We will be getting a lot of work done here this weekend: With most of America distracted by competing delusions. First is the hysteria over Elon Musk, who is trying to get a handle on “Where’s all the money been going?” The left (and slow-motion Marxist insurrection) is going absolutely crazy because the Deep State … Read More

Super short column this morning, as I have been hip-deep in (stuff) around here.  Doctor appointment for usual blood draws – I may live a while longer, lol. Comments on safety of Zetia are welcome in Comments…. Job Cuts Markets had a good day Wednesday, but we are becoming concerned (with DeepSeek and all the foam … Read More

Our 20+ years of downsizing is certainly making sense as the world changes. When we moved “out to the woods” people had this ‘tude like “What kind of people run away and live in the woods?” Today, with the coming of a possible tariff war, inflation causing the Fed to walk-back its “more cuts” nonsense, … Read More

Fight, Flight, or Flow? Let’s turn back the clock to our discussion in ShopTalk Sunday. Everyone has their own “TQ” – tactility quotient.  Which is “the Zone” in life where the amount of “head-work” is properly balanced by the amount of “hand-work” one does.  It’s different for everybody; goes back to what humans were bred … Read More

If you’re a new reader, who has perchanced to stumble onto this website, please consider how far you want to read.  Because our stock-in-trade here is eyeing the future and trying to assess where the world is going. The Global War, massive earthquakes, second pandemic, Oh! Let’s not leave out the Greater Depression. Like the … Read More

So, there’s this new book I am working on – the first part is due to hit Peoplenomics next week.  It’s about how “People Are Products” and how we are each uniquely genetically coded to do certain things. As I was working in my shop, I was struck by the high level of tactility evidenced in … Read More

We will know (for sure) tomorrow.  But one thing seems clear: our models of the financial future are poised for a major decline in the next week or two. Not that it will happen: No one knows the future.  But money does call the tune, so should be amusing to see what the “bid is.” … Read More

Three “lead items” on the list today:  Which we will cover in turn: Personal Income Hmm… Personal income increased $92.0 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in December, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $79.7 billion (0.4 percent) and … Read More

You’ll remember that in the 1980s, I was senior VP of a regional Caribbean jet airline?  We had a saying back then – and worth remembering today – that “Crashes come in Two’s and Three’s.”  (Mostly threes.) That matters because of a tragic accident in the skies over D.C. early today: American air plane collides … Read More

We can now see a quickly developing gap between the interests of the Federal Reserve and the Trump administration as the FOMC not only kept rates stable but also hinted that future rate decreases would be cautiously approached. This is not going to make the developer-in-chief happy; never seen a Developer who likes more expensive … Read More

Great read out of MIT/Sloan this week – so if you haven’t read it, have a look while we all twiddle ahead of the Fed decision… A new look at the economics of AI | MIT Sloan We tend to believe in realistic outlooks more than political and financial partisans who talk their book far … Read More

This is what happens when you run afoul lessons in my recent book “The 100-Year Toaster.“  Companies make decisions as they mature to increasingly benefit executives and shareholders while the original Customers get screwed. I could insert a book-length treatise on this cyclical aspect of the SDLC, but you wouldn’t read it, so where is … Read More

Time to be asking such questions. Because one of the side effects of closing down American borders could be a lessening of long-term housing demand.  For now, we have today’s Case-Shiller/S&P Housing numbers to contemplate: (my underline) NEW YORK, JANUARY 28, 2025: S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) today released the November 2024 results for … Read More