Monthly Archives: June 2014

Las Vegas vs. China’s Replica Cities

Posted on 28 June, 2014 by alfin2101

When Las Vegas does New York, Venice, Egypt, or Paris, it is purely for show. These “mini-replicas” are meant only as enticement, to bring guests into casinos where they can promptly lose large amounts of money. People come from all … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics | 1 Comment

Demography and Dysgenics: The Challenge of An Ebbing Tide

Posted on 26 June, 2014 by alfin2101

The developed world is getting older. If a nation can attract very high quality immigrants, it will better withstand the ageing and dying away of its high IQ populations. But the nations that are inundated by violent, non-productive, low IQ … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Blacks and crime, Demographics, Dysgenics, Fertility | Tagged | 6 Comments

Global Nuclear War Making a Comeback Under Putin, Obama?

Posted on 25 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Remember the grand old days of the USSR? Remember Dr. Strangelove, Alas Babylon, Lucifer’s Hammer, Earth Abides, On the Beach, and the large number of other popular works that both shaped and reflected the widespread nightmares of global nuclear war? … Continue reading →

Posted in Doom, Nuclear War, Rebuilding Civilisation, Russia, Survival Prepping, Weapons | 6 Comments

“Everything You Think You Know Just Ain’t So:” And That Ain’t the Half of It

Posted on 22 June, 2014 by alfin2101

The human brain attempts to impose order on the world it perceives. The brain “makes sense” of its observations by grouping them together in ways that seem to help predict the future and guide actions for best results. Most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Everything You Think You Know Just Ain't So, Human Brain, Knowledge, Learning Theory | Tagged | 2 Comments

Pessimism: It’s Easier and More Natural

Posted on 20 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Think of “Pessimism” as the default state for “experts” and “know it alls” …our innate tendency to be pessimistic but also want to be certain about the future means that “the gloom-mongers have it easy,” as author Dan Gardner argues … Continue reading →

Posted in Folly of Prediction, Future, Optimism, Technology | Comments Off on Pessimism: It’s Easier and More Natural

Obama Driving Record Numbers of Americans to Renounce US

Posted on 18 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Record Numbers Renouncing US Citizenship Under US President Obama, more US citizens have renounced their citizenship than in the previous 10 years. 1,001 U.S. citizens and green-card holders had renounced their allegiance in the first three months of the year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Obama | 2 Comments

Begging for Technology: Why Russia is Lost Without Foreign Expertise

Posted on 17 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Russia faces a dilemma: it still needs Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Halliburton Co. (HAL) and BP Plc (BP/) to maintain output from Soviet-era oil fields and develop Arctic and shale reserves. Russia will require Western companies to provide the modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Russian Oil Curse, Siberia, Technology | 2 Comments

Billionaires Come and Go; Global Debt Grows

Posted on 16 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Roughly two-thirds of the billionaires built their own fortunes, 13% inherited them and 21% have been adding on to fortunes they received. _Forbes 2014 Billionaires List There is a good deal of turnover among the ranks of billionaires. In productive … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics | Comments Off on Billionaires Come and Go; Global Debt Grows

Oil Prices Swinging Every Which Way: What Next?

Posted on 13 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Why oil prices may go up All in all, about 3.5 million barrels of oil a day have been off the market around the world since last fall Up until 2011, an average of 500,000 barrels of oil a day … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Oil Prices | Comments Off on Oil Prices Swinging Every Which Way: What Next?

Sex Coaching — A New Career Niche

Posted on 12 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Between the career niche of “Life Coaching” and the career niche of “Sex Surrogate,” is the wide-open career niche of “Sex Coaching.” [Life] Coaching is a training or development process via which an individual is supported while achieving a specific … Continue reading →

Posted in Prostitution, Sex | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Sex Coaching — A New Career Niche

Fast Charge for Super-Brains: tDCS Brain Boosting

Posted on 11 June, 2014 by alfin2101

…how can a minuscule amount of electricity, applied to the skull for 20 minutes or so, like jumper cables for the brain, make people think better? On Friday the 13th of September, in an old brick building on 13th Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Brain, Technology | Tagged | Comments Off on Fast Charge for Super-Brains: tDCS Brain Boosting

Reforming Government: We’re Going to Need A Lot More Guillotines!

Posted on 10 June, 2014 by alfin2101

How Do We Decide How Many Guillotines Are Enough? Since 1990, the number of government workers has expanded by some five million to some twenty million… a growth rate roughly twice that of the population as a whole. … At … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Enlightenment, Idiocracy, satire | Tagged | 2 Comments

Sorry Doomers: An Impressive Future for North American Tight Oil&Gas

Posted on 8 June, 2014 by alfin2101

North American energy prices for oil and gas have stabilised over the past few years, as production from tight rock has risen sharply. Production for both oil & gas is expected to continue rising over the next decade, perhaps much … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Shale Oil & Gas Revolution | 1 Comment

Floating Fantasy: Can a Seastead be Made Unsinkable?

Posted on 7 June, 2014 by alfin2101

A floating city — or seastead — is vulnerable to sinking. But floating vessels can be made more or less sinkable, depending upon the design. How close can we come to building an “unsinkable” seastead? A Chinese government-owned construction company, … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Ocean, Shelter, Technology | 7 Comments

Russian Oil Curse Part II

Posted on 6 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Putin has relied upon the inherited wealth of the hydrocarbon sector to circumvent change and shore up his power. His fortunes are now tied to oil and gas more than ever before, despite the fact that Russia is quickly running … Continue reading →

Posted in Russia, Russian Oil Curse | 2 Comments

China’s Economy Blowing More Bubbles; Russian Brains and Capital Flee

Posted on 3 June, 2014 by alfin2101

“I think Chinese property is the Titanic about to crash into the iceberg right in front of it,” Pan Shiyi, billionaire chairman of commercial developer SOHO China, said at a forum, China Business News reported. __ NZHerald China’s economy may … Continue reading →

Posted in Brain Drain, China, Economics, Russia | 6 Comments

Outer Space Optimism: A Retro Perspective on Human Expansion that is Long Overdue

Posted on 2 June, 2014 by alfin2101

Humans have always been a migratory race, constantly on the move to find better lands for hunting, grazing, agriculture, and other resources. As long as humans were subject to natural selection, the human peoples had a tendency to evolve new … Continue reading →

Posted in Idiocracy, Space Future | Tagged | 10 Comments