The Left's Moral Compass Isn't Broken …

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

This commentary explains how what is right and wrong is determined by some left-leaning groups.

The Small Tablet Trap

Thursday, July 9, 2020

I became dependent on small, 7-8-inch tablets back in 2013 when I got my first Nexus 7. Bigger than a phone, smaller than a laptop, it was ideal for media consumption, like watching videos, and for cases when I need a second screen as a timer, clock, or notification tool. It was small enough hold in one hand in any position, and the stand made it ideal for table-top use.

Unfortunately, the industry has struggled selling these small form-factor tablets. Smart phones got larger, and so did tablets, leaving the small form-factor market lacking, except for Apple products, and budget Android tablets that lacked high resolution screens, fast cpus, and ample memory (ram).

As the Nexus 7 hardware got older and slower, and its operating system more obsolete, there were few new options. The only clear replacement was the ZenPad S 8.0 Z580. As that started to experience the same age problems as the Nexus 7, it was unclear if the market was going to provide a new replacement.

Well, it seems Lenovo has produced one — the Tab M8 FHD — high resolution screen, ample memory, and good construction. Let's hope it becomes popular so it remains in production, and future models are produced.

Update: Nexus 7 retrospective 2023-07-27

Digital Detectives

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

This documentary shows how open source investigators can find details about important events using online data sources.

Joe Biden and the Slow Death of Liberalism

Friday, April 10, 2020

This complex article explains the long-term trends of liberalism:

With Mr. Biden's ascension and Mr. Sanders's decision this week to suspend his campaign, Democrats are again choosing liberalism. The important thing to understand about modern American liberalism, though, is that it is a spent force. It is out of ideas. It is visionary, but it no longer sees much of anything. That Mr. Biden has been reduced to protesting the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, safely tucked away in his basement, nicely symbolizes liberalism's impotence.

Political articles usually focus on politicians and policies, but this article covers the ideas behind government change. I am not sure I agree with all of it, but it makes some enlightening points.

Good Water Is the Key to a Better Cup of Tea

Sunday, March 22, 2020

I regularly drink tea, and this article is the most detailed I have seen about how to brew tea. It goes into the chemistry of tea brewing.

Why Socialism Will Never Die and Plague Humanity Forever

Monday, March 9, 2020

With socialism making a public comeback, this article has useful analysis of the three groups that will always support socialistic goals.

Why It Took Congress 40 Years to Pass a Bill Acknowledging the Armenian Genocide

Monday, March 9, 2020

This article has a good summary on why Armenian genocide recognition took so long in the usa. It also mentions what forces caused the Armenian genocide not to appear in the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and it mentions my father.

What the Coronavirus End Game Will Look Like

Monday, March 2, 2020

There has been a lot of discussion about the Coronavirus, but this article gives a long-term analysis of this highly contagious, but less deadly virus, e.g.:

If 60% of the world's population is ultimately infected, as suggested by Gabriel Leung, chair of public health medicine at Hong Kong University, a 1% fatality rate would kill almost 50 million people — similar to the 1918 Spanish flu. If that falls to 0.1%, it could still be roughly 10 times more fatal than the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, which killed several hundred thousand in its first year.

This article also suggest that the global supply chain will probably not fully recover. This article explains the geopolitical effects of the virus. This article talks about the consolidation of power that might be hard to undo. This article explains possible changes in consumer demand. This article talks about the long-term increase in at-home work.