread, too. This is great news as we look forward to returning to normal. Now the challenge will be to get everyone to take the vaccine.
\n", "content_html": "
The New York Times:
\n\n\n\n\nThe coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are proving highly effective at preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic infections under real-world conditions, federal health researchers reported on Monday.
Consistent with clinical trial data, a two-dose regimen prevented 90 percent of infections by two weeks after the second shot. One dose prevented 80 percent of infections by two weeks after vaccination. […]
Scientists have debated whether vaccinated people may still get asymptomatic infections and transmit the virus to others. The new study, by researchers at the C.D.C., suggested that since infections were so rare, transmission is likely rare, too.
There also has been concern that variants may render the vaccines less effective. The study’s results do not confirm that fear. Troubling variants were circulating during the time of the study — from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021 — yet the vaccines still provided powerful protection.
The vaccines don’t just prevent the vaccinated from getting sick, but they almost certainly stop asymptomatic spread, too. This is great news as we look forward to returning to normal. Now the challenge will be to get everyone to take the vaccine.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/31/walking-to-work/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/31/walking-to-work/", "title": "Walking to Work - 56 miles", "date_published": "2021-03-31T01:16:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-31T01:16:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "A few monts ago the dean asked me to give a lecture at the new fancy building at the mothership campus. I said sure John, I’ll do that. Why don’t I walk to the lecture? From home.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/31/the-overspent-american/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/03/31/the-overspent-american/", "title": "The Overspent American", "date_published": "2021-03-31T20:07:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-31T20:07:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A few monts ago the dean asked me to give a lecture at the new fancy building at the mothership campus. I said sure John, I’ll do that. Why don’t I walk to the lecture? From home.
\n\nComfort is no longer enough, people want luxury
That statement sums up the American consumer psyche. This video came out 20 years ago - before the pervasiveness of social media. Facebook, Instagram and the horde of internet influencers have taken the ‘keeping up with the jones’ to a whole new level.
\n\nFinancial freedom is not making more money. Financial freedom is not needing more money.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nComfort is no longer enough, people want luxury
That statement sums up the American consumer psyche. This video came out 20 years ago - before the pervasiveness of social media. Facebook, Instagram and the horde of internet influencers have taken the ‘keeping up with the jones’ to a whole new level.
\n\nFinancial freedom is not making more money. Financial freedom is not needing more money.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/01/the-last-blues-man/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/01/the-last-blues-man/", "title": "The Last Blues man", "date_published": "2021-04-01T23:58:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-01T23:58:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "73 year old Jimmy “Duck” Holmes just got nominated for a Grammy. He has already won. His legacy will outlast him. Just as blues men from the 20’s inspired British musicians to take up the art, he will inspire musicians decades from now.
\n\n\n\n\nWhen you got something to share - thats an honor.
A true blues man. Three chords and the truth!
\n", "content_html": "73 year old Jimmy “Duck” Holmes just got nominated for a Grammy. He has already won. His legacy will outlast him. Just as blues men from the 20’s inspired British musicians to take up the art, he will inspire musicians decades from now.
\n\n\n\n\nWhen you got something to share - thats an honor.
A true blues man. Three chords and the truth!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/03/malcom-gladwell-on-saturday-night-live/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/03/malcom-gladwell-on-saturday-night-live/", "title": "Malcolm Gladwell on Saturday Night Live", "date_published": "2021-04-03T00:24:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-03T00:24:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nMalcolm Gladwell talks about Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of Donald Trump. He is not a fan. The thing that stood out to me is his commentary on Saturday Night Live in general:
\n\n", "content_html": "You can't be an effective satirist if you are so deeply complicit in the object of your satire.
\nMalcolm Gladwell talks about Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of Donald Trump. He is not a fan. The thing that stood out to me is his commentary on Saturday Night Live in general:
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/04/fears-of-technology-are-fears-of-capitalism/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/04/fears-of-technology-are-fears-of-capitalism/", "title": "Fears of Technology Are Fears of Capitalism", "date_published": "2021-04-04T00:36:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-04T00:36:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "You can't be an effective satirist if you are so deeply complicit in the object of your satire.
An interesting by Ted Chiang from an (author of Exhalation) interview with Ezra Klein on our fear of technology:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "I tend to think that most fears about A.I. are best understood as fears about capitalism. And I think that this is actually true of most fears of technology, too. Most of our fears or anxieties about technology are best understood as fears or anxiety about how capitalism will use technology against us. And technology and capitalism have been so closely intertwined that it’s hard to distinguish the two.
Let’s think about it this way. How much would we fear any technology, whether A.I. or some other technology, how much would you fear it if we lived in a world that was a lot like Denmark or if the entire world was run sort of on the principles of one of the Scandinavian countries? There’s universal health care. Everyone has child care, free college maybe. And maybe there’s some version of universal basic income there.
Now if the entire world operates according to — is run on those principles, how much do you worry about a new technology then? I think much, much less than we do now. Most of the things that we worry about under the mode of capitalism that the U.S practices, that is going to put people out of work, that is going to make people’s lives harder, because corporations will see it as a way to increase their profits and reduce their costs. It’s not intrinsic to that technology. It’s not that technology fundamentally is about putting people out of work.
It’s capitalism that wants to reduce costs and reduce costs by laying people off. It’s not that like all technology suddenly becomes benign in this world. But it’s like, in a world where we have really strong social safety nets, then you could maybe actually evaluate sort of the pros and cons of technology as a technology, as opposed to seeing it through how capitalism is going to use it against us. How are giant corporations going to use this to increase their profits at our expense?
And so, I feel like that is kind of the unexamined assumption in a lot of discussions about the inevitability of technological change and technologically-induced unemployment. Those are fundamentally about capitalism and the fact that we are sort of unable to question capitalism. We take it as an assumption that it will always exist and that we will never escape it. And that’s sort of the background radiation that we are all having to live with. But yeah, I’d like us to be able to separate an evaluation of the merits and drawbacks of technology from the framework of capitalism.
An interesting by Ted Chiang from an (author of Exhalation) interview with Ezra Klein on our fear of technology:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/07/mlb-moves-2021-all-star-game-from-atlanta-in/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/07/mlb-moves-2021-all-star-game-from-atlanta-in/", "title": "'21 All-Star Game, Draft Moved From Atlanta", "date_published": "2021-04-07T23:07:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-07T23:07:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I tend to think that most fears about A.I. are best understood as fears about capitalism. And I think that this is actually true of most fears of technology, too. Most of our fears or anxieties about technology are best understood as fears or anxiety about how capitalism will use technology against us. And technology and capitalism have been so closely intertwined that it’s hard to distinguish the two.
Let’s think about it this way. How much would we fear any technology, whether A.I. or some other technology, how much would you fear it if we lived in a world that was a lot like Denmark or if the entire world was run sort of on the principles of one of the Scandinavian countries? There’s universal health care. Everyone has child care, free college maybe. And maybe there’s some version of universal basic income there.
Now if the entire world operates according to — is run on those principles, how much do you worry about a new technology then? I think much, much less than we do now. Most of the things that we worry about under the mode of capitalism that the U.S practices, that is going to put people out of work, that is going to make people’s lives harder, because corporations will see it as a way to increase their profits and reduce their costs. It’s not intrinsic to that technology. It’s not that technology fundamentally is about putting people out of work.
It’s capitalism that wants to reduce costs and reduce costs by laying people off. It’s not that like all technology suddenly becomes benign in this world. But it’s like, in a world where we have really strong social safety nets, then you could maybe actually evaluate sort of the pros and cons of technology as a technology, as opposed to seeing it through how capitalism is going to use it against us. How are giant corporations going to use this to increase their profits at our expense?
And so, I feel like that is kind of the unexamined assumption in a lot of discussions about the inevitability of technological change and technologically-induced unemployment. Those are fundamentally about capitalism and the fact that we are sort of unable to question capitalism. We take it as an assumption that it will always exist and that we will never escape it. And that’s sort of the background radiation that we are all having to live with. But yeah, I’d like us to be able to separate an evaluation of the merits and drawbacks of technology from the framework of capitalism.
\n\n\nMajor League Baseball announced on Friday that it will relocate the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft, originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, to a to-be-determined location. The decision comes a little more than a week after the passage of S.B. 202, a Georgia law that President Joe Biden criticized earlier this week, saying that it will restrict voting access for residents of the state.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that the decision to move the All-Star Game was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport” and was made after consultation with teams, former and current players, the MLB Players Association and The Players Alliance, among others.
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Manfred said. “In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”
Good on the MLB. Note to Republicans: If you pass restrictive laws, society will retaliate. The downside to this is that it hurts exactly the people that we are trying to protect the rights of.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nMajor League Baseball announced on Friday that it will relocate the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft, originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, to a to-be-determined location. The decision comes a little more than a week after the passage of S.B. 202, a Georgia law that President Joe Biden criticized earlier this week, saying that it will restrict voting access for residents of the state.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that the decision to move the All-Star Game was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport” and was made after consultation with teams, former and current players, the MLB Players Association and The Players Alliance, among others.
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Manfred said. “In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”
Good on the MLB. Note to Republicans: If you pass restrictive laws, society will retaliate. The downside to this is that it hurts exactly the people that we are trying to protect the rights of.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/15/mrna-vaccines-are-looking-good/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/15/mrna-vaccines-are-looking-good/", "title": "mRNA Vaccines are Looking Good", "date_published": "2021-04-15T02:34:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-15T02:34:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/mrna.png\")
Sarah Zhang in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nmRNA vaccines are similarly new, but they have so far racked up a good safety record. So many doses have been administered that these unusual blood clots—or any serious one-in-a-million event—would very likely have shown up by now. Back in December, experts quickly noticed and warned the public about a handful of severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which is why vaccination sites now monitor recipients for 15 to 30 minutes after the jab.
At the end of the day - its is all about managing risks. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have both demonstrated 100% effectiveness preventing serious disease and hospitalizations. Just get vaccinated!
\n", "content_html": "
Sarah Zhang in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nmRNA vaccines are similarly new, but they have so far racked up a good safety record. So many doses have been administered that these unusual blood clots—or any serious one-in-a-million event—would very likely have shown up by now. Back in December, experts quickly noticed and warned the public about a handful of severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which is why vaccination sites now monitor recipients for 15 to 30 minutes after the jab.
At the end of the day - its is all about managing risks. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have both demonstrated 100% effectiveness preventing serious disease and hospitalizations. Just get vaccinated!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/15/twin-pines-mall-equals-loan-pine-mall/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/15/twin-pines-mall-equals-loan-pine-mall/", "title": "Twin Pines Mall => Loan Pine Mall", "date_published": "2021-04-15T03:15:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-15T03:15:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Back To The Future is one of my favorite movies of all time - and quite possibly the best script ever written. The writers thought about every minute detail.
\n\nTodd Vaziri documents one such detail brilliantly:
\n\n\nTwin Pines Mall became Lone Pine Mall after Marty changed the future in “Back to the Future” (1985). Is that an Easter Egg or a Thing in the Movie? Let’s find out!
— Todd Vaziri (@tvaziri) April 12, 2021
🌲🌲YouTube: https://t.co/ieXT9uVij9 pic.twitter.com/vw7p5fUEHR
Back To The Future is one of my favorite movies of all time - and quite possibly the best script ever written. The writers thought about every minute detail.
\n\nTodd Vaziri documents one such detail brilliantly:
\n\n\nTwin Pines Mall became Lone Pine Mall after Marty changed the future in “Back to the Future” (1985). Is that an Easter Egg or a Thing in the Movie? Let’s find out!
— Todd Vaziri (@tvaziri) April 12, 2021
🌲🌲YouTube: https://t.co/ieXT9uVij9 pic.twitter.com/vw7p5fUEHR
![](\"/assets/images/mass-shootings.jpeg\")
In the last month, the US has reported at least 45 mass shootings. Most of these horrifying events don’t even get reported on the news. And why would they? In the United States more than 33,000 people die from gun violence each year.
\n\nWe have become numb to the daily onslaught of death and carnage that rages across our streets. Having the most heavily armed society in the world will not lead to a free society.
\n\n\n\n\nArendt offers two points that are salient to our thinking about guns: for one, they insert a hierarchy of some kind, but fundamental nonetheless, and thereby undermine equality. But furthermore, guns pose a monumental challenge to freedom, and particular, the liberty that is the hallmark of any democracy worthy of the name — that is, freedom of speech. Guns do communicate, after all, but in a way that is contrary to free speech aspirations: for, guns chasten speech.
This becomes clear if only you pry a little more deeply into the N.R.A.’s logic behind an armed society. An armed society is polite, by their thinking, precisely because guns would compel everyone to tamp down eccentric behavior, and refrain from actions that might seem threatening. The suggestion is that guns liberally interspersed throughout society would cause us all to walk gingerly — not make any sudden, unexpected moves — and watch what we say, how we act, whom we might offend.
It will lead to a fearful, paranoid, and frightened society. For the future of our children and our democracy, lets stop worshipping our great Gun god.
\n", "content_html": "
In the last month, the US has reported at least 45 mass shootings. Most of these horrifying events don’t even get reported on the news. And why would they? In the United States more than 33,000 people die from gun violence each year.
\n\nWe have become numb to the daily onslaught of death and carnage that rages across our streets. Having the most heavily armed society in the world will not lead to a free society.
\n\n\n\n\nArendt offers two points that are salient to our thinking about guns: for one, they insert a hierarchy of some kind, but fundamental nonetheless, and thereby undermine equality. But furthermore, guns pose a monumental challenge to freedom, and particular, the liberty that is the hallmark of any democracy worthy of the name — that is, freedom of speech. Guns do communicate, after all, but in a way that is contrary to free speech aspirations: for, guns chasten speech.
This becomes clear if only you pry a little more deeply into the N.R.A.’s logic behind an armed society. An armed society is polite, by their thinking, precisely because guns would compel everyone to tamp down eccentric behavior, and refrain from actions that might seem threatening. The suggestion is that guns liberally interspersed throughout society would cause us all to walk gingerly — not make any sudden, unexpected moves — and watch what we say, how we act, whom we might offend.
It will lead to a fearful, paranoid, and frightened society. For the future of our children and our democracy, lets stop worshipping our great Gun god.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/19/still-need-to-wear-masks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/19/still-need-to-wear-masks/", "title": "Do we Still need to wear masks?", "date_published": "2021-04-19T00:05:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-19T00:05:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/public-facemask.jpg\")
With 25% of the people fully vaccinated and 39.5% with the first dose, does it still make sense for use to wear a mask at all times? Science says that indoors - we should be masking up. But what about outdoors?
\n\nShannon Palus writing for Slate:
\n\n\n\n\nIn other words, as the pandemic has progressed, so has our understanding of what safety measures are truly most useful, and which aren’t worth the alcohol wipes. And I would like to calmly suggest that now is the time we should consider no longer wearing masks when we walk around outside.
I am not suggesting this simply because I am very sick of wearing a mask at all times outside my home. When it comes to coronavirus spread, evidence shows that being outdoors is very, very safe.
[…]
While it’s important to mask in outdoor crowds or if you’re hanging out close to someone in a park, Chagla explains, the main message should be that the outdoors is a safe place to be. He gave me a rough sense of how unlikely outdoor transmission is in the scenario where you’re walking unmasked on the sidewalk and briefly pass someone. First, you or the person you’re passing would have to happen to have an asymptomatic infection, he explained, and then everyone would have to be exhaling and inhaling at just the right moment, and also, exchanging enough particles to actually seed another infection: “You’re talking about a probability of getting hit by a car, and being struck by lightning.”
While I can’t really argue the points made here - it is probably safe to be outside without a mask. However, beating the epidemic at this point is more about social behavior. Collectively wearing a mask outdoors will be a constant reminder that we are not out of the woods yet, that we still need to keep our guard up.
\n\nLook I hate wearing a mask as much as the next person. Let’s keep up the effort for a little bit longer. We have already turned the corner - keep on wearing a mask so that we can finally have our lives back this year.
\n", "content_html": "
With 25% of the people fully vaccinated and 39.5% with the first dose, does it still make sense for use to wear a mask at all times? Science says that indoors - we should be masking up. But what about outdoors?
\n\nShannon Palus writing for Slate:
\n\n\n\n\nIn other words, as the pandemic has progressed, so has our understanding of what safety measures are truly most useful, and which aren’t worth the alcohol wipes. And I would like to calmly suggest that now is the time we should consider no longer wearing masks when we walk around outside.
I am not suggesting this simply because I am very sick of wearing a mask at all times outside my home. When it comes to coronavirus spread, evidence shows that being outdoors is very, very safe.
[…]
While it’s important to mask in outdoor crowds or if you’re hanging out close to someone in a park, Chagla explains, the main message should be that the outdoors is a safe place to be. He gave me a rough sense of how unlikely outdoor transmission is in the scenario where you’re walking unmasked on the sidewalk and briefly pass someone. First, you or the person you’re passing would have to happen to have an asymptomatic infection, he explained, and then everyone would have to be exhaling and inhaling at just the right moment, and also, exchanging enough particles to actually seed another infection: “You’re talking about a probability of getting hit by a car, and being struck by lightning.”
While I can’t really argue the points made here - it is probably safe to be outside without a mask. However, beating the epidemic at this point is more about social behavior. Collectively wearing a mask outdoors will be a constant reminder that we are not out of the woods yet, that we still need to keep our guard up.
\n\nLook I hate wearing a mask as much as the next person. Let’s keep up the effort for a little bit longer. We have already turned the corner - keep on wearing a mask so that we can finally have our lives back this year.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/20/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/20/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan/", "title": "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", "date_published": "2021-04-20T00:35:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-20T00:35:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A modern trailer to Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan:
\n\n
\nThis is the best Start Trek movie they every made. Nearlly 40 years on, it still holds up. Even though the special effects are looking dated. If Paramount used this before a re-release of this to the theaters, I would go see it. I’d bet a lot of people would.
A modern trailer to Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan:
\n\n
\nThis is the best Start Trek movie they every made. Nearlly 40 years on, it still holds up. Even though the special effects are looking dated. If Paramount used this before a re-release of this to the theaters, I would go see it. I’d bet a lot of people would.
\nThe Ingenuity helicopter took off and hovered for about 30 seconds in its first flight early this morning.
\n\n", "content_html": "The solar-powered helicopter first became airborne at 3:34 a.m. EDT (12:34 a.m. PDT) — 12:33 Local Mean Solar Time (Mars time) — a time the Ingenuity team determined would have optimal energy and flight conditions. Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 10 feet (3 meters) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight. Additional details on the test are expected in upcoming downlinks.
Ingenuity’s initial flight demonstration was autonomous — piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by the team at JPL. Because data must be sent to and returned from the Red Planet over hundreds of millions of miles using orbiting satellites and NASA’s Deep Space Network, Ingenuity cannot be flown with a joystick, and its flight was not observable from Earth in real time.
\nThe Ingenuity helicopter took off and hovered for about 30 seconds in its first flight early this morning.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/22/indias-descent-into-covid-hell/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/22/indias-descent-into-covid-hell/", "title": "India's Descent into Covid Hell", "date_published": "2021-04-22T22:23:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-22T22:23:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nThe solar-powered helicopter first became airborne at 3:34 a.m. EDT (12:34 a.m. PDT) — 12:33 Local Mean Solar Time (Mars time) — a time the Ingenuity team determined would have optimal energy and flight conditions. Altimeter data indicate Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 10 feet (3 meters) and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then descended, touching back down on the surface of Mars after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight. Additional details on the test are expected in upcoming downlinks.
Ingenuity’s initial flight demonstration was autonomous — piloted by onboard guidance, navigation, and control systems running algorithms developed by the team at JPL. Because data must be sent to and returned from the Red Planet over hundreds of millions of miles using orbiting satellites and NASA’s Deep Space Network, Ingenuity cannot be flown with a joystick, and its flight was not observable from Earth in real time.
\n\n\nDr Amit Thadhani, director of Niramaya hospital in Mumbai, which is only treating Covid patients, said he had given warnings about a virulent second wave back in February but they had gone ignored. He said now his hospital was “completely full and if a patient gets discharged, the bed is filled within minutes”. Ten days ago, the hospital ran out of oxygen, but alternative supplies were found just in time.
[…]
Thadhani said this time round the virus was “much more aggressive and much more infectious” and was now predominately affecting young people. “Now it is people in their 20s and 30s who are coming in with very severe symptoms and there is a lot of mortality among young people,” he said.
The haunting blare of ambulance sirens continued to ring out across the capital almost non-stop. Inside Lok Nayak government hospital in Delhi, the largest Covid facility in the capital, overburdened facilities and a shortage of oxygen cylinders meant there was two to a bed, while outside patients waiting for beds gasped for air on stretchers and in ambulances, while sobbing relatives stood by their sides. Some sat with oxygen cylinders they had bought themselves out of desperation. Others died waiting in the hospital car park.
It’s breathtaking how quickly COVID can erupt. India had just 11,000 cases a day in early February. As of yesterday, they set a record with over 310,000 cases. A warning to all of us in the United States to keep wearing masks and following the social distancing guidelines.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n\nDr Amit Thadhani, director of Niramaya hospital in Mumbai, which is only treating Covid patients, said he had given warnings about a virulent second wave back in February but they had gone ignored. He said now his hospital was “completely full and if a patient gets discharged, the bed is filled within minutes”. Ten days ago, the hospital ran out of oxygen, but alternative supplies were found just in time.
[…]
Thadhani said this time round the virus was “much more aggressive and much more infectious” and was now predominately affecting young people. “Now it is people in their 20s and 30s who are coming in with very severe symptoms and there is a lot of mortality among young people,” he said.
The haunting blare of ambulance sirens continued to ring out across the capital almost non-stop. Inside Lok Nayak government hospital in Delhi, the largest Covid facility in the capital, overburdened facilities and a shortage of oxygen cylinders meant there was two to a bed, while outside patients waiting for beds gasped for air on stretchers and in ambulances, while sobbing relatives stood by their sides. Some sat with oxygen cylinders they had bought themselves out of desperation. Others died waiting in the hospital car park.
It’s breathtaking how quickly COVID can erupt. India had just 11,000 cases a day in early February. As of yesterday, they set a record with over 310,000 cases. A warning to all of us in the United States to keep wearing masks and following the social distancing guidelines.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/24/m1-imac-24-inch/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/24/m1-imac-24-inch/", "title": "M1 iMac 24-Inch", "date_published": "2021-04-24T02:13:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-24T02:13:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/thin-imac-m1.jpg\")
John Grubber on the new iMac 24-inch machines:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "These new iMacs are just 11.5mm thick. How thin is that? Apple Watch Series 6 is 10.7mm thick. These new iMacs are less than 1mm thicker than a goddamned Apple Watch. They’re so thin Apple had to put the Ethernet port on the power adapter — the iMac itself is too thin. I’ve seen a bunch of Debbie Downer-type reactions to this, asking “Who cares how thin a desktop is? Just make it thicker and put more ports on it and stuff.” That’s the same sort of perspective that, 20+ years ago, had critics asking “Who cares what color plastic your computer is?”
Making these new iMacs super thin is cool. It’s a statement. From the side they look like big 24-inch iPads. If you don’t think that’s cool and that cool is something Apple should aspire to in its design and engineering, I have no idea why you’re reading anything I write.
John Grubber on the new iMac 24-inch machines:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/25/apple-is-redifining-the-cpu/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/25/apple-is-redifining-the-cpu/", "title": "Apple is redifining the importance of the CPU", "date_published": "2021-04-25T22:13:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-25T22:13:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "These new iMacs are just 11.5mm thick. How thin is that? Apple Watch Series 6 is 10.7mm thick. These new iMacs are less than 1mm thicker than a goddamned Apple Watch. They’re so thin Apple had to put the Ethernet port on the power adapter — the iMac itself is too thin. I’ve seen a bunch of Debbie Downer-type reactions to this, asking “Who cares how thin a desktop is? Just make it thicker and put more ports on it and stuff.” That’s the same sort of perspective that, 20+ years ago, had critics asking “Who cares what color plastic your computer is?”
Making these new iMacs super thin is cool. It’s a statement. From the side they look like big 24-inch iPads. If you don’t think that’s cool and that cool is something Apple should aspire to in its design and engineering, I have no idea why you’re reading anything I write.
Joel Hruska writing over at Extreme Tech:
\n\n\n\n\nIf that doesn’t seem like a fusillade across x86’s metaphorical bow, consider the issue from a different perspective: According to Apple, the M1 is the right CPU for a $699 computer, and a $999 computer, and a $1,699 computer. It’s the right chip if you want maximum battery life and the right CPU for optimal performance. Want the amazing performance of an M1 iMac, but can’t afford (or have no need) for the expensive display? Buy a $699 Mac mini, with exactly the same CPU. Apple’s M1 positioning, evaluated in its totality, claims the CPU is cheap and unremarkable enough to be sold at $699, powerful and capable enough to sell at $1699, and power-efficient enough to power both a tablet and a pair of laptops priced in-between.
I have said it in the past - when Apple enters a market place with their own product, they don’t compete in the traditional sense. The redefine and tilt the market to its advantage.
\n\nIn a world of command line machines, they jumpstarted the modern computer interface with the Mac:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/apple-mac-mouse.jpeg\")
The did it with the music industry with their Rip,Burn,Mix ad campaign:
\n\n
\nThey redefined the mobile industry with the iPhone:
\nIn each of those instances, they completely changed the tech environment to their advantage. The Mac made every other DOS based machine look ancient. The iPod and the Rip, Mix, Burn campaign re-imagined the music distribution industry to an all digital mobile delivery. And the iPhone upended the status quo in the mobile industry.
And now they are taking away the importance of the CPU in the desktop. Apple is relegating the CPU to just another bullet point in the long list of tech specs. It is no longer the central driver of performance or price differentiator. Apple is making the form factor the driving differentiator.
\n\nAnd this plays into Apple strength. No one else can really compete with Apple on the form factor. If I were Intel I would be afraid. Very afraid.
\n", "content_html": "
Joel Hruska writing over at Extreme Tech:
\n\n\n\n\nIf that doesn’t seem like a fusillade across x86’s metaphorical bow, consider the issue from a different perspective: According to Apple, the M1 is the right CPU for a $699 computer, and a $999 computer, and a $1,699 computer. It’s the right chip if you want maximum battery life and the right CPU for optimal performance. Want the amazing performance of an M1 iMac, but can’t afford (or have no need) for the expensive display? Buy a $699 Mac mini, with exactly the same CPU. Apple’s M1 positioning, evaluated in its totality, claims the CPU is cheap and unremarkable enough to be sold at $699, powerful and capable enough to sell at $1699, and power-efficient enough to power both a tablet and a pair of laptops priced in-between.
I have said it in the past - when Apple enters a market place with their own product, they don’t compete in the traditional sense. The redefine and tilt the market to its advantage.
\n\nIn a world of command line machines, they jumpstarted the modern computer interface with the Mac:
\n\n
The did it with the music industry with their Rip,Burn,Mix ad campaign:
\n\n
\nThey redefined the mobile industry with the iPhone:
\nIn each of those instances, they completely changed the tech environment to their advantage. The Mac made every other DOS based machine look ancient. The iPod and the Rip, Mix, Burn campaign re-imagined the music distribution industry to an all digital mobile delivery. And the iPhone upended the status quo in the mobile industry.
And now they are taking away the importance of the CPU in the desktop. Apple is relegating the CPU to just another bullet point in the long list of tech specs. It is no longer the central driver of performance or price differentiator. Apple is making the form factor the driving differentiator.
\n\nAnd this plays into Apple strength. No one else can really compete with Apple on the form factor. If I were Intel I would be afraid. Very afraid.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/26/life-in-color-with-david-attenborough/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/26/life-in-color-with-david-attenborough/", "title": "Life in Color With David Attenborough", "date_published": "2021-04-26T01:06:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-26T01:06:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nA new on Netflix - Life in Color with David Attenborough.
\n\n", "content_html": "Animals can use color for all kinds of different reasons — whether to win a mate or beat a rival, to warn off an enemy or to hide from one. To understand how these colors work, we need to see them from an animal’s perspective. With new cameras developed especially for this series, now we can.
\nA new on Netflix - Life in Color with David Attenborough.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/26/and-the-winner-is-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/26/and-the-winner-is-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "And the winner is ...", "date_published": "2021-04-26T13:34:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-26T13:34:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Animals can use color for all kinds of different reasons — whether to win a mate or beat a rival, to warn off an enemy or to hide from one. To understand how these colors work, we need to see them from an animal’s perspective. With new cameras developed especially for this series, now we can.
![](\"/assets/images/oscars.jpeg\")
\nFrom The Economist:
\n\n\nThe bigger challenge may be persuading viewers to tune in from home. If other awards shows are a portent, the Oscars are in for a difficult night. Last month the Grammy music awards got just 9.3m viewers in America, less than half the number who watched last year. In September the Emmys, television’s equivalent, notched 6.4m, another record low.
The pandemic has not helped: most of last year’s big films were postponed because cinemas were shut, dimming the Oscars’ allure. But the decline of interest in arts awards has been long in the making (see chart). It signifies growing boredom with ritzy galas, in an age when lots of stars broadcast directly to Instagram themselves. It betokens frustration in some quarters with a lack of diversity in judging panels and nominees—and, in others, with the perceived left-wing bias of the industry. More than that, though, it is evidence of a deeper shift in the entertainment world, in which the common popular culture that awards shows celebrate is itself being eroded.
Could it simply be that the general population no longer wants to see the entitled rich and privileged preach about Covid, racism and wealth inequality?
\n", "content_html": "\nFrom The Economist:
\n\n\nThe bigger challenge may be persuading viewers to tune in from home. If other awards shows are a portent, the Oscars are in for a difficult night. Last month the Grammy music awards got just 9.3m viewers in America, less than half the number who watched last year. In September the Emmys, television’s equivalent, notched 6.4m, another record low.
The pandemic has not helped: most of last year’s big films were postponed because cinemas were shut, dimming the Oscars’ allure. But the decline of interest in arts awards has been long in the making (see chart). It signifies growing boredom with ritzy galas, in an age when lots of stars broadcast directly to Instagram themselves. It betokens frustration in some quarters with a lack of diversity in judging panels and nominees—and, in others, with the perceived left-wing bias of the industry. More than that, though, it is evidence of a deeper shift in the entertainment world, in which the common popular culture that awards shows celebrate is itself being eroded.
Could it simply be that the general population no longer wants to see the entitled rich and privileged preach about Covid, racism and wealth inequality?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/27/the-labor-shortage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/04/27/the-labor-shortage/", "title": "The Labor Shortage", "date_published": "2021-04-27T00:46:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-27T00:46:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/no-one-wants-to-work.jpeg\")
In the media, their is a growing voice that the Covid-19 benefits are causing workers to be lazy. That is certainly one view - but Anne Helen Petersen makes a great point:
\n\n\n\n\nRefusing to prostrate yourself on the wheel of work is not a failure. Nor is it self-care — at least not in the narrow, individualistic way we conceive of it. It can be a means of advocating for yourself, but also your peers, your family, even your children. But here’s the thing about a reshuffle: you’re still playing with the same deck of cards, and the game of American capitalism is still rigged against the worker. Which is why business models in everything from tourism to early childhood care need to be fundamentally reconceived — and built in a way that doesn’t hinge on workers making poverty-level wages.
We should ask ourselves, our communities, and our government: if a business can’t pay a living wage, should it be a business? If it’s too expensive for businesses to provide healthcare for their workers, maybe we need to decouple it from employment? If childcare is a market failure, but we need childcare for the economy to work, how can the government build that infrastructure? If the pay you provide workers doesn’t allow them to live in the community, what needs to change? Collectively, we should be thinking of different funding models, different ownership scenarios, and different growth imperatives. Failure to do so is simply resigning ourselves to another round of this rigged game.
If you can’t find a way to pay your employees a living wage and provide them a dignified work environment - why should you be allowed to exist as a business? This perverse attitude in America of profits over Americans needs to be stop. And the only way that is going to happen is by the citizenry demanding laws that enforce those changes.
\n", "content_html": "
In the media, their is a growing voice that the Covid-19 benefits are causing workers to be lazy. That is certainly one view - but Anne Helen Petersen makes a great point:
\n\n\n\n\nRefusing to prostrate yourself on the wheel of work is not a failure. Nor is it self-care — at least not in the narrow, individualistic way we conceive of it. It can be a means of advocating for yourself, but also your peers, your family, even your children. But here’s the thing about a reshuffle: you’re still playing with the same deck of cards, and the game of American capitalism is still rigged against the worker. Which is why business models in everything from tourism to early childhood care need to be fundamentally reconceived — and built in a way that doesn’t hinge on workers making poverty-level wages.
We should ask ourselves, our communities, and our government: if a business can’t pay a living wage, should it be a business? If it’s too expensive for businesses to provide healthcare for their workers, maybe we need to decouple it from employment? If childcare is a market failure, but we need childcare for the economy to work, how can the government build that infrastructure? If the pay you provide workers doesn’t allow them to live in the community, what needs to change? Collectively, we should be thinking of different funding models, different ownership scenarios, and different growth imperatives. Failure to do so is simply resigning ourselves to another round of this rigged game.
If you can’t find a way to pay your employees a living wage and provide them a dignified work environment - why should you be allowed to exist as a business? This perverse attitude in America of profits over Americans needs to be stop. And the only way that is going to happen is by the citizenry demanding laws that enforce those changes.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/08/sexual-violence-of-game-of-thrones/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/08/sexual-violence-of-game-of-thrones/", "title": "Sexual Violence of Game of Thrones", "date_published": "2021-05-08T22:03:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-08T22:03:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/got.jpeg\")
Game of Thrones was on of my favorite show on TV. At least until the Season 8 finally when D&D completely screwed over the audience- but I digress. What really bugged me about the show was the amount of rape, nudity and degradation of women on a weekly basis. Every season trying to top the last one.
\n\nSophie Gilbert writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Game of Thrones, which debuted 10 years ago this spring, has the dubious honor of being the ne plus ultra of rape culture on television. No series before, or since, has so flagrantly served up rape and assault simply for kicks, without a shadow of a nod toward “realism” (because dragons). The genre is fantasy, and the fantasy at hand is a world in which every woman, no matter her power or fortune, is likely to be violated in front of our eyes. Rape is like blood on Game of Thrones, so commonplace that viewers become inured to it, necessitating ever more excess to grab our attention. It’s brutal, graphic, and hollow. It’s also intentional. Daenerys’s wedding night isn’t explicitly written as being nonconsensual in George R. R. Martin’s 1996 novel (despite the fact that the character was 13 at the time), and it wasn’t filmed as such in the first, unreleased Game of Thrones pilot. At some point, the decision was made to introduce viewers to the series’s most significant female character via her humiliating assault—with pornified aesthetics for added titillation—by a man who had purchased her.
When Thrones was on the air, each season brought with it ample discussion of its wearying reliance on rape for dramatic fodder. My colleague Chris Orr did a character-by-character breakdown in 2015 of the exaggerated and invented instances of sexualized violence that the show’s creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, introduced in adapting the show; in response to widespread criticism, Weiss and Benioff eventually toned down depictions of rape and assault and sacrificed neither viewership nor Holy shit watercooler moments in the process, proving the show never needed them in the first place.
Game of Thrones was on of my favorite show on TV. At least until the Season 8 finally when D&D completely screwed over the audience- but I digress. What really bugged me about the show was the amount of rape, nudity and degradation of women on a weekly basis. Every season trying to top the last one.
\n\nSophie Gilbert writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/09/what-color-are-these-spheres/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/09/what-color-are-these-spheres/", "title": "What color are these spheres?", "date_published": "2021-05-09T02:48:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-09T02:48:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Game of Thrones, which debuted 10 years ago this spring, has the dubious honor of being the ne plus ultra of rape culture on television. No series before, or since, has so flagrantly served up rape and assault simply for kicks, without a shadow of a nod toward “realism” (because dragons). The genre is fantasy, and the fantasy at hand is a world in which every woman, no matter her power or fortune, is likely to be violated in front of our eyes. Rape is like blood on Game of Thrones, so commonplace that viewers become inured to it, necessitating ever more excess to grab our attention. It’s brutal, graphic, and hollow. It’s also intentional. Daenerys’s wedding night isn’t explicitly written as being nonconsensual in George R. R. Martin’s 1996 novel (despite the fact that the character was 13 at the time), and it wasn’t filmed as such in the first, unreleased Game of Thrones pilot. At some point, the decision was made to introduce viewers to the series’s most significant female character via her humiliating assault—with pornified aesthetics for added titillation—by a man who had purchased her.
When Thrones was on the air, each season brought with it ample discussion of its wearying reliance on rape for dramatic fodder. My colleague Chris Orr did a character-by-character breakdown in 2015 of the exaggerated and invented instances of sexualized violence that the show’s creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, introduced in adapting the show; in response to widespread criticism, Weiss and Benioff eventually toned down depictions of rape and assault and sacrificed neither viewership nor Holy shit watercooler moments in the process, proving the show never needed them in the first place.
A color contrast optical illusion makes it look like the balls are different colors. In reality they are all the same color and shading.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/optical-illusion.jpeg\")
\n\n", "content_html": "In a nutshell, we do perceive colors as they stand on their own, but also by contrast with colors around them. If I put up an image of a red square, then (assuming you have normal color vision) it looks red. But if I put up objects with other colors around it, the color we perceive changes a bit. That can be manipulated using stripes of different colors, for example. In the top row, note the colors of the stripes going across the balls. The left one has green stripes, the middle one red, and the right one blue. That changes how we see the balls.
This is called the Munker-White illusion (or sometimes just the Munker illusion), and it’s a powerful one. When you’re not looking directly at the balls, the color of the stripes pulls the color of the ball toward it, in a manner of speaking, so the green stripes make the ball look greener. It’s weird.
A color contrast optical illusion makes it look like the balls are different colors. In reality they are all the same color and shading.
\n\n
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/10/a-view-from-above/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/10/a-view-from-above/", "title": "A View From Above", "date_published": "2021-05-10T22:36:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-10T22:36:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In a nutshell, we do perceive colors as they stand on their own, but also by contrast with colors around them. If I put up an image of a red square, then (assuming you have normal color vision) it looks red. But if I put up objects with other colors around it, the color we perceive changes a bit. That can be manipulated using stripes of different colors, for example. In the top row, note the colors of the stripes going across the balls. The left one has green stripes, the middle one red, and the right one blue. That changes how we see the balls.
This is called the Munker-White illusion (or sometimes just the Munker illusion), and it’s a powerful one. When you’re not looking directly at the balls, the color of the stripes pulls the color of the ball toward it, in a manner of speaking, so the green stripes make the ball look greener. It’s weird.
Photographer Brad Walls provides a new angle on the actions of athletes.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/tennis-up.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/synchro-swimming.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/synchro-swimming2.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/gymnastics.jpeg\")
Photographer Brad Walls provides a new angle on the actions of athletes.
\n\n
\n\n\nWhen the once burgeoning coal industry in Ruhrgebiet, Germany, began to decline, many of the workers’ apartments were sold off. Oftentimes, new owners only purchased half of the building—miners maintained a lifelong right of residence to their quarters—creating a stark split between the left and right sides of the structure. Photographer Wolfgang Fröhling captures this visually striking divide in a series of images framing the renovated and original designs juxtaposed in a single structure. See the full collection of half-painted facades and disparate landscaping on Pixel Project, and find more of the Bottrop-based photographer’s work on his site.
I see this as a commentary on economic inequality.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/halfhouse-1.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/halfhouse-2.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/halfhouse-3.jpeg\")
\n\n\nWhen the once burgeoning coal industry in Ruhrgebiet, Germany, began to decline, many of the workers’ apartments were sold off. Oftentimes, new owners only purchased half of the building—miners maintained a lifelong right of residence to their quarters—creating a stark split between the left and right sides of the structure. Photographer Wolfgang Fröhling captures this visually striking divide in a series of images framing the renovated and original designs juxtaposed in a single structure. See the full collection of half-painted facades and disparate landscaping on Pixel Project, and find more of the Bottrop-based photographer’s work on his site.
I see this as a commentary on economic inequality.
\n\n
![](\"/assets/images/pitfall.jpeg\")
Pitfall was one of the most sophisticated games released for the Atari 2600. While it may seem a simplistic game in 2021 - in 1983 on a machine with 128 bytes of RAM and 4096 bytes of ROM - it was an amazing feat of engineering. Just how was David Crane able to do it in such a constrained environment?
\n\n\n\n\nThe way you make a large world without storing much data is by having some code generate it for you.
The biggest problem with this, however, is that you generally need to save the data you generated. This is what games such as Rogue and Minecraft do. They randomly generate worlds in order to give variety to players, but save the data once it's generated. The limitations of the Atari do not afford this luxury.
Crane overcame this in two ways. The first was in the way he represented a room's layout in memory, and the second was the way in which he generated those representations. The way these representations are generated actually obviate the need to store anything but the current room in memory, but we'll get to that later. First we will look at how the current room is represented.
[...]
Crane used a single byte to represent the layout of the current room. That may seem incredible given all that's going on in any given room, but it's actually quite simple.
A single byte of memory. Read the details here.
\n", "content_html": "
Pitfall was one of the most sophisticated games released for the Atari 2600. While it may seem a simplistic game in 2021 - in 1983 on a machine with 128 bytes of RAM and 4096 bytes of ROM - it was an amazing feat of engineering. Just how was David Crane able to do it in such a constrained environment?
\n\n\n\n\nThe way you make a large world without storing much data is by having some code generate it for you.
The biggest problem with this, however, is that you generally need to save the data you generated. This is what games such as Rogue and Minecraft do. They randomly generate worlds in order to give variety to players, but save the data once it's generated. The limitations of the Atari do not afford this luxury.
Crane overcame this in two ways. The first was in the way he represented a room's layout in memory, and the second was the way in which he generated those representations. The way these representations are generated actually obviate the need to store anything but the current room in memory, but we'll get to that later. First we will look at how the current room is represented.
[...]
Crane used a single byte to represent the layout of the current room. That may seem incredible given all that's going on in any given room, but it's actually quite simple.
A single byte of memory. Read the details here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/11/dune/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/11/dune/", "title": "Dune", "date_published": "2021-05-11T01:27:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-11T01:27:14-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/dune.jpg\")
Dune is one of, if not the, greatest science fiction epic ever put to print. It’s influence, even today some 50 years later, is far and wide. Hard to imagine Star Wars would have ever existed with out Frank Herbert’s masterpiece. Hari Kunzru has an excellent write up in The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nEvery fantasy reflects the place and time that produced it. If The Lord of the Rings is about the rise of fascism and the trauma of the second world war, and Game of Thrones, with its cynical realpolitik and cast of precarious, entrepreneurial characters is a fairytale of neoliberalism, then Dune is the paradigmatic fantasy of the Age of Aquarius. Its concerns – environmental stress, human potential, altered states of consciousness and the developing countries’ revolution against imperialism – are blended together into an era-defining vision of personal and cosmic transformation.
\n\n[..]
\n\nActually, the great Dune film did get made. Its name is Star Wars. In early drafts, this story of a desert planet, an evil emperor, and a boy with a galactic destiny also included warring noble houses and a princess guarding a shipment of something called “aura spice”. All manner of borrowings from Dune litter the Star Wars universe, from the Bene Gesserit-like mental powers of the Jedi to the mining and “moisture farming” on Tattooine. Herbert knew he’d been ripped off, and thought he saw the ideas of other SF writers in Lucas’s money-spinning franchise. He and a number of colleagues formed a joke organisation called the We’re Too Big to Sue George Lucas Society.
They did make a Dune movie staring Sting in 1984 - avoid it at all costs. Wait for this to come out sometime this year:
\n\n
\nThis trailer exceeded my expectations. I am so hyped to see this in theaters.
Dune is one of, if not the, greatest science fiction epic ever put to print. It’s influence, even today some 50 years later, is far and wide. Hard to imagine Star Wars would have ever existed with out Frank Herbert’s masterpiece. Hari Kunzru has an excellent write up in The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nEvery fantasy reflects the place and time that produced it. If The Lord of the Rings is about the rise of fascism and the trauma of the second world war, and Game of Thrones, with its cynical realpolitik and cast of precarious, entrepreneurial characters is a fairytale of neoliberalism, then Dune is the paradigmatic fantasy of the Age of Aquarius. Its concerns – environmental stress, human potential, altered states of consciousness and the developing countries’ revolution against imperialism – are blended together into an era-defining vision of personal and cosmic transformation.
\n\n[..]
\n\nActually, the great Dune film did get made. Its name is Star Wars. In early drafts, this story of a desert planet, an evil emperor, and a boy with a galactic destiny also included warring noble houses and a princess guarding a shipment of something called “aura spice”. All manner of borrowings from Dune litter the Star Wars universe, from the Bene Gesserit-like mental powers of the Jedi to the mining and “moisture farming” on Tattooine. Herbert knew he’d been ripped off, and thought he saw the ideas of other SF writers in Lucas’s money-spinning franchise. He and a number of colleagues formed a joke organisation called the We’re Too Big to Sue George Lucas Society.
They did make a Dune movie staring Sting in 1984 - avoid it at all costs. Wait for this to come out sometime this year:
\n\n
\nThis trailer exceeded my expectations. I am so hyped to see this in theaters.
Starting in 2022, the US Mint will release into circulation quarters featuring notable American women as part of the American Women Quarters Program.
\n\n\n\n\nThe American Women Quarters may feature contributions from a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored will be from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. The Public Law requires that no living person be featured in the coin designs.
The first two quarters to be released honor astronaut Sally Ride and writer Maya Angelou.\n![](\"/assets/images/maya-sally.jpeg\")
![](\"/assets/images/women-quarters1.png\")
Starting in 2022, the US Mint will release into circulation quarters featuring notable American women as part of the American Women Quarters Program.
\n\n\n\n\nThe American Women Quarters may feature contributions from a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored will be from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. The Public Law requires that no living person be featured in the coin designs.
The first two quarters to be released honor astronaut Sally Ride and writer Maya Angelou.\n
\n\n", "content_html": "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through out political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that \"democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.\"
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/15/cyber-ninjas-bamboo-and-chinese-oh-my/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/15/cyber-ninjas-bamboo-and-chinese-oh-my/", "title": "Cyber Ninjas, Bamboo and Chinese! Oh My!", "date_published": "2021-05-15T05:06:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-15T05:06:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through out political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that \"democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.\"
You just can’t make this stuff up. But Jordan Klepper is on it…
\n\nYou just can’t make this stuff up. But Jordan Klepper is on it…
\n\nI have to say - I am not happy about the CDC’s decision to state that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks in most situations indoors or out. In the US 600 people/day are still dying of Covid-19 and our case positivity rate is still above 3% - not to mention most children are still not vaccinated.
\n\nHolding off for a few more weeks could have improved things tremendously. The CDC’s decision to lift the mandates seems to be guided by economics rather than science. Zeynep Tufekci’s piece in New York Times
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "It’s difficult for officials to issue rules as conditions evolve and uncertainty continues. So I hesitate to question the agency’s approach. But it’s not clear whether it was responding to scientific evidence or public clamor to lift state and local mandates, which the C.D.C. said could remain in place.
It might have been better to have kept up indoor mask mandates to help suppress the virus for maybe as little as a few more weeks.
The C.D.C. could have set metrics to measure such progress, saying that guidelines would be maintained until the number of cases or the number vaccinations reached a certain level, determined by epidemiologists.
I have to say - I am not happy about the CDC’s decision to state that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks in most situations indoors or out. In the US 600 people/day are still dying of Covid-19 and our case positivity rate is still above 3% - not to mention most children are still not vaccinated.
\n\nHolding off for a few more weeks could have improved things tremendously. The CDC’s decision to lift the mandates seems to be guided by economics rather than science. Zeynep Tufekci’s piece in New York Times
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/20/private-vs-public-affluence/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/20/private-vs-public-affluence/", "title": "Private vs Public affluence", "date_published": "2021-05-20T23:29:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-20T23:29:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It’s difficult for officials to issue rules as conditions evolve and uncertainty continues. So I hesitate to question the agency’s approach. But it’s not clear whether it was responding to scientific evidence or public clamor to lift state and local mandates, which the C.D.C. said could remain in place.
It might have been better to have kept up indoor mask mandates to help suppress the virus for maybe as little as a few more weeks.
The C.D.C. could have set metrics to measure such progress, saying that guidelines would be maintained until the number of cases or the number vaccinations reached a certain level, determined by epidemiologists.
There is a cost to our hyper capitalist society. One where the culture of greed and private ownership is an assault on community and our environment. Jeremy Williams in his excellent post:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "But the thing I wanted to highlight is the difference between private and public affluence. Private affluence is individuals gaining things for themselves – possessions, nice homes and experiences, trampolines. Public affluence is money spent lavishly on things that are shared – libraries, parks, buses, playgrounds.
Capitalism pushes us towards private affluence. We aspire to acquire our own things. Shared things are seen as second best, something of an inconvenience. Politics responds accordingly, prioritising economic growth and ‘more money in your pocket’, rather than shared goods and services. So everyone has their own lawnmower while the grass grows long in the park. People get their own exercise bikes or rowing machines, and the gym at the local leisure centre starts to look tired and under-funded. The wealthy pay for childcare or hire a nanny, but the early years nursery closes down.
Having access to your own things looks like progress, but there is a cost. Community is one of the victims. Shared spaces are places where community happens, where people mix and meet. Nobody makes new friends on their own rowing machine, in front of the TV. Inequality is another. Those who can afford their own won’t notice, but those on lower incomes rely much more on shared resources. When a library closes, it’s those on the margins of society who lose access to books, internet access, or a warm place to sit and do their homework. There is also an environmental cost, as private ownership means endlessly duplicated goods, many underused objects across many owners rather than a few well used objects that are shared.
There is a cost to our hyper capitalist society. One where the culture of greed and private ownership is an assault on community and our environment. Jeremy Williams in his excellent post:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/20/the-apple-silicon-era/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/20/the-apple-silicon-era/", "title": "The Apple Silicon Era", "date_published": "2021-05-20T23:49:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-20T23:49:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But the thing I wanted to highlight is the difference between private and public affluence. Private affluence is individuals gaining things for themselves – possessions, nice homes and experiences, trampolines. Public affluence is money spent lavishly on things that are shared – libraries, parks, buses, playgrounds.
Capitalism pushes us towards private affluence. We aspire to acquire our own things. Shared things are seen as second best, something of an inconvenience. Politics responds accordingly, prioritising economic growth and ‘more money in your pocket’, rather than shared goods and services. So everyone has their own lawnmower while the grass grows long in the park. People get their own exercise bikes or rowing machines, and the gym at the local leisure centre starts to look tired and under-funded. The wealthy pay for childcare or hire a nanny, but the early years nursery closes down.
Having access to your own things looks like progress, but there is a cost. Community is one of the victims. Shared spaces are places where community happens, where people mix and meet. Nobody makes new friends on their own rowing machine, in front of the TV. Inequality is another. Those who can afford their own won’t notice, but those on lower incomes rely much more on shared resources. When a library closes, it’s those on the margins of society who lose access to books, internet access, or a warm place to sit and do their homework. There is also an environmental cost, as private ownership means endlessly duplicated goods, many underused objects across many owners rather than a few well used objects that are shared.
![](\"/assets/images/apple-silicon.png\")
\n\n\nBut then a funny thing happened.
[..]
With the new M1 iPad Pros, Apple has achieved equilibrium. It’s literally the exact same chip. The iPad Pro has the speed of the Mac and the Mac has the incredible power efficiency and thermals of the iPad Pro. I saw this coming years ago, yet it’s still hard for me to believe.
Believe it. Apple is about to do to the CPU industry what it did to cell phone industry. The upcoming M2 chips will be the nail in the coffin for x86 dominance.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nBut then a funny thing happened.
[..]
With the new M1 iPad Pros, Apple has achieved equilibrium. It’s literally the exact same chip. The iPad Pro has the speed of the Mac and the Mac has the incredible power efficiency and thermals of the iPad Pro. I saw this coming years ago, yet it’s still hard for me to believe.
Believe it. Apple is about to do to the CPU industry what it did to cell phone industry. The upcoming M2 chips will be the nail in the coffin for x86 dominance.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/24/new-remote/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/24/new-remote/", "title": "New Remote", "date_published": "2021-05-24T21:59:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-24T21:59:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/apple-siri-remote.jpeg\")
I have been an Apple TV user for the last 7 years. And I absolutely love the little black box. However, I hate the remote. For a company that consistently designs fantastic UI and physical products - the black Siri apple remote is a horrendous design. Just use it for a few minutes and its obvious whats wrong with it:
\n\nYou have to wonder how it ever made it out of the prototype stage like this. The new aluminum Siri remote fixes every single one of these problems. Just look at it:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/new-apple-remote.png\")
This alone justifies upgrading to the new 5th generation Apple TV. You have to wonder what the hell took six years to fix this mess.
\n", "content_html": "
I have been an Apple TV user for the last 7 years. And I absolutely love the little black box. However, I hate the remote. For a company that consistently designs fantastic UI and physical products - the black Siri apple remote is a horrendous design. Just use it for a few minutes and its obvious whats wrong with it:
\n\nYou have to wonder how it ever made it out of the prototype stage like this. The new aluminum Siri remote fixes every single one of these problems. Just look at it:
\n\n
This alone justifies upgrading to the new 5th generation Apple TV. You have to wonder what the hell took six years to fix this mess.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/24/the-great-wave-off-kanagawa/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/24/the-great-wave-off-kanagawa/", "title": "The Great Wave Of Kanagawa", "date_published": "2021-05-24T22:54:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-24T22:54:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "For all you Seiko watch fans - ever wonder what that wave in the back of your watch is? Host James Payne has a great series in which one the videos explaining it:
\n\nFor all you Seiko watch fans - ever wonder what that wave in the back of your watch is? Host James Payne has a great series in which one the videos explaining it:
\n\nI came across Rockin'1000 full concert at Stade de France of 1000+ musicians playing rock classics from past and present. Rock music was ment to be a communal experience. Just you and 20,000 thousands of your best mates head banging and reveling in the sonic chaos. Hundreds of drums, guitars, bass and singers in sync. Musicians from all walks of life - no politics, no religion, no race or color, no nationality, no gender, no age difference, no national boundaries, just pure music where everyone is beautiful.
\n\nBe excellent to each other and rock on!
\n\nI came across Rockin'1000 full concert at Stade de France of 1000+ musicians playing rock classics from past and present. Rock music was ment to be a communal experience. Just you and 20,000 thousands of your best mates head banging and reveling in the sonic chaos. Hundreds of drums, guitars, bass and singers in sync. Musicians from all walks of life - no politics, no religion, no race or color, no nationality, no gender, no age difference, no national boundaries, just pure music where everyone is beautiful.
\n\nBe excellent to each other and rock on!
\n\nThe end is near. Normally, that sentence does not portend anything good. Then the times we live in are not normal.
\n\n\n\n\nEvery interaction is both precious and an opportunity to delight. %}
Herd immunity is not a moment in time. President Biden is never going to say: “Today, at 9:04 A.M., on the deck of the U.S.S. Moderna, the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 signed our general terms of surrender.”Instead, this virus is slowly becoming endemic: something we live with.
We will probably have bad seasons and good seasons, as we do with flu. We may have annual shots with a blend of the South African, Brazilian, Indian or whatever variants are circling the globe that year. Luckily, because coronaviruses mutate more slowly than influenza viruses, they will probably be better matches than flu shots are.
![](\"/assets/images/end-is-near.png\")
The end is near. Normally, that sentence does not portend anything good. Then the times we live in are not normal.
\n\n\n\n\nEvery interaction is both precious and an opportunity to delight. %}
Herd immunity is not a moment in time. President Biden is never going to say: “Today, at 9:04 A.M., on the deck of the U.S.S. Moderna, the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 signed our general terms of surrender.”Instead, this virus is slowly becoming endemic: something we live with.
We will probably have bad seasons and good seasons, as we do with flu. We may have annual shots with a blend of the South African, Brazilian, Indian or whatever variants are circling the globe that year. Luckily, because coronaviruses mutate more slowly than influenza viruses, they will probably be better matches than flu shots are.
\n\n\nTo know that I can get sick, I can get injured but I will still be able to get taken care of - that is freedom. This is not freedom.
On U.S Elections:
\n\n
\nOn America’s response to climate change:
\nThe American Dream is dying. Our country is quickly turning into a third world country. The really sad part is that it isn’t the government, corporations or hoards of immigrants at boarders - it’s the ignorance and irrational fear of government by the citizenry.
\n\n\nTo know that I can get sick, I can get injured but I will still be able to get taken care of - that is freedom. This is not freedom.
On U.S Elections:
\n\n
\nOn America’s response to climate change:
\nThe American Dream is dying. Our country is quickly turning into a third world country. The really sad part is that it isn’t the government, corporations or hoards of immigrants at boarders - it’s the ignorance and irrational fear of government by the citizenry.
\nG.E. Smith on Dylan, SNL, Clapton, Van Halen and and his time with SNL.
He claims to not be that talented. Well I call BS -G.E. Smith is the real deal. One of the real cats.
\n", "content_html": "
\nG.E. Smith on Dylan, SNL, Clapton, Van Halen and and his time with SNL.
He claims to not be that talented. Well I call BS -G.E. Smith is the real deal. One of the real cats.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/31/the-amazon-flywheel/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/05/31/the-amazon-flywheel/", "title": "The Amazon 'flywheel'", "date_published": "2021-05-31T16:45:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-31T16:45:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/amazon-prime.png\")
The oldest anti competitive tactic - use your advantage in part of the market to crowd out and marginalize your competitors. Look I like Amazon as much as the next person - but they really need to be reigned in. Mat Stoller as an excellent writeup:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "To understand why, we have to start with the idea of free shipping. Free shipping is the God of online retail, so powerful that France actually banned the practice to protect its retail outlets. Free shipping is also the backbone of Prime. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos knew that the number one pain point for online buyers is shipping - one third of shoppers abandon their carts when they see shipping charges. Bezos helped invent Prime for this reason, saying the point of Prime was to use free shipping “to draw a moat around our best customers.” The goal was to get people used to buying from Amazon, knowing they wouldn’t have to worry about shipping charges. Once Amazon had control of a large chunk of online retail customers, it could then begin dictating terms of sellers who needed to reach them.
This became clear as you read Racine’s complaint. One of the most important sentences in the AG’s argument is a quote from Bezos in 2015 where he alludes to this point. In discussing the firm’s logistics service that is the bedrock of its free shipping promise, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), he said, “FBA is so important because it is glue that inextricably links Marketplace and Prime. Thanks to FBA, Marketplace and Prime are no longer two things. Their economics … are now happily and deeply intertwined.” Amazon wants people to see Prime, FBA, and Marketplace as one integrated mega-product, what Bezos likes to call “a flywheel”, to disguise the actual monopolization at work. (Indeed, any time you hear the word “flywheel” relating to Amazon, replace it with “monopoly” and the sentence will make sense.)
The oldest anti competitive tactic - use your advantage in part of the market to crowd out and marginalize your competitors. Look I like Amazon as much as the next person - but they really need to be reigned in. Mat Stoller as an excellent writeup:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/01/The-Day-Prince-Guitar-Wept-the-Loudest/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/01/The-Day-Prince-Guitar-Wept-the-Loudest/", "title": "The Day Prince’s Guitar Wept the Loudest", "date_published": "2021-06-01T13:21:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-01T13:21:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "To understand why, we have to start with the idea of free shipping. Free shipping is the God of online retail, so powerful that France actually banned the practice to protect its retail outlets. Free shipping is also the backbone of Prime. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos knew that the number one pain point for online buyers is shipping - one third of shoppers abandon their carts when they see shipping charges. Bezos helped invent Prime for this reason, saying the point of Prime was to use free shipping “to draw a moat around our best customers.” The goal was to get people used to buying from Amazon, knowing they wouldn’t have to worry about shipping charges. Once Amazon had control of a large chunk of online retail customers, it could then begin dictating terms of sellers who needed to reach them.
This became clear as you read Racine’s complaint. One of the most important sentences in the AG’s argument is a quote from Bezos in 2015 where he alludes to this point. In discussing the firm’s logistics service that is the bedrock of its free shipping promise, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), he said, “FBA is so important because it is glue that inextricably links Marketplace and Prime. Thanks to FBA, Marketplace and Prime are no longer two things. Their economics … are now happily and deeply intertwined.” Amazon wants people to see Prime, FBA, and Marketplace as one integrated mega-product, what Bezos likes to call “a flywheel”, to disguise the actual monopolization at work. (Indeed, any time you hear the word “flywheel” relating to Amazon, replace it with “monopoly” and the sentence will make sense.)
\nAt the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for George Harrison - Harrison’s son Dhani, music legends Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Winwood, and Prince perform While My Guitar Gently Weeps. At about 3 minutes and 30 seconds in, Prince absolutely rips the place apart with a 3-minute guitar solo for the ages.
\n\n\nTom sort of went over to him and said, “Just cut loose and don’t feel sort of inhibited to copy anything that we have, just play your thing, just have a good time.” It was a hell of a guitar solo, and a hell of a show he actually put on for the band. When he fell back into the audience, everybody in the band freaked out, like, “Oh my God, he’s falling off the stage!” And then that whole thing with the guitar going up in the air. I didn’t even see who caught it. I just saw it go up, and I was astonished that it didn’t come back down again. Everybody wonders where that guitar went, and I gotta tell you, I was on the stage, and I wonder where it went, too.
One of the musical greats - and a truly underrated guitar player. He left us way to early.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAt the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for George Harrison - Harrison’s son Dhani, music legends Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Steve Winwood, and Prince perform While My Guitar Gently Weeps. At about 3 minutes and 30 seconds in, Prince absolutely rips the place apart with a 3-minute guitar solo for the ages.
\n\n\nTom sort of went over to him and said, “Just cut loose and don’t feel sort of inhibited to copy anything that we have, just play your thing, just have a good time.” It was a hell of a guitar solo, and a hell of a show he actually put on for the band. When he fell back into the audience, everybody in the band freaked out, like, “Oh my God, he’s falling off the stage!” And then that whole thing with the guitar going up in the air. I didn’t even see who caught it. I just saw it go up, and I was astonished that it didn’t come back down again. Everybody wonders where that guitar went, and I gotta tell you, I was on the stage, and I wonder where it went, too.
One of the musical greats - and a truly underrated guitar player. He left us way to early.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/03/researchers-push-to-develop-mrna-vaccines-for-other-diseases/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/03/researchers-push-to-develop-mrna-vaccines-for-other-diseases/", "title": "researchers push to develop mRNA vaccines for other diseases", "date_published": "2021-06-03T00:39:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-03T00:39:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/covid-vaccine-mrna.jpeg\")
Now that it’s proven itself against Covid-19, mRNA technology will be used to develop improved vaccines for influenza and new vaccines for HIV, hepatitis C, malaria, and tuberculosis. And they will be developed at unprecedented speed and efficiency.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "With traditional methods of making a vaccine against influenza, developers must modify the virus or protein being made. That modification can require changes in manufacturing. For example, the modified virus might grow a little differently than expected, which might require changes in a vaccine’s formulation. Plus, vendors usually start making vaccines against influenza six months in advance of using them, so by the time people get the vaccines, they might not provide protection against the most prominent influenza strains of the season.
With an mRNA-based approach, Dormitzer says, “swapping one gene for another with mRNA changes its properties very little in manufacturing, which is much easier than changing a viral strain.” Speed also matters, and developers can quickly make mRNA vaccines. “The closer you can move the strain selection to flu season, the more accurate you will be,” Dormitzer says. By being able to make mRNA vaccines faster, manufacturers can select the influenza strains to target later than they are able to with traditional methods, which should increase the efficacy of the treatment.
The engineering behind mRNA vaccines also allows scientists to build multi-valent vaccines. “We can go up in the number of antigens being expressed,” Dormitzer explains, “which could increase the robustness of a flu vaccine.”
Now that it’s proven itself against Covid-19, mRNA technology will be used to develop improved vaccines for influenza and new vaccines for HIV, hepatitis C, malaria, and tuberculosis. And they will be developed at unprecedented speed and efficiency.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/03/footsteps-a-a-short-documentary/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/03/footsteps-a-a-short-documentary/", "title": "Footsteps | A short documentary", "date_published": "2021-06-03T21:47:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-03T21:47:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "With traditional methods of making a vaccine against influenza, developers must modify the virus or protein being made. That modification can require changes in manufacturing. For example, the modified virus might grow a little differently than expected, which might require changes in a vaccine’s formulation. Plus, vendors usually start making vaccines against influenza six months in advance of using them, so by the time people get the vaccines, they might not provide protection against the most prominent influenza strains of the season.
With an mRNA-based approach, Dormitzer says, “swapping one gene for another with mRNA changes its properties very little in manufacturing, which is much easier than changing a viral strain.” Speed also matters, and developers can quickly make mRNA vaccines. “The closer you can move the strain selection to flu season, the more accurate you will be,” Dormitzer says. By being able to make mRNA vaccines faster, manufacturers can select the influenza strains to target later than they are able to with traditional methods, which should increase the efficacy of the treatment.
The engineering behind mRNA vaccines also allows scientists to build multi-valent vaccines. “We can go up in the number of antigens being expressed,” Dormitzer explains, “which could increase the robustness of a flu vaccine.”
\n\nFoley is like percussion. When it’s really well done you really don’t know it is there. It’s hopefully really transparent.
\nA short documentary on Foley artists - the people who create the sound effects for movies and TV shows. Amazing beyond the curtain look at an art form that we all take for granted.
\n\nFoley is like percussion. When it’s really well done you really don’t know it is there. It’s hopefully really transparent.
\nA short documentary on Foley artists - the people who create the sound effects for movies and TV shows. Amazing beyond the curtain look at an art form that we all take for granted.
![](\"/assets/images/watch-typography.jpeg\")
The art of mechanical watches has always fascinated me. Sure, they are yesterday’s technology. A $23 Casio calculator watch will run circles around something like an A. Lange & Söhne Grand Lange 1 watch when it comes to accuracy, functionality, durability and affordability.
\n\nBut what a fine mechanical watch offers is a statement of precision and art. Case in point is the extreme attention to detail placed in the typography of these watches.
\n\n\n\n\nGood typography should be almost unnoticeable. Blending seamlessly into the rest of the design, it should tell you everything you need to know, without you being aware of it. Despite the many restrictions that are applied to dial layout, the creativity that can be seen in typography across horology is quite staggering. To put it simply, typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible and appealing when displayed. As the dial is the main point of interaction with a watch, it is arguably one of its most important parts, and certainly one that can produce the most emotion. This is why typeface can play such a vital, yet subtle, role in how we experience and feel about a certain piece.
If the $130,000 price premium of a A. Lange & Söhne Grand Lange 1 is worth it to you - well thats another discussion all altogether.
\n", "content_html": "
The art of mechanical watches has always fascinated me. Sure, they are yesterday’s technology. A $23 Casio calculator watch will run circles around something like an A. Lange & Söhne Grand Lange 1 watch when it comes to accuracy, functionality, durability and affordability.
\n\nBut what a fine mechanical watch offers is a statement of precision and art. Case in point is the extreme attention to detail placed in the typography of these watches.
\n\n\n\n\nGood typography should be almost unnoticeable. Blending seamlessly into the rest of the design, it should tell you everything you need to know, without you being aware of it. Despite the many restrictions that are applied to dial layout, the creativity that can be seen in typography across horology is quite staggering. To put it simply, typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible and appealing when displayed. As the dial is the main point of interaction with a watch, it is arguably one of its most important parts, and certainly one that can produce the most emotion. This is why typeface can play such a vital, yet subtle, role in how we experience and feel about a certain piece.
If the $130,000 price premium of a A. Lange & Söhne Grand Lange 1 is worth it to you - well thats another discussion all altogether.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/06/witness/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/06/witness/", "title": "Witness", "date_published": "2021-06-06T01:47:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-06T01:47:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So Karl from Die Hard, Aragorn from LOTR and Han Solo all playing Amish….they don’t make movies like they used to folks.
\n\nSo Karl from Die Hard, Aragorn from LOTR and Han Solo all playing Amish….they don’t make movies like they used to folks.
\n\n\n\nSome of you may ask ‘how is this food related?’
Truth is, for Anthony Bourdain, food was only an excuse to explore the world and the people in it. And by doing so he showed us how there is greatness in all of us. We just need to sit down and share a meal to notice it.
\n\nIt is unfair he left our world the way he did and when he did. This movie will be a tear jerker from the very beginning.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nSome of you may ask ‘how is this food related?’
Truth is, for Anthony Bourdain, food was only an excuse to explore the world and the people in it. And by doing so he showed us how there is greatness in all of us. We just need to sit down and share a meal to notice it.
\n\nIt is unfair he left our world the way he did and when he did. This movie will be a tear jerker from the very beginning.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/07/the-tyranny-of-time/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/07/the-tyranny-of-time/", "title": "The Tyranny of Time", "date_published": "2021-06-07T23:18:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-07T23:18:48-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nContemporary society is obsessed with time — it is the most used noun in the English language. Since clocks with dials and hands first appeared on church towers and town halls, we have been bringing them closer towards us: into our workplaces and schools, our homes, onto our wrists and finally into the phone, laptop and television screens that we stare at for hours each day.
We discipline our lives by the time on the clock. Our working lives and wages are determined by it, and often our “free time” is rigidly managed by it too. Broadly speaking, even our bodily functions are regulated by the clock: We usually eat our meals at appropriate clock times as opposed to whenever we are hungry, go to sleep at appropriate clock times as opposed to whenever we are tired and attribute more significance to the arresting tones of a clock alarm than the apparent rising of the sun at the center of our solar system. The fact that there is a strange shame in eating lunch before noon is a testament to the ways in which we have internalized the logic of the clock. We are “time binding” animals, as the American economist and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin put it in his 1987 book, “Time Wars.” “All of our perceptions of self and world are mediated by the way we imagine, explain, use and implement time.”
Helpful to remember that no matter how much money we make, how efficient we become time is the great equalizer. We all get 24 hours. Make sure you use them to to better your soul and your relationships.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nContemporary society is obsessed with time — it is the most used noun in the English language. Since clocks with dials and hands first appeared on church towers and town halls, we have been bringing them closer towards us: into our workplaces and schools, our homes, onto our wrists and finally into the phone, laptop and television screens that we stare at for hours each day.
We discipline our lives by the time on the clock. Our working lives and wages are determined by it, and often our “free time” is rigidly managed by it too. Broadly speaking, even our bodily functions are regulated by the clock: We usually eat our meals at appropriate clock times as opposed to whenever we are hungry, go to sleep at appropriate clock times as opposed to whenever we are tired and attribute more significance to the arresting tones of a clock alarm than the apparent rising of the sun at the center of our solar system. The fact that there is a strange shame in eating lunch before noon is a testament to the ways in which we have internalized the logic of the clock. We are “time binding” animals, as the American economist and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin put it in his 1987 book, “Time Wars.” “All of our perceptions of self and world are mediated by the way we imagine, explain, use and implement time.”
Helpful to remember that no matter how much money we make, how efficient we become time is the great equalizer. We all get 24 hours. Make sure you use them to to better your soul and your relationships.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/11/americas-poor-pandemic-response/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/11/americas-poor-pandemic-response/", "title": "Americas Poor Pandemic Response", "date_published": "2021-06-11T03:21:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-11T03:21:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Ed Yong in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nFrom its founding, the United States has cultivated a national mythos around the capacity of individuals to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, ostensibly by their own merits. This particular strain of individualism, which valorizes independence and prizes personal freedom, transcends administrations. It has also repeatedly hamstrung America’s pandemic response. It explains why the U.S. focused so intensely on preserving its hospital capacity instead of on measures that would have saved people from even needing a hospital. It explains why so many Americans refused to act for the collective good, whether by masking up or isolating themselves. And it explains why the CDC, despite being the nation’s top public-health agency, issued guidelines that focused on the freedoms that vaccinated people might enjoy. The move signaled to people with the newfound privilege of immunity that they were liberated from the pandemic’s collective problem. It also hinted to those who were still vulnerable that their challenges are now theirs alone and, worse still, that their lingering risk was somehow their fault. (“If you’re not vaccinated, that, again, is taking your responsibility for your own health into your own hands,” Walensky said.)
It should be an embarrassment how we treat the old and the lower and middle class. Hopefully this pandemic cause us as a nation to change for the better.
\n", "content_html": "Ed Yong in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n\nFrom its founding, the United States has cultivated a national mythos around the capacity of individuals to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, ostensibly by their own merits. This particular strain of individualism, which valorizes independence and prizes personal freedom, transcends administrations. It has also repeatedly hamstrung America’s pandemic response. It explains why the U.S. focused so intensely on preserving its hospital capacity instead of on measures that would have saved people from even needing a hospital. It explains why so many Americans refused to act for the collective good, whether by masking up or isolating themselves. And it explains why the CDC, despite being the nation’s top public-health agency, issued guidelines that focused on the freedoms that vaccinated people might enjoy. The move signaled to people with the newfound privilege of immunity that they were liberated from the pandemic’s collective problem. It also hinted to those who were still vulnerable that their challenges are now theirs alone and, worse still, that their lingering risk was somehow their fault. (“If you’re not vaccinated, that, again, is taking your responsibility for your own health into your own hands,” Walensky said.)
It should be an embarrassment how we treat the old and the lower and middle class. Hopefully this pandemic cause us as a nation to change for the better.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/12/could-this-be-the-breaking-point/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/12/could-this-be-the-breaking-point/", "title": "Could this be the breaking point?", "date_published": "2021-06-12T01:19:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-12T01:19:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/aduhelm.jpeg\")
$56,000 for a drug that the FDA’s own advisors voted against due to safety reasons. Its time we overhaul the entire United States medical system.
\n\n\n\n\nLess appreciated is how the drug’s approval could trigger hundreds of billions of dollars of new government spending, all without a vote in Congress or indeed any public debate over the drug’s value. Aduhelm’s manufacturer, Biogen, announced on Monday that it would price the drug at an average of $56,000 a year per patient, a figure that doesn’t include the additional imaging and scans needed to diagnose patients or to monitor them for serious side effects.
The federal government will bear the brunt of the new spending. The overwhelming majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease are eligible for Medicare, the federally run insurance program for elderly and disabled Americans. If even one-third of the estimated 6 million people with Alzheimer’s in the United States receives the new treatment, health-care spending could swell by $112 billion annually.
To put that figure in perspective, in 2020, Medicare spent about $90 billion on prescription drugs for 46 million Americans through the Part D program, which covers prescription medication that you pick up at your local pharmacy. We could wind up spending more than that for Aduhelm alone.
And from Physcians Weekly:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "However, none of the 11 members of the FDA advisory committee that reviewed the new treatment considered the drug ready for approval. Ten voted against approval and one was uncertain, The Times reported. The FDA is not required to follow its advisory committees’ recommendations. The committee said there was no conclusive evidence that Aduhelm could slow mental decline in people in the early stages of Alzheimer disease and noted that it could cause potentially serious side effects of brain swelling and brain bleeding.
$56,000 for a drug that the FDA’s own advisors voted against due to safety reasons. Its time we overhaul the entire United States medical system.
\n\n\n\n\nLess appreciated is how the drug’s approval could trigger hundreds of billions of dollars of new government spending, all without a vote in Congress or indeed any public debate over the drug’s value. Aduhelm’s manufacturer, Biogen, announced on Monday that it would price the drug at an average of $56,000 a year per patient, a figure that doesn’t include the additional imaging and scans needed to diagnose patients or to monitor them for serious side effects.
The federal government will bear the brunt of the new spending. The overwhelming majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease are eligible for Medicare, the federally run insurance program for elderly and disabled Americans. If even one-third of the estimated 6 million people with Alzheimer’s in the United States receives the new treatment, health-care spending could swell by $112 billion annually.
To put that figure in perspective, in 2020, Medicare spent about $90 billion on prescription drugs for 46 million Americans through the Part D program, which covers prescription medication that you pick up at your local pharmacy. We could wind up spending more than that for Aduhelm alone.
And from Physcians Weekly:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/14/camera-shutter-sounds/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/14/camera-shutter-sounds/", "title": "Camera Shutter Sounds", "date_published": "2021-06-14T14:26:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-14T14:26:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "However, none of the 11 members of the FDA advisory committee that reviewed the new treatment considered the drug ready for approval. Ten voted against approval and one was uncertain, The Times reported. The FDA is not required to follow its advisory committees’ recommendations. The committee said there was no conclusive evidence that Aduhelm could slow mental decline in people in the early stages of Alzheimer disease and noted that it could cause potentially serious side effects of brain swelling and brain bleeding.
\nSails Chong recorded the sounds of camera 18 camera shutters. With the vast majority of the population switching to cellphone cameras - that is a sound that will be heard less and less.
For those of us born before 1990 the comforting click of a camera shutter let us know that a moment was captured. It was committed to a physical medium. It will be printed. You will be able to look at that physical, printed moment of time no matter if you cell phone dies, backed it up to that remote hard drive and uploaded it to the cloud (I really hate that term) for sharing.
\n\nCurious that the most iconic shutter sound of them all - the Leica - is not represented here.
\n", "content_html": "
\nSails Chong recorded the sounds of camera 18 camera shutters. With the vast majority of the population switching to cellphone cameras - that is a sound that will be heard less and less.
For those of us born before 1990 the comforting click of a camera shutter let us know that a moment was captured. It was committed to a physical medium. It will be printed. You will be able to look at that physical, printed moment of time no matter if you cell phone dies, backed it up to that remote hard drive and uploaded it to the cloud (I really hate that term) for sharing.
\n\nCurious that the most iconic shutter sound of them all - the Leica - is not represented here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/14/portal/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/14/portal/", "title": "pOrtal", "date_published": "2021-06-14T15:08:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-14T15:08:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nBorn in Vilnius, Lithuania, pOrtal is a new wave community accelerator, aiming to bring people of different cultures together and encouraging them to rethink the feeling and meaning of unity. The pOrtal brings a new approach, especially important in times like these when we are being separated by extremely viral polarizing ideas and narratives.
The pOrtal team will connect the world with dozens of pOrtals in the near future – you, your community, and your city are welcome to join us on this mission! Let's transcend a sense of separation and be the pioneers of unity!
![](\"/assets/images/portal.jpeg\")
Okay the video and description is a bit over the top - but it is an amazing idea. I am all for anything that brings communities together. I wonder how much of this was inspired by the Star Trek episode of ‘The City on the Edge of Forever’.
\n\n\n\n\nBorn in Vilnius, Lithuania, pOrtal is a new wave community accelerator, aiming to bring people of different cultures together and encouraging them to rethink the feeling and meaning of unity. The pOrtal brings a new approach, especially important in times like these when we are being separated by extremely viral polarizing ideas and narratives.
The pOrtal team will connect the world with dozens of pOrtals in the near future – you, your community, and your city are welcome to join us on this mission! Let's transcend a sense of separation and be the pioneers of unity!
Okay the video and description is a bit over the top - but it is an amazing idea. I am all for anything that brings communities together. I wonder how much of this was inspired by the Star Trek episode of ‘The City on the Edge of Forever’.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/denmark.jpeg\")
In an excellent article by Anastasia Frugaard:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen adjusting to life in Copenhagen, I noticed that things were very different in Denmark from back home in New York City. Locals seemed more relaxed, less addicted to their phones, more present with one another. Streets were quieter, shops and restaurants played gentle music on low volume. It’s almost as if people there didn’t need distractions from their reality.
Was it just the famous work-life balance and social welfare system or were there other, lesser known, reasons for their contentment?
Its surprisingly simple - get some exercise daily, cook at home, shop less, and eat plenty of candy.
\n", "content_html": "
In an excellent article by Anastasia Frugaard:
\n\n\n\n\nWhen adjusting to life in Copenhagen, I noticed that things were very different in Denmark from back home in New York City. Locals seemed more relaxed, less addicted to their phones, more present with one another. Streets were quieter, shops and restaurants played gentle music on low volume. It’s almost as if people there didn’t need distractions from their reality.
Was it just the famous work-life balance and social welfare system or were there other, lesser known, reasons for their contentment?
Its surprisingly simple - get some exercise daily, cook at home, shop less, and eat plenty of candy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/18/sharks-from-above/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/18/sharks-from-above/", "title": "sharks from above", "date_published": "2021-06-18T02:50:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-18T02:50:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nCarlos Gauna’s amazing footage of sharks from above captured off the coast of California using aerial drones.
\nCarlos Gauna’s amazing footage of sharks from above captured off the coast of California using aerial drones.
\n\n\nPlease keep your insane and technically incorrect anti-vax comments to yourself.
You don’t know what you are talking about, you don’t know what mRNA is, and you’re spreading idiotic lies. Maybe you do so unwittingly, because of bad education. Maybe you do so because you’ve talked to “experts” or watched youtube videos by charlatans that don’t know what they are talking about.
But dammit, regardless of where you have gotten your mis-information from, any Linux kernel discussion list isn’t going to have your idiotic drivel pass uncontested from me.
Tell us how you really feel.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nPlease keep your insane and technically incorrect anti-vax comments to yourself.
You don’t know what you are talking about, you don’t know what mRNA is, and you’re spreading idiotic lies. Maybe you do so unwittingly, because of bad education. Maybe you do so because you’ve talked to “experts” or watched youtube videos by charlatans that don’t know what they are talking about.
But dammit, regardless of where you have gotten your mis-information from, any Linux kernel discussion list isn’t going to have your idiotic drivel pass uncontested from me.
Tell us how you really feel.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/26/i-swallowed-my-airpod/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/26/i-swallowed-my-airpod/", "title": "I swallowed my AirPod", "date_published": "2021-06-26T03:10:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-26T03:10:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nHeather drove me to the endoscopy centre, where the AirPod was got back out via my mouth using a tube with a lasso attachment. It was extremely uncomfortable, but I was sedated and so only half awake. A few minutes later, I was given the AirPod in a neat little bag.
I tried it as soon as I got home. It works fine, although the microphone is less reliable than it was. I’ll never know for certain how I managed to swallow it; my theory is that it dropped on to the pillow, ended up next to my mouth and got sucked in when I yawned. In retrospect, I’m glad the “find my AirPod” attempt didn’t work — I would have freaked out if my throat had beeped.
What is really amazing is the AirPod still worked! Now this would make a great AirPods commercial.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nHeather drove me to the endoscopy centre, where the AirPod was got back out via my mouth using a tube with a lasso attachment. It was extremely uncomfortable, but I was sedated and so only half awake. A few minutes later, I was given the AirPod in a neat little bag.
I tried it as soon as I got home. It works fine, although the microphone is less reliable than it was. I’ll never know for certain how I managed to swallow it; my theory is that it dropped on to the pillow, ended up next to my mouth and got sucked in when I yawned. In retrospect, I’m glad the “find my AirPod” attempt didn’t work — I would have freaked out if my throat had beeped.
What is really amazing is the AirPod still worked! Now this would make a great AirPods commercial.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/26/sweetwater-gearfest-2021-lisa-loeb/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/26/sweetwater-gearfest-2021-lisa-loeb/", "title": "Sweetwater GearFest 2021 - Lisa Loeb", "date_published": "2021-06-26T12:42:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-26T12:42:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\n
\nLisa Loeb performing ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ and ‘Shine’. When you can sound that good with just an acoustic and your voice - thats talent.
\n
\nLisa Loeb performing ‘Stay (I Missed You)’ and ‘Shine’. When you can sound that good with just an acoustic and your voice - thats talent.
\nCan’t wait for Ted Lasso season 2 to be on air. The first season was a very welcome diversion during the height of the pandemic.
\nCan’t wait for Ted Lasso season 2 to be on air. The first season was a very welcome diversion during the height of the pandemic.
![](\"/assets/images/apple-logos.jpeg\")
\n\n\nSo, what differs Apple among many thousands of companies and competitors, allowing it to earn billions of dollars? After all, now Apple is more than new IT technologies and modern Apple products. The company has its own unique reputation, a recognizable Apple design, a successful public image and a whole culture in the industry of consumer electronics. In a nutshell, Apple and the Apple collection of devices are a legend.
I just wish Apple would go back to their 1977 logo.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nSo, what differs Apple among many thousands of companies and competitors, allowing it to earn billions of dollars? After all, now Apple is more than new IT technologies and modern Apple products. The company has its own unique reputation, a recognizable Apple design, a successful public image and a whole culture in the industry of consumer electronics. In a nutshell, Apple and the Apple collection of devices are a legend.
I just wish Apple would go back to their 1977 logo.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/29/sh-star-t-leica-photographers-say-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/29/sh-star-t-leica-photographers-say-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "S**t Leica Photographers Say…", "date_published": "2021-06-29T01:51:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-29T01:51:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe one that makes me laugh every time I hear it:
\n\nLeica has a look. There is nothing like the Leica look.
Don’t get me started on S**t Fuji photographers say…
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe one that makes me laugh every time I hear it:
\n\nLeica has a look. There is nothing like the Leica look.
Don’t get me started on S**t Fuji photographers say…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/30/mrna-the-good-and-the-bad/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/06/30/mrna-the-good-and-the-bad/", "title": "mRNA - the good and the bad", "date_published": "2021-06-30T03:26:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-06-30T03:26:43-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/mrna.jpeg\")
Excellent write up by Derek Lowe in Science Translation Medicine on the exciting potential and pitfalls of mRNA technology.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "So mRNA-based techniques have a lot of power and a lot of promise. But there’s definitely a low-hanging-fruit area here, and that’s infectious disease vaccines. Beyond that the promise holds up, big-time, but the difficulties mount up as well. It’s going to be a long story with a lot of plot twists, but I’m glad we’re telling it.
Excellent write up by Derek Lowe in Science Translation Medicine on the exciting potential and pitfalls of mRNA technology.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/01/remembering-donald-rumsfeld/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/01/remembering-donald-rumsfeld/", "title": "Remembering Donald Rumsfeld", "date_published": "2021-07-01T15:08:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-01T15:08:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So mRNA-based techniques have a lot of power and a lot of promise. But there’s definitely a low-hanging-fruit area here, and that’s infectious disease vaccines. Beyond that the promise holds up, big-time, but the difficulties mount up as well. It’s going to be a long story with a lot of plot twists, but I’m glad we’re telling it.
![](\"/assets/images/rumsfeld.jpg\")
George Packer in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Rumsfeld was the worst secretary of defense in American history. Being newly dead shouldn’t spare him this distinction. He was worse than the closest contender, Robert McNamara, and that is not a competition to judge lightly. McNamara’s folly was that of a whole generation of Cold Warriors who believed that Indochina was a vital front in the struggle against communism. His growing realization that the Vietnam War was an unwinnable waste made him more insightful than some of his peers; his decision to keep this realization from the American public made him an unforgivable coward. But Rumsfeld was the chief advocate of every disaster in the years after September 11. Wherever the United States government contemplated a wrong turn, Rumsfeld was there first with his hard smile — squinting, mocking the cautious, shoving his country deeper into a hole. His fatal judgment was equaled only by his absolute self-assurance. He lacked the courage to doubt himself. He lacked the wisdom to change his mind.
George Packer in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/01/why-movies-today-are-terrible/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/01/why-movies-today-are-terrible/", "title": "I miss loving Star Wars", "date_published": "2021-07-01T21:39:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-01T21:39:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rumsfeld was the worst secretary of defense in American history. Being newly dead shouldn’t spare him this distinction. He was worse than the closest contender, Robert McNamara, and that is not a competition to judge lightly. McNamara’s folly was that of a whole generation of Cold Warriors who believed that Indochina was a vital front in the struggle against communism. His growing realization that the Vietnam War was an unwinnable waste made him more insightful than some of his peers; his decision to keep this realization from the American public made him an unforgivable coward. But Rumsfeld was the chief advocate of every disaster in the years after September 11. Wherever the United States government contemplated a wrong turn, Rumsfeld was there first with his hard smile — squinting, mocking the cautious, shoving his country deeper into a hole. His fatal judgment was equaled only by his absolute self-assurance. He lacked the courage to doubt himself. He lacked the wisdom to change his mind.
Chris Gore on the problem with today’s movies and the Hollywood machinery behind it:
\n\nChris Gore on the problem with today’s movies and the Hollywood machinery behind it:
\n\nJared A. Brock makes an interesting point about the new real estate normal:
\n\n\n\n\nFor years, banks and ultra-elites (bankrolled by years of money-printing, corporate socialism, and bailouts) have been using their wealth to take control of the world and rent it back to us.
Apple did it with music.
Netflix did it with movies.
Nestle did it with water.
Uber did it with cars.
Airbnb hosts and landlords did it with houses.
The lecherous gig economy did it with employment.Instead of buying and owning products, now we’re all just renting “services.”
After all, why should people like you and me build equity when a multinational corporation can build equity instead?
So long as your monthly housing-as-service payment remains relatively “affordable” (AKA half your income), the ownership class doesn’t care if it’s rent instead of a mortgage. Thus, house prices continue to rise against all reason as private equity and rent-seeking investors outbid families for control of shelter. Sure, there might be more real estate price crashes, but they’ll just be bigger versions of 2008 — buying opportunities for the hyper-elite. Your home is now a future hedge fund investment
So what can you do about it? It’s actually simple. Here are the three simple rules that have worked for me:
\n\nJared A. Brock makes an interesting point about the new real estate normal:
\n\n\n\n\nFor years, banks and ultra-elites (bankrolled by years of money-printing, corporate socialism, and bailouts) have been using their wealth to take control of the world and rent it back to us.
Apple did it with music.
Netflix did it with movies.
Nestle did it with water.
Uber did it with cars.
Airbnb hosts and landlords did it with houses.
The lecherous gig economy did it with employment.Instead of buying and owning products, now we’re all just renting “services.”
After all, why should people like you and me build equity when a multinational corporation can build equity instead?
So long as your monthly housing-as-service payment remains relatively “affordable” (AKA half your income), the ownership class doesn’t care if it’s rent instead of a mortgage. Thus, house prices continue to rise against all reason as private equity and rent-seeking investors outbid families for control of shelter. Sure, there might be more real estate price crashes, but they’ll just be bigger versions of 2008 — buying opportunities for the hyper-elite. Your home is now a future hedge fund investment
So what can you do about it? It’s actually simple. Here are the three simple rules that have worked for me:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/uber-airport-line.jpeg\")
\n\n\nAnd while it’s painful to pay subsidy-free prices for our extravagances, there’s also a certain justice to it. Hiring a private driver to shuttle you across Los Angeles during rush hour should cost more than $16, if everyone in that transaction is being fairly compensated. Getting someone to clean your house, do your laundry or deliver your dinner should be a luxury, if there’s no exploitation involved. The fact that some high-end services are no longer easily affordable by the merely semi-affluent may seem like a worrying development, but maybe it’s a sign of progress.
This is a good thing for everyone going forward.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nAnd while it’s painful to pay subsidy-free prices for our extravagances, there’s also a certain justice to it. Hiring a private driver to shuttle you across Los Angeles during rush hour should cost more than $16, if everyone in that transaction is being fairly compensated. Getting someone to clean your house, do your laundry or deliver your dinner should be a luxury, if there’s no exploitation involved. The fact that some high-end services are no longer easily affordable by the merely semi-affluent may seem like a worrying development, but maybe it’s a sign of progress.
This is a good thing for everyone going forward.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/21/going-to-space-is-tone-deaf/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/21/going-to-space-is-tone-deaf/", "title": "Going to space is tone deaf", "date_published": "2021-07-21T09:51:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-21T09:51:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Shannon Stirone in writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Could there be a worse time for two über-rich rocket owners to take a quick jaunt toward the dark? Especially in the United States, the climate crisis is now actually starting to feel like a crisis. The western U.S. is in the thick of fire season, experiencing record-breaking drought and temperatures. Last week, Bezos’s hometown of Seattle hit 108 degrees. Hurricane season is starting early, and a once-in-200-years flood just ravaged northern Mississippi. Oh yeah, then there’s the pandemic that is very much still not over. Anyone would want a break from this planet, but the billionaires are virtually the only ones who are able to leave.
\n\nLeaving Earth right now isn’t just bad optics; it’s almost a scene out of a twisted B-list thriller: The world is drowning and scorching, and two of the wealthiest men decide to … race in their private rocket ships to see who can get to space a few days before the other. If this were a movie, these men would be Gordon Gekko and Hal 9000—both venerated and hated. Maybe, I don’t know, delay the missions a bit until people around the world are no longer desperately waiting for vaccines to save them from a deadly virus.
Shannon Stirone in writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/22/will-noonan/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/22/will-noonan/", "title": "Will Noonan on Blue Origin launch", "date_published": "2021-07-22T19:02:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-22T19:02:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Could there be a worse time for two über-rich rocket owners to take a quick jaunt toward the dark? Especially in the United States, the climate crisis is now actually starting to feel like a crisis. The western U.S. is in the thick of fire season, experiencing record-breaking drought and temperatures. Last week, Bezos’s hometown of Seattle hit 108 degrees. Hurricane season is starting early, and a once-in-200-years flood just ravaged northern Mississippi. Oh yeah, then there’s the pandemic that is very much still not over. Anyone would want a break from this planet, but the billionaires are virtually the only ones who are able to leave.
\n\nLeaving Earth right now isn’t just bad optics; it’s almost a scene out of a twisted B-list thriller: The world is drowning and scorching, and two of the wealthiest men decide to … race in their private rocket ships to see who can get to space a few days before the other. If this were a movie, these men would be Gordon Gekko and Hal 9000—both venerated and hated. Maybe, I don’t know, delay the missions a bit until people around the world are no longer desperately waiting for vaccines to save them from a deadly virus.
\nMy Dad got to watch Armstrong walk on the moon.
— Will Noonan (@willnoonan) July 20, 2021
I get to watch the guy who killed bookstores ride a dick into space. pic.twitter.com/Tv2sL6SKMN
Compensating for something?
\n", "content_html": "\nMy Dad got to watch Armstrong walk on the moon.
— Will Noonan (@willnoonan) July 20, 2021
I get to watch the guy who killed bookstores ride a dick into space. pic.twitter.com/Tv2sL6SKMN
Compensating for something?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/25/the-new-covid-panic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/25/the-new-covid-panic/", "title": "Covid-19 is endemic. What now?", "date_published": "2021-07-25T03:23:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-25T03:23:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Lets face reality. Covid-19 is endemic now — how do we live with that? Susan Matthews has a great write up for those of us who are vaccinated and trying to figure out what their risks are regarding the much more transmissible delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "All of this is making people — yes, probably mostly vaccinated people — rethink the basic questions they thought their vaccine had answered for them: Can I go to restaurants and bars unmasked? Can I go back to the office? Can I see my grandma? Can I go on vacation? Can I unmask at my people-facing job? Can I have a wedding, or a party? The answer to those questions is not quite as easy as “yes, if you’re vaccinated.” It depends partly on how many in your group are vaccinated, but the actual answer is basically the same as it’s been all pandemic: It depends on your risk tolerance, it depends on what is happening with case counts locally (though, as more people travel, this might become a less reliable tool), and it depends on any unique risk factors in your group. Kass’ perspective felt novel to me: She said she suspects that in the end, a lot of people are going to end up boosting their immunity by suffering through a mild case of COVID. So no one should feel that bad about getting sick after they’re vaxxed. What matters is getting the order right: “If everyone who gets vaccinated still gets COVID but doesn’t die, that’s a success,” she said. The issue is that it doesn’t feel like a success for vaccinated people. Plus, “if you get infected after you’re vaxxed, it’s all you talk about,” she said. And right now, that’s understandably freaking out a lot of vaccinated people who thought they were in the clear.
Lets face reality. Covid-19 is endemic now — how do we live with that? Susan Matthews has a great write up for those of us who are vaccinated and trying to figure out what their risks are regarding the much more transmissible delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/27/ted-lasso-the-curious-idiot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/27/ted-lasso-the-curious-idiot/", "title": "Ted Lasso - the Curious Idiot", "date_published": "2021-07-27T13:46:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-27T13:46:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "All of this is making people — yes, probably mostly vaccinated people — rethink the basic questions they thought their vaccine had answered for them: Can I go to restaurants and bars unmasked? Can I go back to the office? Can I see my grandma? Can I go on vacation? Can I unmask at my people-facing job? Can I have a wedding, or a party? The answer to those questions is not quite as easy as “yes, if you’re vaccinated.” It depends partly on how many in your group are vaccinated, but the actual answer is basically the same as it’s been all pandemic: It depends on your risk tolerance, it depends on what is happening with case counts locally (though, as more people travel, this might become a less reliable tool), and it depends on any unique risk factors in your group. Kass’ perspective felt novel to me: She said she suspects that in the end, a lot of people are going to end up boosting their immunity by suffering through a mild case of COVID. So no one should feel that bad about getting sick after they’re vaxxed. What matters is getting the order right: “If everyone who gets vaccinated still gets COVID but doesn’t die, that’s a success,” she said. The issue is that it doesn’t feel like a success for vaccinated people. Plus, “if you get infected after you’re vaxxed, it’s all you talk about,” she said. And right now, that’s understandably freaking out a lot of vaccinated people who thought they were in the clear.
\nCo-creator and star Jason Sudeikis on where the idea for the show came from:
\n", "content_html": "The thing Bill and I talked about in the pitch was this antithesis of the cocktail of a human man who is both ignorant and arrogant, which lo and behold, a Batman-villain version of it became president of the United States right around the same time. What if you played an ignorant guy who was actually curious? When someone used a big word like “vernacular,” he didn’t act like he knew it, but just stops the meeting like, “Question, what does that mean?”
\nCo-creator and star Jason Sudeikis on where the idea for the show came from:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/28/programming-in-your-50s/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/28/programming-in-your-50s/", "title": "Programming in your 50s", "date_published": "2021-07-28T15:41:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-28T15:41:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The thing Bill and I talked about in the pitch was this antithesis of the cocktail of a human man who is both ignorant and arrogant, which lo and behold, a Batman-villain version of it became president of the United States right around the same time. What if you played an ignorant guy who was actually curious? When someone used a big word like “vernacular,” he didn’t act like he knew it, but just stops the meeting like, “Question, what does that mean?”
Next year will mark my 30th year as a professional developer. Thats nearly three decades in the software industry. When I took my first programming job - cell phones were not common, Apple was about to go bankrupt, the Web wasn’t a thing yet, IBM was the largest computer company, Windows 95 was just about to be released, we watched movies and consumed music on physical media, Google/Facebook/Netflix didn’t exist.
\n\nYea. I am freaking old.
\n\nThe development industry is more fickle than the fashion industry. I have worked on every shift from desktop command line software to modern SAAS serverless environments. Assembler, C/C++, Java, Delphi, Ruby, NodeJS to Rust. From procedural to object oriented and back to functional. From microcontrollers with 4k firmware to multi gigahertz workstation software to cloud software (I really hate that term.) Been there, done that.
\n\nWe still deal with the exact same problems I dealt with in the industry from the business and management as I did when I was in my 20s.
\n\nI am tired. I need a break. Been thinking about a career change. Just to get the creative juices flowing again.
\n\nThen I came across Yossi Kreinin’s excellent article - Do you really want to be making this much money when you’re 50?. And this excerpt really spoke to me:
\n\n\n\n\nWhat else do you want to be doing when you're 50? Give me a profession remotely close to programming in the following ways:
- Little or no required education
- Good compensation, even for mediocre performers
- Millions of jobs
- No physical effort
- No health or legal risksProgramming is money for nothing. Programming is very easy to enter and extremely hard to quit. What would you do instead?
It gave me pause. We, the development community, really do have it good. And the more I think about it the more I realize - I just need to adjust my outlook. Or maybe just develop/concentrate on other hobbies away from coding.
\n\nLooking at the alternatives - I truly don’t want to do anything else.
\n", "content_html": "Next year will mark my 30th year as a professional developer. Thats nearly three decades in the software industry. When I took my first programming job - cell phones were not common, Apple was about to go bankrupt, the Web wasn’t a thing yet, IBM was the largest computer company, Windows 95 was just about to be released, we watched movies and consumed music on physical media, Google/Facebook/Netflix didn’t exist.
\n\nYea. I am freaking old.
\n\nThe development industry is more fickle than the fashion industry. I have worked on every shift from desktop command line software to modern SAAS serverless environments. Assembler, C/C++, Java, Delphi, Ruby, NodeJS to Rust. From procedural to object oriented and back to functional. From microcontrollers with 4k firmware to multi gigahertz workstation software to cloud software (I really hate that term.) Been there, done that.
\n\nWe still deal with the exact same problems I dealt with in the industry from the business and management as I did when I was in my 20s.
\n\nI am tired. I need a break. Been thinking about a career change. Just to get the creative juices flowing again.
\n\nThen I came across Yossi Kreinin’s excellent article - Do you really want to be making this much money when you’re 50?. And this excerpt really spoke to me:
\n\n\n\n\nWhat else do you want to be doing when you're 50? Give me a profession remotely close to programming in the following ways:
- Little or no required education
- Good compensation, even for mediocre performers
- Millions of jobs
- No physical effort
- No health or legal risksProgramming is money for nothing. Programming is very easy to enter and extremely hard to quit. What would you do instead?
It gave me pause. We, the development community, really do have it good. And the more I think about it the more I realize - I just need to adjust my outlook. Or maybe just develop/concentrate on other hobbies away from coding.
\n\nLooking at the alternatives - I truly don’t want to do anything else.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/31/mandate-vacinnations/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/07/31/mandate-vacinnations/", "title": "Mandate Vacinnations", "date_published": "2021-07-31T03:43:08-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-07-31T03:43:08-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Aaron E. Carroll, chief health officer for Indiana University in a guest essay :
\n\n\n\nMany may read the C.D.C.’s continued focus on masking and distancing as an acknowledgment that the vaccines don’t work well enough. Leaning heavily on masking and distancing is what we did when we didn’t have vaccinations. Today, such recommendations are less likely to succeed because they are more likely to be followed by those already primed to listen — the vaccinated — and to be fought and ignored by those who aren’t.
\n\nHospitalizations and deaths are rising in some areas not because someone didn’t wear a mask at the ballgame. They’re occurring because too many people are not immunized.
\n\nThis is why I’ve advocated vaccine mandates. I don’t understand how we can mandate wearing masks but not getting vaccinations.
Mandate proof of vaccination for basic access - sports stadiums, restaurants, boarding public transportation and airlines. In addition we should mandate masks and social distancing.
\n", "content_html": "Aaron E. Carroll, chief health officer for Indiana University in a guest essay :
\n\n\n\nMany may read the C.D.C.’s continued focus on masking and distancing as an acknowledgment that the vaccines don’t work well enough. Leaning heavily on masking and distancing is what we did when we didn’t have vaccinations. Today, such recommendations are less likely to succeed because they are more likely to be followed by those already primed to listen — the vaccinated — and to be fought and ignored by those who aren’t.
\n\nHospitalizations and deaths are rising in some areas not because someone didn’t wear a mask at the ballgame. They’re occurring because too many people are not immunized.
\n\nThis is why I’ve advocated vaccine mandates. I don’t understand how we can mandate wearing masks but not getting vaccinations.
Mandate proof of vaccination for basic access - sports stadiums, restaurants, boarding public transportation and airlines. In addition we should mandate masks and social distancing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/02/to-all-the-apple-is-doomed-folks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/02/to-all-the-apple-is-doomed-folks/", "title": "To all the 'Apple Is Doomed' folks", "date_published": "2021-08-02T10:06:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-02T10:06:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Josh Centers over at TidBITS:
\n\n\n\nApple has not just a diverse portfolio, but a diverse portfolio of strong products backed by both physical and online distribution options that keep revenues balanced even in the toughest times. A brick-and-mortar retailer like Dollar General would be devastated by store closures, but for Apple, it was only an annoyance that could be mitigated by the Apple online store. Netflix lives or dies by its subscriber figures, but a dip in Apple TV+ subscriptions is mitigated by a music service, a credit card, warranties, and even a fitness service. HP is nothing without PC and printer sales, but the Mac can coast along at times thanks to Apple’s other offerings.
\n\nEven the iPhone, the linchpin of Apple’s renaissance, doesn’t make or break the company, as shown in the tumultuous Q2 2020, when the Services and Wearables category pushed Apple to very slight growth despite declines in every other category (see “Apple’s Q2 2020 Was a “Very Different Quarter” Than Expected,” 30 April 2020). The company can monetize the millions of existing iPhones with services and accessories, and then bolster its financial results with Mac and iPad sales.
To think that Apple is just an iPhone company is ignorant.
\n", "content_html": "Josh Centers over at TidBITS:
\n\n\n\nApple has not just a diverse portfolio, but a diverse portfolio of strong products backed by both physical and online distribution options that keep revenues balanced even in the toughest times. A brick-and-mortar retailer like Dollar General would be devastated by store closures, but for Apple, it was only an annoyance that could be mitigated by the Apple online store. Netflix lives or dies by its subscriber figures, but a dip in Apple TV+ subscriptions is mitigated by a music service, a credit card, warranties, and even a fitness service. HP is nothing without PC and printer sales, but the Mac can coast along at times thanks to Apple’s other offerings.
\n\nEven the iPhone, the linchpin of Apple’s renaissance, doesn’t make or break the company, as shown in the tumultuous Q2 2020, when the Services and Wearables category pushed Apple to very slight growth despite declines in every other category (see “Apple’s Q2 2020 Was a “Very Different Quarter” Than Expected,” 30 April 2020). The company can monetize the millions of existing iPhones with services and accessories, and then bolster its financial results with Mac and iPad sales.
To think that Apple is just an iPhone company is ignorant.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/02/creative-minimal-photography/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/02/creative-minimal-photography/", "title": "Creative Minimal Photography", "date_published": "2021-08-02T18:41:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-02T18:41:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda create minimal photographs that incorporate themselves creatively into the image.
\n\nFrom their website:
\n\n\n\nTheir particular style is characterized by their visual sense of humor, creativity, precision, and a delicate aesthetic inspired by the city, geometry, and minimalism.\nBy combining their spatial awareness and their artistic vision, primarily based on simple shapes and bold patterns, they have succeeded in establishing magnetic and joyful narratives that smartly suggest both the nature of human relations and the fascination with the urban environment.
\n\nAlthough it may seem surprising or hard to believe, besides some basic image processing, Anna and Daniel create these surreal scenes without the use of photo editing software. Instead, they carefully set the scene in real life using all sorts of everyday objects, unexpected locations, and tons of natural light.
Check out this great interview with the duo at The Darkroom Podcast:
\n\n\n\n\n
\nHere are some images from their website:
![](\"https://annandaniel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Annandaniel_Anniset_DrCuerda_Anna-Dev%C3%ADs_Daniel-Rueda_What-the-Hat_Hat-Mony-1.jpg\")
![](\"https://annandaniel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Annandaniel_Anniset_DrCuerda_Anna-Dev%C3%ADs_Daniel-Rueda_Curiocities_Push-me-Around.jpg\")
![](\"https://annandaniel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Annandaniel_Anniset_DrCuerda_Anna-Dev%C3%ADs_Daniel-Rueda_Curiocities_Leaning-Curve.jpg\")
![](\"https://annandaniel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Annandaniel_Anniset_DrCuerda_Anna-Dev%C3%ADs_Daniel-Rueda_Happytecture_Pareidolia.jpg\")
![](\"https://annandaniel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Annandaniel_Anniset_DrCuerda_Anna-Dev%C3%ADs_Daniel-Rueda_Happytecture_Rainstorming-1.jpg\")
Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda create minimal photographs that incorporate themselves creatively into the image.
\n\nFrom their website:
\n\n\n\nTheir particular style is characterized by their visual sense of humor, creativity, precision, and a delicate aesthetic inspired by the city, geometry, and minimalism.\nBy combining their spatial awareness and their artistic vision, primarily based on simple shapes and bold patterns, they have succeeded in establishing magnetic and joyful narratives that smartly suggest both the nature of human relations and the fascination with the urban environment.
\n\nAlthough it may seem surprising or hard to believe, besides some basic image processing, Anna and Daniel create these surreal scenes without the use of photo editing software. Instead, they carefully set the scene in real life using all sorts of everyday objects, unexpected locations, and tons of natural light.
Check out this great interview with the duo at The Darkroom Podcast:
\n\n\n\n\n
\nHere are some images from their website:
![](\"/assets/images/faces-century-03.jpeg\")
Jan Langer shot portraits of Czech people who are 100+ years old in the same style as portraits taken of them in their youth. These are people that lived through both world wars, the cold war, the space age, and the information age. An amazing look at the super humans among us.
\n", "content_html": "
Jan Langer shot portraits of Czech people who are 100+ years old in the same style as portraits taken of them in their youth. These are people that lived through both world wars, the cold war, the space age, and the information age. An amazing look at the super humans among us.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/07/finally-corporations-are-stepping-up/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/07/finally-corporations-are-stepping-up/", "title": "CNN has fired three employees for going into office without Vaccinations", "date_published": "2021-08-07T00:36:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-07T00:36:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/vaccinate.jpeg\")
\n\nCNN head Jeff Zucker said that the network has fired three employees for going into the office without being vaccinated against Covid-19, and that parent WarnerMedia may ultimately require proof of the shots. […]
\n\n“In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated,” Zucker wrote in an email to staff. “All three have been terminated. Let me be clear — we have a zero-tolerance policy on this. You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period. We expect that in the weeks ahead, showing proof of vaccination may become a formal part of the WarnerMedia Passcard process. Regardless, our expectations remain in place.”
Each individual has a right to choose for themselves. However, that right ends when it infringes on my right to be healthy and safe. We do this in every part of society. We mandate seat belts, make drinking and driving illegal, etc. We enforce all kinds of restrictions for the safety of the greater population.
\n\nI have been saying this for a long time - if the federal government can’t issue a mandate to force vaccinations - its is upto society to enforce vaccinations. This should be the case for boarding a flight, going to a restaurant, checking into a hotel, going to shopping/entertainment venues. And yes - going to your place of employment.
\n\nI am tired of stupid American privilege. There are people in other countries that are literally dying waiting for a covid-19 vaccine dose. We have people in this country who are refusing vaccine doses out of ignorance, misguided delusions of ‘freedom’, or a ridiculous sense of ‘owning the libs’.
\n\nYou are done. We have had over 600,000+ deaths from covid over the past year and a half. Sorry but your right to not vaccinate ends when it infringes on my right to live. The time has come where you will get vaccinated if you would like to participate in society. And it’s not the right wing liberals, the media, or the federal government that is enforcing this. It’s we the people.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\nCNN head Jeff Zucker said that the network has fired three employees for going into the office without being vaccinated against Covid-19, and that parent WarnerMedia may ultimately require proof of the shots. […]
\n\n“In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated,” Zucker wrote in an email to staff. “All three have been terminated. Let me be clear — we have a zero-tolerance policy on this. You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period. We expect that in the weeks ahead, showing proof of vaccination may become a formal part of the WarnerMedia Passcard process. Regardless, our expectations remain in place.”
Each individual has a right to choose for themselves. However, that right ends when it infringes on my right to be healthy and safe. We do this in every part of society. We mandate seat belts, make drinking and driving illegal, etc. We enforce all kinds of restrictions for the safety of the greater population.
\n\nI have been saying this for a long time - if the federal government can’t issue a mandate to force vaccinations - its is upto society to enforce vaccinations. This should be the case for boarding a flight, going to a restaurant, checking into a hotel, going to shopping/entertainment venues. And yes - going to your place of employment.
\n\nI am tired of stupid American privilege. There are people in other countries that are literally dying waiting for a covid-19 vaccine dose. We have people in this country who are refusing vaccine doses out of ignorance, misguided delusions of ‘freedom’, or a ridiculous sense of ‘owning the libs’.
\n\nYou are done. We have had over 600,000+ deaths from covid over the past year and a half. Sorry but your right to not vaccinate ends when it infringes on my right to live. The time has come where you will get vaccinated if you would like to participate in society. And it’s not the right wing liberals, the media, or the federal government that is enforcing this. It’s we the people.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/09/the-american-dream/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/09/the-american-dream/", "title": "The American Dream", "date_published": "2021-08-09T02:22:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-09T02:22:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n", "content_html": "The vast majority of the people who still believe in the American dream are looking at the past, not the future. They’re looking at their peers in the top 10 or 20 percent, and not everyone else.
They simply don’t see the 60 percent of Americans who can’t afford to pay for a basic emergency. They don’t see the rising tide of young adults who’ve decided they won’t buy homes or start families, because it’s simply too expensive. They don’t see the 52 percent of us who have to move back in with their parents, a trend that’s accelerating.
They don’t want to.
These are the people who defend the American dream. Of course, the truth is a little bit darker. They were simply given an extra pair of dice and more startup money. Now they’re laughing in your face, and moving your piece around the board for you. It’s the American way.
These people are straight up bullies, and what they need more than anything is a hard punch in their pocket books. They need to be reminded that all their “hard won success” was supported by an infrastructure that no longer exists for the vast majority of Americans.
\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/14/billionaires-dont-give-a-f-star-star-k/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/14/billionaires-dont-give-a-f-star-star-k/", "title": "Billionaires Don't Give A F**k", "date_published": "2021-08-14T04:12:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-14T04:12:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The vast majority of the people who still believe in the American dream are looking at the past, not the future. They’re looking at their peers in the top 10 or 20 percent, and not everyone else.
They simply don’t see the 60 percent of Americans who can’t afford to pay for a basic emergency. They don’t see the rising tide of young adults who’ve decided they won’t buy homes or start families, because it’s simply too expensive. They don’t see the 52 percent of us who have to move back in with their parents, a trend that’s accelerating.
They don’t want to.
These are the people who defend the American dream. Of course, the truth is a little bit darker. They were simply given an extra pair of dice and more startup money. Now they’re laughing in your face, and moving your piece around the board for you. It’s the American way.
These people are straight up bullies, and what they need more than anything is a hard punch in their pocket books. They need to be reminded that all their “hard won success” was supported by an infrastructure that no longer exists for the vast majority of Americans.
Julia Horvath makes an excellent point:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It would cost a few billion dollars to end the world’s most painful, aggravating problems, like poverty, homelessness, and famine.
\n\nAny billionaire could pick one such problem and halt it tomorrow. Yet, they choose not to.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThey squeeze their workers like lemons for profit while they hoard more money than they could spend in several lifetimes.\nTherefore, stop reading about billionaire morning routines. Stop writing about good billionaire habits. Don’t look up to them, paint them as role models, and encourage others or yourself to replicate their success.
\n\nIn short: Don’t defend the indefensible.
Julia Horvath makes an excellent point:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/23/fda-grants-approval-to-pfizer-slash-biontech-covid-19-vaccine/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/23/fda-grants-approval-to-pfizer-slash-biontech-covid-19-vaccine/", "title": "FDA approves Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine", "date_published": "2021-08-23T15:56:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-23T15:56:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It would cost a few billion dollars to end the world’s most painful, aggravating problems, like poverty, homelessness, and famine.
\n\nAny billionaire could pick one such problem and halt it tomorrow. Yet, they choose not to.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThey squeeze their workers like lemons for profit while they hoard more money than they could spend in several lifetimes.\nTherefore, stop reading about billionaire morning routines. Stop writing about good billionaire habits. Don’t look up to them, paint them as role models, and encourage others or yourself to replicate their success.
\n\nIn short: Don’t defend the indefensible.
Jacqueline Howard over at CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older. This is the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA, and is expected to open the door to more vaccine mandates.
Finally.
\n\nHoping this will finally allow proof of vaccination mandates for restaurants, bars, stores, schools, air and train travel. Everything. Get vaccinated or get left behind.
\n", "content_html": "Jacqueline Howard over at CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older. This is the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA, and is expected to open the door to more vaccine mandates.
Finally.
\n\nHoping this will finally allow proof of vaccination mandates for restaurants, bars, stores, schools, air and train travel. Everything. Get vaccinated or get left behind.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/24/what-freedom-in-america-looks-like/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/24/what-freedom-in-america-looks-like/", "title": "What freedom in America looks like", "date_published": "2021-08-24T02:49:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-24T02:49:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nIgnorance. Entitlement. Paranoia. That is what freedom looks like in America. Even with over 600,000+ dead, Americans are still hesitant to take the vaccine. When did we become a nation that is this selfish and cruel?
It’s infuriating. But what more can be done?
\n\nHow about broadcasting the funerals of the dead every evening on the nightly news? Maybe allow cameras in the hospital wards. Let us have a list of the people that die due to Covid-19 in every town square in every community. Maybe if people see the senseless death and suffering we can scare people into taking the vaccine and wearing a mask.
\n\nBecause so far, logic does not seem to be working.
\n", "content_html": "
\nIgnorance. Entitlement. Paranoia. That is what freedom looks like in America. Even with over 600,000+ dead, Americans are still hesitant to take the vaccine. When did we become a nation that is this selfish and cruel?
It’s infuriating. But what more can be done?
\n\nHow about broadcasting the funerals of the dead every evening on the nightly news? Maybe allow cameras in the hospital wards. Let us have a list of the people that die due to Covid-19 in every town square in every community. Maybe if people see the senseless death and suffering we can scare people into taking the vaccine and wearing a mask.
\n\nBecause so far, logic does not seem to be working.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/24/jordan-klepper-in-new-york/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/24/jordan-klepper-in-new-york/", "title": "Jordan Klepper in New York", "date_published": "2021-08-24T03:42:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-24T03:42:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nJordan Klepper proves that stupidity does not respect state boundaries.
\nJordan Klepper proves that stupidity does not respect state boundaries.
Paul Krugman in an opinion piece for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nMy guess, however — and it’s just a guess, although some of the go-to experts here seem to have similar views — is that, as I suggested at the beginning of this article, the pandemic disruption of work was a learning experience. Many of those lucky enough to have been able to work from home realized how much they had hated commuting; some of those who had been working in leisure and hospitality realized, during their months of forced unemployment, how much they had hated their old jobs.
\n\nAnd workers are, it seems, willing to pay a price to avoid going back to the way things were. This may, by the way, be especially true for older workers, some of whom seem to have dropped out of the labor force.
\n\nTo the extent that this is the story behind recent “labor shortages,” what we’re looking at is a good thing, not a problem. Perversely, the pandemic may have given many Americans a chance to figure out what really matters to them — and the money they were being paid for unpleasant jobs, some now realize, just wasn’t enough.
Bingo.
\n", "content_html": "Paul Krugman in an opinion piece for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nMy guess, however — and it’s just a guess, although some of the go-to experts here seem to have similar views — is that, as I suggested at the beginning of this article, the pandemic disruption of work was a learning experience. Many of those lucky enough to have been able to work from home realized how much they had hated commuting; some of those who had been working in leisure and hospitality realized, during their months of forced unemployment, how much they had hated their old jobs.
\n\nAnd workers are, it seems, willing to pay a price to avoid going back to the way things were. This may, by the way, be especially true for older workers, some of whom seem to have dropped out of the labor force.
\n\nTo the extent that this is the story behind recent “labor shortages,” what we’re looking at is a good thing, not a problem. Perversely, the pandemic may have given many Americans a chance to figure out what really matters to them — and the money they were being paid for unpleasant jobs, some now realize, just wasn’t enough.
Bingo.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/26/vaccines-are-saving-lives/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/26/vaccines-are-saving-lives/", "title": "Vaccines are saving lives", "date_published": "2021-08-26T02:39:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-26T02:39:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/covid-vax-unvax-hosp-graph.jpeg\")
With Delta endemic in the country, the vaccines are providing extraordinary protection against infections severe enough to land folks in the hospital. In a recent CDC study of infections and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, the hospitalization rate of unvaccinated people was 29.2 times that of fully vaccinated persons. 29 times is an amazing protection outcome.
\n\nFor anyone still debating if you should take the vaccine - do it as soon as possible.
\n", "content_html": "
With Delta endemic in the country, the vaccines are providing extraordinary protection against infections severe enough to land folks in the hospital. In a recent CDC study of infections and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, the hospitalization rate of unvaccinated people was 29.2 times that of fully vaccinated persons. 29 times is an amazing protection outcome.
\n\nFor anyone still debating if you should take the vaccine - do it as soon as possible.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/26/costa-ricas-successful-health-care-system/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/26/costa-ricas-successful-health-care-system/", "title": "Costa Rica’s Successful Health Care System", "date_published": "2021-08-26T03:00:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-26T03:00:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Atul Gawande investigates how Costa Rica has achieved a higher life expectancy than the US for a fraction of the cost.
\n\n\n\nLife expectancy tends to track national income closely. Costa Rica has emerged as an exception. Searching a newer section of the cemetery that afternoon, I found only one grave for a child. Across all age cohorts, the country’s increase in health has far outpaced its increase in wealth. Although Costa Rica’s per-capita income is a sixth that of the United States — and its per-capita health-care costs are a fraction of ours — life expectancy there is approaching eighty-one years. In the United States, life expectancy peaked at just under seventy-nine years, in 2014, and has declined since.
\n\nPeople who have studied Costa Rica, including colleagues of mine at the research and innovation center Ariadne Labs, have identified what seems to be a key factor in its success: the country has made public health — measures to improve the health of the population as a whole — central to the delivery of medical care. Even in countries with robust universal health care, public health is usually an add-on; the vast majority of spending goes to treat the ailments of individuals. In Costa Rica, though, public health has been a priority for decades.
\n\nThe Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the impoverished state of public health even in affluent countries — and the cost of our neglect. Costa Rica shows what an alternative looks like. I travelled with Álvaro Salas to his home town because he had witnessed the results of his country’s expanding commitment to public health, and also because he had helped build the systems that delivered on that commitment. He understood what the country has achieved and how it was done.
This is in contrast to United States for profit health care system that favors private individuals who can afford it to get access to better lives, at the expense of everyone else. It is unconscionable that the wealthiest country the world has ever known refuses to make public health a core policy of its society.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The concern with the U.S. health system has never been about what it is capable of achieving at its best. It is about the large disparities we tolerate. Higher income, in particular, is associated with much longer life. In a 2016 study, the Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his research team found that the difference in life expectancy between forty-year-olds in the top one per cent of American income distribution and in the bottom one per cent is fifteen years for men and ten years for women.
Atul Gawande investigates how Costa Rica has achieved a higher life expectancy than the US for a fraction of the cost.
\n\n\n\nLife expectancy tends to track national income closely. Costa Rica has emerged as an exception. Searching a newer section of the cemetery that afternoon, I found only one grave for a child. Across all age cohorts, the country’s increase in health has far outpaced its increase in wealth. Although Costa Rica’s per-capita income is a sixth that of the United States — and its per-capita health-care costs are a fraction of ours — life expectancy there is approaching eighty-one years. In the United States, life expectancy peaked at just under seventy-nine years, in 2014, and has declined since.
\n\nPeople who have studied Costa Rica, including colleagues of mine at the research and innovation center Ariadne Labs, have identified what seems to be a key factor in its success: the country has made public health — measures to improve the health of the population as a whole — central to the delivery of medical care. Even in countries with robust universal health care, public health is usually an add-on; the vast majority of spending goes to treat the ailments of individuals. In Costa Rica, though, public health has been a priority for decades.
\n\nThe Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the impoverished state of public health even in affluent countries — and the cost of our neglect. Costa Rica shows what an alternative looks like. I travelled with Álvaro Salas to his home town because he had witnessed the results of his country’s expanding commitment to public health, and also because he had helped build the systems that delivered on that commitment. He understood what the country has achieved and how it was done.
This is in contrast to United States for profit health care system that favors private individuals who can afford it to get access to better lives, at the expense of everyone else. It is unconscionable that the wealthiest country the world has ever known refuses to make public health a core policy of its society.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/29/how-not-to-die/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/29/how-not-to-die/", "title": "How not to Die", "date_published": "2021-08-29T00:47:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-29T00:47:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The concern with the U.S. health system has never been about what it is capable of achieving at its best. It is about the large disparities we tolerate. Higher income, in particular, is associated with much longer life. In a 2016 study, the Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his research team found that the difference in life expectancy between forty-year-olds in the top one per cent of American income distribution and in the bottom one per cent is fifteen years for men and ten years for women.
Michael Greger from How Not to Die:
\n\n\n\nAs cynical as I’ve become about diet and nutrition in this country, I was still surprised by a 2010 report from the National Cancer Institute on the status of the American diet. For example, three out of four Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit in a given day, and nearly nine out of ten don’t reach the minimum recommended daily intake of vegetables. On a weekly basis, 96% of Americans don’t reach the minimum for orange vegetables (two servings a week), and 99% don’t reach the minimum for whole grains (about three to four ounces a day).
\n\nThen there was the junk food. The federal guidelines were so lax that that up to 25 percent of your diet could be made up of ‘discretionary calories,’ meaning junk. A quarter of your calories could come from cotton candy washed down with Mountain Dew, and you’d still be within the guidelines. Yet we failed. Astoundingly, 95 percent of Americans exceeded their discretionary calorie allowance. Only one in a thousand American children between the ages of two and eight made the cutoff, consuming less than the equivalent of about a dozen spoonfuls of sugar a day.
\n\nAnd we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic?
\n\n‘In conclusion,’ the researchers wrote, ‘nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis.’
So put down the soda and the potato chips and grab and apple instead.
\n", "content_html": "Michael Greger from How Not to Die:
\n\n\n\nAs cynical as I’ve become about diet and nutrition in this country, I was still surprised by a 2010 report from the National Cancer Institute on the status of the American diet. For example, three out of four Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit in a given day, and nearly nine out of ten don’t reach the minimum recommended daily intake of vegetables. On a weekly basis, 96% of Americans don’t reach the minimum for orange vegetables (two servings a week), and 99% don’t reach the minimum for whole grains (about three to four ounces a day).
\n\nThen there was the junk food. The federal guidelines were so lax that that up to 25 percent of your diet could be made up of ‘discretionary calories,’ meaning junk. A quarter of your calories could come from cotton candy washed down with Mountain Dew, and you’d still be within the guidelines. Yet we failed. Astoundingly, 95 percent of Americans exceeded their discretionary calorie allowance. Only one in a thousand American children between the ages of two and eight made the cutoff, consuming less than the equivalent of about a dozen spoonfuls of sugar a day.
\n\nAnd we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic?
\n\n‘In conclusion,’ the researchers wrote, ‘nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis.’
So put down the soda and the potato chips and grab and apple instead.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/29/why-do-we-have-lawns/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/08/29/why-do-we-have-lawns/", "title": "Why do we have lawns?", "date_published": "2021-08-29T01:13:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-08-29T01:13:43-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Kathryn O’Shea-Evans writing for The Atlantic
\n\n\n\nThe Falvos are among the many homeowners who’ve decided to investigate green alternatives, deeming a perfect carpet of classic grass too taxing on such resources as time, water and money. Others don’t want to use chemical fertilizers and weedkillers and prefer to provide a habitat for more diverse fauna than a monoculture lawn supports.
Why do we even have lawns? With water resources being stretched thin and climate change causing wide spread droughts throughout the country - having a lush green lawn today is simply not sustainable. I mean really - why not just have a dry garden?
\n\n![\"Dry](\"/assets/images/drygarden.jpeg\")
Low maintenance, minimal water usage and great at fighting climate change. Not to mention it is much cheaper. In my opinion it looks nice too.
\n", "content_html": "Kathryn O’Shea-Evans writing for The Atlantic
\n\n\n\nThe Falvos are among the many homeowners who’ve decided to investigate green alternatives, deeming a perfect carpet of classic grass too taxing on such resources as time, water and money. Others don’t want to use chemical fertilizers and weedkillers and prefer to provide a habitat for more diverse fauna than a monoculture lawn supports.
Why do we even have lawns? With water resources being stretched thin and climate change causing wide spread droughts throughout the country - having a lush green lawn today is simply not sustainable. I mean really - why not just have a dry garden?
\n\n
Low maintenance, minimal water usage and great at fighting climate change. Not to mention it is much cheaper. In my opinion it looks nice too.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/03/we-make-monsters/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/03/we-make-monsters/", "title": "we make monsters", "date_published": "2021-09-03T02:04:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-03T02:04:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jessica Wildfire has a great post on the recent trend of supposedly educated people railing against science and common sense:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "They came from college, the kind run by boards of trustees stacked with millionaires and billionaires.\nWe serve the children of privilege.
\n\nMy own university used to focus on educating less-privileged students. Then they got it in their heads that poor people didn’t belong in college, and they didn’t really deserve an education. Since then, they’ve systematically defunded every program that was designed for them. They’ve piped that money straight into the business school and athletics, because that’s what all the rich white kids are interested in. Before the pandemic, they were throwing giant parties in the middle of campus.
\n\nThe world has bent over backward to give privileged idiots college degrees, and put them in positions of money and power. That’s why we have a bunch of “educated people” who don’t believe in basic science. We’ve forced people to work for them. We’ve forced people to care for them when they get sick. We’ve sold the fiction that somehow their aggressive behavior is our fault, because we weren’t nice to them.
\n\nNo, this is what happens when you let someone win at Monopoly. They don’t play fair on their own. They get entitled.
\n\nThey get loud and obnoxious.
\n\nWhat we’re seeing across the country isn’t the result of misunderstanding or miscommunication. It’s the product of an education system that rewards affluent people without challenging them.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSo you want to understand where all these anti-vaxxers and neo-Nazis are coming from, and why they don’t fit the stereotype of the backwoods redneck. You want to know why they dress well and don’t speak with deep accents. You want to know where they come from.
\n\nWell, I know
\n\nThey come from the monster factory.
\n\nI work there.
Jessica Wildfire has a great post on the recent trend of supposedly educated people railing against science and common sense:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/04/why-cant-we-just-make-more-chips/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/04/why-cant-we-just-make-more-chips/", "title": "Why can’t we just make more chips?", "date_published": "2021-09-04T16:47:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-04T16:47:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "They came from college, the kind run by boards of trustees stacked with millionaires and billionaires.\nWe serve the children of privilege.
\n\nMy own university used to focus on educating less-privileged students. Then they got it in their heads that poor people didn’t belong in college, and they didn’t really deserve an education. Since then, they’ve systematically defunded every program that was designed for them. They’ve piped that money straight into the business school and athletics, because that’s what all the rich white kids are interested in. Before the pandemic, they were throwing giant parties in the middle of campus.
\n\nThe world has bent over backward to give privileged idiots college degrees, and put them in positions of money and power. That’s why we have a bunch of “educated people” who don’t believe in basic science. We’ve forced people to work for them. We’ve forced people to care for them when they get sick. We’ve sold the fiction that somehow their aggressive behavior is our fault, because we weren’t nice to them.
\n\nNo, this is what happens when you let someone win at Monopoly. They don’t play fair on their own. They get entitled.
\n\nThey get loud and obnoxious.
\n\nWhat we’re seeing across the country isn’t the result of misunderstanding or miscommunication. It’s the product of an education system that rewards affluent people without challenging them.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSo you want to understand where all these anti-vaxxers and neo-Nazis are coming from, and why they don’t fit the stereotype of the backwoods redneck. You want to know why they dress well and don’t speak with deep accents. You want to know where they come from.
\n\nWell, I know
\n\nThey come from the monster factory.
\n\nI work there.
The global chip shortage is battering everyone - automakers, tech giants and reaching out to everyday individuals. Goods we rely on are getting scarce and prices are going up.
\n\nSo why can’t we just make make more? The usual and simple answers - build more foundries, hire more people, give tax incentives to chip makers and loosen regulations - just won’t work. Chip manufacturing is a complex and high risk proposition. Bloomberg has an excellent article on why the semiconductor industry is so hard to break into and expand:
\n\n\n\nThe more complicated answer is that it takes years to build semiconductor fabrication facilities and billions of dollars—and even then the economics are so brutal that you can lose out if your manufacturing expertise is a fraction behind the competition. Former Intel Corp. boss Craig Barrett called his company’s microprocessors the most complicated devices ever made by man.
\n\nThis is why countries face such difficulty in achieving semiconductor self sufficiency. China has called chip independence a top national priority in its latest five-year plan, while U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to build a secure American supply chain by reviving domestic manufacturing. Even the European Union is mulling measures to make its own chips. But success is anything but assured.
\n\nManufacturing a chip typically takes more than three months and involves giant factories, dust-free rooms, multi-million-dollar machines, molten tin and lasers. The end goal is to transform wafers of silicon—an element extracted from plain sand—into a network of billions of tiny switches called transistors that form the basis of the circuitry that will eventually give a phone, computer, car, washing machine or satellite crucial capabilities.
\n\n[..]
\n\nYield—the percentage of chips that aren’t discarded—is the key measure. Anything less than 90% is a problem. But chipmakers only exceed that level by learning expensive lessons over and over again, and building on that knowledge.
\n\nThe brutal economics of the industry mean fewer companies can afford to keep up. Most of the roughly 1.4 billion smartphone processors shipped each year are made by TSMC. Intel has 80% of the market for computer processors. Samsung dominates in memory chips. For everyone else, including China, it’s not easy to break in.
The amount of resources required and the time frame for profits to emerge is just to vast of a risk for the private sector to bear. The only way a country can guarantee chip independence with direct partnership chip manufacturers. Each country is going to have to treat its chip supply chain just as important to invest in as its defense industry.
\n", "content_html": "The global chip shortage is battering everyone - automakers, tech giants and reaching out to everyday individuals. Goods we rely on are getting scarce and prices are going up.
\n\nSo why can’t we just make make more? The usual and simple answers - build more foundries, hire more people, give tax incentives to chip makers and loosen regulations - just won’t work. Chip manufacturing is a complex and high risk proposition. Bloomberg has an excellent article on why the semiconductor industry is so hard to break into and expand:
\n\n\n\nThe more complicated answer is that it takes years to build semiconductor fabrication facilities and billions of dollars—and even then the economics are so brutal that you can lose out if your manufacturing expertise is a fraction behind the competition. Former Intel Corp. boss Craig Barrett called his company’s microprocessors the most complicated devices ever made by man.
\n\nThis is why countries face such difficulty in achieving semiconductor self sufficiency. China has called chip independence a top national priority in its latest five-year plan, while U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to build a secure American supply chain by reviving domestic manufacturing. Even the European Union is mulling measures to make its own chips. But success is anything but assured.
\n\nManufacturing a chip typically takes more than three months and involves giant factories, dust-free rooms, multi-million-dollar machines, molten tin and lasers. The end goal is to transform wafers of silicon—an element extracted from plain sand—into a network of billions of tiny switches called transistors that form the basis of the circuitry that will eventually give a phone, computer, car, washing machine or satellite crucial capabilities.
\n\n[..]
\n\nYield—the percentage of chips that aren’t discarded—is the key measure. Anything less than 90% is a problem. But chipmakers only exceed that level by learning expensive lessons over and over again, and building on that knowledge.
\n\nThe brutal economics of the industry mean fewer companies can afford to keep up. Most of the roughly 1.4 billion smartphone processors shipped each year are made by TSMC. Intel has 80% of the market for computer processors. Samsung dominates in memory chips. For everyone else, including China, it’s not easy to break in.
The amount of resources required and the time frame for profits to emerge is just to vast of a risk for the private sector to bear. The only way a country can guarantee chip independence with direct partnership chip manufacturers. Each country is going to have to treat its chip supply chain just as important to invest in as its defense industry.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/05/the-cost-of-the-afghansitan-war/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/05/the-cost-of-the-afghansitan-war/", "title": "The Cost of the Afghansitan war", "date_published": "2021-09-05T14:56:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-05T14:56:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nEvery gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road. the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
\n\n
We spent 2.3 trillion dollars - to put it into a bit more manageable number - $300 million dollars a day for 20 years. And what did we get for that investment (I am not even going to get into the lives of US soldiers and the Afghan population that were sacrificed)? Nothing. The middle east is still a hotbed of terrorism, countries are still committing human rights violations on a daily basis, and the Taliban is still in charge.
\n\nWhat could we have done with $300 million dollars a day here at home? Here is a breakdown of cost for each of these possible government programs and the equivalent cost in days of the war in Afghanistan:
\n\n| Program | \nDays | \nCost (in Billions) | \n
|---|---|---|
| End hunger | \n84 | \n$25 | \n
| End homelessness | \n66 | \n$20 | \n
| Universal preschool | \n667 | \n$200 | \n
| Fix roads, bridges and dams in the US | \n1,960 | \n$588 | \n
| Provide clean drinking water | \n500 | \n$150 | \n
| Eliminate tuition at public colleges | \n3967 | \n$1,190 | \n
| Totals | \n7,244 | \n$2,173 | \n
If the United States paid for all of these federal programs, we would still have $230 billion left over. Let that sink in for a moment - we could have solved all of our major social problems at home and it would still be cheaper than the 20 year war in Afghanistan. $230 billion dollars cheaper. Was it really worth it? How can anyone possibly justify this?
\n\nWhy is it that when a plan is proposed to secure the social safety net or to help the US middle class we always ask how are we going to pay for it? Yet we as a nation spend trillions on never ending ideological based wars without blinking an eye. If we can fund a war for 2.3 trillion dollars for two decades, we as a country can find a way to house the homeless, feed the poor and educate our children.
\n\nI don’t ever want to hear a politician ever ask how we are going to pay for it.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nEvery gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road. the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
\n\n
We spent 2.3 trillion dollars - to put it into a bit more manageable number - $300 million dollars a day for 20 years. And what did we get for that investment (I am not even going to get into the lives of US soldiers and the Afghan population that were sacrificed)? Nothing. The middle east is still a hotbed of terrorism, countries are still committing human rights violations on a daily basis, and the Taliban is still in charge.
\n\nWhat could we have done with $300 million dollars a day here at home? Here is a breakdown of cost for each of these possible government programs and the equivalent cost in days of the war in Afghanistan:
\n\n| Program | \nDays | \nCost (in Billions) | \n
|---|---|---|
| End hunger | \n84 | \n$25 | \n
| End homelessness | \n66 | \n$20 | \n
| Universal preschool | \n667 | \n$200 | \n
| Fix roads, bridges and dams in the US | \n1,960 | \n$588 | \n
| Provide clean drinking water | \n500 | \n$150 | \n
| Eliminate tuition at public colleges | \n3967 | \n$1,190 | \n
| Totals | \n7,244 | \n$2,173 | \n
If the United States paid for all of these federal programs, we would still have $230 billion left over. Let that sink in for a moment - we could have solved all of our major social problems at home and it would still be cheaper than the 20 year war in Afghanistan. $230 billion dollars cheaper. Was it really worth it? How can anyone possibly justify this?
\n\nWhy is it that when a plan is proposed to secure the social safety net or to help the US middle class we always ask how are we going to pay for it? Yet we as a nation spend trillions on never ending ideological based wars without blinking an eye. If we can fund a war for 2.3 trillion dollars for two decades, we as a country can find a way to house the homeless, feed the poor and educate our children.
\n\nI don’t ever want to hear a politician ever ask how we are going to pay for it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/08/what-makes-a-good-life/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/08/what-makes-a-good-life/", "title": "What makes a good life?", "date_published": "2021-09-08T04:08:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-08T04:08:49-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "…many of our men when they were starting out as young adults really believed that fame and wealth and high achievement are what they needed to go after to have a good life. But over and over, over these 75 years, our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships - with family, friends and community.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe good life is built with good relationships
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/algorithmic-based-triage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/algorithmic-based-triage/", "title": "algorithmic based triage", "date_published": "2021-09-11T00:56:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-11T00:56:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "…many of our men when they were starting out as young adults really believed that fame and wealth and high achievement are what they needed to go after to have a good life. But over and over, over these 75 years, our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships - with family, friends and community.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe good life is built with good relationships
Vishal Khetpal & Nishant Shah in an opinion piece for Undark:
\n\n\n\nIn the midst of the uncertainty, Epic, a private electronic health record giant and a key purveyor of American health data, accelerated the deployment of a clinical prediction tool called the Deterioration Index. Built with a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning and in use at some hospitals prior to the pandemic, the index is designed to help physicians decide when to move a patient into or out of intensive care, and is influenced by factors like breathing rate and blood potassium level. Epic had been tinkering with the index for years but expanded its use during the pandemic. At hundreds of hospitals, including those in which we both work, a Deterioration Index score is prominently displayed on the chart of every patient admitted to the hospital
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe use of algorithms to support clinical decision making isn’t new. But historically, these tools have been put into use only after a rigorous peer review of the raw data and statistical analyses used to develop them. Epic’s Deterioration Index, on the other hand, remains proprietary despite its widespread deployment. Although physicians are provided with a list of the variables used to calculate the index and a rough estimate of each variable’s impact on the score, we aren’t allowed under the hood to evaluate the raw data and calculations.
Blind trust in an algorithm that is create and maintained by a for profit institution without transparency of the data or calculations performed is insane. How do we know what assumptions are made? What the actual characteristics of the calculations are? How are they validated?
\n\nWe don’t just trust the word of researchers findings without peer review - why should we treat an algorithm any different?
\n", "content_html": "Vishal Khetpal & Nishant Shah in an opinion piece for Undark:
\n\n\n\nIn the midst of the uncertainty, Epic, a private electronic health record giant and a key purveyor of American health data, accelerated the deployment of a clinical prediction tool called the Deterioration Index. Built with a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning and in use at some hospitals prior to the pandemic, the index is designed to help physicians decide when to move a patient into or out of intensive care, and is influenced by factors like breathing rate and blood potassium level. Epic had been tinkering with the index for years but expanded its use during the pandemic. At hundreds of hospitals, including those in which we both work, a Deterioration Index score is prominently displayed on the chart of every patient admitted to the hospital
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe use of algorithms to support clinical decision making isn’t new. But historically, these tools have been put into use only after a rigorous peer review of the raw data and statistical analyses used to develop them. Epic’s Deterioration Index, on the other hand, remains proprietary despite its widespread deployment. Although physicians are provided with a list of the variables used to calculate the index and a rough estimate of each variable’s impact on the score, we aren’t allowed under the hood to evaluate the raw data and calculations.
Blind trust in an algorithm that is create and maintained by a for profit institution without transparency of the data or calculations performed is insane. How do we know what assumptions are made? What the actual characteristics of the calculations are? How are they validated?
\n\nWe don’t just trust the word of researchers findings without peer review - why should we treat an algorithm any different?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/microsoft-mandates-vaccinations/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/microsoft-mandates-vaccinations/", "title": "Microsoft mandates vaccinations", "date_published": "2021-09-11T01:09:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-11T01:09:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Paul Roberts in Seattle Times:
\n\n\n\nIn a sign of growing momentum for vaccine mandates, Microsoft has reversed course and will now require employees to be fully vaccinated to enter the company’s U.S. offices and other worksites, starting next month.
\n\nThe Redmond-based tech giant told employees Tuesday it will “require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S.”
\n\nThe company also said it will have a process to accommodate employees “who have a medical condition or other protected reason, such as religion, which prevent them from getting vaccinated.”
Why the exclusion for religion? Its very simple, if you choose to work here, you must be vaccinated. We don’t allow children to skip vaccinations for say Polio to attend school. Regardless of religion. Unless a valid medical reason from a physician is obtained, vaccination for Covid-19 should be a requirement for work.
\n", "content_html": "Paul Roberts in Seattle Times:
\n\n\n\nIn a sign of growing momentum for vaccine mandates, Microsoft has reversed course and will now require employees to be fully vaccinated to enter the company’s U.S. offices and other worksites, starting next month.
\n\nThe Redmond-based tech giant told employees Tuesday it will “require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S.”
\n\nThe company also said it will have a process to accommodate employees “who have a medical condition or other protected reason, such as religion, which prevent them from getting vaccinated.”
Why the exclusion for religion? Its very simple, if you choose to work here, you must be vaccinated. We don’t allow children to skip vaccinations for say Polio to attend school. Regardless of religion. Unless a valid medical reason from a physician is obtained, vaccination for Covid-19 should be a requirement for work.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/the-matrix-resurrections/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/11/the-matrix-resurrections/", "title": "The Matrix Resurrections", "date_published": "2021-09-11T01:19:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-11T01:19:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\nWhoa.
\n", "content_html": "\nWhoa.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/12/fear-and-loathing-in-america/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/12/fear-and-loathing-in-america/", "title": "Fear & Loathing in America", "date_published": "2021-09-12T22:46:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-12T22:46:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Hunter S. Thompson was prescient:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now — with somebody — and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.
\n\nIt will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerrilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy. Osama bin Laden may be a primitive “figurehead” — or even dead, for all we know — but whoever put those All-American jet planes loaded with All-American fuel into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon did it with chilling precision and accuracy. The second one was a dead-on bullseye. Straight into the middle of the skyscraper.
\n\nNothing — even George Bush’s $350 billion “Star Wars” missile defense system — could have prevented Tuesday’s attack, and it cost next to nothing to pull off. Fewer than 20 unarmed Suicide soldiers from some apparently primitive country somewhere on the other side of the world took out the World Trade Center and half the Pentagon with three quick and costless strikes on one day. The efficiency of it was terrifying.
\n\nWe are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once. Who knows? Not even the Generals in what remains of the Pentagon or the New York papers calling for WAR seem to know who did it or where to look for them.
Hunter S. Thompson was prescient:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/14/holmes-defense-he-made-me-do-it/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/14/holmes-defense-he-made-me-do-it/", "title": "Elizabeth Holmes defense - he made me do it", "date_published": "2021-09-14T04:10:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-14T04:10:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The towers are gone now, reduced to bloody rubble, along with all hopes for Peace in Our Time, in the United States or any other country. Make no mistake about it: We are At War now — with somebody — and we will stay At War with that mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives.
\n\nIt will be a Religious War, a sort of Christian Jihad, fueled by religious hatred and led by merciless fanatics on both sides. It will be guerrilla warfare on a global scale, with no front lines and no identifiable enemy. Osama bin Laden may be a primitive “figurehead” — or even dead, for all we know — but whoever put those All-American jet planes loaded with All-American fuel into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon did it with chilling precision and accuracy. The second one was a dead-on bullseye. Straight into the middle of the skyscraper.
\n\nNothing — even George Bush’s $350 billion “Star Wars” missile defense system — could have prevented Tuesday’s attack, and it cost next to nothing to pull off. Fewer than 20 unarmed Suicide soldiers from some apparently primitive country somewhere on the other side of the world took out the World Trade Center and half the Pentagon with three quick and costless strikes on one day. The efficiency of it was terrifying.
\n\nWe are going to punish somebody for this attack, but just who or what will be blown to smithereens for it is hard to say. Maybe Afghanistan, maybe Pakistan or Iraq, or possibly all three at once. Who knows? Not even the Generals in what remains of the Pentagon or the New York papers calling for WAR seem to know who did it or where to look for them.
![](\"/assets/images/holmes.jpg\")
Facing the possibility of up to 20 years in federal prison, Holmes has been charged with 12 felony counts including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and defrauding patients and investors. She has already previewed her defense in court filings: She alleges that Theranos — the blood testing startup that she started at the age of 19 after dropping out of Stanford University — was a complicated business but was not a fraud, and that she was emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by her former business partner and boyfriend, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani.
\n\nDanny Cevallos on a piece over at NBC News:
\n\n\n\nRecently unsealed federal court documents in Elizabeth Holmes’ wire fraud trial revealed a creative legal strategy her defense team may use to try to beat the charges to be weighed by a Northern California jury, whose selection began Tuesday. The documents argue that Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, at one time her boyfriend and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, deceived Holmes about the company’s financial models and subjected her to intimate partner abuse.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBlaming your co-defendant isn’t, itself, a novel defense theory. It has been around for as long as there have been co-defendants. It’s especially popular in drug possession cases. Four guys in a car plus one baggie of drugs often equals a whole lot of: “That ain’t mine — it’s his.” The strategy of one defendant blaming his or her partner in a romantic relationship isn’t new, either. But Holmes faces particular hurdles.
\n\nFor starters, it was Holmes whom the world saw Forbes name as the youngest-ever self-made female billionaire in 2014. Holmes — not Balwani — took to the airwaves to fire back at The Wall Street Journal when it began publishing stories raising doubt about her business, exposing Theranos’ flawed technology and how the company covered up its own failures. Soon after, the Justice Department charged her and Balwani with defrauding investors, as well as patients of Theranos.
\n\nIs it possible that Holmes was in the thrall of her older, more forceful, romantic partner the entire time? Maybe. But the jury might not buy it. And even if jurors think she was swayed by Balwani, is it enough for them to absolve her of responsibility if she knew what was really going on?
Basically it’s a ‘He made me do it’ defense. I’m no lawyer, but this doesn’t sound like a very good defense.
\n", "content_html": "
Facing the possibility of up to 20 years in federal prison, Holmes has been charged with 12 felony counts including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and defrauding patients and investors. She has already previewed her defense in court filings: She alleges that Theranos — the blood testing startup that she started at the age of 19 after dropping out of Stanford University — was a complicated business but was not a fraud, and that she was emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by her former business partner and boyfriend, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani.
\n\nDanny Cevallos on a piece over at NBC News:
\n\n\n\nRecently unsealed federal court documents in Elizabeth Holmes’ wire fraud trial revealed a creative legal strategy her defense team may use to try to beat the charges to be weighed by a Northern California jury, whose selection began Tuesday. The documents argue that Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, at one time her boyfriend and the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos, deceived Holmes about the company’s financial models and subjected her to intimate partner abuse.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBlaming your co-defendant isn’t, itself, a novel defense theory. It has been around for as long as there have been co-defendants. It’s especially popular in drug possession cases. Four guys in a car plus one baggie of drugs often equals a whole lot of: “That ain’t mine — it’s his.” The strategy of one defendant blaming his or her partner in a romantic relationship isn’t new, either. But Holmes faces particular hurdles.
\n\nFor starters, it was Holmes whom the world saw Forbes name as the youngest-ever self-made female billionaire in 2014. Holmes — not Balwani — took to the airwaves to fire back at The Wall Street Journal when it began publishing stories raising doubt about her business, exposing Theranos’ flawed technology and how the company covered up its own failures. Soon after, the Justice Department charged her and Balwani with defrauding investors, as well as patients of Theranos.
\n\nIs it possible that Holmes was in the thrall of her older, more forceful, romantic partner the entire time? Maybe. But the jury might not buy it. And even if jurors think she was swayed by Balwani, is it enough for them to absolve her of responsibility if she knew what was really going on?
Basically it’s a ‘He made me do it’ defense. I’m no lawyer, but this doesn’t sound like a very good defense.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/18/being-a-good-photographer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/18/being-a-good-photographer/", "title": "Being a good Photographer", "date_published": "2021-09-18T00:15:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-18T00:15:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Be consistent, dedicated and don’t give a f*ck what others think!
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Lets stop worrying about who or who won’t see our photography. Or how we can get it to a wider audience and instead remember why we are taking photographs in the first place.
\n\n[…]
\n\nNever let this idea of having to show your photographs again to be considered a real photographer ever take hold in your mind.
Be consistent, dedicated and don’t give a f*ck what others think!
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/18/a-cooks-tour/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/18/a-cooks-tour/", "title": "A Cook’s Tour ", "date_published": "2021-09-18T01:30:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-18T01:30:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Lets stop worrying about who or who won’t see our photography. Or how we can get it to a wider audience and instead remember why we are taking photographs in the first place.
\n\n[…]
\n\nNever let this idea of having to show your photographs again to be considered a real photographer ever take hold in your mind.
Anthony Bourdain’s First Travel/Food TV Show, for free - A Cook’s Tour. Here is the very first episode.
\n\n
\nThe genius of Anthony Bourdain was that food was only an excuse to explore the world and the people in it. And by doing so he showed us how there is greatness in all of us. We just need to sit down and share a meal to notice it.
Lydia Tenaglia-Collins on how it all started:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "So that was the start of our relationship and our time together. We, fortunately, were able to pitch and sell that idea, A Cook’s Tour, to the Food Network. Me and Chris, my husband, and Tony, just the three of us, all went out on the road together for that first year, and we shot 23 episodes of A Cook’s Tour, and we kind of figured out the format of the show on the road. It was really Tony tapping into the references he did have — you know, films and books and things he had seen and knew about only through film and reading.
\n\nSo he was able to bring all of those cultural references to the table, and the three of us together were able to kind of play with the format of what those visuals would look like, so that it wasn’t just about him eating food at a restaurant. It was really about everything that was happening around him — or the thoughts he was having internally as he had these experiences or the references that he had seen through film that he loved and books that he had read, like The Quiet American, and how those things related to what he was experiencing.
\n\nSo it became this kind of sort of moving, evolving format that was very much based on, predicated on the location that we were in and those references that he could call up. The show just kind of began to take shape. I mean, really there was no format of the show going into it. We just said, “Hey, we’re going to travel around the world, and this guy … he’s a chef, and he’s written this great book, and he’s going to try food in other countries.” And that’s what sold the project to the Food Network at the time. Then, as we went and actually made the show, we really started to play with the format and turned it into something else.
\n\nI would say that 17 years later the show has gone through various iterations. We did the two seasons of A Cook’s Tour on the Food Network, and then we did eight seasons of No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and now we’re on Parts Unknown. And the show has evolved as Tony has evolved, as the crew has evolved, as the technology has evolved. The show has sort of turned into this kind of, you know, one man’s initial foray into the world, and I think today, 17 years later, he’s really kind of evolved into more of a cultural anthropologist.
\n\nThe show’s very sociopolitical — it’s about people and characters. The food and the people are just the entry point. It’s really about all the context around it. The more you can bring story to that and the more you can bring references to that — film references … character references — the more you can introduce interesting, unique characters into the equation, I think that’s what keeps the show very fresh and why it’s continuing to evolve all these years later. Each show is very different from the one before it.
Anthony Bourdain’s First Travel/Food TV Show, for free - A Cook’s Tour. Here is the very first episode.
\n\n
\nThe genius of Anthony Bourdain was that food was only an excuse to explore the world and the people in it. And by doing so he showed us how there is greatness in all of us. We just need to sit down and share a meal to notice it.
Lydia Tenaglia-Collins on how it all started:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/23/quit-social-media/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/09/23/quit-social-media/", "title": "quitting Social Media", "date_published": "2021-09-23T00:49:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-09-23T00:49:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So that was the start of our relationship and our time together. We, fortunately, were able to pitch and sell that idea, A Cook’s Tour, to the Food Network. Me and Chris, my husband, and Tony, just the three of us, all went out on the road together for that first year, and we shot 23 episodes of A Cook’s Tour, and we kind of figured out the format of the show on the road. It was really Tony tapping into the references he did have — you know, films and books and things he had seen and knew about only through film and reading.
\n\nSo he was able to bring all of those cultural references to the table, and the three of us together were able to kind of play with the format of what those visuals would look like, so that it wasn’t just about him eating food at a restaurant. It was really about everything that was happening around him — or the thoughts he was having internally as he had these experiences or the references that he had seen through film that he loved and books that he had read, like The Quiet American, and how those things related to what he was experiencing.
\n\nSo it became this kind of sort of moving, evolving format that was very much based on, predicated on the location that we were in and those references that he could call up. The show just kind of began to take shape. I mean, really there was no format of the show going into it. We just said, “Hey, we’re going to travel around the world, and this guy … he’s a chef, and he’s written this great book, and he’s going to try food in other countries.” And that’s what sold the project to the Food Network at the time. Then, as we went and actually made the show, we really started to play with the format and turned it into something else.
\n\nI would say that 17 years later the show has gone through various iterations. We did the two seasons of A Cook’s Tour on the Food Network, and then we did eight seasons of No Reservations on the Travel Channel, and now we’re on Parts Unknown. And the show has evolved as Tony has evolved, as the crew has evolved, as the technology has evolved. The show has sort of turned into this kind of, you know, one man’s initial foray into the world, and I think today, 17 years later, he’s really kind of evolved into more of a cultural anthropologist.
\n\nThe show’s very sociopolitical — it’s about people and characters. The food and the people are just the entry point. It’s really about all the context around it. The more you can bring story to that and the more you can bring references to that — film references … character references — the more you can introduce interesting, unique characters into the equation, I think that’s what keeps the show very fresh and why it’s continuing to evolve all these years later. Each show is very different from the one before it.
Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor named one of the best thinkers in the field of management, said that we don’t really buy products or services. Rather, we “hire” something to get a job done. Based on this, think about why you continuously waste your talent by watching other people share their craft instead of creating something yourself. Ask yourself, for what type of job you’ve hired social media?
\n\nPersonally, I think that there are two possible options:
\n\nYou use social media for validation. By sharing photos of what you do and where you go, you aim to fix your mood when people like your posts. Or in other words, even if your life is good, you don’t feel that your life is good enough unless others say so.
You’re simply an observer. Spontaneously hopping from post to post, consuming, rarely sharing. Trying to escape the unbearable mediocrity of your actual life by watching the most magnificent moments of others. And eventually, end up living virtual life deprived of any actual experiences.
I don’t know which one is worse. Persuading yourself that other people care about you because they simply liked your photo. Or, the tendency to avoid fixing your unpleasant reality by doing something about it instead of participating in the fantasy world of social media.
\n\nOf course, that’s now how we normally think about using social media.
\n\nWe persuade our minds that liking pictures and joining virtual groups gives us a sense of belonging. Connection with others. Opportunity to express ourselves and access to a wide variety of information we’ll otherwise never get.
\n\nIn reality, we hire social media to distract our minds from our unpleasant, average life. And, by faking photos, to convince others, including ourselves, that our life is amazing while internally we are in pain.
\n\nWe hire social media to create a virtual representation of the life we want to live, but never actually live it.\nWe hire social media to observe the life we want, but never actually experience it.
\n\nBy favoring pictures of others traveling around the world, you not only waste time. But you also invite corrupting thoughts in your head like, “Why I’m so unadvanvetorous? Why I don’t travel? Why does my life suck?” All of these questions, even if you’re not a fan of traveling.
\n\nBut what if you realize that you don’t know why you use social media? That you use it just because you’ve used it before?
\n\nThen, probably, you will realize that you don’t need fake friendships online. You don’t need to see more pictures of people you don’t know. And you certainly don’t need to spend hours scrolling through updates that are not even related to your personality.
\n\nThe benefits of staying off social media are insanely generous. Not only your time is salvaged, but also your attention – which is far more precious.
\n\nIf you’re on the fence about using social media – which I believe is the case since you’re reading this post – let me give you not 10 reasons to quit social media. But 20 reasons to quit social media.
\n\nOn average, people spend 145 minutes per day liking photos and interacting with memes. In some countries, this number is close to 4 hours per day
\n\nImagine how your life will look like with two extra hours per day?
\n\nProbably you can finally start reading the pile of books collecting dust on your counter.
\n\nOr, start writing the book you’ve always wanted. Or, even better, just rest more after a busy day at the office.
\n\n“Jim just purchased a brand new BMW. Tiffany got a new job at Google. Roger, an old friend from high school I never see, is traveling, again. And here I am. Sitting in my small rented flat. Covered in darkness. Sweating. Unable to move. Wondering why my life is so unimpressive.”
\n\nSubconsciously or not, we always compare ourselves to others. This is an in-built human characteristic.
\n\nWe want what others have because this can help us improve our life and thus survive for longer.
\n\nComparing with others can be a good thing because it can inspire action. Motivate us to make changes in our lives.
\n\nHowever, when we are continuously exposed to the perfect life of others by scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. When we compare our average days with the perfect days of others. We feel pain. We feel behind. We feel that we’re not enough and instead of feeling motivated, we feel lost, and it’s like our life is utterly unfixable.
\n\nSenator Orrin Hatch, in relation to the antitrust investigation, asked Mark Zuckerberg the following: “How do you sustain a business model in which users don’t pay for your service?” To which Mr. Zuckerberg responded, widely smiling, “we run ads.”4
\n\nMathematically, the more you use social media, the more ads you will see. The more ads you see, the more money you spend.
\n\nMarketers all over the world brag about how they increase their revenue by running ads on social media. Who do you think the buyers are? That’s right, people who use social media.
\n\nIf you don’t use social media, you’ll see fewer ads. You will know about the existence of fewer products. Therefore, you will purchase fewer things.
\n\nBut it’s not only the ads that are making you go crazy with your credit card. There is something else…
\n\nAdmit it, you’re not really traveling because you want to visit every corner of the world. You’re doing it because all of your friends have the unrealistic goal of traveling the whole world.
\n\nPeer pressure can be quite beneficial. If you see your friends working out daily, you’ll probably motivate yourself to do it.
\n\nBut let’s be real, people who are super enthusiastic. Self-help nerds, rarely use social media. They understand why leaving social media is the right choice.
\n\nThis means that you’re left in a virtual pool full of folks who want to prove to other folks that their life is better than what it actually is.
\n\nSo, what eventually happens is that everyone on the social media train is pursuing an unobtainable carrot. Even worse, carrot they don’t really need/want.
\n\nThe more you spend time looking at what others are doing, the more you’ll want to do these things. Sadly, this will prevent you from figuring out what you, yourself, want to do.
\n\nQuitting social media removes the desire to do what every one of your online friends is doing.
\n\nWhen you no longer crave to watch pictures of strangers, something magical happens. You start thinking about what you really want out of your life.
\n\nSince there are no more pictures to like and no more people to follow, you start to follow your own desires.
\n\nYou take the time you previously spent (wasted) observing how others live their lives and use it to create the life you want.
\n\nSound too self-helpy (?), I know. It does. But it’s completely true.
\n\nYou have a void to fill. Why not fill it with activities you like? Not activities other people like?
\n\nQuitting social media makes you more social.
\n\nCounterintuitive, right? Social media sites are supposed to make us more social, more connected? Then how quitting social media will help me have better relationships?
\n\nHear me out.
\n\nFacebook and Instagram give you a fake sense of belonging. You think that you’re interacting with others, but that’s just dust in the eyes.
\n\nYou don’t feel the presence of other people. You receive emojis and carefully curated messages.
\n\nWhen you delete your social media accounts, and when the fake connections are gone, you crave actual interactions. You’ll naturally want to meet others. See them in person, not just chat with them.
\n\nIt’s hard to imagine that you can find a meaningful discussion online. Sure, there are some channels where you can interact with others on topics that are different from the usual memes and likes – like AMAs with Bill Gates – but they are outliers, they are not the norm.
\n\nReplacing words with emojis can’t ignite a meaningful conversation. It’s good only for an afternoon chatter.
\n\nImagine having to keep a conversation going without access to storage full of smiling faces and hearts. You will have to actually talk with the person and express your feelings.
\n\nIn a virtual world, you are not judged based on who you really are. You are evaluated based on how you present yourself.
\n\nYou don’t have enough followers and likes on your posts? Well, then, my friend, your opinion doesn’t count. You’re just a random avatar.
\n\nTo be perceived as important, and not even as important, but just a person with an opinion, you need influence. You need to turn into an influencer.
\n\nThis means that you should purchase courses that will help you gain more followers. The more followers you have, there more you will matter.
\n\nBut this also means that the fewer followers you have, the less you matter.
\n\nThis dehumanization is dangerous. We blindly obey the so-called gurus who are just regular folks who simply spent more time building an audience. However, this doesn’t mean that they are smarter. They are simply playing the social game better.
\n\nAs the saying goes, “If you keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results.”
\n\nBut there is one important variation of the above statement: “If you keep interacting with the same people, you will have the same thoughts.”
\n\nOnline, we form a tribe that revolves around our interests. Going out, traveling, photography, etc. There is nothing wrong with that. We all have interests that, when shared, can turn into blossoming friendships.
\n\nBut when we keep interacting with the same people, we will never see different points of view.
\n\nWe will accept what our tribe is suggesting without digging around looking for alternative views. And worse, we’ll rarely search for an outside view. Making us stuck inside a box. Inside a bubble. Never upgrading our thought processes in a world that is constantly changing and looking for out-of-the-box ideas.
\n\nFOMO stands for fear of missing out. JOMO is the joy of missing out.
\n\nWhen I abandoned social media. I thought that I will go crazy. Miss out on so many important things that I will quickly jump back on the liking ship. None of that happened.
\n\nAfter the habit of scrolling and liking wears off, you suddenly find yourself in a joyful place. A quieter, calmer, less demanding place where you don’t want to know what others are doing. You focus on what you want to do.
\n\nGetting anxious because you think that others are doing super exciting things without you means that there is nothing in your life to be excited about.
\n\nIf this is the case, escaping the social media train is the perfect opportunity to find something in your life to be excited about.
\n\nYou’re no longer used by social media when you escape social media. You start to use social media for your own gains.
\n\nI know why a lot of people can’t even consider not checking Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter constantly. Objectively speaking, there is a ton of value inside these platforms. I can’t argue against this.
\n\nStill, quitting social media doesn’t always mean that you have to delete the app and never return.
\n\nPersonally, I still keep my profiles active with a little twist. I’ve unfollowed everyone online. This means that when I open Twitter, for example, I don’t see an infinite scroll where gurus are lining up to “tell me” how to get better.
\n\nThere is nothing when I enter. A blank page.
\n\nWhen I want to check something, I access my Twitter and do my research. Or when I want to see what people are talking about in relation to something I’m interested in, I search for a Facebook group and I read the comments.
\n\nOr in other words, you can use social media deliberately. Only enter the sites when you want to find something. Not enter to find something to need. Two completely different things.
\n\n“The whole world is infected. Zombies everywhere. No sign of hope!”
\n\nThat’s not a poster of a new movie. It’s the current reality.
\n\nIn the pre-Facebook era. We had face-to-face time. Now we have face-to-phone time.
\n\nIt’s hard to talk to people, connect with them when their face is always facing a bright screen with popping elements.
\n\nI fully understand why people feel pressured to stay online all the time. There is no ending. The Infinity pools are constantly fed with new stuff to show you. Consuming not only your time, but your attention as well.
\n\nSomething I don’t believe a lot of people get is how lousy your attention becomes when you scroll through pictures (and the new fad now: videos) during your whole day.
\n\nIt deteriorates quite fast
\n\nDisconnection from the always-on world will help you remember that there is more.
\n\nNot more places to go. Not more pictures to like. But more ways to focus and concentrate on what matters more to you personally.
\n\nA newspaper from a small corner shop on a busy street might not have all the news inside. But it has something we all want – an ending.
\n\nWith a newspaper, you can understand what’s happening today while drinking your morning coffee and move on with your life.
\n\nWe keep scrolling and scrolling online because we know that there is more. But more doesn’t mean better. Seeing all variations of memes online won’t upgrade your skills. It will destroy them.
\n\nWhen informational resources have edges, it will help you focus on what you’re reading right now, not on what you could be reading a moment later.
\n\nSince you’re no longer thinking about, “gosh, probably I have new likes on my photo, I should check so I can feel good.” You focus on the thing you’re doing without constantly disturbing your flow.
\n\nRemoving the thoughts on what “I’m potentially missing out on” helps you get calmer. More grounded. More present. More focused on what “I’m doing right now.”
\n\nInstead of going out with a friend so you can both stare at your phones, you enjoy each other’s company.
\n\nNintendo recently released a new video game. Netflix just launched a new documentary. Your grandma is sharing pictures of her on the beach, again.
\n\nThere is always something new happening online. Something fun. Something exciting. Something that makes you feel like your world is super awesome.
\n\nSadly, when you put the phone away, it’s still you. The same you, inside the same condo, doing the usual things.
\n\nFun things online don’t mean important things.
\n\nWhen social media is removed from your life, you create the time you need to focus on the important things. For instance, spending more quality time with your family and friends.
\n\nThinking is often overlooked. Even though we do it all the time, we don’t ever talk about it. We don’t think that thinking is important.
\n\nJust a few moments of alone time, with nothing but your naked thoughts, can drive you insane. That’s what usually happens when you’re used to constantly observe the lives of others.
\n\nBut more uninterrupted time for thinking is like doodling. You try different ideas in your head. You stress test a concept. You carefully consider your words before you write them on a piece of paper. Plainly, it’s helpful.
\n\nThinking more about a certain thing will help you better prepare when you actually start doing the thing.
\n\nI remember when I was younger. I stared at my Facebook friends count and I was delighted by the number: 700+ friends. “Man, I must be sensational,” I thought.
\n\nWith time though, you realize that this is just a metric social media sites use to force you to stay. “Reconnect with your friends. Share your memories. Join more groups…” Like we need more Facebook groups in our lives.
\n\nWhen I abandoned social media, I realized that my real friends are no more than a dozen. And instead of trying to maintain relationships that don’t matter. I focused on the ones that do.
\n\nIf you’ve ever played the game Monopoly, you know that it sucks when one person holds all the streets. All the railroads. And has a damn hotel on every piece of property on the map.
\n\nBut with our combined efforts – or simply our usage of neglect. We help big social media platforms become even bigger.
\n\nWhile we play the game of Monopoly hoping to win, we have the best time at the beginning of the game – when everyone is playing. Not when one of the players obtains every property on the field.
\n\nIf we stop using Facebook and Instagram. Or if we start using them more deliberately. We might inspire others to do the same. And when this happens, we can prevent the global expansion of the dogmatic social media platforms trying to interfere with every part of our lives.
\n\nA large portion of social media scrolling involves watching what everyone else is doing. “Hey, a cute dog…”; “Gosh, my neighbor is really working these muscles…”; “Jenny just started a newsletter, good for her…”
\n\nBut how is watching the glamorous life of others helping you make your life better?
\n\nIn short, it doesn’t.
\n\nIt only distracts you from what you want to do.
\n\nWhen you close the window to the lives of others, you open widely the window to yours.
\n\nIn one of my recent posts on how my life changed after abandoning social media, I wrote: “I don’t want to consume the life of others. I want to create a life worth consuming.”
\n\nIn the age of information overload, it’s easy to end up drowning in facts and stories of people you don’t know – and will never get to know.
\n\nI mean, getting updates of your favorite celebrity feels exciting. But for who?
\n\nThe people social media websites recommend us to follow have things already figured out. They have money. Status. Fancy lives. Why spend our time looking at their gorgeous lives instead of creating a better life for ourselves?
\n\nWhy not use the tools that allowed people to become famous and valued, the ones we so obsessively follow, to create something worth following?
\n\nRegardless of whether we hate it or love it, social media platforms are here to stay.
\n\nOf course, there are plenty of benefits to social media. A lot of open jobs related to managing social media accounts. Easy video calls to see your friends who live in another country can be done with just a push of a button. Some people even create businesses solely on platforms like Instagram – not that I think it’s a good thing, but that’s another story.
\n\nBut like everyone else in life, balance is key.
\n\nYou either use social media, or you let it use you.
\n\nThe decision is up to you. You can either bombard your brain with endless distractions. Or you can use the time to dig deep on topics that actually interest you.
\n\nAnd if you do want to quit social media, but you don’t know how to start, you can begin with these books:
\n\n
\nHope the information was helpful here.
Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor named one of the best thinkers in the field of management, said that we don’t really buy products or services. Rather, we “hire” something to get a job done. Based on this, think about why you continuously waste your talent by watching other people share their craft instead of creating something yourself. Ask yourself, for what type of job you’ve hired social media?
\n\nPersonally, I think that there are two possible options:
\n\nYou use social media for validation. By sharing photos of what you do and where you go, you aim to fix your mood when people like your posts. Or in other words, even if your life is good, you don’t feel that your life is good enough unless others say so.
You’re simply an observer. Spontaneously hopping from post to post, consuming, rarely sharing. Trying to escape the unbearable mediocrity of your actual life by watching the most magnificent moments of others. And eventually, end up living virtual life deprived of any actual experiences.
I don’t know which one is worse. Persuading yourself that other people care about you because they simply liked your photo. Or, the tendency to avoid fixing your unpleasant reality by doing something about it instead of participating in the fantasy world of social media.
\n\nOf course, that’s now how we normally think about using social media.
\n\nWe persuade our minds that liking pictures and joining virtual groups gives us a sense of belonging. Connection with others. Opportunity to express ourselves and access to a wide variety of information we’ll otherwise never get.
\n\nIn reality, we hire social media to distract our minds from our unpleasant, average life. And, by faking photos, to convince others, including ourselves, that our life is amazing while internally we are in pain.
\n\nWe hire social media to create a virtual representation of the life we want to live, but never actually live it.\nWe hire social media to observe the life we want, but never actually experience it.
\n\nBy favoring pictures of others traveling around the world, you not only waste time. But you also invite corrupting thoughts in your head like, “Why I’m so unadvanvetorous? Why I don’t travel? Why does my life suck?” All of these questions, even if you’re not a fan of traveling.
\n\nBut what if you realize that you don’t know why you use social media? That you use it just because you’ve used it before?
\n\nThen, probably, you will realize that you don’t need fake friendships online. You don’t need to see more pictures of people you don’t know. And you certainly don’t need to spend hours scrolling through updates that are not even related to your personality.
\n\nThe benefits of staying off social media are insanely generous. Not only your time is salvaged, but also your attention – which is far more precious.
\n\nIf you’re on the fence about using social media – which I believe is the case since you’re reading this post – let me give you not 10 reasons to quit social media. But 20 reasons to quit social media.
\n\nOn average, people spend 145 minutes per day liking photos and interacting with memes. In some countries, this number is close to 4 hours per day
\n\nImagine how your life will look like with two extra hours per day?
\n\nProbably you can finally start reading the pile of books collecting dust on your counter.
\n\nOr, start writing the book you’ve always wanted. Or, even better, just rest more after a busy day at the office.
\n\n“Jim just purchased a brand new BMW. Tiffany got a new job at Google. Roger, an old friend from high school I never see, is traveling, again. And here I am. Sitting in my small rented flat. Covered in darkness. Sweating. Unable to move. Wondering why my life is so unimpressive.”
\n\nSubconsciously or not, we always compare ourselves to others. This is an in-built human characteristic.
\n\nWe want what others have because this can help us improve our life and thus survive for longer.
\n\nComparing with others can be a good thing because it can inspire action. Motivate us to make changes in our lives.
\n\nHowever, when we are continuously exposed to the perfect life of others by scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. When we compare our average days with the perfect days of others. We feel pain. We feel behind. We feel that we’re not enough and instead of feeling motivated, we feel lost, and it’s like our life is utterly unfixable.
\n\nSenator Orrin Hatch, in relation to the antitrust investigation, asked Mark Zuckerberg the following: “How do you sustain a business model in which users don’t pay for your service?” To which Mr. Zuckerberg responded, widely smiling, “we run ads.”4
\n\nMathematically, the more you use social media, the more ads you will see. The more ads you see, the more money you spend.
\n\nMarketers all over the world brag about how they increase their revenue by running ads on social media. Who do you think the buyers are? That’s right, people who use social media.
\n\nIf you don’t use social media, you’ll see fewer ads. You will know about the existence of fewer products. Therefore, you will purchase fewer things.
\n\nBut it’s not only the ads that are making you go crazy with your credit card. There is something else…
\n\nAdmit it, you’re not really traveling because you want to visit every corner of the world. You’re doing it because all of your friends have the unrealistic goal of traveling the whole world.
\n\nPeer pressure can be quite beneficial. If you see your friends working out daily, you’ll probably motivate yourself to do it.
\n\nBut let’s be real, people who are super enthusiastic. Self-help nerds, rarely use social media. They understand why leaving social media is the right choice.
\n\nThis means that you’re left in a virtual pool full of folks who want to prove to other folks that their life is better than what it actually is.
\n\nSo, what eventually happens is that everyone on the social media train is pursuing an unobtainable carrot. Even worse, carrot they don’t really need/want.
\n\nThe more you spend time looking at what others are doing, the more you’ll want to do these things. Sadly, this will prevent you from figuring out what you, yourself, want to do.
\n\nQuitting social media removes the desire to do what every one of your online friends is doing.
\n\nWhen you no longer crave to watch pictures of strangers, something magical happens. You start thinking about what you really want out of your life.
\n\nSince there are no more pictures to like and no more people to follow, you start to follow your own desires.
\n\nYou take the time you previously spent (wasted) observing how others live their lives and use it to create the life you want.
\n\nSound too self-helpy (?), I know. It does. But it’s completely true.
\n\nYou have a void to fill. Why not fill it with activities you like? Not activities other people like?
\n\nQuitting social media makes you more social.
\n\nCounterintuitive, right? Social media sites are supposed to make us more social, more connected? Then how quitting social media will help me have better relationships?
\n\nHear me out.
\n\nFacebook and Instagram give you a fake sense of belonging. You think that you’re interacting with others, but that’s just dust in the eyes.
\n\nYou don’t feel the presence of other people. You receive emojis and carefully curated messages.
\n\nWhen you delete your social media accounts, and when the fake connections are gone, you crave actual interactions. You’ll naturally want to meet others. See them in person, not just chat with them.
\n\nIt’s hard to imagine that you can find a meaningful discussion online. Sure, there are some channels where you can interact with others on topics that are different from the usual memes and likes – like AMAs with Bill Gates – but they are outliers, they are not the norm.
\n\nReplacing words with emojis can’t ignite a meaningful conversation. It’s good only for an afternoon chatter.
\n\nImagine having to keep a conversation going without access to storage full of smiling faces and hearts. You will have to actually talk with the person and express your feelings.
\n\nIn a virtual world, you are not judged based on who you really are. You are evaluated based on how you present yourself.
\n\nYou don’t have enough followers and likes on your posts? Well, then, my friend, your opinion doesn’t count. You’re just a random avatar.
\n\nTo be perceived as important, and not even as important, but just a person with an opinion, you need influence. You need to turn into an influencer.
\n\nThis means that you should purchase courses that will help you gain more followers. The more followers you have, there more you will matter.
\n\nBut this also means that the fewer followers you have, the less you matter.
\n\nThis dehumanization is dangerous. We blindly obey the so-called gurus who are just regular folks who simply spent more time building an audience. However, this doesn’t mean that they are smarter. They are simply playing the social game better.
\n\nAs the saying goes, “If you keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results.”
\n\nBut there is one important variation of the above statement: “If you keep interacting with the same people, you will have the same thoughts.”
\n\nOnline, we form a tribe that revolves around our interests. Going out, traveling, photography, etc. There is nothing wrong with that. We all have interests that, when shared, can turn into blossoming friendships.
\n\nBut when we keep interacting with the same people, we will never see different points of view.
\n\nWe will accept what our tribe is suggesting without digging around looking for alternative views. And worse, we’ll rarely search for an outside view. Making us stuck inside a box. Inside a bubble. Never upgrading our thought processes in a world that is constantly changing and looking for out-of-the-box ideas.
\n\nFOMO stands for fear of missing out. JOMO is the joy of missing out.
\n\nWhen I abandoned social media. I thought that I will go crazy. Miss out on so many important things that I will quickly jump back on the liking ship. None of that happened.
\n\nAfter the habit of scrolling and liking wears off, you suddenly find yourself in a joyful place. A quieter, calmer, less demanding place where you don’t want to know what others are doing. You focus on what you want to do.
\n\nGetting anxious because you think that others are doing super exciting things without you means that there is nothing in your life to be excited about.
\n\nIf this is the case, escaping the social media train is the perfect opportunity to find something in your life to be excited about.
\n\nYou’re no longer used by social media when you escape social media. You start to use social media for your own gains.
\n\nI know why a lot of people can’t even consider not checking Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter constantly. Objectively speaking, there is a ton of value inside these platforms. I can’t argue against this.
\n\nStill, quitting social media doesn’t always mean that you have to delete the app and never return.
\n\nPersonally, I still keep my profiles active with a little twist. I’ve unfollowed everyone online. This means that when I open Twitter, for example, I don’t see an infinite scroll where gurus are lining up to “tell me” how to get better.
\n\nThere is nothing when I enter. A blank page.
\n\nWhen I want to check something, I access my Twitter and do my research. Or when I want to see what people are talking about in relation to something I’m interested in, I search for a Facebook group and I read the comments.
\n\nOr in other words, you can use social media deliberately. Only enter the sites when you want to find something. Not enter to find something to need. Two completely different things.
\n\n“The whole world is infected. Zombies everywhere. No sign of hope!”
\n\nThat’s not a poster of a new movie. It’s the current reality.
\n\nIn the pre-Facebook era. We had face-to-face time. Now we have face-to-phone time.
\n\nIt’s hard to talk to people, connect with them when their face is always facing a bright screen with popping elements.
\n\nI fully understand why people feel pressured to stay online all the time. There is no ending. The Infinity pools are constantly fed with new stuff to show you. Consuming not only your time, but your attention as well.
\n\nSomething I don’t believe a lot of people get is how lousy your attention becomes when you scroll through pictures (and the new fad now: videos) during your whole day.
\n\nIt deteriorates quite fast
\n\nDisconnection from the always-on world will help you remember that there is more.
\n\nNot more places to go. Not more pictures to like. But more ways to focus and concentrate on what matters more to you personally.
\n\nA newspaper from a small corner shop on a busy street might not have all the news inside. But it has something we all want – an ending.
\n\nWith a newspaper, you can understand what’s happening today while drinking your morning coffee and move on with your life.
\n\nWe keep scrolling and scrolling online because we know that there is more. But more doesn’t mean better. Seeing all variations of memes online won’t upgrade your skills. It will destroy them.
\n\nWhen informational resources have edges, it will help you focus on what you’re reading right now, not on what you could be reading a moment later.
\n\nSince you’re no longer thinking about, “gosh, probably I have new likes on my photo, I should check so I can feel good.” You focus on the thing you’re doing without constantly disturbing your flow.
\n\nRemoving the thoughts on what “I’m potentially missing out on” helps you get calmer. More grounded. More present. More focused on what “I’m doing right now.”
\n\nInstead of going out with a friend so you can both stare at your phones, you enjoy each other’s company.
\n\nNintendo recently released a new video game. Netflix just launched a new documentary. Your grandma is sharing pictures of her on the beach, again.
\n\nThere is always something new happening online. Something fun. Something exciting. Something that makes you feel like your world is super awesome.
\n\nSadly, when you put the phone away, it’s still you. The same you, inside the same condo, doing the usual things.
\n\nFun things online don’t mean important things.
\n\nWhen social media is removed from your life, you create the time you need to focus on the important things. For instance, spending more quality time with your family and friends.
\n\nThinking is often overlooked. Even though we do it all the time, we don’t ever talk about it. We don’t think that thinking is important.
\n\nJust a few moments of alone time, with nothing but your naked thoughts, can drive you insane. That’s what usually happens when you’re used to constantly observe the lives of others.
\n\nBut more uninterrupted time for thinking is like doodling. You try different ideas in your head. You stress test a concept. You carefully consider your words before you write them on a piece of paper. Plainly, it’s helpful.
\n\nThinking more about a certain thing will help you better prepare when you actually start doing the thing.
\n\nI remember when I was younger. I stared at my Facebook friends count and I was delighted by the number: 700+ friends. “Man, I must be sensational,” I thought.
\n\nWith time though, you realize that this is just a metric social media sites use to force you to stay. “Reconnect with your friends. Share your memories. Join more groups…” Like we need more Facebook groups in our lives.
\n\nWhen I abandoned social media, I realized that my real friends are no more than a dozen. And instead of trying to maintain relationships that don’t matter. I focused on the ones that do.
\n\nIf you’ve ever played the game Monopoly, you know that it sucks when one person holds all the streets. All the railroads. And has a damn hotel on every piece of property on the map.
\n\nBut with our combined efforts – or simply our usage of neglect. We help big social media platforms become even bigger.
\n\nWhile we play the game of Monopoly hoping to win, we have the best time at the beginning of the game – when everyone is playing. Not when one of the players obtains every property on the field.
\n\nIf we stop using Facebook and Instagram. Or if we start using them more deliberately. We might inspire others to do the same. And when this happens, we can prevent the global expansion of the dogmatic social media platforms trying to interfere with every part of our lives.
\n\nA large portion of social media scrolling involves watching what everyone else is doing. “Hey, a cute dog…”; “Gosh, my neighbor is really working these muscles…”; “Jenny just started a newsletter, good for her…”
\n\nBut how is watching the glamorous life of others helping you make your life better?
\n\nIn short, it doesn’t.
\n\nIt only distracts you from what you want to do.
\n\nWhen you close the window to the lives of others, you open widely the window to yours.
\n\nIn one of my recent posts on how my life changed after abandoning social media, I wrote: “I don’t want to consume the life of others. I want to create a life worth consuming.”
\n\nIn the age of information overload, it’s easy to end up drowning in facts and stories of people you don’t know – and will never get to know.
\n\nI mean, getting updates of your favorite celebrity feels exciting. But for who?
\n\nThe people social media websites recommend us to follow have things already figured out. They have money. Status. Fancy lives. Why spend our time looking at their gorgeous lives instead of creating a better life for ourselves?
\n\nWhy not use the tools that allowed people to become famous and valued, the ones we so obsessively follow, to create something worth following?
\n\nRegardless of whether we hate it or love it, social media platforms are here to stay.
\n\nOf course, there are plenty of benefits to social media. A lot of open jobs related to managing social media accounts. Easy video calls to see your friends who live in another country can be done with just a push of a button. Some people even create businesses solely on platforms like Instagram – not that I think it’s a good thing, but that’s another story.
\n\nBut like everyone else in life, balance is key.
\n\nYou either use social media, or you let it use you.
\n\nThe decision is up to you. You can either bombard your brain with endless distractions. Or you can use the time to dig deep on topics that actually interest you.
\n\nAnd if you do want to quit social media, but you don’t know how to start, you can begin with these books:
\n\n
\nHope the information was helpful here.
Yet another thing the Dutch do better than we do in the US.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It’s hard to describe how much nicer it is to walk in an environment like this. It feels like the people walking are in control and that drivers are a guest in their environment, not the other way around.
Yet another thing the Dutch do better than we do in the US.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/05/the-us-is-unprepared-for-the-next-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/05/the-us-is-unprepared-for-the-next-pandemic/", "title": "The US US is Unprepared for the Next Pandemic", "date_published": "2021-10-05T01:51:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-05T01:51:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It’s hard to describe how much nicer it is to walk in an environment like this. It feels like the people walking are in control and that drivers are a guest in their environment, not the other way around.
The problem comes down to our underfunded public health system and “profoundly unequal society”.
\n\nEd Young in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“To be ready for the next pandemic, we need to make sure that there’s an even footing in our societal structures,” Seema Mohapatra, a health-law expert at Indiana University, told me. That vision of preparedness is closer to what 19th-century thinkers lobbied for, and what the 20th century swept aside. It means shifting the spotlight away from pathogens themselves and onto the living and working conditions that allow pathogens to flourish. It means measuring preparedness not just in terms of syringes, sequencers, and supply chains but also in terms of paid sick leave, safe public housing, eviction moratoriums, decarceration, food assistance, and universal health care. It means accompanying mandates for social distancing and the like with financial assistance for those who might lose work, or free accommodation where exposed people can quarantine from their family. It means rebuilding the health policies that Reagan began shredding in the 1980s and that later administrations further frayed. It means restoring trust in government and community through public services. “It’s very hard to achieve effective containment when the people you’re working with don’t think you care about them,” Arrianna Marie Planey, a medical geographer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told me.
The problem comes down to our underfunded public health system and “profoundly unequal society”.
\n\nEd Young in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/05/iconic-albums-renderd-in-lego/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/05/iconic-albums-renderd-in-lego/", "title": "Iconic Albums renderd in Lego", "date_published": "2021-10-05T02:00:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-05T02:00:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“To be ready for the next pandemic, we need to make sure that there’s an even footing in our societal structures,” Seema Mohapatra, a health-law expert at Indiana University, told me. That vision of preparedness is closer to what 19th-century thinkers lobbied for, and what the 20th century swept aside. It means shifting the spotlight away from pathogens themselves and onto the living and working conditions that allow pathogens to flourish. It means measuring preparedness not just in terms of syringes, sequencers, and supply chains but also in terms of paid sick leave, safe public housing, eviction moratoriums, decarceration, food assistance, and universal health care. It means accompanying mandates for social distancing and the like with financial assistance for those who might lose work, or free accommodation where exposed people can quarantine from their family. It means rebuilding the health policies that Reagan began shredding in the 1980s and that later administrations further frayed. It means restoring trust in government and community through public services. “It’s very hard to achieve effective containment when the people you’re working with don’t think you care about them,” Arrianna Marie Planey, a medical geographer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told me.
Iconic album covers rendered in Lego by Adnan Lotia on Instagram.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/zeppelin-lego.jpeg\")
\n![](\"/assets/images/hendrix-lego.jpeg\")
\n![](\"/assets/images/floyd-lego.jpeg\")
Iconic album covers rendered in Lego by Adnan Lotia on Instagram.
\n\n\n\n
NWA’s Straight Outta Compton reimagined as a Bavarian polka
\n\nNWA’s Straight Outta Compton reimagined as a Bavarian polka
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/facebook.jpeg\")
\n\nLuca D'Urbino in The Economist:
\n\nBut fury may matter. Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return. Even when it set out plausible responses to Ms Haugen, people no longer wanted to hear. The firm risks joining the ranks of corporate untouchables like big tobacco. If that idea takes hold, Facebook risks losing its young, liberal staff. Even if its ageing customers stick with the social network, Facebook has bigger ambitions that could be foiled if public opinion continues to curdle. Who wants a metaverse created by Facebook? Perhaps as many people as would like their health care provided by Philip Morris.
I would say that among the young people, Facebook is already looking more and more like MySpace.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nLuca D'Urbino in The Economist:
\n\nBut fury may matter. Facebook is nearing a reputational point of no return. Even when it set out plausible responses to Ms Haugen, people no longer wanted to hear. The firm risks joining the ranks of corporate untouchables like big tobacco. If that idea takes hold, Facebook risks losing its young, liberal staff. Even if its ageing customers stick with the social network, Facebook has bigger ambitions that could be foiled if public opinion continues to curdle. Who wants a metaverse created by Facebook? Perhaps as many people as would like their health care provided by Philip Morris.
I would say that among the young people, Facebook is already looking more and more like MySpace.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/09/rolling-the-tape-on-nikki-haley/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/09/rolling-the-tape-on-nikki-haley/", "title": "Rolling the Tape On Nikki Haley", "date_published": "2021-10-09T02:22:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-09T02:22:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Another excellent ‘Rolling the Tape’ episode by Briana Keilar. This time on Nikki Haley.
\n\n
If racism is so far gone, why aren’t you using your real name - Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley. What if you hadn’t left Sikhism for Christianity? Oh thats right, you wouldn’t be elected in a post racial America would you?
\n\nHer and Bobby Jindal are a disgrace to all Indian Americans.
\n", "content_html": "Another excellent ‘Rolling the Tape’ episode by Briana Keilar. This time on Nikki Haley.
\n\n
If racism is so far gone, why aren’t you using your real name - Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley. What if you hadn’t left Sikhism for Christianity? Oh thats right, you wouldn’t be elected in a post racial America would you?
\n\nHer and Bobby Jindal are a disgrace to all Indian Americans.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/09/we-have-a-bit-of-a-situation/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/09/we-have-a-bit-of-a-situation/", "title": "We Have a bit of a Situation", "date_published": "2021-10-09T02:40:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-09T02:40:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/beliefs.jpg\")
via xkcd
\n", "content_html": "
via xkcd
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/12/tesla-r-and-d-spending/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/12/tesla-r-and-d-spending/", "title": "Tesla R&D Spending", "date_published": "2021-10-12T00:08:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-12T00:08:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Aran Ali in the Visual Capitalist:
\n\n\n\nIn the case of Tesla and their rapid ascent to the top of the global automobile business, this might be true. After all, the electric vehicle company somehow manages to spend $0 on advertising year after year, despite the fact that marketing is typically a significant expense line item for most other auto manufacturers.
\n\nOn the flip side, Tesla is spending an average of $2,984 per car sold on research and development (R&D)—often triple the amount of other traditional automakers.
![](\"/assets/images/Tesla-rd-spending.jpeg\")
Tesla has an overwhelming brand recognition in the EV market. For now they can afford to take the ‘build it and they will come attitude,’ however, as the competition grows they are going to have to spend in the traditional ad market space.
\n", "content_html": "Aran Ali in the Visual Capitalist:
\n\n\n\nIn the case of Tesla and their rapid ascent to the top of the global automobile business, this might be true. After all, the electric vehicle company somehow manages to spend $0 on advertising year after year, despite the fact that marketing is typically a significant expense line item for most other auto manufacturers.
\n\nOn the flip side, Tesla is spending an average of $2,984 per car sold on research and development (R&D)—often triple the amount of other traditional automakers.
Tesla has an overwhelming brand recognition in the EV market. For now they can afford to take the ‘build it and they will come attitude,’ however, as the competition grows they are going to have to spend in the traditional ad market space.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/14/nba-3-pointers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/14/nba-3-pointers/", "title": "NBA 3-Pointers", "date_published": "2021-10-14T01:30:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-14T01:30:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nThe math states that scoring one-third of your shots from behind the 3-point line is as good as scoring half your shots from inside the line. In other words: Shooting as many 3s as possible will likely lead to a higher score.
\n\nThe league took notice, and teams and players followed suit. 3s have become so prevalent in recent years that fans are criticizing the league for being oversaturated with them. Critics worry that the game is on the verge of becoming boring because everyone is trying to do the same\nthing. And that’s led some to wonder if the NBA should move the 3-point line back.
With the training and analysis athletes receive today, moving the 3 point line will just delay the problem to maybe a decade out. At this point, we need to re-examine the cost/reward structure of the current NBA scoring rules. And I don’t see that happening until the NBA starts loosing attendance revenue.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nThe math states that scoring one-third of your shots from behind the 3-point line is as good as scoring half your shots from inside the line. In other words: Shooting as many 3s as possible will likely lead to a higher score.
\n\nThe league took notice, and teams and players followed suit. 3s have become so prevalent in recent years that fans are criticizing the league for being oversaturated with them. Critics worry that the game is on the verge of becoming boring because everyone is trying to do the same\nthing. And that’s led some to wonder if the NBA should move the 3-point line back.
With the training and analysis athletes receive today, moving the 3 point line will just delay the problem to maybe a decade out. At this point, we need to re-examine the cost/reward structure of the current NBA scoring rules. And I don’t see that happening until the NBA starts loosing attendance revenue.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/15/starving-the-competition/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/15/starving-the-competition/", "title": "Starving the competition", "date_published": "2021-10-15T01:35:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-15T01:35:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/starving-everyone.png\")
Harmeet Singh Walia for Counterpoint:
\n\n\n\nApple has been the biggest profit and revenue generator in the handset business. In Q2 2021, it captured 75% of the overall handset market operating profit and 40% of the revenue despite contributing a relatively moderate 13% to global handset shipments. While this performance shows the power of the Apple brand, it is still lower than the peak of Q4 2020 when its revenue share reached a staggering 50%, up from 28% in Q3 2020, and its profit share reached an unprecedented 86%, up from 51% in the previous quarter. While there was a significant jump in its shipment share, from 9% to 17% in the same period, the extent of its revenue share reflects the success of its first 5G-enabled iPhone series.
I don’t think I have ever heard of any company dominating its competitors in such a manor. Apple is effectively starving its competitors form R&D money and limiting their capability to innovate - effectively starving them out of the market.
\n", "content_html": "
Harmeet Singh Walia for Counterpoint:
\n\n\n\nApple has been the biggest profit and revenue generator in the handset business. In Q2 2021, it captured 75% of the overall handset market operating profit and 40% of the revenue despite contributing a relatively moderate 13% to global handset shipments. While this performance shows the power of the Apple brand, it is still lower than the peak of Q4 2020 when its revenue share reached a staggering 50%, up from 28% in Q3 2020, and its profit share reached an unprecedented 86%, up from 51% in the previous quarter. While there was a significant jump in its shipment share, from 9% to 17% in the same period, the extent of its revenue share reflects the success of its first 5G-enabled iPhone series.
I don’t think I have ever heard of any company dominating its competitors in such a manor. Apple is effectively starving its competitors form R&D money and limiting their capability to innovate - effectively starving them out of the market.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/the-hitchhikers-guide-42-years/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/the-hitchhikers-guide-42-years/", "title": "The Hitchhiker's Guide - 42 Years!", "date_published": "2021-10-17T22:54:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-17T22:54:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/hitch-hiker.jpeg\")
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, first in the series of wacky and beloved sci-fi books by Douglas Adams, turns 42 years today. And of course 42 is the answer to the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.
\n\nThe Marcus O'Dair, author of The Rough Guide to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
\n\n\n\nWe can see it in culture, where Adams' story is rumoured to have inspired everything from the band Level 42 to comedy show The Kumars at No. 42,“ he says. \"We can see it in tech: in the real-life ‘knife that toasts,’ for instance, or in-ear translation services reminiscent of the Babel fish. The most visible sign of its ubiquity, though, might be the fact that we can celebrate its anniversary not at 40 or 50 years but at 42 — and everyone knows why.
Don’t panic - and never leave home without a towel.
\n", "content_html": "
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, first in the series of wacky and beloved sci-fi books by Douglas Adams, turns 42 years today. And of course 42 is the answer to the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.
\n\nThe Marcus O'Dair, author of The Rough Guide to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
\n\n\n\nWe can see it in culture, where Adams' story is rumoured to have inspired everything from the band Level 42 to comedy show The Kumars at No. 42,“ he says. \"We can see it in tech: in the real-life ‘knife that toasts,’ for instance, or in-ear translation services reminiscent of the Babel fish. The most visible sign of its ubiquity, though, might be the fact that we can celebrate its anniversary not at 40 or 50 years but at 42 — and everyone knows why.
Don’t panic - and never leave home without a towel.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/nuclear-power-is-best-bet-against-climate-change/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/nuclear-power-is-best-bet-against-climate-change/", "title": "Nuclear Power - Best Bet Against Climate Change", "date_published": "2021-10-17T23:19:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-17T23:19:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/nuclear-plant.jpeg\"){kind=spacer}
While high-profile accidents like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island have helped to make us skittish about nuclear engergy - Samuel Miller MacDonald argues that it might be our best bet against climate change:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "One of the main benefits of nuclear energy, of course, is that nuclear power plants themselves do not emit carbon or fine particulates. The ominous-looking smoke stacks made iconic by the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant of The Simpsons in fact only emit steam, making them much less deadly than the smaller, quainter, nostalgic red brick smokestacks of traditional coal plants. Nuclear-derived electricity would not completely eliminate the death toll due to carbon air pollution, given that a major portion of it comes from non–point source pollution like cars and trucks. But if nuclear plants were to displace existing electricity-generating coal and gas plants, they would certainly save many lives from air-pollution–related deaths each year; one study suggests, in particular, between 0.5 and 7 million lives by midcentury. Indeed, the more we learn about carbon air pollution, the more alarmed we should be, since it causes everything from birth defects to early-onset dementia. And the air pollution death toll doesn’t include the hundreds of millions or billions of people who will almost certainly suffer illness, displacement, and premature death from business-as-usual global warming trends this century. Again, replacing coal and gas electricity generation with nuclear energy worldwide could theoretically remove a nontrivial chunk of global carbon emissions.
While high-profile accidents like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island have helped to make us skittish about nuclear engergy - Samuel Miller MacDonald argues that it might be our best bet against climate change:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/the-opportunity-zones-loop-hole/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/17/the-opportunity-zones-loop-hole/", "title": "The 'Opportunity Zones' loop hole", "date_published": "2021-10-17T23:33:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-17T23:33:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "One of the main benefits of nuclear energy, of course, is that nuclear power plants themselves do not emit carbon or fine particulates. The ominous-looking smoke stacks made iconic by the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant of The Simpsons in fact only emit steam, making them much less deadly than the smaller, quainter, nostalgic red brick smokestacks of traditional coal plants. Nuclear-derived electricity would not completely eliminate the death toll due to carbon air pollution, given that a major portion of it comes from non–point source pollution like cars and trucks. But if nuclear plants were to displace existing electricity-generating coal and gas plants, they would certainly save many lives from air-pollution–related deaths each year; one study suggests, in particular, between 0.5 and 7 million lives by midcentury. Indeed, the more we learn about carbon air pollution, the more alarmed we should be, since it causes everything from birth defects to early-onset dementia. And the air pollution death toll doesn’t include the hundreds of millions or billions of people who will almost certainly suffer illness, displacement, and premature death from business-as-usual global warming trends this century. Again, replacing coal and gas electricity generation with nuclear energy worldwide could theoretically remove a nontrivial chunk of global carbon emissions.
David Wessel on How ‘Opportunity Zones’ Became a Loophole for Elites'
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It sounds good. Lots of tax-averse wealthy have money to invest. Scores of left-behind communities are starved for capital. Public policy can and should intervene. But Mr. Parker and allies apparently failed to appreciate the cleverness and aggressiveness of lawyers, accountants and money managers employed by the wealthy. They found myriad ways to exploit opportunity zones to reduce clients’ tax bills without much attention to those who actually live in the zones.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSo what do we learn from all this? If we’re going to use the tax code to nudge rich people to invest in poor neighborhoods, we need stronger guardrails to direct money to intended destinations and more aggressive oversight — yes, from the Treasury Department and the I.R.S. — to counter the legions of well-paid loophole finders.
David Wessel on How ‘Opportunity Zones’ Became a Loophole for Elites'
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/22/writing-the-perfect-bond-theme/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/22/writing-the-perfect-bond-theme/", "title": "Writing the Perfect Bond Theme", "date_published": "2021-10-22T04:48:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-22T04:48:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It sounds good. Lots of tax-averse wealthy have money to invest. Scores of left-behind communities are starved for capital. Public policy can and should intervene. But Mr. Parker and allies apparently failed to appreciate the cleverness and aggressiveness of lawyers, accountants and money managers employed by the wealthy. They found myriad ways to exploit opportunity zones to reduce clients’ tax bills without much attention to those who actually live in the zones.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSo what do we learn from all this? If we’re going to use the tax code to nudge rich people to invest in poor neighborhoods, we need stronger guardrails to direct money to intended destinations and more aggressive oversight — yes, from the Treasury Department and the I.R.S. — to counter the legions of well-paid loophole finders.
Barnaby Martin analyzes the theme that Radiohead wrote for the 2015 Bond film Spectre, a song that he calls “one of the greatest Bond themes ever written”
\n\nBarnaby Martin analyzes the theme that Radiohead wrote for the 2015 Bond film Spectre, a song that he calls “one of the greatest Bond themes ever written”
\n\nDave Grohl plays this song with Kurt Cobain’s vocals. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Grohl play along to Nirvana since Kurt Cobain’s death.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It probably wasn’t easy for DG to get to this point where he was willing to share. At the show (and in his book and many interviews) he actually talked about the long path it took to get to not only TALK about Kurt, but to even want to listen to ANY music after his death. Still, a lot of time has passed, which always helps. And in the meantime, Dave has become quite a talented, thoughtful storyteller. I am sure, as difficult as it will always be to him, it probably also now a cathartic experience for him. At least I hope it is.
Dave Grohl plays this song with Kurt Cobain’s vocals. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Grohl play along to Nirvana since Kurt Cobain’s death.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/30/james-bond-health-risk-analysis/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/10/30/james-bond-health-risk-analysis/", "title": "James Bond Health Risk analysis ", "date_published": "2021-10-30T23:22:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-10-30T23:22:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It probably wasn’t easy for DG to get to this point where he was willing to share. At the show (and in his book and many interviews) he actually talked about the long path it took to get to not only TALK about Kurt, but to even want to listen to ANY music after his death. Still, a lot of time has passed, which always helps. And in the meantime, Dave has become quite a talented, thoughtful storyteller. I am sure, as difficult as it will always be to him, it probably also now a cathartic experience for him. At least I hope it is.
![](\"/assets/images/connery-007.jpeg\")
Epidemiologists have analyzed all 25 James Bond movies to assess the risks Bond encounters on his travels around the globe.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The biggest stretch in Graumans et al.’s analysis is that of feline-borne Toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried by cats. Those who contract the parasite tend to exhibit reckless behavior, such as mice losing their fear of cats. Bond engages in all manner of reckless behavior, and the authors suggest he may have contracted the parasite from Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s fluffy white Persian cat (featured in both From Russia With Love and Spectre). The possibility is admittedly far-fetched, but isn’t that the essence of a good Bond film?
\n\nThe result is a highly entertaining, tongue-in-cheek short paper in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. The paper details 007’s exposure risk to infectious agents during his global travels, covering everything from foodborne pathogens to ticks and mites, hangovers and dehydration from all those martinis, parasites, and unsafe sex.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe biggest stretch in Graumans et al.’s analysis is that of feline-borne Toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried by cats. Those who contract the parasite tend to exhibit reckless behavior, such as mice losing their fear of cats. Bond engages in all manner of reckless behavior, and the authors suggest he may have contracted the parasite from Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s fluffy white Persian cat (featured in both From Russia With Love and Spectre). The possibility is admittedly far-fetched, but isn’t that the essence of a good Bond film?
Epidemiologists have analyzed all 25 James Bond movies to assess the risks Bond encounters on his travels around the globe.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/05/the-gunpowder-plot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/05/the-gunpowder-plot/", "title": "The Gunpowder Plot", "date_published": "2021-11-05T03:53:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-05T03:53:40-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The biggest stretch in Graumans et al.’s analysis is that of feline-borne Toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried by cats. Those who contract the parasite tend to exhibit reckless behavior, such as mice losing their fear of cats. Bond engages in all manner of reckless behavior, and the authors suggest he may have contracted the parasite from Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s fluffy white Persian cat (featured in both From Russia With Love and Spectre). The possibility is admittedly far-fetched, but isn’t that the essence of a good Bond film?
\n\nThe result is a highly entertaining, tongue-in-cheek short paper in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. The paper details 007’s exposure risk to infectious agents during his global travels, covering everything from foodborne pathogens to ticks and mites, hangovers and dehydration from all those martinis, parasites, and unsafe sex.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe biggest stretch in Graumans et al.’s analysis is that of feline-borne Toxoplasmosis, a parasite carried by cats. Those who contract the parasite tend to exhibit reckless behavior, such as mice losing their fear of cats. Bond engages in all manner of reckless behavior, and the authors suggest he may have contracted the parasite from Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s fluffy white Persian cat (featured in both From Russia With Love and Spectre). The possibility is admittedly far-fetched, but isn’t that the essence of a good Bond film?
\n\n\nRemember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
This might remind you of the excellent movie V for Vendetta released in 2005 (If you haven’t seen the movie, it is excellent). But what exactly was the Gunpowder Treason and Plot? History Today has an excellent article on the history and the modern festivals that commemorate it.
\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Guy Fawkes’ Night, the ‘Fifth of November’, has been popular and long-lived for two different reasons. The first is the spectacular nature of the event that it commemorated. Had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded, it would have killed the majority of the English political nation of the time, including most of the royal family, aristocracy and leading gentry and many merchants, as well as demolishing Westminster Palace and much of the Abbey and surrounding houses. It was intended not just to overthrow the existing monarch and central and local government, but the Church of England, as established since the Reformation, and the Protestant faith dominant in England. In its place the plotters planned to restore the Roman Catholic religion and enthrone a puppet princess.
\n\n\nRemember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
This might remind you of the excellent movie V for Vendetta released in 2005 (If you haven’t seen the movie, it is excellent). But what exactly was the Gunpowder Treason and Plot? History Today has an excellent article on the history and the modern festivals that commemorate it.
\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/05/taxing-billionaires/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/05/taxing-billionaires/", "title": "Taxing Billionaires", "date_published": "2021-11-05T05:54:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-05T05:54:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Guy Fawkes’ Night, the ‘Fifth of November’, has been popular and long-lived for two different reasons. The first is the spectacular nature of the event that it commemorated. Had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded, it would have killed the majority of the English political nation of the time, including most of the royal family, aristocracy and leading gentry and many merchants, as well as demolishing Westminster Palace and much of the Abbey and surrounding houses. It was intended not just to overthrow the existing monarch and central and local government, but the Church of England, as established since the Reformation, and the Protestant faith dominant in England. In its place the plotters planned to restore the Roman Catholic religion and enthrone a puppet princess.
\nElon Musk: Beware! If they can tax a billionaire like me, they can tax you regular people too!
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) October 27, 2021
Regular People: We've been paying our taxes this whole time, bro.
Sums it up pretty well. Elon, last I checked I get my taxes deducted directly from my paycheck. And I am willing to bet its at a higher percentage then yours. We seriously need to re-vamp the tax code in this country.
\n", "content_html": "\nElon Musk: Beware! If they can tax a billionaire like me, they can tax you regular people too!
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) October 27, 2021
Regular People: We've been paying our taxes this whole time, bro.
Sums it up pretty well. Elon, last I checked I get my taxes deducted directly from my paycheck. And I am willing to bet its at a higher percentage then yours. We seriously need to re-vamp the tax code in this country.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/10/fox-nfl-eviscerates-aron-rogers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/10/fox-nfl-eviscerates-aron-rogers/", "title": "Fox NFL eviscerates Aron Rogers", "date_published": "2021-11-10T05:23:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-10T05:23:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\nThe discussion on FOX about the Rodgers situation
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2021
Jimmy: "I'm disappointed in his selfish actions."
Howie: "Possibly putting your teammates in jeopardy is selfish."
Terry: "Let me give Rodgers some advice, it be nice if he came to the Navel academy and learn how to be honest." pic.twitter.com/O9rT6kDNXm
It’s obvious that the American public does not listen to physicians and scientists - so it falls on the athletes and celebrities to convince people to get vaccinated.
\n", "content_html": "\nThe discussion on FOX about the Rodgers situation
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 7, 2021
Jimmy: "I'm disappointed in his selfish actions."
Howie: "Possibly putting your teammates in jeopardy is selfish."
Terry: "Let me give Rodgers some advice, it be nice if he came to the Navel academy and learn how to be honest." pic.twitter.com/O9rT6kDNXm
It’s obvious that the American public does not listen to physicians and scientists - so it falls on the athletes and celebrities to convince people to get vaccinated.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/17/burnout-society/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/17/burnout-society/", "title": "Burnout Society", "date_published": "2021-11-17T14:16:08-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-17T14:16:08-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "An essay on The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han on Apposition:
\n\n\n\n\nOur old disciplinary societies were filled with external coercion: prohibitions, moral codes, instructions, fire-and-brimstone preachers, sanctimonious neighbours. If we went against the fabric of society, we risked and accepted our punishment, whether it came from the hands of worldly powers or in divine retribution.
Our motivations today come from within. Our goals are success and health. Our life is like a project, its worth measured by our accumulation of those things. No longer obedience-subjects, we are achievement-subjects. If the rejects of disciplinary society were madmen and criminals, the rejects of achievement society are depressives and losers.
I have a suspicion that the root cause of this is our society’s addiction to social media leading to our hyper inflated need to ‘keep up with the Jonses.’
\n", "content_html": "An essay on The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han on Apposition:
\n\n\n\n\nOur old disciplinary societies were filled with external coercion: prohibitions, moral codes, instructions, fire-and-brimstone preachers, sanctimonious neighbours. If we went against the fabric of society, we risked and accepted our punishment, whether it came from the hands of worldly powers or in divine retribution.
Our motivations today come from within. Our goals are success and health. Our life is like a project, its worth measured by our accumulation of those things. No longer obedience-subjects, we are achievement-subjects. If the rejects of disciplinary society were madmen and criminals, the rejects of achievement society are depressives and losers.
I have a suspicion that the root cause of this is our society’s addiction to social media leading to our hyper inflated need to ‘keep up with the Jonses.’
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/22/tokyos-poorest-district-vs-wealthiest/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/11/22/tokyos-poorest-district-vs-wealthiest/", "title": "Wealth disparity in Tokyo", "date_published": "2021-11-22T02:18:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-22T02:18:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "An interesting side by side comparison Tokyo’s poorest district vs the wealthiest.
\n\n
\nI do not see too much of a difference. What is fascinating is that the poor neighborhood seems to have more stores, restaurants and activity than the wealthier neighborhood. It would be interesting to see if someone has done something similar to show the wealth disparity in United States. In the US it would be mansions with manicured lawns vs blocks of flats and gangs on the street.
An interesting side by side comparison Tokyo’s poorest district vs the wealthiest.
\n\n
\nI do not see too much of a difference. What is fascinating is that the poor neighborhood seems to have more stores, restaurants and activity than the wealthier neighborhood. It would be interesting to see if someone has done something similar to show the wealth disparity in United States. In the US it would be mansions with manicured lawns vs blocks of flats and gangs on the street.
With holidays upon us, families around the country will be generating millions of images and gigabytes of video files. Unfortunately these will remain on people’s cell phones until a catastrophe happens. Either they lose the phone or a device failure will render their memories lost. The only way to protect yourself is to have a clear back strategy.
\n\nHere is where the 3-2-1 backup rule comes into play.
\n\n\n\nBackups are good, but they may be useless without redundancy. This being said, a good backup strategy is a sure way to protect your data from any malfunction, erroneous activity, or disaster coming your way. Here, the 3-2-1 rule comes into play.
![](\"/assets/images/3-2-1-backuprule.png\")
Key parts of this strategy:
\n\nThis may seem overkill but the cost data loss is too high, which is why it is very smart to be ready even for any eventuality. The 3-2-1 backup rule is your way to keep data safe.
\n", "content_html": "With holidays upon us, families around the country will be generating millions of images and gigabytes of video files. Unfortunately these will remain on people’s cell phones until a catastrophe happens. Either they lose the phone or a device failure will render their memories lost. The only way to protect yourself is to have a clear back strategy.
\n\nHere is where the 3-2-1 backup rule comes into play.
\n\n\n\nBackups are good, but they may be useless without redundancy. This being said, a good backup strategy is a sure way to protect your data from any malfunction, erroneous activity, or disaster coming your way. Here, the 3-2-1 rule comes into play.
Key parts of this strategy:
\n\nThis may seem overkill but the cost data loss is too high, which is why it is very smart to be ready even for any eventuality. The 3-2-1 backup rule is your way to keep data safe.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/17/the-missing-chirstmas-mustache/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/17/the-missing-chirstmas-mustache/", "title": "The Missing Chirstmas Mustache", "date_published": "2021-12-17T13:38:19-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-17T13:38:19-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nA four-minute animated short with Ted Lasso and the gang called The Missing Christmas Mustache. A nice way to kick off the holiday festivities.
\nA four-minute animated short with Ted Lasso and the gang called The Missing Christmas Mustache. A nice way to kick off the holiday festivities.
![](\"/assets/images/omicron.jpeg\")
Ed Young in The Atlantic: America is not Ready for Omicron:
\n\n\n\nWill the new and rapidly spreading variant overwhelm the U.S. health-care system? The question is moot because the system is already overwhelmed, in a way that is affecting all patients, COVID or otherwise. “The level of care that we’ve come to expect in our hospitals no longer exists,” Lowe said.
\n\nThe real unknown is what an Omicron cross will do when it follows a Delta hook. Given what scientists have learned in the three weeks since Omicron’s discovery, “some of the absolute worst-case scenarios that were possible when we saw its genome are off the table, but so are some of the most hopeful scenarios,” Dylan Morris, an evolutionary biologist at UCLA, told me. In any case, America is not prepared for Omicron. The variant’s threat is far greater at the societal level than at the personal one, and policy makers have already cut themselves off from the tools needed to protect the populations they serve. Like the variants that preceded it, Omicron requires individuals to think and act for the collective good — which is to say, it poses a heightened version of the same challenge that the U.S. has failed for two straight years, in bipartisan fashion.
\n\n[…]
\n\nHere, then, is the problem: People who are unlikely to be hospitalized by Omicron might still feel reasonably protected, but they can spread the virus to those who are more vulnerable, quickly enough to seriously batter an already collapsing health-care system that will then struggle to care for anyone — vaccinated, boosted, or otherwise. The collective threat is substantially greater than the individual one. And the U.S. is ill-poised to meet it.
The key message is that this is a collective threat - and America has forgotten how to work as a part of the collective.
\n\nAt the risk of sounding like a total nerd - okay who am I kidding - Spock said it best:
\n\n\n\nWere I to invoke logic, however, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
And Kirk replies:
\n\n\n\nOr the one.
Hopefully the sliver lining of this pandemic will be that Americans learn to that sometimes individual rights have to take a backseat for the common good.
\n", "content_html": "
Ed Young in The Atlantic: America is not Ready for Omicron:
\n\n\n\nWill the new and rapidly spreading variant overwhelm the U.S. health-care system? The question is moot because the system is already overwhelmed, in a way that is affecting all patients, COVID or otherwise. “The level of care that we’ve come to expect in our hospitals no longer exists,” Lowe said.
\n\nThe real unknown is what an Omicron cross will do when it follows a Delta hook. Given what scientists have learned in the three weeks since Omicron’s discovery, “some of the absolute worst-case scenarios that were possible when we saw its genome are off the table, but so are some of the most hopeful scenarios,” Dylan Morris, an evolutionary biologist at UCLA, told me. In any case, America is not prepared for Omicron. The variant’s threat is far greater at the societal level than at the personal one, and policy makers have already cut themselves off from the tools needed to protect the populations they serve. Like the variants that preceded it, Omicron requires individuals to think and act for the collective good — which is to say, it poses a heightened version of the same challenge that the U.S. has failed for two straight years, in bipartisan fashion.
\n\n[…]
\n\nHere, then, is the problem: People who are unlikely to be hospitalized by Omicron might still feel reasonably protected, but they can spread the virus to those who are more vulnerable, quickly enough to seriously batter an already collapsing health-care system that will then struggle to care for anyone — vaccinated, boosted, or otherwise. The collective threat is substantially greater than the individual one. And the U.S. is ill-poised to meet it.
The key message is that this is a collective threat - and America has forgotten how to work as a part of the collective.
\n\nAt the risk of sounding like a total nerd - okay who am I kidding - Spock said it best:
\n\n\n\nWere I to invoke logic, however, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
And Kirk replies:
\n\n\n\nOr the one.
Hopefully the sliver lining of this pandemic will be that Americans learn to that sometimes individual rights have to take a backseat for the common good.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/22/lionel-messi-the-goat/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/22/lionel-messi-the-goat/", "title": "Lionel Messi - the GOAT", "date_published": "2021-12-22T11:43:16-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-22T11:43:16-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I don’t watch or follow football - Ted Lasso has more knowledge of the sport than I do. But you recognize perfection when you see it. This video of Lionel Messi from 2009-2013 is just mind boggling.
\n\n
\nI dont’t think I have ever seen someone master their sport to this level. Not Jordan. Not Tiger. Not Brady. Lionel Messi is the GOAT of GOATs.
I don’t watch or follow football - Ted Lasso has more knowledge of the sport than I do. But you recognize perfection when you see it. This video of Lionel Messi from 2009-2013 is just mind boggling.
\n\n
\nI dont’t think I have ever seen someone master their sport to this level. Not Jordan. Not Tiger. Not Brady. Lionel Messi is the GOAT of GOATs.
\n\nWhen this baby hits 88 MPH, you’re going to see some serious shit
88MPH: The Story of the DeLorean Time Machine, a feature-length documentary about the Back to the Future and the DeLorean used in the movie. The full documentary is available for free on YouTube.
\n\n
\nOne of the greatest movies of all time with arguably the perfect script. The 80s were the greatest time to grow up in America.
\n\nWhen this baby hits 88 MPH, you’re going to see some serious shit
88MPH: The Story of the DeLorean Time Machine, a feature-length documentary about the Back to the Future and the DeLorean used in the movie. The full documentary is available for free on YouTube.
\n\n
\nOne of the greatest movies of all time with arguably the perfect script. The 80s were the greatest time to grow up in America.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted Emergency Use Authorization to Pfizer’s (PFE) Covid-19 oral anti-viral pill:
\n\n\n\nFDA has authorized the emergency use of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
\n\nThe treatment includes nirmatrelvir, which was specifically designed to block the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate.
\n\nPfizer said the pill will be made available to patients in the U.S. immediately. According to CNBC, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla had earlier stated that the company has already shipped some of the pills to the U.S. so they can be prescribed as soon as the FDA authorization comes through.
This is great news - another weapon in our war against COVID-19. Lets hope this works just as well against the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
\n", "content_html": "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted Emergency Use Authorization to Pfizer’s (PFE) Covid-19 oral anti-viral pill:
\n\n\n\nFDA has authorized the emergency use of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
\n\nThe treatment includes nirmatrelvir, which was specifically designed to block the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate.
\n\nPfizer said the pill will be made available to patients in the U.S. immediately. According to CNBC, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla had earlier stated that the company has already shipped some of the pills to the U.S. so they can be prescribed as soon as the FDA authorization comes through.
This is great news - another weapon in our war against COVID-19. Lets hope this works just as well against the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/23/earth-is-getting-a-black-box/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/23/earth-is-getting-a-black-box/", "title": "Earth is getting a black box", "date_published": "2021-12-23T00:55:16-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-23T00:55:16-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/blackbox.png\")
\n\n\nWhen an aeroplane crashes, it's left to investigators to sift through the wreckage to recover the black box.
It's hoped the recorded contents can be used to help others avoid the same fate.
And so it is with Earth's Black Box: a 10-metre-by-4-metre-by-3-metre steel monolith that's intended to be built on a remote outcrop on Tasmania's west coast.
Chosen for its geopolitical and geological stability, ahead of other candidates like Malta, Norway and Qatar, the idea is that the Tasmanian site can cradle the black box for the benefit of a future civilisation, should catastrophic climate change cause the downfall of ours.
If that sounds unhinged, it's worth remembering that we're currently on track for as much as 2.7C of warming this century.
Ask any climate scientist what happens when warming breaches 2C, and they'll almost invariably tell you it's not worth thinking about.
Plenty of past civilizations and empires have collapsed in the face of less.
Could this be a future generation’s or visiting alien’s monolith?
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nWhen an aeroplane crashes, it's left to investigators to sift through the wreckage to recover the black box.
It's hoped the recorded contents can be used to help others avoid the same fate.
And so it is with Earth's Black Box: a 10-metre-by-4-metre-by-3-metre steel monolith that's intended to be built on a remote outcrop on Tasmania's west coast.
Chosen for its geopolitical and geological stability, ahead of other candidates like Malta, Norway and Qatar, the idea is that the Tasmanian site can cradle the black box for the benefit of a future civilisation, should catastrophic climate change cause the downfall of ours.
If that sounds unhinged, it's worth remembering that we're currently on track for as much as 2.7C of warming this century.
Ask any climate scientist what happens when warming breaches 2C, and they'll almost invariably tell you it's not worth thinking about.
Plenty of past civilizations and empires have collapsed in the face of less.
Could this be a future generation’s or visiting alien’s monolith?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-worker-revolt-is-here/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-worker-revolt-is-here/", "title": "The great worker revolt", "date_published": "2021-12-23T11:07:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-23T11:07:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Ed Zitron on the impending worker revolt in the US:
\n\n\n\nThe whole great resignation conversation we’ve been having continues to miss the obvious problem - that so much of our current capitalism is dependent on people being willing to accept bad wages and bad working conditions. 64% of retail workers don’t get paid a living wage, despite how important retail sales are to the economy, and as Omicron grows within the states during the biggest shopping season of the year, they’re at risk, which is why 685,000 retail workers quit in September.
\n\nWhat I am sloppily constructing here is a series of events that leads to a massive worker revolt - a reckoning like we have never seen in modern society. America’s response to the pandemic has always been half-measures - insufficient stimulus, insufficient PPE, insufficient testing, insufficient safety standards, insufficient everything, all of which most directly hit the people that had to leave the house - retail workers, restaurant workers, hospitality workers, nurses, and so on.
\n\nAs I’ve said before, this was a time when corporations could’ve proved to their workers that they mattered - that the danger they put themselves was appreciated - and treated them with dignity, by which I mean more money and better working conditions. Instead, members of the government spread a lie that they weren’t working because of increased unemployment benefits, and companies proceeded to do just about anything other than pay them more.
\n\n]..]
\n\nAmerica runs on the backs of poorly paid-and-treated workers, with several of the top 10 companies in America relying heavily on these kinds of poorly-paid customer-facing roles. And yet they seem incapable of accepting their hand in the deaths of these workers, or at least said acceptance doesn’t extend to paying them an actual living wage - $16.40 an hour, by the way, is not close to what a living wage is in most states.
\n\nThis entire transaction of bad pay for awful work has worked for so long because these companies know that many of these workers don’t have a choice. Except the additional variable of crazed, violent customers and an invisible, murderous virus is enough to make these jobs untenable. It’s grotesque to say, but so many companies calculated pay and conditions for workers based on how little dignity their workers had, and now that calculation is going to bite them on the ass hard enough to make sitting impossible.
Exactly - for the first time workers have real power. Let us hope that the silver lining in all of this misery is that we come out on the other side with real labor reforms and a new found respect for the ‘everyday’ American.
\n", "content_html": "Ed Zitron on the impending worker revolt in the US:
\n\n\n\nThe whole great resignation conversation we’ve been having continues to miss the obvious problem - that so much of our current capitalism is dependent on people being willing to accept bad wages and bad working conditions. 64% of retail workers don’t get paid a living wage, despite how important retail sales are to the economy, and as Omicron grows within the states during the biggest shopping season of the year, they’re at risk, which is why 685,000 retail workers quit in September.
\n\nWhat I am sloppily constructing here is a series of events that leads to a massive worker revolt - a reckoning like we have never seen in modern society. America’s response to the pandemic has always been half-measures - insufficient stimulus, insufficient PPE, insufficient testing, insufficient safety standards, insufficient everything, all of which most directly hit the people that had to leave the house - retail workers, restaurant workers, hospitality workers, nurses, and so on.
\n\nAs I’ve said before, this was a time when corporations could’ve proved to their workers that they mattered - that the danger they put themselves was appreciated - and treated them with dignity, by which I mean more money and better working conditions. Instead, members of the government spread a lie that they weren’t working because of increased unemployment benefits, and companies proceeded to do just about anything other than pay them more.
\n\n]..]
\n\nAmerica runs on the backs of poorly paid-and-treated workers, with several of the top 10 companies in America relying heavily on these kinds of poorly-paid customer-facing roles. And yet they seem incapable of accepting their hand in the deaths of these workers, or at least said acceptance doesn’t extend to paying them an actual living wage - $16.40 an hour, by the way, is not close to what a living wage is in most states.
\n\nThis entire transaction of bad pay for awful work has worked for so long because these companies know that many of these workers don’t have a choice. Except the additional variable of crazed, violent customers and an invisible, murderous virus is enough to make these jobs untenable. It’s grotesque to say, but so many companies calculated pay and conditions for workers based on how little dignity their workers had, and now that calculation is going to bite them on the ass hard enough to make sitting impossible.
Exactly - for the first time workers have real power. Let us hope that the silver lining in all of this misery is that we come out on the other side with real labor reforms and a new found respect for the ‘everyday’ American.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/25/robert-palnt-and-alison-krauss-interview/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/25/robert-palnt-and-alison-krauss-interview/", "title": "𝙰𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛 - Robert Palnt and Alison Krauss interview", "date_published": "2021-12-25T01:41:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-25T01:41:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAn excellent interview as always by Christiane Amanpour with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Two masters of their craft collaborating to make amazing music.
\nAn excellent interview as always by Christiane Amanpour with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Two masters of their craft collaborating to make amazing music.
\n\nOnce they were there, and he had called them there, I think it was only going to go one way.
Anyone with a pulse knew what was going to happen. The real question is who willfully ignored what was obvious, and why?
\n", "content_html": "\n\nOnce they were there, and he had called them there, I think it was only going to go one way.
Anyone with a pulse knew what was going to happen. The real question is who willfully ignored what was obvious, and why?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/28/john-madden-dies-at-85/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/28/john-madden-dies-at-85/", "title": "John Madden dies at 85", "date_published": "2021-12-28T21:58:59-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-28T21:58:59-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/johnmadden.jpeg\")
From the Associated Press:
\n\n\n\nMadden gained fame in a decade long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.
\n\nBut it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author.
\n\nMost of all, he was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.
Madden will to me always be the voice of football. His everyman demeanor really made the intracies of the game understandable to the audience. Not to mention the countless hours I spent playing the football game series that bears his name.
\n", "content_html": "
From the Associated Press:
\n\n\n\nMadden gained fame in a decade long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season. He compiled a 103-32-7 regular-season record, and his .759 winning percentage is the best among NFL coaches with more than 100 games.
\n\nBut it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; was an omnipresent pitchman selling restaurants, hardware stores and beer; became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time; and was a best-selling author.
\n\nMost of all, he was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009.
Madden will to me always be the voice of football. His everyman demeanor really made the intracies of the game understandable to the audience. Not to mention the countless hours I spent playing the football game series that bears his name.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/28/average-person-explains-cryptocurrency/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/28/average-person-explains-cryptocurrency/", "title": "Average person explains cryptocurrency", "date_published": "2021-12-28T22:13:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-28T22:13:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\na normal person explains cryptocurrency: pic.twitter.com/FVSIGcaMcD
— Avalon Penrose (@avalonpenrose) December 22, 2021
\n\nIts real to people who want it to be real.
The US dollar has value because it is backed by the largest, most stable economy in the world that is defended by the largest military the world has ever known. Cryptocurrency has value because people want it to have value.
\n\nIf you still believe in cryptocurrency - sorry but you are an idiot.
\n", "content_html": "\na normal person explains cryptocurrency: pic.twitter.com/FVSIGcaMcD
— Avalon Penrose (@avalonpenrose) December 22, 2021
\n\nIts real to people who want it to be real.
The US dollar has value because it is backed by the largest, most stable economy in the world that is defended by the largest military the world has ever known. Cryptocurrency has value because people want it to have value.
\n\nIf you still believe in cryptocurrency - sorry but you are an idiot.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/big-data-knows-everything/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/big-data-knows-everything/", "title": "Big Data knows everything", "date_published": "2021-12-31T00:18:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-31T00:18:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Justin Sherman for Wired on our current state of digital privacy:
\n\n\n\nCompanies like Acxiom, LexisNexis, and others argue that there’s nothing to worry about collecting and sharing Americans’ sensitive data, as long as their names and a few other identifiers aren’t attached. After all, their reasoning goes, this “anonymized” data can’t be linked to individuals, and is therefore harmless.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe irony that data brokers claim that their “anonymized” data is risk-free is absurd: Their entire business model and marketing pitch rests on the premise that they can intimately and highly selectively track, understand, and microtarget individual people. the data brokerage circus.
\n\nThis argument isn’t just flawed; it’s also a distraction. Not only do these companies usually know your name anyway, but data simply does not need to have a name or social security number attached to cause harm. Predatory loan companies and health insurance providers can buy access to advertising networks and exploit vulnerable populations without first needing those people’s names. Foreign governments can run disinformation and propaganda campaigns on social media platforms, leveraging those companies’ intimate data on their users, without needing to see who those individuals are. Programmers don’t need names in a data set to create artificial intelligence tools that can’t accurately identify female individuals’ and Black individuals’ faces or tell police to patrol already heavily policed neighborhoods of color.
The issue is that the genie is out of the bottle and too much of the tech economy is based on the selling of sensitive data.
\n\nSince we can’t stop it, I propose that there should be a collective charge on all companies that traffic on sensitive data. The profits should be distribute back to the general public. After all, if they are going to use our data to make profit - effectively making us the product - we should be compensated.
\n\nIts not like there isn’t a precedent for this - the state of Alaska does something similar to this with the oil industry:
\n\n\n\nThe Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC).[1] It was established in Alaska in 1976[2] by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska State Constitution[3] under Governor Jay Hammond and Attorney General Avrum Gross. From February 1976 until April 1980, the Department of Revenue Treasury Division managed the state’s Permanent Fund assets, until, in 1980, the Alaska State Legislature created the APFC.[4]
\n\nAs of 2019, the fund was worth approximately $64 billion that has been funded by oil revenues and has paid out an average of approximately $1,600 annually per resident (adjusted to 2019 dollars).[5] The main use for the fund’s revenue has been to payout the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), which many authors portray as the only example of a Basic Income in practice.[6][7]
It’s time we demand companies that traffic and profit off our private data to compensate us - the creators of their product.
\n", "content_html": "Justin Sherman for Wired on our current state of digital privacy:
\n\n\n\nCompanies like Acxiom, LexisNexis, and others argue that there’s nothing to worry about collecting and sharing Americans’ sensitive data, as long as their names and a few other identifiers aren’t attached. After all, their reasoning goes, this “anonymized” data can’t be linked to individuals, and is therefore harmless.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe irony that data brokers claim that their “anonymized” data is risk-free is absurd: Their entire business model and marketing pitch rests on the premise that they can intimately and highly selectively track, understand, and microtarget individual people. the data brokerage circus.
\n\nThis argument isn’t just flawed; it’s also a distraction. Not only do these companies usually know your name anyway, but data simply does not need to have a name or social security number attached to cause harm. Predatory loan companies and health insurance providers can buy access to advertising networks and exploit vulnerable populations without first needing those people’s names. Foreign governments can run disinformation and propaganda campaigns on social media platforms, leveraging those companies’ intimate data on their users, without needing to see who those individuals are. Programmers don’t need names in a data set to create artificial intelligence tools that can’t accurately identify female individuals’ and Black individuals’ faces or tell police to patrol already heavily policed neighborhoods of color.
The issue is that the genie is out of the bottle and too much of the tech economy is based on the selling of sensitive data.
\n\nSince we can’t stop it, I propose that there should be a collective charge on all companies that traffic on sensitive data. The profits should be distribute back to the general public. After all, if they are going to use our data to make profit - effectively making us the product - we should be compensated.
\n\nIts not like there isn’t a precedent for this - the state of Alaska does something similar to this with the oil industry:
\n\n\n\nThe Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC).[1] It was established in Alaska in 1976[2] by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska State Constitution[3] under Governor Jay Hammond and Attorney General Avrum Gross. From February 1976 until April 1980, the Department of Revenue Treasury Division managed the state’s Permanent Fund assets, until, in 1980, the Alaska State Legislature created the APFC.[4]
\n\nAs of 2019, the fund was worth approximately $64 billion that has been funded by oil revenues and has paid out an average of approximately $1,600 annually per resident (adjusted to 2019 dollars).[5] The main use for the fund’s revenue has been to payout the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), which many authors portray as the only example of a Basic Income in practice.[6][7]
It’s time we demand companies that traffic and profit off our private data to compensate us - the creators of their product.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/the-history-for-retro-game-consoles/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/the-history-for-retro-game-consoles/", "title": "The History for Retro Game Consoles", "date_published": "2021-12-31T00:42:45-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-31T00:42:45-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/nintendo-nes.png\")
Gustavo Pezzi goes down memory lane of past great consoles from the perspective of a programmer:
\n\n\n\nIt is always useful to look at the past to understand the current state of affairs. This article is a brief overview of the history of game consoles from a programmer’s perspective. Let’s understand the limitations and the driving forces that helped shape the technologies we use today in modern game development.
Good stuff - I still believe that the pinnacle of game development happened towards the later part of the 8-bit generation and the 16-bit generation. The technology was sophisticated enough to provide an engaging experience yet limited enough to force the developers to be creative.
\n", "content_html": "
Gustavo Pezzi goes down memory lane of past great consoles from the perspective of a programmer:
\n\n\n\nIt is always useful to look at the past to understand the current state of affairs. This article is a brief overview of the history of game consoles from a programmer’s perspective. Let’s understand the limitations and the driving forces that helped shape the technologies we use today in modern game development.
Good stuff - I still believe that the pinnacle of game development happened towards the later part of the 8-bit generation and the 16-bit generation. The technology was sophisticated enough to provide an engaging experience yet limited enough to force the developers to be creative.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/we-need-generalists/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2021/12/31/we-need-generalists/", "title": "We Need Generalists ", "date_published": "2021-12-31T16:07:47-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-12-31T16:07:47-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Eric Colson in Harvard Business review writes:
\n\n\n\nBut the goal of data science is not to execute. Rather, the goal is to learn and develop profound new business capabilities. Algorithmic products and services like recommendations systems, client engagement bandits, style preference classification, size matching, fashion design systems, logistics optimizers, seasonal trend detection, and more can’t be designed up-front. They need to be learned. There are no blueprints to follow; these are novel capabilities with inherent uncertainty. Coefficients, models, model types, hyper parameters, all the elements you’ll need must be learned through experimentation, trial and error, and iteration. With pins, the learning and design are done up-front, before you make it. With data science, you learn as you go, not before you go.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn order to encourage learning and iteration, data science roles need to be made more general, with broad responsibilities agnostic to technical function. That is, organize the data scientists such that they are optimized to learn. This means hiring “full stack data scientists”—generalists—that can perform diverse functions: from conception to modeling to implementation to measurement. It’s important to note that I am not suggesting that hiring full-stack data scientists results in fewer people overall. Rather, I am merely suggesting that when organized differently, their incentives are better aligned with learning vs. efficiency gains. For example, say you have a team of three creating three business capabilities. In the pin factory, each specialist will be one-third devoted to each capability, since no one else can do their job. In the full-stack, each generalist is completely devoted to a business capability, increasing scale and learning.
I completely agree. In fact, I think the term “data scientist” is vastly over used and badly specified. I have worked with a lot of data scientists. They have all been incredibly intelligent group of people who can deep dive into data. But they are not necessarily capable of retrieving, manipulating, and organizing data into optimal streams for processing.
\n\nI think a “data science generalist” is going to be hard to find, but pairing data scientist(s) with a generalist developer would lead to an optimal pairing.
\n", "content_html": "Eric Colson in Harvard Business review writes:
\n\n\n\nBut the goal of data science is not to execute. Rather, the goal is to learn and develop profound new business capabilities. Algorithmic products and services like recommendations systems, client engagement bandits, style preference classification, size matching, fashion design systems, logistics optimizers, seasonal trend detection, and more can’t be designed up-front. They need to be learned. There are no blueprints to follow; these are novel capabilities with inherent uncertainty. Coefficients, models, model types, hyper parameters, all the elements you’ll need must be learned through experimentation, trial and error, and iteration. With pins, the learning and design are done up-front, before you make it. With data science, you learn as you go, not before you go.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn order to encourage learning and iteration, data science roles need to be made more general, with broad responsibilities agnostic to technical function. That is, organize the data scientists such that they are optimized to learn. This means hiring “full stack data scientists”—generalists—that can perform diverse functions: from conception to modeling to implementation to measurement. It’s important to note that I am not suggesting that hiring full-stack data scientists results in fewer people overall. Rather, I am merely suggesting that when organized differently, their incentives are better aligned with learning vs. efficiency gains. For example, say you have a team of three creating three business capabilities. In the pin factory, each specialist will be one-third devoted to each capability, since no one else can do their job. In the full-stack, each generalist is completely devoted to a business capability, increasing scale and learning.
I completely agree. In fact, I think the term “data scientist” is vastly over used and badly specified. I have worked with a lot of data scientists. They have all been incredibly intelligent group of people who can deep dive into data. But they are not necessarily capable of retrieving, manipulating, and organizing data into optimal streams for processing.
\n\nI think a “data science generalist” is going to be hard to find, but pairing data scientist(s) with a generalist developer would lead to an optimal pairing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/01/09/the-book-of-boba-fett-from-an-indidenous-person/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/01/09/the-book-of-boba-fett-from-an-indidenous-person/", "title": "The Book Of Boba Fett from an Indidenous person", "date_published": "2022-01-09T12:47:28-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-01-09T12:47:28-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/bookofboba.jpg\")
Interesting thoughts on the Book of Boba Fett and its portrayal of the Tuskans by an indigenous person.
\n\n\nSo, I have thoughts as an #Indigenous person about the first two chapters of #TheBookOfBobaFett and I can't keep them in. I don't want to spoil people, so this is your warning to click away now. Another note: I am just one Anishinaabe woman and represent only myself. 1/ https://t.co/FBfsLfQKpv
— Bmaawangsekwe 🐻 (@DarthSienna) January 6, 2022
Interesting thoughts on the Book of Boba Fett and its portrayal of the Tuskans by an indigenous person.
\n\n\nSo, I have thoughts as an #Indigenous person about the first two chapters of #TheBookOfBobaFett and I can't keep them in. I don't want to spoil people, so this is your warning to click away now. Another note: I am just one Anishinaabe woman and represent only myself. 1/ https://t.co/FBfsLfQKpv
— Bmaawangsekwe 🐻 (@DarthSienna) January 6, 2022
I am not a listener of Hip Hop - but Rick Rubin is the GOAT of music producers. He has produced the likes of Slayer, Danzig, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, Adele just to name a few.
\n\nI am not a listener of Hip Hop - but Rick Rubin is the GOAT of music producers. He has produced the likes of Slayer, Danzig, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, Adele just to name a few.
\n\nJessica Wildefire writes:
\n\n\n\nThere’s not enough.
\n\nThere’s not enough truck drivers. There’s not enough nurses. There’s not enough doctors. There’s not enough teachers.
\n\nThere’s not enough baristas.
\n\nThere’s not enough servers, or cashiers, or cooks. There’s nobody to froth your latte to perfection, or make your bed at the fancy hotel, or bring you peanuts and soda on your first-class flight to wherever, or watch your kid while you’re sacrificing the best years of your life.
\n\nHere’s the worst part:
\n\nThere never will be, ever again.
\n\nEssential workers ran the economy. We did everything. In return, we got nothing. No raises. No bonuses. No minimum wage laws. No childcare support. No sick leave. When the pandemic dragged on, we were forced back into dangerous workplaces for one reason:
\n\nWe had to protect the bubble.
\n\nWe endured sickness and death to keep the fake economy going, to keep stock prices high. We took risks our billionaire overlords never would. Essential workers got sick with Covid, and they were fired.
\n\n\n\nFired.
They were fired because they ran out of personal leave. In other words, they stayed sick for too long. Their medical bills got too expensive. So they were terminated. When they died, they left their families with staggering medical debt. If they survived, they had to find new jobs while managing the severe, lingering symptoms of a deadly disease.
\n\nThere’s going to be a lot of theories when the economy collapses. (It’s already happening.) Here’s the simplest one:
\n\n\n\nWe treated workers like crap.
So they quit.
I am sick and tired of business owners, CEOs and politicians (and I mean specifically Republicans) who are claiming workers are lazy. They just don’t want to work.
\n\nNo workers want to be treated like human beings and respected for what they do for society. And in a long time, they are finally demanding it.
\n", "content_html": "Jessica Wildefire writes:
\n\n\n\nThere’s not enough.
\n\nThere’s not enough truck drivers. There’s not enough nurses. There’s not enough doctors. There’s not enough teachers.
\n\nThere’s not enough baristas.
\n\nThere’s not enough servers, or cashiers, or cooks. There’s nobody to froth your latte to perfection, or make your bed at the fancy hotel, or bring you peanuts and soda on your first-class flight to wherever, or watch your kid while you’re sacrificing the best years of your life.
\n\nHere’s the worst part:
\n\nThere never will be, ever again.
\n\nEssential workers ran the economy. We did everything. In return, we got nothing. No raises. No bonuses. No minimum wage laws. No childcare support. No sick leave. When the pandemic dragged on, we were forced back into dangerous workplaces for one reason:
\n\nWe had to protect the bubble.
\n\nWe endured sickness and death to keep the fake economy going, to keep stock prices high. We took risks our billionaire overlords never would. Essential workers got sick with Covid, and they were fired.
\n\n\n\nFired.
They were fired because they ran out of personal leave. In other words, they stayed sick for too long. Their medical bills got too expensive. So they were terminated. When they died, they left their families with staggering medical debt. If they survived, they had to find new jobs while managing the severe, lingering symptoms of a deadly disease.
\n\nThere’s going to be a lot of theories when the economy collapses. (It’s already happening.) Here’s the simplest one:
\n\n\n\nWe treated workers like crap.
So they quit.
I am sick and tired of business owners, CEOs and politicians (and I mean specifically Republicans) who are claiming workers are lazy. They just don’t want to work.
\n\nNo workers want to be treated like human beings and respected for what they do for society. And in a long time, they are finally demanding it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/01/31/neil-young-vs-spotify/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/01/31/neil-young-vs-spotify/", "title": "Neil Young vs Spotify vs Joe Rogan", "date_published": "2022-01-31T13:44:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-01-31T13:44:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/neil-v-rogan.jpeg\")
Neil Young on why he left Spotify:
\n\n\n\nWhen I left Spotify, I felt better.
\n\nI support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.
\n\nAs an unexpected bonus, I sound better everywhere else.
Neil Young’s main point here is exactly right: free speech works both ways. Joe Rogan has every right to say what he wants and Spotify has every right to associate with who ever they want. But Young has a right not to want to be with a services that associates with Rogan and the state that publicly.
\n\nI am glad that Neil Young is taking a principled stand on what he believes is right. And for any of you who think this is some kind of publicity stunt, he has done this all through his life. Genuine virtue, not mere virtue signaling.
\n", "content_html": "
Neil Young on why he left Spotify:
\n\n\n\nWhen I left Spotify, I felt better.
\n\nI support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.
\n\nAs an unexpected bonus, I sound better everywhere else.
Neil Young’s main point here is exactly right: free speech works both ways. Joe Rogan has every right to say what he wants and Spotify has every right to associate with who ever they want. But Young has a right not to want to be with a services that associates with Rogan and the state that publicly.
\n\nI am glad that Neil Young is taking a principled stand on what he believes is right. And for any of you who think this is some kind of publicity stunt, he has done this all through his life. Genuine virtue, not mere virtue signaling.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/03/cgi-is-ruining-movies/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/03/cgi-is-ruining-movies/", "title": "CGI is ruining movies", "date_published": "2022-02-03T14:03:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-03T14:03:22-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images/starwars-cgi-practical.png\")
Erik Hoel in take on modern cinema’s over reliance on CGI:
\n\n\n\nThe problem is easiest to catch in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. There it is tempting to make use of the full horrors of graphics and post-production processing. It’s undeniable that remakes, from An American Werewolf in London to The Thing to the A Nightmare on Elm Street, have vastly inferior CGI effects compared to the original practical ones. Indeed, this over-reliance on CGI has ruined some of the best genre series. Consider Peter Jackson’s decline from The Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit trilogy. Or The Matrix’s sequels, which eschewed the original’s acrobatic stunt wire-work and practical fight scenes for the digital realm (a cosmic irony if there ever were one). The old original Star Wars trilogy comes to us as dispatches from a gritty world—it is a tighter world, yes, the shots are necessarily smaller, more closely-framed, but it all feels more viscerally real. Ever since the release of the Star Wars prequels in the 1990s, the actors stand apart from digital ghosts they can’t see.
\n\n[..]
\n\nTrends in cinematography are like fashion or architecture: almost impossible to see while you’re in them. We are always blind to our own age. Yet our era is dated very easily by the incredible unreality of its films, the fantasy of the whole thing, its emphasis on post-production and unreal colors and textures. It’s all just one long high-budget computer game cutscene. Your brain knows the difference, unconsciously, implicitly. And while we may have become accustomed to the digital slop we’re fed, the eyes of the future will pick it out, photon by photon, and judge.
Its going to be really sad when we re-visit these movies a decade or two from now and they will all look so terrible. Star Wars: A New Hope still holds up - Stars Wars: The Force Awakens already looks silly in comparison (I am just referring to the visuals - not the lack of plot).
\n", "content_html": "
Erik Hoel in take on modern cinema’s over reliance on CGI:
\n\n\n\nThe problem is easiest to catch in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. There it is tempting to make use of the full horrors of graphics and post-production processing. It’s undeniable that remakes, from An American Werewolf in London to The Thing to the A Nightmare on Elm Street, have vastly inferior CGI effects compared to the original practical ones. Indeed, this over-reliance on CGI has ruined some of the best genre series. Consider Peter Jackson’s decline from The Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit trilogy. Or The Matrix’s sequels, which eschewed the original’s acrobatic stunt wire-work and practical fight scenes for the digital realm (a cosmic irony if there ever were one). The old original Star Wars trilogy comes to us as dispatches from a gritty world—it is a tighter world, yes, the shots are necessarily smaller, more closely-framed, but it all feels more viscerally real. Ever since the release of the Star Wars prequels in the 1990s, the actors stand apart from digital ghosts they can’t see.
\n\n[..]
\n\nTrends in cinematography are like fashion or architecture: almost impossible to see while you’re in them. We are always blind to our own age. Yet our era is dated very easily by the incredible unreality of its films, the fantasy of the whole thing, its emphasis on post-production and unreal colors and textures. It’s all just one long high-budget computer game cutscene. Your brain knows the difference, unconsciously, implicitly. And while we may have become accustomed to the digital slop we’re fed, the eyes of the future will pick it out, photon by photon, and judge.
Its going to be really sad when we re-visit these movies a decade or two from now and they will all look so terrible. Star Wars: A New Hope still holds up - Stars Wars: The Force Awakens already looks silly in comparison (I am just referring to the visuals - not the lack of plot).
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/03/how-we-brok-the-supply-chain/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/03/how-we-brok-the-supply-chain/", "title": "How we broke the supply chain", "date_published": "2022-02-03T19:24:32-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-03T19:24:32-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Davind Dayeb and Rakeen Mabud sums it up in The American Prospect:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "You could read hundreds of stories about this phenomenon, about the stress of longshoremen and supply chain managers and government officials, the consequences for consumers and small businesses and retailers, and superficial attempts at explaining why we got here. Many will tell you that the pandemic changed consumption patterns, favoring physical goods over services as barhopping and travel shut down. Some will blame fiscal-relief programs, large deficits, and loose monetary policies for making inflation worse. Nearly all will frame the matter as a momentary kink in the global logistics leviathan, which is bound to work itself out. Anyway, everyone got their Christmas gifts this year, so maybe it was overblown to begin with.
\n\nAlmost none of these stories will explain how these shortages and price hikes were also brought to life through bad public policy coupled with decades of corporate greed. We spent a half-century allowing business executives and financiers to take control of our supply chains, enabled by leaders in both parties. They all hailed the transformation, cheering the advances of globalization, the efficient network that would free us from want. Motivated by greed and dismissive of the public interest, they didn’t mention that their invention was supremely ill-equipped to handle inevitable supply bottlenecks. And the pandemic exposed this hidden risk, like a domino bringing down a system primed to topple.
Davind Dayeb and Rakeen Mabud sums it up in The American Prospect:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/05/the-bank-of-starbucks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/05/the-bank-of-starbucks/", "title": "The Bank of Starbucks", "date_published": "2022-02-05T01:44:46-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-05T01:44:46-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "You could read hundreds of stories about this phenomenon, about the stress of longshoremen and supply chain managers and government officials, the consequences for consumers and small businesses and retailers, and superficial attempts at explaining why we got here. Many will tell you that the pandemic changed consumption patterns, favoring physical goods over services as barhopping and travel shut down. Some will blame fiscal-relief programs, large deficits, and loose monetary policies for making inflation worse. Nearly all will frame the matter as a momentary kink in the global logistics leviathan, which is bound to work itself out. Anyway, everyone got their Christmas gifts this year, so maybe it was overblown to begin with.
\n\nAlmost none of these stories will explain how these shortages and price hikes were also brought to life through bad public policy coupled with decades of corporate greed. We spent a half-century allowing business executives and financiers to take control of our supply chains, enabled by leaders in both parties. They all hailed the transformation, cheering the advances of globalization, the efficient network that would free us from want. Motivated by greed and dismissive of the public interest, they didn’t mention that their invention was supremely ill-equipped to handle inevitable supply bottlenecks. And the pandemic exposed this hidden risk, like a domino bringing down a system primed to topple.
![](\"/assets/images/starbucks-coffee.jpg\")
As part of their rewards program, millions of Starbucks customers have preloaded money onto Starbucks cards, essentially loaning the company more than $1 billion at 0% interest.
\n\n\n\nStarbucks has around $1.6 billion in stored value card liabilities outstanding. This represents the sum of all physical gift cards held in customer’s wallets as well as the digital value of electronic balances held in the Starbucks Mobile App.* It amounts to ~6% of all of the company’s liabilities.
\n\nThis is a pretty incredible number. Stored value card liabilities are the money that you, oh loyal Starbucks customer, use to buy coffee. What you might not realize is that these balances simultaneously function as a loan to Starbucks. Starbucks doesn’t pay any interest on balances held in the Starbucks app or gift cards. You, the loyal customer, are providing the company with free debt.
I wonder what Starbucks makes on their coffee - I am willing to bet that its a loss leader. Even at $5.00 dollars a cup.
\n", "content_html": "
As part of their rewards program, millions of Starbucks customers have preloaded money onto Starbucks cards, essentially loaning the company more than $1 billion at 0% interest.
\n\n\n\nStarbucks has around $1.6 billion in stored value card liabilities outstanding. This represents the sum of all physical gift cards held in customer’s wallets as well as the digital value of electronic balances held in the Starbucks Mobile App.* It amounts to ~6% of all of the company’s liabilities.
\n\nThis is a pretty incredible number. Stored value card liabilities are the money that you, oh loyal Starbucks customer, use to buy coffee. What you might not realize is that these balances simultaneously function as a loan to Starbucks. Starbucks doesn’t pay any interest on balances held in the Starbucks app or gift cards. You, the loyal customer, are providing the company with free debt.
I wonder what Starbucks makes on their coffee - I am willing to bet that its a loss leader. Even at $5.00 dollars a cup.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/05/using-ai-to-discover-monopoly-strategies/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/05/using-ai-to-discover-monopoly-strategies/", "title": "Using AI to discover Monopoly Strategies", "date_published": "2022-02-05T02:05:11-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-05T02:05:11-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nIn the video above, game-playing AI bots are pitted against each other in an attempt to find the best strategy for Monopoly.
\nIn the video above, game-playing AI bots are pitted against each other in an attempt to find the best strategy for Monopoly.
![](\"/assets/images/D500-old-product.jpg\")
Nikon discontinues the mighty D500. Arguably the Nikon D500 was them greatest APSC camera of all time. The show stopper feature (besides image quality) was its ability to shoot at 10 frames per second with a massive buffer. Combined with the incredible write speeds of XQD cards, it was exceedingly rare to ever have to wait for the camera to clear the buffer.
\n\nNikon released the D500 in January of 2016 and supported it with firmware updates until 2020 with its upgrade to support CFExpress cards. 5 years is a long time for a product to reign uncontested in the market. Canon basically threw in the towel after the 7D Mk II and never bother to release a true competitor.
\n\nAnd what does this mean for the future? My bet is that Nikon is readying a mirrorless replacement for the D500. An APSC mirrorless camera with 24 mega-pixels and the Z9 AF system, priced at $2500.
\n\nI were Canon or Sony - I would be very worried.
\n", "content_html": "
Nikon discontinues the mighty D500. Arguably the Nikon D500 was them greatest APSC camera of all time. The show stopper feature (besides image quality) was its ability to shoot at 10 frames per second with a massive buffer. Combined with the incredible write speeds of XQD cards, it was exceedingly rare to ever have to wait for the camera to clear the buffer.
\n\nNikon released the D500 in January of 2016 and supported it with firmware updates until 2020 with its upgrade to support CFExpress cards. 5 years is a long time for a product to reign uncontested in the market. Canon basically threw in the towel after the 7D Mk II and never bother to release a true competitor.
\n\nAnd what does this mean for the future? My bet is that Nikon is readying a mirrorless replacement for the D500. An APSC mirrorless camera with 24 mega-pixels and the Z9 AF system, priced at $2500.
\n\nI were Canon or Sony - I would be very worried.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/07/steve-jobs-introduces-the-app-store/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/07/steve-jobs-introduces-the-app-store/", "title": "Steve Jobs introduces the App store", "date_published": "2022-02-07T02:09:01-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-07T02:09:01-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nHard to believe it’s been 14 years since that day. Today the AppStore generates 85.1 Billion+ revenue a year. Apple changed the entire software landscape - overnight the idea of buying physical software disappeard and gave us the term “There’s an App for that.”
\nHard to believe it’s been 14 years since that day. Today the AppStore generates 85.1 Billion+ revenue a year. Apple changed the entire software landscape - overnight the idea of buying physical software disappeard and gave us the term “There’s an App for that.”
An excellent write-up Jan-Peter Kleinhans & Julia Hess for Stiftung Neue Varanwortung:
\n\n\n\nWhat customers and markets are currently experiencing as “the semiconductor shortage” is, in fact, multiple shortages happening concurrently in different process steps and supplier markets based on a multitude of dynamics and dependencies. The interplay between the underlying dynamics, such as high market entry barriers, high geographic concentration, high fab utilization and long manufacturing cycles, is the reason why skyrocketing demand and external shocks, from natural disasters and human error to COVID-19-related lock-downs, disrupted the value chain since 2020. Consequently, none of the shortages in semiconductor manufacturing can be explained by one reason alone. Most importantly, some of the underlying dynamics are unlikely to change in the future because they are rooted in fundamental characteristics of semiconductor manufacturing.
You can get the full PDF here. Well worth the 30 page read.
\n", "content_html": "An excellent write-up Jan-Peter Kleinhans & Julia Hess for Stiftung Neue Varanwortung:
\n\n\n\nWhat customers and markets are currently experiencing as “the semiconductor shortage” is, in fact, multiple shortages happening concurrently in different process steps and supplier markets based on a multitude of dynamics and dependencies. The interplay between the underlying dynamics, such as high market entry barriers, high geographic concentration, high fab utilization and long manufacturing cycles, is the reason why skyrocketing demand and external shocks, from natural disasters and human error to COVID-19-related lock-downs, disrupted the value chain since 2020. Consequently, none of the shortages in semiconductor manufacturing can be explained by one reason alone. Most importantly, some of the underlying dynamics are unlikely to change in the future because they are rooted in fundamental characteristics of semiconductor manufacturing.
You can get the full PDF here. Well worth the 30 page read.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/12/moon-crashing-into-earth/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/12/moon-crashing-into-earth/", "title": "Moon crashing into earth?", "date_published": "2022-02-12T01:39:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-12T01:39:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nKurzgesagt has made a video that shows what would happen to civilization should the Moon somehow get knocked from its orbit and head straight for the Earth. Spoiler: the Moon doesn’t even need to reach us to kill almost all life on the planet.
\nKurzgesagt has made a video that shows what would happen to civilization should the Moon somehow get knocked from its orbit and head straight for the Earth. Spoiler: the Moon doesn’t even need to reach us to kill almost all life on the planet.
\n\npeople have to learn to disagree and not hate for it
Even though I disagree with him on a lot of topics as of late - he truly believes in, and understands the value of, freedom of expression to a stable and healthy society. Notice how he was able to maintain respect and deference to Whoopi even though it would have bßno matter what, I think we will be OK. We can all learn a lot about civics from this short clip.
\n", "content_html": "\n\npeople have to learn to disagree and not hate for it
Even though I disagree with him on a lot of topics as of late - he truly believes in, and understands the value of, freedom of expression to a stable and healthy society. Notice how he was able to maintain respect and deference to Whoopi even though it would have bßno matter what, I think we will be OK. We can all learn a lot about civics from this short clip.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/14/what-are-those-strips-hanging-of-the-wheels/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/14/what-are-those-strips-hanging-of-the-wheels/", "title": "what are those strips hanging of the wheels?", "date_published": "2022-02-14T14:05:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-14T14:05:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/203c1290b269e3fa1efa4e24815e4262.png\")
\n\nIf you’re bored and stuck in traffic, chances are you’ve probably looked around at the vehicles around you, looking for something, anything to ease the pain. As you play Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA while you inch forward, you’ve probably spotted something off to the side on a slow-moving truck. The wheels on its trailer have little strips slowly rotating, drawing your attention in. What are those for?
\n\n[…]
\n\nSometimes, truckers may find that the spring brakes on a wheel may be frozen and not releasing, leading to the wheel dragging. You can get stuck wheels from worn out braking components, rust, bad valves or a number of different possibilities.
\n\nOne way to check wheel rotation is to paint a mark on a wheel, then drive the truck, turning enough so that you can see the mark in your mirrors. Another way would be to have a spotter check to see if all wheels are moving. Or you could attach wheel rotation indicators to your wheels’ lug nuts and easily be able to check which wheels are in motion.
\n\nImage for article titled Here Is What Those Strips Hanging Off Of Truck Wheels Are For\nPhoto: Tyre Protector of North America\nThey work better than a strip of paint because they stick out just far enough that a trucker should be able to see them in their mirrors.
A brilliant product - just surprised it took so long to come up with such a simple solution. Won’t make my compute any better but this files under useless information cabinet - for when I end up on Jeopardy.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\nIf you’re bored and stuck in traffic, chances are you’ve probably looked around at the vehicles around you, looking for something, anything to ease the pain. As you play Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA while you inch forward, you’ve probably spotted something off to the side on a slow-moving truck. The wheels on its trailer have little strips slowly rotating, drawing your attention in. What are those for?
\n\n[…]
\n\nSometimes, truckers may find that the spring brakes on a wheel may be frozen and not releasing, leading to the wheel dragging. You can get stuck wheels from worn out braking components, rust, bad valves or a number of different possibilities.
\n\nOne way to check wheel rotation is to paint a mark on a wheel, then drive the truck, turning enough so that you can see the mark in your mirrors. Another way would be to have a spotter check to see if all wheels are moving. Or you could attach wheel rotation indicators to your wheels’ lug nuts and easily be able to check which wheels are in motion.
\n\nImage for article titled Here Is What Those Strips Hanging Off Of Truck Wheels Are For\nPhoto: Tyre Protector of North America\nThey work better than a strip of paint because they stick out just far enough that a trucker should be able to see them in their mirrors.
A brilliant product - just surprised it took so long to come up with such a simple solution. Won’t make my compute any better but this files under useless information cabinet - for when I end up on Jeopardy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/16/imitate-then-innovate/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/16/imitate-then-innovate/", "title": "Imitate, then Innovate", "date_published": "2022-02-16T12:14:11-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-16T12:14:11-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "David Perell on innovation:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It’s counterintuitive, but the more we imitate others, the faster we can discover our unique style. In the entertainment world, there’s a long lineage of comedians who tried to copy each other, failed, and became great themselves: Johnny Carson tried to copy Jack Benny, but failed and won six Emmy awards. Then, David Letterman tried to copy Johnny Carson, but failed and became one of America’s great television hosts.
\n\nReflecting on his own influences, Conan O’Brien said: “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.”
\n\nModern creators do the opposite though. They refuse to imitate others and stubbornly insist on originality, which they hold as their highest virtue — even when it comes at the expense of quality. They might deny their ambition toward originality when you talk to them, but they reveal it in their actions. In general, creators spend much less time imitating their heroes than they do trying to make something new. I call it the Originality Disease — a pervasive plague that makes creators feel scared to imitate other people’s styles.
David Perell on innovation:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/17/helicopter-blades-during-flight/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/17/helicopter-blades-during-flight/", "title": "helicopter blades during flight", "date_published": "2022-02-17T23:46:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-17T23:46:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It’s counterintuitive, but the more we imitate others, the faster we can discover our unique style. In the entertainment world, there’s a long lineage of comedians who tried to copy each other, failed, and became great themselves: Johnny Carson tried to copy Jack Benny, but failed and won six Emmy awards. Then, David Letterman tried to copy Johnny Carson, but failed and became one of America’s great television hosts.
\n\nReflecting on his own influences, Conan O’Brien said: “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.”
\n\nModern creators do the opposite though. They refuse to imitate others and stubbornly insist on originality, which they hold as their highest virtue — even when it comes at the expense of quality. They might deny their ambition toward originality when you talk to them, but they reveal it in their actions. In general, creators spend much less time imitating their heroes than they do trying to make something new. I call it the Originality Disease — a pervasive plague that makes creators feel scared to imitate other people’s styles.
Here is what a helicopter blade looks like, from the perspective of a GoPro strapped to the blade show you forward flight and how the blade angles as we move forward.
\n\nHere is what a helicopter blade looks like, from the perspective of a GoPro strapped to the blade show you forward flight and how the blade angles as we move forward.
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/trump-traitor.jpeg\")
As if January 6th wasn’t bad enough - today in an analysis by Stephen Collinson:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“So Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force,” Trump said. “We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. … I know him very well. Very, very well.”
\n\nTrump was referring to Putin’s declaration on Monday that he would regard two rebel regions of eastern Ukraine, where he has been fostering separatism, as independent and his order for Russian troops, which Putin misleadingly called “peacekeeping” forces, to reinforce the enclaves. The move was a flagrant violation of international law, was resonant of the tyrannical territorial aggrandizement of the 1930s that led to World War II and was, as Biden said on Tuesday, tantamount to “the beginning of a Russian invasion.”\nIn effect, the ex-President is trying to undermine US foreign policy as the current President tries to stop a war that could kill thousands of people and threaten the post-Cold War peace.
As if January 6th wasn’t bad enough - today in an analysis by Stephen Collinson:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/25/vaccine-deniel-amongst-conservatives/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/02/25/vaccine-deniel-amongst-conservatives/", "title": "Vaccine Denial amongst Conservatives", "date_published": "2022-02-25T22:44:21-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-02-25T22:44:21-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“So Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force,” Trump said. “We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. … I know him very well. Very, very well.”
\n\nTrump was referring to Putin’s declaration on Monday that he would regard two rebel regions of eastern Ukraine, where he has been fostering separatism, as independent and his order for Russian troops, which Putin misleadingly called “peacekeeping” forces, to reinforce the enclaves. The move was a flagrant violation of international law, was resonant of the tyrannical territorial aggrandizement of the 1930s that led to World War II and was, as Biden said on Tuesday, tantamount to “the beginning of a Russian invasion.”\nIn effect, the ex-President is trying to undermine US foreign policy as the current President tries to stop a war that could kill thousands of people and threaten the post-Cold War peace.
From Vox’s Joss Fong, a video essay on how conservatives turned against the Covid-19 vaccine in the US.
\n\n\n\nPresident Donald Trump presided over the fastest vaccine development process in history, leading to abundant, free vaccines in the US by the spring of 2021. Although the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines haven’t been able to stop transmission of the virus, they have been highly effective against hospitalization and death, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and rendering the majority of new Covid-19 deaths preventable.
\n\nTrump has received three doses of the vaccine. But many of his most dedicated supporters have refused, and many have died as a result. Why? Obvious culprits include misinformation on social media and Fox News and the election of Joe Biden, which placed a Democrat at the top of the US government throughout the vaccine distribution period. But if you look closely at the data, you’ll see that vaccine-hesitant conservatives largely made up their mind well before the vaccines were available and before Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
In the early stages, conservative leaders (Fox News anchors and Donald Trump) repeatedly downplayed the severity of Covid-19 to a “flu like symptoms.” Having convinced their base of this, the mask and vaccine mandates seemed like over encroachment. Words matter. Words from leadership matters even more.
\n\nThe GOP and Fox News has blood on their hands.
\n", "content_html": "From Vox’s Joss Fong, a video essay on how conservatives turned against the Covid-19 vaccine in the US.
\n\n\n\nPresident Donald Trump presided over the fastest vaccine development process in history, leading to abundant, free vaccines in the US by the spring of 2021. Although the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines haven’t been able to stop transmission of the virus, they have been highly effective against hospitalization and death, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and rendering the majority of new Covid-19 deaths preventable.
\n\nTrump has received three doses of the vaccine. But many of his most dedicated supporters have refused, and many have died as a result. Why? Obvious culprits include misinformation on social media and Fox News and the election of Joe Biden, which placed a Democrat at the top of the US government throughout the vaccine distribution period. But if you look closely at the data, you’ll see that vaccine-hesitant conservatives largely made up their mind well before the vaccines were available and before Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
In the early stages, conservative leaders (Fox News anchors and Donald Trump) repeatedly downplayed the severity of Covid-19 to a “flu like symptoms.” Having convinced their base of this, the mask and vaccine mandates seemed like over encroachment. Words matter. Words from leadership matters even more.
\n\nThe GOP and Fox News has blood on their hands.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/05/living-with-the-reality-of-war/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/05/living-with-the-reality-of-war/", "title": "Living with the reality of the forever war", "date_published": "2022-03-05T04:10:56-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-05T04:10:56-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nHumans are the scariest animals. And also the most durable. It’s like that. People can get used to anything. But I don’t want to.
The NY Times did a short series of videos about how average Ukrainians were preparing to defend their country. Video journalists spoke to military and residents in Mariupol:
\n\n\n\nHumans are the scariest animals. And also the most durable. It’s like that. People can get used to anything. But I don’t want to.
The NY Times did a short series of videos about how average Ukrainians were preparing to defend their country. Video journalists spoke to military and residents in Mariupol:
\n\nThis video is a helpful overview of some of the geographical, historical, demographic, environmental, political, and economic reasons why, from the perspective of Putin & Moscow, Russia wants to bring Ukraine back into their orbit.
\n\nThis video is a helpful overview of some of the geographical, historical, demographic, environmental, political, and economic reasons why, from the perspective of Putin & Moscow, Russia wants to bring Ukraine back into their orbit.
\n\nLuke McGee a CNN analysis piece:
\n\n\n\nDespite the bleak situation on the ground, NATO is unwilling to get directly involved in the conflict – including setting up a no-fly zone – beyond supporting Ukraine’s resistance to an invasion that is killing innocent civilians.
\n\nNATO’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance. “We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” he said.
Why? The sole purpose of the formation of NATO was to prevent rogue dictators and mad man to rain destruction on European nations and to secure the peace. The US and its allies could easily secure the airspace of Ukraine, making the Russian air force irrelevant.
\n\nDon’t get me wrong, no one wants a full scale all hands on board ground war in Europe, but appeasement never works. It didn’t work with Hitler and it won’t work with Putin - he is a deranged bully. Here we have a clear cut case to use our military might for what is a moral and justified cause. Iraq and Afghanistan weren’t. Ukraine is.
\n", "content_html": "Luke McGee a CNN analysis piece:
\n\n\n\nDespite the bleak situation on the ground, NATO is unwilling to get directly involved in the conflict – including setting up a no-fly zone – beyond supporting Ukraine’s resistance to an invasion that is killing innocent civilians.
\n\nNATO’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance. “We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” he said.
Why? The sole purpose of the formation of NATO was to prevent rogue dictators and mad man to rain destruction on European nations and to secure the peace. The US and its allies could easily secure the airspace of Ukraine, making the Russian air force irrelevant.
\n\nDon’t get me wrong, no one wants a full scale all hands on board ground war in Europe, but appeasement never works. It didn’t work with Hitler and it won’t work with Putin - he is a deranged bully. Here we have a clear cut case to use our military might for what is a moral and justified cause. Iraq and Afghanistan weren’t. Ukraine is.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/05/b-52s-deployed-to-the-ukraine-border/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/05/b-52s-deployed-to-the-ukraine-border/", "title": "B-52s deployed to the Ukraine Border?", "date_published": "2022-03-05T04:58:12-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-05T04:58:12-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nB-52 strategic bombers spotted less than 100 kilometers from Ukrainian border.
\n\nA few hours ago, a group of two American B-52 strategic bombers, escorted by NATO fighters, practiced strikes from Romanian airspace, approaching the borders of Ukraine at a distance of less than 100 kilometers.
\nThose B-52s are just aching to say hello to that that stalled Russian convoy. Finally - A message Putin will understand.
\n\nB-52 strategic bombers spotted less than 100 kilometers from Ukrainian border.
\n\nA few hours ago, a group of two American B-52 strategic bombers, escorted by NATO fighters, practiced strikes from Romanian airspace, approaching the borders of Ukraine at a distance of less than 100 kilometers.
\nThose B-52s are just aching to say hello to that that stalled Russian convoy. Finally - A message Putin will understand.
![](\"/assets/images/lukoil-ceo.jpeg\")
Looks like the sanctions are starting to bite - Lukoil is Russia’s second biggest oil company behind state-owned giant Rosneft. It now faces huge challenges as traders shun Russian crude for fear of running afoul of Western sanctions even though they do not directly target fossil fuel exports.
\n\nLukoil shares listed in London have lost roughly 99% of their value following the invasion. Dealing in the company’s stock was suspended on Thursday. Predictably, the board has publicly broken ranks with Putin.
\n\n\n\nWe express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy.
The rats have began to leave the sinking ship.
\n", "content_html": "
Looks like the sanctions are starting to bite - Lukoil is Russia’s second biggest oil company behind state-owned giant Rosneft. It now faces huge challenges as traders shun Russian crude for fear of running afoul of Western sanctions even though they do not directly target fossil fuel exports.
\n\nLukoil shares listed in London have lost roughly 99% of their value following the invasion. Dealing in the company’s stock was suspended on Thursday. Predictably, the board has publicly broken ranks with Putin.
\n\n\n\nWe express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy.
The rats have began to leave the sinking ship.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/07/appeasement-hasnt-worked/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/07/appeasement-hasnt-worked/", "title": "Appeasement hasn't worked. ", "date_published": "2022-03-07T01:27:17-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-07T01:27:17-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jake Tapper stating the obvious - two decades of stern warnings and misplaced optimism in the US paved the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.
\n\n\n\nI mean honestly. If you were Putin do you were Putin, would you think there were any real limits to what you can get away with? I mean it’s easy to see why he thought this time would be no different. President Biden is right. Dictators who do not pay a price for aggression continue causing more chaos. But may I ask - have we actually learned that lesson?
So far, it looks like we have not. The US (along with the its NATO allies) must immediately enforce a no fly zone over Ukraine. Appeasement did not work with Hitler - it will not work with Putin.
\n\nWe in the US say that we are the protectors of freedom and democracy in the world - the one indispensable nation. Well here is a clear cut case of when the United States military might is required. The world is watching. Are we as a nation going to live up to our rhetoric? Or are we going to stand by and let the thousands of civilians die?
\n", "content_html": "Jake Tapper stating the obvious - two decades of stern warnings and misplaced optimism in the US paved the way for Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.
\n\n\n\nI mean honestly. If you were Putin do you were Putin, would you think there were any real limits to what you can get away with? I mean it’s easy to see why he thought this time would be no different. President Biden is right. Dictators who do not pay a price for aggression continue causing more chaos. But may I ask - have we actually learned that lesson?
So far, it looks like we have not. The US (along with the its NATO allies) must immediately enforce a no fly zone over Ukraine. Appeasement did not work with Hitler - it will not work with Putin.
\n\nWe in the US say that we are the protectors of freedom and democracy in the world - the one indispensable nation. Well here is a clear cut case of when the United States military might is required. The world is watching. Are we as a nation going to live up to our rhetoric? Or are we going to stand by and let the thousands of civilians die?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/15/amazon-go-snl/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/15/amazon-go-snl/", "title": "Its a Trap!", "date_published": "2022-03-15T23:17:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-15T23:17:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAmazon Go’s “grab-and-go” shopping experience (where you walk out of the store with your items without having to check out first) doesn’t work that well for all shoppers.
When Amazon announced their new store concept, Xavier Harding wrote
\n\n\n\nWhite people who have never been “randomly” followed around at a Walgreens may have no problem walking into a store, grabbing an item and leaving — like this guy in the Amazon Go promo video.
\n\nBut shoppers of color, who already see enough unwanted attention, may have their doubts. Especially in a store where the employees are mostly there for customer service, as Amazon’s promo video suggests. They roam the store, stock shelves and hang out near shoppers.
In the immortal words of Admiral Akbar:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Its a trap!
\nAmazon Go’s “grab-and-go” shopping experience (where you walk out of the store with your items without having to check out first) doesn’t work that well for all shoppers.
When Amazon announced their new store concept, Xavier Harding wrote
\n\n\n\nWhite people who have never been “randomly” followed around at a Walgreens may have no problem walking into a store, grabbing an item and leaving — like this guy in the Amazon Go promo video.
\n\nBut shoppers of color, who already see enough unwanted attention, may have their doubts. Especially in a store where the employees are mostly there for customer service, as Amazon’s promo video suggests. They roam the store, stock shelves and hang out near shoppers.
In the immortal words of Admiral Akbar:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/16/the-dictator-trap/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/16/the-dictator-trap/", "title": "The Dictator trap", "date_published": "2022-03-16T08:29:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-16T08:29:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Its a trap!
Brian Klaas for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n[…] you have to understand the power and information ecosystems around dictators. I’ve studied and interviewed despots across the globe for more than a decade. In my research, I’ve persistently encountered a stubborn myth—of the savvy strongman, the rational, calculating despot who can play the long game because he (and it’s typically a he) doesn’t have to worry about pesky polls or angry voters. Our elected leaders, this view suggests, are no match for the tyrant who gazes into the next decade rather than fretting about next year’s election.
\n\nReality doesn’t conform to that rosy theory.
\n\nAutocrats such as Putin eventually succumb to what may be called the “dictator trap.” The strategies they use to stay in power tend to trigger their eventual downfall. Rather than being long-term planners, many make catastrophic short-term errors—the kinds of errors that would likely have been avoided in democratic systems. They hear only from sycophants, and get bad advice. They misunderstand their population. They don’t see threats coming until it’s too late. And unlike elected leaders who leave office to riches, book tours, and the glitzy lifestyle of a statesman, many dictators who miscalculate leave office in a casket, a possibility that makes them even more likely to double down.
It’s not going to end well for Putin.
\n", "content_html": "Brian Klaas for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\n[…] you have to understand the power and information ecosystems around dictators. I’ve studied and interviewed despots across the globe for more than a decade. In my research, I’ve persistently encountered a stubborn myth—of the savvy strongman, the rational, calculating despot who can play the long game because he (and it’s typically a he) doesn’t have to worry about pesky polls or angry voters. Our elected leaders, this view suggests, are no match for the tyrant who gazes into the next decade rather than fretting about next year’s election.
\n\nReality doesn’t conform to that rosy theory.
\n\nAutocrats such as Putin eventually succumb to what may be called the “dictator trap.” The strategies they use to stay in power tend to trigger their eventual downfall. Rather than being long-term planners, many make catastrophic short-term errors—the kinds of errors that would likely have been avoided in democratic systems. They hear only from sycophants, and get bad advice. They misunderstand their population. They don’t see threats coming until it’s too late. And unlike elected leaders who leave office to riches, book tours, and the glitzy lifestyle of a statesman, many dictators who miscalculate leave office in a casket, a possibility that makes them even more likely to double down.
It’s not going to end well for Putin.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/19/development-of-the-thermians/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/03/19/development-of-the-thermians/", "title": "development of the Thermians", "date_published": "2022-03-19T02:48:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-03-19T02:48:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe cast of Galaxy Quest looks back on how the speech, mannerisms, and culture of the Thermian people were developed.
Never Give Up. Never Surrender!
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe cast of Galaxy Quest looks back on how the speech, mannerisms, and culture of the Thermian people were developed.
Never Give Up. Never Surrender!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/04/04/a-steep-decline-in-teen-mental-health/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/04/04/a-steep-decline-in-teen-mental-health/", "title": "a steep decline in teen mental health", "date_published": "2022-04-04T02:32:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-04-04T02:32:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"CDC](\"/assets/images/cdc-depression.jpeg\")
The Washington Post is reporting that More than 4 in 10 told the health agency they felt ‘persistently sad or hopeless’:
\n\n\n\nAlthough young people were spared the brunt of the virus — falling ill and dying at much lower rates than older people — they might still pay a steep price for the pandemic, having come of age while weathering isolation, uncertainty, economic turmoil and, for many, grief.
\n\nIn a news conference, Kathleen A. Ethier, head of the CDC’s division of adolescent and school health, said the survey results underscored the vulnerability of certain students, including LGBTQ youth and students who reported being treated unfairly because of their race. And female students are far worse off than their male peers.
\n\n
This situation if the result of the destruction of the social network of relations due to the modern lifestyle. To have meaningful social relations with our peers is extremely important for humans and even more so for teenagers.
\n\nFirst the modern lifestyle mostly destroyed the small communities where people know each other and spend a lot of time together. People began to stay in their house all the time with no contacts with a community. At this first stage, as the local community was eliminated, the remaining pillars of social relations were school, for young people, and work for adults. Adults were able to maintain some degree of additional social life by having some friends and inviting them regularly to create the opportunity to meet.
\n\nLater come all the smartphones, tablets, computers, social networks that captivated all the attention, especially of young people so even more so people were pushed to stay more at home and meet less people further increasing the social isolation.
\n\nThe final blow came from the COVID-19 confinement were people were forced to stay at home reducing social contacts only to the close family members. This situation created an unsustainable isolation raising serious mental health problem especially for teenagers but also for adult people.
\n\nModern society got it all wrong. We think having more goods and entertainment to consume make us happier but this is not how it works. Not if the social life and the social network around us is poor or non-existent.
\n\nWe need to radically change modern lifestyle and stop with chasing materialism and showcasing wealth. The pandemic, I hope, has shown us that we need to re-orient ourselves to family, friends and community.
\n", "content_html": "
The Washington Post is reporting that More than 4 in 10 told the health agency they felt ‘persistently sad or hopeless’:
\n\n\n\nAlthough young people were spared the brunt of the virus — falling ill and dying at much lower rates than older people — they might still pay a steep price for the pandemic, having come of age while weathering isolation, uncertainty, economic turmoil and, for many, grief.
\n\nIn a news conference, Kathleen A. Ethier, head of the CDC’s division of adolescent and school health, said the survey results underscored the vulnerability of certain students, including LGBTQ youth and students who reported being treated unfairly because of their race. And female students are far worse off than their male peers.
\n\n
This situation if the result of the destruction of the social network of relations due to the modern lifestyle. To have meaningful social relations with our peers is extremely important for humans and even more so for teenagers.
\n\nFirst the modern lifestyle mostly destroyed the small communities where people know each other and spend a lot of time together. People began to stay in their house all the time with no contacts with a community. At this first stage, as the local community was eliminated, the remaining pillars of social relations were school, for young people, and work for adults. Adults were able to maintain some degree of additional social life by having some friends and inviting them regularly to create the opportunity to meet.
\n\nLater come all the smartphones, tablets, computers, social networks that captivated all the attention, especially of young people so even more so people were pushed to stay more at home and meet less people further increasing the social isolation.
\n\nThe final blow came from the COVID-19 confinement were people were forced to stay at home reducing social contacts only to the close family members. This situation created an unsustainable isolation raising serious mental health problem especially for teenagers but also for adult people.
\n\nModern society got it all wrong. We think having more goods and entertainment to consume make us happier but this is not how it works. Not if the social life and the social network around us is poor or non-existent.
\n\nWe need to radically change modern lifestyle and stop with chasing materialism and showcasing wealth. The pandemic, I hope, has shown us that we need to re-orient ourselves to family, friends and community.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/04/08/the-museum-of-endangered-sounds/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/04/08/the-museum-of-endangered-sounds/", "title": "The Museum of Endangered Sounds", "date_published": "2022-04-08T23:41:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-04-08T23:41:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"The](\"/assets/images/museum-endangered-tech-sound-01.jpg\")
The Museum of Endangered Sounds is an interesting collection of sounds from old technologies. A lot of these brings me back to my childhood - from the thump of Space Invaders, Pac Man, the sound of NES cartridges and even the now extinct Nokia ‘candy bar phone’ ringtone. An aurual to through nostalgia.
\n", "content_html": "
The Museum of Endangered Sounds is an interesting collection of sounds from old technologies. A lot of these brings me back to my childhood - from the thump of Space Invaders, Pac Man, the sound of NES cartridges and even the now extinct Nokia ‘candy bar phone’ ringtone. An aurual to through nostalgia.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/04/obi-wan-kenobi-trailer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/04/obi-wan-kenobi-trailer/", "title": "Obi-Wan Kenobi Trailer", "date_published": "2022-05-04T01:11:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-05-04T01:11:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer:
\n\nMay the 4th be with you.
\n", "content_html": "The trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer:
\n\nMay the 4th be with you.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/09/youll-regret-that-relic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/09/youll-regret-that-relic/", "title": "You'll Regret That Relic", "date_published": "2022-05-09T12:41:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-05-09T12:41:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Reliced](\"/assets/images/relicdebate.jpg\")
I never comprehended the relic guitar craze - I just never understood why guitarists would pay more for a beat-up guitar. John Bohlinger sums my thoughts up perfectly:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Guitars are like the Velveteen Rabbit: If the owner truly loves them and plays them enough, they will come to life. If you want your guitar to look played, play it so much that it seldom sees the inside of a case. After a few months, maybe you’ll find your 4-year-old son joyfully beating it with a drumstick. You’ll be pissed, but in due course, you’ll laugh it off.
\n\nAfter a year maybe you’ll swap out the pickups, and in doing so your screwdriver will slip and gouge the front. You’ll curse, but in time you won’t care. Maybe on a sweaty, lonely August night the neck will feel sticky and you’ll impulsively sand it down to the wood. It will look rough but eventually your hand grease will leave that neck smooth and buttery. Somebody will spill beer on it, blow smoke on it, airlines will do their best to destroy it, and hundreds of hours of music will vibrate through it. All of this will make your guitar an honest-to-God relic—a historical artifact of your musical journey. You can’t fake that.
I never comprehended the relic guitar craze - I just never understood why guitarists would pay more for a beat-up guitar. John Bohlinger sums my thoughts up perfectly:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/25/covid-will-be-like-smoking/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/05/25/covid-will-be-like-smoking/", "title": "COVID will be like Smoking", "date_published": "2022-05-25T09:00:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-05-25T09:00:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Guitars are like the Velveteen Rabbit: If the owner truly loves them and plays them enough, they will come to life. If you want your guitar to look played, play it so much that it seldom sees the inside of a case. After a few months, maybe you’ll find your 4-year-old son joyfully beating it with a drumstick. You’ll be pissed, but in due course, you’ll laugh it off.
\n\nAfter a year maybe you’ll swap out the pickups, and in doing so your screwdriver will slip and gouge the front. You’ll curse, but in time you won’t care. Maybe on a sweaty, lonely August night the neck will feel sticky and you’ll impulsively sand it down to the wood. It will look rough but eventually your hand grease will leave that neck smooth and buttery. Somebody will spill beer on it, blow smoke on it, airlines will do their best to destroy it, and hundreds of hours of music will vibrate through it. All of this will make your guitar an honest-to-God relic—a historical artifact of your musical journey. You can’t fake that.
Benjamin Mazer in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nThe pandemic’s greatest source of danger has transformed from a pathogen into a behavior. Choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID is, right now, a modifiable health risk on par with smoking, which kills more than 400,000 people each year in the United States. Andrew Noymer, a public-health professor at UC Irvine, told me that if COVID continues to account for a few hundred thousand American deaths every year—“a realistic worst-case scenario,” he calls it—that would wipe out all of the life-expectancy gains we’ve accrued from the past two decades’ worth of smoking-prevention efforts.
\n\nThe COVID vaccines are, without exaggeration, among the safest and most effective therapies in all of modern medicine. An unvaccinated adult is an astonishing 68 times more likely to die from COVID than a boosted one. Yet widespread vaccine hesitancy in the United States has caused more than 163,000 preventable deaths and counting. Because too few people are vaccinated, COVID surges still overwhelm hospitals—interfering with routine medical services and leading to thousands of lives lost from other conditions. If everyone who is eligible were triply vaccinated, our health-care system would be functioning normally again. (We do have other methods of protection—antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies—but these remain in short supply and often fail to make their way to the highest-risk patients.) Countries such as Denmark and Sweden have already declared themselves broken up with COVID. They are confidently doing so not because the virus is no longer circulating or because they’ve achieved mythical herd immunity from natural infection; they’ve simply inoculated enough people.
We need a nation wide campaign to undo the damage caused by the politicization of the COVID vaccines.
\n", "content_html": "Benjamin Mazer in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nThe pandemic’s greatest source of danger has transformed from a pathogen into a behavior. Choosing not to get vaccinated against COVID is, right now, a modifiable health risk on par with smoking, which kills more than 400,000 people each year in the United States. Andrew Noymer, a public-health professor at UC Irvine, told me that if COVID continues to account for a few hundred thousand American deaths every year—“a realistic worst-case scenario,” he calls it—that would wipe out all of the life-expectancy gains we’ve accrued from the past two decades’ worth of smoking-prevention efforts.
\n\nThe COVID vaccines are, without exaggeration, among the safest and most effective therapies in all of modern medicine. An unvaccinated adult is an astonishing 68 times more likely to die from COVID than a boosted one. Yet widespread vaccine hesitancy in the United States has caused more than 163,000 preventable deaths and counting. Because too few people are vaccinated, COVID surges still overwhelm hospitals—interfering with routine medical services and leading to thousands of lives lost from other conditions. If everyone who is eligible were triply vaccinated, our health-care system would be functioning normally again. (We do have other methods of protection—antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies—but these remain in short supply and often fail to make their way to the highest-risk patients.) Countries such as Denmark and Sweden have already declared themselves broken up with COVID. They are confidently doing so not because the virus is no longer circulating or because they’ve achieved mythical herd immunity from natural infection; they’ve simply inoculated enough people.
We need a nation wide campaign to undo the damage caused by the politicization of the COVID vaccines.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/01/costco-hot-dog-to-stay-at-1-dollars-50-cents/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/01/costco-hot-dog-to-stay-at-1-dollars-50-cents/", "title": "Costco Hot Dog to stay at $1.50", "date_published": "2022-06-01T12:12:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-01T12:12:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Reliced](\"/assets/images/costco-hotdog.png\")
Everything is going up in price. Combine the Corona virus, supply chain constraints, and the government printing money - inflation is at levels not seen in a generation. Just go down to the grocery store and you will feel the sting. But I question how much of this is due to inflation and how much of it is business just taking advantage of the situation.
\n\nCostco is not rasing its cost of the hot dog - it will be keeping it at $1.50. A price that it has had since the mid 1980s. If the price tracked inflation, it would be $4.00 + today.
\n\nFrom Business Insider
\n\n\n\nWhen Costco’s current CEO, Craig Jelinek, once approached Sinegal, then the CEO, about raising the price of the hot dog, Sinegal told him, “If you raise the [price of the] effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.”
\n\nIn 2009, Jelinek did figure it out. Costco stopped using its longtime hot-dog supplier, Hebrew National, and built a Kirkland Signature hot-dog factory in Los Angeles. It later built another one in Chicago. The new factories reduced the production costs for the hot dog, allowing Costco to continue selling the menu item for $1.50.
\n\n[..]
\n\nJelinek took over as CEO when Sinegal retired in 2012, and the hot dog’s popularity has only grown. In the 2019 fiscal year, Costco sold 151 million hot-dog combos for a total of about $226.5 million. And Jelinek said in Costco’s shareholder meeting in January that he had no intention of raising the price of the hot dog.
It is upon consumers to demand price stablization - and that means voting with our wallets.
\n", "content_html": "
Everything is going up in price. Combine the Corona virus, supply chain constraints, and the government printing money - inflation is at levels not seen in a generation. Just go down to the grocery store and you will feel the sting. But I question how much of this is due to inflation and how much of it is business just taking advantage of the situation.
\n\nCostco is not rasing its cost of the hot dog - it will be keeping it at $1.50. A price that it has had since the mid 1980s. If the price tracked inflation, it would be $4.00 + today.
\n\nFrom Business Insider
\n\n\n\nWhen Costco’s current CEO, Craig Jelinek, once approached Sinegal, then the CEO, about raising the price of the hot dog, Sinegal told him, “If you raise the [price of the] effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.”
\n\nIn 2009, Jelinek did figure it out. Costco stopped using its longtime hot-dog supplier, Hebrew National, and built a Kirkland Signature hot-dog factory in Los Angeles. It later built another one in Chicago. The new factories reduced the production costs for the hot dog, allowing Costco to continue selling the menu item for $1.50.
\n\n[..]
\n\nJelinek took over as CEO when Sinegal retired in 2012, and the hot dog’s popularity has only grown. In the 2019 fiscal year, Costco sold 151 million hot-dog combos for a total of about $226.5 million. And Jelinek said in Costco’s shareholder meeting in January that he had no intention of raising the price of the hot dog.
It is upon consumers to demand price stablization - and that means voting with our wallets.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/13/bill-maher-is-spot-on/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/13/bill-maher-is-spot-on/", "title": "Bill Maher is Spot-on", "date_published": "2022-06-13T02:22:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-13T02:22:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I have been a fan of Bill Maher for years. But last season - well - he just sounded like an old man screaming at clouds. But last Friday, in his usual “New Rules” segment, Bill nails one the biggest reason that the United States has a mass shootings problem.
\n\nIt’s our glorification of gun violence.
\n\nI have been a fan of Bill Maher for years. But last season - well - he just sounded like an old man screaming at clouds. But last Friday, in his usual “New Rules” segment, Bill nails one the biggest reason that the United States has a mass shootings problem.
\n\nIt’s our glorification of gun violence.
\n\nJason Koebler writing in Vice:
\n\n\n\nThe Texas Department of Public Safety has asked the state’s Office of the Attorney General to prevent the public release of police body camera footage from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in part because, it argues, the footage could be used by other shooters to determine “weaknesses” in police response to crimes. […]
\n\n“Revealing the marked records would provide criminals with invaluable information concerning Department techniques used to investigate and detect activities of suspected criminal elements; how information is assessed and analyzed; how information is shared among partner law enforcement agencies and the lessons learned from the analysis of prior criminal activities,” the department wrote in a letter to the Office of the Attorney General that asked the office to prevent the release of the public records. “Knowing the intelligence and response capabilities of Department personnel and where those employees focus their attention will compromise law enforcement purposes by enabling criminals to anticipate weakness in law enforcement procedures and alter their methods of operation in order to avoid detection and apprehension.”
Really? What could anyone possibly learn from these videos? All they would see is over an hour of footage of the Robb Elementary Schools parking lot. What a disgusting show of cowardice.
\n", "content_html": "Jason Koebler writing in Vice:
\n\n\n\nThe Texas Department of Public Safety has asked the state’s Office of the Attorney General to prevent the public release of police body camera footage from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in part because, it argues, the footage could be used by other shooters to determine “weaknesses” in police response to crimes. […]
\n\n“Revealing the marked records would provide criminals with invaluable information concerning Department techniques used to investigate and detect activities of suspected criminal elements; how information is assessed and analyzed; how information is shared among partner law enforcement agencies and the lessons learned from the analysis of prior criminal activities,” the department wrote in a letter to the Office of the Attorney General that asked the office to prevent the release of the public records. “Knowing the intelligence and response capabilities of Department personnel and where those employees focus their attention will compromise law enforcement purposes by enabling criminals to anticipate weakness in law enforcement procedures and alter their methods of operation in order to avoid detection and apprehension.”
Really? What could anyone possibly learn from these videos? All they would see is over an hour of footage of the Robb Elementary Schools parking lot. What a disgusting show of cowardice.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/14/quote-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/14/quote-of-the-day/", "title": "What is self esteem?", "date_published": "2022-06-14T02:29:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-14T02:29:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "What is the fundamental definition of self-esteem? It’s you ability to see yourself as a flawed person and still hold yourself in high regard.
\n\n
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/23/supreme-court-striks-down-consealed-firearm-permits/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/23/supreme-court-striks-down-consealed-firearm-permits/", "title": "Supreme Court strikes down concealed-firearm permits", "date_published": "2022-06-23T15:47:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-23T15:47:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What is the fundamental definition of self-esteem? It’s you ability to see yourself as a flawed person and still hold yourself in high regard.
\n\n
Timothy Zick and Diana Palmer writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nJustice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 6–3 majority in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, said, “The Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.” Bruen thus opens one of the next major battlegrounds over guns in America: not who can buy guns or what guns can be bought but where these firearms can be carried, every day, by the millions and millions of Americans who own them.
\n\nThis question will have major implications for what it’s like to be an American. Are people carrying guns at schools and shopping malls and public parks? What about at churches and synagogues and mosques? What is it like to pray in places where fellow supplicants are armed? Courts and legislatures will have to decide whether people can carry guns at protests and political demonstrations, in voting booths, on the subway and bus, and in pretty much every other public space in American life. The Supreme Court spent several decades determining where in the public square—streets, sidewalks, airports, fairgrounds, public libraries, public plazas—speakers have a First Amendment right to communicate. The Court’s answer—not in every place, and not equally in all places—is probably a harbinger for how the justices will determine the “sensitive places” where firearms can be restricted.
\n\n
As if the US was not scary place before, this is will guarantee an increase in gun violence. We are a sick country.
\n", "content_html": "Timothy Zick and Diana Palmer writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nJustice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 6–3 majority in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, said, “The Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.” Bruen thus opens one of the next major battlegrounds over guns in America: not who can buy guns or what guns can be bought but where these firearms can be carried, every day, by the millions and millions of Americans who own them.
\n\nThis question will have major implications for what it’s like to be an American. Are people carrying guns at schools and shopping malls and public parks? What about at churches and synagogues and mosques? What is it like to pray in places where fellow supplicants are armed? Courts and legislatures will have to decide whether people can carry guns at protests and political demonstrations, in voting booths, on the subway and bus, and in pretty much every other public space in American life. The Supreme Court spent several decades determining where in the public square—streets, sidewalks, airports, fairgrounds, public libraries, public plazas—speakers have a First Amendment right to communicate. The Court’s answer—not in every place, and not equally in all places—is probably a harbinger for how the justices will determine the “sensitive places” where firearms can be restricted.
\n\n
As if the US was not scary place before, this is will guarantee an increase in gun violence. We are a sick country.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/27/the-original-apple-watch/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/27/the-original-apple-watch/", "title": "The Original Apple Watch?", "date_published": "2022-06-27T10:00:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-27T10:00:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Seiko](\"/assets/images/seiko-watch.jpg\")
Seiko released what might be considered as the pre-cursor to the Apple Watch(time/date/chrono/audio/TV) if the Apple Watch was released in an age without the internet.
\n\n\n\nThe very first model, DXA001, was only available to customers in Tokyo and Osaka for 108 000 JPY, and the second model, DXA002, was available in the whole of Japan at the cost of 98 000 JPY.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSEIKO TV watch consists of a 1.2-inch liquid crystal display screen set in a standard digital watch. The tiny TV can receive all UHF and VHF channels via an external receiver, connecting to the watch via a cable and connector. In its original function, the watch can be used as a timer and alarm, while the special features also include UKW radio in stereo quality.
They even sold for $300 and $500 (although in 2022 money that would amount to approximately $850 and $1460).
\n", "content_html": "
Seiko released what might be considered as the pre-cursor to the Apple Watch(time/date/chrono/audio/TV) if the Apple Watch was released in an age without the internet.
\n\n\n\nThe very first model, DXA001, was only available to customers in Tokyo and Osaka for 108 000 JPY, and the second model, DXA002, was available in the whole of Japan at the cost of 98 000 JPY.
\n\n[..]
\n\nSEIKO TV watch consists of a 1.2-inch liquid crystal display screen set in a standard digital watch. The tiny TV can receive all UHF and VHF channels via an external receiver, connecting to the watch via a cable and connector. In its original function, the watch can be used as a timer and alarm, while the special features also include UKW radio in stereo quality.
They even sold for $300 and $500 (although in 2022 money that would amount to approximately $850 and $1460).
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/27/the-new-cold-war/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/27/the-new-cold-war/", "title": "The new Cold War", "date_published": "2022-06-27T13:29:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-27T13:29:48-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Looks like we are being plunged back into 80s era between NATO and the East. Except this time it’s between a Russia, China and North Korea. From Reuters:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Stoltenberg said NATO in future would have “well over 300,000” troops on high alert, compared to 40,000 troops that currently make up the alliance’s existing quick reaction force, the NATO Response Force (NRF).
\n\nThe new force model is meant to replace the NRF and “provide a larger pool of high readiness forces across domains, land, sea, air and cyber, which will be pre-assigned to specific plans for the defence of allies,” a NATO official said.
\n\nNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference ahead of a NATO summit that will take place in Madrid, at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron\nStoltenberg said NATO combat units on the alliance’s eastern flank nearest Russia, especially the Baltic states, are to be boosted to brigade level, with thousands of pre-assigned troops on standby in countries further west like Germany as rapid reinforcements.
\n\n“Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War,” he said.
Looks like we are being plunged back into 80s era between NATO and the East. Except this time it’s between a Russia, China and North Korea. From Reuters:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/29/everything-happens-so-much/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/29/everything-happens-so-much/", "title": "Everything happens so much\t", "date_published": "2022-06-29T01:10:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-29T01:10:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Stoltenberg said NATO in future would have “well over 300,000” troops on high alert, compared to 40,000 troops that currently make up the alliance’s existing quick reaction force, the NATO Response Force (NRF).
\n\nThe new force model is meant to replace the NRF and “provide a larger pool of high readiness forces across domains, land, sea, air and cyber, which will be pre-assigned to specific plans for the defence of allies,” a NATO official said.
\n\nNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference ahead of a NATO summit that will take place in Madrid, at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron\nStoltenberg said NATO combat units on the alliance’s eastern flank nearest Russia, especially the Baltic states, are to be boosted to brigade level, with thousands of pre-assigned troops on standby in countries further west like Germany as rapid reinforcements.
\n\n“Together, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold War,” he said.
From Kaitlyn Tiffany in The Atlantic :
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Near the top of any list of the most treasured sentence fragments posted there, the now-defunct account @Horse_ebooks would have several entries. Twitter users still recirculate strange classics like “(using fingers to indicate triangular shape) SMELL SMELL SMELL GOOD NEW NEW NEW slice drink MATCH SPARKLER (thrown in air) STARS STARS STARS.” But the best-known @Horse_ebooks tweet, posted 10 years ago today, was astounding in its clarity and salience. It described both the internet and our entire human world. “Everything happens so much,” @Horse_ebooks tweeted on June 28, 2012.
From Kaitlyn Tiffany in The Atlantic :
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/30/43-senate-republicans-let-trump-get-away-with-it/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/06/30/43-senate-republicans-let-trump-get-away-with-it/", "title": "43 Senate Republicans Let Trump Get Away With It", "date_published": "2022-06-30T18:11:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-06-30T18:11:48-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Near the top of any list of the most treasured sentence fragments posted there, the now-defunct account @Horse_ebooks would have several entries. Twitter users still recirculate strange classics like “(using fingers to indicate triangular shape) SMELL SMELL SMELL GOOD NEW NEW NEW slice drink MATCH SPARKLER (thrown in air) STARS STARS STARS.” But the best-known @Horse_ebooks tweet, posted 10 years ago today, was astounding in its clarity and salience. It described both the internet and our entire human world. “Everything happens so much,” @Horse_ebooks tweeted on June 28, 2012.
![\"Senate](\"/assets/images/43senators.png\")
Adam Serwer exposes the other 43 people who are also culpable for the failed coup attempt on January 6th 2021:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Joining with Democrats to hold Trump accountable would have done too much damage to the party. Better to erode the foundations of American democracy than risk giving the rival party any advantage.
\n\nThis is cowardice, but also ideology: Since liberals are not Real Americans, it is no sin to deprive them of power by undemocratic means. In this view, Trump’s behavior might be misguided, but his heart remainsI in the right place, in that his mob sought to ensure that only those worthy to participate in American democracy can hold the reins of power, regardless of whom the voters actually choose.
\n\nAlthough seven Republican senators broke ranks and voted to convict Trump, most of the caucus remained loyal to a man who attempted to bring down the republic, because in the end, they would have been content to rule over the ruins.
Adam Serwer exposes the other 43 people who are also culpable for the failed coup attempt on January 6th 2021:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/07/09/facebook-removing-posts-offering-abortion-pills/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/07/09/facebook-removing-posts-offering-abortion-pills/", "title": "Facebook removing posts offering abortion pills", "date_published": "2022-07-09T10:52:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-07-09T10:52:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Joining with Democrats to hold Trump accountable would have done too much damage to the party. Better to erode the foundations of American democracy than risk giving the rival party any advantage.
\n\nThis is cowardice, but also ideology: Since liberals are not Real Americans, it is no sin to deprive them of power by undemocratic means. In this view, Trump’s behavior might be misguided, but his heart remainsI in the right place, in that his mob sought to ensure that only those worthy to participate in American democracy can hold the reins of power, regardless of whom the voters actually choose.
\n\nAlthough seven Republican senators broke ranks and voted to convict Trump, most of the caucus remained loyal to a man who attempted to bring down the republic, because in the end, they would have been content to rule over the ruins.
Amand Seitz writing for The Associated Press:
\n\n\n\nThe AP obtained a screenshot on Friday of one Instagram post from a woman who offered to purchase or forward abortion pills through the mail, minutes after the court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion.
\n\n“DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours,” the post on Instagram read.
\n\nInstagram took it down within moments. Vice Media first reported on Monday that Meta, the parent of both Facebook and Instagram, was taking down posts about abortion pills.
\n\nOn Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: “If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills.” The post was removed within one minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on a “warning” status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on “guns, animals and other regulated goods.”
\n\nYet, when the AP reporter made the same exact post but swapped out the words “abortion pills” for “a gun,” the post remained untouched. A post with the same exact offer to mail “weed” was also left up and not considered a violation.
The hypocrisy of the Pro-Life movement in America.
\n", "content_html": "Amand Seitz writing for The Associated Press:
\n\n\n\nThe AP obtained a screenshot on Friday of one Instagram post from a woman who offered to purchase or forward abortion pills through the mail, minutes after the court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion.
\n\n“DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours,” the post on Instagram read.
\n\nInstagram took it down within moments. Vice Media first reported on Monday that Meta, the parent of both Facebook and Instagram, was taking down posts about abortion pills.
\n\nOn Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: “If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills.” The post was removed within one minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on a “warning” status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on “guns, animals and other regulated goods.”
\n\nYet, when the AP reporter made the same exact post but swapped out the words “abortion pills” for “a gun,” the post remained untouched. A post with the same exact offer to mail “weed” was also left up and not considered a violation.
The hypocrisy of the Pro-Life movement in America.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/06/git-in-minutes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/06/git-in-minutes/", "title": "Git in minutes", "date_published": "2022-08-06T16:28:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-08-06T16:28:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This is very minimalistic guide to git. But it’s enough to be useful for beginning users, and provides a start from which you can grow.
\n\nWhy does this even matter? Well, one of the most annoying and time-consuming experiences a user can have is to realize that something that used to work no longer does. In such situations, simply being able to see changes and go back to an earlier version can be a huge help. Also, being able to go back gives you freedom to experiment with a new approach — there’s no problem experimenting because you can always go back.
\n\nWhen you have a chance, you should definitely learn about such features as staging and branching, and pushing and pulling to/from remote repositories. But what you’ll learn here will still be useful!
\n\nNote: When a filename is mentioned below, you can just as easily use a file path.
\n\nWe’re assuming you’re working in a directory. The first thing you should do is:
\n\n![](\"https://image.businessinsider.com/5e1409b9855cc227100ec8f2?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp\")
![](\"/assets/images/EarthIBIS.png\")
git init\nwhich initializes the directory for git use.
\n\nNow you have to tell git which files it should care about. If you have N files, you can do
\n\n git add <file1> <file2> … <fileN>\nto add them. Or if you want to add every file in the directory, you can do
\n\n git add .\nNext, we need to commit changes. Any time you want to commit changes to one or more files, do
\n\n git commit <file1> <file2> … <fileN> -m \"This is your commit message\"\nOr, to commit all files that have changed since the last commit:
\n\n git commit -a -m \"This is your commit message for all changed files\"\nBe sure to make your commit message contain enough of a description that you can figure out what version you want to go back to.
\n\nNow we need a way to see old versions are available. To see your commit messages along with each version’s “hash” (a number that refers to the version), you can use the following command to show them in a one-version-per-line output.
\n\n git log --pretty=oneline\nThat will give you output that looks like the following, showing each commit’s hash together with its commit message
\n\n dbe28a0a1eba45d823d309cc3659069fc16297e3 4th version I wanted to commit\n 13bbf385e6d1f94c7f11a4cdfa2a7688dfdd84f8 3rd\n a1696f671fb90dc8ea34645a6f851d0ab0152fc2 2nd version\n 179e59467039c7a7b81f676297415c8e018542a0 first version\nNote, you can also use
\n\n git log\nfor a much more verbose output, with multiple lines per version, and you can use
\n\n git log --pretty=oneline -- <filename>\nto view only the changes for a particular file. (Note the space after the second pair of dashes!)
\n\nTo restore a file to an earlier version, you need to identify the version you want to restore. To restore the most recently committed version, just do:
\n\n git checkout HEAD -- <filename>\nTo get back an earlier version, just use the first few characters of the hash (enough to uniquely distinguish it):
\n\n git checkout <hash> -- <filename>\nFor example,
\n\n git checkout 179e59467039 -- myfile\nwill revert my file to the contents of the file called myfile that are associated with the 179e59467039c7a7b81f676297415c8e018542a0 hash (in this case, the first committed version of the file).
\n\nYou usually won’t want to retrieve an old version of a file without first examining the changes it contains! To see a list of the changes between the current file and the most recently committed one, you use the fact that HEAD represents the most recent commit:
\n\n git diff HEAD -- <filename>\nAlternatively, see a list of differences between the current version of a file and a historical one, you refer to the historical version’s hash:
\n\n git diff <hash> -- <filename>\nYou can also compare two historical versions:
\n\n git diff <hash1> <hash2> -- <filename>\nFinally, to see a list of the changes you’ve made since your last commit across all files, simply do:
\n\n git diff\nNote: all the diff variants shown above put the results into a pager. You can page through using the space bar, and quit with q. If you don’t want to use the pager, add -P, like:
\n\n git -P diff HEAD -- <filename>\nMore often than I care to admit, I’ve committed a change and then found that there was an error in either the commit message or in the code itself. I don’t see any need to keep that error for posterity. So here’s how to undo it:
\n\n git reset HEAD^\nWhile you can get a lot of benefit using just the features above, here’s one more thing you’ll find to be useful. If you don’t want to bother with it now, don’t – try it another time.
\n\nSometimes, you’re not sure what files have changed. To find out, you can do:
\n\n git status\nThat’ll generate a list of files and their statuses. For example, a file that hasn’t been “git add”-ed will be listed as untracked; if it’s a file you care about, you should add it.
\n\nThe reason I consider this command “optional” in a two-minute guide is that it can be a little unwieldy. It can list a lot of files you don’t care about. For instance, if you’re programming in Python, it’ll show the compiled .pyc files that Python generates. And you’ll probably want to do something about that.
\n\nTo fix it, you need to create a file called .gitignore in your project directory. For instance, if you’re working on a project in Python 2.x, you’ll probably want it to contain (at least):
\n\n .pyc\nNotice that .gitignore understands the * wildcard. And if you want to hide an entire directory, you append the folder name with a slash. For instance you’re working in Python 3.x, the compiled files go in a directory called pycache, so you’ll want the following in your .gitignore:
\n\n __pycache__/\nAnd that’s it!
\n\nThat’s all you need to know to get started with git, as long as you have a regular backup strategy for your hard drive. If you don’t want to memorize anything, just keep this guide bookmarked and you’ll be able to commit, compare versions, and get back old versions without any trouble!
\n\nRemember, this guide is literally as minimalistic as you can possibly get in order to do something useful with git. For powerful features like branching, staging, and sharing with others via a remote server, be sure to move on to Git In Five Minutes and even (?!) longer git guides when you have a chance!
\n", "content_html": "This is very minimalistic guide to git. But it’s enough to be useful for beginning users, and provides a start from which you can grow.
\n\nWhy does this even matter? Well, one of the most annoying and time-consuming experiences a user can have is to realize that something that used to work no longer does. In such situations, simply being able to see changes and go back to an earlier version can be a huge help. Also, being able to go back gives you freedom to experiment with a new approach — there’s no problem experimenting because you can always go back.
\n\nWhen you have a chance, you should definitely learn about such features as staging and branching, and pushing and pulling to/from remote repositories. But what you’ll learn here will still be useful!
\n\nNote: When a filename is mentioned below, you can just as easily use a file path.
\n\nWe’re assuming you’re working in a directory. The first thing you should do is:
\n\n git init\nwhich initializes the directory for git use.
\n\nNow you have to tell git which files it should care about. If you have N files, you can do
\n\n git add <file1> <file2> … <fileN>\nto add them. Or if you want to add every file in the directory, you can do
\n\n git add .\nNext, we need to commit changes. Any time you want to commit changes to one or more files, do
\n\n git commit <file1> <file2> … <fileN> -m \"This is your commit message\"\nOr, to commit all files that have changed since the last commit:
\n\n git commit -a -m \"This is your commit message for all changed files\"\nBe sure to make your commit message contain enough of a description that you can figure out what version you want to go back to.
\n\nNow we need a way to see old versions are available. To see your commit messages along with each version’s “hash” (a number that refers to the version), you can use the following command to show them in a one-version-per-line output.
\n\n git log --pretty=oneline\nThat will give you output that looks like the following, showing each commit’s hash together with its commit message
\n\n dbe28a0a1eba45d823d309cc3659069fc16297e3 4th version I wanted to commit\n 13bbf385e6d1f94c7f11a4cdfa2a7688dfdd84f8 3rd\n a1696f671fb90dc8ea34645a6f851d0ab0152fc2 2nd version\n 179e59467039c7a7b81f676297415c8e018542a0 first version\nNote, you can also use
\n\n git log\nfor a much more verbose output, with multiple lines per version, and you can use
\n\n git log --pretty=oneline -- <filename>\nto view only the changes for a particular file. (Note the space after the second pair of dashes!)
\n\nTo restore a file to an earlier version, you need to identify the version you want to restore. To restore the most recently committed version, just do:
\n\n git checkout HEAD -- <filename>\nTo get back an earlier version, just use the first few characters of the hash (enough to uniquely distinguish it):
\n\n git checkout <hash> -- <filename>\nFor example,
\n\n git checkout 179e59467039 -- myfile\nwill revert my file to the contents of the file called myfile that are associated with the 179e59467039c7a7b81f676297415c8e018542a0 hash (in this case, the first committed version of the file).
\n\nYou usually won’t want to retrieve an old version of a file without first examining the changes it contains! To see a list of the changes between the current file and the most recently committed one, you use the fact that HEAD represents the most recent commit:
\n\n git diff HEAD -- <filename>\nAlternatively, see a list of differences between the current version of a file and a historical one, you refer to the historical version’s hash:
\n\n git diff <hash> -- <filename>\nYou can also compare two historical versions:
\n\n git diff <hash1> <hash2> -- <filename>\nFinally, to see a list of the changes you’ve made since your last commit across all files, simply do:
\n\n git diff\nNote: all the diff variants shown above put the results into a pager. You can page through using the space bar, and quit with q. If you don’t want to use the pager, add -P, like:
\n\n git -P diff HEAD -- <filename>\nMore often than I care to admit, I’ve committed a change and then found that there was an error in either the commit message or in the code itself. I don’t see any need to keep that error for posterity. So here’s how to undo it:
\n\n git reset HEAD^\nWhile you can get a lot of benefit using just the features above, here’s one more thing you’ll find to be useful. If you don’t want to bother with it now, don’t – try it another time.
\n\nSometimes, you’re not sure what files have changed. To find out, you can do:
\n\n git status\nThat’ll generate a list of files and their statuses. For example, a file that hasn’t been “git add”-ed will be listed as untracked; if it’s a file you care about, you should add it.
\n\nThe reason I consider this command “optional” in a two-minute guide is that it can be a little unwieldy. It can list a lot of files you don’t care about. For instance, if you’re programming in Python, it’ll show the compiled .pyc files that Python generates. And you’ll probably want to do something about that.
\n\nTo fix it, you need to create a file called .gitignore in your project directory. For instance, if you’re working on a project in Python 2.x, you’ll probably want it to contain (at least):
\n\n .pyc\nNotice that .gitignore understands the * wildcard. And if you want to hide an entire directory, you append the folder name with a slash. For instance you’re working in Python 3.x, the compiled files go in a directory called pycache, so you’ll want the following in your .gitignore:
\n\n __pycache__/\nAnd that’s it!
\n\nThat’s all you need to know to get started with git, as long as you have a regular backup strategy for your hard drive. If you don’t want to memorize anything, just keep this guide bookmarked and you’ll be able to commit, compare versions, and get back old versions without any trouble!
\n\nRemember, this guide is literally as minimalistic as you can possibly get in order to do something useful with git. For powerful features like branching, staging, and sharing with others via a remote server, be sure to move on to Git In Five Minutes and even (?!) longer git guides when you have a chance!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/07/the-day-the-music-died/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/07/the-day-the-music-died/", "title": "The day the music died?", "date_published": "2022-08-07T11:45:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-08-07T11:45:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nOnce upon a time, just outside Soho in central London, there was a legendary hive of musical energy. It was centred on Denmark Street – Britain’s Tin Pan Alley – a strip of shops selling instruments and sheet music, with clubs and bars and such things as production facilities and agents’ and managers’ offices on the upper floors, where new-in-town fans and nascent musicians could mingle with stars. Everything to do with music – writing, producing, performing, listening, selling – could be done within its short length.
\n\n[…]
\n\nMany hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of construction later, there is still a street of musical instrument shops, plus new venues and production facilities, plus a “radical new technology-driven marketing, entertainment and information service housed in a super-flexible, digitally enabled streetscape”, plus much else. There will be “busking points” and clubs. The Astoria has gone, but a new 600-seat theatre called @sohoplace is on the way, on a site next to where it stood.
\n\nOn paper, then, its mix of uses is like that of the past, but in spirit it is utterly changed. It is built on the obvious paradox that a culture fuelled by rebellion and chaos should now be channelled through the processes of large property owners. Anarchy in the UK it is not. Or, rather, it is a new kind of scaled-up anarchy, where the boys making all the noise are big businesses.
\n\n
Depressing.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nOnce upon a time, just outside Soho in central London, there was a legendary hive of musical energy. It was centred on Denmark Street – Britain’s Tin Pan Alley – a strip of shops selling instruments and sheet music, with clubs and bars and such things as production facilities and agents’ and managers’ offices on the upper floors, where new-in-town fans and nascent musicians could mingle with stars. Everything to do with music – writing, producing, performing, listening, selling – could be done within its short length.
\n\n[…]
\n\nMany hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of construction later, there is still a street of musical instrument shops, plus new venues and production facilities, plus a “radical new technology-driven marketing, entertainment and information service housed in a super-flexible, digitally enabled streetscape”, plus much else. There will be “busking points” and clubs. The Astoria has gone, but a new 600-seat theatre called @sohoplace is on the way, on a site next to where it stood.
\n\nOn paper, then, its mix of uses is like that of the past, but in spirit it is utterly changed. It is built on the obvious paradox that a culture fuelled by rebellion and chaos should now be channelled through the processes of large property owners. Anarchy in the UK it is not. Or, rather, it is a new kind of scaled-up anarchy, where the boys making all the noise are big businesses.
\n\n
Depressing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/10/the-case-against-a-c-alternative/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/08/10/the-case-against-a-c-alternative/", "title": "Stop trying to reinvent C", "date_published": "2022-08-10T01:39:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-08-10T01:39:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nWhile developers may be excited by new languages, that enthusiasm doesn’t translate to business value.
\n\nSo no matter how exciting that C alternative may look, it probably will fail.
\n\n
Trying to “replace” C is like trying to replace the wheel with something more innovative. Sure, you might get something flashier, safer, or more abstracted, but at the end of the day, the raw power, minimalism, and sheer ubiquity of C are unmatched. It’s not just a language — it’s an institution. You don’t replace institutions; you build on top of them, or you live in their shadow.
\n\nThe designs that last are the ones that get out of the way and just work. You don’t need a language that tries to protect you from yourself — you need one that trusts you to know what the hell you’re doing.
\n\nC will still be around when the languages trying to “fix” it are footnotes in the compiler manuals.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nWhile developers may be excited by new languages, that enthusiasm doesn’t translate to business value.
\n\nSo no matter how exciting that C alternative may look, it probably will fail.
\n\n
Trying to “replace” C is like trying to replace the wheel with something more innovative. Sure, you might get something flashier, safer, or more abstracted, but at the end of the day, the raw power, minimalism, and sheer ubiquity of C are unmatched. It’s not just a language — it’s an institution. You don’t replace institutions; you build on top of them, or you live in their shadow.
\n\nThe designs that last are the ones that get out of the way and just work. You don’t need a language that tries to protect you from yourself — you need one that trusts you to know what the hell you’re doing.
\n\nC will still be around when the languages trying to “fix” it are footnotes in the compiler manuals.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/12/goodbye-garmin/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/12/goodbye-garmin/", "title": "Goodbye Garmin", "date_published": "2022-09-12T02:37:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-09-12T02:37:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Apple’s new rugged Apple Watch Ultra is causing Garmin some sleepless nights. In a tweet following the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch event Garmin states that it measures battery life in “months” and “not hours.”
\n\n\nWe measure battery life in months. Not hours. #Enduro2 pic.twitter.com/OcTLdpvHV6
— Garmin (@Garmin) September 8, 2022
Not quite - Garmin claims that it measures battery life in months, with the Enduro 2 as having “up to 150 hours of battery life in GPS mode with solar charging” and “up to 34 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.” Sure it’s a longer battery life, but is at a significantly less features than the Apple Watch Ultra at a cost of $300 more.
\n\nApple is promising up to 36 hours of normal use and up to 60 hours with watchOS 9’s new Low Power Mode setting and other optimizations. But the caveat here is that the Apple Watch Ultra also has a wide range of advanced sensors, including the ability to take an ECG, measure blood oxygen level, alerts for high and low heart rates, and a new body temperature sensor focusing on women’s health.
\n\nThe Apple Watch Ultra is offered in a 49mm case and costs $799, while the Enduro 2 costs $1,099.
\n\nGarmin is fighting Apple with a product with less features costing $300 more. not a good situation to be in - and something I would not be tweet bragging about.
\n\nGoodbye Garmin.
\n", "content_html": "Apple’s new rugged Apple Watch Ultra is causing Garmin some sleepless nights. In a tweet following the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch event Garmin states that it measures battery life in “months” and “not hours.”
\n\n\nWe measure battery life in months. Not hours. #Enduro2 pic.twitter.com/OcTLdpvHV6
— Garmin (@Garmin) September 8, 2022
Not quite - Garmin claims that it measures battery life in months, with the Enduro 2 as having “up to 150 hours of battery life in GPS mode with solar charging” and “up to 34 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.” Sure it’s a longer battery life, but is at a significantly less features than the Apple Watch Ultra at a cost of $300 more.
\n\nApple is promising up to 36 hours of normal use and up to 60 hours with watchOS 9’s new Low Power Mode setting and other optimizations. But the caveat here is that the Apple Watch Ultra also has a wide range of advanced sensors, including the ability to take an ECG, measure blood oxygen level, alerts for high and low heart rates, and a new body temperature sensor focusing on women’s health.
\n\nThe Apple Watch Ultra is offered in a 49mm case and costs $799, while the Enduro 2 costs $1,099.
\n\nGarmin is fighting Apple with a product with less features costing $300 more. not a good situation to be in - and something I would not be tweet bragging about.
\n\nGoodbye Garmin.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/16/quote-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/16/quote-of-the-day/", "title": "Quote of the Day", "date_published": "2022-09-16T02:21:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-09-16T02:21:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man
\n\n– Benjamin Franklin
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/23/david-bowie-every-hairstyle/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/09/23/david-bowie-every-hairstyle/", "title": "David Bowie - Every hairstyle", "date_published": "2022-09-23T01:10:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-09-23T01:10:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man
\n\n– Benjamin Franklin
All the hairstyles worn by David Bowie from before he was a star in 1964 on up to the time of his passing. Here is an animated GIF created by Helen Green:
\n\nAll the hairstyles worn by David Bowie from before he was a star in 1964 on up to the time of his passing. Here is an animated GIF created by Helen Green:
\n\nDavid Smith on the Apple Watch Ultra:
\n\n\n\nWhile I was putting together this review I kept coming back to the analogy that the Ultra is like a pick-up truck. Useful in regular, daily life but capable of heading offroad or carrying gravel from the garden store. It still drives like a regular car, but can do more. The Ultra has retained its “Apply Watch-ey-ness” while expanding its range of uses, which is exactly what I want. If they had instead made a dump truck (which in this analogy are the highly specialized, sport specific watches) it certainly would have been able to carry more gravel than a pick-up, but also been way less useful overall.
Perfect analogy.
\n", "content_html": "David Smith on the Apple Watch Ultra:
\n\n\n\nWhile I was putting together this review I kept coming back to the analogy that the Ultra is like a pick-up truck. Useful in regular, daily life but capable of heading offroad or carrying gravel from the garden store. It still drives like a regular car, but can do more. The Ultra has retained its “Apply Watch-ey-ness” while expanding its range of uses, which is exactly what I want. If they had instead made a dump truck (which in this analogy are the highly specialized, sport specific watches) it certainly would have been able to carry more gravel than a pick-up, but also been way less useful overall.
Perfect analogy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/05/weight-lifting-for-your-brain/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/05/weight-lifting-for-your-brain/", "title": "weight lifting for your brain", "date_published": "2022-10-05T02:03:50-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-05T02:03:50-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I wish every kid in school got this answer to the question - “When am I ever going to use this …”:
\n\n\n\nWe all kind of sit there for a few second and then one student raises her hand and asks, “When are we ever going to use calculus in our lives?”
\n\n“NEVER!!” Mr. Welch bellows like an avalanche, slamming his palms down on the desk in front of him. “You will never use calculus in your day-to-day life, so I don’t ever want you to ask me about it.”
\n\nEverybody in the class was kind of stunned into silence, but then Mr. Welch continued in a gentler tone. “OK then, if you’re not going to use calculus in your life, then why are you taking this class?” We all looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.
\n\nMr. Welch turned to one of the football players in the class. “Tim,” he said, “do you and the other guys on the football team ever use the weight room as part of your team practice?”
\n\n“Sure,” Tim replied. “We lift weights twice a week.”
\n\n“Why?!” Mr. Welch shot back. “Will there ever be a game where it will be necessary to lie down on the field and benchpress somebody from the other team?”
\n\n“No,” Tim replied.
\n\n“Then why do you do it?”
\n\n“Because it makes us stronger.”
\n\n“BINGO,” said Mr. Welch. “You’re not here in this class because calculus is going to be some essential life skill that you’re going to use every day. You’re here because calculus is weight lifting for your brain.”
Weight lifting for your brain.
\n", "content_html": "I wish every kid in school got this answer to the question - “When am I ever going to use this …”:
\n\n\n\nWe all kind of sit there for a few second and then one student raises her hand and asks, “When are we ever going to use calculus in our lives?”
\n\n“NEVER!!” Mr. Welch bellows like an avalanche, slamming his palms down on the desk in front of him. “You will never use calculus in your day-to-day life, so I don’t ever want you to ask me about it.”
\n\nEverybody in the class was kind of stunned into silence, but then Mr. Welch continued in a gentler tone. “OK then, if you’re not going to use calculus in your life, then why are you taking this class?” We all looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.
\n\nMr. Welch turned to one of the football players in the class. “Tim,” he said, “do you and the other guys on the football team ever use the weight room as part of your team practice?”
\n\n“Sure,” Tim replied. “We lift weights twice a week.”
\n\n“Why?!” Mr. Welch shot back. “Will there ever be a game where it will be necessary to lie down on the field and benchpress somebody from the other team?”
\n\n“No,” Tim replied.
\n\n“Then why do you do it?”
\n\n“Because it makes us stronger.”
\n\n“BINGO,” said Mr. Welch. “You’re not here in this class because calculus is going to be some essential life skill that you’re going to use every day. You’re here because calculus is weight lifting for your brain.”
Weight lifting for your brain.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/07/greatest-political-ad-of-all-time/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/07/greatest-political-ad-of-all-time/", "title": "Greatest Political Ad of all time?", "date_published": "2022-10-07T22:49:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-07T22:49:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\nThis is why John Fetterman’s campaign is different.
\n", "content_html": "\nThis is why John Fetterman’s campaign is different.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/14/united-states-v-donald-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/10/14/united-states-v-donald-trump/", "title": "United States v Donald Trump", "date_published": "2022-10-14T19:05:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-14T19:05:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"/assets/images//Merrick-Garland.jpg\")
\n\n\nAnd as the nation’s chief law-enforcement officer, he is a hyper-prudential institutionalist who would like nothing more than to restore—quietly and deliberately—the Justice Department’s reputation for probity, process, and apolitical dispassion. Which is why it is so difficult for me to imagine him delighting in the choice he now faces: whether to become the first attorney general in American history to indict a former president.
But this is what I believe he is preparing himself to do.
[...]
Over the course of my reporting, I came to appreciate that the qualities that strike Garland’s critics as liabilities would make him uniquely suited to overseeing Trump’s prosecution. The fact that he is strangely out of step with the times—that he is one of the few Americans in public life who don’t channel or perform political anger—equips him to craft the strongest, most fair-minded case, a case that a neutral observer would regard as legitimate.
United States v. Donald Trump would be about more than punishing crimes—whether inciting an insurrection, scheming to undermine an election, or absconding with classified documents. An indictment would be a signal to Trump, as well as to would-be imitators, that no one is above the law. This is the principle that has animated Garland’s career, which began as the Justice Department was attempting to reassert its independence, and legitimacy, after the ugly meddling of the Nixon years. If Garland has at times seemed daunted by the historic nature of the moment, that is at least in part because he appreciates how closely his next move will be studied, and the role it will play in heading off—or not—the next catastrophe.
Just get on with it already.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nAnd as the nation’s chief law-enforcement officer, he is a hyper-prudential institutionalist who would like nothing more than to restore—quietly and deliberately—the Justice Department’s reputation for probity, process, and apolitical dispassion. Which is why it is so difficult for me to imagine him delighting in the choice he now faces: whether to become the first attorney general in American history to indict a former president.
But this is what I believe he is preparing himself to do.
[...]
Over the course of my reporting, I came to appreciate that the qualities that strike Garland’s critics as liabilities would make him uniquely suited to overseeing Trump’s prosecution. The fact that he is strangely out of step with the times—that he is one of the few Americans in public life who don’t channel or perform political anger—equips him to craft the strongest, most fair-minded case, a case that a neutral observer would regard as legitimate.
United States v. Donald Trump would be about more than punishing crimes—whether inciting an insurrection, scheming to undermine an election, or absconding with classified documents. An indictment would be a signal to Trump, as well as to would-be imitators, that no one is above the law. This is the principle that has animated Garland’s career, which began as the Justice Department was attempting to reassert its independence, and legitimacy, after the ugly meddling of the Nixon years. If Garland has at times seemed daunted by the historic nature of the moment, that is at least in part because he appreciates how closely his next move will be studied, and the role it will play in heading off—or not—the next catastrophe.
Just get on with it already.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/06/both-sides-affair-in-2020s-americ/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/06/both-sides-affair-in-2020s-americ/", "title": "It's not a “both sides” affair in 2020s America", "date_published": "2022-11-06T23:27:52-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-11-06T23:27:52-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "David Frum for for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "But if both Republicans and Democrats, left and right, suffer political violence, the same cannot be said of those who celebrate political violence. That’s not a “both sides” affair in 2020s America.
\n\nYou don’t see Democratic House members wielding weapons in videos and threatening to shoot candidates who want to cut capital-gains taxes or slow the growth of Medicare. Democratic candidates for Senate do not post video fantasies of hunting and executing political rivals, or of using a firearm to discipline their children’s romantic partners. It’s not because of Democratic members that Speaker Nancy Pelosi installed metal detectors to bar firearms from the floor of the House. No Democratic equivalent exists of Donald Trump, who regularly praises and encourages violence as a normal tool of politics, most recently against his own party’s Senate leader, Mitch McConnell. As the formerly Trump-leaning Wall Street Journal editorialized on October 2: “It’s all too easy to imagine some fanatic taking Mr. Trump seriously and literally, and attempting to kill Mr. McConnell. Many supporters took Mr. Trump’s rhetoric about former Vice President Mike Pence all too seriously on Jan. 6.”
David Frum for for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/15/20-rules-for-making-money/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/15/20-rules-for-making-money/", "title": "20 Rules for Making Money", "date_published": "2022-11-15T05:16:39-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-11-15T05:16:39-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But if both Republicans and Democrats, left and right, suffer political violence, the same cannot be said of those who celebrate political violence. That’s not a “both sides” affair in 2020s America.
\n\nYou don’t see Democratic House members wielding weapons in videos and threatening to shoot candidates who want to cut capital-gains taxes or slow the growth of Medicare. Democratic candidates for Senate do not post video fantasies of hunting and executing political rivals, or of using a firearm to discipline their children’s romantic partners. It’s not because of Democratic members that Speaker Nancy Pelosi installed metal detectors to bar firearms from the floor of the House. No Democratic equivalent exists of Donald Trump, who regularly praises and encourages violence as a normal tool of politics, most recently against his own party’s Senate leader, Mitch McConnell. As the formerly Trump-leaning Wall Street Journal editorialized on October 2: “It’s all too easy to imagine some fanatic taking Mr. Trump seriously and literally, and attempting to kill Mr. McConnell. Many supporters took Mr. Trump’s rhetoric about former Vice President Mike Pence all too seriously on Jan. 6.”
20 rules for making money form d a book published by P.T. Barnum called The Art of Money Getting:
\n\nYou can get read it online.
\n", "content_html": "20 rules for making money form d a book published by P.T. Barnum called The Art of Money Getting:
\n\nYou can get read it online.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/26/artificial-intelligence-art-wins-state-fair/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/26/artificial-intelligence-art-wins-state-fair/", "title": "Artificial Intelligence Art wins state fair", "date_published": "2022-11-26T05:52:13-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-11-26T05:52:13-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![](\"https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/JEdQXc02Bkx92wcN2hGeFGt54Hc=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale():focal(460x307:461x308)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/91/31/91312024-89f0-46c8-91a8-b9345fd64a92/screen_shot_2022-09-02_at_23648_pm.png\" "\\"Théâtre")
\n\n\nJason Allen, a video game designer in Pueblo, Colorado, spent roughly 80 hours working on his entry to the Colorado State Fair’s digital arts competition. Judges awarded him first place, which came with a $300 prize.
But when Allen posted about his win on social media late last month, his artwork went viral—for all the wrong reasons.
Allen’s victory took a turn when he revealed online that he’d created his prize-winning art using Midjourney, an artificial intelligence program that can turn text descriptions into images. He says he also made that clear to state fair officials when he dropped off his submission, called Théâtre D’opéra Spatial. But over the last week or so, his blue ribbon has sparked an impassioned debate about what constitutes art.
If the art you create can be be generated by AI, it’s not art.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\n\nJason Allen, a video game designer in Pueblo, Colorado, spent roughly 80 hours working on his entry to the Colorado State Fair’s digital arts competition. Judges awarded him first place, which came with a $300 prize.
But when Allen posted about his win on social media late last month, his artwork went viral—for all the wrong reasons.
Allen’s victory took a turn when he revealed online that he’d created his prize-winning art using Midjourney, an artificial intelligence program that can turn text descriptions into images. He says he also made that clear to state fair officials when he dropped off his submission, called Théâtre D’opéra Spatial. But over the last week or so, his blue ribbon has sparked an impassioned debate about what constitutes art.
If the art you create can be be generated by AI, it’s not art.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/27/clinton-roasts-trump-at-al-smith-charity-dinner/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/11/27/clinton-roasts-trump-at-al-smith-charity-dinner/", "title": "Clinton roasts Trump at Al Smith charity dinner", "date_published": "2022-11-27T13:50:21-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-11-27T13:50:21-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Hillary Clinton delivered a speech roasting her opponent Donald Trump at the Al Smith Dinner.
\n\n\n\nYou know come to think of it, it’s amazing I’m up here after Donald. I didn’t think he would be okay with a peaceful transition of power.
Amazing how percient Hillary Clinton was…
\n", "content_html": "Hillary Clinton delivered a speech roasting her opponent Donald Trump at the Al Smith Dinner.
\n\n\n\nYou know come to think of it, it’s amazing I’m up here after Donald. I didn’t think he would be okay with a peaceful transition of power.
Amazing how percient Hillary Clinton was…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/01/desperate-bosses/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/01/desperate-bosses/", "title": "desperate bosses", "date_published": "2022-12-01T03:37:58-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-01T03:37:58-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Vinjeru Mkandawire for The Economist
\n\n\n\nTo tempt workers back and repopulate corporate digs, companies are offering generous—and increasingly desperate—freebies.
If your employees are that adament about not coming back to the office, maybe you should rething your office environment?
\n", "content_html": "Vinjeru Mkandawire for The Economist
\n\n\n\nTo tempt workers back and repopulate corporate digs, companies are offering generous—and increasingly desperate—freebies.
If your employees are that adament about not coming back to the office, maybe you should rething your office environment?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/06/pencil-vs-mechanical-vs-ball-point-pen/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/06/pencil-vs-mechanical-vs-ball-point-pen/", "title": "Pencil vs Mechanical vs Ball Point Pen", "date_published": "2022-12-06T02:02:12-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-06T02:02:12-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "YouTuber President Chay decides to see which writing utensil is the longest lasting, by drawing a continuous line until the ink or graphite is spent.
\n\nChay compared two #2 HB pencils (one cheap, one expensive), a fully loaded mechanical pencil and a ballpoint pen.
\n\nCurious minds need to know …
\n\nYouTuber President Chay decides to see which writing utensil is the longest lasting, by drawing a continuous line until the ink or graphite is spent.
\n\nChay compared two #2 HB pencils (one cheap, one expensive), a fully loaded mechanical pencil and a ballpoint pen.
\n\nCurious minds need to know …
\n\nAkiva Cohen, an attorney representing 22 laid-off Twitter employees, in a letter to Elon Musk.
\n\n\n\nIf basic human decency and honor isn’t enough to make you want to keep your word, maybe this will:
\n\nIf you don’t unequivocally confirm by Wednesday, December 7 that you intend to provide our clients with the full severance Twitter promised them, we will commence an arbitration campaign on their behalf, with each employee filing a separate individual arbitration, as required by the terms of your arbitration agreement. Under both California law and the JAMS arbitration rules, Twitter will be responsible to pay the arbitration costs for each individual arbitrator and arbitration. Consistent with the terms of Twitter’s arbitration agreement, those arbitrations will be held in jurisdictions across the country — no more than 45 miles from where each employee worked. Not only will you lose on the merits, but even if you somehow won the victory would be pyrrhic: Twitter will pay far more in attorneys’ fees and arbitration costs than it could possibly “save” in severance due our clients.
\n\nAnd to be clear, Elon, you will lose, and you know it.
Posted on - what else - Twitter.
\n\n\nSo here's the thing. You can only violate people's legal rights and your own word so far before they lawyer up and come after you.
— Akiva Cohen (@AkivaMCohen) December 2, 2022
I really do hope Musk changes his mind and does the right thing - the employees deserve that. But it'll be fun as hell if he doesn't. pic.twitter.com/VA04hFDVBX
Akiva Cohen, an attorney representing 22 laid-off Twitter employees, in a letter to Elon Musk.
\n\n\n\nIf basic human decency and honor isn’t enough to make you want to keep your word, maybe this will:
\n\nIf you don’t unequivocally confirm by Wednesday, December 7 that you intend to provide our clients with the full severance Twitter promised them, we will commence an arbitration campaign on their behalf, with each employee filing a separate individual arbitration, as required by the terms of your arbitration agreement. Under both California law and the JAMS arbitration rules, Twitter will be responsible to pay the arbitration costs for each individual arbitrator and arbitration. Consistent with the terms of Twitter’s arbitration agreement, those arbitrations will be held in jurisdictions across the country — no more than 45 miles from where each employee worked. Not only will you lose on the merits, but even if you somehow won the victory would be pyrrhic: Twitter will pay far more in attorneys’ fees and arbitration costs than it could possibly “save” in severance due our clients.
\n\nAnd to be clear, Elon, you will lose, and you know it.
Posted on - what else - Twitter.
\n\n\nSo here's the thing. You can only violate people's legal rights and your own word so far before they lawyer up and come after you.
— Akiva Cohen (@AkivaMCohen) December 2, 2022
I really do hope Musk changes his mind and does the right thing - the employees deserve that. But it'll be fun as hell if he doesn't. pic.twitter.com/VA04hFDVBX
Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos examine how the Coen brothers shoot characters in their films close up with wide lenses to created empathy and comedy.
\n\nTony Zhou and Taylor Ramos examine how the Coen brothers shoot characters in their films close up with wide lenses to created empathy and comedy.
\n\nJack Mirkinson isn’t mincing words:
\n\n\n\nAlito’s draft opinion is the work of a gleeful theocratic, woman-hating vandal, eager to begin the court’s ultimate project: tearing down the broader civil rights framework that has been in place in this country for generations. He says that Roe should be scrapped because the right to an abortion is “not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions”—a byzantine litmus test that would wipe out just about every modern civil rights protection you can think of, given the nature of American history. He forthrightly casts aside the notion that the court should be cautious about overturning decades of precedent. He sends unmistakable signals that other civil rights opinions, especially ones protecting gay rights, are in the crosshairs.
\n\nThe final opinion could differ, but what we have in front of us is an extremist, illegitimate opinion from an extremist, illegitimate court, one that sees women as serfs and breeders, that sees queer people as subhuman, that sees minorities of every kind as dirt under its collective shoe. It is happily dragging us into the dark ages. Alito and everyone who joins him are evil people. No hell is too hot for them.
And on the Republican Party:
\n\n\n\nI cannot think of a single institution that causes more harm in the world than the Republican Party. There has possibly not been one in the entire history of the planet.
Well the Taliban comes to mind, but an unchecked Republican Party is not too far behind.
\n", "content_html": "Jack Mirkinson isn’t mincing words:
\n\n\n\nAlito’s draft opinion is the work of a gleeful theocratic, woman-hating vandal, eager to begin the court’s ultimate project: tearing down the broader civil rights framework that has been in place in this country for generations. He says that Roe should be scrapped because the right to an abortion is “not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions”—a byzantine litmus test that would wipe out just about every modern civil rights protection you can think of, given the nature of American history. He forthrightly casts aside the notion that the court should be cautious about overturning decades of precedent. He sends unmistakable signals that other civil rights opinions, especially ones protecting gay rights, are in the crosshairs.
\n\nThe final opinion could differ, but what we have in front of us is an extremist, illegitimate opinion from an extremist, illegitimate court, one that sees women as serfs and breeders, that sees queer people as subhuman, that sees minorities of every kind as dirt under its collective shoe. It is happily dragging us into the dark ages. Alito and everyone who joins him are evil people. No hell is too hot for them.
And on the Republican Party:
\n\n\n\nI cannot think of a single institution that causes more harm in the world than the Republican Party. There has possibly not been one in the entire history of the planet.
Well the Taliban comes to mind, but an unchecked Republican Party is not too far behind.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/18/elon-musk-booed-on-stage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/18/elon-musk-booed-on-stage/", "title": "Elon Musk booed on stage", "date_published": "2022-12-18T04:03:30-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-18T04:03:30-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nI gained perverse joy from watching this YouTube video, which shows Elon Musk being relentlessly booed for nearly five minutes straight.
\nI gained perverse joy from watching this YouTube video, which shows Elon Musk being relentlessly booed for nearly five minutes straight.
\nJake Blount runs us through a quick history of early Black folk music, using the banjo. More importantly - there is a wealth of resources to dive deeper. As someone learning the electric guitar and blues music, this is especially relevant and enlightening.
Here is an example track form the video above - you can hear the basics of the blues tradition emerging here - repetition, call & response, and rhythmic clapping.
\n\n
\nJake Blount runs us through a quick history of early Black folk music, using the banjo. More importantly - there is a wealth of resources to dive deeper. As someone learning the electric guitar and blues music, this is especially relevant and enlightening.
Here is an example track form the video above - you can hear the basics of the blues tradition emerging here - repetition, call & response, and rhythmic clapping.
\n\nTwitter’s new policy regarding tweets that link to other social sites:
\n\n\n\nAt both the Tweet level and the account level, we will remove any free promotion of prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms, such as linking out (i.e. using URLs) to any of the below platforms on Twitter, or providing your handle without a URL.
\n\nProhibited platforms:
\n\nFacebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr\n3rd-party social media link aggregators such as linktr.ee, lnk.bio\nExamples:
\n\n“follow me @username on Instagram”\n“username@mastodon.social”\n“check out my profile on Facebook - facebook.com/username”
Right. Good luck with that. Spare us the drama and just shut down Twitter why don’t you? Elon is a moron.
\n", "content_html": "Twitter’s new policy regarding tweets that link to other social sites:
\n\n\n\nAt both the Tweet level and the account level, we will remove any free promotion of prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms, such as linking out (i.e. using URLs) to any of the below platforms on Twitter, or providing your handle without a URL.
\n\nProhibited platforms:
\n\nFacebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr\n3rd-party social media link aggregators such as linktr.ee, lnk.bio\nExamples:
\n\n“follow me @username on Instagram”\n“username@mastodon.social”\n“check out my profile on Facebook - facebook.com/username”
Right. Good luck with that. Spare us the drama and just shut down Twitter why don’t you? Elon is a moron.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/19/dial-of-destiny/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/19/dial-of-destiny/", "title": "Dial of Destiny", "date_published": "2022-12-19T03:47:49-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-19T03:47:49-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nGeorge Lucas and Steven Spielberg are back at it again - Indy is coming back in 2023. We have some old friends, new characters and the exotic locations, and the music theme. That music theme gets me every time.
Let’s hope this does not turn into Crystal Skull.
\n", "content_html": "
\nGeorge Lucas and Steven Spielberg are back at it again - Indy is coming back in 2023. We have some old friends, new characters and the exotic locations, and the music theme. That music theme gets me every time.
Let’s hope this does not turn into Crystal Skull.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/20/a-tour-of-cbgbs-by-david-godlis/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/20/a-tour-of-cbgbs-by-david-godlis/", "title": "a tour of CBGBs by David Godlis", "date_published": "2022-12-20T03:43:32-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-20T03:43:32-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nA short film about photographer David Godlis documenting CBGB - ground zero for the punk & new wave scene in the late 1970s.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nA short film about photographer David Godlis documenting CBGB - ground zero for the punk & new wave scene in the late 1970s.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/20/spielberg-didnt-want-to-do-crystal-skull/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/20/spielberg-didnt-want-to-do-crystal-skull/", "title": "Spielberg didn't want to do Crystal Skull", "date_published": "2022-12-20T04:37:45-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-20T04:37:45-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nI think we can all agree that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was an underbaked idea. Something that most of us would rather pretend never existed (much like the Star Wars prequels). This banter explains the whole situation:
\n\n\nGeorge: Let's do aliens.
Steven: I don't wanna do aliens.Years later...
George: Maybe you're right. We shouldn't do aliens.
Steven: George, I love ya!
George: We should do inter-dimensional beings.
Steven: What?!
George: Yeah, ever heard of string theory? They're from another dimension.
Steven: Fine! Fine... What do they look like?
George: They look like aliens.
Steven: facepalm
Moral of the story - George Lucas is a genius filmmaker - but he needs people around him that will reign him in. Heck even Star Wars: A New Hope was saved in the cutting room. If you watch some of the dialog and scenes that were cut or pre-editing - they were just painful. Utter crap.
\n\nLet’s hope with The Dial of Destiny - George had some really good people around him that held him in check.
\n", "content_html": "
\nI think we can all agree that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was an underbaked idea. Something that most of us would rather pretend never existed (much like the Star Wars prequels). This banter explains the whole situation:
\n\n\nGeorge: Let's do aliens.
Steven: I don't wanna do aliens.Years later...
George: Maybe you're right. We shouldn't do aliens.
Steven: George, I love ya!
George: We should do inter-dimensional beings.
Steven: What?!
George: Yeah, ever heard of string theory? They're from another dimension.
Steven: Fine! Fine... What do they look like?
George: They look like aliens.
Steven: facepalm
Moral of the story - George Lucas is a genius filmmaker - but he needs people around him that will reign him in. Heck even Star Wars: A New Hope was saved in the cutting room. If you watch some of the dialog and scenes that were cut or pre-editing - they were just painful. Utter crap.
\n\nLet’s hope with The Dial of Destiny - George had some really good people around him that held him in check.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/28/stranger-things-amiga-1000/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/28/stranger-things-amiga-1000/", "title": "Stranger Things - Amiga 1000", "date_published": "2022-12-28T00:11:07-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-28T00:11:07-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Amiga](\"/assets/images/strangerthings4amiga.jpg\")
I just started to watch Stranger Things. Not because everyone was talking about it - but because of the nerd nostaglia factor. A bunch of middle school friends sit around playing Dungeons & Dragons, ridding around town on their bicycles at all hours of the night, and parents who don’t really care to know where there kids are every minute of the day.
\n\nThey even have BASIC as a plot element. And the reference don’t end there - Commodore 64s, NES, Tandy and to my surprise and delight the Amiga!!!! Okay they didn’t get it all correct - but the mere fact it was there blew my mind.
\n\n\n\n\n\nOf course it’s fun to see the Amiga make an appearance in a high profile show like Stranger Things, but I do feel they dropped the proverbial ball this time. After a pleasantly accurate depiction of mainframe BASIC, decades of hardcore Amiga zealotry forbids me from simply accepting this as a bit of telly. They clearly had all the makings of accuracy right there; the OS screenshots, icons, mouse pointer, even the block cursor. When it’s that close, fumbling with the details is somehow more annoying than just phoning it in completely. If there was a reason for it, it completely escapes me. Would Topaz and standard window titles have been terribly boring? Would C, BASIC or Assembly code look less appealing than HTML? We may never know.
Don’t even get me started on the season 4 soundtrack – Master Of Puppets!!!! Ah the 80s - the greatest decade!
\n", "content_html": "
I just started to watch Stranger Things. Not because everyone was talking about it - but because of the nerd nostaglia factor. A bunch of middle school friends sit around playing Dungeons & Dragons, ridding around town on their bicycles at all hours of the night, and parents who don’t really care to know where there kids are every minute of the day.
\n\nThey even have BASIC as a plot element. And the reference don’t end there - Commodore 64s, NES, Tandy and to my surprise and delight the Amiga!!!! Okay they didn’t get it all correct - but the mere fact it was there blew my mind.
\n\n\n\n\n\nOf course it’s fun to see the Amiga make an appearance in a high profile show like Stranger Things, but I do feel they dropped the proverbial ball this time. After a pleasantly accurate depiction of mainframe BASIC, decades of hardcore Amiga zealotry forbids me from simply accepting this as a bit of telly. They clearly had all the makings of accuracy right there; the OS screenshots, icons, mouse pointer, even the block cursor. When it’s that close, fumbling with the details is somehow more annoying than just phoning it in completely. If there was a reason for it, it completely escapes me. Would Topaz and standard window titles have been terribly boring? Would C, BASIC or Assembly code look less appealing than HTML? We may never know.
Don’t even get me started on the season 4 soundtrack – Master Of Puppets!!!! Ah the 80s - the greatest decade!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/28/trump-is-starting-to-loose-it/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2022/12/28/trump-is-starting-to-loose-it/", "title": "Trump has complete meltdown", "date_published": "2022-12-28T04:23:06-05:00", "date_modified": "2022-12-28T04:23:06-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\n40% of Americans put off medical care in 2022 because it was too expensive. What are the US politicians arguing over? Drag queen story hour & trans gender athletes in high school sports. It is absolutely disgusting that America is the wealthiest country on Earth and yet has the same life expectancy as Cuba.
\n40% of Americans put off medical care in 2022 because it was too expensive. What are the US politicians arguing over? Drag queen story hour & trans gender athletes in high school sports. It is absolutely disgusting that America is the wealthiest country on Earth and yet has the same life expectancy as Cuba.
Magnets are cool. Seriously. Check out the other amazing videos on using magnets - this sure beats Legos.
\n\nMagnets are cool. Seriously. Check out the other amazing videos on using magnets - this sure beats Legos.
\n\n
\nMarch 1st, 2023. This is the way.
\nMarch 1st, 2023. This is the way.
![\"girl](\"/assets/images/girl-bull.jpg\")
Isabel Fattal in an excellent article called ‘Contagion’ for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nSome argue that, as they wait out this intermission, CEOs are copying one another—laying off workers not simply as an unavoidable consequence of the changing economy, but because everybody else is doing it. “Chief executives are normal people who navigate uncertainty by copying behavior,” Derek writes. He cites the business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, who told Stanford News: “Was there a bubble in valuations? Absolutely … Did Meta overhire? Probably. But is that why they are laying people off? Of course not … These companies are all making money. They are doing it because other companies are doing it.”
This is a trend, a fad, a CEO fashion statement. You are laying of 10,000, i see you and raise you to 12,000. Because their investors are asking - “hey all the tech companies are laying off, why aren’t you?\" And they are - Google’s stock went up 5% after layoff of 12,000 employees.
\n\nJust Wait. In about 6-9 months they’ll be back on a hiring spree that was even bigger then before - and you know what? All of us tech workers who had chip on our shoulders, well that’s going to grow to a gigantic boulder.
\n\nPersonally, I can’t wait. I am hearing it in the circles already. Tech people are pissed - the media (which is controlled by the corporations anyways) are dumping article after article of the few who ride the wave, get lucky and are rewarded for being lazy and a drain on the business. It makes good reading, and infuriates everyone in other industries. And I don’t blame them - but most people in the tech industry work insane hours, are asked to do crazy things with limited budgets/time frames and are evaluated by the most sophisticated and toughest systems for employee evals.
\n\nSure tech workers get great perks, benefits and pay. You know what - you too can join the party. But you need the discipline to stay on top of the tech sector, work grueling hours, risk your mental sanity and at the end of it all have people telling you that you are spoiled children who need to be sent back to their rooms for a time out. Shunned as a geek by the cool kids. So yea. Go ahead signup. I dare you.
\n\nSee I told you that chip on the shoulder was going to get a lot bigger.
\n\nDid you really think those 10,000-12,000 tech people were just sitting around sipping latte’s and playing video games all day? The hiring frenzy will ensue shortly, and with much greater frenzy. Engineers are process people with excellent memory who thrive on data and the historical analysis of it. You think they are going to forget how they were treated?
\n\nWhen those offers start flowing again, those crazy compensations will be back. As the old saying goes - “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
\n", "content_html": "
Isabel Fattal in an excellent article called ‘Contagion’ for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nSome argue that, as they wait out this intermission, CEOs are copying one another—laying off workers not simply as an unavoidable consequence of the changing economy, but because everybody else is doing it. “Chief executives are normal people who navigate uncertainty by copying behavior,” Derek writes. He cites the business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, who told Stanford News: “Was there a bubble in valuations? Absolutely … Did Meta overhire? Probably. But is that why they are laying people off? Of course not … These companies are all making money. They are doing it because other companies are doing it.”
This is a trend, a fad, a CEO fashion statement. You are laying of 10,000, i see you and raise you to 12,000. Because their investors are asking - “hey all the tech companies are laying off, why aren’t you?\" And they are - Google’s stock went up 5% after layoff of 12,000 employees.
\n\nJust Wait. In about 6-9 months they’ll be back on a hiring spree that was even bigger then before - and you know what? All of us tech workers who had chip on our shoulders, well that’s going to grow to a gigantic boulder.
\n\nPersonally, I can’t wait. I am hearing it in the circles already. Tech people are pissed - the media (which is controlled by the corporations anyways) are dumping article after article of the few who ride the wave, get lucky and are rewarded for being lazy and a drain on the business. It makes good reading, and infuriates everyone in other industries. And I don’t blame them - but most people in the tech industry work insane hours, are asked to do crazy things with limited budgets/time frames and are evaluated by the most sophisticated and toughest systems for employee evals.
\n\nSure tech workers get great perks, benefits and pay. You know what - you too can join the party. But you need the discipline to stay on top of the tech sector, work grueling hours, risk your mental sanity and at the end of it all have people telling you that you are spoiled children who need to be sent back to their rooms for a time out. Shunned as a geek by the cool kids. So yea. Go ahead signup. I dare you.
\n\nSee I told you that chip on the shoulder was going to get a lot bigger.
\n\nDid you really think those 10,000-12,000 tech people were just sitting around sipping latte’s and playing video games all day? The hiring frenzy will ensue shortly, and with much greater frenzy. Engineers are process people with excellent memory who thrive on data and the historical analysis of it. You think they are going to forget how they were treated?
\n\nWhen those offers start flowing again, those crazy compensations will be back. As the old saying goes - “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/01/31/guns-and-books-in-america/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/01/31/guns-and-books-in-america/", "title": "Guns and Books in America", "date_published": "2023-01-31T01:42:08-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-01-31T01:42:08-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Guns](\"/assets/images/guns-books-america.jpeg\")
Image by Cuban cartoonist Osvaldo Gutierrez Gomez. With the increased scrutiny of and legal repercussions feared by school librarians and the never-ending gun violence in our communities, it’s a striking commentary of what are priorities are in America.
\n", "content_html": "
Image by Cuban cartoonist Osvaldo Gutierrez Gomez. With the increased scrutiny of and legal repercussions feared by school librarians and the never-ending gun violence in our communities, it’s a striking commentary of what are priorities are in America.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/09/2023-tech-layoffs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/09/2023-tech-layoffs/", "title": "2023 Tech Layoffs", "date_published": "2023-02-09T20:11:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-09T20:11:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"\"](\"/assets/images/tech-layoffs.png\")
So you’ve all heard about the massive layoffs in the Tech industry right? Hopefully you are all reading this at work - some of you are quietly quitting, I bet :) The reasons given are that times are tough and the economy is entering a recession phase.
\n\nWith the latest economic numbers this does not make any sense: Market is up over 10% YTD. Lowest unemployment rate in the last 50 years. Consumer demand is strong (retail, travel, and luxury). The companies that laid off thousands of employees (Microsoft, Meta, Google, etc..) are all making profits. Quite a few are making record profits.
\n\nSo what gives? Why are these companies laying off employees in what appears to be a random / unclear pattern? It really doesn’t matter regarding performance, seniority or group. Reading LinkedIn posts it appears that 14 year old veterans of Google as well as new hires are being let go. And let go in the most inhumane, insensitive ways. You would think a company that proclaims to “Do No Evil” would know better.
\n\nJeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, answers this very question in an excellent interview by Melissa De Witt:
\n\n\n\nWhy are so many tech companies laying people off right now?
\n\nThe tech industry layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion, in which companies imitate what others are doing. If you look for reasons for why companies do layoffs, the reason is that everybody else is doing it. Layoffs are the result of imitative behavior and are not particularly evidence-based.
\n\nI’ve had people say to me that they know layoffs are harmful to company well-being, let alone the well-being of employees, and don’t accomplish much, but everybody is doing layoffs and their board is asking why they aren’t doing layoffs also.
\n\nDo you think layoffs in tech are some indication of a tech bubble bursting or the company preparing for a recession?
\n\nCould there be a tech recession? Yes. Was there a bubble in valuations? Absolutely. Did Meta overhire? Probably. But is that why they are laying people off? Of course not. Meta has plenty of money. These companies are all making money. They are doing it because other companies are doing it.
Bingo. In the current business environment, it’s fashionable to dismiss employees. I can’t help to think 6-12 months from now you are going to see a hiring frenzy by these same companies. Except this time, future candidates will think twice about drinking the kool-aid. And no amount of fancy slogans or advertisement will change that.
\n\nWhich begs the question: Why are CEOs who openly claim responsibility are not facing any accountability?
\n\n\n\nThe cuts will affect jobs globally and across the entire company, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai told employees in an email on Friday, writing that he takes “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here.
There is no way you can convince me that any CEO who is worth his job would allow 12000+ people that are not needed to be hired. That to me is an admission that the CEO neglected his fiscal management duties.
\n", "content_html": "
So you’ve all heard about the massive layoffs in the Tech industry right? Hopefully you are all reading this at work - some of you are quietly quitting, I bet :) The reasons given are that times are tough and the economy is entering a recession phase.
\n\nWith the latest economic numbers this does not make any sense: Market is up over 10% YTD. Lowest unemployment rate in the last 50 years. Consumer demand is strong (retail, travel, and luxury). The companies that laid off thousands of employees (Microsoft, Meta, Google, etc..) are all making profits. Quite a few are making record profits.
\n\nSo what gives? Why are these companies laying off employees in what appears to be a random / unclear pattern? It really doesn’t matter regarding performance, seniority or group. Reading LinkedIn posts it appears that 14 year old veterans of Google as well as new hires are being let go. And let go in the most inhumane, insensitive ways. You would think a company that proclaims to “Do No Evil” would know better.
\n\nJeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, answers this very question in an excellent interview by Melissa De Witt:
\n\n\n\nWhy are so many tech companies laying people off right now?
\n\nThe tech industry layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion, in which companies imitate what others are doing. If you look for reasons for why companies do layoffs, the reason is that everybody else is doing it. Layoffs are the result of imitative behavior and are not particularly evidence-based.
\n\nI’ve had people say to me that they know layoffs are harmful to company well-being, let alone the well-being of employees, and don’t accomplish much, but everybody is doing layoffs and their board is asking why they aren’t doing layoffs also.
\n\nDo you think layoffs in tech are some indication of a tech bubble bursting or the company preparing for a recession?
\n\nCould there be a tech recession? Yes. Was there a bubble in valuations? Absolutely. Did Meta overhire? Probably. But is that why they are laying people off? Of course not. Meta has plenty of money. These companies are all making money. They are doing it because other companies are doing it.
Bingo. In the current business environment, it’s fashionable to dismiss employees. I can’t help to think 6-12 months from now you are going to see a hiring frenzy by these same companies. Except this time, future candidates will think twice about drinking the kool-aid. And no amount of fancy slogans or advertisement will change that.
\n\nWhich begs the question: Why are CEOs who openly claim responsibility are not facing any accountability?
\n\n\n\nThe cuts will affect jobs globally and across the entire company, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai told employees in an email on Friday, writing that he takes “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here.
There is no way you can convince me that any CEO who is worth his job would allow 12000+ people that are not needed to be hired. That to me is an admission that the CEO neglected his fiscal management duties.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/20/republicans-lie-why-are-we-surprised/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/20/republicans-lie-why-are-we-surprised/", "title": "Republicans Lie - why are we surprised?", "date_published": "2023-02-20T12:38:03-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-20T12:38:03-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"George](\"https://www.politico.com/dims4/default/b766ec0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2667+0+0/resize/1260x840!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F34%2F97%2Fbabe672f4e5aa7c2761666eb4531%2F202301-santos-francis8.jpg\")
\n
\nRep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is the poster child for this epidemic in the Republican party. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.) are the newest members to be outed for their misrepresentation to voters.
\n", "content_html": "Republicans are no longer just lying about the world around them — about climate change or vaccines or voter fraud — they’re increasingly lying about themselves.
\n\n[..]
\n\nWhen a party decides to peddle in lies and propaganda, they can expect liars and propagandists to fill their ranks. When the incentive to mislead voters is greater than any incentive to tell the truth, you wind up with a party of charlatans. In other word’s, today’s GOP.
\n
\nRep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is the poster child for this epidemic in the Republican party. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.) are the newest members to be outed for their misrepresentation to voters.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/24/when-the-super-bowl-opened-for-prince/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/24/when-the-super-bowl-opened-for-prince/", "title": "When the super bowl opened for Prince", "date_published": "2023-02-24T23:28:49-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-24T23:28:49-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Republicans are no longer just lying about the world around them — about climate change or vaccines or voter fraud — they’re increasingly lying about themselves.
\n\n[..]
\n\nWhen a party decides to peddle in lies and propaganda, they can expect liars and propagandists to fill their ranks. When the incentive to mislead voters is greater than any incentive to tell the truth, you wind up with a party of charlatans. In other word’s, today’s GOP.
\nAnyone who thinks Rihanna’s horrible lip syncing awful display of a show was good, watch Prince demonstrate how it’s done.
No lip-syncing. Just one man and his guitar in the Purple Rain. Oh yea, and there was a supposedly football game going on.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAnyone who thinks Rihanna’s horrible lip syncing awful display of a show was good, watch Prince demonstrate how it’s done.
No lip-syncing. Just one man and his guitar in the Purple Rain. Oh yea, and there was a supposedly football game going on.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/28/ukranian-postage-stamp-says-fck-ptn/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/02/28/ukranian-postage-stamp-says-fck-ptn/", "title": "Ukrainian Postage Stamp: FCK PTN", "date_published": "2023-02-28T02:06:40-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-02-28T02:06:40-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Ukranian](\"/assets/images/ukraine-stamp-banksy.jpg\")
From The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nThe image draws inspiration from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, known to be a black belt in judo, and depicts a young judoka representing Ukraine knocking down a grown man.
\n\nThe phrase “FCK PTN” in Cyrillic has been added to the lower left part of the new stamp.
And you can purchase your own stamp sheet directly from the Ukraine postal service here - they are shipping world wide! I have ordered mine it will be framed and placed on my office wall.
\n", "content_html": "
From The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nThe image draws inspiration from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, known to be a black belt in judo, and depicts a young judoka representing Ukraine knocking down a grown man.
\n\nThe phrase “FCK PTN” in Cyrillic has been added to the lower left part of the new stamp.
And you can purchase your own stamp sheet directly from the Ukraine postal service here - they are shipping world wide! I have ordered mine it will be framed and placed on my office wall.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/motion-for-a-summary-judgment-against-fox-news/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/motion-for-a-summary-judgment-against-fox-news/", "title": "motion for a summary judgment against Fox “News”", "date_published": "2023-03-09T22:34:38-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-09T22:34:38-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Dominion Voting Systems, seeking motion for a summary judgment against Fox “News”:
\n\n\n\nFinally. Fox has conceded what it knew all along. The charges Fox broadcast against Dominion are false. Fox does not spend a word of its brief arguing the truth of any accused statement. Fox has produced no evidence — none, zero — supporting those lies. This concession should come as no surprise. Discovery into Fox has proven that from the top of the organization to the bottom, Fox always knew the absurdity of the Dominion “stolen election” story. Now, having failed to put in any evidence to the contrary (because no such evidence exists), Fox has conceded the falsity of the Dominion allegations it broadcast.
\n\nThat concession is no small thing. Thirty percent or more of Americans still believe the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The heart of that lie remains the false conspiracy theory that Fox legitimized and mainstreamed starting on November 8 — that Dominion stole the election, using secret algorithms in its software originally designed for a Venezuelan dictator. Because of these lies, Dominion now may be “one of the most demonized brands in the United States or the world.” Dominion employees still endure threats and harassment. So it matters that Fox in private ridiculed — and never believed — the lie. And it matters that Fox has now in this litigation conceded these allegations were false.
\n\n[…]
\n\nFox seeks a First Amendment license to knowingly spread lies. Fox would have this Court create an absolute legal immunity for knowingly spreading false allegations — lies — for profit, regardless of how absurd the lies are, regardless how many people in the chain of command know the lies are false, and regardless how many people are hurt — so long as the false claims are “newsworthy.” Fox proffers a completely made-up “rule,” contrary to decades of jurisprudence since New York Times v. Sullivan. As Judge Nichols ruled in rejecting MyPillow’s analogous argument that the First Amendment provides “blanket protection” from defamation for statements about a “‘public debate in a public forum,’” “there is no such immunity. Instead, the First Amendment safeguards our ‘profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,’ by limiting viable defamation claims to provably false statements made with actual malice.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if its granted with all of the evidence that has been out in the public.
\n", "content_html": "Dominion Voting Systems, seeking motion for a summary judgment against Fox “News”:
\n\n\n\nFinally. Fox has conceded what it knew all along. The charges Fox broadcast against Dominion are false. Fox does not spend a word of its brief arguing the truth of any accused statement. Fox has produced no evidence — none, zero — supporting those lies. This concession should come as no surprise. Discovery into Fox has proven that from the top of the organization to the bottom, Fox always knew the absurdity of the Dominion “stolen election” story. Now, having failed to put in any evidence to the contrary (because no such evidence exists), Fox has conceded the falsity of the Dominion allegations it broadcast.
\n\nThat concession is no small thing. Thirty percent or more of Americans still believe the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The heart of that lie remains the false conspiracy theory that Fox legitimized and mainstreamed starting on November 8 — that Dominion stole the election, using secret algorithms in its software originally designed for a Venezuelan dictator. Because of these lies, Dominion now may be “one of the most demonized brands in the United States or the world.” Dominion employees still endure threats and harassment. So it matters that Fox in private ridiculed — and never believed — the lie. And it matters that Fox has now in this litigation conceded these allegations were false.
\n\n[…]
\n\nFox seeks a First Amendment license to knowingly spread lies. Fox would have this Court create an absolute legal immunity for knowingly spreading false allegations — lies — for profit, regardless of how absurd the lies are, regardless how many people in the chain of command know the lies are false, and regardless how many people are hurt — so long as the false claims are “newsworthy.” Fox proffers a completely made-up “rule,” contrary to decades of jurisprudence since New York Times v. Sullivan. As Judge Nichols ruled in rejecting MyPillow’s analogous argument that the First Amendment provides “blanket protection” from defamation for statements about a “‘public debate in a public forum,’” “there is no such immunity. Instead, the First Amendment safeguards our ‘profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,’ by limiting viable defamation claims to provably false statements made with actual malice.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if its granted with all of the evidence that has been out in the public.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/archive-of-zork-maps/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/archive-of-zork-maps/", "title": "Archive of Zork maps", "date_published": "2023-03-09T22:51:24-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-09T22:51:24-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Zork](\"/assets/images/zork-map.png\")
\n\nIt is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.
I spent the entire summer of 1985 exploring the Zork I: The Great Under Ground Empire on the C64 that my parents had purchased from one of my neighbors. I can’t tell you how many nights were spent getting eaten by Grues and getting mugged by that pesky thief.
\n\nNeedless to say I had a messy graph paper based map that I had created - although they looked nothing like these. Ah, the good old days!
\n", "content_html": "
\n\nIt is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.
I spent the entire summer of 1985 exploring the Zork I: The Great Under Ground Empire on the C64 that my parents had purchased from one of my neighbors. I can’t tell you how many nights were spent getting eaten by Grues and getting mugged by that pesky thief.
\n\nNeedless to say I had a messy graph paper based map that I had created - although they looked nothing like these. Ah, the good old days!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/new-manhattan/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/09/new-manhattan/", "title": "New Manhattan", "date_published": "2023-03-09T23:06:13-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-09T23:06:13-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"New](\"/assets/images/new-manhatten.jpeg\")
Jason Barr, a professor at Rutgers, has a plan to expand NYC by building an entirely new borough of the city – “New Manhattan” – by reclaiming 1,760 acres of the surrounding rivers and ocean.
\n\n\n\nThe point is that while such a plan might cost maybe $100 billion to build, the market value of the new buildings can be worth an order of magnitude more by virtue of the new housing, new offices, new retail, new hotels, new museums, new schools, etc.
Now that’s an ambitious proposal - it would be an amazing project if this gets funded.
\n", "content_html": "
Jason Barr, a professor at Rutgers, has a plan to expand NYC by building an entirely new borough of the city – “New Manhattan” – by reclaiming 1,760 acres of the surrounding rivers and ocean.
\n\n\n\nThe point is that while such a plan might cost maybe $100 billion to build, the market value of the new buildings can be worth an order of magnitude more by virtue of the new housing, new offices, new retail, new hotels, new museums, new schools, etc.
Now that’s an ambitious proposal - it would be an amazing project if this gets funded.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/12/states-using-14-year-olds-to-fill-labor-shortage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/12/states-using-14-year-olds-to-fill-labor-shortage/", "title": "States using 14 year olds to fill labor shortage", "date_published": "2023-03-12T16:10:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-12T16:10:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"child](\"/assets/images/child-labor.jpg\")
Combined with an aging population and workers generally demanding better compensation and benefits for their work, the US is currently facing a labor shortage. In a sensible capitalist system, businesses would be compelled to improve compensation and work conditions to attract employees. However, leave it to the Republican Party to present a novel idea: having children as young as 14 join the labor pool.
\n\nI have worked my whole life, and I support the idea of kids taking on jobs. It teaches them the values of hard work, discipline, and the importance of money—all positive aspects. However, it is crucial to recognize that these reasons are not why Republicans are pushing for these new regulations. Their primary motive is simply to benefit their wealthy donor class.
\n\nIt is already concerning that we are forcing young children back into factories, but what’s truly tragic is that these laws are stripping away worker protections and shielding employers from liabilities at the expense of child safety.
\n\nAs Jason Lalljee reporting for the Insider:
\n\n\n\nThe laws take aim at the number of hours that children are allowed to work and protect employers from liabilities due to sickness or accidents. In the case of the latter, those employer protections dovetail with the kind of dangerous industries the bills are looking to prop up: construction in Minnesota, and meatpacking plants in Iowa. The bills come as efforts to expand legal working ages in other states have ramped up recently, and as the US has seen an increase in child labor violations since 2015.
These are not the mall/retail jobs or the local small business positions that many of us worked while growing up. These are potentially hazardous jobs that involve physical labor, leaving little time and energy for what children should be doing—getting educated and developing the social skills necessary to become productive members of society.
\n\nBesides, there is an obvious solution to the current labor shortage that has proven to be quite effective in filling labor gaps in the past.
\n\nAnd the Labor Board research bears it out:
\n\n\n\nThe results indicate that higher wages along with additional non-wage benefits would have expanded the labor supply,
Should be obvious, but the pursuit of profit has led certain members of the business class to prioritize hiring children instead of providing a living wage to adults.
\n\nFrom being able to support a family with only the husband salary, to barely supporting it even with two full time salaries, all the way back to child labor. The transformation back into feudalism is nearly complete. Hope you’re happy with the freedom to develop your slave career.
\n\nTo the parents who are about to send their kids to the factories and slaughter houses, you might want to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclaire.
\n", "content_html": "
Combined with an aging population and workers generally demanding better compensation and benefits for their work, the US is currently facing a labor shortage. In a sensible capitalist system, businesses would be compelled to improve compensation and work conditions to attract employees. However, leave it to the Republican Party to present a novel idea: having children as young as 14 join the labor pool.
\n\nI have worked my whole life, and I support the idea of kids taking on jobs. It teaches them the values of hard work, discipline, and the importance of money—all positive aspects. However, it is crucial to recognize that these reasons are not why Republicans are pushing for these new regulations. Their primary motive is simply to benefit their wealthy donor class.
\n\nIt is already concerning that we are forcing young children back into factories, but what’s truly tragic is that these laws are stripping away worker protections and shielding employers from liabilities at the expense of child safety.
\n\nAs Jason Lalljee reporting for the Insider:
\n\n\n\nThe laws take aim at the number of hours that children are allowed to work and protect employers from liabilities due to sickness or accidents. In the case of the latter, those employer protections dovetail with the kind of dangerous industries the bills are looking to prop up: construction in Minnesota, and meatpacking plants in Iowa. The bills come as efforts to expand legal working ages in other states have ramped up recently, and as the US has seen an increase in child labor violations since 2015.
These are not the mall/retail jobs or the local small business positions that many of us worked while growing up. These are potentially hazardous jobs that involve physical labor, leaving little time and energy for what children should be doing—getting educated and developing the social skills necessary to become productive members of society.
\n\nBesides, there is an obvious solution to the current labor shortage that has proven to be quite effective in filling labor gaps in the past.
\n\nAnd the Labor Board research bears it out:
\n\n\n\nThe results indicate that higher wages along with additional non-wage benefits would have expanded the labor supply,
Should be obvious, but the pursuit of profit has led certain members of the business class to prioritize hiring children instead of providing a living wage to adults.
\n\nFrom being able to support a family with only the husband salary, to barely supporting it even with two full time salaries, all the way back to child labor. The transformation back into feudalism is nearly complete. Hope you’re happy with the freedom to develop your slave career.
\n\nTo the parents who are about to send their kids to the factories and slaughter houses, you might want to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclaire.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/great-art-explained-a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte-by-georges-seurat/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/great-art-explained-a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte-by-georges-seurat/", "title": "Great Art Explained:A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat", "date_published": "2023-03-15T05:02:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-15T05:02:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nJames Payne narrates a series of films where he looks at great and important works of art. The latest episode is about the pointillist masterpiece by Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.
\n\nThe lack of narrative means we really should look to the artist’s obsession with form, technique and theory — which is practically all he wrote about — and not to meaning or subject matter - which he didn’t write about at all. The painting is really his manifesto. His protagonists don’t have faces or body language, neither a history nor individuality. They are reduced to a hat, a corset, or a pet. They are just characters in his frieze. They exist only to give perfect balance to the composition.
\n\nSome paintings are designed for the viewer to “empathise with” but Seurat keeps us at arm’s length. We are not invited to “participate” in the promenade, and their psychological distance is clear. Both with their neighbors, and with us. It was ancient art that Seurat looked to — of Egypt and Greece. He once said that he “wanted to make modern people move about as they do on the Parthenon Frieze”, and placed them on canvases organized by harmonies of colour. It is what makes the painting so intriguing.
Highly recomend watching his excellent YouTube channel.
\n", "content_html": "
\nJames Payne narrates a series of films where he looks at great and important works of art. The latest episode is about the pointillist masterpiece by Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.
\n\nThe lack of narrative means we really should look to the artist’s obsession with form, technique and theory — which is practically all he wrote about — and not to meaning or subject matter - which he didn’t write about at all. The painting is really his manifesto. His protagonists don’t have faces or body language, neither a history nor individuality. They are reduced to a hat, a corset, or a pet. They are just characters in his frieze. They exist only to give perfect balance to the composition.
\n\nSome paintings are designed for the viewer to “empathise with” but Seurat keeps us at arm’s length. We are not invited to “participate” in the promenade, and their psychological distance is clear. Both with their neighbors, and with us. It was ancient art that Seurat looked to — of Egypt and Greece. He once said that he “wanted to make modern people move about as they do on the Parthenon Frieze”, and placed them on canvases organized by harmonies of colour. It is what makes the painting so intriguing.
Highly recomend watching his excellent YouTube channel.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/kid-age-verification/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/kid-age-verification/", "title": "Age verify kids online, but not at Meat Processing Plants", "date_published": "2023-03-15T05:21:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-15T05:21:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In an update to yesterday’s story about new labor laws, the state of Arkansas is requiring age verification for minors to access materials that are considered harmful. Okay, I can probably get behind that one. But at the same time Arkansas’s governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed into law a labor bill to remove age verification for those under 16.
\n\nMike Masnick puts it best:
\n\n\n\nToo young to see a nipple, but never too young to be put to labor cleaning a meatpacking plant where you can have your own skin burned and blistered.
The Republican way.
\n", "content_html": "In an update to yesterday’s story about new labor laws, the state of Arkansas is requiring age verification for minors to access materials that are considered harmful. Okay, I can probably get behind that one. But at the same time Arkansas’s governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed into law a labor bill to remove age verification for those under 16.
\n\nMike Masnick puts it best:
\n\n\n\nToo young to see a nipple, but never too young to be put to labor cleaning a meatpacking plant where you can have your own skin burned and blistered.
The Republican way.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/13-levels-of-drum-complexity/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/15/13-levels-of-drum-complexity/", "title": "Larnell Lewis - 13 levels of drum complexity", "date_published": "2023-03-15T05:58:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-15T05:58:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Professional drummer and educator Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy explains drumming in 13 levels of difficulty, from easy to complex.
\n\n
\nHere he is learning a song on first hearing:
\nBlows my mind how fantastic he is.
Professional drummer and educator Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy explains drumming in 13 levels of difficulty, from easy to complex.
\n\n
\nHere he is learning a song on first hearing:
\nBlows my mind how fantastic he is.
\nA fictional story of the rise and fall of Reasearch in Motion (RIM). We all know how it ends - the enitre cell phone industry simutaneously hit an ice berg called the iPhone. Still, it should make a compelling story of how it all went down.
\nA fictional story of the rise and fall of Reasearch in Motion (RIM). We all know how it ends - the enitre cell phone industry simutaneously hit an ice berg called the iPhone. Still, it should make a compelling story of how it all went down.
![\"University](\"/assets/images/the-university-of.jpg\")
Douglas Belkin reporting for the Wall Street Journal
\n\n\n\nFamily conversations like the one in Ms. Cruz’s living room are bubbling up around the country as high-school seniors recalibrate their options after the pandemic prompted a historic disengagement from school. The result has been the acceleration of a shift away from the nation’s half-century “college-for-all” model toward a choice of either college or vocational programs—including apprenticeships.
\n\nToday, colleges and universities enroll about 15 million undergraduate students, while companies employ about 800,000 apprentices. In the past decade, college enrollment has declined by about 15%, while the number of apprentices has increased by more than 50%, according to federal data and Robert Lerman, a labor economist at the Urban Institute and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America.
\n\nApprenticeship programs are increasing in both number and variety. About 40% are now outside of construction trades, where most have traditionally been, Dr. Lerman said. Programs are expanding into white-collar industries such as banking, cybersecurity and consulting at companies including McDonald’s Corp. , Accenture PLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
This is definitely a step in the right direction - there are many jobs that really don’t require a college degree. Most of these can be done by learning on the job. However, there is a danger to this trend. Many young people could be left ill prepared with the fundamental knowledge (mathematics, communications skills, history) needed to progress in their careers. Of course this is what corporations want - a captive workforce that is easy to retain and easily controlled.
\n\nI would say for those students who enter college with a clear vision of a profession with realistic ROI on the 4 years and the money spent - college is still the best option. If you are going to college to “find yourself” or as a 4 year right of passage, maybe an internship is the right path for you. You don’t need to go to college to go on drinking binges and all night parties.
\n\nThe way I look at it - if the path of study you are going to isn’t STEM based or does not require a license of some kind, you might want to consider the apprenticeship path.
\n", "content_html": "
Douglas Belkin reporting for the Wall Street Journal
\n\n\n\nFamily conversations like the one in Ms. Cruz’s living room are bubbling up around the country as high-school seniors recalibrate their options after the pandemic prompted a historic disengagement from school. The result has been the acceleration of a shift away from the nation’s half-century “college-for-all” model toward a choice of either college or vocational programs—including apprenticeships.
\n\nToday, colleges and universities enroll about 15 million undergraduate students, while companies employ about 800,000 apprentices. In the past decade, college enrollment has declined by about 15%, while the number of apprentices has increased by more than 50%, according to federal data and Robert Lerman, a labor economist at the Urban Institute and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America.
\n\nApprenticeship programs are increasing in both number and variety. About 40% are now outside of construction trades, where most have traditionally been, Dr. Lerman said. Programs are expanding into white-collar industries such as banking, cybersecurity and consulting at companies including McDonald’s Corp. , Accenture PLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
This is definitely a step in the right direction - there are many jobs that really don’t require a college degree. Most of these can be done by learning on the job. However, there is a danger to this trend. Many young people could be left ill prepared with the fundamental knowledge (mathematics, communications skills, history) needed to progress in their careers. Of course this is what corporations want - a captive workforce that is easy to retain and easily controlled.
\n\nI would say for those students who enter college with a clear vision of a profession with realistic ROI on the 4 years and the money spent - college is still the best option. If you are going to college to “find yourself” or as a 4 year right of passage, maybe an internship is the right path for you. You don’t need to go to college to go on drinking binges and all night parties.
\n\nThe way I look at it - if the path of study you are going to isn’t STEM based or does not require a license of some kind, you might want to consider the apprenticeship path.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/20/this-generations-challenge/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/20/this-generations-challenge/", "title": "This generation's challenge", "date_published": "2023-03-20T22:34:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-20T22:34:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nPulitzer prize winning biographer, presidential historian John Meacham on the pending indictment of former Presidend Donald Trump:
\n\nIt is incumbent on us to tell a different story. To tell the story than in fact, the constitution matters. The rule of law matters.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThis is gong to sound bit grand, but I believe firmly that this generation will be judged our success or failure at standing up to totalitarian impulse in the United States.
The Greatest Generation rose up and faced that challenge on the war torn fields of Europe. Our generation will have to face it within our own country – hopefully through our legal system.
\n", "content_html": "
\nPulitzer prize winning biographer, presidential historian John Meacham on the pending indictment of former Presidend Donald Trump:
\n\nIt is incumbent on us to tell a different story. To tell the story than in fact, the constitution matters. The rule of law matters.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThis is gong to sound bit grand, but I believe firmly that this generation will be judged our success or failure at standing up to totalitarian impulse in the United States.
The Greatest Generation rose up and faced that challenge on the war torn fields of Europe. Our generation will have to face it within our own country – hopefully through our legal system.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/25/amazon-kills-dpreview/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/25/amazon-kills-dpreview/", "title": "Amazon Kills DPReview ", "date_published": "2023-03-25T16:00:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-25T16:00:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"dpreview.com\"](\"/assets/images/dpreview-logo.png\"){kind=logo}
DPreview will be shutting down an April 10th after 25 years of amazing content and service to the photo community. Devin Coldewey, writing at TechCrunch:
\n\n\n\nThe team’s knowledge, acumen and extensive objective testing contributed to reviews that famously reached near-comical lengths at times, but that was because shortcuts simply were not taken: You could be sure that even minor models were getting not just a fair shake, but the same treatment a flagship model received. Its back catalog of camera reviews and specs is an incredible resource that I have consulted hundreds of times. […]
\n\nSomehow Amazon never really found a way to capitalize on this one-of-a-kind asset, and DPReview has carried on over the years more or less untouched, to the point where it seems possible its parent company forgot they owned them. It’s hard not to see the opportunities that present themselves when you own one of the world’s leading expert voices on a major category, but perhaps unsurprisingly, no one thought to invest in and integrate DPReview closely with Amazon’s other properties. It isn’t the first time the left hand and right hand have been incommunicado at that company.
What really upsets me is that Amazon will not be providing an archive of the site. They can easily serve up a static site on S3 that would cost virtually nothing to Amazon.
\n", "content_html": "
DPreview will be shutting down an April 10th after 25 years of amazing content and service to the photo community. Devin Coldewey, writing at TechCrunch:
\n\n\n\nThe team’s knowledge, acumen and extensive objective testing contributed to reviews that famously reached near-comical lengths at times, but that was because shortcuts simply were not taken: You could be sure that even minor models were getting not just a fair shake, but the same treatment a flagship model received. Its back catalog of camera reviews and specs is an incredible resource that I have consulted hundreds of times. […]
\n\nSomehow Amazon never really found a way to capitalize on this one-of-a-kind asset, and DPReview has carried on over the years more or less untouched, to the point where it seems possible its parent company forgot they owned them. It’s hard not to see the opportunities that present themselves when you own one of the world’s leading expert voices on a major category, but perhaps unsurprisingly, no one thought to invest in and integrate DPReview closely with Amazon’s other properties. It isn’t the first time the left hand and right hand have been incommunicado at that company.
What really upsets me is that Amazon will not be providing an archive of the site. They can easily serve up a static site on S3 that would cost virtually nothing to Amazon.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/26/george-lucus-steven-spielberg-and-lawrence-kasdan-brainstorming-indy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/26/george-lucus-steven-spielberg-and-lawrence-kasdan-brainstorming-indy/", "title": "George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan brainstorming Indy", "date_published": "2023-03-26T19:04:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-26T19:04:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Indiana](\"/assets/images/indy.png\")
While vacationing in Hawaii Lucas, Spielberg and Kasdan are all brainstorming ideas for what would become Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The entire transcript is available as a PDF - all glorious 90 pages.
\n\nHere is a fascinating conversation as the three flesh out Indy’s character:
\n\n\n\nLucas - Now, several aspects that we’ve discussed before: The image of him which is the strongest image is the “Treasure Of Sierra Madre” outfit, which is the khaki pants, he’s got the leather jacket, that sort of felt hat, and the pistol and holster with a World War One sort of flap over it. He’s going into the jungle carrying his gun. The other thing we’ve added to him, which may be fun, is a bull whip. That’s really his trade mark. That’s really what he’s good at. He has a pistol, and he’s probably very good at that, but at the same time he happens to be very good with a bull whip. It’s really more of a hobby than anything else. Maybe he came from Montana, someplace, and he… There are freaks who love bull whips. They just do it all the time. It’s a device that hasn’t been used in a long time.
\n\nSpielberg - You can knock somebody’s belt off and the guys pants fall down.
\n\nLucas - You can swing over things, you can…there are so many things you can do with it. I thought he carried it rolled up. It’s like a Samurai sword. He carries it back there and you don’t even notice it. That way it’s not in the way or anything. It’s just there whenever he wants it.
\n\nSpielberg - At some point in the movie he must use it to get a girl back who’s walking out of the room. Wrap her up and she twirls as he pulls her back. She spins into his arms. You have to use it for more things than just saving himself.
\n\nLucas - We’ll have to work that part out. In a way it’s important that it be a dangerous weapon. It looks sort of like a snake that’s coiled up behind him, and any time it strikes it’s a real threat.
\n\nKasdan - Except there has to be that moment when he’s alone with a can of beer and he just whips it to him.
Patrick Radden Keefe at the New Yorker read through the whole thing and has a wonderful write up:
\n\n\n\nOver the intervening decades of enormous wealth and success, both Lucas and Spielberg have carefully tended their public images, so there is a voyeuristic thrill to seeing them converse in so unguarded a manner. As the screenwriters Craig Mazin and John August pointed out recently on the Scriptnotes podcast, one delight of reading the transcript is watching Spielberg throw out bad ideas, and then noting how Lucas gently shuts him down. Spielberg, who had sought to direct a Bond movie-and, astonishingly, been rejected-thought that their hero should be an avid gambler. Lucas replied that perhaps they shouldn’t overload him with attributes. (Lucas himself had briefly entertained, then mercifully set aside, the notion that his archaeologist might also be a practitioner of kung fu.) There’s a good reason we seldom get to spy on these conversations: really good spitballing, like improv comedy, requires a high degree of social disinhibition. So the writers’ room, like a therapist’s office, must remain inviolable.
It’s fascinating to read genius at work.
\n", "content_html": "
While vacationing in Hawaii Lucas, Spielberg and Kasdan are all brainstorming ideas for what would become Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The entire transcript is available as a PDF - all glorious 90 pages.
\n\nHere is a fascinating conversation as the three flesh out Indy’s character:
\n\n\n\nLucas - Now, several aspects that we’ve discussed before: The image of him which is the strongest image is the “Treasure Of Sierra Madre” outfit, which is the khaki pants, he’s got the leather jacket, that sort of felt hat, and the pistol and holster with a World War One sort of flap over it. He’s going into the jungle carrying his gun. The other thing we’ve added to him, which may be fun, is a bull whip. That’s really his trade mark. That’s really what he’s good at. He has a pistol, and he’s probably very good at that, but at the same time he happens to be very good with a bull whip. It’s really more of a hobby than anything else. Maybe he came from Montana, someplace, and he… There are freaks who love bull whips. They just do it all the time. It’s a device that hasn’t been used in a long time.
\n\nSpielberg - You can knock somebody’s belt off and the guys pants fall down.
\n\nLucas - You can swing over things, you can…there are so many things you can do with it. I thought he carried it rolled up. It’s like a Samurai sword. He carries it back there and you don’t even notice it. That way it’s not in the way or anything. It’s just there whenever he wants it.
\n\nSpielberg - At some point in the movie he must use it to get a girl back who’s walking out of the room. Wrap her up and she twirls as he pulls her back. She spins into his arms. You have to use it for more things than just saving himself.
\n\nLucas - We’ll have to work that part out. In a way it’s important that it be a dangerous weapon. It looks sort of like a snake that’s coiled up behind him, and any time it strikes it’s a real threat.
\n\nKasdan - Except there has to be that moment when he’s alone with a can of beer and he just whips it to him.
Patrick Radden Keefe at the New Yorker read through the whole thing and has a wonderful write up:
\n\n\n\nOver the intervening decades of enormous wealth and success, both Lucas and Spielberg have carefully tended their public images, so there is a voyeuristic thrill to seeing them converse in so unguarded a manner. As the screenwriters Craig Mazin and John August pointed out recently on the Scriptnotes podcast, one delight of reading the transcript is watching Spielberg throw out bad ideas, and then noting how Lucas gently shuts him down. Spielberg, who had sought to direct a Bond movie-and, astonishingly, been rejected-thought that their hero should be an avid gambler. Lucas replied that perhaps they shouldn’t overload him with attributes. (Lucas himself had briefly entertained, then mercifully set aside, the notion that his archaeologist might also be a practitioner of kung fu.) There’s a good reason we seldom get to spy on these conversations: really good spitballing, like improv comedy, requires a high degree of social disinhibition. So the writers’ room, like a therapist’s office, must remain inviolable.
It’s fascinating to read genius at work.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/31/donald-trump-indicted/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/03/31/donald-trump-indicted/", "title": "Donald Trump Indicted ", "date_published": "2023-03-31T07:05:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-31T07:05:40-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"trump](\"/assets/images/trump-idictment.jpg\")
\n\nA Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges.
\n\nThe felony indictment, filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, will likely be announced in the coming days. By then, prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, will have asked Mr. Trump to surrender and to face arraignment on charges that remain unknown for now. […]
\n\nHe will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed.
\n\nAnd the former president of the United States of America will be read the standard Miranda warning: He will be told that he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
Finally. The wheels of justice may be slow, but they will turn.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\nA Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges.
\n\nThe felony indictment, filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, will likely be announced in the coming days. By then, prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, will have asked Mr. Trump to surrender and to face arraignment on charges that remain unknown for now. […]
\n\nHe will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed.
\n\nAnd the former president of the United States of America will be read the standard Miranda warning: He will be told that he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
Finally. The wheels of justice may be slow, but they will turn.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/01/parking-lots-eat-u-dot-s-cities/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/01/parking-lots-eat-u-dot-s-cities/", "title": "Parking lots 'eat' U.S. Cities", "date_published": "2023-04-01T03:12:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-01T03:12:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Arlington-Texas-parking\"](\"/assets/images/arlington-tx-parking.png\")
Frank Jacobs writes at Big Think:
\n\n\n\nIt’s hard to think of a pithier one to describe the parking pandemic blighting America’s city centers — except perhaps the title of a Bloomberg article on the same topic: “Parking has eaten America’s cities”.
\n\nThat article cites a 2018 study of the space and money devoted to parking in five American cities. In that year, both Seattle and Des Moines had 1.6 million parking spaces. New York City had 1.85 million, and Philadelphia 2.2 million. Tiny Jackson, Wyoming had 100,000 parking spaces, roughly one for each inhabitant.
\n\nSeattle had 30 parking spaces per acre, roughly five times the number of residential units. In Des Moines, the parking-to-housing ratio per acre was around 20 to 1. Only New York had more housing units than parking spaces per acre. That worked out to 0.6 parking spaces per household (but then again, only 45% of New York households own a car).
\n\nOn average, about one-fifth of all land in city centers is dedicated to parking. But what’s the actual harm being done by all that parking space? For one, city centers that are more “parkable” become less walkable. In other words, fewer things are casually accessible.
\n\nEven if you’re no fan of walking, perhaps you like a roof over your head. However, the abundance of parking spaces, often mandated for new developments by city governments, has left a lot less space for anything else, making housing in city centers scarcer and more expensive.
Looking at these maps - it’s shocking to see how much space is dedicated to cars. No wonder we have an affordable housing crisis in urban centers. Not to mention an utter lack of character and community. This is could all be easily solved if we ban personal cars in city centers and force people to park on an outrim and use public transportation to get in and out of cities.
\n\nThe above images is from Arlington, Texas. What is really interesting is parking mapped in New York City:
\n\n![\"new-york-parking\"](\"/assets/images/new-york-parking.png\")
Why the discrepancy? Apparently the high real-estate prices have deemed parking lots to expensive.
\n\nAnd the results are obvious to anyone who has visited NYC. Excellent transportation systems, walkable city and a vibrant city center. Still doesn’t address the affordable housing issue - in the case of NYC its primarily zoning and tax policy issue. But thats a topic for an another post.
\n", "content_html": "
Frank Jacobs writes at Big Think:
\n\n\n\nIt’s hard to think of a pithier one to describe the parking pandemic blighting America’s city centers — except perhaps the title of a Bloomberg article on the same topic: “Parking has eaten America’s cities”.
\n\nThat article cites a 2018 study of the space and money devoted to parking in five American cities. In that year, both Seattle and Des Moines had 1.6 million parking spaces. New York City had 1.85 million, and Philadelphia 2.2 million. Tiny Jackson, Wyoming had 100,000 parking spaces, roughly one for each inhabitant.
\n\nSeattle had 30 parking spaces per acre, roughly five times the number of residential units. In Des Moines, the parking-to-housing ratio per acre was around 20 to 1. Only New York had more housing units than parking spaces per acre. That worked out to 0.6 parking spaces per household (but then again, only 45% of New York households own a car).
\n\nOn average, about one-fifth of all land in city centers is dedicated to parking. But what’s the actual harm being done by all that parking space? For one, city centers that are more “parkable” become less walkable. In other words, fewer things are casually accessible.
\n\nEven if you’re no fan of walking, perhaps you like a roof over your head. However, the abundance of parking spaces, often mandated for new developments by city governments, has left a lot less space for anything else, making housing in city centers scarcer and more expensive.
Looking at these maps - it’s shocking to see how much space is dedicated to cars. No wonder we have an affordable housing crisis in urban centers. Not to mention an utter lack of character and community. This is could all be easily solved if we ban personal cars in city centers and force people to park on an outrim and use public transportation to get in and out of cities.
\n\nThe above images is from Arlington, Texas. What is really interesting is parking mapped in New York City:
\n\n
Why the discrepancy? Apparently the high real-estate prices have deemed parking lots to expensive.
\n\nAnd the results are obvious to anyone who has visited NYC. Excellent transportation systems, walkable city and a vibrant city center. Still doesn’t address the affordable housing issue - in the case of NYC its primarily zoning and tax policy issue. But thats a topic for an another post.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/07/indias-10-000-forgotten-mansions/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/07/indias-10-000-forgotten-mansions/", "title": "India's 10,000 forgotten mansions", "date_published": "2023-04-07T02:35:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-07T02:35:40-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Soumya Gayatri for BBC Travel:
\n\n\n\nMore than 10,000 lavish mansions dot the Chettinad region, many of them spanning tens of thousands of square feet. These gigantic, often glamorous, houses were built by the rich merchant families of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, who amassed great wealth by trading precious stones in Southeast Asia. They rose to the peak of their economic power in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, when most mansions were built.
\n\n[…]
\n\nToday, Chettinad is famous for its fiery chicken Chettinad dish and the much sought-after antiques from Karaikudi, but most travellers remain unaware of these luxurious mansions spread over the remaining 73 villages in the region. Although most of them lie in ruins, a handful have been converted into heritage hotels and museums by enthusiastic owners who are working to keep the Chettiar legacy alive.
![\"Chettinadu-Mansion\"](\"/assets/images/bluecoulumn.png\")
\n
\n![\"marble-Mansion\"](\"/assets/images/marble-mansion.png\")
\n
\n![\"block-mansion\"](\"/assets/images/block-mansion.png\")
\n\n“Renovation expenses of Chettinad’s homes can run into thousands of dollars. And, this is not a one-time cost, these buildings require regular upkeep and repair,” Rajivkumar explained. “Add to that a lack of interest among multiple owners, and conservation becomes a herculean task.”
\n\nBut both Meyyappan and Chandramouli are optimistic. “Only 10% of Chettinad’s mansions have received tourist makeovers so far, whereas 30% have been completely destroyed. It is our job to resuscitate the remaining 60% by working together as a community,” Chandramouli said.
This is something that the Indian government should take on - the expenses could easily be recouped by tourist income.
\n", "content_html": "Soumya Gayatri for BBC Travel:
\n\n\n\nMore than 10,000 lavish mansions dot the Chettinad region, many of them spanning tens of thousands of square feet. These gigantic, often glamorous, houses were built by the rich merchant families of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, who amassed great wealth by trading precious stones in Southeast Asia. They rose to the peak of their economic power in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, when most mansions were built.
\n\n[…]
\n\nToday, Chettinad is famous for its fiery chicken Chettinad dish and the much sought-after antiques from Karaikudi, but most travellers remain unaware of these luxurious mansions spread over the remaining 73 villages in the region. Although most of them lie in ruins, a handful have been converted into heritage hotels and museums by enthusiastic owners who are working to keep the Chettiar legacy alive.
\n
\n\n
\n
\n\n“Renovation expenses of Chettinad’s homes can run into thousands of dollars. And, this is not a one-time cost, these buildings require regular upkeep and repair,” Rajivkumar explained. “Add to that a lack of interest among multiple owners, and conservation becomes a herculean task.”
\n\nBut both Meyyappan and Chandramouli are optimistic. “Only 10% of Chettinad’s mansions have received tourist makeovers so far, whereas 30% have been completely destroyed. It is our job to resuscitate the remaining 60% by working together as a community,” Chandramouli said.
This is something that the Indian government should take on - the expenses could easily be recouped by tourist income.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/07/why-lego-won/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/07/why-lego-won/", "title": "Why Lego won", "date_published": "2023-04-07T03:07:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-07T03:07:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nLego wasn’t the inventor of today ubiquitous plastic building blocks - it was a clone of the original called Kiddicraft.
Phil Edwards:
\n\n\n\nThe first Lego plastic mold was the same one that Kiddicraft used, and early Lego bricks were almost identical to Kiddicraft blocks, with a few minor differences. They slightly changed the scale and the studs, but as you can see, they were pretty similar. Early Kiddicraft blocks had little slots in the side for windows and other attachments. So did early Lego bricks. From top to bottom, these were very similar to Kiddicraft blocks. So with such a simple idea that had kind of already been done, how did Lego win?
Lego out engineered Kiddicraft - Lego built a better brick.
\n", "content_html": "
\nLego wasn’t the inventor of today ubiquitous plastic building blocks - it was a clone of the original called Kiddicraft.
Phil Edwards:
\n\n\n\nThe first Lego plastic mold was the same one that Kiddicraft used, and early Lego bricks were almost identical to Kiddicraft blocks, with a few minor differences. They slightly changed the scale and the studs, but as you can see, they were pretty similar. Early Kiddicraft blocks had little slots in the side for windows and other attachments. So did early Lego bricks. From top to bottom, these were very similar to Kiddicraft blocks. So with such a simple idea that had kind of already been done, how did Lego win?
Lego out engineered Kiddicraft - Lego built a better brick.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/10/tennessee-lawmakers-expelled-from-state-house-over-gun-control-protests/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/10/tennessee-lawmakers-expelled-from-state-house-over-gun-control-protests/", "title": "Tennessee lawmakers expelled from state House over gun control protests", "date_published": "2023-04-10T14:07:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-10T14:07:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"jones-pearson\"](\"/assets/images/jones-pearson-expulsion.jpg\")
This week, Tennessee Republicans removed two of their black Democratic legislators, while miraculously allowing the white legislator to keep her job. Tennessee Republicans aren’t even trying to hide their bigotry. It is so obvious and egregious that it feels like something out of the 1950s.
\n\nRepublicans voted to ban black lawmakers from their democratically elected positions for speaking out on gun violence. They banded together and accomplished this in 24 hours, even before debating the possibility of taking any action to curb gun violence after three children were slaughtered in school.
\n\nIt is astounding to witness what the Republican Party can do and the speed with which they can do it when they put their minds to it. Expelling two black legislators who were protesting gun violence? They accomplished that in 24 hours. Trying to address the issue of nine-year-olds being shot in school? All they can offer are thoughts and prayers. Instead, they are actively working to loosen gun laws. Current bills on the floor include lowering the minimum age for carrying guns from 21 to 18 and allowing permit-less open carry or concealed carry of any gun, including AR-15s.
\n\nThe Republicans are digging their own graves when it comes to the upcoming elections.
\n", "content_html": "
This week, Tennessee Republicans removed two of their black Democratic legislators, while miraculously allowing the white legislator to keep her job. Tennessee Republicans aren’t even trying to hide their bigotry. It is so obvious and egregious that it feels like something out of the 1950s.
\n\nRepublicans voted to ban black lawmakers from their democratically elected positions for speaking out on gun violence. They banded together and accomplished this in 24 hours, even before debating the possibility of taking any action to curb gun violence after three children were slaughtered in school.
\n\nIt is astounding to witness what the Republican Party can do and the speed with which they can do it when they put their minds to it. Expelling two black legislators who were protesting gun violence? They accomplished that in 24 hours. Trying to address the issue of nine-year-olds being shot in school? All they can offer are thoughts and prayers. Instead, they are actively working to loosen gun laws. Current bills on the floor include lowering the minimum age for carrying guns from 21 to 18 and allowing permit-less open carry or concealed carry of any gun, including AR-15s.
\n\nThe Republicans are digging their own graves when it comes to the upcoming elections.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/13/stanley-kubrick-films-in-one-point-perspective/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/13/stanley-kubrick-films-in-one-point-perspective/", "title": "Stanley Kubrick films use of One-Point Perspective", "date_published": "2023-04-13T16:27:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-13T16:27:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Kubrick always had a haunting unique look - just realized its the perpective.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Kubrick always had a haunting unique look - just realized its the perpective.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/15/cost-of-a-turkey-sandwich-at-the-airport/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/15/cost-of-a-turkey-sandwich-at-the-airport/", "title": "Cost of a Turkey Sandwich at the Airport", "date_published": "2023-04-15T15:51:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-15T15:51:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Ever wonder whhy those sandwiches wrapped in plastic, looking a bit pale in the fluorescent light cost $14.99 ?
\n\nHell Gate inquired as to why the high price of the sandwich here is what they found:
\n\n\n\nFood, drinks, and other goods sold at each of the region’s three airports must adhere to strict price standards established by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which limit costs to “street pricing” plus an additional 10 percent. This means, generally, that a turkey sandwich sold at an airport cannot cost significantly more than a comparable turkey sandwich in the NYC metro area.
\n\nFair enough. New York City is an expensive place, and running a business out of an airport presents unique challenges. But this standard raises another question: If retailers like CIBO Express (and its parent company OTG, the main dining and retail operator for some of the country’s largest airports, including LaGuardia, Newark, and JFK) are indeed following the Port Authority’s rules, then who are these metro-area retailers charging $13.50 ($13.50 plus 10 percent = $14.99) for an unremarkable, prepackaged turkey sandwich on sliced bread?
Excactly. The real problem is that its a pricing system that is obviuosly rigged and the folks at Port Authority are refusing transperency.
\n\n\n\n“This should be an easy process to be transparent about,” Lund said of the OIG report. “Either Port Authority is not [releasing] it because they know that their process wasn’t good, which is entirely possible, or they’re not [releasing] it just to say ‘fuck you,’ which is also possible and also bad from a government agency.”
\n\nLund added, “The cost of airport food matters, because if the Port Authority isn’t bothering to deal with this, what else is the Port Authority not bothering to do?”
Bingo. This is why I refuse to eat anything at the airport. Just pack lunch with you on carry on. Don’t even get me started on the in flight charges for food.
\n", "content_html": "Ever wonder whhy those sandwiches wrapped in plastic, looking a bit pale in the fluorescent light cost $14.99 ?
\n\nHell Gate inquired as to why the high price of the sandwich here is what they found:
\n\n\n\nFood, drinks, and other goods sold at each of the region’s three airports must adhere to strict price standards established by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which limit costs to “street pricing” plus an additional 10 percent. This means, generally, that a turkey sandwich sold at an airport cannot cost significantly more than a comparable turkey sandwich in the NYC metro area.
\n\nFair enough. New York City is an expensive place, and running a business out of an airport presents unique challenges. But this standard raises another question: If retailers like CIBO Express (and its parent company OTG, the main dining and retail operator for some of the country’s largest airports, including LaGuardia, Newark, and JFK) are indeed following the Port Authority’s rules, then who are these metro-area retailers charging $13.50 ($13.50 plus 10 percent = $14.99) for an unremarkable, prepackaged turkey sandwich on sliced bread?
Excactly. The real problem is that its a pricing system that is obviuosly rigged and the folks at Port Authority are refusing transperency.
\n\n\n\n“This should be an easy process to be transparent about,” Lund said of the OIG report. “Either Port Authority is not [releasing] it because they know that their process wasn’t good, which is entirely possible, or they’re not [releasing] it just to say ‘fuck you,’ which is also possible and also bad from a government agency.”
\n\nLund added, “The cost of airport food matters, because if the Port Authority isn’t bothering to deal with this, what else is the Port Authority not bothering to do?”
Bingo. This is why I refuse to eat anything at the airport. Just pack lunch with you on carry on. Don’t even get me started on the in flight charges for food.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/15/warner-bros-discovery-to-drop-hbo-just-call-it-max/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/15/warner-bros-discovery-to-drop-hbo-just-call-it-max/", "title": "Warner Bros. Discovery to drop 'HBO' just call it 'Max'", "date_published": "2023-04-15T16:08:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-15T16:08:57-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\nWarner Bros. Discovery today introduced Max, its enhanced streaming service, which will launch in the U.S. on May 23. Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids content, and best-in-class programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more. Max will stand out amongst streamers by uniquely combining unrivaled breadth and superior quality with iconic franchises and strong product experience, all for great value.
This is just dumb - HBO is still the best brand in TV and to not brand with it is idiotic.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\nWarner Bros. Discovery today introduced Max, its enhanced streaming service, which will launch in the U.S. on May 23. Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids content, and best-in-class programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more. Max will stand out amongst streamers by uniquely combining unrivaled breadth and superior quality with iconic franchises and strong product experience, all for great value.
This is just dumb - HBO is still the best brand in TV and to not brand with it is idiotic.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/24/cnn-panel-cracks-up-over-desantis-disney-threat/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/24/cnn-panel-cracks-up-over-desantis-disney-threat/", "title": "CNN panel cracks up over DeSantis' Disney threat", "date_published": "2023-04-24T02:15:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-24T02:15:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis floating the idea of building a competing theme park next to Disney World in Orlando:
\n\n\n\nWhat should we do with this land? And you know, okay. Its - I mean people have said you know maybe another - maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks. Someone even said maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean I think that the possibilities are just endless.
You can’t make this up - the Republican party is a clown show. Bomani Jones in this CNN clip said it best:
\n\nFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis floating the idea of building a competing theme park next to Disney World in Orlando:
\n\n\n\nWhat should we do with this land? And you know, okay. Its - I mean people have said you know maybe another - maybe create a state park, maybe try to do more amusement parks. Someone even said maybe you need another state prison. Who knows? I mean I think that the possibilities are just endless.
You can’t make this up - the Republican party is a clown show. Bomani Jones in this CNN clip said it best:
\n\nAnnie Lowrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nIn the inaugural paper using IMPA’s model, the economists Lídia Brun, Ignacio González, and Juan Montecino conclude that the Trump tax bill was “harmful to the economy”—it slowed down growth and amped up inequality. Slashing the corporate-tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent did not boost workers’ wages by thousands of dollars a year, as Trump appointees had predicted. Nor will it boost GDP in the long term. The IMPA model finds instead that cutting the corporate-tax rate “reduced the funds used for productive investment” by shunting money into investor payouts. What’s more, it suggests that raising taxes on business monopolies might stimulate growth by lowering those firms’ stock-market returns and thus spurring investors to pour money into more dynamic businesses.
Is this a surprise? The huge $2 trillion tax cuts under Trump went directly to the top 1% of wealth holders in the country. Hardly any ‘trickled’ down to the average citizen.
\n\nWhat could those $2 trillion have done? The money could have provided meals to underprivileged children, paid teachers a proper salary, shore up retirement benefits, provided safety nets for the homeless, and funded healthcare for everyone. I would bet that these initiatives would boost the economy in a more substantial way for the average American family.
\n", "content_html": "Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nIn the inaugural paper using IMPA’s model, the economists Lídia Brun, Ignacio González, and Juan Montecino conclude that the Trump tax bill was “harmful to the economy”—it slowed down growth and amped up inequality. Slashing the corporate-tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent did not boost workers’ wages by thousands of dollars a year, as Trump appointees had predicted. Nor will it boost GDP in the long term. The IMPA model finds instead that cutting the corporate-tax rate “reduced the funds used for productive investment” by shunting money into investor payouts. What’s more, it suggests that raising taxes on business monopolies might stimulate growth by lowering those firms’ stock-market returns and thus spurring investors to pour money into more dynamic businesses.
Is this a surprise? The huge $2 trillion tax cuts under Trump went directly to the top 1% of wealth holders in the country. Hardly any ‘trickled’ down to the average citizen.
\n\nWhat could those $2 trillion have done? The money could have provided meals to underprivileged children, paid teachers a proper salary, shore up retirement benefits, provided safety nets for the homeless, and funded healthcare for everyone. I would bet that these initiatives would boost the economy in a more substantial way for the average American family.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/24/warren-buffet-on-apple/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/04/24/warren-buffet-on-apple/", "title": "Warren Buffet on Apple", "date_published": "2023-04-24T02:53:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-24T02:53:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Warren Buffet when asked about Berkshire Hathaway’s largest holding, Apple:
\n\n\n\nIf you’re an Apple user and somebody offers you $10,000, but the only provision is they’ll take away your iPhone and you’ll never be able to buy another, you’re not going to take it. If they tell you if you buy another Ford car — they’ll give you $10,000 not to do that — you’ll take the $10,000 and you’ll buy a Chevy instead
Apple’s greatest asset is customer loyalty and the excellent job the executive team has done nurturing that loyalty.
\n\n\n" @tim_cook is one of the classiest CEOs and he understands the business. Tim Cook has managed that company in an extraordinary way," says Warren Buffett on $AAPL. "It's a wonderful business so we own a lot of it." pic.twitter.com/1lVUNIfgnT
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) April 12, 2023
Warren Buffet when asked about Berkshire Hathaway’s largest holding, Apple:
\n\n\n\nIf you’re an Apple user and somebody offers you $10,000, but the only provision is they’ll take away your iPhone and you’ll never be able to buy another, you’re not going to take it. If they tell you if you buy another Ford car — they’ll give you $10,000 not to do that — you’ll take the $10,000 and you’ll buy a Chevy instead
Apple’s greatest asset is customer loyalty and the excellent job the executive team has done nurturing that loyalty.
\n\n\n" @tim_cook is one of the classiest CEOs and he understands the business. Tim Cook has managed that company in an extraordinary way," says Warren Buffett on $AAPL. "It's a wonderful business so we own a lot of it." pic.twitter.com/1lVUNIfgnT
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) April 12, 2023
James Astill in The Eonomist:
\n\n\n\nYet my children’s experience of school in America is in some ways as indifferent as their swimming classes are good, for the country’s elementary schools seem strangely averse to teaching children much stuff. According to the oecd’s latest international education rankings, American children are rated average at reading, below average at science, and poor at maths, at which they rank 27th out of 34 developed countries. At 15, children in Massachusetts, where education standards are higher than in most states, are so far behind their counterparts in Shanghai at maths that it would take them more than two years of regular education to catch up.
\n\n[…]
\n\nAt the heart of the problem is an educational ethos that prizes building self-esteem over academic attainment. This is based on a theory that self-confidence leads to all manner of other virtues, including academic achievement, because children who feel good about themselves will love learning – right?
It is not the self-esteem educational ethos; it is the American ethos against education itself. Just look at the political climate in America today: book bannings, rewriting American history, attacking and blaming underpaid teachers. Not to mention that American schools are turning into war zones. These are just a few obvious issues that highlight the situation.
\n", "content_html": "James Astill in The Eonomist:
\n\n\n\nYet my children’s experience of school in America is in some ways as indifferent as their swimming classes are good, for the country’s elementary schools seem strangely averse to teaching children much stuff. According to the oecd’s latest international education rankings, American children are rated average at reading, below average at science, and poor at maths, at which they rank 27th out of 34 developed countries. At 15, children in Massachusetts, where education standards are higher than in most states, are so far behind their counterparts in Shanghai at maths that it would take them more than two years of regular education to catch up.
\n\n[…]
\n\nAt the heart of the problem is an educational ethos that prizes building self-esteem over academic attainment. This is based on a theory that self-confidence leads to all manner of other virtues, including academic achievement, because children who feel good about themselves will love learning – right?
It is not the self-esteem educational ethos; it is the American ethos against education itself. Just look at the political climate in America today: book bannings, rewriting American history, attacking and blaming underpaid teachers. Not to mention that American schools are turning into war zones. These are just a few obvious issues that highlight the situation.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/05/isaac-asimov-on-ignorance/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/05/isaac-asimov-on-ignorance/", "title": "Isaac Asimov on Ignorance", "date_published": "2023-05-05T22:26:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-05T22:26:43-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Came across this quote by the great Isaac Asimov:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti- intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’
Came across this quote by the great Isaac Asimov:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/06/making-people-uncomfortable-can-get-you-killed/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/06/making-people-uncomfortable-can-get-you-killed/", "title": "Making People Uncomfortable Can get you killed", "date_published": "2023-05-06T02:58:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-06T02:58:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti- intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’
![\"us](\"/assets/images/us-gun.jpeg\")
\n
\nRoxane Gay, writing in the NY Times about the rampant killings of people for simple arguments, disagreements or misunderstandings:
\n\nThere is no patience for simple mistakes or room for addressing how bigotry colors even the most innocuous interactions. There is no regard for due process. People who deem themselves judge, jury and executioner walk among us, and we have no real way of knowing when they will turn on us.
The United States currently possesses the highest number of guns in circulation worldwide, estimated at 466 million, while its population stands at 334.4 million people as of 2023. This equates to nearly 1.4 guns for every person in the United States. Given these figures, it is worth questioning whether the rise in gun-related deaths should come as a surprise.
\n\nFirmin Debrabander wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times regarding freedom in an armed society:
\n\n\n\nArendt offers two points that are salient to our thinking about guns: for one, they insert a hierarchy of some kind, but fundamental nonetheless, and thereby undermine equality. But furthermore, guns pose a monumental challenge to freedom, and particular, the liberty that is the hallmark of any democracy worthy of the name — that is, freedom of speech. Guns do communicate, after all, but in a way that is contrary to free speech aspirations: for, guns chasten speech.
\n\nThis becomes clear if only you pry a little more deeply into the N.R.A.’s logic behind an armed society. An armed society is polite, by their thinking, precisely because guns would compel everyone to tamp down eccentric behavior, and refrain from actions that might seem threatening. The suggestion is that guns liberally interspersed throughout society would cause us all to walk gingerly — not make any sudden, unexpected moves — and watch what we say, how we act, whom we might offend.
This is precisely the situation we are witnessing: a society that is fearful, paranoid, and gripped by anxiety. In order to safeguard the well-being of our children and preserve our democratic values, America needs stop worshipping our great Gun god.
\n", "content_html": "\n
\nRoxane Gay, writing in the NY Times about the rampant killings of people for simple arguments, disagreements or misunderstandings:
\n\nThere is no patience for simple mistakes or room for addressing how bigotry colors even the most innocuous interactions. There is no regard for due process. People who deem themselves judge, jury and executioner walk among us, and we have no real way of knowing when they will turn on us.
The United States currently possesses the highest number of guns in circulation worldwide, estimated at 466 million, while its population stands at 334.4 million people as of 2023. This equates to nearly 1.4 guns for every person in the United States. Given these figures, it is worth questioning whether the rise in gun-related deaths should come as a surprise.
\n\nFirmin Debrabander wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times regarding freedom in an armed society:
\n\n\n\nArendt offers two points that are salient to our thinking about guns: for one, they insert a hierarchy of some kind, but fundamental nonetheless, and thereby undermine equality. But furthermore, guns pose a monumental challenge to freedom, and particular, the liberty that is the hallmark of any democracy worthy of the name — that is, freedom of speech. Guns do communicate, after all, but in a way that is contrary to free speech aspirations: for, guns chasten speech.
\n\nThis becomes clear if only you pry a little more deeply into the N.R.A.’s logic behind an armed society. An armed society is polite, by their thinking, precisely because guns would compel everyone to tamp down eccentric behavior, and refrain from actions that might seem threatening. The suggestion is that guns liberally interspersed throughout society would cause us all to walk gingerly — not make any sudden, unexpected moves — and watch what we say, how we act, whom we might offend.
This is precisely the situation we are witnessing: a society that is fearful, paranoid, and gripped by anxiety. In order to safeguard the well-being of our children and preserve our democratic values, America needs stop worshipping our great Gun god.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/08/u2-tiny-desk-concert/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/08/u2-tiny-desk-concert/", "title": "U2 Tiny Desk Concert", "date_published": "2023-05-08T05:26:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-08T05:26:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nBono, the Edge and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Choir peform four songs at NPR for their Tiny Desk Concert series. Amazing stripped down performance letting you really appreciate the masterful song writing of U2.
This is my new favorite Tiny Desk Concert.
\n\nFrom the description:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Traveling without bassist Adam Clayton or drummer Larry Mullen Jr., Bono and The Edge made the trip from Ireland to the States specifically for the Tiny Desk, arriving in D.C. after five days of rehearsals at Bono’s New York apartment. When they settled in for the performance, they treated the office to four songs, including a deeply emotional version of “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” written for the late INXS singer Michael Hutchence, and a reworked version of “Walk On,” which Bono said was inspired by and dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
\nBono, the Edge and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Choir peform four songs at NPR for their Tiny Desk Concert series. Amazing stripped down performance letting you really appreciate the masterful song writing of U2.
This is my new favorite Tiny Desk Concert.
\n\nFrom the description:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/11/birdges-of-all-straships-enterprise/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/11/birdges-of-all-straships-enterprise/", "title": "Bridges of All Straships Enterprise", "date_published": "2023-05-11T05:42:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-11T05:42:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Traveling without bassist Adam Clayton or drummer Larry Mullen Jr., Bono and The Edge made the trip from Ireland to the States specifically for the Tiny Desk, arriving in D.C. after five days of rehearsals at Bono’s New York apartment. When they settled in for the performance, they treated the office to four songs, including a deeply emotional version of “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” written for the late INXS singer Michael Hutchence, and a reworked version of “Walk On,” which Bono said was inspired by and dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
\nA virtual tour of the 3D rendered bridges of every iteration of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek. Really amazing to see the evolution of bridge throughout the series.
\nA virtual tour of the 3D rendered bridges of every iteration of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek. Really amazing to see the evolution of bridge throughout the series.
Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski, reporting:
\n\n\n\nIn 2008, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decided to send his teenage grandnephew to Hidden Lake Academy, a private boarding school in the foothills of northern Georgia. The boy, Mark Martin, was far from home. For the previous decade, he had lived with the justice and his wife in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Thomas had taken legal custody of Martin when he was 6 years old and had recently told an interviewer he was “raising him as a son.”
\n\nTuition at the boarding school ran more than $6,000 a month. But Thomas did not cover the bill. A bank statement for the school from July 2009, buried in unrelated court filings, shows the source of Martin’s tuition payment for that month: the company of billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow. […]
\n\n“You can’t be having secret financial arrangements,” said Mark W. Bennett, a retired federal judge appointed by President Bill Clinton. Bennett said he was friendly with Thomas and declined to comment for the record about the specifics of Thomas’ actions. But he said that when he was on the bench, he wouldn’t let his lawyer friends buy him lunch. […]
\n\n“This is way outside the norm. This is way in excess of anything I’ve seen,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, referring to the cascade of gifts over the years.
\n\nPainter said that when he was at the White House, an official who’d taken what Thomas had would have been fired: “This amount of undisclosed gifts? You’d want to get them out of the government.”
Time for Thomas to go.
\n", "content_html": "Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski, reporting:
\n\n\n\nIn 2008, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decided to send his teenage grandnephew to Hidden Lake Academy, a private boarding school in the foothills of northern Georgia. The boy, Mark Martin, was far from home. For the previous decade, he had lived with the justice and his wife in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Thomas had taken legal custody of Martin when he was 6 years old and had recently told an interviewer he was “raising him as a son.”
\n\nTuition at the boarding school ran more than $6,000 a month. But Thomas did not cover the bill. A bank statement for the school from July 2009, buried in unrelated court filings, shows the source of Martin’s tuition payment for that month: the company of billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow. […]
\n\n“You can’t be having secret financial arrangements,” said Mark W. Bennett, a retired federal judge appointed by President Bill Clinton. Bennett said he was friendly with Thomas and declined to comment for the record about the specifics of Thomas’ actions. But he said that when he was on the bench, he wouldn’t let his lawyer friends buy him lunch. […]
\n\n“This is way outside the norm. This is way in excess of anything I’ve seen,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, referring to the cascade of gifts over the years.
\n\nPainter said that when he was at the White House, an official who’d taken what Thomas had would have been fired: “This amount of undisclosed gifts? You’d want to get them out of the government.”
Time for Thomas to go.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/11/the-metaverse-wasteland/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/11/the-metaverse-wasteland/", "title": "The Metaverse Wasteland", "date_published": "2023-05-11T06:10:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-11T06:10:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"metaverse\"](\"/assets/images/meteverse.png\")
John Herrman writing for the Intelligencer:
\n\n\n\nThe metaverse was another supreme executive fantasy. Most broadly, it offered the prospect of a new frontier, the likes of which Zuckerberg hasn’t seen since, well, his conquest of the last one. More immediately, it was a way to make remote work more like in-office work for everyone, but especially for bosses, who understood it as a way to regain control and authority over their newly WFHing employees. It was a theoretical solution to the suddenly pressing problem of expensive and empty real estate — replacing a finite resource with an infinite one. (Meta has long talked about being a remote-work-friendly company but pays for millions of square feet of office space around the world.) From one executive to an audience of other executives, the metaverse — at least Zuck’s take on it — offered a vision of the future in which everything was different but also pretty much the same: a disruptive technology that maintained the basic order of things, and where you once again knew what your employees were up to, even if they were just avatars.
The ‘metaverse’ was idiotic from the get-go, an out-of-touch vision from an executive class disconnected from reality. Furthermore, wasn’t a comparable concept already explored in the 2000s with Second Life?
\n\nHow is it that Zuckerberg still holds a leadership role at Facebook?
\n\nEdit: Looks like Second Life is very much still afloat.
\n", "content_html": "
John Herrman writing for the Intelligencer:
\n\n\n\nThe metaverse was another supreme executive fantasy. Most broadly, it offered the prospect of a new frontier, the likes of which Zuckerberg hasn’t seen since, well, his conquest of the last one. More immediately, it was a way to make remote work more like in-office work for everyone, but especially for bosses, who understood it as a way to regain control and authority over their newly WFHing employees. It was a theoretical solution to the suddenly pressing problem of expensive and empty real estate — replacing a finite resource with an infinite one. (Meta has long talked about being a remote-work-friendly company but pays for millions of square feet of office space around the world.) From one executive to an audience of other executives, the metaverse — at least Zuck’s take on it — offered a vision of the future in which everything was different but also pretty much the same: a disruptive technology that maintained the basic order of things, and where you once again knew what your employees were up to, even if they were just avatars.
The ‘metaverse’ was idiotic from the get-go, an out-of-touch vision from an executive class disconnected from reality. Furthermore, wasn’t a comparable concept already explored in the 2000s with Second Life?
\n\nHow is it that Zuckerberg still holds a leadership role at Facebook?
\n\nEdit: Looks like Second Life is very much still afloat.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/22/man-carrying-an-ak-47-at-a-school-bus-stop/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/22/man-carrying-an-ak-47-at-a-school-bus-stop/", "title": "How is this legal???", "date_published": "2023-05-22T15:59:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-22T15:59:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThis man was seen carrying an assault rifle across the street from a neighborhood school bus stop. He was posing with an AK-47, the same type of gun that has been used in the majority of school shootings.
What is wrong with Americans? How is this even legal? The police had to “talk him into leaving.” This mentally unstable individual needs to have his AK-47 confiscated and be taken into custody pending a psychological evaluation. It is individuals like this who eventually snap and cause harm.
\n\nIt’s disheartening that our country prioritizes guns over the safety of our children.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThis man was seen carrying an assault rifle across the street from a neighborhood school bus stop. He was posing with an AK-47, the same type of gun that has been used in the majority of school shootings.
What is wrong with Americans? How is this even legal? The police had to “talk him into leaving.” This mentally unstable individual needs to have his AK-47 confiscated and be taken into custody pending a psychological evaluation. It is individuals like this who eventually snap and cause harm.
\n\nIt’s disheartening that our country prioritizes guns over the safety of our children.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/22/facebook-fined-1-dollars-3-cents-billion/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/22/facebook-fined-1-dollars-3-cents-billion/", "title": "Facebook fined $1.3 Billion", "date_published": "2023-05-22T22:07:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-22T22:07:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Facebook](\"/assets/images/facebook-fined.jpg\")
Adam Satariano, for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nMeta on Monday was fined a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) and ordered to stop transferring data collected from Facebook users in Europe to the United States, in a major ruling against the social media company for violating European Union data protection rules.
\n\nThe penalty, announced by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, is potentially one of the most consequential in the five years since the European Union enacted the landmark data privacy law known as the General Data Protection Regulation. Regulators said the company failed to comply with a 2020 decision by the European Union’s highest court that Facebook data shipped across the Atlantic was not sufficiently protected from American spy agencies.
\n\nBut it remains unclear if or when Meta will ever need to cordon off the data of Facebook users in Europe. Meta said it would appeal the decision, setting up a potentially lengthy legal process.
I don’t care how big you are - $1.3 Billion dollars is going to hurt.
\n", "content_html": "
Adam Satariano, for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nMeta on Monday was fined a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) and ordered to stop transferring data collected from Facebook users in Europe to the United States, in a major ruling against the social media company for violating European Union data protection rules.
\n\nThe penalty, announced by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, is potentially one of the most consequential in the five years since the European Union enacted the landmark data privacy law known as the General Data Protection Regulation. Regulators said the company failed to comply with a 2020 decision by the European Union’s highest court that Facebook data shipped across the Atlantic was not sufficiently protected from American spy agencies.
\n\nBut it remains unclear if or when Meta will ever need to cordon off the data of Facebook users in Europe. Meta said it would appeal the decision, setting up a potentially lengthy legal process.
I don’t care how big you are - $1.3 Billion dollars is going to hurt.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/27/henry-kissinger-turns-100-still-a-war-criminal/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/27/henry-kissinger-turns-100-still-a-war-criminal/", "title": "Henry Kissinger turns 100 - still a war criminal", "date_published": "2023-05-27T03:08:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-27T03:08:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Henry](\"/assets/images/kissinger.jpg\")
As the meida celebrates Henry Kissinger, David Corn writing for Mother Jones:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Kissinger is routinely lambasted by his critics as a “war criminal,” though has never been held accountable for his misdeeds. He has made millions as a consultant, author, and commentator in the decades since he left government. I once heard of a Manhattan cocktail reception where he scoffed at the “war criminal” label and referred to it almost as a badge of honor. (“Bill Clinton does not have the spine to be a war criminal,” he joshed.) Kissinger has expressed few, if any, regrets about the cruel and deadly results of his moves on the global chessboard. When Koppel gently nudged him about the secret bombing in Cambodia, Kissinger took enormous umbrage and shot back: “This program you’re doing because I’m going to be 100 years old. And you are picking a topic of something that happened 60 years ago? You have to know it was a necessary step.” As for those who still protest him for that and other acts, he huffed, “Now the younger generation feels if they can raise their emotions, they don’t have to think.”
\n\nAs he enters his second century, there will be no apologies coming from Kissinger. But the rest of us will owe history—and the thousands dead because of his gamesmanship—an apology, if we do not consider the man in full. Whatever his accomplishments, his legacy includes an enormous pile of corpses. This is a birthday that warrants no celebration.
As the meida celebrates Henry Kissinger, David Corn writing for Mother Jones:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/28/why-do-lowriders-bounce/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/05/28/why-do-lowriders-bounce/", "title": "Why Do Lowriders Bounce? ", "date_published": "2023-05-28T04:29:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-28T04:29:42-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Kissinger is routinely lambasted by his critics as a “war criminal,” though has never been held accountable for his misdeeds. He has made millions as a consultant, author, and commentator in the decades since he left government. I once heard of a Manhattan cocktail reception where he scoffed at the “war criminal” label and referred to it almost as a badge of honor. (“Bill Clinton does not have the spine to be a war criminal,” he joshed.) Kissinger has expressed few, if any, regrets about the cruel and deadly results of his moves on the global chessboard. When Koppel gently nudged him about the secret bombing in Cambodia, Kissinger took enormous umbrage and shot back: “This program you’re doing because I’m going to be 100 years old. And you are picking a topic of something that happened 60 years ago? You have to know it was a necessary step.” As for those who still protest him for that and other acts, he huffed, “Now the younger generation feels if they can raise their emotions, they don’t have to think.”
\n\nAs he enters his second century, there will be no apologies coming from Kissinger. But the rest of us will owe history—and the thousands dead because of his gamesmanship—an apology, if we do not consider the man in full. Whatever his accomplishments, his legacy includes an enormous pile of corpses. This is a birthday that warrants no celebration.
\nAnyone who knows me knows of my willful ignorance when it comes to all things rap and hip hop. However, I have always been curious about the origins of the ‘lowrider bounce’ phenomenon, as seen in the video above. This fad originated in California in the late 1950s.
Mike Johnston over at The Online Photographer has the full story:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "So basically a modification to allow you to drive a lowered car on the street, that got out of hand and turned into a thing of its own.
\nAnyone who knows me knows of my willful ignorance when it comes to all things rap and hip hop. However, I have always been curious about the origins of the ‘lowrider bounce’ phenomenon, as seen in the video above. This fad originated in California in the late 1950s.
Mike Johnston over at The Online Photographer has the full story:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/01/people-still-dying-from-covid-19/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/01/people-still-dying-from-covid-19/", "title": "The Continuing Battle Against COVID-19 Deaths", "date_published": "2023-06-01T02:20:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-01T02:20:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So basically a modification to allow you to drive a lowered car on the street, that got out of hand and turned into a thing of its own.
![\"covid-death-rate\"](\"/assets/images/covid-death-rate.png\")
While the world has largely moved past the Covid-19 epidemic, an analysis by The Economist reveals that approximately 3 million people globally are still dying each year due to Covid-19.
\n\n\n\nAt current rates, it would kill more people in the next eight years than in the past three.
This statistic is sobering, highlighting the ongoing impact of the pandemic on global health.
\n", "content_html": "
While the world has largely moved past the Covid-19 epidemic, an analysis by The Economist reveals that approximately 3 million people globally are still dying each year due to Covid-19.
\n\n\n\nAt current rates, it would kill more people in the next eight years than in the past three.
This statistic is sobering, highlighting the ongoing impact of the pandemic on global health.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/the-best-and-worst-companies-harris-poll/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/the-best-and-worst-companies-harris-poll/", "title": "The Best and Worst Companies - Axios Harris Poll", "date_published": "2023-06-14T01:29:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-14T01:29:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From Axios:
\n\n\n\nThis survey is the result of a partnership between Axios and Harris Poll to gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America, based on 20 years of Harris Poll research.
Here are the top 10 brands with the best reputation:
\n\nNothing too surprising - although I am surprise Apple makes up the bottom of this list. The real interesting ones are the 10 worst (listed in reverse order from 100 to 91):
\n\nThe poll nailed the worst companies I would have picked and the exact order I would have placed them.
\n", "content_html": "From Axios:
\n\n\n\nThis survey is the result of a partnership between Axios and Harris Poll to gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America, based on 20 years of Harris Poll research.
Here are the top 10 brands with the best reputation:
\n\nNothing too surprising - although I am surprise Apple makes up the bottom of this list. The real interesting ones are the 10 worst (listed in reverse order from 100 to 91):
\n\nThe poll nailed the worst companies I would have picked and the exact order I would have placed them.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/googles-return-to-work-hypocrisy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/googles-return-to-work-hypocrisy/", "title": "Google's return to work hypocrisy", "date_published": "2023-06-14T09:53:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-14T09:53:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Google\"](\"/assets/images/google_stock.jpeg\")
CNBC on Google’s updated hybrid work policy:
\n\n\n\nLast week, Google updated its hybrid three-day-a-week office policy to include badge tracking and noted attendance will be included in performance reviews. Additionally, employees who already received approval for remote work may now have that status reevaluated.
As expected, this is not going over well with the workforce.
\n\n\n\nOn Friday, YouTube held its own all-hands meeting with employees about the office policy update. At the event, executives presented the plans virtually, a paradox that didn’t go unnoticed.
\n\nAfterward, a popular meme showed an image of “The Big Bang Theory” TV show character Leonard Hofstadter saying, “What are you looking at? You’ve never seen a hypocrite before?”
The insanity of the tech industry never ceases to amaze me.
\n", "content_html": "
CNBC on Google’s updated hybrid work policy:
\n\n\n\nLast week, Google updated its hybrid three-day-a-week office policy to include badge tracking and noted attendance will be included in performance reviews. Additionally, employees who already received approval for remote work may now have that status reevaluated.
As expected, this is not going over well with the workforce.
\n\n\n\nOn Friday, YouTube held its own all-hands meeting with employees about the office policy update. At the event, executives presented the plans virtually, a paradox that didn’t go unnoticed.
\n\nAfterward, a popular meme showed an image of “The Big Bang Theory” TV show character Leonard Hofstadter saying, “What are you looking at? You’ve never seen a hypocrite before?”
The insanity of the tech industry never ceases to amaze me.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/silenced-futures-uncovering-the-soaring-gun-death-rates-among-u-dot-s-minors/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/14/silenced-futures-uncovering-the-soaring-gun-death-rates-among-u-dot-s-minors/", "title": "Silenced Futures: 50% Surge in Gun Deaths Among U.S. Children and Teens", "date_published": "2023-06-14T13:42:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-14T13:42:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Gun](\"/assets/images/50_percent_rise.png\")
John Gramlich reporting:
\n\n\n\nThe gun death rate among children and teens – a measure that adjusts for changes in the nation’s population – rose from 2.4 fatalities per 100,000 minor residents in 2019 to 3.5 per 100,000 two years later, a 46% increase.
\n\nBoth the number and rate of children and teens killed by gunfire in 2021 were higher than at any point since at least 1999, the earliest year for which information about those younger than 18 is available in the CDC’s mortality database.
\n\nThe rise in gun deaths among children and teens is part of a broader recent increase in firearm deaths among Americans overall. In 2021, there were 48,830 gun deaths among Americans of all ages – by far the highest yearly total on record and up 23% from the 39,707 recorded in 2019, before the pandemic.
With approximately 120.5 guns per 100 residents, the United States has the highest rate of gun ownership per capita anywhere in the world. The next country is Yemen with approximately 52.8 guns per 100 residents. Is it really surprising that America resembles a war zone?
\n", "content_html": "
John Gramlich reporting:
\n\n\n\nThe gun death rate among children and teens – a measure that adjusts for changes in the nation’s population – rose from 2.4 fatalities per 100,000 minor residents in 2019 to 3.5 per 100,000 two years later, a 46% increase.
\n\nBoth the number and rate of children and teens killed by gunfire in 2021 were higher than at any point since at least 1999, the earliest year for which information about those younger than 18 is available in the CDC’s mortality database.
\n\nThe rise in gun deaths among children and teens is part of a broader recent increase in firearm deaths among Americans overall. In 2021, there were 48,830 gun deaths among Americans of all ages – by far the highest yearly total on record and up 23% from the 39,707 recorded in 2019, before the pandemic.
With approximately 120.5 guns per 100 residents, the United States has the highest rate of gun ownership per capita anywhere in the world. The next country is Yemen with approximately 52.8 guns per 100 residents. Is it really surprising that America resembles a war zone?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/19/a-dozen-new-mass-shootings-since-friday/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/19/a-dozen-new-mass-shootings-since-friday/", "title": "A Weekend of Carnage: The Alarming Surge of Mass Shootings this past weekend", "date_published": "2023-06-19T23:27:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-19T23:27:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"dozens](\"/assets/images/mass-sootings-since-friday.png\")
Over the weekend, the United States experienced a staggering sixteen mass shooting events. There have been a total of 246 mass shootings recorded so far this year, averaging more than one per day. Since the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, there have been an additional 33 incidents, resulting in 191 injuries and 34 fatalities. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an event that causes the injury or death of four or more people.
\n\nTo put that into perspective, the highest number of U.S. soldier casualties in a single weekend during the U.S. war in Afghanistan occurred on August 6-7, 2011. During that time, 30 U.S. service members were killed. The United States today is more dangerous than anytime during the US - Afghanistan war.
\n\nYet we as a country still do not do anything to controll the amount of guns in our country or pass any laws to limit gun violence. We are a sick country.
\n", "content_html": "
Over the weekend, the United States experienced a staggering sixteen mass shooting events. There have been a total of 246 mass shootings recorded so far this year, averaging more than one per day. Since the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, there have been an additional 33 incidents, resulting in 191 injuries and 34 fatalities. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an event that causes the injury or death of four or more people.
\n\nTo put that into perspective, the highest number of U.S. soldier casualties in a single weekend during the U.S. war in Afghanistan occurred on August 6-7, 2011. During that time, 30 U.S. service members were killed. The United States today is more dangerous than anytime during the US - Afghanistan war.
\n\nYet we as a country still do not do anything to controll the amount of guns in our country or pass any laws to limit gun violence. We are a sick country.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/22/why-popular-radio-stations-sound-the-same/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/22/why-popular-radio-stations-sound-the-same/", "title": "Why popular radio stations sound the same", "date_published": "2023-06-22T13:29:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-22T13:29:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Phil Edwards explores the question of why all pop music radio stations in the US sound the same. You should watch the video for a detailed analysis, but the quick answer is - as it is for most thing in the US - consolidation caused by deregulation.
\n", "content_html": "Phil Edwards explores the question of why all pop music radio stations in the US sound the same. You should watch the video for a detailed analysis, but the quick answer is - as it is for most thing in the US - consolidation caused by deregulation.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/23/hunt-for-the-titan-submersible/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/23/hunt-for-the-titan-submersible/", "title": "hunt for the titan submersible", "date_published": "2023-06-23T02:33:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-23T02:33:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"titan](\"/assets/images/titan-sub.png\")
Betsy Reed, in an editorial in The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nA massive operation is under way to find and save a stricken vessel and its passengers. As time passes, anxious families and friends wait with growing fear. The US coastguard, Canadian armed forces and commercial vessels are all hunting for the Titan submersible, which has gone missing with five aboard on a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in the north Atlantic. The UK’s Ministry of Defence is also monitoring the situation.
\n\nIt is hard to think of a starker contrast with the response to a fishing boat which sank in the Mediterranean last week with an estimated 750 people, including children, packed onboard. Only about 100 survived, making this one of the deadliest disasters in the Mediterranean.
The incredible 24-7 coverage 5 white rich thrill seekers received, not to mention the millions of tax payer money spent on their rescue, while the 600+ immigrants who died barely got any mentioned in the media.
\n\nSuch a sad commentary on our collective priorities.
\n", "content_html": "
Betsy Reed, in an editorial in The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nA massive operation is under way to find and save a stricken vessel and its passengers. As time passes, anxious families and friends wait with growing fear. The US coastguard, Canadian armed forces and commercial vessels are all hunting for the Titan submersible, which has gone missing with five aboard on a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in the north Atlantic. The UK’s Ministry of Defence is also monitoring the situation.
\n\nIt is hard to think of a starker contrast with the response to a fishing boat which sank in the Mediterranean last week with an estimated 750 people, including children, packed onboard. Only about 100 survived, making this one of the deadliest disasters in the Mediterranean.
The incredible 24-7 coverage 5 white rich thrill seekers received, not to mention the millions of tax payer money spent on their rescue, while the 600+ immigrants who died barely got any mentioned in the media.
\n\nSuch a sad commentary on our collective priorities.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/23/creators-of-the-macintosh/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/23/creators-of-the-macintosh/", "title": "Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.", "date_published": "2023-06-23T22:32:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-23T22:32:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Apple](\"/assets/images/applemacintoshhello.png\")
A great interview with BYTE Managing Editor Phil Lemmons and the design team for Apple Computer Inc.’s new Macintosh computer in 1983. I think this is the first time I see Steve Jobs really voicing is key insight that has made Apple a 2 trillion dollar tech behemoth - having excellent hardware foundations is just table stakes, its the software / hardware integration that determines greatness.
\n\nAnd there isn’t any company on the planet that is better at exploiting hardware/software today than Apple.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "If you read the Apple’s first brochure, the headline was “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.” What we meant by that was that when you first attack a problem it seems really simple because you don’t understand it. Then when you start to really understand it, you come up with these very complicated solutions because it’s really hairy. Most people stop there. But a few people keep burning the midnight oil and finally understand the underlying principles of the problem and come up with an elegantly simple solution for it. But very few people go the distance to get there.
\n\nOne of the things we really learned with Lisa and from looking at what Xerox had done at PARC [Palo Alto Research Center] was that we could construct elegant, simple systems based on just a bit map… no character generators…and save tons of chips if we had software fast enough to paint characters on the screen, given the processor. Apple was the first company to figure out how to do that with a microprocessor…and really still is the only company that’s doing it with a microprocessor. That’s what Bill figured out how to do with Quickdraw.
\n\nThe real reason that we chose originally to use the 68000 was so we could pick up Quickdraw. Macintosh uses the exact same graphic structure and package, the exact same code, as Lisa does. So, by paying a little more for the microprocessor, not only were we able to give the customer an infinitely more powerful chip than, say, an 8-bit chip or one of Intel’s baby micros, but we were able to pick up this amazing software, and that allowed us to throw tons of chips out of this thing. We didn’t have to get special custom text or graphics chips. We just simplified the system down to where it’s just a bit map on the screen, just Bill’s amazing software and Burrell’s amazing hardware, then in between that the other amazing software that we have. We tried to do that in every single way, with the disk and with the I/O …rather than slots.
\n\nWhen we first started off with Apple II, the variability— how you customize your machine— was with hardware; you plugged in a card. And because we didn’t have any idea what these computers were going to be used for, that variability was very important. But now we have a much greater understanding of what people are using these products for. And the customization really is mostly software now. The way I customize my machine to do what I want is by sticking in a disk more than anything else.
A great interview with BYTE Managing Editor Phil Lemmons and the design team for Apple Computer Inc.’s new Macintosh computer in 1983. I think this is the first time I see Steve Jobs really voicing is key insight that has made Apple a 2 trillion dollar tech behemoth - having excellent hardware foundations is just table stakes, its the software / hardware integration that determines greatness.
\n\nAnd there isn’t any company on the planet that is better at exploiting hardware/software today than Apple.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/24/history-of-coffee/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/24/history-of-coffee/", "title": "History of Coffee", "date_published": "2023-06-24T05:30:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-24T05:30:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you read the Apple’s first brochure, the headline was “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.” What we meant by that was that when you first attack a problem it seems really simple because you don’t understand it. Then when you start to really understand it, you come up with these very complicated solutions because it’s really hairy. Most people stop there. But a few people keep burning the midnight oil and finally understand the underlying principles of the problem and come up with an elegantly simple solution for it. But very few people go the distance to get there.
\n\nOne of the things we really learned with Lisa and from looking at what Xerox had done at PARC [Palo Alto Research Center] was that we could construct elegant, simple systems based on just a bit map… no character generators…and save tons of chips if we had software fast enough to paint characters on the screen, given the processor. Apple was the first company to figure out how to do that with a microprocessor…and really still is the only company that’s doing it with a microprocessor. That’s what Bill figured out how to do with Quickdraw.
\n\nThe real reason that we chose originally to use the 68000 was so we could pick up Quickdraw. Macintosh uses the exact same graphic structure and package, the exact same code, as Lisa does. So, by paying a little more for the microprocessor, not only were we able to give the customer an infinitely more powerful chip than, say, an 8-bit chip or one of Intel’s baby micros, but we were able to pick up this amazing software, and that allowed us to throw tons of chips out of this thing. We didn’t have to get special custom text or graphics chips. We just simplified the system down to where it’s just a bit map on the screen, just Bill’s amazing software and Burrell’s amazing hardware, then in between that the other amazing software that we have. We tried to do that in every single way, with the disk and with the I/O …rather than slots.
\n\nWhen we first started off with Apple II, the variability— how you customize your machine— was with hardware; you plugged in a card. And because we didn’t have any idea what these computers were going to be used for, that variability was very important. But now we have a much greater understanding of what people are using these products for. And the customization really is mostly software now. The way I customize my machine to do what I want is by sticking in a disk more than anything else.
![\"coffee](\"/assets/images/coffee-beans.png\")
A fascinating article on the origins of coffee:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "In the mid-1600’s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British.
\n\nThough coffee houses rapidly began to appear, tea continued to be the favored drink in the New World until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee.
A fascinating article on the origins of coffee:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/24/eating-microwave-popcorn-increases-the-level-of-pfas-in-body/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/24/eating-microwave-popcorn-increases-the-level-of-pfas-in-body/", "title": "Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body", "date_published": "2023-06-24T06:03:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-24T06:03:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In the mid-1600’s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British.
\n\nThough coffee houses rapidly began to appear, tea continued to be the favored drink in the New World until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee.
![\"popcorn\"](\"/assets/images/popcorn.jpeg\")
UCLA Health reporting:
\n\n\n\nStudies have linked PFAS to adverse health effects, including high blood pressure, decreased fertility in women, liver damage, cancer, low birthweight and an increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease.
\n\n[…]
\n\nResearch suggests that people who regularly consume microwave popcorn have markedly higher levels of PFAS in their bodies. A study published in 2019 analyzed a decade of data about the eating habits of 10,000 people, which was collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2003 and 2014. Blood samples from the study participants were also collected. The researchers found that people who ate microwave popcorn every day over the course of a year had levels of PFAS that were up to 63% higher than average.
\n\nConsidering the questions that continue to surround the safety of consuming PFAS, we think it would be reasonable to curtail the daily use of microwave popcorn. Instead, you could save it for an occasional treat. If your kids are flexible, you might switch to a different type of evening snack. Or if it has to be popcorn, you could turn the process of making stovetop popcorn into a family project.
So much for movie night popcorn.
\n", "content_html": "
UCLA Health reporting:
\n\n\n\nStudies have linked PFAS to adverse health effects, including high blood pressure, decreased fertility in women, liver damage, cancer, low birthweight and an increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease.
\n\n[…]
\n\nResearch suggests that people who regularly consume microwave popcorn have markedly higher levels of PFAS in their bodies. A study published in 2019 analyzed a decade of data about the eating habits of 10,000 people, which was collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2003 and 2014. Blood samples from the study participants were also collected. The researchers found that people who ate microwave popcorn every day over the course of a year had levels of PFAS that were up to 63% higher than average.
\n\nConsidering the questions that continue to surround the safety of consuming PFAS, we think it would be reasonable to curtail the daily use of microwave popcorn. Instead, you could save it for an occasional treat. If your kids are flexible, you might switch to a different type of evening snack. Or if it has to be popcorn, you could turn the process of making stovetop popcorn into a family project.
So much for movie night popcorn.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/25/traumatized-americans/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/25/traumatized-americans/", "title": "Traumatized Americans", "date_published": "2023-06-25T04:30:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-25T04:30:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nTYT showing American ex-pats who are traumatized from living in America. Everything from gun violence, medical and the penal system. If only more Americans would spend some time in other countries, maybe we would realize just how insane and brutal our country has become.
Also what citizens abroad think about our healthcare, elections and climate policy.
\n", "content_html": "
\nTYT showing American ex-pats who are traumatized from living in America. Everything from gun violence, medical and the penal system. If only more Americans would spend some time in other countries, maybe we would realize just how insane and brutal our country has become.
Also what citizens abroad think about our healthcare, elections and climate policy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/25/the-semi-rich-are-feeling-semi-bad/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/25/the-semi-rich-are-feeling-semi-bad/", "title": "The semi-rich are feeling semi-bad", "date_published": "2023-06-25T06:01:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-25T06:01:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Emily Stewart writing for Vox:
\n\n\n\nThe American economy is, in many ways, predicated on winners and losers. We’re told the story that a level of inequality is necessary for growth. The discomfort of some workers — largely at the bottom echelons of the economy — is part of the deal we’re supposed to strike for the comfort of everyone else. Except that people higher up on the economic ladder have increasingly been feeling that discomfort, too.
\n\nPart of what’s at play is the ever-increasing costs of housing and college and child care, which have caused upper-middle-class Americans to experience more of a crunch for years. Other issues are more recent, like inflation, which everybody hates.
\n\nWhat this amounts to is people who aren’t used to financial insecurity feeling uneasier than they’re accustomed to. The bottom hasn’t fallen out for them, but the ground is less solid in a way it hasn’t been in the past.
\n\nAmerica’s semi-rich are feeling semi-bad, and they do not like it.
In a way this is a blessing in disguise. We just might see policies that will finally help the poor and lower middle class - primarily affordable housing, free public universities, universal healthcare, and affordable childcare.
\n\nAfter all, when the semi-rich and wealthy classes start feeling the crunch, the politicians start to pay attention.
\n", "content_html": "Emily Stewart writing for Vox:
\n\n\n\nThe American economy is, in many ways, predicated on winners and losers. We’re told the story that a level of inequality is necessary for growth. The discomfort of some workers — largely at the bottom echelons of the economy — is part of the deal we’re supposed to strike for the comfort of everyone else. Except that people higher up on the economic ladder have increasingly been feeling that discomfort, too.
\n\nPart of what’s at play is the ever-increasing costs of housing and college and child care, which have caused upper-middle-class Americans to experience more of a crunch for years. Other issues are more recent, like inflation, which everybody hates.
\n\nWhat this amounts to is people who aren’t used to financial insecurity feeling uneasier than they’re accustomed to. The bottom hasn’t fallen out for them, but the ground is less solid in a way it hasn’t been in the past.
\n\nAmerica’s semi-rich are feeling semi-bad, and they do not like it.
In a way this is a blessing in disguise. We just might see policies that will finally help the poor and lower middle class - primarily affordable housing, free public universities, universal healthcare, and affordable childcare.
\n\nAfter all, when the semi-rich and wealthy classes start feeling the crunch, the politicians start to pay attention.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/26/lead-poisoning-in-bangladesh/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/26/lead-poisoning-in-bangladesh/", "title": "Your Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead", "date_published": "2023-06-26T17:57:01-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-26T17:57:01-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"turmeric\"](\"/assets/images/Turmeric-Root-Oil.jpeg\")
A fascinating article by Kris Newby in the Stanford Medicine Magazine on the work by Stephen Luby and Jenna Forsyth to hunt down the causes of lead poisoning in pregnant women in Bangladesh:
\n\n\n\nColor matters to turmeric purchasers, and turmeric that is more vibrantly yellow typically sells for higher prices. The Stanford University team learned that this color-linked perception of quality may have started in the 1980s, when a flood interrupted the drying process, turning rhizomes brown and moldy.
\n\nTo mask flawed turmeric, some processors began dusting the roots with lead chromate — an orange-yellow industrial pigment used to color plastics and furniture. From the interviews, Forsyth learned that this coloration step continued for four decades after the flood and that most processors weren’t aware that the pigments were toxic. But, with Forsyth’s help, this would soon change.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn July 2017, three years into her PhD research, Forsyth and the team shared their stunning findings: Turmeric mixed with lead-chromate pigments contained lead levels up to 500 times the Bangladesh legal limit of 2.5 micrograms per gram, making it the most likely cause of the lead poisonings.
And before you think this is a problem in remote under developed parts of the world only, the United States has no regulations regarding heavy metal level in food. Only New York has enacted limits for heavy metals in herbs and spices.
\n\nLisa L. Gill for writing for Consumer Reports:
\n\n\n\nThe lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. CR contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals.
\n\nOf the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals.
\n\nCostco, Litehouse, and McCormick said their goal is to have heavy metals as close to zero as possible, but no company provided the thresholds they consider acceptable.
An excellent read with some excellent suggestions on how to protect yourself. Here is a simple test if you want to test your herbs at home.
\n", "content_html": "
A fascinating article by Kris Newby in the Stanford Medicine Magazine on the work by Stephen Luby and Jenna Forsyth to hunt down the causes of lead poisoning in pregnant women in Bangladesh:
\n\n\n\nColor matters to turmeric purchasers, and turmeric that is more vibrantly yellow typically sells for higher prices. The Stanford University team learned that this color-linked perception of quality may have started in the 1980s, when a flood interrupted the drying process, turning rhizomes brown and moldy.
\n\nTo mask flawed turmeric, some processors began dusting the roots with lead chromate — an orange-yellow industrial pigment used to color plastics and furniture. From the interviews, Forsyth learned that this coloration step continued for four decades after the flood and that most processors weren’t aware that the pigments were toxic. But, with Forsyth’s help, this would soon change.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn July 2017, three years into her PhD research, Forsyth and the team shared their stunning findings: Turmeric mixed with lead-chromate pigments contained lead levels up to 500 times the Bangladesh legal limit of 2.5 micrograms per gram, making it the most likely cause of the lead poisonings.
And before you think this is a problem in remote under developed parts of the world only, the United States has no regulations regarding heavy metal level in food. Only New York has enacted limits for heavy metals in herbs and spices.
\n\nLisa L. Gill for writing for Consumer Reports:
\n\n\n\nThe lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. CR contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals.
\n\nOf the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals.
\n\nCostco, Litehouse, and McCormick said their goal is to have heavy metals as close to zero as possible, but no company provided the thresholds they consider acceptable.
An excellent read with some excellent suggestions on how to protect yourself. Here is a simple test if you want to test your herbs at home.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/28/raider-in-black-and-white/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/28/raider-in-black-and-white/", "title": "Raiders in Black and White", "date_published": "2023-06-28T05:43:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-28T05:43:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nA examination of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Making the movie black & white and taking away all of its score and dialogue allows us to focus only on the film’s visual storytelling. Seeing Raiders in black & white easily reveals Steven Spielberg’s efficient and dynamic shot selection.
\nA examination of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Making the movie black & white and taking away all of its score and dialogue allows us to focus only on the film’s visual storytelling. Seeing Raiders in black & white easily reveals Steven Spielberg’s efficient and dynamic shot selection.
\nProp & model maker Simon Weisse talks about the perhaps surprising popularity of miniatures in contemporary filmmaking, when the technique works and when it doesn’t (e.g. when unscalable elements like rain or fire/explosions are involved), and why certain directors use it instead of CGI.
\n\nOlder movies, like 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, had no choice but to use miniatures to make their worlds feel real. But even in the modern day of CGI, filmmakers are still using minis — just look at projects like The Mandalorian, Blade Runner 2049, Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight series. In those movies, miniatures are used for expansive sets that establish the world of a film, otherworldly vehicles like spaceships, and more.
Its amazing how Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope still looks good - the original version, not the bastardized version LucasFilm created with digital special effects. The locations, objects and creatures appear to have a soul. Not some afterthought that looks silly or painted on.
\n", "content_html": "
\nProp & model maker Simon Weisse talks about the perhaps surprising popularity of miniatures in contemporary filmmaking, when the technique works and when it doesn’t (e.g. when unscalable elements like rain or fire/explosions are involved), and why certain directors use it instead of CGI.
\n\nOlder movies, like 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, had no choice but to use miniatures to make their worlds feel real. But even in the modern day of CGI, filmmakers are still using minis — just look at projects like The Mandalorian, Blade Runner 2049, Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight series. In those movies, miniatures are used for expansive sets that establish the world of a film, otherworldly vehicles like spaceships, and more.
Its amazing how Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope still looks good - the original version, not the bastardized version LucasFilm created with digital special effects. The locations, objects and creatures appear to have a soul. Not some afterthought that looks silly or painted on.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/29/pumping-groundwater-shifts-earths-tilt/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/29/pumping-groundwater-shifts-earths-tilt/", "title": "Human groundwater pumping shifts earth's tilt", "date_published": "2023-06-29T05:09:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-29T05:09:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"earh](\"/assets/images/earth-axis.png\")
Aara'L Yarber writing for The Wahington Post:
\n\n\n\nRampant removal of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has altered the distribution of water on Earth enough to shift the planet’s tilt, according to a sweeping new study. The finding underscores the dramatic impact that human activity can have on the planet.
\n\nHumans pump most of our drinking water from natural underground reservoirs called aquifers. Researchers calculate that between 1993 and 2010, we removed a total of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater — enough to fill 860 million Olympic swimming pools.
\n\nAccording to the new study, published on June 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, moving all that water has shifted Earth’s tilt 31.5 inches eastward.
We really need to be better stewards of Earth’s resources.
\n", "content_html": "
Aara'L Yarber writing for The Wahington Post:
\n\n\n\nRampant removal of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has altered the distribution of water on Earth enough to shift the planet’s tilt, according to a sweeping new study. The finding underscores the dramatic impact that human activity can have on the planet.
\n\nHumans pump most of our drinking water from natural underground reservoirs called aquifers. Researchers calculate that between 1993 and 2010, we removed a total of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater — enough to fill 860 million Olympic swimming pools.
\n\nAccording to the new study, published on June 15 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, moving all that water has shifted Earth’s tilt 31.5 inches eastward.
We really need to be better stewards of Earth’s resources.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/29/generative-ai-are-designed-to-generate-bullshit/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/06/29/generative-ai-are-designed-to-generate-bullshit/", "title": "Generative AI systems are designed to generate bullshit", "date_published": "2023-06-29T05:35:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-06-29T05:35:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"HAL](\"/assets/images/hal-9000.png\")
Anil Dash argued that today’s AI is unreasonable:
\n\n\n\nAmongst engineers, coders, technical architects, and product designers, one of the most important traits that a system can have is that one can reason about that system in a consistent and predictable way. Even “garbage in, garbage out” is an articulation of this principle — a system should be predictable enough in its operation that we can then rely on it when building other systems upon it.
\n\nThis core concept of a system being reason-able is pervasive in the intellectual architecture of true technologies. Postel’s Law (“Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.”) depends on reasonable-ness. The famous IETF keywords list, which offers a specific technical definition for terms like “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “SHOULD”, and “SHOULD NOT”, assumes that a system will behave in a reasonable and predictable way, and the entire internet runs on specifications that sit on top of that assumption.
\n\nThe very act of debugging assumes that a system is meant to work in a particular way, with repeatable outputs, and that deviations from those expectations are the manifestation of that bug, which is why being able to reproduce a bug is the very first step to debugging.
\n\nInto that world, let’s introduce bullshit. Today’s highly-hyped generative AI systems (most famously OpenAI) are designed to generate bullshit by design.
I would be very slow and careful in deciding to run AI systems in mission critical applications. We all know how 2001: A Space Odyssey ends.
\n", "content_html": "
Anil Dash argued that today’s AI is unreasonable:
\n\n\n\nAmongst engineers, coders, technical architects, and product designers, one of the most important traits that a system can have is that one can reason about that system in a consistent and predictable way. Even “garbage in, garbage out” is an articulation of this principle — a system should be predictable enough in its operation that we can then rely on it when building other systems upon it.
\n\nThis core concept of a system being reason-able is pervasive in the intellectual architecture of true technologies. Postel’s Law (“Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.”) depends on reasonable-ness. The famous IETF keywords list, which offers a specific technical definition for terms like “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “SHOULD”, and “SHOULD NOT”, assumes that a system will behave in a reasonable and predictable way, and the entire internet runs on specifications that sit on top of that assumption.
\n\nThe very act of debugging assumes that a system is meant to work in a particular way, with repeatable outputs, and that deviations from those expectations are the manifestation of that bug, which is why being able to reproduce a bug is the very first step to debugging.
\n\nInto that world, let’s introduce bullshit. Today’s highly-hyped generative AI systems (most famously OpenAI) are designed to generate bullshit by design.
I would be very slow and careful in deciding to run AI systems in mission critical applications. We all know how 2001: A Space Odyssey ends.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/40-greatest-tech-books-of-all-time/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/40-greatest-tech-books-of-all-time/", "title": "40 greatest tech books of all time", "date_published": "2023-07-03T03:05:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-03T03:05:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Verge has published a list of the 40 best nonfiction books about the industry centered around Silicon Valley & the internet.
\n\nA few that are my favorites that didn’t make the list:
\n\nHappy summer reading.
\n", "content_html": "The Verge has published a list of the 40 best nonfiction books about the industry centered around Silicon Valley & the internet.
\n\nA few that are my favorites that didn’t make the list:
\n\nHappy summer reading.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/google-search-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/google-search-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/", "title": "Google Search - Death by a thousand cuts", "date_published": "2023-07-03T12:29:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-03T12:29:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Matt Rickard talks about how Google’s search results will get progressively worse by major sites going behind login or paywalls:
\n\n\n\nGoogle will lose results, site by site — it will be Google Search’s death by a thousand cuts.
\n\n[..]
\n\nOne by one, search results become dead links and are removed from the index. Users will start to rely on site-specific searches behind walled gardens. The first page of search results will not only be filled with ads but will be missing key results. Google may try to augment results with AI-generated answers, but (1) not all of these answers will be good enough, and (2) the data needed to train these answers will increasingly be found behind login or paywalls. Search might progressively get worse over the years until a new alternative arises.
The only real option that Google has is to cut a deals with Twitter and Reddit and everybody else. But is that financially scalable? Maybe everyone else will cut deal as its mutually beneficial. It keeps driving traffic to content sites and it keeps Google relevant.
\n\nI just don’t know how scalable that can be.
\n", "content_html": "Matt Rickard talks about how Google’s search results will get progressively worse by major sites going behind login or paywalls:
\n\n\n\nGoogle will lose results, site by site — it will be Google Search’s death by a thousand cuts.
\n\n[..]
\n\nOne by one, search results become dead links and are removed from the index. Users will start to rely on site-specific searches behind walled gardens. The first page of search results will not only be filled with ads but will be missing key results. Google may try to augment results with AI-generated answers, but (1) not all of these answers will be good enough, and (2) the data needed to train these answers will increasingly be found behind login or paywalls. Search might progressively get worse over the years until a new alternative arises.
The only real option that Google has is to cut a deals with Twitter and Reddit and everybody else. But is that financially scalable? Maybe everyone else will cut deal as its mutually beneficial. It keeps driving traffic to content sites and it keeps Google relevant.
\n\nI just don’t know how scalable that can be.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/michelle-obama-on-overturning-of-affirmative-action/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/03/michelle-obama-on-overturning-of-affirmative-action/", "title": "Michelle Obama on overturning of Affirmative Action", "date_published": "2023-07-03T13:08:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-03T13:08:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Michelle Obama’s statement on SCOTUS overturning affirmative action:
\n\n\n\nBut the fact is this: I belonged. And semester after semester, decade after decade, for more than half a century, countless students like me showed they belonged, too. It wasn’t just the kids of color who benefitted, either. Every student who heard a perspective they might not have encountered, who had an assumption challenged, who had their minds and their hearts opened gained a lot as well. It wasn’t perfect, but there’s no doubt that it helped offer new ladders of opportunity for those who, throughout our history, have too often been denied a chance to show how fast they can climb.
\n\nOf course, students on my campus and countless others across the country were — and continue to be — granted special consideration for admissions. Some have parents who graduated from the same school. Others have families who can afford coaches to help them run faster or hit a ball harder. Others go to high schools with lavish resources for tutors and extensive standardized test prep that help them score higher on college entrance exams. We don’t usually question if those students belong. So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level.
If SCOTUS is going to eliminate affirmative action, they should seriously think about getting rid of legacy admissions also.
\n", "content_html": "Michelle Obama’s statement on SCOTUS overturning affirmative action:
\n\n\n\nBut the fact is this: I belonged. And semester after semester, decade after decade, for more than half a century, countless students like me showed they belonged, too. It wasn’t just the kids of color who benefitted, either. Every student who heard a perspective they might not have encountered, who had an assumption challenged, who had their minds and their hearts opened gained a lot as well. It wasn’t perfect, but there’s no doubt that it helped offer new ladders of opportunity for those who, throughout our history, have too often been denied a chance to show how fast they can climb.
\n\nOf course, students on my campus and countless others across the country were — and continue to be — granted special consideration for admissions. Some have parents who graduated from the same school. Others have families who can afford coaches to help them run faster or hit a ball harder. Others go to high schools with lavish resources for tutors and extensive standardized test prep that help them score higher on college entrance exams. We don’t usually question if those students belong. So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level.
If SCOTUS is going to eliminate affirmative action, they should seriously think about getting rid of legacy admissions also.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/the-death-cult-of-the-american-car/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/the-death-cult-of-the-american-car/", "title": "The Death Cult of the American Car", "date_published": "2023-07-04T03:12:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-04T03:12:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Ryan Cooper writing in the American Prospect:
\n\n\n\nLast week, the Governors Highway Safety Association released its annual preliminary report on pedestrian safety in the United States for 2022. It projected that pedestrian deaths will have increased for the 12th consecutive year, nearly doubling from 4,302 in 2010 to an estimated 8,126—the highest number in more than 40 years. Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its preliminary report on motor vehicle fatalities in 2022, finding a slight decrease from the prior year but still a 32 percent increase compared to 2011.
\n\nIt’s not hard to discover why American roads are so deadly, particularly for pedestrians. There are too many cars and trucks that are too heavy and tall, driving too fast on streets that are too wide, with too many points of conflict. The typical pedestrian death is an SUV or truck running someone down on a “stroad,” the classic suburban arterial street-highway hybrid with many lanes, high speed limits, regular stoplights, and drivers constantly turning on and off. (This is also the most dangerous type of road for drivers, particularly on motorcycles.)
\n\nThe European Union, by contrast, has been pushing road safety policies for decades now that have cut down on road deaths by 22 percent since 2012. Best practices include road narrowing, traffic-calming devices like speed bumps, lowering speed limits, taxes on excessive vehicle weight, seat belt compliance efforts, protected bike lanes and sidewalks, pedestrian safety regulations on automakers, “daylighting” intersections (which involves removing parking spots close to intersections to improve visibility), timing traffic lights to give pedestrians a head start in the crosswalk, and so forth.
It is as if the average American citizen is playing a life or death version of Frogger at every crossing. That increase in deaths would be a hair-on-fire emergency in any other rich country. But here in America, as in healthcare and gun violence , the government is comically in bed with the various comercial industries.
\n", "content_html": "Ryan Cooper writing in the American Prospect:
\n\n\n\nLast week, the Governors Highway Safety Association released its annual preliminary report on pedestrian safety in the United States for 2022. It projected that pedestrian deaths will have increased for the 12th consecutive year, nearly doubling from 4,302 in 2010 to an estimated 8,126—the highest number in more than 40 years. Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its preliminary report on motor vehicle fatalities in 2022, finding a slight decrease from the prior year but still a 32 percent increase compared to 2011.
\n\nIt’s not hard to discover why American roads are so deadly, particularly for pedestrians. There are too many cars and trucks that are too heavy and tall, driving too fast on streets that are too wide, with too many points of conflict. The typical pedestrian death is an SUV or truck running someone down on a “stroad,” the classic suburban arterial street-highway hybrid with many lanes, high speed limits, regular stoplights, and drivers constantly turning on and off. (This is also the most dangerous type of road for drivers, particularly on motorcycles.)
\n\nThe European Union, by contrast, has been pushing road safety policies for decades now that have cut down on road deaths by 22 percent since 2012. Best practices include road narrowing, traffic-calming devices like speed bumps, lowering speed limits, taxes on excessive vehicle weight, seat belt compliance efforts, protected bike lanes and sidewalks, pedestrian safety regulations on automakers, “daylighting” intersections (which involves removing parking spots close to intersections to improve visibility), timing traffic lights to give pedestrians a head start in the crosswalk, and so forth.
It is as if the average American citizen is playing a life or death version of Frogger at every crossing. That increase in deaths would be a hair-on-fire emergency in any other rich country. But here in America, as in healthcare and gun violence , the government is comically in bed with the various comercial industries.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/twitters-api-keeps-breaking/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/twitters-api-keeps-breaking/", "title": "Twitter's API Keeps breaking", "date_published": "2023-07-04T03:30:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-04T03:30:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Matt Binder for Mashable:
\n\n\n\nAccording to developers paying Twitter, since the switch over to Elon Musk’s paid API subscription plans, Twitter’s API has experienced frequent issues that make it extremely difficult to run their apps.
\n\nTwitter’s API issues have frustrated developers in each of Twitter’s new API access tiers. Those with Basic or Pro plans — paying $100 and $5000 a month for API access, respectively — have experienced unannounced changes to their plans, numerous bugs, and often receive zero customer support. And developers shelling out for Twitter’s Enterprise API Plan, which starts at $42,000 per month, are experiencing sudden outages and disappointing service considering the money they’re paying.
\n\n“Everything used to work fine before we started paying half a million per year,” shared one developer in a private Twitter developer group chat shared with Mashable.
You mean everything used to work fine before Elon fired 80% of the Twitter workforce.
\n", "content_html": "Matt Binder for Mashable:
\n\n\n\nAccording to developers paying Twitter, since the switch over to Elon Musk’s paid API subscription plans, Twitter’s API has experienced frequent issues that make it extremely difficult to run their apps.
\n\nTwitter’s API issues have frustrated developers in each of Twitter’s new API access tiers. Those with Basic or Pro plans — paying $100 and $5000 a month for API access, respectively — have experienced unannounced changes to their plans, numerous bugs, and often receive zero customer support. And developers shelling out for Twitter’s Enterprise API Plan, which starts at $42,000 per month, are experiencing sudden outages and disappointing service considering the money they’re paying.
\n\n“Everything used to work fine before we started paying half a million per year,” shared one developer in a private Twitter developer group chat shared with Mashable.
You mean everything used to work fine before Elon fired 80% of the Twitter workforce.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/twitter-2-dot-0-sound-on-video-ads/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/twitter-2-dot-0-sound-on-video-ads/", "title": "Twitter 2.0 - Sound-on Video Ads", "date_published": "2023-07-04T23:33:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-04T23:33:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino solution to lure back the advertisers who abandoned the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership? Populate the site with annoying video ads.
\n\nFrom the Ars Technica:
\n\n\n\nTwitter’s new chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, is preparing a series of measures to bring back advertisers who had abandoned the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership, including introducing a video ads service, wooing more celebrities, and raising headcount.
\n\nThe former NBCUniversal advertising head, who started as chief executive on June 5, is seeking to launch full-screen, sound-on video ads that would be shown to users scrolling through Twitter’s new short-video feed, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Yea - lets annoy users even more by bombarding them with loud obnoxious videos. That’ll work. How do these people get hired? At least they are going to hire more people (after the 80% reduction in staff had disastrous results) to keep the ads flowing.
\n", "content_html": "Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino solution to lure back the advertisers who abandoned the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership? Populate the site with annoying video ads.
\n\nFrom the Ars Technica:
\n\n\n\nTwitter’s new chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, is preparing a series of measures to bring back advertisers who had abandoned the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership, including introducing a video ads service, wooing more celebrities, and raising headcount.
\n\nThe former NBCUniversal advertising head, who started as chief executive on June 5, is seeking to launch full-screen, sound-on video ads that would be shown to users scrolling through Twitter’s new short-video feed, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Yea - lets annoy users even more by bombarding them with loud obnoxious videos. That’ll work. How do these people get hired? At least they are going to hire more people (after the 80% reduction in staff had disastrous results) to keep the ads flowing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/harvard-admits-first-white-student/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/04/harvard-admits-first-white-student/", "title": "Harvard Admits First White Student", "date_published": "2023-07-04T23:45:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-04T23:45:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Harvard\"](\"/assets/images/harvard.jpg\")
Leave it to The Onion to point out the absurdity of the SCOTUS’s ruling to strike down affirmative action:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "After nearly four centuries in existence, we are finally able to leave behind our woeful legacy of discrimination and accept our first student of Caucasian descent.
Leave it to The Onion to point out the absurdity of the SCOTUS’s ruling to strike down affirmative action:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/05/why-modern-movies-suck/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/05/why-modern-movies-suck/", "title": "Why modern movies suck", "date_published": "2023-07-05T04:51:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-05T04:51:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "After nearly four centuries in existence, we are finally able to leave behind our woeful legacy of discrimination and accept our first student of Caucasian descent.
\nNotice how modern movies suck? Okay, maybe I am turning into an old man and just screaming at clouds. The Critical Drinker sums up the problem with the current state of cinema perfectly:
\n\nPeople hired to actually write this stuff - I’ve said it before that character is only ever as smart, capable and resourceful as the person writing them. And well you don’t need me to tell you that holywood creatives these days aren’t exactly paragons of tough stoic confident self-reliance. They are the kind of people who consider mean tweets to be on par with mass murder. In fact most of them have lived the kind of safe comfortable sheltered lives that previous generations could only dream of. Never experiencing anything resembling hardship, adversity, or danger. The kind of stuff that actually builds character, self confidence, life experience and generally makes you a more interesting and capable person. The end result of all this is a generation of writers that are weak, fragile, spoiled, narcissistic, emotional, and insecure - completely unable to handle adversity, conflict, masculinity or anything that challenges their own self image. In short they are basically children inhabiting adult bodies. As a result they lack the experience and maturity needed to write smart confident capable adult characters. Look at the results.
Want proof - just take a look at the new Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Even the title is sophomoric. Actual dialog:
\n\n\n\nIndiana Jones: You Stole it!
\n\nJurgen Voller: Then you stole it.
\n\nHelena: And then I stole it. It’s called capitalism.
Um. Okay.
\n\nAnyway - thats all I have for today. Go away now.
\n", "content_html": "
\nNotice how modern movies suck? Okay, maybe I am turning into an old man and just screaming at clouds. The Critical Drinker sums up the problem with the current state of cinema perfectly:
\n\nPeople hired to actually write this stuff - I’ve said it before that character is only ever as smart, capable and resourceful as the person writing them. And well you don’t need me to tell you that holywood creatives these days aren’t exactly paragons of tough stoic confident self-reliance. They are the kind of people who consider mean tweets to be on par with mass murder. In fact most of them have lived the kind of safe comfortable sheltered lives that previous generations could only dream of. Never experiencing anything resembling hardship, adversity, or danger. The kind of stuff that actually builds character, self confidence, life experience and generally makes you a more interesting and capable person. The end result of all this is a generation of writers that are weak, fragile, spoiled, narcissistic, emotional, and insecure - completely unable to handle adversity, conflict, masculinity or anything that challenges their own self image. In short they are basically children inhabiting adult bodies. As a result they lack the experience and maturity needed to write smart confident capable adult characters. Look at the results.
Want proof - just take a look at the new Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Even the title is sophomoric. Actual dialog:
\n\n\n\nIndiana Jones: You Stole it!
\n\nJurgen Voller: Then you stole it.
\n\nHelena: And then I stole it. It’s called capitalism.
Um. Okay.
\n\nAnyway - thats all I have for today. Go away now.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/05/scotus-takes-up-case-to-limit-gun-ownership-invoving-domestic-violence/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/05/scotus-takes-up-case-to-limit-gun-ownership-invoving-domestic-violence/", "title": "SCOTUS takes up case to limit gun ownership involving domestic violence", "date_published": "2023-07-05T16:27:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-05T16:27:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"US](\"/assets/images/us-guns.jpg\")
\nJill Filipovic or writes for CNN:
\n\nIn the midst of this massive gun crisis, the Supreme Court has taken up a case challenging a law that bars people under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms.
\n\nShould the court deem that the law violates the Second Amendment, it could exacerbate an already appalling problem: While mass public shootings are indeed a scourge, mass shootings that happen in private and target family members are a much bigger killer. One study found that nearly 60% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were domestic-violence-related and killers in nearly 70% of mass shootings either had a history of domestic violence, or targeted a family member or former partner in the shooting.
\n\nThis court has proven itself a bastion of right-wing ideology, including on guns. Last year, the court struck down a common-sense New York gun law and held that any state attempt to regulate guns must be “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” In other words, if there wasn’t an analogous law when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, the current day law may fail.
\n\nIn 1791, women were essentially the property of their husbands and fathers and domestic violence wasn’t a crime. The modern military-style weapons often popular with gun enthusiasts today were not on the market.
\n\nAs Ian Millhiser wrote in Vox, the court’s recent gun decisions mean that that “the fate of American guns laws is likely to come down to individual judges’ and justices’ arbitrary conclusions about which modern laws are sufficiently similar to laws from two or three centuries ago to justify the modern law’s continued existence.”
The current SCOTUS and right wing fanatics won’t be happy until America looks like 1776. Guns, women as second class citizens, slavery and all. America is a scary place.
\n", "content_html": "\nJill Filipovic or writes for CNN:
\n\nIn the midst of this massive gun crisis, the Supreme Court has taken up a case challenging a law that bars people under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms.
\n\nShould the court deem that the law violates the Second Amendment, it could exacerbate an already appalling problem: While mass public shootings are indeed a scourge, mass shootings that happen in private and target family members are a much bigger killer. One study found that nearly 60% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were domestic-violence-related and killers in nearly 70% of mass shootings either had a history of domestic violence, or targeted a family member or former partner in the shooting.
\n\nThis court has proven itself a bastion of right-wing ideology, including on guns. Last year, the court struck down a common-sense New York gun law and held that any state attempt to regulate guns must be “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” In other words, if there wasn’t an analogous law when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, the current day law may fail.
\n\nIn 1791, women were essentially the property of their husbands and fathers and domestic violence wasn’t a crime. The modern military-style weapons often popular with gun enthusiasts today were not on the market.
\n\nAs Ian Millhiser wrote in Vox, the court’s recent gun decisions mean that that “the fate of American guns laws is likely to come down to individual judges’ and justices’ arbitrary conclusions about which modern laws are sufficiently similar to laws from two or three centuries ago to justify the modern law’s continued existence.”
The current SCOTUS and right wing fanatics won’t be happy until America looks like 1776. Guns, women as second class citizens, slavery and all. America is a scary place.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/08/we-are-officially-free-of-chemical-weapons/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/08/we-are-officially-free-of-chemical-weapons/", "title": "We are officially 'free' of chemical weapons.", "date_published": "2023-07-08T02:49:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-08T02:49:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Chemical](\"/assets/images/chemical-weopons.png\")
As of July 7, 2023 - the world is officially free of chemical weapons. The US destroyed its last chemical weapon Friday at the Bluegrass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Kentucky.
\n\nGeoff Brumfiel reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n\nThere are still nations who have used covertly produced chemical weapons in recent years. Most notably, Syria deployed chlorine and nerve agents in its civil war with horrible effects. Russia has used some chemicals for targeted assassination attempts, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un used nerve agent to kill his half brother.
\n\nBut those are isolated cases. More broadly, vast quantities of chemical weapons have been disposed of by nations all over the world. And Reif says that overall that’s something to celebrate.
\n\n“These are awful weapons,” he says. “The world is a safer and more secure place without them.”
With all of the doom & gloom in the news today, this is surely something that we can all celebrate.
\n", "content_html": "
As of July 7, 2023 - the world is officially free of chemical weapons. The US destroyed its last chemical weapon Friday at the Bluegrass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Kentucky.
\n\nGeoff Brumfiel reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n\nThere are still nations who have used covertly produced chemical weapons in recent years. Most notably, Syria deployed chlorine and nerve agents in its civil war with horrible effects. Russia has used some chemicals for targeted assassination attempts, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un used nerve agent to kill his half brother.
\n\nBut those are isolated cases. More broadly, vast quantities of chemical weapons have been disposed of by nations all over the world. And Reif says that overall that’s something to celebrate.
\n\n“These are awful weapons,” he says. “The world is a safer and more secure place without them.”
With all of the doom & gloom in the news today, this is surely something that we can all celebrate.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/08/hillary-clinton-was-spot-on/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/08/hillary-clinton-was-spot-on/", "title": "Hillary Clinton was spot on", "date_published": "2023-07-08T08:36:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-08T08:36:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "MeidasTouch Contributor Tennessee Brando recently went megaviral after handing truth to the Republicans and MAGA. We need more of this.
\n", "content_html": "MeidasTouch Contributor Tennessee Brando recently went megaviral after handing truth to the Republicans and MAGA. We need more of this.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/09/1776-gastonia-a-patriots-only-55-and-above/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/09/1776-gastonia-a-patriots-only-55-and-above/", "title": "1776 Gastonia - Patriots only 55 and above", "date_published": "2023-07-09T04:24:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-09T04:24:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Victoria Bouloubasis reporting for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nIn the launch event’s recap video on the company’s YouTube channel, men in kilts play bagpipes, and bikers slowly cruise a parade route. Fankhauser delivered a speech that becomes a voiceover to the tune of the national anthem. His remarks end with this signoff: “God bless this community, and God bless this great nation.”
\n\nFankhauser’s nonspecific brand leans into what American studies professor Ben Railton refers to as mythic patriotism, which “creates and celebrates a mythologized, white supremacist vision of American history and identity”. Railton, author of Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, argues that such thinking led to the January 6 insurrection and the Trump-initiated 1776 Commission that targeted professors and other educators.
\n\nRailton said this ideology “very often has meant agreeing with that white-centered vision”. And “a lot of the time, that also defines someone who doesn’t agree with that vision, who is entirely outside of it and not a part of it. When I was looking at the [1776 Gastonia] website, it’s this undercurrent of, if one doesn’t share this perspective, then there’s not a place for you here.”
Bingo. Just look at their own official ad (in the YouTube video above) - notice that there is only a particular subset of Americans represented.
\n\nEnforced patriotism is not freedom. Its tyranny.
\n", "content_html": "Victoria Bouloubasis reporting for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nIn the launch event’s recap video on the company’s YouTube channel, men in kilts play bagpipes, and bikers slowly cruise a parade route. Fankhauser delivered a speech that becomes a voiceover to the tune of the national anthem. His remarks end with this signoff: “God bless this community, and God bless this great nation.”
\n\nFankhauser’s nonspecific brand leans into what American studies professor Ben Railton refers to as mythic patriotism, which “creates and celebrates a mythologized, white supremacist vision of American history and identity”. Railton, author of Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, argues that such thinking led to the January 6 insurrection and the Trump-initiated 1776 Commission that targeted professors and other educators.
\n\nRailton said this ideology “very often has meant agreeing with that white-centered vision”. And “a lot of the time, that also defines someone who doesn’t agree with that vision, who is entirely outside of it and not a part of it. When I was looking at the [1776 Gastonia] website, it’s this undercurrent of, if one doesn’t share this perspective, then there’s not a place for you here.”
Bingo. Just look at their own official ad (in the YouTube video above) - notice that there is only a particular subset of Americans represented.
\n\nEnforced patriotism is not freedom. Its tyranny.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/11/damn-it-feels-good-to-be-a-gangster/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/11/damn-it-feels-good-to-be-a-gangster/", "title": "Damn it feels good to be a gangster", "date_published": "2023-07-11T15:21:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-11T15:21:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Tatum Hunter reporting for The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\nThree grown men against one printer wasn’t a fair fight. But Armando Islas and his friends didn’t care. The three gathered around a defunct HP printer, brandishing giant hammers and standing in the smashed-up remnants of dead electronics.
\n\nIslas and two classmates were celebrating the end of their law school exams at Bay Area Smash Room, a basement unit where customers pay $120 or more to break stuff for 30 minutes. Smashing the printer would feel good, they said, like revenge on the shoddy campus printers that plagued them through the past six semesters of graduate school.
\n\nThat sort of rage against the machine has spawned an entire industry. Across the United States, customers can book sessions at a smash rooms and pay anything from dozens to hundreds of dollars to smash dishes, furniture and — most of all — printers.
Who would ever think a scene from the cult Mike Judge movie “Office Space,” in which frustrated office workers take a printer to a field and smash it to pieces with baseball bats, could be turned into a lucrative business model known as smash rooms. Since 2016 or so, smash rooms have provided a space where regular people can live their “Office Space” fantasies.
\n", "content_html": "Tatum Hunter reporting for The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\nThree grown men against one printer wasn’t a fair fight. But Armando Islas and his friends didn’t care. The three gathered around a defunct HP printer, brandishing giant hammers and standing in the smashed-up remnants of dead electronics.
\n\nIslas and two classmates were celebrating the end of their law school exams at Bay Area Smash Room, a basement unit where customers pay $120 or more to break stuff for 30 minutes. Smashing the printer would feel good, they said, like revenge on the shoddy campus printers that plagued them through the past six semesters of graduate school.
\n\nThat sort of rage against the machine has spawned an entire industry. Across the United States, customers can book sessions at a smash rooms and pay anything from dozens to hundreds of dollars to smash dishes, furniture and — most of all — printers.
Who would ever think a scene from the cult Mike Judge movie “Office Space,” in which frustrated office workers take a printer to a field and smash it to pieces with baseball bats, could be turned into a lucrative business model known as smash rooms. Since 2016 or so, smash rooms have provided a space where regular people can live their “Office Space” fantasies.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/14/the-american-diner/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/14/the-american-diner/", "title": "The American Diner", "date_published": "2023-07-14T10:23:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-14T10:23:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nArchitect Michael Wyetzner for Architectural Digest runs us through why American diners look the way they do:
\n", "content_html": "So let’s take a look at a typical American diner. So the outside has a shape that’s reminiscent of a train. In fact, that’s how diners got their name. They’re named after the dining car on a train.
\n\nMany of the design elements in a diner are based on the necessities of dining on a train in a railroad car, like booth seating and counter seating, and an open kitchen.
\n\nSo I like these two photos because they show all the elements that go into the classic American diner. On the exterior, you have that stainless steel smooth curvature, you’ve got that Art Deco typography. And then on the interior you have the checkered floor, you have the booths, you have the globes, and you have the jukebox.
\n\nIn the early part of the 20th century, trains were the dominant form of travel. If you look at some of the earliest diners, they were in fact, actual train cars that were placed permanently on the ground.
\nArchitect Michael Wyetzner for Architectural Digest runs us through why American diners look the way they do:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/24/insane-in-the-membrane/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/24/insane-in-the-membrane/", "title": "Insane in the membrane", "date_published": "2023-07-24T02:32:50-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-24T02:32:50-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So let’s take a look at a typical American diner. So the outside has a shape that’s reminiscent of a train. In fact, that’s how diners got their name. They’re named after the dining car on a train.
\n\nMany of the design elements in a diner are based on the necessities of dining on a train in a railroad car, like booth seating and counter seating, and an open kitchen.
\n\nSo I like these two photos because they show all the elements that go into the classic American diner. On the exterior, you have that stainless steel smooth curvature, you’ve got that Art Deco typography. And then on the interior you have the checkered floor, you have the booths, you have the globes, and you have the jukebox.
\n\nIn the early part of the 20th century, trains were the dominant form of travel. If you look at some of the earliest diners, they were in fact, actual train cars that were placed permanently on the ground.
\nThe latest NPR studios’s Tiny Desk Concert celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with a performance by Cypress Hill.
\n\nWhile the term “pioneer” is used loosely in pop culture today, few terms describe Cypress Hill’s impact over the past three decades more adequately. They are the first Latino hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum status. B Real, Sen and producer DJ Muggs crafted a sound in the ‘90s that stretched beyond regional boundaries. It was dark, psychedelic and at times directly addressed mental health before the topic was commonplace. Many dismissed the group as “stoner rappers,” yet the members were fervent advocates for the legalization of weed long before it came to fruition.
Still not a fan of hip-hop, but I did enjoy this if only as a historical account of a pioneering band.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe latest NPR studios’s Tiny Desk Concert celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with a performance by Cypress Hill.
\n\nWhile the term “pioneer” is used loosely in pop culture today, few terms describe Cypress Hill’s impact over the past three decades more adequately. They are the first Latino hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum status. B Real, Sen and producer DJ Muggs crafted a sound in the ‘90s that stretched beyond regional boundaries. It was dark, psychedelic and at times directly addressed mental health before the topic was commonplace. Many dismissed the group as “stoner rappers,” yet the members were fervent advocates for the legalization of weed long before it came to fruition.
Still not a fan of hip-hop, but I did enjoy this if only as a historical account of a pioneering band.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/24/barack-obamas-2023-summer-reading-list/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/24/barack-obamas-2023-summer-reading-list/", "title": "Barack Obama's 2023 Summer Reading List", "date_published": "2023-07-24T02:43:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-24T02:43:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"reading](\"/assets/images/obama-summer-books-2023.jpg\")
Here are the links:
\n\n
Here are the links:
\n\n![\"remote](\"/assets/images/remote-lounge-nyc.jpeg\")
Intersting post published a decade ago by Doc Pop:
\n\n\n\nThe Remote Lounge was a high tech bar in NYC’s Bowery District from 10/2001 to 11/2007. The bar’s gimmick was that it was packed full of monitors and closed circuit television cameras. Each CCTV camera was mounted on a servo and could be controlled by anyone in the bar via any of the terminals throughout the bar. Each terminal had a joystick (for controlling a camera), a camera button (which would capture an image and upload it to the RemoteLounge.com), a next button (for switching to another camera), a chat button, and a land line phone. So you could cycle through the bar until you found someone sitting near a camera, then you could request to chat with them via the phone. Sometimes as you were watching a scene your camera would start to move and you’d realize someone else was watching and controlling the same camera that you were.
\n\n[…]
\n\n12 years later, it’s funny to think how this novelty bar in NYC would so closely mirror our modern experience. Just replace the always connected security cameras with smart phones and opt-in social media. Sometimes I’m shocked at how my experiences at the Remote Lounge would be recreated time and time again by following a hashtag on twitter, to a photo on instagram, to a small conversation online, and finally with meeting someone face to face… all over the course of ten or twenty minutes on my iPhone at a local bar.
Its only gotten more surreal.
\n", "content_html": "
Intersting post published a decade ago by Doc Pop:
\n\n\n\nThe Remote Lounge was a high tech bar in NYC’s Bowery District from 10/2001 to 11/2007. The bar’s gimmick was that it was packed full of monitors and closed circuit television cameras. Each CCTV camera was mounted on a servo and could be controlled by anyone in the bar via any of the terminals throughout the bar. Each terminal had a joystick (for controlling a camera), a camera button (which would capture an image and upload it to the RemoteLounge.com), a next button (for switching to another camera), a chat button, and a land line phone. So you could cycle through the bar until you found someone sitting near a camera, then you could request to chat with them via the phone. Sometimes as you were watching a scene your camera would start to move and you’d realize someone else was watching and controlling the same camera that you were.
\n\n[…]
\n\n12 years later, it’s funny to think how this novelty bar in NYC would so closely mirror our modern experience. Just replace the always connected security cameras with smart phones and opt-in social media. Sometimes I’m shocked at how my experiences at the Remote Lounge would be recreated time and time again by following a hashtag on twitter, to a photo on instagram, to a small conversation online, and finally with meeting someone face to face… all over the course of ten or twenty minutes on my iPhone at a local bar.
Its only gotten more surreal.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/26/sinead-oconnor-dies-aged-56/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/26/sinead-oconnor-dies-aged-56/", "title": "Sinéad O’Connor dies aged 56", "date_published": "2023-07-26T17:17:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-26T17:17:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Sinead](\"/assets/images/sinead-o-conner.jpg\")
The Irish singer-songwriter has died at the age of 56. The cause and date of her death were not made public. The statement released by her family:
\n\n\n\nIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.
Neda Ulaby and Anastasia Tsioulcas writing for NPR:
\n\n\n\nO'Connor came to the attention of U2’s guitarist The Edge, and she got herself signed to the Ensign/Chrysalis label. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, went double platinum in 1990, partly because of a hit love song written by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
\n\nI Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got was a distillation of O'Connor’s prayerful sense of music and her fury over social injustice. She rejected its four Grammy nominations as being too commercial — and, in her words, “for destroying the human race.” She was banned from a New Jersey arena when she refused to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for its lyrics glorifying bombs bursting in air.
O'Connor was best known for her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, went double platinum in 1990, partly because of a hit love song written by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U”. The video released to promote the single catapulted it to #1 in January of 1990.
\n\n
\nPrime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar:
\n", "content_html": "Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinéad O'Connor. Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare. Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music. Ar dheis Dé go Raibh a hAnam.
The Irish singer-songwriter has died at the age of 56. The cause and date of her death were not made public. The statement released by her family:
\n\n\n\nIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.
Neda Ulaby and Anastasia Tsioulcas writing for NPR:
\n\n\n\nO'Connor came to the attention of U2’s guitarist The Edge, and she got herself signed to the Ensign/Chrysalis label. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, went double platinum in 1990, partly because of a hit love song written by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
\n\nI Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got was a distillation of O'Connor’s prayerful sense of music and her fury over social injustice. She rejected its four Grammy nominations as being too commercial — and, in her words, “for destroying the human race.” She was banned from a New Jersey arena when she refused to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for its lyrics glorifying bombs bursting in air.
O'Connor was best known for her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, went double platinum in 1990, partly because of a hit love song written by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U”. The video released to promote the single catapulted it to #1 in January of 1990.
\n\n
\nPrime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/29/biden-to-make-insurers-cover-mental-health-caree/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/29/biden-to-make-insurers-cover-mental-health-caree/", "title": "Biden to make insurers cover mental health care", "date_published": "2023-07-29T13:11:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-29T13:11:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinéad O'Connor. Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare. Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music. Ar dheis Dé go Raibh a hAnam.
![\"mental](\"/assets/images/mental-health.png\")
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a proposal to force health insurers to cover mental health and addiction care as comprehensively as they cover treatment for physical health conditions.
\n\nLevy Facher writing for Stat:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The new proposal, which will soon be published as a joint proposed rule from the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, comes as cost concerns force countless Americans to go without much-needed mental health or addiction care.
\n\nOne study cited by White House aides showed people with health insurance are more than twice as likely to seek out-of-network care for mental health conditions than for physical health conditions.
\n\nThe new rule would attempt to crack down on some health insurers’ more subtle tactics, too, like offering lower rates to out-of-network mental health providers or imposing prior authorization requirements for mental health care at a higher rate than for most physical health services or procedures.
\n\nBeyond seeking more accountability from insurers, the rule also closes a loophole that currently allows health insurance plans offered by state or local governments to opt out of mental health parity requirements. The change could lead to more comprehensive coverage for roughly 90,000 government employees insured by those plans, according to Biden administration officials.
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a proposal to force health insurers to cover mental health and addiction care as comprehensively as they cover treatment for physical health conditions.
\n\nLevy Facher writing for Stat:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/29/the-deadly-effects-of-politicising-a-pandemic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/29/the-deadly-effects-of-politicising-a-pandemic/", "title": "The Deadly effects of politicising a pandemic", "date_published": "2023-07-29T14:14:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-29T14:14:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The new proposal, which will soon be published as a joint proposed rule from the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, comes as cost concerns force countless Americans to go without much-needed mental health or addiction care.
\n\nOne study cited by White House aides showed people with health insurance are more than twice as likely to seek out-of-network care for mental health conditions than for physical health conditions.
\n\nThe new rule would attempt to crack down on some health insurers’ more subtle tactics, too, like offering lower rates to out-of-network mental health providers or imposing prior authorization requirements for mental health care at a higher rate than for most physical health services or procedures.
\n\nBeyond seeking more accountability from insurers, the rule also closes a loophole that currently allows health insurance plans offered by state or local governments to opt out of mental health parity requirements. The change could lead to more comprehensive coverage for roughly 90,000 government employees insured by those plans, according to Biden administration officials.
After covid vaccines were readily available in the US, the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters. You read that right. 43% higher excess death rate - the Republicans were literally a death cult.
\n\nBill Chapel reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "In late 2021, an NPR analysis found that after May of that year — a timeframe that overlaps the vaccine availability cited in the new study — people in counties that voted strongly for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election were “nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19” as people in pro-Biden counties.
\n\n“An unvaccinated person is three times as likely to lean Republican as they are to lean Democrat,” as Liz Hamel, vice president of public opinion and survey research at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, told NPR.
\n\nEven before vaccines were widely accessible, researchers were working to quantify the > effects of vastly divergent COVID-19 policies across U.S. states.
\n\nA widely cited study from early 2021 found that in the early months of the pandemic’s official start date in March 2020, states with Republican governors saw lower COVID-19 case numbers and death rates than Democratic-led states. But the trend reversed around the middle of 2020, as Republican governors were less likely to institute controls such as stay-at-home orders and face mask requirements.
After covid vaccines were readily available in the US, the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters. You read that right. 43% higher excess death rate - the Republicans were literally a death cult.
\n\nBill Chapel reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/31/europeans-on-american-life/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/07/31/europeans-on-american-life/", "title": "Europeans on American life", "date_published": "2023-07-31T23:02:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-31T23:02:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In late 2021, an NPR analysis found that after May of that year — a timeframe that overlaps the vaccine availability cited in the new study — people in counties that voted strongly for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election were “nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19” as people in pro-Biden counties.
\n\n“An unvaccinated person is three times as likely to lean Republican as they are to lean Democrat,” as Liz Hamel, vice president of public opinion and survey research at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, told NPR.
\n\nEven before vaccines were widely accessible, researchers were working to quantify the > effects of vastly divergent COVID-19 policies across U.S. states.
\n\nA widely cited study from early 2021 found that in the early months of the pandemic’s official start date in March 2020, states with Republican governors saw lower COVID-19 case numbers and death rates than Democratic-led states. But the trend reversed around the middle of 2020, as Republican governors were less likely to institute controls such as stay-at-home orders and face mask requirements.
\nThe complete befuddlement of Europeans on American life.
As Americans we promote obesity, eat cancer brownies, discourage poor people from having babies, have zero guaranteed paid maternity leave, drive our students into servitude with university debt, refuse to provide affordable health care, and are infatuated with guns and the proliferation of them.
\n\nBut look on the bright side - we are happy, friendly, and optimistically blissful in our ignorance of how the rest of the world functions.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe complete befuddlement of Europeans on American life.
As Americans we promote obesity, eat cancer brownies, discourage poor people from having babies, have zero guaranteed paid maternity leave, drive our students into servitude with university debt, refuse to provide affordable health care, and are infatuated with guns and the proliferation of them.
\n\nBut look on the bright side - we are happy, friendly, and optimistically blissful in our ignorance of how the rest of the world functions.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/02/isolated-vocals-for-nothing-compares-2-u/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/02/isolated-vocals-for-nothing-compares-2-u/", "title": "Isolated vocals for 'Nothing Compares 2 U'", "date_published": "2023-08-02T16:49:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-02T16:49:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n
\nIn this video, the recorded vocals to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ are almost fully isolated so you can really hear the clarity and emotion in that wonderful voice of hers.
The amazing part is that the song was recorded in one take - delivered with conviction and a longing for lost love. No overdubs, compression, auto-tune or any of the crutches that modern artists rely on. Very few artists today could match Sinéad O'Connor on raw talent.
\n\nRichard Buskin writing for Sound on Sound:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“I actually think the intensity of Sinéad’s performance came from the breakup of her latest relationship,” opines Chris Birkett, who co-produced and engineered the track as well as the accompanying, Grammy Award-winning album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks and sold seven million copies worldwide. “She had been dating her manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, who’s a really good guy and had been instrumental in getting her deal with Ensign Records. However, their relationship had gone pear-shaped and they were in the process of breaking up when we recorded ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, so that’s probably why she did such a good vocal. She came into the studio, did it in one take, double-tracked it straight away and it was perfect because she was totally into the song. It mirrored her situation.”
\n
\nIn this video, the recorded vocals to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ are almost fully isolated so you can really hear the clarity and emotion in that wonderful voice of hers.
The amazing part is that the song was recorded in one take - delivered with conviction and a longing for lost love. No overdubs, compression, auto-tune or any of the crutches that modern artists rely on. Very few artists today could match Sinéad O'Connor on raw talent.
\n\nRichard Buskin writing for Sound on Sound:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/02/trump-indicted-charged-for-conspiracy-and-obstruction/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/02/trump-indicted-charged-for-conspiracy-and-obstruction/", "title": "Trump Indicted - charged for conspiracy and obstruction", "date_published": "2023-08-02T17:11:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-02T17:11:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“I actually think the intensity of Sinéad’s performance came from the breakup of her latest relationship,” opines Chris Birkett, who co-produced and engineered the track as well as the accompanying, Grammy Award-winning album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks and sold seven million copies worldwide. “She had been dating her manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, who’s a really good guy and had been instrumental in getting her deal with Ensign Records. However, their relationship had gone pear-shaped and they were in the process of breaking up when we recorded ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, so that’s probably why she did such a good vocal. She came into the studio, did it in one take, double-tracked it straight away and it was perfect because she was totally into the song. It mirrored her situation.”
![\"trump-indicted\"](\"/assets/images/trump-indicted.jpeg\")
A Washington DC grand jury indicted Donald Trump for “for conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding” or put simply, trying to steal the 2020 presidential election.
\n\nHeather Cox Richardson in a language that everybody here can easily understand:
\n\n\n\nThe Trump team used lies about the election to justify organizing fraudulent slates of electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Allegedly with the help of Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, they attempted to have the legitimate electors that accurately reflected the voters' choice of Biden replaced with fraudulent ones that claimed Trump had won in their states, first by convincing state legislators they had the power to make the switch, and then by convincing Vice President Mike Pence he could choose the Trump electors.
\n\nWhen Pence would not fraudulently alter the election results, Trump whipped up the crowd he had gathered in Washington, D.C., against Pence and then, according to the indictment, “attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol” to overturn the election results. “As violence ensued,” the indictment reads, Trump and his co-conspirators “explained the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims.” On the evening of January 6, 2021, the indictment alleges, Trump and Co-Conspirator 1 called seven senators and one representative and asked them to delay the certification of Biden’s election.
You can read the full 45-page indictment, annotated by the NY Times here. The two sections that are really troubling are:
\n\n\n\nOn the afternoon of January 3, Co-Conspirator 4 spoke with a Deputy White House Counsel. The previous month, the Deputy White House Counsel had informed the Defendant that “there is no world, there is no option in which you do not leave the White House [o]n January 20th.” Now, the same Deputy White House Counsel tried to dissuade Co-Conspirator 4 from assuming the role of Acting Attorney General. The Deputy White House Counsel reiterated to Co-Conspirator 4 that there had not been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that if the Defendant remained in office nonetheless, there would be “riots in every major city in the United States.” Co-Conspirator 4 responded, “Well, [Deputy White House Counsel], that’s why there’s an Insurrection Act.”
And:
\n\n\n\nAlso on January 4, when Co-Conspirator 2 acknowledged to the Defendant’s Senior Advisor that no court would support his proposal, the Senior Advisor told Co-Conspirator 2, “[Y]ou’re going to cause riots in the streets.” Co-Conspirator 2 responded that there had previously been points in the nation’s history where violence was necessary to protect the republic. After that conversation, the Senior Advisor notified the Defendant that Co-Conspirator 2 had conceded that his plan was not going to work.
It is pretty obvious that Donald Trump planned to seize power by force and then maintain that power through the mass murder of American citizens by their own military. The US needs to lock this traitor permanently behind bars if we are to be taken seriously as a functioning democracy that is governed by the rule of law.
\n", "content_html": "
A Washington DC grand jury indicted Donald Trump for “for conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding” or put simply, trying to steal the 2020 presidential election.
\n\nHeather Cox Richardson in a language that everybody here can easily understand:
\n\n\n\nThe Trump team used lies about the election to justify organizing fraudulent slates of electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Allegedly with the help of Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, they attempted to have the legitimate electors that accurately reflected the voters' choice of Biden replaced with fraudulent ones that claimed Trump had won in their states, first by convincing state legislators they had the power to make the switch, and then by convincing Vice President Mike Pence he could choose the Trump electors.
\n\nWhen Pence would not fraudulently alter the election results, Trump whipped up the crowd he had gathered in Washington, D.C., against Pence and then, according to the indictment, “attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol” to overturn the election results. “As violence ensued,” the indictment reads, Trump and his co-conspirators “explained the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims.” On the evening of January 6, 2021, the indictment alleges, Trump and Co-Conspirator 1 called seven senators and one representative and asked them to delay the certification of Biden’s election.
You can read the full 45-page indictment, annotated by the NY Times here. The two sections that are really troubling are:
\n\n\n\nOn the afternoon of January 3, Co-Conspirator 4 spoke with a Deputy White House Counsel. The previous month, the Deputy White House Counsel had informed the Defendant that “there is no world, there is no option in which you do not leave the White House [o]n January 20th.” Now, the same Deputy White House Counsel tried to dissuade Co-Conspirator 4 from assuming the role of Acting Attorney General. The Deputy White House Counsel reiterated to Co-Conspirator 4 that there had not been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that if the Defendant remained in office nonetheless, there would be “riots in every major city in the United States.” Co-Conspirator 4 responded, “Well, [Deputy White House Counsel], that’s why there’s an Insurrection Act.”
And:
\n\n\n\nAlso on January 4, when Co-Conspirator 2 acknowledged to the Defendant’s Senior Advisor that no court would support his proposal, the Senior Advisor told Co-Conspirator 2, “[Y]ou’re going to cause riots in the streets.” Co-Conspirator 2 responded that there had previously been points in the nation’s history where violence was necessary to protect the republic. After that conversation, the Senior Advisor notified the Defendant that Co-Conspirator 2 had conceded that his plan was not going to work.
It is pretty obvious that Donald Trump planned to seize power by force and then maintain that power through the mass murder of American citizens by their own military. The US needs to lock this traitor permanently behind bars if we are to be taken seriously as a functioning democracy that is governed by the rule of law.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/03/steven-spielbergs-secret-ingredient/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/03/steven-spielbergs-secret-ingredient/", "title": "Steven Spielberg's Secret Ingredient", "date_published": "2023-08-03T07:47:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-03T07:47:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nEverything you need to understand the secret behind how the most commercially successful director who has ever lived sells wonder. Spielberg gets why we go to movies.
\nEverything you need to understand the secret behind how the most commercially successful director who has ever lived sells wonder. Spielberg gets why we go to movies.
\nThis video essay by Adam Kovacs on why European malls are doing better than their American counterparts. It’s not Amazon or the economy. Its urban planing.
\n", "content_html": "Malls, hell, all commerce has to be an organic part of towns and cities. People should be able to get to them by means other than a car, and conveniently. Such integrated commercial spaces are far more resilient. If your commercial spaces aren’t resilient — if you just plop a big box outside the town — don’t be surprised when it goes bust in a few years. And then it’s bulldozed for the next thing to be put up for it to go bust the same way and then get bulldozed and then the next thing and the next and the next so on and so forth.
\nThis video essay by Adam Kovacs on why European malls are doing better than their American counterparts. It’s not Amazon or the economy. Its urban planing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/five-crises-made-up-to-distract-americans/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/five-crises-made-up-to-distract-americans/", "title": "Five crises made up to distract americans", "date_published": "2023-08-06T09:43:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-06T09:43:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Malls, hell, all commerce has to be an organic part of towns and cities. People should be able to get to them by means other than a car, and conveniently. Such integrated commercial spaces are far more resilient. If your commercial spaces aren’t resilient — if you just plop a big box outside the town — don’t be surprised when it goes bust in a few years. And then it’s bulldozed for the next thing to be put up for it to go bust the same way and then get bulldozed and then the next thing and the next and the next so on and so forth.
Robert Reich outlines five crises (wokness, trans panic, critical race theory, coach potatoes, goverment spening) the Republican have manufactured in order to deflect from their true agenda:
\n\nAfter all, when you have nothing to offer while the current administration is hitting it out of the park in regards to the economy, job numbers, foreign policy and passing legislation to address all three of the mentioned issues, all you can do is scare and distract.
\n\nI’d like to think the vast majority of the American population will see through this come election time. Yes, I am an eternal optimist.
\n", "content_html": "Robert Reich outlines five crises (wokness, trans panic, critical race theory, coach potatoes, goverment spening) the Republican have manufactured in order to deflect from their true agenda:
\n\nAfter all, when you have nothing to offer while the current administration is hitting it out of the park in regards to the economy, job numbers, foreign policy and passing legislation to address all three of the mentioned issues, all you can do is scare and distract.
\n\nI’d like to think the vast majority of the American population will see through this come election time. Yes, I am an eternal optimist.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/apple-cards-savings-account-reaches-over-10-dollars-billion-in-deposits/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/apple-cards-savings-account-reaches-over-10-dollars-billion-in-deposits/", "title": "Apple card's savings account not the best deal", "date_published": "2023-08-06T10:02:59-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-06T10:02:59-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"apple](\"/assets/images/apple-card-savings.jpg\")
Thursday on August 3rd, Apple Newsroom reports:
\n\n\n\nToday, Apple announced that Apple Card’s high-yield Savings account offered by Goldman Sachs has reached over $10 billion in deposits from users since launching in April. Savings enables Apple Card users to grow their Daily Cash rewards with a Savings account from Goldman Sachs, which offers a high-yield APY of 4.15 percent.
While the Apple savings account is convenient, a much better deal can be had in 6 month CDs from major banks.
\n\nTD Bank is currently offering a 5% 6 month CD. For a $1000 dollar account on Apple Card’s high-yield Savings account works out to $20.56 for six months vs a $1000 TD Bank 5% 6 month CD of $24.7. A gain of 20% over the course of 6 months with the CD account.
\n\nApple Card’s high-yield Savings account is not the best way to optimize returns on your savings.
\n", "content_html": "
Thursday on August 3rd, Apple Newsroom reports:
\n\n\n\nToday, Apple announced that Apple Card’s high-yield Savings account offered by Goldman Sachs has reached over $10 billion in deposits from users since launching in April. Savings enables Apple Card users to grow their Daily Cash rewards with a Savings account from Goldman Sachs, which offers a high-yield APY of 4.15 percent.
While the Apple savings account is convenient, a much better deal can be had in 6 month CDs from major banks.
\n\nTD Bank is currently offering a 5% 6 month CD. For a $1000 dollar account on Apple Card’s high-yield Savings account works out to $20.56 for six months vs a $1000 TD Bank 5% 6 month CD of $24.7. A gain of 20% over the course of 6 months with the CD account.
\n\nApple Card’s high-yield Savings account is not the best way to optimize returns on your savings.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/engineering-blood-vessels/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/06/engineering-blood-vessels/", "title": "Engineering Blood Vessels", "date_published": "2023-08-06T11:02:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-06T11:02:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"blood](\"/assets/images/blood-vessels.jpg\")
Associate Professor Daniel Heath, Professor Andrea O’Connor and Hazem Alkazemi, writing for Pursuit - a University of Melbourne medical research site:
\n\n\n\nFirst we needed to create the shape, a kind of framework on which to grow the blood vessel layers. We did this by electrospinning a layer of polymer fibres onto a mandrel, which provides the tubular shape for the blood vessel graft.
\n\nElectrospinning is a technique that uses an electrical voltage to draw a polymer stream into thin fibres that mimic the protein structure of our native tissue, a bit like spinning wool onto a bobbin at the nano-scale.
\n\nHowever, this process results in fibres that are randomly oriented, when we need fibres aligned along the length, or axis, of the tube to promote axial alignment of the endothelial cells.
\n\nTo align these fibres, we developed a simple freezing technique.
\n\nBy placing the electrospun tube into a rigid mold partially filled with water and freezing it, we caused ice crystals to grow along the axis, which pushed the fibres into alignment.
\n\nWe then grew endothelial cells on the tube to create the inner layer of the vessel – the endothelium. The cells spontaneously align with the fibres, generating a continuous, aligned endothelial cell layer like we see in native blood vessels.
\n\nThis layer also provides appropriate mechanical properties, enables the graft to be sutured to native blood vessels and prevents rupture of the graft.
\n\nNext, we cast a soft hydrogel layer around the electrospun fibres. This hydrogel layer prevents leakage from our graft and also acts as a scaffold for smooth muscle cells.
\n\nWe know that cells are very sensitive to the stiffness of their surroundings so we trialled hydrogels of varying stiffness.
\n\nSurprisingly, we observed that the softer gels allowed the vascular smooth muscle cells to rapidly and spontaneously align in a 3D ring structure, mimicking what is found in native blood vessels.
Well - I can look forward to getting all of my internal plumbing replaced for my 65th birthday…
\n", "content_html": "
Associate Professor Daniel Heath, Professor Andrea O’Connor and Hazem Alkazemi, writing for Pursuit - a University of Melbourne medical research site:
\n\n\n\nFirst we needed to create the shape, a kind of framework on which to grow the blood vessel layers. We did this by electrospinning a layer of polymer fibres onto a mandrel, which provides the tubular shape for the blood vessel graft.
\n\nElectrospinning is a technique that uses an electrical voltage to draw a polymer stream into thin fibres that mimic the protein structure of our native tissue, a bit like spinning wool onto a bobbin at the nano-scale.
\n\nHowever, this process results in fibres that are randomly oriented, when we need fibres aligned along the length, or axis, of the tube to promote axial alignment of the endothelial cells.
\n\nTo align these fibres, we developed a simple freezing technique.
\n\nBy placing the electrospun tube into a rigid mold partially filled with water and freezing it, we caused ice crystals to grow along the axis, which pushed the fibres into alignment.
\n\nWe then grew endothelial cells on the tube to create the inner layer of the vessel – the endothelium. The cells spontaneously align with the fibres, generating a continuous, aligned endothelial cell layer like we see in native blood vessels.
\n\nThis layer also provides appropriate mechanical properties, enables the graft to be sutured to native blood vessels and prevents rupture of the graft.
\n\nNext, we cast a soft hydrogel layer around the electrospun fibres. This hydrogel layer prevents leakage from our graft and also acts as a scaffold for smooth muscle cells.
\n\nWe know that cells are very sensitive to the stiffness of their surroundings so we trialled hydrogels of varying stiffness.
\n\nSurprisingly, we observed that the softer gels allowed the vascular smooth muscle cells to rapidly and spontaneously align in a 3D ring structure, mimicking what is found in native blood vessels.
Well - I can look forward to getting all of my internal plumbing replaced for my 65th birthday…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/climate-change-is-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/climate-change-is-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/", "title": "Climate change is death by a thousand cuts", "date_published": "2023-08-08T05:21:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-08T05:21:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"climate](\"/assets/images/climate-change.jpeg\")
Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M writing about climate change:
\n\n\n\nLet me give you an example of a tiny impact that I just heard about. My wife told me about a new group of members at her gym: active 70-ish-year-olds who used to go on walks around their neighborhood. Due to the unbearable heat in Texas, though, they joined a gym and now walk indoors on treadmills. This story embodies several aspects of climate impacts that everyone should understand.
\n\nFirst, this is an example of non-linear climate impacts. Although temperatures have been rising gradually over the last century, it was only recently that they crossed a critical threshold that made outdoor walks literally unbearable for these people.
\n\nSecond, this is what adaptation to climate change looks like. Contrary to how it is typically portrayed by climate dismissives, adaptation is not free. These people are paying $50 per month for the gym membership that is an inferior replacement for something they used to get for free: an environment cool enough to walk in.
\n\nSo these people are worse off financially and not getting as good of an experience as they used to. And they’re the lucky ones — they have the opportunity and resources to do this.
\n\nThere’s also the non-monetary costs of adaptation. When it’s too hot to go outside during the day, you are a prisoner of air conditioning instead of going outside and getting fresh air and exercise. We’ve lost something valuable but difficult to quantify.
Classic example of the boiling-frog effect, humans are sailing unfazed into a dire-looking future of irreversible climate change.
\n", "content_html": "
Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M writing about climate change:
\n\n\n\nLet me give you an example of a tiny impact that I just heard about. My wife told me about a new group of members at her gym: active 70-ish-year-olds who used to go on walks around their neighborhood. Due to the unbearable heat in Texas, though, they joined a gym and now walk indoors on treadmills. This story embodies several aspects of climate impacts that everyone should understand.
\n\nFirst, this is an example of non-linear climate impacts. Although temperatures have been rising gradually over the last century, it was only recently that they crossed a critical threshold that made outdoor walks literally unbearable for these people.
\n\nSecond, this is what adaptation to climate change looks like. Contrary to how it is typically portrayed by climate dismissives, adaptation is not free. These people are paying $50 per month for the gym membership that is an inferior replacement for something they used to get for free: an environment cool enough to walk in.
\n\nSo these people are worse off financially and not getting as good of an experience as they used to. And they’re the lucky ones — they have the opportunity and resources to do this.
\n\nThere’s also the non-monetary costs of adaptation. When it’s too hot to go outside during the day, you are a prisoner of air conditioning instead of going outside and getting fresh air and exercise. We’ve lost something valuable but difficult to quantify.
Classic example of the boiling-frog effect, humans are sailing unfazed into a dire-looking future of irreversible climate change.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/william-friedkin-dies-at-87/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/william-friedkin-dies-at-87/", "title": "William Friedkin Dies at 87", "date_published": "2023-08-08T05:42:50-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-08T05:42:50-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"William](\"/assets/images/william-friedkin.jpg\")
William Grimes, writing for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nWilliam Friedkin, a filmmaker whose gritty, visceral style and fascination with characters on the edge helped make “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” two of the biggest box-office hits of the 1970s, died on Monday at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 87.
\n\nThe cause was heart failure and pneumonia, said his wife, Sherry Lansing, the former head of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. His death came just weeks before the release of his most recent directorial effort, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a movie based on the Herman Wouk play.
The Exorcist is still one of the scariest of film ever made. An absolute masterpiece.
\n", "content_html": "
William Grimes, writing for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nWilliam Friedkin, a filmmaker whose gritty, visceral style and fascination with characters on the edge helped make “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” two of the biggest box-office hits of the 1970s, died on Monday at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 87.
\n\nThe cause was heart failure and pneumonia, said his wife, Sherry Lansing, the former head of Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. His death came just weeks before the release of his most recent directorial effort, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a movie based on the Herman Wouk play.
The Exorcist is still one of the scariest of film ever made. An absolute masterpiece.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/weekly-history-quiz-from-the-ny-times/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/08/weekly-history-quiz-from-the-ny-times/", "title": "weekly history quiz from the NY Times", "date_published": "2023-08-08T12:54:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-08T12:54:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Flashback - A fun weekly history quiz by the New York times where you’re given historical events to put into the correct order on a timeline.
\n", "content_html": "Flashback - A fun weekly history quiz by the New York times where you’re given historical events to put into the correct order on a timeline.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/09/maga-mental-health-crisis/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/09/maga-mental-health-crisis/", "title": "MAGA Mental Health Crisis", "date_published": "2023-08-09T23:48:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-09T23:48:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"MAGA](\"/assets/images/maga-mental.jpg\")
John Pavlovitz writing on the Make America Great Again movement:
\n\n\n\nThese are days that tax people’s already burdened mental defense systems and emotional reserves by relentlessly targeting their places of vulnerability:
\n\nthe real and manufactured emergencies designed by the former President and his current party,
\n\n\n
\n\n\n- the daily incessant legislative attacks on vulnerable people groups,
\n- the collective cruelty
\n- the normalized acts of violence the forty-fifth president not only tolerates but > incites
\n- the untethered behavior regarding matters of national security, environmental stewardship, and human rights.
\nIn other words, the GOP is unwell and lots of good, already hurting people see it clearly. They understand the gravity of these moments for our nation and they are rightly terrified by the lack of accountability, the absence of conscience, and the poverty of empathy.
\n\nMen and women already prone to depression and anxiety, those normally driven to despair without any discernible cause or reason—now also have objective data that makes that hopelessness quite sensible.
\n\nThe MAGA movement is making otherwise mentally healthy people emotionally sick, and making ill people much worse. Like forcing a person suffering from Asthma into an enclosed space and making them exert themselves over and over without rest; surrounding them with every allergen and trigger their illness has—and with great joy, watching them gradually suffocate.
From the moment Donald Trump descended down an escalator at Trump Tower and announced he’s running for President, America has been under assault. It’s not by a nation, insurgents, Antifa, or immigrants. It’s more sinister than that. It has been under assault by the lies, corruptness, outright hostility against science and the total lack of empathy of the Trump led GOP.
\n\nTo see the direct effects of the MAGA campaign - look know further then the research conclusions of the Covid pandemic. If you were Republican, you were 43% higher chance of dying than Democratic voters. We are seeing daily mass shootings in school, churches, subways, city streets, and grocery stores, by people whose own illnesses and frailties have been triggered by the incendiary language and calculated lies continually perpetuated from the top.
\n\nAs Pavlovitz writes:
\n\n\n\nThe former President and those who support him in Congress are counting on sick people growing too tired from pushing back, too overwhelmed fighting their inner demons, and too hopeless at the story to go on.
\n\nWe can’t allow that.
We will not allow that. We all need to carry one another and care for one another. Realize that the GOP has no desire to, and in fact is doing willful damage.
\n\nIf you’re feeling overwhelmed and need help, here are some resources to help identify and treat mental illness, depression, and mood disorders.
\n", "content_html": "
John Pavlovitz writing on the Make America Great Again movement:
\n\n\n\nThese are days that tax people’s already burdened mental defense systems and emotional reserves by relentlessly targeting their places of vulnerability:
\n\nthe real and manufactured emergencies designed by the former President and his current party,
\n\n\n
\n\n\n- the daily incessant legislative attacks on vulnerable people groups,
\n- the collective cruelty
\n- the normalized acts of violence the forty-fifth president not only tolerates but > incites
\n- the untethered behavior regarding matters of national security, environmental stewardship, and human rights.
\nIn other words, the GOP is unwell and lots of good, already hurting people see it clearly. They understand the gravity of these moments for our nation and they are rightly terrified by the lack of accountability, the absence of conscience, and the poverty of empathy.
\n\nMen and women already prone to depression and anxiety, those normally driven to despair without any discernible cause or reason—now also have objective data that makes that hopelessness quite sensible.
\n\nThe MAGA movement is making otherwise mentally healthy people emotionally sick, and making ill people much worse. Like forcing a person suffering from Asthma into an enclosed space and making them exert themselves over and over without rest; surrounding them with every allergen and trigger their illness has—and with great joy, watching them gradually suffocate.
From the moment Donald Trump descended down an escalator at Trump Tower and announced he’s running for President, America has been under assault. It’s not by a nation, insurgents, Antifa, or immigrants. It’s more sinister than that. It has been under assault by the lies, corruptness, outright hostility against science and the total lack of empathy of the Trump led GOP.
\n\nTo see the direct effects of the MAGA campaign - look know further then the research conclusions of the Covid pandemic. If you were Republican, you were 43% higher chance of dying than Democratic voters. We are seeing daily mass shootings in school, churches, subways, city streets, and grocery stores, by people whose own illnesses and frailties have been triggered by the incendiary language and calculated lies continually perpetuated from the top.
\n\nAs Pavlovitz writes:
\n\n\n\nThe former President and those who support him in Congress are counting on sick people growing too tired from pushing back, too overwhelmed fighting their inner demons, and too hopeless at the story to go on.
\n\nWe can’t allow that.
We will not allow that. We all need to carry one another and care for one another. Realize that the GOP has no desire to, and in fact is doing willful damage.
\n\nIf you’re feeling overwhelmed and need help, here are some resources to help identify and treat mental illness, depression, and mood disorders.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/10/the-dark-side-of-medical-influencers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/10/the-dark-side-of-medical-influencers/", "title": "The Dark Side of Medical Influencers", "date_published": "2023-08-10T06:00:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-10T06:00:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"doctors](\"/assets/images/doctors-on-tiktok.jpg\")
Miranda Schreiber writing for The Walrus:
\n\n\n\nPhysicians, like many of us, have used platforms like Twitter and Instagram since their inception, with 90 percent reporting they used social media to find information related to their patients and practice in 2017, according to a report by market analyst Research2Guidance. Today, lists of the top twenty-five “medical influencers” include accounts of family physicians and doctors who have been endorsed by celebrities and have millions of followers. And, at times, their posts contain jokes involving patient information. A 2020 study by Wasim Ahmed of Newcastle University, which analyzed 348 tweets about living patients, found that nearly 47 percent contained details that would likely make patients identifiable to themselves.
\n\n[..]
\n\nJust look at celebrities like Dr. Drew and Dr. Oz or shows like Dr. 90210 and Botched. Every week, viewers tune in to watch the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients, despite the criticisms these shows have received for exploitative practices. Reality shows like ABC’s NY Med used footage from actual emergency rooms and operating theatres, sometimes filming surgeries without consent from patients. Joel M. Geiderman, an LA emergency physician, told Emergency Medicine News that he knows people who consented to being filmed while stressed and in the emergency department, then regretted the publicization of their medical treatment in the media. So, while the disclosure of medical secrets to the public is not particularly new, technology has made it much easier.
It is bad enough that they are violating patient privacy, but to profit of a patients condition I find a violation of the Hippocratic Oath. Though in a system that is built as commercial for profit enterprise - this hardly a surprise.
\n\nWe need to deal with the root cause - the existence of medicine as a profit maker. Until we have a single payer system with strong government oversight patient privacy abuse will be rampant.
\n", "content_html": "
Miranda Schreiber writing for The Walrus:
\n\n\n\nPhysicians, like many of us, have used platforms like Twitter and Instagram since their inception, with 90 percent reporting they used social media to find information related to their patients and practice in 2017, according to a report by market analyst Research2Guidance. Today, lists of the top twenty-five “medical influencers” include accounts of family physicians and doctors who have been endorsed by celebrities and have millions of followers. And, at times, their posts contain jokes involving patient information. A 2020 study by Wasim Ahmed of Newcastle University, which analyzed 348 tweets about living patients, found that nearly 47 percent contained details that would likely make patients identifiable to themselves.
\n\n[..]
\n\nJust look at celebrities like Dr. Drew and Dr. Oz or shows like Dr. 90210 and Botched. Every week, viewers tune in to watch the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients, despite the criticisms these shows have received for exploitative practices. Reality shows like ABC’s NY Med used footage from actual emergency rooms and operating theatres, sometimes filming surgeries without consent from patients. Joel M. Geiderman, an LA emergency physician, told Emergency Medicine News that he knows people who consented to being filmed while stressed and in the emergency department, then regretted the publicization of their medical treatment in the media. So, while the disclosure of medical secrets to the public is not particularly new, technology has made it much easier.
It is bad enough that they are violating patient privacy, but to profit of a patients condition I find a violation of the Hippocratic Oath. Though in a system that is built as commercial for profit enterprise - this hardly a surprise.
\n\nWe need to deal with the root cause - the existence of medicine as a profit maker. Until we have a single payer system with strong government oversight patient privacy abuse will be rampant.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/10/yankee-stadium-fly-through/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/10/yankee-stadium-fly-through/", "title": "Yankee Stadium Fly-through", "date_published": "2023-08-10T06:16:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-10T06:16:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Not a follower of baseball and of the Yankees - but damn. This is pretty cool.
\n\n\n
Not a follower of baseball and of the Yankees - but damn. This is pretty cool.
\n\n\n
Thomas Germain, reporting for Gizmodo:
\n\n\n\nArchived copies of CNET’s author pages show the company deleted small batches of articles prior to the second half of July, but then the pace increased. Thousands of articles disappeared in recent weeks. A CNET representative confirmed that the company was culling stories but declined to share exactly how many it has taken down. The move adds to recent controversies over CNET’s editorial strategy, which has included layoffs and experiments with error-riddled articles written by AI chatbots.
\n\n“Removing content from our site is not a decision we take lightly. Our teams analyze many data points to determine whether there are pages on CNET that are not currently serving a meaningful audience. This is an industry-wide best practice for large sites like ours that are primarily driven by SEO traffic,” said Taylor Canada, CNET’s senior director of marketing and communications. “In an ideal world, we would leave all of our content on our site in perpetuity. Unfortunately, we are penalized by the modern internet for leaving all previously published content live on our site.” A representative for the CNET Media Workers Union declined to comment. (Disclosure: Gizmodo’s Editor in Chief Dan Ackerman is a former CNET employee.)
\n\nCNET shared an internal memo about the practice. Removing, redirecting, or refreshing irrelevant or unhelpful URLs “sends a signal to Google that says CNET is fresh, relevant and worthy of being placed higher than our competitors in search results,” the document reads.
That is the dumbest thing I have heard. It would be stupid for Google to penalize sites with that archives old content, it would effectively destroy the web. You have to seriously question the competence of the CNet mangement if they are pursing this as a serious SEO strategy.
\n", "content_html": "Thomas Germain, reporting for Gizmodo:
\n\n\n\nArchived copies of CNET’s author pages show the company deleted small batches of articles prior to the second half of July, but then the pace increased. Thousands of articles disappeared in recent weeks. A CNET representative confirmed that the company was culling stories but declined to share exactly how many it has taken down. The move adds to recent controversies over CNET’s editorial strategy, which has included layoffs and experiments with error-riddled articles written by AI chatbots.
\n\n“Removing content from our site is not a decision we take lightly. Our teams analyze many data points to determine whether there are pages on CNET that are not currently serving a meaningful audience. This is an industry-wide best practice for large sites like ours that are primarily driven by SEO traffic,” said Taylor Canada, CNET’s senior director of marketing and communications. “In an ideal world, we would leave all of our content on our site in perpetuity. Unfortunately, we are penalized by the modern internet for leaving all previously published content live on our site.” A representative for the CNET Media Workers Union declined to comment. (Disclosure: Gizmodo’s Editor in Chief Dan Ackerman is a former CNET employee.)
\n\nCNET shared an internal memo about the practice. Removing, redirecting, or refreshing irrelevant or unhelpful URLs “sends a signal to Google that says CNET is fresh, relevant and worthy of being placed higher than our competitors in search results,” the document reads.
That is the dumbest thing I have heard. It would be stupid for Google to penalize sites with that archives old content, it would effectively destroy the web. You have to seriously question the competence of the CNet mangement if they are pursing this as a serious SEO strategy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/12/code-that-changed-everything/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/12/code-that-changed-everything/", "title": "Code That Changed everything", "date_published": "2023-08-12T03:59:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-12T03:59:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"code\"](\"/assets/images/code.jpg\")
Slate has a great article on the most impactful code in programming’s short history:
\n\n\n\nCode shapes our lives. As the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has written, “software is eating the world,” though at this point it’s probably more accurate to say software is digesting it.
\n\nCulturally, code exists in a nether zone. We can feel its gnostic effects on our everyday reality, but we rarely see it, and it’s quite inscrutable to non-initiates. (The folks in Silicon Valley like it that way; it helps them self-mythologize as wizards.) We construct top-10 lists for movies, games, TV—pieces of work that shape our souls. But we don’t sit around compiling lists of the world’s most consequential bits of code, even though they arguably inform the zeitgeist just as much.
To me the following line of code - published I believe for the first time in Kernighan & Ritchie’s “The C Programming Language” in 1978:
\n\n![](\"https://64.media.tumblr.com/9a824cf2d17eaf76ec6e088c157995fc/tumblr_nhuxa68O5x1qaetdco1_1280.gifv\")
#include <stdio.h>\n\nmain()\n{\n printf(\"hello, world\\n\");\n}\nAs you can probably guess - this simply outputs hello, world onto the computer screen. This simple 6 line program, or the equivalent of it in your chosen language, was the first step in every programmer’s journey.
\n\nHow Slate did not give it the number 1 spot is beyond me.
\n", "content_html": "
Slate has a great article on the most impactful code in programming’s short history:
\n\n\n\nCode shapes our lives. As the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has written, “software is eating the world,” though at this point it’s probably more accurate to say software is digesting it.
\n\nCulturally, code exists in a nether zone. We can feel its gnostic effects on our everyday reality, but we rarely see it, and it’s quite inscrutable to non-initiates. (The folks in Silicon Valley like it that way; it helps them self-mythologize as wizards.) We construct top-10 lists for movies, games, TV—pieces of work that shape our souls. But we don’t sit around compiling lists of the world’s most consequential bits of code, even though they arguably inform the zeitgeist just as much.
To me the following line of code - published I believe for the first time in Kernighan & Ritchie’s “The C Programming Language” in 1978:
\n\n#include <stdio.h>\n\nmain()\n{\n printf(\"hello, world\\n\");\n}\nAs you can probably guess - this simply outputs hello, world onto the computer screen. This simple 6 line program, or the equivalent of it in your chosen language, was the first step in every programmer’s journey.
\n\nHow Slate did not give it the number 1 spot is beyond me.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/12/america-is-not-exceptional-it-is-the-exception/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/12/america-is-not-exceptional-it-is-the-exception/", "title": "America is not exceptional, it is the exception", "date_published": "2023-08-12T21:13:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-12T21:13:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nFormer Secretary of Labor Robert Reich:
\n\n\n
\n- \n
American police kill over 1,000 people every year.
- \n
We’re the only one out of 22 advanced nations that doesn’t give all workers some form of paid sick leave.
- \n
We’re the only industrialized nation without guaranteed, universal healthcare.
- \n
We have the largest prison population on earth.
- \n
We have the largest CEO-to-worker pay gap.
- \n
We spend more on the military than the next seven nations combined.
America is exceptional, just not the way most Americans think it is.
\n", "content_html": "
\nFormer Secretary of Labor Robert Reich:
\n\n\n
\n- \n
American police kill over 1,000 people every year.
- \n
We’re the only one out of 22 advanced nations that doesn’t give all workers some form of paid sick leave.
- \n
We’re the only industrialized nation without guaranteed, universal healthcare.
- \n
We have the largest prison population on earth.
- \n
We have the largest CEO-to-worker pay gap.
- \n
We spend more on the military than the next seven nations combined.
America is exceptional, just not the way most Americans think it is.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/13/the-elites-war-on-remote-work/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/13/the-elites-war-on-remote-work/", "title": "The Elite's war on Remote Work", "date_published": "2023-08-13T15:11:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-13T15:11:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jessica Wildfire exposes the real reason the elites want us back in the office:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Major cities have spent the last several decades catering to these corporate landlords. Now their entire downtowns rely on workers for commerce. We’re talking about all those restaurants and coffee shops that serve breakfast and lunch to white-collar workers, and all the bars where people used to go and complain about work before they spent an hour commuting home.
\n\nThese cities also depend on property taxes from overpriced commercial real estate. When nobody wants those buildings, their value plummets. New York alone has lost $453 billion in office real estate. Across the U.S., office buildings have shed anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of their value.
\n\nSo, we have a problem.
\n\nOnce again, the elite have gotten themselves into big trouble. They want the rest of us to bail them out. If they don’t want our tax money, they want us to give up our freedom and autonomy. They want us to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of capitalism to protect their fortunes.
\n\nThey don’t care how productive we are. They don’t care how creative we are. They sure as hell don’t care about our health.
Jessica Wildfire exposes the real reason the elites want us back in the office:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/young-people-win-landmark-climate-case/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/young-people-win-landmark-climate-case/", "title": "Young activists win landmark climate case", "date_published": "2023-08-15T02:42:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-15T02:42:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Major cities have spent the last several decades catering to these corporate landlords. Now their entire downtowns rely on workers for commerce. We’re talking about all those restaurants and coffee shops that serve breakfast and lunch to white-collar workers, and all the bars where people used to go and complain about work before they spent an hour commuting home.
\n\nThese cities also depend on property taxes from overpriced commercial real estate. When nobody wants those buildings, their value plummets. New York alone has lost $453 billion in office real estate. Across the U.S., office buildings have shed anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of their value.
\n\nSo, we have a problem.
\n\nOnce again, the elite have gotten themselves into big trouble. They want the rest of us to bail them out. If they don’t want our tax money, they want us to give up our freedom and autonomy. They want us to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of capitalism to protect their fortunes.
\n\nThey don’t care how productive we are. They don’t care how creative we are. They sure as hell don’t care about our health.
![\"montana\"](\"/assets/images/montana.jpeg\")
A judge in Montana ruled with a group of young activists that the state violated their right to a “clean and healthful environment”. Corryn Wetzel in New Scientist:
\n\n\n\nYoung people’s constitutional right in Montana to a “clean and healthful environment” was protected in a landmark decision Monday.
\n\nA court ruled that the state’s environmental policies have failed to protect children from climate change. The ruling pushes against a new Montana state law – the Montana Environmental Policy Act – that prohibits considering the climate impact of future energy projects, including those involving fossil fuels and mining.
\n\n“By prohibiting analysis of [greenhouse gas] emissions and corresponding impacts to the climate… the [Montana Environmental Policy Act] Limitation violates Youth Plaintiffs’ right to a clean and healthful environment and is unconstitutional on its face,” wrote District Judge Kathy Seeley, who ruled in favour of the plaintiffs.
It is crazy that there is a law prohibiting even looking into greenhouse emissions and their impacts on the environment is on the books. The activism of the younger generation gives me hope for the future.
\n", "content_html": "
A judge in Montana ruled with a group of young activists that the state violated their right to a “clean and healthful environment”. Corryn Wetzel in New Scientist:
\n\n\n\nYoung people’s constitutional right in Montana to a “clean and healthful environment” was protected in a landmark decision Monday.
\n\nA court ruled that the state’s environmental policies have failed to protect children from climate change. The ruling pushes against a new Montana state law – the Montana Environmental Policy Act – that prohibits considering the climate impact of future energy projects, including those involving fossil fuels and mining.
\n\n“By prohibiting analysis of [greenhouse gas] emissions and corresponding impacts to the climate… the [Montana Environmental Policy Act] Limitation violates Youth Plaintiffs’ right to a clean and healthful environment and is unconstitutional on its face,” wrote District Judge Kathy Seeley, who ruled in favour of the plaintiffs.
It is crazy that there is a law prohibiting even looking into greenhouse emissions and their impacts on the environment is on the books. The activism of the younger generation gives me hope for the future.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/blind-sided/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/blind-sided/", "title": "Blind Sided", "date_published": "2023-08-15T10:12:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-15T10:12:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"The](\"/assets/images/blind-side.jpg\")
Michael A. Fletcher reporting for ESPN:
\n\n\n\nThe 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.
\n\nThe petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy’s work as an author and motivational speaker.
\n\n“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing says. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
If these allegations are true - the Tuohy family were ‘boosters’ as charged in the movie by the NCAA investigator. Still doesn’t change the fact that “The Blind Side” was a great movie.
\n", "content_html": "
Michael A. Fletcher reporting for ESPN:
\n\n\n\nThe 14-page petition, filed in Shelby County, Tennessee, probate court, alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who took Oher into their home as a high school student, never adopted him. Instead, less than three months after Oher turned 18 in 2004, the petition says, the couple tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators, which gave them legal authority to make business deals in his name.
\n\nThe petition further alleges that the Tuohys used their power as conservators to strike a deal that paid them and their two birth children millions of dollars in royalties from an Oscar-winning film that earned more than $300 million, while Oher got nothing for a story “that would not have existed without him.” In the years since, the Tuohys have continued calling the 37-year-old Oher their adopted son and have used that assertion to promote their foundation as well as Leigh Anne Tuohy’s work as an author and motivational speaker.
\n\n“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the legal filing says. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
If these allegations are true - the Tuohy family were ‘boosters’ as charged in the movie by the NCAA investigator. Still doesn’t change the fact that “The Blind Side” was a great movie.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/trump-indictment-in-fulton-county-georgia/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/trump-indictment-in-fulton-county-georgia/", "title": "Trump indicted in Fulton County, Georgia", "date_published": "2023-08-15T11:01:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-15T11:01:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"trump](\"/assets/images/ga-indictment.jpg\")
Jason Morris, Marshall Cohen and Curt Merrill reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nFormer President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted Monday on Georgia state charges in connection with their attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State.
\n\nThese state charges were brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat who has been investigating Trump’s interference in the election since early 2021.
With this latest indictment in Fulton County - he now faces a whopping 91 criminal counts. To paraphrase his supporters:
\n\nLock him up! Lock him up!
\n", "content_html": "
Jason Morris, Marshall Cohen and Curt Merrill reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nFormer President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted Monday on Georgia state charges in connection with their attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State.
\n\nThese state charges were brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat who has been investigating Trump’s interference in the election since early 2021.
With this latest indictment in Fulton County - he now faces a whopping 91 criminal counts. To paraphrase his supporters:
\n\nLock him up! Lock him up!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/clinton-reacts-to-string-of-donald-trump-indictments/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/15/clinton-reacts-to-string-of-donald-trump-indictments/", "title": "Clinton reacts to string of Donald Trump indictments", "date_published": "2023-08-15T11:21:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-15T11:21:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Rachel Maddow about her feelings about the indictments and accusations Donald Trump is facing:
\n\n
\nThink what you will about Hillary Clinton - but how she doesn’t go on air on every major news outlet and just scream “I told you so!” is beyond me.
Hillary Clinton deserved to be our first women POTUS.
\n", "content_html": "Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Rachel Maddow about her feelings about the indictments and accusations Donald Trump is facing:
\n\n
\nThink what you will about Hillary Clinton - but how she doesn’t go on air on every major news outlet and just scream “I told you so!” is beyond me.
Hillary Clinton deserved to be our first women POTUS.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/17/25-years-of-the-imac/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/17/25-years-of-the-imac/", "title": "25 Years of the iMac", "date_published": "2023-08-17T14:42:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-17T14:42:24-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"imac](\"/assets/images/imac-evolution.jpg\")
On August 15th, 1998, Apple released its bet the company product, the iMac. In the 25 years since then, the iMac has been a core product in Apple’s lineup and influenced many other products, both inside and outside the company.
\n\nUmar Shakir runs through the history of Apple’s iconic desktop computer.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "If you’re looking for the true renaissance of the all-in-one computer, it came in 1998 with the release of the colorful and fun-tastically transparent iMac.
\n\nSince then, the iMac has become one of the most popular desktop computer lines ever. The design has evolved from bulbous cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor all-in-ones to versions that look like contemporary table lamps — and eventually toward the slim aluminum plaques on stands that adorn doctor offices everywhere today. Alongside that, the tech inside has gone from PowerPC chips to x86 Intel processors and, now, to the Arm-based Apple Silicon design.
\n\nIn 2011, The Verge’s editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel, wrote in a review for the 27-inch iMac, “Every year I review the iMac, and every year my conclusion is the same: the iMac remains the single best all-in-one computer available.”
On August 15th, 1998, Apple released its bet the company product, the iMac. In the 25 years since then, the iMac has been a core product in Apple’s lineup and influenced many other products, both inside and outside the company.
\n\nUmar Shakir runs through the history of Apple’s iconic desktop computer.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/19/minimalist-movie-posters/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/19/minimalist-movie-posters/", "title": "Minimalist Movie Posters", "date_published": "2023-08-19T02:34:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-19T02:34:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you’re looking for the true renaissance of the all-in-one computer, it came in 1998 with the release of the colorful and fun-tastically transparent iMac.
\n\nSince then, the iMac has become one of the most popular desktop computer lines ever. The design has evolved from bulbous cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor all-in-ones to versions that look like contemporary table lamps — and eventually toward the slim aluminum plaques on stands that adorn doctor offices everywhere today. Alongside that, the tech inside has gone from PowerPC chips to x86 Intel processors and, now, to the Arm-based Apple Silicon design.
\n\nIn 2011, The Verge’s editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel, wrote in a review for the 27-inch iMac, “Every year I review the iMac, and every year my conclusion is the same: the iMac remains the single best all-in-one computer available.”
These classic movie posters from Michal Krasnopolski are all based on a simple grid of a circle, a square, and four intersecting lines:
\n\n![\"movie](\"/assets/images/movie-poster-template.png\")
Here are some of my some of my favorite movies:
\n\n![\"new](\"/assets/images/minimal-new-hope-poster.png\")
![\"apollo](\"/assets/images/minimal-apollo-13-poster.png\")
![\"back](\"/assets/images/minimal-back-to-the-future-poster.jpg\")
![\"superman\"](\"/assets/images/minimal-superman-poster.png\")
These classic movie posters from Michal Krasnopolski are all based on a simple grid of a circle, a square, and four intersecting lines:
\n\n
Here are some of my some of my favorite movies:
\n\n
![\"MacPaint\"](\"/assets/images/MacPaint.jpg\")
The Computer History Museum, with the permission of Apple, has made available the original program source code of MacPaint and the underlying QuickDraw graphics library.
\n\n\n\nMacPaint is the drawing program application which interacts with the user, interprets mouse and keyboard requests, and decides what is to be drawn where. The high-level logic is written in Apple Pascal, packaged in a single file with 5,822 lines. There are an additional 3,583 lines of code in assembler language for the underlying Motorola 68000 microprocessor, which implement routines needing high performance and some interfaces to the operating system.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn writing MacPaint, Bill was as concerned with whether human readers would understand the code as he was with what the computer would do with it. He later said about software in general, “It’s an art form, like any other art form… I would spend time rewriting whole sections of code to make them more cleanly organized, more clear. I’m a firm believer that the best way to prevent bugs is to make it so that you can read through the code and understand exactly what it’s doing… And maybe that was a little bit counter to what I ran into when I first came to Apple… If you want to get it smooth, you’ve got to rewrite it from scratch at least five times.”¹
\n\nMacPaint was finished in October 1983. It coexisted in only 128K of memory with QuickDraw and portions of the operating system, and ran on an 8 Mhz processor that didn’t have floating-point operations. Even with those meager resources, MacPaint provided a level of performance and function that established a new standard for personal computers.
Summer reading for everyone’s inner geek.
\n", "content_html": "
The Computer History Museum, with the permission of Apple, has made available the original program source code of MacPaint and the underlying QuickDraw graphics library.
\n\n\n\nMacPaint is the drawing program application which interacts with the user, interprets mouse and keyboard requests, and decides what is to be drawn where. The high-level logic is written in Apple Pascal, packaged in a single file with 5,822 lines. There are an additional 3,583 lines of code in assembler language for the underlying Motorola 68000 microprocessor, which implement routines needing high performance and some interfaces to the operating system.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIn writing MacPaint, Bill was as concerned with whether human readers would understand the code as he was with what the computer would do with it. He later said about software in general, “It’s an art form, like any other art form… I would spend time rewriting whole sections of code to make them more cleanly organized, more clear. I’m a firm believer that the best way to prevent bugs is to make it so that you can read through the code and understand exactly what it’s doing… And maybe that was a little bit counter to what I ran into when I first came to Apple… If you want to get it smooth, you’ve got to rewrite it from scratch at least five times.”¹
\n\nMacPaint was finished in October 1983. It coexisted in only 128K of memory with QuickDraw and portions of the operating system, and ran on an 8 Mhz processor that didn’t have floating-point operations. Even with those meager resources, MacPaint provided a level of performance and function that established a new standard for personal computers.
Summer reading for everyone’s inner geek.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/20/how-many-languages-do-you-speak/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/20/how-many-languages-do-you-speak/", "title": "The BBC Computer Literacy Project", "date_published": "2023-08-20T12:31:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-20T12:31:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Computer](\"/assets/images/ian-mcnaught-davis.png\")
From the BBC Computer Literacy Project:
\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the BBC explored the world of computing in The Computer Literacy Project. They commissioned a home computer (the BBC Micro) and taught viewers how to program.
\n\nThe Computer Literacy Project chronicled a decade of information technology and was a milestone in the history of computing in Britain, helping to inspire a generation of coders.
\n\nThis site contains all 146 of the original Computer Literacy Project programmes plus 121 related programmes, broken down into 2,509 categorised, searchable clips.
This was a pretty amazing 10 year long show, we had nothing like it growing up in the US. The closest we had was the The Computer Chronicles on PBS, though that was more geared to the business side of things. This episode is a great run down on the different languages of the time and does a great explanation of the difference and basics of each.
\n\nIts amazing how most of those are still in use today - I have used C, FORTH, Pascal, BASIC in my professional career as a software developer. Never did get the point of Logo or why it was a default when teaching young children to code.
\n\nIt is sad that kids do not have anything close to this available to them today.
\n", "content_html": "
From the BBC Computer Literacy Project:
\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, the BBC explored the world of computing in The Computer Literacy Project. They commissioned a home computer (the BBC Micro) and taught viewers how to program.
\n\nThe Computer Literacy Project chronicled a decade of information technology and was a milestone in the history of computing in Britain, helping to inspire a generation of coders.
\n\nThis site contains all 146 of the original Computer Literacy Project programmes plus 121 related programmes, broken down into 2,509 categorised, searchable clips.
This was a pretty amazing 10 year long show, we had nothing like it growing up in the US. The closest we had was the The Computer Chronicles on PBS, though that was more geared to the business side of things. This episode is a great run down on the different languages of the time and does a great explanation of the difference and basics of each.
\n\nIts amazing how most of those are still in use today - I have used C, FORTH, Pascal, BASIC in my professional career as a software developer. Never did get the point of Logo or why it was a default when teaching young children to code.
\n\nIt is sad that kids do not have anything close to this available to them today.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/22/twitter-downloads-plumet-after-change-to-x/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/22/twitter-downloads-plumet-after-change-to-x/", "title": "Twitter downloads plumet after change to X", "date_published": "2023-08-22T08:03:01-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-22T08:03:01-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"twitter](\"/assets/images/twitter-to-x.jpg\")
Eric Seufert writing on Threads:
\n\n\n\nTwitter has seen a dramatic decrease in its Top Downloaded chart position across both platforms since the app was renamed to X. Why? The situation presents a fascinating case study at the intersection of brand equity and mobile platform dynamics.
\n\nThe case is somewhat unprecedented: Twitter built a ubiquitous, household-name brand over the course of nearly 2 decades and then simply abandoned it, leaving it to be exploited by competitors, unopposed, through the mobile platforms’ branded search ads.
\n\n[…]
\n\nMy hypothesis is that, while the terminally-online are entirely aware of Twitter’s rebrand to X, most consumers aren’t, and their searches for “Twitter” on platform stores surface ads and genuine search results that are in no way redolent of Twitter.
How do you throw away two decades of branding and expect no disruption to your product? I really don’t understand this trend (HBOMax just changed to Max), seems like the marketing departments are bored and need something to do.
\n", "content_html": "
Eric Seufert writing on Threads:
\n\n\n\nTwitter has seen a dramatic decrease in its Top Downloaded chart position across both platforms since the app was renamed to X. Why? The situation presents a fascinating case study at the intersection of brand equity and mobile platform dynamics.
\n\nThe case is somewhat unprecedented: Twitter built a ubiquitous, household-name brand over the course of nearly 2 decades and then simply abandoned it, leaving it to be exploited by competitors, unopposed, through the mobile platforms’ branded search ads.
\n\n[…]
\n\nMy hypothesis is that, while the terminally-online are entirely aware of Twitter’s rebrand to X, most consumers aren’t, and their searches for “Twitter” on platform stores surface ads and genuine search results that are in no way redolent of Twitter.
How do you throw away two decades of branding and expect no disruption to your product? I really don’t understand this trend (HBOMax just changed to Max), seems like the marketing departments are bored and need something to do.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/24/inmate-no-p01135809/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/24/inmate-no-p01135809/", "title": "Donald J. Trump - inmate No. P01135809", "date_published": "2023-08-24T21:29:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-24T21:29:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"turmp](\"/assets/images/trump-mugshot.jpg\")
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has released a mug shot of former President Donald Trump. Jail records show Trump was placed under arrest and booked as inmate No. P01135809.
\n\nTrump’s surrender in Georgia marks the fourth time this year the former president has turned himself in to local or federal officials after criminal charges were brought against him. No matter what happens in next years election, this is how Donald J. Trump will be remembered by history.
\n\nThis mugshot will be his legacy.
\n", "content_html": "
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has released a mug shot of former President Donald Trump. Jail records show Trump was placed under arrest and booked as inmate No. P01135809.
\n\nTrump’s surrender in Georgia marks the fourth time this year the former president has turned himself in to local or federal officials after criminal charges were brought against him. No matter what happens in next years election, this is how Donald J. Trump will be remembered by history.
\n\nThis mugshot will be his legacy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/25/proof-of-evolution-in-humans/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/25/proof-of-evolution-in-humans/", "title": "Proof of Evolution in Humans", "date_published": "2023-08-25T07:52:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-25T07:52:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nYou don’t need to go digging for ancient fossils to see evolution in action. Vox posted a video demonstrating things that humans don’t need to survive anymore still hanging around on our bodies, including unnecessary arm muscles and vestigial tail bones.
\nYou don’t need to go digging for ancient fossils to see evolution in action. Vox posted a video demonstrating things that humans don’t need to survive anymore still hanging around on our bodies, including unnecessary arm muscles and vestigial tail bones.
\nUS presidential historian Michael Beschloss on the significance of Donald Trump’s booking at the Fulton county jail:
\n\nThe moral of the story is in 1960, this great iconic champion of of human rights, of civil rights, of voting rights being stopped in this jail so he couldn’t keep on his work expanding those rights. Here we are in 2023, a guy who is about as far as close to the opposite of Dr. King as I can think of is Donal Trump. And Donald Trump is the oponent of those civil rights and human rights and voting rights. And he proved that in what he tried to do in Georgia. Thank God he’s brought to justice. And where is it happening? The Fulton County jail. You know, life has turned around, the cycle has turned. As Dr. King, I think, would say the arc of the moral universe maybe long, but tonight it seems to be, at least in Fulton county, bending toward justice.
Seems to be. I wouldn’t say it is complete until we see Donald J Trump in an orange jump suit and shackles being hauled into jail.
\n", "content_html": "
\nUS presidential historian Michael Beschloss on the significance of Donald Trump’s booking at the Fulton county jail:
\n\nThe moral of the story is in 1960, this great iconic champion of of human rights, of civil rights, of voting rights being stopped in this jail so he couldn’t keep on his work expanding those rights. Here we are in 2023, a guy who is about as far as close to the opposite of Dr. King as I can think of is Donal Trump. And Donald Trump is the oponent of those civil rights and human rights and voting rights. And he proved that in what he tried to do in Georgia. Thank God he’s brought to justice. And where is it happening? The Fulton County jail. You know, life has turned around, the cycle has turned. As Dr. King, I think, would say the arc of the moral universe maybe long, but tonight it seems to be, at least in Fulton county, bending toward justice.
Seems to be. I wouldn’t say it is complete until we see Donald J Trump in an orange jump suit and shackles being hauled into jail.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/this-is-justice-joy-reid/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/this-is-justice-joy-reid/", "title": "'To me this is justice' - Joy Reid", "date_published": "2023-08-26T04:44:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-26T04:44:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Joy Reid on Donald Trump’s arrest and mugshot:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "This case, and I think Fani Willis is a hero. She is a national hero. Because she more than any prosecutor in this country, and and I respect Jack Smith, I respect all the prosecutors that are doing this - she is the only one who said these wealthy, powerful, privileged men and women are just American citizens. And when they break the law they will take that picture.
Joy Reid on Donald Trump’s arrest and mugshot:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/its-no-longer-possible-to-escape/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/its-no-longer-possible-to-escape/", "title": "It's no longer possible to escape", "date_published": "2023-08-26T06:32:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-26T06:32:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This case, and I think Fani Willis is a hero. She is a national hero. Because she more than any prosecutor in this country, and and I respect Jack Smith, I respect all the prosecutors that are doing this - she is the only one who said these wealthy, powerful, privileged men and women are just American citizens. And when they break the law they will take that picture.
![\"climate](\"/assets/images/climate-change-sun.jpg\")
Wildfires, floods, record temperatures, record drought, “unprecedented”, “uncharted territory”. The effects of climate change are now impossible to miss. So now what?
\n\nSerge Schmemann’s opinion piece in The New York Times - ‘It Is No Longer Possible to Escape What We Have Done to Ourselves’.
\n", "content_html": "
Wildfires, floods, record temperatures, record drought, “unprecedented”, “uncharted territory”. The effects of climate change are now impossible to miss. So now what?
\n\nSerge Schmemann’s opinion piece in The New York Times - ‘It Is No Longer Possible to Escape What We Have Done to Ourselves’.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/light-and-shade-whisper-to-the-thunder/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/26/light-and-shade-whisper-to-the-thunder/", "title": "Light and shade, whisper to the thunder", "date_published": "2023-08-26T23:18:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-26T23:18:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Guitar playing according to Jimmy Page:
\n\n\n\nDynamics. Light and shade. Whisper to the thunder. Sort of invite you in, intoxicating. The thing that fascinates me about the six string is that everyone has a different approach. They all play in a different way. And you know, there personality comes through.
Here is how I like to think of Page’s ‘personality’:
\n\nGuitar playing according to Jimmy Page:
\n\n\n\nDynamics. Light and shade. Whisper to the thunder. Sort of invite you in, intoxicating. The thing that fascinates me about the six string is that everyone has a different approach. They all play in a different way. And you know, there personality comes through.
Here is how I like to think of Page’s ‘personality’:
\n\n![\"safety](\"/assets/images/shifting-views-safety.png\")
In a Gallup poll on the perceived safety of 16 US cities, Republicans were 29% less likely to rate cities as safe compared to Democrats. In 2006, the gap was only 2%. An entire generation of voters brainwashed by Fox News.
\n", "content_html": "
In a Gallup poll on the perceived safety of 16 US cities, Republicans were 29% less likely to rate cities as safe compared to Democrats. In 2006, the gap was only 2%. An entire generation of voters brainwashed by Fox News.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/28/donald-trump-is-diqualified-from-holding-office/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/28/donald-trump-is-diqualified-from-holding-office/", "title": "Section 3, Article 14 disqualifies a Trump Presidency", "date_published": "2023-08-28T01:23:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-28T01:23:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-leaving.jpg\")
Laurence H. Tribe and J. Michael Luttig in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nThe historically unprecedented federal and state indictments of former President Donald Trump have prompted many to ask whether his conviction pursuant to any or all of these indictments would be either necessary or sufficient to deny him the office of the presidency in 2024.
\n\nHaving thought long and deeply about the text, history, and purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment’s disqualification clause for much of our professional careers, both of us concluded some years ago that, in fact, a conviction would be beside the point. The disqualification clause operates independently of any such criminal proceedings and, indeed, also independently of impeachment proceedings and of congressional legislation. The clause was designed to operate directly and immediately upon those who betray their oaths to the Constitution, whether by taking up arms to overturn our government or by waging war on our government by attempting to overturn a presidential election through a bloodless coup.
\n\nThe former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the resulting attack on the U.S. Capitol, place him squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause, and he is therefore ineligible to serve as president ever again. The most pressing constitutional question facing our country at this moment, then, is whether we will abide by this clear command of the Fourteenth Amendment’s disqualification clause.
Indeed, there are only two outcomes here - Congress will enforce our Constitution or the United States will be exposed as just another banana republic.
\n\nStrap in, the next few months are going to be … interesting.
\n", "content_html": "
Laurence H. Tribe and J. Michael Luttig in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nThe historically unprecedented federal and state indictments of former President Donald Trump have prompted many to ask whether his conviction pursuant to any or all of these indictments would be either necessary or sufficient to deny him the office of the presidency in 2024.
\n\nHaving thought long and deeply about the text, history, and purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment’s disqualification clause for much of our professional careers, both of us concluded some years ago that, in fact, a conviction would be beside the point. The disqualification clause operates independently of any such criminal proceedings and, indeed, also independently of impeachment proceedings and of congressional legislation. The clause was designed to operate directly and immediately upon those who betray their oaths to the Constitution, whether by taking up arms to overturn our government or by waging war on our government by attempting to overturn a presidential election through a bloodless coup.
\n\nThe former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the resulting attack on the U.S. Capitol, place him squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause, and he is therefore ineligible to serve as president ever again. The most pressing constitutional question facing our country at this moment, then, is whether we will abide by this clear command of the Fourteenth Amendment’s disqualification clause.
Indeed, there are only two outcomes here - Congress will enforce our Constitution or the United States will be exposed as just another banana republic.
\n\nStrap in, the next few months are going to be … interesting.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/28/tribe-and-luttig-on-the-14th-amendment/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/28/tribe-and-luttig-on-the-14th-amendment/", "title": "Tribe & Luttig on the 14th Amendment", "date_published": "2023-08-28T12:26:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-28T12:26:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nConstitutional law professor Laurence Tribe and former federal judge J. Michael Luttig explain their argument on the disqualification of Donald Trump for the presidency, citing Section 3, Article 14th of the Constitution.
\n", "content_html": "Wake up, Mr. Trump. It’s not up to you. It’s upto to the Supreme Court of the United States reviewing what the secretaries of state determine and they take an oath uphold the Constitution. And the Constitution tells them that an insurrectionist who tried to overturn the country’s constitution cannot be entrusted with protecting it in the future. So stay tuned. This is going to to be a saga that lasts between now and the election.
\nConstitutional law professor Laurence Tribe and former federal judge J. Michael Luttig explain their argument on the disqualification of Donald Trump for the presidency, citing Section 3, Article 14th of the Constitution.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/big-oil-is-showing-its-colors/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/big-oil-is-showing-its-colors/", "title": "Big Oil reverts back to climate denial", "date_published": "2023-08-31T09:44:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-31T09:44:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Wake up, Mr. Trump. It’s not up to you. It’s upto to the Supreme Court of the United States reviewing what the secretaries of state determine and they take an oath uphold the Constitution. And the Constitution tells them that an insurrectionist who tried to overturn the country’s constitution cannot be entrusted with protecting it in the future. So stay tuned. This is going to to be a saga that lasts between now and the election.
ExxonMobil anti-EV ad signals an end to the partnership between oil companies & American carmakers. The oil companies were happy to play along and pretend they were on board with EV adoption as long as it helped their public image and EV car sales were a niche maket. With the major car makers now pushing EVs, consumers buying EVs and the federal government mandating EVs - they are back to climate denial and protecting their revenues.
\n\nAmy Westervelt reporting for The New Republic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“This ad illustrates the regressive shift from excessive greenwash back to blatant climate denial,” Christine Arena, a former advertising executive, told me. In the 2010s, Arena helped the fossil fuel industry greenwash its product as a V.P. at Edelman; since then, she has been called upon to testify about oil companies’ advertising tactics in congressional hearings. “High on war profits, Exxon is done pretending to be advancing climate solutions. By celebrating oil as freedom and condemning clean energy as a kind of captivity, it demonstrates the classic propaganda tactic of warping the truth and cloaking its polluting product in a universally accepted ideal.”
ExxonMobil anti-EV ad signals an end to the partnership between oil companies & American carmakers. The oil companies were happy to play along and pretend they were on board with EV adoption as long as it helped their public image and EV car sales were a niche maket. With the major car makers now pushing EVs, consumers buying EVs and the federal government mandating EVs - they are back to climate denial and protecting their revenues.
\n\nAmy Westervelt reporting for The New Republic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/ev-chargers-should-be-dumber/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/ev-chargers-should-be-dumber/", "title": "EV Chargers should be dumber", "date_published": "2023-08-31T18:39:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-31T18:39:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“This ad illustrates the regressive shift from excessive greenwash back to blatant climate denial,” Christine Arena, a former advertising executive, told me. In the 2010s, Arena helped the fossil fuel industry greenwash its product as a V.P. at Edelman; since then, she has been called upon to testify about oil companies’ advertising tactics in congressional hearings. “High on war profits, Exxon is done pretending to be advancing climate solutions. By celebrating oil as freedom and condemning clean energy as a kind of captivity, it demonstrates the classic propaganda tactic of warping the truth and cloaking its polluting product in a universally accepted ideal.”
![\"ev](\"/assets/images/ev-connector-types.jpg\")
Kevin Williams writing for Heatmap:
\n\n\n\nwith an adapter that allows its cord to be plugged into any NEMA 14-50 outlet, common at RV parks and campsites all across the country.
\n\nI had never used one before, but it was stupendously simple at a nearby campground. I didn’t need a cellphone to open an app to connect to the charger and start my session. I just plugged in the car like I would my iPhone.
\n\nCharging wasn’t blisteringly fast — but it wasn’t slow either. Since the car and the cord are both self-limited to avoid overheating the power source, it maxed out at 9.6kW per hour. That’s not the 19.2 kW speeds the car is capable of, but it’s still very good, and stronger than the 6.6 kW found at many level 2 public chargers. Even considering the Lucid Air’s large 118 kWh battery, the rate I was charging would have been enough to go from about 15% to more than 80% overnight. An EV with a smaller battery could no doubt recharge completely in a shorter amount of time – the 9.6 KW supplied by that Lucid cord surpasses the AC charging speeds of some modern EVs.
\n\nThe plug is not unique to Lucid either. Many EVs come standard with mobile charging cords that are capable of matching (or getting pretty darn close to) the maximum AC charging speeds the vehicle is capable of. If they aren’t supplied, it’s not hard to find a portable EVSE that can do so, for a few hundred dollars.
\n\nThe key thing is that NEMA 14-50 standard outlet.
Couldn’t agree more - charging should be as simple as plugging in your toaster.
\n", "content_html": "
Kevin Williams writing for Heatmap:
\n\n\n\nwith an adapter that allows its cord to be plugged into any NEMA 14-50 outlet, common at RV parks and campsites all across the country.
\n\nI had never used one before, but it was stupendously simple at a nearby campground. I didn’t need a cellphone to open an app to connect to the charger and start my session. I just plugged in the car like I would my iPhone.
\n\nCharging wasn’t blisteringly fast — but it wasn’t slow either. Since the car and the cord are both self-limited to avoid overheating the power source, it maxed out at 9.6kW per hour. That’s not the 19.2 kW speeds the car is capable of, but it’s still very good, and stronger than the 6.6 kW found at many level 2 public chargers. Even considering the Lucid Air’s large 118 kWh battery, the rate I was charging would have been enough to go from about 15% to more than 80% overnight. An EV with a smaller battery could no doubt recharge completely in a shorter amount of time – the 9.6 KW supplied by that Lucid cord surpasses the AC charging speeds of some modern EVs.
\n\nThe plug is not unique to Lucid either. Many EVs come standard with mobile charging cords that are capable of matching (or getting pretty darn close to) the maximum AC charging speeds the vehicle is capable of. If they aren’t supplied, it’s not hard to find a portable EVSE that can do so, for a few hundred dollars.
\n\nThe key thing is that NEMA 14-50 standard outlet.
Couldn’t agree more - charging should be as simple as plugging in your toaster.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/front-page-of-the-daily-tar-heel/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/08/31/front-page-of-the-daily-tar-heel/", "title": "Front page of the daily tar heel", "date_published": "2023-08-31T18:56:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-31T18:56:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"the](\"/assets/images/daily-tar-heel.png\")
Heartbreak and terror, masterfully covered by the students affected. And as usual, nothing will be done about the obscene amount of gun violence in America.
\n", "content_html": "
Heartbreak and terror, masterfully covered by the students affected. And as usual, nothing will be done about the obscene amount of gun violence in America.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/03/jimmy-buffet-dies-at-76/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/03/jimmy-buffet-dies-at-76/", "title": "Jimmy Buffet dies at 76", "date_published": "2023-09-03T00:06:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-03T00:06:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Jimy](\"/assets/images/jimmy-buffet.jpg\")
\n
\nMark Kennedy reporting for The Associated Press:
\n", "content_html": "TheSinger-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76.
\n\n“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
\n
\nMark Kennedy reporting for The Associated Press:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/05/playing-dungeons-and-dragons-on-death-row/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/05/playing-dungeons-and-dragons-on-death-row/", "title": "Playing Dungeons & Dragons on Death Row", "date_published": "2023-09-05T12:52:09-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-05T12:52:09-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "TheSinger-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76.
\n\n“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
![\"d](\"/assets/images/d-and-d-prison.jpg\")
For those who don’t know about Dungeons & Dragons - D&D as its popularly known - was a tabletop role-playing game known for its miniature figurines and 20-sided dice. Players were entranced by the way it combined a choose-your-own-adventure structure with group performance. In D&D, participants create their own characters — often magical creatures like elves and wizards — to go on quests in fantasy worlds. A narrator and referee, known as the Dungeon Master, guides players through each twist and turn of the plot. There’s an element of chance: The roll of the die can determine if a blow is strong enough to take down a monster or whether a stranger will help you. The game has since become one of the most popular in the world, celebrated in nostalgic television shows and dramatized in movies. It is played in homes, at large conventions and even in prisons.
\n\nA fascinating piece at the Marshall Project by Keri Blakingerabout a group of men on death row in Texas who play Dungeons & Dragons.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "To cope with the isolation they face daily, the men on death row spend a lot of their time in search of escape — something to ease the racing thoughts or the crushing regrets. Some read books or find religion. Some play games like Scrabble or jailhouse chess. Others turn to D&D, where they can feel a small sense of the freedom they have left behind.
\n\n[…]
\n\nPlaying Dungeons & Dragons is more difficult in prison than almost anywhere else. Just as in the free world, each gaming session can last for hours and is part of a larger campaign that often stretches on for months or years. But in prison, players can’t just look up the game rules online. The hard-bound manuals that detail settings, characters and spells are expensive and can be difficult to get past mailroom censors. Some states ban books about the game altogether, while others prohibit anything with a hard cover. Books with maps are generally forbidden, and dice are often considered contraband, because they can be used for gambling. Prisoners frequently replace them with game spinners crafted out of paper and typewriter parts.
\n\nOn the old death row, prisoners could call out moves easily through the cell bars; they also had the chance to play face to face, sitting around the metal tables in the common room or under the sun of the outdoor rec yard.
For those who don’t know about Dungeons & Dragons - D&D as its popularly known - was a tabletop role-playing game known for its miniature figurines and 20-sided dice. Players were entranced by the way it combined a choose-your-own-adventure structure with group performance. In D&D, participants create their own characters — often magical creatures like elves and wizards — to go on quests in fantasy worlds. A narrator and referee, known as the Dungeon Master, guides players through each twist and turn of the plot. There’s an element of chance: The roll of the die can determine if a blow is strong enough to take down a monster or whether a stranger will help you. The game has since become one of the most popular in the world, celebrated in nostalgic television shows and dramatized in movies. It is played in homes, at large conventions and even in prisons.
\n\nA fascinating piece at the Marshall Project by Keri Blakingerabout a group of men on death row in Texas who play Dungeons & Dragons.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/05/stephen-colbert-and-joe-manganiello-discuss-d-and-d/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/05/stephen-colbert-and-joe-manganiello-discuss-d-and-d/", "title": "Stephen Colbert and Joe Manganiello discuss D&D", "date_published": "2023-09-05T14:06:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-05T14:06:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "To cope with the isolation they face daily, the men on death row spend a lot of their time in search of escape — something to ease the racing thoughts or the crushing regrets. Some read books or find religion. Some play games like Scrabble or jailhouse chess. Others turn to D&D, where they can feel a small sense of the freedom they have left behind.
\n\n[…]
\n\nPlaying Dungeons & Dragons is more difficult in prison than almost anywhere else. Just as in the free world, each gaming session can last for hours and is part of a larger campaign that often stretches on for months or years. But in prison, players can’t just look up the game rules online. The hard-bound manuals that detail settings, characters and spells are expensive and can be difficult to get past mailroom censors. Some states ban books about the game altogether, while others prohibit anything with a hard cover. Books with maps are generally forbidden, and dice are often considered contraband, because they can be used for gambling. Prisoners frequently replace them with game spinners crafted out of paper and typewriter parts.
\n\nOn the old death row, prisoners could call out moves easily through the cell bars; they also had the chance to play face to face, sitting around the metal tables in the common room or under the sun of the outdoor rec yard.
\n\nYou may be sexier than I am, but I am nerdier than you are. I gotta go with my strengths.
Death by farming, meat grinder mode, death saves and the finer points of character creation.
\n\nYep - its hip to be a nerd now. At least thats what I keep telling myself.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nYou may be sexier than I am, but I am nerdier than you are. I gotta go with my strengths.
Death by farming, meat grinder mode, death saves and the finer points of character creation.
\n\nYep - its hip to be a nerd now. At least thats what I keep telling myself.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/06/in-america-the-cheese-is-dead/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/06/in-america-the-cheese-is-dead/", "title": "In America, the Cheese Is Dead", "date_published": "2023-09-06T05:32:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-06T05:32:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Clotaire Rapaille was interviewed in an episode of Frontline on advertising and marketing - interesting what he had to say about the differences in how the French and Americans think about cheese.
\n\n\n\nFor example, if I know that in America the cheese is dead, which means is pasteurized, which means legally dead and scientifically dead, and we don’t want any cheese that is alive, then I have to put that up front. I have to say this cheese is safe, is pasteurized, is wrapped up in plastic. I know that plastic is a body bag. You can put it in the fridge. I know the fridge is the morgue; that’s where you put the dead bodies. And so once you know that, this is the way you market cheese in America.
\n\nI started working with a French company in America, and they were trying to sell French cheese to the Americans. And they didn’t understand, because in France the cheese is alive, which means that you can buy it young, mature or old, and that’s why you have to read the age of the cheese when you go to buy the cheese. So you smell, you touch, you poke. If you need cheese for today, you want to buy a mature cheese. If you want cheese for next week, you buy a young cheese. And when you buy young cheese for next week, you go home, [but] you never put the cheese in the refrigerator, because you don’t put your cat in the refrigerator. It’s the same; it’s alive. We are very afraid of getting sick with cheese. By the way, more French people die eating cheese than Americans die. But the priority is different; the logic of emotion is different. The French like the taste before safety. Americans want safety before the taste.
Marketing research never ceases to fascinate me.
\n", "content_html": "Clotaire Rapaille was interviewed in an episode of Frontline on advertising and marketing - interesting what he had to say about the differences in how the French and Americans think about cheese.
\n\n\n\nFor example, if I know that in America the cheese is dead, which means is pasteurized, which means legally dead and scientifically dead, and we don’t want any cheese that is alive, then I have to put that up front. I have to say this cheese is safe, is pasteurized, is wrapped up in plastic. I know that plastic is a body bag. You can put it in the fridge. I know the fridge is the morgue; that’s where you put the dead bodies. And so once you know that, this is the way you market cheese in America.
\n\nI started working with a French company in America, and they were trying to sell French cheese to the Americans. And they didn’t understand, because in France the cheese is alive, which means that you can buy it young, mature or old, and that’s why you have to read the age of the cheese when you go to buy the cheese. So you smell, you touch, you poke. If you need cheese for today, you want to buy a mature cheese. If you want cheese for next week, you buy a young cheese. And when you buy young cheese for next week, you go home, [but] you never put the cheese in the refrigerator, because you don’t put your cat in the refrigerator. It’s the same; it’s alive. We are very afraid of getting sick with cheese. By the way, more French people die eating cheese than Americans die. But the priority is different; the logic of emotion is different. The French like the taste before safety. Americans want safety before the taste.
Marketing research never ceases to fascinate me.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/06/hottest-summer-on-record/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/06/hottest-summer-on-record/", "title": "Hottest summer on record", "date_published": "2023-09-06T09:33:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-06T09:33:07-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"2023](\"/assets/images/2023-hottest-summer.png\")
Laura Paddison reporting for CNN that the world has experienced the hottest summer on record – by a significant margin this year:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Global average ocean temperatures, too, have been off the charts, helping strengthen major hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific.
\n\nIn July, a sudden marine heat wave off the coast of Florida saw the ocean reach “hot tub” temperatures. While in June, parts of the North Atlantic experienced a “totally unprecedented” marine heat wave with water temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than usual.
\n\nEvery single day from the end of July to the end of August has seen ocean temperatures exceed the previous record set in 2016, according to Copernicus.
\n\nWhether this year will end up being the planet’s warmest on record is not yet clear, but it looks certain to come extremely close.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBurgess said the summer had been one of tumbling records and it would only get worse if the world continues to burn planet-heating fossil fuels.
\n\n“The scientific evidence is overwhelming – we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” she said in a statement.
Laura Paddison reporting for CNN that the world has experienced the hottest summer on record – by a significant margin this year:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/07/the-exif-data-stored-photos/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/07/the-exif-data-stored-photos/", "title": "The camera is watching", "date_published": "2023-09-07T16:13:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-07T16:13:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Global average ocean temperatures, too, have been off the charts, helping strengthen major hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific.
\n\nIn July, a sudden marine heat wave off the coast of Florida saw the ocean reach “hot tub” temperatures. While in June, parts of the North Atlantic experienced a “totally unprecedented” marine heat wave with water temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than usual.
\n\nEvery single day from the end of July to the end of August has seen ocean temperatures exceed the previous record set in 2016, according to Copernicus.
\n\nWhether this year will end up being the planet’s warmest on record is not yet clear, but it looks certain to come extremely close.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBurgess said the summer had been one of tumbling records and it would only get worse if the world continues to burn planet-heating fossil fuels.
\n\n“The scientific evidence is overwhelming – we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” she said in a statement.
![\"Iphone](\"/assets/images/iphone-camera.jpeg\")
Harley Turan exploring the contents of the metadata stored in your phone:
\n\n\n\nEach one of those images doesn’t just contain the photo you see as you scroll through the Photos app — it contains a wealth of information stored encoded directly into the image file itself. It details useful metadata such as where the photo was taken (so that you can view your photos on a map at a later date), the time and date the image was taken at, which lens and zoom levels were used, the exposure, ISO, and aperture, amongst many others.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThis metadata is called EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) and is stored inside of the photo files themselves, appearing right at the start of the image
\n\nEvery image is a dense ball of information. Not just containing captured light, but your exact position and orientation at a given moment in the time.
\n\nIf you have a time machine and happen to be free August 13th, 2023 at 13:07:57, you’ll know precisely where to find me.
So what kind of information can we glean from this data set? Here are just some examples that Harley shows:
\n\nWhat is even more concerning is what can be gleaned from the GPS data that is encoded within the EXIF meta data of an image. Any third party app can query the location your were at, when you were there and by analyzing the image using AI classification tools - what you were doing there.
\n\nHere is the scary part - with a historical record of this information, an app with this data can predict to high degree where you are likely going to be in the future.
\n\nAre you paranoid enough yet?
\n", "content_html": "
Harley Turan exploring the contents of the metadata stored in your phone:
\n\n\n\nEach one of those images doesn’t just contain the photo you see as you scroll through the Photos app — it contains a wealth of information stored encoded directly into the image file itself. It details useful metadata such as where the photo was taken (so that you can view your photos on a map at a later date), the time and date the image was taken at, which lens and zoom levels were used, the exposure, ISO, and aperture, amongst many others.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThis metadata is called EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) and is stored inside of the photo files themselves, appearing right at the start of the image
\n\nEvery image is a dense ball of information. Not just containing captured light, but your exact position and orientation at a given moment in the time.
\n\nIf you have a time machine and happen to be free August 13th, 2023 at 13:07:57, you’ll know precisely where to find me.
So what kind of information can we glean from this data set? Here are just some examples that Harley shows:
\n\nWhat is even more concerning is what can be gleaned from the GPS data that is encoded within the EXIF meta data of an image. Any third party app can query the location your were at, when you were there and by analyzing the image using AI classification tools - what you were doing there.
\n\nHere is the scary part - with a historical record of this information, an app with this data can predict to high degree where you are likely going to be in the future.
\n\nAre you paranoid enough yet?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/09/us-republic-of-gilead/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/09/us-republic-of-gilead/", "title": "US Republic of Gilead?", "date_published": "2023-09-09T13:43:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-09T13:43:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Republic](\"/assets/images/gilead.jpg\")
Since the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade - more than 1,500 state legislators, who are overwhelmingly white men, have voted for full or partial abortion bans.
\n\nThough lets not forget that white men in the US have always been obsessed with control of women - of which Rodney Coates, writing for The Conversation, reminds us:
\n\n\n\nThis is not the first period in U.S. history when white men have exercised control over women’s right to bear – or not bear – children, including during slavery. Then, it was a matter of numbers. The more people they enslaved, the more money white male enslavers could earn either from selling the enslaved or from the forced labor of the enslaved. White men controlled people’s reproductive rights during the 20th century, too, with the American eugenics movement.
\n\nFrom the late 1800s until the 2000s, white proponents of eugenics – the selective breeding of people – tried to determine who was fit or unfit to have children. While the American eugenics movement affected people of other races and ethnic backgrounds, as well as men, it was particularly harmful to Black women who, data from 1950 to 1966 shows, were sterilized at “three times the rate of white women and more than 12 times the rate of white men.”
\n\nDuring both periods, Black women and their health bore the brunt of the consequences of white men’s control.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThirty-two states, between 1907 and 1937, enacted forced sterilization mandates to prevent births by people eugenicists considered socially inadequate.
\n\nState-mandated procedures resulted in the coerced sterilization of women, particularly African American, Native American and Hispanic American women, and those from Southern and Eastern Europe.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBetween 1930 and 1970, close to 33% of the women in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, were forcibly sterilized. In California, between 1997 and 2003, 1,400 female inmates, mostly Black, were forcibly sterilized.
Dont think it can’t happen in the United States - it is already a deeply hidden fact of Americas past. And with the new push of anti-abortion laws and diminishing of women’s reproductive rights - how long before the US transforms into The Republic of Gilead?
\n", "content_html": "
Since the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade - more than 1,500 state legislators, who are overwhelmingly white men, have voted for full or partial abortion bans.
\n\nThough lets not forget that white men in the US have always been obsessed with control of women - of which Rodney Coates, writing for The Conversation, reminds us:
\n\n\n\nThis is not the first period in U.S. history when white men have exercised control over women’s right to bear – or not bear – children, including during slavery. Then, it was a matter of numbers. The more people they enslaved, the more money white male enslavers could earn either from selling the enslaved or from the forced labor of the enslaved. White men controlled people’s reproductive rights during the 20th century, too, with the American eugenics movement.
\n\nFrom the late 1800s until the 2000s, white proponents of eugenics – the selective breeding of people – tried to determine who was fit or unfit to have children. While the American eugenics movement affected people of other races and ethnic backgrounds, as well as men, it was particularly harmful to Black women who, data from 1950 to 1966 shows, were sterilized at “three times the rate of white women and more than 12 times the rate of white men.”
\n\nDuring both periods, Black women and their health bore the brunt of the consequences of white men’s control.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThirty-two states, between 1907 and 1937, enacted forced sterilization mandates to prevent births by people eugenicists considered socially inadequate.
\n\nState-mandated procedures resulted in the coerced sterilization of women, particularly African American, Native American and Hispanic American women, and those from Southern and Eastern Europe.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBetween 1930 and 1970, close to 33% of the women in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, were forcibly sterilized. In California, between 1997 and 2003, 1,400 female inmates, mostly Black, were forcibly sterilized.
Dont think it can’t happen in the United States - it is already a deeply hidden fact of Americas past. And with the new push of anti-abortion laws and diminishing of women’s reproductive rights - how long before the US transforms into The Republic of Gilead?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/10/worlds-largest-deposit-of-lithium-in-us/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/10/worlds-largest-deposit-of-lithium-in-us/", "title": "World's largest deposit of Lithium in US", "date_published": "2023-09-10T02:22:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-10T02:22:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"lithium\"](\"/assets/images/lithium.jpeg\")
Anthony King in reporting in Chemistry World:
\n\n\n\nA world-beating deposit of lithium along the Nevada–Oregon border could meet surging demand for this metal, according to a new analysis.
\n\nAn estimated 20 to 40 million tonnes of lithium metal lie within a volcanic crater formed around 16 million years ago. This is notably larger than the lithium deposits found beneath a Bolivian salt flat, previously considered the largest deposit in the world.
\n\n[…]
\n\n‘If they can extract the lithium in a very low energy intensive way, or in a process that does not consume much acid, then this can be economically very significant,’ says Borst. ‘The US would have its own supply of lithium and industries would be less scared about supply shortages.’
If this holds true, the US will have a significant advantage in the race to EV dominance.
\n", "content_html": "
Anthony King in reporting in Chemistry World:
\n\n\n\nA world-beating deposit of lithium along the Nevada–Oregon border could meet surging demand for this metal, according to a new analysis.
\n\nAn estimated 20 to 40 million tonnes of lithium metal lie within a volcanic crater formed around 16 million years ago. This is notably larger than the lithium deposits found beneath a Bolivian salt flat, previously considered the largest deposit in the world.
\n\n[…]
\n\n‘If they can extract the lithium in a very low energy intensive way, or in a process that does not consume much acid, then this can be economically very significant,’ says Borst. ‘The US would have its own supply of lithium and industries would be less scared about supply shortages.’
If this holds true, the US will have a significant advantage in the race to EV dominance.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/12/skiing-down-the-mountain/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/12/skiing-down-the-mountain/", "title": "Skiing down the mountain", "date_published": "2023-09-12T12:10:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-12T12:10:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nI don’t get skiing - it scares me to death. Everyone who skis has stories of torn ankles, busted knees and dislocated shoulders. I am up for anything - but this is one sport I will never do.
\nI don’t get skiing - it scares me to death. Everyone who skis has stories of torn ankles, busted knees and dislocated shoulders. I am up for anything - but this is one sport I will never do.
\nETH Zurich reporting:
\n\nStudents from ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts have broken the previous world record for acceleration with their hand built electric racing car, mythen. The vehicle accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 0.956 seconds over a distance of 12.3 metres.
Thats is crazy fast - nearly 3Gs of acceleration in 12.3 meters or 40.35 feet!
\n", "content_html": "
\nETH Zurich reporting:
\n\nStudents from ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts have broken the previous world record for acceleration with their hand built electric racing car, mythen. The vehicle accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 0.956 seconds over a distance of 12.3 metres.
Thats is crazy fast - nearly 3Gs of acceleration in 12.3 meters or 40.35 feet!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/fixing-penn-station/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/fixing-penn-station/", "title": "Fixing Penn Station", "date_published": "2023-09-13T02:05:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-13T02:05:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Martin C. Pedersen in an interview for the Common Edge:
\n\n\n\nToday the busiest train station in North America is essentially housed in a basement, atop which sits the “world’s most famous arena.” The Penn Station experience has been a dreary mess ever since—and a seemingly unfixable one. Every so often there were calls for “action” on Penn Station, but these pronouncements weren’t backed with political will or money. In the past year, however, the rhetoric has ratcheted up, with competing plans floated by the MTA, private developers, and community groups. Justin Davidson, the architecture critic for New York magazine and a longtime New Yorker, has been doing some excellent reporting on these recent efforts. We talked last week, and he helped me sort out exactly where, in this tangled and still unsettled tale, things now stand.
My favorite proposa is by the Regional Plan Association and Vishaan Charkabarti:
\n\n![\"Penn](\"/assets/images/penn-invision.jpeg\")
Something needs to be done with Penn Station. It is such a depressing place.
\n", "content_html": "Martin C. Pedersen in an interview for the Common Edge:
\n\n\n\nToday the busiest train station in North America is essentially housed in a basement, atop which sits the “world’s most famous arena.” The Penn Station experience has been a dreary mess ever since—and a seemingly unfixable one. Every so often there were calls for “action” on Penn Station, but these pronouncements weren’t backed with political will or money. In the past year, however, the rhetoric has ratcheted up, with competing plans floated by the MTA, private developers, and community groups. Justin Davidson, the architecture critic for New York magazine and a longtime New Yorker, has been doing some excellent reporting on these recent efforts. We talked last week, and he helped me sort out exactly where, in this tangled and still unsettled tale, things now stand.
My favorite proposa is by the Regional Plan Association and Vishaan Charkabarti:
\n\n
Something needs to be done with Penn Station. It is such a depressing place.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/leica-m11-monochrom/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/leica-m11-monochrom/", "title": "Leica M11 Monochrom", "date_published": "2023-09-13T03:03:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-13T03:03:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Leica](\"/assets/images/m11.jpeg\")
David Rocks reviewing the Leica M11 Monochrom for Bloomberg:
\n\n\n\nIf you think there’s the soul of a Robert Capa or Henri Cartier-Bresson lurking deep inside your creative heart, you might find it with Leica’s new $9,195 M11 Monochrom, the fifth entrant in the brand’s series of noncolor cameras. Leica’s sturdy bodies and sharp lenses have been the gold standard for photography since the company first released a portable 35 millimeter camera in 1925. The M11 harks back to those analog roots: It doesn’t have autofocus, and you must control the aperture by hand—though ISO and shutter speed can be set to automatic.
Err. Awesome camera and, yes, this awakens my inner hipster. But $9,195 - without a lens? And this is Leica - a simple 50mm f2 lens will run you an additional $2,895. Thats a mighty big $13,000 fashion statement if you ask me.
\n\nInstead - get the Pentax K3 Mk III and a 43mm 1.9 for less than $3,000 - spend the remaining $10,000 bringing out your inner Henri Cartier-Bresson.
\n", "content_html": "
David Rocks reviewing the Leica M11 Monochrom for Bloomberg:
\n\n\n\nIf you think there’s the soul of a Robert Capa or Henri Cartier-Bresson lurking deep inside your creative heart, you might find it with Leica’s new $9,195 M11 Monochrom, the fifth entrant in the brand’s series of noncolor cameras. Leica’s sturdy bodies and sharp lenses have been the gold standard for photography since the company first released a portable 35 millimeter camera in 1925. The M11 harks back to those analog roots: It doesn’t have autofocus, and you must control the aperture by hand—though ISO and shutter speed can be set to automatic.
Err. Awesome camera and, yes, this awakens my inner hipster. But $9,195 - without a lens? And this is Leica - a simple 50mm f2 lens will run you an additional $2,895. Thats a mighty big $13,000 fashion statement if you ask me.
\n\nInstead - get the Pentax K3 Mk III and a 43mm 1.9 for less than $3,000 - spend the remaining $10,000 bringing out your inner Henri Cartier-Bresson.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/republicans-call-for-impeachment-inquiry-into-biden/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/13/republicans-call-for-impeachment-inquiry-into-biden/", "title": "Republicans call for impeachment inquiry into Biden", "date_published": "2023-09-13T05:21:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-13T05:21:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nYesterday Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced he is calling on his committees to open formal impeachment inquiry on President Biden. Never mind the fact that they have nothing on Biden.
This so called serious allegations are going to lead to nowhere fast.
\n\nThe Constitutional standard for impeachment is treason, bribery, or other high crimes an misdemeanors. They don’t have have any wrong doing of any kind by President Biden. The Republicans have thousands and thousands of pages of documents they have subpoenaed and received, dozens of hours of testimony and witness interviews. All of this disproves their claims - that he was not involved in in any of Hunter Biden’s business affairs.
\n\nNot to mention that the Republican party’s leading candidate and most probable Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s proven corrupt administration that the Democrates could easily haul out:
\n\nIt’s important to understand what is really going on here - the Republican’s are trying to desperately distract the American public from the train wreck that is about to happen. Its Hillary Clinton’s emails all over again.
\n\nThe Republican party is a clown show.
\n", "content_html": "
\nYesterday Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced he is calling on his committees to open formal impeachment inquiry on President Biden. Never mind the fact that they have nothing on Biden.
This so called serious allegations are going to lead to nowhere fast.
\n\nThe Constitutional standard for impeachment is treason, bribery, or other high crimes an misdemeanors. They don’t have have any wrong doing of any kind by President Biden. The Republicans have thousands and thousands of pages of documents they have subpoenaed and received, dozens of hours of testimony and witness interviews. All of this disproves their claims - that he was not involved in in any of Hunter Biden’s business affairs.
\n\nNot to mention that the Republican party’s leading candidate and most probable Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s proven corrupt administration that the Democrates could easily haul out:
\n\nIt’s important to understand what is really going on here - the Republican’s are trying to desperately distract the American public from the train wreck that is about to happen. Its Hillary Clinton’s emails all over again.
\n\nThe Republican party is a clown show.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/15/season-four-for-all-mankind-trailer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/15/season-four-for-all-mankind-trailer/", "title": "Season Four: For All Mankind Trailer", "date_published": "2023-09-15T02:32:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-15T02:32:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe first teaser trailer for season four of the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind is out - and its a recruitment video join the space workforce. Unfortunately, no plot or character updates. Here’s the synopsis:
\n", "content_html": "Rocketing into the new millennium in the eight years since Season 3, Happy Valley has rapidly expanded its footprint on Mars by turning former foes into partners. Now 2003, the focus of the space program has turned to the capture and mining of extremely valuable, mineral-rich asteroids that could change the future of both Earth and Mars. But simmering tensions between the residents of the now-sprawling international base threaten to undo everything they are working towards.
\nThe first teaser trailer for season four of the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind is out - and its a recruitment video join the space workforce. Unfortunately, no plot or character updates. Here’s the synopsis:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/15/road-map-to-happiness/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/15/road-map-to-happiness/", "title": "Road map to happiness", "date_published": "2023-09-15T02:46:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-15T02:46:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rocketing into the new millennium in the eight years since Season 3, Happy Valley has rapidly expanded its footprint on Mars by turning former foes into partners. Now 2003, the focus of the space program has turned to the capture and mining of extremely valuable, mineral-rich asteroids that could change the future of both Earth and Mars. But simmering tensions between the residents of the now-sprawling international base threaten to undo everything they are working towards.
Harvard professor Arthur Brooks teamed up with TV icon Oprah Winfrey to help people find true happiness in life. Brooks sits down one-on-one with Stephanie Ruhle to talk about his new book, “Build the Life You Want.” This is one of the most powerful and insightful 12 minutes of television I have seen this year.
\n\nKey take aways:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The number one thing that we get wrong is happiness is a feeling … Wrong! Feelings are evidence of happiness.
\n\nEnvy is the enemy of happiness.
\n\nThe secrets - the happiness 401k plan - are faith, family, friends, and work that serves other people.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWhat can we do tomorrow to walk one step closer to a path to happiness?
\n\n[]
\n\nLets start by making a goal of reading something really heavy and wise for 15 minutes tomorrow right? Read a book by somebody who knows more than you know. About spiritual depth. They mystries of life. 15 minutes. Thats number one.
\n\nNumber two - make a goal of calling someone in your family every single day.
\n\nNumber three, you know your real friends and you know your deal friends. Make a list of people you come most in contact with put Rs and Ds after their name - Not Republicans and Democrats. Real, Deal. And if its all deal, and you don’t have enough Rs you need to do more work. A lot of people watching this have not had real friends since college. They have all been deal friends, transactional friends. People who could help them. You know how you find real friends by the way? They’re not useful. They are beautifully useless. And you need more useless people in your life. Like make a list of them and do the work to keep in touch. Look, when I figured out, when I started doing this research, I didn’t have real friends. Now I got my real friends. And I spent an hour on the phone with each one of them a week.
\n\nAnd last but not least, here is how you judge your job. You don’t judge your job in terms of your title, your prestige, or your money. Its number one, are you earning your success? Do you believe you are creating value with your life? Value with the way you are earning your living in your life and the life of other people? And do you believe you are serving other people so you can lift them up and bring them together?
Harvard professor Arthur Brooks teamed up with TV icon Oprah Winfrey to help people find true happiness in life. Brooks sits down one-on-one with Stephanie Ruhle to talk about his new book, “Build the Life You Want.” This is one of the most powerful and insightful 12 minutes of television I have seen this year.
\n\nKey take aways:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/16/mitt-romney-will-not-seek-re-election/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/16/mitt-romney-will-not-seek-re-election/", "title": "Mitt Romney will not seek re-election", "date_published": "2023-09-16T02:12:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-16T02:12:14-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The number one thing that we get wrong is happiness is a feeling … Wrong! Feelings are evidence of happiness.
\n\nEnvy is the enemy of happiness.
\n\nThe secrets - the happiness 401k plan - are faith, family, friends, and work that serves other people.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWhat can we do tomorrow to walk one step closer to a path to happiness?
\n\n[]
\n\nLets start by making a goal of reading something really heavy and wise for 15 minutes tomorrow right? Read a book by somebody who knows more than you know. About spiritual depth. They mystries of life. 15 minutes. Thats number one.
\n\nNumber two - make a goal of calling someone in your family every single day.
\n\nNumber three, you know your real friends and you know your deal friends. Make a list of people you come most in contact with put Rs and Ds after their name - Not Republicans and Democrats. Real, Deal. And if its all deal, and you don’t have enough Rs you need to do more work. A lot of people watching this have not had real friends since college. They have all been deal friends, transactional friends. People who could help them. You know how you find real friends by the way? They’re not useful. They are beautifully useless. And you need more useless people in your life. Like make a list of them and do the work to keep in touch. Look, when I figured out, when I started doing this research, I didn’t have real friends. Now I got my real friends. And I spent an hour on the phone with each one of them a week.
\n\nAnd last but not least, here is how you judge your job. You don’t judge your job in terms of your title, your prestige, or your money. Its number one, are you earning your success? Do you believe you are creating value with your life? Value with the way you are earning your living in your life and the life of other people? And do you believe you are serving other people so you can lift them up and bring them together?
![\"Mitt](\"/assets/images/mitt.jpeg\")
Senator Mitt Romney will not run for re-election in 2025. The former Presidential candidate will bow out of political service as a real Republican. I don’t agree with most of Mitt Romney’s policy stances but Mitt Romney did his job with honor, class and truth. For that he has my respect. And thats coming from a Democrat.
\n\nIn an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming biography of the senator, Mckay Coppins writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Sitting across from Romney at 76, one can’t help but become a little suspicious of his handsomeness. The jowl-free jawline. The all-seasons tan. The just-so gray at the temples of that thick black coif, which his barber once insisted he doesn’t dye. It all seems a little uncanny. Only after studying him closely do you notice the signs of age. He shuffles a little when he walks now, hunches a little when he sits. At various points in recent years, he’s gotten so thin that his staff has worried about him. Mostly, he looks tired.
\n\nRomney’s isolation in Washington didn’t surprise me. In less than a decade, he’d gone from Republican standard-bearer and presidential nominee to party pariah thanks to a series of public clashes with Trump. What I didn’t quite expect was how candid he was ready to be. He instructed his scheduler to block off evenings for weekly interviews, and told me that no subject would be off-limits. He handed over hundreds of pages of his private journals and years’ worth of personal correspondence, including sensitive emails with some of the most powerful Republicans in the country. When he couldn’t find the key to an old filing cabinet that contained some of his personal papers, he took a crowbar to it and deposited stacks of campaign documents and legal pads in my lap. He’d kept all of this stuff, he explained, because he thought he might write a memoir one day, but he’d decided against it. “I can’t be objective about my own life,” he said.
\n\n[…]
\n\n“A very large portion of my party,” he told me one day, “really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” He’d realized this only recently, he said. We were a few months removed from an attempted coup instigated by Republican leaders, and he was wrestling with some difficult questions. Was the authoritarian element of the GOP a product of President Trump, or had it always been there, just waiting to be activated by a sufficiently shameless demagogue? And what role had the members of the mainstream establishment—people like him, the reasonable Republicans—played in allowing the rot on the right to fester?
\n\nI had never encountered a politician so openly reckoning with what his pursuit of power had cost, much less one doing so while still in office. Candid introspection and crises of conscience are much less expensive in retirement. But Romney was thinking beyond his own political future.
Senator Mitt Romney will not run for re-election in 2025. The former Presidential candidate will bow out of political service as a real Republican. I don’t agree with most of Mitt Romney’s policy stances but Mitt Romney did his job with honor, class and truth. For that he has my respect. And thats coming from a Democrat.
\n\nIn an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming biography of the senator, Mckay Coppins writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/16/americas-advanced-manufacturing-problem/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/16/americas-advanced-manufacturing-problem/", "title": "America's Advanced Manufacturing Problem", "date_published": "2023-09-16T23:04:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-16T23:04:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Sitting across from Romney at 76, one can’t help but become a little suspicious of his handsomeness. The jowl-free jawline. The all-seasons tan. The just-so gray at the temples of that thick black coif, which his barber once insisted he doesn’t dye. It all seems a little uncanny. Only after studying him closely do you notice the signs of age. He shuffles a little when he walks now, hunches a little when he sits. At various points in recent years, he’s gotten so thin that his staff has worried about him. Mostly, he looks tired.
\n\nRomney’s isolation in Washington didn’t surprise me. In less than a decade, he’d gone from Republican standard-bearer and presidential nominee to party pariah thanks to a series of public clashes with Trump. What I didn’t quite expect was how candid he was ready to be. He instructed his scheduler to block off evenings for weekly interviews, and told me that no subject would be off-limits. He handed over hundreds of pages of his private journals and years’ worth of personal correspondence, including sensitive emails with some of the most powerful Republicans in the country. When he couldn’t find the key to an old filing cabinet that contained some of his personal papers, he took a crowbar to it and deposited stacks of campaign documents and legal pads in my lap. He’d kept all of this stuff, he explained, because he thought he might write a memoir one day, but he’d decided against it. “I can’t be objective about my own life,” he said.
\n\n[…]
\n\n“A very large portion of my party,” he told me one day, “really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” He’d realized this only recently, he said. We were a few months removed from an attempted coup instigated by Republican leaders, and he was wrestling with some difficult questions. Was the authoritarian element of the GOP a product of President Trump, or had it always been there, just waiting to be activated by a sufficiently shameless demagogue? And what role had the members of the mainstream establishment—people like him, the reasonable Republicans—played in allowing the rot on the right to fester?
\n\nI had never encountered a politician so openly reckoning with what his pursuit of power had cost, much less one doing so while still in office. Candid introspection and crises of conscience are much less expensive in retirement. But Romney was thinking beyond his own political future.
David Adler and William B. Bonvillian writing for American Affairs:
\n\n\n\nThe United States was once the global leader in manufacturing, ushering in the mass production era from the end of the nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. It is not a global leader in the advanced manufacturing of the twenty-first century. (Advanced manufacturing can be defined as the application of innovative technologies to improve manufacturing processes and products, adding significant value through productivity advances and innovation. These would include digital technologies, robotics, 3-D printing, advanced materials, bio-fabrication, artificial intelligence, and nanofabrication.)
\n\nThe United States does not currently have the correct institutional infrastructure and accompanying operational mechanisms to support advanced manufacturing. Industry, government, and academia are largely unlinked when it comes to advanced production technology and processes, and there is a similar lack of interagency coordination within the government. Pathways necessary for diffusing new technologies and getting them to market are missing, including a lack of scale-up financing mechanisms. The vocational education system has withered as has the corporate lab system. The Department of Defense’s (DoD) mission has traditionally been one of military security rather than economic security and assuring a strong American industrial base. Yet economic security and military security are now inseparable, and by failing to pursue innovation in production, the DoD is putting U.S. economic and therefore national security at risk. Financial markets do not reward advanced manufacturing. They favor outsourcing and the disaggregation of integrated firms. Corporations are not rewarded for pursuing production as opposed to, say, stock buybacks. What is sometimes called the U.S. developmental state has many strengths—in basic research as well as applications in the areas of defense technology, software, and biopharma development—but advanced manufacturing is not one of them.
\n\nRobert J. Gordon, in his widely read book The Rise and Fall of American Growth, argues that recent generations of technologies are inherently less conducive to job creation, compared to earlier breakthroughs, leading to lower growth. But the real culprit may be the way in which our innovation system was designed, leaving a manufacturing focus out of the innovation equation. The result of all this has been the decline of U.S. manufacturing and the corresponding weakening of the American working class, growing economic inequality, and protracted political confrontation.
Yea - the real culprit can be traced as far back as 1968 when Victor R. Fuchs coined the term “the service economy.” And US policy over the last 4 decades has pushed the transformation of the economy to a predominate service based economy.
\n\nThe problem is eventually you will hit a brick wall if the US as a country fails to create value. After all in a capitalist society - with the creation of value, all of the money will eventually filter to a tiny percent of the population.
\n", "content_html": "David Adler and William B. Bonvillian writing for American Affairs:
\n\n\n\nThe United States was once the global leader in manufacturing, ushering in the mass production era from the end of the nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. It is not a global leader in the advanced manufacturing of the twenty-first century. (Advanced manufacturing can be defined as the application of innovative technologies to improve manufacturing processes and products, adding significant value through productivity advances and innovation. These would include digital technologies, robotics, 3-D printing, advanced materials, bio-fabrication, artificial intelligence, and nanofabrication.)
\n\nThe United States does not currently have the correct institutional infrastructure and accompanying operational mechanisms to support advanced manufacturing. Industry, government, and academia are largely unlinked when it comes to advanced production technology and processes, and there is a similar lack of interagency coordination within the government. Pathways necessary for diffusing new technologies and getting them to market are missing, including a lack of scale-up financing mechanisms. The vocational education system has withered as has the corporate lab system. The Department of Defense’s (DoD) mission has traditionally been one of military security rather than economic security and assuring a strong American industrial base. Yet economic security and military security are now inseparable, and by failing to pursue innovation in production, the DoD is putting U.S. economic and therefore national security at risk. Financial markets do not reward advanced manufacturing. They favor outsourcing and the disaggregation of integrated firms. Corporations are not rewarded for pursuing production as opposed to, say, stock buybacks. What is sometimes called the U.S. developmental state has many strengths—in basic research as well as applications in the areas of defense technology, software, and biopharma development—but advanced manufacturing is not one of them.
\n\nRobert J. Gordon, in his widely read book The Rise and Fall of American Growth, argues that recent generations of technologies are inherently less conducive to job creation, compared to earlier breakthroughs, leading to lower growth. But the real culprit may be the way in which our innovation system was designed, leaving a manufacturing focus out of the innovation equation. The result of all this has been the decline of U.S. manufacturing and the corresponding weakening of the American working class, growing economic inequality, and protracted political confrontation.
Yea - the real culprit can be traced as far back as 1968 when Victor R. Fuchs coined the term “the service economy.” And US policy over the last 4 decades has pushed the transformation of the economy to a predominate service based economy.
\n\nThe problem is eventually you will hit a brick wall if the US as a country fails to create value. After all in a capitalist society - with the creation of value, all of the money will eventually filter to a tiny percent of the population.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/18/us-healthcare-functioning-exactly-as-iys-meant-to/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/18/us-healthcare-functioning-exactly-as-iys-meant-to/", "title": "US healthcare: Functioning exactly as it's meant to", "date_published": "2023-09-18T19:17:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-18T19:17:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So lets get the facts straight first:
\n\nIts gotten so bad that towards the beginning of the corona virus, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology requested students in the US to come home:
\n\n\n\nIn accordance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD), NTNU strong recommends that all NTNU students who are outside Norway return home. This applies especially if you are staying in a country with poorly developed health services and infrastructure ando/or collective infrastructure, for example the USA. The same applies if you do not have health insurance.
How can you expect any other outcome? The US health care system is a for profit system in a market place that does not have a true supply/demand curve. When you are sick, seeking health care is not a option. So by definition there is no competition and prices can only go up.
\n\nThe US health care system is a cruel and inhumane system that prioritizes profit over its citizens. It is working exactly as it was designed.
\n", "content_html": "So lets get the facts straight first:
\n\nIts gotten so bad that towards the beginning of the corona virus, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology requested students in the US to come home:
\n\n\n\nIn accordance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD), NTNU strong recommends that all NTNU students who are outside Norway return home. This applies especially if you are staying in a country with poorly developed health services and infrastructure ando/or collective infrastructure, for example the USA. The same applies if you do not have health insurance.
How can you expect any other outcome? The US health care system is a for profit system in a market place that does not have a true supply/demand curve. When you are sick, seeking health care is not a option. So by definition there is no competition and prices can only go up.
\n\nThe US health care system is a cruel and inhumane system that prioritizes profit over its citizens. It is working exactly as it was designed.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/21/what-tech-knows-about-your-health/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/21/what-tech-knows-about-your-health/", "title": "what tech knows about your health", "date_published": "2023-09-21T18:26:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-21T18:26:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"health](\"/assets/images/health-info.jpeg\")
Yael Grauer writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nWe leave digital traces about our health everywhere we go: by completing forms like BetterHelp’s. By requesting a prescription refill online. By clicking on a link. By asking a search engine about dosages or directions to a clinic or pain in chest dying???? By shopping, online or off. By participating in consumer genetic testing. By stepping on a smart scale or using a smart thermometer. By joining a Facebook group or a Discord server for people with a certain medical condition. By using internet-connected exercise equipment. By using an app or a service to count your steps or track your menstrual cycle or log your workouts. Even demographic and financial data unrelated to health can be aggregated and analyzed to reveal or infer sensitive information about people’s physical or mental-health conditions.
\n\nAll of this information is valuable to advertisers and to the tech companies that sell ad space and targeting to them. It’s valuable precisely because it’s intimate: More than perhaps anything else, our health guides our behavior. And the more these companies know, the easier they can influence us.
The existing laws on the books are nothing more than suggestions that depend on the enormous companies that benefit from having access to this sensitive data to self govern. We all know how that is going to work out. It’s time the laws designed to protect our health information caught up.
\n", "content_html": "
Yael Grauer writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nWe leave digital traces about our health everywhere we go: by completing forms like BetterHelp’s. By requesting a prescription refill online. By clicking on a link. By asking a search engine about dosages or directions to a clinic or pain in chest dying???? By shopping, online or off. By participating in consumer genetic testing. By stepping on a smart scale or using a smart thermometer. By joining a Facebook group or a Discord server for people with a certain medical condition. By using internet-connected exercise equipment. By using an app or a service to count your steps or track your menstrual cycle or log your workouts. Even demographic and financial data unrelated to health can be aggregated and analyzed to reveal or infer sensitive information about people’s physical or mental-health conditions.
\n\nAll of this information is valuable to advertisers and to the tech companies that sell ad space and targeting to them. It’s valuable precisely because it’s intimate: More than perhaps anything else, our health guides our behavior. And the more these companies know, the easier they can influence us.
The existing laws on the books are nothing more than suggestions that depend on the enormous companies that benefit from having access to this sensitive data to self govern. We all know how that is going to work out. It’s time the laws designed to protect our health information caught up.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/1970s-letter-from-lego/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/1970s-letter-from-lego/", "title": "1970s letter from Lego", "date_published": "2023-09-22T00:50:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-22T00:50:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"lego](\"/assets/images/lego-letter.jpg\")
A Lego pamphlet from 1974, unearthed and posted on Reddit, has some advice for parents that rings true 49 years later:
\n\nThe text reads:
\n\n\n\nThe urge to create is equally strong in all children. Boys and girls.
\n\nIt’s imagination that counts. Not skill. You build whatever comes into your head, the way you want it. A bed or a truck. A dolls house or a spaceship.
\n\nA lot of boys like dolls houses. They’re more human than spaceships. A lot of girls prefer spaceships. They’re more exciting than dolls houses.
\n\nThe most important thing is to the put the right material in the their hands and let them create whatever appeals to them.
My niece is a obsessed with Lego. She builds houses, gardens, rockets, planes, and robots. Lego nailed it 50 years ago - its imagination that counts. And it is not limited by gender.
\n", "content_html": "
A Lego pamphlet from 1974, unearthed and posted on Reddit, has some advice for parents that rings true 49 years later:
\n\nThe text reads:
\n\n\n\nThe urge to create is equally strong in all children. Boys and girls.
\n\nIt’s imagination that counts. Not skill. You build whatever comes into your head, the way you want it. A bed or a truck. A dolls house or a spaceship.
\n\nA lot of boys like dolls houses. They’re more human than spaceships. A lot of girls prefer spaceships. They’re more exciting than dolls houses.
\n\nThe most important thing is to the put the right material in the their hands and let them create whatever appeals to them.
My niece is a obsessed with Lego. She builds houses, gardens, rockets, planes, and robots. Lego nailed it 50 years ago - its imagination that counts. And it is not limited by gender.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/no-such-thing-as-the-invisible-hand-of-the-market/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/no-such-thing-as-the-invisible-hand-of-the-market/", "title": "No such thing as the “Invisible hand of the market”", "date_published": "2023-09-22T01:02:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-22T01:02:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Unregulated](\"/assets/images/unchecked-capitalism.jpg\")
Kathryn Baecht elegantly sums up unregulated capitalism brillianty:
\n\n\n\nSanta isn’t real, the Tooth Fairy is imaginary, and there’s no such thing as the “invisible hand of the market.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nLook, here’s the unvarnished truth. Capitalism is corrupt, craven, and continuously enriching the mega rich, further impoverishing the poor and incessantly squeezing the middle class like a python wrapped around the abdomen of a cute furry little animal. No, not Mr. Whiskers specifically, son, some other cute little animal. One that we never met.
It’s time we as a society stop believing the capitalism fairytale. Unregulated capitalism is destroying our planet, stealing our youth’s future and grinding us down for benefit of the one percenters. Unregulated capitalism makes you poor, miserable — and short.
\n", "content_html": "
Kathryn Baecht elegantly sums up unregulated capitalism brillianty:
\n\n\n\nSanta isn’t real, the Tooth Fairy is imaginary, and there’s no such thing as the “invisible hand of the market.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nLook, here’s the unvarnished truth. Capitalism is corrupt, craven, and continuously enriching the mega rich, further impoverishing the poor and incessantly squeezing the middle class like a python wrapped around the abdomen of a cute furry little animal. No, not Mr. Whiskers specifically, son, some other cute little animal. One that we never met.
It’s time we as a society stop believing the capitalism fairytale. Unregulated capitalism is destroying our planet, stealing our youth’s future and grinding us down for benefit of the one percenters. Unregulated capitalism makes you poor, miserable — and short.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/voicemails-from-the-flight-path/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/22/voicemails-from-the-flight-path/", "title": "Voicemails from the flight path", "date_published": "2023-09-22T01:22:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-22T01:22:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Filmmakers Patrick McCormack and Duane Peterson III made a short film called Jet Line: Voicemails from the Flight Path featuring residents' concerns from a complaints hotline the pair set up.
\n\n\n\nThis short film employs an anonymous hotline to elevate the voices beneath Vermont’s F-35 flight path, the first urban residents to live with one of the military’s most controversial weapons systems overhead.
\n\nTranquil scenes of unassuming neighborhoods near Burlington International Airport are juxtaposed with voicemails of the unheard, those drowned out by the ear-shattering “sound of freedom.” Exploring the relationship between picturesque residential areas and the deafening fighter jets overhead, Jet Line is a poetic portrait of a community plagued by war machines, documenting untenable conditions in a small city once voted one of the best places to live in America.
The American military–industrial complex. If we thought we could keep it at bay from our communities - well all you have to do is listen.
\n", "content_html": "Filmmakers Patrick McCormack and Duane Peterson III made a short film called Jet Line: Voicemails from the Flight Path featuring residents' concerns from a complaints hotline the pair set up.
\n\n\n\nThis short film employs an anonymous hotline to elevate the voices beneath Vermont’s F-35 flight path, the first urban residents to live with one of the military’s most controversial weapons systems overhead.
\n\nTranquil scenes of unassuming neighborhoods near Burlington International Airport are juxtaposed with voicemails of the unheard, those drowned out by the ear-shattering “sound of freedom.” Exploring the relationship between picturesque residential areas and the deafening fighter jets overhead, Jet Line is a poetic portrait of a community plagued by war machines, documenting untenable conditions in a small city once voted one of the best places to live in America.
The American military–industrial complex. If we thought we could keep it at bay from our communities - well all you have to do is listen.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/24/what-are-the-chances/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/24/what-are-the-chances/", "title": "What are the chances?", "date_published": "2023-09-24T20:04:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-24T20:04:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"both](\"/assets/images/both-images.jpg\")
Ron Risman on DPReview:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "We had what looked like the exact same image, taken at the exact millisecond in time, from what looked like the same exact location and perspective.
Ron Risman on DPReview:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/24/big-tech-wants-you-back/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/24/big-tech-wants-you-back/", "title": "Big Tech wants you back", "date_published": "2023-09-24T20:18:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-24T20:18:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "We had what looked like the exact same image, taken at the exact millisecond in time, from what looked like the same exact location and perspective.
![\"we](\"/assets/images/want-you-back.jpeg\")
Tim Paradis reporting for Insider:
\n\n\n\nCompanies like Meta, the parent of Facebook, and Salesforce are bringing back some of the workers they let go. Big Tech is hungry for people with skills in areas such as artificial intelligence. Yet, like romantic breakups, whether one-time employees agree to try again will have a lot to do with how things ended.
\n\nCompanies that handled layoffs poorly are likely to have a harder time convincing ex workers to go back, Sandra Sucher, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School who’s studied layoffs, said. In some cases where the layoffs were conducted reasonably well, a return might be something former workers would consider.
Sure employees will go back - but they are going to want better compensation and a guaranteed employment contract. And thats just to start.
\n", "content_html": "
Tim Paradis reporting for Insider:
\n\n\n\nCompanies like Meta, the parent of Facebook, and Salesforce are bringing back some of the workers they let go. Big Tech is hungry for people with skills in areas such as artificial intelligence. Yet, like romantic breakups, whether one-time employees agree to try again will have a lot to do with how things ended.
\n\nCompanies that handled layoffs poorly are likely to have a harder time convincing ex workers to go back, Sandra Sucher, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School who’s studied layoffs, said. In some cases where the layoffs were conducted reasonably well, a return might be something former workers would consider.
Sure employees will go back - but they are going to want better compensation and a guaranteed employment contract. And thats just to start.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/25/keith-richards-on-guitar/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/25/keith-richards-on-guitar/", "title": "Keith Richards on Rap music", "date_published": "2023-09-25T06:08:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-25T06:08:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"richards\"](\"/assets/images/ricards.jpeg\")
Keith Richards on popular music and rap:
\n\n\n\n“I don’t want to start complaining about pop music,” he said. “It’s always been rubbish. I mean, that’s the point of it. They make it as cheap and as easy as possible and therefore it always sounds the same; there’s very little feel in it.”
\n\nRichards continued: “I like to hear music by people playing instruments. That is, I don’t like to hear plastic synthesised muzak, as it used to be known, what you hear in elevators, which is now the par for the course.”
\n\nHe then turned his ire to rap music, adding: “I don’t really like to hear people yelling at me and telling me it’s music, aka rap. I can get enough of that without leaving my house.”
Exactly.
\n", "content_html": "
Keith Richards on popular music and rap:
\n\n\n\n“I don’t want to start complaining about pop music,” he said. “It’s always been rubbish. I mean, that’s the point of it. They make it as cheap and as easy as possible and therefore it always sounds the same; there’s very little feel in it.”
\n\nRichards continued: “I like to hear music by people playing instruments. That is, I don’t like to hear plastic synthesised muzak, as it used to be known, what you hear in elevators, which is now the par for the course.”
\n\nHe then turned his ire to rap music, adding: “I don’t really like to hear people yelling at me and telling me it’s music, aka rap. I can get enough of that without leaving my house.”
Exactly.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/26/how-to-apologize-properly/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/26/how-to-apologize-properly/", "title": "How to Apologize Properly", "date_published": "2023-09-26T06:13:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-26T06:13:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"sorry\"](\"/assets/images/sorry.jpeg\")
Elizabeth Spiers on recent spat of celebrities on the apology tour - specifically why are they so terrible at apologizing:
\n\n\n\nThat’s the question I have after several weeks of famous people apologizing for bad behavior. They have apologized for not honoring the writers’ strike (Drew Barrymore). They have apologized for speaking up on behalf of a rapist (Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis). They have apologized for belittling musicians who are not white men (Jann Wenner). They have apologized, belatedly and begrudgingly, for groping and vaping in a theater (hello, Representative Lauren Boebert).
\n\nFor all their supposed regret, not one of these people spoke up until the outcry — from a few million people on the Internet, various television pundits and the people who were harmed or offended — had become deafening. Even my 8-year-old son knows the difference between a desultory eye-rolling “sorry” and genuine remorse. More important, he understands the importance of repairing the damage he caused, regardless of his discomfort or embarrassment.
\n\nIt’s this last part that makes them all seem so especially shallow.
Katie Heaney wrote about this phenomenon also - but offers an excellent framework for apologizing. Something we can all put into practice.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Dr. Beth Polin, an assistant professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University and co-author of The Art of the Apology, defines an apology as a statement which includes one or more of six components:
\n\n\n
\n- An expression of regret — this, usually, is the actual “I’m sorry.”
\n- An explanation (but, importantly, not a justification).
\n- An acknowledgment of responsibility.
\n- A declaration of repentance.
\n- An offer of repair.
\n- A request for forgiveness.
\n
Elizabeth Spiers on recent spat of celebrities on the apology tour - specifically why are they so terrible at apologizing:
\n\n\n\nThat’s the question I have after several weeks of famous people apologizing for bad behavior. They have apologized for not honoring the writers’ strike (Drew Barrymore). They have apologized for speaking up on behalf of a rapist (Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis). They have apologized for belittling musicians who are not white men (Jann Wenner). They have apologized, belatedly and begrudgingly, for groping and vaping in a theater (hello, Representative Lauren Boebert).
\n\nFor all their supposed regret, not one of these people spoke up until the outcry — from a few million people on the Internet, various television pundits and the people who were harmed or offended — had become deafening. Even my 8-year-old son knows the difference between a desultory eye-rolling “sorry” and genuine remorse. More important, he understands the importance of repairing the damage he caused, regardless of his discomfort or embarrassment.
\n\nIt’s this last part that makes them all seem so especially shallow.
Katie Heaney wrote about this phenomenon also - but offers an excellent framework for apologizing. Something we can all put into practice.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/26/nfts-are-a-scam-who-new/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/26/nfts-are-a-scam-who-new/", "title": "NFT's are a scam, who knew?", "date_published": "2023-09-26T06:36:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-26T06:36:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Dr. Beth Polin, an assistant professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University and co-author of The Art of the Apology, defines an apology as a statement which includes one or more of six components:
\n\n\n
\n- An expression of regret — this, usually, is the actual “I’m sorry.”
\n- An explanation (but, importantly, not a justification).
\n- An acknowledgment of responsibility.
\n- A declaration of repentance.
\n- An offer of repair.
\n- A request for forgiveness.
\n
The NFT market has cratered. Are we really that surprised?
\n\n\n\nData from the Block reveals a weekly traded value of around $80 million in July 2023, just 3% of its peak back in August 2021. So what happened? NFTs had a bull run then crashed. Hard. We now find ourselves in the midst of a bear market for NFTs, with numerous projects now struggling to find buyers following a pessimistic market outlook on their future value.
\n\n[…]
\n\nOf the 73,257 NFT collections we identified, an eye-watering 69,795 of them have a market cap of 0 Ether (ETH).
\n\nThis statistic effectively means that 95% of people holding NFT collections are currently holding onto worthless investments. Having looked into those figures, we would estimate that 95% to include over 23 million people whose investments are now worthless.
The whole concept of the NFT was stupid. And if you invested in NFTs, well stupid is as stupid does. Here is a great conversation with Bill Mahr and Ben McKenzie:
\n\n
\nYou really can’t make this stuff up.
The NFT market has cratered. Are we really that surprised?
\n\n\n\nData from the Block reveals a weekly traded value of around $80 million in July 2023, just 3% of its peak back in August 2021. So what happened? NFTs had a bull run then crashed. Hard. We now find ourselves in the midst of a bear market for NFTs, with numerous projects now struggling to find buyers following a pessimistic market outlook on their future value.
\n\n[…]
\n\nOf the 73,257 NFT collections we identified, an eye-watering 69,795 of them have a market cap of 0 Ether (ETH).
\n\nThis statistic effectively means that 95% of people holding NFT collections are currently holding onto worthless investments. Having looked into those figures, we would estimate that 95% to include over 23 million people whose investments are now worthless.
The whole concept of the NFT was stupid. And if you invested in NFTs, well stupid is as stupid does. Here is a great conversation with Bill Mahr and Ben McKenzie:
\n\n
\nYou really can’t make this stuff up.
\nName an American product that’s had a worldwide impact, is more popular than ever, yet still looks the same as it did when it was introduced nearly a third of a century ago? Here’s a hint: It might be the only musical instrument whose fame rivals that of the people who’ve played it.
The Fender Stratocaster will be 70 years old next year. When it came out of the factory in 1954, it didn’t sound — or look — like any other guitar. Leo Fender’s small company was looking to improve the Telecaster, its groundbreaking solid-body electric, first introduced three years earlier. But far more than a tweak here or there, Fender created an entirely new instrument that’s become almost synonymous with the phrase “electric guitar.”
\n\nIt is remarkable how little the Stratocaster has changed over the years. Here is a look by Popular Mechanics on how a Stratocaster comes to life.
\n", "content_html": "
\nName an American product that’s had a worldwide impact, is more popular than ever, yet still looks the same as it did when it was introduced nearly a third of a century ago? Here’s a hint: It might be the only musical instrument whose fame rivals that of the people who’ve played it.
The Fender Stratocaster will be 70 years old next year. When it came out of the factory in 1954, it didn’t sound — or look — like any other guitar. Leo Fender’s small company was looking to improve the Telecaster, its groundbreaking solid-body electric, first introduced three years earlier. But far more than a tweak here or there, Fender created an entirely new instrument that’s become almost synonymous with the phrase “electric guitar.”
\n\nIt is remarkable how little the Stratocaster has changed over the years. Here is a look by Popular Mechanics on how a Stratocaster comes to life.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/27/the-captain-visits-fender-usa/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/27/the-captain-visits-fender-usa/", "title": "The Captain and Danish Pete visit Fender USA ", "date_published": "2023-09-27T17:41:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-27T17:41:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nLee “The Captain” Anderton of Andertons Music Co. & Peter “Danish Pete” Honoré take a trip over to Corona, California to have a guided tour of Fender’s famous USA guitar factory!
This is an older video - but is much more detailed than yesterday’s Popular Mechanics video and shows off the attention to detail at the USA factory. I have never been to the Fender factory, but someday when I go - I will be more of a fan boy then these two are. If that is possbile.
\n\nIt literally blows my mind how every component is built in house, and some of it is still being manufactured with the same machines and techniques as was done in the 1950s. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it! Leo would be proud.
\n", "content_html": "
\nLee “The Captain” Anderton of Andertons Music Co. & Peter “Danish Pete” Honoré take a trip over to Corona, California to have a guided tour of Fender’s famous USA guitar factory!
This is an older video - but is much more detailed than yesterday’s Popular Mechanics video and shows off the attention to detail at the USA factory. I have never been to the Fender factory, but someday when I go - I will be more of a fan boy then these two are. If that is possbile.
\n\nIt literally blows my mind how every component is built in house, and some of it is still being manufactured with the same machines and techniques as was done in the 1950s. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it! Leo would be proud.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/27/democracy-awakening/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/27/democracy-awakening/", "title": "Democracy Awakening", "date_published": "2023-09-27T18:37:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-27T18:37:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Heather Cox Richardson has a new book out today about the health of American democracy: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. From the Virginia Heffernan review of the book:
\n\n\n\nShe has an intriguing origin point for today’s afflictions: the New Deal. The first third of the book, which hurtles toward Donald Trump’s election, is as bingeable as anything on Netflix. “Democracy Awakening” starts in the 1930s, when Americans who’d been wiped out in the 1929 stock market crash were not about to let the rich demolish the economy again. New Deal programs designed to benefit ordinary people and prevent future crises were so popular that by 1960 candidates of both parties were advised to simply “nail together” coalitions and promise them federal funding. From 1946 to 1964, the liberal consensus — with its commitments to equality, the separation of church and state, and the freedoms of speech, press and religion — held sway.
\n\nBut Republican businessmen, who had caused the crash, despised the consensus. Richardson’s account of how right-wingers appropriated the word “socialism” from the unrelated international movement is astute. When invoked to malign all government investment, “socialism” served to recruit segregationist Democrats, who could be convinced that the word meant Black people would take their money, and Western Democrats, who resented government protections on land and water. This new Republican Party created an ideology that coalesced around White Christianity and free markets.
If you ever wondered how a person like Donal Trump can rise to the White House, read this book. And do checkout Richardson’s excellent Letter from an American substack.
\n", "content_html": "Heather Cox Richardson has a new book out today about the health of American democracy: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. From the Virginia Heffernan review of the book:
\n\n\n\nShe has an intriguing origin point for today’s afflictions: the New Deal. The first third of the book, which hurtles toward Donald Trump’s election, is as bingeable as anything on Netflix. “Democracy Awakening” starts in the 1930s, when Americans who’d been wiped out in the 1929 stock market crash were not about to let the rich demolish the economy again. New Deal programs designed to benefit ordinary people and prevent future crises were so popular that by 1960 candidates of both parties were advised to simply “nail together” coalitions and promise them federal funding. From 1946 to 1964, the liberal consensus — with its commitments to equality, the separation of church and state, and the freedoms of speech, press and religion — held sway.
\n\nBut Republican businessmen, who had caused the crash, despised the consensus. Richardson’s account of how right-wingers appropriated the word “socialism” from the unrelated international movement is astute. When invoked to malign all government investment, “socialism” served to recruit segregationist Democrats, who could be convinced that the word meant Black people would take their money, and Western Democrats, who resented government protections on land and water. This new Republican Party created an ideology that coalesced around White Christianity and free markets.
If you ever wondered how a person like Donal Trump can rise to the White House, read this book. And do checkout Richardson’s excellent Letter from an American substack.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/what-happened-to-amazon/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/what-happened-to-amazon/", "title": "What happened to Amazon?", "date_published": "2023-09-28T01:28:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-28T01:28:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"amazon\"](\"/assets/images/amazon.jpg\")
Amazon has turned into a terrible place to shop - the situation is not good for vendors or their customers. It was part of Amazon’s plan all along to undercut local sellers by sacrificing profits and offering free deliveries until they essentially eliminated all competition. Now they get to price gouge both sides - the sellers and the customers. Amazon wins, no matter what.
\n\nBrian Barrett writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nAmazon feels less like an online Target or Best Buy than it does Big Billy’s Bargain Bin, dollar-store trinkets sold for name-brand prices. The problem isn’t that it lacks what you want, but that it offers infinite permutations of often unknowable quality. Many of the brand-name items aren’t any cheaper on Amazon than they are elsewhere.
\n\nThe decline of Amazon is closely tied not just to its size but to how it has chosen to grow. Amazon is now less of a store than a mall, or maybe a sprawling bazaar. Last year, nearly 60 percent of units sold on Amazon came from third-party sellers rather than from Amazon itself. Want to set up a booth? There’s a nominal monthly fee to reserve the space. From there, though, the charges add up quickly, according to a report from the ecommerce-intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse.
\n\nAmazon takes a cut of every transaction, typically about 15 percent. For front-and-center placement, you’d better pay for one of those sponsored slots. According to the FTC, advertised products are 46 times more likely to get clicks. Call it another 15 percent of revenue. Oh, and if you want to qualify for Prime—and if you want any shot of making a sale, you do want to qualify for Prime—you’ll need to use Amazon to fulfill your orders. That’s another 20 to 35 percent off the top. All of a sudden, half of your revenue is in Amazon’s coffers.
\n\n[..]
\n\nOf course this is where Amazon wound up. The company spent years sacrificing profit for scale, until it had so many customers that sellers couldn’t ignore it. Now that it extracts billions each month from those sellers, it can afford to ignore those customers—or at least prioritize them less. Amazon gets paid by all of its vendors, no matter which products go in our cart.
\n\n[..]
\n\n… but in a world where so much of online retail runs through Amazon, choice is an illusion. Dare to offer a cheaper product elsewhere online, and Amazon might bury your listing on its platform. A heavily redacted portion of the FTC suit claims that the company “deploys a sophisticated surveillance network of web crawlers that constantly monitor the internet” for such sellers. (In his response, Zapolsky says that the FTC “has it backwards” and that the company doesn’t “highlight or promote offers that are not competitively priced.”)
There is only one solution - Amazon needs to be broken up.
\n", "content_html": "
Amazon has turned into a terrible place to shop - the situation is not good for vendors or their customers. It was part of Amazon’s plan all along to undercut local sellers by sacrificing profits and offering free deliveries until they essentially eliminated all competition. Now they get to price gouge both sides - the sellers and the customers. Amazon wins, no matter what.
\n\nBrian Barrett writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nAmazon feels less like an online Target or Best Buy than it does Big Billy’s Bargain Bin, dollar-store trinkets sold for name-brand prices. The problem isn’t that it lacks what you want, but that it offers infinite permutations of often unknowable quality. Many of the brand-name items aren’t any cheaper on Amazon than they are elsewhere.
\n\nThe decline of Amazon is closely tied not just to its size but to how it has chosen to grow. Amazon is now less of a store than a mall, or maybe a sprawling bazaar. Last year, nearly 60 percent of units sold on Amazon came from third-party sellers rather than from Amazon itself. Want to set up a booth? There’s a nominal monthly fee to reserve the space. From there, though, the charges add up quickly, according to a report from the ecommerce-intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse.
\n\nAmazon takes a cut of every transaction, typically about 15 percent. For front-and-center placement, you’d better pay for one of those sponsored slots. According to the FTC, advertised products are 46 times more likely to get clicks. Call it another 15 percent of revenue. Oh, and if you want to qualify for Prime—and if you want any shot of making a sale, you do want to qualify for Prime—you’ll need to use Amazon to fulfill your orders. That’s another 20 to 35 percent off the top. All of a sudden, half of your revenue is in Amazon’s coffers.
\n\n[..]
\n\nOf course this is where Amazon wound up. The company spent years sacrificing profit for scale, until it had so many customers that sellers couldn’t ignore it. Now that it extracts billions each month from those sellers, it can afford to ignore those customers—or at least prioritize them less. Amazon gets paid by all of its vendors, no matter which products go in our cart.
\n\n[..]
\n\n… but in a world where so much of online retail runs through Amazon, choice is an illusion. Dare to offer a cheaper product elsewhere online, and Amazon might bury your listing on its platform. A heavily redacted portion of the FTC suit claims that the company “deploys a sophisticated surveillance network of web crawlers that constantly monitor the internet” for such sellers. (In his response, Zapolsky says that the FTC “has it backwards” and that the company doesn’t “highlight or promote offers that are not competitively priced.”)
There is only one solution - Amazon needs to be broken up.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/keith-richards-being-keith-richards/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/keith-richards-being-keith-richards/", "title": "Keith Richards being Keith Richards", "date_published": "2023-09-28T02:37:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-28T02:37:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "This is to remind me to never get arrested again.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/i-feel-a-little-bit-dumber/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/i-feel-a-little-bit-dumber/", "title": "I feel a little bit dumber", "date_published": "2023-09-28T02:49:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-28T02:49:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This is to remind me to never get arrested again.
\nNikki Haley to Vivek Ramaswamy:
\n\nI feel a little bit dumber for what you say
The second GOP debate was a complete clown show - each of those candidates made Donald Trump look like a stable genius. But when questions about TikTok and emerging technologies came up, I felt a lot dumber for what was being said.
\n\nBoth of these fools are a disgrace to the Indian American community.
\n", "content_html": "
\nNikki Haley to Vivek Ramaswamy:
\n\nI feel a little bit dumber for what you say
The second GOP debate was a complete clown show - each of those candidates made Donald Trump look like a stable genius. But when questions about TikTok and emerging technologies came up, I felt a lot dumber for what was being said.
\n\nBoth of these fools are a disgrace to the Indian American community.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/the-raspberry-pi-5/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/09/28/the-raspberry-pi-5/", "title": "The Raspberry Pi 5", "date_published": "2023-09-28T17:12:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-28T17:12:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nRaspberry Pi 5 comes with new features, it’s over twice as fast as its predecessor, and it’s the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed in‑house here in Cambridge, UK.
\n\nKey features include:
\n\n\n
\n- 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU
\n- VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
\n- Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output
\n- 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
\n- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
\n- Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
\n- High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support
\n- 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
\n- 2 × USB 2.0 ports
\n- Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (requires separate PoE+ HAT, coming soon)
\n- 2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
\n- PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals
\n- Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
\n- Real-time clock
\n- Power button
\n
The things I am most excited about is the R1 custom silicon with P10 and the built in GPU, realtime clock, USB power deliver and POE capability with PCIe interface!. And of course, the real reason to upgrade - a power button.
\n\nCurrent pricing:
\n\n\n\nRaspberry Pi 5 comes with new features, it’s over twice as fast as its predecessor, and it’s the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed in‑house here in Cambridge, UK.
\n\nKey features include:
\n\n\n
\n- 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU
\n- VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
\n- Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output
\n- 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
\n- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
\n- Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
\n- High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support
\n- 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
\n- 2 × USB 2.0 ports
\n- Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (requires separate PoE+ HAT, coming soon)
\n- 2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
\n- PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals
\n- Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
\n- Real-time clock
\n- Power button
\n
The things I am most excited about is the R1 custom silicon with P10 and the built in GPU, realtime clock, USB power deliver and POE capability with PCIe interface!. And of course, the real reason to upgrade - a power button.
\n\nCurrent pricing:
\n\n\n\nIs this good for the music? The jury is out, even within hip-hop. But in this behind-the-scenes video — the latest entry in our Diary of a Song series, which documents how popular music is created — we track the generational shift through exclusive studio footage of young rappers like Doechii, Veeze and Lil Gotit, plus interviews with genre veterans including the artist Killer Mike and the producer Just Blaze, to track this creative shift and its effects on the still-experimental genre of hip-hop, 50 years after its birth.
I wouldn’t say this is just in the hip-hop community, but throughout most modern music.
\n\nWriting is hard. Committing words to paper requires thought, examination and revision. It forces you to ask the question - is this what I want to say to the world?
\n\nTo me this is just being lazy. Its throwing things against the wall to see what works now. In the moment. Sure, this might work commercially today, but will any of these “punch-in” tracks be relevant 10, 20, or 50 years from now?
\n\nTo the question ‘Is this good for music?’
\n\nNo. It is not.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nIs this good for the music? The jury is out, even within hip-hop. But in this behind-the-scenes video — the latest entry in our Diary of a Song series, which documents how popular music is created — we track the generational shift through exclusive studio footage of young rappers like Doechii, Veeze and Lil Gotit, plus interviews with genre veterans including the artist Killer Mike and the producer Just Blaze, to track this creative shift and its effects on the still-experimental genre of hip-hop, 50 years after its birth.
I wouldn’t say this is just in the hip-hop community, but throughout most modern music.
\n\nWriting is hard. Committing words to paper requires thought, examination and revision. It forces you to ask the question - is this what I want to say to the world?
\n\nTo me this is just being lazy. Its throwing things against the wall to see what works now. In the moment. Sure, this might work commercially today, but will any of these “punch-in” tracks be relevant 10, 20, or 50 years from now?
\n\nTo the question ‘Is this good for music?’
\n\nNo. It is not.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/02/spending-like-theres-no-tomorrow/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/02/spending-like-theres-no-tomorrow/", "title": "Spending Like There’s No Tomorrow", "date_published": "2023-10-02T11:39:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-02T11:39:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"spending](\"/assets/images/spending-no-tomorrow.jpg\")
Rachel Wolfe reporting on the consumer spending binge:
\n\n\n\nConsumers should be spending less by now.
\n\nInterest rates are up. Inflation remains high. Pandemic savings have shrunk. And the labor market is cooling.
\n\nYet household spending, the primary driver of the nation’s economic growth, remains robust. Americans spent 5.8% more in August than a year earlier, well outstripping less than 4% inflation. And the experience economy boomed this summer, with Delta Air Lines reporting record revenue in the second quarter and Ticketmaster selling over 295 million event tickets in the first six months of 2023, up nearly 18% year-over-year.\nEconomists and financial advisers say consumers putting short-term needs and goals above long-term ones is normal. Still, this moment is different, they say.
Not it isn’t. It’s just the latest self delusion to indulge in the American tradition of consumerism. I hope they enjoy their purses, trips and wild parties when they are broke and working at 70.
\n", "content_html": "
Rachel Wolfe reporting on the consumer spending binge:
\n\n\n\nConsumers should be spending less by now.
\n\nInterest rates are up. Inflation remains high. Pandemic savings have shrunk. And the labor market is cooling.
\n\nYet household spending, the primary driver of the nation’s economic growth, remains robust. Americans spent 5.8% more in August than a year earlier, well outstripping less than 4% inflation. And the experience economy boomed this summer, with Delta Air Lines reporting record revenue in the second quarter and Ticketmaster selling over 295 million event tickets in the first six months of 2023, up nearly 18% year-over-year.\nEconomists and financial advisers say consumers putting short-term needs and goals above long-term ones is normal. Still, this moment is different, they say.
Not it isn’t. It’s just the latest self delusion to indulge in the American tradition of consumerism. I hope they enjoy their purses, trips and wild parties when they are broke and working at 70.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/03/merriam-webster-adds-690-new-words/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/03/merriam-webster-adds-690-new-words/", "title": "Merriam Webster adds 690 new words", "date_published": "2023-10-03T04:26:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-03T04:26:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Merriam-Webster added 690 words to the dictionary last month including rizz, vector graphics, rewild, jorts, non-player character, jump scare, finsta, beast mode, simp, and thirst trap.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "Merriam-Webster added 690 words to the dictionary last month including rizz, vector graphics, rewild, jorts, non-player character, jump scare, finsta, beast mode, simp, and thirst trap.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/03/ultra-ram/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/03/ultra-ram/", "title": "UltraRam", "date_published": "2023-10-03T04:58:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-03T04:58:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Mark Tyson reporting on UltraRam for Tom’s Hardware :
\n\n\n\nThis potentially disruptive tech is designed to blend the non-volatility of flash storage with faster-than-DRAM speeds. The memory retains data even after power is removed, and the company claims it has at least 4,000X more endurance than NAND and can store data for 1,000+ years. It is also designed to have 1/10th the latency of DRAM and be more energy efficient (by a factor of 100X) than DRAM fabricated on a similar node, drawing the interest of industry heavyweights like Meta.
Impressive technology - its good to see that it is receiving funding. Will be interesting to see where this leads.
\n", "content_html": "Mark Tyson reporting on UltraRam for Tom’s Hardware :
\n\n\n\nThis potentially disruptive tech is designed to blend the non-volatility of flash storage with faster-than-DRAM speeds. The memory retains data even after power is removed, and the company claims it has at least 4,000X more endurance than NAND and can store data for 1,000+ years. It is also designed to have 1/10th the latency of DRAM and be more energy efficient (by a factor of 100X) than DRAM fabricated on a similar node, drawing the interest of industry heavyweights like Meta.
Impressive technology - its good to see that it is receiving funding. Will be interesting to see where this leads.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/04/america-sucks-at-everything/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/04/america-sucks-at-everything/", "title": "America Sucks at Everything", "date_published": "2023-10-04T04:41:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-04T04:41:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAmericans, despite living in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, have a much worse standard of living than people who live in poorer countries.
Whats worse is that these same Americans rail against anything that the progressives in the country try to do to benefit them. The political class has created many boogeymen - socialism, socialized medicine, communism, death panels, etc. - to scare the population so they can quietly transfer wealth from the poor and middle class to the corporations and the well connected.
\n\nAnd this combination of fear and ignorance is so powerful that the population happily retreats into a make believe world where America is somehow pre-ordained to be the greatest country on earth.
\n\nThe first part of solving any problem is to admit you have a problem. It is time for the US citizenry to admit that beyond child poverty, military power, number of incarcerated citizens, deaths due to gun violence - America sucks at everything.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAmericans, despite living in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, have a much worse standard of living than people who live in poorer countries.
Whats worse is that these same Americans rail against anything that the progressives in the country try to do to benefit them. The political class has created many boogeymen - socialism, socialized medicine, communism, death panels, etc. - to scare the population so they can quietly transfer wealth from the poor and middle class to the corporations and the well connected.
\n\nAnd this combination of fear and ignorance is so powerful that the population happily retreats into a make believe world where America is somehow pre-ordained to be the greatest country on earth.
\n\nThe first part of solving any problem is to admit you have a problem. It is time for the US citizenry to admit that beyond child poverty, military power, number of incarcerated citizens, deaths due to gun violence - America sucks at everything.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/one-revolution-per-minute/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/one-revolution-per-minute/", "title": "One Revolution per minute", "date_published": "2023-10-05T03:55:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-05T03:55:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\n\nErik Wernquist made this fascinating short film One Revolution Per Minute:
\n\n\n\nIt takes place aboard the “SSPO Esperanta” - a planetary orbiter that spins around itself at a rate of one revolution per minute (1 RPM). With a radius of 450 meters, the spin generates artificial gravity with an effect of approximately 0.5 g along its main deck.
\n\nWith the “Esperanta” I wanted to create a leisure-like environment, such as a hotel or cruise ship, and explore what the views could be like onboard when the orbiter visits some of the worlds in our solar system. I was also particularly interested in how light and shadows from the sun play around in the interior as it spins around.\nFor those reasons, I decided to keep all artificial lights off - with the exception of some emergency lights to avoid complete darkness - and to only let natural light illuminate the interiors. As this made the place appear quite desolate, I found it interesting to imagine someone being onboard…
Now this is what space tourism should be like. Just hope there are plenty of vomit bags available.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n\nErik Wernquist made this fascinating short film One Revolution Per Minute:
\n\n\n\nIt takes place aboard the “SSPO Esperanta” - a planetary orbiter that spins around itself at a rate of one revolution per minute (1 RPM). With a radius of 450 meters, the spin generates artificial gravity with an effect of approximately 0.5 g along its main deck.
\n\nWith the “Esperanta” I wanted to create a leisure-like environment, such as a hotel or cruise ship, and explore what the views could be like onboard when the orbiter visits some of the worlds in our solar system. I was also particularly interested in how light and shadows from the sun play around in the interior as it spins around.\nFor those reasons, I decided to keep all artificial lights off - with the exception of some emergency lights to avoid complete darkness - and to only let natural light illuminate the interiors. As this made the place appear quite desolate, I found it interesting to imagine someone being onboard…
Now this is what space tourism should be like. Just hope there are plenty of vomit bags available.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/walter-isaacsons-elon-musk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/walter-isaacsons-elon-musk/", "title": "Walter Isaacson’s ‘Elon Musk’", "date_published": "2023-10-05T05:32:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-05T05:32:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Elizabeth Lopatto writing for The Verge:
\n\n\n\nWhile Isaacson manages to detail what makes Musk awful, he seems unaware of what made Musk an inspiring figure for so long. Musk is a fantasist, the kind of person who conceives of civilizations on Mars. That’s what people liked all this time: dreaming big, thinking about new possible worlds. It’s also why Musk’s shifting political stance undercuts him. The fantasy of the conservative movement is small and sad, a limited world with nothing new to explore. Musk has gone from dreaming very, very big to seeming very, very small. In the hands of a talented biographer, this kind of tragic story would provide rich material.
While Musk has moved the car industry forward and managed to get Space X off the ground - the way in which he treats those around him and his greed for wealth and self promotion just makes him an awful human being.
\n\nMusk has a ‘Donald Trump’ complex.
\n", "content_html": "Elizabeth Lopatto writing for The Verge:
\n\n\n\nWhile Isaacson manages to detail what makes Musk awful, he seems unaware of what made Musk an inspiring figure for so long. Musk is a fantasist, the kind of person who conceives of civilizations on Mars. That’s what people liked all this time: dreaming big, thinking about new possible worlds. It’s also why Musk’s shifting political stance undercuts him. The fantasy of the conservative movement is small and sad, a limited world with nothing new to explore. Musk has gone from dreaming very, very big to seeming very, very small. In the hands of a talented biographer, this kind of tragic story would provide rich material.
While Musk has moved the car industry forward and managed to get Space X off the ground - the way in which he treats those around him and his greed for wealth and self promotion just makes him an awful human being.
\n\nMusk has a ‘Donald Trump’ complex.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/vaccines-are-molecular-loving-kindness/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/05/vaccines-are-molecular-loving-kindness/", "title": "Vaccines are molecular loving-kindness", "date_published": "2023-10-05T19:11:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-05T19:11:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"nobel](\"/assets/images/mrna-vaccine-nobel.jpeg\")
The Economist reporting on the award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work that led to the development of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines:
\n\n\n\nThe World Health Organisation (who) says that vaccines have saved more from death than any other medical invention. It is a hard claim to gainsay. Vaccines protect people from disease cheaply, reliably and in remarkable numbers. And their capacity to do so continues to grow. In 2021 the who approved a first vaccine against malaria; this week it approved a second.
\n\nVaccines are not only immensely useful; they also embody something beautifully human in their combination of care and communication. Vaccines do not trick the immune system, as is sometimes said; they educate and train it. As a resource of good public health, they allow doctors to whisper words of warning into the cells of their patients. In an age short of trust, this intimacy between government policy and an individual’s immune system is easily misconstrued as a threat. But vaccines are not conspiracies or tools of control: they are molecular loving-kindness.
\n\nThe best way to further honour this extraordinary set of technologies is to use it more and better.
So make sure you get the COVID-19 booster this fall - and while you are at it get the flu vaccine also.
\n", "content_html": "
The Economist reporting on the award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work that led to the development of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines:
\n\n\n\nThe World Health Organisation (who) says that vaccines have saved more from death than any other medical invention. It is a hard claim to gainsay. Vaccines protect people from disease cheaply, reliably and in remarkable numbers. And their capacity to do so continues to grow. In 2021 the who approved a first vaccine against malaria; this week it approved a second.
\n\nVaccines are not only immensely useful; they also embody something beautifully human in their combination of care and communication. Vaccines do not trick the immune system, as is sometimes said; they educate and train it. As a resource of good public health, they allow doctors to whisper words of warning into the cells of their patients. In an age short of trust, this intimacy between government policy and an individual’s immune system is easily misconstrued as a threat. But vaccines are not conspiracies or tools of control: they are molecular loving-kindness.
\n\nThe best way to further honour this extraordinary set of technologies is to use it more and better.
So make sure you get the COVID-19 booster this fall - and while you are at it get the flu vaccine also.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/06/coffee-badging/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/06/coffee-badging/", "title": "Coffee Badging", "date_published": "2023-10-06T05:57:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-06T05:57:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"coffee](\"/assets/images/coffee-badging.jpeg\")
Jennifer Liu writing for CNBC Make It:
\n\n\n\nYannique Ivey may be going back to the office, but she’s open about the fact that you won’t catch her first thing in the morning. Wait too long in the day and you’ll miss her, too.
\n\nIvey, 27, works for a tech consulting firm in Atlanta and says she drives into the office once or twice a month. When she’s there, she commits to an 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule — just in time for a catered lunch, to catch up with colleagues for a few hours, and head out before traffic stalls her in a “hellish” commute home, she tells CNBC Make It.
\n\nShe and her team are open about this arrangement. Spending a few shortened days in the office each month “takes needed time away from the actual work” to socialize and build community, she says, but “I’m a lot more productive when I’m home, so I get started there and wind down from there.”
\n\nIt’s a new arrangement picking up across the U.S.: Workers are showing up for required attendance, but that doesn’t mean they’re sticking around for the full day.
Workers are voting with their feet. The new norm - offices exist for socialization and community building - the real work gets done from home.
\n\nIt is time the management class stop fighting it.
\n", "content_html": "
Jennifer Liu writing for CNBC Make It:
\n\n\n\nYannique Ivey may be going back to the office, but she’s open about the fact that you won’t catch her first thing in the morning. Wait too long in the day and you’ll miss her, too.
\n\nIvey, 27, works for a tech consulting firm in Atlanta and says she drives into the office once or twice a month. When she’s there, she commits to an 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule — just in time for a catered lunch, to catch up with colleagues for a few hours, and head out before traffic stalls her in a “hellish” commute home, she tells CNBC Make It.
\n\nShe and her team are open about this arrangement. Spending a few shortened days in the office each month “takes needed time away from the actual work” to socialize and build community, she says, but “I’m a lot more productive when I’m home, so I get started there and wind down from there.”
\n\nIt’s a new arrangement picking up across the U.S.: Workers are showing up for required attendance, but that doesn’t mean they’re sticking around for the full day.
Workers are voting with their feet. The new norm - offices exist for socialization and community building - the real work gets done from home.
\n\nIt is time the management class stop fighting it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/06/workers-sue-over-rto-mandates/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/06/workers-sue-over-rto-mandates/", "title": "Workers sue over RTO mandates", "date_published": "2023-10-06T06:24:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-06T06:24:43-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"RTO\"](\"/assets/images/rto.jpeg\")
You knew it was just a matter of time before lawyers weighed in on the matter. Hailey Mensik for writing for Worklife:
\n\n\n\nLast week a former Astrazeneca senior director sued the drugmaker saying it breached her contract by refusing to pay her a performance bonus of more than $120,000, and stock options valued at more than $65,000, due to her working from home last year, according to the suit.
\n\nShe claims her former employer retroactively changed its bonus structure to include RTO requirements which she didn’t meet while working from her South Carolina home last year, where she has since she started in the role in 2016.
The only real answer to this debate/discussion is: What works for your staff at this moment in time? If they can WFH and it helps their lives and they stay productive, who cares? We don’t need to have these debates or get the courts involved. The problem, of course, is that so many people — and especially Americans — wrap their entire personal identity up in work (it’s all they have), and so they want to be worshipped and deified there, because they aren’t at home. That’s the entire reason we’re having this discussion, but no one really says that out loud too often.
\n", "content_html": "
You knew it was just a matter of time before lawyers weighed in on the matter. Hailey Mensik for writing for Worklife:
\n\n\n\nLast week a former Astrazeneca senior director sued the drugmaker saying it breached her contract by refusing to pay her a performance bonus of more than $120,000, and stock options valued at more than $65,000, due to her working from home last year, according to the suit.
\n\nShe claims her former employer retroactively changed its bonus structure to include RTO requirements which she didn’t meet while working from her South Carolina home last year, where she has since she started in the role in 2016.
The only real answer to this debate/discussion is: What works for your staff at this moment in time? If they can WFH and it helps their lives and they stay productive, who cares? We don’t need to have these debates or get the courts involved. The problem, of course, is that so many people — and especially Americans — wrap their entire personal identity up in work (it’s all they have), and so they want to be worshipped and deified there, because they aren’t at home. That’s the entire reason we’re having this discussion, but no one really says that out loud too often.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/10/america-is-failing-at-fundemental-mission/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/10/america-is-failing-at-fundemental-mission/", "title": "America is failing at a fundemental mission", "date_published": "2023-10-10T22:37:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-10T22:37:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"america](\"/assets/images/amaerica-failing.jpg\")
The Washington Post on the falling life expectancy of the US population:
\n\n\n\nThe United States is failing at a fundamental mission — keeping people alive.
\n\nAfter decades of progress, life expectancy — long regarded as a singular benchmark of a nation’s success — peaked in 2014 at 78.9 years, then drifted downward even before the coronavirus pandemic. Among wealthy nations, the United States in recent decades went from the middle of the pack to being an outlier. And it continues to fall further and further behind.
\n\nA year-long Washington Post examination reveals that this erosion in life spans is deeper and broader than widely recognized, afflicting a far-reaching swath of the United States.
The frustrating thing is that the number one reason for this decline are completely preventable and manageable - chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and liver disease are the leading causes of death for people 35 to 64. This isn’t surprising - especially in a country where healthcare is prioritized over the health of its citizens.
\n\nAmerica is failing to live up to its promise to the as stated by the United States Constitution in its opening line:
\n\n\n\nWe the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Promote the general welfare – our for profit health care systems need to be overhauled.
\n", "content_html": "
The Washington Post on the falling life expectancy of the US population:
\n\n\n\nThe United States is failing at a fundamental mission — keeping people alive.
\n\nAfter decades of progress, life expectancy — long regarded as a singular benchmark of a nation’s success — peaked in 2014 at 78.9 years, then drifted downward even before the coronavirus pandemic. Among wealthy nations, the United States in recent decades went from the middle of the pack to being an outlier. And it continues to fall further and further behind.
\n\nA year-long Washington Post examination reveals that this erosion in life spans is deeper and broader than widely recognized, afflicting a far-reaching swath of the United States.
The frustrating thing is that the number one reason for this decline are completely preventable and manageable - chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and liver disease are the leading causes of death for people 35 to 64. This isn’t surprising - especially in a country where healthcare is prioritized over the health of its citizens.
\n\nAmerica is failing to live up to its promise to the as stated by the United States Constitution in its opening line:
\n\n\n\nWe the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Promote the general welfare – our for profit health care systems need to be overhauled.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/11/a-walkable-community-devoid-of-cars/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/11/a-walkable-community-devoid-of-cars/", "title": "A walkable community devoid of cars", "date_published": "2023-10-11T13:08:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-11T13:08:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Lectric](\"/assets/images/lectric-ave.jpeg\")
Oliver Milman reporting on a new housing development in Phoenix, Arizona that is devoid of cars :
\n\n\n\nBut it is here that such a neighborhood, called Culdesac, has taken root. On a 17-acre site that once contained a car body shop and some largely derelict buildings, an unusual experiment has emerged that invites Americans to live in a way that is rare outside of fleeting experiences of college, Disneyland or trips to Europe: a walkable, human-scale community devoid of cars.
\n\nCuldesac ushered in its first 36 residents earlier this year and will eventually house around 1,000 people when the full 760 units, arranged in two and three-story buildings, are completed by 2025. In an almost startling departure from the US norm, residents are provided no parking for cars and are encouraged to get rid of them. The apartments are also mixed in with amenities, such as a grocery store, restaurant, yoga studio and bicycle shop, that are usually separated from housing by strict city zoning laws.
The European concept of of “third place” (1st place: work, 2nd place: home, 3rd place: communal spaces) directly correlates with quality of life / happiness of people.
\n\nThe American obession with cars is killing us - relegating us to an isolated life of home/car/work. Thats surviving, in isolation. Glad to see that at least some attempts are being made to transition to a better way of life.
\n", "content_html": "
Oliver Milman reporting on a new housing development in Phoenix, Arizona that is devoid of cars :
\n\n\n\nBut it is here that such a neighborhood, called Culdesac, has taken root. On a 17-acre site that once contained a car body shop and some largely derelict buildings, an unusual experiment has emerged that invites Americans to live in a way that is rare outside of fleeting experiences of college, Disneyland or trips to Europe: a walkable, human-scale community devoid of cars.
\n\nCuldesac ushered in its first 36 residents earlier this year and will eventually house around 1,000 people when the full 760 units, arranged in two and three-story buildings, are completed by 2025. In an almost startling departure from the US norm, residents are provided no parking for cars and are encouraged to get rid of them. The apartments are also mixed in with amenities, such as a grocery store, restaurant, yoga studio and bicycle shop, that are usually separated from housing by strict city zoning laws.
The European concept of of “third place” (1st place: work, 2nd place: home, 3rd place: communal spaces) directly correlates with quality of life / happiness of people.
\n\nThe American obession with cars is killing us - relegating us to an isolated life of home/car/work. Thats surviving, in isolation. Glad to see that at least some attempts are being made to transition to a better way of life.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/12/realtime-3d-map-of-tokyos-transit-system/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/12/realtime-3d-map-of-tokyos-transit-system/", "title": "Realtime 3D map of Tokyo's transit system", "date_published": "2023-10-12T03:57:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-12T03:57:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"3d](\"/assets/images/3d-tokyo-train.jpg\")
A real-time 3D digital map of Tokyo’s public transport system by Akihiko Kusanagi that uses real-time data provided by Public Transportation Open Data Center API.
\n\nVisiting Tokyo recently from North America felt kind of like the fabled Gorbachev-sees-an-American-supermarket moment for me. Not only do the trains go everywhere, frequently, and reliably, but the condition of everything was astounding.\nThe cleanliness was a big part of it, but also just how non-abused everything was. I was there for a week and didn’t once see a tag carved into the seats or walls of a train car or smell urine on a platform. I don’t think I even saw a single piece of litter on a train. The respect with which people treat public property was genuinely eye-opening.
\n\nThe cleanliness of Tokyo is (at least) two factor: People are more clean in public (less graffiti, less littering, less spitting, less gum, less urine) and the maintenance spend for public infrastructure (roads, trains, etc.) is higher. That combination is the magic. Restaurants feel similar as well. Many are freakishly clean by any US/CAN/EU/AUS/NZ standards. Again, I would say the key is a combination of neat(er) customers and fastidious cleaning by the restaurant staff.
\n\nThats the transferable lesson that we could apply here where dingy and defaced public infrastructure is just accepted as “the way things are in a big city,” when it’s demonstrably not inevitable.
\n\nSpeaking of cleaning the Tokyo train system, here is a documentary on how Japanese trains are cleaned:
\n\n
\nI can’t believe this level of cleaning is ever done in the NYC subway system.
A real-time 3D digital map of Tokyo’s public transport system by Akihiko Kusanagi that uses real-time data provided by Public Transportation Open Data Center API.
\n\nVisiting Tokyo recently from North America felt kind of like the fabled Gorbachev-sees-an-American-supermarket moment for me. Not only do the trains go everywhere, frequently, and reliably, but the condition of everything was astounding.\nThe cleanliness was a big part of it, but also just how non-abused everything was. I was there for a week and didn’t once see a tag carved into the seats or walls of a train car or smell urine on a platform. I don’t think I even saw a single piece of litter on a train. The respect with which people treat public property was genuinely eye-opening.
\n\nThe cleanliness of Tokyo is (at least) two factor: People are more clean in public (less graffiti, less littering, less spitting, less gum, less urine) and the maintenance spend for public infrastructure (roads, trains, etc.) is higher. That combination is the magic. Restaurants feel similar as well. Many are freakishly clean by any US/CAN/EU/AUS/NZ standards. Again, I would say the key is a combination of neat(er) customers and fastidious cleaning by the restaurant staff.
\n\nThats the transferable lesson that we could apply here where dingy and defaced public infrastructure is just accepted as “the way things are in a big city,” when it’s demonstrably not inevitable.
\n\nSpeaking of cleaning the Tokyo train system, here is a documentary on how Japanese trains are cleaned:
\n\n
\nI can’t believe this level of cleaning is ever done in the NYC subway system.
![\"newstand\"](\"/assets/images/newstands-1.jpg\")
Photographer Trevor Trayner took photos of newstands from all over the world:
\n\n\n\nOn 7/17/12 I shot my 1st newsstand near 6th Ave & 46th St. Drawn in by the vibrant colors & organized product placement, this series began its journey providing an instant time stamp via magazine covers and headlines.
Started out in New York, and expanded to include newsstands in LA, Lima, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Marrakesh, London, Rome, Paris, and several other places around the world.
\n", "content_html": "
Photographer Trevor Trayner took photos of newstands from all over the world:
\n\n\n\nOn 7/17/12 I shot my 1st newsstand near 6th Ave & 46th St. Drawn in by the vibrant colors & organized product placement, this series began its journey providing an instant time stamp via magazine covers and headlines.
Started out in New York, and expanded to include newsstands in LA, Lima, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Marrakesh, London, Rome, Paris, and several other places around the world.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/12/forgotten-history-of-jaywalking/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/12/forgotten-history-of-jaywalking/", "title": "Forgotten history of 'jaywalking'", "date_published": "2023-10-12T20:13:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-12T20:13:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"jwalking\"](\"/assets/images/jwalking.jpg\")
A fascinating look by Joseph Stromberg for Vox at the history behind the term “jaywalking.”
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“In the early days of the automobile, it was drivers' job to avoid you, not your job to avoid them,” says Peter Norton, a historian at the University of Virginia and author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. “But under the new model, streets became a place for cars — and as a pedestrian, it’s your fault if you get hit.”
\n\nOne of the keys to this shift was the creation of the crime of jaywalking. Here’s a history of how that happened.
\n\n[..]
\n\nAuto campaigners lobbied police to publicly shame transgressors by whistling or shouting at them — and even carrying women back to the sidewalk — instead of quietly reprimanding or fining them. They staged safety campaigns in which actors dressed in 19th-century garb, or as clowns, were hired to cross the street illegally, signifying that the practice was outdated and foolish. In a 1924 New York safety campaign, a clown was marched in front of a slow-moving Model T and rammed repeatedly.
\n\nThis strategy also explains the name that was given to crossing illegally on foot: jaywalking. During this era, the word “jay” meant something like “rube” or “hick” — a person from the sticks, who didn’t know how to behave in a city. So pro-auto groups promoted use of the word “jay walker” as someone who didn’t know how to walk in a city, threatening public safety.
\n\nAt first, the term was seen as offensive, even shocking. Pedestrians fired back, calling dangerous driving “jay driving.”
\n\nBut jaywalking caught on (and eventually became one word). Safety organizations and police began using it formally, in safety announcements.
\n\nUltimately, both the word jaywalking and the concept that pedestrians shouldn’t walk freely on streets became so deeply entrenched that few people know this history. “The campaign was extremely successful,” Norton says. “It totally changed the message about what streets are for.”
A fascinating look by Joseph Stromberg for Vox at the history behind the term “jaywalking.”
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/13/the-vcr-wars/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/13/the-vcr-wars/", "title": "The VCR wars", "date_published": "2023-10-13T03:26:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-13T03:26:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“In the early days of the automobile, it was drivers' job to avoid you, not your job to avoid them,” says Peter Norton, a historian at the University of Virginia and author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. “But under the new model, streets became a place for cars — and as a pedestrian, it’s your fault if you get hit.”
\n\nOne of the keys to this shift was the creation of the crime of jaywalking. Here’s a history of how that happened.
\n\n[..]
\n\nAuto campaigners lobbied police to publicly shame transgressors by whistling or shouting at them — and even carrying women back to the sidewalk — instead of quietly reprimanding or fining them. They staged safety campaigns in which actors dressed in 19th-century garb, or as clowns, were hired to cross the street illegally, signifying that the practice was outdated and foolish. In a 1924 New York safety campaign, a clown was marched in front of a slow-moving Model T and rammed repeatedly.
\n\nThis strategy also explains the name that was given to crossing illegally on foot: jaywalking. During this era, the word “jay” meant something like “rube” or “hick” — a person from the sticks, who didn’t know how to behave in a city. So pro-auto groups promoted use of the word “jay walker” as someone who didn’t know how to walk in a city, threatening public safety.
\n\nAt first, the term was seen as offensive, even shocking. Pedestrians fired back, calling dangerous driving “jay driving.”
\n\nBut jaywalking caught on (and eventually became one word). Safety organizations and police began using it formally, in safety announcements.
\n\nUltimately, both the word jaywalking and the concept that pedestrians shouldn’t walk freely on streets became so deeply entrenched that few people know this history. “The campaign was extremely successful,” Norton says. “It totally changed the message about what streets are for.”
\nA fascinating look back at the history of the VCR and the great BetaMax/VHS war of the 80s. Loved the reference to Lord of the Rings 25:38:
\n", "content_html": "Matsushita was kind of like Gandalf at the Battle of Helms Deep bring with him a formidable manufacturing and distribution force.
\nA fascinating look back at the history of the VCR and the great BetaMax/VHS war of the 80s. Loved the reference to Lord of the Rings 25:38:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/13/no-more-influencers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/13/no-more-influencers/", "title": "No more influencers", "date_published": "2023-10-13T04:43:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-13T04:43:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Matsushita was kind of like Gandalf at the Battle of Helms Deep bring with him a formidable manufacturing and distribution force.
![\"dae\"](\"/assets/images/dae.jpeg\")
Clio Chang reporting in Curbed about Dae - about a new design shop and café that opened in Carroll Gardens this summer, an how they decided to ban influencers doing photo shoots:
\n\n\n\nHow bad did it get? “People were coming in and literally doing photo shoots — they would just get one drink and stay for two hours shooting,” says Carol Song, the shop’s co-owner. While she’s grateful that people like the space, she’s seen influencers bring in Nikon cameras, set up tripods, and take photos of employees for their reels. Some people didn’t even order anything but snapped pictures of food and drinks on nearby tables. “It’s a free-for-all — no one’s regulating the TikTokers,” Song says, laughing.
\n\nWhile some businesses have leaned into the publicity that influencers bring them, Dae is taking a different approach. From conception, Song says she didn’t want an influencer-branded space: “I didn’t want to be a place where people just come and go for the trend.”
I am so proud of the owners. The whole point of a coffee shop is to break away from the everyday and meet new people and have intersting conversations. Lets hope more coffee shops adopt a similar stance.
\n", "content_html": "
Clio Chang reporting in Curbed about Dae - about a new design shop and café that opened in Carroll Gardens this summer, an how they decided to ban influencers doing photo shoots:
\n\n\n\nHow bad did it get? “People were coming in and literally doing photo shoots — they would just get one drink and stay for two hours shooting,” says Carol Song, the shop’s co-owner. While she’s grateful that people like the space, she’s seen influencers bring in Nikon cameras, set up tripods, and take photos of employees for their reels. Some people didn’t even order anything but snapped pictures of food and drinks on nearby tables. “It’s a free-for-all — no one’s regulating the TikTokers,” Song says, laughing.
\n\nWhile some businesses have leaned into the publicity that influencers bring them, Dae is taking a different approach. From conception, Song says she didn’t want an influencer-branded space: “I didn’t want to be a place where people just come and go for the trend.”
I am so proud of the owners. The whole point of a coffee shop is to break away from the everyday and meet new people and have intersting conversations. Lets hope more coffee shops adopt a similar stance.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/14/official-trailer-for-all-mankind/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/14/official-trailer-for-all-mankind/", "title": "Official Trailer - For All Mankind", "date_published": "2023-10-14T09:04:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-14T09:04:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe official trailer for season four of For All Mankind has dropped. This season the gang will be colonizing Mars and mining asteroids. Can’t wait to watch this. First episode airs November 10th.
\nThe official trailer for season four of For All Mankind has dropped. This season the gang will be colonizing Mars and mining asteroids. Can’t wait to watch this. First episode airs November 10th.
\nIn his new book, ‘Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism’, Yanis Varoufakis explores how giant tech firms, both in the US and China are expanding their control over the planet. His analysis is that, whilst material resources certainly matter, the real battle ground is over digital real estate. Aaron Bastani sat down with Yanis to talk about how Europe’s power has faded, Elon Musk’s wet dreams and why the US is really afraid of China.
Here is a summary of the key points from the podcast transcription:
\n\nJanis Varoufakis argues that capitalism has been replaced by a new system he calls “techno-feudalism.” This is a result of the rise of “cloud capital” owned by big tech companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc.
He believes cloud capital has enabled a new form of economic rent extraction, allowing tech lords like Jeff Bezos to collect huge rents from digital platforms that increasingly replace market transactions. This parallels feudal lords extracting rents from their land.
The massive money printing by central banks after the 2008 crisis provided the funding for this rapid expansion of cloud capital, further entrenching the power of techno-feudal lords.
Varoufakis sees the rise of figures like Donald Trump as a backlash against this new techno-feudalism from “petit bourgeois” capitalists and workers left behind by deindustrialization.
However, Europe is now irrelevant compared to the techno-feudal spheres of influence in the US and China, as it has no cloud capital of its own.
The euro has locked countries like Italy and Greece into permanent austerity and decline. Leaving would be painful but may be necessary.
Covid provided an opportunity for more debt and money distribution to elites. Liberal individualism is dying as big tech shapes desires.
In summary, Varoufakis argues contemporary capitalism has been replaced by a neo-feudal system ruled by tech oligarchs extracting rents via cloud platforms.
\nIn his new book, ‘Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism’, Yanis Varoufakis explores how giant tech firms, both in the US and China are expanding their control over the planet. His analysis is that, whilst material resources certainly matter, the real battle ground is over digital real estate. Aaron Bastani sat down with Yanis to talk about how Europe’s power has faded, Elon Musk’s wet dreams and why the US is really afraid of China.
Here is a summary of the key points from the podcast transcription:
\n\nJanis Varoufakis argues that capitalism has been replaced by a new system he calls “techno-feudalism.” This is a result of the rise of “cloud capital” owned by big tech companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc.
He believes cloud capital has enabled a new form of economic rent extraction, allowing tech lords like Jeff Bezos to collect huge rents from digital platforms that increasingly replace market transactions. This parallels feudal lords extracting rents from their land.
The massive money printing by central banks after the 2008 crisis provided the funding for this rapid expansion of cloud capital, further entrenching the power of techno-feudal lords.
Varoufakis sees the rise of figures like Donald Trump as a backlash against this new techno-feudalism from “petit bourgeois” capitalists and workers left behind by deindustrialization.
However, Europe is now irrelevant compared to the techno-feudal spheres of influence in the US and China, as it has no cloud capital of its own.
The euro has locked countries like Italy and Greece into permanent austerity and decline. Leaving would be painful but may be necessary.
Covid provided an opportunity for more debt and money distribution to elites. Liberal individualism is dying as big tech shapes desires.
In summary, Varoufakis argues contemporary capitalism has been replaced by a neo-feudal system ruled by tech oligarchs extracting rents via cloud platforms.
\nPete Davidson hosted Saturday Night Live last night - a perfect cold opening with the horrifying and tragic events of this week.
\nPete Davidson hosted Saturday Night Live last night - a perfect cold opening with the horrifying and tragic events of this week.
![\"ozempic](\"/assets/images/ozempic.jpeg\")
Tressie McMillan Cottom’s opinion piece on Ozempic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Solving for obesity will require more than drugs. It will require solving for a culture that makes being fat a woman’s burden, a means test for dignity, work, social status, and moral citizenry.
Tressie McMillan Cottom’s opinion piece on Ozempic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/16/yes-he-did-that/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/16/yes-he-did-that/", "title": "Yes, He Did That", "date_published": "2023-10-16T12:03:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-16T12:03:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Solving for obesity will require more than drugs. It will require solving for a culture that makes being fat a woman’s burden, a means test for dignity, work, social status, and moral citizenry.
![\"Steve](\"/assets/images/steve-urkel.jpg\")
Ernie Smith writing on Tedium about Jaleel White and the 1990s cultural goal post that he created as Steve Urkel:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Jaleel White, as Steve Urkel, successfully did this. But unlike the actors listed above, White successfully pulled this off, with the comic timing of a pro, when he was just 12 years old.
\n\nNow, to be clear, kids can have amazing comic timing in their own right—Nickelodeon has numerous comic franchises over its four-decade history that prove it, most notably You Can’t Do That On Television and All That—but White’s creation, a famously annoying kid with a high-pitched voice and a distinctive appearance that you can see from a mile away, felt much more fully-formed than similar comedy creations inhabited by kids.
\n\nAnd that is perhaps why White became an indelible part of 1990s culture.
Ernie Smith writing on Tedium about Jaleel White and the 1990s cultural goal post that he created as Steve Urkel:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/16/a-japanese-neighborhood-izakaya/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/16/a-japanese-neighborhood-izakaya/", "title": "a Japanese Neighborhood Izakaya", "date_published": "2023-10-16T21:15:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-16T21:15:49-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jaleel White, as Steve Urkel, successfully did this. But unlike the actors listed above, White successfully pulled this off, with the comic timing of a pro, when he was just 12 years old.
\n\nNow, to be clear, kids can have amazing comic timing in their own right—Nickelodeon has numerous comic franchises over its four-decade history that prove it, most notably You Can’t Do That On Television and All That—but White’s creation, a famously annoying kid with a high-pitched voice and a distinctive appearance that you can see from a mile away, felt much more fully-formed than similar comedy creations inhabited by kids.
\n\nAnd that is perhaps why White became an indelible part of 1990s culture.
\nA 15-minute video about a tiny izakaya (13 seats!) in Tokyo owned and operated by a woman called “Mama” by her regulars.
\n\nWhen Mama is busy, regulars at this izakaya will serve themselves, get their own beers, get their “bottle-keep” and make their own drinks. They’ll also help out Mama-san by serving other customers as well. […] Bottle keep is when a customer buys a bottle and the shop holds on to it for them. Then the next time they visit they can drink from that bottle again.
This is what I miss most about Japan - the neighborhood culture.
\n", "content_html": "
\nA 15-minute video about a tiny izakaya (13 seats!) in Tokyo owned and operated by a woman called “Mama” by her regulars.
\n\nWhen Mama is busy, regulars at this izakaya will serve themselves, get their own beers, get their “bottle-keep” and make their own drinks. They’ll also help out Mama-san by serving other customers as well. […] Bottle keep is when a customer buys a bottle and the shop holds on to it for them. Then the next time they visit they can drink from that bottle again.
This is what I miss most about Japan - the neighborhood culture.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/17/black-success-white-backlash/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/17/black-success-white-backlash/", "title": "Black Success, White Backlash", "date_published": "2023-10-17T08:57:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-17T08:57:49-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"black](\"/assets/images/black-success-white-backlash.png\")
Elijah Anderson writing on white backlash in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nFor the past 16 years, I have been on the faculty of the sociology department at Yale, and in 2018 I was granted a Sterling Professorship, the highest academic rank the university bestows. I say this not to boast, but to illustrate that I have made my way from the bottom of American society to the top, from a sharecropper’s cabin to the pinnacle of the ivory tower. One might think that, as a decorated professor at an Ivy League university, I would have escaped the various indignities that being Black in traditionally white spaces exposes you to. And to be sure, I enjoy many of the privileges my white professional-class peers do.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut sometimes these signifiers of professional status and educated-class propriety are not enough. This can be true even in the most rarefied spaces. When I was hired at Yale, the chair of the sociology department invited me for dinner at the Yale Club of New York City. Clad in a blue blazer, I got to the club early and decided to go up to the fourth-floor library to read The New York Times. When the elevator arrived, a crush of people was waiting to get on it, so I entered and moved to the back to make room for others. Everyone except me was white.
\n\nAs the car filled up, I politely asked a man of about 35, standing by the controls, to push the button for the library floor. He looked at me and—emboldened, I have to imagine, by drinks in the bar downstairs—said, “You can read?” The car fell silent. After a few tense moments, another man, seeking to defuse the tension, blurted, “I’ve never met a Yalie who couldn’t read.” All eyes turned to me. The car reached the fourth floor. I stepped off, held the door open, and turned back to the people in the elevator. “I’m not a Yalie,” I said. “I’m a new Yale professor.” And I went into the library to read the paper.
Fewer Black Americans and minorities are poorer than 50 years ago, and more than twice as many are rich. Substantial numbers now attend the best schools, pursue professions of their choosing, and occupy positions of power and prestige. Add the democratic shifts to the mix and its easy to see how white America feels threatened.
\n", "content_html": "
Elijah Anderson writing on white backlash in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nFor the past 16 years, I have been on the faculty of the sociology department at Yale, and in 2018 I was granted a Sterling Professorship, the highest academic rank the university bestows. I say this not to boast, but to illustrate that I have made my way from the bottom of American society to the top, from a sharecropper’s cabin to the pinnacle of the ivory tower. One might think that, as a decorated professor at an Ivy League university, I would have escaped the various indignities that being Black in traditionally white spaces exposes you to. And to be sure, I enjoy many of the privileges my white professional-class peers do.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut sometimes these signifiers of professional status and educated-class propriety are not enough. This can be true even in the most rarefied spaces. When I was hired at Yale, the chair of the sociology department invited me for dinner at the Yale Club of New York City. Clad in a blue blazer, I got to the club early and decided to go up to the fourth-floor library to read The New York Times. When the elevator arrived, a crush of people was waiting to get on it, so I entered and moved to the back to make room for others. Everyone except me was white.
\n\nAs the car filled up, I politely asked a man of about 35, standing by the controls, to push the button for the library floor. He looked at me and—emboldened, I have to imagine, by drinks in the bar downstairs—said, “You can read?” The car fell silent. After a few tense moments, another man, seeking to defuse the tension, blurted, “I’ve never met a Yalie who couldn’t read.” All eyes turned to me. The car reached the fourth floor. I stepped off, held the door open, and turned back to the people in the elevator. “I’m not a Yalie,” I said. “I’m a new Yale professor.” And I went into the library to read the paper.
Fewer Black Americans and minorities are poorer than 50 years ago, and more than twice as many are rich. Substantial numbers now attend the best schools, pursue professions of their choosing, and occupy positions of power and prestige. Add the democratic shifts to the mix and its easy to see how white America feels threatened.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/17/trump-i-am-willing-to-go-to-jail/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/17/trump-i-am-willing-to-go-to-jail/", "title": "I am willing to go to jail", "date_published": "2023-10-17T15:04:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-17T15:04:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n… but what they don’t understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.
Okay. What are we waiting for?
\n\nLOCK HIM UP!
\nLOCK HIM UP!
\nLOCK HIM UP!
\n\n… but what they don’t understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again.
Okay. What are we waiting for?
\n\nLOCK HIM UP!
\nLOCK HIM UP!
\nLOCK HIM UP!
![\"The](\"/assets/images/circular-u-map.jpg\")
Illustrator Pablo Carlos Budassi, this is a circular map of the universe.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The solar system is located in the center. Towards the edges, the scale is progressively reduced to show in detail the most distant and biggest structures of the observable universe sphere.
Illustrator Pablo Carlos Budassi, this is a circular map of the universe.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/18/ikea-scaffolding/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/18/ikea-scaffolding/", "title": "Ikea Scaffolding", "date_published": "2023-10-18T17:52:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-18T17:52:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The solar system is located in the center. Towards the edges, the scale is progressively reduced to show in detail the most distant and biggest structures of the observable universe sphere.
![\"ikea](\"/assets/images/ikea-scaffolding.jpg\")
Ben Terrett on the new Ikea store in London:
\n\n\n\nThe old Top Shop on Oxford St will soon be an Ikea. While they are carrying out the refurbishments they’ve made the front of the building look like a massive Ikea blue bag. I love this.
\n\nIt’s a simple idea, maybe the most obvious idea, and all the better for that. Nothing else needed.
This is brilliant.
\n", "content_html": "
Ben Terrett on the new Ikea store in London:
\n\n\n\nThe old Top Shop on Oxford St will soon be an Ikea. While they are carrying out the refurbishments they’ve made the front of the building look like a massive Ikea blue bag. I love this.
\n\nIt’s a simple idea, maybe the most obvious idea, and all the better for that. Nothing else needed.
This is brilliant.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/19/dieter-rams-palette/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/19/dieter-rams-palette/", "title": "Dieter Rams Palette.", "date_published": "2023-10-19T07:49:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-19T07:49:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Colours taken from Dieter Rams legendary product collection for Braun.
\n\nMust. Push. Button.
\n\n![\"DR](\"/assets/images/dr01.jpg\")
![\"DR](\"/assets/images/dr03.jpg\")
![\"DR](\"/assets/images/dr05.jpg\")
![\"DR](\"/assets/images/dr06.jpg\")
Colours taken from Dieter Rams legendary product collection for Braun.
\n\nMust. Push. Button.
\n\n
![\"\"](\"/assets/images/us-health-care.jpg\")
Tami Luhby reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe annual cost of family health insurance coverage at work soared to an average of nearly $24,000 this year, according to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey, released Wednesday. That’s up 7% from last year.
\n\nEmployees are shelling out an average of $6,575 for their share of the premium, up almost $500, or close to 8%, from last year, the annual survey found. Their companies are footing the rest of the bill.
The American health care system is obscene. Why on earth is health care tied to work? These increases that are paid by the employers are a tax credit for employers anyways, so lets just cut out the middle man here.
\n\nWe need to get to single payer universal health care.
\n", "content_html": "
Tami Luhby reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe annual cost of family health insurance coverage at work soared to an average of nearly $24,000 this year, according to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey, released Wednesday. That’s up 7% from last year.
\n\nEmployees are shelling out an average of $6,575 for their share of the premium, up almost $500, or close to 8%, from last year, the annual survey found. Their companies are footing the rest of the bill.
The American health care system is obscene. Why on earth is health care tied to work? These increases that are paid by the employers are a tax credit for employers anyways, so lets just cut out the middle man here.
\n\nWe need to get to single payer universal health care.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/21/bill-maher-dont-go-to-college/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/21/bill-maher-dont-go-to-college/", "title": "Bill Maher - Don't go to college", "date_published": "2023-10-21T02:35:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-21T02:35:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nIt’s colleges. Elite colleges. The mouth of the River from which this and all manner of radical left illiberal, yes illiberal, nonsense flows.
\n\n[…]
\n\nElite schools should no longer be called elite - just say expensive. Which maybe why they breed a particular brand of detestable graduate. A personality type that does not emerge from Chico State.
Couldn’t agree more with Maher. Expensive colleges today are a four year resort - where you learn to think like the crowd and con the masses.
\n\nIf you aren’t majoring in the hard sciences, engineering, or medicine - do yourself a favor. Don’t go to these four year colleges - get a library card and join the “real world.” You’ll avoid the crippling debt and learn a lot more - and you’ll be a nicer person.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nIt’s colleges. Elite colleges. The mouth of the River from which this and all manner of radical left illiberal, yes illiberal, nonsense flows.
\n\n[…]
\n\nElite schools should no longer be called elite - just say expensive. Which maybe why they breed a particular brand of detestable graduate. A personality type that does not emerge from Chico State.
Couldn’t agree more with Maher. Expensive colleges today are a four year resort - where you learn to think like the crowd and con the masses.
\n\nIf you aren’t majoring in the hard sciences, engineering, or medicine - do yourself a favor. Don’t go to these four year colleges - get a library card and join the “real world.” You’ll avoid the crippling debt and learn a lot more - and you’ll be a nicer person.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/22/profits-in-the-american-health-care-system/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/22/profits-in-the-american-health-care-system/", "title": "Profits in the American health-care system", "date_published": "2023-10-22T13:09:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-22T13:09:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"middle](\"/assets/images/health-mid.jpg\")
The Economist identifying the true profiteers in the obscene American health care system:
\n\n\n\nPharmaceutical firms and hospitals attract much of the public ire for the inflated costs. Much less attention is paid to a small number of middlemen who extract far bigger rents from the system’s complexity.
\n\nOver the past decade these firms have quietly increased their presence in America’s vast health-care industry (see chart ). They do not make drugs and have not, until recently, treated patients. They are the intermediaries—insurers, chemists, drug distributors and pharmacy-benefit managers (pbms)—sitting between patients and their treatments. In 2022 the combined revenue of the nine biggest middlemen—call them big health—equated to nearly 45% of America’s health-care bill, up from 25% in 2013. Big health accounts for eight of the top 25 companies by revenue in the s&p 500 index of America’s leading stocks, compared with four for big tech and none for big pharma.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe Affordable Care Act of 2010 limited the profits of health insurers to between 15% and 20% of collected premiums, depending on the size of the health plan. But it imposed no restrictions on what physicians or other intermediaries can earn. The law created an incentive for insurers to buy clinics, pharmacies and the like, and to steer customers to them rather than rival providers. The strategy channels revenue from the profit-capped insurance business to uncapped subsidiaries, which in theory could let insurers keep more of the premiums paid by patients.
The only cure is to remove the bloat and go to a single payer system.
\n", "content_html": "
The Economist identifying the true profiteers in the obscene American health care system:
\n\n\n\nPharmaceutical firms and hospitals attract much of the public ire for the inflated costs. Much less attention is paid to a small number of middlemen who extract far bigger rents from the system’s complexity.
\n\nOver the past decade these firms have quietly increased their presence in America’s vast health-care industry (see chart ). They do not make drugs and have not, until recently, treated patients. They are the intermediaries—insurers, chemists, drug distributors and pharmacy-benefit managers (pbms)—sitting between patients and their treatments. In 2022 the combined revenue of the nine biggest middlemen—call them big health—equated to nearly 45% of America’s health-care bill, up from 25% in 2013. Big health accounts for eight of the top 25 companies by revenue in the s&p 500 index of America’s leading stocks, compared with four for big tech and none for big pharma.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe Affordable Care Act of 2010 limited the profits of health insurers to between 15% and 20% of collected premiums, depending on the size of the health plan. But it imposed no restrictions on what physicians or other intermediaries can earn. The law created an incentive for insurers to buy clinics, pharmacies and the like, and to steer customers to them rather than rival providers. The strategy channels revenue from the profit-capped insurance business to uncapped subsidiaries, which in theory could let insurers keep more of the premiums paid by patients.
The only cure is to remove the bloat and go to a single payer system.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/31/apple-cpu-architectures/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/10/31/apple-cpu-architectures/", "title": "Apple CPU Architectures", "date_published": "2023-10-31T13:01:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-31T13:01:14-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"M1](\"/assets/images/m1.png\")
One of the most underated technical capabilities of Apple is its ability to transition its user base entirely new architectures seamlessly. Over the years, Apple has transitioned from - in order:
\n\nThis chameleon like capability has allowed Apple to stay on the leading edge of the computer industry for nearly half a century. Thats right, Apple has been on the bleeding edge of computing for an astonishing 48 years. In that time we have seen the rise and fall of Commodore, Atari, Sun, IBM just to name a few. Each advance in CPU architecture has been a death nail to countless industry giants.
\n\nApple remains, and thrives through each of these transitions. Apple is now building its own CPU architecture - Apple Silicon - and will be taking its future in its own hands. So far, they are winning the new CPU wars.
\n\nJacob Bartlett has written an excellent article on the Apple CPU architecture migration through the ages.
\n", "content_html": "
One of the most underated technical capabilities of Apple is its ability to transition its user base entirely new architectures seamlessly. Over the years, Apple has transitioned from - in order:
\n\nThis chameleon like capability has allowed Apple to stay on the leading edge of the computer industry for nearly half a century. Thats right, Apple has been on the bleeding edge of computing for an astonishing 48 years. In that time we have seen the rise and fall of Commodore, Atari, Sun, IBM just to name a few. Each advance in CPU architecture has been a death nail to countless industry giants.
\n\nApple remains, and thrives through each of these transitions. Apple is now building its own CPU architecture - Apple Silicon - and will be taking its future in its own hands. So far, they are winning the new CPU wars.
\n\nJacob Bartlett has written an excellent article on the Apple CPU architecture migration through the ages.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/02/countries-with-drinkable-water/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/02/countries-with-drinkable-water/", "title": "Its safe to drink the water - maybe", "date_published": "2023-11-02T21:37:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-02T21:37:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"raindrop](\"/assets/images/raindrop-water.jpg\")
50 countries that you can drink the tap water in - maybe:
\n\n\n\nThe graph uses data from Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which rates water quality based on the number of disability-adjusted life-years lost per 100,000 persons — the so-called DALY rate — due to unsafe drinking water. On the graph, countries with an EPI score of 100 have the cleanest water and are in the top 5th percentile. However, the lower the number, the worse the DALY rate due to dirty tap water.
\n\nThe closer to the center of the droplet, the cleaner your tap water, and vice versa.
\n\nTen countries at the center of the droplet have a perfect score. All are from Europe. In other parts of the continent, the EPI score drops off precipitously. Saudi Arabia, which is colored blue on the map based on CDC data, does not do so well on this map (score: 51). The bottom 24 countries on the list are all in Africa. If you’re thirsty in Liberia (9.5), Lesotho (7.2), or Nigeria (4.3), don’t use the tap. Go buy a bottle of something. It’s what Americans are doing, despite being in the blue club.
As usual - the United States ranks lower than its peers. Unsurprisingly the happiest Nordic countries (Norway, Finaland, Sweden, Iceland) all have 100% scores. Actually, I think the US is ranked generously given the recent issues with the tap water in Flint, Michigan and as the AP is reporting half of the US faucets likely contains “forever chemicals”.
\n\nThe solution is to monitor your local public utilities dinking water reports and see how your locality is on clean tap water standards. Please do not buy water bottles. They cause unbelievable amount of damage to our environment. Besides, bottled water can be up to 3,750 times more expensive than tap water. You can purify your own drinking water using a purifying pitcher or better yet have an under sink purification system installed. I use the Aquasana 3-Stage Max Flow Claryum Under Sink Water Filter System myself and highly recommend it.
\n", "content_html": "
50 countries that you can drink the tap water in - maybe:
\n\n\n\nThe graph uses data from Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which rates water quality based on the number of disability-adjusted life-years lost per 100,000 persons — the so-called DALY rate — due to unsafe drinking water. On the graph, countries with an EPI score of 100 have the cleanest water and are in the top 5th percentile. However, the lower the number, the worse the DALY rate due to dirty tap water.
\n\nThe closer to the center of the droplet, the cleaner your tap water, and vice versa.
\n\nTen countries at the center of the droplet have a perfect score. All are from Europe. In other parts of the continent, the EPI score drops off precipitously. Saudi Arabia, which is colored blue on the map based on CDC data, does not do so well on this map (score: 51). The bottom 24 countries on the list are all in Africa. If you’re thirsty in Liberia (9.5), Lesotho (7.2), or Nigeria (4.3), don’t use the tap. Go buy a bottle of something. It’s what Americans are doing, despite being in the blue club.
As usual - the United States ranks lower than its peers. Unsurprisingly the happiest Nordic countries (Norway, Finaland, Sweden, Iceland) all have 100% scores. Actually, I think the US is ranked generously given the recent issues with the tap water in Flint, Michigan and as the AP is reporting half of the US faucets likely contains “forever chemicals”.
\n\nThe solution is to monitor your local public utilities dinking water reports and see how your locality is on clean tap water standards. Please do not buy water bottles. They cause unbelievable amount of damage to our environment. Besides, bottled water can be up to 3,750 times more expensive than tap water. You can purify your own drinking water using a purifying pitcher or better yet have an under sink purification system installed. I use the Aquasana 3-Stage Max Flow Claryum Under Sink Water Filter System myself and highly recommend it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/the-truth-about-mckinsey-and-company/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/the-truth-about-mckinsey-and-company/", "title": "We're McKinsey.", "date_published": "2023-11-03T00:31:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-03T00:31:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nWe’re capable of anything, and culpable for nothing. It’s true. They can’t touch us.
Ridiculously comical. Completely accurate.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nWe’re capable of anything, and culpable for nothing. It’s true. They can’t touch us.
Ridiculously comical. Completely accurate.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/the-youth-give-me-hope/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/the-youth-give-me-hope/", "title": "The youth give me hope", "date_published": "2023-11-03T02:48:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-03T02:48:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThis is young man asks a an intelliget question far beyond his age - whats even more surprising is his response to Dr. Tyson’s answer:
\n\nThank you and I’m going to have to research half the words of that explanation.
The youth of today give me hope….
\n", "content_html": "
\nThis is young man asks a an intelliget question far beyond his age - whats even more surprising is his response to Dr. Tyson’s answer:
\n\nThank you and I’m going to have to research half the words of that explanation.
The youth of today give me hope….
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/evs-are-getting-harder-to-sell/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/evs-are-getting-harder-to-sell/", "title": "EVs are getting harder to sell", "date_published": "2023-11-03T03:15:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-03T03:15:40-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"ev](\"/assets/images/ev-vs-hybrid.jpg\")
Alexa St. John and Nora Naughton reporting in the Insider:
\n\n\n\n… almost all current EV product is going for under sticker price these days, and on top of that, some EVs are seeing manufacturer’s incentives of nearly 10%.
\n\nThat’s as inventory builds up at dealerships, much to the chagrin of dealers. While car buyers are in luck if they’re looking for a deal on a plug-in vehicle, executives are finding even significant markdowns and discounts aren’t enough. These cars are taking dealers longer to sell compared with their gas counterparts as the next wave of buyers focus on cost, infrastructure challenges, and lifestyle barriers to adopting.
\n\nJust a few months after dealers started coming forward to warn of slowing EV demand, manufacturers appear to be catching up to that reality. Ford was the first to fold, after dealers started turning away Mach-E allocations. In July, the company extended its self-imposed deadline to hit annual electric vehicle production of 600,000 by a year, and abandoned a 2026 target to build 2 million EVs.
\n\nIn scrapping plans with GM to co-develop sub-$30,000 EVs, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the shifting EV environment was difficult to gauge.
The average price of electric cars (sedans, small hatchbacks, sport models, etc.) in the US is close to $76,000. Electric vehicle (EV) driving range and electric car mileage per charge varies, but typically drivers can expect an average of 250 miles in a single charge. Keep in mind there are factors that can affect an EV’s range, including weather, battery size, and more. Compare this to a mid size hybrid selling between $25,000 and $35,000 with 600 mile range.
\n\nEVs as they are currently marketed are luxury items. Sure they are fuel efficient and have low maintenance compared to combustion engines but they are expensive. Those with the disposal income to afford EVs have for the most part bought them. For the rest of the market the EVs just don’t justify the price tags.
\n\nThe problem is not with EVs as a technology. The real problem is the auto makers have not built cars that the average consumer can purchase. That means $25,000 to $35,000 price point.
\n", "content_html": "
Alexa St. John and Nora Naughton reporting in the Insider:
\n\n\n\n… almost all current EV product is going for under sticker price these days, and on top of that, some EVs are seeing manufacturer’s incentives of nearly 10%.
\n\nThat’s as inventory builds up at dealerships, much to the chagrin of dealers. While car buyers are in luck if they’re looking for a deal on a plug-in vehicle, executives are finding even significant markdowns and discounts aren’t enough. These cars are taking dealers longer to sell compared with their gas counterparts as the next wave of buyers focus on cost, infrastructure challenges, and lifestyle barriers to adopting.
\n\nJust a few months after dealers started coming forward to warn of slowing EV demand, manufacturers appear to be catching up to that reality. Ford was the first to fold, after dealers started turning away Mach-E allocations. In July, the company extended its self-imposed deadline to hit annual electric vehicle production of 600,000 by a year, and abandoned a 2026 target to build 2 million EVs.
\n\nIn scrapping plans with GM to co-develop sub-$30,000 EVs, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the shifting EV environment was difficult to gauge.
The average price of electric cars (sedans, small hatchbacks, sport models, etc.) in the US is close to $76,000. Electric vehicle (EV) driving range and electric car mileage per charge varies, but typically drivers can expect an average of 250 miles in a single charge. Keep in mind there are factors that can affect an EV’s range, including weather, battery size, and more. Compare this to a mid size hybrid selling between $25,000 and $35,000 with 600 mile range.
\n\nEVs as they are currently marketed are luxury items. Sure they are fuel efficient and have low maintenance compared to combustion engines but they are expensive. Those with the disposal income to afford EVs have for the most part bought them. For the rest of the market the EVs just don’t justify the price tags.
\n\nThe problem is not with EVs as a technology. The real problem is the auto makers have not built cars that the average consumer can purchase. That means $25,000 to $35,000 price point.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/im-much-happier-living-in-copenhagen/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/03/im-much-happier-living-in-copenhagen/", "title": "I'm much happier living in Copenhagen", "date_published": "2023-11-03T08:46:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-03T08:46:27-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nIlana Buhl, 30, is an American living in a luxury, 2-bedroom apartment in Copenhagen, Denmark with her husband and son. The couple pays $2,100 a month in rent. Ilana is a primary school teacher and shares snippets of her life abroad on social media.
It’s amazing when you minimized stress over healthcare, gun violence, employment, and have access to public transit. Everyone of those things is non existant for most people in the US. Just the amount of anxiety and stress leads to so many mental and physical health problems in the US.
\n\nThe US is rapidly falling behind on every aspect of quality of life.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nIlana Buhl, 30, is an American living in a luxury, 2-bedroom apartment in Copenhagen, Denmark with her husband and son. The couple pays $2,100 a month in rent. Ilana is a primary school teacher and shares snippets of her life abroad on social media.
It’s amazing when you minimized stress over healthcare, gun violence, employment, and have access to public transit. Everyone of those things is non existant for most people in the US. Just the amount of anxiety and stress leads to so many mental and physical health problems in the US.
\n\nThe US is rapidly falling behind on every aspect of quality of life.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/04/finished-software/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/04/finished-software/", "title": "Finished Software", "date_published": "2023-11-04T18:24:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-04T18:24:51-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jose M. Gilgado writing on the beauty of finished software:
\n\n\n\nOur expectations for software are different from other products we use in our daily lives.
\n\nWhen we buy a physical product, we accept that it won’t change in its lifetime. We’ll use it until it wears off, and we replace it. We can rely on that product not evolving; the gas pedal in my car will always be in the same place.
\n\nHowever, when it comes to software, we usually have the ingrained expectations of perpetual updates. We believe that if software doesn’t evolve it’ll be boring, old and unusable. If we see an app with no updates in the last year, we think the creator might be dead.
This one of software’s advantages and also its curse. Good software will evolve at the pace the users demand - the important thing is that the interface stays consistent and honest to the use case.
\n", "content_html": "Jose M. Gilgado writing on the beauty of finished software:
\n\n\n\nOur expectations for software are different from other products we use in our daily lives.
\n\nWhen we buy a physical product, we accept that it won’t change in its lifetime. We’ll use it until it wears off, and we replace it. We can rely on that product not evolving; the gas pedal in my car will always be in the same place.
\n\nHowever, when it comes to software, we usually have the ingrained expectations of perpetual updates. We believe that if software doesn’t evolve it’ll be boring, old and unusable. If we see an app with no updates in the last year, we think the creator might be dead.
This one of software’s advantages and also its curse. Good software will evolve at the pace the users demand - the important thing is that the interface stays consistent and honest to the use case.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/04/vaccine-confidence-falls/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/04/vaccine-confidence-falls/", "title": "Vaccine Confidence Falls ", "date_published": "2023-11-04T18:34:02-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-04T18:34:02-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "From the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania:
\n\n\n\nAmericans have less confidence in vaccines to address a variety of illnesses than they did just a year or two ago, and more people accept misinformation about vaccines and Covid-19, according to the latest health survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.
\n\nThe survey conducted October 5-12, 2023, with a panel of over 1,500 U.S. adults, finds that the number of Americans who think vaccines approved for use in the United States are safe dropped to 71% from 77% in April 2021. The percentage of adults who don’t think vaccines approved in the U.S. are safe grew to 16% from 9% over that same two-and-a-half-year period.
\n\nDespite concerted efforts by news organizations, public health officials, scientists, and fact-checkers (including APPC’s project FactCheck.org) to counter viral misinformation about vaccination and Covid-19, the survey finds that some false or unproven claims about them are more widely accepted today than two to three years ago. Although the proportion of the American public that holds these beliefs is, in some cases, still relatively small, the survey finds growth in misinformation acceptance across many questions touching on vaccination.
American refusal of science and their refusal to follow common sense will bring about another COVID-19 emergency if thing keep going in this direction.
\n", "content_html": "From the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania:
\n\n\n\nAmericans have less confidence in vaccines to address a variety of illnesses than they did just a year or two ago, and more people accept misinformation about vaccines and Covid-19, according to the latest health survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.
\n\nThe survey conducted October 5-12, 2023, with a panel of over 1,500 U.S. adults, finds that the number of Americans who think vaccines approved for use in the United States are safe dropped to 71% from 77% in April 2021. The percentage of adults who don’t think vaccines approved in the U.S. are safe grew to 16% from 9% over that same two-and-a-half-year period.
\n\nDespite concerted efforts by news organizations, public health officials, scientists, and fact-checkers (including APPC’s project FactCheck.org) to counter viral misinformation about vaccination and Covid-19, the survey finds that some false or unproven claims about them are more widely accepted today than two to three years ago. Although the proportion of the American public that holds these beliefs is, in some cases, still relatively small, the survey finds growth in misinformation acceptance across many questions touching on vaccination.
American refusal of science and their refusal to follow common sense will bring about another COVID-19 emergency if thing keep going in this direction.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/05/zoning-policies-leading-to-us-housing-crisis/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/05/zoning-policies-leading-to-us-housing-crisis/", "title": "Zoning policies leading to US Housing Crisis", "date_published": "2023-11-05T12:32:32-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-05T12:32:32-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nFrom the start some notable differences ultimately lead to German neighborhoods to be a lot more walkable livable and lively. American neighborhoods to be nearly completely dependent on cars…
An interesting take on a major cause of the current US housing affordability crisis.
\n\nAs an American travelling to Europe, you notice this immediately. Every neighborhood just seems to be more integrated and self suficient. And you can get to just about anywhere by walking or bicycling. More importantly its is safe to walk and bicycle in European cities.
\n\nIn the US, zoning rules segregate people by economic capability. Just drive around any suburb in the US and this becomes obvious.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nFrom the start some notable differences ultimately lead to German neighborhoods to be a lot more walkable livable and lively. American neighborhoods to be nearly completely dependent on cars…
An interesting take on a major cause of the current US housing affordability crisis.
\n\nAs an American travelling to Europe, you notice this immediately. Every neighborhood just seems to be more integrated and self suficient. And you can get to just about anywhere by walking or bicycling. More importantly its is safe to walk and bicycle in European cities.
\n\nIn the US, zoning rules segregate people by economic capability. Just drive around any suburb in the US and this becomes obvious.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/08/poverty-in-the-worlds-richest-country/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/08/poverty-in-the-worlds-richest-country/", "title": "GM CEO defends her $30 million compensation", "date_published": "2023-11-08T04:37:57-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-08T04:37:57-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe corporate class is so emboldened they aren’t even hiding it. General Motors CEO Mary Barra is the highest-paid of the Big Three CEOs, making about $29 million a year. She has received a 34% increase over the last four years. The United Auto Workers union is demanding a 40% hourly salary increase over four years. So far, hey have only been offered a 20% increase. At the very least, the auto worker should get a 34% increase over the next four years, just like the CEO received over the last four years. In a CNN interview, Barra defended her high earnings:
CNN’s Venessa Yurkevich:
\n\n\n\nThey are asking for that in part because they say CEOs like yourself, leading the Big Three are making those kind of pay increases over the course of the last four years. You’ve seen a 34% pay increase in your salary. You make almost $30 million dollars. Why should your workers not get the same type of increases that you are getting leading the company?
Marry Barra:
\n\n\n\nWell if you look at compensation, my compensation 92% of it is based on the performance of the company.
So what she is saying is:
\n\nMy compensation depends on how hard our employees work. I deserve it.
\n\nWe need stronger unions leading to real wage increases and prosperity in the labor market.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe corporate class is so emboldened they aren’t even hiding it. General Motors CEO Mary Barra is the highest-paid of the Big Three CEOs, making about $29 million a year. She has received a 34% increase over the last four years. The United Auto Workers union is demanding a 40% hourly salary increase over four years. So far, hey have only been offered a 20% increase. At the very least, the auto worker should get a 34% increase over the next four years, just like the CEO received over the last four years. In a CNN interview, Barra defended her high earnings:
CNN’s Venessa Yurkevich:
\n\n\n\nThey are asking for that in part because they say CEOs like yourself, leading the Big Three are making those kind of pay increases over the course of the last four years. You’ve seen a 34% pay increase in your salary. You make almost $30 million dollars. Why should your workers not get the same type of increases that you are getting leading the company?
Marry Barra:
\n\n\n\nWell if you look at compensation, my compensation 92% of it is based on the performance of the company.
So what she is saying is:
\n\nMy compensation depends on how hard our employees work. I deserve it.
\n\nWe need stronger unions leading to real wage increases and prosperity in the labor market.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/11/masters-of-the-air/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/11/masters-of-the-air/", "title": "Masters of the Air", "date_published": "2023-11-11T09:48:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-11T09:48:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nTom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have previously produced Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Now comes the trailer for a third series about WWII: Masters of the Air. On Apple TV+ in January.
\nTom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have previously produced Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Now comes the trailer for a third series about WWII: Masters of the Air. On Apple TV+ in January.
According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), there were 3.7 million homeschooled students in the USA during the 2020/2021 school year. The institute’s data also shows that from late March to early May of 2022, 5.22% of all school-age children were homeschooled.
\n\nAn entire industry has sprung up around servicing those who are homeschooling their children. Heather Stark writes about this industry as an insider:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Before the pandemic, we partnered with schools to deliver our curriculum. When the shutdown occurred, we lost those partnerships, but we found the homeschool crowd. This community accepted us wholeheartedly.
\n\nFor the past three years, we’ve traveled to more than 20 homeschool conferences. Our company has a lot of supportive and excited customers. We even get return customers whom we love reconnecting with at these events.
\n\nHowever, there is a faction that prickles at our presence. B and I try to brush it off, but even the smallest splinter, when not addressed, can cause an infection.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWe’re in Florida. I walk down an aisle and notice a red glare, a tinge that no other aisle has. It takes me a moment, and then it hits me: This whole aisle is political organizations. None of it has to do with education — just politics — and every booth has some red in it.
\n\nI pass some signs that read “Ron DeSantis World.” B says it looks like they’re mimicking the Disney font. Several booths are conducting podcast interviews. I look up the podcasts on my phone and see that each one spreads conspiracy theories.
\n\nI pass another booth where a man and a woman are talking about gun rights… at a homeschool conference. Then I pass a Moms for Liberty booth. My stomach drops.
According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), there were 3.7 million homeschooled students in the USA during the 2020/2021 school year. The institute’s data also shows that from late March to early May of 2022, 5.22% of all school-age children were homeschooled.
\n\nAn entire industry has sprung up around servicing those who are homeschooling their children. Heather Stark writes about this industry as an insider:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/13/brexit-3-years-on/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/13/brexit-3-years-on/", "title": "Brexit - 3 years on", "date_published": "2023-11-13T02:43:38-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-13T02:43:38-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Before the pandemic, we partnered with schools to deliver our curriculum. When the shutdown occurred, we lost those partnerships, but we found the homeschool crowd. This community accepted us wholeheartedly.
\n\nFor the past three years, we’ve traveled to more than 20 homeschool conferences. Our company has a lot of supportive and excited customers. We even get return customers whom we love reconnecting with at these events.
\n\nHowever, there is a faction that prickles at our presence. B and I try to brush it off, but even the smallest splinter, when not addressed, can cause an infection.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWe’re in Florida. I walk down an aisle and notice a red glare, a tinge that no other aisle has. It takes me a moment, and then it hits me: This whole aisle is political organizations. None of it has to do with education — just politics — and every booth has some red in it.
\n\nI pass some signs that read “Ron DeSantis World.” B says it looks like they’re mimicking the Disney font. Several booths are conducting podcast interviews. I look up the podcasts on my phone and see that each one spreads conspiracy theories.
\n\nI pass another booth where a man and a woman are talking about gun rights… at a homeschool conference. Then I pass a Moms for Liberty booth. My stomach drops.
\nThree years into Brexit - many of the voters are now realizing how they were duped.
\n\nMy plans for me and my wife, was not to retire, but spend winters in Spain. It’s changed because I can still spend the winter in Spain, but its the amount of money I’m made to spend to have that. That luxury. Before I didn’t have to think about that luxury. It was already made for me.
\n\nUnfortunately the bubble has burst. There is so many people selling up in Spain, pensioners who just can’t afford to live there. Because the insurance alone, got me to travel 90 days and back, 90 days and back, with my health 2,300 [pounds] for insurance. On top of the 6,000 pounds for rent.
When asked - would you vote for Brexit again?
\n\n\n\nI wouldn’t even consider voting to come out with Brexit. I would not consider doing it. The simple reason is we was promised. Lets get it right - It was all about stopping people from coming into England. Forget the trimmings around the edges, it was just stopping people. Our Prime Ministers and others telling us all these pretty things, which like a fool, we fell for it. It’s as simple as that.
And here is an other pensioner on the situation:
\n\n\n\nI don' think Spanish will turn English away. Because they are a big part of the economy here.
What did you think would happen? We are in an interdependent world now. The EU members understand that and are willing to work together to bring about better outcomes for their citizens.
\n\nMore importantly - why would the Spanish pay for services that do not benefit them? You can’t join a club and then not pay the dues because ‘they are so important’ and still be expected to remain a member.
\n\nThe amount of ignorance, arrogance and lack of self awareness is mind numbing. Maybe the MAGA Trumpers here in the US should look at Brexit and learn a valuable lesson.
\n\nBut then again – MAGA takes ignorance, arrogance and lack of self awareness to an all new level.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThree years into Brexit - many of the voters are now realizing how they were duped.
\n\nMy plans for me and my wife, was not to retire, but spend winters in Spain. It’s changed because I can still spend the winter in Spain, but its the amount of money I’m made to spend to have that. That luxury. Before I didn’t have to think about that luxury. It was already made for me.
\n\nUnfortunately the bubble has burst. There is so many people selling up in Spain, pensioners who just can’t afford to live there. Because the insurance alone, got me to travel 90 days and back, 90 days and back, with my health 2,300 [pounds] for insurance. On top of the 6,000 pounds for rent.
When asked - would you vote for Brexit again?
\n\n\n\nI wouldn’t even consider voting to come out with Brexit. I would not consider doing it. The simple reason is we was promised. Lets get it right - It was all about stopping people from coming into England. Forget the trimmings around the edges, it was just stopping people. Our Prime Ministers and others telling us all these pretty things, which like a fool, we fell for it. It’s as simple as that.
And here is an other pensioner on the situation:
\n\n\n\nI don' think Spanish will turn English away. Because they are a big part of the economy here.
What did you think would happen? We are in an interdependent world now. The EU members understand that and are willing to work together to bring about better outcomes for their citizens.
\n\nMore importantly - why would the Spanish pay for services that do not benefit them? You can’t join a club and then not pay the dues because ‘they are so important’ and still be expected to remain a member.
\n\nThe amount of ignorance, arrogance and lack of self awareness is mind numbing. Maybe the MAGA Trumpers here in the US should look at Brexit and learn a valuable lesson.
\n\nBut then again – MAGA takes ignorance, arrogance and lack of self awareness to an all new level.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/14/the-abyss-remaster-in-4k/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/14/the-abyss-remaster-in-4k/", "title": "The Abyss - remaster in 4K", "date_published": "2023-11-14T00:07:39-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-14T00:07:39-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAfter years of rumors, James Cameron has finally remastered The Abyss in 4K and is releasing it in theaters for one night only on December 6th. One of Cameron’s most underrated movies.
\nAfter years of rumors, James Cameron has finally remastered The Abyss in 4K and is releasing it in theaters for one night only on December 6th. One of Cameron’s most underrated movies.
![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-hail.jpg\")
What would a 2024 presidency look like? You don’t have to guess - Trump is telling us loud and clear.
\n\nJamelle Bouie in an opinion piece for the New York Times enumerates them:
\n\nJamelle Bouie concludes:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Americans are obsessed with hidden meanings and secret revelations. This is why many of us are taken with the tell-all memoirs of political operatives or historical materials like the Nixon tapes. We often pay the most attention to those things that have been hidden from view. But the mundane truth of American politics is that much of what we want to know is in plain view. You don’t have to search hard or seek it out; you just have to listen.
\n\nAnd Donald Trump is telling us, loud and clear, that he wants to end American democracy as we know it.
What would a 2024 presidency look like? You don’t have to guess - Trump is telling us loud and clear.
\n\nJamelle Bouie in an opinion piece for the New York Times enumerates them:
\n\nJamelle Bouie concludes:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/16/trump-crossed-a-line/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/16/trump-crossed-a-line/", "title": "Trump is a fascist. Call him one.", "date_published": "2023-11-16T18:25:50-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-16T18:25:50-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Americans are obsessed with hidden meanings and secret revelations. This is why many of us are taken with the tell-all memoirs of political operatives or historical materials like the Nixon tapes. We often pay the most attention to those things that have been hidden from view. But the mundane truth of American politics is that much of what we want to know is in plain view. You don’t have to search hard or seek it out; you just have to listen.
\n\nAnd Donald Trump is telling us, loud and clear, that he wants to end American democracy as we know it.
![\"fascist](\"/assets/images/fascist-trump.jpg\")
Tom Nichols defining Fascism in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nFascism is not mere oppression. It is a more holistic ideology that elevates the state over the individual (except for a sole leader, around whom there is a cult of personality), glorifies hypernationalism and racism, worships military power, hates liberal democracy, and wallows in nostalgia and historical grievances. It asserts that all public activity should serve the regime, and that all power must be gathered in the fist of the leader and exercised only by his party.
\n\n[..]
\n\nTrump and his allies have threatened to enact once he’s back in office—establishing massive detention camps for undocumented people, using the Justice Department against anyone who dares to run against him, purging government institutions, singling out Christianity as the state’s preferred religion, and many other actions—and it’s hard to describe it all as generic “authoritarianism.” Trump no longer aims to be some garden-variety supremo; he is now promising to be a threat to every American he identifies as an enemy—and that’s a lot of Americans.
In his Claremont, New Hampshire campaign rally - which you can get the full transcript for here, Trump promises to:
\n\n\n\n… out the globalists, we will cast out the communists, Marxists, fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country … On Veterans Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections and will do anything possible … legally or illegally to destroy America and to destroy the American dream.
Trump is a fascist and a danger to the US Constitution and rule of law. The media should address him as one.
\n", "content_html": "
Tom Nichols defining Fascism in The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nFascism is not mere oppression. It is a more holistic ideology that elevates the state over the individual (except for a sole leader, around whom there is a cult of personality), glorifies hypernationalism and racism, worships military power, hates liberal democracy, and wallows in nostalgia and historical grievances. It asserts that all public activity should serve the regime, and that all power must be gathered in the fist of the leader and exercised only by his party.
\n\n[..]
\n\nTrump and his allies have threatened to enact once he’s back in office—establishing massive detention camps for undocumented people, using the Justice Department against anyone who dares to run against him, purging government institutions, singling out Christianity as the state’s preferred religion, and many other actions—and it’s hard to describe it all as generic “authoritarianism.” Trump no longer aims to be some garden-variety supremo; he is now promising to be a threat to every American he identifies as an enemy—and that’s a lot of Americans.
In his Claremont, New Hampshire campaign rally - which you can get the full transcript for here, Trump promises to:
\n\n\n\n… out the globalists, we will cast out the communists, Marxists, fascists. We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country … On Veterans Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections and will do anything possible … legally or illegally to destroy America and to destroy the American dream.
Trump is a fascist and a danger to the US Constitution and rule of law. The media should address him as one.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/16/tipping-cultrure-in-america/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/16/tipping-cultrure-in-america/", "title": "Tipping Cultrure in America", "date_published": "2023-11-16T18:50:41-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-16T18:50:41-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"add](\"/assets/images/add-a-tip.jpg\")
From a recent Pew Research report:
\n\n\n\nA majority of Americans say they would tip 15% or less for an average meal at a sit-down restaurant. 2% say they tip nothing. Quality of service is a major factor in most Americans’ tipping practices.
It is important to understand the history of tipping in the United States. Wendy Pollack writing for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law:
\n\n\n\nTipping proliferated in the United States after the Civil War, when the restaurant and hospitality industries hired newly emancipated Black women and men but offered them no wage–leaving them to rely on patrons’ gratuities for their pay instead. Simply put, tipping was introduced as a way to exploit the labor of former slaves.
While we don’t have slavery today,the restaurant and hospitality industries have created an exploited economic class of people - effectively asking workers to take a financial risk without the benefits of economic profits of the business.
\n\nTipping should be abolished - pay workers a living wage and transfer the risk of the business back to those who benefit most from the success of the business - the owners.
\n", "content_html": "
From a recent Pew Research report:
\n\n\n\nA majority of Americans say they would tip 15% or less for an average meal at a sit-down restaurant. 2% say they tip nothing. Quality of service is a major factor in most Americans’ tipping practices.
It is important to understand the history of tipping in the United States. Wendy Pollack writing for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law:
\n\n\n\nTipping proliferated in the United States after the Civil War, when the restaurant and hospitality industries hired newly emancipated Black women and men but offered them no wage–leaving them to rely on patrons’ gratuities for their pay instead. Simply put, tipping was introduced as a way to exploit the labor of former slaves.
While we don’t have slavery today,the restaurant and hospitality industries have created an exploited economic class of people - effectively asking workers to take a financial risk without the benefits of economic profits of the business.
\n\nTipping should be abolished - pay workers a living wage and transfer the risk of the business back to those who benefit most from the success of the business - the owners.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/20/2023-natural-landscape-photography-awards/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/20/2023-natural-landscape-photography-awards/", "title": "2023 Natural Landscape Photography Awards", "date_published": "2023-11-20T09:01:17-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-20T09:01:17-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Natural Landscape Photography Awards winners have been announced for 2023. Here are some of my favorites from this year, in order - Blake Randall, Joshua Cripps, Adam Gibbs and Benjamin Maze:
\n\n![\"Blak](\"/assets/images/blake-randall-nlpa-2023.jpg\")
![\"Joshua](\"/assets/images/josua-crips-nlpa-2023.jpg\")
![\"Adam](\"/assets/images/adam-giggs-nlpa-2023.jpg\")
![\"Benjamin](\"/assets/images/benjamin-maze-nlp-2023.jpg\")
Natural Landscape Photography Awards winners have been announced for 2023. Here are some of my favorites from this year, in order - Blake Randall, Joshua Cripps, Adam Gibbs and Benjamin Maze:
\n\n
\nIn his new book, “Why We Did It,” Tim Miller details his involvement with the GOP and how political staffers were able to justify the new brand of politics, as he explains to Walter Isaacson in this excellent article.
To put it simply - Trump supporters are in a cult fueled by racism, xenophobia, cruelty, wealth and power.
\n", "content_html": "
\nIn his new book, “Why We Did It,” Tim Miller details his involvement with the GOP and how political staffers were able to justify the new brand of politics, as he explains to Walter Isaacson in this excellent article.
To put it simply - Trump supporters are in a cult fueled by racism, xenophobia, cruelty, wealth and power.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/22/hillary-clinton-donny-jr-dot-eric-and-me/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/22/hillary-clinton-donny-jr-dot-eric-and-me/", "title": "Hillary Clinton, Donny Jr., Eric, and me.", "date_published": "2023-11-22T13:47:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-22T13:47:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\nI bet he hates it if this photo goes viral. pic.twitter.com/evkW9R1Mpn
— Naughtius Maximus 🇺🇦🌻 (@ResisterDude) November 22, 2023
\n
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\nI bet he hates it if this photo goes viral. pic.twitter.com/evkW9R1Mpn
— Naughtius Maximus 🇺🇦🌻 (@ResisterDude) November 22, 2023
\n
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/22/suv-adverts-banned-in-uk-on-environmental-grounds/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/22/suv-adverts-banned-in-uk-on-environmental-grounds/", "title": "SUV adverts banned in UK on environmental grounds", "date_published": "2023-11-22T13:59:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-22T13:59:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Born](\"/assets/images/born-to-roam.jpg\")
UK’s Advertising Standard Authority has banned two Toyota adverts for advertising that disregards its environmental impact. Clea Skopeliti writing for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nThe ASA ruled that the adverts “condoned the use of vehicles in a manner that disregarded their impact on nature and the environment … they had not been prepared with a sense of responsibility to society”.
\n\nVeronica Wignall, a co-director at Adfree Cities, said: “These adverts epitomise Toyota’s total disregard for nature and the climate, by featuring enormous, highly polluting vehicles driving at speed through rivers and wild grasslands.”
\n\nWignall said there was a disconnect between the way SUVs were advertised – with campaigns often depicting them in rugged environments – and the reality of where they were largely driven. Research has shown that three-quarters of new SUVs in the UK are registered to people in urban areas. “It’s a cynical use of nature to promote something incredibly nature-damaging.”
SUVs are pure f*ck you I got mine individualism. They make the road more dangerous for pedestrians and even other drivers due to their size. And the reasons people give for owning them are usually bullshit. They’re not even more spacious than a van. And the pickup trucks keep getting shorter in the back and longer in the front so the utility is getting worse every year. Unfortunately it has now become an arms race whereby people are almost forced to get a big vehicle.
\n\nHere is an excellent video on the ridiculousness of SUV culture.
\n\n
UK’s Advertising Standard Authority has banned two Toyota adverts for advertising that disregards its environmental impact. Clea Skopeliti writing for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n\nThe ASA ruled that the adverts “condoned the use of vehicles in a manner that disregarded their impact on nature and the environment … they had not been prepared with a sense of responsibility to society”.
\n\nVeronica Wignall, a co-director at Adfree Cities, said: “These adverts epitomise Toyota’s total disregard for nature and the climate, by featuring enormous, highly polluting vehicles driving at speed through rivers and wild grasslands.”
\n\nWignall said there was a disconnect between the way SUVs were advertised – with campaigns often depicting them in rugged environments – and the reality of where they were largely driven. Research has shown that three-quarters of new SUVs in the UK are registered to people in urban areas. “It’s a cynical use of nature to promote something incredibly nature-damaging.”
SUVs are pure f*ck you I got mine individualism. They make the road more dangerous for pedestrians and even other drivers due to their size. And the reasons people give for owning them are usually bullshit. They’re not even more spacious than a van. And the pickup trucks keep getting shorter in the back and longer in the front so the utility is getting worse every year. Unfortunately it has now become an arms race whereby people are almost forced to get a big vehicle.
\n\nHere is an excellent video on the ridiculousness of SUV culture.
\n\n![\"Cancellation](\"/assets/images/cancelation-fees.jpg\")
The FCC under the Biden administration directive will move to outlaw early termination fees on cable and satellite service contracts.
\n\nChelsey Cox reporting for CNBC:
\n\n\n\nThe proposed rule is part of the White House’s larger focus on eliminating surplus fees under President Joe Biden’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition in the U.S. economy.
\n\nAccording to that order, cable television is one sector where fees can stifle competition, due to costs associated with canceling services or switching service providers.
\n\n“Companies shouldn’t lock you into services you don’t want with large fees,” President Joe Biden said via X on Tuesday. “It’s unfair, raises costs, and stifles competition. We’re doing something about it.”
Another win for the US consumer and a huge step in breaking the existing abusive cable, cellular and satellite monopolies.
\n\nThis is in stark contrast to what the Trump administration FCC chairmen Ajit Pai who advocated not only strengthening the existing monopoly infrastructure, but ending net neutrality. Under Pai’s plan, cable and infrastructure operaters would be free to not only have surplus and termination fees, but would be abe to charge different rates depending on what services you used on the internet. For example, accessing websites would be billed at a different rate then say streaming video content. This would have effectively ended the internet as we know it today.
\n\nAnother meaningful law passed that will benefit the ‘average american’. Elections have consequences.
\n", "content_html": "
The FCC under the Biden administration directive will move to outlaw early termination fees on cable and satellite service contracts.
\n\nChelsey Cox reporting for CNBC:
\n\n\n\nThe proposed rule is part of the White House’s larger focus on eliminating surplus fees under President Joe Biden’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition in the U.S. economy.
\n\nAccording to that order, cable television is one sector where fees can stifle competition, due to costs associated with canceling services or switching service providers.
\n\n“Companies shouldn’t lock you into services you don’t want with large fees,” President Joe Biden said via X on Tuesday. “It’s unfair, raises costs, and stifles competition. We’re doing something about it.”
Another win for the US consumer and a huge step in breaking the existing abusive cable, cellular and satellite monopolies.
\n\nThis is in stark contrast to what the Trump administration FCC chairmen Ajit Pai who advocated not only strengthening the existing monopoly infrastructure, but ending net neutrality. Under Pai’s plan, cable and infrastructure operaters would be free to not only have surplus and termination fees, but would be abe to charge different rates depending on what services you used on the internet. For example, accessing websites would be billed at a different rate then say streaming video content. This would have effectively ended the internet as we know it today.
\n\nAnother meaningful law passed that will benefit the ‘average american’. Elections have consequences.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/23/amsterdam-centraal-bicycle-garage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/23/amsterdam-centraal-bicycle-garage/", "title": "Amsterdam Centraal bicycle garage", "date_published": "2023-11-23T00:00:44-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-23T00:00:44-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nAn amazing new bicycle park in Amsterdam Centraal. Spaces for 7,000 bicycles - cost is free for 24 hours and then 1.25 euro per 24 hours after that.
As a New Jersey commuter that takes the NJTransit into NYC Port Authority - it is embarrassing that a bicycle parking garage is more sophisticated and human friendly than the largest bus terminal in the United States. To people living in the US, something like this is unimaginable.
\n\nWe Americans loath any from of personal powered transportation - and our waistlines are evidence of that. American cities are not designed for pedestrians or bicycle riders. They are designed for cars. Walking / bicycling in US cities is like playing a Hunger Games inspired version of Frogger - may the odds be ever in your favor.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAn amazing new bicycle park in Amsterdam Centraal. Spaces for 7,000 bicycles - cost is free for 24 hours and then 1.25 euro per 24 hours after that.
As a New Jersey commuter that takes the NJTransit into NYC Port Authority - it is embarrassing that a bicycle parking garage is more sophisticated and human friendly than the largest bus terminal in the United States. To people living in the US, something like this is unimaginable.
\n\nWe Americans loath any from of personal powered transportation - and our waistlines are evidence of that. American cities are not designed for pedestrians or bicycle riders. They are designed for cars. Walking / bicycling in US cities is like playing a Hunger Games inspired version of Frogger - may the odds be ever in your favor.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/28/evs-are-better-for-the-enivronment/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/28/evs-are-better-for-the-enivronment/", "title": "EVs are better for the Enivronment", "date_published": "2023-11-28T13:04:40-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-28T13:04:40-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"tesla](\"/assets/images/tesla-charging.jpg\")
Today most people are hesitant on EV cars for three reasons: initial upfront costs and worry about running out of battery power far from a charging station. In regard to upfront costs, EV vehicles will come down in price as competition increases and range anxiety will diminish as money from the Inflation Reduction Act flows into building more charging stations and making discounts for electric vehicles available right at the dealership.
\n\nThe third is the campaign by the existing car companies sowing doubt about that such vehicles aren’t really all that much better for the environment than hybrid vehicles that have both gas and electric motors, and might even be worse, because of everything required to manufacture batteries and mine the materials that go into them.
\n\nDr. Stephen Porder in a guest essay for the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "If you look under the hood, so to speak, these concerns share two fundamental misunderstandings: They assume that the electric vehicle industry is locked in to today’s technology, and they discount the huge environmental drawbacks of gas-powered alternatives. Electric vehicles are like digital cameras in their early iterations. They are already better than the alternative for almost everyone, and improving at a breathtakingly fast clip. And while there are environmental concerns with them, they are dwarfed by the benefit they provide regarding climate change — the biggest environmental threat to human well-being in the 21st century.
\n\nBut let’s do the math as I’ve done for my family’s two E.V.s. We got the first to replace our 10-year-old, gas-powered Subaru, and after only two years of driving, the E.V. has created fewer emissions over its lifetime than if we had kept the old car. It will take our second E.V. only four years to create fewer emissions over its lifetime than the 2005 hybrid Prius it replaced. That’s counting the production of the batteries and the emissions from charging the E.V.s, and the emissions payback time will only continue to drop as more emissions-free wind and solar power comes onto the grid and battery technology improves.
Today most people are hesitant on EV cars for three reasons: initial upfront costs and worry about running out of battery power far from a charging station. In regard to upfront costs, EV vehicles will come down in price as competition increases and range anxiety will diminish as money from the Inflation Reduction Act flows into building more charging stations and making discounts for electric vehicles available right at the dealership.
\n\nThe third is the campaign by the existing car companies sowing doubt about that such vehicles aren’t really all that much better for the environment than hybrid vehicles that have both gas and electric motors, and might even be worse, because of everything required to manufacture batteries and mine the materials that go into them.
\n\nDr. Stephen Porder in a guest essay for the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/29/charlie-munger-dies-at-99/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/29/charlie-munger-dies-at-99/", "title": "Charlie Munger dies at 99", "date_published": "2023-11-29T15:40:38-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-29T15:40:38-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If you look under the hood, so to speak, these concerns share two fundamental misunderstandings: They assume that the electric vehicle industry is locked in to today’s technology, and they discount the huge environmental drawbacks of gas-powered alternatives. Electric vehicles are like digital cameras in their early iterations. They are already better than the alternative for almost everyone, and improving at a breathtakingly fast clip. And while there are environmental concerns with them, they are dwarfed by the benefit they provide regarding climate change — the biggest environmental threat to human well-being in the 21st century.
\n\nBut let’s do the math as I’ve done for my family’s two E.V.s. We got the first to replace our 10-year-old, gas-powered Subaru, and after only two years of driving, the E.V. has created fewer emissions over its lifetime than if we had kept the old car. It will take our second E.V. only four years to create fewer emissions over its lifetime than the 2005 hybrid Prius it replaced. That’s counting the production of the batteries and the emissions from charging the E.V.s, and the emissions payback time will only continue to drop as more emissions-free wind and solar power comes onto the grid and battery technology improves.
![\"Chales](\"/assets/images/munger.jpg\")
Andrew Ross Sorkin and Robert D. Hershey Jr., reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Charles T. Munger, who quit a well-established law career to be Warren E. Buffett’s partner and maxim-spouting alter-ego as they transformed a foundering New England textile company into the spectacularly successful investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, died on Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 99.
\n\nHis death, at a hospital, was announced by Berkshire Hathaway. He had a home in Los Angeles.
\n\nAlthough overshadowed by Mr. Buffett, who relished the spotlight, Mr. Munger, a billionaire in his own right — Forbes listed his fortune as $2.6 billion this year — had far more influence at Berkshire than his title of vice chairman suggested.
\n\nMr. Buffett has described him as the originator of Berkshire Hathaway’s investing approach. “The blueprint he gave me was simple: Forget what you know about buying fair businesses at wonderful prices; instead, buy wonderful businesses at fair prices,” Mr. Buffett once wrote in an annual report. […]
\n\nA $1,000 investment in Berkshire made in 1964 is worth more than $10 million today.
\n\nMr. Munger was often viewed as the moral compass of Berkshire Hathaway, advising Mr. Buffett on personnel issues as well as investments. His hiring policy: “Trust first, ability second.”
Andrew Ross Sorkin and Robert D. Hershey Jr., reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/29/taylor-swift-website-2002/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/29/taylor-swift-website-2002/", "title": "Taylor Swift website 2002", "date_published": "2023-11-29T15:48:06-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-29T15:48:06-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Charles T. Munger, who quit a well-established law career to be Warren E. Buffett’s partner and maxim-spouting alter-ego as they transformed a foundering New England textile company into the spectacularly successful investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, died on Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 99.
\n\nHis death, at a hospital, was announced by Berkshire Hathaway. He had a home in Los Angeles.
\n\nAlthough overshadowed by Mr. Buffett, who relished the spotlight, Mr. Munger, a billionaire in his own right — Forbes listed his fortune as $2.6 billion this year — had far more influence at Berkshire than his title of vice chairman suggested.
\n\nMr. Buffett has described him as the originator of Berkshire Hathaway’s investing approach. “The blueprint he gave me was simple: Forget what you know about buying fair businesses at wonderful prices; instead, buy wonderful businesses at fair prices,” Mr. Buffett once wrote in an annual report. […]
\n\nA $1,000 investment in Berkshire made in 1964 is worth more than $10 million today.
\n\nMr. Munger was often viewed as the moral compass of Berkshire Hathaway, advising Mr. Buffett on personnel issues as well as investments. His hiring policy: “Trust first, ability second.”
![\"Taylor](\"/assets/images/taylor-swift.jpg\")
The Web Design Museum has Taylor Swift’s website from 2002 - including “dialup” and “broadband” download links to her music.
\n\nI can’t say I am a fan of her music, but I can’t deny her talent or her technical marketing savvy. Even at a young age, Swift was way beyond in marketing her music than just about anyone in the music business. I am not a bit surprised that she has surpassed 1 billion dollar net worth in jut 16 years since her debut album.
\n", "content_html": "
The Web Design Museum has Taylor Swift’s website from 2002 - including “dialup” and “broadband” download links to her music.
\n\nI can’t say I am a fan of her music, but I can’t deny her talent or her technical marketing savvy. Even at a young age, Swift was way beyond in marketing her music than just about anyone in the music business. I am not a bit surprised that she has surpassed 1 billion dollar net worth in jut 16 years since her debut album.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/30/should-you-be-getting-botox/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/11/30/should-you-be-getting-botox/", "title": "Should you be getting Botox?", "date_published": "2023-11-30T10:08:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-30T10:08:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Botox](\"/assets/images/botox-injection-sites.jpg\")
Inaugural edition of Jessica DeFino’s column Ask Ugly:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "To self-soothe, I went home and wrote a detailed account of exactly how much time, money and effort it takes to maintain the ageless, expressionless “Instagram face” look for Fashionista.com – roughly 16 cosmetic treatments and $17,000 a year. And that’s without 2023 inflation.
\n\nStill, understanding that the youth-centric beauty ideal is an algorithmic black hole designed to absorb my brain space didn’t make me feel better. For a long while after, I felt bad.
\n\nWho could blame me? The false equivalence “beauty = good” is everywhere: anti-ageing products are laden with religious significance – “holy grail” moisturizers, “miracle” ingredients. Anne Hathaway’s youthful appearance is credited to her “unproblematic” behavior. “You look good for your age” is a common compliment, with good meaning young – a construct designed to keep people consuming, and consumed by, a need to prove their worth.
\n\nOf course, Indigo Girl, you know this! Lots of people know this! It’s why so many are set on rebranding conventionally bad, ugly or negative traits as good, beautiful or positive traits. Stretch marks are now “warrior marks” or “earned stripes”. Wrinkles are now “signs of wisdom”. I saw an influencer refer to her forehead line as “a hard-earned mark of enduring and carrying on” the other day, and I’m sorry to her and the Indigo Girls, but I hate it so much! This “reclaiming” is not better than the original fallacy. It still frames the physical body as a marker of worth and assigns a moral value to a slab of flesh that intrinsically has none.
\n\n[…]
\n\nTo answer your question, Indigo Girl, no, I don’t think you should be more proactive about anti-ageing. Not because your crow’s feet are good or beautiful or representative of some deeper wisdom, but because they come with the territory of having a body.
Inaugural edition of Jessica DeFino’s column Ask Ugly:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/03/is-technology-harming-our-brains/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/03/is-technology-harming-our-brains/", "title": "Is technology harming our brains?", "date_published": "2023-12-03T10:43:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-03T10:43:22-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "To self-soothe, I went home and wrote a detailed account of exactly how much time, money and effort it takes to maintain the ageless, expressionless “Instagram face” look for Fashionista.com – roughly 16 cosmetic treatments and $17,000 a year. And that’s without 2023 inflation.
\n\nStill, understanding that the youth-centric beauty ideal is an algorithmic black hole designed to absorb my brain space didn’t make me feel better. For a long while after, I felt bad.
\n\nWho could blame me? The false equivalence “beauty = good” is everywhere: anti-ageing products are laden with religious significance – “holy grail” moisturizers, “miracle” ingredients. Anne Hathaway’s youthful appearance is credited to her “unproblematic” behavior. “You look good for your age” is a common compliment, with good meaning young – a construct designed to keep people consuming, and consumed by, a need to prove their worth.
\n\nOf course, Indigo Girl, you know this! Lots of people know this! It’s why so many are set on rebranding conventionally bad, ugly or negative traits as good, beautiful or positive traits. Stretch marks are now “warrior marks” or “earned stripes”. Wrinkles are now “signs of wisdom”. I saw an influencer refer to her forehead line as “a hard-earned mark of enduring and carrying on” the other day, and I’m sorry to her and the Indigo Girls, but I hate it so much! This “reclaiming” is not better than the original fallacy. It still frames the physical body as a marker of worth and assigns a moral value to a slab of flesh that intrinsically has none.
\n\n[…]
\n\nTo answer your question, Indigo Girl, no, I don’t think you should be more proactive about anti-ageing. Not because your crow’s feet are good or beautiful or representative of some deeper wisdom, but because they come with the territory of having a body.
![\"brain](\"/assets/images/brain-rott.jpg\")
In our digital heavy lives today - a cocktail of TickTock, Facebook, Instagram and Google are destroying us mentally by the minute. In the past, we were were forced to use our brains extensively. From memorizing how to get to anywhere, problem solve and retain knowledge and socialize with our friends and family. With social media, everything is being replaced by a post, a text, or a Google search.
\n\nNatalie Worth makes an excellent point:
\n\n\n\nDopamine also causes us to spend a lot of time in the limbic area of our brain, which is responsible for our emotions, instead of the pre-frontal cortex, which helps us plan for the future and problem-solve — not an ideal mix. And even worse, when we do get the chance to solve a problem, we’re offloading it to Google.
\n\n[…]
\n\nTraditionally, we learn by committing information to memory, but because we can look up any information at any time, we don’t need to retain things in our own memory. We’re offloading our retention and memory to Google. In 2011, Harvard researchers coined the term ‘The Google Effect’ when they found that when we’re faced with a difficult question or problem, instead of knowing how to answer it ourselves, we’re instead really good at knowing where to find the answer — our trusty searching tool, Google.
So what to do about this? The solution is to force yourself into using your brain for 1-2 hours a day. Solving puzzles, art, language learning, playing games or musical instruments, reading, or writing.
\n\nBasically everything we used to do before social media.
\n", "content_html": "
In our digital heavy lives today - a cocktail of TickTock, Facebook, Instagram and Google are destroying us mentally by the minute. In the past, we were were forced to use our brains extensively. From memorizing how to get to anywhere, problem solve and retain knowledge and socialize with our friends and family. With social media, everything is being replaced by a post, a text, or a Google search.
\n\nNatalie Worth makes an excellent point:
\n\n\n\nDopamine also causes us to spend a lot of time in the limbic area of our brain, which is responsible for our emotions, instead of the pre-frontal cortex, which helps us plan for the future and problem-solve — not an ideal mix. And even worse, when we do get the chance to solve a problem, we’re offloading it to Google.
\n\n[…]
\n\nTraditionally, we learn by committing information to memory, but because we can look up any information at any time, we don’t need to retain things in our own memory. We’re offloading our retention and memory to Google. In 2011, Harvard researchers coined the term ‘The Google Effect’ when they found that when we’re faced with a difficult question or problem, instead of knowing how to answer it ourselves, we’re instead really good at knowing where to find the answer — our trusty searching tool, Google.
So what to do about this? The solution is to force yourself into using your brain for 1-2 hours a day. Solving puzzles, art, language learning, playing games or musical instruments, reading, or writing.
\n\nBasically everything we used to do before social media.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/03/a-homage-to-industrial-light-and-magic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/03/a-homage-to-industrial-light-and-magic/", "title": "A homage to Industrial Light and Magic", "date_published": "2023-12-03T11:05:43-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-03T11:05:43-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"millinium](\"/assets/images/falcon.jpg\")
An amazing 20-minute film by Hiroshi Sumi. An homage and loving look back at the earliest days of Industrial Light and Magic. That was a magical time in movie making that we will never see again.
\n", "content_html": "
An amazing 20-minute film by Hiroshi Sumi. An homage and loving look back at the earliest days of Industrial Light and Magic. That was a magical time in movie making that we will never see again.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/04/eclipse-the-first-3d-nintendo-game/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/04/eclipse-the-first-3d-nintendo-game/", "title": "Eclipse - The first 3D Nintendo Game", "date_published": "2023-12-04T21:29:29-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-04T21:29:29-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe 3d Demo that would change the course of Nintendo - discovered 30 years later. The fascinating history and story of the discovery of the X demo by the Video Game History Foundation.
Boy this brings back the memories. The 80s was the best time to grow up.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe 3d Demo that would change the course of Nintendo - discovered 30 years later. The fascinating history and story of the discovery of the X demo by the Video Game History Foundation.
Boy this brings back the memories. The 80s was the best time to grow up.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/05/yuval-noah-harari-on-conservatives-vs-liberals/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/05/yuval-noah-harari-on-conservatives-vs-liberals/", "title": "Yuval Noah Harari on Conservative suicide", "date_published": "2023-12-05T15:59:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-05T15:59:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nRenowned historian and ‘Sapiens’ author Yuval Noah Harari, in an interview with Ari Melber, who asks Harari about his scholarship, its applications, recent AI developments and criticism of Harari’s writing. Among the many thought provoking insights from Harari - this one really breaks down the current American political climate:
\n\nWhat you see in a lot of modern politics is this delicate dance between conservatives and liberals which I think that - for many generations they agreed on the basics. Their main disagreement was about the pace. That both conservatives and liberals basically agreed we need some rules and also we need the ability to change the rules. The conservatives prefere a much slower pace
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe conservative instinct is to wait it’s it’s dangerous and the liberal instinct is to try it out and see what happens. You see this kind of delicate dance, when things are going to slow people vote in more liberal administration that will speed things up and will be more creative, bolder in its social experiments. When things go too fast then you say okay - liberals you had your chance now lets bring in the conservatives to slow down a little and have a bit of a breath.
\n\nAnd what really I think is happening in recent years and I don’t have a good explanation for that is that in many parts of the world you see a kind of conservative suicide that conservatives are abandoning their kind of traditional role to slow down and conserve institutions and traditions and so forth and they still call themselves conservatives but they become this kind of new radical party which is more about ignoring traditions and destroying institutions
\n\nThen it becomes the job of liberals to be the audience of the institutions and the are not good at it. They don’t know how to do it. You know instead of a car that you have one leg on the fuel pedal and one leg on the break you have two legs on the fuel pedal and no leg on the brake and this is a recipe for disaster.
An amazing one hour conversation.
\n", "content_html": "
\nRenowned historian and ‘Sapiens’ author Yuval Noah Harari, in an interview with Ari Melber, who asks Harari about his scholarship, its applications, recent AI developments and criticism of Harari’s writing. Among the many thought provoking insights from Harari - this one really breaks down the current American political climate:
\n\nWhat you see in a lot of modern politics is this delicate dance between conservatives and liberals which I think that - for many generations they agreed on the basics. Their main disagreement was about the pace. That both conservatives and liberals basically agreed we need some rules and also we need the ability to change the rules. The conservatives prefere a much slower pace
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe conservative instinct is to wait it’s it’s dangerous and the liberal instinct is to try it out and see what happens. You see this kind of delicate dance, when things are going to slow people vote in more liberal administration that will speed things up and will be more creative, bolder in its social experiments. When things go too fast then you say okay - liberals you had your chance now lets bring in the conservatives to slow down a little and have a bit of a breath.
\n\nAnd what really I think is happening in recent years and I don’t have a good explanation for that is that in many parts of the world you see a kind of conservative suicide that conservatives are abandoning their kind of traditional role to slow down and conserve institutions and traditions and so forth and they still call themselves conservatives but they become this kind of new radical party which is more about ignoring traditions and destroying institutions
\n\nThen it becomes the job of liberals to be the audience of the institutions and the are not good at it. They don’t know how to do it. You know instead of a car that you have one leg on the fuel pedal and one leg on the break you have two legs on the fuel pedal and no leg on the brake and this is a recipe for disaster.
An amazing one hour conversation.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/06/infocoms-porting-tools-found/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/06/infocoms-porting-tools-found/", "title": "Infocom's porting tools found", "date_published": "2023-12-06T13:15:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-06T13:15:22-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Zork\"](\"/assets/images/zork-1.jpg\")
It was the summer of 1985. My parents had just purchased a Commodore 64 from a neighbor for $200 - complete with a 1541 disk drive and a carton of 5 ¼ inch disks - which I had no idea what was contained in them.
\n\nAfter a few hours of reading the manuals and struggling to figure out what I am going to do with this beige colored bread box - I put the first disk in typed the following:
\n\nload "*", 8, 1
And after some furious whirring - up came a screen:
\n\n![](\"/assets/images/zork-c64.jpg\")
For the next three weeks I spent the entire day locked away in our den behind the kitchen avoiding the grues, thieves and plundering The Great Underground Empire. Those were some great times.
\n\nThe code to most of the Infocom interactive fiction games, written in ZIL (Zork Implementation Language,) have been around since 2019. This was pretty much useless unless you had a ZIL interpreter (AKA Z machine) for your system. There were many open sourced Z machine implementations for just about every machine out there. But the originals were thought to be lost.
\n\nUntil now.
\n\nAndrew Plotkin has published a git repo with all of the source code for the major platforms, details what they are and how he found them in a blog post on his site.
\n\n\n\nSo the game source was big news. Infocom’s interpreter source, however, remained obscure. This was the game-playing software for each platform: the Apple 2 interpreter, the Commodore 64 interpreter, and so on. A particular Infocom game release (“Zork 3 for the C64”, say) was a floppy containing the C64 interpreter and the Zork-3 game file. Boot the floppy, the interpreter starts up; it loads the game data and the game begins.
\n\nThese interpreters were well-studied by IF enthusiasts in the early 1990s. That’s how we got the first open-source IF interpreters and the modern Z-machine specification. Functionally, we know how they work.
\n\nBut we never had their source code. You might ask, who cares? It would have been pretty opaque assembly code anyhow. But it’s a layer of insight into the developers' minds. Comments, variable names, documentation.
This is the best holiday gift for hopeless nerds like myself.
\n", "content_html": "
It was the summer of 1985. My parents had just purchased a Commodore 64 from a neighbor for $200 - complete with a 1541 disk drive and a carton of 5 ¼ inch disks - which I had no idea what was contained in them.
\n\nAfter a few hours of reading the manuals and struggling to figure out what I am going to do with this beige colored bread box - I put the first disk in typed the following:
\n\nload "*", 8, 1
And after some furious whirring - up came a screen:
\n\n
For the next three weeks I spent the entire day locked away in our den behind the kitchen avoiding the grues, thieves and plundering The Great Underground Empire. Those were some great times.
\n\nThe code to most of the Infocom interactive fiction games, written in ZIL (Zork Implementation Language,) have been around since 2019. This was pretty much useless unless you had a ZIL interpreter (AKA Z machine) for your system. There were many open sourced Z machine implementations for just about every machine out there. But the originals were thought to be lost.
\n\nUntil now.
\n\nAndrew Plotkin has published a git repo with all of the source code for the major platforms, details what they are and how he found them in a blog post on his site.
\n\n\n\nSo the game source was big news. Infocom’s interpreter source, however, remained obscure. This was the game-playing software for each platform: the Apple 2 interpreter, the Commodore 64 interpreter, and so on. A particular Infocom game release (“Zork 3 for the C64”, say) was a floppy containing the C64 interpreter and the Zork-3 game file. Boot the floppy, the interpreter starts up; it loads the game data and the game begins.
\n\nThese interpreters were well-studied by IF enthusiasts in the early 1990s. That’s how we got the first open-source IF interpreters and the modern Z-machine specification. Functionally, we know how they work.
\n\nBut we never had their source code. You might ask, who cares? It would have been pretty opaque assembly code anyhow. But it’s a layer of insight into the developers' minds. Comments, variable names, documentation.
This is the best holiday gift for hopeless nerds like myself.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/09/gary-clark-jr-npr-tiny-desk-concert/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/09/gary-clark-jr-npr-tiny-desk-concert/", "title": "Gary Clark Jr. - NPR Tiny Desk Concert ", "date_published": "2023-12-09T17:02:34-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-09T17:02:34-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nI am a huge fan of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series - and I don’t know how I missed this! Good old organic blues music with real instruments and soul. So good to hear real music played in a sea of pop and rap.
\nI am a huge fan of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series - and I don’t know how I missed this! Good old organic blues music with real instruments and soul. So good to hear real music played in a sea of pop and rap.
![\"bald\"](\"/assets/images/poolball.jpg\")
As I am approaching 50, and the hair line is starting its retreat - I love this opinion piece by Edith Zimmerman
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Bald guys are hot. Bald guys are no-nonsense, bald guys have other things to think about. Bald guys aren’t using a bunch of hair supplies, bald guys have more time to spend doing attractive and useful things, like building houses and making jokes. Bald guys are magnificent. Bald guys seem to have seen something more of life. Bald guys know things, if you know what I mean.
\n\nGuys with beautiful hair are wonderful, but they remind me of myself. Not because I have beautiful hair, but because I also want beautiful hair, and there cannot be two of us.
As I am approaching 50, and the hair line is starting its retreat - I love this opinion piece by Edith Zimmerman
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/11/acid-for-the-childern/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/11/acid-for-the-childern/", "title": "Acid for the childern", "date_published": "2023-12-11T19:07:38-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-11T19:07:38-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Bald guys are hot. Bald guys are no-nonsense, bald guys have other things to think about. Bald guys aren’t using a bunch of hair supplies, bald guys have more time to spend doing attractive and useful things, like building houses and making jokes. Bald guys are magnificent. Bald guys seem to have seen something more of life. Bald guys know things, if you know what I mean.
\n\nGuys with beautiful hair are wonderful, but they remind me of myself. Not because I have beautiful hair, but because I also want beautiful hair, and there cannot be two of us.
![\"Liz](\"/assets/images/liz-magill.jpeg\")
Stephanie Saul and Anemona Hartocollis, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nSupport for the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and M.I.T. eroded quickly on Wednesday, after they seemed to evade what seemed like a rather simple question during a contentious congressional hearing: Would they discipline students calling for the genocide of Jews?
\n\nTheir lawyerly replies to that question and others during a four-hour hearing drew incredulous responses. “It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country,” said a White House spokesman, Andrew Bates. […]
\n\nMuch of the criticism landed heavily on Ms. Magill because of an extended back-and-forth with Representative Stefanik. Ms. Stefanik said that in campus protests, students had chanted support for intifada, an Arabic word that means uprising and that many Jews hear as a call for violence against them. Ms. Stefanik asked Ms. Magill, “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct, yes or no?”
\n\nMs. Magill replied, “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik pressed the issue: “I am asking, specifically: Calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment?”
\n\nMs. Magill, a lawyer who joined Penn last year with a pledge to promote campus free speech, replied, “If it is directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik responded: “So the answer is yes.”
\n\nMs. Magill said, “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik exclaimed: “That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context?”
In addition to Magill, the chair of Penn’s board of trustees also submitted his resignation - the shortest tenure in Penn’s 260-year history.
\n\nThe reckoning has come for Harvard, M.I.T., and Penn for the bizarro-world political climate that’s taken hold at these universities in the last decade or two. Where the insular far-left worldview where the oppressed are viewed as inherently just, but comes across as absurd to everyone living in the real world.
\n\nYou can only pretend to live in a bubble for so long.
\n", "content_html": "
Stephanie Saul and Anemona Hartocollis, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nSupport for the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and M.I.T. eroded quickly on Wednesday, after they seemed to evade what seemed like a rather simple question during a contentious congressional hearing: Would they discipline students calling for the genocide of Jews?
\n\nTheir lawyerly replies to that question and others during a four-hour hearing drew incredulous responses. “It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country,” said a White House spokesman, Andrew Bates. […]
\n\nMuch of the criticism landed heavily on Ms. Magill because of an extended back-and-forth with Representative Stefanik. Ms. Stefanik said that in campus protests, students had chanted support for intifada, an Arabic word that means uprising and that many Jews hear as a call for violence against them. Ms. Stefanik asked Ms. Magill, “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn’s rules or code of conduct, yes or no?”
\n\nMs. Magill replied, “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik pressed the issue: “I am asking, specifically: Calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment?”
\n\nMs. Magill, a lawyer who joined Penn last year with a pledge to promote campus free speech, replied, “If it is directed and severe, pervasive, it is harassment.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik responded: “So the answer is yes.”
\n\nMs. Magill said, “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
\n\nMs. Stefanik exclaimed: “That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context?”
In addition to Magill, the chair of Penn’s board of trustees also submitted his resignation - the shortest tenure in Penn’s 260-year history.
\n\nThe reckoning has come for Harvard, M.I.T., and Penn for the bizarro-world political climate that’s taken hold at these universities in the last decade or two. Where the insular far-left worldview where the oppressed are viewed as inherently just, but comes across as absurd to everyone living in the real world.
\n\nYou can only pretend to live in a bubble for so long.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/23/icons-noel-gallagher/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/23/icons-noel-gallagher/", "title": "Icons: Noel Gallagher", "date_published": "2023-12-23T02:04:35-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-23T02:04:35-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nI am not a fan of Gibson guitars - just can’t get along with them. Too heavy, awkward and the headstocks break off if you look at them the wrong way. And Gibson leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to quality control and their extortive pricing. After all this is a company that sells an “artist signature” of a knock off.
Yea, I am a Fender man. But I digress. Give Gibson credit where its due. Their Icon series is fabulous. This episode with Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame is amazing.
\n\nGallagher on songwriting:
\n\n\n\nI guess the one thing you gotta have as a songwriter I think is you gotta trust in your own instincts and you’ve got to be fearless and not listen to anybody else. If you haven’t got those things you should be a professional songwriter that sits in a shed and writes songs, you know, for pop stars. Then you do listen to other people and you know you do give a shit because you are trying to get on the radio. All the songwriters I admire never really gave a fuck. Niel Young, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Macker, John Lennon, Weller.
In my book, Noel Gallagher has earned his way into that group of song writers.
\n", "content_html": "
\nI am not a fan of Gibson guitars - just can’t get along with them. Too heavy, awkward and the headstocks break off if you look at them the wrong way. And Gibson leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to quality control and their extortive pricing. After all this is a company that sells an “artist signature” of a knock off.
Yea, I am a Fender man. But I digress. Give Gibson credit where its due. Their Icon series is fabulous. This episode with Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame is amazing.
\n\nGallagher on songwriting:
\n\n\n\nI guess the one thing you gotta have as a songwriter I think is you gotta trust in your own instincts and you’ve got to be fearless and not listen to anybody else. If you haven’t got those things you should be a professional songwriter that sits in a shed and writes songs, you know, for pop stars. Then you do listen to other people and you know you do give a shit because you are trying to get on the radio. All the songwriters I admire never really gave a fuck. Niel Young, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Macker, John Lennon, Weller.
In my book, Noel Gallagher has earned his way into that group of song writers.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/23/using-bumble-to-catch-u-dot-s-capitol-rioters/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2023/12/23/using-bumble-to-catch-u-dot-s-capitol-rioters/", "title": "Using Bumble to catch U.S. Capitol Rioters", "date_published": "2023-12-23T23:58:40-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-12-23T23:58:40-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As if the Jan 6. rioters and insurrectionists had enough to worry about local law enforcement, FBI and the military - they have a new potential threat. Their dates.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Nearly three years ago, a young professional in the nation’s capital was sitting in her apartment after the Jan. 6 attack and saw that the FBI was looking for help identifying the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol. So she opened up the Bumble dating app, changed her political beliefs to conservative and got to swiping.
\n\nThe woman reached out to several Donald Trump supporters who the app showed were in the Washington area, hoping to elicit confessions from those who had flooded into the city because they believed his lies about the 2020 presidential election.
\n\nOn Wednesday, one of the Bumble users she turned in to the FBI pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers with chemical spray and a metal whip.
As if the Jan 6. rioters and insurrectionists had enough to worry about local law enforcement, FBI and the military - they have a new potential threat. Their dates.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/01/dont-quit-your-day-dream/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/01/dont-quit-your-day-dream/", "title": "Don't Quit your day Dream", "date_published": "2024-01-01T19:03:03-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-01T19:03:03-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Nearly three years ago, a young professional in the nation’s capital was sitting in her apartment after the Jan. 6 attack and saw that the FBI was looking for help identifying the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol. So she opened up the Bumble dating app, changed her political beliefs to conservative and got to swiping.
\n\nThe woman reached out to several Donald Trump supporters who the app showed were in the Washington area, hoping to elicit confessions from those who had flooded into the city because they believed his lies about the 2020 presidential election.
\n\nOn Wednesday, one of the Bumble users she turned in to the FBI pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers with chemical spray and a metal whip.
Who would’ve thought that Ted “Theodore” Logan would grow up to own a motorcycle company and make a switch to the bass guitar? Absolutely outstanding. Keep partying on, dudes!
\n\nBy the way, the band totally should’ve been named Wyld Stallyns.
\n", "content_html": "Who would’ve thought that Ted “Theodore” Logan would grow up to own a motorcycle company and make a switch to the bass guitar? Absolutely outstanding. Keep partying on, dudes!
\n\nBy the way, the band totally should’ve been named Wyld Stallyns.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/04/minimum-wage-clock/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/04/minimum-wage-clock/", "title": "Minimum Wage Clock", "date_published": "2024-01-04T17:58:44-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-04T17:58:44-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "At Luna’s Blog - an interesting comparison of the minimum wage to CEO salary pays
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Then I got curious, and added some CEO salaries for comparison. The vast disparity is nothing new to me, but seeing it like this…
\n\nIt’s fucking sobering.
At Luna’s Blog - an interesting comparison of the minimum wage to CEO salary pays
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/10/furiosa-a-mad-max-saga/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/10/furiosa-a-mad-max-saga/", "title": "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga", "date_published": "2024-01-10T22:42:51-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-10T22:42:51-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Then I got curious, and added some CEO salaries for comparison. The vast disparity is nothing new to me, but seeing it like this…
\n\nIt’s fucking sobering.
Mad Max: Fury Road emerged as a cinematic masterpiece, standing out as one of the finest films in recent memory. Renowned for its intense car chases, it gripped audiences from the very first frame, keeping them on the edge of their seats throughout.
\n\nNow, the trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been unveiled, and it’s nothing short of fantastic. The production team for Furiosa boasts the talent of editor Margaret Sixel and several other award-winning individuals from the Fury Road crew, heightening expectations for this upcoming installment. Anticipation is soaring, and I can hardly wait for what promises to be another exhilarating chapter in the Mad Max universe.
\n\nMad Max: Fury Road emerged as a cinematic masterpiece, standing out as one of the finest films in recent memory. Renowned for its intense car chases, it gripped audiences from the very first frame, keeping them on the edge of their seats throughout.
\n\nNow, the trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been unveiled, and it’s nothing short of fantastic. The production team for Furiosa boasts the talent of editor Margaret Sixel and several other award-winning individuals from the Fury Road crew, heightening expectations for this upcoming installment. Anticipation is soaring, and I can hardly wait for what promises to be another exhilarating chapter in the Mad Max universe.
\n\n
\nJon Meacham, a distinguished presidential historian, contributing writer for The New York Times Book Review, contributing editor at TIME, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, delves into the roots of American history, contending that conflict is the crucible from which history emerges. In his exploration, Meacham dissects the shaping of America’s soul by the juxtaposition of “our better angels” and our darker instincts. Drawing from pivotal moments such as the post-Civil War Reconstruction, the tumultuous rise and fall of the KKK, and the establishment of the NAACP, he offers insights into the forces that have shaped the nation.
Meacham contends that an honest examination of the unvarnished history of the United States is essential for every American. By understanding the past, we gain the ability to navigate away from previous pitfalls and propel the country forward purposefully. His observations and perspectives on the expansive sweep of American history instill hope we exercise “our better angels”.
\n\nThe documentary, which spans over three hours, is advocated as essential viewing for every American. Meacham’s comprehensive exploration serves as a call for citizens to invest the time and effort to absorb the genuine, unfiltered history of the country, fostering a collective understanding that can guide the nation towards a more enlightened and inclusive future.
\n", "content_html": "
\nJon Meacham, a distinguished presidential historian, contributing writer for The New York Times Book Review, contributing editor at TIME, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, delves into the roots of American history, contending that conflict is the crucible from which history emerges. In his exploration, Meacham dissects the shaping of America’s soul by the juxtaposition of “our better angels” and our darker instincts. Drawing from pivotal moments such as the post-Civil War Reconstruction, the tumultuous rise and fall of the KKK, and the establishment of the NAACP, he offers insights into the forces that have shaped the nation.
Meacham contends that an honest examination of the unvarnished history of the United States is essential for every American. By understanding the past, we gain the ability to navigate away from previous pitfalls and propel the country forward purposefully. His observations and perspectives on the expansive sweep of American history instill hope we exercise “our better angels”.
\n\nThe documentary, which spans over three hours, is advocated as essential viewing for every American. Meacham’s comprehensive exploration serves as a call for citizens to invest the time and effort to absorb the genuine, unfiltered history of the country, fostering a collective understanding that can guide the nation towards a more enlightened and inclusive future.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/18/spinal-tap-sequel/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/18/spinal-tap-sequel/", "title": "Spinal Tap Sequel ", "date_published": "2024-01-18T05:56:29-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-18T05:56:29-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"spinal](\"/assets/images/spinal-tap-sequal.jpg\")
Andrew Pulver reporting for The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nPaul McCartney and Elton John will appear in the sequel to cult mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, for which filming is due to get under way early next year, it has been revealed.
\n\n[…]
\n\nNews of plans to make a Spinal Tap sequel broke in May 2022, when the project was shopped at the Cannes film festival international market. Reiner said then: “I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one? For so many years, we said, ‘Nah.’ It wasn’t until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honour the first one and push it a little further with the story.”
\n\nThe original film’s main cast of Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest are due to return, although Tony Hendra, who played cricket-bat-wielding manager Ian Faith, died in 2021. The plot will reportedly centre on Faith’s death, after which his widow inherits a contract that requires the band to do one last concert. Reiner is also due to return in the character of film-maker Marty DiBergi, a figure supposedly based on Martin Scorsese, who had directed celebrated music documentary The Last Waltz in 1976.
This sequel goes to 11 – one louder.
\n", "content_html": "
Andrew Pulver reporting for The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nPaul McCartney and Elton John will appear in the sequel to cult mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, for which filming is due to get under way early next year, it has been revealed.
\n\n[…]
\n\nNews of plans to make a Spinal Tap sequel broke in May 2022, when the project was shopped at the Cannes film festival international market. Reiner said then: “I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one? For so many years, we said, ‘Nah.’ It wasn’t until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honour the first one and push it a little further with the story.”
\n\nThe original film’s main cast of Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest are due to return, although Tony Hendra, who played cricket-bat-wielding manager Ian Faith, died in 2021. The plot will reportedly centre on Faith’s death, after which his widow inherits a contract that requires the band to do one last concert. Reiner is also due to return in the character of film-maker Marty DiBergi, a figure supposedly based on Martin Scorsese, who had directed celebrated music documentary The Last Waltz in 1976.
This sequel goes to 11 – one louder.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/18/battleground-of-2024-is-emotion/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/18/battleground-of-2024-is-emotion/", "title": "Battleground of 2024 is emotion", "date_published": "2024-01-18T15:35:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-18T15:35:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"MAGA](\"/assets/images/trump-emotions.jpg\")
Anand Giridharadas sums up the current political environment perfectly:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "One of the strange dynamics of the Trump era is that, as the right has become, more and more, a movement of passion more than reason, of emotional appeal more than policy solutions, the political left has, as if to be symmetrical, drifted the other way.
\n\nToday’s electoral left is highly cerebral. It is suspicious of the politics of passion. It doesn’t do emotional appeals. It doesn’t have much of a role for music, for the body, for in-person communing in public spaces, for catchy slogans, for arresting visuals. The more Trump becomes a carnival barker, the more it seems leaders on the left embrace coming across like the inoffensive heads of state one sees in many European capitals — people who are working very hard not to be interesting, who seem to associate life force in politics with danger. Today’s left seeks to appeal to human beings through a small sliver of all the ways in which human beings take in the world.
\n\nIf this were an age defined by big policy questions and little else, that would be one thing. But it is an age defined by Big Feelings. By anxiety and fear and future dread and a great confusion among millions of people about who they will be on the far side of head-spinning change. By the emotional crises of men unsettled by a future of gender equality, and of white people unsettled by a future of racial equality, and of young people who know deep down that their parents love them but wonder why they have left them a burning, doomed planet. By the dour vibes of people who know that, on paper, the economy is good, but who cannot shake the feeling that the American dream is a lie. All around us, people are lost, not sure how to make sense of their place in a world of upheaval. In an era such as this, leaving the politics of emotion, of passion, to aspiring autocrats is a dangerous abdication.
Anand Giridharadas sums up the current political environment perfectly:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/20/us-has-never-been-a-racist-country/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/20/us-has-never-been-a-racist-country/", "title": "US 'has never been a racist country'", "date_published": "2024-01-20T04:34:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-20T04:34:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "One of the strange dynamics of the Trump era is that, as the right has become, more and more, a movement of passion more than reason, of emotional appeal more than policy solutions, the political left has, as if to be symmetrical, drifted the other way.
\n\nToday’s electoral left is highly cerebral. It is suspicious of the politics of passion. It doesn’t do emotional appeals. It doesn’t have much of a role for music, for the body, for in-person communing in public spaces, for catchy slogans, for arresting visuals. The more Trump becomes a carnival barker, the more it seems leaders on the left embrace coming across like the inoffensive heads of state one sees in many European capitals — people who are working very hard not to be interesting, who seem to associate life force in politics with danger. Today’s left seeks to appeal to human beings through a small sliver of all the ways in which human beings take in the world.
\n\nIf this were an age defined by big policy questions and little else, that would be one thing. But it is an age defined by Big Feelings. By anxiety and fear and future dread and a great confusion among millions of people about who they will be on the far side of head-spinning change. By the emotional crises of men unsettled by a future of gender equality, and of white people unsettled by a future of racial equality, and of young people who know deep down that their parents love them but wonder why they have left them a burning, doomed planet. By the dour vibes of people who know that, on paper, the economy is good, but who cannot shake the feeling that the American dream is a lie. All around us, people are lost, not sure how to make sense of their place in a world of upheaval. In an era such as this, leaving the politics of emotion, of passion, to aspiring autocrats is a dangerous abdication.
\nOkay Nikki – you think America isn’t racist? Why don’t you ever use your real name given at birth: Nimarata Nikki Randhawa? We will quickly find out how America isn’t a racist country.
This women is a sell outo the MAGA nut jobs, an embarrassment to her Indian heritage and trading on a fantasy revisionist view of American history. Truly disgusting.
\n\nCongratulations Nimarata Randhawa - you have just joined the ranks of Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Carly Fiorina in history on the Republican clown train.
\n", "content_html": "
\nOkay Nikki – you think America isn’t racist? Why don’t you ever use your real name given at birth: Nimarata Nikki Randhawa? We will quickly find out how America isn’t a racist country.
This women is a sell outo the MAGA nut jobs, an embarrassment to her Indian heritage and trading on a fantasy revisionist view of American history. Truly disgusting.
\n\nCongratulations Nimarata Randhawa - you have just joined the ranks of Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Carly Fiorina in history on the Republican clown train.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/24/boing-max-9-loose-bolts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/24/boing-max-9-loose-bolts/", "title": "Boing 737 Max 9 Loose bolts", "date_published": "2024-01-24T06:53:42-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-24T06:53:42-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Boing](\"/assets/images/max9-blowout.jpg\")
Tom Costello and Rob Wile reporting for ABC News:
\n\n\n\nThe CEO of Alaska Airlines said new, in-house inspections of the carrier’s Boeing 737 Max 9 planes in the wake of a near-disaster earlier this month revealed that “many” of the aircraft were found to have loose bolts.
\n\n[..]
\n\nMinicucci, who became president of Alaska Airlines in 2016 and began his career as an engineer, said he was “incredulous” that something like the incident earlier this month could even happen.
\n\n“I knew that this was an issue out of the (Boeing) factory,” he said. “There was no question in my mind.”
\n\n“And it’s clear to me that we received an airplane from Boeing with a faulty door. Now the NTSB investigation is going to figure out why that was a faulty door, whether it was bad installation, missing hardware, a manufacturing issue, but there’s no doubt that Alaska received an airplane off the production line with a faulty door,” Minicucci said, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board’s probe.
This is what happens when you put MBA spreadsheet jockeys in charge.
\n", "content_html": "
Tom Costello and Rob Wile reporting for ABC News:
\n\n\n\nThe CEO of Alaska Airlines said new, in-house inspections of the carrier’s Boeing 737 Max 9 planes in the wake of a near-disaster earlier this month revealed that “many” of the aircraft were found to have loose bolts.
\n\n[..]
\n\nMinicucci, who became president of Alaska Airlines in 2016 and began his career as an engineer, said he was “incredulous” that something like the incident earlier this month could even happen.
\n\n“I knew that this was an issue out of the (Boeing) factory,” he said. “There was no question in my mind.”
\n\n“And it’s clear to me that we received an airplane from Boeing with a faulty door. Now the NTSB investigation is going to figure out why that was a faulty door, whether it was bad installation, missing hardware, a manufacturing issue, but there’s no doubt that Alaska received an airplane off the production line with a faulty door,” Minicucci said, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board’s probe.
This is what happens when you put MBA spreadsheet jockeys in charge.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/27/legal-immigration-is-winning-the-lottery/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/27/legal-immigration-is-winning-the-lottery/", "title": "Legal immigration is winning the lottery", "date_published": "2024-01-27T14:20:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-27T14:20:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"immigration](\"/assets/images/immigrants-to-us.png\")
Charts showing the the immigration lottery in the US is worth a look.
\n\nDavid J. Bier sums up the situation at the Cato Institute:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Legal immigration is less like waiting in line and more like winning the lottery: it happens, but it is so rare that it is irrational to expect it in any individual case.
\n\n[…]
\n\n… the system is restrictive compared with other countries. The United States ranks in the bottom third of wealthy countries for foreign-born share of the population. Even if it accepted 70 million immigrants tomorrow, it would still not surpass the likes of Australia.
\n\nImmigration benefits the United States, so there is no reason to place hard caps or strict categorical limits. Moreover, enforcing restrictive laws is costly and results in illegal immigration. The entire legal immigration system is actually designed not to be followed by most people, but to keep most people out. America should return to its system of openness that reflects U.S. traditions and benefits the country.
Charts showing the the immigration lottery in the US is worth a look.
\n\nDavid J. Bier sums up the situation at the Cato Institute:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/27/ingenuity-helicopters-mission-comes-to-an-end/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/27/ingenuity-helicopters-mission-comes-to-an-end/", "title": "Ingenuity’s Mission Comes to an End", "date_published": "2024-01-27T14:49:46-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-27T14:49:46-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Legal immigration is less like waiting in line and more like winning the lottery: it happens, but it is so rare that it is irrational to expect it in any individual case.
\n\n[…]
\n\n… the system is restrictive compared with other countries. The United States ranks in the bottom third of wealthy countries for foreign-born share of the population. Even if it accepted 70 million immigrants tomorrow, it would still not surpass the likes of Australia.
\n\nImmigration benefits the United States, so there is no reason to place hard caps or strict categorical limits. Moreover, enforcing restrictive laws is costly and results in illegal immigration. The entire legal immigration system is actually designed not to be followed by most people, but to keep most people out. America should return to its system of openness that reflects U.S. traditions and benefits the country.
![\"Ingenuity\"](\"/assets/images/nasa-helicopter.jpg\")
The mission of the NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has come to an end on the surface of Mars.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight.
\n\nOriginally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.
The mission of the NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has come to an end on the surface of Mars.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/30/why-americans-keep-voting-for-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/01/30/why-americans-keep-voting-for-trump/", "title": "Why Americans keep voting for Trump", "date_published": "2024-01-30T02:07:10-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-30T02:07:10-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight.
\n\nOriginally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.
![\"Donald](\"/assets/images/trump-why-vote.jpg\")
Donald Trump has been legally determined to be a rapist, accused of paying hush money to a porn star and is facing 91 felony charges across four criminal cases. In any other election, a candidate with such legal issues would have been swiftly removed from consideration. Trump ,despite these allegations and legal troubles, how can still be a leading GOP candidate?
\n\nGeorge Monbiot on an opinon piece for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "But the shift goes deeper than politics. For well over a century, the US, more than most nations, has worshipped extrinsic values: the American dream is a dream of acquiring wealth, spending it conspicuously and escaping the constraints of other people’s needs and demands. It is accompanied, in politics and in popular culture, by toxic myths about failure and success: wealth is the goal, regardless of how it is acquired. The ubiquity of advertising, the commercialisation of society and the rise of consumerism, alongside the media’s obsession with fame and fashion, reinforce this story. The marketing of insecurity, especially about physical appearance, and the manufacture of unfulfilled wants, dig holes in our psyches that we might try to fill with money, fame or power. For decades, the dominant cultural themes in the US – and in many other nations – have functioned as an almost perfect incubator of extrinsic values.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWhen a society valorises status, money, power and dominance, it is bound to generate frustration. It is mathematically impossible for everyone to be number one. The more the economic elites grab, the more everyone else must lose. Someone must be blamed for the ensuing disappointment. In a culture that worships winners, it can’t be them. It must be those evil people pursuing a kinder world, in which wealth is distributed, no one is forgotten and communities and the living planet are protected. Those who have developed a strong set of extrinsic values will vote for the person who represents them, the person who has what they want. Trump. And where the US goes, the rest of us follow.
Donald Trump has been legally determined to be a rapist, accused of paying hush money to a porn star and is facing 91 felony charges across four criminal cases. In any other election, a candidate with such legal issues would have been swiftly removed from consideration. Trump ,despite these allegations and legal troubles, how can still be a leading GOP candidate?
\n\nGeorge Monbiot on an opinon piece for The Gaurdian:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/01/celebrating-50-years-of-the-rubiks-cube-a-timeless-icon-of-creativity-and-challenge/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/01/celebrating-50-years-of-the-rubiks-cube-a-timeless-icon-of-creativity-and-challenge/", "title": "Celebrating 50 Years of the Rubik's Cube: A Timeless Icon of Creativity and Challenge", "date_published": "2024-02-01T23:50:19-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-01T23:50:19-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "But the shift goes deeper than politics. For well over a century, the US, more than most nations, has worshipped extrinsic values: the American dream is a dream of acquiring wealth, spending it conspicuously and escaping the constraints of other people’s needs and demands. It is accompanied, in politics and in popular culture, by toxic myths about failure and success: wealth is the goal, regardless of how it is acquired. The ubiquity of advertising, the commercialisation of society and the rise of consumerism, alongside the media’s obsession with fame and fashion, reinforce this story. The marketing of insecurity, especially about physical appearance, and the manufacture of unfulfilled wants, dig holes in our psyches that we might try to fill with money, fame or power. For decades, the dominant cultural themes in the US – and in many other nations – have functioned as an almost perfect incubator of extrinsic values.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWhen a society valorises status, money, power and dominance, it is bound to generate frustration. It is mathematically impossible for everyone to be number one. The more the economic elites grab, the more everyone else must lose. Someone must be blamed for the ensuing disappointment. In a culture that worships winners, it can’t be them. It must be those evil people pursuing a kinder world, in which wealth is distributed, no one is forgotten and communities and the living planet are protected. Those who have developed a strong set of extrinsic values will vote for the person who represents them, the person who has what they want. Trump. And where the US goes, the rest of us follow.
![\"rubik's](\"/assets/images/rubiks-cube.jpg\")
This year marks a significant milestone in the world of puzzles and innovation as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube. Since its invention in 1974 by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik, this iconic toy has captured the imagination of millions worldwide, transcending generations and cultures.
\n\nThe Rubik’s Cube is more than just a puzzle; it’s a symbol of creativity, perseverance, and intellectual challenge. With its deceptively simple design of colored squares arranged on a cube, it presents an intricate problem that has confounded and delighted minds for half a century. What begins as a seemingly impossible task of aligning the colors quickly becomes a captivating journey of problem-solving and spatial reasoning.
\n\nOver the years, the Rubik’s Cube has evolved from a mere toy to a cultural phenomenon. It has inspired countless competitions, ranging from casual speed-solving contests to international championships where participants showcase lightning-fast reflexes and unparalleled problem-solving skills. Beyond competitions, the Rubik’s Cube has found its way into classrooms, where educators harness its potential to teach concepts in mathematics, logic, and perseverance.
\n\nAs we reflect on the legacy of the Rubik’s Cube, it’s impossible to ignore its enduring appeal. Across generations, people have been drawn to its challenge, finding solace in the rhythmic twists and turns required to solve it. It serves as a reminder that in a world filled with distractions, there is beauty in simplicity, and joy in the pursuit of a seemingly insurmountable goal.
\n\nThe 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube is not only a celebration of its past but also a testament to its enduring relevance in an ever-changing world. As we look ahead to the next 50 years and beyond, one thing remains certain: the Rubik’s Cube will continue to captivate minds, inspire creativity, and unite people in the shared pursuit of unlocking its secrets.
\n\nWhether you’re a seasoned speed solver or a curious beginner, take a moment to celebrate this timeless icon of ingenuity and exploration. Happy 50th anniversary, Rubik’s Cube - here’s to many more years of twisting, turning, and endless possibilities!
\n", "content_html": "
This year marks a significant milestone in the world of puzzles and innovation as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube. Since its invention in 1974 by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik, this iconic toy has captured the imagination of millions worldwide, transcending generations and cultures.
\n\nThe Rubik’s Cube is more than just a puzzle; it’s a symbol of creativity, perseverance, and intellectual challenge. With its deceptively simple design of colored squares arranged on a cube, it presents an intricate problem that has confounded and delighted minds for half a century. What begins as a seemingly impossible task of aligning the colors quickly becomes a captivating journey of problem-solving and spatial reasoning.
\n\nOver the years, the Rubik’s Cube has evolved from a mere toy to a cultural phenomenon. It has inspired countless competitions, ranging from casual speed-solving contests to international championships where participants showcase lightning-fast reflexes and unparalleled problem-solving skills. Beyond competitions, the Rubik’s Cube has found its way into classrooms, where educators harness its potential to teach concepts in mathematics, logic, and perseverance.
\n\nAs we reflect on the legacy of the Rubik’s Cube, it’s impossible to ignore its enduring appeal. Across generations, people have been drawn to its challenge, finding solace in the rhythmic twists and turns required to solve it. It serves as a reminder that in a world filled with distractions, there is beauty in simplicity, and joy in the pursuit of a seemingly insurmountable goal.
\n\nThe 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube is not only a celebration of its past but also a testament to its enduring relevance in an ever-changing world. As we look ahead to the next 50 years and beyond, one thing remains certain: the Rubik’s Cube will continue to captivate minds, inspire creativity, and unite people in the shared pursuit of unlocking its secrets.
\n\nWhether you’re a seasoned speed solver or a curious beginner, take a moment to celebrate this timeless icon of ingenuity and exploration. Happy 50th anniversary, Rubik’s Cube - here’s to many more years of twisting, turning, and endless possibilities!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/01/if-it-walks-like-an-insurrection-and-talks-like-an-insurrection-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/01/if-it-walks-like-an-insurrection-and-talks-like-an-insurrection-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "If It Walks Like an Insurrection and Talks Like an Insurrection …", "date_published": "2024-02-01T23:55:28-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-01T23:55:28-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jamelle Bouie in an op-ed for the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The last point to make here comes from still another amicus brief, this one prepared and filed by the historians Jill Lepore, Drew Gilpin Faust, David Blight and John Fabian Witt. Section 3, they note, was not written for the past; it was written for the future. “In the 14th Amendment the United States now possessed the blueprint of a new Constitution, a new kind of federalism, a commitment to equality before the law and a method to legally guarantee the essential results of the Civil War,” they write. “That blueprint included prohibiting past officeholders from holding federal or state office after engaging in an insurrection against the Constitution.”
\n\nThis was recognized at the time. “The language of this section is so framed as to disenfranchise from office the leaders of the past rebellion as well as the leaders of any rebellion hereafter to come,” Senator John B. Henderson of Missouri said as he cast his vote for the amendment.
\n\nWhatever the political arguments against disqualification — and whatever the practical considerations of keeping the former president off the ballot — both the Constitution and the historical record are clear. Trump is an insurrectionist, and he has no rightful place in the leadership of the American Republic.
Jamelle Bouie in an op-ed for the New York Times:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/18/enshittification-at-scale/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/18/enshittification-at-scale/", "title": "Enshittification at scale", "date_published": "2024-02-18T15:39:52-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-18T15:39:52-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The last point to make here comes from still another amicus brief, this one prepared and filed by the historians Jill Lepore, Drew Gilpin Faust, David Blight and John Fabian Witt. Section 3, they note, was not written for the past; it was written for the future. “In the 14th Amendment the United States now possessed the blueprint of a new Constitution, a new kind of federalism, a commitment to equality before the law and a method to legally guarantee the essential results of the Civil War,” they write. “That blueprint included prohibiting past officeholders from holding federal or state office after engaging in an insurrection against the Constitution.”
\n\nThis was recognized at the time. “The language of this section is so framed as to disenfranchise from office the leaders of the past rebellion as well as the leaders of any rebellion hereafter to come,” Senator John B. Henderson of Missouri said as he cast his vote for the amendment.
\n\nWhatever the political arguments against disqualification — and whatever the practical considerations of keeping the former president off the ballot — both the Constitution and the historical record are clear. Trump is an insurrectionist, and he has no rightful place in the leadership of the American Republic.
Andy Brice writing on Large Language Models and the start of the technological singularity:
\n\n\n\nBut I don’t think so. Human nature being what it is, LLMs are inevitably going to be used to churn out vast amount of low quality ‘content’ for SEO and other commercial purposes. LLM nature being what it is, a lot of this content is going to be hallucinated. In otherwords, bullshit. Given that LLMs can generate content vastly faster than humans can, we could quickly end up with an Internet that is mostly bullshit. Which will then be used to train the next generation of LLM. We will eventually reach a bullshit singularlity, where it is almost impossible to work out whether anything on the Internet is true. Enshittification at scale. Well done us.
I agree. Maybe this is the new SkyNet scenario - you don’t need to take controll of all the nukes and bomb humanity to the stone ages. You just need to load up the information highway with so much bullshit so that the modern internet is completely useless.
\n", "content_html": "Andy Brice writing on Large Language Models and the start of the technological singularity:
\n\n\n\nBut I don’t think so. Human nature being what it is, LLMs are inevitably going to be used to churn out vast amount of low quality ‘content’ for SEO and other commercial purposes. LLM nature being what it is, a lot of this content is going to be hallucinated. In otherwords, bullshit. Given that LLMs can generate content vastly faster than humans can, we could quickly end up with an Internet that is mostly bullshit. Which will then be used to train the next generation of LLM. We will eventually reach a bullshit singularlity, where it is almost impossible to work out whether anything on the Internet is true. Enshittification at scale. Well done us.
I agree. Maybe this is the new SkyNet scenario - you don’t need to take controll of all the nukes and bomb humanity to the stone ages. You just need to load up the information highway with so much bullshit so that the modern internet is completely useless.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/21/bush-glycerin-featuring-mr-bean/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/21/bush-glycerin-featuring-mr-bean/", "title": "Bush Glycerin featuring Mr. Bean", "date_published": "2024-02-21T02:00:48-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-21T02:00:48-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nFootage from Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean with Bush’s 1994 alternative rock hit Glycerine of their Sixteen Stone album playing over it. See if you can spot the lyric change…
\nFootage from Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean with Bush’s 1994 alternative rock hit Glycerine of their Sixteen Stone album playing over it. See if you can spot the lyric change…
![\"John](\"/assets/images/john-oliver.jpg\")
Ramon Antonio Vargas reporting in The Gaurdian that talkshow host John Oliver has offered to pay Clarence Thomas $1m annually – as well as give him a $2m tour bus – if the Republican judge resigns from the US supreme court.
\n\n\n\nSo that’s the offer – $1m a year, Clarence. And a brand new condo on wheels. And all you have to do … is sign the contract and get the fuck off the supreme court,” Oliver remarked. “The clock starts now – 30 days, Clarence. Let’s do this!
You are a good man John Oliver. A real patriot. Unfortunately, Clarence Thomas won’t take it - we all know he makes more than that from his grifts to stay right where he is.
\n", "content_html": "
Ramon Antonio Vargas reporting in The Gaurdian that talkshow host John Oliver has offered to pay Clarence Thomas $1m annually – as well as give him a $2m tour bus – if the Republican judge resigns from the US supreme court.
\n\n\n\nSo that’s the offer – $1m a year, Clarence. And a brand new condo on wheels. And all you have to do … is sign the contract and get the fuck off the supreme court,” Oliver remarked. “The clock starts now – 30 days, Clarence. Let’s do this!
You are a good man John Oliver. A real patriot. Unfortunately, Clarence Thomas won’t take it - we all know he makes more than that from his grifts to stay right where he is.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/21/oscar-best-picture-muppets-versions/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/21/oscar-best-picture-muppets-versions/", "title": "Oscar best picture - Muppets versions", "date_published": "2024-02-21T02:38:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-21T02:38:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Here’s a list of every Best Picture Oscar winner ranked by how good a Muppets version would be. Two of my favorites:
\n\n\n\n![\"Rocky\"](\"/assets/images/rocky.jpg\")
\n\nThe greatest sports movie of all time. THE underdog story. The Muppets boxing. Kermit screaming MISS PIGGY as half his face swells shut. That’s what the movies are all about.
And The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
\n\n![\"The](\"/assets/images/lotr-rotk.jpg\")
\n\nThis would be the greatest movie ever made. I know it and you know it. Muppets Return of the King on its own would be the greatest thing ever put to film. The epic battles, the rousing speeches, the inspired acts of bravery. All of it, with Muppets, would be a transcendent piece of art that would ever so briefly unite humanity. Its existence would also mean that Muppets Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers also exist. A whole Muppets Lord of the Rings trilogy. Art is subjective and nothing can please everyone except for this. Everyone on earth would love this. We would be able to show it to extraterrestrial species to prove that we are worthy of joining the Galactic Senate. They would see it and realize we are a species that can contribute positively to the universe. All our problems would be solved. The Muppets Lord of the Rings will be our salvation.
These movies would actually get me back into the theaters.
\n", "content_html": "Here’s a list of every Best Picture Oscar winner ranked by how good a Muppets version would be. Two of my favorites:
\n\n\n\n
\n\nThe greatest sports movie of all time. THE underdog story. The Muppets boxing. Kermit screaming MISS PIGGY as half his face swells shut. That’s what the movies are all about.
And The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
\n\n
\n\nThis would be the greatest movie ever made. I know it and you know it. Muppets Return of the King on its own would be the greatest thing ever put to film. The epic battles, the rousing speeches, the inspired acts of bravery. All of it, with Muppets, would be a transcendent piece of art that would ever so briefly unite humanity. Its existence would also mean that Muppets Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers also exist. A whole Muppets Lord of the Rings trilogy. Art is subjective and nothing can please everyone except for this. Everyone on earth would love this. We would be able to show it to extraterrestrial species to prove that we are worthy of joining the Galactic Senate. They would see it and realize we are a species that can contribute positively to the universe. All our problems would be solved. The Muppets Lord of the Rings will be our salvation.
These movies would actually get me back into the theaters.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/22/how-to-cover-donald-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/22/how-to-cover-donald-trump/", "title": "How to Cover Donald Trump", "date_published": "2024-02-22T17:22:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-22T17:22:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nJoe Scarborough hangs up on Donald Trump live on air. This is a perfect call.
\nJoe Scarborough hangs up on Donald Trump live on air. This is a perfect call.
Methodist pastor Dave Barnhart on Facebook on loving the unborn:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.
\n\nPrisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.
Methodist pastor Dave Barnhart on Facebook on loving the unborn:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/29/e-bike-riders-get-more-exercise/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/29/e-bike-riders-get-more-exercise/", "title": "e-bike riders get more exercise", "date_published": "2024-02-29T03:43:52-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-29T03:43:52-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.
\n\nPrisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.
![\"Electric](\"/assets/images/electic-bike.png\")
Micah Toll writing for elektrek:
\n\n\n\nBelieve it or not, electric bikes offer more exercise than pedal bikes on average. That fact might sound strange (and has been known to let the steam out of some fitness riders’ lycra outfits), but the science is clear. Now let’s talk about the “how” and “why”.
\n\nStudy after study have shown that people who ride e-bikes get more exercise than those who ride pedal bikes.
Its obvious - the ease of electric bikes allows their owners to ride longer and more often.
\n", "content_html": "
Micah Toll writing for elektrek:
\n\n\n\nBelieve it or not, electric bikes offer more exercise than pedal bikes on average. That fact might sound strange (and has been known to let the steam out of some fitness riders’ lycra outfits), but the science is clear. Now let’s talk about the “how” and “why”.
\n\nStudy after study have shown that people who ride e-bikes get more exercise than those who ride pedal bikes.
Its obvious - the ease of electric bikes allows their owners to ride longer and more often.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/29/napoleon-pedro-and-uncle-rico-today/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/02/29/napoleon-pedro-and-uncle-rico-today/", "title": "Napoleon, Pedro and Uncle Rico today", "date_published": "2024-02-29T04:00:40-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-02-29T04:00:40-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) mark the 20th anniversary ofNapoleon Dynamite at the Sundance Film Festival.
\n\n\n
Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) mark the 20th anniversary ofNapoleon Dynamite at the Sundance Film Festival.
\n\n\n
\nAdam Yates reporting on how the the Dutch have transformed the city and made it safer for people to get where they’re going more quickly.
\n", "content_html": "Pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles can all coexist without conflict, but only if they’re all going the same slow speed. This advances the principles of shared streets.
\nAdam Yates reporting on how the the Dutch have transformed the city and made it safer for people to get where they’re going more quickly.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/11/ai-lou-reed-chatbot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/11/ai-lou-reed-chatbot/", "title": "AI Lou Reed Chatbot", "date_published": "2024-03-11T14:56:53-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-03-11T14:56:53-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles can all coexist without conflict, but only if they’re all going the same slow speed. This advances the principles of shared streets.
![\"Laurie](\"/assets/images/laurie-lou-reed.jpg\")
Laurie Anderson built a AI chatbot of her late husband Lou Reed.
\n\n\n\nI’m totally 100%, sadly addicted to this. I still am, after all this time.
There is something unnatural and creepy about this…
\n", "content_html": "
Laurie Anderson built a AI chatbot of her late husband Lou Reed.
\n\n\n\nI’m totally 100%, sadly addicted to this. I still am, after all this time.
There is something unnatural and creepy about this…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/29/getting-rid-of-phenomenally-talented-assholes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/29/getting-rid-of-phenomenally-talented-assholes/", "title": "Getting rid of phenomenally talented assholes", "date_published": "2024-03-29T11:00:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-03-29T11:00:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Boing\"](\"/assets/images/boing.jpg\")
Maureen Tkacik writing for the The American Prospect:
\n\n\n\nLike most neoliberal institutions, Boeing had come under the spell of a seductive new theory of “knowledge” that essentially reduced the whole concept to a combination of intellectual property, trade secrets, and data, discarding “thought” and “understanding” and “complex reasoning” possessed by a skilled and experienced workforce as essentially not worth the increased health care costs. CEO Jim McNerney, who joined Boeing in 2005, had last helmed 3M, where management as he saw it had “overvalued experience and undervalued leadership” before he purged the veterans into early retirement.
\n\n“Prince Jim”—as some long-timers used to call him—repeatedly invoked a slur for longtime engineers and skilled machinists in the obligatory vanity “leadership” book he co-wrote. Those who cared too much about the integrity of the planes and not enough about the stock price were “phenomenally talented assholes,” and he encouraged his deputies to ostracize them into leaving the company. He initially refused to let nearly any of these talented assholes work on the 787 Dreamliner, instead outsourcing the vast majority of the development and engineering design of the brand-new, revolutionary wide-body jet to suppliers, many of which lacked engineering departments. The plan would save money while busting unions, a win-win, he promised investors. Instead, McNerney’s plan burned some $50 billion in excess of its budget and went three and a half years behind schedule.
\n\n“There’s a form we all had to sign that says you take responsibility for anything that goes wrong, and it states pretty clearly that if something happens to a plane because of something you did wrong, you can face a major fine or jail time for that,” the manager recalled. “The Everett managers took that seriously. Charleston leadership did not.”
This is what happens when you replace highly skilled employees with years of institutional knowledge with managers who only care about the stock price. You would think the Boing board would have learned their lesson - I wouldn’t count on it.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Meanwhile, pieces are flying off the Boeing planes actually in use at an alarming rate, criminal investigations are under way, and another in a long line of stock-conscious CEOs is stepping down. Boeing’s largest union, the Machinists, is trying to snag a board seat because, in the words of its local president, “we have to save this company from itself.”
\n\nSPEEA has demanded, understandably, that the board choose an aerospace engineer as its next CEO. But there are few signs that will happen: None of the names floated thus far for the spot have been aerospace engineers, and the shoo-in for the position, GE’s Larry Culp, is not an engineer at all.
Maureen Tkacik writing for the The American Prospect:
\n\n\n\nLike most neoliberal institutions, Boeing had come under the spell of a seductive new theory of “knowledge” that essentially reduced the whole concept to a combination of intellectual property, trade secrets, and data, discarding “thought” and “understanding” and “complex reasoning” possessed by a skilled and experienced workforce as essentially not worth the increased health care costs. CEO Jim McNerney, who joined Boeing in 2005, had last helmed 3M, where management as he saw it had “overvalued experience and undervalued leadership” before he purged the veterans into early retirement.
\n\n“Prince Jim”—as some long-timers used to call him—repeatedly invoked a slur for longtime engineers and skilled machinists in the obligatory vanity “leadership” book he co-wrote. Those who cared too much about the integrity of the planes and not enough about the stock price were “phenomenally talented assholes,” and he encouraged his deputies to ostracize them into leaving the company. He initially refused to let nearly any of these talented assholes work on the 787 Dreamliner, instead outsourcing the vast majority of the development and engineering design of the brand-new, revolutionary wide-body jet to suppliers, many of which lacked engineering departments. The plan would save money while busting unions, a win-win, he promised investors. Instead, McNerney’s plan burned some $50 billion in excess of its budget and went three and a half years behind schedule.
\n\n“There’s a form we all had to sign that says you take responsibility for anything that goes wrong, and it states pretty clearly that if something happens to a plane because of something you did wrong, you can face a major fine or jail time for that,” the manager recalled. “The Everett managers took that seriously. Charleston leadership did not.”
This is what happens when you replace highly skilled employees with years of institutional knowledge with managers who only care about the stock price. You would think the Boing board would have learned their lesson - I wouldn’t count on it.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/29/smack-for-heinz/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/03/29/smack-for-heinz/", "title": "Smack for Heinz", "date_published": "2024-03-29T14:20:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-03-29T14:20:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Meanwhile, pieces are flying off the Boeing planes actually in use at an alarming rate, criminal investigations are under way, and another in a long line of stock-conscious CEOs is stepping down. Boeing’s largest union, the Machinists, is trying to snag a board seat because, in the words of its local president, “we have to save this company from itself.”
\n\nSPEEA has demanded, understandably, that the board choose an aerospace engineer as its next CEO. But there are few signs that will happen: None of the names floated thus far for the spot have been aerospace engineers, and the shoo-in for the position, GE’s Larry Culp, is not an engineer at all.
![\"Hienz\"](\"/assets/images/heinz.jpg\")
Kelly Bauer reporting for Block Club Chicago:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Heinz is helping out ketchup-loving Chicagoans by putting up small billboards that dispense the condiment outside famous local restaurants that refuse to serve ketchup.
Kelly Bauer reporting for Block Club Chicago:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/01/the-idea-of-car-free-cities/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/01/the-idea-of-car-free-cities/", "title": "The Idea of Car-free cities", "date_published": "2024-04-01T11:12:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-01T11:12:03-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Heinz is helping out ketchup-loving Chicagoans by putting up small billboards that dispense the condiment outside famous local restaurants that refuse to serve ketchup.
![\"Car-free](\"/assets/images/car-free.jpg\")
The car-free schemes end up being so popular and work so well that “once cities make the decision to reduce or remove cars, they rarely go back”.
\n\n\n\nPlus, traffic-reduction programmes also have impacts beyond reducing air pollution and carbon emissions. In cities like Oslo and Helsinki, thanks to car-reduction policies, entire years have passed without a single road traffic death. It’s even been suggested that needing less parking could free up space to help ease the chronic housing shortage felt in so many cities.
\n\nAnd any attempts to reduce urban car use tend to do better when designed from the bottom up. Barcelona’s “superblocks” programme, which takes sets of nine blocks within its grid system and limits cars to the roads around the outside of the set (as well as reducing speed limits and removing on-street parking) was shaped by having resident input on every stage of the process, from design to implementation. Early indicators suggest the policy has been wildly popular with residents, has seen nitrogen dioxide air pollution fall by 25 percent in some areas, and will prevent an estimated 667 premature deaths each year, saving an estimated 1.7 billion euros.
Good luck trying to pass LTN (“low-traffic neighborhoods”) in the United States. First of all the country would have to invest billions in implementing public transportation network throughout its suburbs. Even if we managed to do that, the car culture is deeply embedded in the US psyche there would be riots in the streets.
\n", "content_html": "
The car-free schemes end up being so popular and work so well that “once cities make the decision to reduce or remove cars, they rarely go back”.
\n\n\n\nPlus, traffic-reduction programmes also have impacts beyond reducing air pollution and carbon emissions. In cities like Oslo and Helsinki, thanks to car-reduction policies, entire years have passed without a single road traffic death. It’s even been suggested that needing less parking could free up space to help ease the chronic housing shortage felt in so many cities.
\n\nAnd any attempts to reduce urban car use tend to do better when designed from the bottom up. Barcelona’s “superblocks” programme, which takes sets of nine blocks within its grid system and limits cars to the roads around the outside of the set (as well as reducing speed limits and removing on-street parking) was shaped by having resident input on every stage of the process, from design to implementation. Early indicators suggest the policy has been wildly popular with residents, has seen nitrogen dioxide air pollution fall by 25 percent in some areas, and will prevent an estimated 667 premature deaths each year, saving an estimated 1.7 billion euros.
Good luck trying to pass LTN (“low-traffic neighborhoods”) in the United States. First of all the country would have to invest billions in implementing public transportation network throughout its suburbs. Even if we managed to do that, the car culture is deeply embedded in the US psyche there would be riots in the streets.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/11/federal-trade-commission-chair-lina-khan-on-the-daily-show/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/11/federal-trade-commission-chair-lina-khan-on-the-daily-show/", "title": "Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan on The Daily Show", "date_published": "2024-04-11T01:01:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-11T01:01:11-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nFederal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan joins Jon Stewart to discuss her work protecting the American consumer against the digital robber barons. This women scared the hell out of the largest business in the world. Kudos to John Stewart for standing up to Apple and having her on.
\nFederal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan joins Jon Stewart to discuss her work protecting the American consumer against the digital robber barons. This women scared the hell out of the largest business in the world. Kudos to John Stewart for standing up to Apple and having her on.
\n", "content_html": "Reports on heatwaves and wildfires regularly fill the evening news. Summer days exceed 40 degrees in London and 45 degrees in Delhi, as extreme heat waves are now 8 to 9 times more common. These high temperatures prompt widespread blackouts, as power grids struggle to keep up with the energy demands needed to properly cool homes. Ambulance sirens blare through the night, carrying patients suffering from heatstroke, dehydration, and exhaustion. The southwestern United States, southern Africa, and eastern Australia experience longer, more frequent, and more severe droughts.
\n\nMeanwhile, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan face more frequent heavy rainfall as rising temperatures cause water to evaporate faster, and trap more water in the atmosphere. As the weather becomes more erratic, some communities are unable to keep pace with rebuilding what’s constantly destroyed.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/11/three-castaways-found/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/11/three-castaways-found/", "title": "Three castaways found", "date_published": "2024-04-11T23:36:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-11T23:36:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Reports on heatwaves and wildfires regularly fill the evening news. Summer days exceed 40 degrees in London and 45 degrees in Delhi, as extreme heat waves are now 8 to 9 times more common. These high temperatures prompt widespread blackouts, as power grids struggle to keep up with the energy demands needed to properly cool homes. Ambulance sirens blare through the night, carrying patients suffering from heatstroke, dehydration, and exhaustion. The southwestern United States, southern Africa, and eastern Australia experience longer, more frequent, and more severe droughts.
\n\nMeanwhile, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan face more frequent heavy rainfall as rising temperatures cause water to evaporate faster, and trap more water in the atmosphere. As the weather becomes more erratic, some communities are unable to keep pace with rebuilding what’s constantly destroyed.
![\"SOS\"](\"/assets/images/sos.jpg\")
Three men stranded on a tiny Pacific island for more than a week were rescued after the Coast Guard spotted “HELP” written out on the beach in palm leaves. This isn’t a fluke occurence either - A similar rescue from the same island happened in 2020 — “SOS” that time.
\n\nSo if you are trapped on a deserted island - start writing!
\n", "content_html": "
Three men stranded on a tiny Pacific island for more than a week were rescued after the Coast Guard spotted “HELP” written out on the beach in palm leaves. This isn’t a fluke occurence either - A similar rescue from the same island happened in 2020 — “SOS” that time.
\n\nSo if you are trapped on a deserted island - start writing!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/12/first-ever-national-drinking-water-limits-on-pfas/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/12/first-ever-national-drinking-water-limits-on-pfas/", "title": "first-ever US national drinking water limits on PFAS", "date_published": "2024-04-12T00:00:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-12T00:00:17-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"pfas](\"/assets/images/pfas-plan.jpg\")
Michael Phillips writing for the AP:
\n\n\n\nThe Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. Officials say this will reduce exposure for 100 million people and help prevent thousands of illnesses, including cancers.
\n\nThe rule is the first national drinking water limit on toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are widespread and long lasting in the environment.
\n\nHealth advocates praised the Environmental Protection Agency for not backing away from tough limits the agency proposed last year. But water utilities took issue with the rule, saying treatment systems are expensive to install and that customers will end up paying more for water.
\n\nWater providers are entering a new era with significant additional health standards that the EPA says will make tap water safer for millions of consumers — a Biden administration priority.
Of course, the Republicans will attempt to block this and when it gets to the Supreme Court (which it will ), I bet this gets trashed when the Supreme Court reverses the Chevron doctrine this summer.
\n", "content_html": "
Michael Phillips writing for the AP:
\n\n\n\nThe Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. Officials say this will reduce exposure for 100 million people and help prevent thousands of illnesses, including cancers.
\n\nThe rule is the first national drinking water limit on toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are widespread and long lasting in the environment.
\n\nHealth advocates praised the Environmental Protection Agency for not backing away from tough limits the agency proposed last year. But water utilities took issue with the rule, saying treatment systems are expensive to install and that customers will end up paying more for water.
\n\nWater providers are entering a new era with significant additional health standards that the EPA says will make tap water safer for millions of consumers — a Biden administration priority.
Of course, the Republicans will attempt to block this and when it gets to the Supreme Court (which it will ), I bet this gets trashed when the Supreme Court reverses the Chevron doctrine this summer.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/18/the-lan-party/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/18/the-lan-party/", "title": "The LAN Party", "date_published": "2024-04-18T21:59:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-18T21:59:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Assembly](\"/assets/images/assembly-1994.jpg\")
Merritt K over at aftermath on the LAN party culture of the 1990s and early 2000s:
\n\n\n\nIn the 1990s and early 2000s, three-dimensional graphics in videogames were becoming more and more complex. Titles like 1998’s Half-Life pushed games in more cinematic directions, with lighting and textures that went beyond anything released even a few years earlier. Other first-person shooters (FPS) like Counter-Strike (itself originally a mod for Half-Life) and Unreal Tournament built on the work of earlier titles like DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D. Many of these titles were designed for multiplayer action. However, the typically low network speeds of the period meant that these games, unlike slower-paced and less graphically intensive strategy games, were nearly unplayable over an internet connection. In this moment, in which communications technology was being outpaced by graphical power, the LAN (local area network) party was born.
\n\n[…]
\n\nLAN parties ranged from small, private gatherings to massive, multi-day events with thousands of participants, such as QuakeCon, DreamHack, The Gathering, and Euskal Encounter.
These were a feature of my youth - I clearly remember hauling our machines to a friends house in eastern Long Island and passing out playing multi-player Quake and CounterStrike until the wee hours of the night.
\n\nThe highlight of that era was my visit to Assembly in Finland in 1992. Good times.
\n", "content_html": "
Merritt K over at aftermath on the LAN party culture of the 1990s and early 2000s:
\n\n\n\nIn the 1990s and early 2000s, three-dimensional graphics in videogames were becoming more and more complex. Titles like 1998’s Half-Life pushed games in more cinematic directions, with lighting and textures that went beyond anything released even a few years earlier. Other first-person shooters (FPS) like Counter-Strike (itself originally a mod for Half-Life) and Unreal Tournament built on the work of earlier titles like DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D. Many of these titles were designed for multiplayer action. However, the typically low network speeds of the period meant that these games, unlike slower-paced and less graphically intensive strategy games, were nearly unplayable over an internet connection. In this moment, in which communications technology was being outpaced by graphical power, the LAN (local area network) party was born.
\n\n[…]
\n\nLAN parties ranged from small, private gatherings to massive, multi-day events with thousands of participants, such as QuakeCon, DreamHack, The Gathering, and Euskal Encounter.
These were a feature of my youth - I clearly remember hauling our machines to a friends house in eastern Long Island and passing out playing multi-player Quake and CounterStrike until the wee hours of the night.
\n\nThe highlight of that era was my visit to Assembly in Finland in 1992. Good times.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/22/for-all-mankind-and-star-city/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/22/for-all-mankind-and-star-city/", "title": "For All Mankind and Star City", "date_published": "2024-04-22T21:24:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-22T21:24:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"For](\"/assets/images/fam.jpg\")
For All Mankind has been renewed for a fifth season and the show is getting a Apple TV+ spin-off called Star City, which will follow the same alt-timeline as FAM but from the Soviet perspective.
\n\nFor All Mankind has been one of my favorite series over past 5 years. I really enjoyed the characters journeys and the epic decades long story payoffs from one season to the next. Even though the soap-opera nonsense can get a bit much.
\n\nOver all an amazing show - and looking forward to the Star City spin-off.
\n", "content_html": "
For All Mankind has been renewed for a fifth season and the show is getting a Apple TV+ spin-off called Star City, which will follow the same alt-timeline as FAM but from the Soviet perspective.
\n\nFor All Mankind has been one of my favorite series over past 5 years. I really enjoyed the characters journeys and the epic decades long story payoffs from one season to the next. Even though the soap-opera nonsense can get a bit much.
\n\nOver all an amazing show - and looking forward to the Star City spin-off.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/23/apples-bet-on-car-play/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/23/apples-bet-on-car-play/", "title": "Apple's Bet on Car Play", "date_published": "2024-04-23T21:39:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-23T21:39:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"car](\"/assets/images/carplay2.jpg\")
Casper Kessels in Car industry on Apple’s big bet on in car UI:
\n\n\n\nCompetition aside, from Apple’s perspective, CarPlay is also not ideal in its current form. For a company that values control over the user experience, it’s an eyesore to see their product embedded inside another product.
\n\nApple’s answer is a new version of CarPlay. It doesn’t have an official name, so I’ll refer to it as CarPlay 2.
\n\nToday, CarPlay is a standard that carmakers can use to pass a video signal from the phone to the head unit and return input events. There’s only a limited connection with the vehicle. This is changing with CarPlay 2 which has a deeper integration with the vehicle.
\n\nThanks to a deep integration with the software stack of the vehicle, CarPlay 2 can control most infotainment functions. It can therefore take over the entire infotainment display, the instrument cluster, and any passenger displays.
To be honest - this what Apple should have been doing the whole time instead of attempting to build the car. It allows Apple to do what it does best - the UI and hardware/software integration. If this works out for Apple, this could be a huge revenue stream and part of their move to a more ‘service centric’ platform. Done right they could potentially get a get a cut of every car that is sold.
\n", "content_html": "
Casper Kessels in Car industry on Apple’s big bet on in car UI:
\n\n\n\nCompetition aside, from Apple’s perspective, CarPlay is also not ideal in its current form. For a company that values control over the user experience, it’s an eyesore to see their product embedded inside another product.
\n\nApple’s answer is a new version of CarPlay. It doesn’t have an official name, so I’ll refer to it as CarPlay 2.
\n\nToday, CarPlay is a standard that carmakers can use to pass a video signal from the phone to the head unit and return input events. There’s only a limited connection with the vehicle. This is changing with CarPlay 2 which has a deeper integration with the vehicle.
\n\nThanks to a deep integration with the software stack of the vehicle, CarPlay 2 can control most infotainment functions. It can therefore take over the entire infotainment display, the instrument cluster, and any passenger displays.
To be honest - this what Apple should have been doing the whole time instead of attempting to build the car. It allows Apple to do what it does best - the UI and hardware/software integration. If this works out for Apple, this could be a huge revenue stream and part of their move to a more ‘service centric’ platform. Done right they could potentially get a get a cut of every car that is sold.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/30/the-age-of-mid-tv/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/04/30/the-age-of-mid-tv/", "title": "The Age of Mid TV", "date_published": "2024-04-30T03:54:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-04-30T03:54:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"tv\"](\"/assets/images/tv.png\")
James Poniewozik writing for the NY Times:
\n\n\n\nMid TV, on the other hand, almost can’t be bad for some of the same reasons that keep it from being great. It’s often an echo of the last generation of breakthrough TV (so the highs and lows of “Game of Thrones” are succeeded by the faithful adequacy of “House of the Dragon”). Or it’s made by professionals who know how to make TV too well, and therefore miss a prerequisite of making great art, which is training yourself to forget how the thing was ever done and thus coming up with your own way of doing it.
\n\nMid is not a strict genre with a universal definition. But it’s what you get when you raise TV’s production values and lower its ambitions. It reminds you a little of something you once liked a lot. It substitutes great casting for great ideas. (You really liked the star in that other thing! You can’t believe they got Meryl Streep!)
\n\nMid is based on a well-known book or movie or murder. Mid looks great on a big screen. (Though for some reason everything looks blue.) Mid was shot on location in multiple countries. Mid probably could have been a couple episodes shorter. Mid is fine, though. It’s good enough.
\n\nAbove all, Mid is easy. It’s not dumb easy — it shows evidence that its writers have read books. But the story beats are familiar. Plot points and themes are repeated. You don’t have to immerse yourself single-mindedly the way you might have with, say, “The Wire.” It is prestige TV that you can fold laundry to.
The budgets have soared, the technical aspects are now rivaling the best of Hollywood and the big time stars are now on board. The problem is that we are just re-hashing old ground.
\n\nWhen was the last time we saw a really inspired and imaginative TV show that really challenged us?
\n", "content_html": "
James Poniewozik writing for the NY Times:
\n\n\n\nMid TV, on the other hand, almost can’t be bad for some of the same reasons that keep it from being great. It’s often an echo of the last generation of breakthrough TV (so the highs and lows of “Game of Thrones” are succeeded by the faithful adequacy of “House of the Dragon”). Or it’s made by professionals who know how to make TV too well, and therefore miss a prerequisite of making great art, which is training yourself to forget how the thing was ever done and thus coming up with your own way of doing it.
\n\nMid is not a strict genre with a universal definition. But it’s what you get when you raise TV’s production values and lower its ambitions. It reminds you a little of something you once liked a lot. It substitutes great casting for great ideas. (You really liked the star in that other thing! You can’t believe they got Meryl Streep!)
\n\nMid is based on a well-known book or movie or murder. Mid looks great on a big screen. (Though for some reason everything looks blue.) Mid was shot on location in multiple countries. Mid probably could have been a couple episodes shorter. Mid is fine, though. It’s good enough.
\n\nAbove all, Mid is easy. It’s not dumb easy — it shows evidence that its writers have read books. But the story beats are familiar. Plot points and themes are repeated. You don’t have to immerse yourself single-mindedly the way you might have with, say, “The Wire.” It is prestige TV that you can fold laundry to.
The budgets have soared, the technical aspects are now rivaling the best of Hollywood and the big time stars are now on board. The problem is that we are just re-hashing old ground.
\n\nWhen was the last time we saw a really inspired and imaginative TV show that really challenged us?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/02/drop-testing-phones-from-300-feet/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/02/drop-testing-phones-from-300-feet/", "title": "Drop testing phones from 300 feet", "date_published": "2024-05-02T06:09:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-02T06:09:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nJoanna Stern from The Wall Street journal tests drops phone from 300 feet to see what happens.
\n", "content_html": "So what did we learn from dropping all these phones today? Physics is cool. Yes phones have gotten more durable too. Even 30 foot drops on to asphalt didn’t destroy these phones. But yea, if you happen to drop your phone out of an airplane, make sure it lands on grass.
\nJoanna Stern from The Wall Street journal tests drops phone from 300 feet to see what happens.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/03/a-jail-of-his-own-making/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/03/a-jail-of-his-own-making/", "title": "a jail of his own making", "date_published": "2024-05-03T01:32:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-03T01:32:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So what did we learn from dropping all these phones today? Physics is cool. Yes phones have gotten more durable too. Even 30 foot drops on to asphalt didn’t destroy these phones. But yea, if you happen to drop your phone out of an airplane, make sure it lands on grass.
\nAs always, Lawrence O’Donnell sums up Donald Trump’s situation. For the first time in Donald Trump’s life he’s been forced to spend time in confinement - a jail of his own making.
\nAs always, Lawrence O’Donnell sums up Donald Trump’s situation. For the first time in Donald Trump’s life he’s been forced to spend time in confinement - a jail of his own making.
\nThe United States will not be brought down by an invasion of immigrants from the southern border - but buy the total lack of intelligence of its citizenry.
\nThe United States will not be brought down by an invasion of immigrants from the southern border - but buy the total lack of intelligence of its citizenry.
![\"Gollum\"](\"/assets/images/gollum.jpg\")
Jennifer Maas reporting for Veriety:
\n\n\n\nOriginal “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
\n\n[..]
\n\nIn a press release from Warner Bros. later Thursday morning, the studio revealed that the working title for the film is “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” and it will be directed by and star Serkis in his iconic titular role. The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
With Peter Jackson producing, Andy Serkis directing and Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens writing the script - the movie is in good hands.
\n", "content_html": "
Jennifer Maas reporting for Veriety:
\n\n\n\nOriginal “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
\n\n[..]
\n\nIn a press release from Warner Bros. later Thursday morning, the studio revealed that the working title for the film is “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” and it will be directed by and star Serkis in his iconic titular role. The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
With Peter Jackson producing, Andy Serkis directing and Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens writing the script - the movie is in good hands.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/16/ai-is-totally-shameless/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/16/ai-is-totally-shameless/", "title": "AI is just software", "date_published": "2024-05-16T16:35:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-16T16:35:57-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"AI\"](\"./assets/images/ai.jpg\")
Paul Ford writing about AI:
\n\n\n\nThere’s a truism that helps me whenever the new big tech thing has every brain melting: I repeat to myself, “It’s just software.” Word processing was going to make it too easy to write novels, Photoshop looked like it would let us erase history, Bitcoin was going to replace money, and now AI is going to ruin society, but … it’s just software. And not even that much software: Lots of AI models could fit on a thumb drive with enough room left over for the entire run of Game of Thrones (or Microsoft Office). They’re interdimensional ZIP files, glitchy JPEGs, but for all of human knowledge. And yet they serve such large portions!
Lets all just keep our witts about us - its just software.
\n", "content_html": "
Paul Ford writing about AI:
\n\n\n\nThere’s a truism that helps me whenever the new big tech thing has every brain melting: I repeat to myself, “It’s just software.” Word processing was going to make it too easy to write novels, Photoshop looked like it would let us erase history, Bitcoin was going to replace money, and now AI is going to ruin society, but … it’s just software. And not even that much software: Lots of AI models could fit on a thumb drive with enough room left over for the entire run of Game of Thrones (or Microsoft Office). They’re interdimensional ZIP files, glitchy JPEGs, but for all of human knowledge. And yet they serve such large portions!
Lets all just keep our witts about us - its just software.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/20/just-alito-flew-the-seditionist-flag/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/20/just-alito-flew-the-seditionist-flag/", "title": "Justice Alito flew the Seditionist Flag", "date_published": "2024-05-20T11:11:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-20T11:11:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"seditionist](\"/assets/images/alito-flag.jpg\")
Jodi Kantor, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nAfter the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag.
\n\nOne of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors.
How is Alito still on the Supreme Court? Congress needs to act and start an impeachment investigation. Oh thats right - we only conduct impeachment inquiries for Presidents who help family members with car loans.
\n", "content_html": "
Jodi Kantor, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nAfter the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag.
\n\nOne of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors.
How is Alito still on the Supreme Court? Congress needs to act and start an impeachment investigation. Oh thats right - we only conduct impeachment inquiries for Presidents who help family members with car loans.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/21/gordon-bell-dies-at-89/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/21/gordon-bell-dies-at-89/", "title": "Gordon Bell dies at 89", "date_published": "2024-05-21T16:40:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-21T16:40:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Gordon](\"/assets/images/gordon-bell.jpg\")
Gordon Bell, who as an early employee of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) played a key role in the development of several influential minicomputer systems and also co-founded the first major computer museum, passed away on Friday, according to Bell Labs veteran John Mashey. Mashey announced Bell’s passing in a social media post on Tuesday morning.\n
\n\nFrom the CHM portrait:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Gordon Bell joined Digital Equipment Corporation in 1960 and spent 23 years (1960-1983) there as Vice President of Research and Development. When he started at DEC, he immediately began promoting the PDP-1 as an example of a ‘VW Beetle’ of computing–a mass market, inexpensive, moderately-fast computer.
Gordon Bell, who as an early employee of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) played a key role in the development of several influential minicomputer systems and also co-founded the first major computer museum, passed away on Friday, according to Bell Labs veteran John Mashey. Mashey announced Bell’s passing in a social media post on Tuesday morning.\n
\n\nFrom the CHM portrait:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/24/most-common-pin-numbers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/24/most-common-pin-numbers/", "title": "Most Common PIN Numbers", "date_published": "2024-05-24T00:37:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-24T00:37:04-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Gordon Bell joined Digital Equipment Corporation in 1960 and spent 23 years (1960-1983) there as Vice President of Research and Development. When he started at DEC, he immediately began promoting the PDP-1 as an example of a ‘VW Beetle’ of computing–a mass market, inexpensive, moderately-fast computer.
Information is Beautiful made this visualization of the most common PINs:
\n\n![\"common](\"/assets/images/pin-numbers.jpg\")
According to the analysis, just 20 4-digit numbers account for 27% of all PINs:
\n\n| \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1234 | \n0000 | \n7777 | \n2000 | \n2222 | \n9999 | \n5555 | \n1122 | \n8888 | \n2001 | \n
| 1111 | \n1212 | \n1004 | \n4444 | \n6969 | \n3333 | \n6666 | \n1313 | \n4321 | \n1010 | \n
Its frightening to know that a little over ¼ PIN codes can be cracked with just these 20 PINs! If you are one of the ones using on of these numbers - it is highly recommended that you pick another PIN.
\n\nUnguessable PINs would seem to be unrepeated pairs of numbers greater than 50 — so 8957, 7064, 9653, etc. Choose wisely.
\n", "content_html": "Information is Beautiful made this visualization of the most common PINs:
\n\n
According to the analysis, just 20 4-digit numbers account for 27% of all PINs:
\n\n| \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n | \n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1234 | \n0000 | \n7777 | \n2000 | \n2222 | \n9999 | \n5555 | \n1122 | \n8888 | \n2001 | \n
| 1111 | \n1212 | \n1004 | \n4444 | \n6969 | \n3333 | \n6666 | \n1313 | \n4321 | \n1010 | \n
Its frightening to know that a little over ¼ PIN codes can be cracked with just these 20 PINs! If you are one of the ones using on of these numbers - it is highly recommended that you pick another PIN.
\n\nUnguessable PINs would seem to be unrepeated pairs of numbers greater than 50 — so 8957, 7064, 9653, etc. Choose wisely.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/25/the-junk-up-there/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/05/25/the-junk-up-there/", "title": "The Junk up there", "date_published": "2024-05-25T03:18:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-05-25T03:18:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Space](\"/assets/images/space-junk.jpg\")
From the editors of Scientific American:
\n\n\n\nSpace should not be a garbage dump. Nevertheless, we have treated the sky as a wrecker’s yard for more than half a century, and the amount of space junk orbiting Earth has skyrocketed in recent years. Now filled with the decaying hulks of defunct rockets and satellites, our polluted orbital environment is becoming more crowded by the day, threatening the growing space economy. It’s time for nations—and the billionaires commoditizing space—to clean up Earth’s near orbit.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe laws governing satellite orbits were written during the cold war in the mid to late 20th century, at a time when only a few governments operated only a few satellites. We live in a new era of private space exploration, one that is more extractive and invasive than before, with many nations and companies participating. We need better rules to keep us from trashing Earth’s orbit as badly as we have trashed Earth itself.
The private companies and governments must be forced to pay for clean up and maintenance of our Earth orbit resources. To suggest that companies and the billionaires that run them will simply regulate themselves and do the right thing is insanity. Just look how well it has worked for Earth’s climate so far.
\n", "content_html": "
From the editors of Scientific American:
\n\n\n\nSpace should not be a garbage dump. Nevertheless, we have treated the sky as a wrecker’s yard for more than half a century, and the amount of space junk orbiting Earth has skyrocketed in recent years. Now filled with the decaying hulks of defunct rockets and satellites, our polluted orbital environment is becoming more crowded by the day, threatening the growing space economy. It’s time for nations—and the billionaires commoditizing space—to clean up Earth’s near orbit.
\n\n[..]
\n\nThe laws governing satellite orbits were written during the cold war in the mid to late 20th century, at a time when only a few governments operated only a few satellites. We live in a new era of private space exploration, one that is more extractive and invasive than before, with many nations and companies participating. We need better rules to keep us from trashing Earth’s orbit as badly as we have trashed Earth itself.
The private companies and governments must be forced to pay for clean up and maintenance of our Earth orbit resources. To suggest that companies and the billionaires that run them will simply regulate themselves and do the right thing is insanity. Just look how well it has worked for Earth’s climate so far.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/02/donald-trump-guilty-all-34-felony-counts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/02/donald-trump-guilty-all-34-felony-counts/", "title": "Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts", "date_published": "2024-06-02T00:36:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-02T00:36:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"turmp-court\"](\"/assets/images/trump-court.jpg\")
Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. First President to become a felon.
\n\nHugo Lowell and Victoria Bekiempis writing for The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nFor the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, the verdict was an astonishing victory, coming after some scepticism of the wisdom of bringing such a case and the huge risks involved.
\n\nHe said after the verdict: “Twelve everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law and the evidence and the law alone. Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant Donald J Trump is guilty.”
\n\nHe added: “While this defendant might be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today this verdict in the same manner as every other case.”
Congratulations Donald - can’t wait to see you in the orange jumpsuit.
\n", "content_html": "
Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. First President to become a felon.
\n\nHugo Lowell and Victoria Bekiempis writing for The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nFor the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, the verdict was an astonishing victory, coming after some scepticism of the wisdom of bringing such a case and the huge risks involved.
\n\nHe said after the verdict: “Twelve everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law and the evidence and the law alone. Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant Donald J Trump is guilty.”
\n\nHe added: “While this defendant might be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today this verdict in the same manner as every other case.”
Congratulations Donald - can’t wait to see you in the orange jumpsuit.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/14/50-true-things-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/14/50-true-things-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "50 True Things...", "date_published": "2024-06-14T23:34:41-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-14T23:34:41-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"50](\"/assets/images/50-true-things.jpg\")
Palestinian-American Mo Husseini, posted a list of 50 Completely True Things. Two facts that really stand out in this politically charged era:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "FACT No. 34.
\n\nYou can advocate for Palestine without being a racist, antisemitic piece of shit.
\n\nFACT No. 35.
\n\nYou can advocate for Israel without being a racist, anti-Arab piece of shit.
Palestinian-American Mo Husseini, posted a list of 50 Completely True Things. Two facts that really stand out in this politically charged era:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/26/why-music-is-getting-worse/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/26/why-music-is-getting-worse/", "title": "Why Music is getting worse", "date_published": "2024-06-26T03:21:47-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-26T03:21:47-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "FACT No. 34.
\n\nYou can advocate for Palestine without being a racist, antisemitic piece of shit.
\n\nFACT No. 35.
\n\nYou can advocate for Israel without being a racist, anti-Arab piece of shit.
\nRick Beato nails why today’s music sucks and is getting worse. People have no patience or discipline to learn to play instruments or the basics of music theory. And why would our instant gratification culture bother? Autotune, BeatDoctor, plugins and the new AI algorithms allow anyone to create music with a few keypresses and a well thought out query.
The end result is everyone sounds like everyone else. We aren’t listening to an artists creation - but an algorithm’s generated plagiarized data stream.
\n\nAs ChatGPT admits:
\n\n\n\nCreative AI tools can be seen as sophisticated plagiarism software, as they do not produce genuinely original content but rather emulate and modify existing works by artists, subtly enough to circumvent copyright laws.
Imagine if Jimmy Page, Brian May or Kurt Cobain didn’t play their instruments and just typed a query into AI - do you think we would have had albums like Led Zeppelin I - IV, A Night at the Opera or Nevermind?
\n\nNo. Because nothing like it every existed before - and AI wouldn’t have anything to plagiarize.
\n", "content_html": "
\nRick Beato nails why today’s music sucks and is getting worse. People have no patience or discipline to learn to play instruments or the basics of music theory. And why would our instant gratification culture bother? Autotune, BeatDoctor, plugins and the new AI algorithms allow anyone to create music with a few keypresses and a well thought out query.
The end result is everyone sounds like everyone else. We aren’t listening to an artists creation - but an algorithm’s generated plagiarized data stream.
\n\nAs ChatGPT admits:
\n\n\n\nCreative AI tools can be seen as sophisticated plagiarism software, as they do not produce genuinely original content but rather emulate and modify existing works by artists, subtly enough to circumvent copyright laws.
Imagine if Jimmy Page, Brian May or Kurt Cobain didn’t play their instruments and just typed a query into AI - do you think we would have had albums like Led Zeppelin I - IV, A Night at the Opera or Nevermind?
\n\nNo. Because nothing like it every existed before - and AI wouldn’t have anything to plagiarize.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/26/surge-pricing-at-the-grocery-store/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/06/26/surge-pricing-at-the-grocery-store/", "title": "Surge pricing at the grocery store", "date_published": "2024-06-26T04:05:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-26T04:05:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Walmart](\"/assets/images/walmart-surge-pricing.jpg\")
Lola Murti reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n\nGrocery store prices are changing faster than ever before — literally. This month, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce it’s replacing the price stickers in its aisles with electronic shelf labels. The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds.
\n\n“If it’s hot outside, we can raise the price of water and ice cream. If there’s something that’s close to the expiration date, we can lower the price — that’s the good news,” said Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst.
Dealing with skyrocketing grocery prices is frustrating enough, but now I’m expected to time my milk purchases? This adds no value to consumers and only serves as another way for businesses to take advantage of us.
\n\nIf anyone needed another reason to boycott Walmart, well, now you have it.
\n", "content_html": "
Lola Murti reporting for NPR:
\n\n\n\nGrocery store prices are changing faster than ever before — literally. This month, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce it’s replacing the price stickers in its aisles with electronic shelf labels. The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds.
\n\n“If it’s hot outside, we can raise the price of water and ice cream. If there’s something that’s close to the expiration date, we can lower the price — that’s the good news,” said Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst.
Dealing with skyrocketing grocery prices is frustrating enough, but now I’m expected to time my milk purchases? This adds no value to consumers and only serves as another way for businesses to take advantage of us.
\n\nIf anyone needed another reason to boycott Walmart, well, now you have it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/01/with-fear-for-our-democracy-i-dissent/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/01/with-fear-for-our-democracy-i-dissent/", "title": "With fear for our democracy, I dissent", "date_published": "2024-07-01T15:39:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-01T15:39:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Supreme](\"/assets/images/supreme-court.jpg\")
The Supreme Court ruled today that Donald Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took as president in a decision that will likely further delay a trial on the federal election subversion charges against him. The decision was 6-3, with the liberals in dissent.
\n\nFrom Justice Sotomayor’s dissent (starting on page 96):
\n\n\n\nThe President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
\n\nLet the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
\n\nEven if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
And in closing:
\n\n\n\nNever in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop.
\n\nWith fear for our democracy, I dissent.
We can never again say that no one one in our nation is above the law. In the United States, the President is above the law. I am in shock.
\n", "content_html": "
The Supreme Court ruled today that Donald Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took as president in a decision that will likely further delay a trial on the federal election subversion charges against him. The decision was 6-3, with the liberals in dissent.
\n\nFrom Justice Sotomayor’s dissent (starting on page 96):
\n\n\n\nThe President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
\n\nLet the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
\n\nEven if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
And in closing:
\n\n\n\nNever in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop.
\n\nWith fear for our democracy, I dissent.
We can never again say that no one one in our nation is above the law. In the United States, the President is above the law. I am in shock.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/05/i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/05/i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again/", "title": "I Will F***ing Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again", "date_published": "2024-07-05T01:53:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-05T01:53:57-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Nikhil Suresh over at Lucidity:
\n\n\n\nI myself have formal training as a data scientist, going so far as to dominate a competitive machine learning event at one of Australia’s top universities and writing a Master’s thesis where I wrote all my own libraries from scratch in MATLAB. I’m not God’s gift to the field, but I am clearly better than most of my competition - that is, practitioners like myself who haven’t put in the reps to build their own C libraries in a cave with scraps, but can read textbooks, implement known solutions in high-level languages, and use libraries written by elite institutions.
\n\nSo it is with great regret that I announce that the next person to talk about rolling out AI is going to receive a complimentary chiropractic adjustment in the style of Dr. Bourne, i.e, I am going to fucking break your neck. I am truly, deeply, sorry.
Although I am the “can read textbooks, implement known solutions in high-level languages, and use libraries written by elite institutions” kind of guy - this is how I feel when anyone talks to me about AI changing anything.
\n", "content_html": "Nikhil Suresh over at Lucidity:
\n\n\n\nI myself have formal training as a data scientist, going so far as to dominate a competitive machine learning event at one of Australia’s top universities and writing a Master’s thesis where I wrote all my own libraries from scratch in MATLAB. I’m not God’s gift to the field, but I am clearly better than most of my competition - that is, practitioners like myself who haven’t put in the reps to build their own C libraries in a cave with scraps, but can read textbooks, implement known solutions in high-level languages, and use libraries written by elite institutions.
\n\nSo it is with great regret that I announce that the next person to talk about rolling out AI is going to receive a complimentary chiropractic adjustment in the style of Dr. Bourne, i.e, I am going to fucking break your neck. I am truly, deeply, sorry.
Although I am the “can read textbooks, implement known solutions in high-level languages, and use libraries written by elite institutions” kind of guy - this is how I feel when anyone talks to me about AI changing anything.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/05/ai-washing/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/05/ai-washing/", "title": "AI washing", "date_published": "2024-07-05T09:11:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-05T09:11:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"AI](\"/assets/images/ai-washing.jpg\")
Mike Elgan’s opinion piece on the AI hype:
\n\n\n\nThe claim that AI improves everything and operates without humans is a delusion.
\n\n[…]
\n\nAI washing is a deceptive marketing practice that overemphasizes the role of artificial intelligence in the product or service being promoted. The phrase is based on “greenwashing,” coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986, where consumer products are marketed as environmentally friendly regardless of environmental impact.
\n\nProducts using old-school algorithms are labeled as “AI-powered,” taking advantage of the absence of a universally agreed upon definition for what AI is and what AI is not. Startups build apps that plug into a publicly available generative AI API and market it as an AI app. Big, bold AI projects that are supposed to showcase technology often rely on people working behind the scenes, because humans are the only way to make the ambitious AI solution work.
I have been saying this for since the beginning of the AI hype cycle - its all just smoke and mirrors.
\n", "content_html": "
Mike Elgan’s opinion piece on the AI hype:
\n\n\n\nThe claim that AI improves everything and operates without humans is a delusion.
\n\n[…]
\n\nAI washing is a deceptive marketing practice that overemphasizes the role of artificial intelligence in the product or service being promoted. The phrase is based on “greenwashing,” coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986, where consumer products are marketed as environmentally friendly regardless of environmental impact.
\n\nProducts using old-school algorithms are labeled as “AI-powered,” taking advantage of the absence of a universally agreed upon definition for what AI is and what AI is not. Startups build apps that plug into a publicly available generative AI API and market it as an AI app. Big, bold AI projects that are supposed to showcase technology often rely on people working behind the scenes, because humans are the only way to make the ambitious AI solution work.
I have been saying this for since the beginning of the AI hype cycle - its all just smoke and mirrors.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/08/project-2025/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/08/project-2025/", "title": "Project 2025", "date_published": "2024-07-08T18:28:38-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-08T18:28:38-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"project](\"/assets/images/project-2025.jpg\")
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich on Project 2025:
\n\n\n\nOne key goal of Project 2025 is to purge all government agencies of anyone more loyal to the constitution than to Trump — a process Trump himself started in October 2020 when he thought he would remain in office.
\n\nTrump has promised to give rightwing evangelical Christians what they want. Accordingly, Project 2025 calls for withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, expelling trans service members from the military, banning life-saving gender affirming care for young people, ending all diversity programs, and using “school choice” to gut public education.
\n\nProject 2025 also calls for eliminating “woke propaganda” from all laws and federal regulations — including the terms “sexual orientation”, “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, “gender equality”, and “reproductive rights”.
\n\nOther items in the Project 2025 blueprint are precisely what Trump has called for on the campaign trail, including mass arrests and deportations of undocumented people in the United States, ending many worker protections, dropping prosecutions of far-right militias like the Proud Boys, and giving additional tax cuts to big corporations and the rich.
\n\nTrump has repeatedly claimed that climate change is a “hoax”. Project 2025 calls for expanding oil drilling in the United States, shrinking the geographic footprint of national monuments, terminating clean energy incentives, and ending fossil fuel regulations.
\n\nTrump has said he’d seek vengeance against those who have prosecuted him for his illegal acts. Project 2025 calls for the prosecution of district attorneys Trump doesn’t like, and the takeover of law enforcement in blue cities and states.
This all sounds over the top alarmist until you read it from the 900-page document prepared by Heritage Foundation:
\n\n\n\n\n\nBecause liberal states have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism, HHS should use every available tool, including the cutting of funds, to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the child, for what reason, the mother’s state of residence, and by what method.
\n\nWhen someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
If Trump gets into office, America will be nothing like the America we grew up in.
\n", "content_html": "
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich on Project 2025:
\n\n\n\nOne key goal of Project 2025 is to purge all government agencies of anyone more loyal to the constitution than to Trump — a process Trump himself started in October 2020 when he thought he would remain in office.
\n\nTrump has promised to give rightwing evangelical Christians what they want. Accordingly, Project 2025 calls for withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, expelling trans service members from the military, banning life-saving gender affirming care for young people, ending all diversity programs, and using “school choice” to gut public education.
\n\nProject 2025 also calls for eliminating “woke propaganda” from all laws and federal regulations — including the terms “sexual orientation”, “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, “gender equality”, and “reproductive rights”.
\n\nOther items in the Project 2025 blueprint are precisely what Trump has called for on the campaign trail, including mass arrests and deportations of undocumented people in the United States, ending many worker protections, dropping prosecutions of far-right militias like the Proud Boys, and giving additional tax cuts to big corporations and the rich.
\n\nTrump has repeatedly claimed that climate change is a “hoax”. Project 2025 calls for expanding oil drilling in the United States, shrinking the geographic footprint of national monuments, terminating clean energy incentives, and ending fossil fuel regulations.
\n\nTrump has said he’d seek vengeance against those who have prosecuted him for his illegal acts. Project 2025 calls for the prosecution of district attorneys Trump doesn’t like, and the takeover of law enforcement in blue cities and states.
This all sounds over the top alarmist until you read it from the 900-page document prepared by Heritage Foundation:
\n\n\n\n\n\nBecause liberal states have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism, HHS should use every available tool, including the cutting of funds, to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the child, for what reason, the mother’s state of residence, and by what method.
\n\nWhen someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
If Trump gets into office, America will be nothing like the America we grew up in.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/10/if-dragons-were-real-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/10/if-dragons-were-real-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "If Dragons were real, how might fire breathing work?", "date_published": "2024-07-10T05:26:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-10T05:26:46-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"dragon](\"/assets/images/dragon-fire.jpg\")
In George R.R. Martin’s fantastical land of Westeros in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the spectacle of dragons breathing fire captivates his audience through a blend of myth and fantasy.
\n\nThe images of dragons unleashing torrents of flames on the new series of House of the Dragon got me thinking: if dragons existed, what real-world biological mechanisms and chemical reactions might they use?
\n\nAs they say nature is stranger than fiction. In this case nature perhaps has an answer:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "A dragon could draw on some chemistry used by the bombardier beetle. This insect has evolved reservoirs adapted to store hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you might use to bleach your hair). When threatened, the beetle pushes hydrogen peroxide into a vestibule containing enzymes that rapidly decompose the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
\n\nThis is an exothermic reaction, which transfers energy to the surroundings, and in this case raises the temperature of the mixture to almost boiling point. The reaction is so aggressive it is sometimes used to propel rockets. The increase in pressure caused by the rapid production of oxygen and the boiling water forces the noxious mixture out of a vent in the beetle’s abdomen and towards its prey or threat.
\n\nIf employed by a dragon, this reaction has a few nice features. It would create the high pressure needed to drive the jet of oily fuel, the exothermic reaction would heat the oils making them more ready to combust, and most importantly, it would generate oxygen that would drive the combustion reaction.
\n\nAll the dragon would need is some sort of biological equivalent of a petrol engine carburettor to mix the oil with the oxygen and create an explosive mix. As a bonus, the erupting mixture would probably form a fine mist of oil droplets, like an aerosol, which would ignite all the better.
In George R.R. Martin’s fantastical land of Westeros in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the spectacle of dragons breathing fire captivates his audience through a blend of myth and fantasy.
\n\nThe images of dragons unleashing torrents of flames on the new series of House of the Dragon got me thinking: if dragons existed, what real-world biological mechanisms and chemical reactions might they use?
\n\nAs they say nature is stranger than fiction. In this case nature perhaps has an answer:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/12/winning-at-the-car-dealer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/12/winning-at-the-car-dealer/", "title": "Winning at the car dealership", "date_published": "2024-07-12T04:24:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-12T04:24:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A dragon could draw on some chemistry used by the bombardier beetle. This insect has evolved reservoirs adapted to store hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you might use to bleach your hair). When threatened, the beetle pushes hydrogen peroxide into a vestibule containing enzymes that rapidly decompose the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
\n\nThis is an exothermic reaction, which transfers energy to the surroundings, and in this case raises the temperature of the mixture to almost boiling point. The reaction is so aggressive it is sometimes used to propel rockets. The increase in pressure caused by the rapid production of oxygen and the boiling water forces the noxious mixture out of a vent in the beetle’s abdomen and towards its prey or threat.
\n\nIf employed by a dragon, this reaction has a few nice features. It would create the high pressure needed to drive the jet of oily fuel, the exothermic reaction would heat the oils making them more ready to combust, and most importantly, it would generate oxygen that would drive the combustion reaction.
\n\nAll the dragon would need is some sort of biological equivalent of a petrol engine carburettor to mix the oil with the oxygen and create an explosive mix. As a bonus, the erupting mixture would probably form a fine mist of oil droplets, like an aerosol, which would ignite all the better.
![\"car](\"/assets/images/dealer-triangle.jpg\")
David Dayen on car dealerships:
\n\n\n\nF&I is the profit center of the dealership. Jase explained that profit margins per vehicle sale run between five and ten percent. In other words, if you want to make $1 million in additional profit, you have to sell $10-$20 million in additional inventory. That’s as many as 500 cars, when the average dealer is selling 100 to 200 cars a month. To do that, you need more salespeople and a bigger lot, with uncertain outcomes for all that expense.
\n\nBut raising F&I, Jase says, is 100 percent profit. The same labor and operations costs are in place, whether you sell more warranties and insurance or not. That’s not theoretical. The 2023 annual report for Lithia Motors, a nationwide dealership network with 298 U.S. locations, indeed lists its profit margin for F&I at 100 percent. Lithia’s 2022 annual report says the same thing.
\n\nOne of the biggest tools in the F&I toolkit is delay. Usually, a customer comes out of sales with some sense of the monthly payment. “Once you have the person committed to that payment,” Jase said, “it’s up to the finance person to maximize profit… We have people in the box. They’re boxed in, they can’t go anywhere. Don’t let them out of the box until deal is closed.” The extended wait time sealing the deal creates a sunk cost that customers don’t want to repeat by starting over somewhere else. And it wears down their defenses to every new offer.
\n\nJase has a name for the overall process: The Dealership Triangle, with each point funneling the customer to the next step. The seller is pushed from sales, where installation extras are added, to F&I, where more extras and markups happen. And a major goal for F&I is to sell a service contract—a catch-all term that includes warranties or other insurance bundles—thereby creating a service customer. By Jase’s estimation, more than three-quarters of all buyers maintain brand loyalty by buying their next car at the dealership where they have a service contract.
It’s unbelievable how many people get fleeced at the car dealership. In 2024, the average car payments for new, used, and leased vehicles are $735, $523, and $595, respectively. That’s an awful lot of money to be paying on a depreciating asset!
\n\nThis is why I follow these rules when buying a car:
\n\nBy following these guidelines, you can avoid getting fleeced and make a smarter, more economical car purchase.
\n", "content_html": "
David Dayen on car dealerships:
\n\n\n\nF&I is the profit center of the dealership. Jase explained that profit margins per vehicle sale run between five and ten percent. In other words, if you want to make $1 million in additional profit, you have to sell $10-$20 million in additional inventory. That’s as many as 500 cars, when the average dealer is selling 100 to 200 cars a month. To do that, you need more salespeople and a bigger lot, with uncertain outcomes for all that expense.
\n\nBut raising F&I, Jase says, is 100 percent profit. The same labor and operations costs are in place, whether you sell more warranties and insurance or not. That’s not theoretical. The 2023 annual report for Lithia Motors, a nationwide dealership network with 298 U.S. locations, indeed lists its profit margin for F&I at 100 percent. Lithia’s 2022 annual report says the same thing.
\n\nOne of the biggest tools in the F&I toolkit is delay. Usually, a customer comes out of sales with some sense of the monthly payment. “Once you have the person committed to that payment,” Jase said, “it’s up to the finance person to maximize profit… We have people in the box. They’re boxed in, they can’t go anywhere. Don’t let them out of the box until deal is closed.” The extended wait time sealing the deal creates a sunk cost that customers don’t want to repeat by starting over somewhere else. And it wears down their defenses to every new offer.
\n\nJase has a name for the overall process: The Dealership Triangle, with each point funneling the customer to the next step. The seller is pushed from sales, where installation extras are added, to F&I, where more extras and markups happen. And a major goal for F&I is to sell a service contract—a catch-all term that includes warranties or other insurance bundles—thereby creating a service customer. By Jase’s estimation, more than three-quarters of all buyers maintain brand loyalty by buying their next car at the dealership where they have a service contract.
It’s unbelievable how many people get fleeced at the car dealership. In 2024, the average car payments for new, used, and leased vehicles are $735, $523, and $595, respectively. That’s an awful lot of money to be paying on a depreciating asset!
\n\nThis is why I follow these rules when buying a car:
\n\nBy following these guidelines, you can avoid getting fleeced and make a smarter, more economical car purchase.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/16/70-years-of-the-stratocaster/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/07/16/70-years-of-the-stratocaster/", "title": "70 years of the stratocaster", "date_published": "2024-07-16T02:55:19-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-07-16T02:55:19-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Stratcaster\"](\"/assets/images/strat-bassman.jpg\")
Loz Blain writes on the greatest product designs of the last century:
\n\n\n\nLeo Fender and his team have made indelible contributions to the arts. The list of innovative Fender products that have gone on to be generational icons is staggering. Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, Bassman, Princeton, 5E3 Tweed, P-Bass, Jazz Bass … You’ve seen these names behind just about everyone who’s been anyone since the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll.
\n\nAnd towering over all these giants, the mighty Strat. It remains enticing and intimidating in equal measures to me. It’s so easy to enjoy in all its many forms, there are so many rabbit-holes of tone and style to go down in this one machine, and it becomes unnervingly articulate the better you learn to use it.
\n\nBut the better I get, the more those iconic tones start to taunt me. So many greats have made this guitar their own that I’m forever hearing hinted echoes of their work through my own amp, snapping me out of my reverie as I notice how much I pale in comparison. That’s part of the weight you take on your shoulders when you pull a Strat out of the rack: if you’re not sounding like the greatest that ever did it, it’s not the guitar’s fault!
\n\nAs a legacy, though, what a gift to music. And while the team was invaluable to the process, there’s one fella’s name on the headstock. I reckon Leo Fender could rest easy if the Stratocaster was his only contribution. There are surely better guitars some 70 years after its debut, but there are none greater.
No. I would argue that there is no greater guitar designed. The Fender Stratocaster is perfection. Even today, 70 years on, it still feels a designed today. Here is an example released by Fender:
\n\n
Loz Blain writes on the greatest product designs of the last century:
\n\n\n\nLeo Fender and his team have made indelible contributions to the arts. The list of innovative Fender products that have gone on to be generational icons is staggering. Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, Bassman, Princeton, 5E3 Tweed, P-Bass, Jazz Bass … You’ve seen these names behind just about everyone who’s been anyone since the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll.
\n\nAnd towering over all these giants, the mighty Strat. It remains enticing and intimidating in equal measures to me. It’s so easy to enjoy in all its many forms, there are so many rabbit-holes of tone and style to go down in this one machine, and it becomes unnervingly articulate the better you learn to use it.
\n\nBut the better I get, the more those iconic tones start to taunt me. So many greats have made this guitar their own that I’m forever hearing hinted echoes of their work through my own amp, snapping me out of my reverie as I notice how much I pale in comparison. That’s part of the weight you take on your shoulders when you pull a Strat out of the rack: if you’re not sounding like the greatest that ever did it, it’s not the guitar’s fault!
\n\nAs a legacy, though, what a gift to music. And while the team was invaluable to the process, there’s one fella’s name on the headstock. I reckon Leo Fender could rest easy if the Stratocaster was his only contribution. There are surely better guitars some 70 years after its debut, but there are none greater.
No. I would argue that there is no greater guitar designed. The Fender Stratocaster is perfection. Even today, 70 years on, it still feels a designed today. Here is an example released by Fender:
\n\n
\nVice President Kamala Harris has debuted her first ad for her presidential run and its a much need improvement in Democratic messaging. It’s a rebranding of what the vision of freedom means under a Harris Presidency:
Compare that to the “freedoms” that Republicans are pushing for in Project 2025:
\n\nThe Harris ticket is reframing Freedom to what it means to the everyday citizen. And the Republicans are panicking because they are exposed in their indefensible authoritarian ambitions.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "
\nVice President Kamala Harris has debuted her first ad for her presidential run and its a much need improvement in Democratic messaging. It’s a rebranding of what the vision of freedom means under a Harris Presidency:
Compare that to the “freedoms” that Republicans are pushing for in Project 2025:
\n\nThe Harris ticket is reframing Freedom to what it means to the everyday citizen. And the Republicans are panicking because they are exposed in their indefensible authoritarian ambitions.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/04/back-to-basic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/04/back-to-basic/", "title": "Back to BASIC", "date_published": "2024-08-04T04:51:18-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-04T04:51:18-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Back](\"/assets/images/back-to-BASIC.jpg\")
CLIVE THOMPSON writing for Wired:
\n\n\n\nI WAS ENTERING the miseries of seventh grade in the fall of 1980 when a friend dragged me into a dimly lit second-floor room. The school had recently installed a newfangled Commodore PET computer, a squat and angular box that glowed in the corner. “You gotta try this,” he told me, and handed over a piece of paper on which he’d handwritten a program.
\n\nI plunked it out on the PET’s chunky mechanical keyboard.
\n\ntyped “RUN,” hit Enter, and watched as my name spilled down the screen in bright green-on-black text, over and over.
\n\nFor a 12-year-old in the pre-internet era? This was electrifying. I had typed a couple of commands—ones that seemed easily understandable—and the machine had obeyed. I felt like I’d just stolen fire from Zeus himself.
I had a similar experience when I was 9 and one of my uncles purchased a Texas Instruments TI-99 / 4a machine. It was the summer of 1983 and one hot summer afternoon - I sneaked up to my cousin’s room and entered the following:
\n\n10 print \"I am great\"\n20 goto 10\nAnd here is the output - you can try it yourself on a web based TI-99/4a emulator:
\n\n![\"output\"](\"/assets/images/ti-99-run.png\")
Those 2 initial command lines set forth an entire generation of coders that built the modern internet.
\n", "content_html": "
CLIVE THOMPSON writing for Wired:
\n\n\n\nI WAS ENTERING the miseries of seventh grade in the fall of 1980 when a friend dragged me into a dimly lit second-floor room. The school had recently installed a newfangled Commodore PET computer, a squat and angular box that glowed in the corner. “You gotta try this,” he told me, and handed over a piece of paper on which he’d handwritten a program.
\n\nI plunked it out on the PET’s chunky mechanical keyboard.
\n\ntyped “RUN,” hit Enter, and watched as my name spilled down the screen in bright green-on-black text, over and over.
\n\nFor a 12-year-old in the pre-internet era? This was electrifying. I had typed a couple of commands—ones that seemed easily understandable—and the machine had obeyed. I felt like I’d just stolen fire from Zeus himself.
I had a similar experience when I was 9 and one of my uncles purchased a Texas Instruments TI-99 / 4a machine. It was the summer of 1983 and one hot summer afternoon - I sneaked up to my cousin’s room and entered the following:
\n\n10 print \"I am great\"\n20 goto 10\nAnd here is the output - you can try it yourself on a web based TI-99/4a emulator:
\n\n
Those 2 initial command lines set forth an entire generation of coders that built the modern internet.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/09/base-3-computing/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/09/base-3-computing/", "title": "Base 3 Computing", "date_published": "2024-08-09T11:24:21-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-09T11:24:21-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Base](\"/assets/images/base3.jpg\")
Stephen Ornes writing in Quanta Magazine:
\n\n\n\nTo see why, consider an important metric that tallies up how much room a system will need to store data. You start with the base of the number system, which is called the radix, and multiply it by the number of digits needed to represent some large number in that radix. For example, the number 100,000 in base 10 requires six digits. Its “radix economy” is therefore 10 × 6 = 60. In base 2, the same number requires 17 digits, so its radix economy is 2 × 17 = 34. And in base 3, it requires 11 digits, so its radix economy is 3 × 11 = 33. For large numbers, base 3 has a lower radix economy than any other integer base. (Surprisingly, if you allow a base to be any real number, and not just an integer, then the most efficient computational base is the irrational number e.)
\n\nIn addition to its numerical efficiency, base 3 offers computational advantages. It suggests a way to reduce the number of queries needed to answer questions with more than two possible answers. A binary logic system can only answer “yes” or “no.” So if you’re comparing two numbers, x and y, to find out which is larger, you might first ask the computer “Is x less than y?” If the answer is no, you need a second query: “Is x equal to y?” If the answer is yes, then they’re equal; if the answer is no, then y is less than x.
The real advantage is being able short cut many conditional statements at the hardware level. However this would involve a complete re-working of the binary foundations the industry has been built on over the last 50 years.
\n", "content_html": "
Stephen Ornes writing in Quanta Magazine:
\n\n\n\nTo see why, consider an important metric that tallies up how much room a system will need to store data. You start with the base of the number system, which is called the radix, and multiply it by the number of digits needed to represent some large number in that radix. For example, the number 100,000 in base 10 requires six digits. Its “radix economy” is therefore 10 × 6 = 60. In base 2, the same number requires 17 digits, so its radix economy is 2 × 17 = 34. And in base 3, it requires 11 digits, so its radix economy is 3 × 11 = 33. For large numbers, base 3 has a lower radix economy than any other integer base. (Surprisingly, if you allow a base to be any real number, and not just an integer, then the most efficient computational base is the irrational number e.)
\n\nIn addition to its numerical efficiency, base 3 offers computational advantages. It suggests a way to reduce the number of queries needed to answer questions with more than two possible answers. A binary logic system can only answer “yes” or “no.” So if you’re comparing two numbers, x and y, to find out which is larger, you might first ask the computer “Is x less than y?” If the answer is no, you need a second query: “Is x equal to y?” If the answer is yes, then they’re equal; if the answer is no, then y is less than x.
The real advantage is being able short cut many conditional statements at the hardware level. However this would involve a complete re-working of the binary foundations the industry has been built on over the last 50 years.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/22/banishing-hunger/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/22/banishing-hunger/", "title": "banishing hunger", "date_published": "2024-08-22T00:33:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-22T00:33:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Tim Walz’s acceptance speech at at the DNC:
\n\n\n\nAnd we made sure that every kid in our state gets breakfast and lunch everyday. So while other states were banning books from their schools we were banishing hunger from ours.
Perfectly sums up the priorities of the two parties. This November vote for the ticket that prioritizes democracy and the american people - vote for the Harris / Waltz ticket.
\n", "content_html": "Tim Walz’s acceptance speech at at the DNC:
\n\n\n\nAnd we made sure that every kid in our state gets breakfast and lunch everyday. So while other states were banning books from their schools we were banishing hunger from ours.
Perfectly sums up the priorities of the two parties. This November vote for the ticket that prioritizes democracy and the american people - vote for the Harris / Waltz ticket.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/24/50-million-to-1-million/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/08/24/50-million-to-1-million/", "title": "Democrats 50, Republicans one.", "date_published": "2024-08-24T04:32:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-08-24T04:32:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Bill](\"/assets/images/bill-clinton-2024-dnc.jpg\")
When Bill Clinton spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week, he shared an economic claim that seemed implausible:
\n\n\n\nYou’re going to have a hard time believing this, but so help me, I triple-checked it. Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear I checked this three times. Even I couldn’t believe it. What’s the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one.
Is that true? Actually, yes.
\n\nAccording to the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 51.5 million jobs have been added since January 1989 and roughly 1.3 million of them were created while a Republican president sat in the White House.
\n\nDemocrats 50, Republicans one.
\n", "content_html": "
When Bill Clinton spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week, he shared an economic claim that seemed implausible:
\n\n\n\nYou’re going to have a hard time believing this, but so help me, I triple-checked it. Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear I checked this three times. Even I couldn’t believe it. What’s the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one.
Is that true? Actually, yes.
\n\nAccording to the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 51.5 million jobs have been added since January 1989 and roughly 1.3 million of them were created while a Republican president sat in the White House.
\n\nDemocrats 50, Republicans one.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/05/tonic-masculinity/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/05/tonic-masculinity/", "title": "tonic masculinity", "date_published": "2024-09-05T02:41:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-09-05T02:41:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Tim](\"/assets/images/walts.jpg\")
Nancy Friedman’s word of the week:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Tim Walz has tonic masculinity. Confident. Decent. The kind of man who…would start his job at the White House ‘being asked about national security and the tax code and end with him wearing a headlamp up in the attic fixing some old wiring.
Nancy Friedman’s word of the week:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/05/liz-cheney-to-vote-for-kamala-harris/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/05/liz-cheney-to-vote-for-kamala-harris/", "title": "Liz Cheney to vote for Kamala Harris", "date_published": "2024-09-05T02:56:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-09-05T02:56:39-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Tim Walz has tonic masculinity. Confident. Decent. The kind of man who…would start his job at the White House ‘being asked about national security and the tax code and end with him wearing a headlamp up in the attic fixing some old wiring.
![\"Liz](\"/assets/images/liz.jpg\")
Annie Karni, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nDuring an event at Duke University, Ms. Cheney told students that it was not enough for her to simply oppose the former president, if she intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent Mr. Trump from winning the White House again, as she has long said she would.
\n\n“I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Ms. Cheney said, speaking to students in the hotly contested state of North Carolina. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
\n\nThe room erupted in cheers after she made her unexpected announcement.
I have so much respect for Cheney. Liz Cheney took this principled stand while she was one of the most influential Republicans in the nation. I get being a conservative, politically. I get being opposed to the Democratic Party, politically. Liz Cheney is a conservative and — like her father — endorses very different policies than Kamala Harris. But (lowercase ‘d’) democratic politics ought to be viewed very much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are in psychology. Some things matter more than others. And nothing — not climate change or the environment, not reproductive rights, and certainly not fucking tax rates — nothing matters more than support for democracy itself and the rule of law. The only way we’re going to get those other things right — which are really, really important — is through democratic governance and the rule of law.
\n\nI don’t support or endorse a Reagan/Bush/Cheney political viewpoint, but that viewpoint is coherent. Trump espouses no coherent views at all. He literally tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. He’s a criminal. He’s mentally deranged, decrepitly old, and failing before our eyes. With Trump as a candidate and still in contention - not liking the Democrats is not high enough on the political hierarchy of needs to cast one’s vote for anyone but Kamala Harris
\n", "content_html": "
Annie Karni, reporting for The New York Times:
\n\n\n\nDuring an event at Duke University, Ms. Cheney told students that it was not enough for her to simply oppose the former president, if she intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent Mr. Trump from winning the White House again, as she has long said she would.
\n\n“I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Ms. Cheney said, speaking to students in the hotly contested state of North Carolina. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
\n\nThe room erupted in cheers after she made her unexpected announcement.
I have so much respect for Cheney. Liz Cheney took this principled stand while she was one of the most influential Republicans in the nation. I get being a conservative, politically. I get being opposed to the Democratic Party, politically. Liz Cheney is a conservative and — like her father — endorses very different policies than Kamala Harris. But (lowercase ‘d’) democratic politics ought to be viewed very much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are in psychology. Some things matter more than others. And nothing — not climate change or the environment, not reproductive rights, and certainly not fucking tax rates — nothing matters more than support for democracy itself and the rule of law. The only way we’re going to get those other things right — which are really, really important — is through democratic governance and the rule of law.
\n\nI don’t support or endorse a Reagan/Bush/Cheney political viewpoint, but that viewpoint is coherent. Trump espouses no coherent views at all. He literally tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. He’s a criminal. He’s mentally deranged, decrepitly old, and failing before our eyes. With Trump as a candidate and still in contention - not liking the Democrats is not high enough on the political hierarchy of needs to cast one’s vote for anyone but Kamala Harris
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/06/america-is-an-ugly-country/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/09/06/america-is-an-ugly-country/", "title": "America is an ugly country", "date_published": "2024-09-06T06:25:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-09-06T06:25:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"ugly](\"/assets/images/ugly-america.jpg\")
Hamilton Nolan writing for How Things Work:
\n\n\n\nThe culprit is the car. More specifically, the culprit is America’s decision to design our cities around the car. Predicting the future is almost impossible, but one of the few predictions that I feel very confident in is that, a century or so down the road, people will look at modern car-centric America with the same disgust that we feel when we hear about old timey cities without modern sewage systems, where everyone just dumped their chamber pots in the street. “Whoa, that’s fucked up!” people will marvel from their quiet, pedestrianized cities of the future. “They couldn’t walk anywhere.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nAmericans unlucky enough to grow up in more recently built towns and exurbs are stuck having their entire lives defined by the spatial needs of cars. Their neighborhood density is low, their mobility options are limited, and the most urban-esque experience they ever get growing up might be playing with friends on the pavement of a suburban cul-de-sac. Never will they “walk” to a “corner store.” Always will they drive to a Target. If there were ever any beautiful nature along the way, now there is only highway and billboards and shredded semi truck tires on the side of the road. Sad.
All it takes is a trip to cities like Copenhagen, Antwerp, and Seville to realize how the American obsession with cars and gas powered toys is out of control.
\n", "content_html": "
Hamilton Nolan writing for How Things Work:
\n\n\n\nThe culprit is the car. More specifically, the culprit is America’s decision to design our cities around the car. Predicting the future is almost impossible, but one of the few predictions that I feel very confident in is that, a century or so down the road, people will look at modern car-centric America with the same disgust that we feel when we hear about old timey cities without modern sewage systems, where everyone just dumped their chamber pots in the street. “Whoa, that’s fucked up!” people will marvel from their quiet, pedestrianized cities of the future. “They couldn’t walk anywhere.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nAmericans unlucky enough to grow up in more recently built towns and exurbs are stuck having their entire lives defined by the spatial needs of cars. Their neighborhood density is low, their mobility options are limited, and the most urban-esque experience they ever get growing up might be playing with friends on the pavement of a suburban cul-de-sac. Never will they “walk” to a “corner store.” Always will they drive to a Target. If there were ever any beautiful nature along the way, now there is only highway and billboards and shredded semi truck tires on the side of the road. Sad.
All it takes is a trip to cities like Copenhagen, Antwerp, and Seville to realize how the American obsession with cars and gas powered toys is out of control.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/04/on-being-happy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/04/on-being-happy/", "title": "On Being happy", "date_published": "2024-10-04T03:08:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-10-04T03:08:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Charles_Montesquieu.jpg\")
\n\nIf one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are. — Montesquieu
Montesquieu knew that comparison is the thief of joy well over three hundred years ago. So get off social media, stop worrying about what everyone else has and appreciate the wonderful life you are living today.
\n\nHappiness is not a feeling. Happiness is a choice.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIf one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are. — Montesquieu
Montesquieu knew that comparison is the thief of joy well over three hundred years ago. So get off social media, stop worrying about what everyone else has and appreciate the wonderful life you are living today.
\n\nHappiness is not a feeling. Happiness is a choice.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/09/colberts-opening-monologue/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/09/colberts-opening-monologue/", "title": "Colbert's opening monologue", "date_published": "2024-10-09T22:19:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-10-09T22:19:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This was Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue of his interview with VP Kamala Harris.
\n\n\nThis was Stephen Colbert's opening monologue tonight of his interview with VP Kamala Harris. Holy shit. 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/zIWVpvZswc
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) October 9, 2024
\n\nGood evening. It has been a tradition at the late show since yesterday to that the major party candidates sit down with me for an interview in October. We invited Kamala Harris to be our guest this evening, and she accepted. That interview in a moment. In the interest of fairness, we also also invited former President Donal Trump to go fuck himself. He declined our offer.
You just know this is what Scott Pelley really wanted to say…
\n", "content_html": "This was Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue of his interview with VP Kamala Harris.
\n\n\nThis was Stephen Colbert's opening monologue tonight of his interview with VP Kamala Harris. Holy shit. 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/zIWVpvZswc
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) October 9, 2024
\n\nGood evening. It has been a tradition at the late show since yesterday to that the major party candidates sit down with me for an interview in October. We invited Kamala Harris to be our guest this evening, and she accepted. That interview in a moment. In the interest of fairness, we also also invited former President Donal Trump to go fuck himself. He declined our offer.
You just know this is what Scott Pelley really wanted to say…
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/15/roll-for-insight/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/10/15/roll-for-insight/", "title": "Roll for insight", "date_published": "2024-10-15T00:03:58-04:00", "date_modified": "2024-10-15T00:03:58-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Dice\"](\"/assets/images/roll-for-insight.jpg\")
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry writing for Ars Technica:
\n\n\n\nThis year marks the 50th anniversary of the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). A game of creativity and imagination, D&D lets players weave their own narrative, blending combat and roleplaying in an immersive gaming experience. And now, psychologists and therapists are working to turn it into a tool by exploring its potential benefits as a group therapy technique.
\n\nResearch is still in progress to determine if there are links between playing D&D and enhanced empathy and social skills, but the real-life impact of D&D therapy is slowly gaining traction as staff of counseling practices that have embraced D&D group therapy say they are witnessing these benefits firsthand.
As an avid D&D player in my youth in the 80s all I can say is, damn it took everyone 50 years to get with the program. For those who don’t know what we are going on about -
\n\n
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry writing for Ars Technica:
\n\n\n\nThis year marks the 50th anniversary of the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). A game of creativity and imagination, D&D lets players weave their own narrative, blending combat and roleplaying in an immersive gaming experience. And now, psychologists and therapists are working to turn it into a tool by exploring its potential benefits as a group therapy technique.
\n\nResearch is still in progress to determine if there are links between playing D&D and enhanced empathy and social skills, but the real-life impact of D&D therapy is slowly gaining traction as staff of counseling practices that have embraced D&D group therapy say they are witnessing these benefits firsthand.
As an avid D&D player in my youth in the 80s all I can say is, damn it took everyone 50 years to get with the program. For those who don’t know what we are going on about -
\n\n
\nThe trailer for season two of Silo, which starts on Apple TV+ on November 15. So excited to watch the new season!
\nThe trailer for season two of Silo, which starts on Apple TV+ on November 15. So excited to watch the new season!
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds to Trump’s McDonald’s costume:
\n\n\n\nWe see Elon Musk coming in here. He’s doing these little contests, where he is promising 1 million dollars in some kind of giveaway lottery if they sign up for his list. You have a billionaire just dangling a million bucks to those of us many of us struggling to make ends meet if they dance for him. You’ve got Donald Trump putting on a little McDonald’s costume because he things that what people do.
\n\nThey’re not trying to empathize with us. They are making fun of us. Donald Trump thinks that people who work at McDonald’s are a joke. Elon Musk thinks that dangling money in front of a working person is a cute thing to do. They have absolutely no idea what our lives are like. And so they think this way of callousness is a way of connecting. It’s not a way of connecting, because you and I both know that when that camera turns off and they turn around and go into their car, they are laughing at us. They think we are the suckers. And they said that publicly.
\n\nThat’s why Elon Musk thinks that your vote can be bought with a dollar. That’s why he thinks if you put a bunch of money on a mailer and shove it in your mailbox, you’ll just do whatever he says. But Pennsylvania we are smarter than that, aren’t we.
Not to mention Donald Trump wouldn’t make it past McDonald’s back ground check due to his 34 felony counts.
\n\n![\"\"](\"/assets/images/voteblue.jpeg\")
\nAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds to Trump’s McDonald’s costume:
\n\n\n\nWe see Elon Musk coming in here. He’s doing these little contests, where he is promising 1 million dollars in some kind of giveaway lottery if they sign up for his list. You have a billionaire just dangling a million bucks to those of us many of us struggling to make ends meet if they dance for him. You’ve got Donald Trump putting on a little McDonald’s costume because he things that what people do.
\n\nThey’re not trying to empathize with us. They are making fun of us. Donald Trump thinks that people who work at McDonald’s are a joke. Elon Musk thinks that dangling money in front of a working person is a cute thing to do. They have absolutely no idea what our lives are like. And so they think this way of callousness is a way of connecting. It’s not a way of connecting, because you and I both know that when that camera turns off and they turn around and go into their car, they are laughing at us. They think we are the suckers. And they said that publicly.
\n\nThat’s why Elon Musk thinks that your vote can be bought with a dollar. That’s why he thinks if you put a bunch of money on a mailer and shove it in your mailbox, you’ll just do whatever he says. But Pennsylvania we are smarter than that, aren’t we.
Not to mention Donald Trump wouldn’t make it past McDonald’s back ground check due to his 34 felony counts.
\n\n\n![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-2024-win.jpg\")
George T. Conway III writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "We knew, and have known, for years. Every American knew, or should have known. The man elected president last night is a depraved and brazen pathological liar, a shameless con man, a sociopathic criminal, a man who has no moral or social conscience, empathy, or remorse. He has no respect for the Constitution and laws he will swear to uphold, and on top of all that, he exhibits emotional and cognitive deficiencies that seem to be intensifying, and that will only make his turpitude worse. He represents everything we should aspire not to be, and everything we should teach our children not to emulate. The only hope is that he’s utterly incompetent, and even that is a double-edged sword, because his incompetence often can do as much as harm as his malevolence. His government will be filled with corrupt grifters, spiteful maniacs, and morally bankrupt sycophants, who will follow in his example and carry his directives out, because that’s who they are and want to be.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut I daresay I fear we shall see a profound degradation in the ability of this nation to govern itself rationally and fairly, with freedom and political equality under the rule of law. Because that is not actually a prediction. It’s a logical deduction based on the words and deeds of the president-elect, his enablers, and his supporters—and a long and often sorry record of human history. Let us brace ourselves.
George T. Conway III writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/07/in-defeat-defiance/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/07/in-defeat-defiance/", "title": "In Defeat: Defiance", "date_published": "2024-11-07T11:15:50-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-11-07T11:15:50-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "We knew, and have known, for years. Every American knew, or should have known. The man elected president last night is a depraved and brazen pathological liar, a shameless con man, a sociopathic criminal, a man who has no moral or social conscience, empathy, or remorse. He has no respect for the Constitution and laws he will swear to uphold, and on top of all that, he exhibits emotional and cognitive deficiencies that seem to be intensifying, and that will only make his turpitude worse. He represents everything we should aspire not to be, and everything we should teach our children not to emulate. The only hope is that he’s utterly incompetent, and even that is a double-edged sword, because his incompetence often can do as much as harm as his malevolence. His government will be filled with corrupt grifters, spiteful maniacs, and morally bankrupt sycophants, who will follow in his example and carry his directives out, because that’s who they are and want to be.
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut I daresay I fear we shall see a profound degradation in the ability of this nation to govern itself rationally and fairly, with freedom and political equality under the rule of law. Because that is not actually a prediction. It’s a logical deduction based on the words and deeds of the president-elect, his enablers, and his supporters—and a long and often sorry record of human history. Let us brace ourselves.
![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-2024-2.jpeg\")
Bill Kristol, at The Bulwark:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The American people have made a disastrous choice. And they have done so decisively, and with their eyes wide open.
\n\nDonald J. Trump will be our next president, elected with a majority of the popular vote, likely winning both more votes and more states than he did in his two previous elections. After everything — after his chaotic presidency, after January 6th, after the last year in which the mask was increasingly off, and no attempt was made to hide the extremism of the agenda or the ugliness of the appeal — the American people liked what they saw. At a minimum, they were willing to accept what they saw.
\n\nAnd Trump was running against a competent candidate who ran a good campaign to the center and bested him in a debate, with a strong economy. Yet Trump prevailed, pulling off one of the most remarkable comebacks in American political history. Trump boasted last night, “We’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” and he’s not altogether wrong.
\n\n[…]
\n\nSo: We can lament our situation. We can analyze how we got here. We can try to learn lessons from what has happened. We have to do all these things.
\n\nBut we can’t only do those things. As Churchill put it: “In Defeat: Defiance.” We’ll have to keep our nerve and our principles against all the pressure to abandon them. We’ll have to fight politically and to resist lawfully. We’ll have to do our best to limit the damage from Trump. And we’ll have to lay the groundwork for future recovery.
\n\nTo do all this, we’ll have to constitute a strong opposition and a loyal opposition, loyal to the Declaration and the Constitution, loyal to the past achievements and future promise of this nation, loyal to what America has been and should be.
Bill Kristol, at The Bulwark:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/08/no-dignity/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/08/no-dignity/", "title": "No dignity", "date_published": "2024-11-08T01:25:25-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-11-08T01:25:25-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The American people have made a disastrous choice. And they have done so decisively, and with their eyes wide open.
\n\nDonald J. Trump will be our next president, elected with a majority of the popular vote, likely winning both more votes and more states than he did in his two previous elections. After everything — after his chaotic presidency, after January 6th, after the last year in which the mask was increasingly off, and no attempt was made to hide the extremism of the agenda or the ugliness of the appeal — the American people liked what they saw. At a minimum, they were willing to accept what they saw.
\n\nAnd Trump was running against a competent candidate who ran a good campaign to the center and bested him in a debate, with a strong economy. Yet Trump prevailed, pulling off one of the most remarkable comebacks in American political history. Trump boasted last night, “We’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” and he’s not altogether wrong.
\n\n[…]
\n\nSo: We can lament our situation. We can analyze how we got here. We can try to learn lessons from what has happened. We have to do all these things.
\n\nBut we can’t only do those things. As Churchill put it: “In Defeat: Defiance.” We’ll have to keep our nerve and our principles against all the pressure to abandon them. We’ll have to fight politically and to resist lawfully. We’ll have to do our best to limit the damage from Trump. And we’ll have to lay the groundwork for future recovery.
\n\nTo do all this, we’ll have to constitute a strong opposition and a loyal opposition, loyal to the Declaration and the Constitution, loyal to the past achievements and future promise of this nation, loyal to what America has been and should be.
Let the ass-kissing begin.
\n\n\nBig congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone. pic.twitter.com/IPX7AJ8VvI
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 6, 2024
Let the ass-kissing begin.
\n\n\nBig congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone. pic.twitter.com/IPX7AJ8VvI
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 6, 2024
\nCongratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 6, 2024
\n\nWhats going on in this relationship between Trump and Putin? And Dan Cotes said uh its almost … its so close, it seems it might be blackmail.
The people who know him tried to warn us. Half of America didn’t listen. Now we all have to pay the price. Good luck America.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nWhats going on in this relationship between Trump and Putin? And Dan Cotes said uh its almost … its so close, it seems it might be blackmail.
The people who know him tried to warn us. Half of America didn’t listen. Now we all have to pay the price. Good luck America.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/08/where-will-it-end/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/08/where-will-it-end/", "title": "Where will it end?", "date_published": "2024-11-08T19:00:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-11-08T19:00:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Hunter S. Thompson, writing a little over one month ahead of Nixon’s landslide reelection in September 1972:
\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The polls also indicate that Nixon will get a comfortable majority of the Youth Vote. And that he might carry all fifty states.
\n\nWell … maybe so. This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves: finally just lay back and say it — that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.
\n\nThe tragedy of all this is that George McGovern, for all his mistakes and all his imprecise talk about “new politics” and “honesty in government”, is one of the few men who’ve run for President of the United States in this century who really understands what a fantastic monument to all the best instincts of the human race this country might have been, if we could have kept it out of the hands of greedy little hustlers like Richard Nixon.
\n\nMcGovern made some stupid mistakes, but in context they seem almost frivolous compared to the things Richard Nixon does every day of his life, on purpose, as a matter of policy and a perfect expression of everything he stands for.
\n\nJesus! Where will it end?
Hunter S. Thompson, writing a little over one month ahead of Nixon’s landslide reelection in September 1972:
\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/11/jon-meacham-on-2024-election/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/11/jon-meacham-on-2024-election/", "title": "Jon Meacham on 2024 election", "date_published": "2024-11-11T14:28:04-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-11-11T14:28:04-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The polls also indicate that Nixon will get a comfortable majority of the Youth Vote. And that he might carry all fifty states.
\n\nWell … maybe so. This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves: finally just lay back and say it — that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.
\n\nThe tragedy of all this is that George McGovern, for all his mistakes and all his imprecise talk about “new politics” and “honesty in government”, is one of the few men who’ve run for President of the United States in this century who really understands what a fantastic monument to all the best instincts of the human race this country might have been, if we could have kept it out of the hands of greedy little hustlers like Richard Nixon.
\n\nMcGovern made some stupid mistakes, but in context they seem almost frivolous compared to the things Richard Nixon does every day of his life, on purpose, as a matter of policy and a perfect expression of everything he stands for.
\n\nJesus! Where will it end?
\nPulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographer Jon Meacham reflects on former President Trump’s victory over Vice President Harris, how it impacts President Biden’s legacy, and what the outcome of the 2024 election means for the soul of America.
\nPulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographer Jon Meacham reflects on former President Trump’s victory over Vice President Harris, how it impacts President Biden’s legacy, and what the outcome of the 2024 election means for the soul of America.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\nMoney is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.
\n\n
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/27/all-the-presidents-billionaires/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/11/27/all-the-presidents-billionaires/", "title": "All the President’s Billionaires", "date_published": "2024-11-27T00:27:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-11-27T00:27:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\nMoney is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.
\n\n
![\"images\"](\"/assets/images/all-the-billionaires.png\")
Laura Mannweiler writing for US News:
\n\n\n\nSo far Trump’s billionaire nods include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon, Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and money manager Scott Bessent. With the exception of Musk and Ramaswamy – who were picked for an advisory body called the Department of Government Efficiency rather than a Cabinet position – the group will need to be confirmed by the Senate before they are official.
\n\nThe total net worth of the billionaires in the Trump administration, as of the morning of Nov. 25, equals at least $344.4 billion – which is more than the GDP of 169 different countries. Since Musk and Ramaswamy won’t be part of Trump’s Cabinet, excluding them brings the net worth of Trump’s Cabinet to at least $10.7 billion, assuming all nominees are approved in the Senate.
The United States is now clearly a Plutocracy.
\n", "content_html": "
Laura Mannweiler writing for US News:
\n\n\n\nSo far Trump’s billionaire nods include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon, Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and money manager Scott Bessent. With the exception of Musk and Ramaswamy – who were picked for an advisory body called the Department of Government Efficiency rather than a Cabinet position – the group will need to be confirmed by the Senate before they are official.
\n\nThe total net worth of the billionaires in the Trump administration, as of the morning of Nov. 25, equals at least $344.4 billion – which is more than the GDP of 169 different countries. Since Musk and Ramaswamy won’t be part of Trump’s Cabinet, excluding them brings the net worth of Trump’s Cabinet to at least $10.7 billion, assuming all nominees are approved in the Senate.
The United States is now clearly a Plutocracy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/09/the-most-important-problem-in-the-world-right-now/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/09/the-most-important-problem-in-the-world-right-now/", "title": "the most important problem in the world right now?", "date_published": "2024-12-09T17:11:06-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-12-09T17:11:06-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Stanford Review editor-in-chief Julia Steinberg’s interview with university president Jonathan Levin:
\n\n\n\nStanford Review: The first two categories are the buckets of questions that I have. So I’ll move on to my first question about Stanford’s educational and political climate at the present moment. In one of my classes, I was randomly assigned a partner to work on a presentation together. He told me that he had not read a book, cover to cover since the third grade, let alone at Stanford. In June, he will graduate with a degree from Stanford. How is this possible?
\n\nPresident Levin: Have you read a book at Stanford?
\n\nStanford Review: I actually have. I’ve read fifty. I’ve counted. Probably at sixty now.
\n\nPresident Levin: I can’t speak to the particular student you worked with and exactly the way he or she has approached things. I think it’s a missed opportunity if you go through Stanford without doing a lot of reading, because at least in many fields, that’s the way to learn. Now, some fields, it’s true at Stanford, you learn in different ways that aren’t necessarily from books, but you know, I certainly would hope that any student who came to Stanford would spend a lot of time reading and thinking and reflecting. So I think it’s a missed opportunity if that’s not how you choose to spend a good fraction of your time here.
\n\nStanford Review: I agree. Several freshmen I have talked to have bemoaned their mandatory COLLEGE classes that are contract graded, meaning that students will receive an A if their work is turned in on time regardless of quality. One frosh even told me that all of her first quarter classes are contract graded. How does this set students up for success at Stanford and beyond?
\n\nPresident Levin: So the COLLEGE curriculum, that’s part of the design—and of course, it’s a new course. So many aspects of COLLEGE are an experiment. We’re learning. The faculty who teach it are learning about the best design for that class, what the syllabus should look like, what’s the best way to manage discussion, what’s the teaching model, what’s the grading model. And that’s something that the Faculty Senate discussed maybe 18 months ago or last year, the grading model, and at the time, they presented some evidence suggesting that it seemed to have been a positive experience. Sounds like you may have a view that’s different and when that program comes up for review and to be looked at, it’ll be interesting to hear that perspective on it as well. The way I think of the COLLEGE curriculum is it’s in the best tradition of something at Stanford, which is, you put something out, you try it, you see how it works, you iterate, you improve it, you keep improving it, and hopefully, over time, it’s going to become fantastic. And that that may well be one of the aspects of it that should be debated and discussed.
\n\n[…]
\n\nStanford Review: What is the most important problem in the world right now?
\n\nPresident Levin: There’s no answer to that question. There are too many important problems to give you a single answer.
\n\nStanford Review: That is an application question that we have to answer to apply here.
More proof that the so called Ivy League and ‘exclusive’ schools are a branding exercise - any resemblance of academic rigor has long been dispensed with.
\n", "content_html": "The Stanford Review editor-in-chief Julia Steinberg’s interview with university president Jonathan Levin:
\n\n\n\nStanford Review: The first two categories are the buckets of questions that I have. So I’ll move on to my first question about Stanford’s educational and political climate at the present moment. In one of my classes, I was randomly assigned a partner to work on a presentation together. He told me that he had not read a book, cover to cover since the third grade, let alone at Stanford. In June, he will graduate with a degree from Stanford. How is this possible?
\n\nPresident Levin: Have you read a book at Stanford?
\n\nStanford Review: I actually have. I’ve read fifty. I’ve counted. Probably at sixty now.
\n\nPresident Levin: I can’t speak to the particular student you worked with and exactly the way he or she has approached things. I think it’s a missed opportunity if you go through Stanford without doing a lot of reading, because at least in many fields, that’s the way to learn. Now, some fields, it’s true at Stanford, you learn in different ways that aren’t necessarily from books, but you know, I certainly would hope that any student who came to Stanford would spend a lot of time reading and thinking and reflecting. So I think it’s a missed opportunity if that’s not how you choose to spend a good fraction of your time here.
\n\nStanford Review: I agree. Several freshmen I have talked to have bemoaned their mandatory COLLEGE classes that are contract graded, meaning that students will receive an A if their work is turned in on time regardless of quality. One frosh even told me that all of her first quarter classes are contract graded. How does this set students up for success at Stanford and beyond?
\n\nPresident Levin: So the COLLEGE curriculum, that’s part of the design—and of course, it’s a new course. So many aspects of COLLEGE are an experiment. We’re learning. The faculty who teach it are learning about the best design for that class, what the syllabus should look like, what’s the best way to manage discussion, what’s the teaching model, what’s the grading model. And that’s something that the Faculty Senate discussed maybe 18 months ago or last year, the grading model, and at the time, they presented some evidence suggesting that it seemed to have been a positive experience. Sounds like you may have a view that’s different and when that program comes up for review and to be looked at, it’ll be interesting to hear that perspective on it as well. The way I think of the COLLEGE curriculum is it’s in the best tradition of something at Stanford, which is, you put something out, you try it, you see how it works, you iterate, you improve it, you keep improving it, and hopefully, over time, it’s going to become fantastic. And that that may well be one of the aspects of it that should be debated and discussed.
\n\n[…]
\n\nStanford Review: What is the most important problem in the world right now?
\n\nPresident Levin: There’s no answer to that question. There are too many important problems to give you a single answer.
\n\nStanford Review: That is an application question that we have to answer to apply here.
More proof that the so called Ivy League and ‘exclusive’ schools are a branding exercise - any resemblance of academic rigor has long been dispensed with.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/the-new-american-resistance/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/the-new-american-resistance/", "title": "The New American Resistance", "date_published": "2024-12-23T01:05:09-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-12-23T01:05:09-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"FAFO\"](\"/assets/images/malcom-nance-times.png\")
Malcom Nance at his Special Intellignce substack on forming the New American Resistance:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "It is time to organize a New Model American Resistance movement that is aggressive, and persistent. We need a recognizable resistance that will represent the disenfranchised, frustrated, and unmotivated voter base that just got its legs kicked out from under them.
\n\nBut let’s get something straight. The job of my new model of resistance is not to run massive protests and mobilize millions to hit the streets so Antifa can cause riots and Trump will suspend the laws to crush us. We must harness the rules of psychological warfare and strike Trump in a way to cause personal psychic injury. Our tactics must be deep enough to escape notice till the moment they happen and then have news media driving impact.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe Resistance must organize into a unified machine but through simultaneous individual acts of defiance. Why? Your life as an American with rights may be in mortal danger. Some of us will end up in physical danger. Your way of life has already changed with compliant media and politicians genuflecting to Trump weeks before he is in power.\nThe only way out of this hole is to focus on carrying out single, unitary actions that achieve singular objectives simultaneously.
\n\nI call it FAFO – Focused Actions with Focused Objectives.
\n\nThe very definition of being liberal or progressive meant thinking for one’s self, and acting in one’s interest based on a wide variety of social and personal beliefs. It’s admirable that we have such a big tent, but every one of those self-interested behaviors lets the right-wing unity of message steamroller us.
\n\nLet us commit to three simple acts that will allow us to solidify our resistance to the incoming regime and give ourselves some focused points of solidarity until we flesh out a real opposition. Best of all, everyone can participate, simply by not going along with Trump’s horrifying unreality.
Malcom Nance at his Special Intellignce substack on forming the New American Resistance:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/kara-swisher-bids-for-the-post/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/kara-swisher-bids-for-the-post/", "title": "Kara Swisher bids for the Post", "date_published": "2024-12-23T10:08:30-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-12-23T10:08:30-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "It is time to organize a New Model American Resistance movement that is aggressive, and persistent. We need a recognizable resistance that will represent the disenfranchised, frustrated, and unmotivated voter base that just got its legs kicked out from under them.
\n\nBut let’s get something straight. The job of my new model of resistance is not to run massive protests and mobilize millions to hit the streets so Antifa can cause riots and Trump will suspend the laws to crush us. We must harness the rules of psychological warfare and strike Trump in a way to cause personal psychic injury. Our tactics must be deep enough to escape notice till the moment they happen and then have news media driving impact.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe Resistance must organize into a unified machine but through simultaneous individual acts of defiance. Why? Your life as an American with rights may be in mortal danger. Some of us will end up in physical danger. Your way of life has already changed with compliant media and politicians genuflecting to Trump weeks before he is in power.\nThe only way out of this hole is to focus on carrying out single, unitary actions that achieve singular objectives simultaneously.
\n\nI call it FAFO – Focused Actions with Focused Objectives.
\n\nThe very definition of being liberal or progressive meant thinking for one’s self, and acting in one’s interest based on a wide variety of social and personal beliefs. It’s admirable that we have such a big tent, but every one of those self-interested behaviors lets the right-wing unity of message steamroller us.
\n\nLet us commit to three simple acts that will allow us to solidify our resistance to the incoming regime and give ourselves some focused points of solidarity until we flesh out a real opposition. Best of all, everyone can participate, simply by not going along with Trump’s horrifying unreality.
![\"bezos-swisher\"](\"/assets/images/bezos-swisher.jpg\")
Mike Allen reporting in Axios:
\n\n\n\nKara Swisher, the popular podcaster and pioneering tech journalist, is trying to round up a group of rich people to fund a bid for the Washington Post, she told us.
\n\nOne big problem: Jeff Bezos, the owner, has shown no interest in selling.
\n\nWhy it matters: Swisher — who started in the Post mailroom, and became an early tech reporter at the paper (and later one of the first at The Wall Street Journal) — believes the Amazon founder will eventually want to sell, since the paper has become a managerial nightmare.
\n\nLike many, Swisher thinks Bezos should sell since he has other financial and personal interests — like space tech — that are more important to him, and can conflict with his Post ownership.
\n\n“The Post can do better,” she told us. “It’s so maddening to see what’s happening. … Why not me? Why not any of us?”
Bezos needs to sell. Washington Post is not Bezos top priority. It’s obvious the Washington Post under Bezos has struggled to be an independant publication. We see it with The Washington Post under Bezos, when he kiboshed the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris so as not to antagonize Donald Trump.
\n", "content_html": "
Mike Allen reporting in Axios:
\n\n\n\nKara Swisher, the popular podcaster and pioneering tech journalist, is trying to round up a group of rich people to fund a bid for the Washington Post, she told us.
\n\nOne big problem: Jeff Bezos, the owner, has shown no interest in selling.
\n\nWhy it matters: Swisher — who started in the Post mailroom, and became an early tech reporter at the paper (and later one of the first at The Wall Street Journal) — believes the Amazon founder will eventually want to sell, since the paper has become a managerial nightmare.
\n\nLike many, Swisher thinks Bezos should sell since he has other financial and personal interests — like space tech — that are more important to him, and can conflict with his Post ownership.
\n\n“The Post can do better,” she told us. “It’s so maddening to see what’s happening. … Why not me? Why not any of us?”
Bezos needs to sell. Washington Post is not Bezos top priority. It’s obvious the Washington Post under Bezos has struggled to be an independant publication. We see it with The Washington Post under Bezos, when he kiboshed the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris so as not to antagonize Donald Trump.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/balkonkraftwerk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/23/balkonkraftwerk/", "title": "Balkonkraftwerk", "date_published": "2024-12-23T23:02:50-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-12-23T23:02:50-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Balkonkraftwerk\"](\"/assets/images/balcony-solar.png\")
Stephen Burgen reporting on Balkonkraftwerk, a German word meaning “balcony power plant”, in the The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nThey are easy to install, and knock chunks off electricity bills. It may not be Romeo and Juliet, but Spain’s balcony scene is heating up as the country embraces what has hitherto been a mainly German love affair with DIY plug-in solar panels.
\n\nPanels have already been installed on about 1.5m German balconies, where they are so popular the term Balkonkraftwerk (balcony power plant) has been coined.
\n\nManufacturers say that installing a couple of 300-watt panels will give a saving of up to 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill. With an outlay of €400-800 and with no installation cost, the panels could pay for themselves within six years.
Yet again - the US is behind the latest solar tech.
\n", "content_html": "
Stephen Burgen reporting on Balkonkraftwerk, a German word meaning “balcony power plant”, in the The Guardian:
\n\n\n\nThey are easy to install, and knock chunks off electricity bills. It may not be Romeo and Juliet, but Spain’s balcony scene is heating up as the country embraces what has hitherto been a mainly German love affair with DIY plug-in solar panels.
\n\nPanels have already been installed on about 1.5m German balconies, where they are so popular the term Balkonkraftwerk (balcony power plant) has been coined.
\n\nManufacturers say that installing a couple of 300-watt panels will give a saving of up to 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill. With an outlay of €400-800 and with no installation cost, the panels could pay for themselves within six years.
Yet again - the US is behind the latest solar tech.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/27/five-things-about-mehmet-oz/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2024/12/27/five-things-about-mehmet-oz/", "title": "Five Things about Mehmet Oz", "date_published": "2024-12-27T05:09:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-12-27T05:09:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nNine time Emmy award winning TV celebrity that wants to privatize Medicare for personal financial gain. Why aren’t we surprised he is up for nomination by the Trump administration?
Stop referring to him as a Doctor. He is a TV personality. This guy should just start a YouTube channel on Crudités and stay out of the government.
\n", "content_html": "
\nNine time Emmy award winning TV celebrity that wants to privatize Medicare for personal financial gain. Why aren’t we surprised he is up for nomination by the Trump administration?
Stop referring to him as a Doctor. He is a TV personality. This guy should just start a YouTube channel on Crudités and stay out of the government.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/02/low-income-trump-voters-panic/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/02/low-income-trump-voters-panic/", "title": "Low Income Trump voters panic", "date_published": "2025-01-02T02:41:19-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-02T02:41:19-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"low](\"/assets/images/low-income-trump-voters.jpg\")
Tim Craig reporting for The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\nFifty percent of voters from families with an income of less than $50,000 a year cast their ballots for Trump, according to the data, compared with 48 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris. Four years ago, President Joe Biden carried those voters by 11 percentage points; Hillary Clinton won them by 12 points in 2016 and former president Barack Obama by 22 points in 2012.
\n\nNow, low-income Americans who voted for Trump say they are counting on him to keep their benefits intact even while his Cabinet picks and Republican lawmakers call on him to reduce federal spending.
I am trying to empathize with these Trump voters. I really am. But when you hear delusional wishful ignorant rationalization like this it makes it very difficult.
\n\n\n\nSteve Tillia, 59, receives $1,600 a month in Social Security disability payments and $300 in food stamps to support himself and his son. Tillia, who said he is unable to work after suffering from mini strokes, still drives around New Castle with a Trump flag anchored on the bumper of his SUV.
\n\nTillia said he’s confident that Trump and GOP leaders will reduce spending by “cutting the fat” out of government — and not slashing benefits.
\n\n“It’s not cutting government programs, it’s cutting the amount of people needed to run a program,” he said. “They are cutting staff, which could actually increase the amount of the programs that we get.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut as Kathy Davis sat in the “smokers patio” at the Riverside Apartments, she said she is as confident as ever that Trump’s presidency will benefit her.
\n\nDavis, a retired artist, subsists on a monthly $1,300 Social Security payment and $75 in food stamps. She rents her studio apartment for $385 per month. Asked whether she worries that Trump’s agenda could hurt the poor, Davis said the incoming president is “too smart for that.”
\n\n“You can’t wipe out half of the population” of New Castle, Davis said. “We are old and tired and just want to be taken care of, and Trump has too much common sense, so I don’t think he is going to do anything to hurt us.”
The administration these people voted in, along with the plutocrats that are now basically running the government (Elon Musk, Viveck Ramaswami and his billionaire cabinate) have vowed to cut $2.5 trillion in government spending. This isn’t going to happen unless you cut Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and housing assistance. I mean Trump actually said “I don’t care about you. I just want your vote” at one of his rallies.
\n\nYou did this to yourselves. Your vote has consequences. So does your ignorance. They will get exactly what they voted for. I really don’t have any empathy left for these people.
\n\nYou all f*cked around and now you are going to find out.
\n", "content_html": "
Tim Craig reporting for The Washington Post:
\n\n\n\nFifty percent of voters from families with an income of less than $50,000 a year cast their ballots for Trump, according to the data, compared with 48 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris. Four years ago, President Joe Biden carried those voters by 11 percentage points; Hillary Clinton won them by 12 points in 2016 and former president Barack Obama by 22 points in 2012.
\n\nNow, low-income Americans who voted for Trump say they are counting on him to keep their benefits intact even while his Cabinet picks and Republican lawmakers call on him to reduce federal spending.
I am trying to empathize with these Trump voters. I really am. But when you hear delusional wishful ignorant rationalization like this it makes it very difficult.
\n\n\n\nSteve Tillia, 59, receives $1,600 a month in Social Security disability payments and $300 in food stamps to support himself and his son. Tillia, who said he is unable to work after suffering from mini strokes, still drives around New Castle with a Trump flag anchored on the bumper of his SUV.
\n\nTillia said he’s confident that Trump and GOP leaders will reduce spending by “cutting the fat” out of government — and not slashing benefits.
\n\n“It’s not cutting government programs, it’s cutting the amount of people needed to run a program,” he said. “They are cutting staff, which could actually increase the amount of the programs that we get.”
\n\n[…]
\n\nBut as Kathy Davis sat in the “smokers patio” at the Riverside Apartments, she said she is as confident as ever that Trump’s presidency will benefit her.
\n\nDavis, a retired artist, subsists on a monthly $1,300 Social Security payment and $75 in food stamps. She rents her studio apartment for $385 per month. Asked whether she worries that Trump’s agenda could hurt the poor, Davis said the incoming president is “too smart for that.”
\n\n“You can’t wipe out half of the population” of New Castle, Davis said. “We are old and tired and just want to be taken care of, and Trump has too much common sense, so I don’t think he is going to do anything to hurt us.”
The administration these people voted in, along with the plutocrats that are now basically running the government (Elon Musk, Viveck Ramaswami and his billionaire cabinate) have vowed to cut $2.5 trillion in government spending. This isn’t going to happen unless you cut Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and housing assistance. I mean Trump actually said “I don’t care about you. I just want your vote” at one of his rallies.
\n\nYou did this to yourselves. Your vote has consequences. So does your ignorance. They will get exactly what they voted for. I really don’t have any empathy left for these people.
\n\nYou all f*cked around and now you are going to find out.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/06/how-jan-6-was-not-the-end-of-trump/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/06/how-jan-6-was-not-the-end-of-trump/", "title": "how Jan. 6 was not the end of Trump", "date_published": "2025-01-06T08:14:28-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-06T08:14:28-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"attack](\"/assets/images/attack-on-capitol.jpg\")
Don Moynihan writing on his substack:
\n\n\n\nThe blame largely lies with Republican political leaders. Mitch McConnell punted on ending the career of a guy he detests. Kevin McCarthy decided to resurrect Trump out of pure self-interest. John Roberts and other Republicans on the Supreme Court extended a measure of retroactive legitimacy for Trump’s actions leading up to Jan. 6.
\n\nMcConnell laid the blame for Jan. 6 squarely at the feet of Trump. In private, he said things like: “If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is” and indicated he expected bipartisan support for a vote to convict Trump.
Donald Trump never faced any consequences for January 6th wasn’t incompetence. It was inconvenience. Everyone in Congress knew what happened on that day - no one was willing to confront the the truth and the fallout.
\n\nLet us not forgot all of government officials who sided with the insurrectionists.
\n\n![\"republicans](\"/assets/images/republicans-against-election.png\")
Don Moynihan writing on his substack:
\n\n\n\nThe blame largely lies with Republican political leaders. Mitch McConnell punted on ending the career of a guy he detests. Kevin McCarthy decided to resurrect Trump out of pure self-interest. John Roberts and other Republicans on the Supreme Court extended a measure of retroactive legitimacy for Trump’s actions leading up to Jan. 6.
\n\nMcConnell laid the blame for Jan. 6 squarely at the feet of Trump. In private, he said things like: “If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is” and indicated he expected bipartisan support for a vote to convict Trump.
Donald Trump never faced any consequences for January 6th wasn’t incompetence. It was inconvenience. Everyone in Congress knew what happened on that day - no one was willing to confront the the truth and the fallout.
\n\nLet us not forgot all of government officials who sided with the insurrectionists.
\n\n
\nStanding before a global map, Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Donald Trump’s proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Golf of America exposing Trump as the international clown that he is.
\n", "content_html": "Obviously, the Gulf of Mexico’s name is recognized by the United Nations, by a United Nations agency - but why don’t we call it (United States) América Mexicana? Sounds nice doesn’t it?
\nStanding before a global map, Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Donald Trump’s proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Golf of America exposing Trump as the international clown that he is.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/14/gop-tax-bill-2027/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/14/gop-tax-bill-2027/", "title": "GOP Tax Bill 2027", "date_published": "2025-01-14T02:42:42-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-14T02:42:42-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Obviously, the Gulf of Mexico’s name is recognized by the United Nations, by a United Nations agency - but why don’t we call it (United States) América Mexicana? Sounds nice doesn’t it?
Danielle Kurtzleben reporting on GOP tax cuts and the middle class:
\n\n![\"2027](\"/assets/images/2027-tax-distribution.png\")
\n\nTo help ensure their bill met the budget limits Republicans had set for themselves, lawmakers set many individual income tax changes to sunset after 2025 (however, they made cuts to corporate tax rates permanent).
\n\nFor example, the bill changes tax rates across income brackets, increases the standard deduction and increases the child tax credit — but only until the end of 2025.
\n\nAs a result, the Tax Policy Center predicts that in 2027, the average tax cut would amount to $160, or just a 0.2 percent income bump.
\n\nThis would mean a tiny tax bump for many lower- and middle-class households — the average $50,000 to $75,000 — earning household would have a tax bill that is $30 higher than today. The average household earning more than $1 million would get a cut of more than $23,000.
\n\nPut another way, in 2018, households earning $1 million or more — or, 0.4 percent of all tax filers — would be getting 16.5 percent of the total benefit from the bill.
\n\nIn 2027, households earning $1 million or more — estimated to be 0.6 percent of all filers — would be getting 81.8 percent of the total benefit, even though their average tax break would be about $46,000 smaller in 2027 than in 2018.
Yep. Thats right, if you make less then $75,000 your income loose $30 dollars or higher than today. Whats is even perverse is that those make over $1 million or more would see their income go up – by as much as $46,000.
\n\nFAFO.
\n", "content_html": "Danielle Kurtzleben reporting on GOP tax cuts and the middle class:
\n\n
\n\nTo help ensure their bill met the budget limits Republicans had set for themselves, lawmakers set many individual income tax changes to sunset after 2025 (however, they made cuts to corporate tax rates permanent).
\n\nFor example, the bill changes tax rates across income brackets, increases the standard deduction and increases the child tax credit — but only until the end of 2025.
\n\nAs a result, the Tax Policy Center predicts that in 2027, the average tax cut would amount to $160, or just a 0.2 percent income bump.
\n\nThis would mean a tiny tax bump for many lower- and middle-class households — the average $50,000 to $75,000 — earning household would have a tax bill that is $30 higher than today. The average household earning more than $1 million would get a cut of more than $23,000.
\n\nPut another way, in 2018, households earning $1 million or more — or, 0.4 percent of all tax filers — would be getting 16.5 percent of the total benefit from the bill.
\n\nIn 2027, households earning $1 million or more — estimated to be 0.6 percent of all filers — would be getting 81.8 percent of the total benefit, even though their average tax break would be about $46,000 smaller in 2027 than in 2018.
Yep. Thats right, if you make less then $75,000 your income loose $30 dollars or higher than today. Whats is even perverse is that those make over $1 million or more would see their income go up – by as much as $46,000.
\n\nFAFO.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/15/finlands-success-combating-homelessness/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/15/finlands-success-combating-homelessness/", "title": "Finland's success combating homelessness", "date_published": "2025-01-15T03:06:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-15T03:06:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Homelessness](\"/assets/images/homeless-in-finland.png\")
Finland’s amazing success in combating homelessness:
\n\n\n\nFinland’s success is not a matter of luck or the outcome of “quick fixes.” Rather, it is the result of a sustained, well-resourced national strategy, driven by a “Housing First” approach, which provides people experiencing homelessness with immediate, independent, permanent housing, rather than temporary accommodation (OECD, 2020). A key pillar of this effort has been to combine emergency assistance with the supply of rentals to host previously homeless people, either by converting some existing shelters into residential buildings with independent apartments (Kaakinen, 2019) or by building new flats by a government agency (ARA, 2021). Building flats is key: otherwise, especially if housing supply is particularly rigid, the funding of rentals can risk driving up rents (OECD, 2021a), thus reducing the “bang for the buck” of public spending.
Too often it is required to have money first, which requires a job. But you can’t go to work from a showerless breakfastless crumpled stinky street corner. Having a home first enables is a prerequisite to employment. Something we here in the US need could do well to learn.
\n", "content_html": "
Finland’s amazing success in combating homelessness:
\n\n\n\nFinland’s success is not a matter of luck or the outcome of “quick fixes.” Rather, it is the result of a sustained, well-resourced national strategy, driven by a “Housing First” approach, which provides people experiencing homelessness with immediate, independent, permanent housing, rather than temporary accommodation (OECD, 2020). A key pillar of this effort has been to combine emergency assistance with the supply of rentals to host previously homeless people, either by converting some existing shelters into residential buildings with independent apartments (Kaakinen, 2019) or by building new flats by a government agency (ARA, 2021). Building flats is key: otherwise, especially if housing supply is particularly rigid, the funding of rentals can risk driving up rents (OECD, 2021a), thus reducing the “bang for the buck” of public spending.
Too often it is required to have money first, which requires a job. But you can’t go to work from a showerless breakfastless crumpled stinky street corner. Having a home first enables is a prerequisite to employment. Something we here in the US need could do well to learn.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/16/breakfast-with-hegseth/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/16/breakfast-with-hegseth/", "title": "Breakfast with Pete Hegseth", "date_published": "2025-01-16T05:10:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-16T05:10:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Pete](\"/assets/images/pet-hegseth.jpg\")
Jane Mayer, reporting for The New Yorker:
\n\n\n\nHegseth has admitted to excess drinking in the past, but he has vowed that, if confirmed to lead the Pentagon, “there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it.” In December, he said that he was “a different man than I was years ago,” describing his life as “a redemption story.” But even as he has attempted to reassure senators, additional reports continue to raise questions about when, and whether, he has reformed. As recently as the spring of 2023, according to an account shared last week with The New Yorker, Hegseth ordered three gin-and-tonics at a weekday breakfast meeting with an acquaintance in Manhattan. “It was an extremely strange experience,” his companion that morning told me. “We met at Fox News in New York for breakfast, and he suggested we go across the street to a bar. It was, like, ten in the morning. Then he ordered two gin-and-tonics at the same time for himself. To be polite, I ordered one, too. But it was so strong I couldn’t drink it, so I ordered coffee. Then he had a third gin-and-tonic. I don’t know how he could pass a security clearance. But they’re trying to create a culture where whistle-blowers are uncomfortable coming forward.”
No. Donald Trump and the Republicans are lowering the standards.
\n", "content_html": "
Jane Mayer, reporting for The New Yorker:
\n\n\n\nHegseth has admitted to excess drinking in the past, but he has vowed that, if confirmed to lead the Pentagon, “there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it.” In December, he said that he was “a different man than I was years ago,” describing his life as “a redemption story.” But even as he has attempted to reassure senators, additional reports continue to raise questions about when, and whether, he has reformed. As recently as the spring of 2023, according to an account shared last week with The New Yorker, Hegseth ordered three gin-and-tonics at a weekday breakfast meeting with an acquaintance in Manhattan. “It was an extremely strange experience,” his companion that morning told me. “We met at Fox News in New York for breakfast, and he suggested we go across the street to a bar. It was, like, ten in the morning. Then he ordered two gin-and-tonics at the same time for himself. To be polite, I ordered one, too. But it was so strong I couldn’t drink it, so I ordered coffee. Then he had a third gin-and-tonic. I don’t know how he could pass a security clearance. But they’re trying to create a culture where whistle-blowers are uncomfortable coming forward.”
No. Donald Trump and the Republicans are lowering the standards.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/17/david-lynch-dies-at-78/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/17/david-lynch-dies-at-78/", "title": "David Lynch Dies at 78", "date_published": "2025-01-17T07:21:42-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-17T07:21:42-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"David](\"/assets/images/david-lynch.jpg\")
Brian Tallerico, for RogerEbert.com:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "David Lynch saw my dreams. As a teenager growing up in suburban America in the ’80s, “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” hit like a bolt of lightning. Not only did they capture something about the sinister, surreal underbelly of life under the picket fences, but they said something directly to anyone who thought they could be an artist: You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.
\n\nLynch was one of those creative voices who found his own octave, doing for film what people like David Bowie or Prince did for music, shattering expectations of what a piece of art could be. Even when his work missed the mark, which was rare, Lynch was never anything less than a singular artist, a creator who never once succumbed to the desire to please that derails so much potential in his industry. When people point to Lynch works like “Mulholland Dr.” or “The Straight Story” or even those of us who love “Lost Highway,” it’s not just that specific film that speaks to them — it’s the sense that the potential of the form is limitless as long as people like Lynch are involved. The entire art form was shifted by him and is now lessened by his absence. We owe it to him to burst through the doors he opened. […]
\n\nLynch’s fifth film, 1990’s “Wild at Heart” would be one of his most divisive — it’s often pointed to as Lynch at his most excessive — but it was what he did on television that same year that rocked the entertainment world: “Twin Peaks.” I could write a book about what “Twin Peaks” meant to a 15-year-old entertainment junkie. To summarize, it exploded the potential of the form. People who watch “Twin Peaks” over three decades later need to understand the TV landscape on which it landed. I’m not saying there wasn’t quality TV in the ’80s, but there was less risk-taking than in the 2020s, and watching the saga of Laura Palmer next to formulaic dramas or laugh-track-heavy sitcoms felt like a true shock to the system. For more on “Twin Peaks” and why it mattered, check this out.
Brian Tallerico, for RogerEbert.com:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/19/the-have-no-taste/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/19/the-have-no-taste/", "title": "They have no taste", "date_published": "2025-01-19T00:16:51-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-19T00:16:51-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "David Lynch saw my dreams. As a teenager growing up in suburban America in the ’80s, “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” hit like a bolt of lightning. Not only did they capture something about the sinister, surreal underbelly of life under the picket fences, but they said something directly to anyone who thought they could be an artist: You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.
\n\nLynch was one of those creative voices who found his own octave, doing for film what people like David Bowie or Prince did for music, shattering expectations of what a piece of art could be. Even when his work missed the mark, which was rare, Lynch was never anything less than a singular artist, a creator who never once succumbed to the desire to please that derails so much potential in his industry. When people point to Lynch works like “Mulholland Dr.” or “The Straight Story” or even those of us who love “Lost Highway,” it’s not just that specific film that speaks to them — it’s the sense that the potential of the form is limitless as long as people like Lynch are involved. The entire art form was shifted by him and is now lessened by his absence. We owe it to him to burst through the doors he opened. […]
\n\nLynch’s fifth film, 1990’s “Wild at Heart” would be one of his most divisive — it’s often pointed to as Lynch at his most excessive — but it was what he did on television that same year that rocked the entertainment world: “Twin Peaks.” I could write a book about what “Twin Peaks” meant to a 15-year-old entertainment junkie. To summarize, it exploded the potential of the form. People who watch “Twin Peaks” over three decades later need to understand the TV landscape on which it landed. I’m not saying there wasn’t quality TV in the ’80s, but there was less risk-taking than in the 2020s, and watching the saga of Laura Palmer next to formulaic dramas or laugh-track-heavy sitcoms felt like a true shock to the system. For more on “Twin Peaks” and why it mattered, check this out.
![\"Microsoft](\"/assets/images/ms-google-screen.png\")
Tom Warren, writing for The Verge:
\n\n\n\nEarlier this month you could search for “Google” on Bing and get a page that looked a lot like Google, complete with a special search bar, an image resembling a Google Doodle, and even some small text under the search bar just like Google search.
\n\nThe misleading UI no longer appears on the Google search result of Bing this week, just days after it was originally discovered by posters on Reddit.
Steve Jobs summed up Microsoft’s culture and DNA perfectly in 1995:
\n\n\n\nThey just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste and and what that means is I don’t mean that in a small way. I mean that in a big way in the sense thaty don’t think of original ideas and they don’t bring much culture into their products.
Couldn’t have said it better.
\n", "content_html": "
Tom Warren, writing for The Verge:
\n\n\n\nEarlier this month you could search for “Google” on Bing and get a page that looked a lot like Google, complete with a special search bar, an image resembling a Google Doodle, and even some small text under the search bar just like Google search.
\n\nThe misleading UI no longer appears on the Google search result of Bing this week, just days after it was originally discovered by posters on Reddit.
Steve Jobs summed up Microsoft’s culture and DNA perfectly in 1995:
\n\n\n\nThey just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste and and what that means is I don’t mean that in a small way. I mean that in a big way in the sense thaty don’t think of original ideas and they don’t bring much culture into their products.
Couldn’t have said it better.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/28/jim-acosta-leaving-cnn/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/28/jim-acosta-leaving-cnn/", "title": "Jim Acosta leaving CNN", "date_published": "2025-01-28T18:01:30-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-28T18:01:30-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nOliver Darcy posting on the Status Substack:
\n\nThe anchor, I’m told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network after its chief executive, Mark Thompson, booted him from the morning programming lineup — a move that conspicuously coincided with Donald Trump’s return to power.
\n\nCNN brass, as we first reported earlier this month, decided to strip Acosta of his 10am show, which he has anchored to great ratings success over the last 11 months, at times even seeing higher viewership than programs in the channel’s prime time bloc.
\n\nAcosta was instead offered the less-than-desirable option of anchoring a show from midnight until 2am ET.
\n\nCNN pitched the gig to Acosta as anchoring during prime time on the West Coast and said he could move to Los Angeles to host the program. But the reality is the program would have aired at a time in which cable news viewership is at its lowest levels.
Acosta’s morning ratings were high. The only reason for CNN forcing him to midnight was to appease Donal Trump. CNN executives showing their absolute lack of journalistic integrity.
\n", "content_html": "
\nOliver Darcy posting on the Status Substack:
\n\nThe anchor, I’m told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network after its chief executive, Mark Thompson, booted him from the morning programming lineup — a move that conspicuously coincided with Donald Trump’s return to power.
\n\nCNN brass, as we first reported earlier this month, decided to strip Acosta of his 10am show, which he has anchored to great ratings success over the last 11 months, at times even seeing higher viewership than programs in the channel’s prime time bloc.
\n\nAcosta was instead offered the less-than-desirable option of anchoring a show from midnight until 2am ET.
\n\nCNN pitched the gig to Acosta as anchoring during prime time on the West Coast and said he could move to Los Angeles to host the program. But the reality is the program would have aired at a time in which cable news viewership is at its lowest levels.
Acosta’s morning ratings were high. The only reason for CNN forcing him to midnight was to appease Donal Trump. CNN executives showing their absolute lack of journalistic integrity.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/28/seven-saurai-1954-in-4k/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/28/seven-saurai-1954-in-4k/", "title": "Seven samurai (1954) in 4K", "date_published": "2025-01-28T18:25:35-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-28T18:25:35-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Seven](\"/assets/images/seven-samurai-4k.jpg\")
A 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s epic master piece Seven Samurai is now available for streaming. You can watch it on:
\n\nIf your haven’t seen Seven Saurai - it significantly influenced Hollywood cinema, specifically the Western film genre, most notably with the Hollywood remake “The Magnificent Seven” by adapting the core themes of honor, duty, and protecting the vulnerable to an American setting. You should add it to your watch list.
\n\nFrom Roger Bert’s review:
\n\n\n\nAkira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” (1954) is not only a great film in its own right, but the source of a genre that would flow through the rest of the century. The critic Michael Jeck suggests that this was the first film in which a team is assembled to carry out a mission–an idea which gave birth to its direct Hollywood remake, “The Magnificent Seven,” as well as “The Guns of Navarone,” “The Dirty Dozen” and countless later war, heist and caper movies. Since Kurosawa’s samurai adventure “Yojimbo” (1960) was remade as “A Fistful of Dollars” and essentially created the spaghetti Western, and since this movie and Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” inspired George Lucas’ “Star Wars” series, it could be argued that this greatest of filmmakers gave employment to action heroes for the next 50 years, just as a fallout from his primary purpose.
Here’s the trailer:
\n\n
A 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s epic master piece Seven Samurai is now available for streaming. You can watch it on:
\n\nIf your haven’t seen Seven Saurai - it significantly influenced Hollywood cinema, specifically the Western film genre, most notably with the Hollywood remake “The Magnificent Seven” by adapting the core themes of honor, duty, and protecting the vulnerable to an American setting. You should add it to your watch list.
\n\nFrom Roger Bert’s review:
\n\n\n\nAkira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” (1954) is not only a great film in its own right, but the source of a genre that would flow through the rest of the century. The critic Michael Jeck suggests that this was the first film in which a team is assembled to carry out a mission–an idea which gave birth to its direct Hollywood remake, “The Magnificent Seven,” as well as “The Guns of Navarone,” “The Dirty Dozen” and countless later war, heist and caper movies. Since Kurosawa’s samurai adventure “Yojimbo” (1960) was remade as “A Fistful of Dollars” and essentially created the spaghetti Western, and since this movie and Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” inspired George Lucas’ “Star Wars” series, it could be argued that this greatest of filmmakers gave employment to action heroes for the next 50 years, just as a fallout from his primary purpose.
Here’s the trailer:
\n\n
\nGoogle announcement on X:
\n\nWe’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
\n\nFor geographic features in the U.S., this is when Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.
\n\nAlso longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.
How this will lower the price of groceries I have no idea.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n
\nGoogle announcement on X:
\n\nWe’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
\n\nFor geographic features in the U.S., this is when Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.
\n\nAlso longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.
How this will lower the price of groceries I have no idea.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/30/nirvana-before-nirvana/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/01/30/nirvana-before-nirvana/", "title": "Nirvana before Nirvana - Ted Ed Fred", "date_published": "2025-01-30T04:39:14-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-01-30T04:39:14-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nOpen Culture on an intersting video of Nirvana before they were Nirvana:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Here’s a strange home video of Nirvana when they were unknown, playing inside a Radio Shack in the band’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington. The video was recorded on the evening of January 24, 1988, after the store had closed. In those days the group went by the name of Ted Ed Fred.
\n\nOnly the day before, the band had recorded its first demo tape at a studio in Seattle. Guitarist and singer Kurt Cobain asked his new friend Eric Harter, who managed the Radio Shack, to videotape the band playing “Paper Cuts,” one of 10 songs from the demo. Along with Cobain, the video features Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic on bass and Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums.
\nOpen Culture on an intersting video of Nirvana before they were Nirvana:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/01/dell-ending-hybrid-slash-remote-work-policy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/01/dell-ending-hybrid-slash-remote-work-policy/", "title": "Dell ending hybrid/remote work policy", "date_published": "2025-02-01T09:06:38-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-01T09:06:38-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Here’s a strange home video of Nirvana when they were unknown, playing inside a Radio Shack in the band’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington. The video was recorded on the evening of January 24, 1988, after the store had closed. In those days the group went by the name of Ted Ed Fred.
\n\nOnly the day before, the band had recorded its first demo tape at a studio in Seattle. Guitarist and singer Kurt Cobain asked his new friend Eric Harter, who managed the Radio Shack, to videotape the band playing “Paper Cuts,” one of 10 songs from the demo. Along with Cobain, the video features Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic on bass and Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums.
![\"remote](\"/assets/images/remote-work.jpg\")
Dell is the latest tech company to announce it’s ending its hybrid and remote work policy. Victoria Song reporting for Verge:
\n\n\n\n“What we’re finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction. A thirty second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days,” Dell writes.
Intersting to see how Dell will explain this stance to its remote work solutions customers who are given the official sales pitch noting that remote work offers:
\n\n\n\nbenefits such as flexibility, reduced commute times, and cost savings for employees, while employers can access a broader talent pool, reduce overhead costs, and increase productivity.
Hypocrisy much?
\n", "content_html": "
Dell is the latest tech company to announce it’s ending its hybrid and remote work policy. Victoria Song reporting for Verge:
\n\n\n\n“What we’re finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction. A thirty second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days,” Dell writes.
Intersting to see how Dell will explain this stance to its remote work solutions customers who are given the official sales pitch noting that remote work offers:
\n\n\n\nbenefits such as flexibility, reduced commute times, and cost savings for employees, while employers can access a broader talent pool, reduce overhead costs, and increase productivity.
Hypocrisy much?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/02/how-tariffs-work/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/02/how-tariffs-work/", "title": "How Tariffs work", "date_published": "2025-02-02T23:53:49-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-02T23:53:49-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"how](\"/assets/images/how-tariffs-work.png\")
\nTrump administration made big moves to realign federal law enforcement in this country — purging top leaders at the FBI and multiple federal prosecutors at the DOJ.
John Fugelsang sums brilliantly sums up the current situation:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "They care about their authority symbols, and they’re proving it right now. This is Joker taking over, firing commissioner Gordon and letting all the crooks out because Gotham was tired of woke Batman.
\nTrump administration made big moves to realign federal law enforcement in this country — purging top leaders at the FBI and multiple federal prosecutors at the DOJ.
John Fugelsang sums brilliantly sums up the current situation:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/04/trump-blinks/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/04/trump-blinks/", "title": "Trump Blinks", "date_published": "2025-02-04T01:54:37-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-04T01:54:37-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "They care about their authority symbols, and they’re proving it right now. This is Joker taking over, firing commissioner Gordon and letting all the crooks out because Gotham was tired of woke Batman.
![\"trudeau-sheinbaum\"](\"/assets/images/trudeau-sheinbaum.png\")
From the Wallstreet Journal’s Editorial Board:
\n\n\n\nIf the North American leaders need to cheer about a minor deal so they all claim victory, that’s better for everyone. The need is especially important for Mr. Trump given how much he has boasted that his tariffs are a fool-proof diplomatic weapon against friend or foe. Mr. Trump can’t afford to look like the guy who lost. Ms. Sheinbaum in particular seems to recognize this, and so far she’s playing her Trump cards with skill.
\n\nNone of this means the tariffs are some genius power play, as the Trump media chorus is boasting. The 25% border tax could return in a month if Mr. Trump is in the wrong mood, or if he doesn’t like something the foreign leaders have said or done. It also isn’t clear what Mr. Trump really wants his tariffs to achieve. Are they about reducing the flow of fentanyl, or is his real goal to rewrite the North American trade deal he signed in his first term? If it’s the latter, there’s more political volatility ahead.
In other words, Trump got nothing new for all his insane retoric and folded like a cheap deck of cards. It’s going to be fun watching Trump’s sycophants twist themselves into pretzels trying to claim this as a victory for the administration.
\n", "content_html": "
From the Wallstreet Journal’s Editorial Board:
\n\n\n\nIf the North American leaders need to cheer about a minor deal so they all claim victory, that’s better for everyone. The need is especially important for Mr. Trump given how much he has boasted that his tariffs are a fool-proof diplomatic weapon against friend or foe. Mr. Trump can’t afford to look like the guy who lost. Ms. Sheinbaum in particular seems to recognize this, and so far she’s playing her Trump cards with skill.
\n\nNone of this means the tariffs are some genius power play, as the Trump media chorus is boasting. The 25% border tax could return in a month if Mr. Trump is in the wrong mood, or if he doesn’t like something the foreign leaders have said or done. It also isn’t clear what Mr. Trump really wants his tariffs to achieve. Are they about reducing the flow of fentanyl, or is his real goal to rewrite the North American trade deal he signed in his first term? If it’s the latter, there’s more political volatility ahead.
In other words, Trump got nothing new for all his insane retoric and folded like a cheap deck of cards. It’s going to be fun watching Trump’s sycophants twist themselves into pretzels trying to claim this as a victory for the administration.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/04/the-stupidest-water-action/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/04/the-stupidest-water-action/", "title": "the stupidest water action", "date_published": "2025-02-04T03:19:26-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-04T03:19:26-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nDonald Trump ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to open up a federally controlled flow of water in northern California that was completely unnecessary and unusable by anyone in southern California.
\n[…]\nThat water is vitally important for farms and cities later in the summer.
It’s going to be a tough summer in California - and you can thank the ineptitude and stupidity of the Trump administration for it.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nDonald Trump ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to open up a federally controlled flow of water in northern California that was completely unnecessary and unusable by anyone in southern California.
\n[…]\nThat water is vitally important for farms and cities later in the summer.
It’s going to be a tough summer in California - and you can thank the ineptitude and stupidity of the Trump administration for it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/05/stupid/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/05/stupid/", "title": "Stupid", "date_published": "2025-02-05T12:52:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-05T12:52:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Stupid\"](\"/assets/images/stupid-trump.png\")
No translation needed, but for those wondering, it translates to: “Trump pushes his way closer to recession.”
\n\nIts humiliating to be an American these days.
\n", "content_html": "
No translation needed, but for those wondering, it translates to: “Trump pushes his way closer to recession.”
\n\nIts humiliating to be an American these days.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/10/trump-halts-penny-production/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/10/trump-halts-penny-production/", "title": "Trump halts penny production", "date_published": "2025-02-10T01:49:49-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-10T01:49:49-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"coins\"](\"/assets/images/coins.jpg\")
Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt the production of pennies, citing the high cost of producing one cent.
\n\n\nThe penny costs over 3 cents to make and cost US taxpayers over $179 million in FY2023.
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) January 22, 2025
The Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in FY2023, around 40% of the 11.4 billion coins for circulation produced.
Penny (or 3 cents!) for your thoughts.
Sources:https://t.co/Y5LlrpyA62…
The government is set to save $179 million this year. While that might sound like a significant amount, in the grand scheme of the U.S. federal budget—projected at approximately $6 trillion for fiscal year 2025—it barely registers. To put it into perspective, $179 million amounts to just 0.00298% of the total budget.
\n\nWith the potential phase-out of the penny, how will prices be affected? Economist William Dickens from Northeastern suggests that prices might actually drop in some cases.
\n\n\n\n“The item that once cost $2.99 might then cost $2.95,” Dickens says.
Ok. What’s the price of milk?. I don’t have a PHD in economics, but I can guarantee that business will round up to $3.00.
\n\nIf we’re serious about saving money, here’s a thought: eliminate direct fossil fuel subsidies, which total approximately $20 billion per year. Let’s not pretend oil companies are struggling—they’re raking in record profits while still receiving government handouts.
\n\nMaybe instead of minor budget tweaks, we should start cutting waste where it actually matters.
\n", "content_html": "
Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt the production of pennies, citing the high cost of producing one cent.
\n\n\nThe penny costs over 3 cents to make and cost US taxpayers over $179 million in FY2023.
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) January 22, 2025
The Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in FY2023, around 40% of the 11.4 billion coins for circulation produced.
Penny (or 3 cents!) for your thoughts.
Sources:https://t.co/Y5LlrpyA62…
The government is set to save $179 million this year. While that might sound like a significant amount, in the grand scheme of the U.S. federal budget—projected at approximately $6 trillion for fiscal year 2025—it barely registers. To put it into perspective, $179 million amounts to just 0.00298% of the total budget.
\n\nWith the potential phase-out of the penny, how will prices be affected? Economist William Dickens from Northeastern suggests that prices might actually drop in some cases.
\n\n\n\n“The item that once cost $2.99 might then cost $2.95,” Dickens says.
Ok. What’s the price of milk?. I don’t have a PHD in economics, but I can guarantee that business will round up to $3.00.
\n\nIf we’re serious about saving money, here’s a thought: eliminate direct fossil fuel subsidies, which total approximately $20 billion per year. Let’s not pretend oil companies are struggling—they’re raking in record profits while still receiving government handouts.
\n\nMaybe instead of minor budget tweaks, we should start cutting waste where it actually matters.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/12/youre-not-allowed-to-act-surprised/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/12/youre-not-allowed-to-act-surprised/", "title": "You're NOT Allowed to Act SURPRISED", "date_published": "2025-02-12T08:39:00-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-12T08:39:00-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project:
\n\n\n\nYou’re not allowed to be surprised when Trump told you the things he would do to hurt you, and yes MAGA you will be the ones who get hurt the most. I promise you. Rich people don’t give a shit.
MAGA - you are NOT allowed to be SURPRISED.
\n", "content_html": "Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project:
\n\n\n\nYou’re not allowed to be surprised when Trump told you the things he would do to hurt you, and yes MAGA you will be the ones who get hurt the most. I promise you. Rich people don’t give a shit.
MAGA - you are NOT allowed to be SURPRISED.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/13/the-price-of-eggs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/13/the-price-of-eggs/", "title": "The Price of Eggs", "date_published": "2025-02-13T10:25:12-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-13T10:25:12-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nSo, you voted for Trump because of egg prices. He assured you that costs would drop on Day 1. Well, here we are—24 days into his presidency (as of February 13, 2025).
How’s it going? Inflation has climbed back up to 3% (compared to 2.1% when Biden left office), we’re locked in trade wars with Mexico and Canada, and—just in case you were wondering—egg prices have risen 15.2% since Trump took office.
\n\nThis is what you voted for. Actions have consequences, you f*cked around, now you are finding out.
\n", "content_html": "
\nSo, you voted for Trump because of egg prices. He assured you that costs would drop on Day 1. Well, here we are—24 days into his presidency (as of February 13, 2025).
How’s it going? Inflation has climbed back up to 3% (compared to 2.1% when Biden left office), we’re locked in trade wars with Mexico and Canada, and—just in case you were wondering—egg prices have risen 15.2% since Trump took office.
\n\nThis is what you voted for. Actions have consequences, you f*cked around, now you are finding out.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/14/venn-diagram-of-trumps-authoritarian-actions/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/14/venn-diagram-of-trumps-authoritarian-actions/", "title": "Venn Diagram of Trump’s Authoritarian Actions", "date_published": "2025-02-14T03:00:07-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-14T03:00:07-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/venn-trump.jpg\")
Professor Christina Pagel of University College London has mapped the actions of the Trump administration’s first few weeks into a Venn diagram with “five broad domains that correspond to features of proto-authoritarian states”:
\n\nThe information is also contained in this categorized table. And to keep upto date on the all of the Trump administration is this list of authoritarian actions that the Trump administration has taken, each with a link to the relevant news story.
\n", "content_html": "
Professor Christina Pagel of University College London has mapped the actions of the Trump administration’s first few weeks into a Venn diagram with “five broad domains that correspond to features of proto-authoritarian states”:
\n\nThe information is also contained in this categorized table. And to keep upto date on the all of the Trump administration is this list of authoritarian actions that the Trump administration has taken, each with a link to the relevant news story.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/14/there-is-no-going-back/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/14/there-is-no-going-back/", "title": "There Is No Going Back", "date_published": "2025-02-14T03:19:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-14T03:19:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nJamelle Bouie video essay on his YouTube channel is an adaptation of his NY Times piece, There Is No Going Back:
\n", "content_html": "Now, even if Musk had been elected to office, this would still be one of the worst abuses of power in American history. That is unquestionable. No one in the executive branch has the legal authority to unilaterally cancel congressional appropriations. No one has the legal authority to turn the Treasury payment system into a means of political retribution. No one has the authority to summarily dismiss civil servants without cause. No one has the authority to take down and scrub Americans’ data unilaterally. And no private citizen has the authority to access some of the most sensitive data the government collects on private citizens for their own unknown and probably nefarious purposes.
\nJamelle Bouie video essay on his YouTube channel is an adaptation of his NY Times piece, There Is No Going Back:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/15/bill-burr-on-billionaires/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/15/bill-burr-on-billionaires/", "title": "Bill Burr on Billionaires", "date_published": "2025-02-15T00:01:53-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-15T00:01:53-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Now, even if Musk had been elected to office, this would still be one of the worst abuses of power in American history. That is unquestionable. No one in the executive branch has the legal authority to unilaterally cancel congressional appropriations. No one has the legal authority to turn the Treasury payment system into a means of political retribution. No one has the authority to summarily dismiss civil servants without cause. No one has the authority to take down and scrub Americans’ data unilaterally. And no private citizen has the authority to access some of the most sensitive data the government collects on private citizens for their own unknown and probably nefarious purposes.
\n\nthese these fucking billionairs they they they need to be put down. You know like fucking rabid dogs. They’re like rabid with fucking greed and just going out and just dividing everybody. You know know just the the the fucking epitome of this time right now. Like how divisive we are that like you know the Gulf of Mexico is now called the Gulf of America and people get excited about it. Like how the fuck does that help your wallet? It’s an empty gesture.
\n\n– Bill Burr, “Super Bowl, Drones, Valentine’s Day Grift | Monday Morning Podcast 2-10-25”, Feb 10, 2025
Bill Burr is the George Carlin of our time.
\n\nWhile the billionaire class distracts us with debates over the names of bodies of water, DEI, and gender identity, they’re quietly dismantling Social Security, gutting the FBI, and trying to eliminate the Department of Education. Classic misdirection—keep the people arguing over nonsense while they rewrite the rules to serve themselves.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nthese these fucking billionairs they they they need to be put down. You know like fucking rabid dogs. They’re like rabid with fucking greed and just going out and just dividing everybody. You know know just the the the fucking epitome of this time right now. Like how divisive we are that like you know the Gulf of Mexico is now called the Gulf of America and people get excited about it. Like how the fuck does that help your wallet? It’s an empty gesture.
\n\n– Bill Burr, “Super Bowl, Drones, Valentine’s Day Grift | Monday Morning Podcast 2-10-25”, Feb 10, 2025
Bill Burr is the George Carlin of our time.
\n\nWhile the billionaire class distracts us with debates over the names of bodies of water, DEI, and gender identity, they’re quietly dismantling Social Security, gutting the FBI, and trying to eliminate the Department of Education. Classic misdirection—keep the people arguing over nonsense while they rewrite the rules to serve themselves.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/17/why-voters-are-stupid/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/17/why-voters-are-stupid/", "title": "Why MAGA Voters Are Stupid", "date_published": "2025-02-17T01:17:23-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-17T01:17:23-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "This cartoon of Steve Bannon explaining MAGA from a prison cell is the perfect mix of comedy and dystopian nightmare fuel. It’s like a satire sketch come to life—except it’s real. The fact that a disgraced, jailed political operative is still somehow influencing a movement built on blind loyalty and delusion is beyond absurd. And yet, here we are, watching Trump corral his MAGA minions like a doomsday cult, completely immune to reason or reality. You couldn’t script a more ridiculous plot if you tried!
\n\nLyndon B. Johnson predicted as such way back in the 60s:
\n\n\n\nIf you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you
That right there sums up Donald Trump’s business model.
\n", "content_html": "This cartoon of Steve Bannon explaining MAGA from a prison cell is the perfect mix of comedy and dystopian nightmare fuel. It’s like a satire sketch come to life—except it’s real. The fact that a disgraced, jailed political operative is still somehow influencing a movement built on blind loyalty and delusion is beyond absurd. And yet, here we are, watching Trump corral his MAGA minions like a doomsday cult, completely immune to reason or reality. You couldn’t script a more ridiculous plot if you tried!
\n\nLyndon B. Johnson predicted as such way back in the 60s:
\n\n\n\nIf you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you
That right there sums up Donald Trump’s business model.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/17/special-factory-employee-mr-monster/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/17/special-factory-employee-mr-monster/", "title": "Special Factory Employee Mr. Monster", "date_published": "2025-02-17T02:16:44-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-17T02:16:44-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The February 13th cartoon from The New Yorker:
\n\n![\"Mr](\"/assets/images/mr-monster.png\")
Get the Daily Cartoon here.
\n", "content_html": "The February 13th cartoon from The New Yorker:
\n\n
Get the Daily Cartoon here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/19/kevin-kellys-50-years-of-travel-tips/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/19/kevin-kellys-50-years-of-travel-tips/", "title": "Kevin Kelly’s 50 Years of Travel Tips", "date_published": "2025-02-19T06:18:02-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-19T06:18:02-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"travel\"](\"/assets/images/travel.jpg\")
Kevin Kelly recently shared some of the advice he’s learned over his 50+ years on the road. Here are a few of my favorites:
\n\n\n\nDon’t balk at the spendy price of admission for a museum or performance. It will be a tiny fraction of your trip’s total cost and you invested too much and have come too far to let those relative minor fees stop you from seeing what you came to see.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over.
\n\n[…]
\n\nYour enjoyment of a trip will be inversely related to the weight of your luggage. Counterintuitively, the longer your trip, the less stuff you should haul. Travelers still happy on a 6-week trip will only have carry-on luggage. That maximizes your flexibility, enabling you to lug luggage up stairs when there is no elevator, or to share a tuk-tuk, to pack and unpack efficiently, and to not lose stuff. Furthermore, when you go light you intentionally reduce what you take in order to increase your experience of living. And the reality of today is that you can almost certainly buy whatever you are missing on the road.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe list of most coveted cities to visit have one striking thing in common—they are pedestrian centric. They reward walking. Better online hotel sites like Booking.com have map interfaces which allow you to select hotels by their location. Whenever possible I book my hotel near to where it is best to walk, so I can stroll out the door and begin to wander.
\n\n[…]
And finally the my favorite advice:
\n\n\n\nFor the best travel experiences you need either a lot of money, or a lot of time. Of the two modes, it is far better to have more time than money. Although it tries, money cannot buy what time delivers. You have enough time to attend the rare festival, to learn some new words, to understand what the real prices are, to wait out the weather, or to get to that place that takes a week in a jeep. Time is the one resource you can give yourself, so take advantage of this if you are young without money.
Time is the great equalizer - no matter how much money you have, or the luxuries you partake in, we all have 24 hours in a day. When you go, make sure you take the time to be fully present in your new adventure.
\n", "content_html": "
Kevin Kelly recently shared some of the advice he’s learned over his 50+ years on the road. Here are a few of my favorites:
\n\n\n\nDon’t balk at the spendy price of admission for a museum or performance. It will be a tiny fraction of your trip’s total cost and you invested too much and have come too far to let those relative minor fees stop you from seeing what you came to see.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe most significant criteria to use when selecting travel companions is: do they complain or not, even when complaints are justified? No complaining! Complaints are for the debriefing afterwards when travel is over.
\n\n[…]
\n\nYour enjoyment of a trip will be inversely related to the weight of your luggage. Counterintuitively, the longer your trip, the less stuff you should haul. Travelers still happy on a 6-week trip will only have carry-on luggage. That maximizes your flexibility, enabling you to lug luggage up stairs when there is no elevator, or to share a tuk-tuk, to pack and unpack efficiently, and to not lose stuff. Furthermore, when you go light you intentionally reduce what you take in order to increase your experience of living. And the reality of today is that you can almost certainly buy whatever you are missing on the road.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe list of most coveted cities to visit have one striking thing in common—they are pedestrian centric. They reward walking. Better online hotel sites like Booking.com have map interfaces which allow you to select hotels by their location. Whenever possible I book my hotel near to where it is best to walk, so I can stroll out the door and begin to wander.
\n\n[…]
And finally the my favorite advice:
\n\n\n\nFor the best travel experiences you need either a lot of money, or a lot of time. Of the two modes, it is far better to have more time than money. Although it tries, money cannot buy what time delivers. You have enough time to attend the rare festival, to learn some new words, to understand what the real prices are, to wait out the weather, or to get to that place that takes a week in a jeep. Time is the one resource you can give yourself, so take advantage of this if you are young without money.
Time is the great equalizer - no matter how much money you have, or the luxuries you partake in, we all have 24 hours in a day. When you go, make sure you take the time to be fully present in your new adventure.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/20/project-2025-tracker/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/20/project-2025-tracker/", "title": "project 2025 Tracker", "date_published": "2025-02-20T01:25:12-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-20T01:25:12-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Project](\"/assets/images/project2025.jpg\")
It’s no secret that Project 2025 serves as the ideological roadmap for a second Trump presidency. While Donald Trump himself downplays his direct involvement, the reality is that this comprehensive policy agenda is already in motion, setting the stage for a dramatic reshaping of the federal government.
\n\nFrom executive power expansion to sweeping reforms across key agencies, the vision outlined in Project 2025 is not just theoretical—it’s actively being built. The pace at which its architects are working suggests a level of preparation rarely seen in modern political transitions.
\n\nFor those keeping a close eye on its implementation, we are at 34% as of this post (February 20, 2024). You can track its progress here.
\n", "content_html": "
It’s no secret that Project 2025 serves as the ideological roadmap for a second Trump presidency. While Donald Trump himself downplays his direct involvement, the reality is that this comprehensive policy agenda is already in motion, setting the stage for a dramatic reshaping of the federal government.
\n\nFrom executive power expansion to sweeping reforms across key agencies, the vision outlined in Project 2025 is not just theoretical—it’s actively being built. The pace at which its architects are working suggests a level of preparation rarely seen in modern political transitions.
\n\nFor those keeping a close eye on its implementation, we are at 34% as of this post (February 20, 2024). You can track its progress here.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/21/chris-kluwe-hunting-beach-calif-protest/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/21/chris-kluwe-hunting-beach-calif-protest/", "title": "Chris Kluwe Hunting Beach, Calif. Protest", "date_published": "2025-02-21T18:31:35-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-21T18:31:35-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\nChris Kluwe at a town hall meeting in Hunting Beach, CA:
\n\n\n\nMAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence.
\n\nMAGA stands for censorship and book bans
\n\nMAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing
\n\nMAGA stands for firing people overseeing our nuclear arsenal\nMAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA including cancelling research on veteran suicide\nMAGA stands for cutting funds to education, including for disabled children.
\n\nMAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy, and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement. You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat but that is what it is.
\n\nI will now engage in a time honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience.
And so it begins. MAGA has rallied the best among us to stir up good trouble. Let the mayhem unfold.
\n", "content_html": "\nChris Kluwe at a town hall meeting in Hunting Beach, CA:
\n\n\n\nMAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence.
\n\nMAGA stands for censorship and book bans
\n\nMAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing
\n\nMAGA stands for firing people overseeing our nuclear arsenal\nMAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA including cancelling research on veteran suicide\nMAGA stands for cutting funds to education, including for disabled children.
\n\nMAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy, and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement. You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat but that is what it is.
\n\nI will now engage in a time honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience.
And so it begins. MAGA has rallied the best among us to stir up good trouble. Let the mayhem unfold.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/22/trump-mug-shot-outside-the-oval-office/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/22/trump-mug-shot-outside-the-oval-office/", "title": "Trump mug shot outside the Oval Office", "date_published": "2025-02-22T01:46:44-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-22T01:46:44-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-gold-mugshot.jpg\")
\n
34 count felon Donald Trump’s mug shot is one of the first things visitors will see when approaching the Oval Office. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still am.
\n", "content_html": "\n
34 count felon Donald Trump’s mug shot is one of the first things visitors will see when approaching the Oval Office. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still am.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/28/the-24-hour-economic-blockout/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/02/28/the-24-hour-economic-blockout/", "title": "The 24 hour economic blockout", "date_published": "2025-02-28T11:23:35-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-02-28T11:23:35-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Economic](\"/assets/images/economic-blackout-02-2025.jpg\")
Organizing a 24-hour economic boycott on February 28th to protest the ongoing actions of the Trump administration and to send a message to corporate America. From The People’s Union USA website, here are the details:
\n\n\n\n\nThursday February 27th from Midnight till Friday The 28th Midnight
(A full 24 hours of the 28th)
12:00 AM to 12:00 AMWHAT NOT TO DO:
Do not make any purchases
Do not shop online, or in-store
No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy
Nowhere!Do not spend money on:
Fast Food
Gas
Major RetailersDo not use Credit or Debit Cards for non essential spending
Show corporate America, using the thing they best understand (money), how much power Americans have when collectively organized.
\n", "content_html": "
Organizing a 24-hour economic boycott on February 28th to protest the ongoing actions of the Trump administration and to send a message to corporate America. From The People’s Union USA website, here are the details:
\n\n\n\n\nThursday February 27th from Midnight till Friday The 28th Midnight
(A full 24 hours of the 28th)
12:00 AM to 12:00 AMWHAT NOT TO DO:
Do not make any purchases
Do not shop online, or in-store
No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy
Nowhere!Do not spend money on:
Fast Food
Gas
Major RetailersDo not use Credit or Debit Cards for non essential spending
Show corporate America, using the thing they best understand (money), how much power Americans have when collectively organized.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/04/fafo-continues-dot-dot-dot/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/04/fafo-continues-dot-dot-dot/", "title": "FAFO season continues...", "date_published": "2025-03-04T01:23:31-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-04T01:23:31-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nShe thought a rapist convicted of 30+ felonies would make fertility treatments more affordable but not a woman? You f’d around and now you are finding out. I have no sympathy for these people.
\nShe thought a rapist convicted of 30+ felonies would make fertility treatments more affordable but not a woman? You f’d around and now you are finding out. I have no sympathy for these people.
\nAfter Donald Trump’s attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in favor of Russia, the United States can no longer claim to be the leader or “defender of the free world.” This shift signals a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism, drawing unsettling parallels to Germany in 1933.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell captured the gravity of the situation, stating:
\n\n\n\nAnd so the President of the United States is no longer the leader of the free world or even a defender of the free world. The free world has rallied around the leader, who through struggling with the language barrier, tried to cut through Donald Trump’s lies on Friday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might never be called the leader of the free world, but he is without a doubt the bravest leader in the free world.
It is a sobering reality that America is now led by a man weakened by his own inadequacies and a wounded ego. What was once a beacon of democracy and strength is now marred by insecurity and self-interest. This is indeed a profoundly sad day for the United States.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAfter Donald Trump’s attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in favor of Russia, the United States can no longer claim to be the leader or “defender of the free world.” This shift signals a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism, drawing unsettling parallels to Germany in 1933.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell captured the gravity of the situation, stating:
\n\n\n\nAnd so the President of the United States is no longer the leader of the free world or even a defender of the free world. The free world has rallied around the leader, who through struggling with the language barrier, tried to cut through Donald Trump’s lies on Friday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might never be called the leader of the free world, but he is without a doubt the bravest leader in the free world.
It is a sobering reality that America is now led by a man weakened by his own inadequacies and a wounded ego. What was once a beacon of democracy and strength is now marred by insecurity and self-interest. This is indeed a profoundly sad day for the United States.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/08/one-day-everyone-will-have-always-been-against-this/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/08/one-day-everyone-will-have-always-been-against-this/", "title": "One Day, Everyone will have always been against this", "date_published": "2025-03-08T03:59:04-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-08T03:59:04-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Omar](\"/assets/images/eveyone-against-this.jpg\")
The international cover for Omar El Akkad’s new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It uses the original text of El Akkad’s tweet about the war in Gaza:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.
The international cover for Omar El Akkad’s new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It uses the original text of El Akkad’s tweet about the war in Gaza:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/12/marco-rubio-on-trump-in-2016/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/12/marco-rubio-on-trump-in-2016/", "title": "This Is Not Going to End Well One Way or the Other", "date_published": "2025-03-12T18:14:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-12T18:14:20-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.
\n2016 interview with Marco Rubio — then a candidate for the Republican presidential primary, today Trump’s Secretary of State, by CNN’s Jake Tapper is making the rounds on social media.
\n\nTapper: You compared Donald Trump to a third world dictator yesterday in an interview with The New York Times. How so?
\n\nRubio: Well, I don’t know about a dictator. I said a third world strong man. You know, he’s running for > president. So no matter what, he won’t be a dictator unless our republic completely crumbles, which I don’t anticipate it will. But, yeah, here’s what happens in many countries around the world: You have a leader that emerges and basically says, Don’t put your faith in yourselves. Don’t put your faith in society. Put your faith in me. I’m a strong leader, and I’m going to make things better — all by myself. This is very typical. You see it in the third world. You see it a lot in Latin America for decades. It’s basically the argument he’s making. That he, single-handedly, is going to turn the country around. We’ve never been that kind of country.
\n\nWe have a president. The president is an American citizen who serves for a period of time, constrained by the constitution and the powers vested in that office. The president works for the people, not the people for the president. And if you listen to the way he describes himself and what he’s going to do, he’s going to single-handedly do this and do that without regard for whether it’s legal or not.
\n\nLook, I think people are going to have to make up their mind. I can tell you this. No matter what happens in this election, for years to come, there are many people on the right, in the media, and voters at large that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump, because this is not going to end well one way or the other. He’s going to be the nominee, and he’s going to lose. Or, he’ll have thrown this party into its most chaotic and divisive period ever. And that’s unfortunate because the Republican Party is the home of the limited government free enterprise movement in America. And if it crumbles or divides or it splits apart, it’ll be very difficult to elect candidates that hold those views at any level of government until we can bring the party back together.
That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought out objection. Rubio has a lot of explaining to do.
\n", "content_html": "
\n2016 interview with Marco Rubio — then a candidate for the Republican presidential primary, today Trump’s Secretary of State, by CNN’s Jake Tapper is making the rounds on social media.
\n\nTapper: You compared Donald Trump to a third world dictator yesterday in an interview with The New York Times. How so?
\n\nRubio: Well, I don’t know about a dictator. I said a third world strong man. You know, he’s running for > president. So no matter what, he won’t be a dictator unless our republic completely crumbles, which I don’t anticipate it will. But, yeah, here’s what happens in many countries around the world: You have a leader that emerges and basically says, Don’t put your faith in yourselves. Don’t put your faith in society. Put your faith in me. I’m a strong leader, and I’m going to make things better — all by myself. This is very typical. You see it in the third world. You see it a lot in Latin America for decades. It’s basically the argument he’s making. That he, single-handedly, is going to turn the country around. We’ve never been that kind of country.
\n\nWe have a president. The president is an American citizen who serves for a period of time, constrained by the constitution and the powers vested in that office. The president works for the people, not the people for the president. And if you listen to the way he describes himself and what he’s going to do, he’s going to single-handedly do this and do that without regard for whether it’s legal or not.
\n\nLook, I think people are going to have to make up their mind. I can tell you this. No matter what happens in this election, for years to come, there are many people on the right, in the media, and voters at large that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump, because this is not going to end well one way or the other. He’s going to be the nominee, and he’s going to lose. Or, he’ll have thrown this party into its most chaotic and divisive period ever. And that’s unfortunate because the Republican Party is the home of the limited government free enterprise movement in America. And if it crumbles or divides or it splits apart, it’ll be very difficult to elect candidates that hold those views at any level of government until we can bring the party back together.
That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought out objection. Rubio has a lot of explaining to do.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/13/where-is-elon-musk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/13/where-is-elon-musk/", "title": "Where is Elon Musk?", "date_published": "2025-03-13T11:59:23-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-13T11:59:23-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Representative John Larson didn’t hold back during the recent congressional hearing, calling out Elon Musk’s glaring absence and the broader Republican agenda to undermine Social Security. Larson’s frustration was palpable:
\n\n\n\nWe’re an equal branch of the government. And you start off with a blather? And would you look at the empty seats here? Where is Elon Musk? I am sure he is a genius. And is a very credible person because of the wealth he has accumulated, but that does not put him above the law or the responsibility to come before this committee and Congress. If he is so great, if his plans and all the fraud and abuse that he found are so evident—why isn’t he here explaining it? You know why. ‘Cause he is out to privatize Social Security.
Bingo. Social Security is one of the best-run government programs in history. If Musk and his crew of Silicon Valley “bro coders” have really uncovered evidence of fraud or abuse, they should be standing before Congress, laying it all out. But they aren’t—because they’ve got nothing. Nada. Zero. This is exactly what the Republicans and Wall Street want: control over trillions of dollars in Social Security funds so they can siphon off the hard-earned money of American citizens.
\n\nLarson nailed it when he said the American people weren’t born yesterday. But MAGA voters? That’s another story. They voted these fools into office, and now we’re all paying the price. The GOP’s goal isn’t to “fix” Social Security—it’s to dismantle it, privatize it, and hand it over to the same billionaires who already have more wealth than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes.
\n", "content_html": "Representative John Larson didn’t hold back during the recent congressional hearing, calling out Elon Musk’s glaring absence and the broader Republican agenda to undermine Social Security. Larson’s frustration was palpable:
\n\n\n\nWe’re an equal branch of the government. And you start off with a blather? And would you look at the empty seats here? Where is Elon Musk? I am sure he is a genius. And is a very credible person because of the wealth he has accumulated, but that does not put him above the law or the responsibility to come before this committee and Congress. If he is so great, if his plans and all the fraud and abuse that he found are so evident—why isn’t he here explaining it? You know why. ‘Cause he is out to privatize Social Security.
Bingo. Social Security is one of the best-run government programs in history. If Musk and his crew of Silicon Valley “bro coders” have really uncovered evidence of fraud or abuse, they should be standing before Congress, laying it all out. But they aren’t—because they’ve got nothing. Nada. Zero. This is exactly what the Republicans and Wall Street want: control over trillions of dollars in Social Security funds so they can siphon off the hard-earned money of American citizens.
\n\nLarson nailed it when he said the American people weren’t born yesterday. But MAGA voters? That’s another story. They voted these fools into office, and now we’re all paying the price. The GOP’s goal isn’t to “fix” Social Security—it’s to dismantle it, privatize it, and hand it over to the same billionaires who already have more wealth than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/16/yes-its-happening/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/16/yes-its-happening/", "title": "Yes, it’s happening!", "date_published": "2025-03-16T01:03:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-16T01:03:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Ted](\"/assets/images/ted-lasso-back.jpg\")
It’s official — AFC Richmond is coming back for a 4th season! Fans of Ted Lasso have reason to celebrate as the entire management team — Coach Lasso, Coach Beard, Roy, Leslie, Keeley, and Rebecca — are set to return in January.
\n\nChanning Dungey, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, shared the excitement:
\n\n\n\nWe — along with countless fans around the globe — have been rooting for another season, and it is an incredible feeling to be able to say, ‘Yes, it’s happening!’ We thank our partners at Apple and can’t wait for Jason and the entire Ted Lasso dream team to step back onto the pitch and deliver another season of this phenomenal series.
Here’s hoping the new season recaptures the magic and heart of Season 1 — because that’s when Ted Lasso was at its absolute best. Time to get your biscuits ready!
\n", "content_html": "
It’s official — AFC Richmond is coming back for a 4th season! Fans of Ted Lasso have reason to celebrate as the entire management team — Coach Lasso, Coach Beard, Roy, Leslie, Keeley, and Rebecca — are set to return in January.
\n\nChanning Dungey, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, shared the excitement:
\n\n\n\nWe — along with countless fans around the globe — have been rooting for another season, and it is an incredible feeling to be able to say, ‘Yes, it’s happening!’ We thank our partners at Apple and can’t wait for Jason and the entire Ted Lasso dream team to step back onto the pitch and deliver another season of this phenomenal series.
Here’s hoping the new season recaptures the magic and heart of Season 1 — because that’s when Ted Lasso was at its absolute best. Time to get your biscuits ready!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/16/pinata-of-benevolence/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/16/pinata-of-benevolence/", "title": "piñata of benevolence", "date_published": "2025-03-16T02:27:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-16T02:27:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Nipyata!\"](\"/assets/images/nipyata.jpg\")
Donald Trump’s cabinet of billionaires reflects a long-standing disconnect between Republican voters and reality. Somehow, a large chunk of the GOP base still believes that the interests of the ultra-wealthy align with their own. But as Bill Maher famously pointed out over a decade ago, that’s nothing more than a dangerous fantasy:
\n\n\n\nWe have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same; like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they’ll explode, and that the candy will rain down on the rest of us; like they’re some kind of piñata of benevolence. But here’s the thing about a piñata – it doesn’t open on its own, you have to beat it with a stick.
\n\n
And Maher was spot on. The billionaires in Trump’s orbit aren’t looking out for working Americans—they’re hoarding wealth, rewriting tax laws to benefit themselves, and gutting the social safety net. If I were a billionaire, I’d be worried right about now—because sooner or later, people are going to realize that piñatas don’t break open on their own.
\n", "content_html": "
Donald Trump’s cabinet of billionaires reflects a long-standing disconnect between Republican voters and reality. Somehow, a large chunk of the GOP base still believes that the interests of the ultra-wealthy align with their own. But as Bill Maher famously pointed out over a decade ago, that’s nothing more than a dangerous fantasy:
\n\n\n\nWe have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same; like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they’ll explode, and that the candy will rain down on the rest of us; like they’re some kind of piñata of benevolence. But here’s the thing about a piñata – it doesn’t open on its own, you have to beat it with a stick.
\n\n
And Maher was spot on. The billionaires in Trump’s orbit aren’t looking out for working Americans—they’re hoarding wealth, rewriting tax laws to benefit themselves, and gutting the social safety net. If I were a billionaire, I’d be worried right about now—because sooner or later, people are going to realize that piñatas don’t break open on their own.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/19/trump-just-got-played-by-putin/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/19/trump-just-got-played-by-putin/", "title": "Trump just got played by Putin", "date_published": "2025-03-19T07:37:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-19T07:37:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump-Putin](\"/assets/images/trump-putin-call.jpg\")
Donald Trump just spent two hours on the phone with Vladimir Putin—and he got completely outmaneuvered. Putin walked away with exactly what he wanted: a halt to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and a month-long pause in hostilities. Trump, meanwhile, got nothing but played.
\n\nPutin is employing the classic Russian art of the “no” deal—a strategic trap that Trump fell into headfirst. As Nick Paton Walsh puts it in his analysis for CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe vaudeville theater of the past month should provide little comfort that the war is suddenly headed toward peace. Yes, the Trump administration has talked peace in a way that nobody has done so far in this war. But they have also managed to confirm, in short shrift, that Moscow looks for cracks of weakness and mercilessly drives a tank through them.
\n\nTrump felt he could either persuade, coax, or outsmart Putin. He has yet to do any of that. He has palpably lost in their first direct diplomatic face-off. For millions of Ukrainians his next choice defines their lives. Does he lose interest, apply pressure, or again provide concessions? It is a dizzying prospect.
\n\nHis adversary is focused not on improved relations with Russia’s decades-long adversary, the United States, or with its current president, Donald Trump, but instead on victory in its most existential conflict since the Nazis.
\n\nThese are not two similar perspectives to the deal. The art of one is more applied than the other.
Trump thought he could persuade, charm, or outfox Putin. He’s done none of that. Instead, he’s been humiliated in their first major diplomatic test. And the consequences for Ukraine are dire.
\n\nPutin’s strategy is clear: victory at all costs. Trump’s? Floundering weakness and misguided arrogance. These aren’t two sides playing the same game—Putin is playing chess while Trump struggles with checkers. And the world is noticing.
\n", "content_html": "
Donald Trump just spent two hours on the phone with Vladimir Putin—and he got completely outmaneuvered. Putin walked away with exactly what he wanted: a halt to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and a month-long pause in hostilities. Trump, meanwhile, got nothing but played.
\n\nPutin is employing the classic Russian art of the “no” deal—a strategic trap that Trump fell into headfirst. As Nick Paton Walsh puts it in his analysis for CNN:
\n\n\n\nThe vaudeville theater of the past month should provide little comfort that the war is suddenly headed toward peace. Yes, the Trump administration has talked peace in a way that nobody has done so far in this war. But they have also managed to confirm, in short shrift, that Moscow looks for cracks of weakness and mercilessly drives a tank through them.
\n\nTrump felt he could either persuade, coax, or outsmart Putin. He has yet to do any of that. He has palpably lost in their first direct diplomatic face-off. For millions of Ukrainians his next choice defines their lives. Does he lose interest, apply pressure, or again provide concessions? It is a dizzying prospect.
\n\nHis adversary is focused not on improved relations with Russia’s decades-long adversary, the United States, or with its current president, Donald Trump, but instead on victory in its most existential conflict since the Nazis.
\n\nThese are not two similar perspectives to the deal. The art of one is more applied than the other.
Trump thought he could persuade, charm, or outfox Putin. He’s done none of that. Instead, he’s been humiliated in their first major diplomatic test. And the consequences for Ukraine are dire.
\n\nPutin’s strategy is clear: victory at all costs. Trump’s? Floundering weakness and misguided arrogance. These aren’t two sides playing the same game—Putin is playing chess while Trump struggles with checkers. And the world is noticing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/25/scott-galloway-qoute-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/25/scott-galloway-qoute-of-the-day/", "title": "Scott Galloway Qoute of the Day", "date_published": "2025-03-25T14:39:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-25T14:39:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "Rights and democracy have become purely a function of how wealthy you are in America. The wealthiest 1% are protected by the law but are not bound by the law and the bottom 99% are bounded by the law and not protected by it.
\n\nThe Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller (2025, Mar 18). The White House Is Run By CHEAP HUCKSTERS and FRAUDS (w/ Scott Galloway & Jessica Tarlov)
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/31/diy-synths-database/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/31/diy-synths-database/", "title": "DIY Synths database", "date_published": "2025-03-31T04:33:05-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-31T04:33:05-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rights and democracy have become purely a function of how wealthy you are in America. The wealthiest 1% are protected by the law but are not bound by the law and the bottom 99% are bounded by the law and not protected by it.
\n\nThe Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller (2025, Mar 18). The White House Is Run By CHEAP HUCKSTERS and FRAUDS (w/ Scott Galloway & Jessica Tarlov)
![\"dyi](\"/assets/images/dyi-synth.jpg\")
The DIY Synths Database is a “curated collection of 68 DIY-friendly hardware synthesizers and related standalone musical equipment”.
\n\nMy personal favorite - the Real Sid synth. A programmable Arduino shield that uses the MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID chip used in the mighty Commodore 64.
\n", "content_html": "
The DIY Synths Database is a “curated collection of 68 DIY-friendly hardware synthesizers and related standalone musical equipment”.
\n\nMy personal favorite - the Real Sid synth. A programmable Arduino shield that uses the MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID chip used in the mighty Commodore 64.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/31/apple-now-selling-third-party-pcs/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/03/31/apple-now-selling-third-party-pcs/", "title": "Apple now Selling third-party PCs", "date_published": "2025-03-31T04:44:44-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-03-31T04:44:44-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Lumon](\"/assets/images/lumon-pro.jpg\")
Could this be Apple’s new PC?
\n", "content_html": "
Could this be Apple’s new PC?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/02/rest-in-peace-val-ice-man-kilmer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/02/rest-in-peace-val-ice-man-kilmer/", "title": "Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor, Dies at 65", "date_published": "2025-04-02T03:08:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-02T03:08:14-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Ice](\"/assets/images/ice-man.jpg\")
Val Kilmer, the legendary actor known for his unforgettable performances as Batman, Doc Holiday, and Jim Morrison, has passed away at the age of 65. His career was defined by a mix of intensity, charm, and an ability to completely embody the roles he played.
\n\nTo me, though, he will always be Tom ‘Ice Man’ Kazansky—the cocky yet cool fighter pilot from Top Gun, a role that cemented his place in cinematic history.
\n\nKilmer’s talent and presence on screen were undeniable, and his contributions to film will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Ice.
\n", "content_html": "
Val Kilmer, the legendary actor known for his unforgettable performances as Batman, Doc Holiday, and Jim Morrison, has passed away at the age of 65. His career was defined by a mix of intensity, charm, and an ability to completely embody the roles he played.
\n\nTo me, though, he will always be Tom ‘Ice Man’ Kazansky—the cocky yet cool fighter pilot from Top Gun, a role that cemented his place in cinematic history.
\n\nKilmer’s talent and presence on screen were undeniable, and his contributions to film will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Ice.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/steve-kornacki-exits-msnbc/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/steve-kornacki-exits-msnbc/", "title": "Steve Kornacki Exits MSNBC", "date_published": "2025-04-03T05:45:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-03T05:45:00-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Steve](\"/assets/images/steve-karnacki.jpg\")
MSNBC viewers have officially seen the last of Steve Kornacki’s big board. The beloved data guru, known for his high-energy election coverage and unparalleled ability to break down numbers in real time, has signed a new deal with NBC—one that expands his role across NBC News and NBC Sports but excludes MSNBC.
\n\nStephen Battaglio, in the LA Times:
\n\n\n\nThe popular data maven has signed a deal with NBC that will expand his presence across the network’s news and sports divisions. But the new contract does not include working for MSNBC, which is being spun off into a new corporate entity formed by parent company Comcast.
This is a huge loss for MSNBC. Kornacki brought an unmatched level of excitement and clarity to election coverage—turning dry data into must-watch television. His departure is just the latest sign that MSNBC is slowly bleeding talent, making its future look increasingly uncertain.
\n\nWithout Kornacki at the big board, election nights will never be the same.
\n", "content_html": "
MSNBC viewers have officially seen the last of Steve Kornacki’s big board. The beloved data guru, known for his high-energy election coverage and unparalleled ability to break down numbers in real time, has signed a new deal with NBC—one that expands his role across NBC News and NBC Sports but excludes MSNBC.
\n\nStephen Battaglio, in the LA Times:
\n\n\n\nThe popular data maven has signed a deal with NBC that will expand his presence across the network’s news and sports divisions. But the new contract does not include working for MSNBC, which is being spun off into a new corporate entity formed by parent company Comcast.
This is a huge loss for MSNBC. Kornacki brought an unmatched level of excitement and clarity to election coverage—turning dry data into must-watch television. His departure is just the latest sign that MSNBC is slowly bleeding talent, making its future look increasingly uncertain.
\n\nWithout Kornacki at the big board, election nights will never be the same.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/where-do-we-go-from-here/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/where-do-we-go-from-here/", "title": "Where Do we Go from here?", "date_published": "2025-04-03T20:25:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-03T20:25:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nBernie Sanders is not mincing words. In a powerful and urgent address, he laid out exactly what’s at stake in this political moment—and he nailed it:
\n\nUnder Donald Trump, this country is hurtling rapidly toward oligarchy, toward authoritarianism, toward kleptocracy and toward more and more income and wealth inequality.
This isn’t hyperbole. It’s a clear-eyed diagnosis of a nation teetering on the edge, driven by a GOP that has become fully captive to the billionaire class. Sanders echoed the warning first given by Lincoln—of a government of the people, by the people, for the people—and made it painfully clear: today’s reality is a government of, by, and for the billionaire class.
\n\nBut here’s where the tide turns. Sanders isn’t just issuing a warning—he’s building a movement. Alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he’s launched a “Fighting Oligarchy Tour”, hitting battleground states from Nebraska to Arizona. The message is resonating. Crowds are turning out in force. The energy is real.
\n\n\n\nThe people of our country are sick and tired of Trumpism. They are tired of Oligarchy. They are tired of authoritarianism. And they are prepared to fight back.
And that right there? That’s the GOP’s worst nightmare. Not just resistance—but organized, energized, and mobilized resistance.
\n\nIf Bernie is right—and history suggests he is—the fight to preserve American democracy is far from over. It’s just getting started.
\n", "content_html": "
\nBernie Sanders is not mincing words. In a powerful and urgent address, he laid out exactly what’s at stake in this political moment—and he nailed it:
\n\nUnder Donald Trump, this country is hurtling rapidly toward oligarchy, toward authoritarianism, toward kleptocracy and toward more and more income and wealth inequality.
This isn’t hyperbole. It’s a clear-eyed diagnosis of a nation teetering on the edge, driven by a GOP that has become fully captive to the billionaire class. Sanders echoed the warning first given by Lincoln—of a government of the people, by the people, for the people—and made it painfully clear: today’s reality is a government of, by, and for the billionaire class.
\n\nBut here’s where the tide turns. Sanders isn’t just issuing a warning—he’s building a movement. Alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he’s launched a “Fighting Oligarchy Tour”, hitting battleground states from Nebraska to Arizona. The message is resonating. Crowds are turning out in force. The energy is real.
\n\n\n\nThe people of our country are sick and tired of Trumpism. They are tired of Oligarchy. They are tired of authoritarianism. And they are prepared to fight back.
And that right there? That’s the GOP’s worst nightmare. Not just resistance—but organized, energized, and mobilized resistance.
\n\nIf Bernie is right—and history suggests he is—the fight to preserve American democracy is far from over. It’s just getting started.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/mindless-tariffs-will-cause-economic-havoc/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/03/mindless-tariffs-will-cause-economic-havoc/", "title": "Mindless tariffs will cause economic havoc", "date_published": "2025-04-03T23:04:08-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-03T23:04:08-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"trump](\"/assets/images/trump-saw.png\")
The Economist reporting:
\n\nWhen The Economist uses words like “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” only to mock the president of the United States for saying them — well, you know things are off the rails.
\n\nOn April 2nd, Donald Trump unilaterally detonated over a century of U.S. trade policy, launching what he hailed as “Liberation Day.” The truth? It was a deeply destructive, economically illiterate, and globally destabilizing move that marks one of the most dangerous turns in modern American history.
\n\n\n\nIt’s hard to know which is more unsettling: that the leader of the free world could spout complete drivel about its most successful and admired economy. Or the fact that… he committed the most profound, harmful and unnecessary economic error in the modern era.
Trump’s grasp of economics seems inspired more by 19th-century protectionist fairy tales than any serious understanding of how the modern global economy works. His admiration for the tariff-heavy era before the Great Depression is not only misplaced — it’s outright dangerous. Economists overwhelmingly agree: tariffs deepened the Great Depression, and they will harm working people now just as they did then.
\n\nBut here we are. A man with zero understanding of global trade is dragging America backward, cheered on by a party either too afraid or too complicit to stop him. And invoking the 25th Amendment? Sure, on paper it sounds sane. But look at the bench — JD Vance would be next in line. That’s like trading an arsonist for the guy who sells gasoline.
\n\nHow did we get here? Through decades of anti-intellectualism, media echo chambers, and a political culture that rewards spectacle over substance. Trump didn’t create this moment—he’s the symptom. But make no mistake: this “Liberation Day” may one day be remembered not as a course correction, but as a historic unforced error.
\n\nAnd the rest of the world? It’s already planning how to limit the damage—because they know America just abdicated its economic leadership.
\n", "content_html": "
The Economist reporting:
\n\nWhen The Economist uses words like “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” only to mock the president of the United States for saying them — well, you know things are off the rails.
\n\nOn April 2nd, Donald Trump unilaterally detonated over a century of U.S. trade policy, launching what he hailed as “Liberation Day.” The truth? It was a deeply destructive, economically illiterate, and globally destabilizing move that marks one of the most dangerous turns in modern American history.
\n\n\n\nIt’s hard to know which is more unsettling: that the leader of the free world could spout complete drivel about its most successful and admired economy. Or the fact that… he committed the most profound, harmful and unnecessary economic error in the modern era.
Trump’s grasp of economics seems inspired more by 19th-century protectionist fairy tales than any serious understanding of how the modern global economy works. His admiration for the tariff-heavy era before the Great Depression is not only misplaced — it’s outright dangerous. Economists overwhelmingly agree: tariffs deepened the Great Depression, and they will harm working people now just as they did then.
\n\nBut here we are. A man with zero understanding of global trade is dragging America backward, cheered on by a party either too afraid or too complicit to stop him. And invoking the 25th Amendment? Sure, on paper it sounds sane. But look at the bench — JD Vance would be next in line. That’s like trading an arsonist for the guy who sells gasoline.
\n\nHow did we get here? Through decades of anti-intellectualism, media echo chambers, and a political culture that rewards spectacle over substance. Trump didn’t create this moment—he’s the symptom. But make no mistake: this “Liberation Day” may one day be remembered not as a course correction, but as a historic unforced error.
\n\nAnd the rest of the world? It’s already planning how to limit the damage—because they know America just abdicated its economic leadership.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/04/pence-on-the-trump-taxes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/04/pence-on-the-trump-taxes/", "title": "Mike Pence Finally Says the Quiet Part Out Loud", "date_published": "2025-04-04T02:14:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-04T02:14:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Pence](\"/assets/images/pence-tarif.jpg\")
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve rarely found myself nodding along with anything Mike Pence has said over the years. But credit where credit’s due: he finally got something right.
\n\n\nThe Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history. These Tariffs are nearly 10x the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence Administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year. Check Out“Spoiling America’s Golden Age”@AmericanFreedom 👇 pic.twitter.com/2NghyDc8c1
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) April 2, 2025
\n\nThe Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history.
Let that sink in. While Trump rails against taxes and claims to be the champion of the working class, his tariffs functioned as a massive, stealth tax on American consumers. They hit everyday people at the checkout line while pretending to punish foreign governments.
\n\nAnd now? Pence is suddenly seeing the light. Maybe having a mob chant for your hanging during an insurrection sharpens your sense of clarity. Funny how that works.
\n\nWhether it’s too little too late is up for debate. But one thing’s certain: when even Mike Pence is calling out Trump’s economic disaster in plain terms, the cracks in the MAGA facade are starting to show.
\n", "content_html": "
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve rarely found myself nodding along with anything Mike Pence has said over the years. But credit where credit’s due: he finally got something right.
\n\n\nThe Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history. These Tariffs are nearly 10x the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence Administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year. Check Out“Spoiling America’s Golden Age”@AmericanFreedom 👇 pic.twitter.com/2NghyDc8c1
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) April 2, 2025
\n\nThe Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history.
Let that sink in. While Trump rails against taxes and claims to be the champion of the working class, his tariffs functioned as a massive, stealth tax on American consumers. They hit everyday people at the checkout line while pretending to punish foreign governments.
\n\nAnd now? Pence is suddenly seeing the light. Maybe having a mob chant for your hanging during an insurrection sharpens your sense of clarity. Funny how that works.
\n\nWhether it’s too little too late is up for debate. But one thing’s certain: when even Mike Pence is calling out Trump’s economic disaster in plain terms, the cracks in the MAGA facade are starting to show.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/04/74-days-into-trump-presidency/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/04/74-days-into-trump-presidency/", "title": "75 days into Trump Presidency", "date_published": "2025-04-04T14:35:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-04T14:35:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-75days.jpg\")
We’re only 75 days into Trump’s second go at the presidency—and it already feels like a full term’s worth of disaster. Let’s take stock of the damage so far:
\n\nPrices are surging. Inflation is back on the rise and everyday Americans are feeling the squeeze—at the grocery store, the gas pump, and their utility bills.
401(k)s are tanking. The markets hate instability, and this administration is delivering it in spades. Retirement dreams are evaporating.
We’re barreling toward a recession. Economists are waving red flags, and the White House is too distracted with culture wars and Twitter rants to notice.
Elon Musk is laying off thousands. The so-called “genius” of American innovation is gutting jobs left and right.
Dodge is laying off veterans. Yes, veterans—the very people Trump claims to champion.
He’s gone soft on Russia. Again. Putin is playing Trump like a fiddle while Ukraine bleeds and NATO strains.
We’ve lost our allies. U.S. credibility? Shot. No one trusts us to lead, much less to keep our word.
Defense is a joke. Inexperienced loyalists are running the Pentagon while serious minds are sidelined.
Measles deaths are back. Public health is collapsing. Misinformation and anti-vax lunacy are putting children in graves.
Billionaires are bankrolling votes. Forget democracy—this is oligarchy in real time.
We’re only 75 days in.
\n\nThis isn’t just dysfunction—it’s demolition. The foundations of American governance, diplomacy, and public health are all under assault. If this is what the first 2.5 months look like, imagine the rest.
\n\nTerrified? Yeah. You should be. And so should anyone who believes in facts, democracy, and a future worth inheriting.
\n\n1,386 days to go.
\n", "content_html": "
We’re only 75 days into Trump’s second go at the presidency—and it already feels like a full term’s worth of disaster. Let’s take stock of the damage so far:
\n\nPrices are surging. Inflation is back on the rise and everyday Americans are feeling the squeeze—at the grocery store, the gas pump, and their utility bills.
401(k)s are tanking. The markets hate instability, and this administration is delivering it in spades. Retirement dreams are evaporating.
We’re barreling toward a recession. Economists are waving red flags, and the White House is too distracted with culture wars and Twitter rants to notice.
Elon Musk is laying off thousands. The so-called “genius” of American innovation is gutting jobs left and right.
Dodge is laying off veterans. Yes, veterans—the very people Trump claims to champion.
He’s gone soft on Russia. Again. Putin is playing Trump like a fiddle while Ukraine bleeds and NATO strains.
We’ve lost our allies. U.S. credibility? Shot. No one trusts us to lead, much less to keep our word.
Defense is a joke. Inexperienced loyalists are running the Pentagon while serious minds are sidelined.
Measles deaths are back. Public health is collapsing. Misinformation and anti-vax lunacy are putting children in graves.
Billionaires are bankrolling votes. Forget democracy—this is oligarchy in real time.
We’re only 75 days in.
\n\nThis isn’t just dysfunction—it’s demolition. The foundations of American governance, diplomacy, and public health are all under assault. If this is what the first 2.5 months look like, imagine the rest.
\n\nTerrified? Yeah. You should be. And so should anyone who believes in facts, democracy, and a future worth inheriting.
\n\n1,386 days to go.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/05/i-told-you-so/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/05/i-told-you-so/", "title": "I am not here to say 'I told you so'", "date_published": "2025-04-05T01:15:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-05T01:15:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nIf anyone has earned the right to drop a “I told you so” on a daily loop, it’s Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton. These two women warned us—repeatedly—about the dangers of Trumpism, about the fragility of our democracy, about exactly the chaos we’re seeing unfold right now.
And they were mocked. Dismissed. Called shrill. Unelectable.
\n\nBut here we are, watching democracy buckle under the weight of corruption, incompetence, and authoritarian cosplay—and suddenly everything they said hits like prophecy.
\n\nSo yes: Say it louder.
\n\nMake the slogan a mic drop. Put it on bumper stickers, billboards, tote bags. Let it ring out across every state that rolled their eyes in 2016 and 2020.
\n\nBecause the truth hurts. And it’s about damn time the truth got the last word.
\n", "content_html": "
\nIf anyone has earned the right to drop a “I told you so” on a daily loop, it’s Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton. These two women warned us—repeatedly—about the dangers of Trumpism, about the fragility of our democracy, about exactly the chaos we’re seeing unfold right now.
And they were mocked. Dismissed. Called shrill. Unelectable.
\n\nBut here we are, watching democracy buckle under the weight of corruption, incompetence, and authoritarian cosplay—and suddenly everything they said hits like prophecy.
\n\nSo yes: Say it louder.
\n\nMake the slogan a mic drop. Put it on bumper stickers, billboards, tote bags. Let it ring out across every state that rolled their eyes in 2016 and 2020.
\n\nBecause the truth hurts. And it’s about damn time the truth got the last word.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/05/voodoo-economics/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/05/voodoo-economics/", "title": "Voodoo Economics", "date_published": "2025-04-05T01:56:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-05T01:56:37-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nRemember Ben Stein? The monotone teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off who somehow made “voodoo economics” unforgettable? Well, turns out he’s still schooling us—this time on something MAGA desperately needs a refresher on: the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
For the uninitiated: Smoot-Hawley was a protectionist tariff passed in 1930 meant to “protect American jobs.” Instead, it helped plunge the world into the Great Depression. Other countries retaliated with their own tariffs, global trade collapsed, and millions lost their livelihoods.
\n\nSound familiar?
\n\nFast forward nearly a century, and we’ve got Trump 2.0 spinning the same tale—tariffs as salvation, isolationism as strength. It’s the exact playbook that failed miserably the first time. But MAGA seems hellbent on repeating it, minus the history book.
\n\nBen Stein walks through it with clarity, wit, and actual facts. And if you’re part of the flag-waving crowd that thinks economic nationalism will somehow create prosperity—this is your wake-up call.
\n\nSo yes, every MAGA voter should be required to sit down, take notes, and maybe—just maybe—learn something before cheering the next economic train wreck disguised as “patriotism.”
\n\nUPDATE: Director John Hughes told Ben Stein, who had a degree in Economics, to present an actual Economics lecture in his scenes. Hence nothing Stein says (aside from the roll call) is scripted.
\n", "content_html": "
\nRemember Ben Stein? The monotone teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off who somehow made “voodoo economics” unforgettable? Well, turns out he’s still schooling us—this time on something MAGA desperately needs a refresher on: the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
For the uninitiated: Smoot-Hawley was a protectionist tariff passed in 1930 meant to “protect American jobs.” Instead, it helped plunge the world into the Great Depression. Other countries retaliated with their own tariffs, global trade collapsed, and millions lost their livelihoods.
\n\nSound familiar?
\n\nFast forward nearly a century, and we’ve got Trump 2.0 spinning the same tale—tariffs as salvation, isolationism as strength. It’s the exact playbook that failed miserably the first time. But MAGA seems hellbent on repeating it, minus the history book.
\n\nBen Stein walks through it with clarity, wit, and actual facts. And if you’re part of the flag-waving crowd that thinks economic nationalism will somehow create prosperity—this is your wake-up call.
\n\nSo yes, every MAGA voter should be required to sit down, take notes, and maybe—just maybe—learn something before cheering the next economic train wreck disguised as “patriotism.”
\n\nUPDATE: Director John Hughes told Ben Stein, who had a degree in Economics, to present an actual Economics lecture in his scenes. Hence nothing Stein says (aside from the roll call) is scripted.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/06/economy-tanking-trump-goes-golfing/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/06/economy-tanking-trump-goes-golfing/", "title": "Economy Tanking, Trump goes golfing", "date_published": "2025-04-06T02:32:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-06T02:32:32-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-golfing-stockcrash.jpg\")
$9.6 trillion. That’s how much value U.S. stocks have lost since Donald Trump took office again. $5 trillion of that vanished in just the last two days — the largest two-day drop in history. Meanwhile, four American soldiers have died in service overseas.
\n\nAnd what’s Trump doing? As Wall Street melts down and the world watches in stunned disbelief, Trump’s response is Golfing. Again.
\n\nThis is the same man who once claimed he’d be “too busy” in the White House to ever hit the links:
\n\nBut as of Day 76 of Trump’s second term, he’s already logged 19 days on the golf course. That’s 25% of his time in office spent not working, not leading, but swinging a driver while Americans lose jobs, savings, and loved ones. That’s not leadership — that’s negligence dressed in khakis.
\n", "content_html": "
$9.6 trillion. That’s how much value U.S. stocks have lost since Donald Trump took office again. $5 trillion of that vanished in just the last two days — the largest two-day drop in history. Meanwhile, four American soldiers have died in service overseas.
\n\nAnd what’s Trump doing? As Wall Street melts down and the world watches in stunned disbelief, Trump’s response is Golfing. Again.
\n\nThis is the same man who once claimed he’d be “too busy” in the White House to ever hit the links:
\n\nBut as of Day 76 of Trump’s second term, he’s already logged 19 days on the golf course. That’s 25% of his time in office spent not working, not leading, but swinging a driver while Americans lose jobs, savings, and loved ones. That’s not leadership — that’s negligence dressed in khakis.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/07/trump-tarrif-formula/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/07/trump-tarrif-formula/", "title": "Trump Tarrif Formula", "date_published": "2025-04-07T09:29:08-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-07T09:29:08-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Behold: the official “reciprocal tariff formula” as posted by the U.S. Trade Representative annotated by Ben Brkowitz. A dizzying display of pseudo-academic nonsense dressed up with Latin variables and mathematical flair — all to justify economic policies that make absolutely zero sense in the real world.
\n\n![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-equation.png\")
Let’s be honest: this isn’t economics, it’s theater. A PR stunt in equation form. And while it might look impressive at a glance, it’s built on sand. Because slapping tariffs on allies in the name of “fairness” — using formulas like this one — doesn’t help American workers. It raises prices, invites retaliation, and destabilizes global trade.
\n\nYou can’t run a 21st-century economy with 19th-century protectionist dogma and a whiteboard full of nonsense. But hey, as long as it looks “smart” on Fox News, who cares about consequences, right?
\n\nTariffs by formula? More like economic malpractice in disguise.
\n", "content_html": "Behold: the official “reciprocal tariff formula” as posted by the U.S. Trade Representative annotated by Ben Brkowitz. A dizzying display of pseudo-academic nonsense dressed up with Latin variables and mathematical flair — all to justify economic policies that make absolutely zero sense in the real world.
\n\n
Let’s be honest: this isn’t economics, it’s theater. A PR stunt in equation form. And while it might look impressive at a glance, it’s built on sand. Because slapping tariffs on allies in the name of “fairness” — using formulas like this one — doesn’t help American workers. It raises prices, invites retaliation, and destabilizes global trade.
\n\nYou can’t run a 21st-century economy with 19th-century protectionist dogma and a whiteboard full of nonsense. But hey, as long as it looks “smart” on Fox News, who cares about consequences, right?
\n\nTariffs by formula? More like economic malpractice in disguise.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/07/trump-shoots-economy/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/07/trump-shoots-economy/", "title": "I Could Shoot Someone on Fifth Avenue…", "date_published": "2025-04-07T15:15:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-07T15:15:42-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-shoots-econ.jpg\")
Trump’s infamous claim — that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any supporters — was once shocking hyperbole. Now, it feels chillingly literal. Except the shots aren’t coming from a gun — they’re coming from reckless economic policies that are crippling working Americans, in broad daylight, with zero consequences.
\n\nWhile Wall Street hemorrhages trillions, inflation eats away at paychecks, and job losses mount, Trump and his enablers cheer from the sidelines, unfazed and unaccountable. The damage isn’t theoretical. It’s real. It’s personal. And it’s targeted — not at the powerful, but at the everyday people holding this country together.
\n\nThis moment isn’t just about stock tickers and GDP charts — it’s about economic violence. Wages that can’t cover rent. Healthcare out of reach. Retirement dreams erased. And still, his supporters shrug. The Fifth Avenue test was never a metaphor. It was a warning.
\n\nAnd now we’re living it.
\n", "content_html": "
Trump’s infamous claim — that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any supporters — was once shocking hyperbole. Now, it feels chillingly literal. Except the shots aren’t coming from a gun — they’re coming from reckless economic policies that are crippling working Americans, in broad daylight, with zero consequences.
\n\nWhile Wall Street hemorrhages trillions, inflation eats away at paychecks, and job losses mount, Trump and his enablers cheer from the sidelines, unfazed and unaccountable. The damage isn’t theoretical. It’s real. It’s personal. And it’s targeted — not at the powerful, but at the everyday people holding this country together.
\n\nThis moment isn’t just about stock tickers and GDP charts — it’s about economic violence. Wages that can’t cover rent. Healthcare out of reach. Retirement dreams erased. And still, his supporters shrug. The Fifth Avenue test was never a metaphor. It was a warning.
\n\nAnd now we’re living it.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/09/what-happened-to-the-funk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/09/what-happened-to-the-funk/", "title": "What happened to the funk?", "date_published": "2025-04-09T04:47:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-09T04:47:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Funck\"](\"/assets/images/funk.png\")
John Blake reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nWhat happened to the funk?
\n\nI ask this because I also grew up during funk’s golden era. I watched live performances of groups like Earth Wind & Fire as they drove crowds to a funk frenzy. I studied “Soul Train” every weekend to catch the latest dance moves that I could never learn. I never purchased an Afro-Sheen blowout kit to look like my favorite funk performers, but I proudly carried an Afro pick with a handle shaped like a clenched Black fist to capture their defiant “Get the Funk Out Ma Face” attitude.\nFor my family and friends, funk wasn’t just a musical genre — it was a lifestyle and attitude built around what one music critic called “sweat and sociability.”
\n\nAnd then the music lost its groove. The ‘80s and ‘90s brought hip hop, grunge, rap and alternative rock. Today’s charts are dominated by plastic dance pop that feels like it’s been assembled by an AI bot.
\n\nI can’t help but wonder: Why did funk music lose its popularity? And did we lose something more than danceable rhythms when it went away?
Beautifully put — and tragically true. Funk wasn’t just a sound; it was a vibe, a movement, a cultural force that radiated pride, creativity, and human connection. When you heard Parliament drop the bass or Earth, Wind & Fire explode into a horn section, you weren’t just listening — you were participating. Funk demanded you feel it, not just consume it.
\n\nJohn Blake’s piece taps into something a lot of us feel but can’t always articulate: the loss of music as shared experience. Funk was sweaty, joyful, messy, communal. It came from real people with real instruments, flaws and all, and it celebrated the full spectrum of human culture — its pain, pride, humor, and swagger. And yeah, it had groove for days.
\n\nToday’s music industry — algorithm-driven, auto-tuned, and precision-packaged — too often feels like it’s missing that soul. The shift away from music education in public schools didn’t just kill brass sections and jam sessions; it silenced a pipeline of working-class creativity. Now, kids are told to produce loops and beats on laptops, not pick up a trumpet or learn four chords on a bass.
\n\n\n\nSome say it’s partly because the Reagan administration pulled funding to musical education programs in public schools. Kids didn’t learn how to play instruments anymore, so they turned to rap and hip-hop.
And yet — the hunger for funk never fully left. You still hear it in the DNA of artists like Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Thundercat, and Vulfpeck. The groove lives, even if it’s buried under streaming stats and TikTok trends.
\n\nMaybe the real question isn’t just “what happened to the funk?” — but “how do we bring it back?” Not just the sound, but the spirit. The jam sessions. The dancing in the living room. The Afro pick in the back pocket. The sweat and sociability.
\n\nThats the real revolution waiting to happen.
\n", "content_html": "
John Blake reporting for CNN:
\n\n\n\nWhat happened to the funk?
\n\nI ask this because I also grew up during funk’s golden era. I watched live performances of groups like Earth Wind & Fire as they drove crowds to a funk frenzy. I studied “Soul Train” every weekend to catch the latest dance moves that I could never learn. I never purchased an Afro-Sheen blowout kit to look like my favorite funk performers, but I proudly carried an Afro pick with a handle shaped like a clenched Black fist to capture their defiant “Get the Funk Out Ma Face” attitude.\nFor my family and friends, funk wasn’t just a musical genre — it was a lifestyle and attitude built around what one music critic called “sweat and sociability.”
\n\nAnd then the music lost its groove. The ‘80s and ‘90s brought hip hop, grunge, rap and alternative rock. Today’s charts are dominated by plastic dance pop that feels like it’s been assembled by an AI bot.
\n\nI can’t help but wonder: Why did funk music lose its popularity? And did we lose something more than danceable rhythms when it went away?
Beautifully put — and tragically true. Funk wasn’t just a sound; it was a vibe, a movement, a cultural force that radiated pride, creativity, and human connection. When you heard Parliament drop the bass or Earth, Wind & Fire explode into a horn section, you weren’t just listening — you were participating. Funk demanded you feel it, not just consume it.
\n\nJohn Blake’s piece taps into something a lot of us feel but can’t always articulate: the loss of music as shared experience. Funk was sweaty, joyful, messy, communal. It came from real people with real instruments, flaws and all, and it celebrated the full spectrum of human culture — its pain, pride, humor, and swagger. And yeah, it had groove for days.
\n\nToday’s music industry — algorithm-driven, auto-tuned, and precision-packaged — too often feels like it’s missing that soul. The shift away from music education in public schools didn’t just kill brass sections and jam sessions; it silenced a pipeline of working-class creativity. Now, kids are told to produce loops and beats on laptops, not pick up a trumpet or learn four chords on a bass.
\n\n\n\nSome say it’s partly because the Reagan administration pulled funding to musical education programs in public schools. Kids didn’t learn how to play instruments anymore, so they turned to rap and hip-hop.
And yet — the hunger for funk never fully left. You still hear it in the DNA of artists like Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Thundercat, and Vulfpeck. The groove lives, even if it’s buried under streaming stats and TikTok trends.
\n\nMaybe the real question isn’t just “what happened to the funk?” — but “how do we bring it back?” Not just the sound, but the spirit. The jam sessions. The dancing in the living room. The Afro pick in the back pocket. The sweat and sociability.
\n\nThats the real revolution waiting to happen.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/09/comprehensive-and-precise-specification/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/09/comprehensive-and-precise-specification/", "title": "Comprehensive and Precise specifications", "date_published": "2025-04-09T05:39:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-09T05:39:12-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Comprehensive](\"/assets/images/code-vs-api.jpg\")
\n\nI am telling you these countries are calling us up - kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal.
Exactly — it’s never been about policy or outcomes with Trump. It’s about ego, dominance, and theater. That quote isn’t about diplomacy; it’s about humiliation. He wants to be worshipped, not respected. And if the cost is alienating our allies, distorting trade policy, or putting global stability at risk — so be it, as long as he feels like the alpha in the room.
\n\nIt’s transactional narcissism masquerading as leadership. Real diplomacy is built on mutual respect, long-term strategy, and coalition building. What he’s doing is play-acting power, treating geopolitics like a reality show ratings stunt. Meanwhile, American credibility suffers.
\n\nYou nailed it: he’s not strong — he’s desperate to be seen as strong. And that insecurity is now U.S. foreign policy.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nI am telling you these countries are calling us up - kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal.
Exactly — it’s never been about policy or outcomes with Trump. It’s about ego, dominance, and theater. That quote isn’t about diplomacy; it’s about humiliation. He wants to be worshipped, not respected. And if the cost is alienating our allies, distorting trade policy, or putting global stability at risk — so be it, as long as he feels like the alpha in the room.
\n\nIt’s transactional narcissism masquerading as leadership. Real diplomacy is built on mutual respect, long-term strategy, and coalition building. What he’s doing is play-acting power, treating geopolitics like a reality show ratings stunt. Meanwhile, American credibility suffers.
\n\nYou nailed it: he’s not strong — he’s desperate to be seen as strong. And that insecurity is now U.S. foreign policy.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/10/that-means-tesla/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/10/that-means-tesla/", "title": "That means Tesla", "date_published": "2025-04-10T00:41:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-10T00:41:26-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nLawrence O’Donnell cuts right to the heart of the hypocrisy. Trump’s tariff tantrum was never about “America First” or restoring American industry — it was about showmanship and playing to the base. But the moment those tariffs threatened to hurt his allies in the billionaire class? Cue the backpedaling.
\n\nAnd Elon musk is not finished. Elon Musk needs to be exempted from the goods coming into this country from China, because assembling a Tesla in the United States involves using components built in China.
Elon Musk needing exemptions proves the point: the global economy isn’t something you can bully into submission with isolationist bluster. Even the companies that wrap themselves in the American flag rely on international supply chains. Tesla isn’t built in a vacuum — it’s built with parts from China, minerals from Africa, software from Europe.
\n\nAnd so, once again, Trump folds when real-world complexity crashes into his simplistic rhetoric. His tariffs, just like his entire economic worldview, are a house of cards — and people like O’Donnell are among the few still willing to say it plainly.
\n", "content_html": "
\nLawrence O’Donnell cuts right to the heart of the hypocrisy. Trump’s tariff tantrum was never about “America First” or restoring American industry — it was about showmanship and playing to the base. But the moment those tariffs threatened to hurt his allies in the billionaire class? Cue the backpedaling.
\n\nAnd Elon musk is not finished. Elon Musk needs to be exempted from the goods coming into this country from China, because assembling a Tesla in the United States involves using components built in China.
Elon Musk needing exemptions proves the point: the global economy isn’t something you can bully into submission with isolationist bluster. Even the companies that wrap themselves in the American flag rely on international supply chains. Tesla isn’t built in a vacuum — it’s built with parts from China, minerals from Africa, software from Europe.
\n\nAnd so, once again, Trump folds when real-world complexity crashes into his simplistic rhetoric. His tariffs, just like his entire economic worldview, are a house of cards — and people like O’Donnell are among the few still willing to say it plainly.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/13/yea-but-i-am-forcing-you-to-talk-about-it/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/13/yea-but-i-am-forcing-you-to-talk-about-it/", "title": "Yea, but I am forcing you to talk about it", "date_published": "2025-04-13T13:47:56-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-13T13:47:56-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nI’m forcing you to talk about it, Anderson!
That moment was electric. At 83, he’s showing more passion and presence than people half his age. A reminder that leadership is about showing up, speaking truth, and demanding attention to what actually matters. And that’s exactly the kind of energy we need right now. AOC / Sanders 2028 - lets go!
\n", "content_html": "\n\nI’m forcing you to talk about it, Anderson!
That moment was electric. At 83, he’s showing more passion and presence than people half his age. A reminder that leadership is about showing up, speaking truth, and demanding attention to what actually matters. And that’s exactly the kind of energy we need right now. AOC / Sanders 2028 - lets go!
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/20/why-wont-he-call/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/04/20/why-wont-he-call/", "title": "Why won't he call?", "date_published": "2025-04-20T00:18:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-04-20T00:18:35-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/trump-waiting.jpg\")
Trump’s strategy seems to hinge on the idea that bluster and bravado can replace careful diplomacy and long-term economic planning. But China isn’t a junior player on the global stage — it’s the second-largest economy in the world, and they came prepared. The 84% retaliatory tariffs are no bluff — they’re a devastating counterpunch. And when Chinese banks stop buying U.S. dollars? That’s not just symbolic — that’s a shot aimed directly at the heart of American monetary influence.
\n\nWho pays the price? Not Trump or his billionaire cabinet. It’s the farmers in Iowa, the auto workers in Michigan, the pharmacy techs in Ohio, and the small business owners trying to stay afloat while their supply chains collapse under new tariffs.
\n\nThis isn’t about winning. It’s about proving a point — and it’s costing real Americans their jobs, their savings, and their futures.
\n", "content_html": "
Trump’s strategy seems to hinge on the idea that bluster and bravado can replace careful diplomacy and long-term economic planning. But China isn’t a junior player on the global stage — it’s the second-largest economy in the world, and they came prepared. The 84% retaliatory tariffs are no bluff — they’re a devastating counterpunch. And when Chinese banks stop buying U.S. dollars? That’s not just symbolic — that’s a shot aimed directly at the heart of American monetary influence.
\n\nWho pays the price? Not Trump or his billionaire cabinet. It’s the farmers in Iowa, the auto workers in Michigan, the pharmacy techs in Ohio, and the small business owners trying to stay afloat while their supply chains collapse under new tariffs.
\n\nThis isn’t about winning. It’s about proving a point — and it’s costing real Americans their jobs, their savings, and their futures.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/01/donny-2-dolls/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/01/donny-2-dolls/", "title": "Donny '2 dolls'", "date_published": "2025-05-01T00:19:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-01T00:19:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nHis nickname should be Convict Donny “2 dolls” Trump.
\nHis nickname should be Convict Donny “2 dolls” Trump.
![\"Wolf](\"/assets/images/wolf-in-sheep.jpg\")
The Courts Must Stop Presuming Donald Trump is a Regular President. Marc Elias writing for the Democracy Docket:
\n\n\n\nIf there is one thing that is clear from Donald Trump’s first 100 days, it is that he is not a regular president. But the courts continue to treat him as one, which is what has us barreling towards a full-blown constitutional crisis.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe consequences of this presumption are profound. Courts are reluctant to second-guess the administration’s motivations, unlikely to probe into the government’s internal processes and often dismissive of claims of improper bias.
\n\n[…]
\n\nDonald Trump is not a regular president, and the courts must stop treating him like one. He is an aspiring autocrat who weaponizes the legal process to undermine the rule of law. Through his words and conduct, he and his administration have forfeited the right to be believed or trusted.
\n\nIt is time to take Trump both literally and seriously.
It is time for Congress and the Cabinate to use the powers granted to it by the United States Constitution to remove the sitting President of the United States.
\n", "content_html": "
The Courts Must Stop Presuming Donald Trump is a Regular President. Marc Elias writing for the Democracy Docket:
\n\n\n\nIf there is one thing that is clear from Donald Trump’s first 100 days, it is that he is not a regular president. But the courts continue to treat him as one, which is what has us barreling towards a full-blown constitutional crisis.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe consequences of this presumption are profound. Courts are reluctant to second-guess the administration’s motivations, unlikely to probe into the government’s internal processes and often dismissive of claims of improper bias.
\n\n[…]
\n\nDonald Trump is not a regular president, and the courts must stop treating him like one. He is an aspiring autocrat who weaponizes the legal process to undermine the rule of law. Through his words and conduct, he and his administration have forfeited the right to be believed or trusted.
\n\nIt is time to take Trump both literally and seriously.
It is time for Congress and the Cabinate to use the powers granted to it by the United States Constitution to remove the sitting President of the United States.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/09/how-fascism-starts/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/09/how-fascism-starts/", "title": "How Fascism Starts", "date_published": "2025-05-09T02:44:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-09T02:44:49-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Bertrand Russell From a 1940 collection of essays called Freedom: Its Meaning:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other.
\n\nThis technique is as old as the hills; it was practiced in almost every Greek city, and the moderns have only enlarged its scale.
\n\nQuote Origin: Fascist Movement – To Fascinate Fools and Muzzle the Intelligent
Bertrand Russell From a 1940 collection of essays called Freedom: Its Meaning:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/09/a-message-from-wwii-veteran-for-elon-musk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/09/a-message-from-wwii-veteran-for-elon-musk/", "title": "Sherman Tank vs Tesla", "date_published": "2025-05-09T02:56:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-09T02:56:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other.
\n\nThis technique is as old as the hills; it was practiced in almost every Greek city, and the moderns have only enlarged its scale.
\n\nQuote Origin: Fascist Movement – To Fascinate Fools and Muzzle the Intelligent
\nKen Truner, 98 year old WWII veteran:
\n\nI’m old enough to have seen fascism the first time around; now it’s coming back. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars. Well, I’ve got this message for Mr Musk. We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again.
That quote hits like a thunderclap. Whether symbolic or literal, Ken Turner’s gesture captures a generational defiance that’s hard to ignore. The Greatest Generation didn’t just fight fascism — they lived through it, recognized it, and knew what it took to stop it. Turner’s message isn’t about cars or tanks — it’s about the danger of unchecked power and the moral clarity to confront it head-on.
\n\nThere’s something powerful about seeing a 98-year-old veteran drawing a line and saying “not again” — especially at a time when history feels dangerously close to repeating itself.
\n", "content_html": "
\nKen Truner, 98 year old WWII veteran:
\n\nI’m old enough to have seen fascism the first time around; now it’s coming back. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars. Well, I’ve got this message for Mr Musk. We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again.
That quote hits like a thunderclap. Whether symbolic or literal, Ken Turner’s gesture captures a generational defiance that’s hard to ignore. The Greatest Generation didn’t just fight fascism — they lived through it, recognized it, and knew what it took to stop it. Turner’s message isn’t about cars or tanks — it’s about the danger of unchecked power and the moral clarity to confront it head-on.
\n\nThere’s something powerful about seeing a 98-year-old veteran drawing a line and saying “not again” — especially at a time when history feels dangerously close to repeating itself.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/11/actively-looking-at-suspending-habeas-corpus/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/05/11/actively-looking-at-suspending-habeas-corpus/", "title": "'Actively looking' at suspending Habeas Corpus", "date_published": "2025-05-11T23:59:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-05-11T23:59:25-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Stephen](\"/assets/images/stephen-miller.jpg\")
Kathryn Watson for CBS News:
\n\n\n\nThe Trump administration is “actively looking at” the possibility of suspending the writ of habeas corpus to handle people the administration says aren’t in the country legally, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday.
\n\nA writ of habeas corpus requires authorities to produce in court an individual they are holding and justify their confinement. Article I of the Constitution says the “privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.”
\n\nMiller made the comments to reporters at the White House Friday when a journalist asked if President Trump is weighing the possibility of suspending habeas corpus to handle illegal immigration.
\n\n“Well, the Constitution is clear — and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller said. “So it’s an option we’re actively looking at. Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”
There is no “invasion”. An invasion hasn’t happened here since the War of 1812, when the British got us good and burned down the White House and set fire to the Capitol.
\n\nStephen Miller should be in prison.
\n", "content_html": "
Kathryn Watson for CBS News:
\n\n\n\nThe Trump administration is “actively looking at” the possibility of suspending the writ of habeas corpus to handle people the administration says aren’t in the country legally, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday.
\n\nA writ of habeas corpus requires authorities to produce in court an individual they are holding and justify their confinement. Article I of the Constitution says the “privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.”
\n\nMiller made the comments to reporters at the White House Friday when a journalist asked if President Trump is weighing the possibility of suspending habeas corpus to handle illegal immigration.
\n\n“Well, the Constitution is clear — and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller said. “So it’s an option we’re actively looking at. Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”
There is no “invasion”. An invasion hasn’t happened here since the War of 1812, when the British got us good and burned down the White House and set fire to the Capitol.
\n\nStephen Miller should be in prison.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/15/greed-will-always-hurt-you-more/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/15/greed-will-always-hurt-you-more/", "title": "Greed will always hurt you more", "date_published": "2025-06-15T08:22:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-15T08:22:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A writer named Hannah shares an experiment her Psychology professor ran on her class:
\n\n\n\nIt’s 11 years ago, I’m in a massive university Intro to Psychology class. Everybody in my 250-person lecture is freaking out because it’s the last class before the exams and none of us are ready. Professor says, “you know what, you guys seem stressed. I’m just gonna give all of you a 95%, blanket across the board — but you have to vote unanimously on it.”
\n\nHe puts the poll on the board. We vote. 20 people say, “nope, I don’t want the guaranteed 95%”.
\n\nHe puts another poll up that’s just like, why? Option A is: I selected the 95% because I want it. B: I think I could do better. C: I don’t want a grade I didn’t deserve. D: I don’t want somebody else to get the same grade as me even if they didn’t study as much. And all 20 people who didn’t want the 95% didn’t want it for that last reason.
\n\nThe professor said, “this is the most important psychological lesson I will teach you this semester. I’ve been doing this experiment on classes for the past 10 years and not one class has agreed unanimously because there’s always somebody who doesn’t want someone to have what they have because they don’t think they deserve it. Statistically only 10 of you will get a 95% or above.” Because in life, greed will always hurt you more than it helps you.
This is the platform of the Republican party.
\n", "content_html": "A writer named Hannah shares an experiment her Psychology professor ran on her class:
\n\n\n\nIt’s 11 years ago, I’m in a massive university Intro to Psychology class. Everybody in my 250-person lecture is freaking out because it’s the last class before the exams and none of us are ready. Professor says, “you know what, you guys seem stressed. I’m just gonna give all of you a 95%, blanket across the board — but you have to vote unanimously on it.”
\n\nHe puts the poll on the board. We vote. 20 people say, “nope, I don’t want the guaranteed 95%”.
\n\nHe puts another poll up that’s just like, why? Option A is: I selected the 95% because I want it. B: I think I could do better. C: I don’t want a grade I didn’t deserve. D: I don’t want somebody else to get the same grade as me even if they didn’t study as much. And all 20 people who didn’t want the 95% didn’t want it for that last reason.
\n\nThe professor said, “this is the most important psychological lesson I will teach you this semester. I’ve been doing this experiment on classes for the past 10 years and not one class has agreed unanimously because there’s always somebody who doesn’t want someone to have what they have because they don’t think they deserve it. Statistically only 10 of you will get a 95% or above.” Because in life, greed will always hurt you more than it helps you.
This is the platform of the Republican party.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/15/trumps-birthday-parade-was-a-gross-failure/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/15/trumps-birthday-parade-was-a-gross-failure/", "title": "Trump's military birthday parade was a failure", "date_published": "2025-06-15T08:50:15-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-15T08:50:15-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "A sad faced Donny ‘Two Dolls’ Trump’s at birthday spectacle:
\n\n![\"sad](\"/assets/images/sad-parade-face.jpg\")
The contrast couldn’t be clearer: a $45 million taxpayer-funded military parade with rows of empty bleachers, versus tens of thousands rallying across the country under the banner of “No Kings Day”. One event was staged pageantry meant to project dominance; the other arose organically from a public deeply concerned about democracy’s erosion. It was the grassroots protests — not the tanks — that captured the national mood.
\n\nHere’s a side-by-side breakdown:
\n\n| Category | \nTrump Parade | \n“No Kings Day” Protests | \n
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | \nBirthday & Military Spectacle | \nProtest Against Authoritarianism | \n
| Crowd Turnout | \nSparse, Underwhelming | \nMassive, Nationwide, Grassroots | \n
| Media Tone | \nCritical, Embarrassing | \nEmpowering, Movement-Based | \n
| Public Engagement | \nPassive Spectators | \nActive Participation | \n
| Cost | \n~$45 million (taxpayer funded) | \nMinimal (community-organized) | \n
| Long-Term Impact | \nMomentary, Vanity-Oriented | \nMobilizing for Upcoming Elections | \n
True democratic strength isn’t measured by military flyovers or choreographed displays — it’s measured by how many people feel compelled to take a stand when no one tells them they have to.
\n\nWhile tanks squeaked past quiet crowds in D.C., at more than 2,000 communities across the U.S. thousands filled streets and parks with signs, chants, and resolve. The silence of the parade was deafening. The voice of the protests? Unmistakable.
\n\n“No Kings Day” struck a nerve because it wasn’t just about Trump — it was about drawing a line. About saying that democracy can’t be reduced to spectacle, nor freedom to a slogan. In that contrast, a truth emerged:
\n\nThe power is with the people.
\n", "content_html": "A sad faced Donny ‘Two Dolls’ Trump’s at birthday spectacle:
\n\n
The contrast couldn’t be clearer: a $45 million taxpayer-funded military parade with rows of empty bleachers, versus tens of thousands rallying across the country under the banner of “No Kings Day”. One event was staged pageantry meant to project dominance; the other arose organically from a public deeply concerned about democracy’s erosion. It was the grassroots protests — not the tanks — that captured the national mood.
\n\nHere’s a side-by-side breakdown:
\n\n| Category | \nTrump Parade | \n“No Kings Day” Protests | \n
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | \nBirthday & Military Spectacle | \nProtest Against Authoritarianism | \n
| Crowd Turnout | \nSparse, Underwhelming | \nMassive, Nationwide, Grassroots | \n
| Media Tone | \nCritical, Embarrassing | \nEmpowering, Movement-Based | \n
| Public Engagement | \nPassive Spectators | \nActive Participation | \n
| Cost | \n~$45 million (taxpayer funded) | \nMinimal (community-organized) | \n
| Long-Term Impact | \nMomentary, Vanity-Oriented | \nMobilizing for Upcoming Elections | \n
True democratic strength isn’t measured by military flyovers or choreographed displays — it’s measured by how many people feel compelled to take a stand when no one tells them they have to.
\n\nWhile tanks squeaked past quiet crowds in D.C., at more than 2,000 communities across the U.S. thousands filled streets and parks with signs, chants, and resolve. The silence of the parade was deafening. The voice of the protests? Unmistakable.
\n\n“No Kings Day” struck a nerve because it wasn’t just about Trump — it was about drawing a line. About saying that democracy can’t be reduced to spectacle, nor freedom to a slogan. In that contrast, a truth emerged:
\n\nThe power is with the people.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/19/if-donald-trump-gets-dementia-how-will-we-know/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/19/if-donald-trump-gets-dementia-how-will-we-know/", "title": "If Donald Trump gets dementia, how will we know?", "date_published": "2025-06-19T23:08:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-19T23:08:45-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nLawrence O’Donnell kicked off his Wednesday night broadcast of “The Last Word” with a question: “If Donald Trump gets dementia, how will we know?”
Citing numerous confusing remarks that the president has made in recent days about everything from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to the Declaration of Independence.
\n\n\n\nDonald Trump’s mental decline, which is more and more obvious, started from such a low level of mental processing power that it’s hard to track his decline. It’s from low to lower.
O’Donnell went on to mock Trump for seemingly implying during a recent Oval Office press conference that the Declaration of Independence was written during the American Civil War.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "We’ve always known that Donald Trump could not possibly pass a high school AP History course. We’ve always known that Donald Trump couldn’t pass any test in any high school history course. But now we know that he couldn’t possibly have passed a history test in my third grade at Saint Brendan’s Elementary School in Boston.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe psychiatrists promised us in the first year of the first Trump presidency that there was only one direction that his mental health could go. Every day, Donald Trump proves them right.
\nLawrence O’Donnell kicked off his Wednesday night broadcast of “The Last Word” with a question: “If Donald Trump gets dementia, how will we know?”
Citing numerous confusing remarks that the president has made in recent days about everything from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to the Declaration of Independence.
\n\n\n\nDonald Trump’s mental decline, which is more and more obvious, started from such a low level of mental processing power that it’s hard to track his decline. It’s from low to lower.
O’Donnell went on to mock Trump for seemingly implying during a recent Oval Office press conference that the Declaration of Independence was written during the American Civil War.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/26/jim-crow/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/26/jim-crow/", "title": "Jim Crow ", "date_published": "2025-06-26T02:32:57-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-26T02:32:57-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "We’ve always known that Donald Trump could not possibly pass a high school AP History course. We’ve always known that Donald Trump couldn’t pass any test in any high school history course. But now we know that he couldn’t possibly have passed a history test in my third grade at Saint Brendan’s Elementary School in Boston.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThe psychiatrists promised us in the first year of the first Trump presidency that there was only one direction that his mental health could go. Every day, Donald Trump proves them right.
\nAn excellent video explanation from Jamelle Bouie of what Jim Crow was, how it developed, and how it continues to reverberate in American today.
\n\nIf you are an American watching this, and you had a standard social studies or history class in high school, you may think of Jim Crow as more or less simply being separate institutions, separate bathrooms, separate water fountains — various kinds of public disrespect. And those certainly were the symbols of Jim Crow, symbols of outward public disrespect. But that’s not what the system was.
\n\nJim Crow the system was something we would recognize today, and describe as today, as authoritarian. And specifically, it was an authoritarian system of labor control and political control. The Jim Crow states sharply limited political participation by large parts of their population — most of them black, but not a small number of them white as well — and the Jim Crow states themselves were largely vehicles for the interest of powerful owners of capital and property: land owners, factory owners — people who had a vested interest in direct control of labor. The social separation, the extreme and atavistic violence, the theft, the plunder — all of these things were downstream of this effort to control political behavior and control labor. They were the mechanisms of that control, the way to keep people in line or keep them bought into the system if they were on the white side of the color line.
A dry look into an under covered era of our history - but well worth watching.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAn excellent video explanation from Jamelle Bouie of what Jim Crow was, how it developed, and how it continues to reverberate in American today.
\n\nIf you are an American watching this, and you had a standard social studies or history class in high school, you may think of Jim Crow as more or less simply being separate institutions, separate bathrooms, separate water fountains — various kinds of public disrespect. And those certainly were the symbols of Jim Crow, symbols of outward public disrespect. But that’s not what the system was.
\n\nJim Crow the system was something we would recognize today, and describe as today, as authoritarian. And specifically, it was an authoritarian system of labor control and political control. The Jim Crow states sharply limited political participation by large parts of their population — most of them black, but not a small number of them white as well — and the Jim Crow states themselves were largely vehicles for the interest of powerful owners of capital and property: land owners, factory owners — people who had a vested interest in direct control of labor. The social separation, the extreme and atavistic violence, the theft, the plunder — all of these things were downstream of this effort to control political behavior and control labor. They were the mechanisms of that control, the way to keep people in line or keep them bought into the system if they were on the white side of the color line.
A dry look into an under covered era of our history - but well worth watching.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/26/denis-villeneuve-directing-the-next-james-bond/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/26/denis-villeneuve-directing-the-next-james-bond/", "title": "Denis Villeneuve directing the Next James Bond", "date_published": "2025-06-26T16:02:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-26T16:02:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Denis](\"/assets/images/denis-villeneuve.png\")
Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next James Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios. Great choice - his work on Dune was amazing.
\n", "content_html": "
Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next James Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios. Great choice - his work on Dune was amazing.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/29/stupid-americans/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/06/29/stupid-americans/", "title": "Stupid Americans", "date_published": "2025-06-29T08:30:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-06-29T08:30:28-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Whoever this writer is - he nails the Trump voter perfectly:
\n\n\n\nIf written language survives the next six weeks, we’ll be writing about Donald Trump for a thousand years. But whatever else there is to say, the most important thing about Donald Trump, the thing that is obvious from watching him speak for just 14 seconds, is that he is profoundly stupid. Whatever it is that he might be talking about or doing at any given moment, it’s clear that while he has a reptilian instinct for reading and stoking conflict, he has no real idea what’s going on and he doesn’t really care to. Stupid is what he is and where he comes from. It is his mind and his soul. Catholic was what JFK was. Gay was what Harvey Milk was. Stupid is who Donald Trump is.
\n\nAnd that’s what they love most, the Stupid-American voters.
\n\nRemember that sentence you heard at the beginning of all this in 2016? “He’s just saying what everybody is thinking.”
\n\nBut see, not everybody was thinking that Hillary Clinton was an alien, that global warming was a Chinese hoax and that what America needed most of all was a plywood wall stretching from Texas to California. Only the stupid people were. And suddenly, in an instant, the most powerful man on earth was thinking just like them. With his clueless smirk and unstoppable rise, he turned people whose stupidity made them feel like nobody into people who felt like everybody.
\n\nThat’s why he’ll never lose them. Because it was never about what he did or didn’t do. All that stuff is very confusing and the Stupid-American community isn’t interested in the details. They love him for who he is, which is one of them, and because he shows them every day that Stupid-Americans can reach the social mountaintop.
You can blame the internet as a whole, but it’s social media that’s doing the heavy lifting — sorting us faster and more efficiently than any government ever could.
\n", "content_html": "Whoever this writer is - he nails the Trump voter perfectly:
\n\n\n\nIf written language survives the next six weeks, we’ll be writing about Donald Trump for a thousand years. But whatever else there is to say, the most important thing about Donald Trump, the thing that is obvious from watching him speak for just 14 seconds, is that he is profoundly stupid. Whatever it is that he might be talking about or doing at any given moment, it’s clear that while he has a reptilian instinct for reading and stoking conflict, he has no real idea what’s going on and he doesn’t really care to. Stupid is what he is and where he comes from. It is his mind and his soul. Catholic was what JFK was. Gay was what Harvey Milk was. Stupid is who Donald Trump is.
\n\nAnd that’s what they love most, the Stupid-American voters.
\n\nRemember that sentence you heard at the beginning of all this in 2016? “He’s just saying what everybody is thinking.”
\n\nBut see, not everybody was thinking that Hillary Clinton was an alien, that global warming was a Chinese hoax and that what America needed most of all was a plywood wall stretching from Texas to California. Only the stupid people were. And suddenly, in an instant, the most powerful man on earth was thinking just like them. With his clueless smirk and unstoppable rise, he turned people whose stupidity made them feel like nobody into people who felt like everybody.
\n\nThat’s why he’ll never lose them. Because it was never about what he did or didn’t do. All that stuff is very confusing and the Stupid-American community isn’t interested in the details. They love him for who he is, which is one of them, and because he shows them every day that Stupid-Americans can reach the social mountaintop.
You can blame the internet as a whole, but it’s social media that’s doing the heavy lifting — sorting us faster and more efficiently than any government ever could.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/07/every-wes-anderson-movie-explained-by-wes-anderson/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/07/every-wes-anderson-movie-explained-by-wes-anderson/", "title": "Every Wes Anderson Movie, Explained by Wes Anderson", "date_published": "2025-07-07T17:57:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-07-07T17:57:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nHi, I’m Wes Anderson. I have made, apparently, 12 films and I’m now going to walk us through every one of them in some way.
Listening to thoughtful, creative people talking earnestly about their work is almost always worth the time, and frequently rare these days.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nHi, I’m Wes Anderson. I have made, apparently, 12 films and I’m now going to walk us through every one of them in some way.
Listening to thoughtful, creative people talking earnestly about their work is almost always worth the time, and frequently rare these days.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/07/great-art-explained-the-book/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/07/great-art-explained-the-book/", "title": "Great Art Explained - the book", "date_published": "2025-07-07T18:03:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-07-07T18:03:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Great](\"/assets/images/great-art-explained.jpg\")
Great Art Explained is one of my top YouTube channels and now there is a book coming out this fall.
\n\n\n\nArt can be thrilling, and resonate on a deep personal level. It is how you view the work, place it in context and understand its history that makes an artwork truly come alive.
\n\nA fresh approach to a classic subject, James Payne’s no-nonsense analysis sheds new light on 30 masterpieces from around the globe and reveals what makes them truly timeless works of art.
\n\nEach chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist’s life, as well as the work’s place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, what makes it “great.”
You can preorder Great Art Explained from Amazon.
\n", "content_html": "
Great Art Explained is one of my top YouTube channels and now there is a book coming out this fall.
\n\n\n\nArt can be thrilling, and resonate on a deep personal level. It is how you view the work, place it in context and understand its history that makes an artwork truly come alive.
\n\nA fresh approach to a classic subject, James Payne’s no-nonsense analysis sheds new light on 30 masterpieces from around the globe and reveals what makes them truly timeless works of art.
\n\nEach chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist’s life, as well as the work’s place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, what makes it “great.”
You can preorder Great Art Explained from Amazon.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/09/how-silicon-valley-got-rich/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/09/how-silicon-valley-got-rich/", "title": "When Silicon Valley got rich", "date_published": "2025-07-09T03:44:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-07-09T03:44:34-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Creation](\"/assets/images/create-sv.png\")
Elle Griffin on when Silicon Valley got rich:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "As tech companies proliferated throughout Silicon Valley in the 1970s and 80s, so did their stock plans. Reagan-era tax policies further incentivized employee equity, allowing shareholders to defer tax payments until stocks were sold and reducing the taxes paid when they were. As more employees were paid in equity, more of them got rich. When Apple went public in 1980, it created 300 millionaires. When Microsoft did in 1986, 3,000 employees became millionaires. After Google’s IPO in 2004, 1,000 employees held stock worth more than $5 million. By 2007, even employees who had been at Google for a year owned about $276,000 in stock value on average.
\n\nAs entrepreneurs and executives grew rich from their exits, they founded even more companies or funded them as investors. When PayPal sold in 2002, it famously made megamillionaires out of its executives and launched a new era of Silicon Valley: Peter Thiel used his riches to found Palantir and invest in Facebook, Elon Musk founded Tesla and SpaceX, Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn, three engineers founded YouTube, and two others founded Yelp.
\n\nEmployee equity programs created a new entrepreneurial class and fostered a generation of employee-owned companies.
\n\nThey also led to rampant inequality.
Elle Griffin on when Silicon Valley got rich:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/16/trump-administration-500-tons-of-food/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/16/trump-administration-500-tons-of-food/", "title": "Trump Administration 500 tons of food", "date_published": "2025-07-16T10:28:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-07-16T10:28:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "As tech companies proliferated throughout Silicon Valley in the 1970s and 80s, so did their stock plans. Reagan-era tax policies further incentivized employee equity, allowing shareholders to defer tax payments until stocks were sold and reducing the taxes paid when they were. As more employees were paid in equity, more of them got rich. When Apple went public in 1980, it created 300 millionaires. When Microsoft did in 1986, 3,000 employees became millionaires. After Google’s IPO in 2004, 1,000 employees held stock worth more than $5 million. By 2007, even employees who had been at Google for a year owned about $276,000 in stock value on average.
\n\nAs entrepreneurs and executives grew rich from their exits, they founded even more companies or funded them as investors. When PayPal sold in 2002, it famously made megamillionaires out of its executives and launched a new era of Silicon Valley: Peter Thiel used his riches to found Palantir and invest in Facebook, Elon Musk founded Tesla and SpaceX, Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn, three engineers founded YouTube, and two others founded Yelp.
\n\nEmployee equity programs created a new entrepreneurial class and fostered a generation of employee-owned companies.
\n\nThey also led to rampant inequality.
![\"incinerate](\"/assets/images/incenerate-500-tons-food.png\")
In a move that defies both logic and morality, the Trump administration ordered nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food aid to be incinerated—enough to feed approximately 1.5 million children for an entire week. Instead of delivering this life-saving nourishment to vulnerable populations abroad, the food will soon be reduced to ash. The food, originally intended for children in crisis zones like Afghanistan and Pakistan, is set to expire—and rather than expedite its delivery, the administration has chosen destruction.
\n\nHana Kiros writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nNearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire tomorrow, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations. Within weeks, two of those sources told me, the food, meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be ash.
And it gets worse.
\n\n\n\nDespite the administration’s repeated promises to continue food aid, and Rubio’s testimony that he would not allow existing food to go to waste, even more food could soon expire. Hundreds of thousands of boxes of emergency food pastes, also already purchased, are currently collecting dust in American warehouses. According to USAID inventory lists from January, more than 60,000 metric tons of food—much of it grown in America, and all already purchased by the U.S. government—were then sitting in warehouses across the world. That included 36,000 pounds of peas, oil, and cereal, which were stored in Djibouti and intended for distribution in Sudan and other countries in the Horn of Africa. A former senior official at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance told me that, by the time she’d left her job earlier this month, very little of the food seemed to have moved; one of the current USAID employees I spoke with confirmed her impression, though he noted that, in recent weeks, small shipments have begun leaving the Djibouti warehouse.
The food was ready. The need is desperate. The infrastructure existed. But the will to help? Gone.
\n\nThis isn’t just about policy. It’s about who we are as a country. Are we the kind of people who let food rot — or worse, burn it — while children starve? Every box of food destroyed is a child who could have eaten. Every ration torched is a symbol of just how far we’ve strayed.
\n", "content_html": "
In a move that defies both logic and morality, the Trump administration ordered nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food aid to be incinerated—enough to feed approximately 1.5 million children for an entire week. Instead of delivering this life-saving nourishment to vulnerable populations abroad, the food will soon be reduced to ash. The food, originally intended for children in crisis zones like Afghanistan and Pakistan, is set to expire—and rather than expedite its delivery, the administration has chosen destruction.
\n\nHana Kiros writing for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nNearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire tomorrow, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations. Within weeks, two of those sources told me, the food, meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be ash.
And it gets worse.
\n\n\n\nDespite the administration’s repeated promises to continue food aid, and Rubio’s testimony that he would not allow existing food to go to waste, even more food could soon expire. Hundreds of thousands of boxes of emergency food pastes, also already purchased, are currently collecting dust in American warehouses. According to USAID inventory lists from January, more than 60,000 metric tons of food—much of it grown in America, and all already purchased by the U.S. government—were then sitting in warehouses across the world. That included 36,000 pounds of peas, oil, and cereal, which were stored in Djibouti and intended for distribution in Sudan and other countries in the Horn of Africa. A former senior official at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance told me that, by the time she’d left her job earlier this month, very little of the food seemed to have moved; one of the current USAID employees I spoke with confirmed her impression, though he noted that, in recent weeks, small shipments have begun leaving the Djibouti warehouse.
The food was ready. The need is desperate. The infrastructure existed. But the will to help? Gone.
\n\nThis isn’t just about policy. It’s about who we are as a country. Are we the kind of people who let food rot — or worse, burn it — while children starve? Every box of food destroyed is a child who could have eaten. Every ration torched is a symbol of just how far we’ve strayed.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/22/ozzy-osbourne-dies-at-76/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/07/22/ozzy-osbourne-dies-at-76/", "title": "Rest in peace Ozzy Osbourne", "date_published": "2025-07-22T03:10:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-07-22T03:10:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Ozzy](\"/assets/images/ozzy-osborne.jpg\")
Ozzy Osbourne - the Prince of Darkness has died at 76. Kory Grow writing for Rolling Stone:
\n\n\n\nOzzy Osbourne, the singular metal legend whose Black Sabbath virtually invented heavy metal and in later years became a reality TV pioneer, has died. He was 76.
\n\nOsbourne’s family confirmed his death in a statement shared with The Guardian. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they said. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.
RIP. Cue Iron Man up to 11 today.
\n", "content_html": "
Ozzy Osbourne - the Prince of Darkness has died at 76. Kory Grow writing for Rolling Stone:
\n\n\n\nOzzy Osbourne, the singular metal legend whose Black Sabbath virtually invented heavy metal and in later years became a reality TV pioneer, has died. He was 76.
\n\nOsbourne’s family confirmed his death in a statement shared with The Guardian. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they said. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.
RIP. Cue Iron Man up to 11 today.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/08/30/artificial-llight/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/08/30/artificial-llight/", "title": "Artificial light has lengthened birds' day", "date_published": "2025-08-30T02:16:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-08-30T02:16:52-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Bird](\"/assets/images/bird-days.png\")
Nell Greenfieldboyce reporting on All Things Considered podcast that Light pollution has lengthened birds’ days:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Their day is almost an hour longer. They start vocalizing about 20 minutes earlier in the morning and they stop vocalizing about 30 minutes later in the evening.
Nell Greenfieldboyce reporting on All Things Considered podcast that Light pollution has lengthened birds’ days:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/08/30/tax-the-rich-theyll-stay/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/08/30/tax-the-rich-theyll-stay/", "title": "Tax the Rich. They’ll Stay", "date_published": "2025-08-30T02:28:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-08-30T02:28:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Their day is almost an hour longer. They start vocalizing about 20 minutes earlier in the morning and they stop vocalizing about 30 minutes later in the evening.
![\"Tax](\"/assets/images/tax-the-rich.png\")
The ultrawealthy are threating to leave if Zohran Mamdani institutes 2% tax hike on New York’s millionaire class. Go ahead - leave. As Nia Law and Lindsay Owens states in a Rolling Stones commentary:
\n\n\n\nThe evidence for millionaire tax flight is scant. If high earners were truly fleeing high taxes, low-tax states would be swarming with millionaires. Instead, the highest concentrations of millionaires are found in high-tax states like Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey. And in these states, taxes levied on the highest earners have been broadly successful, with Massachusetts’ millionaire tax generating an additional $2 billion in revenue than expected in the last year alone.
Wealth has a way of clustering. The wealthy tend to settle in places that reflect their status while offering exclusivity, cultural depth, and financial stability.
\n\nWhat draws them in?
\n\nAt the end of the day, affluent individuals are drawn to cities that deliver safety, exclusivity, opportunity, and cultural prestige — places where wealth feels “at home” among peers.
\n\nAnd in the U.S., no city embodies all of those qualities more completely than New York City.
\n\nSo when it comes to taxing the rich? So when the wealthy threaten to leave? Let’s be honest — they’re not going anywhere.
\n", "content_html": "
The ultrawealthy are threating to leave if Zohran Mamdani institutes 2% tax hike on New York’s millionaire class. Go ahead - leave. As Nia Law and Lindsay Owens states in a Rolling Stones commentary:
\n\n\n\nThe evidence for millionaire tax flight is scant. If high earners were truly fleeing high taxes, low-tax states would be swarming with millionaires. Instead, the highest concentrations of millionaires are found in high-tax states like Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey. And in these states, taxes levied on the highest earners have been broadly successful, with Massachusetts’ millionaire tax generating an additional $2 billion in revenue than expected in the last year alone.
Wealth has a way of clustering. The wealthy tend to settle in places that reflect their status while offering exclusivity, cultural depth, and financial stability.
\n\nWhat draws them in?
\n\nAt the end of the day, affluent individuals are drawn to cities that deliver safety, exclusivity, opportunity, and cultural prestige — places where wealth feels “at home” among peers.
\n\nAnd in the U.S., no city embodies all of those qualities more completely than New York City.
\n\nSo when it comes to taxing the rich? So when the wealthy threaten to leave? Let’s be honest — they’re not going anywhere.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/03/the-persisters/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/03/the-persisters/", "title": "The Persisters", "date_published": "2025-09-03T00:30:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-03T00:30:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"The](\"/assets/images/persisters.png\")
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, British American artist Jo Hay began a series of engaging portraits called Persisters “that depict contemporary, trailblazing women in pursuit of civil rights and justice”. Pictured above are her paintings of Letitia James, Elizabeth Warren, Greta Thunberg, Christine Blasey Ford, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Marie Yovanovitch.
\n", "content_html": "
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, British American artist Jo Hay began a series of engaging portraits called Persisters “that depict contemporary, trailblazing women in pursuit of civil rights and justice”. Pictured above are her paintings of Letitia James, Elizabeth Warren, Greta Thunberg, Christine Blasey Ford, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Marie Yovanovitch.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/04/how-the-rich-avoid-taxes/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/04/how-the-rich-avoid-taxes/", "title": "How the rich avoid taxes", "date_published": "2025-09-04T00:39:33-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-04T00:39:33-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"How](\"/assets/images/rich-avoid-taxes.jpg\")
Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nIn the end, the top 400 Americans paid an estimated 23.8 percent of their income to Uncle Sam from 2018 to 2020—down from roughly 30 percent before the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in 2017. They paid 1.3 percent of their total wealth to the IRS in those years, down from 2.7 percent from 2010 to 2013. Their tax rates were lower than the average paid by all American households.
\n\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump’s signature first-term domestic-policy package, helped these billionaires keep more of their money. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer, extends the TCJA’s tax cuts, creates new business loopholes, and lowers taxes on estates. To help offset the revenue losses, the Trump administration is stripping health coverage from millions of low-income Americans and shrinking the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The rich, including Trump, will keep getting richer. The poor will pay for it.
And yet the poor proudly support Trump and his administration. Truly mind boggling.
\n", "content_html": "
Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic:
\n\n\n\nIn the end, the top 400 Americans paid an estimated 23.8 percent of their income to Uncle Sam from 2018 to 2020—down from roughly 30 percent before the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in 2017. They paid 1.3 percent of their total wealth to the IRS in those years, down from 2.7 percent from 2010 to 2013. Their tax rates were lower than the average paid by all American households.
\n\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump’s signature first-term domestic-policy package, helped these billionaires keep more of their money. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer, extends the TCJA’s tax cuts, creates new business loopholes, and lowers taxes on estates. To help offset the revenue losses, the Trump administration is stripping health coverage from millions of low-income Americans and shrinking the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The rich, including Trump, will keep getting richer. The poor will pay for it.
And yet the poor proudly support Trump and his administration. Truly mind boggling.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/05/have-yourself-a-white-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/05/have-yourself-a-white-day/", "title": "Have yourself a white day", "date_published": "2025-09-05T00:24:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-05T00:24:16-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Trump](\"/assets/images/cancer-cut-trump.png\")
The New York Times video features a number of scientists who were working on stuff like HIV treatments and life-saving cancer research but whose work has been shut down or curtailed by the Trump regime cutting their funding.
\n", "content_html": "
The New York Times video features a number of scientists who were working on stuff like HIV treatments and life-saving cancer research but whose work has been shut down or curtailed by the Trump regime cutting their funding.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/07/bernie-sanders-kennedy-must-resign/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/07/bernie-sanders-kennedy-must-resign/", "title": "Bernie Sanders: Kennedy Must Resign", "date_published": "2025-09-07T00:59:10-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-07T00:59:10-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Bernie](\"/assets/images/bernie-kennedy.png\")
Bernie Sanders, in a NYT op-ed:
\n\n\n\nRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, is endangering the health of the American people now and into the future. He must resign.
\n\nMr. Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again. That’s a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have done exactly the opposite.
Powerful and to the point. Sanders, unlike the nine former CDC directors whose joint op-ed ran the next day, doesn’t pull punches. But there’s no point demanding Kennedy resign, because he won’t. Sanders, and the rest of us, should call on Trump to fire him. The buck stops with Trump. Trump fires his appointees all the time. Almost no one lasted long in the Trump 1.0 administration, and it’s unlikely anyone will last long in the Trump 2.0 administration. (Including, perhaps, Trump himself, who is clearly unwell.) Kennedy ought to be the first to go.
\n\nTrump smells it too, hence this “both sides” post on his blog this morning. Public opinion is strongly against this abject vaccine quackery.
\n", "content_html": "
Bernie Sanders, in a NYT op-ed:
\n\n\n\nRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, is endangering the health of the American people now and into the future. He must resign.
\n\nMr. Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again. That’s a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have done exactly the opposite.
Powerful and to the point. Sanders, unlike the nine former CDC directors whose joint op-ed ran the next day, doesn’t pull punches. But there’s no point demanding Kennedy resign, because he won’t. Sanders, and the rest of us, should call on Trump to fire him. The buck stops with Trump. Trump fires his appointees all the time. Almost no one lasted long in the Trump 1.0 administration, and it’s unlikely anyone will last long in the Trump 2.0 administration. (Including, perhaps, Trump himself, who is clearly unwell.) Kennedy ought to be the first to go.
\n\nTrump smells it too, hence this “both sides” post on his blog this morning. Public opinion is strongly against this abject vaccine quackery.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/08/florida-dcluttering-itself-of-excess-kids/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/08/florida-dcluttering-itself-of-excess-kids/", "title": "Florida decluttering itself of excess kids", "date_published": "2025-09-08T02:29:29-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-08T02:29:29-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Florida](\"/assets/images/florida-eliminate-vac.jpg\")
Alexandra Petri reporting in The Atlantic on Florida’s elimination of vaccine mandates:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Florida is the first state to take the courageous step toward decluttering itself of excess children, but under the inexpert guidance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., other states may follow. If we lose herd immunity, we will bring back diseases that had formerly been eliminated, and some children who would otherwise have been protected will perish. But no price is too high to pay in this pointless war against decades of lifesaving science. Confusingly, this effort is being taken up at the same time that people are very concerned about dropping birth rates, but it makes sense when you understand that they don’t like the children we currently have. They want us to make other ones instead.
Alexandra Petri reporting in The Atlantic on Florida’s elimination of vaccine mandates:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/10/wake-up-dead-man/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/10/wake-up-dead-man/", "title": "Wake Up Dead Man", "date_published": "2025-09-10T08:58:42-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-10T08:58:42-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Florida is the first state to take the courageous step toward decluttering itself of excess children, but under the inexpert guidance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., other states may follow. If we lose herd immunity, we will bring back diseases that had formerly been eliminated, and some children who would otherwise have been protected will perish. But no price is too high to pay in this pointless war against decades of lifesaving science. Confusingly, this effort is being taken up at the same time that people are very concerned about dropping birth rates, but it makes sense when you understand that they don’t like the children we currently have. They want us to make other ones instead.
\nThe trailer for Wake Up Dead Man, the new Knives Out movie.
\n\nBenoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
The trailer for Wake Up Dead Man, the new Knives Out movie.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThe trailer for Wake Up Dead Man, the new Knives Out movie.
\n\nBenoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
The trailer for Wake Up Dead Man, the new Knives Out movie.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/16/quote-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/16/quote-of-the-day/", "title": "quote of the day", "date_published": "2025-09-16T08:32:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-16T08:32:30-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "Now at this last we must take a hard road, a road unforeseen. There lies our hope, if hope it be.
\n\nTolkien JRR. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1). HarperCollins UK
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/25/will-farrells-speech-as-geroge-w-bush/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/09/25/will-farrells-speech-as-geroge-w-bush/", "title": "Will Farrell's Speech as Geroge W. Bush", "date_published": "2025-09-25T21:36:22-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-09-25T21:36:22-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Now at this last we must take a hard road, a road unforeseen. There lies our hope, if hope it be.
\n\nTolkien JRR. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1). HarperCollins UK
\nThis is still spot on…
\nThis is still spot on…
![\"Apple](\"/assets/images/intel-apple.png\")
Ryan Gould and Liana Baker, reporting for Bloomberg:
\n\n\n\nIntel Corp. has approached Apple Inc. about securing an investment in the ailing chipmaker, according to people familiar with the matter, part of efforts to bolster a business that’s now partially owned by the US government.
\n\nApple and Intel also have discussed how to work more closely together, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The talks have been early-stage and may not lead to an agreement, the people said.
I have no idea would Intel could offer Apple. There is no way Apple is going back to Intel x86. And Intel’s fabrication capabilities can’t come close to TSMC for fabricating Apple’s own chip designs. This makes for some great tech gossip - but it is not going anywhere.
\n", "content_html": "
Ryan Gould and Liana Baker, reporting for Bloomberg:
\n\n\n\nIntel Corp. has approached Apple Inc. about securing an investment in the ailing chipmaker, according to people familiar with the matter, part of efforts to bolster a business that’s now partially owned by the US government.
\n\nApple and Intel also have discussed how to work more closely together, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The talks have been early-stage and may not lead to an agreement, the people said.
I have no idea would Intel could offer Apple. There is no way Apple is going back to Intel x86. And Intel’s fabrication capabilities can’t come close to TSMC for fabricating Apple’s own chip designs. This makes for some great tech gossip - but it is not going anywhere.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/14/the-ai-circle-jerk/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/14/the-ai-circle-jerk/", "title": "The AI Circle Jerk", "date_published": "2025-10-14T22:17:36-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-10-14T22:17:36-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"\"](\"/assets/images/ai-circle-jerk.png\")
Donald Trump on his blog:
\n\n\n\nTHE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6. If this is so, which it is, a lot of very good people will be owed big apologies. What a SCAM - DO SOMETHING!!! President DJT
The man is obviously unwell.
\n", "content_html": "Donald Trump on his blog:
\n\n\n\nTHE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6. If this is so, which it is, a lot of very good people will be owed big apologies. What a SCAM - DO SOMETHING!!! President DJT
The man is obviously unwell.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/15/plant-the-fucking-tree/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/15/plant-the-fucking-tree/", "title": "Plant the f*cking tree", "date_published": "2025-10-15T04:45:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-10-15T04:45:55-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Dave Snyder writing for Design Observer:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "I’ve been designing digital products for 25 years. I remember when the big decision was going from 800×600 to 1024 pixels. I’ve lived through multiple cycles of VR hype, watched the web go from static pages to social networks to AI everything. I’ve launched products that failed spectacularly and others that succeeded for reasons no one predicted.
\n\nTrees don’t pay off tomorrow. They pay off in a decade. They compound quietly, making everything around them better, shade, value, beauty, longevity. Most products? We treat them like shrubs. Plant twenty features, hope one sticks. Feature bloat dressed up as “innovation.” It’s impatient, and it’s stupid.
\n\nThe smarter play is restraint. Plant the tree. Solve the one core problem. Put the craft in. Then let time and real user behavior do the work.
Dave Snyder writing for Design Observer:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/15/maria-corina-machado-wins-the-nobel-peace-prize/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/10/15/maria-corina-machado-wins-the-nobel-peace-prize/", "title": "María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize", "date_published": "2025-10-15T04:53:01-04:00", "date_modified": "2025-10-15T04:53:01-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "I’ve been designing digital products for 25 years. I remember when the big decision was going from 800×600 to 1024 pixels. I’ve lived through multiple cycles of VR hype, watched the web go from static pages to social networks to AI everything. I’ve launched products that failed spectacularly and others that succeeded for reasons no one predicted.
\n\nTrees don’t pay off tomorrow. They pay off in a decade. They compound quietly, making everything around them better, shade, value, beauty, longevity. Most products? We treat them like shrubs. Plant twenty features, hope one sticks. Feature bloat dressed up as “innovation.” It’s impatient, and it’s stupid.
\n\nThe smarter play is restraint. Plant the tree. Solve the one core problem. Put the craft in. Then let time and real user behavior do the work.
![\"María](\"/assets/images/maria-corina.png\")
Opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
\n\n\n", "content_html": "When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/02/its-just-tech/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/02/its-just-tech/", "title": "It's just tech", "date_published": "2025-11-02T23:12:42-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-02T23:12:42-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.
Anil Dash sums up my feelings on the AI bubble perfectly:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "What’s amazing is the reality that virtually 100% of tech experts I talk to in the industry feel this way, yet nobody outside of that cohort will mention this reality. What we all want is for people to just treat AI as a “normal technology”, as Arvind Naryanan and Sayash Kapoor so perfectly put it. I might be a little more angry and a little less eloquent: stop being so goddamn creepy and weird about the technology! It’s just tech, everything doesn’t have to become some weird religion that you beat people over the head with, or gamble the entire stock market on.
Anil Dash sums up my feelings on the AI bubble perfectly:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/12/eight-things-i-learned/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/12/eight-things-i-learned/", "title": "eight things I learned", "date_published": "2025-11-12T23:37:48-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-12T23:37:48-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What’s amazing is the reality that virtually 100% of tech experts I talk to in the industry feel this way, yet nobody outside of that cohort will mention this reality. What we all want is for people to just treat AI as a “normal technology”, as Arvind Naryanan and Sayash Kapoor so perfectly put it. I might be a little more angry and a little less eloquent: stop being so goddamn creepy and weird about the technology! It’s just tech, everything doesn’t have to become some weird religion that you beat people over the head with, or gamble the entire stock market on.
Thor Pedersen on the lessons he learned on his epic nearly decade long trip - and the one thing that struck me the most - what you want and what you need are not the same thing:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "Just about anything can become routine and begin to feel like work – even travelling to every country in the world. It is rare for people to travel constantly for much more than a year because it wears the soul; most long-term travellers return home exhausted to reflect and recharge.
\n\nI pushed myself for nearly a decade. Buses, trains, boats, people, food, unpacking, packing, embassies, borders, bureaucracy – a long tunnel of countries. I hit a wall after about two years, but had to push through it to reach my goal. I learned the difference between what I want and what I need. I learned to live on a rock and how to engage in conversation with absolutely anyone. Once I returned home, I realised the only things that had kept their value were the relationships and conversations I had had. Everything else seemed perishable.
Thor Pedersen on the lessons he learned on his epic nearly decade long trip - and the one thing that struck me the most - what you want and what you need are not the same thing:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/12/low-skilled-worker-is-a-myth/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/12/low-skilled-worker-is-a-myth/", "title": "Low skilled worker is a myth", "date_published": "2025-11-12T23:49:02-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-12T23:49:02-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Just about anything can become routine and begin to feel like work – even travelling to every country in the world. It is rare for people to travel constantly for much more than a year because it wears the soul; most long-term travellers return home exhausted to reflect and recharge.
\n\nI pushed myself for nearly a decade. Buses, trains, boats, people, food, unpacking, packing, embassies, borders, bureaucracy – a long tunnel of countries. I hit a wall after about two years, but had to push through it to reach my goal. I learned the difference between what I want and what I need. I learned to live on a rock and how to engage in conversation with absolutely anyone. Once I returned home, I realised the only things that had kept their value were the relationships and conversations I had had. Everything else seemed perishable.
![\"Low](\"/assets/images/low-skill-worker.jpg\")
Rachel Moody in an Opinion piece for The Daily Tar Heel:
\n\n\n\nPart of that is due to the false perception that these minimum wage jobs are low-skill. But they’re not low-skill. They simply require different skills, ones that not just anyone possesses. I dare anyone who thinks so to work a service job for a few months. They’ll quickly realize it’s not just common sense, nor as easy as they think.
Important to remember that every person who does a job deserves our respect.
\n", "content_html": "
Rachel Moody in an Opinion piece for The Daily Tar Heel:
\n\n\n\nPart of that is due to the false perception that these minimum wage jobs are low-skill. But they’re not low-skill. They simply require different skills, ones that not just anyone possesses. I dare anyone who thinks so to work a service job for a few months. They’ll quickly realize it’s not just common sense, nor as easy as they think.
Important to remember that every person who does a job deserves our respect.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/15/i-skied-down-mount-everest/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/15/i-skied-down-mount-everest/", "title": "I Skied Down Mount Everest", "date_published": "2025-11-15T17:17:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-15T17:17:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\nSki mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel becomes the first person to climb Mount Everest and ski back to Everest Base Camp without supplementary oxygen. After nearly 16 hours climbing in the high altitude “death zone” (above 8,000m where oxygen levels are dangerously low), Bargiel clipped into his skis on the summit of the tallest mountain on earth and started his descent via the South Col Route. He reached Camp II that night and rested - the summit ridge and Hillary Step had taken longer than planned, meaning darkness made it dangerous and difficult to navigate further that day. The next morning, he skied through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall - guided by a drone flown by his brother, Bartek - before safely arriving at Base Camp to become the first person to ascend and descend Mount Everest on skis with no supplementary oxygen.
What an absolute madman. This deserves a full two-hour film filled with all the highs and lows. From the overhead shots it looks effortless, but when you see Andrzej’s GoPro footage, he’s struggling to breathe and constantly coughing. It’s somehow one of the most peaceful and most terrifying videos I’ve ever watched.
\n", "content_html": "\n\nSki mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel becomes the first person to climb Mount Everest and ski back to Everest Base Camp without supplementary oxygen. After nearly 16 hours climbing in the high altitude “death zone” (above 8,000m where oxygen levels are dangerously low), Bargiel clipped into his skis on the summit of the tallest mountain on earth and started his descent via the South Col Route. He reached Camp II that night and rested - the summit ridge and Hillary Step had taken longer than planned, meaning darkness made it dangerous and difficult to navigate further that day. The next morning, he skied through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall - guided by a drone flown by his brother, Bartek - before safely arriving at Base Camp to become the first person to ascend and descend Mount Everest on skis with no supplementary oxygen.
What an absolute madman. This deserves a full two-hour film filled with all the highs and lows. From the overhead shots it looks effortless, but when you see Andrzej’s GoPro footage, he’s struggling to breathe and constantly coughing. It’s somehow one of the most peaceful and most terrifying videos I’ve ever watched.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/16/quote-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/16/quote-of-the-day/", "title": "Quote of the Day", "date_published": "2025-11-16T22:39:47-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-16T22:39:47-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n", "content_html": "Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
\n\n
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/16/history-of-japan/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/16/history-of-japan/", "title": "History of Japan", "date_published": "2025-11-16T22:46:17-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-16T22:46:17-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
\n\n
\nBill Wurtz’s History of Japan is the most entertaining history of anything I have ever seen.
\nBill Wurtz’s History of Japan is the most entertaining history of anything I have ever seen.
![\"Cook](\"/assets/images/cook-leaving.png\")
The Financial Times reporting:
\n\n\n\nApple is stepping up its succession planning efforts, as it prepares for Tim Cook to step down as chief executive as soon as next year. Several people familiar with discussions inside the tech group told the Financial Times that its board and senior executives have recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins at the $4tn company after more than 14 years.
\n\nJohn Ternus, Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware engineering, is widely seen as Cook’s most likely successor, although no final decisions have been made, these people said.
\n\nPeople close to Apple say the long-planned transition is not related to the company’s current performance, ahead of what is expected to be a blockbuster end-of-year sales period for the iPhone. […]
\n\nThe company is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, which covers the critical holiday period. An announcement early in the year would give its new leadership team time to settle in ahead of its big annual keynote events, its developer conference in June and its iPhone launch in September, the people said. These people said that although preparations have intensified, the timing of any announcement could change.
I absolutely love the idea of Cook’s successor being a product person like Ternus, and Ternus is young enough — 50, the same age Cook was in 2011 when he took the reins from Steve Jobs — to hold the job for a long stretch. Ternus took over iPhone hardware engineering in 2020, and was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering in January 2021, when Dan Riccio stepped aside. Apple’s hardware, across all product lines and including silicon, has been exemplary under Ternus’s leadership. And Ternus clearly loves and understands the Mac.
\n\nI would also bet that Cook moves into the role of executive chairman, and will still play a significant, if not leading, role for the company when it comes to domestic and international politics. Especially with regard to Trump.
\n", "content_html": "
The Financial Times reporting:
\n\n\n\nApple is stepping up its succession planning efforts, as it prepares for Tim Cook to step down as chief executive as soon as next year. Several people familiar with discussions inside the tech group told the Financial Times that its board and senior executives have recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins at the $4tn company after more than 14 years.
\n\nJohn Ternus, Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware engineering, is widely seen as Cook’s most likely successor, although no final decisions have been made, these people said.
\n\nPeople close to Apple say the long-planned transition is not related to the company’s current performance, ahead of what is expected to be a blockbuster end-of-year sales period for the iPhone. […]
\n\nThe company is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, which covers the critical holiday period. An announcement early in the year would give its new leadership team time to settle in ahead of its big annual keynote events, its developer conference in June and its iPhone launch in September, the people said. These people said that although preparations have intensified, the timing of any announcement could change.
I absolutely love the idea of Cook’s successor being a product person like Ternus, and Ternus is young enough — 50, the same age Cook was in 2011 when he took the reins from Steve Jobs — to hold the job for a long stretch. Ternus took over iPhone hardware engineering in 2020, and was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering in January 2021, when Dan Riccio stepped aside. Apple’s hardware, across all product lines and including silicon, has been exemplary under Ternus’s leadership. And Ternus clearly loves and understands the Mac.
\n\nI would also bet that Cook moves into the role of executive chairman, and will still play a significant, if not leading, role for the company when it comes to domestic and international politics. Especially with regard to Trump.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/17/the-tallest-church/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/17/the-tallest-church/", "title": "The tallest church ", "date_published": "2025-11-17T12:20:55-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-17T12:20:55-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThe Sagrada Família has become the tallest church in the world, after workers placed the first part of a cross at the top of its central tower. The Barcelona church will top 564 feet when the rest of the cross is placed in the next few months.
\nThe Sagrada Família has become the tallest church in the world, after workers placed the first part of a cross at the top of its central tower. The Barcelona church will top 564 feet when the rest of the cross is placed in the next few months.
Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, began a new campaign on Wednesday that he called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You\".
\n\nFrom the Department of Transportation website:
\n\n\n\nSecretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible:
\n\n\n
\n- Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?
\n- Are you dressing with respect?
\n- Are you keeping control of your children and helping them through the airport?
\n- Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants?
\n- Are you saying please and thank you in general?
\n
We can start with the guy at the top.
\n", "content_html": "Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, began a new campaign on Wednesday that he called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You\".
\n\nFrom the Department of Transportation website:
\n\n\n\nSecretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible:
\n\n\n
\n- Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?
\n- Are you dressing with respect?
\n- Are you keeping control of your children and helping them through the airport?
\n- Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants?
\n- Are you saying please and thank you in general?
\n
We can start with the guy at the top.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/26/thoughts-and-prayers/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/26/thoughts-and-prayers/", "title": "Thoughts and Prayers", "date_published": "2025-11-26T22:16:01-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-26T22:16:01-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nThis is the trailer for an HBO documentary called Thoughts and Prayers about “the impact of the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry on schools and communities across America”.
From David Ehrlich’s review in IndieWire:
\n\n\n\nBulletproof desks that students can flip over at the first sign of trouble. A robot dog the size of a Pomeranian that jumps and yaps at the sight of an intruder. Inflatable body armor light enough for a first grader to blow up and hide behind. These are just a few of the more sensible products that are on display in the opening moments of Zackary Canepari and Jessica Dimmock’s utterly damning “Thoughts & Prayers” — the least farcical selection of props that contribute to America’s burgeoning active shooter defense industry, which now grosses more than three billion dollars per year.
\n\nOf course, that’s a small price to pay for the laughably transparent illusion that we’re taking any meaningful steps toward protecting our kids from being slaughtered in their classrooms. In a crumbling empire where common sense has been eroded by ideology, and the political will to solve a problem can’t hope to compete with the ghoulish impulse to profit from it, creating a new business sector might just be the only kind of healing that the richest country on Earth can afford.
Its is disgusting that we think this is an acceptable way to live in America.
\n", "content_html": "
\nThis is the trailer for an HBO documentary called Thoughts and Prayers about “the impact of the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry on schools and communities across America”.
From David Ehrlich’s review in IndieWire:
\n\n\n\nBulletproof desks that students can flip over at the first sign of trouble. A robot dog the size of a Pomeranian that jumps and yaps at the sight of an intruder. Inflatable body armor light enough for a first grader to blow up and hide behind. These are just a few of the more sensible products that are on display in the opening moments of Zackary Canepari and Jessica Dimmock’s utterly damning “Thoughts & Prayers” — the least farcical selection of props that contribute to America’s burgeoning active shooter defense industry, which now grosses more than three billion dollars per year.
\n\nOf course, that’s a small price to pay for the laughably transparent illusion that we’re taking any meaningful steps toward protecting our kids from being slaughtered in their classrooms. In a crumbling empire where common sense has been eroded by ideology, and the political will to solve a problem can’t hope to compete with the ghoulish impulse to profit from it, creating a new business sector might just be the only kind of healing that the richest country on Earth can afford.
Its is disgusting that we think this is an acceptable way to live in America.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/29/six-hundered-thousand-and-counting/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/11/29/six-hundered-thousand-and-counting/", "title": "Six hundered thousand and counting", "date_published": "2025-11-29T03:52:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-11-29T03:52:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Atul](\"/assets/images/gawande-usaid.png\")
Atul Gawande of Harvard’s School of Public Healt on the effects of the Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID):
\n\n\n", "content_html": "In the article, Gawande cited an analysis in The Lancet that estimated that USAID assistance—aimed at combatting diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio, reducing maternal and child deaths, and fighting malnutrition—had saved 92 million lives over two decades.
\n\nThe dismantling of USAID, according to models from Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols, “has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children,” Gawande wrote. He noted that the toll will continue to grow and may go unseen because it can take months or years for people to die from lack of treatments or vaccine-preventable illnesses—and because deaths are scattered.
\n\n“We are now witnessing what the historian Richard Rhodes termed ‘public man-made death,’” Gawande wrote.
Atul Gawande of Harvard’s School of Public Healt on the effects of the Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID):
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/04/cash-giving/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/04/cash-giving/", "title": "Cash Giving", "date_published": "2025-12-04T00:55:32-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-04T00:55:32-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "In the article, Gawande cited an analysis in The Lancet that estimated that USAID assistance—aimed at combatting diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio, reducing maternal and child deaths, and fighting malnutrition—had saved 92 million lives over two decades.
\n\nThe dismantling of USAID, according to models from Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols, “has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children,” Gawande wrote. He noted that the toll will continue to grow and may go unseen because it can take months or years for people to die from lack of treatments or vaccine-preventable illnesses—and because deaths are scattered.
\n\n“We are now witnessing what the historian Richard Rhodes termed ‘public man-made death,’” Gawande wrote.
\nAt first glance, it may seem counterintuitive, but research consistently shows that giving people cash is far more transformative than providing services. And when you think about it, that makes perfect sense. How can those who are wealthy truly understand the daily challenges faced by people living in poverty?
Well-intentioned donors may assume that better schools, more supplies, or job-training programs are obviously helpful. But the reality is that much of the funding for these services never reaches the communities it’s meant to support—it flows instead to the business owners and organizations providing the services. Meanwhile, when people in poverty receive cash, they spend it locally, supporting neighborhood businesses and strengthening their own communities.
\n\nIt’s similar to giving tax breaks to the wealthy: the money doesn’t make its way back to Main Street. Affluent individuals aren’t spending at local diners—they’re booking tables at Michelin-star restaurants. They’re not shopping at local stores—they’re buying luxury goods from high-end retailers.
\n\nMoney circulates in the communities that already have it. Trickle-down economics doesn’t work at the national level, and trickle-down philanthropy doesn’t work either.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAt first glance, it may seem counterintuitive, but research consistently shows that giving people cash is far more transformative than providing services. And when you think about it, that makes perfect sense. How can those who are wealthy truly understand the daily challenges faced by people living in poverty?
Well-intentioned donors may assume that better schools, more supplies, or job-training programs are obviously helpful. But the reality is that much of the funding for these services never reaches the communities it’s meant to support—it flows instead to the business owners and organizations providing the services. Meanwhile, when people in poverty receive cash, they spend it locally, supporting neighborhood businesses and strengthening their own communities.
\n\nIt’s similar to giving tax breaks to the wealthy: the money doesn’t make its way back to Main Street. Affluent individuals aren’t spending at local diners—they’re booking tables at Michelin-star restaurants. They’re not shopping at local stores—they’re buying luxury goods from high-end retailers.
\n\nMoney circulates in the communities that already have it. Trickle-down economics doesn’t work at the national level, and trickle-down philanthropy doesn’t work either.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/06/i-wouldnt-be-in-this-situation/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/06/i-wouldnt-be-in-this-situation/", "title": "I wouldn’t be in this situation", "date_published": "2025-12-06T02:01:16-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-06T02:01:16-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Cook](\"/assets/images/cook-privacy.jpg\")
At a town hall event in 2018 hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Recode’s Kara Swisher:
\n\n\n\nWhen asked what he would do if he were in Zuckerberg’s position, Cook replied: “What would I do? I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
\n\n“The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product,” Cook said. “We’ve elected not to do that.”
\n\n“Privacy to us is a human right. It’s a civil liberty, and something that is unique to America. This is like freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” Cook said. “Privacy is right up there with that for us.”
Apple does have the best privacy record of any of the FANG companies to date.
\n", "content_html": "
At a town hall event in 2018 hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Recode’s Kara Swisher:
\n\n\n\nWhen asked what he would do if he were in Zuckerberg’s position, Cook replied: “What would I do? I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
\n\n“The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product,” Cook said. “We’ve elected not to do that.”
\n\n“Privacy to us is a human right. It’s a civil liberty, and something that is unique to America. This is like freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” Cook said. “Privacy is right up there with that for us.”
Apple does have the best privacy record of any of the FANG companies to date.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/06/gen-x-the-greatest-generation/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/06/gen-x-the-greatest-generation/", "title": "Gen X - the greatest generation", "date_published": "2025-12-06T02:15:51-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-06T02:15:51-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Gen](\"/assets/images/gen-x.png\")
\n\nYet Gen X isn’t just a time period; it’s also, as Rushkoff writes in “The GenX Reader,” “a culture, a demographic, an outlook, a style, an economy, a scene, a political ideology, an aesthetic, an age, a decade and a literature.” It’s a moment, a mood, an ethos and an enduring way of being, the hallmark characteristics of which — anticorporatism, anti-authoritarianism, ironic detachment, artistic independence, an existential horror of selling out and a live-and-let-live philosophy of life — feel like the antidote to a lot of what’s currently wrong in our culture. Lately, I’ve noticed that whenever I recount stories of my youth, the response is one of intense yearning, especially from young people, who never knew that mythical time before social media turned everyone into mirror stars and ruined social life.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWithout doomscrolling, texting, emailing, online shopping, tweeting or posting, there seemed to be eons to fill. I remember lying on my carpeted bedroom floor, waiting for a particular song to come on the radio so I could record it. I remember long afternoons spent reading books that were far too adult for me, like “The Thorn Birds” (1977) or the “Flowers in the Attic” series (1979-87). “You had to figure out a way to keep yourself entertained,” says Molly Ringwald, 57, the queen of Gen X films, who starred in “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” (1986). “I was always creating or collaging or putting outfits together, singing, dancing. I didn’t have this little box to distract me.” Our focus wasn’t fractured, our attention spans hadn’t yet been destroyed. “You were always just working on your next script or your next idea — it’s not like the level of distraction now, and just being spread so thin,” says the director Gregg Araki, 65, who’s best known for the films in his queer “Teen Apocalypse” trilogy — “Totally F***ed Up” (1994), “The Doom Generation” (1995) and “Nowhere” (1997) — and who still doesn’t use social media.
As a Gen X’er—class of 1974—this is exactly why things felt different. We had the time and space to solve our own problems, to pick up instruments and actually learn them, to be fully present with our friends. Most importantly, we had the luxury of being bored. We could experience the world through our own eyes, without a million influencers telling us who we should be.
\n\nGen X - the last generation to live life on its own terms.
\n", "content_html": "
\n\nYet Gen X isn’t just a time period; it’s also, as Rushkoff writes in “The GenX Reader,” “a culture, a demographic, an outlook, a style, an economy, a scene, a political ideology, an aesthetic, an age, a decade and a literature.” It’s a moment, a mood, an ethos and an enduring way of being, the hallmark characteristics of which — anticorporatism, anti-authoritarianism, ironic detachment, artistic independence, an existential horror of selling out and a live-and-let-live philosophy of life — feel like the antidote to a lot of what’s currently wrong in our culture. Lately, I’ve noticed that whenever I recount stories of my youth, the response is one of intense yearning, especially from young people, who never knew that mythical time before social media turned everyone into mirror stars and ruined social life.
\n\n[…]
\n\nWithout doomscrolling, texting, emailing, online shopping, tweeting or posting, there seemed to be eons to fill. I remember lying on my carpeted bedroom floor, waiting for a particular song to come on the radio so I could record it. I remember long afternoons spent reading books that were far too adult for me, like “The Thorn Birds” (1977) or the “Flowers in the Attic” series (1979-87). “You had to figure out a way to keep yourself entertained,” says Molly Ringwald, 57, the queen of Gen X films, who starred in “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” (1986). “I was always creating or collaging or putting outfits together, singing, dancing. I didn’t have this little box to distract me.” Our focus wasn’t fractured, our attention spans hadn’t yet been destroyed. “You were always just working on your next script or your next idea — it’s not like the level of distraction now, and just being spread so thin,” says the director Gregg Araki, 65, who’s best known for the films in his queer “Teen Apocalypse” trilogy — “Totally F***ed Up” (1994), “The Doom Generation” (1995) and “Nowhere” (1997) — and who still doesn’t use social media.
As a Gen X’er—class of 1974—this is exactly why things felt different. We had the time and space to solve our own problems, to pick up instruments and actually learn them, to be fully present with our friends. Most importantly, we had the luxury of being bored. We could experience the world through our own eyes, without a million influencers telling us who we should be.
\n\nGen X - the last generation to live life on its own terms.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/07/star-wars-the-original-theatrical-cut/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/07/star-wars-the-original-theatrical-cut/", "title": "Star Wars - the original theatrical cut ", "date_published": "2025-12-07T22:31:54-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-07T22:31:54-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Star](\"/assets/images/star-wars.jpg\")
For its 50th anniversary, the original theatrical cut of Star Wars is set to return to theaters on February 17, 2027—possibly even in IMAX. Han shoots first, there’s no awkward CGI Jabba, no added “Saturn-style” rings around the Death Star. Even Mos Eisley has been restored to its original, analog wretched hive of scum and villainy.
\n\nThe only remaining question: Will this re-release drop the “Episode IV: A New Hope” subtitle?
\n", "content_html": "
For its 50th anniversary, the original theatrical cut of Star Wars is set to return to theaters on February 17, 2027—possibly even in IMAX. Han shoots first, there’s no awkward CGI Jabba, no added “Saturn-style” rings around the Death Star. Even Mos Eisley has been restored to its original, analog wretched hive of scum and villainy.
\n\nThe only remaining question: Will this re-release drop the “Episode IV: A New Hope” subtitle?
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/11/creating-a-centralised-national-police-agency/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/11/creating-a-centralised-national-police-agency/", "title": "What comes next?", "date_published": "2025-12-11T02:53:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-11T02:53:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Ice](\"/assets/images/ice-trump.jpg\")
Timothy Snyder Trump’s likely next step:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "What comes next? For the Nazis, the deportation and the pogrom of autumn 1938 were steps towards creating a centralised national police agency. In the US, something similar is unfolding with ICE: tasked initially to carry out deportations, it has taken on espionage roles, provoked citizens in the cities, and then is reinforced by soldiers of the National Guard. In these respects it is becoming something like a national police force, with ideological propaganda and connection to part of the armed services.
\n\nIn one way, mass deportations and a national pogrom advanced the Nazi regime change. But this kind of instability was unpopular inside Germany – much as ICE raids are unpopular in US cities. The radical next steps were only possible under cover of war. That would be the classic next step in the regime change, the easy way to eliminate the internal enemy by identifying him with an external enemy. For Trump, a war with Venezuela (or someone) would be the next logical move in domestic politics.
\n\nIt is not hard to see that Trump understands this, given all the militaristic talk and the murder of civilians in the Caribbean, including survivors killed in obvious violation of the law.
Timothy Snyder Trump’s likely next step:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/14/quote-of-the-day/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/14/quote-of-the-day/", "title": "Quote of the Day", "date_published": "2025-12-14T00:52:48-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-14T00:52:48-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "What comes next? For the Nazis, the deportation and the pogrom of autumn 1938 were steps towards creating a centralised national police agency. In the US, something similar is unfolding with ICE: tasked initially to carry out deportations, it has taken on espionage roles, provoked citizens in the cities, and then is reinforced by soldiers of the National Guard. In these respects it is becoming something like a national police force, with ideological propaganda and connection to part of the armed services.
\n\nIn one way, mass deportations and a national pogrom advanced the Nazi regime change. But this kind of instability was unpopular inside Germany – much as ICE raids are unpopular in US cities. The radical next steps were only possible under cover of war. That would be the classic next step in the regime change, the easy way to eliminate the internal enemy by identifying him with an external enemy. For Trump, a war with Venezuela (or someone) would be the next logical move in domestic politics.
\n\nIt is not hard to see that Trump understands this, given all the militaristic talk and the murder of civilians in the Caribbean, including survivors killed in obvious violation of the law.
\n", "content_html": "If we lose the virile, manly qualities, and sink into a nation of mere hucksters, putting gain over national honor, and subordinating everything to mere ease of life, then we shall indeed reach a condition worse than that of the ancient civilizations in the years of their decay.
\n\n
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/17/one-tolkien-line-to-rule-them-all/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/17/one-tolkien-line-to-rule-them-all/", "title": "His own hands to use", "date_published": "2025-12-17T02:16:18-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-17T02:16:18-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "If we lose the virile, manly qualities, and sink into a nation of mere hucksters, putting gain over national honor, and subordinating everything to mere ease of life, then we shall indeed reach a condition worse than that of the ancient civilizations in the years of their decay.
\n\n
\nSamwise Gamgee in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, specifically when the Ring tempts him with visions of power, offering to make him a great gardener-king over Mordor. Sam resists by recognizing his true desire: a simple life in a small garden, showing his humble, hobbit-sense and contentment, a key theme in Tolkien’s work about ordinary folk keeping darkness at bay:
\n\nHe knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.
A heart of gratitude is the key to lasting happiness.
\n", "content_html": "
\nSamwise Gamgee in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, specifically when the Ring tempts him with visions of power, offering to make him a great gardener-king over Mordor. Sam resists by recognizing his true desire: a simple life in a small garden, showing his humble, hobbit-sense and contentment, a key theme in Tolkien’s work about ordinary folk keeping darkness at bay:
\n\nHe knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.
A heart of gratitude is the key to lasting happiness.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/20/chinas-clean-energy-push/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/20/chinas-clean-energy-push/", "title": "China's Clean Energy Push", "date_published": "2025-12-20T04:54:50-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-20T04:54:50-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"China](\"/assets/images/china-clean-push.jpg\")
China has flying 2-seater taxis, launch delivery drones, bullet trains and robots that can change EV battery in 3 minutes. The United States answer to this:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "
China has flying 2-seater taxis, launch delivery drones, bullet trains and robots that can change EV battery in 3 minutes. The United States answer to this:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/23/apples-procesor-architectures/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/23/apples-procesor-architectures/", "title": "Apple's Procesor Architectures", "date_published": "2025-12-23T23:25:21-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-23T23:25:21-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Apple](\"/assets/images/apple-cpu-transition.jpg\")
Cameron McKay via Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\nIt strikes me that Apple changes CPU architectures (68K → PowerPC → Intel → ARM) more often than identity fonts. They’d sooner re-engineer their products’ deepest technical building blocks than change typefaces. I suspect that’s rare among tech companies.
This is Apple’s real secret weapon: constant evolution. They understand how quickly the technology landscape shifts, so they’ve architected change directly into the core of their infrastructure.
\n\nI can’t think of another major tech company that operates this way. Microsoft, for the most part, is still anchored to x86. It’s been roughly 47 years since Intel introduced the 8086. In that same span, Apple has moved through five major architectures—from the 6502 all the way to its own custom ARM-based silicon.
\n", "content_html": "
Cameron McKay via Daring Fireball:
\n\n\n\nIt strikes me that Apple changes CPU architectures (68K → PowerPC → Intel → ARM) more often than identity fonts. They’d sooner re-engineer their products’ deepest technical building blocks than change typefaces. I suspect that’s rare among tech companies.
This is Apple’s real secret weapon: constant evolution. They understand how quickly the technology landscape shifts, so they’ve architected change directly into the core of their infrastructure.
\n\nI can’t think of another major tech company that operates this way. Microsoft, for the most part, is still anchored to x86. It’s been roughly 47 years since Intel introduced the 8086. In that same span, Apple has moved through five major architectures—from the 6502 all the way to its own custom ARM-based silicon.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/30/homework-machine/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/30/homework-machine/", "title": "Homework Machine", "date_published": "2025-12-30T01:23:48-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-30T01:23:48-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Homework](\"/assets/images/homework-machine.jpg\")
Shel Silverstein’s Homework Machine, a short poem from 1981, feels like it somehow snuck a peek at the future of AI:
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "content_html": "The Homework Machine,
Oh, the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is— 'nine plus four?' and the answer is 'three.'
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it's not as perfect
As I thought it would be.
Shel Silverstein’s Homework Machine, a short poem from 1981, feels like it somehow snuck a peek at the future of AI:
\n\n\n\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/31/mtv-is-officially-dead/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2025/12/31/mtv-is-officially-dead/", "title": "MTV Is Officially Dead", "date_published": "2025-12-31T04:47:36-05:00", "date_modified": "2025-12-31T04:47:36-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Homework Machine,
Oh, the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is— 'nine plus four?' and the answer is 'three.'
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it's not as perfect
As I thought it would be.
\nToday, December 31, 2025, we lower the volume and pour one out for the empire that invented modern cool. From teased-to-the-heavens ’80s hair bands to flannel-soaked ’90s grunge, from neon countdowns to MTV Unplugged, the channel didn’t just play music—it taught a generation how to look, sound, and argue about it.
For a glorious stretch, MTV was the culture. If it aired there, it mattered. If it didn’t, it probably shouldn’t have.
\n\nThen came The Real World. Suddenly, the music videos clocked out, the cameras moved into the house, and MTV accidentally beta-tested reality TV for the entire planet. Not all of it was bad. Some of it was… very bad. But the spell was broken.
\n\nStill, for a few bright decades, MTV told us what was cool before the internet could argue about it. MTV didn’t just kill the radio star—it threw a party, invited everyone, and then forgot why it showed up in the first place.
\n", "content_html": "
\nToday, December 31, 2025, we lower the volume and pour one out for the empire that invented modern cool. From teased-to-the-heavens ’80s hair bands to flannel-soaked ’90s grunge, from neon countdowns to MTV Unplugged, the channel didn’t just play music—it taught a generation how to look, sound, and argue about it.
For a glorious stretch, MTV was the culture. If it aired there, it mattered. If it didn’t, it probably shouldn’t have.
\n\nThen came The Real World. Suddenly, the music videos clocked out, the cameras moved into the house, and MTV accidentally beta-tested reality TV for the entire planet. Not all of it was bad. Some of it was… very bad. But the spell was broken.
\n\nStill, for a few bright decades, MTV told us what was cool before the internet could argue about it. MTV didn’t just kill the radio star—it threw a party, invited everyone, and then forgot why it showed up in the first place.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/09/obey-or-die/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/09/obey-or-die/", "title": "Obey or Die", "date_published": "2026-01-09T00:53:58-05:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-09T00:53:58-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "
\nSteven Colbert had the best commentary on the horrible shooting of an innocent American citizen by the new American ‘brown shirts’:
\n", "content_html": "So the message from this administration is clear. Only they determine the truth. And when their forces come to your city, obey or die. And if you you die, you clearly didn’t obey.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIf we let this go on, regardless who your state voted for, one day you will have unaccountable armed government agents acting with impunity in your town. So peacefully and nonviolently, please let your leaders know you don’t want that.
\nSteven Colbert had the best commentary on the horrible shooting of an innocent American citizen by the new American ‘brown shirts’:
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/09/jesse-ventura-on-the-usa/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/09/jesse-ventura-on-the-usa/", "title": "Jesse Ventura on the USA", "date_published": "2026-01-09T01:11:15-05:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-09T01:11:15-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "So the message from this administration is clear. Only they determine the truth. And when their forces come to your city, obey or die. And if you you die, you clearly didn’t obey.
\n\n[…]
\n\nIf we let this go on, regardless who your state voted for, one day you will have unaccountable armed government agents acting with impunity in your town. So peacefully and nonviolently, please let your leaders know you don’t want that.
\n\nYou wanna know something? I’ll give you a quote. We’re a third world country now. You wanna know why? I am an expert - I’ve been to em. I spent 17 months in southeast Asia while the draft dodger was playing golf. Right? You know how I know we’re a third world country? Because in third world countries they have the military doing their police work.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThat what happens in a dictatorship - in comes the military. That’s whats happening here. And people better wake up to it. You wanna read something? Then read your history on Germany and start comparing the tactics of what happened in 1930s Germany to what’s happening here.
\n\nRead history. You learn from history.
I didn’t agree with Jesse Ventura on everything when he was governor. And sure, some of his comments made you shake your head. But one thing was never in doubt: his love for this country and his respect for its people.
\n\nThat kind of authenticity is in short supply these days.
\n\nSo yeah—time to resurrect Old Painless. 💪
\n", "content_html": "\n\nYou wanna know something? I’ll give you a quote. We’re a third world country now. You wanna know why? I am an expert - I’ve been to em. I spent 17 months in southeast Asia while the draft dodger was playing golf. Right? You know how I know we’re a third world country? Because in third world countries they have the military doing their police work.
\n\n[…]
\n\nThat what happens in a dictatorship - in comes the military. That’s whats happening here. And people better wake up to it. You wanna read something? Then read your history on Germany and start comparing the tactics of what happened in 1930s Germany to what’s happening here.
\n\nRead history. You learn from history.
I didn’t agree with Jesse Ventura on everything when he was governor. And sure, some of his comments made you shake your head. But one thing was never in doubt: his love for this country and his respect for its people.
\n\nThat kind of authenticity is in short supply these days.
\n\nSo yeah—time to resurrect Old Painless. 💪
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/13/latent-america/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/13/latent-america/", "title": "American exceptionalism", "date_published": "2026-01-13T23:09:23-05:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-13T23:09:23-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "The Adam Bonica’s description on American exceptionalism:
\n\n\n\nStart with work and economic life. Americans work longer hours, pay more out-of-pocket for college and childcare, lack parental leave, and enjoy less economic mobility. The share of income going to the top 1 percent is nearly double the OECD average. American CEOs earn, on average, 354 times as much as their workers. More workers are trapped in poverty-wage jobs. Collective bargaining covers fewer workers. And social protections are less generous for those who fall on hard times, with the government raising less in taxes and spending more on the military.
\n\nThe economy is just the beginning.
\n\nWe spend nearly twice as much on healthcare as other wealthy countries do. Yet life expectancy is well below average, infant and maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high, and more Americans remain uninsured.
\n\nWe suffer from overlapping public health crises — the highest rates of teenage births, drug overdoses, obesity, and gun deaths among peer nations.
But here is the interesting math if we dare to imagine, what the US would be like if it were just an average country when compared to its peers :
\n\n ![\"American](\"/assets/images/american-excep.jpg\")
And this is just if the US were an average nation. Imagine if the US took its exceptionalism seriously and tried to maximally improve the lives of its citizens & residents.
\n", "content_html": "The Adam Bonica’s description on American exceptionalism:
\n\n\n\nStart with work and economic life. Americans work longer hours, pay more out-of-pocket for college and childcare, lack parental leave, and enjoy less economic mobility. The share of income going to the top 1 percent is nearly double the OECD average. American CEOs earn, on average, 354 times as much as their workers. More workers are trapped in poverty-wage jobs. Collective bargaining covers fewer workers. And social protections are less generous for those who fall on hard times, with the government raising less in taxes and spending more on the military.
\n\nThe economy is just the beginning.
\n\nWe spend nearly twice as much on healthcare as other wealthy countries do. Yet life expectancy is well below average, infant and maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high, and more Americans remain uninsured.
\n\nWe suffer from overlapping public health crises — the highest rates of teenage births, drug overdoses, obesity, and gun deaths among peer nations.
But here is the interesting math if we dare to imagine, what the US would be like if it were just an average country when compared to its peers :
\n\n
And this is just if the US were an average nation. Imagine if the US took its exceptionalism seriously and tried to maximally improve the lives of its citizens & residents.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/28/digital-detox/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/01/28/digital-detox/", "title": "Digital Detox", "date_published": "2026-01-28T23:44:08-05:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-28T23:44:08-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Digital](\"/assets/images/digital-detox-31.png\")
Follow Emma Russell on her 31 day digital detox:
\n\n\n\nFor a month, I tried: swapping my iPhone for a Nokia which I can only use to text, call and play Snake; also, a Walkman and a film camera. I picked up physical copies of books, newspapers and magazines; I used a London A-Z for directions, and hunted down my physical bank cards or tried to use cash. The only screen time exception was for work, where from 9-5 I used my laptop to respond to emails and write.
And what happened?
\n\n\n", "content_html": "For a month, I tried: swapping my iPhone for a Nokia which I can only use to text, call and play Snake; also, a Walkman and a film camera. I picked up physical copies of books, newspapers and magazines; I used a London A-Z for directions, and hunted down my physical bank cards or tried to use cash. The only screen time exception was for work, where from 9-5 I used my laptop to respond to emails and write.
Follow Emma Russell on her 31 day digital detox:
\n\n\n\nFor a month, I tried: swapping my iPhone for a Nokia which I can only use to text, call and play Snake; also, a Walkman and a film camera. I picked up physical copies of books, newspapers and magazines; I used a London A-Z for directions, and hunted down my physical bank cards or tried to use cash. The only screen time exception was for work, where from 9-5 I used my laptop to respond to emails and write.
And what happened?
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/06/why-attack-iran/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/06/why-attack-iran/", "title": "Why Attack Iran?", "date_published": "2026-03-06T00:22:39-05:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-06T00:22:39-05:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "For a month, I tried: swapping my iPhone for a Nokia which I can only use to text, call and play Snake; also, a Walkman and a film camera. I picked up physical copies of books, newspapers and magazines; I used a London A-Z for directions, and hunted down my physical bank cards or tried to use cash. The only screen time exception was for work, where from 9-5 I used my laptop to respond to emails and write.
![\"Iran](\"/assets/images/iran-attack.jpg\")
Timothy Snyder offers a useful perspective in helping answer it:
\n\n\n\nHow do [we] understand the war with Iran? We must get away from the propaganda and ask why this might be happening, in light of the facts that we do know.
\n\nThese facts suggest two interpretive frameworks: a foreign war as a mechanism to destroy democracy at home; and a foreign war as an element of personal corruption by the president of the United States.
\n\nFrom the United States, the most plausible angle of view is domestic politics, not foreign policy.
Trump is not a conventionally intelligent person and is losing his wits to age, but he remains an instinctual genius. There’s no grand plan here and there doesn’t need to be; he’s just moving towards his flame: enrichment for himself, entrenching power, and instability for everyone else.
\n\nNot to mention the a little scandal related to the Epstein files.
\n", "content_html": "
Timothy Snyder offers a useful perspective in helping answer it:
\n\n\n\nHow do [we] understand the war with Iran? We must get away from the propaganda and ask why this might be happening, in light of the facts that we do know.
\n\nThese facts suggest two interpretive frameworks: a foreign war as a mechanism to destroy democracy at home; and a foreign war as an element of personal corruption by the president of the United States.
\n\nFrom the United States, the most plausible angle of view is domestic politics, not foreign policy.
Trump is not a conventionally intelligent person and is losing his wits to age, but he remains an instinctual genius. There’s no grand plan here and there doesn’t need to be; he’s just moving towards his flame: enrichment for himself, entrenching power, and instability for everyone else.
\n\nNot to mention the a little scandal related to the Epstein files.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/12/hope-in-the-darkness/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/12/hope-in-the-darkness/", "title": "Hope in the Darkness", "date_published": "2026-03-12T21:44:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-12T21:44:06-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "Rebecca Solnit, author of her new book The Beginning Comes After the End, sat down for an interview with David Marchese of the NY Times:
\n\n\n", "content_html": "One of the great weaknesses of our era is that we get lone superhero movies that suggest that our big problems are solved by muscly guys in spandex, when actually the world mostly gets changed through collective effort. Thich Nhat Hanh said before he died a few years ago that the next Buddha will be the Sangha. The Sangha, in Buddhist terminology, is the community of practitioners. It’s this idea that we don’t have to look for an individual, for a savior, for an Übermensch. I think the counter to Trump always has been and always will be civil society. A lot of the left wants social change to look like the French Revolution or Che Guevara. Maybe changing the world is more like caregiving than it is like war. Too many people still expect it to look like war.
Rebecca Solnit, author of her new book The Beginning Comes After the End, sat down for an interview with David Marchese of the NY Times:
\n\n\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/17/dune-part-three-official-trailer/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/17/dune-part-three-official-trailer/", "title": "Dune: Part Three - official trailer", "date_published": "2026-03-17T15:22:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-17T15:22:13-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "One of the great weaknesses of our era is that we get lone superhero movies that suggest that our big problems are solved by muscly guys in spandex, when actually the world mostly gets changed through collective effort. Thich Nhat Hanh said before he died a few years ago that the next Buddha will be the Sangha. The Sangha, in Buddhist terminology, is the community of practitioners. It’s this idea that we don’t have to look for an individual, for a savior, for an Übermensch. I think the counter to Trump always has been and always will be civil society. A lot of the left wants social change to look like the French Revolution or Che Guevara. Maybe changing the world is more like caregiving than it is like war. Too many people still expect it to look like war.
\nAs someone who has read Frank Herbert’s Dune saga at least three times, I always believed the story was simply too vast, complex, and layered to ever work convincingly on the big screen. The scale of the universe, the politics, the philosophy—it all seemed nearly impossible to translate into film.
Then Denis Villeneuve proved me wrong.
\n\nWith the first two films, Villeneuve managed to capture the spirit, depth, and spectacle of Herbert’s world in a way that few thought possible. He didn’t just adapt Dune—he brought Arrakis to life.
\n\nNow, with the third installment on the horizon, my excitement is through the roof. After seeing what he accomplished with Parts One and Two, I can’t wait to see how this next chapter unfolds.
\n\nOne thing’s for sure: when the film hits theaters on December 18, I’ll be there—sitting in a theater, ready to return to Arrakis.
\n", "content_html": "
\nAs someone who has read Frank Herbert’s Dune saga at least three times, I always believed the story was simply too vast, complex, and layered to ever work convincingly on the big screen. The scale of the universe, the politics, the philosophy—it all seemed nearly impossible to translate into film.
Then Denis Villeneuve proved me wrong.
\n\nWith the first two films, Villeneuve managed to capture the spirit, depth, and spectacle of Herbert’s world in a way that few thought possible. He didn’t just adapt Dune—he brought Arrakis to life.
\n\nNow, with the third installment on the horizon, my excitement is through the roof. After seeing what he accomplished with Parts One and Two, I can’t wait to see how this next chapter unfolds.
\n\nOne thing’s for sure: when the film hits theaters on December 18, I’ll be there—sitting in a theater, ready to return to Arrakis.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/29/stephen-colbert-set-to-write-next-lord-of-the-rings-movie/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/29/stephen-colbert-set-to-write-next-lord-of-the-rings-movie/", "title": "Stephen Colbert Set To Write Next ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movie", "date_published": "2026-03-29T02:14:54-04:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-29T02:14:54-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "![\"Stephen](\"/assets/images/colbert-lotr.jpg\")
The tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set to be written by Stephen Colbert, Philippa Boyens, and Peter McGee. The trio will team up with the creative wizards behind the New Line franchise—Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Boyens herself.
\n\nIt’s no secret that Colbert is a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, and honestly, that just makes this collaboration all the more exciting. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what they create together.
\n", "content_html": "
The tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set to be written by Stephen Colbert, Philippa Boyens, and Peter McGee. The trio will team up with the creative wizards behind the New Line franchise—Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Boyens herself.
\n\nIt’s no secret that Colbert is a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, and honestly, that just makes this collaboration all the more exciting. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what they create together.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" }, { "id": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/31/jensen-huang-on-americas-advantage/", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com/blog/2026/03/31/jensen-huang-on-americas-advantage/", "title": "Jensen Huang on America's advantage", "date_published": "2026-03-31T14:39:31-04:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-31T14:39:31-04:00", "author": { "name": "the Insightful Troll", "url": "https://insightfultroll.com" }, "summary": "\n\n\n\n\n\nInterviewer: What do you see as America’s unique advantages that other countries don’t have?\n\nJensen Huang, Nvidia CEO: America's unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.\n\n[audience applauds]
— Dare Obasanjo (@carnage4life.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 10:23 AM
[image or embed]
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang—recently appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—was asked during an on-stage interview at The Hill & Valley Forum what he sees as America’s unique advantage over other countries.
\n\nAfter a brief pause, he answered:
\n\n\n\nAmerica’s unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.
What a tool – Jensen Huang has officially sold out.
\n", "content_html": "\n\n\n\n\n\nInterviewer: What do you see as America’s unique advantages that other countries don’t have?\n\nJensen Huang, Nvidia CEO: America's unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.\n\n[audience applauds]
— Dare Obasanjo (@carnage4life.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 10:23 AM
[image or embed]
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang—recently appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—was asked during an on-stage interview at The Hill & Valley Forum what he sees as America’s unique advantage over other countries.
\n\nAfter a brief pause, he answered:
\n\n\n\nAmerica’s unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.
What a tool – Jensen Huang has officially sold out.
\n", "tags": [], "image": "" } ] }![\"\"](\"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4b/Thornton_Wilder_-_1948.jpg/440px-Thornton_Wilder_-_1948.jpg\")
![Kyoto Aquarium](\"https://www.kyoto-aquarium.com/sokanzu2020/assets/img/img_soukanzu.jpg\"){kind=link}
![Sumida Aquarium](\"https://www.sumida-aquarium.com/sokanzu2020/assets/img/img_soukanzu.jpg\"){kind=link}