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[2017-05-23 16:49:26] - a: Oh, I don't. I guess I thought this was more than what it is and was some sort of bitcoin investing vehicle. -Paul
[2017-05-23 16:48:09] - paul: no, that's always been allowed. you're basically allowed to put IRA money into like "anything". see "self directed ira". it's a lot of work, but you could invest your ira in gold (not a gold etf, or fund, but literal physical gold). i wouldn't necessarily trust bitcoinira.com though. ~a
[2017-05-23 16:34:25] - a: https://bitcoinira.com/new-bitcoin-investor-guide/ Saw this pop up as a promoted ad in Twitter. Didn't think the IRS was allowing this yet... -Paul
[2017-05-23 12:07:39] - "tell your wife to spend less" should read "if you and your family literally spend 100% of income, maybe early retirement is not for you" ~a
[2017-05-23 12:06:32] - paul: well the first one *is* helpful advice. and the second one is shitty advise, but doesn't mean that #2 shouldn't be headed. ~a
[2017-05-23 11:50:53] - a: Yeah, but those are hard to write about in a non-lecturing way. "Get a job that pays more" and "Tell your wife to spend less" doesn't sound like helpful advice.
-Paul[2017-05-23 11:37:56] - yep i hear you. the devil is in the details though: like your article might not focus enough on #1 and #2? since those are often ignored by the "index fund" strategy suggestions i've read. also people usually forget to focus on the #4 thing: that it's a marathon, not a sprint. ~a
[2017-05-23 11:33:29] - a: I thought about writing a click-bait headline like, "Easiest way to become a millionaire!" and have it be all about saving X% of your salary from age 20 onward and putting it into a low fee index fund and waiting 40 years.
-Paul[2017-05-23 11:28:39] - "1) pursuing a career with upside potential and not being afraid to jump to a competitor for a better opp and more money 2) finding a spouse who had compatible life goals 3) accepting that boring index funds were going to provide the best return 4) committing all finances, investments, and spending to a spreadsheet, so that I could track behavior/avoid temptation" ~a
[2017-05-23 11:28:33] - paul: found this online, thought it was an interesting "method" for retiring early . . . ~a
[2017-05-23 11:26:14] - nope. ~a
[2017-05-23 10:57:05] - a: Got any ideas how? -Paul
[2017-05-23 10:49:36] - increase subscribership by infinity percent. ~a
[2017-05-23 10:41:30] - a: I would love to work full time on RD, but I don't think my wife would approve of the, uh.... 101% pay cut? How does it work if I go from making money to losing money? -Paul
[2017-05-23 10:37:30] - no no you should work full-time on rd. take your sweet sweet rd-prime membership money and your index fund investing know-how to retire early. ~a
[2017-05-23 10:29:48] - a: Huh, that could work if there was a pay wall. I actually don't know. I think part of the problem is a potential conflict of interest of being paid by some third party to promote a stock. -Paul
[2017-05-23 10:22:23] - yep. you'd be able to talk about how index funds can't be beaten. nothing can beat them. *nothing* ~a
[2017-05-23 10:03:56] - a: Like Amazon Prime? Not sure how that would solve the problem. Paid subscriptions? -Paul
[2017-05-22 23:40:23] - you need an rd-prime. i'm kidding, but it would resolve your situation. ~a
[2017-05-22 23:35:17] - a: It's sad, because I did want to do a quarterly thing where I discuss a few stocks in my portfolio and why I hold them and what my thesis is and stuff. Thought it could be fun. -Paul
[2017-05-22 23:16:00] - yeah i forgot about that. ~a
[2017-05-22 14:18:34] - a: I even double checked with the lawyers about it, since I'm not an analyst and have no ties to what stocks get promoted and am willing to be completely up front about where I work, but they said as long as the website has ads or makes money, it's not allowed. -Paul
[2017-05-22 14:17:40] - a: From http://rampantdiscourse.com/hi-my-name-is-paul/ "However, there are rules and regulations regarding what I can and cannot say publicly, so it’s sadly unlikely I’ll write much about investing." -Paul
[2017-05-22 14:07:36] - paul: considering how often you talk about it, i'm surprised that i don't see anything by you here on investing. ~a
[2017-05-22 13:29:50] - a: Hehehe, no. I stand by my "Let's wait to see who comes for how long so I know how much it should cost and don't forget who paid" run-on sentence. -Paul
[2017-05-22 13:26:27] - yeah i have lots of stories like that. i remember in the '11 days throwing around whole bitcoins like they were pennies. because they were. so i try to stay in the present: paul, do you want me to pay you for the beach-house in bits? ~a
[2017-05-22 13:07:15] - a: And to think... I could've had you pay me for the beach house in bits a month or two ago and I turned it down.
-Paul[2017-05-22 13:05:10] - a: I know Chris Sacca was an early investor. -Paul
[2017-05-22 13:04:54] - a: I don't know how to look anything up without googling it.
-Paul[2017-05-22 12:56:15] - yeah i wonder who owns uber. any idea how to look that up? like, without just googling it? ~a
[2017-05-22 12:02:24] - a: I wish there was an easier way to invest in some private companies. -Paul
[2017-05-22 12:02:07] - a: Yeah, sorry, what I meant by "normal" is stuff that you and I could invest in. I've read some about how there has been a shift in more and more companies putting off going public and instead staying private for longer (like Uber). -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:53:22] - paul: this does make me wonder about investing *in* investing firms. firms that find (essentially) worthless companies and turn them into google and microsoft and facebook etc. ~a
[2017-05-22 11:52:17] - paul: yes, i'm sure there have been "normal" investments that have beaten it. bits (like many investments) were originally worthless. worth $0. so basically every investment gets infinity% growth over some period. i think you're only looking at post-ipo-investments, and that's not a fair comparison. ~a
[2017-05-22 11:44:53] - a: I think the $200 I bought from you a few months ago is at something like $500 now. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:42:25] - a: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/22/bitcoin-price-hits-fresh-record-high-above-2100.html Ridiculous. Wonder if there has been any "normal" (commodities, real estate, precious metals, individual stock, etc) investment that has beaten it over that time period. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:22:26] - a: That we forget one of them every once in awhile. I like to think I remember to look for pedestrians when turning right on a red (legally) most of the time, but I'm positive I don't do it all the time. I know it's wrong. I know it's bad. I'm not saying otherwise, I'm just saying that is how it is. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:21:21] - a: I try. And I know in an ideal world that's the solution, but I don't think it's as easy as you think. Driving is complicated, and humans aren't terribly good at it. I think the best thing we can do is try to keep it as simple as possible. Every time we add a new complication or rule or exception to a rule, I think we're just making it more likely... -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:18:32] - paul: no i mean don't assume pedestrians and cyclists will follow car rules. because they have their own set of rules. but you knew that! you knew pedestrians have the right-of-way in a crosswalk. and now you know that cyclists can go straight at a right-turn-only lane (if it helps, they're supposed to be on the left side of the lane). it's actually not that hard. ~a
[2017-05-22 11:14:52] - a: The rules of the road. There are some assumptions I just have to make or else I'll be constantly paralyzed with indecision. I have to assume that a turn signal means they are turning or there are some intersections I'll likely be at for hours. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:14:01] - a: I understand and I'm not saying it's a good thing, but I feel like it's a necessary thing. Like, the cyclist thing about going straight in a right turn lane. There is no way I can reasonably be expected to know that, right? I don't think it's possible to drive as much as I drive while assuming that anybody at any time can be breaking what I think are... -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:07:28] - paul: yeah, don't do that. don't assume that. it's a bad assumption to ignore 1% of all people. anyways, in some areas you're not at 99%, sorry. there are a lot of pedestrians in the road that have rights, so please don't assume that they do not. ~a
[2017-05-22 11:02:04] - a: I drive according car rules and assume everybody else on the road will also follow car rules because 99% of people on the roads are cars that are supposed to follow those rules. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:01:02] - a: I'm not trying to place blame on the cyclist here. I'm sympathetic to the motorist AND cyclist. I feel like the fault truly lies with putting both on the same roads and giving them different rules. -Paul
[2017-05-22 11:00:02] - a: Like going straight in a right turn only lane. I didn't know that either. That actually seems pretty dangerous. Maybe I'm to the left of them and going straight and assuming they turned right because that's what 99% of people do when in a right-turn only lane so I am lazy and don't check and suddenly I've run a cyclist over. -Paul
[2017-05-22 10:58:49] - a: Wasn't necessarily saying that it was illegal to cycle slowly, because I figured it wasn't. It was less to do with legality and more to do with general rules of the road. Like you said, there are many that cyclists don't (have to) follow. That's fine, but I think it makes things more dangerous for them. -Paul
[2017-05-22 10:57:18] - a: I get it that most people don't see a problem with that, but if we're comparing notes on who should be more careful about what when it comes to cars and pedestrian deaths, I think that's a huge deal. We don't tolerate cars going through red lights at the same rate we tolerate pedestrians walking when told not to. -Paul
[2017-05-22 10:56:14] - a: I don't think that's what I'm talking about? I mean at intersections, where there are crosswalks and signals with the white walking man or red stop hand. I (almost) always wait until I get the signal to walk (to the consternation of many). Sometimes it seems like I am literally the only person who stops while everybody else walks. -Paul
[2017-05-22 10:36:23] - paul: some states even allow you to treat stop sines as yield signs and red lights as stop signs. i.e. "idaho stop". and these are just off the top of my head. ~a
[2017-05-22 10:35:29] - paul: i didn't know there are a lot of traffic laws that cyclists aren't supposed to follow. for instance, you're allowed to go straight in a right-only lane. bikes are allowed to use crosswalks like a pedestrian. it many counties/cities you're allowed to bike on the sidewalk. you're allowed to pass on the right in a lane with cars. ~a
[2017-05-22 10:26:38] - paul: no it's not breaking the law to cycle slowly, if that's what you mean. ~a
[2017-05-22 10:25:38] - paul: jaywalking: i don't want to presume anything, so i'll just say you should read 46.2-924. again, not presuming anything: it's not jaywalking if there are sidewalks coming up to the road even if there are no lines painted on the road. i.e. "prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk". anyways, i didn't know that until recently. ~a
[2017-05-22 09:57:44] - a: And I know it's (probably?) not breaking the law, but if cars were driving in the road at the same speed as cyclists and a cop saw them, I'm sure they would get pulled over. -Paul
[2017-05-22 09:56:35] - a: Okay, that's what I thought. I guess that's part of why I might seem so hostile to cyclists and pedestrians to you. I feel like I see them (pedestrians mostly, not necessarily cyclists) blatantly breaking the law so much more often. I've seen jaywalking probably 100 times more than I've seen somebody run a red light. -Paul
[2017-05-22 08:30:47] - paul: sorry, i don't want to suggest that the laws are the same for cars and bikes, because they aren't always the same. let me rephrase: you can't go the wrong way down a road on a bike (unless the arrows and lines say as much). ~a
[2017-05-19 18:51:20] - No clue. Would a car doing that be illlegal? If so, then yes. I have seen (in dc) 1 way bIke lanes that go against car traffic, but not in alexandria. ~a
[2017-05-19 12:02:47] - a: So the guy who was cycling in the wrong direction of that lane was in the wrong? -Paul
[2017-05-19 11:08:47] - mig: well thats going to make it hard to ask questions.
-Daniel[2017-05-19 10:52:48] - daniel: i plan on skipping it, i have too much shit to do right now. - mig
[2017-05-19 10:51:19] - mig: Hopefully I helped break the ice on that and people will feel like they can ask questions. You should let me know afterwards if anyone actually asked anything. -Daniel
[2017-05-19 10:50:12] - mig: Ask questions! Don't let them tread on the workers! Hold Management accountable! -Daniel
[2017-05-19 10:24:10] - daniel: today's our first State of the Corp without you. You'll definitely be missed. - mig
[2017-05-19 01:08:45] - Paul if it helps we don't know how to treat the motorists most anywhere. Just drive like normal and give us a 2ft birth when passing even if it means you have to hug the double yellow and even if there are oncoming cars. ~a
[2017-05-19 00:58:11] - link ~a
[2017-05-19 00:56:05] - Paul: youre talking about a "sharrow" (shared arrow). It's an arrow with a biker symbol on a normal road. Theyre all over alexandria, Arlington, etc. It just means it's a "shared use" road. You can drive or bike on it. (Also since all nonhighways are this the laws aren't any different from any other road: it just reminds people that bikes can use the entire lane) ~a
[2017-05-18 13:49:47] - Paul: You should take a picture for us. -Daniel
[2017-05-18 13:13:53] - Daniel: Ha! That's neat. Yeah, the PTO is right across the street. I work at 2000 Duke Street now. It's a super confusing lane, and the first few times I drove there I was terrified that I was doing something VERY illegal. Even now, I never know how to treat cyclists there. -Paul
[2017-05-18 12:13:00] - Paul: Also I'm confused by a road disappearing into a bike lane, which it sounds like you are as well. So I don't know. Sounds weird. -Daniel
[2017-05-18 12:12:23] - Paul: Wait that is where you work? I used to work there for like a year for the patent office. Crazy. -Daniel
[2017-05-18 12:05:33] - Anyway, if you go down that road a little bit more, you can see what I'm talking about. There is a road. And it has a bike lane next to it. Later on, though, it looks like the road just disappears and turns into a bike lane. -Paul
[2017-05-18 12:04:02] - Darn, that didn't work. -Paul
[2017-05-18 12:03:41] - https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8032529,-77.0657358,3a,75y,246.72h,68.63t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sTmtmJP-C3_j8luWCX_QL5g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3 -Paul
[2017-05-18 12:02:22] - Daniel: It''s confusing. It has the bike lane marking on it, but based on.... everything about it, there's no way it can be a bike lane. -Paul
[2017-05-18 11:49:54] - Paul: Wait I'm confused, there is a thing that you are calling a road but you think it isn't a road but people still drive on it? "There is a road near my work that really looks like it is a bike lane (based on lane markings)" Is that supposed to say looks like it has a bike lane instead of is a bike lane? I'm confused. -Daniel
[2017-05-18 11:34:23] - a: So I basically stopped and pulled over slightly until he passed me, then continued going. Is that how I should've handled it? -Paul
[2017-05-18 11:33:56] - a: Question on how to deal with something. There is a road near my work that really looks like it is a bike lane (based on lane markings), but I am almost positive it isn't because it's the only lane in that direction on that road and everybody drives on it. Yesterday, while driving home, there was a cyclist going the wrong direction in that one lane road. -Paul
[2017-05-17 17:48:09] - sneaker subsidy ~a
[2017-05-17 14:48:36] - a: The plasticity of youth. But yeah, its very impressive he wasn't seriously injured. Apparently the thing that is the worst is the hip? Nuts. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-17 14:25:08] - watching that video again i'm super surprised he didn't get more hurt. he got hit head-on at a pretty high speed. he probably also got a concussion: his head hit that guy's hood pretty hard. ~a
[2017-05-17 14:18:38] - paul: ah yes. i agree with all those. motorists are crazy, yo. ~a
[2017-05-17 14:16:55] - a: I was just amazed that: (A) This happened. That SUV was seriously out of control. (B) The kid wasn't seriously injured. (C) It was all caught on tape. (D) The driver is still at large!? Your rant about motorists and bicycle lanes just reminded me of it. -Paul
[2017-05-17 14:12:21] - What the hell is with the comments section? -- Xpovos
[2017-05-17 14:09:18] - i guess? seems like a different situation entirely to me. i don't think protected bike lanes would have protected that boy. and this is a hit-and-run, so, yeah, protected bike lanes don't help much there either. ~a
[2017-05-17 14:04:41] - a: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9V8qNI4sJ8 Guessing you aren't a fan of this then.
-Paul[2017-05-17 12:59:24] - protected bike lane means she at least pays some attention to when she's thwacking into rubber/plastic dividers. ~a
[2017-05-17 12:58:44] - when i yelled at her, she got out of the bike lane for like ~30 seconds, then immediately drifted back into it again. so annoying. ~a
[2017-05-17 12:58:12] - nice. i had to yell at a girl yesterday for driving in the bike lane *with people in it*. not that it should matter, but she was talking on her cell phone at the time. ~a
[2017-05-17 12:54:39] - like a lot of these are pretty funny ~a
[2017-05-17 12:52:18] - paul: trump criticizes trump ~a
[2017-05-17 11:16:16] - http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/17/netflix-to-produce-the-witcher-tv-series I definitely need to get back to playing the Witcher 3. For some reason I have a hard time getting into the Witcher games. Maybe I just can't get into true open world games like that? -Paul
[2017-05-17 10:51:04] - a: Long year. Yes. It's only been half a month so far! -Paul
[2017-05-17 10:08:08] - paul: anything can happen.
it's a long year. ~a[2017-05-17 10:01:30] - I think today is the day that Daniel's passive index funds start catching up (to me at least). Market is down 1% but my portfolio is down about 2%. -Paul
[2017-05-16 13:34:37] - i need written authorization to bring visitors to my office? fuck that. j/k, you're right. cyberdyne creates weapons of war, but maybe they're really nice to their employees. ~a
[2017-05-16 13:14:13] - a: Do we have any evidence that Cyberdyne is horrible to their employees? Miles Dyson seemed happy there. -Paul
[2017-05-16 09:54:35] - all three of them seem to be very horrible for employee moral and all three seem to be terrible to their employees. pros: initech: i'm currently qualified to do the work; i'd at least get the job. cyberdyne: ai programming would be awesome! aperture science: their work seems even more interesting than cyberdyne, but there wouldn't be much on computers. ~a
[2017-05-16 09:47:47] - Daniel: Honestly hadn't thought it through much. Just was thinking about all the evil corporations that I could name from iconic films. I figured the balance would be: Soul-crushing (Initech) vs Inadvertently causing the end of humanity (Cyberdyne) vs likely to kill you (Aperture). -Paul
[2017-05-16 09:45:21] - Paul: Cyberdyne I think? I guess I wonder the implications of that choice though. Which timeline - do I have to worry about Skynet or terminators or are we just picking a corporate environment? -Daniel
[2017-05-16 09:39:33] - Poll: Where you you rather work? Initech, Cyberdyne Systems or Aperture Science? -Paul
[2017-05-15 12:23:18] - mig: No idea the conversation around that but just throwing it out there that I think Stefan plays that game fairly seriously (or used to). -Daniel
[2017-05-15 12:12:46] - paul: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/legend-of-the-five-rings-the-card-game/ - mig
[2017-05-15 10:41:22] - Daniel: Yeah, although the Spurs were surprisingly taking it to the Warriors until Kawhi went out. I guess the Wizards technically got farther than the Rockets already since they made it to game 7? I think their journey might end here, though. Boston has home court and probably the coaching advantage. -Paul
[2017-05-15 09:14:53] - Paul: I have no idea what happened. It was terrible. Pop outcoached D'Antonio and then Harden didn't adjust to the Spurs strategy either. I think GSW beats either team though so all kind of moot. -Daniel
[2017-05-12 16:03:40] - Daniel: I can't imagine it going any worse. What happened last night? -Paul
[2017-05-12 15:00:01] - Paul: We see tonight whether the Wizards make it further or whether they tie the Rockets. I hope their game goes better than mine did. -Daniel
[2017-05-12 13:57:17] - http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/12/elon-musk-just-posted-a-bunch-of-pictures-of-his-tunnel-and-boring-equipment.html I'm still having a hard time grasping that this is an actual thing and not some practical joke. -Paul
[2017-05-12 11:43:35] - a: So if anybody wants to give me $5 to be a liability in Heroes of the Storm and curse a lot about Valeera (a reference I don't expect everybody to get), then I would gladly do that even if it was just for a few dollars. -Paul
[2017-05-12 11:42:59] - a: I thought it was interesting because, from what it sounds like, these people would be playing anyway (either for fun or to get better), so it's almost not even "work" in the sense of getting paid dollars per hour, but instead gravy of getting paid for doing something they might already be doing anyway. -Paul
[2017-05-12 10:45:48] - fantan! a chinese gambling game in which coins or other small objects are placed upon a table, usually under a cup, and the players bet as to what remainder will be left when the sum of the counters is divided by four! ~a
[2017-05-12 10:44:17] - "almost says it all". i paid women to play overwatch with me and it was fantoccini? i paid women to play overwatch with me and it was fantoms? i paid women to play overwatch with me and it was fantails? i don't understand, paul. ~a
[2017-05-12 10:42:35] - a: Some men do, but it's skills based only then. These women can offer skills, companionship, or other and make money. But not much, no. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-12 10:40:03] - ha. i mean, it's . . . interesting i guess. they don't say how long a game lasts, so i can't convert this to dollars per hour. how long does an overwatch game last on average? or, asked differently, how much time do you think the $5-$15 gets you? do you think men could charge any money at all for this service? ~a
[2017-05-12 10:38:19] - a: Sorry.
I passed along your disappointment. I'll let you know if they do it again. -Paul[2017-05-12 10:37:45] - a: My first thought was, "How did that happen?". Then I saw GBTC.... -Paul
[2017-05-12 10:33:47] - http://kotaku.com/i-paid-women-to-play-overwatch-with-me-and-it-was-fant-1795144088 URL almost says it all. -Paul
[2017-05-12 10:25:26] - also i'm so sad i don't get to do your company's game! ~a
[2017-05-12 10:25:07] - paul: whew, you passed me again. ~a
[2017-05-11 16:38:19] - https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/6ahhgy/what_does_sylvanas_skin_taste_like/ over at reddit they ask the important hard hitting questions. - mig
[2017-05-11 16:11:39] - paul: I'm honestly surprised The Old Republic wasn't put on the chopping block. It's Star Wars, of course, but I can't imagine it but being not putting Bioware (or EA) in the red. - mig
[2017-05-11 14:41:11] - https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/05/11/mass-effect-andromeda-sequel-issues-may-leave-all-its-cliffhanger-storylines-unresolved/#738029c832c8 Mass Effect sequels might be getting put on haitus? -Paul
[2017-05-11 14:23:49] - http://rampantdiscourse.com/knee-jerk-reaction-trumps-first-two-months/ A smart man said of Gorsuch: "Not only does it sound like Gorsuch won’t be a disaster, it’s possible he might end up as one of the best (from a libertarian perspective) justices on the Supreme Court." and "liberals could do far worse than Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court". -Paul
[2017-05-11 13:02:21] - mig: I think Gorsuch is likely to be far less "conservative" than many conservatives are hoping; or conversely, than most liberals fear. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-11 12:59:33] - so in otherwords, is the "balance" being talked about here really that much in peril? - mig
[2017-05-11 12:53:06] - Xpovos: going back to Gorsuch, are we that certain he's not going to be closer to Kennedy than others might think? He is very clearly a social conservative, but looking at his rulings, his judicial philosophy can and does override his personal beliefs. - mig
[2017-05-11 12:43:33] - Not necessarily saying that the Supreme Court will be the most important arbiter of all of that, necessarily. -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:43:13] - Daniel: It's not that I'm completely un-concerned. Just less concerned. I'm more concerned about stuff like freedom of speech, freedom of association, 2nd amendment and 4th amendment freedoms, the future of health care and net neutrality and more obscure stuff like the commerce clause. -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:34:16] - Paul: I guess I'm less optimistic on that front. But I see your point. -Daniel
[2017-05-11 12:18:31] - Daniel: If they can't do something lesser like that now, I find it hard to believe they could roll back gay rights a few years down the line even IF the Supreme Court decided to flip somehow (which also seems unlikely). -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:17:54] - Daniel: True. I just look at the relatively rapid shift in opinions on gay rights (I don't even think most Republican politicians hold anti-gay rights views anymore) and think about what we're talking about: replacing Kennedy a few years down the line. North Carolina can't even keep their bathroom law (which seems less offensive than rolling back gay rights)... -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:15:16] - Xpovos: You could be right about abortion. From what I can tell, the numbers are a little all over the place. I suspect it really depends on whether you are talking about early term of late term abortions, though. -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:14:50] - Paul: I think it is probably true that the majority of public opinion is pro-gay. I also think the majority of the public voted Clinton and yet here we are. Majority public opinion isn't the end of the story. Given the number of states controlled by R's I think the landscape would be very different if allowed by SC. -Daniel
[2017-05-11 12:13:02] - Daniel: I'm unfamiliar with any anti-gay rights laws currently on the books around the US. Maybe there is a lot I don't know about, but I tend to think discriminating against gays at this point is generally pretty much illegal everywhere in the US. -Paul
[2017-05-11 12:11:44] - Daniel: Maybe I should clarify. I think the majority of public opinion is pro-gay rights (which I know is maddeningly vague) and I don't see that changing.... ever? As a result, I don't see some massive groundswell of support for anti-gay rights laws if the Supreme Court were to shift. -Paul
[2017-05-11 11:58:23] - I guess maybe I should rephrase. I'm not sure how many laws currently being enforced go against gay rights but I think there would be plenty if the supreme court allowed it. -Daniel
[2017-05-11 11:55:31] - Paul: You think the issues of gay rights and abortion have been settled and won? I think thats incorrect given the number of laws and states that still strongly oppose both of those things. Maybe I'm misinterpreting your statement but I would hardly call either of those "won". -Daniel
[2017-05-11 11:47:58] - Gay rights, probably not. But abortion? Absolutely. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-11 11:46:54] - Paul: Good perspective. I should look at Kennedy more through that light. I tend not to, despite my libertarian leanings. My own tendencies have been to be fairly anti-Kennedy. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-11 11:46:45] - And so if he is replaced by somebody similar, that sounds like a pretty decent outcome. I'm frankly not quite as worried about abortion and gay rights as some might be, though. I think those wars have already been "won" in the court of public opinion. Even if the Supreme Court somehow "rolled back" gay rights, I don't see many legislatures taking advantage. -Paul
[2017-05-11 11:44:05] - Xpovos: I might be a little weird in the sense that I don't think "balance" is something to be striven for when it comes to the Supreme Court. I want it to reflect my beliefs that the Court should be a constitutional check on the other two branches. There's been a compelling argument that Kennedy has been the most libertarian justice on the bench... -Paul
[2017-05-11 11:32:20] - Thoughts? http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-judiciary/332380-the-tricky-politics-both-parties-face-in-filling-justice -- Xpovos
[2017-05-11 10:43:48] - a: Yeah. Really glad I had thumbs it down on CAPS. Not so good for Gurkie's protfolio, though. -Paul
[2017-05-11 09:46:58] - paul: oh, snap!
~a[2017-05-11 00:36:40] - title: is it really a "massacre" when we are talking about 1 person? - mig
[2017-05-10 17:15:55] - mig: Sessions got the AG post relatively easily, so I'm not betting against anything. -Paul
[2017-05-10 17:07:56] - paul: it would. I would like to think sheer magnitude of the terrible optics would prevent those 2 from even being considered, but who the fuck knows now? - mig
[2017-05-10 17:05:00] - I'm more curious who Trump picks to head the FBI, because I'm hearing Guliani and Christie being named and both of those fill me with dread. -Paul
[2017-05-10 16:57:16] - If I had to guess Trump fired Comey because he felt either slighted or just didn't like him, and just didn't take into account the optics of the situation. - mig
[2017-05-10 16:55:00] - I think I've lost count of how many times I've been promised the goods on this supposed "collusion" (whatever that means) and have seen nothing come out of it. - mig
[2017-05-10 16:54:14] - I think we'll probably have to have some sort of independent conunsel at some point. At the same time, I think all the people hoping for something to come out of this whole Russia thing are going to come away very disappointing. - mig
[2017-05-10 16:28:52] - bishop denied parole. jesus, i just listened to the news conference. 0:56 apparently she had been on interlock in the past. i also think it's crazy she left his helmet (part?) in her windshield. ~a
[2017-05-10 15:03:46] - a: Did you mean replicant?
I don't know. Under normal circumstances, I would say a special counsel was inevitable, but I also wouldn't have thought the FBI director could be fired like that either. -Paul[2017-05-10 14:57:37] - paul: replican senator arizona "I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it." i read a cnn article where they asked "Can the White House possibly avoid a special counsel now?" what do you think? ~a
[2017-05-10 14:47:41] - a: I have no idea (I haven't been following the whole Russia/Trump connection), but I assume the theory is that Russians are paying him money to get their way and that's how money laundering is getting involved. -Paul
[2017-05-10 14:32:23] - trump just fired the guy that was leading an investigation to his campaign last night. on the same day, the senate asked the treasury department for information on campaign finances. something to do with money laundering? wtf how did money laundering get into this? ~a
[2017-05-09 15:02:07] - we're such good consumers. all hail our chocolate god. ~a
[2017-05-09 14:59:50] - Paul: Yeah other people have also been surprised that I eat just one per meal. /shrug The first cookie is always the best tasting one. -Daniel
[2017-05-09 14:54:31] - Daniel: I'm just the idea guy, I don't have to make it happen.
I'm thinking there is a chocolate covered pretzel, and then on either side is the chocolate cookie. Maybe with some "cream" filling on them. -Paul[2017-05-09 14:53:47] - Daniel: I don't eat many Oreos, but when I do, I can't imagine stopping at 1.
-Paul[2017-05-09 14:47:10] - Daniel: Well, you've got the caloric intake covered, but you're probably missing out on vitamins and stuff? -- Xpovos
[2017-05-09 14:43:07] - a: I eat ~2 oreos a day. One for lunch and one for dinner normally. Sometimes the dinner one gets split with Alex though. -Daniel
[2017-05-09 14:42:25] - Paul: So the chocolate part of the oreo would cover the "Chocolate Covered" part so would it just be a salty pretzel flavored filling oreo? Nutella Oreo might be a strong idea but I would be curious if its too chocolaty for an oreo. You could make one at home though and try it out. -Daniel
[2017-05-09 14:32:24] - a: I actually have two, since I think my #1 seed might already be taken. Nutella Oreos and Chocolate Covered Pretzel Oreos. Cookies and Cream is definitely one of my top ice cream flavors. You can text your pick to them instead of doing twitter or instagram. -Paul
[2017-05-09 14:23:08] - i really don't eat oreos very often. but cookies and cream is my current favorite ice cream flavor. it just tastes so perfect. also any pie made with an oreo crust is better than any pie made without an oreo crust. man, now i want 500k. does this count as social media? ~a
[2017-05-09 14:20:26] - what is it? ~a
[2017-05-09 14:14:47] - a: Yeah, except don't bother, because I already put in the winning entry.
-Paul[2017-05-09 13:51:41] - paul: huh, i don't get it. i enter in a contest and have a chance at winning 500k? ~a
[2017-05-09 12:51:43] - https://mondelez.promo.eprize.com/myoreocreation/ Easy $500k. -Paul
[2017-05-09 12:02:53] - Xpovos: Yes! That's what I was looking for, but I couldn't remember the term. I kept searching for "templed hands", which didn't work. -Paul
[2017-05-09 11:58:29] - Paul: Try steepled hands. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-09 11:50:46] - Daniel: Yeah, basically. I figured it had to have a name to describe it, but all I found was "teepee hands". I'm interested to see who wins also. One year is a short enough time period that it totally proves nothing, but I would feel good about beating the market anyway. -Paul
[2017-05-09 11:26:34] - Paul: Do you mean like Mr Burns hands? Thats what I would have called it but I don't know if it has an actual name. I think this does express somewhat the trouble with stocks and getting caught up in it. If you watch every day then its harder to just buy and hold your index. You want to do more! We'll see if I actually come out ahead. -Daniel
[2017-05-09 11:24:08] - yeah i noticed. i'm happy that i bought some shopify. ~a
[2017-05-09 10:54:42] - a: Sad thing is, I'm also having a good day. Two of my picks up around 3% and another up over 1%. Just can't match GBTC up 10%. -Paul
[2017-05-09 10:52:04] - a: Shorting stocks is weird. I look at Tesla and I actually see all the short interest as a positive. If the stock keeps going up, then eventually those shorts will bail and there will be a short squeeze. If the stock goes down, though, it puts a certain floor on it since those guys still have to buy those shares back. -Paul
[2017-05-09 10:49:50] - a: Yeah, it's just been a crazy good market the past few weeks. We're so overdue for a correction, but I've been saying that for years.
-Paul[2017-05-09 10:45:26] -
yeah the irony is that his gains this week and last are pretty good actually. 10%/year on average is good. ~a[2017-05-09 10:39:33] - a: I'm just envisioning Daniel sitting in a dark corner with teepee hands (is that offensive? I had to look up what it was called and that's what I found), watching us brag about our returns and memorizing every line so he can throw it in our faces when MELI, SHOP and GBTC tank in a few months. -Paul
[2017-05-09 10:21:11] - i've already gone from 0.2b market cap to 0.4b market cap since we started talking about this game. so close! only a few more days at this rate (seriously though, i know it's probably going to go down soon). ~a
[2017-05-09 10:18:33] - paul: well soon i'll reach your 500m market cap
~a[2017-05-09 10:02:52] - a: So, I've found a bug with our stock picking game: when somebody picks a ticker that goes up 10% every f$cking day. This is why I wanted to set the market cap limit higher.
-Paul[2017-05-09 10:01:41] - a: I just ignored that. I need you to guarantee I won't miss out on any gains. Ever. -Paul
[2017-05-08 23:31:34] - paul: sure, but you didn't skip reading this part, right: "i might miss out on some of the gains"?
~a[2017-05-08 15:28:39] - a: Okay, I'll rely on you telling me if/when there is a change in direction regarding where the winds are blowing. -Paul
[2017-05-08 14:07:42] - paul: i've mostly stayed out of it. if something ends up supplanting bits, i might miss out on some of the gains, but i'll still be an early adopter. i try to keep up-to-date on who's using what with https://coinmarketcap.com/ . . . you will want to be extra-wary of the ones with asterisks (the asterisk means, basically, that there's a human in the loop). ~a
[2017-05-08 13:52:56] - paul: agreed on your first point. imo, without an index fund of some sort it's quite the crap-shoot. ~a
[2017-05-08 13:33:38] - a: Unfortunately I know next to nothing about altcoins (as you call them), so I wouldn't even know where to begin in terms of looking for diversification. -Paul
[2017-05-08 13:33:07] - a: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/05/billionaire-investor-tim-draper-backs-new-cryptocurrency.html I saw this article and it occurred to me that I am more of a believer in digital currency (and the blockchain) than bitcoin. I could easily see a scenario where bitcoin isn't the ultimate winner, and some other currency supplants it. -Paul
[2017-05-08 13:13:08] - paul: 99% bits. so, no. the problem i think that is unsolved is that there is no index fund for altcoins (digital currencies other than bitcoin are called altcoins). i'd buy an index fund if it existed, but simulating that on your own, by buying altcoins that you hear about and holding them till they ultimately wither and die, is a money-losing opportunity. ~a
[2017-05-08 12:59:57] - Daniel: Washington vs Houston would be super interesting, though. I think Houston wins, but it would be fun to see Beverly/Harden competing with Wall/Beal. -Paul
[2017-05-08 12:59:12] - Daniel: I think I like Houston's chances a bit more because I like their chances against San Antonio a bit more. Wizards over Celtics seems like a bit of a coin flip to me. Not sure if I like Houston over Golden State more or Washington over Cleveland. Probably Houston over Golden State, because you never know how the 3's might fall. -Paul
[2017-05-08 12:48:50] - Wall has* been great so far. GG grammar. -Daniel
[2017-05-08 12:48:10] - Paul: New thoughts on who goes further Wiz or Rockets? I'm still torn the same way. I'm rooting for Wiz to make a run at the Cavs. Would be fun if Wiz managed to win but harder for me to imagine that. Wall is been great so far. -Daniel
[2017-05-08 12:46:23] - a: Do you diversify your digital currency holdings? Or is it pretty much all in bitcoin? -Paul
[2017-05-08 12:17:29] - a: I don't think so? But I also don't know if I played in this game of ultimate that was before our regular game. -Paul
[2017-05-08 10:54:57] - is he the guy we played ultimate with in 2006 before our regular ultimate game (2010)? i thought his name was cliff or something like that, but maybe not. ~a
[2017-05-08 10:35:10] - https://bearingdrift.com/2017/05/07/libertarian-party-nominates-cliff-hyra-virginia-governor/ The Libertarian Party nominated another TJHSST alumnus as their candidate for governor. People might remember Cliff Hyra. He was the year behind us and I believe he was friends with Tim. -Paul
[2017-05-08 10:25:02] - yes you can forward that image if you want. i didn't post it though. so i'm only like 90% assured at it's credibility. ~a
[2017-05-08 10:10:49] - a: Haha, good question. I'm not sure. Can I forward the image along to the marketing team to find out? With regards to your other question, I don't know what the official policy is on quoting high vs low instead of volume weighted (or if there is one). I think with regards to the businesses the Fool usually researches, it likely doesn't make a big difference. -Paul
[2017-05-08 09:15:08] - paul: explain why mf would advertise a four year old article? image. regardless, is it policy to quote the "high" vs "low" price of a security instead of a volume weighted price, etc? ~a
[2017-05-05 14:52:51] - a: Huh, so maybe start a game every month? So after a few years you have like 30 "portfolios" that you can look at through a long-ish term lens and compare them to the S&P or friends' portfolios to see what percentage beat and what didn't? I like it. -Paul
[2017-05-05 14:47:24] - paul: i thought of a better way to do your fantasy investing. just have multiple games starting continuously. so what if you bombed on a fantasy investing game that lasts 12 months? just start a new one. there can still be a penalty for failure, but the penalty doesn't *have* to be: wait 11 months for the next game. just start a new one every day/week/month? ~a
[2017-05-05 12:47:08] - the uk ISPs are even more fucked than ours. ~a
[2017-05-05 11:35:37] - a: Still own Disney. It's up 80% for me despite the recent weakness, so I am still happy. -Paul
[2017-05-05 11:20:35] - xpovos: well if you buy tickets, let me know how much i owe you, or if i should buy my own ticket. regardless, thanks for the info! ~a
[2017-05-05 11:12:07] - a: I was gauging interest. I'd kind of like to go. I've been following some stuff on one of the opening bands so it should be a good concert for me. -- Xpovos
[2017-05-05 11:02:25] - paul: yay, you passed me again. ~a
[2017-05-05 11:00:46] - paul: well, actually i don't think they are losers this week. daniel is up 0.25% for the week (which puts him on track for a 13% year). and gurkie is pretty flat this week, true, but she is only having a flat week because of disney, something i thought you did own at one point
~a[2017-05-05 10:56:21] - a: The only loser here is Daniel. And Gurkie.
-Paul[2017-05-05 10:56:01] - a: Yeah. All of my picks I own individual shares of (ie, not in an index fund). MELI just went over 100% return for me (in under a year!) and Shopify is getting close (I bought at around $44). Even bitcoin going up is good for me, since I have a small amount of them. Wish I had more, though. -Paul
[2017-05-05 10:48:03] - also, i bought a very small amount of shopify at 80. ~a
[2017-05-05 10:46:58] - yeah i saw mercado libre this morning. woo! out of curiosity, do you have these things in your portfolio? if so, i'd say we both had a good week. ~a
[2017-05-05 10:31:45] - a: GBTC is being completely ridiculous. Up big basically everyday since the competition started. Still, Mercado Libre and Shopify are helping me to keep it close. -Paul
[2017-05-05 10:19:55] - state theater on the 5th? interesting. yeah i'm down! i could probably even walk or bike there. are you going? should i get tickets on my own, or should i send you dollars? ~a
[2017-05-04 15:50:29] - Anyone interested in seeing KMFDM in Falls Church in October? -- Xpovos
[2017-05-04 13:44:23] - a: Also, considering gbtc is up another 12% today.... Yes, it is definitely cheating.
-Paul[2017-05-04 10:48:36] - not really. i was just musing. nm. ~a
[2017-05-04 10:45:42] - a: Also, did you want me to actually pick one of those stocks you mentioned? I didn't do any research on any yet, which actually makes it completely random. How is this supposed to work where I can research stocks without finding out historically how they did? -Paul
[2017-05-04 10:44:45] - a: How would it be cheating? -Paul
[2017-05-04 09:27:23] - paul: oof, was gbtc cheating?
~a[2017-05-03 14:41:57] - example game: which stock do you pick: "Bethlehem Steel", "Owens-Illinois", "W.R. Grace", or "Crown Holdings"? it'd include information about each companies public statements, news articles, public financial documents, p/e ratio, and what people thought of them at the time. (those four companies were in the s&p500 as recently as 2000
) ~a[2017-05-03 14:17:12] - paul: yeah i'd have to somehow curate the "[historical] sentiment" of a company for my version to work well. ~a
[2017-05-03 13:33:43] - Daniel: Agreed, although I would hope that if you forced people to pick enough stocks and hold them for long enough, it would dissuade a bit of the risk taking strategy of focusing on penny stocks or other things. -Paul
[2017-05-03 13:32:15] - a: Ah, so you're thinking of having games based on historical data. I was more thinking of games dealing with stocks in the here and now, to measure current sentiment and to see if popular thought has predictive value. -Paul
[2017-05-03 12:25:03] - paul: (the curation of the game would also have to be pretty sophisticated, to be able to show you historical information and public information, before a date) ~a
[2017-05-03 12:18:04] - paul: i can think of a couple ways of making such a game, but it would be very hard to keep people from cheating. (for example, we'll all play through history, on companies that nobody has heard of, but you have to tell if you've heard of them) ~a
[2017-05-03 12:16:42] - daniel: agreed. which is why like 90% of my life savings are in vtsax / vtiax / vbtlx / etc
~a[2017-05-03 12:05:48] - Paul: The other thing is that people make different decisions when you don't have money or large sums of money involved. Like its one thing to bet fake money. Its another to bet like 100 bucks. Its another again to literally bet your life savings. -Daniel
[2017-05-03 11:59:52] - a: Like, it's kind of annoying having to wait a full year to see who wins our bet, and it'll be even worse if one of my stocks just tank (or one of yours blows up) and I know I can't win for the next 11 months. At the same time, just because one or both of us might beat Daniel over one year, it doesn't mean we could over 10. -Paul
[2017-05-03 11:58:42] - a: Yeah, this is a problem that I'm struggling with a bit now. Trying to brainstorm how to make a fun game around investing (Fantasy Investing) that can be fun and rewarding and engaging in the short term, even though it really takes years at a minimum to really start getting enough data on how you are doing. -Paul
[2017-05-03 11:51:19] - daniel: yeah, to "prove" / "disprove" that theory we'd need to extend the bet by a few decades. for example, buffet is about to win this 10 year bet. ~a
[2017-05-03 11:42:04] - I definitely feel like the tortoise in the tortoise and the hare here. Still believe in my index funds though
-Daniel[2017-05-03 11:36:37] - paul: yeah, you took the lead a few times (yesterday and the day before?). neck and neck, man. ~a
[2017-05-03 11:14:29] - a: Also, that's pretty neat that Shopify supports bitcoin now. I wonder if they convert it to USD for merchants or leave that for them. Didn't Japan also "legalize" bitcoin recently or something? -Paul
[2017-05-03 10:42:19] - a: Looks like my stocks largely aren't doing well today, and GBTC keeps going up, so I like your chances. I didn't even know I had taken the lead. -Paul
[2017-05-03 09:54:44] - paul: damn it! i thought i'd pass you again at market-open this morning. ~a
[2017-05-02 14:41:50] - a: Yeah, it'll probably significantly less fun/interesting when the market crashes on day 98, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts! -Paul
[2017-05-02 14:25:04] - haha, yes. also perfect at being interesting! and fun. both of us have a security that's gone up like 10% in two days. that's crazy. we're like neck and neck. day 2 in a 365 day marathon. ~a
[2017-05-02 14:08:32] - a: Perfect in helping us beat Daniel?
-Paul[2017-05-02 14:02:34] - paul: and here's a good crossover between shop and gbtc: "Start accepting bitcoin payments today / Bitcoin payment gateway for your ecommerce website" ~a
[2017-05-02 12:46:16] - paul: shopify though. wow. may 1st was apparently a perfect day to pick as the beginning of our bet. ~a
[2017-05-02 12:26:16] - paul: yeah, i sold at $4 so i'm not so sure
~a[2017-05-02 10:28:43] - a: Buying opportunity for AMD? Or relief that we haven't bought yet?
-Paul[2017-05-02 09:55:18] - Nice! Grats
[2017-05-01 20:15:30] - First 12-win Arena run. http://i.imgur.com/J4zWTgX.jpg -- Xpovos
[2017-05-01 15:05:05] - a: I need another drop so I can buy more.
-Paul[2017-05-01 15:04:45] - http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/01/politics/justice-anthony-kennedy-retirement-rumors/index.html I know everybody keeps waiting for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire, but Kennedy too? It's a little scary to think of the long term impact Trump could have on the Supreme Court. I liked the Gorsuch pick, but I don't want to give him more chances to screw things up. -Paul
[2017-05-01 15:04:42] - paul: well i was also worried! gbtc was at 126 last week. that's 25% in a week. i thought it would correct back down, and it hasn't. ~a
[2017-05-01 14:46:11] - a: Four out of five stocks up 2% or more for me. -Paul
[2017-05-01 14:45:32] - a: I'm just worried about your gangbusters first day for gbtc. My portfolio is having a great day and I'm still losing. -Paul
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