Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread

[WillHurtDontCare]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361682572741287936

View: https://twitter.com/braxton_mccoy/status/1361682572741287936

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361682572741287936

View: https://twitter.com/braxton_mccoy/status/1361682572741287936

Cornering the market.

Using virtue signaling for “ethics” and “environmental reasons.”

Using government to write regulations that enforce the monopoly. (Green New Deal, stopping the cattle industry because methane or whatever)

This is what “evil big business” looks like.

 

[Kak]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361682572741287936

View: https://twitter.com/braxton_mccoy/status/1361682572741287936

What a douche.

When I’m worth 100 billion dollars I’m going to do way cooler stuff than suggest central control of everything all day.

 

[sparechange]

Saw a lovely little huracan blow by tn on the way to the gym...I really feel like fancy high end cars are such a bold statement of F U. Sure alot of those cars may be financed or leased, but for the select few people in the sports industry, entrepreneurs etc that pay CASH, that is a big Unscripted F U statement. Like Monday morning being a reminder of how awesome Unscription is..

While I've seen a ton of these cars as they are fairly common around here, every time I see one my thoughts are ''wow that's awesome'' there's some guy that lives up the street that was banging gears in the middle of the night some time ago, put a smile on my face! Dam those things are loud!

 

[ZF Lee]

Shift to python already

Generally, R and RStudio are OK for statistical analysis...but when many of the packages are written by academicians rather than software programmers, you get lots of shit that crashes, loads forever or needs me to download another package I've never heard of to solve the problem.

If I could start learning data science or stats from Day 1 again, I'd definitely go for Python.
But my university studies started me with R, and I honestly don't think I'd continue to grow data science as a skill even for my Fastlane.

Do you use Delphi? That’s actually all we use in our business. We have two FT programmers running Rstudio

Nope on Delphi. First time I've heard of it actually.

 

[sparechange]

Ontario MPP who denounces lockdowns introduces bill to slash parliamentarian salaries to CERB levels

An Ontario MPP who was recently kicked out of Premier Doug Ford's caucus for calling lockdowns "deadlier than COVID" is now introducing a private member's bill that would slash MPP salaries to $500 per week so elected officials can "appreciate the consequences" of shutdowns.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

This guy for PM..

 

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[Xeon]

What a douche.

When I’m worth 100 billion dollars I’m going to do way cooler stuff than suggest central control of everything all day.

All billionaires are sociopaths.

 

[Kak]

All billionaires are sociopaths.

I definitely don't agree with that.

If you are an honest businessman that engages in win win exchanges... How many exchanges make one a sociopath? Exchanges making them a few million are somehow OK, but exchanges that, by default, have to employ hundreds or even thousands more and provide value to an exponentially greater extent, somehow makes them shitty?

They are sociopaths just because they are richer than you? They are to be vilified because they operate on a higher level than you? You matter that much? You are the world standard?

I am thankful for the actual BUSINESS Bill Gates conducted, even if I think he is a complete douchebag on a personal level.

You should WANT to provide the kind of value that makes one a billionaire and appreciate the value available to you that otherwise wouldn't be there.

 

[Kak]

Saw a lovely little huracan blow by tn on the way to the gym...I really feel like fancy high end cars are such a bold statement of F U. Sure alot of those cars may be financed or leased, but for the select few people in the sports industry, entrepreneurs etc that pay CASH, that is a big Unscripted F U statement. Like Monday morning being a reminder of how awesome Unscription is..

While I've seen a ton of these cars as they are fairly common around here, every time I see one my thoughts are ''wow that's awesome'' there's some guy that lives up the street that was banging gears in the middle of the night some time ago, put a smile on my face! Dam those things are loud!

Want some extra motivation? Go sit in one. Be honest with the dealer about your motives, but still... Go sit in one.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Want some extra motivation? Go sit in one. Be honest with the dealer about your motives, but still... Go sit in one.

The lambo thing has always been weird to me, probably because of where I'm from and because I don't know any rich people who own one. I do know a very rich guy who owns a ferrari, but that's the exception, and it's not a big focus of his. I don't even think he drives it!

One guy in my town drove a lambo for awhile, but he was renting it. Some kind of program that cycles which vehicle you have each month/year or something... But he and his wife did own a business. It was a smoothie and fitness shop.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

. It was a smoothie and fitness shop.

Which CV19 probably severely injured. :-(

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Perseverance is landing on Mars live in about 25 minutes.

 

[Kak]

The lambo thing has always been weird to me, probably because of where I'm from and because I don't know any rich people who own one. I do know a very rich guy who owns a ferrari, but that's the exception, and it's not a big focus of his. I don't even think he drives it!

One guy in my town drove a lambo for awhile, but he was renting it. Some kind of program that cycles which vehicle you have each month/year or something... But he and his wife did own a business. It was a smoothie and fitness shop.

Yeah, I’m there too. I love them, but my thing is utility.

The most audacious thing I like is the Mercedes 6x6 G wagon. I could see driving that around.

 

[Fox]

Perseverance is landing on Mars live in about 25 minutes.

Watching now - thanks for the link.

I hope that guy with the shirt his girlfriend made is back on the team ha.

 

[sparechange]

Which CV19 (stupid government officials) probably severely injured. :-(

Fixed your post MJ

 

[sparechange]

Want some extra motivation? Go sit in one. Be honest with the dealer about your motives, but still... Go sit in one.

I pulled an MJ and upped the ante, there was a guy in town with a superlegga, thought screw it lets do it, whipped out my fake lambo badge on my house keys lanyard and told the guy I'm a huge fan of lamborghinis, got a ride down the street and once this guy hit the gas my head went back into the seat like a rollercoaster. I want one but can imagine the amount of trouble and or jail it would get me into!

 

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[MoneyDoc]

I pulled an MJ and upped the ante, there was a guy in town with a superlegga, thought screw it lets do it, whipped out my fake lambo badge on my house keys lanyard and told the guy I'm a huge fan of lamborghinis, got a ride down the street and once this guy hit the gas my head went back into the seat like a rollercoaster. I want one but can imagine the amount of trouble and or jail it would get me into!

Wait until you sit in an Aventador SV.

 

[rollerskates]

People (particularly those of a certain political ideology) are laughing at Texas for not having power during a little snowstorm. I don't appreciate it considering that millions of people are without power.

Where I live, we get smacked with snow every single year. There's about 6 inches on the ground right now. That's a fair bit, but it's not something so out of the ordinary. But Texas isn't like that. If we got hit with a hurricane, we'd be completely screwed.

My condolences to those in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as other states, who are in their cold homes without power.

This bites. Winter is fine if you have the right equipment. Winter is not if you have crap turbines and not enough cold weather equipment . Winter is not fine if you have a crap forecast. How can you say something will be 36 hours or so of bad weather below freezing and it's actually a week? Everyone is dumping on Texas for having their own power grid. NOT A BAD THING. The bad thing is that whoever thought wind turbines work in sub zero temps is smoking crack. Now, I understand there are other states that have winterized turbines. Our winterization checks on all equipment were done via Zoom because of Covid. These morons were more afraid of Covid than than they were about people freezing to death and/or having no water. I have a relative whose house got down to 32 degrees inside and they had no water.
Maybe wind turbines work under certain circumstances? This is not one of them.

This article explains a lot:

5 ERCOT board members don’t live in Texas, one from Canada

As millions of Texans are still without power, Texas lawmakers and the governor are demanding answers after ERCOT activated the state’s Energy Emergency Alerts. The first alert happened at 12…

www.kxan.com

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH I am so pissed off at all of this.

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

You should WANT to provide the kind of value that makes one a billionaire and appreciate the value available to you that otherwise wouldn't be there.

You can make a lot of money by making life hell for other people.

Sackler family - Wikipedia - slaughtered hundreds of thousands, made billions

Sam Zemurray - Wikipedia - Overthrew South American governments in pursuit of banana profits

Jeffrey Epstein - Wikipedia - Billionaire

"I owe the public nothing." - J. P. Morgan

Or the sickness industry (or healthcare as propagandists call it) which makes trillions with quackery that ignores fundamental issues or reinforces dystopian conditions (make children eat amphetamines to sit still in boring classes).

Plus you have Wall Street, which is just a big casino that has ruined many lives.

Once you pass into the billions, money means understanding power, not value. See here: Capital As Power – Toward a New Cosmology of Capitalism

I think that it would be interesting to know that a forum member here became a billionaire, plus I like your content so I'm rooting for you. But, even if all billionaires aren't sociopaths, all of them are absolutely ruthless bastards, without exception. You can't get to the top otherwise (Kevin O'Leary admitted it).

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

You can make a lot of money by making life hell for other people.

Sackler family - Wikipedia - slaughtered hundreds of thousands, made billions

Sam Zemurray - Wikipedia - Overthrew South American governments in pursuit of banana profits

Jeffrey Epstein - Wikipedia - Billionaire

"I owe the public nothing." - J. P. Morgan

Or the sickness industry (or healthcare as propagandists call it) which makes trillions with quackery that ignores fundamental issues or reinforces dystopian conditions (make children eat amphetamines to sit still in boring classes).

Plus you have Wall Street, which is just a big casino that has ruined many lives.

Once you pass into the billions, money means understanding power, not value. See here: Capital As Power – Toward a New Cosmology of Capitalism

I think that it would be interesting to know that a forum member here became a billionaire, plus I like your content so I'm rooting for you. But, even if all billionaires aren't sociopaths, all of them are absolutely ruthless bastards, without exception. You can't get to the top otherwise (Kevin O'Leary admitted it).

You should read some of Naval’s quotes about wealth and status.

Yes money can be power. But take it away, and there’s still power: just less people who control it.

Yes you gave good examples of some evil people, but that doesn’t mean everyone worth a billion dollars is evil.

In unscripted , it’s about perceived vs actual value. Bill Gates provided actual value with Microsoft, but the synthetic meat situation is not, it would be a rip off.

That is the key difference.

 

[BizyDad]

NOT A BAD THING

I pray you and yours stay safe. I hope the poor decision makers who instigated this crisis get their just desserts, but after Flint, I have my doubts.

Respectfully, current circumstances disagree. When Arizona faced similar power grid strains from the unexpected record number of 110 days we had this year (more than double the previous record), we didn't face rolling blackouts because we were able to buy power from neighboring states. Why deprive Texas power companies from selling power to Louisiana?

I don't understand the advantage of isolating the grid, except perhaps that it isolates it from federal oversight? But maybe more oversight is needed?

You should read some of Naval’s quotes about wealth and status.

Yes money can be power. But take it away, and there’s still power: just less people who control it.

Yes you gave good examples of some evil people, but that doesn’t mean everyone worth a billion dollars is evil.

You're the first person to say "evil".

Xeon said all are sociopaths. (Obviously not true). Kak made it sound like they are all hard working saintly role models. (Obviously not true).

WHDC said having billions is a game based on more on power, not purely on value. I don't see how he's wrong.

At that level of the game, and increasingly into the deca-billions, things get more cut throat, closer to a zero sum game. How close to a monopoly can you get and how long can you keep it going? That's how billionaires become hundred billionaires.

There's a reason Kak is one of the more experienced forum members at lobbying/dealing with lobbyists, and it isn't purely because his "win win" exchanges speak for themselves.

The inherent anti competitive practices that often arise out of amassing that much wealth, it could be argued, are not for the good of society. And if that is true, then that fits the antisocial component of Xeon's sociopath critique, does it not?

No, not every billionaire is antisocial. But I'll wager, statistically, a much greater percentage of the 2800 or so billionaires are than is considered "normal". I'd say they generally are more narcissistic too. I'd say the same is true of politicians, or any other group that wields power. Fortune 500 CEO's, Royals, Sovereign Wealth Managers, Sports team owners, etc. You don't get to those positions purely based on "value skew".

If you are an honest businessman that engages in win win exchanges... How many exchanges make one a sociopath? Exchanges making them a few million are somehow OK, but exchanges that, by default, have to employ hundreds or even thousands more and provide value to an exponentially greater extent, somehow makes them shitty?

You can't possibly be this idealistic.

How about when the win win exchanges comes with anti-competitive strings? Some examples.

Food mega corp A tells grocery store chain B they must stock X shelf space of product D, or else they are pulling all products out of stores chain.

Large real estate developer slow paying his contractors, then after the job is done, disputing the quality of the work and using deep pockets and well paid attorneys the to leverage paying less than the agreed upon rate.

Walmart's negotiating practices of the 90's, like squeezing nearly all the margin out of suppliers, or dropping the prices to sell products at a loss until local competitors close up shop.

Pharmaceutical companies or entertainment companies exhausting every possible legal loophole to extend patents or music rights beyond the normal length of time for their monopoly to be in effect.

Amazon getting better rates on packages with threat of establishing its own delivery, which it did anyways.

Microsoft/google negotiating exclusive deals with electronics manufacturers/schools.

Apple frivolously banning rival company's apps from its app store.

Any company that seeks favorable treatment via lobbying practices. The ride share and sugar industries comes to mind...

Each of these examples, though perfectly legal (mostly), often smart business practices, and I wouldn't call it evil, still show a clear example of a shift away from a "honest businessman looking for a win win transaction" mindset and venturing into the territory of "big business throwing it's weight around to muscle out it's competition and/or bully the little guys". And that's where we begin to tread into sociopathy. My profit is my profit and your profit is my profit.

It's the anticompetitive practices that I have some issue with. But that's the idealist in me. The realist in me says this is the way the game is played.

Tell me, how many of the 2800ish billionaires really got there purely based on a series of honest win win transactions?

If you believe that's all it takes, I doubt you ever become one. Toughen up bro, I'm also rooting for you.

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

I pray you and yours stay safe. I hope the poor decision makers who instigated this crisis get their just desserts, but after Flint, I have my doubts.

Respectfully, current circumstances disagree. When Arizona faced similar power grid strains from the unexpected record number of 110 days we had this year (more than double the previous record), we didn't face rolling blackouts because we were able to buy power from neighboring states. Why deprive Texas power companies from selling power to Louisiana?

I don't understand the advantage of isolating the grid, except perhaps that it isolates it from federal oversight? But maybe more oversight is needed?



You're the first person to say "evil".

Xeon said all are sociopaths. (Obviously not true). Kak made it sound like they are all hard working saintly role models. (Obviously not true).

WHDC said having billions is a game based on more on power, not purely on value. I don't see how he's wrong.

At that level of the game, and increasingly into the deca-billions, things get more cut throat, closer to a zero sum game. How close to a monopoly can you get and how long can you keep it going? That's how billionaires become hundred billionaires.

There's a reason Kak is one of the more experienced forum members at lobbying/dealing with lobbyists, and it isn't purely because his "win win" exchanges speak for themselves.

The inherent anti competitive practices that often arise out of amassing that much wealth, it could be argued, are not for the good of society. And if that is true, then that fits the antisocial component of Xeon's sociopath critique, does it not?

No, not every billionaire is antisocial. But I'll wager, statistically, a much greater percentage of the 2800 or so billionaires are than is considered "normal". I'd say they generally are more narcissistic too. I'd say the same is true of politicians, or any other group that wields power. Fortune 500 CEO's, Royals, Sovereign Wealth Managers, Sports team owners, etc. You don't get to those positions purely based on "value skew".



You can't possibly be this idealistic.

How about when the win win exchanges comes with anti-competitive strings? Some examples.

Food mega corp A tells grocery store chain B they must stock X shelf space of product D, or else they are pulling all products out of stores chain.

Large real estate developer slow paying his contractors, then after the job is done, disputing the quality of the work and using deep pockets and well paid attorneys the to leverage paying less than the agreed upon rate.

Walmart's negotiating practices of the 90's, like squeezing nearly all the margin out of suppliers, or dropping the prices to sell products at a loss until local competitors close up shop.

Pharmaceutical companies or entertainment companies exhausting every possible legal loophole to extend patents or music rights beyond the normal length of time for their monopoly to be in effect.

Amazon getting better rates on packages with threat of establishing its own delivery, which it did anyways.

Microsoft/google negotiating exclusive deals with electronics manufacturers/schools.

Apple frivolously banning rival company's apps from its app store.

Any company that seeks favorable treatment via lobbying practices. The ride share and sugar industries comes to mind...

Each of these examples, though perfectly legal (mostly), often smart business practices, and I wouldn't call it evil, still show a clear example of a shift away from a "honest businessman looking for a win win transaction" mindset and venturing into the territory of "big business throwing it's weight around to muscle out it's competition and/or bully the little guys". And that's where we begin to tread into sociopathy. My profit is my profit and your profit is my profit.

It's the anticompetitive practices that I have some issue with. But that's the idealist in me. The realist in me says this is the way the game is played.

Tell me, how many of the 2800ish billionaires really got there purely based on a series of honest win win transactions?

If you believe that's all it takes, I doubt you ever become one. Toughen up bro, I'm also rooting for you.

Elon Musk is worth over one hundred billion and as far as I can tell it’s from starting companies, selling things people want, and marketing the hell out of the companies he owns so that people pour their money into the stock, raising his net worth.

He does get a lot of taxpayer money, which I’m not crazy about. Neuralink is also maximum on the creepy scale. But Musk himself often shows a very normal side, understanding of other people etc. heck, most billionaires are - they’re just regular people who have massive businesses or assets.

None of that is sociopathic or based on political power, really.

But this discussion is also completely pointless.

This is a side walker conversation and I regret getting into it. So, my apologies.

 

[MoneyDoc]

Elon Musk is worth over one hundred billion and as far as I can tell it’s from starting companies, selling things people want, and marketing the hell out of the companies he owns so that people pour their money into the stock, raising his net worth.

None of that is sociopathic or based on political power, really.

But this discussion is also completely pointless.

This is a side walker conversation and I regret getting into it. So, my apologies.

Musk is not all that he seems...

He's far more clever than people realize.

Will just leave it at that.

 

[BizyDad]

Elon Musk is worth over one hundred billion and as far as I can tell it’s from starting companies, selling things people want, and marketing the hell out of the companies he owns so that people pour their money into the stock, raising his net worth.

None of that is sociopathic or based on political power, really.

But this discussion is also completely pointless.

This is a side walker conversation and I regret getting into it. So, my apologies.

Maybe look a little closer? Lobbying for tax breaks and government incentive programs so more people buy his cars and solar panels. You don't think his gigafactory had any flexing of political power?

The man sells rocket trips to the government and you don't think he utilizes political power? He's a guy presidents call when they have questions, but he doesn't have political power?

He's good at what he does. I'm glad he's out there innovating. But let's not pretend he doesn't have some serious governmental support/backing. In almost every one of his business ventures.

If that's not leveraging political power, I don't know what is.

Sociopaths, at their most benign, don't adhere to society's norms or expectation. That's Elon Musk to a T. He doesn't care where he sleeps or who he offends, he's out to change the status quo...

And good for him. I suppose where I differ with Xeon is I don't instantly think being a sociopath is the same thing as evil or wrong. There's a lot of overlap, sure, but there are sociopaths who do good things. I don't know if Elon Musk specifically is a sociopath, that's not for me to judge, but I can at least see the possibility. The man isn't a saint.

Anyways, agree to disagree, we have millions to go make...

 

[Kak]

we have millions to go make...

Billions

 

[Raoul Duke]

Billions

 

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[Xeon]

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

But Musk himself often shows a very normal side, understanding of other people etc.

I like Elon and find him interesting, but let's not pretend that he doesn't have a world class public relations team helping him out - he absolutely has a dark side. And if I remember correctly, he was somehow implicated in a coup in Bolivia to get lithium for Tesla.

Neuralink is also maximum on the creepy scale.

There will be 2 versions of Neuralink: one for us and one for him and his friends.

But this discussion is also completely pointless.

This is the rant thread. What do you think that we're here for?

 

[Kak]

 

[BizyDad]

Wow, we really killed the convo on the rant thread. Must be a good couple of days for everybody.

I spent my morning shopping for new appliances for my house. I am so annoyed at the lack of selection. Everything basically looks the same.

I know the issue goes beyond supply chain/covid/weather/tarriffs related stuff.

I feel like we're back to the Model T days where you can have any color as long it's black. Except replace black with "stainless steel". I got a stainless steel fridge and it is far from stainless. It's easily scratched when cleaning and full of smudges and fingerprints. It's only a few years old and it already looks worn out.

So for my stove/dishwasher/microwave I wanted to go with solid black. But they apparently aren't making those much anymore, unless you want one that looks absolutely cheap.

"The market" must be demanding stainless, right? But when I read reviews, many have the same complaints that I do.

On top of that, everything is either gas or these newish radiant stovetops. But those are hard to clean also. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the companies all decided to build things which won't hold up under normal use in order to create additional demand down the road.

I'm seriously considering having gas installed at my house now.

Am I the only one who thinks these things are awful? Ok, rant over.

But I'd appreciate any positive stories/recommendations from anyone who loves their stainless steel appliances, especially their radiant stovetops.