February 2012
197 posts
Dresden and Hiroshima Were the Same
A nuke is just scope. It’s using email instead of a telegram.
The fundamental problem with nuclear weaponry, or any weaponry, is intent. It’s the intent to kill that we have to keep from proliferating. The means of killing are simply scale.
Nuclear Proliferation Is Awesome
You can’t prevent the spread of knowledge.
Nuclear technology is waiting under a rock to be discovered. It’s like electricity - eventually we will all understand nuclear power and the associated technologies. In every nation.
Globally we have sought to suppress the spread of this knowledge for “security” reasons. This may satisfy jingoistic impulses, but it’s...
“That is why I am upset by many Americans’ thinking. We do not have the same...”
– What Cameras Inside Foxconn Found - NYTimes.com
This line of thinking is so depressing. The incremental improvements offered by the mindless Foxconn “company store” model are undeniably better than rural farm labor. No one disputes that.
But Apple’s margins are north of 30% -...
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“This decision will not affect the credit available to our customers, and we will...”
– BofA Halts Routing New Mortgages to Fannie Mae - Bloomberg
Re: Charts
Let’s talk, charters and infographers.
The next time I see a chart of a security (eg gas, S&P 500, bitcoins) mapped against a president or political party, I will slightly increase the gravity at the center of the universe. Yes, I have the power. Don’t annoy me into demonstrating it.
Each time I do this, it will take exactly 1000 years off of the time we have left until the...
“This should be a matter of concern and a cautionary tale for the smaller presses...”
– Amazon Pulls Thousands of E-Books in Dispute - NYTimes.com
The idea that lower prices for E-Books are “unsustainable” is absurd. But will Amazon lose its dominant position to other players? E-Books have lots and lots of distribution networks with indistinguishable feature sets. Retail...
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“If they (federal government), can give me my son back, I’ll pay my taxes,...”
– Feds sue anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan over back taxes | wtsp.com
“April 07, 2011
No data published for new car loans at auto finance...”
– FRB: DDP: Consumer Credit (G.19)
Don’t worry guys, they’re on this.
“Superficially, it was all smiles following the announcement of the September...”
– Consumer Credit Rises As Uncle Sam Funds More Subprime Car And Student Loans; Revolving Credit Drops | ZeroHedge
Imported from Debtroit
“Moses’s case exposed other problems reminiscent of the days of mortgage mania....”
– The Cutting Edge News
La la la, everything is fine, Detroit recovered.
Investors place big bets on Buy Here Pay Here... →
Leavin’ this here.
Hey So Hate To Break This To Everyone
Hold up on the magical auto industry recovery.
Detroit “recovered” to well under the equity payback mark because of a whole mess of awful subprime auto loans. The G.19 reports revealed a massive increase in credit extension that drove the big Q4 that Obama is crowing about and the Republicans are idiotically saying “would have happened anyway”. Herp a doo: guys,we’re...
Squashed: To catch a predatory lenderTo catch a... →
squashed:
So housing prices are low. But credit is tight. When people can’t get financing from a reputable source, they sometimes turn to less conventional—and generally predatory—options.
A lot of the scuzzy mortgage brokers turned into foreclosure rescue scammers, but now that game is running dry too….
Auto lending
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We Can Definitely Close The Deficit Voluntarily...
We just have to call on that benevolent American spirit!
After all, the only reason we’re 15 trillion in debt is because the kind, wise American people were never made aware that we’ve got a revenue problem. I’m sure donations will start pouring in any minute now to cover the gap. Would you like that in cash or check?
“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who...”
– Christie: Buffett Write a Check, ’Shut Up’ - Bloomberg
Hey guys, let’s close the deficit with a fucking bake sale.
Tax reform is really, really, really hard
In a sense, this [White House’s corporate tax reform framework] is making two, somewhat contradictory, points simultaneously: Yes, we should reform the corporate tax code. That piece of conventional wisdom is true. But no, it’s not obvious how we should to do it, and it won’t be easy. The mantra “broaden the base and lower the rates” is nice, but a mantra is not actually a plan.
Whether...
Surprising Fact
See, the thing is, someone had to buy that bond. There was a market in Greek one years yesterday. Someone was buyin’ them dips in Greek sovvies. Of course, this was more akin to those weird price spikes in Fannie stock after it was on the pink sheets, but.
Still worth a LOL to think of some poor modern-day Jimmy Cayne thinking he’s got himself the modern-day version of a New York muni...
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“If it seems like it was only 5 days ago that Greek bonds could be had for the...”
– Greek 1 Year Hits 763% | ZeroHedge
Dat yield to worst.
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In American Tax Sausagemaking, Earmarks Close...
“Let’s scrub the corporate tax system of loopholes. And by the way, ‘manufacturing’ gets a 3% discount on rates. The end-state outcome doesn’t matter: watch the bouncing ball, media!”
I completely understand why this strikes a sympathetic chord with everyone who’s envisioning some fantastical 1950’s-esque manufacturing economy. But this is why we...
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“President Obama will ask Congress to scrub the corporate tax code of dozens of...”
– Obama Offers to Cut Corporate Tax Rate to 28% - NYTimes.com
You fucking asshole. Exceptions to favored industries are exactly why the nominal corporate tax rate doesn’t matter. This is exactly what’s wrong with tax policymaking in America and it’s unsurprising to see this...
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“It’s A Brick” – Tesla Motors’ Devastating Design... →
If the battery is ever totally discharged, the owner is left with what Tesla describes as a “brick”: a completely immobile vehicle that cannot be started or even pushed down the street. The only known remedy is for the owner to pay Tesla approximately $40,000 to replace the entire battery. Unlike practically every other modern car problem, neither Tesla’s warranty nor typical car insurance...
Noon
Help. Considering dismemberment + cannibalism.
Please send people who know shit about fuck to my office immediately so I can hug them. I just want to know what it feels like.
Peg The Euro To Toilet Paper
There’s more notional rectangles to buy ouzo with than white squares to wipe your ass with, yet the paper with the schmucks on it is legal tender? Fuck me. Talk about pissing away natural resources. That’s good linen! At least 3-ply!
Maybe THAT’s why they have bidets in Europe: they don’t want you to get confused. It’s hard to keep confidence in fiat when it’s...
Bullshit Of The Day
“But the lenders should have known better!”
Fuck you. Lenders put up with enough shit already, like countries that print the currency they issue debt in to “monetize” repayments. If anything, that’s what they expected: if Greece is really in trouble they’ll print.
Greece can’t choose just one implement to screw creditors with, so it is using both...
Greece Is A Country
Greece is not some poor sucker.
Greece is not some uneducated financial victim that knows not what it does.
Greece was not taken advantage of.
Greece is a craven, scheming nation that hoped tomorrow would never come. Well, fuck you: it’s Tuesday. Pay your fucking bills or get your knees broken. You read the terms; nations, of all entities, understand the terrible meaning of debt.
...
“What’s lost in this subtext is the responsibility of the lender. Yes,...”
– Guest Post: When Debt Is More Important Than People, The System Is Evil | ZeroHedge
Blow me, quite frankly. I buy this when we take advantage of some poor sucker with an ARM when they should have gotten a fixed rate. But Greece is a fucking Democratic sovereign run by economists and career...
When Debt Is More Important Than People, The... →
What does that mean? Debt is 0 sum. We’re talking about people on either end of a debt.
When conditions are fundamentally unequal, the system is evil. Debt is often an expression of deeper, structural inequalities between counterparties. Except in Greece; fuck Greece and the pampered Greeks.
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A More Fundamental Cure
Bailouts and BS have reached the end. It’s time to work harder.
Globally, 2008 kicked off an earthquake that hasn’t quite ended. American prosperity seems to be returning at last, but it remains a precarious thing indeed. The sovereign debt crisis abroad and at home rollicks on, as the United States comfortably settles above 100% debt-to-GDP and most of its creditor nations begin...
On Discourse
A simple model.
Draw two lines as far apart from each other as you can. The line closest to you should be quite clear. Further away should be the second line; really more of a scuff mark than a line.
Here’s how you live life: when someone crosses the first line, talk to them. Explain why you’re hurt, offended, angry, etc. Open a dialogue to either push the person back over the line...
“I don’t agree. I don’t want to be friends with someone who is a member of the...”
– Diana Wagman
This is one of the saddest things I have seen in some time. As much as I’d encourage everyone to read Wagan’s article, I’d also understand if they stopped a few paragraphs in.
As someone who communicates, lives around, and is friends with people of very different political viewpoints,...
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“Geradezu surreal mutet die politische Debatte der letzten Tage an, in der es...”
– Der Spiegel: Stoppt die 130-Milliarden-Überweisung!
Basically: this bailout is based on wholly ridiculous and unreliable forecasts. Translated by Google:
“Almost surreal seems the political debate in the last few days, which concerned seriously about whether Greece will come thanks to the...
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The (Latest) Greek Deal
Some conjecture as we await word from on high.
There was (is?) a Greek deal! You’ve read that a few dozen times over the past few years: this one concerns the second bailout / “settlement” with Greece’s creditors. Like any good not-bankrupt nation, Greece is entering into an agreement with its primary creditors to re-structure the maturity profile, interest rates, and...
Sheriff's image shattered after he's outed →
jasencomstock:
gaywrites:
An Arizona sheriff built a strong reputation as a conservative icon for his appearances with John McCain and public opposition to the Obama administration. He’s running for a competitive GOP nomination in a conservative congressional district and had garnered a lot of support.
That changed this weekend, when Paul Babeu had to admit publicly that he was involved in a...
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Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
No Veyron for me this year.
I mean, bonuses were down. I suppose I’ll console myself by purchasing a bunch of paper assets and watching them accumulate. My unseemly sacrifice is the prestige of such an automobile at the expense of appreciating capital. What good is this bank account unless I can spend it? My regrets are manifest.
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“Lamborghini SpA (LAM), maker of the $1 million Aventador LP 700-4, said industry...”
– Slowing China Growth May Hurt Supercar Sales - Bloomberg
News you can use! What a disaster that personally affects us all, right? If Lamborghini sales slow I’ll be absolutely heartbroken. Just think of all those boot-licking jobs, lost in this brutal economy, all because a bunch of sad...
New Resolution
New Year’s is for sissies.
I need to become a better coder this year. Thinkin’ Python / Objective C / Javascript, in that order. Got some pro tips? Let me know.
“I was talking about the radical environmentalists,” Santorum said today. “That’s...”
– Santorum: Obama Favors ’Earth Above Man’ - Bloomberg
…what?
“Known only as “Jose,” a Mexican immigrant has outed a famous Arizona...”
– Paul Babeu, Immigration Hawk Sheriff, Outed by Alleged Mexican Gay Lover - The Daily Beast
Sometimes you’ll see a Republican outed as gay, and sometimes you’ll see one exposed for being a hypocrite about immigration, but this is the rare case where both happened at the same time. (via jeffmiller)
...
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“Apple’s Safari Web browser is configured to block third- party cookies by...”
– Google Violated Apple Users’ Privacy: Study - Bloomberg
It’s time to regulate Google.
It’s time to stop using their services.
The backer flipping to Santorum is Ohio AG Mike...
jasencomstock:
mar-see-ah:
Former Senator (fun fact: Matt worked for him in college), big wig in Ohio politics, where the announcement is being made.
says MSNBC, which I’m watching.
oh who fucking cares!
fucking shitbag santorum
“Someone finally said what we’ve all been thinking here in Ohio: penis penis penis, penis, all the time. We can’t stop, and neither can Rick...
Rick Santorum has "major" campaign announcement at...
jasencomstock:
What will it be?
Fundraise
It Also Works In Reverse
Wheeeee
“We know you have hemorrhoids, so no need to recommend movie tickets or condoms. By the way, there’s now a 4.6352% higher probability of your relationship ending within [duration algo result of search behavior to mean hemorrhoid breakout length] because you’re [age demographic]. We’ll recommend chocolates and flowers in a week, followed by strip clubs, because...
Why The Fuck Do You Think Google Voice Exists?
2+2
Hey so we have a great text-to-speech platform! And this phone service that admits to keeping your conversations. Heh, and a business model predicated on generating user profiles that channel perfect advertisements into your brain stem.
Sorry to hear you talking to your mom about your hemorrhoids. Here’s a coupon for some cream. Let us (or anyone) know if anything else is bothering...
No, Really
Facebook had an algo a half-decade ago that could detect imminent breakups with reasonable accuracy.
Zuckerberg admitted that. This is what we do on ther Internet - study user behavior and profile you. Target can’t track your browsing activity with anything approaching the effectiveness of Amazon or Google.
That Target story is kind of like writing an exposé on Joe Camel’s...
