Tag: Constants and Variables
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From an extremely different era 23
Still thinking about sanctions and blockades, zooming out to a broader timeline. Wilson played the blockade game ferociously. After he was gone we turned against it, remaining firmly impartial and non-interventionist until we were ACTUALLY ATTACKED BY AN ACTUAL FOREIGN NATION on 12/7/41. Harding didn’t quite start the rebellion but he did lead it. Coolidge,…
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When was the line?
Listening to these auto history podcasts adds a new dimension to one of my standard themes. I’ve often hammered the Big Point that our blockades and sanctions help the target country to develop its own skills. Blockades hurt ordinary Americans by depriving our industries of export revenue, and raising the prices of needed imports like…
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Great talk, not much action
Speaking of honest and dishonest… Bernie is rigorously honest in this speech. He pulls us away from all the Machiavellian fake disputes and nonsense and gossip that politicians and journalists deluge us with. He gets down to plain facts in a way that FDR and Henry Wallace would understand and appreciate. Unfortunately Bernie failed to…
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Punchline and exceptions
Old punchline: “Okay, now we know what you are. Let’s negotiate.” It’s an important truth. When you’re honest about your purpose, I can deal with you properly. I know what you want and how you intend to get there. Some jobs are always honest. Car salesmen want to sell you a car. Plumbers want to…
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Sorting out
Spokane News asked if people feel safe downtown. Sorting out the usual FB cacophony: People who are accustomed to dealing with violence feel safe there. Others don’t feel safe. There’s a GENUINE change in the last few years. I’m not tough at all, but I used to enjoy being downtown. I worked downtown in the…
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They knew it all along.
This 1940 Chevy infomercial focused on facts of human nature as described by Professor Laird (who certainly looked like a prof!) Anxiety and tension come from three main causes: Noise or anticipating noise; fear of losing control; and a sense of being confined or trapped. All are natural and necessary. Prof Laird also gave the…
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Dream helped to answer a question
A 1980s coal pollution project popped up in a dream recently. Thinking about this project led to an answer. At that time Penn State was eagerly hosting hundreds of Chinese grad students. Universities favor foreign students because they pay full price while most domestic students have discounts. They could afford full price because the Chinese…
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Pull or push
Following on previous item about writing vs thinking. A closely related theme seen in the same places: You need to consume lots of books before you can write. First: This axiom makes it too easy to defend AI. Sam’s machine consumes billions of books and other writings and mushes them all together to form its…
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Financial, not industrial
The print edition of History Today has a short article with a BIG myth-breaker. The Industrial Revolution of the 1700s was more about finance than industry. Industry’s share of Britain’s overall economy went from 36 percent in 1600 to 41 percent in 1700, then stayed around 35 percent through the 1700s. No net change. Services…
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Perfect illustration
Here is a perfect illustration of the problem with Democrats and “journalists”. Both are doing everything possible to guarantee that Trump rules forever. Both have forgotten the basic notion of business or “democracy”. In real business or real “democracy” you have several competing choices, each attempting to offer a BETTER PRODUCT that will be PLEASING…
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What’s the important difference?
Along with the grounding power of tradition, there must be a simpler and more practical reason why Canada was able to learn from Trump’s attack, while the US Democrats have been allegedly opposing Trump since 2015 while ACTUALLY campaigning for him. Constants and variables: Trudeau’s sudden shift toward doing the right thing after many years…
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Checking an old observation
Several years ago I noticed that online algorithms came in two sharply different types. Commercial algorithms do a splendid job of judging your taste in things. When you buy something online, you immediately see ads for appropriately similar things. The ads don’t steer you into the most popular product right now, or a product that…
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The value of flips
Elon’s sudden flip from fake environmentalist to fake Trump cultist seems to have awakened a few of his Gaian fans. When a cult leader joins the other side, the followers split three ways. Some will continue with the same ideology and generate new leaders. Some will follow the person no matter where he goes. And…
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The blackest swan
It’s interesting to watch Canada’s Conservatives right now. Trudeau blindsided them by doing the MOST UNEXPECTED THING IN THE WORLD. He started serving the nation. The Conservatives didn’t have a Plan B, which is completely understandable. A politician serving the people is the blackest of black swans, the most GENUINELY unexpected event of all. It’s…
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Industrially repeated
This argument has been industrially repeated for decades. It makes superficial sense but there are flaws in the assumptions and facts. = = = = = START QUOTE: Industrialization explicitly rewarded compliance, conformity, and disciplined repetition. Schools were designed to produce workers who fit neatly into that mold, treating variation as a flaw instead of…
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