На Бали уникальная ирригационная система, датируемая 9м веком. Называется Субак (Subak). Это не просто многочисленные каналы берущие начало от горных озёр, питая рисовые поля и людей по всему острову. Это ещё и кооперативное управление распределением воды, что позволяло увеличивать урожайность и равномерно распределять жизненно важный ресурс, вне зависимости от высоты проживания.
Видео демонстрирует простоту и элегантность инженерной мысли. Когда рисовая терраса более не нуждается в воде, фермер перекрывает ответвление мини дамбой из земли или глины, оставляя магистральный канал открытым.
Но уже скоро это канет в лету. Рисовые террасы застраиваются виллами. Традиционная культура и экономика вытесняется (уже) туризмом, что в конечном итоге добьет первоначальный смысл посещения острова.
#travel
May 2025
Вообще Бали это конечно помойка. Ужасные пробки. Мусор. Толпы туристов слоняющихся безо всякого смысла по узеньким улочкам, окутанным нескончаемой паутиной нависающих проводов. Местные на мопедах снуют как муравьи. Беднота. Цены уже давно не те, что были ещё 6 лет назад. А ля туристические достопримечательности это пшик. Инста локации это особый вид садизма. Псевдо-окрыленных разводят на большие деньги продавцы духовных услуг. Многие пляжи - кошмар. В сезон ветров с Индийского океана кошмар в кубе. Горы пластика в воде.
Да, красивые храмы в уникальном стиле. Все ещё очень дешёвый массаж и спа услуги. Да, рисовые террасы на холмах Убуда достойное зрелище. В идиллии этих ландшафтов ещё можно провести несколько деньков отмываясь от глубоких погружений в красочную Индонезийскую природу. Главное не спускаться вниз, в уличный бедлам.
Причин лететь сюда из Северной Америки не вижу.
#travel
May 2025
Опытные австралы прилетели с ящиком пива. Видимо будут спаивать драконов.
#travel #Komodo
There are two types of people visiting Asia.
The first are tourists. They go for glamorous, yet soulless Insta experience of a glass-shielded high rise and a martini. This is a territory marking contemporary habit enabled by social platforms to keep home-staying crowd envious and excited.
Travelers dive into the raw, smelly, colorful, explosive, and authentically delicious diversity of street food prepared under the open air of a night market. Dishes are unceremoniously served on primitive plates as soon as they leave open flames. Cheap plastic stools are the butt-supporting method of choice. It's a place where locals and foreigners intermingle in a cacophony of sounds and languages, surrounded by shady buildings, dirty alleys, massage parlors, and occasional night entrepreneurs of the oldest profession.
https://youtu.be/0i11rTXAXcs?si=FVOafmZpJ4Tyvo6K
#travel #twotypesofpeople
Expect to hear "because of tariffs" excuses soon to explain away rising prices. Even businesses not directly impacted might use it to beef up margins.
#economics
Есть два типа людей. Первые - горе дизайнеры, придумавшие кнопку "keep warm" в чайнике. Вторые, кипятят воду сутки напролет.
#twotypesofpeople
There are two types of people. First group is careful with their decisions because they have economic consequences. Second are happy wives.
#twotypesofpeople
If one is absurdly rich, with most of the wealth riding on top of exuberant valuations of one's businesses, buttressed by a cult-like followership of believers, it would be wise not to alienate their feelings. With so much assets on public grounds, exercising radical ideology will ultimately come at the cost of wealth destruction for the said billionaire.
Defending one's principles, by definition comes at a price. Let's see if it will be too high to bear.
#VoxPopuli
March 2025
Ося Бендер знал 200 рецептов самогона. И хоть данный напиток уже не в моде среди почитателей ЗОЖ, они явно деградировали в вопросах ассортимента. Достаточно пары ключевых слов чтоб рефлекс Павлова сработал.
#travel
Немного о ценах на Бали. Горячий кофе американо 30к. 90 минут массажа 300к.
USD/IDR = 16250.
Продаём кофе. Покупаем массаж.
#travel
Нас на сказочном Бали
Очень сильно обманули.
Присмотрелся, оказалось,
Нет, нас точно наебли!
#travel
I don't listen to Joe Rogan. Recently, a friend referred me to an episode on the dear topic of vaccines. I obliged and digested it entirely. It was difficult, for a total lack of critical approach from the host. There were other obvious problems with his style which prompted me to blow off some steam.
As luck would have it, another prominent scientist turned podcaster, just shared the very same criticism. Only relayed it more graciously, with deeper research and nuance. A masterpiece.
This is another must-listen gem from the Malcom Gladwell on a rotavirus vaccine and stupidity of RFK Jr.
#twotypesofpeople #BraveNewWorld
April 2025
Все люди заканчивают университет Даннинга — Крюгера. Но не все об этом знают.
#twotypesofpeople
George W. Bush had plenty of embarrassing moments and stupid quotes during his eight-year tenure. The contrast with the well-spoken Clinton was stark. We gently picked on Bush and carried on.
Meanwhile, Trump is making Bush great again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyGutR4O-TY
#politics #twotypesofpeople
American exceptionalism ain't dead. It just works both ways.
#AmericanDynamism
Plenty of ink has been spilled to describe the perils of modern-day media consumption habits. Convenient echo chambers, dangerous confirmation bias, and reliance on comfortable narratives. Popular media jockeys provide a podium to self-described truth-seeking crusaders, all while driving book sales of pseudo-scientific revelations. Poor dietary choices will compound over time and yield harmful results to one's body. Careless intake of information will affect one's cognition.
A case in point is a recent podcast by Joe Rogan. Experience #2294 - Dr. Suzanne Humphries. The link isn't provided on purpose.
While not in a position to object to the message on technical grounds, my beef is with the format and the host.
1) In an interview, as opposed to a debate, where two guests present opposite views, it's the job of the host to be more challenging to the narrative. This especially holds when important information is being presented. A guest is not telling a colorful personal story, but rather serious scientific claims with far-reaching consequences. A higher level of scrutiny is required but was missing in action.
2) Given the lack of a critical approach from the host, the entire thing appears as a gigantic marketing campaign. Especially when a guest has a book to sell. One can only speculate what the host's cut is.
3) Bullshit asymmetry principle aka Brandolini's law. It is impossible for an average listener without subject matter expertise to evaluate technical claims outside one's knowledge. Thus anyone who sounds intelligent, with proper credentials, and an eloquent communication style will immediately be trusted. The question then comes, why does a medical doctor talk about highly technical medical stuff not in front of peers (or a person with a medical degree) capable of mounting a challenge, but before the general public? Could it be because it's harder to fool experts? Or perhaps they have already rejected the thesis, while the audience is oblivious to that, thanks to a nodding host.
4) Sensationalism. It's boring to have a guest demonstrating a state of modern science, supported by years of research and statistics. The viewership will go down and drag monetization. This is not a professional publication targeting a niche audience. The anti-establishment egos need a scratch too. Panem et circenses.
5) This one is counterfactual. Imagine for a moment that a two-hour-long discussion is around the topic of Flat Earth. Don't laugh. A guest would throw a myriad of "scientific" discoveries supporting the claim. Talk about countless hours spent in archives studying the wisdom of the ancients. Present numerous experiments buttressing the validity of the argument. All while the same manner of acceptance and support exhibited by the host, acknowledging the expert's confession. Giving credibility to the message, under the fig leaf of curiosity. That's how the episode felt.
It's a charade. All of it.
This great article goes over claims made by Dr. Suzanna and debunks them, one by one. Ideally, this should be the job of a host, but instead, we end up with bullshit propagated in a free-speech society. This has political and other consequences.
It's not hard to seek out rebuttals. It should be habitual, just like washing hands. Add debunked to anything and google it. Validate credentials and the reputation of a messenger. Inquire into methodology, assumptions, and sponsors if you must. The most difficult part is to realize and accept being wrong for all this time
If the above feels like a cherry-picked attack on a single episode then watch this video where a former Joe Rogan fan explains why he has stopped following him.
#BraveNewWorld
April 2025
Is it my imagination or is Vance's remarks towards Denmark a Déjà vu of the events that took place about a decade ago?
You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.
Есть два типа людей. Первые - радикалы. Вторые за них отдуваются
#twotypesofpeople
Here is confirmation for my intuitive measurement. Curious to see the same break down for top 20%, 10% and 5%.
Image borrowed from https://x.com/MikeZaccardi/status/1885773731647144096/photo/1
До подписания NAFTA торговый баланс между США и Мексикой (и между США и Канадой) был около нуля. Эти государства занимают первые две строчки в списке торговых партнёров США в долларовом объёме. С середины 90-х ситуация стала сильно меняться. Тренд ненадолго приостановился из-за кризиса 2007-09. Ситуация с Канадой осталась на том же уровне, а вот баланс с Мексикой вскоре покатился с большей силой. Считается, что основной причиной стал перевод китайских производственных мощностей в Мексику. Китайцы импортировали компоненты, осуществляли сборку, и уже беспошлинно ввозили товары в США под штампом Made in Mexico.
Трамп 1.0 заменил NAFTA на USMCA в конце 2019. После чего ситуация только ухудшилась. График сгенерирован claude.ai
Это не помешало Трампу 2.0 заявить
who da hell made those deals
