Friday, February 28, 2020

News: What sank the Hunley

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-explosive-theory-what-doomed-crew-hunley-180974159/

this person did some test on a hunley miniature

it was a submarine in the civil war

it blew up some dynamite and damaged a ship but then sank

the shockwave collapsed the lungs of the crew members.

or at least that's the best guess of this author, the truth may be different or unknowable.

News: 55 things you need to know about mike bloomberg

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/02/25/808791622/why-america-is-losing-the-toilet-race

i forgot most of them, except that he was described as argumentative by his high school classmates

News: American toilets are shit

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/02/25/808791622/why-america-is-losing-the-toilet-race

japanese toilets are better by every measure, except price

americans don't want to change their ways, especially if they have to pay 1000% more

News: How a good scam can bypass our defences

https://thewalrus.ca/how-a-good-scam-can-bypass-our-defenses/

its canadian spelling

so yeah, its the usual, famialiarity, time crunch.

this guy sent off 300 dollars of itunes credit

i got scammed, too. i cancelled my credit card immediately

apparently young people get scammed more often. ouch.

time for world government to smash these scams.

News: Cops called on bernie backers

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/26/cops-called-bernie-backers-protest-117782

why do i read this garbage

this lady says she supports bernie sanders, but bernie doesn't support her

she goes to peoples' houses, people in charge of elections, and shouts slogans at night.  then they leave before the cops come

i mean it isn't illegal

and they are all just patsies anyways, on both sides.

like they have real power, those election officials.  theyre probably underpaid, super easy to bribe

Blog: Why is recycling so difficult

https://www.fastcompany.com/90452707/im-an-expert-on-complex-design-systems-even-i-cant-figure-out-recycling

so this engineer guy tries to figure out why recycling is so difficult

politics and money

i guess he doesnt know much about how people think

recycling is difficult because of a leadership failure

there need to be standardized materials, sizes, and recycling strategies. all enforced.

it isn't crazy to see that people are pillaging the environment, and making extra money in the chaos and people "work hard, play hard" to try to save the planet.

yeehaw this guy is learning.

News: Celebrity found dead

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/15/entertainment/caroline-flack-love-island-dead-trnd/index.html

this person hosted a show that i'd never heard of.  i'd never heard of the person before.  i'm sorry theyre dead

it sounds like they lead a bit of a troubled life.  getting arrested for assaulting their partner.  going to court. 

i feel strange feeling sorry for this rich person that burned out and died.  they don't say the cause of death, but the article hints at suicide.  what a waste

i looked for an update.  she hung herself.  grim

News: Amazon makes people write before meetings

https://money.com/amazon-meetings-no-powerpoint/

so people have to write things before a meeting, get people to check them, make sure things are coherent, and then they have reading time at the meeting.

seems great

i'd love to watch one on a topic that i knew something about

death by power point sucks

Blog: This person hates dog walking apps

https://www.outsideonline.com/2345986/cautionary-tale-about-dog-walking-apps

from the consumer prospective.

seems like these apps just rush to get shit done, and do a bad job of screening and training people.

any idiot can walk a dog

well, let's make sure the community is completely shredded

but yeah, dunno if these "handy" apps really come with any truly surprising pitfalls

this person has several stories where just about everything seems to go wrong.

but also they throw out some caveats.  they have huge dogs.


Blog: Unofficial thing on why people leave san francisco

https://www.ryanckulp.com/leaving-san-francisco-meta-study/


he knows some research techniques and uses them hilariously.  i hope i forget all i learned about that.

useless prayers.  things need to get done, people need convincing, not more reading.

Blog: Bi-polar guy on "sober curious"

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2020/2/18/21136863/alcoholism-sober-curious-mindful-drinking

so yeah, i learned a word. lothario

cool

this guy did stupid things drunk.  got embarrased. his job is alcohol.  bars and writing about cocktails.  so this sober curious thing is a bit crazy

but it works for him

he writes well, uses anecdotes without throwing people under the bus.

he notes that people still sometimes try to force him to drink. fuck that.  he says fuck that, too.


News: Korea Corona Virus Clusters

https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-SOUTHKOREA-CLUSTERS/0100B5G33SB/index.html

So yeah this one lady went to church and a buffet while she had a high fever, turned out she had the virus and now the people at church do, too.

The good news is that if people stop being stupid the virus should stay under control.

News: Abe closes schools in Japan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japans-abe-faces-mounting-anger-over-school-closures-lack-of-virus-testing/2020/02/28/ddd3ca58-59e0-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html

So yeah, the health ministry is under the control of the prime minister.  So he can boss them around and tell them to do dumb shit.

Other countries have a center for disease control type institutions that are more independent.

so the prime minister ordered schools shut down.  people will miss graduation.  crazy.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

News: Corporate Speak

https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/spread-of-corporate-speak.html

This writer quit the corporate scene, then came back.  Noticed a few new corporate speak come up.

Doesn't really get to the bottom.

but some good quotes

"which is that its ratio of ingenuity to bullshit — a ratio present in every organization and, indeed, every human — was tipped too far in the wrong direction."

"words with a scammy flavor"

ok this is getting better as I go on, re-reading

"This wasn’t a teaching position; it was a deprogramming job. She left before the contract was up."

ahh reminds me of polpot

"The meaningful threat of garbage language — the reason it is not just annoying but malevolent — is that it confirms delusion as an asset in the workplace."

ahh a real philosopher.  some fun things to think about in this one

bravo

News: Who won the vegas debate

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/20/who-won-the-debate-winners-and-losers-116286

I hadn't watched the debate and these guys gave some insight and different takes on things.  Helped me see some things I probably would have missed even I had watched it.  Still feel like they only offer the upper class view on things, but hey.

News: Man moves with daughter to college and starts sex cult

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/sarah-lawrence-dad-sex-trafficking-classmates-cult

so this guy with a record brings his crime skills to a vulnerable community, people suffer.

News: Why Tinder Profiles Keep Appearing

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/02/tinder-urban-legends-repeat-profiles-kitchen-guy/606406/

So there's a little hack where if you delete your account and reopen it you get a boost.  So some people have been exploiting this by consistently recreating their profiles. They have made themselves legends in their areas, by constantly appearing as people swipe.  Something like local celebrities.  The guy in the article always leans up against the same granite kitchen counter

News: Bloomberg's meme spree prompts instagram rule changes

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/14/bloomberg-meme-changes-facebook-instagram-115333
I read this a while ago.  I can't remember the details precisely, but basically instagram influencers are getting paid to meme about bloomberg.  this might violate fec campaign disclosure rules

News: Why Texans Don't Want Any More Californians


https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/the-truth-about-the-california-exodus/605833/

more about the changes in california than the people in texas, but yeah, cali is getting rid of poor people and rich people are staying there.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

News: Jamie Lee Curtis and Addiction

https://variety.com/video/jamie-lee-curtis-vicodin-addiction/

Jamie Lee Curtis talks about her addiction to vicodin and alcohol.

She runs recovery meetings if she doesn't have one available while on location.

The article seems a little slapdash, but I was surprised to learn about this actresses addiction. 

She seems like a good person.  I'm sure this is just marketing fluff, but anyways.

Monday, February 24, 2020

Blog: An app can be a home cooked meal

https://www.robinsloan.com/notes/home-cooked-app/

This guy made an copy of an app.  His family used the original, then it got shut down. So, he made a new one for his family.

He describes this as home cooking, but coding.

He seems to be full of decent wisdom.

"This feels natural; anyone who has ever, like… eaten a meal… of any kind… recognizes that cooking is marbled deeply into domesticity and comfort, nerdiness and curiosity, health and love."

That's the first quote I remember reading and liking in a while.

Blog: This business I'd never heard failed

https://marker.medium.com/how-homepolishs-extremely-instagrammable-house-of-cards-came-tumbling-down-d7a7d1780ddc

This was traumatizing to read, so I guess, like, well written?

This rich guy started a business but didn't know how to run a business.  Where's the fucking leadership? Some people lost a years worth of pay because the business went bankrupt before it paid them. 

Barf.

Princes inheriting shit they can't manage?


Friday, February 14, 2020

News: Bank Robbing Family

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/i-would-only-rob-banks-for-my-family/

They got caught because they were wearing brand new stuff when they robbed banks.  A detective tracked down where they bought the gear, and found their card info.

They all confessed to the crime when they were arrested.

The father's father was a bank guy, so he kinda knew how to do things.

Just not quite enough to not get caught.  Shoulda quit earlier?