Sep 27, 2018
1. Backfire Economics I. Ford CEO says Trump's metal tariffs have eaten $1 billion in profit for the automaker. 2. Backfire Economics II. Thanks largely to
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1. Backfire Economics I. Ford CEO says Trump's metal tariffs have eaten $1 billion in profit for the automaker. 2. Backfire Economics II. Thanks largely to
Assorted Links
Aberfan: The mistake that cost a village its children
Trends in American and European boulder problem setting.
My favorite weather forecast, what is yours?
Assorted Links
Airplane Spotters - people watching things matter.
Haiti has trees - issues with narratives and framing of arguments.
Zero Talent - Exemplary stoner metal that keeps getting better.
Morning Links 12/10/14
Sports Links:
Fitting David Lee into the Warriors Rotation (BASG) I wrote about what to do when David Lee comes back from his hamstring injury.
Technology Has Officially Killed Baseball’s Winter Meetings (Medium) The headline goes a bit far but the Winter Meetings have definitely changed with technology and the constant stream of information.
Q&A: Chris Bosh on Being No. 1 in Miami, Hitting the Books, and the Power of Trust (Grantland) Great interview with Chris Bosh
2014 Sportsman of the Year: Madison Bumgarner (SI) A great article on Madison Bumgarner who really did have produce a special playoff performance and is deserving of the award. The video that is with the story is great too.
Non-Sports Links:
Behind the Credit Card Wars to Ink Deals With Artists Including Beyonce and Sam Smith (Billboard) I didn't know that there was that much competition to offer the VIP packages and pre-sales.
Black-Market Brews: Inside the Super-Secret World of Beer Muling (First We Feast) The cause of the shortage is the limited releases not that people are buying them to sell or trade them. Also the rarity acts as a way to create buzz. Nothing crazy about this or the secondary markets that spring up around them. Look at basketball shoes too.
Morning Links 12/9/14
The stuff from the internet that I found interesting this morning.
Sports Links:
By the Numbers: Raiders 24, 49ers 13 (BASG) I looked up statistics and made comments about the 49ers vs Raiders.
The Hall of Fame Probability Line (JABO) Great article by Sam Miller of Baseball-Prospectus. He found the WAR for each age from 20-34 where there should be a 50% chance of making the Hall of Fame. The guys on the list seem about right to me.
Novelty Mayhem: Why This Week’s Champions League Matches Are Unusually Important (Grantland) I always root for chaos as long as my team isn't the one getting bounced out by the chaos and Arsenal have already punched their ticket to the next round.
The Unexpected Threat to Super Bowl XLIX (Business Week) This looks like it would effect much more than just the Super Bowl. I am no fan of bailouts but lets be realistic, if there were another major terrorist attack there would be federal help so I guess better to have the bailouts agreed to in advance.
BASGcast (Ep. 120): Andrew Baggarly on leaving CSN Bay Area, Giants offseason (BASG) A good listen with Andrew Baggarly, a very good listen.
Non-Sports Links:
The Rise of AdBlock Reveals A Serious Problem in the Advertising Ecosystem (Monday Note) I use AdBlocker, because ads are annoying and they do slow down the browsing experience. I understand that all this stuff we get for free on the internet is because of those ads. I feel like the current display advertising is broken but I have no idea how to fix it.
Owning A Ferrari For A Year Was A Disappointment (Jalopnik) I had never thought about all the downsides of owning an exotic car. It would be fun to drive in the right conditions but all that other stuff maybe not. I guess that is why they are toys for the rich and not everyday commuter cars.
Before Detroit Can Move On, It Needs To Upgrade From Windows XP (Five Thirty Eight) A quote, "When an emergency alert comes in, a fax machine is triggered. This shoots out a piece of paper, which knocks over a soda can full of change, notifying those at the station of the situation. At another station, a fax comes in and bumps a door hinge, which pulls a wire and rings a doorbell." My God, how is that even possible?
Morning Links 12/8/14
Sports Links:
Harbaugh & Kaepernick hit new low: Raiders 24, 49ers 13 (BASG) What an ugly game for the 49ers. It looks like the team has quit knowing that Harbaugh is on his way out sooner or later. Next week in Seattle could get ugly because I really don't expect the Seahawks to show any mercy to this team.
Don't Shift These Batters (JABO) Very interesting article on the shift.
The Committee Got the Playoff Right (Sports on Earth) The 4th spot was a no win situation, there were three teams that could have gotten in but they all had their flaws. The best that can be said is that the new system gives Oregon a shot, where they would have been left out in the BCS era.
USA Draws The ‘Group Of Death’ In 2015 Women’s World Cup (Five Thirty Eight) The USWNT should still be a favorite to advance out of this group but the draw did them no favors.
Non-Sports Links:
Turns Out the Dot-Com Bust’s Worst Flops Were Actually Fantastic Ideas (Wired) I don't think people thought the ideas were dumb, they just didn't have the right timing, tools, cost structures or luck to work quite yet.
The world is becoming ever more suburban, and the better for it (The Economist) The suburbs get a lot of bad press, but they do have their benefits. A great in depth look at suburbs by The Economist.
The True Story of the ‘Greatest Corporate Failure in American History’ (Vice) Great story going back looking at what happened with AIG.
The Huge, Unseen Operation Behind the Accuracy of Google Maps (Wired) I find all the work that goes into making the maps that we depend on fascinating. I am thankful for all the work that they do, the ability to have detailed maps in your pocket at all times has to be one of the best innovations of the last decade.
Morning Links 12/5/14
Sports Links:
Why I'm abstaining from HOF voting (ESPN) Buster Olney is behind the insider paywall but this is a great column from him about the trouble with the 10 person limit for the Hall of Fame ballot.
The Next Phase (NBC Sports World) The future of the Cubs looks bright after the rebuilding job done by Theo Epstein.
Warriors bandwagon is about to get crowded (Bay Area Sports Guy) The Warriors are a fun team that are finally living up to the must watch status that people gave them after the 2013 playoffs. I am fully on board the bandwagon.
That Time an NFL Team Used Truth Serum on an Injured Player (Vice Sports) The NFL (and the players) are out of their minds.
Non-Sports Links:
Sorry Juice Cleansers — You Can't Detox Your Body (The Guardian) This shouldn't be a surprise to people but people so badly want there to be a quick fix to getting healthy.
The ongoing failure of the PG-13 rating (The Dissolve) The MPAA ratings are pretty messed up, I don't really know what can or should be done but the ratings don't really help all that much.
In A Face-To-Face GMO Debate, The 'For' Side Wins (Popular Science) I love Intelligence Squared debates, they are always fascinating.
The Newest Amazon Gizmos: Diapers and Baby Wipes (Business Week) The lack of store brand for so long was a bigger surprise than them actually creating one. The Prime offerings are looking really good at $99 a year.
Assorted Links 1/17/14
Sports Links:
Aldon Smith, post rehab – same player, new attitude (BASG) It is great to have Smith back to his old self on defense and even better news that he seems to have gotten his personal life back on track.
Clayton Kershaw and the Rise of the Opt-Out Clause (Fangraphs) An interesting trend, this isn't a bad idea for young players to maximize their earning potential while limiting the downside risk. I wonder what kind of discount (if any) they have to give up to get these opt-out clauses built in.
3TFO: 49ers @ Seahawks, NFC Championship (Pro Football Focus) TLDR: biggest matchups to watch, Crabtree/Boldin vs Seahawks Secondary, 49ers front 7 vs Lynch, 49ers Offense vs Noise.
The Ultimate: 30 Stadiums, 30 Days (Sports on Earth) This seems both crazy and very cool, exhausting and expensive, but I wish I had enough vacation time and money saved to take on something like this.
Non-Sports Links:
Imgur MemeGen app launches on iOS, lets you make your own memes (9to5Mac) What the internet needs is an easier way to make memes. The others were buggy, ad filled pieces of crap.
How Beats’ New Music Service Plans to Crush Spotify (Wired) It looks like they are trying to buck the trend of Spotify going with more curated music choices. That might be better, because finding new music to listen to is always one the big struggles. The no free tier is also an interesting choice, I wonder if they will eventually choose a free trial period to get people into the service?
The History of Popular Music, According to Google (The Atlantic) A pretty cool look back at what genres of music dominate the different eras of music.