Coldplay in Miami Aug 28, 2017
I’ve rewritten the intro to the post twice, sparing you all the history of missing the last few Coldplay shows and why we finally wanted to see them in Miami. You’re welcome.
Archive: 2017
Total Eclipse 2017
On August 21, 2017 I and my family were lucky enough to be able to travel into the path of totality to view a solar eclipse. I’d been wanting to do so for a few months and with a little planning and a ton of luck we got what we came for.
I Was Wrong About the United Debacle
Not being quite content with the color of this particular bike shed, I posted this on Facebook April 10: The forceful removal of the UAL passenger is very unfortunate and seems to smell pretty badly.
Hail Mary voting
There are plenty of reasons and justifications for why Donald Trump “beat the odds” and won the presidency last November. The most compelling, I think, is this one laid out by Mark Cuban in his interview with Nate Silver: I made a huge mistake in how I evaluated it, obviously. I thought logic and common sense and facts mattered to most voters. But the reality is, we all — including all of us here — tend to take the path of least resistance.
Compelling Take on Right vs Left
I’ve been reading – and greatly enjoying – Scott Alexander’s writing over at Slate Star Codex. I don’t recall how I first ran across this trove of deep though but it’s worth noting that /r/slatestarcodex is also a thing. Among his (self-selected?) best-of list is this gem from 2013 entitled A Thrive/Survive Theory of the Political Spectrum. Part way through, he gives up the goods: Okay, I’ll put you out of your misery and tell you my hypothesis now. My hypothesis is that rightism is what happens when you’re optimizing for surviving an unsafe environment, leftism is what happens when you’re optimized for thriving in a safe environment.
Intel Compute Card
Intel announced their Compute Card at this year’s CES as a better-thought-out version of their existing Compute Stick. AnandTech: The Intel Compute Card has been designed to be a universal computing platform for different kinds of devices, including those that do not exist yet. The ultimate goal is to simplify the way companies develop equipment, use, maintain, repair, and upgrade it. Creators of actual devices have to design a standard Intel Compute Card slot into their product and then choose an Intel Compute Card that meets their requirements in terms of feature-set and price.
Just Ask Questions
I hold courteous discourse and reasoned debate in high regard. When engaging someone in a discussion, I prefer to approach it with honesty and an open mind. But humans aren’t wired that way and emotion can kick in awfully quickly.