John Loeber
@johnloeber.com
📍SF // loeber.substack.com // johnloeber.com
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John Loeber
@johnloeber.com
· Nov 15
I know first impressions last, so I want to be adamantly clear that I goddamn love Capitalism
Many people on Bluesky seem to be of a differing opinion, so lest I get looped in with them, I want to be clear:
Free-market capitalism is the reason why we are prosperous as a civilization. Functioning markets are the engine of wealth creation. I love it, and so should you.
Free-market capitalism is the reason why we are prosperous as a civilization. Functioning markets are the engine of wealth creation. I love it, and so should you.
New essay from me: substack.com/@loeber/note...
Bitcoin has won.
And the big fight with the regulators, that so many anticipated, never happened. Some things turned out very differently from what early Bitcoiners expected.
Some reflections on the last thirteen years and the Strategic Reserve:
Bitcoin has won.
And the big fight with the regulators, that so many anticipated, never happened. Some things turned out very differently from what early Bitcoiners expected.
Some reflections on the last thirteen years and the Strategic Reserve:
#26: Bitcoin Without a Fight
Dial the clock back by thirteen years. Bitcoin is trading at five dollars a coin. You ask me “what will the world look like when Bitcoin is at $100,000?”
substack.com
March 12, 2025 at 3:10 AM
New essay from me: substack.com/@loeber/note...
Bitcoin has won.
And the big fight with the regulators, that so many anticipated, never happened. Some things turned out very differently from what early Bitcoiners expected.
Some reflections on the last thirteen years and the Strategic Reserve:
Bitcoin has won.
And the big fight with the regulators, that so many anticipated, never happened. Some things turned out very differently from what early Bitcoiners expected.
Some reflections on the last thirteen years and the Strategic Reserve:
A very strange thing is happening. Everyone's talking about the latest AI products. It's exciting! But nobody's looking a few years into the future and asking what this all means.
If AGI by 2030 might be possible, then we're not thinking nearly enough about it.
loeber.substack.com/p/25-nobodys...
If AGI by 2030 might be possible, then we're not thinking nearly enough about it.
loeber.substack.com/p/25-nobodys...
#25: Nobody's Thinking Enough About AI
A very strange thing is happening.
loeber.substack.com
February 9, 2025 at 10:59 PM
A very strange thing is happening. Everyone's talking about the latest AI products. It's exciting! But nobody's looking a few years into the future and asking what this all means.
If AGI by 2030 might be possible, then we're not thinking nearly enough about it.
loeber.substack.com/p/25-nobodys...
If AGI by 2030 might be possible, then we're not thinking nearly enough about it.
loeber.substack.com/p/25-nobodys...
The resource curse applies just in the same way to tax revenue (California) as if does to oil deposits (Venezuela)
December 1, 2024 at 4:12 PM
The resource curse applies just in the same way to tax revenue (California) as if does to oil deposits (Venezuela)
I find it very discomforting that bluesky appears to have no true rules, and that users can be banned arbitrarily
I still think it is unjust that the user who assembled a bluesky message dataset was banned: the API is freely available and public.
Bluesky needs a much more credible ruleset.
I still think it is unjust that the user who assembled a bluesky message dataset was banned: the API is freely available and public.
Bluesky needs a much more credible ruleset.
December 1, 2024 at 7:21 AM
I find it very discomforting that bluesky appears to have no true rules, and that users can be banned arbitrarily
I still think it is unjust that the user who assembled a bluesky message dataset was banned: the API is freely available and public.
Bluesky needs a much more credible ruleset.
I still think it is unjust that the user who assembled a bluesky message dataset was banned: the API is freely available and public.
Bluesky needs a much more credible ruleset.
I like scribbling thoughts in my books. Every one becomes a personal item. And sometimes I can go back and nostalgically revisit my marginalia.
And sometimes it’s hilarious.
Today I flicked open my copy of Titan, a biography of John D Rockefeller, 774 pages of fine print…
And sometimes it’s hilarious.
Today I flicked open my copy of Titan, a biography of John D Rockefeller, 774 pages of fine print…
November 30, 2024 at 12:19 AM
I like scribbling thoughts in my books. Every one becomes a personal item. And sometimes I can go back and nostalgically revisit my marginalia.
And sometimes it’s hilarious.
Today I flicked open my copy of Titan, a biography of John D Rockefeller, 774 pages of fine print…
And sometimes it’s hilarious.
Today I flicked open my copy of Titan, a biography of John D Rockefeller, 774 pages of fine print…
Posting a Short and Frequent Tragedy
I buy avocados because they are sometimes nice to eat
I have several avocados sitting on my counter
When I think about opening one, I know I really am only going to eat half and throw the other half away, which would be wasteful...
I buy avocados because they are sometimes nice to eat
I have several avocados sitting on my counter
When I think about opening one, I know I really am only going to eat half and throw the other half away, which would be wasteful...
November 27, 2024 at 6:17 AM
Posting a Short and Frequent Tragedy
I buy avocados because they are sometimes nice to eat
I have several avocados sitting on my counter
When I think about opening one, I know I really am only going to eat half and throw the other half away, which would be wasteful...
I buy avocados because they are sometimes nice to eat
I have several avocados sitting on my counter
When I think about opening one, I know I really am only going to eat half and throw the other half away, which would be wasteful...
Every great engineer has a little toolbox of their own idiosyncratic but highly effective tools and tricks
Every now and again, one of those tools escapes into the real world and becomes a “best practice”
Every now and again, one of those tools escapes into the real world and becomes a “best practice”
November 27, 2024 at 1:13 AM
Every great engineer has a little toolbox of their own idiosyncratic but highly effective tools and tricks
Every now and again, one of those tools escapes into the real world and becomes a “best practice”
Every now and again, one of those tools escapes into the real world and becomes a “best practice”
Interesting growth hack… someone using their Substack email to sign up for my corporate landing page form. Now I know about one more newsletter
November 26, 2024 at 6:52 PM
Interesting growth hack… someone using their Substack email to sign up for my corporate landing page form. Now I know about one more newsletter
Average marketing email unsubscribe flow
November 26, 2024 at 5:41 PM
Average marketing email unsubscribe flow
Same. Peer review is broken
I've never, personally, had any direct utility from traditional academic peer review for my scientific work.
I've never used that peer review as any kind of signal or credential in judging a paper or deciding whether to read it.
Nearly all the papers I read are preprints.
I've never used that peer review as any kind of signal or credential in judging a paper or deciding whether to read it.
Nearly all the papers I read are preprints.
November 25, 2024 at 11:08 PM
Same. Peer review is broken
I have muted the menswear guy because (even given that he is often right, or on “my side”) his whole shtick is dunking and being mean to people. I don’t think you should expose yourself to that in perpetuity
November 25, 2024 at 8:33 AM
I have muted the menswear guy because (even given that he is often right, or on “my side”) his whole shtick is dunking and being mean to people. I don’t think you should expose yourself to that in perpetuity
I have recently moved into a new apartment. It is the first time in many years that I am buying stuff and furnishing from scratch.
A strange effect: now that I’ve bought things, I struggle to imagine things that I could buy that would make me more happy.
A strange effect: now that I’ve bought things, I struggle to imagine things that I could buy that would make me more happy.
November 25, 2024 at 8:03 AM
I have recently moved into a new apartment. It is the first time in many years that I am buying stuff and furnishing from scratch.
A strange effect: now that I’ve bought things, I struggle to imagine things that I could buy that would make me more happy.
A strange effect: now that I’ve bought things, I struggle to imagine things that I could buy that would make me more happy.
Virtually every “major study” that shaped my thinking when I was <20 years old was misleading
- Stanford prison: fake
- Rat park: fake
- Rosenhan: fake
- Stanford prison: fake
- Rat park: fake
- Rosenhan: fake
November 25, 2024 at 5:50 AM
Virtually every “major study” that shaped my thinking when I was <20 years old was misleading
- Stanford prison: fake
- Rat park: fake
- Rosenhan: fake
- Stanford prison: fake
- Rat park: fake
- Rosenhan: fake
This Sunday afternoon I read DFW’s Mr Squishy
I must say, the feeling of wrestling with a piece of literature for three hours, cursing “wtf is going on here” under my breath the whole time, and then reading the analysis post-fact and having my mind blown — totally obliterated — is quite something
I must say, the feeling of wrestling with a piece of literature for three hours, cursing “wtf is going on here” under my breath the whole time, and then reading the analysis post-fact and having my mind blown — totally obliterated — is quite something
November 25, 2024 at 3:41 AM
This Sunday afternoon I read DFW’s Mr Squishy
I must say, the feeling of wrestling with a piece of literature for three hours, cursing “wtf is going on here” under my breath the whole time, and then reading the analysis post-fact and having my mind blown — totally obliterated — is quite something
I must say, the feeling of wrestling with a piece of literature for three hours, cursing “wtf is going on here” under my breath the whole time, and then reading the analysis post-fact and having my mind blown — totally obliterated — is quite something
@samuel.bsky.team product polish request: right now when you follow/mute someone, you get a toast at the top bar for a success message
This toast lasts several seconds, and is *over* the back button, so you have to wait before your next action
This is annoying and breaks the user flow
This toast lasts several seconds, and is *over* the back button, so you have to wait before your next action
This is annoying and breaks the user flow
November 24, 2024 at 8:58 PM
@samuel.bsky.team product polish request: right now when you follow/mute someone, you get a toast at the top bar for a success message
This toast lasts several seconds, and is *over* the back button, so you have to wait before your next action
This is annoying and breaks the user flow
This toast lasts several seconds, and is *over* the back button, so you have to wait before your next action
This is annoying and breaks the user flow
Getting lots of questions about my lifestyle. Here’s a quick FYI for y’all who are not in the know 😤
November 24, 2024 at 8:24 PM
Getting lots of questions about my lifestyle. Here’s a quick FYI for y’all who are not in the know 😤
I would like to use a custom feed: filtered down to people with their own domains
Why?
Domains cost money! It’s an easy verification filter. (Since there’s no financial incentive to posting, it’s also less likely for bad actors to make it through.)
Why?
Domains cost money! It’s an easy verification filter. (Since there’s no financial incentive to posting, it’s also less likely for bad actors to make it through.)
November 23, 2024 at 11:23 PM
I would like to use a custom feed: filtered down to people with their own domains
Why?
Domains cost money! It’s an easy verification filter. (Since there’s no financial incentive to posting, it’s also less likely for bad actors to make it through.)
Why?
Domains cost money! It’s an easy verification filter. (Since there’s no financial incentive to posting, it’s also less likely for bad actors to make it through.)
I bought a nice, big painting
I hung it opposite my bed
When I wake up in the mornings, I now am not really scrolling on my phone. I’m just looking at — studying — the painting and letting my thoughts wander.
I did not expect this, but it is quite nice
I hung it opposite my bed
When I wake up in the mornings, I now am not really scrolling on my phone. I’m just looking at — studying — the painting and letting my thoughts wander.
I did not expect this, but it is quite nice
November 23, 2024 at 8:52 PM
I bought a nice, big painting
I hung it opposite my bed
When I wake up in the mornings, I now am not really scrolling on my phone. I’m just looking at — studying — the painting and letting my thoughts wander.
I did not expect this, but it is quite nice
I hung it opposite my bed
When I wake up in the mornings, I now am not really scrolling on my phone. I’m just looking at — studying — the painting and letting my thoughts wander.
I did not expect this, but it is quite nice
I have never understood the appeal of being a humiliation fetishist but one of these days I’m gonna ask Peter Schiff to hear what it’s like
November 22, 2024 at 11:24 PM
I have never understood the appeal of being a humiliation fetishist but one of these days I’m gonna ask Peter Schiff to hear what it’s like
The new meta is no longer posting image memes (too much work) but just the alt text
> Posting images? Costanza.jpg
> Posting images? Costanza.jpg
alt text:
3D saddle plot in the style the IQ bell curve meme. the crying guy in the middle is stuck in a local minima along one axis,with genius guys at the peaks to each end saying "just move around". stupid guys are at the low points, along the other axis. overall, it's dumb but now in 3D
3D saddle plot in the style the IQ bell curve meme. the crying guy in the middle is stuck in a local minima along one axis,with genius guys at the peaks to each end saying "just move around". stupid guys are at the low points, along the other axis. overall, it's dumb but now in 3D
November 22, 2024 at 7:56 PM
The new meta is no longer posting image memes (too much work) but just the alt text
> Posting images? Costanza.jpg
> Posting images? Costanza.jpg
Someone pointed out that Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” thing is basically reinventing all the straight-edge components of Mormonism in a secular way. (Bryan was raised Mormon.)
That’s not a criticism, I just think it’s interesting how people tend to rediscover/go full-circle on their own beliefs
That’s not a criticism, I just think it’s interesting how people tend to rediscover/go full-circle on their own beliefs
November 22, 2024 at 7:54 PM
Someone pointed out that Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” thing is basically reinventing all the straight-edge components of Mormonism in a secular way. (Bryan was raised Mormon.)
That’s not a criticism, I just think it’s interesting how people tend to rediscover/go full-circle on their own beliefs
That’s not a criticism, I just think it’s interesting how people tend to rediscover/go full-circle on their own beliefs
Bluesky is interesting bc out of all the Twitter-esque platforms, it has managed to attract both the most fun and least fun users
There are great posters here, but also the most humorless scolds
What a combination
There are great posters here, but also the most humorless scolds
What a combination
November 22, 2024 at 8:57 AM
Bluesky is interesting bc out of all the Twitter-esque platforms, it has managed to attract both the most fun and least fun users
There are great posters here, but also the most humorless scolds
What a combination
There are great posters here, but also the most humorless scolds
What a combination
I was about to post a reply about how Twitter had never been so important to me that I’d describe myself as a Twitter citizen — or by implication, a refugee
But wait a sec, that’s totally the right level of comparison. I’ve spent the last decade on Twitter! My #1 social media by far
But wait a sec, that’s totally the right level of comparison. I’ve spent the last decade on Twitter! My #1 social media by far
so what are we all doing here? are we tourists? immigrants? refugees? dual citizens?
what are people enjoying about this place?
what are people enjoying about this place?
November 22, 2024 at 8:52 AM
I was about to post a reply about how Twitter had never been so important to me that I’d describe myself as a Twitter citizen — or by implication, a refugee
But wait a sec, that’s totally the right level of comparison. I’ve spent the last decade on Twitter! My #1 social media by far
But wait a sec, that’s totally the right level of comparison. I’ve spent the last decade on Twitter! My #1 social media by far
Every man over the age of 30 has a box of spare screws, nails, hex keys, and other metal miscellanea from a decade of assembling flatpack furniture
November 22, 2024 at 6:57 AM
Every man over the age of 30 has a box of spare screws, nails, hex keys, and other metal miscellanea from a decade of assembling flatpack furniture
I'm reading about the man in NYC who stabbed four people -- killing three -- today.
The NBC News article says "mental health" seven times.
The term "mental health" has become so broad that it prevents practical, common-sense discussion and treatment of violent crime.
The NBC News article says "mental health" seven times.
The term "mental health" has become so broad that it prevents practical, common-sense discussion and treatment of violent crime.
November 20, 2024 at 7:29 AM
I'm reading about the man in NYC who stabbed four people -- killing three -- today.
The NBC News article says "mental health" seven times.
The term "mental health" has become so broad that it prevents practical, common-sense discussion and treatment of violent crime.
The NBC News article says "mental health" seven times.
The term "mental health" has become so broad that it prevents practical, common-sense discussion and treatment of violent crime.