A lot of people have been playing with ChatGPT and reporting back on all its hilarious mistakes. It makes logic errors. It bullshits its way through ignorance. It's surprisingly bad at math. It writes at a middle school level. Fine fine fine. This is all fair enough. But you could have said all the same ...continue reading "A wee warning about ChatGPT"
Kevin McCarthy is down to 200 votes. Victory is slipping away. I wonder why they hold multiple votes each day? There's no time for negotiation between the votes, so what are the odds anyone is going to switch? The first vote of the day tells you where everyone still stands, right?
Yep, McCarthy is still at 201. However, Donalds is steadily shedding votes. Gaetz voted for Trump again, and two others switched to Kevin Hern of Oklahoma. I don't know anything about the guy, though Wikipedia sort of implies he played some role in the Challenger disaster, which I don't think is true. He probably lost ...continue reading "8th vote, still 201 votes for McCarthy"
About a week ago I received my Middle Class Tax Refund from the state of California. Apparently we don't file our state taxes electronically, so instead of getting the money direct deposited to our bank account we got a debit card for $500. I've never used a debit card other than my normal bank card, ...continue reading "My story about the California Middle Class Tax Refund"
I am bored. Kevin McCarthy just lost his 7th vote for Speaker, amassing his usual 201 votes. Matt Gaetz switched his vote from Byron Donalds to Donald Trump. Here are a few miscellaneous charts to keep you entertained while we continue this dreary process.
We're about to start the latest vote-a-thon for Speaker of the House, and it strikes me that the key question is: Are there five Republicans who flatly won't vote for Kevin McCarthy no matter what? Deals don't matter, promises don't matter, ideology doesn't matter. They just won't do it. Well, are there?
Imports and exports continued their downward trend in November: Imports of consumer goods are down $23 billion since the March peak. Imports from China are down $11 billion. This is yet another example of the general decline of economic activity over the past six months or so.
Emma Fraser is really unhappy that Netflix has canceled 1899 after only a single season: Nothing says ushering in the new year like attempting to break old habits. Netflix obviously didn’t get the resolutions memo, not even waiting until everyone had gone back to work before swiftly canning yet another ambitious series after one season. ...continue reading "“1899” has been canceled, but there’s a way to breathe life back into it"
The New York Times reports that the Fed is still worried about inflation: Federal Reserve officials worried that inflation could remain uncomfortably fast, minutes from their December meeting showed, and some policymakers fretted that financial markets might incorrectly interpret their decision to raise interest rates more slowly as a sign that they were giving up ...continue reading "Inflation is hydraulic, not something you change by clapping your hands"
For the past week or so Bob Somerby has been writing about whether doctors believe that Black patients are more tolerant of pain than white patients. In particular, he's been writing about a frequently cited study from 2015 which you can read here if you're so inclined. Now, Bob is practically trolling me here. This ...continue reading "Do doctors believe Black people suffer less pain? A review of one influential study."
He's still 20 votes short. A friend texts: Are there smart insiders like Pelosi who know where this is all going? As an experienced political pundit, I would say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Beats the hell out of me. As near as I can tell the smart insiders are all hanging out on the House floor where they're ...continue reading "Six votes and counting for Kevin McCarthy"
Good news! I just got a call that I've been approved for the next Carvykti spot at City of Hope. I don't know a lot yet, but as long as all the pre-procedure tests are positive (they should be) I'll go in for leukopheresis in February and then receive the transfusion of genetically-modified plasma in ...continue reading "Health Update"
Hiring is down by nearly 800,000 since its peak in February. Quits are also generally down, but they went up in November. Here's the difference: Note that this is "hires minus quits"—and to be honest, I'm not sure what it means. But it generally seems to indicate less economic activity, with workers having not yet ...continue reading "Hires are down. Quits are up."
These two charts show crime rates in the United States over the past five years. The estimates for 2022 are the best I could find, but obviously they aren't official numbers yet. The main takeaway from this is obvious: we've had a surge in homicide, but no surge in crime generally.
stLouIST