America is not a serious country anymore. As an empire, it is obviously in decline. It can maintain relative dominance for now, but it still has declined from its apex. We take years to build on-ramps for bridges that took months to build. In the time the replacement for the twin towers was constructed, old America could have built multiple Empire State Buildings. Socially, it is a sad state, but we all know this.

If tomorrow, the Chinese woke up and sunk two carriers in the Pacific, what is America’s response? It would take forever to build replacements since our manufacturing breadth and depth is nowhere near peak. Would the DC imperial advisers recommend nuking China? China has enough to make problems for the US, so American subs trailing the Chinese boomers would have to coordinate attacks to knock them out as we launched missiles. This is a one paragraph thought experiment, but it is easy to see how much bluster and bluff is emanating from the imperial ruling class.

This gets to the picture with this essay. Trump and his fast food feast for the Clemson football team that recently defeated Alabama for the NCAA title. It was of course mocked by snobs, jeered by the Resistance, embraced by his supporters, and dominated a 24 hour news cycle, which is really distracting us all from Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s appointment with death and the insanity that will unleash. Trump ran thinking maybe he could due what Rudy did in New York City. Maybe the NatSec interests thought they could use him to reorient our manufacturing supply chain to safer shores. The longer it goes on without an emergency of sorts, the more this feels like a real life Zaphod Bebblebrox.

Zaphod Beeblebrox was the character in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that was the figurehead president who was incredibly famous and a distraction from who was really making decisions. In Hitchhikers’ universe, obese grey slugs make all the decisions or consult the random man they ask for guidance similar to our terrible regime’s bureaucrat class. Beeblebrox gets into all sorts of wild hi-jinks and always has people talking. That is the Trump spectacle to a T. A hero and villain of cartoon proportions for either side. We will see if we get that emergency. Do not fret for the future because I have seen the clown car roster for the Democrats in ’20, and it is going to get worse. On to the links…

USG Shutdown layoffs – I doubt this is a strategy but it would be amazing to see the inner core Trump team use this shutdown as a means to permanently lay off federal employees. There is a rule which allows for this with shutdowns but the government has never been shut down long enough to trigger it. It would be amazing to see it happen with gnashing of teeth from fake right wingers about Muh Trump Incivilities when he finally does what they always teased they would do. To quote Trump, “Ya fired.”

Make Mathematics a Cult Again – This is a rather amusing treatment of some of the issues plaguing academia. The specialization and useless sub-specialties add another layer of academic waste that few laymen comment on but those in the community know.

A Z/acc Primer – Ever wonder what Z/acc stood for on Twitter? Here’s your introduction. If you favor the stagnation thesis, then this will read as familiar. I can buy this but only if the political restrictions on humanity continue. Our progressive overlords really do warp all facets of life. These concerns nudge me to continue reviewing EROEI calculations for different oil fields.

Spandrell Spanks Taleb. Twice. – Recently Taleb spouted off with normal Talebian gusto about the stupidity of using IQ or trusting the tests. It was pretty sad to see from an otherwise skeptical and questioning figure. Taleb did not endear himself to anyone by just doubling down no matter the argument’s progress. Is it a blind spot or more likely that he wanted to keep getting invited to fancy parties? If his blocks for specific tweets suggest anything, it is the latter. Spandrell takes him to task with a good scuzzing.