I’ve read many books over the years, and most of those books were not worth reading. It’s likely I might have picked up a nugget or two of knowledge that I now (ungratefully) carry with me, but one of my greater frustrations is just how little meat some books have. Complicating the matter is my […]
*History Intensifies*
I’m building my own book scanner now. It’s basically a PVC rig that will hold two cameras on each side and allow for a book to be placed in the middle. Both covers will be at a 45 degree angle so each page can be photographed in high resolution without damaging the spine. I’m doing […]
Too Many Projects
There are at least 3 people in this neighborhood who collect old cars. One person has about 3-5 domestic cars from the 70s, another has a few French cars from what looks like the 60s, and another has around 4 French or European cars from the 70s or 80s. All but maybe one of these […]
Support Local Businesses?
I spent a good part of Saturday browsing around a mountain town with one of my friends. It’s been a long time since I explored local shops, and it was a bit of a treat. I naturally found myself thinking about economics, what it means to support local businesses, and whether it really matters. The […]
Penny Wise, Pound Nobody-Cares
When I was first reading about financial independence several years ago, I got excited about saving a few dollars on various things. I stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets (both unnecessary chemicals), switched to powdered dishwasher detergent, and also switched to powdered washing machine detergent, with a few considerations toward making my own. While […]
The Gray Wars
In the early 2000s, Lego did something that possibly had never been done before: they changed their colors. Specifically, they changed the light and dark grays to what are now often called “light bluish gray” and “dark bluish gray”. There were several reasons for this: there were some changes in philosophy within the company, and […]
Follow Up to Why I Don’t Own Cryptocurrency
In a few short days after my last post on why I don’t own cryptocurrency, many cryptocurrencies took a nosedive. It would be tempting to flout this as proof of the validity of my opinion on the matter, but this isn’t actually fair – there could just as easily have been a surge in prices […]
Why I Don’t Own Cryptocurrency (and other thoughts on asset classes)
Okay, I’m trolling here a bit. At the same time that I don’t own any cryptocurrencies and I don’t plan to buy any, either, I’m also not a crypto-hater, I just think there is a broader understanding of asset classes that is useful to understand when looking at this. It’s also funny how predictably libertarian […]
White Elephants
Just today I came across the meaning behind the term “white elephant”. You can read the Wikipedia article yourself, but apparently some South Asian king gifted rare albino elephants to those who displeased him. Traditionally, to own a white elephant was seen as a sign of great success and prosperity, and to be gifted a […]
Life vs. Money
At opposite ends of the spending spectrum, you have those who spend all of their money today without really any thought toward tomorrow, and you have those who are mortified to spend money today, with every thought toward tomorrow. Both are folly, but both are worth discussing. As usual, I don’t wish to employ the […]