Author: polistra
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WW∫D?
Interesting question in the Buttcoin reddit. Rather than admit defeat and reveal that they were running a ponzi, they simply gave away your assets and added more leverage to the system in an attempt to hide the deficit. At this time an ethical person with morals would have said “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise what…
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Agreeing with Sam
The redditors are mocking Bankman-Fried’s attitude about books: “If you wrote a book you fucked up. You should have written six paragraphs.” I’m basically on Sam’s side. Six paragraphs is too extreme; the traditional long-form magazine article is right for most topics. Ten pages, 5000 words. I wouldn’t have agreed with Sam in 1980. Book…
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What happened to stereo?
Totally random thought after happening to review some of my early stereo tech pieces. From 1955 to 1980, fashionable people had BIG stereo sound systems. The formal living room or parlor was dominated by the amplifier and the furniture-quality speakers, carefully placed for concert hall sound. Most people weren’t really interested in music, so the…
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Reality = ∫(Demon)dt
Wolf has two great graphs today. The first is the total quantity of counterfeit “money” in the central bank, updated. It shows the sudden surge “justified” by the 2008 manufactured “crisis”, and the VASTLY LARGER surge “justified” by the VASTLY LARGER 2020 manufactured “crisis”. The 2022 turnaround is continuing without pause, and the demons are…
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One year in WordPress
Just noticed that 11/27/21 was when I switched from my old Blogspot location to WordPress. I didn’t write much in the first month. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue writing at all. Cancelers were starting to take down important stuff from Blogspot, and I wasn’t convinced that WP would do any better. After…
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One change in Twitter
I’ve noticed one change in Twitter since Elon. I’ve never joined, so Twitter always limited my reading to about 4 items before the Logon or Quit banner popped. Now the limitation is gone. I can read any number of items. This isn’t the type of change that arises accidentally from ‘deteriorating code’. It’s deliberate, either…
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Launderette
Protos writes up a peculiar story about a tiny bank in a Palouse town that ended up as a node in Bankman-Fried’s crime syndicate. Farmington is a typical leftover small town between Spokane and Pullman. It briefly flourished as a rail terminal, then faded down to the magic number of 150. The Farmington Bank remained…
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Regret?
As equipoise to previous ‘thankful’ item, here’s a newly formed regret. This week I’ve had a standard common cold. It’s not standard for me! My nose gets annoyed sometimes from dust or allergens, but I haven’t had a proper cold in at least 50 years. I had to google the right way to cough and…
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Thankful for?
This year I can finally see one point of gratitude. QT. Jerome Powell at the central bank is RESOLUTELY turning away from infinite counterfeit and infinite debt. He can’t solve the problems that began before 2008, but he is QUICKLY solving all the shit that started in 2008, including social media, tech craziness, bitcoin, and…
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More wasted energy
Rehashing from a few weeks ago: = = = = = START REHASH: What the world needs now is NOT love, sweet or otherwise. The real tragedy of the bitcoin/NFT/DAO crap is identical to the real tragedy of the hippie crap. Both were motivated by youthful idealism, and both ruthlessly exploited the idealism to gain…
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Mark of aristocracy
The Buttcoin reddit notices a year-old picture of Bankman-Fried speaking to his political slaves in a congressional meeting. His shoelaces are weirdly tangled up, just barely making it through the holes. He responded to the earlier twitter thread by saying that the shoes “came that way”. Well, okay. Shoes do sometimes come with the laces…
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Atomic house
Expanding a random thought in previous. Through most of history, families lived together. In many parts of the world families still live together. American houses built before 1946 made provisions for internal subgroups with occupied basements, occupied attics, and occupied porches. The ‘nuclear family’ crammed into a tight one-story house was part of Deepstate’s 1946…
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Penthouse > basement
Via Reuters: Bankman-Fried’s luxury party pad / office / crackhouse was bought by his parents two years ago. The best way to get rich is to choose rich parents. Overall I’m tired of the mommy’s basement shit. It’s used as an insult against poor people but never hurled against rich fuckheads. Through most of history,…
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Trend?
First signs of a trend? If so it’s a stupid and intentionally destructive trend. The establishment in “both” parties was boosting the Bush/Cheney family for the last few years. Now they seem to be going back to Reagan for the 900th time. I guess the openly bipartisan aspect is somewhat new. 538, a pure DNC…
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Aqua regia
Tablet mag has an interview with Edward Luttwak, a classic galaxy-brain bully. He’s a HARDASS realist about everything from politics to fighting to smoking. And he firmly believes in bitcoin. Yes, my son has made me a believer in the almighty blockchain. It creates an irrevocable past. A tweet is a blockchain of statements. Before…
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