Archive: February 10, 2016

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the day after

Wednesday,  02/10/16  08:56 PM

The day after (the New Hampshire primaries): wow, I can't believe Bernie Sanders actually beat Hillary Clinton (yay) and by 20 percentage points (double yay).  And wow, I can't believe people are still supporting Donald Trump (boo), and Jeb Bush still has support too (double boo).  Sort of a regression to the mean from Iowa, I guess.  Next up is South Carolina...

If you want an example of the sort of weird thinking people put into their support for a Presidential candidate, here's Jason Kottke: the symbolic President.  He's actually planning to vote for Hillary Clinton because she's a woman, and presumably voted for Barack Obama because he's [partially] black.  I like Jason (usually), but that is not deep thinking.

And this: the left has two huge advantages, and I have no idea how we overcome them.  The third advantage is shallow thinking, apparently.

Scott Adams tries to explain: the Thinking Filters.  He also tries to explain why he was wrong about Rubio, and fails (after explaining that we would think so).  Some of what he's written about Trump is interesting, but it is starting to feel more like random hammers hitting nails than actual analysis.

Mark Suster: the resetting of the startup industry.  "Much has changed in the past four months of the technology startup world and how outsiders value the business."  Regression to the mean. 

It's starting to feel 2008-ish again, featuring a presidential election year and a major economic meltdown.

This you have to watch: impossibly strong winds stop professional cyclists cold.  Yes the entire peloton comes to a standstill with riders falling off their bikes etc.  Wow.  I thought that only happened to me and my friends :) 

From John at Desk: the customer is right (and wrong).  "The customer is right about the experience today and wrong about what the experience will be tomorrow."  I think that's right. 

One year of Apple World Today!  Congratulations to them.  My advice, should they choose to take it, is to concentrate on features and analysis, and leave the news to big sites like Engadget.  That's what makes John Gruber and MG Siegler worth reading. 

Noted: Firewatch could be the prettiest mystery you play this year.  It could be the only mystery I play, too, but "pretty" and "interesting" have me pretty interested.  The trailer looks great. 

Reviewed: Ark Royal, the first of a new science fiction series I've started to read, by Christopher Nuttall.  So far I like it a lot, reminds me of the Hornblower series but moved from the oceans of the 1800s into space. 

Oh, and Christopher has a blog, too.  (Sample: In Contempt, about the Sad Puppies fiasco around the Hugo Awards for science fiction.)  Subscribed!

To be read: Free Bitcoin textbook from Princeton.  "It's over 300 pages and is intended for people 'looking to truly understand how Bitcoin works at a technical level and have a basic familiarity with computer science and programming'."  Huh, stay tuned. 

So be it, New Hampshire is over, and we're on to the next.  Onward!

 

 

Thank *you*, Carly

Wednesday,  02/10/16  10:15 PM

After yesterday Carly Fiorina saw the writing on the wall and has suspended her campaign. After some early momentum last Fall she never connected with voters and dropped off the main stage of contenders.  I was an early fan, partly because she was a businessperson, not a politician, but mostly because I liked the blunt way she took on Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration, and the pervasive liberalism of the mainstream media.  I will say I did not agree with all her positions and in particular her strong anti-abortion stance.  Still I hope that she stays in the national picture; it's possible she might even be a vice presidential candidate, if it is deemed helpful to have a woman on the Republican ticket.

Today Carly sent a Thank You email to those who had registered as supporters:

 

Ole,

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for everything you've done for this campaign. For standing with me, for fighting with me. For your generosity, for your support, and for your faith. Thank you.

This campaign was always about citizenship—taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.

Our Republican Party must fight alongside these Americans as well. We must end crony capitalism by fighting the policies that allow it to flourish. We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable. Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential.

To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn't shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.

As I have said to the many wonderful Americans I have met throughout this campaign, a leader is a servant whose highest calling is to unlock potential in others.

I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential.

Thank you again for all you've made possible.

Carly

It's a nice message, but as the father of four daughters I thought the words about feminism were particularly apt (highlighted in blue).  "A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses."  Or I suppose a man who supports women who are this kind of feminist :)

I know I'd rather my kids end up being like Carly, a self-made woman who became CEO of one of the largest companies in the world, then ran for President as a person rather than a woman, than like Hillary, a woman who succeeded by being the wife of a successful man, and is making a point of running as a woman.  Thanks, Carly!

 
 

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