Podcasts:
- Henry Blodget on AI, Dot-Coms, and What’s Changed In 25 Years
- Made in America? Shoe Companies Already Tried That.
- American Civil War: Aftermath & Legacy
- The origin and caveats to the “3.5% rule of social change”
Read:
- Trump eliminates Energy Star program, which only had a 350:1 benefit cost ratio. So much
winninglosing! - AI companion apps pose “unacceptable risks” to teens … because these fake friends tell you you’re amazing. What a shit show!
- Trump meme coin probe launched amid massive losses. Related: Most of the top $Trump holders are foreign nationals who are (obviously) bribing a US president for influence. He will sell the US for pennies on the dollar!
- A new SuperWood that’s stronger than steel yet renewable and workable.
- Molly White: I have to say, it seems wild to me to acknowledge that Trump is abusing his office in blatantly corrupt ways and respond by… introducing a bill to chip away at the types of corruption he’s engaging in, rather than addressing it directly through impeachment.
- Tech bros “at work” — YouTube is using AI to track your eyeballs and then serve ads when you’re most engaged [oh, great]. Uber recreates bus lines at “cheaper than our normal price [but way more than a bus]” prices [re-inventing the wheel].
Re Energy Star: I think people can decide for themselves what kind of appliance they want to buy. Manufacturers can use energy savings as a selling point. Most of the appliances that are being forced down our throats are expensive, slow, complicated and nearly impossible to fix. Manufacturers need competition to make better ones. If we need more electric power (we do) we need to generate more. Electricity should be nearly free if we’re to get off carbon.
Hi Philip — I agree with you on over-complicated appliances (let alone “aware” TV sets that watch you!) as well as the danger of inappropriate regulations HOWEVER I do like the EStar “feature” of showing annual energy use in a standard format. As you probably know, manufacturers do all they can to avoid competition (e.g., changing model names for every country, proprietary parts, etc.), so there’s some place for regulation.
As for energy prices, I think we need to tax carbon rather than lower the price of electrical (sometimes from carbon sources!) if we’re going to reverse 150 years of supply chain construction. I’m not betting on it, btw 😉
David:
I believe you to be correct in your answers. I have most of the things we have purchased today relieve us of doing more to achieve what we want. But then that is the technician/engineer in me too. Although I do not abandon old just to have new.
Links to AI summaries lessen your blog. I already have AI slop offered to me every moment of the day, I come to blogs for thoughtfulness.
Hi Zack — I link to Perplexity, which has links to outbound articles. I do not have the time to go find separate sources, but you can easily do that if the headline is interesting.