Hot Takes

Miscellany

I don’t bother much with XTwitter these days because I still haven’t found out precisely what I do that works with it. Today I’m going to write in something of a different format that might work for here or for XTwitter or both. We’ll see. I’m back from yet another vacation and saw a lot of new country and old places I haven’t seen in a decade. So a few things pop into mind.

Mall Towns
I have seen Canton MI and it has changed my mind about modern mall towns. Somebody has figured out how to build planned communities that are economically successful. It makes me want to revisit Plano, TX. I suspect that there are many such small exurban towns for families and that these are the places that will sustain the nation. Small cities like Flint MI are probably doomed. College towns like Ann Arbor MI and Providence RI will continue to flourish until affluent parents declare that enough is enough with inflated education.

Tesla Model Three
I was right about the new driver education. In some states, the DMV driver test doesn’t even require students to leave the parking lot. I’ve seen both the integrated CarPlay / Uber app in a new Ford Hybrid and the UI is compelling. In the Tesla Model 3, you can perceive how the car sees the environment. Enough driving in either or their evolutions will change the way drivers conduct their vehicles. It cannot come soon enough for dangerous idiots on the I95. BTW, I’m absolutely convinced that the Mafia runs the toll booths in NJ. There’s no excuse for its Precambrian existence.

The Balvenie
After 4 years of rather intense scrutiny of all things whiskey & bourbon, I clearly haven’t been doing enough scotch. The Balvenie is magic. I should have known. I should have known.

The Axis of Incompetence
China is more of a threat to itself than to the rest of the world. I am convinced that the other shoe of the One Child Policy will drop in the next decade and its flavor of state capitalism will fail spectacularly making the dead years of Japanese banks seem like a blip in comparison. The old jokes about Chinese food will resurface. (You eat it but you’re still hungry.) My authority on this is Peter Zeihan who was an original Stratforian. China couldn’t run TSMC in the same way Saudi Arabia couldn’t run Aramco. Without the US expertise and money, you only have a blueprint for success. They don’t train their people to read blueprints in the same way the Kardashians don’t train their children to fix the Porsches they drive.

Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and the rest of the Jihadi nations are in a similar situation. Except perhaps this war marks the end of the moral effectiveness of asymmetrical warfare. So I predict.

Yamandu Costa
Once upon a time I watched a documentary on the history of the seven string guitar. This was the first episode. If you are like me, this is a rabbit hole of stupendous dimensions. I invite you to jump in, knowing that this genius is not likely to be found on Ticketmaster coming to a town near you.

Indoor Dogs
I have several family members with indoor dogs. I have never had one, although in childhood I have had several outdoor dogs: {Chaka, Ditty, Nubbin, Bullet, Skipper, Bubba, Seiko, April} I realize just now that I have a thing for two syllable names for dogs. I have been thinking about getting one for a while, only semi-seriously, and once upon a time I matched my personality to the right dog. The answer was a Chesapeake Water Dog. It must be the East Coast snow that forces families to allow large pooches in the house. I cannot imagine such a thing. I also cannot read the expressions and motions of toy dogs. They all look ridiculous to me. I can’t get over that, and quite frankly would prefer a cat. A cat has the good sense to go outdoors on its own. So maybe I’m changing into a cat person.

Scavengers Reign
This is one of the best animated series I’ve ever seen. It looks like Akira (and plays some direct homages) and it realizes an alien world that is more unpredictably intricate and strange than most people can imagine. Yet it doesn’t plunge deep into horror for that sake. It’s an absolute treat. In my quest to answer a thousand questions about AI, this adds to my lexicon. Run don’t walk and check it out.

OK more serious stuff later this week.