skookumchuck

And everyone expected IBM to take over! And they almost did...

I don't buy DRM-encumbered ebooks. Sorry, Amazon. I buy the hardcopy if there are no DRM-free ebooks.

The unanticipated downside of a policy of nobody can be fired.

I saw a TV show many years ago where the therapist simply set up a video camera in the dining room of a family to record, every day, the family dinner. After 2 or 3 weeks, the family forgot about the camera and reverted to their normal behaviors.

After a few months of this, the therapist took the videos and then showed each member of the family how they behaved. They were horrified, and it turned out to be excellent family therapy.

It's like the best way to teach someone to be a better public speaker is to record them speaking, and play it back to them.

126 members of the House support it:

https://www.thenation.com/article/voting-age-16-climate-stri...

It's curious how 16 year olds are regarded as incompetent to handle a loot box, but should be given voting rights.

I'd actually prefer the mike in my phone, computer, etc., to not be that sensitive. I don't want it to be picking up background conversations, for example.

> references cannot be null

    void test() {
      int* p = 0;
      int& r = *p;
    }

compiles without complaint.

From page 8, only 1 in 5 is retired. Even so, claiming that retirement savings do not count as wealth seems rather odd.

You can choose to read the book and determine how it is done, and what you can choose to do to become a millionaire yourself, or you can choose to remain a victim of fate. Your choice.

> one can't choose to have the motivation

Of course you can. Sheesh. Take responsibility for yourself.

> Nobody gets rich via income.

85% of American millionaires are self-made (i.e. first generation).

"The Millionaire Next Door" https://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Surprising-Amer...

You're denying people have free will.

People are all born with different characteristics, sure. But this does not predestine them. You, with your brain, can choose your path. You can choose to take advantages of your inborn advantages, and train to overcome your inborn deficits. It's why you HAVE a brain.

You can CHOOSE. People do it every day.

To claim to be fated to be a victim of circumstance is choosing to be a loser. You'll not be what you could be.

You can get up and go jogging and improve our health. Or you can turn on the TV. It's your choice. Just like you chose to write "What evidence is there of that?". You weren't fated to write that.

I didn't posit they did. But I'd expect a correlation.

> Income, yes, but not wealth.

Why is that? Wealth is just an accumulation of income.

So you think it "very unlikely" that someone more intelligent would make better decisions, and those decisions have better outcomes enabling someone to live in a pricier neighborhood?

Drive and motivation is a choice, not luck.

People aren't randomly assigned zip codes. Zip code can also be a proxy for IQ.

> I think it's because intelligence doesn't help when it comes to earning money.

What evidence is there of that?

> The luck and social component is so strong that there is very little incentive for people to be intelligent.

People tend to make their own luck. For example, if you sit home and watch TV 6 hours a day, you are highly unlikely to get lucky. If you're out swinging the bat, you're far more likely to get a hit.

Europe has an interest in promoting their state-sponsored airplane manufacturer, Airbus.

So do Boeing engineers, mechanics, and everyone who works there.

> there is literally ZERO incentive for them not to repeat all this

You're assuming they have no stock or stock options in Boeing.

If it's productive enough, it's worthwhile paying the tax. There's only so much undeveloped land, developing it all means destroying our environment.

Ideally, taxes should be used to discourage undesirable things, like emitting pollution. Taxes should not be used to discourage productive activity.

We should be taxing pollution, consumption of raw materials, plastics, use of undeveloped land, etc.

"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War"

https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed/dp/031...

Rail is cheaper in just about every dimension - fuel, track, track maintenance, labor, etc. The downside is it's slower.

The purpose of the mail (or any business) is not employing people.

Inter-city mail should be by rail, which is far more environmental and much less costly. The only reason highways appear to be "cheaper" is the real costs are paid by other people (passenger cars).

Writing a book while on welfare is certainly a startup. She didn't self-publish the book. The publisher provided the funding to edit, print, market, and distribute the book (which is not trivial money). Rowling pitched the book to several publishers before one decided to fund it.

Oprah bootstrapped herself out of poverty to become a media billionaire. You might say she took the long way by routing through various jobs to get the money, but she still came from poverty, founded companies, and became a billionaire.

> we tend to think anyone sliding around corners and squealing tires to be one as well

So why mention the type of car?

Americans tend to regard anyone driving a Ferrari as an asshole, regardless of how they drive.