News

Just in from Stiks with dawn… Crazy last night. Garmin chart plotter went bonkers leaving us wondering what went wrong. Sort of lost in space in the moonless darkness with the little boat icon wandering all over. Goy out a paper chart and plotted the gps position and course and kept going. Seems there was … Read More

TL;DR: Something here just doesn’t add up. Tariff dividend?  BBC flounders rom the top. And with cold temps? Personal appearance changes. That’s Monday for you: tight, bright, and right. Developer Economics Twenty years ago, if you had asked me to explain the difference between being a sci-fi writer and covering finance/economics?  Would have been a … Read More

TL;DR: Physics is bound to catch up – one of these days.  But they should have been able before me to find the Two Times of physics.  (Long – bring extra coffee and a sleeping bag…) Yeah. The Time Machine Project…about that… Every shop has its ghosts. Mine just happen to hum between ten and … Read More

Our long-time reader Stiks, who’s on a sailboat in mid Pacific sent up a position update: “George…we are currently long term floating in a gigantic high pressure zone with almost zero wind and have been pretty much stuck and drifting around for three days. Lots of cool lightning, some heavy squalls to fill the tanks, … Read More

Please, tell me from the headline you can figure out what this morning’s column is about? We could have made up a clever acronym like Y.E.S., but the more you know, the more it’s no, Y.E,S. Dip-Flippers and democrat grifters; financial bumps, not wholly Trumps…and yes, my Longfellows, we do know it. All comes down … Read More

TL;DR:  Transports are breaking Dow Theory confirmation even as headlines cheerlead, meaning the market’s “nothing to see here” story is wobbling under the surface. Kazakhstan’s rare-earth pivot toward the Abraham Accords shows the mineral chessboard shifting under China’s feet while we pour coffee and keep an eye on the oxygen gauge. Dow Theory’s Revenge One … Read More

“It was nothing helmsman – steady as she goes.  We can’t wake the Capt’n till morning…” On the Wire “U.S.-based employers announced 153,074 job cuts in October, up 175% from the 55,597 cuts announced in October 2024. It is up 183% from the 54,064 job cuts announced one month prior, according to a report released … Read More

TL;DR:  Courting disaster?  Will the Supreme Court bash markets next? Welcome to UrbanSurvival unplugged, live from the Church of Economic Irony… Thursday’s Tax Liturgy Let’s begin by rolling this from brothers Bob and Jimmy. “”There must be some kind of way outta here” Said the joker to the thief” The Supreme Court heard arguments this … Read More

Most people are still arguing whether AI is a threat or a tool. They’re already behind. The real story — the one almost no one sees yet — except you – today – is what happens when human intelligence and machine intelligence stop competing and start synchronizing. That is not a gadget story. It is … Read More

TL;DR:  SNAP gets jerked-around, Wall Street twitches, and here at the ranch I’m editing Chapter 13 of Mind Amplifiers — where we measure thought-space instead of splashing around in it. Metrology, anyone? “Snap!” (Go the Weasels) We would have to check with our (trying to be retired) “three-piece” poker consultant on this, but did we … Read More

TL;DR:    America is about to SNAP — budgets, benefits, tempers, and reality all fraying at once while markets throw a last-call party. Prep quietly, laugh loudly, and don’t mistake the confetti for stability. Introit:* Call this “Mark Frederickson Day” [* Introit refers to the opening hymn, psalm, or antiphon sung or recited at the … Read More

TL;DR: Chasing better air for Elaine and me has become a key holding action. So instead of decks, welds, and big shop heroics, we’re trying on the Downsizing ethos for size. Spoiler: putting “less stuff, more life” into practice doesn’t always go as smoothly as the brochure — here’s the ringside account. (What time did … Read More

Joke around the newsroom used to be? “Series will always go 7-game – too much ad revenue for any other outcome…” Sometimes, though, newsroom cynicism can be replaced by the facts. Since 1970, looking at the list of World Series results: Series that went to 7 games: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1987, … Read More