the fisherman of halicarnassus

a god complex is a psychological term that is used to describe a person who believes that they are all-powerful and all-knowing, and who behaves in a way that reflects this belief. someone with a god complex may believe that they are superior to others and that they have the right to make decisions for others without their consent. they may also be unwilling to listen to others or to consider their opinions and feelings.

examples of god complex behavior might include a boss who makes decisions without consulting their employees, a teacher who refuses to listen to their students' ideas, or a parent who insists on making all the decisions for their child without considering their input. in general, someone with a god complex may have a tendency to be overbearing and controlling, and they may struggle to see others as equals.

the civil rights act of 1875 was a federal law that was passed by the united states congress in 1875. the act was the first federal civil rights law to be passed since the reconstruction era, and it was intended to protect the rights of all americans, regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. the act prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude in public accommodations, such as inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement. it also provided for criminal penalties for anyone who violated the act's provisions.

despite its good intentions, the civil rights act of 1875 was largely ineffective in achieving its goals. many states and local governments ignored the act or actively resisted its implementation, and few cases were ever brought under its provisions. in addition, the act did not address other forms of discrimination, such as discrimination on the basis of gender or religion. despite its limitations, the civil rights act of 1875 was an important step towards greater equality and justice for all americans, and it paved the way for future civil rights legislation.

a guilty pleasure is something that brings enjoyment or pleasure, but that is considered to be lowbrow, embarrassing, or otherwise unworthy of admiration. for example, someone might consider watching a cheesy romantic comedy or listening to bubblegum pop to be a guilty pleasure. guilty pleasures are typically seen as indulgences that are not to be taken seriously, and they may be something that a person enjoys privately or only with close friends. some weird examples of guilty pleasures might include eating raw cookie dough, watching reality tv shows, or collecting figurines of cartoon characters.

range anxiety is a term used to describe the fear that electric vehicles will run out of power before reaching their destination. this fear can be a barrier to the adoption of electric cars, as many people are concerned that they will not be able to find a charging station when they need one.

one humorous way to explain range anxiety is to compare it to the "quarter panic" that some people experience when using a payphone. just like with a payphone, electric car owners may worry that they will not have enough "juice" to make it to their destination. however, just like with a payphone, there are ways to mitigate this anxiety, such as by planning ahead and checking for charging stations along the route. and just like with a payphone, range anxiety may soon be a thing of the past as technology and infrastructure continue to improve.

the boys is a television series that is available on amazon prime video. the show is based on the comic book series of the same name and is set in a world where superheroes exist, but they are corrupt and abusive. the series follows a group of regular people who team up to take down the corrupt superheroes and expose their wrongdoing. the boys is known for its dark and satirical tone, and it has been praised for its exploration of complex themes such as power, corruption, and corporate greed. the show has been a critical and commercial success, and it has been renewed for a third season.

here are a few famous quotes on love from some of history's most notable philosophers:

— "love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." - aristotle
— "love is not consolation. it is light." - simone weil
— "love is the expression of the one who loves, not of the one who is loved." - soren kierkegaard
— "love is the affinity which links and draws together the elements of the world... love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis." - pierre teilhard de chardin
— "love is an endless act of forgiveness. forgiveness is me giving up the right to hurt you for hurting me." - beyonce giselle knowles-carter
— "love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit." - peter ustinov
— "to love another person is to see the face of god." - victor hugo
— "love is an untamed force. when we try to control it, it destroys us. when we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. when we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused." - paulo coelho

an internet video on demand service that has the best content so far (as of feb 2022).

the tragedy of the commons is what happens when everyone has an incentive to take a little more from a shared resource, until eventually there’s not much left for anyone.

one person overfishing doesn’t seem like a big deal. neither does one company polluting a little more, or one person wasting water.

the problem is when everyone thinks the same way.

individually rational choices can create a collectively terrible outcome.

universal basic income gets really interesting when you look at it sociologically, not just economically.

if everyone receives money simply for existing, work stops being the only thing connecting income to social worth. that could give people more freedom to leave terrible jobs, care for family, study, create something, or just say no to an employer.

but there are big questions too. who pays for it? is the amount actually enough to matter? does it come on top of healthcare and other benefits, or replace them? a badly designed ubi could even leave vulnerable people worse off if targeted support gets traded for the same flat payment everyone receives.

and the common idea that everyone would simply stop working isn’t really what existing experiments have shown. finland’s experiment found relatively small employment effects while recipients reported better wellbeing, less bureaucracy, and greater economic security.

maybe the biggest question isn’t “would people still work?” but how differently people would negotiate work if survival wasn’t completely tied to having a job.

andrew carnegie went from a poor scottish immigrant to one of the richest people in the world.

in 1901, he sold carnegie steel to j.p. morgan for $480 million, then spent the rest of his life trying to give most of his fortune away. he ultimately gave away about $350 million and helped fund 2,509 libraries.

the interesting contradiction is that the fortune behind all that philanthropy came from an industrial empire known for brutal working conditions and major labor conflict.

one life somehow became a story about capitalism, extreme wealth, labor, and philanthropy all at once.

the east india company started in 1600 as a trading company and somehow ended up ruling huge parts of india.

it had its own army, collected taxes, fought wars, controlled trade, and became so powerful that the british government eventually had to take direct control after the 1857 uprising.

basically, one of history’s clearest examples of what can happen when a private company becomes powerful enough to act like a state.

the easiest way to read a midterm is as a national progress report on the government already in power.

the president is not on the ballot, but presidential approval, the economy, cost of living, wars, immigration, and general frustration with washington usually show up in congressional races anyway.

this is also where the word “wave” matters.

a wave is not simply one party winning congress. it is when the same national mood moves dozens of unrelated races in the same direction, including districts that normally would not be competitive.

as of september, there are signs of a difficult national environment for republicans, but calling it a wave already would be premature. a september reuters ipsos poll had democrats ahead 44 to 37 on the generic congressional ballot, while trump’s approval stood at 35 percent. cook’s polling of competitive house districts had democrats ahead 49 to 47, and its current ratings still show 21 house races and seven senate races as toss ups.

the other huge variable this year is the map itself. midcycle redistricting has moved nearly 35 million americans into newly drawn house districts, meaning some of the battlefield changed before anyone even voted.

so on election night, do not just look at who wins congress.

look at margins.

look at turnout.

look at normally safe districts becoming close.

look at which issues actually moved independents.

that is how you tell whether voters simply changed a few seats or whether the country sent washington a much bigger message.

the cheapest trick in horror when it is done badly, and still incredibly effective when it is done well.

quiet room. slow camera. nothing happening.

then suddenly, face.

your brain knows exactly what is coming and somehow still falls for it.

what i like most about russell is that he treated certainty almost like a character flaw.

he seemed deeply suspicious of anyone who was too sure about politics, religion, morality, or even their own intelligence.

for him, being rational did not mean having an answer for everything. it meant being willing to say, “i might be wrong,” and still continuing to think seriously.

that sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly rare.

most people use intelligence to defend what they already believe.

russell used it to make himself uncomfortable.

the moment a metric becomes the goal, people stop improving the thing and start improving the number.

tell a school that test scores matter and eventually people teach for the test.

tell a company that call time matters and suddenly customer problems get “solved” faster without actually being solved.

tell social media creators that engagement matters and eventually everyone is screaming, rage baiting, and posting whatever keeps you from scrolling.

that is goodhart’s law in practice.

numbers are useful right up until people realize their lives depend on making the numbers look good.

then the measurement slowly stops measuring what you actually cared about in the first place.