Month: January 2025

Some Change

Chill Annoying, Clowns

Anyone who denies that climate change had a role in the recent California fires does not understand how climate change works and also fails to comprehend that they too will be affected inevitably in the end — perhaps not so devastatingly, but the likelihood of negative outcomes increases greatly when the climate has been destabilized.

I know, it’s hard to change. It’s scary. Status quo bias is one of the strongest human tendencies. And the left has pushed some horrendously bad ideas that should be opposed, such as austerity and degrowth. But you should be opposing these ideas and not the obvious truth that the climate is changing, and not for the better for most of humanity.

In the end, like gravity, it simply does not matter if you believe in climate change or not. Because it believes in you.

Chill Links

A vanishingly small number of violent sex crimes end in conviction, NBC News investigation shows.

Finland’s Zero Homeless Strategy: Lessons from a Success Story.

Mark Zuckerberg’s commitment to free speech is as deep as Exxon’s commitment to clean energy.

Twin-headed Trump-Musk onslaught leaves Europe floundering for response. Europe can’t even respond to their own problems, so good luck.

To resist the climate crisis, we must resist the billionaire class.

On the Ground During L.A.’s Wildfire Emergency.

‘We’re in a New Era’: How Climate Change Is Supercharging Disasters.

The Best Time to Fireproof Los Angeles Was Yesterday.

2024 is officially the hottest year ever recorded on Planet Earth, at least while humans have been around, according to the official tallies from meteorological organizations around the world.

Sweden Buys More Leopard 2 Tanks As Part Of Major Defense Build-Up. Sweden knows a Europe-wide war with Russia is likely.

Economists Are in the Wilderness. Can They Find a Way Back to Influence? Let’s hope not.

Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors.

The Labor Crisis Putting People With Disabilities at Risk.

Diary of a Dead North Korean Soldier Reveals Grisly Battlefield Tactics.

Off Loss

Chill Annoying, Killin' It, Lying Liars

People like to talk about how it’s impossible to lose weight and always reach for some made-up number like only 1% who try to do so keep it off. The real number is between 20%-30% are successful. (Though that is still not great, admittedly.)

However, I lost a lot of weight and kept it off now for 15 years1. Seemed pretty easy, really. What’s so different about me?

Fat Acceptance bullshit is so clownish and harmful. And greatly contributes to the problem by accepting defeat preemptively.

  1. Though I regained some as muscle by working out a fucking lot.

100 Mil

Chill Regular-ass Post

About this, I would work an in-office job for $100 million for a year. A year only, though.

So I do have a price here. But no matter the payment, I wouldn’t work one of those abominations for longer than a year again. Not for a billion dollars. It just is too much of a toll on mental health. But I could do it for a year for $100 million. That’s enough that it would substantially change my life versus the torture involved.

Anyone want to pay up? I’ll go to your damn office and waste time (which is all you really can do in an office) while I do my actual work at home as normal.

Scholzing

Chill Clowns, War, WTF

I guess that clown is fine with fighting Russia in Germany in 3-5 years. Well, he’s gonna get his wish. It’s interesting how when given a clear and obvious choice, Germany and much of the rest of Europe of their own free will just shoots themselves in the foot repeatedly. I guess they are really into self-harm.

Homer

Chill Clowns, Political Economy

This is bullshit, because the actual truth is that the people who can’t work from home effectively are the very same people who didn’t do any work in the office. Invariably, they are the ones who spent hours wandering around the building, chitchatting, gladhanding, disturbing everyone else and pretending they were busy while doing absolutely nothing.

All the MBA types who hate WFH secretly know that is true, but don’t care — because they want work to be both a social club and a panopticon where they can keep an eye on their slaves. And a lot of them are just morons who think that butts in seats == productivity. Certainly cannot discount that many of them are just really, really dumb.

If your people are not productive working from home, you have a management problem. It’s not a WFH problem.

On average, I produce about 2-3x as much working from home as I do in an office — both because I work longer hours and I can do my actual work.

I will never work an office job again. Not for any money.

Chill Links

People Say Addiction Is a Disease. Mine Wasn’t.

Breaking Down the Average Household Budget in America.

The Hidden Middlemen Who Cost Homebuyers $12 Billion — And Counting.

UnitedHealth units ordered to collectively pay $165 million for misleading Massachusetts consumers.

Welcome to ‘career catfishing’ — Gen Z’s new defiance against endless rounds of interviews and hiring managers who ghost.

China’s air bases will outlast those of U.S. in Taiwan war: report.

The TikTok Ban Is More Likely Than Ever. Good.

Not Too

Chill Clowns, WTF

The liberals and progressives have become total nutballs about this, to a level I just cannot understand. They moved so fast from #MeToo to “If you can’t stand some sexual assault, being set on fire, or your kids being abused, you’re a MAGA loser!” I mean, what the fuck.