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dforrestwilson

1,507 karma · joined November 20, 2015

Have dabbled.

https://github.com/dforrestwilson

https://twitter.com/Forrest_Wilson_

Will travel.

submissionscomments
dforrestwilson··on How Shazam Works (2003) [pdf]
One of the few apps that still feels like magic.
dforrestwilson··on The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing
Environmental reviews are cheap. Time to wait for the bureaucrats though…

How much cost inflation has occurred since this project was initially budgeted? A lot.

dforrestwilson··on Slowroads
Same.

At first I loved the bucolic setting but very quickly the high pitched whine and fast pace got me annoyed and actively seeking change.

Very dissappointed with how the car handles underwater, topping out at a meager 20 mph.

I'd have been happy with a slow drive, as advertised.

dforrestwilson··on Google's 25th Birthday
I did not realize this thank you!
dforrestwilson··on TSMC warns over deepening slump in chipmaking sector
https://archive.li/43GrJ
dforrestwilson··on Geopolitics in a hotter world (2010)
https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/australia-grain-and-feed-updat....

Australia exported its 3rd largest wheat harvest in 2022.

When someone makes a claim like that and the facts are so glaring it makes me skeptical.

dforrestwilson··on Staying Alive
Same. Is there not a reductionism for memories, which is what I believe at least partially defines who I am and probably greatly impacts my choices?
dforrestwilson··on US SEC sues Coinbase, one day after suing Binance
Getting sued to fall under govt regulation - and therefore gaining imprimatur - seems like exactly what these exchanges should want.

We never regulated Beanie Babies.

dforrestwilson··on Ancient soldiers used sound to frighten and confuse their enemies (2022)
Side effect.

From the shooter’s perspective it would be much easier to cause mass casualties with everyone standing up instead of hugging the contours of the ground. Zero warning is the goal.

dforrestwilson··on SVB Hall of Shame
That first part is fine. Killing risk is key.

But within 24 hours we had VCs from Founder’s Fund and the All In podcast personas who intentionally and knowingly fueled a panic on social media.

That panic was designed to benefit them and it worked, to the detriment of everyone reading this who has a deposit at a US bank, and who will now be assessed a fee to cover the cost.

dforrestwilson··on U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon
What is the value of

1. The intelligence collected by China 2. Learning more about Chinese intelligence collection methods

dforrestwilson··on Cupcake Land – Requiem for the Midwest in the Key of Vanilla (1987) [pdf]
Having grown up in Cupcake Land it’s still accurate.

A sizable proportion of the kids I went to HS with are living exactly this life, dressing exactly this way. I found it to be incredibly stifling and yet also, a comfort to be so boring.

I’ve never heard it described as Cupcake Land, but “JoCo” or Johnson County. Inside of which it’s residents referred jokingly to other adjacent counties as being “North of the Wall”.

It is one the starkest contrasts in county and school district wealth vs neighboring areas.

I don’t think a bust is coming to Cupcake Land this time. Sitting on multiple big rail lines, I-35, I-70, and the Missouri while reshoring is happening. Tied closely to healthcare, but not the tech industry.

Cupcake Land is sounding rather attractive.

dforrestwilson··on Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing
You ignore the benefits of taxation.
dforrestwilson··on Adobe to acquire Figma for $20B
Now would be a good time for the regulators to acknowledge that yes, Adobe is a monopoly, and to block this.
dforrestwilson··on The Last Naval Battle of World War 2 (2018)
Incidentally I have been reading an excellent background on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/Kaigun-Strategy-Technology-Imperial-1...

It doesn’t answer the question on USN motivations but does a great job explaining why the Japanese were stuck in a rut and rapidly surpassed in terms of tactics, morale, and skill.

dforrestwilson··on Does the Tank Have a Future?
How long does the crew survive in a nuclear environment?

They still have to refuel the tank and find food.

dforrestwilson··on Does the Tank Have a Future?
I hypothesize that the Taliban had it right all along.

4x4 Toyota Hilux trucks with some sort of heavy gun + a fireteam of infantry kitted out with 1x drone, 1x manpad, 1x atgm.

Far cheaper than a modern tank and far more mobile.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War

dforrestwilson··on Arizona’s dry future begins as Colorado River shrinks
In the PNW you would kill salmon runs.

Don’t think that one will fly.

dforrestwilson··on Tell HN: There needs to be a “right to speak with a human”
^ This times 1 million.

Per Google's own policy employees, present or former, are not permitted to leave reviews of businesses at which they work or did work. For obvious reasons.

Google ratings impact our search rankings directly.

Read the policy before you start casting aspersions about the justness of an employee review. If Google wants to change that policy, fine. But as things sit they are failing to enforce their stated legal guidelines.

It is also worth noting that Google does not permit reviews of its own HQ. Why not open the floodgates for Google employee reviews on Google if you believe that it should be OK?

dforrestwilson··on Tell HN: There needs to be a “right to speak with a human”
This week we had a disgruntled employee leave a 1-star Google review of our shop. They have never been a customer...

I reported it as a Conflict of Interest PER GOOGLE'S OWN STATED POLICY and it was rejected almost immediately. Google could find nothing wrong with the review.

We have no recourse to escalate. No way to even interact with a human about it. It's absolutely ridiculous. I have plenty of documentation and am happy to provide evidence that this is a former employee but I have no one to give it to or even a dropbox to submit documentation to.

Sundar and Google should be ashamed.

dforrestwilson··on [dead]
Whatever you said that embarrasses you now, isn’t it better to be able to point to that and know that your thinking has evolved?
dforrestwilson··on The Problem of Marital Loneliness
15 years is a long time.

Congrats and may you have many more together!

dforrestwilson··on The Buffett Indicator
Valuations have been stretched for almost half a decade now according to old market metrics.

All of these valuation metrics were originally derived when actively managed mutual funds ruled the roost.

Passive ETFs are imposing an entirely different trading/investing ruleset on the system.

This should not be underestimated.

dforrestwilson··on Hong Kong: Police Raid Tiananmen Square Museum
This is not your first wolf warrior post.

I don’t see a need to rebut your false claims and would encourage folks to read your comment history.

dforrestwilson··on Hong Kong: Police Raid Tiananmen Square Museum
TSMC.

We legit need their semi production for defense much more than we need cheap plastic kids toys at Walmart.

dforrestwilson··on Hong Kong: Police Raid Tiananmen Square Museum
Japan would care a lot if China made a move on Taiwan. They recently strengthened defense ties there.

Wouldn't just be the U.S.

Oh, and two of the above mentioned countries have real blue water navies that can go anywhere to cut supply lines like say, oil from the Middle East. One does not.

dforrestwilson··on The Feds Want to Know What the McFuck Is Going on with the McFlurry Machines
The traditionally strong MCD franchiser <> franchisee relationship has actually been fraying for the past couple of years.

“Shareholder value” imperatives are driving short-term thinking at the corporate HQ.

dforrestwilson··on Tesla cars can be bought in Bitcoin
What is the use case here?

Why deal with the cap gains taxes associated with this?

dforrestwilson··on How Satya Nadella turned Microsoft around
Interesting to contrast Satya with Sundar Pichai, whose company seems rudderless by comparison.
dforrestwilson··on Teens' mental health did surprisingly well in quarantine
Since quarantine started I've noticed many more teenage daughters tagging along with their moms on errands and walks in the middle of the day.

Probably positive for self-esteem and growth. Perhaps schools now are too focused on academic scores alone and too ignorant of negative social dynamics.

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