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Modern version
Noticed a new technique in podcasts. I suppose it has been going on for a while, but it just recently appeared in the websites I use. When you open an audio clip for playing or downloading, the website mixes a LOCAL ad into the clip just before playing. I was surprised to hear an ad…
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Cold and alien
Bloomberg interviews financial writer Matt Levine. He’s discussing his columns that treat every fad as a type of fraud. Repeatedly and consistently, for every topic from bitcoin to vintage cars, he said “I don’t find this particularly interesting.” The interviewers didn’t seem to notice the consistency. Well then, why are you writing about it? Purely…
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Longest lasting series?
There are four semifinalists. Nash Ambassador Olds 98 Chrysler New Yorker Buick Roadmaster All other names were clearly shorter. Criteria: 1. Must remain in continuous use except WW2 when all cars except Jeep were interrupted. 2. Must remain on the same step of the ladder, never descending the stack like BelAir or Fairlane. Ambassador started…
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Vivek just won me.
In the middle of a somewhat tangled discussion with Greenwald, Vivek said that we need to REOPEN NORMAL TRADE WITH RUSSIA. No more war, no more sanctions, just be human. I’m all yours, Vivek. You’re on the same side as Harding and FDR and Henry Wallace. = = = = = Later: Why did this…
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Old old story
Liel Leibovitz tells about a hate hoax by elite Jews against religious Jews. An orthodox man politely asked an elite woman if she could switch seats on an airplane so he could sit next to his son. She agreed, and then he took off his baseball cap to show a yarmulke. At that point she…
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Raw materials
The Ankler interviews a striking writer who makes a striking analogy. Every real business relies on raw materials or basic labor, and makes money by organizing and selling the materials and labor. “You wouldn’t have content, you wouldn’t be talking about streaming, if you didn’t have writers and actors to create the raw material.” Honest…
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Not quite appropriate
And More businesses are common. Total Wine and More Hats Scarves and More Letter Jackets and More Bedding Curtains and More Candy and More The theme doesn’t always work well…….
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More Stevenson
Trying to explore Stevenson a bit more. I felt that I was probably unfair since I know very little about him. I was running with a vague impression from hearing adults talk about him when I was young. Found a debate before the Florida Dem primary in ’56. This isn’t free; it’s in a ’56…
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The cancel game
Jordan Peterson is ordered to take “training” if he wants to keep his psychology license. This is a perfect example of the cancel game. Peterson doesn’t need the license. He has a huge income and a huge fortune, $100 million by some estimates, from his online activities. His online profitability won’t change a bit if…
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The yak is the point
I’m doing an electronic project this week, aiming to make the GenRad 1565 into a practical microphone. If it works, I want to record a series of audio segments from Henry Wallace’s book. The entire purpose is fun, not practical. I know nobody will listen. As in any project, there’s a certain amount of yak-shaving.…
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Uncommon
Noticed this odd advertuary in a 1965 Record World. MGM was selling a memorial record of Adlai’s speeches. The text is gloppy syrupy hagiography of an irrelevant loser. Stevenson carried the torch of Permanent War against non-interventionist Ike twice and lost twice. Truman was (barely) able to win in ’48 because he was definitely a…
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Khaldun on the Dry Line
Still running through old materials looking for more weird clocks to animate. One clock was described in a journal about Islamic culture, which also included a lengthy article on Khaldun. His description of historical cycles is both accurate and well-known. He also had trenchant observations on a subject closer to home: the Dry Line. Reviewing…
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The last Jordan
Vintage.es has some luscious pictures of the last Ned Jordan car. Most of the Jordan autos were ordinary ‘assembled’ cars, typical of the smaller companies of the 20s. What made them special was Jordan’s poetic ads, not the machines. The swan song was dramatically different, especially the dashboard. Solid wood, packed with instruments and mysterious…
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Were most parodies?
Responding to a Substack item about old state songs, I cited my earlier discussion of Okla’s horrible song, which was blessedly replaced by Rogers and Hammerstein. Got me thinking. Were those horrible songs meant as parodies? My father used to sing the song in parodic style, imitating a warbly offkey church soprano. Home on the…
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Wrong strike target?
I didn’t realize until quite recently how UNIVERSAL videogaming is. I still have to poke myself with numbers to reinforce the fact. More than half of the world’s population is active gamers. Oddly, US is not the top. Even more oddly, Britain is ahead of Japan. 70% of Brits are gamers, 67% of Japs, 66%…
Polistra's Mill
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Polistra's Mill 