3.14 is the date today.
While that is nice, next year we will have an even better pi day – 3.14.15. That’s great.
W.C. Varones points out that we will actually get to experience:
3.14.15:9:26.5359
Category: Pondering
You are not finished when you lose. You are finished when you quit.
today’sTHOT, 2/21/14 from Mikeys Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com:
You are not finished when you lose. You are finished when you quit.
Tax revenue projections and first month of sales tax report from Colorado for state-legal-federally-illegal marijuana sales
As an experiment in the heavy hand of tax and regulation, I’ll be watching the results of Colorado and Washington legalizing marijuana. My hypothesis is the heavy sales tax burden and regulatory requirements will cause unintended consequences.
January tax revenue
First month of tax revenues in Colorado were announced this week. In January, the state collected $2.1 million in taxes and fees from recreational marijuana sales and an additional $1.4 million from so-called “medical” sales, for total of about $3.5M for the month.
More good stuff on the open frontiers – 3-3-14
More good stuff on the open frontiers: energy, space, education, publishing. Good info but only time to summarize in a paragraph:
Education
2-9 – Grumpy Economist – Mooconomics – Superb article assessing current state of MOOCs from a professor who actually taught one. Most of the technology looks like it is still very much version 1.0. Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 3-3-14”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”
That’s a quote attributed to Seneca in a post at Philosiblog with the same title.
The immediate implication of the phrase is that one should get ready in advance of the opportunities appearing. Get yourself prepared!
Great advice, for many situations.
The other part is to watch for and jump at opportunities.
The post at Philosiblog spends most of the discussion on the part that is missing from the saying, which is the action necessary to apply preparation to opportunity.
That missing connection is the best part of the quote.
Continue reading ““Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity””
You want to succeed in your career? Invest in yourself.
That’s the extended point made by Tony Nitti in a New Years’ post at Going Concern – This Year, Resolve to Finally Decide What You Want To Be When You Grow Up in Public Accounting.
This article is cross-posted from my other blog, Attestation Update. While the focus of the article is people working in public accounting, the point applies to every single person who has a job – invest in yourself.
Don’t rely on the networking, hand-shaking, going-out-for-drinks-after-work schmoozing, and drumming up new business to get where you want. (Those things are important in public accounting and many other fields.) Although you may have to get really good at those things, the first priority is to invest in your skills and knowledge.
Oh, as expected for any Going Concern post, there is a fair amount of naughty language and word pictures. Just letting you know.
Three superb comments: Continue reading “You want to succeed in your career? Invest in yourself.”
More good stuff on surveillance – 1-7-14
Here is my ninth list of good stuff on our surveillance society that I’d like talk about but only have time to recommend with a quick comment.
1-3 – The Atlantic – How the NSA Threatens National Security – Bruce Schneier points out the extreme level of compromised systems caused by the NSA spying fiasco is a serious threat to national security.
It is also breaking systems that we have spent decades building in America. It is breaking us financially and diplomatically. It is tearing down our political, legal, commercial, and technical systems. It is destroying trust in government, tech companies, and the internet itself.
As for the potential for abuse, here’s an experiment for you.
How to destroy a newly legalized illegal industry: Tax it to death
How could you shut down the newly legal recreational marijuana market in states that have legalized the federally illegal drug?
Well, you could pour on the taxes and regulations so heavy the legal stuff is twice or three times the price of illegal stuff.
First, a disclaimer. I don’t have experiential knowledge of the pot market, legal or illegal. My knowledge comes from the computer screen.
Why talk about this?
Three reasons. First, it helps me learn about change taking place around us in new worlds I’ll never personally explore. Second, this specific issue will allow us to see in real-time the damage caused by taxes and government regulation by watching what happens to a new ‘industry’. Third, I expect the state lawmakers and regulators are going to get an unpleasant lesson in unintended consequences. This post will be a marker for testing the idea that regulators can damage a new industry.
Having said that, check out an article in Daily Beast by Nick Gillespie: Pot’s Black Market Backlash – How prohibitionists and nanny staters are trying to keep marijuana illegal – or at least inconvenient.
Continue reading “How to destroy a newly legalized illegal industry: Tax it to death”
A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay
News broke this week that the founder of E-Bay is starting a news organization with major involvement by the reporter who broke so many stories about the NSA spying fiasco.
It will be a brand new, digital-only, full-scope media outlet. Plans are it will cover news, sports, and business in addition to hard-hitting investigative journalism.
Will be funded with an initial $250 million dollar investment.
Pierre Omidyar, the founder of E-Bay, was one of the people shopped as a possible buyer for The Washington Post earlier this year. Jeff Bezos bought the Post for reported $250 million.
Another frontier is open.
Mr. Omidyar decided to put the money he would have otherwise used to buy the Post into something completely new.
Continue reading “A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay”
Followup on one of the worlds I’ll never visit
I previously mentioned 2 worlds explored that I’ll never enter.
One of those worlds has been closed until further notice.
The alleged mastermind behind the website Silk Road is now in federal custody. The person known publicly as Dread Pirate Roberts was arrested last week. His site is alleged to be the vehicle for sales of large amounts of illegal drugs.
Continue reading “Followup on one of the worlds I’ll never visit”
2 worlds explored that I’ll never enter
There are two Forbes articles this year that are quite fascinating because they take me into worlds I’ll never see which are far away in a solar system that I’ll never approach.
Second private company launches resupply capsule to space station
Orbital Sciences is the second private company to design and launch a rocket that can resupply the international space station.
Very cool. The space frontier is open again.
The 40-meter tall Antares rocket lifted off with the company’s Cyngus cargo capsule Wednesday and will rendezvous with the space station Sunday.
Cargo capacity is 680 kg, or about 1,500 pounds.
Continue reading “Second private company launches resupply capsule to space station”
Regulation for state-legal sales of federally-illegal product
I really don’t know what to make of the Washington state regulatory rules for selling pot, which is illegal under federal law. I hesitate to mention it on this blog, but it is a useful exercise in stretching my understanding of the world around me.
William Barrett describes the new regs in his post, New pot rules for Seattle are a riot-for now, at New to Seattle.
Here’s just a few of the rules: Continue reading “Regulation for state-legal sales of federally-illegal product”
Workplace rules have changed – You need to take charge of your own career no matter where you work and no matter what your position
The rules for work have radically changed. The work world that existed when you started college, even if you graduated this spring, is gone. (Cross-post from my other blog, Attestation Update.)
If you are working, you need to take charge of your career and your reputation. This applies to brand new staff, experienced audit seniors, and especially partners. People at every level of employment need to absorb that lesson.
Jenna Goudreau summarizes 14 Rules of the New Marketplace That Millennials Need to Master at Business Insider. My only disagreement with her is that these rules apply to everyone at every level, not just millennials.
“How Many Servants Do You Have?”
That is the question posted by Joy Pullman in her post of that title at Values & Capitalism.
She explains:
In “The Wealth of Nations,” Smith points out that the number of people under your command is a measure of power and wealth. Continue reading ““How Many Servants Do You Have?””