A Large Regular

HT The View from Lady Lake (which has quickly become one of my favorite daily stops)

From The Simpsons episode The Black Widower where Sideshow Bob marries Bart's aunt Selma with the intention of murdering her on their wedding night by blowing her up in a hotel room full of natural gas (oops sorry for the spoiler):

Sideshow Bob, "But wait, if you saved Selma, why did the room explode?"

Chief Wiggum: "Me and the boys were celebrating a job well done," [cut to Wiggum, Homer, and a few cops smoking cigars] "When I threw my match in the vicinity of the crime scene."

The police start to take Sideshow Bob away, and he yells, "I'll be back. You can't keep the Democrats out of the White House forever. And when they get in, I'm back on the streets, with all my criminal buddies!" (Maniacal laughter).

Some good news about global deforestation - it's basically not an issue anymore.

Literally not an issue any more - when's the last time you saw a "save the rainforest" fund-raiser? Save the trees has gone the way of shave save the whales. 

And it was accomplished despite in the US teachers shifting focus from Arbor Day where actual trees were planted to celebrating Earth Day where nothing but virtue signaling is done.

VDH with a look at the current situation in the War in Ukraine.

As always good analysis. Russian troops leaving Syria to prop up efforts in Ukraine was not an angle I had thought of before. If Iran fills that void - clashes between Iranian and Israeli forces could have a big impact on world events and politics including the 2022 and 2024 elections in the US. 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you. 

"In a long-term game, it's positive sum. We're all baking the pie together. We're trying to make it as big as possible. And in a short term game, we're cutting up the pie." - Naval Ravikant

"He who buys what he doesn't need steals from himself." - Swedish Proverb

"If you're good at something, never do it for free." - The Joker

"I believe we're on the edge of about 800 more years of American centuries. The biggest problem is all the people who see a problem. It's very fashionable to think the end is near." - Tom Wolfe

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"No soldier outlives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck." - Erich Maria Remarque

"I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the dreams of children everywhere. During that time my generation defeated totalitarianism. As a result, your world is poised for a better tomorrow. What will you do on your journey?" - Ronald Reagan

"Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets." - Leonardo Da Vinci

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." - George S. Patton

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observation post up on Substack.

GO CELTICS!!! Please subscribe, hit the Like button,  and share with others. Thanks!

The Acropolis of Athens, Greece (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Very eloquently put and something that is worthwhile to revisit from time to time.

Unfortunately the meaning of democracy today seems to be morphing into something E.B. White might not recognize.

There were some points where your suspension of disbelief is stretched to the max and the plot was predictable but the movie was fun. And that's what movies are supposed to be - fun.

One observation - because many in the audience were fans of the original movie it was an older audience. An audience where many had to get up to go to the bathroom about an hour and a half in. Seriously have never seen so many at a movie urgently need to go to the bathroom.

Interesting look at the FCC vs FAA battle between 5G rollouts and airline safety equipment. Also interesting look at how these government agencies operate (or fail to do so).

Long read but I think you may find it worthwhile.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Whether in commerce, science or politics - history remembers the artists." - Naval Ravikant

 "It's never wrong to be on the side of freedom - never." - Victor Davis Hanson

"Shall I refuse my dinner because I do not fully understand the process of digestion?" - Oliver Heaviside

"Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it." - Epictetus

How to Do Great Things.

"Focused investment of only one hour a day can double your lifetime output." No excuses!
 

This is an interesting development - a football player at the University of Tennessee at Martin signed an NIL (Name Image and Likeness) deal to support a local candidate for District Attorney. The player is a family friend of the candidate but this is a real blending of politics and sports and perhaps a sign of things to come.

Can you imagine running for Congress in a district that has a university with a big time football or basketball program and you, as a candidate, help secure a top recruit for the program via a big NIL deal? How many votes is that worth? Is there a limit on how much campaign cash can be used to buy such an endorsement? 

This could be interesting.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"You make money to solve your money and material problems. I think the best way to stay away from this constant love of money is to not upgrade your lifestyle when you make money." - Naval Ravikant

"Judgement is the art of knowing what to ignore." - Shane Parrish

"If you take a job and they pay you five dollars a day, give them seven dollars a day worth of work." - Bill Russell

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome." - Dr. Samuel Johnson 

The AHL (or any hockey minor league) should stage these bouts between periods. It would make the break between periods longer but it would be well worth it for the fans. Have two one minute bouts in the break between the first and second period. Then have the winner of those two bouts "face off" between the break between the second and third.

How could this not be a big hit in the right environment? 

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Anything that doesn't kill you - makes you weirder. That includes reading today's Flotsam and Jetsam from my brain pan. If any of the observations strike your fancy please remember to hit that Like button.

VDH runs down the list of Joe Biden's Cabinet appointees and it's not a pretty picture (for the country). Historic incompetence.

Almost any one these Cabinet members could have been in the running as the worst Cabinet member in my lifetime if compared to pre-2020 Administrations. I'm left scratching my head trying to find one Cabinet member that's not an incompetent boob.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"You can't let other people set your agenda in life." - Warren Buffet

"We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one." - Confucius

"You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks." - Winston Churchill

"Self-esteem is just the reputation that you have with yourself. You'll always know." - Naval Ravikant

Gone way too soon. Remember tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Act accordingly.

SpaceX's Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service now has over 440,000 active users. And is growing rapidly!

Today may be the first time that I started to really believe that SpaceX, because of Starlink, may end up being a bigger company than Tesla. Starlink service is now priced at $110 / month. That's revenue that comes in every month - not just when a car is shipped. The number of Starlink subscribers will be counted in millions in just a few short years. And a volume of users will allow the company to reduce the monthly cost which in turn will attract even more subscribers.

Elon Musk has a company that may be even bigger than Tesla. Let that sink in.

Why You Should Stop Reading News.

Seemed timely advice.

 Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Robertson Davies

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." - Robert Heinlein

"Sometimes people ask you a question with their eyes begging you not to tell them the truth." - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"Sharks eat well but live a life surrounded by other sharks." - Naval Ravikant

Under President Biden for the first time in history the cost of Campbell Tomato Soup is now over $1 a can.  And that price is well over $1 for example at WalMart the price is $1.17 per can. You can get a can for $.99 from Amazon but I'm guessing the people who may need to rely on soup for their diet probably aren't signed up for Amazon Prime to get the free shipping. 

Of course this is somehow Trump's or Putin's fault.

HT Execupundit.

Mount Fuji and the night sky (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

 "I am inevitable." - Thanos. "And I am - asking you to subscribe to my Substack account." - Chris Lynch

Starlink for RV's is now available. I predicted this would happen when SpaceX's Starlink service was first announced.

There are roughly 9 million RV's in US with 1 million of those being the full time home for the RV owner. If just 1 million RV owners sign up for Starlink on a full-time basis - that's an additional $1.3 billion in yearly revenue for SpaceX.

Don't be surprised if Starlink for boats and yachts is also announced sometime soon. 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

 "Of all the cards you can pick in the game of life, choose intelligence and drive. You can trade those two for almost anything else." - Naval Ravikant

"Sir, there is nothing which has been yet contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern." - Samuel Johnson

"When you focus all of your energy in one direction for an uncommonly long period of time, you develop talent. Results follow obsession." - Shane Parrish

"Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind." - Samuel Ulman

Love bits of history like this.

No word if the company is getting into the "edibles" business.

Once a liberal democracy, Canada is now an authoritarian state.

And it's not just Justin Trudeau's fault. 

 Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"First ask yourself who you want to be, and then do what you have to do." - Epictetus

"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - John Steinbeck

"What I've learned in my life is if someone is acting badly, they're in pain. It's really a simple rule, they're either scared or in pain." - Sebastian Junger

"Journalists aren't neutral - they're the cavalry in the culture wars." - Naval Ravikant

The Four Levels of Reading: Improve Skills One Level at a Time.

There's no denying that reading is both a habit and a skill. 

Tesla has officially filed plans for the Hollywood Diner and Drive-in Theater.  Cool idea. Charge your car, get something to eat and watch a movie all at the same time. Guessing owning a Tesla will be the price of admission.

Also guessing that this gets built in Austin, Texas first instead of Hollywood because of all the permit delays and hassles of doing anything in California.

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Winston Churchill once said, "I like to live in the past. I don't think people are going to get much fun in the future." Sir Winston only said that because he didn't know the future included my Substack account. Please subscribe if you haven't yet - it's FREE and is the best way to show support for my efforts. Thanks.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Earn with your mind, not your time." - Naval Ravikant

"In order for men to do great evil, they must first believe they are doing good." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"At my funeral, take the bouquet off my coffin and throw it into the crowd to see who is next" - Margo Howard

"Our desire to be right is stronger than our desire to understand." - Shane Parrish

May 22, 1973: Enter Ethernet.

One of the most important inventions of the 20th century turns 49-years old today.

Edited to fix remedial math issue

The press won't like him when he's angry. Elon announces he's putting together a team of "hardcore streetfighter" lawyers to start suing people and promises "there will be blood."  My prediction is that these streetfighting lawyers will end up turning a profit for Tesla - which will be very bad news for corporate media.

Four years ago there was this article calling him a "media assassin" but they had no idea how prescient they were being. Also liked this bit about how Silicon Valley in general viewed the MSM:

The press, in the Valley mindset, is a relic from the 20th century, a low-bandwidth, dying thing, like AM radio that deserved to be ignored - and if not ignored, beaten like a mule for its stupidity.

The beatings will soon begin.

Interesting look at Bitcoin (BTC) vs Ethereum (ETH) and why this investor is going with ETH.

Still bullish on crypto and blockchain technology. 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"A lot of people think you can go to school and study for how to make money, but the reality is, there's no skill called 'business.'" - Naval Ravikant

"The more I study the history of intellectuals, the more they seem like a wrecking crew, dismantling civilization bit by bit - replacing what works with what sounds good." - Thomas Sowell

"You gotta let the stupid people talk, so you know who the stupid people are." - Ted Nugent

"Do not give in to astonishment." - Terrance McKenna

New York high court to determine if Bronx Zoo elephant is a person. You don't need a high court to answer this - an elephant is an elephant not a person. 

We are truly living in the crazy years where a Supreme Court Justice can't tell what a woman is because she's not a biologist while courts in New York are pondering if an elephant is a person. WTF?

And as a reminder the liberal media has been going after him for some time. This is an article in The Atlantic from 2-years ago claiming The Cult of Elon is Cracking. Funny but the things Musk was being criticized for saying about the pandemic were also true! My theory has long been is that the corporate media hate him most because none of his companies spend any money on advertising. 

Churchill had a daily routine that allowed him to accomplish so much. His routine included two daily baths and an hour nap so it wasn't all work, work, work.  

I have several biographies of the man but sadly haven't read any (yet). Need to remedy that soon.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Before you try to change the world, try losing weight." - Richard Cooper

"It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste most of it." - Seneca

"I only really want to do things for their own sake. That is one definition of art. Whether its business, exercise, romance, friendship, whatever, I think the meaning of life is to do things for their own sake. Ironically, when you do things for their own sake, you create your best work." - Naval Ravikant

"If you're going to make a mistake in the [NBA] draft, make sure it's a big mistake." - Jerry West 

HT The View from Lady Lake

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

"Milk was a bad choice!" Clinking the link, subscribing, hitting the Like button, or sharing with others would be a good choice! 

Ben Franklin: The Thirteen Necessary Virtues.

Timeless good advice.

 Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." - H.L. Mencken

"The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple." - Albert Einstein

"Socialism produces bad music, bad art, social stagnation, and really unhappy people." - Frank Zappa

"Action builds resilience. Inaction feeds doubt." - Shane Parrish

The reason I bring all this up is to recommend the book A Patriot's History of the United States by Michael Allen and Larry Schweikart. This was another book that was written in part to combat the misinformation from Zinn and I can't recommend it enough.

HT Newmark's Door

SpaceX is poised to become the most valuable US based start-up. New shares, which may be issued later this year, could push the value of SpaceX to $125 billion - passing Patrick Collison's Stripe which is valued at $115 billion.

Elon Musk reportedly owns 44% of the shares of SpaceX. The guy's incredible.

 "At the moment, incompetence in Washington is China's best friend."

Some very good analysis by Richard Fernandez on Russia, China, and how many of the pieces fit together.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until this is true." - Naval Ravikant

"It is easy to love people in memory: the hard thing is to love them when they are in front of you." - John Updike

"Let go of yesterday's victories and defeats. Today is a new day." - Shane Parrish

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls." - Joseph Campbell

"The wolf moon rises over Glastonbury" (photo via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill. You can find your thrill by clicking the link, subscribing, hitting the Like button and sharing with others. I thank you for your support. 

An audit found half of Joe Biden's 22 million Twitter followers were fake. The same firm did an audit on Elon Musk's 93 million followers and found that 70% of those were fake as well.

Elon was trying to buy Twitter but concern over the number of fake accounts caused him to put the purchase on hold. Twitter says less than 5% of users are fake but this audit just found 76 million. 

Twitter executives have a lot of explaining to do. 

The first “Stanley Cup” tournament was held in 1894. Lord Stanley never actually attended any of the Stanley Cup hockey games.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it." - Eckhart Tolle

"Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach." - Seneca 

"The best jobs are neither decreed nor degreed. They are creative expressions of continuous learners in free markets." - Naval Ravikant

 "You're not going to get Covid if you have these vaccinations." - Joe Biden (July 2021)

Elon Musk has put the purchase of Twitter on hold because he simply doesn't believe the number of spam/bot accounts is less than 5% of the total reported number of users. Musk estimates that bots, at the low end, make up 20% of all Twitter accounts. If that's the case wouldn't that mean company officials have been misleading investors and regulators for years?

Musk indicated that he would be willing to still go through with the purchase for a lower price.

Seems to me that if the company was aware the less than 5% claim was wrong they may be willing to go along at a lower price because the alternative may be jail time for fraud. If they do allow a lower price then they may face civil suits from investors who were expecting the original $54.20 per share. The company officials are in a tight spot but I can't see many having much sympathy for them.

This will Musk buy Twitter soap opera is the best "will they or won't they?" since Sam and Diane on Cheers.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Society, business and money are downstream from technology, which is itself downstream from science. Science applied is the engine of humanity." - Naval Ravikant

"In the thick of battle, you will not rise to the level of your expectations, but fall to the level of your training." - Daniel Kahneman

"How can you think yourself a great man, when the first accident that comes along can wipe you out completely." - Euripides

"Intelligent individuals learn from every thing and every one; average people from their experiences. The stupid already have all the answers." - Socrates

VDH with a litany of the self-inflicted problems caused by the incompetence of the Biden Administration and the ilk of people who think it's the height of wisdom to pretend they can't tell a man from a woman because they're not biologists. 

The traditional bedrocks of the American system—a stable economy, energy independence, vast surpluses of food, hallowed universities, a professional judiciary, law enforcement, and a credible criminal justice system—are dissolving.

It's incredible that they've been able to cause so much damage to this nation in less than 2-years!

Meanwhile Vladimir Putin has just put all his nuclear submarines out to sea. God save us (from ourselves).

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Ask not what my Substack account can do for you - ask what you can do for my Substack account. Please click the link, subscribe (it's free!), hit the Like button and share with others. Thank you for your support. 

Elon Musk says $44 billion Twitter deal on hold over fake account data. This is getting interesting.

Musk waived his right to due diligence before committing to the $44 billion deal but I'm guessing fraud would be his get out of jail card to exit the deal if what is being hinted at is true.  Since 2013 the number of spam accounts on Twitter has been set at less than 5% "according to regulatory filings from Twitter." And Musk has said that he "relied upon the accuracy of Twitter's public filings" in making his $54.20 per share offer. What if Twitter executives have known all along that the number of spam accounts was much greater than 5%? 

As I write this Twitter stock now sits at $40.72 per share - a 25% discount from Musk's $54.20 offer. Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the matter on his Truth Social platform saying, "There is no way Elon Musk is going to buy Twitter at such a ridiculous price, especially since realizing it is a company largely based on bots or spam accounts."

Where there's smoke there's fire and like I said - this is getting interesting. 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Do you know who is the greatest propagator of disinformation in the history of the world? The US Government." - Senator Rand Paul

"Courage is in far shorter supply than genius." - Peter Thiel

"Set and enforce an aspirational personal hourly rate. If fixing a problem will save you less than your hourly rate, ignore it. If outsourcing a task will cost will cost less than your hourly rate, outsource it." - Naval Ravikant

 "A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men." - Thomas Carlyle

Love that the oldest company in Ireland is a bar. That seems fitting. (Via)

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

It's not all ball bearings these days anymore. Now it's all Substack so please click the link, subscribe, hit the Like button and share with others.  

Math Makes Life Beautiful

Funny how I'm much more interested and curious about math and physics I am now than I ever was in school.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"If you have a problem with me, call me. If you don't have my number then that means you don't know me well enough to have a problem." - Christian Bale

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who couldn't hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Study microeconomics, game theory, psychology, persuasion, ethics, mathematics, and computers." -  Naval Ravikant

"Too much effort to increase our happiness transforms it into misery." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Actor Fred Ward has passed away aged 79. In appreciation here's what I considered his top roles.

1. Tremors as Earl Bassett

2. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins as Remo Williams

3. The Right Stuff as Gus Grissom

4. The Player as Walter Stuckel 

5. Southern Comfort as Reece

Recently finished the book Showtime by Jeff Pearlman. Bought and read the book because of all the hype around the HBO show Winning Time which I will not watch because of the way they portray and treat Jerry West.

A short synopsis of the book would go something like this; Magic Johnson is drafted, is very good at basketball but then he "attains" the AIDS virus. In between Pat Riley is a coach who was good at first but then just went too far (and yes the dictator joke was intentional).

I was a huge NBA fan during the 1980's, so it was fun to relive those series and that period of time. There was one thing that I read that made me slightly change my perception of the NBA though.

I used to firmly believe that Red Auerbach's trade of basically Joe Barry Carrol for Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale was perhaps the best in NBA history but the Lakers' trade of aging Gail Goodrich to the New Orleans Jazz (they hadn't moved to Utah yet) for the Jazz's first round picks in 1977 and 1979 now seems a close second. The 1979 pick was used to draft Magic Johnson.

Still say Red's trade was better because the draft picks were a matter of luck. The Lakers didn't know they were getting Magic. They easily could have been getting another Kenny Carr (who they drafted with the 1977 pick from the Jazz). 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Don't partner with cynics and pessimists. Their beliefs are self-fulfilling." - Naval Ravikant

"Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the Earth." - Archimedes

"Of all the Thompson gunners, Roland was the best." - Warren Zevon

"At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you." - Denzel Washington

Myron Rolle, now Dr. Myron Rolle, has long been an inspirational person and example for all.

His book, The 2% Way: How a Philosophy of Small Improvements Took Me to Oxford, the NFL, and Neurosurgery has long been on my Wish List. The book will be released for purchase next week.

SpaceX's Starlink service is now available in 32 countries. And the list of countries continues to grow.

What strikes me is if you believe, as I do, that broadband is a modern necessary utility - like water or electricity - people now can have two providers so that they have little chance of ever being "out of service." You can't do that with water or electricity. Sure you could have a back-up generator but you can't have a back-up electric company.

Starlink was meant as a service for remote areas where people don't have broadband access but I have a hunch that just as many in developed countries such as the US will be buying Starlink as "Internet Insurance" because the monthly $110 service price is nothing to high net worth folks who rely on the Internet and for the peace of mind a second provider would bring. (Map via)

Goofus and Gallant shared a Super Bowl Square at last year's Rams vs Bengals game and they won! Each got $1,000 in winnings. Goofus decided to spend half his winnings on cocaine and a hooker and use the other half to catch up on some bills. Gallant was very impressed with Matt Damon's Crypto.com commercial during the Super Bowl and decided to invest his $1,000 in Bitcoin. 

Now due to this week's "crypto crash" Gallant has lost more than half the value of his investment. And he still has some outstanding bills to pay. Is this the rare example of when hookers and cocaine are the better use of one's money? Or is the real lesson here not to take financial advice from Hollywood actors?

Note - I still believe in crypto currency and block chain technology. The above situation just occurred to me and I wanted to share.

Norm Macdonald recorded a final hour of new material to be released in the event of his death. The special was shot in Macdonald's living room which seems so - well Norm.

Netflix will be releasing Norm's last gift to us all on May 30th. The special is called Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special.

His fans will disagree with the title because Norm was VERY special. A unique human being till the very end.

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds." - Shakespeare

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." - Winston Churchill

"You aren't going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity - a piece of the business - to gain your financial freedom." - Naval Ravikant

 "When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear." - Thomas Sowell

Good remembrance of Feynman and timely since yesterday would have been his 104th birthday. 

I'm a big fan of the great Richard Feynman.

Have a new miscellaneous thoughts and observations post up on Substack.

Tennessee Tuxedo will not fail! And neither will you if you click the link, subscribe, hit the Like button, or share with others!

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy." - Naval Ravikant

"Education is greatest blessing if of best sorts. Otherwise no earthly use." - Rudyard Kipling

"Life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask." - Tim Ferris

"I got some new underwear today. Well new to me." - Emo Phillips

The library at Trinity College (via). Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

The tide is turning. People with real world problems are finally refusing to play the games of woke people with invented ones. About time!

Much time and effort was put into this essay. If you could share it with others it would be appreciated. 

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Making money is not a thing you do - it's a skill you learn." - Naval Ravikant

"When things happen too fast, nobody can be certain about anything at all, not even about himself." - Milan Kundera

"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinion, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." - Oscar Wilde

"I was in darkness, but I took three steps and found myself in paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word; and the third, a good deed." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Mike Lombardi on how if we went through life asking this one simple question, we would improve our decision-making. He uses The Godfather and Bill Belichick drafting Cole Strange as his examples.

For the record - Charlie Bluhdorn didn't sell the rights to The Godfather and Belichick drafting Cole Strange immediately made me think of Belichick drafting Logan Mankins in 2005. The Godfather is considered by some the greatest movie ever made and Logan Mankins is up for election in the Patriots Hall of Fame this year.

Statue of King Arthur by Rubin Eynon, Tintagel Castle England. (Photo via) Headline stolen borrowed from Execupundit.

"Chinese military observers have been increasingly concerned about the potential of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network in helping US military dominate space, especially so, in the wake of the Ukraine war, where Elon Musk activated Starlink satellites to restore communications that had stopped because of shelling by the Russian troops."

Let the above sink in. Russia invaded Ukraine but has been unable to destroy the Ukrainian command and control network (normally the first thing targeted in a war) despite brutal shelling because of Starlink and Elon Musk's great humanitarian gesture. 

China doesn't like that. Communist China is threatened by that.

Elon Musk should have more protection than the President at this point. Not joking about that. He's probably more important to the US's economy and national security at this point than either Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. 

HT Marginal Revolution

Morgan Housel with some morsels of advice. Most of these are repurposed bits of knowledge from elsewhere but hearing good advice is always - well - good. 

This one really hit the mark; "When reading the news, you can increase your productivity 100x by asking, 'Will I still care about this a year from now?'" Not just your productivity but also your mental health.

This one also rings true, "Tell people what they want to hear and you can be wrong indefinitely without penalty." It also brings to mind the Thomas Sowell quote, "When you want to help people, tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear."

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts." - Richard Feynman

"We are often more frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality." - Seneca

"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?" - Rumi

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." - C.S. Lewis