Illustration: Holding Opposing Ideas in One’s Mind Simultaneously

Entertaining conversation illustrating this quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “[T]he test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." As Bill Maher argues, McDonalds tastes good even though it it not healthy food. BOTH of these things are true. Same thing for ice cream and many other foods. Most important these days, we can love other people even though we disagree strongly with some of their beliefs and opinions. Really.

But in modern times, many people are not admitting to things they know to be true because it is not approved by their respective tribes. We need to stop allowing emotions and social pressure to prevent us from saying things we know to be true. Only then will we be able to have meaningful conversations with each other.

As I've written repeatedly, embracing membership in a tribe reduces one's IQ by 50 points.

Additional note: I think Casey Means is courageous and brilliant. I highly recommend her new book, Good Energy.

Continue ReadingIllustration: Holding Opposing Ideas in One’s Mind Simultaneously

Jimmy Dore Points to the Biggest Liar – The Government.

Comedian Jimmy Dore recently commented a "news" cast where Jen Psaki argued that social media needed to be censored. Governement lies during COVID provide endless evidence that Psake could not be more wrong, but there is a lot more. First, Jen Psaki's claim that social media needs to be censored:

But even if Trump is defeated tomorrow, he is exposed during his time out, there some serious limitations within our system, and it may be time to ask ourselves things like whether social media platforms should have the freedom to operate at a lower level of accountability than local television networks.

Jimmy Dore's response:

First of all, how do you get lower accountability than zero? This is this? Is that wanting to censor social because they don't have any accountability, you don't have any fucking accountability. Is there? Is there anything they haven't lied about in my they lied about Iraq twice. They lied about Afghanistan for 20 years. Lied about Syria, they lied about Libya, they lied about Ukraine. They're currently lying about Ukraine. They lied about COVID. They lied about lockdowns. They lied about where the virus came from, mass transmissibility, contraction, herd immunity, natural immunity. There wasn't a fucking thing that side effects. There's not a goddamn thing that they haven't lied about in the last 20 years of my life, 40 years of my life. And these motherfuckers want to censor other people because they might be spreading misinformation.

The biggest liar, as we all know, is the government. Second is the corporate, owned media, and a distant third are randos on social media. That's the fucking fact, okay, and if it wasn't for social media, we wouldn't know about any of those lies about the Syrian war, the Ukraine war, or COVID, or the vaccines or masks or lockdowns, or all the shit they did to children during COVID, or all the shit they're doing to children who are confused about their gender identity before they had fucking puberty. We wouldn't know any of that shit if it wasn't for social media ...

That was a direct hit by Dore, as evidence by many of the articles I have been posting over the past 5 years (and more). But let's also hear from Max Blumenthal.

I do not believe @RobertKennedyJr would have ever gained national celebrity and been able to launch a national campaign that vaulted him to the heights of Trumpworld had The Science(TM) that informed the Covid response proven even remotely correct.

If the mRNA "vaccine" had not failed on every stated promise; had the CDC and WHO not changed the very definition of vaccine to accommodate its failure to prevent transmission or infection; had countless working class Americans not lost their jobs for refusing to take the jab, while others were forcibly injected in order to keep their livelihoods, sometimes suffering injury as a result; had mainstream news hosts and politicians including Joe Biden not proposed isolating The Unvaccinated from society, preventing them from traveling, and even from buying food in markets; had the lockdowns not set a generation of children across all social strata back years in their education, while doing nothing to stop the spread; had once-vibrant city centers not transformed to terrifying zombie scenes, shattering countless small businesses, while we were assured by Fauci that it would take just another week or two to flatten the curve; had a dystopian state censorship regime not consolidated its hold over social media platforms, disappearing dissenters from our digital commons those who protested in the streets were often beaten and arrested – had none of this occurred, RFK Jr. would be comfortably ensconced in his home in West LA, still loyal to the Democratic Party, a welcome presence in the world of affluent liberals, and nowhere near the political celebrity he is today.

But all this happened and worse. Americans were lied to and abused on a massive scale, and RFK was one of the first to tap into the public's anger. And thanks to his Children's Health Defense, he already had an established platform to promote his jeremiads (which focused heavily at the time on the erosion of constitutional rights, not always on vaccine-related issues).

Though the Covid event was hardly discussed during the 2024 presenting campaign – largely because the corporate media that got almost everything wrong wanted the issue to disappear – it loomed like a heavy cloud. RFK's presence as a Trump surrogate enabled 47 to channel the simmering anger, giving rise to the Make America Healthy Again movement, which became a magnet for alt media-oriented independent voters.

Now RFK stands to take over a gargantuan federal agency that has traditionally served as an instrument of Big Pharma and the agribusiness lobby, and which is currently led by a Democrat political operative with no medical or scientific background. The pundits who paint RFK's ascension as an unfortunate triumph of the paranoid style in American politics are whitewashing the failures and sordid deceptions of the credentialed class they represent, while denying the experiences of the millions who paid the price for them.

One more thing for Jen Psaki: How would she feel if the government started interrupting our private phone calls and telling us that we can no longer discuss certain topics or that we are forbidden from talking to certain people because they are "bad"? Censoring social media is no different from this in concept, but only in scale.

Continue ReadingJimmy Dore Points to the Biggest Liar – The Government.

About Trump’s Election

I mostly agree with Eric Weinstein about Trump. Weinstein recently tweeted his position:

I will say it simply. @realDonaldTrump and @JDVance have the opportunity to change everything. Everything depends on @realDonaldTrump’s use of this historic opportunity. This could restore America. Or tank it.

To say it my way, this is the highest *variance* presidency of my lifetime. As bad as Kamala was (and you know my position) she was probably lower variance. Lower variance and much lower mean.

This is potentially amazing because the sky is the limit. Given the chance, I will help anyone to use this mandate to make it the best presidency it can possibly be. But you can’t ask me to close my eyes to the risks. I’m just not that guy. Never was and never will be. This is incredibly dangerous as we are seated at the high stakes table now.

I don’t understand Americans who want Trump to fail. I think he is a brilliant man which I have always said. But he is also incredibly divisive. I think he truly loves his country and wants the best for it. He is also very dangerous and unpredictable. And he NEEDS that unpredictability to survive. He is very strong. And perhaps he needs to be dangerous. I could be persuaded that this is necessary.

He learned last time that you need an sea of people to govern. He won’t make that mistake again.

Am I optimistic? Yes. Very. Am I deeply deeply worried? Absolutely. Very."

Again in my language: stop focusing on the mean. If I absolutely had to say what I am feeling, with a gun to my head I might say this is high mean, high variance, negative skew, high kurtosis.

As a weather report: this is a low confidence forecast of an amazing spring day with a bit more than a slight chance of apocalypse.

I know “But Bruh, Are you MAGA?” No. This is why we have more than one moment of a distribution and not a simple binary. MAGA is a broad coalition that seats some people who I view as “unworkable”. I can’t personally endorse a movement that tolerates that element in order to win. But I get along with plenty of MAGA People. And generally they get me. Most of them like me, understand me from podcasting, and don’t need me wearing a hat.

Lastly, you have no idea how desperately I want this to work. And it could be amazing. I think that is likely but with very weak conviction. As above.

Here to help, This is more or less what I predicted. Nothing has changed. And word to the wise: Mind the time *before* the inauguration. Don’t take your eye off the ball prematurely.

Continue ReadingAbout Trump’s Election

The NYT Presents the “News”

This paragraph from an article in the New York Times speak for itself:

Mr. Kennedy has singled out Froot Loops as an example of a product with too many artificial ingredients, questioning why the Canadian version has fewer than the U.S. version. But he was wrong. The ingredient list is roughly the same, although Canada’s has natural colorings made from blueberries and carrots while the U.S. product contains red dye 40, yellow 5 and blue 1 as well as Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, a lab-made chemical that is used “for freshness,” according to the ingredient label.

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Elon Musk’s Role at Tesla

I keep seeing this meme on FB. I suspect it's an attempt to argue that Elon Musk hasn't done anything significant at Tesla. I hear this all the time from people who don't like Musk. But facts first: Courtesy of Grok, here's a summary of what Musk does at Tesla:

Elon Musk holds the position of CEO at Tesla, where he is also referred to as the "Technoking of Tesla," a title he adopted in 2021. His responsibilities at Tesla include:

Product Design and Engineering: Musk leads all product design, engineering, and global manufacturing of Tesla's electric vehicles, battery products, and solar energy products. This involves overseeing the development from concept to production.

Strategic Direction: As CEO, he sets the strategic direction for the company, focusing on Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.

Innovation and Technology Leadership: Musk is deeply involved in the innovation process, often directly contributing to technological advancements, especially in areas critical to Tesla like autonomy (Full Self-Driving or FSD), battery technology, and robotics (like the Optimus project).

Corporate Governance: Although he stepped down as chairman of Tesla's board in 2018 due to an SEC settlement, he remains a significant influence in corporate governance decisions due to his role as CEO and his ownership stake.

Public Representation: Musk represents Tesla publicly, including at investor meetings, product launches, and on social media platforms like X, where he communicates with customers, fans, and critics alike, influencing public perception and company culture.

Operational Oversight: Recent reports indicate that Musk now oversees Tesla's sales operations in several key regions including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, highlighting his hands-on approach in operational aspects of the business.

His role has been described as integral to Tesla's identity and success, with some suggesting that his influence is so significant that Tesla thrives largely due to his direct involvement in innovation and management.

What happened to Tarpenning ad Eberhard. Grok's explanation is much more nuanced than the meme: "Did musk push out Mark Tarpenning and martin Eberhard from tesla?

Grok's Answer

The narrative around Elon Musk's relationship with Tesla's co-founders, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, involves several perspectives:

Foundation of Tesla: Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla in 2003. Musk joined the company as an investor in 2004, bringing in significant capital and becoming chairman of the board.

Musk's Involvement: Musk's role quickly grew beyond that of an investor. He was instrumental in shaping the vision and direction of Tesla, not just with his financial investment but also through his involvement in product design and strategic decisions.

Eberhard's Departure: Eberhard was removed as CEO in 2007. According to various accounts:

Musk's Perspective: Musk has stated that Eberhard was removed due to operational issues, particularly related to the production delays of the Tesla Roadster. He has described Eberhard as difficult to work with, labeling him as "the worst person I've ever worked with" in some interviews.

Eberhard's Perspective: Eberhard has claimed that Musk tried to rewrite history by claiming to be a founder of Tesla. After his departure, Eberhard sued Musk for libel, slander, and breach of contract in 2009, alleging that Musk pushed him out and attempted to diminish his contributions to Tesla. The lawsuit was settled, with part of the agreement recognizing Musk and others as co-founders alongside Eberhard and Tarpenning.

Tarpenning's Departure: Marc Tarpenning left Tesla in 2008, not under the same contentious circumstances as Eberhard. Reports suggest that Tarpenning's departure was more amicable; he stepped down around the time when the first Roadsters were being finalized for production. He has expressed no regrets about his time at Tesla and continues to be involved in the tech and startup ecosystem.

Public and Internal Perception: There's a split in perception. Some view Musk's actions as aggressive takeover tactics, while others see his involvement as crucial for Tesla's survival and growth. Musk himself has noted that his involvement was essential beyond just his financial investment, claiming that without his input, the company might not have succeeded.

Given this background, while Musk didn't "push out" Tarpenning in the same manner as Eberhard (Tarpenning's exit was less dramatic), Musk's growing influence and direct involvement in key decisions did lead to significant changes in leadership at Tesla. Eberhard's departure was indeed contentious, involving legal action, whereas Tarpenning's was more about transitioning from his role at a pivotal time in Tesla's development.

The situation reflects a complex interplay of ambition, vision, and business strategy, where Musk's assertive leadership style and vision for Tesla played a critical role in these transitions.

Continue ReadingElon Musk’s Role at Tesla