Category: Uncategorized

Google, via Android, just asked me why I don’t want to share my data if I don’t have anything to hide.

I noticed one source of my migraines is when I work out heavily while over-caffeinated.

This presents serious lifestyle problems.

Happy 4th of July.

Stay safe. This too shall pass.

Edited because wow, that did not read the way I meant it.

Happy Canada Day, northern neighbors.

As a committed mask wearer, I recognize that problems with masks exist. However that doesn’t mean they’re fake or nonexistent problems, and much Twitter science debunking them is itself bunk.

Masks make breathing more difficult. This is a simple fact. This is why workout masks exist. A workout mask intentionally makes breathing difficult so that the wearer’s lungs have to work harder. In theory this increases cardiovascular fitness, but there’s not a whole lot of science behind this. That which is is consumed by arguments regarding effectiveness and practicality. Anecdotally, I can tell you my workouts are much more difficult wearing a mask. It’s harder to breathe in a mask because the mask is filtering air, reducing the air throughput.

I’ve seen videos and memes of people wearing masks and measuring their blood oxygen levels.

1: All of the videos/memes regarding this I’ve seen have been medical professionals (because who else has a mask, a blood oxygen monitor, and strong opinions either way?). These professionals wear masks all the time. But this means that they’re trained for it, so it’s a bit different for them and someone who rarely wears a mask.

2: Not only are they physically conditioned, but they’re mentally conditioned. I wore a lot of environmental suits in the Army, and the mental aspects of breathing through a suit are not to be underestimated.

3: Mask wearing reduces communication, both verbal and non-verbal. I was just at a grocery store asking where the bread was, and that took some shouting and difficulty. It’s hard to hear someone in a mask, it’s hard to make yourself heard, and with the isolation striking people particularly strongly in quarantine, that’s a real problem. In masked military operations, we were all talking about the same thing, but even then there was a lot of miscommunication. On the street or talking with strangers with none of that, it’s hard.

These aren’t made up problems.

And the general answer is extremely combative. For every hint of empathy and understanding, there are ten people shouting about death rates. The shouters never seem to understand why telling someone they’re wrong and stupid doesn’t convince the someone they’re wrong.

So I get it. I understand. It’s not made up nonsense. I still wear the mask.

Value investing works when downturns weed out the nonviable growth companies.

The Fed, ECB,BoJ, and many other CBs are making sure that downturn doesn’t come. Their actions aren’t pure successes, but in the financial markets, they are kings.

This results in value lagging growth, and will continue to do so until the CBs stop their adventurism, the negative consequences of their actions outweigh the good, or the tidal wave they’re holding at bay builds until it cannot be resisted. Make no mistake, it is building. WeWork was a classic example of froth. Softbank’s Vision Fund would be right at home in 1995. The rise in economic inequality induced by CB adventurism is probably what will get them in the end, for the relentless pumping of leverage works at economies of scale that make the rich richer. It doesn’t make the poor poorer except in comparison, but other things do that. People will begin to wonder why they’re paying taxes and interest to make the rich richer if they don’t get any benefits themselves.

However calling time is a fool’s errand and I won’t do it. The CBs are powerful, and they’ve defied every prediction of limitation so far.

Until they stop putting their oar in the markets, their oar breaks, or the wave sweeps them aside, they will ensure the failure of value vs growth.

My spamfolder is mostly scams, dating sites (scams), sundry websites (scams), and my power company sending me marketing emails.

Why is Xcel Energy sending me marketing emails? I’m already a customer. I keep unsubscribing, and they keep subscribing me right back up.

Ernst and Young was the auditor for both Luckin Coffee and Wirecard.

Huh.

I want to show something of the madness of the rings starting.

So I’ve heard the reason squirrels run back and forth on a street when cars are coming is that they’re trying to escape predators. The zig-zags work for evading hawks, but they’re not so good with Fords.

There’s still no explanation for why my brain does that when I’m trying to write.