Boghies Account Talk

[Boghie]

The Gumnint Borg...

Re(1): 'The Revenge of Arithmetic', The Belmont Club, John Fernandez

So, what do you all think of the above photo. Before reading Fernandez' entry, try to track on the problems...

The Borg Mind is sometimes known as consensus. The Washington Post’s story described it in action: how clerks “zeroed out” waiting times because they were expected to. The more clerks zeroed out the waiting times the truer the lie became. The falsehood gained momentum till faked waiting times became the official truth. The lie became the narrative while the brute fact became a lie. If you flip enough bits at the level of the primitive, the whole system state in its entirety flips. In that vast anthill, no individual clerk could run counter to the narrative. “Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated”.

But if so, why did the Borg Cube explode just now? Because there is in every system, even the Federal Government, a parallel apparatus is always in effect which one can call Reality. We forget that it exists, but it is there in the background, like some top level object to which we barely pay attention. Whenever the variance between the narrative and reality becomes too large, the narrative loses. The top level object throws an error and the narrative is garbage-collected. The Borg Cube, however powerful, can never ever beat Arithmetic. The 12 layers of the VA fought the law of addition and the law won.

I am a programmer, a database analyst, and a systems analyst. Probably more one than the others, but who knows. Lately I am a VMWare guy and a server admin. Oh well. But, here is a common thread to successful process improvement via automation. Simplify, simplify, and simplify. Then build out from the most important element to the least - hopefully including the 'hooks' for expected upgrades. And, most of all, respect 'Reality'. It can really suck. And, failure is always an option. Sucky Reality and Failout love and flourish in bureaucratic complexity. See ObamaCare. See Wretchard's article. Then traverse the 12 layers of bureaucratic hell with no funding or time for lessons learned, updates, or full upgrades. Oh well...

I still remember the dreaded Y2K. All the gubmint flaks yammering and subpoenaing and yelling at private industry - while they kludge and klank and Borg their systems. Yowser. But that is another day:cheesy:

 

[Boghie]

Uuugggghhhhhh, it has come to this...

It has come to this... Ghey Nazis and their ghey submissives

Yuk, absolute yuk. I don't see Reagan anywhere near this monstrosity.

How could someone even think of presenting D-Day like this. And, on Sword Beach to boot. All I can say is that this is a French interpretation of other people storming the beaches of Normandy. A French interpretation of war. Now, I fully understand the French. I get it...

Folks, Europe was never before freer than when the first Allied boot touched ashore June 6th, 1944.

 

[burrocrat]

Re: Where is all that dumb money!!!

boghie, i hope you don't take this the wrong way...

but if you and i are stranded on a deserted island with 100 entiltlement rubes, i will tear you limb from limb and cook you last.

 

[Boghie]

Re: Where is all that dumb money!!!

boghie, i hope you don't take this the wrong way...

but if you and i are stranded on a deserted island with 100 entiltlement rubes, i will tear you limb from limb and cook you last.

That will give me time to flavor you the way I want you:nuts:. However, I think we have lots of time before it comes to that. Look at all those Frenchmen before either you or I have to demand a final solution. I doesn't have to be a zero sum game between us. There are always the French.

 

[burrocrat]

Re: Black Swan...

holy effn crap. jfc! i only made it through the first 2 minutes, but that was like violent interpretative dance between sheltered rich kids and new aged hippies in uniform.

i did not understand the message.

they did not air that on national tv did they? really?

the greys versus the blacks on a stage of the world? and potus needed an earbud and a translator?

oh f*ck. what do i pay taxes for then?

 

[JTH]

Re: Where is all that dumb money!!!

I don't know why, but that was like watching a really bad 1980s Euro-pop video, the only thing missing was Duran Duran. There are so many better ways to honor & remember D-Day, I personally found this disgusting

 

[burrocrat]

Re: Where is all that dumb money!!!

I don't know why, but that was like watching a really bad 1980s Euro-pop video, the only thing missing was Duran Duran. There are so many better ways to honor & remember D-Day, I personally found this disgusting

dude, that was way back when spandex was cool! nena, 99 somethings or the other.

p.s. always had a thing for nena. maybe it was the accent, but probably it was the balloons.

 

[Boghie]

My Synapses are Flashing - And that is a Bad Thing...

The Nazi 'interpretive dance' was far more impressive...

Whoever produced 'The Impressive Interpretive Dance of Frogs Simulating Warfare' (or whatever it is called) should have let the Nazi uniforms be. That was one thing the Krauts did well - they dressed the part. After watching this embarrassment, at least we know the Frogs won't be Goose-Stepping through Europe in 4 years. I don't think they can surrender to anyone either. This effort reminds me of 'The Producers':

Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Deutschland is happy and gay
We're marching to a faster pace
Look out, here comes the Master Race
Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Winter for Poland and France
Springtime for Hitler and Germany
Come on Germans, go into your dance.​

Tom, I'm sorry. This is just too much for me. I hope you aren't French or something...

 

[nnuut]

Re: My Synapses are Flashing - And that is a Bad Thing...

How easially we forget!

 

[PessOptimist]

Re: Black Swan...

I love this Boghie. It describes some stuff going on at my place of employment too well.

Then traverse the 12 layers of bureaucratic hell with no funding or time for lessons learned, updates, or full upgrades.

We did what we were advised by tech support and though it worked the same tech support asked later why we did it the way we did it. Now that we really know how to do it we created many hours of work to do it correctly. Make it work, never listen to anyone about a better way until you do. Try to share lessons learned but many don’t hear.
More on the D-Day celebration elsewhere as your thread has been high jacked long enough.

PO

 

[Boghie]

Re: Black Swan...

I am showing my confidence with this move:

• G: 14%
• F: 31%
• C: 27%
• S: 14%
• I: 14%

Expected Real Return: 5%
Expected Risk: 6%​

I think I might have just picked a rather revealing Burka from the rack. But, I think it looks good on me

Too many black swans flying around for me to have much risk in the market. But, because I am a lousy fortune teller I still have 55% of my assets in equities. I like that risk number. Really like it... The actual Edelman allocation would have been 14/31/27/18/10, however I think I like large foreign better than American mid/small cap right now.

 

[Boghie]

You are Going to Love This

Folks,

Check out this video of Formula One pit stops in 1950 and 2013. Don't blink on 2013. Amazing!!!

So, I poked around a bit. I am not necessarily a Formula One fan, but I might become one. Love technology. Kinda sad, but very true. For me, the key - and very offhandedly mentioned - point is this: Formula One engines are Hybrids. Awesome!!!!!!!

I love it. They talk of hybrid technology as a high performance enhancement. Torque baby, torque. Love it, and waiting for it. I don't want my first hybrid to be a skinny tire put-about. Gimme power baby, gimme power:nuts:

 

[Boghie]

Elevating the Risk of Looking Like an @ss...

Well, sometimes one has to take risks in a public forum. Or, nobody will care - eh...

So, me thinks that oft promised correction is nigh...​

Will it be something like 2000 - 2002 or 2007 - 2009. Me not think so. More like mid-year 2011. A nice trading opportunity. But something to watch...

I am so confident in my crystal ball I intend to hold my current allocation. I am 55% in equities and 45% in bonds/cash. That kinda means it will take a 10% - 15% decline to zero out my gains for this year depending on how cash/bonds do. My bigger concern is bonds. Don't care much about stuff like July through August of 2011.

However, if my crappy crystal ball is wrong again I will still make money.

 

[Boghie]

Re: Elevating the Risk of Looking Like an @ss...

It didn't have to happen again...

Today we are witnessing a revival of glamour of authoritarianism unequaled since the dark days of the Second World War. The villains are gathering in all the best places getting all the best service. There’s no shortage of people ready to play the bad guys. And so it will remain until someone somewhere screws up the courage to play the good guy — which in the first instance means playing the rube, playing the fool — the role that America used to specialize in. You might even say the bad guys are waiting around for this character to appear, so history can start in earnest.

 

[Boghie]

Heed Me Amoeba...

Heed Me Amoeba...
I have foretold Doom...
Doom I say, Doom is Coming...

We crashed 0.04% today in the 'C Fund'
The mark of the beast is just 1,294 points away
To just break even we will have to gain 0.73 points. Too much

I can't handle it so I jumped out the window. But, dammit, I work of the first floor.

:embarrest:

 

[nasa1974]

Re: Heed Me Amoeba...

Heed Me Amoeba...
I have foretold Doom...
Doom I say, Doom is Coming...

We crashed 0.04% today in the 'C Fund'
The mark of the beast is just 1,294 points away
To just break even we will have to gain 0.73 points. Too much

I can't handle it so I jumped out the window. But, dammit, I work of the first floor. At least you don't work in the basement. you would have had to crawl out of the window just to fall down.

:embarrest:

Got a little lucky in the S fund today. Sorry about the C fund. Depending on the size of your account that could be less than $100.00. Let's hope July is good for all of us.

 

[Boghie]

Too Funny, Happy Independence Day!!!



BTW, come on Libs - you gotta admit it is funny

HT: Carpe Diem, AEIdeas and Maggies Farm

 

[nnuut]

Re: Elevating the Risk of Looking Like an @ss...

It didn't have to happen again...

That and Collectivism are Brothers and Sisters, they are sitting on our chests squeezing the freedom from our lungs! There must be an insecticide for these insects?

 

[Boghie]

Always Read 'The Belmont Club'

When the police leave a violent town more than enforcement leaves. Behold:

The received Western wisdom is that an Ebola epidemic is best controlled by quarantine and contact monitoring. You know, with isolation wards and databases and non-available disposable protective clothing in 110 degree heat. In a word, through a program of action which Africa is singularly unable to carry out. African officialdom lives by lies, faking documents and jumping the queue. Like some American political parties, that is how they handle crisis. That’s how they’ll handle this one.

With the hospitals gone, they are now “sending troops” to isolate the disease. More likely than not the troops will themselves carry the virus and since no one can stop armed men, they will go where they like.

Yowser...

By the way, The Belmont Club has been tremendous lately. Not in a happy way, but discussing things we should all be aware of...

 

[Boghie]

Panic, running to safety

Over time my allocation went from an Expected Return of 5% with an Expected Risk of 6% to 4%/6%.

I am taking advantage of this little up-blip to run to a bit of safety. This is now my allocation:

G: 22%
F: 32%
C: 26%
S: 10%
I: 10%​

Expected Return: 4% over inflation
Expected Risk: 5%

Building a bit more cash reserves to invest in the better months...