I received ANOTHER spam text message from one of the political campaigns. To be clear, I get them from both parties. But this time I decided to write back. I asked some hard questions. I didn’t get a meaningful response but it was fun. Hopefully I gummed up their systems with worthless content the way politicians are allowed to spam us.
Personal
What a great reminder: “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” - CS Lewis, God in the Dock
What I read
[f] Where there was fire
[NF] Breath: New Science of a lost art
[NF] Breaking History: My Time in the White House by Jared Kushner
Articles:
Picture Imperfect: Scores of papers by Eliezer Masliah, prominent neuroscientist and top NIH official, fall under suspicion - Disappoint that yet another (and another) - via Max Lugavare. Alzheimers/dementia researcher found to have possibly manipulated data and led pharmaceutical researchers down a useless rabbit hole. Possibly setting back Alzheimers research back decades.
Okay, this is an excursus but I consistently hear the drumbeat “trust the science”. But the science is often fabricated. Much less science is intended to be a living study, not “settled”. Real science is never settled. How many more black eyes can the NIH handle before significant reforms are pursued?
Revealed: the US government-funded ‘private social network’ attacking pesticide critics - If this is true it’s unreal and difficult to understand why the US Government would engage in these actions. Although the simplest answer is often the the most correct - Regulatory capture. Disappointing and shameful.
US NIH Study finds Fluoride “reduces the IQ of children - wow, after something like 80 years or poisoning ourselves. Better now than never I suppose.
Do US Ports Need More Automation - interesting review of ports that are automated and those that are not. It sounds like the sticking point on the pending US Longshoreman strike is automation, the efficiency upside to automation today might not be as significant as one might assume. Though future innovations will likely change that.
On the List
The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency - Mentioned in Kushner’s memoir. It’s interesting to understand the politics of the Chief of Staff role and easy to see how they can exert their substantial sway to define a president’s agenda.
Animal Farm - I just came across my old copy. Time to break this back out.
Listened To
All-In Podcast w/ Mark Cuban
Phantom of the Opera soundtrack
Post Malone went country
Watched
Areas of study
Morgan Motors: Still around - My son loves How Wheels style cars. He has an old car, it must have been one from my childhood that is roughly in the shape of a Morgan. I love that style. A few years ago I was surprised to learn that Morgan Motors are still around and still producing cars by hand - which significant components still built from wood!
I love that style of car and the craftsmanship that goes into building a product like that. If you want to see a quick tour that looks well done this might be a great start. It’s 20 years old but does that really matter for a company like this?