Tag: money (Page 1 of 3)

Cryptocurrency – Here’s What War Is Good For

June 10, 2021 / Scott / 0 Comments

I get the technology. I understand (basically) how the blockchain works. What I don’t understand is how cryptocurrencies represent stores of value.

I’ll give you an alternative definition of a currency–extremely simplified: Something an organization with some level of military power says it will accept as payment for resources/services/products. And they’ll let OTHER PEOPLE use it also.

The military power is a really important piece of this.

If you or your friends (allies) can’t or won’t physically protect my resources and products from being taken by someone else, I won’t have a lot of faith in your currency.

If you or your friends (allies) can’t or won’t physically prevent someone from forcing me to provide services at gunpoint, I don’t have a lot of faith in your currency.

On tougher terms: if you and your friends (allies) don’t have the capacity to take resources from another organization, I don’t have a lot of faith in your currency.

We could debate the question of to what degree the United States government is willing to provide this protection all day. But I don’t see how cryptos can accomplish this at all, unless they are government backed cryptos.

I’m not pro or anti cryptocurrencies–just explaining what I don’t understand about them being a store of value. And I know this can be picked apart–go ahead. It’s simply a mental exercise to try and figure out where these things fit together.

Daily Reading List — January 28th

January 28, 2016 / Scott / 0 Comments

Ikea Wants You To Stop Throwing Away Your Ikea Furniture – Good…'cause I've got some stuff that needs to be traded in.

Staging Servers Must Die –

Tear up your IT support SLAs – There's a lot of wisdom here. What if we looked at customer service first, then built the SLAs around them?

How These Parents Work And Homeschool Too – Maybe I'm just being difficult here, but…

Do parents who work and send their kids to school not teach their kids stuff?

Why not just say we're going to learn all the time and leave it at that?

#unschool

Security Firm Sued Over Alleged Failure To End Casino Cyberattack –

The Best Podcasts For Kids – Thinking of starting one that consists of nothing but screams, parrot noises, and requests for band-aids. Kids really seem to enjoy that stuff.

MGM to bring parking fees to Vegas Strip – Where are we going? And why am I in this hand basket? –

How to Feel Safe in Stocks When the Market Seems Dangerous – Step 1: have an over-sized bucket filled with safe assets. I'll come back and pick up at Step 2 when I feel like that bucket is big enough and full enough.

Daily Reading List — April 28th

April 28, 2015 / Scott / 0 Comments

SoundCloud Opens Its Podcasting Features To Everyone – This is cool. I could see it being used for doing things like leaving really long voicemails for people. Why would you want to do that? Well, if you do it as a podcast, it’s like leaving a voicemail without having to call and take the risk that they’ll actually pick up the phone.

“Soundcloud – Talk To The People You Don’t Want To Listen To”

Help out South Doyle Boys Rugby – Nationally ranked, and in need of travel money!

If You Add Drunk People to Fitness Quotes, Things Get Hilarious – Finally someone speaks the truth.

4 Reasons Introverts Make Some Of The Best Entrepreneurs – Also, we’re probably less likely to say something that ticks someone off. That is, until we say something.

The Future Of Big Data Looks Like Streaming

Nevada among most financially illiterate states – The hell you say!

10 Small, Unexpected Things That Will Make You Happier – And a tiny speck of dust rugby.

‘Millionaire Next Door’ author dies in crash – Sad to hear. As I was opened up my feed reader this morning and scrolling through the posts of all the blogs I followed, I actually thought, “Man…Thomas Stanley’s is one of the only blogs I read every single post from.”

Daily Reading List — January 17th

January 17, 2014 / Scott / 0 Comments

NCAA Welcomes Women’s Triathlon – A little bit of a different view here from me, but I can't imagine why you'd want the NCAA involved in your favorite sport. Stay away from my beer pong.

Steven Lord Blog: The Rhythm Of Life (and drafting) – I see people drafting in races all the time. And I really don't give a ladybug if they do it. Eventually, this is going to result in a really big pileup in a really big race. Besides, virtue is its own reward.

From Victim to Villain in a flash – As they are fond of hollering in East Tennessee — "Git off the rowed!"

I <3 Trainerroad.

6 Simple Habits To Keep You Consistently Happy Every Day – All very easy to do. I'd add another–Just.Slow.Down. That probably falls under disengagement.

Narcissists tweet more often and crave followers on Twitter – So younger narcissists are more likely to post to twitter, and middle aged narcissists are more likely to update Facebook.

Unanswered questions here: what about middle aged people who update twitter a lot? Was Instagram even considered in the narcissism scale, out did they run out of space to measure it there?

10 Tips for Dating a Single Mom – Hilarious. Read the comments first, then go back and read the article. The comments are pure gold. Gold Jerry!

Van Halen’s 1984 Turns 30 Today — How Does It Hold Up? – Best quote from this whole (incredibly good) post:

"Does it ['Panama'] hold up? Embarrassing question. Yes, it holds up. It might be holding this entire goddamned country up."

Happy People Count Their Current and Future Blessings – "View living a spartan lifestyle as temporary, merely a prerequisite to joining the ranks of the socioeconomic achievers in America."

This is Sparta!

Daily Reading List — April 4th

April 4, 2013 / Scott / 0 Comments

Professor Discusses Higher Education Bubble – Key point–college should be looked at as either an investment (measure the ROI) or a consumer good.

Obama administration pushes banks to make home loans to people with weaker credit – At least the people who are paying attention know what will happen this time and can plan accordingly.

It’s not just about the Finisher’s T-Shirt – Man…some really good points here. The one exception to this for me is Kona. Do the pros owe it to the AGers to stick it out and finish there?

Jay Leno’s Ratings Rise as He Taunts NBC – Ummm…Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon figured out that publicly fighting your boss generates ratings years ago. #WatchMoreRasslin

Haven’t Link Dumped In A While

December 28, 2012 / Scott / 0 Comments

The Age Of Data Wars Dawns

Cool Ironman Kona Infographic – Check out the decrease in bike/run splits. And the fairly level swim splits.

The Future Of Working From Home – Things are definitely moving this way. I’m pretty sure if I had to go back to a normal office situation, I’d struggle with it.

Chrissie Wellington: The Mind Over Body Battle – And you think you suffer? Love hearing how this affects even the super-humans.

Easily Monitor and Manage all of your WordPress Sites with WP Remote – Thanks to @mwender for this one. Great time saver

Google Turns Turtle and Takes Street View Underwater – Coming soon to iPhone5!

Alternative ways to ride The Downward Spiral – I created a Spotify playlist based on this. A couple of the songs weren’t in Spotify, but I found some good substitutes. Just reading this makes me afeared.

Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now? – Is it wrong that this seems completely reasonable (and likely) to me?

Solo or Group? Train Your Way – I’ve been opting for the solo route a lot lately. It’s quiet.

How To Determine Your Long Run Training For Any Triathlon Distance – Some really good info here. It’s hard to train for a distance event and fill like you got enough running in. The truth is, you really just can’t, but you can get the optimal amount.

Accessing SharePoint Lists with SQL Server Integration Services SSIS 2005 –

Raising Children To Become Productive Adults – In short, walk it like you talk it. Applies to pretty much everything in life.

Simple Tips to Help Your Grocery Budget – As always, thanks to @couponkatie for all the amazing tips and deals she points us to!

A Glass All Empty – When your S.O. gets on the wagon. Both of us are for the most part…one due to pregnancy and nursing, the other due to choosing brownie calories over beer calories. Must to get faster, and those calories slows me down.

An Unexpected Ass Kicking | Blog Of Impossible Things

Idea To Make Some Quick Cash

July 16, 2012 / Scott / 0 Comments

Lots of people have ditched cable and satellite in the last few years and are using Netflix/Hulu/Amazon to meet their home entertainment needs.

But that won’t cut it for the Olympics.

If he took a notion to, a man could make a quick buck or two installing directional antennas on the roofs of these people for $50-$75 a pop. A man who knows what he’s doing could easily use the web to find the right antenna for each address, buy them off the web with free two-day shipping, then climb up on the roof and point it in the right direction pretty quickly.

Florida Political Cage Match

January 23, 2012 / Scott / 0 Comments

If Mitt Romney had been thinking ahead, he could have put an ace in his pocket that he may just need. In rasslin’ terms, this would have been the proverbial foreign object or loaded boot. It may even be sneaky enough to be called an eye gouge.

Think about it–the guy’s been running for President pretty much continuously for the last 4 years. How shrewd would it have been to donate loads and loads of money to charities and err on the side of over-paying taxes for all of those years? Then, when his wealth/success became an issue and he was asked to release his tax information, he could reluctantly agree to release four years’ worth at just the right moment, showing just how generous and over-taxed he is.

And the obvious question to opponents would be, “how much have you given to charity and paid in taxes over the last four years?”

He’s spending money like mad anyway, and it doesn’t seem to be working. He probably could have donated his way out of his image as a one-percenter at a discount.

Image Credit

Another Daggum Link Dump!

December 7, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

‘Blue Christmas’ drug bust targets illegal prescription drug sales in Brevard – Big day tomorrow for mugshots!

Tools vs insight – I am Jack’s complete astonishment that Seth Godin can come up with these amazing posts for his blog on a daily basis. I would read it in a box, and I would read it with a fox.

Does Beer Affect Your Training? – I was warned not to read this, but I did anyway. Dammit.

Rethinking the Value of the Brick Run for Long Course Triathlon – And here I was thinking I was bucking the system by doing “rested bricks” on the weekends. Sounds like I may have been on to something.

How to Make a Citizen’s Arrest – Yes!

If Everyone Else is Such an Idiot, How Come You’re Not Rich? – Atlantic Mobile – Great article from someone who is NOT an idiot.

Stop Trying to Coach People Who Shouldn’t Be Coached! – This applies to so many people in so many situations. And I’ve been all four of these people at one time or another as well. I try my best to be coachable though.

Proper Pacing for Your Best Run – I’ve always just used HR control on the bike and tried to build a good run with negative splits with whatever I had left. There are some good ideas here I could definitely use to improve at different distances.

Cuba Libre! – Check out @hungrymother featured in this article!

A Food Label That Actually Teaches You About Food – There should be a “nom nom” graph on there somewhere too.

All Hallows Link Dump

October 31, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

Apple to Make Remote Obsolete? – Because sitting on your ass staring at a screen just isn’t easy enough yet. For some people, the only exercise they get is lifting sofa cushions to look for the remote.

How to Get a Personalized Financial Plan Without Spending a Fortune – Awesome idea, but not sure if I like the idea of giving up the personal attention. Then again, I don’t like the idea of giving up $100 an hour for personal attention.

Signs Of A Slowdown Are Obvious (In China) – They should probably borrow some money to work on that wall thing. You know, infrastructure and all.

7 Steps for Building A Mobile Future In Your Enterprise

Gmail to Unveil New Interface – Unlike FB, I think something Google can really leverage is becoming a place you live, not a site you visit. This looks much more like G+.

100-Year-Old Man Completes Marathon – How old are you?

Warren Buffet is not Your Grandpa and More Link Dump

August 16, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

Warren Buffett, Robber Baron? – Nah….he could never have anything but pure motives.

Mother of 13-year-old who smashed up shop blames government – “His mother described him as a ‘good lad’…” Right. Right.

Putting Your Chores on Auto-Pilot – Skimmed this…didn’t see anything about containing young tornadoes that undo your work faster than you can do it.

7 Facebook Features Google Plus Still Lacks – Uh…well, it DOES have photo tagging, and I’d assume search is coming and will blow away anything FB could imagine. This is Google after all. The big missing piece I think is the API. The rest of the garbage listed here (especially “birthdays”) are just more reasons why I like it better than FB. I’m sure games are coming though. All the other crap too.

Chrissie Wellington – The Importance of R&R – Maybe, just maybe, @ChrissieSmiles knows what she’s talking about. I can think of worse people to take advice from…like everybody.

CS man first in Texas to swim across Lake Tahoe – @zentriathlon did it! Awesome job Brett!

Start-Up Chile – Entrepreneurs Welcome! – Cool idea. Some cities in the U.S. should take note. Chile is on my “to-visit” list.

Side note: Thanks to Michael Silence for his continued support!

I’m reading– January 12th through January 17th

January 17, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

Portraits of Financial Normalcy – Some financial personality categories from @daveramsey.

Eight Crazy Constitutional Scenarios – HT @kleinheider. This reminds me of those crazy scenarios that can turn up in baseball. In baseball, they seem to actually turn up eventually too.

BMI(wife) < BMI(husband) Means a Happier Marriage – Good news for me. Barring an amputation, no danger of this changing any time soon.

Elected Official Constitutional Knowledge: Disgraceful – HT @russm. Maybe they should not only read the Constitution at the beginning of each legislative session, but also explain it as well.

Record Foreclosures in 2011? – The bright side–these properties (at least the ones I've seen) all need a lot of work. When (if) they make their way back to the market, lots of money is going to be spent to get them habitable again. Even stuff like neglected landscaping that needs to be re-done means jobs for somebody.

Hope Is Not A Strategy (Training) – I like Amanda's approach personally. Stick to the schedule, and don't be a slave to the schedule.

The 5 states where housing will recover first – At least we can be warm in Florida while we wait.

Should I work for free? – Heh

I’m reading– January 6th through January 10th

January 11, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

Katherine Coble on College Debt: – “…the Student Loan is in many ways the new subprime mortgage.” Yeah, except you can bankrupt a sub-prime mortgage. This needs to be hammered home.

The Explosion In Sudden-Loan Debt – “…unlike a mortgage, in which a borrower can refinance or—at worst—face foreclosure and bankruptcy, student loans do not go away.” I wonder what percentage of borrowers are aware of that little gotcha when they are sold student loans as “investments”. Debt == Bad.

A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up a Treadmill Desk – Thankfully, there’s no article on setting up a spin-desk. That would give me one less excuse.

10 bizarre side effects of exercise – I can think of a few others, but they aren’t topics for polite company.

People Who Drink More Exercise More – Playing rugby with commitment is the most grueling thing I’ve ever done physically. Just saying. Still not sure what excuse all the guys with sketchy practice attendance will use though.

Why Programmers Suck at CSS – I plan on using this, like, A LOT! Hope I don’t gang aft agley.

I’m reading– January 5th through January 6th

January 6, 2011 / Scott / 0 Comments

How to get Fat as Fast as Possible (losing weight humor) | 3 Boys And A Dog – How to get Fat as Fast as Possible: Woot! I'm batting 1.000 so far this year!

The most reliable (and unreliable) blogging services on the Web – These rank almost exactly as I would have expected. I kinda sorta don't get Tumblr. Is is like the midpoint between a blog and Twitter?

RunKeeper With Heart Rate Monitoring! – This almost makes me glad I need a new HRM. I hate having to buy a new one, but it's very cool that I can get one to work with RunKeeper!

How Bad Movies Get Seen By So Many People – I get accused of being a movie snob sometimes. Whatever. I don't have a lot of time to spend watching movies, and even if I did, it's not what I want to do with a lot of my time. So I'm not that interested in wasting my movie time on a recycled story or bad writing/acting.

Early Infant “Reading“ With Larry Sanger – Web’s – They really do have fun too. Learning doesn't "suck" until it's made to suck.

Global Food-Price Index Hits Record – Of course, there is no inflation. None. In fact, we need to continue to worry about deflation and "stimulate" the economy by printing more money. Got it?

Changing Huckleberry Finn – A Travesty – Anyone who thinks this is a good idea needs to read the book (again). If they still think it's a good idea, their literacy is questionable.

I’m reading– December 22nd through December 29th

December 29, 2010 / Scott / 0 Comments

10 Things We Learned in 2010 – Thanks to Mr. Dave Ramsey, I learned these things in the early 1990s. Almost 20 years ahead of the curve! Matters not…most people will forget this stuff in 5 or 6 years.

Track flight prices and check for airline refunds – Who was I talking to about doing something like this a while back? Oh yeah…emailing this to him immediately.

Will 2011 See App Makers Thinking Android-First? – Now I don't feel like as much of an idiot sitting here at Android 2.1 waiting for a Honeycomb phone to surface.

When the Diagnosis Is ‘Dead Butt Syndrome’ – Wait…so the contrapositive of this argument is that if I don't run I don't have to cross-train either, right? FTW!

How New Entrepreneurs Are Taking Advantage of the Great Reset – In front of and behind the firewall I might add.

Payday Lending Booms as Credit Cards Become Less Available – Two not-so-bold predictions. (1) Politicians will "do something" about this, probably at the state level. (2) As a result, payday lenders will be hurt, and lone-sharking at the street level will become a booming industry.

People always have and always will borrow money with outrageous terms. It's just a matter of whether they are going to lose their car title or the use of their thumbs when they don't pay.

If the market exists…

Gettin’ After It!