Page 2 - The Ungoverned

1: Apply for any credit card with no annual fee. When you receive it, cut it up and throw it away. Every year, apply for another no-fee card, tear it up, and ask to triple the limit on your existing cards. 2: Invest $25 using an app like Stash Invest. Doesn't matter in what, just pick any 10 stocks and keep them forever. Set it up to transfer $25 every month. Double the amount every year. 3: Don't buy a house. Pay cash for your car with the profit from your stocks. 4: Retire at 30.

By David Veksler Vote6 1

In short, here is why I won't vote: it is a waste of time, it will have no meaningful impact on the outcome even if my candidate wins, it sanctions a fundamentally immoral process, and any notion that third party candidate will make a difference is a fantasy.

By David Veksler Vote20 7

I have about as much interest in the Trump-Clinton debates as a contest between Hitler and Stalin. However due to the complete absence of substantive policy issues to discuss, one of the stories to come out of the debate was that Hofstra University was charging journalists $200 to access Wi-Fi at the event. Many people were outraged by this, and FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel issued a statement: My office has asked the @FCC Enforcement Bureau to investigate, figure out what happened. cc: @cfarivar — Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) September 27, 2016 Something not right with the #WiFi situation at @HofstraU last night. Here's what #FCC...

By David Veksler Vote4 0

Most people aren't happy with their jobs. Rather than accepting that reality, people should do what they love, and eventually, they will be rewarded in ways nobody could have foreseen.

By David Veksler Vote15 1

San Antonio, Texas gets pretty damned hot during the summer. Entire weeks of 100°F weather are not uncommon. People deal with the heat in two ways: Some people spend the entire summer (which is 3/4ths of the year) in a climate bubble. They wake up in their air-conditioned homes, get into their air conditioned cars to drive to their air-conditioned offices, shop at air-conditioned stores, and work out in air-conditioned gyms. The only time they feel the heat are in the occasional transition zone of the parking lot. My first job was a grocery store bagger - my role...

By David Veksler Vote22 1

Most amateur investors who pick stocks significantly underperform the market. 90% of people who pick "winning" stocks do worse than if they picked them at random. There are many reasons for this: (1) your emotions will work against you -- you will be tempted to buy high and sell low, (2) even if you correctly identify a good stock, it is much harder to evaluate if it is already priced too high and (3) unless your have exceptional talent, the collective wisdom of the market will be superior to your predictions.

By David Veksler Vote9 1

How good are your communication skills? How often do you feel that misunderstandings get in the way of your personal relationships or your career? Do you ever avoid talking to people because you don't know how to express what you feel, or because you are afraid that you will be misunderstood? What if you could dramatically improve the effectiveness of your spoken and written communication? Would it increase your confidence when speaking to coworkers, friends, and romantic interests? Would you take more chances if you could speak directly to someone's mind, almost as if you had a telepathic connection with...

By David Veksler Vote0 0

Like most Americans, I used to hold some self-evident beliefs about food: The three dogmas of the food phobiac: There are foods I “like” and foods I “dislike” and I ought to stick to the things that I like. The better something tastes, the more unhealthy it must be and vice versa. You must choose between a long life of disgusting food or indulge yourself and die early. There is a value hierarchy for all the edible parts of any animal. For example, top sirloin is the ideal for beef. There's a similar value hierarchy for animals themselves. Decisions about which animal and which...

By David Veksler Vote6 0

Biology has two aspects: the why and how. The why is evolution. The how is protein synthesis. Evolution is best understood in terms of game theory. Protein synthesis is nanotechnology - self-replicating information systems. The underlying theme of biology is information processing - the way systems interact, and the way simple systems create complex patterns. Combine the two and you can explain most everything about living beings. You can learn the basic patterns of these elements in a few days. Everything you learn about biology afterwards will be filling in details. Learning the game theory behind evolution will help you...

By David Veksler Vote3 7

The average American has less than $1000 in savings, the typical family has $90,000 in debt, and most cannot pay for a $500 emergency. Americans, you can do better! There are three parts to maximizing your net worth: (1) maximize your earnings (2) minimize your cost of living and (3) maximize the return from your investments.

By David Veksler Vote25 2

One stark difference between my coworkers during the time I lived in Shanghai was that the majority of Chinese workers brought their lunch from home, whereas foreigners tended to go to restaurants to eat. Going out in central Shanghai is not cheap, but like New York City or San Francisco, it has a fantastic selection of exotic dining options. Chances are however, that if you live elsewhere in the world, you frequent your local Chick-Fil-A or Chipotle simply because it's the most practical lunch option. Two thirds of Americans go out for lunch, costing them over $2000 per year. If you love going out for lunch to eat...

By David Veksler Vote7 3

I ride a bike to work almost every morning. Occasionally my wife or a coworker will give me a ride, but this is actually a hassle because then I don't have my bike when I go home. On two days a week, I ride across town to a class. I've discovered that getting there by car takes 25-40 minutes depending on traffic, and I have to pay at least $6 for parking (in Atlanta, even shopping malls and doctors offices have paid parking). It takes me 15-20 minutes by bike regardless of traffic, and the parking is free. Not everyone can bike to...

By David Veksler Vote16 1

On Friday, I was commiserating with our Pakistani freelancer about the challenge of fasting for Ramadan in the 113°F heat and intermittent AC in Lahore, while he congratulated me on my promotion. There we were, a militant atheist Jew and a devout Muslim separated by 7730 miles and an even wider cultural gulf, but united by a love of good design and commitment to our common project. Capitalism bound us in ways that go beyond a simple financial transaction. We found each other for purely utilitarian reasons, nominally driven by the need to earn a living, yet self-motivated by our...

By David Veksler Vote7 1

In my previous post, I wrote why automation is not the grave threat that some think it is. Here I want to consider why a proposed solution - the Universal Basic Income is not such a great idea. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea, even to some libertarians: replace the whole, complex and inefficient Welfare State with a simple basic income, granted to every citizen at birth. Technological automation, UBI advocates claim, will soon cause mass unemployment, while the rich will live a life of luxury served by robotic slaves. The "UBI is our only hope to deal with a...

By David Veksler Vote13 5

There is a growing sense of alarm that machines will soon cause everyone to lose their jobs. The worry is that increasing automation of everything from assembly lines to the service industry will make most jobs unnecessary. Even more dramatically, futurists claim that investment in the tech industry is specifically focused on technologies likely to replace the most jobs, as automation offers the quickest and biggest return on investment, and so we are entering a vicious loop in which capital earned from automation fuels further automation, until it destroys all human employment. Furthermore, economists claim that this trend is well...

By David Veksler Vote7 5

Ingredients 2 lb. deer round or chuck steak 1/2 c. flour (seasoned with 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper) 1/4 c. vegetable oil 1 med. onion (chopped) 2 carrots (fine chopped or grated) 1 (#303) can sliced stewed tomatoes 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce Roux (2 tbsp. flour dissolved in 2 tbsp. melted butter) Salt and pepper to taste Directions Heat oil in iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. Dredge steaks in seasoned flour and brown on both sides slowly over medium heat. Remove meat, set aside. Add 1 cup water, onion, carrot, Worcestershire sauce and stewed tomatoes. Stir while bringing...

By David Veksler Vote4 1

Fact: There are poor people. Socialist: Give me all your money, I will take care of them. Or else. Capitalist: I can make lots of money from them because they'll work for less. Moderate: Give me half your money, so I can pay them not to work, then hire anyone who doesn't want your money for free. If you make a profit, I'll take it to pay more poor people to not work. Fact: People lie. Socialist: The government ought to teach people how to think and decide who is allowed to say what because people can't tell lies from...

By David Veksler Vote14 2

You probably don't know how to squat. In fact, you are probably not capable of squatting for any period of time, even though it is one of the basic human positions, like standing and lying. Why does it matter? Because, as I recently discovered, squatting is the optimal position for all sorts of things -- eating, working, defecating, exercising, and especially giving birth. Learning to squat can even prevent cancer! The full, resting squat position I first learned about squatting through "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way." Squatting is one of the exercises the book recommends to build muscles for birth...

By David Veksler Vote19 6

Few people would openly admit that they prefer irrational treatments and doctors. But most people do in fact advocate irrational health practices – using pseudonyms for “irrational” as “holistic,” “alternative,” “homeopathic” and the deadly “natural.” Medical practice requires an understanding of cause and effect The human body operates according to certain causal principles. If we wish to make a change in our health, we must understand some of those causal principles and act according to our understanding. To act without a rational basis is to disconnect our goals from their achievement. Irrationality does not guarantee failure — it just means...

By David Veksler Vote12 1

We are animals not far removed from the jungle. Genetically, we are nearly identical to primitive man. Our bodies have been shaped by our environment to make the best of the resources available to us. Our genotype (the DNA) only develops a healthy phenotype (our body and mind) in response to the environmental inputs it evolved to thrive in. The trouble with our modern, industrial lifestyle is that it is very different from the environment our bodies evolved to thrive in. As a result, most of us are plagued by chronic illnesses that our ancestors never dealt with. If they...

By David Veksler Vote14 3

The Ungoverned

Financial success for young adults in 4 easy steps Oct 24, 2016

Five reasons why I’m boycotting the vote Oct 11, 2016

Why the FCC is wrong about Wi-Fi price gouging at the Trump-Clinton debate Sep 28, 2016

How to Pursue a Passion for Fun and Profit Sep 11, 2016

Your house is not a spaceship: the whole world is your home Aug 30, 2016

Six principles of successful investors Aug 10, 2016

Five ways to improve your communications skills Aug 6, 2016

Loving weird food: how I stopped being a picky eater Aug 5, 2016

Evolution and protein synthesis is the basis of biology Aug 5, 2016

How to make a million bucks by 40 Jul 28, 2016

It’s time to bring your lunch to work Jul 15, 2016

Seven tips for riding a bike to work Jul 14, 2016

Capitalism can bridge our cultural gulf – if we let it Jun 13, 2016

Three reasons why a universal basic income is a half-baked fantasy Jun 4, 2016

Why I welcome our job-stealing machine overlords Apr 7, 2016

Swiss Steak with Venison Jan 1, 2015

A socialist, capitalist and moderate respond to the Facts Dec 30, 2014

Four reasons why you need to squat Dec 28, 2014

Four reasons to practice evidence-based medicine Dec 27, 2014

Why I eat Paleo Dec 26, 2014