trentnix

56 ms·

571.
by trentnix 6y ago
I think that people need to be more open about failure. Rejection isn't necessarily failure. I appreciate that the article is about objective self-evaluation and self-improvement, but that requires a good understanding of why you rea
572.
by trentnix 6y ago
Wanna take a ride?
573.
by trentnix 6y ago
Yes. That's pessimistic.
574.
by trentnix 6y ago
He is saying a revolution is required because the people can’t change things. I’m not sure, short of outright nihilism, how one could be more pessimistic that that.
575.
by trentnix 6y ago
And in that quote, Zinn explicitly mentions he doesn’t believe in “people’s ability to make it better”: I was no longer a liberal, a believer in the self-correcting character of American democracy
576.
by trentnix 6y ago
Zinn's own words (which are quoted in the article) confirm the parent's point: From that moment on, I was no longer a liberal, a believer in the self-correcting character of American democracy. I was a radical, believing that som
577.
by trentnix 6y ago
On the contrary, there is nothing but the market . It can be free, controlled, or somewhere in between. Capital is always traded for goods and services, but it’s not always financial capital.
578.
by trentnix 6y ago
The market at least has a means of rewarding the rational and punishing the irrational. As you imply, cronyism is how irrational advantage is gained. And price controls are another form of cronyism, as they exclusively protect the entrenche
579.
by trentnix 6y ago
Then it's cronyism - the government gives free resources to one set of manufacturers and the rest are on their own. And do you think the government handed out that money based on merit? Or based on lobbying, political preferences, or n
580.
by trentnix 6y ago
Data? It's literally the definition of supply and demand. And when there is competition in the marketplace, lower prices and accepting smaller margins is inevitably used to gain competitive advantage. If prices stay artificially high (
581.
by trentnix 6y ago
That is not why we have government. In this case, government is actually preventing capitalism from being tried. But you see that as capitalism has failed and only government can save us.
582.
by trentnix 6y ago
Those are still loans that must be paid back, they just don’t accrue interest as quickly as they would if interest rates were higher. TANSTAAFL
583.
by trentnix 6y ago
“Massive gains” allow a quicker recoup of the massive investment almost certainly required to procure materials and manufacture masks. Obviously, the current need for masks is artificially high due to the pandemic. And when the pandemic ev
584.
by trentnix 6y ago
But being able to “overcharge” provides immediate incentives for others to produce. And when production finds equilibrium with market demand, the price is back to normal (or even cheaper than before if there is too much product in the marke
585.
by trentnix 6y ago
With great respect to Bill Gates and his accomplishments, a bit of skepticism toward anyone whose expressed intent is to “change the world” (and who has the means to do) is not unreasonable. That certainly doesn’t justify insane conspiracy
586.
by trentnix 6y ago
My father died just over 7 years ago. I think about and miss him every day. I am supremely grateful that I had a father that demanded well of me and was honorable. My sincerest condolences and prayers to Mr. Gates’s family and friends. What
587.
by trentnix 6y ago
I was Zero Cool .
588.
by trentnix 6y ago
One additional note - a great way for someone to come up with a few hundred bucks for rent soon is to be able to do a bit of ad-hoc contract work. But nope, that's against the law now.
589.
by trentnix 6y ago
In what world do some consenting adults not have more power than other consenting adults? Indeed, skills, circumstance, and capital all provide leverage. But consent, the most important factor in all this, is still necessary. You support th
590.
by trentnix 6y ago
What's happening in California is exactly what critics of the law said would happen. I don't find arguments that problems created by government can only be fixed by more government to be very persuasive. Besides, why can't
591.
by trentnix 6y ago
“We have been trying to reach you about your car insurance...”
592.
by trentnix 6y ago
There's a lot of insight packed into this post, and really it transcends way beyond the mindset of constantly shipping new things . This particular line resonated with me: Big customers certainly sounded good on paper, but they came
593.
by trentnix 6y ago
All three are protected by the government in various ways. Amazons entire business was largely built by the government neglecting to enforce sales tax. They had an 8.25% advantage, for many many years, over every brick and mortar competitor
594.
by trentnix 6y ago
You're trying to hold a river back with your outstretched arms. Taxes are always passed on to the consumer because they are a cost of doing business. Raise taxes, you raise prices. Always. Only competitive pressure and consumer disce
595.
by trentnix 6y ago
The author is a member of the 'I F * LOVE SCIENCE GROUP' on Facebook. What more could you want?</sarcasm>
596.
by trentnix 6y ago
Yeah, it's a mess but it's all because the incentives are wrong. If you've got an exit row aisle, there's not much advantage to getting on quickly and orderly. And if you do have a middle seat in the back, what's th
597.
by trentnix 6y ago
And that's why I'm incredibly cynical about politicians and activists who use amorphous political terms like "hate speech". It eventually becomes a club wielded by whoever is making the rules of today's Calvinball g
598.
by trentnix 6y ago
You’re trying too hard.
599.
by trentnix 6y ago
I'm living that now a little bit. New tools and processes are discussed and evaluated based on how easily they can be customized, perverted, and eventually bastardized. More frequently than you could imagine, people and organizations j
600.
by trentnix 6y ago
When I was a young, opinionated software professional, I would have agreed with this wholeheartedly. But now that I'm nearly a couple of decades into my career, I've seen 1000 different workflows justified by "we're diff

More ›