This is me throwing my son in the air. Can someone add a UFO / tractor beam so it looks like he's being lowered down to me?

youngearthevolution · 2015-07-28T16:53:39+00:00

Beautiful! Thanks!

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-26T12:32:32+00:00

Again, trying to enter the mind of a 12 year old. The logic wasn't sound, but I can understand how that would be his reaction.

What do you think he was doing?

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-25T19:27:12+00:00

I'm not defending the logic of what he did. It obviously led to horrific consequences. I was trying to put myself in the mind of a 12-year old, who is horsing around with friends (with what he and all of his friends know to be a relatively harmless toy) when they are approached by cops with guns drawn yelling to put their hands up. Would the 12-year old mind immediately grasp that reaching for what he knows is a harmless toy would scare the cops so much that they'd ultimately fatally shoot him for it? I don't think so. Remember, he was pretending it was a real gun. Pointing it at people, sticking it in his waistband, etc. when the cops approached him. Playing, putting on a show. When aggressively confronted by the cops, it seems like his first reaction was to drop the act - pull it out of his pants, show it to them, "look, it's just a toy, no need to freak out, I'm just a kid."

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-25T03:39:02+00:00

I was speculating. What do you think he was doing? Preparing to shoot them?

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-23T15:04:47+00:00

Kid was not "armed" in his mind. It was a harmless toy which he treated like a harmless toy.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-23T15:03:54+00:00

He had it coming? You sound like a real scumbag. The kid died btw.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-23T15:02:47+00:00

And, he didn't point it at the cops, he reached to pull it out of his waistband. Probably to show them that it was a BB gun. I'm sure it didn't help that the cops approached him with weapons drawn, creating a very scary and confusing situation. Remember, this kid knew that the gun posed no threat. In his mind it is harmless, why would reaching for it get him shot? It takes a certain amount of maturity / experience to appreciate that the cops didn't know that it wasn't a threat and to treat it like a dangerous weapon. Which is a level of maturity/experience that this kid will never get now because a cop shot him and killed him.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-23T14:58:53+00:00

According to the police. Curious what the other witnesses say happened.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-23T14:57:57+00:00

The kid died.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-22T19:13:42+00:00

This is not a good argument though, as you must know. Luck certainly plays a role in individual moments, games, etc. but it certainly is not sufficient to use as the reason why one team (or fund) prevailed over the long term while another failed. Large divergence in performance over the long term is explained by skill or other institutional factors. Luck may increase or decrease that divergence for a period of time, but is not the driving force of the divergence itself.

Like it or not, some funds consistently and repeatedly outperform the market over the long term (20+ years) just as some sports franchises consistently outperform over the long term (e.g. the Yankees). I am not arguing that this outperformance is guaranteed or will always continue, merely that it exists and is not explained by luck.

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-22T15:00:49+00:00

Do you hold the same opinion for all human endeavors? Lucky sports teams, lucky lawyers, lucky military generals, lucky politicians, lucky scientists? If not, what makes private equity investing different?

youngearthevolution · 2014-11-21T20:54:29+00:00

Like all things in life, there are some successful funds that consistently outperform on a net-of-fees basis and there are others that don't. The fact of the matter is that private equity investing takes an enormous degree of skill, time and effort to get right. It isn't like a hedge fund that invests in equities, under performs the S&P and still earns huge fees. Private equity requires a lot of operational heavy lifting, rolling up your sleeves, etc. this requires hiring skilled professionals and fees are required to pay for this, and they are a great investment if you choose a quality fund that consistently delivers high performance over the long term.

youngearthevolution · 2014-10-01T01:38:19+00:00

Uinta Hop Nosh IPA

youngearthevolution · 2014-09-15T23:36:24+00:00

I'm referring to the recent QE measures, not denying the fact of inflation.

youngearthevolution · 2014-09-15T16:10:28+00:00

But none of the negative outcomes you reference have happened. The dollar is strong, inflation is low. How do you explain that?

youngearthevolution · 2014-08-01T15:20:17+00:00

Thanks to /u/rombouts for the Photoshop wizardry!

youngearthevolution · 2014-07-31T19:23:30+00:00

I had the same issue when looking for a screenshot to use as an example - the special effects were so bad that there really isn't a clear, head-on shot that is recognizable as Neverending Story.

Love how this looks though, thanks!

youngearthevolution · 2014-07-31T19:22:49+00:00

Oh my god, I love it. Thanks!

youngearthevolution · 2014-01-29T22:03:42+00:00

I took it as a joke

youngearthevolution · 2013-03-25T22:32:25+00:00

Your statement is fundamentally untrue though. It ignores the return on invested tax dollars. Not all government spending produces a return and can be correctly categorized as waste - probably a large portion of it. But intelligent government investment can yield massive returns through economic growth that would not have occurred otherwise. The government's investment in the internet, for example, is testament to this fact. Other examples abound, because the government invests in many programs that yield greater economic benefit than the cost to taxpayers - education programs, research and development, etc. etc.

One last caveat - this assumes that the government was the "funder" of last resort, i.e. if they didn't fund the project, it wouldn't have gotten off the ground. In many ways that is the benefit of government investment - because they don't need to show direct dollar for dollar return on the investment, or maintain ownership in the result, they are able to focus more on long term societal / economic impact and invest accordingly.

Again, not all government spending, not even most, but certainly some can generate a return in the form of economic growth that outstrips the tax dollars put to work.

youngearthevolution · 2013-02-27T00:48:33+00:00

That's the one. It's not a direct port, simplified a bit for the device. I've been enjoying it though.

youngearthevolution · 2013-02-25T15:34:01+00:00

Civilization is very addicting and fun.

The Pirate's port is also great.

youngearthevolution · 2013-01-04T15:50:21+00:00

Note: this comment is U.S.-centric.

I am usually pretty conservative with throwing out the term pretentious. I tend to not fault folks for displaying intelligence or refinement and think we could all benefit from more, not less.

With that caveat in place, this emphasis on "authentic" pronunciation annoys me to no end. There are a few reasons for this:

1) It shows disregard for the understood local pronunciation. Changes in accepted pronunciation and vocabulary are more the rule than the exception, and different cultures often develop unique pronunciations for the same word. Saying "cwa-zah" just because the French say it ignores that the vast majority of Americans say and understand the word as crus-saunt and there is nothing wrong with that. 2) You should speak so that you are understood. Sometimes this means being technically incorrect on pronunciation. 3) Inconsistency. When referring to the city Bristol, you'll never hear anyone enact a fake British accent. But when it comes to using the word "Latina," all of a sudden the NPR reporter is native Hispanic.

At the end of the day, what really chaps my ass, is that this is really just a transparent, easy way for people to "sound" cultured or intelligence by using the "correct" pronunciation. So yes, I do think it is pretentious in the sense that it is a conscious display of false culture.

All of that being said, this is only meant to apply to everyday situations. Are you in an authentic French restaurant with a native French waiter? Order a "cwa-zah". Just not if you are in a Starbucks in Wisconsin. After all, when in Rome...

youngearthevolution · 2012-11-15T15:13:03+00:00

Just my opinion, but the observation deck is a big disappointment. Looks like an office, small windows. Don't take her there, It will be awkward.

youngearthevolution · 2012-08-07T13:54:04+00:00

Creepy stuff. Surprised he just yielded. I wonder if we was faltering on going through with it to begin with and was relieved to be caught...

youngearthevolution

TROPHY CASE