Politics
This is an excellent article that talks about the predictions from a 30 year old model used to determine a country’s vulnerability to political crisis. Based on demographics and structural inputs it predicted that the US would enter the turbulent 20’s. The model uses the historical behavior of
Politics
This isn’t good news. Facebook’s non-binding advisory board described Trump’s indefinite suspension as “not appropriate,” and its members instructed Facebook to complete a six-month review to determine whether to restore the former president’s account. (from The Guardian). They’re kicking the can down the road to
Tech
Just before the start of 2021 I disconnected from all Facebook properties, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. I only used Facebook to see what friends or family were up to about once a week. Instagram was a dangerous time suck so I’m much better without it. WhatsApp I only ever
Politics
Rudy got raided. Hopefully this asshole is of to the slammer sometime soon along with the 1/6 Maga mob. I remain hopeful the orange asshole will also see the inside of a cell, but probably not going to happen.
Books
An American Sickness, by Elisabeth Rosenthal, is a book that walks through history to the present day, covering the horror that is the American health care system. Figure 1: An American Sickness It’s well worth the read if you are interested in how things have evolved with respect to
Personal
I just had my first in-person work meeting in more than a year. Both of us were vaccinated so we shook hands. Felt alien after so long.
Linux
Emacs is the grand daddy of all text editors. I started using Emacs around 1988/1989 by which time it was already a decade old. I used to live in Emacs as a software engineer even writing my own modes, and was very much an expert. I dropped it over
Personal
It’s real nice out today. In the low 80’s and feels good walking around. Being vaccinated also helps with the mood.
Movies
Swing Kids is a 2018 South Korean musical, comedy and drama movie. It takes place during the Korean War in Geoje prison camp. The movie centers around very different characters love for tap dance, and dance in general. Figure 1: Swing Kids The movie really begins as a musical comedy.
Tech
I carry two phones. Generally I prefer Android as I don’t need flagship phones that cost in excess of $1000. Google’s Pixel line up has been a good match for me since the Pixel 2. I now have a Pixel 5. However sms messaging on Android is a
Art
I stumbled across a YouTube channel called Great Art Explained in Fifteen Minutes this week. The first episode I watched was on the “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck. Figure 1: The Arnolfini Portrait This is such a great podcast to learn about art and history. Each episode I
Linux
This is the first in a series of posts covering my essential tools and apps that I use. Over the past year I have switched to linux. I’m running Ubuntu on a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme (Gen 2). I’ve customized it with an additional 16GB and 500GB SSD