The Ungoverned

Thoughts on man and his universe
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  • David Veksler

How to protect yourself online, no matter your security needs Nov 13, 2017

Almost every week, it seems that there is some kind of major security breach. Whether celebrity nudes, the social security numbers of the majority of Americans, or a Bitcoin heist, it seems that our private data is under constant attack. The Internet and your co-workers are full of advice: put a sticker over your webcam, disable Flash/Java in your browser, encrypt your drives, delete your Facebook account, cover your hand while using the ATM, get a burner phone, pay for everything with cash, start wearing a tinfoil hat to protect against the NSA’s spy rays, etc. The reality is that as more and more of...

By David Veksler Vote2 0

Three lies the government is telling us about why it wants to backdoor our security Nov 12, 2017

In a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stated that the  "absolutist position" that strong encryption should be by definition, unbreakable, is "unreasonable." The DOJ is lying about three things:   First, the US government works against the security of businesses. Just this week, I had to tell Apple that my iPhone app did not have certain kinds of encryption that the U.S. government has export control on. Encryption export controls cripple the security and innovation of software products made by American businesses.   Furthermore, the U.S. government hoards software exploits so it can hack into your computer rather than...

By David Veksler Vote6 0

What is an ICO? Case study of eSports.com Nov 8, 2017

Wondering what ICO's (Initial Coin Offerings) are all about? Check out my case study of the eSports.com ICO below:  

By David Veksler Vote5 0

Apple’s environmentalist bragging misleads the public Oct 11, 2017

Apple has published a Paper and Packaging Strategy whitepaper in which it brags about eliminating a few grams of paper and plastic from iPhone product packaging and announces technological innovations in eliminating plastic and replacing it with robust wood-derived packaging.  While Apple should be commended for their leadership in this space, Apple's environmentalist messaging is nevertheless dishonest both in regard to Apple's overall priorities and many of their specific claims. Missing the forest for the trees While Apple brags about eliminating a few grams of paper from its product packaging, it often forces consumers to throw devices in the dumpster prematurely by making...

By David Veksler Vote7 1

Rabbits Won’t Save Venezuela from Going Hungry Sep 20, 2017

President Nicolas Maduro wants Venezuelans to breed rabbits to solve the economic disaster he and his predecessor Hugo Chavez created, which has led to millions of formerly middle-class Venezuelans starving, begging on the streets, and giving up their children. "The rabbit isn't a pet, it's only two and a half kilos of meat,” Maduro said, “the first part of Plan Rabbit moves forward!" Unfortunately, his plan had an early setback: people began keeping the rabbits as pets instead of eating them. It might seem strange that people who are starving would rather feed rabbits than themselves, but I know what that’s like: my family also...

By David Veksler Vote5 0

Six People Who Were Rescued by Crowd-Sourced Legal Advice Sep 19, 2017

The legal system is a mysterious and forbidding institution to most of us. This leaves us vulnerable to both private and public abuse when we either have no choice but to plead guilty to a criminal charge, or have no idea how to use the law to right wrongs against us. Fortunately, the sub-reddit /r/legaladvice has been a life-saver (sometimes literally) to thousands of people who either cannot afford a lawyer, or are even being victimized by their own lawyer. Exhibits A-F Here are just a few-example of people the /r/legaladvice community helped: A woman was told to document her sexual assault by...

By David Veksler Vote4 0

The Real Scandal Is the EPA’s Diesel Policy, Not Volkswagen Aug 25, 2017

You’ve probably heard about the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The official story is that engineers at VW faked emissions test results to meet EPA requirements. VW made it appear as though its diesel engines produced fewer pollutants while being tested than they actually produce on the road. When independent testers identified the issue, VW was forced to fix 11 million vehicles, and pay over $7 billion in fines, refits, and buy-backs. This much is true. However, that’s not the full story. VW cheated because the EPA introduced an ultra-stringent emissions standard with the expectation that automakers would invent compatible technology. VW...

By David Veksler Vote6 0

Five common errors made by abortion critics Aug 20, 2017

Opponents of abortion (those who oppose a woman's right to abortion and those think it is merely immoral) typically make five kinds of logical errors: 1: The seen and the unseen: Abortion opponents see the fetus which was aborted but ignore the good things that the abortion made possible. These include the mother who is free to pursue her life goals and the lives of the children who are born into families that want and are ready for them. The decision to have an abortion is not arbitrary: it's a choice the mother makes because she believes that she and...

By David Veksler Vote13 40

This is the real reason your iPhone cables break Aug 16, 2017

Apple products look great. Whatever else you think of the company, there’s little doubt that Apple uses high-end materials to create gorgeous and durable products. That’s true for just about everything Apple makes, with one glaring exception: the cables. It’s common knowledge that Apple cables begin to disintegrate after about six months of regular use. This has been a constant across many different devices - MacBook, iPhones, and adapters, and over the course of many generations of product. My first generation iPhone had a cable that fell apart in 2009, and my iPhone 6 cable disintegrated less than a year later too....

By David Veksler Vote4 0

How to prepare for the coming economic meltdown Aug 15, 2017

Predicting economic recession is like predicting earthquakes.  It’s impossible to predict when the next Big One will hit.  However, unless the fundamentals of local geology have changed, we should expect the past to follow the same pattern as the future.  And the last time I checked, Southern California hasn’t turned into an island, and the Fed is still wreaking havoc with interest rates.  The smart thing to do is to earthquake-proof your house -- and your finances while you can.

By David Veksler Vote16 3

Feminists ought to welcome the rise of the sex robots Aug 13, 2017

Johanna Legatt writes: "There is little coincidence that these sophisticated sex robots have emerged at a time when women's rights are under threat across the globe, when there is a president in the White House who has bragged about sexually assaulting women" 1: Is it really true that "women's rights are under threat across the globe?" One can reasonably conclude that in the Islamic world, which has rolled back Western norms introduced during colonialism. Everywhere else, women have more rights (and face fewer sexual violence) than any other time in history. In many Western countries, it is taboo to even suggest that...

By David Veksler Vote3 0

How to invest your money – from $25K to $5 million Aug 13, 2017

Your first $25,000 should be invested in an all-market (VTI) or S&P 500 index fund (VOO) in your 401K or IRA. Your first $500,000 should be invested in a broad market, low-cost, diversified portfolio of large/small cap and some international index funds. After you reach $500k, you need to invest the majority of your portfolio into individual stocks.  At this scale, tax efficiency becomes increasingly important, and you need an actively managed portfolio which optimizes the tax allocation of investments (growth stocks into taxable, REITs & bonds into 401K, etc), minimizes trading frequency, and practices tax loss harvesting (sell losses...

By David Veksler Vote4 0

Where do prices come from? Aug 10, 2017

Very few of us have the opportunity to experience the heart of what makes our civilization work. Crypto-asset markets are one of the few places where you can participate in a real asset exchange without spending a decade getting training and certifications. If you want to try your hand at playing Wall Street trader for a day, this is the place to be.

By David Veksler Vote11 0

Why I’m betting on the future of Bitcoin Aug 2, 2017

Five years of living in China spoiled me in terms of financial transactions. Most people don't use debit or credit: they either use cash or more commonly, send money electronically via mobile apps. Mobile wallet apps are often used for large payments, and your landlord or utility company is just as likely to accept them as the friend you're splitting lunch with.  You can login to your bank's website or ATM and send someone a million dollars as easily as a few bucks. Then I moved back to the U.S. I owe several thousand dollars to a friend. At first,...

By David Veksler Vote5 1

Four secrets for getting the most out of your company’s 401(k) Jul 23, 2017

Here's how to get the most out of your company's 401(k): 1 Set your savings rate high to max out your contribution early in the year You can invest up to $18K per year into your 401(k) (plus $6,000 if you're 50+).  Regardless of how much you plan to contribute, you don't have to split your contributions evenly throughout the year.  If you set the savings rate high, you can invest the entire amount you plan to invest in your 401(k) early in the year, then save up for other goals for the rest of the year.    I set...

By David Veksler Vote7 0

Here are the 10 cards I keep in my wallet Jul 22, 2017

As promised, here are all the cards I keep in my wallet*, with a rationale of why I acquired each card.  Jump below the image to read why I got each card:     I have two criteria for credit cards: No annual fees: I don’t spend enough to warrant paying an annual fee for any card. Cash back only: I don’t mess with complex point systems which only encourage spending.  I just want some money back on my bill.   American Express Blue Cash My favorite card.  Why?    3% back at supermarkets 2% back at department stores and...

By David Veksler Vote7 1

The sapient mind is a parasite Jul 17, 2017

The conscious, rational mind is a parasite which has hijacked the homo sapiens species for its own purposes. For billions of years, life on earth was organized by genes directing primitive bio mechanical systems. Recently, the genes began building neural networks with built-in instructions, and even the capability to pass learned behaviors between generations. But the genes screwed up royally when they enabled the replicators doing their bidding to override their programming and develop a culture of their own. You see, when homo sapiens invented culture, they gained the ability to overrule their genetic programming and do whatever their rational...

By David Veksler Vote4 2

Here is the best personal finance & budgeting app Jun 3, 2017

I tested all the popular budgeting and personal finance tracking apps out there: Mint, Personal Capital, Truebill, Prosper Daily, Albert, Level Money, Proper Daily, and more. These apps can connect to most banks and credit card companies to pull your transaction history and track your spending. Some of them can monitor and help you cancel recurring subscriptions, or recommend relevant (or not) financial products. Most of the apps I tried ran into problems such as double-counting credit card charges and credit card bill payments, classifying bank or brokerage transfers as bills (Truebill), not showing pending charges or credit refunds, unable...

By David Veksler Vote5 2

Laziness must be learned May 29, 2017

After reading the "toddler maximum effort" story, I was thinking back to when Sophie was an infant. I noticed that while she was crawling around or playing, she was usually covered with sweat. We adults sometimes think that because kids are not good at the things we take for granted, their play is not focused or meaningful. In fact, babies are far more likely than adults in engage in prolonged "maximum intensity" effort. Productivity is our default mode, while laziness must be learned! The activity we call "play" refers to its low economic value to adults, not to a difference...

By David Veksler Vote5 2

Company scrip and other great ideas pushed out by employment regulations May 28, 2017

The relationships between unrelated services that the government imposes on us often don't make any sense: * Why should my choice of doctor depend on my job? * Why should my kids be forced to attend a school based on where I live? * Why does my retirement plan depend on the provider my employer choose? But other relationships would probably be more common if the government did not force them to be separate: * Why doesn't our employer pay for our education? If a certain skill is needed to perform our job, then our employer could pay for it...

By David Veksler Vote2 1

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