Roses

There are no subtitles.....just watch this 1 min film, it will make sense at the end.

https://twitter.com/AmmarAliQureshi/status/1210100234271023105

Got problems?

Anyone having a tough day today?.....watch this then STFU.

 :)

https://twitter.com/farbodsaraf/status/1211010257058750464

French scrabble champion doesnt speak French

Old article but came across this ......

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/21/424980378/winner-of-french-scrabble-title-does-not-speak-french?

What a phenom and shows the skills actually required in scrabble. Really interesting read.

The next billion netziens

Really interesting article about the law of large and growing numbers of netziens in India.

Wonder if this will change the internet in a similar way to how Chinese theater ticket sales have changed Hollywood movie stories
- https://yourstory.com/2019/12/google-searches-india-article-370-ayodhya-narendra-modi

Also adds an additional data point to Jack Dorsey's decision to move to Africa for 6 months of the year.

RIP Anissa

I just found out today.

RIP .....too young, too soon.

Bawling over here this morning having found this in an email.

lol the only thing making me smile though is feeling like she's laughing her ass off at me playing "AFP  - Lost"  on repeat over and over. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEdVMGNF9W8&list=PLlUAuXIwQ7uE0Ic3vWDd8b2QQUOerGl6M&index=12



Finishing my personal pity party with Nina Simone which we both loved to wallow in so much when blue. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5FjvWWsH-c

Re-Usable rockets wins the day?

A win for re-usable rocket designs? 

eg if this wasnt re-usable you would have to imagine the cost of this failure would have been much higher?

 - https://www.barrons.com/articles/boeings-starliner-landed-successfully-51577028548?

*Of course actually getting it into space and docking properly in the first place would have been "optimal"  :)

Sofi Tukker - Mood music of the week

Have you heard of Sofi Tukker? - https://amzn.to/2PwRYQn

 A friend of mine put my on to them recently and really been loving their Treehouse and Soft Animals cd…..pretty much been playing it continuously for a week.

Makes an easy choice for Mood Music of the week. I put a few tracks into the player on the left.

End of year "Melt Up"

RIP Danny Aiello

For those of you hearing about the passing of Danny Aielo ....dont forget his greatest role in Hudson Hawk .....and away we go 3...2...1.

He would think that was funny :)

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000732

American Vs Brazilian farmers?

Am i wrong in thinking that the USA will always have a cost advantage over Brazil?

 Not in labor costs obviously but in technological capabilities? eg. the tech in those john deere tractors mean that USA farmers will always be more productive?

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/global-times-says-china-doesnt-need-us-pork-ensure-domestic-pork-supply?commentId=0664eb10-9dd2-4925-b4f3-8d4f4fc3d28b

Art Basel

Lol about the banana possibly being reformed into its original shape and then re-taped to the wall in 3 days after he poops it out 

- https://twitter.com/VAJIAJIA/status/1203447362993217536

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/see-you-after-jail-guys-art-world-stunned-after-man-eats-120000-banana-duct-taped-wall?commentId=ef464efd-2e7a-4711-b9a1-7e4f18a7700c

Living Colour - Vivid

Im @NowListening to #LivingColour #Vivid Its crazy how fresh this sounds !!

- https://amzn.to/37JEWG8 

If you told me this was released today instead of 1988.....i would have no reason to doubt you. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivid_(Living_Colour_album)

Its been too long my friend.

Skype DOA

Wow at how much of a ghost town Skype is for p2p calls. Not a single contact active anymore.

Microsoft paid $8.5B in 2011.....DOA these days.

Patch Adams

I'm @NowWatching #PatchAdams ....its ironic and frustrating that he made this movie....and killed himself anyway.

:(

Twitter employees hacking users

Every app you install is a new attack vector......choose wisely.

- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/technology/twitter-saudi-arabia-spies.html

Vermont

Jodie and I took a drive up to Vermont this weekend.

Photos just don’t do it justice.

Vanilla caramel popcorn

Keeps 2 weeks.......who are they kidding - didnt last the single night
- https://www.pineappleandcoconut.com/recipes/vanilla-honey-salted-caramel-popcorn

MadameX at BAM

Just got home from the Madonna MadameX concert at BAM with Jodie.

Started late, but was an awesome concert, really liked the venue and she's right.....venues made for sports teams suck for music.

 I have no idea how she is making money on a 2,000 seat venue with the number of dancers, singers, musicians etc let alone pay for the awesome sets, lights, design - but lets face it this "bus tour" concert was never about money and about being able to perform in an intimate face to face way.

 No photos unfortunately as they did the "phone lockup thing" which was ok......until you realise you are sitting there for over 1.5 hours at the start waiting for the show to start..... (some photos here - https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/madonna-madame-x-residency-review-new-york )

This said considering she went from 11 to 1.15am she's totally forgiven. Especially as it was super high energy night (with a few catch her breath breaks) and a great example of what a super fit 61 year old can do to this 50 year old.

 And thats the end of #TheWeekOfDean

Cannot view saved passwords in internet explorer 11 with Win 7

Found this after searching for a number of solutions on how to view a saved password in IE11 that i couldnt remember (eg it was saved in my browser history......but it was asterisks ******* and i needed to know it in order to change it.

HERE IS THE ANSWER YOU WANT
- https://www.quora.com/Cannot-view-saved-passwords-in-Internet-Explorer/answer/Gagan-Suri

Gagan Suri you are a lifesaver !!!!

Burn 6000 calories a day sitting

Really interesting article about how grand-master chess players can burn 6000 calories a day just sitting.

Its totally changed my thinking around being cerebral and even if you are in a role where you are just "thinking" that being in peak physical shape will change your performance level of being able to "think faster"

- https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/27593253/why-grandmasters-magnus-carlsen-fabiano-caruana-lose-weight-playing-chess

lol i spent at least 30 mins yesterday while day trading doing pushups and situps in front of my computer monitors while waiting for price action to move where i wanted it to between trades :) I guess we'll see.

Combat juggling

Is it just me..... or is this awesome on so many levels ?

https://twitter.com/effies/status/1172341126725922818
EVERYBODY LISTEN UP
COMBAT JUGGLING IS A THING

Pleat

Ok folks.....we need a word for "Plant based meats" im nominating.... "Pleat".

So you can have "Beef Pleat", "Chicken Pleat" or even "Fish Pleat".

 But there is no way we can continue to call pea protein based "products" using the word "meat".

Thoughts?

The Loudest Voice

I'm @NowWatching E7 of #TheLoudestVoice essential watching.

 Amazing acting by @russellcrowe

Can you believe these photos are of the same guy that was Maximus in Gladiator.

It's hard to know how much is fat suit and how much weight he put on but his acting of Roger Ailes is perfection and been a super interesting mini series, especially when juxtaposed against the upcoming Trump 2020 re-election.

Alone - arctic edition

This season of Alone is insane. I'm so in awe of the skills and stamina of this season is compared to previous years.

- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4803766/

Proposed illegal cash laws in Australia

Absolutely ridiculous.

 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-20/transacting-$10,000-or-more-in-cash-could-make-you-a-criminal/11429230

 Lets be clear im ridiculously strict when it comes to taxes and i've never smudge the line even a little bit, but this law saying you cant save in cash is DRACONIAN and anti-citizen.

 If i choose NOT to trust the government OR banks and choose NOT to keep my savings in a bank that i think may potentially fail and do a bad job.....then that is my right to do so.

 Thats does NOT make someone a criminal (irony is i dont have bundles of cash.......i just dont want the Aust govt to remove my right to do so).

Nothing really matters......

This article sums up how im feeling this week perfectly.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/08/arrogance-anthropocene/595795/

Feeling the weight of entropy this week. To be honest....feel like chucking the whole thing in and going sailing.

Vegetarian butchers

Great article in todays NY Times. I think more people should have to butcher their own meals once in a while, would give them more of an appreciation of what it is that they are eating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/dining/butchers-meat-vegetarian-vegan.html?

Why all the hate against this ship??

Yes Amazon may not have paid income taxes on profits as they keep investing revenue into building the company even bigger but Bezos personally paid a ton of income taxes and his employees who have jobs did as well..

 I dont get why people are so upset at him being rich AND NOT thinking....wow i should go start a business myself and get rich as well.

https://www.facebook.com/PeopleForBernie/photos/a.1657630031123871/2537956033091262

Hero or Villain

Four Corners on Australian ABC TV did a story on Julian Assange last night.

 Available for viewing for everyone around the world on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtelzRAPlT8&list=PLn2RjxYNpcayaQ5EBE9pp2axA418qJNqP&index=2&t=0s

Smart software enabled real estate

Read this really interesting article in the paper version of Fortune magazine on the weekend.

 Love that they are spending an estimated $600,000 in renovations each and every day......talk about economies of scale (and that their software can predict rehab costs to within 5% on average).

Wonder if something similar would fly in Australia.
 - https://fortune.com/longform/single-family-home-ai-algorithms/


Cheers,
Dean

alternative-abattoirs

Great video from Landline about "on farm" abattoirs
 - https://www.abc.net.au/landline/alternative-abattoirs:-on-farm-alternatives-to/11264628?

So you worked your 40 quarters.... but its time to go home-what happens to all that Social Security you paid?

The only 2 countries they WONT send SS to is North Korea and Cuba.

This is whether you are a citizen or not.


There are certain countries where you have to "Proof of life" yourself after 6 months (at an embassy etc Ukraine Uzbeckistan etc etc).


But if you have "earned your own" Social Security (eg 40 quarters) and are a citizen of these countries
https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist1.htm
or
https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist2.htm


Then you will keep getting paid after 6 months even if you have given up citizenship and are no longer a citizen/resident of the USA.


All the information is here https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf


Or use this tool https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html


There is a good article on tax withholdings etc here at https://www.investopedia.com/advisor-network/articles/social-security-benefits-nonus-citizens/ (short answer is they withhold 30% and then you have to file taxes to get some of it back).


Its pretty simple really.

"Iran" targets oil tankers

Excellent reporting by @Tina_Davis on @BloombergTV about the very suspect choice of targets......well done. Thank you for being a real reporter and not chowing down on what we are being fed.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-12/oil-holds-near-lows-on-u-s-stockpile-build-poor-demand-outlook

It heartens me to see how many social media comments there are after Pompeo's press conference from the State Department where ordinary people are calling out the USA on this BS and his claims.......but it also saddens me that so many many people no longer trust their government.

It shouldn't be this way.

 :(

AFP raid ABC News in Sydney :(

“In a free state, there should always be an inquirer asking on behalf of the people.” - John Norvell


https://twitter.com/deancollins/status/1136275555261833216



Very disappointed in the Australian government tactics here. The fact that these articles are written last year but the raids were held off until after the election disgusts me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/world/australia/journalist-raid-annika-smethurst.html?


If your decisions can't handle a little sunlight.....then should you be doing them at all?


Shame on you ScoMo

Sydney Harbour

Wow how crazy still the harbour is for this shot.

Nothing to worry about huh....

For all those people who said Assange had nothing to worry about and he should go to Sweden and face the made up rape charges......i give you todays NY Times.


Just as Wikileaks' editor in chief anticipated, the DoJ has revealed that a grand jury in Virginia has returned a new 18-count superseding indictment against Assange that includes violations of the Espionage Act. Significantly raising the punishment threshold (from a maximum of 5.5 years under the previous indictment to the prospect of a DEATH SENTENCE for violating the Espionage Act).

- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/us/politics/assange-indictment.html 

This country is messed up. If the government is killing innocent people and cant handle the sunlight.....is what your government doing in your name appropriate???

AI generated video

Video created from a single photo frame. https://twitter.com/chrisgrayson/status/1131582612303175681

Phenomenal !!

Dump subsidised commodities onto the 3rd world market

BTW....Trade Wars are easy to win right?

Australian election

Australian election post mortem happening now....but most of it is just plain wrong.

Any politician who says they lost the election because of the media or advertising deserves to lose.


You only have to look at AOC and Trump on how they get their message out to realise that people truly can be reached if you have something decent to say.


Personally i think neither party had anything innovative to offer this election and thats why people voted for the stability of the existing incumbents.....but thats just my opinion....and everyone has an asshole as well.


Basically Labor lost/ the LNP didnt win it, until Labor realises their mistake.....will happen again. As for blaming people rejecting labors plans for holding onto Dividend Imputations......uhm yep because paying tax WHICH WAS NEVER OWED IN THE FIRST place is dumb.


Its would be like saying.....so sad you are owed a tax refund this year....you should have planned better.....we'll hold on to it until next year and you can have it back then (unless of course.....the ATO owes you a tax refund that year as well.....thanks for being a good aussie).


This said.....democracy won eg everyone voted, we all got our Democracy Sausages, no one died at the end of a bullet/bomb, and thats a great thing and something to be thankful for


:)

Luckin Coffee IPO

Am I the only one who questions why Luckin Coffee a company with only stores in China .....raises money in the USA on Nasdaq??


Why not raise money in China if @luckincoffee is such a hot commodity?

Desi Lydic: Abroad

While Australians are all "politically focussed" this weekend really enjoying the Desi Lydic Abroad special on female politicians recently.....really worth watching.

Some really good insights as to "why"....and more importantly "how to get it fixed asap......'ish'"

Aurum by the Australian ballet

Got to see Aurum by the ABT at The Joyce theater last night https://joyce.org/performances/australian-ballet

Aurum was a spectacular piece of dance - https://australianballet.com.au/tv/aurum-beauty-in-the-broken

And seeing it at The Joyce was extra special as cheaper than seeing the ABT in Sydney and we we close enough to hear them breath in the 3rd row (no orchestra pit at The Joyce).

Stage is a little cramped/small but for the pieces they did, worked fine.

Wanted to give a shoutout to Amanda McGuigan absolute star of the night, on point and nailed every moment, has the ability to show soul and emotions in facial expressions and movement that is being dropped for technique by too many dancers.......

The use of the gold metallic floor and reflective lighting was truly spectacular.