Neil G.
@skyrefuge.bsky.social
Bicycle-based nomad exploring the world
Also, for a "failing" company (his assessment of the New York Times for at least 10 years now), it seems strange that force of the federal government is now required to stop them.
Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to wonder whether this guy's business acumen is as world-class as he claims it to be!
Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to wonder whether this guy's business acumen is as world-class as he claims it to be!
December 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Also, for a "failing" company (his assessment of the New York Times for at least 10 years now), it seems strange that force of the federal government is now required to stop them.
Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to wonder whether this guy's business acumen is as world-class as he claims it to be!
Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to wonder whether this guy's business acumen is as world-class as he claims it to be!
Being in Argentina now, I think the "solution" is to let inflation go way higher. That's what will finally force people to understand that "number go up" isn't actually as bad of a thing as they think it is.
Here a beer costs 8000, when 5 years ago it cost 800, and...it's fine?
Here a beer costs 8000, when 5 years ago it cost 800, and...it's fine?
December 17, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Being in Argentina now, I think the "solution" is to let inflation go way higher. That's what will finally force people to understand that "number go up" isn't actually as bad of a thing as they think it is.
Here a beer costs 8000, when 5 years ago it cost 800, and...it's fine?
Here a beer costs 8000, when 5 years ago it cost 800, and...it's fine?
While their world-planning sucked, they nailed their major theme of the arbitrary nature of "othering" (even more-relevant now!) right from the start. The survivors divided into warring tribes for the dumbest and most-human reason: whether they were sitting in the front or back of the plane.
December 14, 2025 at 11:22 AM
While their world-planning sucked, they nailed their major theme of the arbitrary nature of "othering" (even more-relevant now!) right from the start. The survivors divided into warring tribes for the dumbest and most-human reason: whether they were sitting in the front or back of the plane.
I don't know, I feel like this guy's "problem" is that he still has the capacity for shame, so what we see is him wrestling with the morality of his lies.
That's a rarity amongst Trumpists, most would just bluster through with bigger lies.
That's a rarity amongst Trumpists, most would just bluster through with bigger lies.
December 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
I don't know, I feel like this guy's "problem" is that he still has the capacity for shame, so what we see is him wrestling with the morality of his lies.
That's a rarity amongst Trumpists, most would just bluster through with bigger lies.
That's a rarity amongst Trumpists, most would just bluster through with bigger lies.
Euro (and apparently Iraqi) "Sport Clubs" frequently field teams in multiple sports, so aHaSSC does also run a basketball team. But the fact that they don't even get a mention on their Wikipedia page indicates that playing for them is even more minor-minor-league than we thought!
November 21, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Euro (and apparently Iraqi) "Sport Clubs" frequently field teams in multiple sports, so aHaSSC does also run a basketball team. But the fact that they don't even get a mention on their Wikipedia page indicates that playing for them is even more minor-minor-league than we thought!
Some real "tell me you haven't been to Cleveland (in the last 15 years) without telling me..."
November 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Some real "tell me you haven't been to Cleveland (in the last 15 years) without telling me..."
Aaron normally nails the transcriptions, but this guy actually said "disinflationary" (prices go up more slowly) and not "deflationary" (prices go down).
November 14, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Aaron normally nails the transcriptions, but this guy actually said "disinflationary" (prices go up more slowly) and not "deflationary" (prices go down).
And, this is all downstream of local housing costs. Here in Peru, where a decent AirBNB/hotel is US$30 or less, things involving human labor (doctor, taxi, massage, etc.) are super-cheap, while foreign manufactured goods (TVs, sunscreen) cost about the same as in the US.
November 10, 2025 at 10:09 PM
And, this is all downstream of local housing costs. Here in Peru, where a decent AirBNB/hotel is US$30 or less, things involving human labor (doctor, taxi, massage, etc.) are super-cheap, while foreign manufactured goods (TVs, sunscreen) cost about the same as in the US.
It is a shadow, from the FIFA president's head. The makeup is stark and bad too, but not nearly as bad as the shadowed photo makes it seem. Here's one from the same moment without the shadow: www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-...
US President Donald Trump greets FIFA President Gianni Infantino...
US President Donald Trump greets FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. Trump landed in Egypt on October 13 for a summit on Gaza, following a.....
www.gettyimages.ca
November 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
It is a shadow, from the FIFA president's head. The makeup is stark and bad too, but not nearly as bad as the shadowed photo makes it seem. Here's one from the same moment without the shadow: www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-...
And transitively, I've been riding my bike through sub-Aconcagua Peru, and riding on roads (and even sleeping) higher than the peak of the tallest mountain in the US Lower 48 is completely normal and unremarkable. Mountain relativity is wild.
November 4, 2025 at 12:12 PM
And transitively, I've been riding my bike through sub-Aconcagua Peru, and riding on roads (and even sleeping) higher than the peak of the tallest mountain in the US Lower 48 is completely normal and unremarkable. Mountain relativity is wild.
Good news! You can bring your subsidy up by having your income go down! 😭
October 28, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Good news! You can bring your subsidy up by having your income go down! 😭
Very misleading paraphrase. Just because they lie all the time, doesn't mean we should stoop to their level. But thanks for at least including the video! Here's the transcript:
October 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Very misleading paraphrase. Just because they lie all the time, doesn't mean we should stoop to their level. But thanks for at least including the video! Here's the transcript:
If she had renters sign a long-term lease, it's possible that she violated the rider's terms requiring her to keep it available "primarily" for her own use for the first year.
But yes, then it's weird/stupid that the indictment doesn't focus on that part, and instead on the time-share language.
But yes, then it's weird/stupid that the indictment doesn't focus on that part, and instead on the time-share language.
October 10, 2025 at 12:50 AM
If she had renters sign a long-term lease, it's possible that she violated the rider's terms requiring her to keep it available "primarily" for her own use for the first year.
But yes, then it's weird/stupid that the indictment doesn't focus on that part, and instead on the time-share language.
But yes, then it's weird/stupid that the indictment doesn't focus on that part, and instead on the time-share language.
This is a different property than the one bought with the niece. So we don't know who the renters were, or the term of their lease.
October 10, 2025 at 12:08 AM
This is a different property than the one bought with the niece. So we don't know who the renters were, or the term of their lease.
Yeah, I guess that's why the FNMA rider is so "squishy". It essentially says "it needs to be somewhat available for your personal use for the first year", but then follows it with "unless...we agree to waive that. Which we'll be happy to do. Even more if you have some extenuating circumstances".
October 9, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Yeah, I guess that's why the FNMA rider is so "squishy". It essentially says "it needs to be somewhat available for your personal use for the first year", but then follows it with "unless...we agree to waive that. Which we'll be happy to do. Even more if you have some extenuating circumstances".
This is apparently a separate property, unrelated to the niece/co-signer one. The speculation that they were going to charge her on that property turned out to be wrong.
The indictment (www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...) actually focuses on a *separate* property from the one prosecutors initially focused on. But DOJ was skeptical of this case, ABC reported, because the Fannie Mae guidelines on "second homes" vs. "investment properties" are so squishy.
James indictment
www.documentcloud.org
October 9, 2025 at 11:21 PM
This is apparently a separate property, unrelated to the niece/co-signer one. The speculation that they were going to charge her on that property turned out to be wrong.
If it's the standard FNMA rider, it *does* require her to "keep the Property available primarily as a residence for Borrower’s personal use and enjoyment for at least one year", and having a family sign a 1-year lease might violate that.
But the indictment doesn't allege that.
But the indictment doesn't allege that.
singlefamily.fanniemae.com
October 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM
If it's the standard FNMA rider, it *does* require her to "keep the Property available primarily as a residence for Borrower’s personal use and enjoyment for at least one year", and having a family sign a 1-year lease might violate that.
But the indictment doesn't allege that.
But the indictment doesn't allege that.
That still means it's an enormous risk, and the entire thing could go down in flames, but it's still too early to judge whether the money has been set on fire or put to good use.
September 15, 2025 at 1:33 PM
That still means it's an enormous risk, and the entire thing could go down in flames, but it's still too early to judge whether the money has been set on fire or put to good use.
In the case of the augmented reality glasses described here, it's actually been the opposite: a super-long-term (nearly 10 year!) consistent project that he hasn't pivoted from.
It's the sort of long-term R&D that no one does anymore precisely because "results, now!" boards won't allow it...
It's the sort of long-term R&D that no one does anymore precisely because "results, now!" boards won't allow it...
September 15, 2025 at 1:33 PM
In the case of the augmented reality glasses described here, it's actually been the opposite: a super-long-term (nearly 10 year!) consistent project that he hasn't pivoted from.
It's the sort of long-term R&D that no one does anymore precisely because "results, now!" boards won't allow it...
It's the sort of long-term R&D that no one does anymore precisely because "results, now!" boards won't allow it...
Zuckerberg gets a lot of shit for all the money he is dumping into Reality Labs, but this has long been one of the prime use-case examples of their long-awaited augmented reality glasses (it would literally float a bubble of the person's name over their head). Easily worth billions for this alone!
September 14, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Zuckerberg gets a lot of shit for all the money he is dumping into Reality Labs, but this has long been one of the prime use-case examples of their long-awaited augmented reality glasses (it would literally float a bubble of the person's name over their head). Easily worth billions for this alone!
And yeah, incredibly difficult to translate with a camera. At the time, I wrote:
"Capturing the orangeness and glow of this moonrise was really challenging, with this Night Mode phone picture doing a better job of what it felt like to our eyes than anything I could achieve with my big camera."
"Capturing the orangeness and glow of this moonrise was really challenging, with this Night Mode phone picture doing a better job of what it felt like to our eyes than anything I could achieve with my big camera."
September 1, 2025 at 11:54 PM
And yeah, incredibly difficult to translate with a camera. At the time, I wrote:
"Capturing the orangeness and glow of this moonrise was really challenging, with this Night Mode phone picture doing a better job of what it felt like to our eyes than anything I could achieve with my big camera."
"Capturing the orangeness and glow of this moonrise was really challenging, with this Night Mode phone picture doing a better job of what it felt like to our eyes than anything I could achieve with my big camera."
The one I saw (also while camping on a beach) was a moon*rise*, from Prince Edward Island, but yeah, I thought it was The Great Pumpkin.
One of the best things about camping is that it makes you realize how much you normally ignore these awesome things (sun/moon rise/sets) that happen every day.
One of the best things about camping is that it makes you realize how much you normally ignore these awesome things (sun/moon rise/sets) that happen every day.
September 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The one I saw (also while camping on a beach) was a moon*rise*, from Prince Edward Island, but yeah, I thought it was The Great Pumpkin.
One of the best things about camping is that it makes you realize how much you normally ignore these awesome things (sun/moon rise/sets) that happen every day.
One of the best things about camping is that it makes you realize how much you normally ignore these awesome things (sun/moon rise/sets) that happen every day.
I bought a down jacket from Poland (shipped to the US, with an insanely expensive return policy) precisely because they show detailed garment measurements on their website. It's certainly more common in the technical-clothing world, but still not common enough!
cumulus.equipment
cumulus.equipment
Śpiwory i odzież puchowa - made in Poland - Cumulus® outdoor
Cumulus® to polska firma produkująca ultralekki sprzęt outdoorowy: śpiwory i kurtki puchowe. Doskonałe, sprawdzone materiały i etycznie pozyskiwany polski puch o najwyższej sprężystości zapewniają naj...
cumulus.equipment
September 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I bought a down jacket from Poland (shipped to the US, with an insanely expensive return policy) precisely because they show detailed garment measurements on their website. It's certainly more common in the technical-clothing world, but still not common enough!
cumulus.equipment
cumulus.equipment
I like that in the last year or so, REI has said "fuck, if no one else is going to do it..." and started posting weights and measurements of most of the things they sell (and presumably from their own measurements, because when manufacturers list them, they're often inaccurate anyway).
September 1, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I like that in the last year or so, REI has said "fuck, if no one else is going to do it..." and started posting weights and measurements of most of the things they sell (and presumably from their own measurements, because when manufacturers list them, they're often inaccurate anyway).