That Lucky Loser
@thatluckyloser.bsky.social
Just another guy looking around and vibing
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
The economy is a paranormal entity that our greatest dimensional scholars (macroeconomists) understand only superficially. They have induced a variety of changes in it by manipulating arcane forces like "money supply" with some success. But it remains protean and unpredictable.
December 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The economy is a paranormal entity that our greatest dimensional scholars (macroeconomists) understand only superficially. They have induced a variety of changes in it by manipulating arcane forces like "money supply" with some success. But it remains protean and unpredictable.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
This is a fair point. Also worth noting that a strong economy generally has only one direction to change (though it can also stay strong for a while).
That said, I am curious why consumer sentiment and employment have decoupled from GDP growth. 'k-shaped' economy, I guess.
That said, I am curious why consumer sentiment and employment have decoupled from GDP growth. 'k-shaped' economy, I guess.
It's perplexing seeing people insist the economy is a day away from great depression levels because they think it's bad for the admin
they are historically unpopular AND we aren't all eating dog food by an oil drum fire
that's tremendous! the ideal outcome!
they are historically unpopular AND we aren't all eating dog food by an oil drum fire
that's tremendous! the ideal outcome!
New policy: "oh you believe this data?" just gets you blocked.
December 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is a fair point. Also worth noting that a strong economy generally has only one direction to change (though it can also stay strong for a while).
That said, I am curious why consumer sentiment and employment have decoupled from GDP growth. 'k-shaped' economy, I guess.
That said, I am curious why consumer sentiment and employment have decoupled from GDP growth. 'k-shaped' economy, I guess.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
to riff on DeGaulle:
“America is a big country, inhabited by many consumers."
“America is a big country, inhabited by many consumers."
It is much harder to crash the US economy than I expected.
December 23, 2025 at 3:05 PM
to riff on DeGaulle:
“America is a big country, inhabited by many consumers."
“America is a big country, inhabited by many consumers."
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
Everything is this argument now btw.
Can’t build housing because homeowners will lose wealth.
Can’t raise the minimum wage because prices will increase.
Can’t tax billionaires because they’ll leave.
Can’t regulate AI because it will hurt innovation.
Failure of a system.
Can’t build housing because homeowners will lose wealth.
Can’t raise the minimum wage because prices will increase.
Can’t tax billionaires because they’ll leave.
Can’t regulate AI because it will hurt innovation.
Failure of a system.
December 23, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Everything is this argument now btw.
Can’t build housing because homeowners will lose wealth.
Can’t raise the minimum wage because prices will increase.
Can’t tax billionaires because they’ll leave.
Can’t regulate AI because it will hurt innovation.
Failure of a system.
Can’t build housing because homeowners will lose wealth.
Can’t raise the minimum wage because prices will increase.
Can’t tax billionaires because they’ll leave.
Can’t regulate AI because it will hurt innovation.
Failure of a system.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
Yeah, I think it should be reiterated to people: the struggles with literacy in colleges and secondary education are downstream of the Dumb Removal of Phonics. The vast majority of bad literacy among adults comes because most adults watch television rather than read, by a LOT.
You should listen to the Sold a Story podcast about this. It's really bad.
Though I don't think it's responsible for the typical Bluesky inability to read, because people who were failed in their early childhood reading education are not hanging out on text heavy websites like this one.
Though I don't think it's responsible for the typical Bluesky inability to read, because people who were failed in their early childhood reading education are not hanging out on text heavy websites like this one.
December 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Yeah, I think it should be reiterated to people: the struggles with literacy in colleges and secondary education are downstream of the Dumb Removal of Phonics. The vast majority of bad literacy among adults comes because most adults watch television rather than read, by a LOT.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
Opinions can’t be wrong but “Face/Off is a bad movie” is wrong
December 21, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Opinions can’t be wrong but “Face/Off is a bad movie” is wrong
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
As a civil (and not religious) holiday, Thanksgiving opens the door to a lot of new Americans to be able to participate in a broader America in their own way. No other public holiday comes close to the assimilating force of Thanksgiving
November 26, 2025 at 4:53 AM
As a civil (and not religious) holiday, Thanksgiving opens the door to a lot of new Americans to be able to participate in a broader America in their own way. No other public holiday comes close to the assimilating force of Thanksgiving
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
as so often, the explanation is probably 'animals feel emotions that are similar to ours, and when we disregard the evidence to avoid 'anthromorphism' it's fundamentally ideological, not scientific'
this might be the saddest story I've ever written, about a seal that I will be thinking about for a long, long time.
defector.com/why-wont-nor...
defector.com/why-wont-nor...
Why Won’t Nora The Leopard Seal Abandon Her Dead Pups? | Defector
In the fall of 2021, Renato Borras-Chavez, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of Rhode Island, spotted a leopard seal on an ice floe. Borras-Chavez was on a research expedition to a glacial f...
defector.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:23 PM
as so often, the explanation is probably 'animals feel emotions that are similar to ours, and when we disregard the evidence to avoid 'anthromorphism' it's fundamentally ideological, not scientific'
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
i would push rogue one down and bring solo and the last jedi up. i’d also place attack of the clones at the bottom.
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
November 24, 2025 at 7:37 PM
i would push rogue one down and bring solo and the last jedi up. i’d also place attack of the clones at the bottom.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
You can do it in game or in the meta or however you like, but once you do it, you’re going to discover a really neat behavior shift.
“Survival” is such an overwhelming goal that it overshadows everything else. Once it’s out of play, everyone starts thinking a lot more about stakes and motives.
“Survival” is such an overwhelming goal that it overshadows everything else. Once it’s out of play, everyone starts thinking a lot more about stakes and motives.
November 13, 2025 at 3:14 AM
You can do it in game or in the meta or however you like, but once you do it, you’re going to discover a really neat behavior shift.
“Survival” is such an overwhelming goal that it overshadows everything else. Once it’s out of play, everyone starts thinking a lot more about stakes and motives.
“Survival” is such an overwhelming goal that it overshadows everything else. Once it’s out of play, everyone starts thinking a lot more about stakes and motives.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
oh yes, this is why I have proposed "My Dinner With Andre, but with superheroes"
November 8, 2025 at 6:34 PM
oh yes, this is why I have proposed "My Dinner With Andre, but with superheroes"
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
As much as we rag on these games for having horrible models of history/politics/military theory and the fanbases they attract, there isn't anything inherently wrong with enjoying them because if you look hard enough *everything* is problematic
November 8, 2025 at 1:51 AM
As much as we rag on these games for having horrible models of history/politics/military theory and the fanbases they attract, there isn't anything inherently wrong with enjoying them because if you look hard enough *everything* is problematic
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
I think the Republican pitch for midterms is going to sound something like this
November 5, 2025 at 6:46 AM
I think the Republican pitch for midterms is going to sound something like this
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
I mean the big reason to want a public opinion is that it serves as a rate setting mechanism for the insurance market & also as a backstop for Medicaid in states that opted out of the expansion. It is in fact good public policy.
November 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
I mean the big reason to want a public opinion is that it serves as a rate setting mechanism for the insurance market & also as a backstop for Medicaid in states that opted out of the expansion. It is in fact good public policy.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
The "dirty" secret of the Public Option is that it wouldn't drive private insurance out of business as right wingers feared & left wingers hoped, it would simply force insurers & providers to standardize the rates paid for healthcare & help keep those low across the board.
I mean the big reason to want a public opinion is that it serves as a rate setting mechanism for the insurance market & also as a backstop for Medicaid in states that opted out of the expansion. It is in fact good public policy.
November 4, 2025 at 11:43 PM
The "dirty" secret of the Public Option is that it wouldn't drive private insurance out of business as right wingers feared & left wingers hoped, it would simply force insurers & providers to standardize the rates paid for healthcare & help keep those low across the board.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
there's a picture of the 2024 PHB in the dictionary next to the word "mid" and it literally does not matter because the people hunger for Third Space The Game.
November 3, 2025 at 12:45 AM
there's a picture of the 2024 PHB in the dictionary next to the word "mid" and it literally does not matter because the people hunger for Third Space The Game.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
Food insecurity is also likely to escalate disordered eating patterns among marginalized groups, as my first longform story was about how oppression factors into mainstream treatment for eating disorders, so this will cost BIPOC LGBTQIA+ disabled lives in particular: prismreports.org/2023/09/13/b...
October 26, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Food insecurity is also likely to escalate disordered eating patterns among marginalized groups, as my first longform story was about how oppression factors into mainstream treatment for eating disorders, so this will cost BIPOC LGBTQIA+ disabled lives in particular: prismreports.org/2023/09/13/b...
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
a hot take about academia: it is both too activist and not activist enough. the endless focus on problematizing critiquing, etc etc often degenerates into navel gazing, while there is often a lack of high-quality outcome oriented empirical work on "what could make social institution XYZ work better"
October 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
a hot take about academia: it is both too activist and not activist enough. the endless focus on problematizing critiquing, etc etc often degenerates into navel gazing, while there is often a lack of high-quality outcome oriented empirical work on "what could make social institution XYZ work better"
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
My own solution in the past has been to speak of a political structure - vassalage - which connected kings, aristocrats and retainers, and then an economic system - manorialism - which connected aristocrats and peasants.
I can explain that in a simple, foundational model, which we can build on.
I can explain that in a simple, foundational model, which we can build on.
October 20, 2025 at 3:44 PM
My own solution in the past has been to speak of a political structure - vassalage - which connected kings, aristocrats and retainers, and then an economic system - manorialism - which connected aristocrats and peasants.
I can explain that in a simple, foundational model, which we can build on.
I can explain that in a simple, foundational model, which we can build on.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
The biggest challenge is convincing people that things could be different and that their actions matter.
October 13, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The biggest challenge is convincing people that things could be different and that their actions matter.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
It’s been accepted as common sense wisdom from people who hold firm to the “nasty, brutish, and short” vision of humanity articulated in The Leviathan.
October 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
It’s been accepted as common sense wisdom from people who hold firm to the “nasty, brutish, and short” vision of humanity articulated in The Leviathan.
Reposted by That Lucky Loser
“Virtue signaling” has been an all-purpose tool to invalidate any form of advocacy which isn’t centered around selfishness.
her advocacy for Palestinians doesn't bother me nearly as much as she is so desperately doing all this as an actual act of transparent virtue signaling, to fill the absence she has in depth of character
October 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“Virtue signaling” has been an all-purpose tool to invalidate any form of advocacy which isn’t centered around selfishness.