Posts from Random Posts

Changing Things Up

I am working on a new weekday routine the goal of which is to give me more time to read, think, and meet in person and less zoom meetings and phone calls. I am also mixing up my morning routine and attempting to sleep and work out longer.

The net of all that is I am seeking a new time of day to write and I have not yet found it. I may need to go back to writing first thing in the morning but I am not yet sold on that.

I missed my daily blog post yesterday and finally found some time to write today mid-afternoon.

I really value finding time to write each day so I will figure out how to fit it in, but things might be a bit bumpy over the next few weeks while I sort all of this out.

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59

It’s my 59th birthday today. 59 is a nice number. It’s a prime number.

I kicked off the day by getting a cup of coffee and sitting on the beach and reflecting on things.

I am taking the day off from work and plan to spend the day with our family.

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Merry Christmas

To all of those who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family and friends.

To those who don’t celebrate Christmas, I wish you a day of rest and relaxation.

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Some Things I Read This Morning

I don’t have much to say today that I can say.

So I thought I’d do a little link blogging instead.

Here are some interesting things I read online today:

1/ Tim Wu on a legal framework called “fiduciary duty” in lieu of a US version of GDPR

2/ Laura Desmond on why 50% of young adults use ad blockers as a form of civil disobedience

3/ My friend Tom Evslin on why he voted for Trump and why he’d like a better option next time

4/ Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report (not much new in there but still worth a skim)

5/ And in the interest of finishing this off with some absurdity, Monster Headphones plans a $300mm ICO

I hope there is something of interest in there for all of you. I am off to start my day.

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Thankfully

Thankfully the US is enjoying one of the longest economic expansions of the post-war period (101 months and counting)

Thankfully that economic expansion is starting to result in job growth for the parts of the economy that have lagged during this expansion

Thankfully the Trump Administration has, so far, failed to enact the most troublesome parts of its agenda

Thankfully the developing world continues to experience rising wealth, income, and living standards

Thankfully technology continues to produce answers to our most vexing problems

Thankfully renewable energy continues to grow and displace carbon-based energy around the world

Thankfully gender and racial equality is on the rise and white male dominance is on the decline

Thankfully literacy rates continue to rise rapidly around the world

Thankfully almost 100,000 students in the NYC public school system got a computer science class last year

Thankfully the NY Knicks are young, hungry, play hard, and are winning

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

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The Best Time Of Year For Sports

It rained like crazy in NYC yesterday. So we stayed home and worked and watched TV and had dinner with our family.

And we watched football, basketball, and baseball. This is the best time of the year for sports. You get the Series in baseball, the start of basketball season when you can still hope, and the middle of the season in football when games still matter for everyone.

I will admit that I did not make it to the end of that World Series game. Had I know how it was going to end, I would have stayed up but I did not. Even so, the innings I saw were awesome. How good is baseball right now? I thought last year’s Series was not going to be beat for a long time and this year may be even better.

The Knicks got a win on the road over an absolutely terrible Cavs team. Our two big scores Zingo and Tim Jr both went for 30+. I’m not getting my hopes up but this Knicks team is a lot more fun to watch than the late Melo years which were awful.

And the Jets figured out how to lose a lead for the third week in a row. This one is the hardest for me. I want to hate the Jets but there is something about this team that I can’t give up on. And the NFL is a mess. It sure feels like a league that is losing its way.

And in the middle of all of that sports, we got in another Ken Burns Vietnam episode. We’ve now made it through seven. It’s great. If you haven’t watched it and care about America, the world, war, suffering, surviving, and history, it is absolutely worth watching.

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Happy Birthday America

For many Americans, this one included, the last eight months have been hard. We are not showing the world the side of our country that we love and are proud of. We are showing the world the side of our country that embarrasses us.

But even with the recognition that America has an ugly side, I still am incredibly proud to be a citizen of this great country. Warts and all, the United States of America is a land of opportunity, hope, and freedom. You can be who you want to be and what you want to be here. I am proof of that.

So Happy Birthday America. Let’s wave our flags and be proud today.

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What Facebook Can Tell Us About Us

Stephen Wolfram wrote an interesting post back in 2013. I just stumbled upon it today (via Twitter).

I like this chart a lot:

The blue line is men, the red line is women.

A few of these results surprised me.

I would have thought women are more interested in books than men. At least that is how it is in our family.

I would have thought interest in travel would increase significantly in late middle age.

I would have thought interest in music would tail off more steeply with age.

Fascinating stuff.

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Happy Valentine's Day

My two favorite holidays are Thanksgiving when we are thankful for family and food and Valentine’s Day when we celebrate love and the people we love.

Love is a powerful thing, maybe the most powerful thing. And I am blessed to have a lot of it in my life. 

So I hope everyone in AVC land takes time today to be with your loved ones and celebrate the love in your life.

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Online Immigration and Travel Resources

I found this thread on Hacker News quite informative.

If you are seeking to travel to the US, particularly given all the uncertainty now, you might want to check these resources out:

Stack Exchange Expatriates

Stack Exchange Travel

Visa Journey

Candle For Love

The Arrived Mobile App

Anyone who works in the tech sector knows and cares about people here in the US on visas and other immigration related paperwork. It’s a anxiety filled time for these people and I feel for them. They need our help and our support and our empathy.

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