We need to learn quickly to keep up with the massive change around us so we don't get run over. We need to outrun change.
Well, that was a rough week for private space exploration. First, an Orbital Sciences rocket exploded seconds after liftoff. Then Virgin Galactic lost a space ship along with one crew member and another injured.
10/31 – Los Angeles Times – ‘Tough day’ for space travel as Virgin Galactic’s spaceship crashes – Continue reading “Tough week in the open frontier of private space travel”
(Out of focus and tilted photos by James Ulvog)
I enjoy looking at older buildings. They usually have ornate brickwork. I think they are beautiful works of art.
Here are a few views of buildings in downtown Williston for your enjoyment. From Main and Fourth, looking south toward Broadway:
At Fourth and Main: Continue reading “Old buildings in downtown Williston”
Two massive explosions to discuss in the frontiers I’m watching. One in private space exploration and the other in academia at UNC-Chapel Hill…
Both explosions make me sad. Unfortunately, one of them was intentional.
Space
Progress is never in a straight march forward –
10/28 – Space.com – Private Orbital Sciences Rocket Explodes During Launch, NASA Cargo Lost – An Antares rocket, Cyngus spacecraft, and NASA’s cargo were lost due to an explosion 6 seconds after launch. Previous resupply lifts to the ISS by Orbital Science have been successful. Fire officials let the fires burn themselves out to reduce danger to cleanup crews of dealing with unburned propellant.
Continue reading “Two humongous explosions in open frontiers I’m watching – space and education”
Wide open frontiers: energy production and one-man documentary production company.
Worlds far away I’ll never visit – Film production
One of the worlds I can only observe from a distance is making a feature documentary. I’ve been watching Jesse Moss as he produced and then marketed his documentary The Overnighters. That is a story of a Lutheran church in Williston that opened its doors to (predominantly) men working in the Bakken but arrived without a place to stay.
I’ll start to mention some of the coverage of the movie that is most helpful for me as I learn about that world.
10/10 – Tribeca – Jesse Moss Talks “The Overnighters’ and Morality in the Heartland – Interview with Mr. Moss goes into detail about how the documentary was recorded. Interesting tidbits are how he had to re-edit the footage to tell the story differently when the final dramatic event changed the whole story.
Since I haven’t mentioned anything about the movie before, that may not make sense.
I’m looking forward to seeing the movie because I know something about Williston, the church involved, and the overnighter program.
One fascinating part of this story is that Mr. Moss found sources, conducted interviews, recorded video, and generally developed this documentary by himself. Post-production work involved a very small team, but until that time, he was the entire crew.
For this month, he is in a different town every few days appearing at theaters where the documentary is being aired.
Energy
10/21 – The Feed – North Dakota Races to Frack Better – Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 10/28”
(All photos by James Ulvog, shot in October 2014.)
Just like other areas of economic activity, farming deals with constructive assets deteriorating and being replaced.
Picture what these wonderful houses and barns looked like in their prime. Imagine how productive and helpful they were.
Continue reading “Creative destruction on the farm, with photos”
I’m watching the impact of heavy regulation on the newly legal business of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington.
I don’t plan to focus on the short-term adjustment issues from the grand natural experiment. I’m more interested in waiting for the unintended crushing effect of regulation.
In the meantime, it is entertaining to watch the transition. Sometime you gotta’ just laugh….
10/7 – KOMO News – Exploding ‘pot pop’ removed from three marijuana shops
Continue reading “A lighter moment in watching the regulation experiment – #9”
There is a concept loose in the U.S. and emphasized in our educational system that the Puritans arrived in the U.S. believing in capitalism and went straight to economic prosperity.
Well, capitalism will definitely do that, but the Puritans made a few stops before getting to prosperity. Those included socialism, price controls, and severe caps on finance & trade under the guise of opposing usury. All of those policies will suppress economic development.
Jerry Bowyer explores this journey through false ideas is a series of articles, which summarize his interview with Mark Valeri, author of Heavenly Merchandize.
To encourage you to check out the full articles, I’ll try to summarize some key ideas.
7/30 – Forbes – Jerry Bowyer – Puritans vs. Capitalism: How A Theological Error Led To Financial Stagnation – In the 17th century, pastors and religious leaders were opposed to usury which included even discounting letters of credit more than a small amount. If you can’t use paper (bills of credit) to facilitate long-distance trading, there won’t be much trading.
A few articles of interest on the wide open frontiers that surround us now – U.S. production of petroleum to surpass Saudi Arabia; sheepdogs protect predators as well as sheep.
Energy
Check out the huge increase in US production, compared to Saudi Arabia:
Source: Carpe Diem. Used with permission.
9/29 – Financial Times – US poised to become world’s leading liquid petroleum producer –
Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 10/7”
Both books in my Tragedy of Fraud series are now available in print format from Amazon.
The newest book:
Tragedy of Fraud – Insider Trading Edition describes – Scott London’s long fall from Big 4 audit partner to prison inmate.
Click the link for your reading preference:
First book in the series:
Tragedy of Fraud – The Ripple Effects from Fraud and the Wages Earned – Consequences of fraud spread far. There is a long list of well-earned wages from fraud that will be paid in full.
Available in your preferred format:
In a few days, printed copies of the two books in my Tragedy of Fraud series will be available in print at Amazon.
(Update: Available now.)
They are currently available in e-book format at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the iTunes store. Continue reading “Tragedy of Fraud series available soon in print”
Legislation in California has been signed into law banning the single-use plastic bags at stores and restaurants.
In summer 2015 plastic bags won’t be allowed to carry your food from the grocery store to your car to home. In 2016, plastic bags will be banned from pharmacies and convenience stores.
Paper bags may be provided by stores for a price of a dime a piece.
One of many articles can be found in the Daily Bulletin: California becomes first state to ban single-use plastic bag.
We will become the first natural experiment to see how many hospitalizations and deaths of humans this causes.
Will probably take until 2016 for a good year of data to accumulate and another year or two for epidemiologists (people who study diseases and their transmission) to analyze the data. Probably another year to find some place that is bold enough to publish unpopular results.
So in 2018 or 2021 we will start learning of the unintended consequences.
How can there be human suffering from reusable bags?
Several fun articles on the open frontier of privately designed and funded space flight.
Lacking any convenient place to comment on worlds far away that I can only see with the telescope of a feature news article, I’m adding a new section to my More Good Stuff series of posts. Will call it Worlds far away, as in places I’ve never been and don’t want to approach nearer than a light-year away.
Previous articles along this line have discussed the alien world of allegedly selling huge volumes of illegal drugs on Silk Road and storing huge volumes of questionably legal stuff on-line. Check out:
Have another article today that describes another planet I’ve barely heard of.
Worlds far away I’ll never visit
9/16 – The Atlantic – How Gangs Took Over Prisons – Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 9/23”
Now available at Amazon:
Tragedy of Fraud – Insider Trading Edition: The fall from Big 4 audit partner to prison inmate.
Until April 2013, former KPMG audit partner Scott London was in charge of the audit practice for the southwest region. He was responsible for the audit work of 500 accountants and had the paycheck to go with those duties.
Today he is a prison inmate residing at the federal penitentiary in Lompoc, California serving a 14 month sentence.
Continue reading “Tragedy of Fraud – Insider Trading Edition available at Amazon”
Not a lot of news from Mali and CAR. More likely I’ve not been paying much attention.
7/19 – The Feed – France Sets Up Permanent Anti-Terror Force in Africa –
Continue reading “Mali and Central Africa Republic update – 9/4”
A few updates on the natural experiments running in Colorado and Washington to see what impact heavy regulation has on a new industry. Maryland offers a few ideas on how to strangle the medical marijuana industry to death before it is born.
Again, so you know why I’m paying attention, my hypothesis is the heavy taxes and regulations will severely restrict the new industry.
8/8 – Spokesman-Review – Pot taxes top $1 million in first month – Continue reading “Update on marijuana regulation – regulation experiment #8”