Can't argue with anything you said about F1. Ricciardo needs to leave, and Sargent as well.
Funny you should mention IQ, since Mr. Leyland used aggregate numbers from Israel and India to tell me how Indians as a whole are inferior.
I have another subtle point about the IQ test, the MAKERS of the test did not intend it to be used as a indicator of suitability, or to cast a linear curve the way people interpret it. Don't know if that was in Taleb's article (DNR), but just throwing it out there.
The difficulty with using IQ to shit on Indians is that, just by bell curve and population mechanics/numbers, there are gonna be a LOT more 130IQ Indians that 130IQ Israelis. The same is true of China, about whom the Russians used to say, "If you could machine-gun a million a day, you'd have three years' work ahead of you."
I literally DID THE MATH to show that there would be SOME outliers compatible with Western norms and how the SUBSTANTIALLY lower mean interacts with 4x higher population. 4x population only means 4x as many competent people if the means are similar.
Indian Supremacists need to also explain:
* GDP/capita (compared to, say, Vietnam which was communist until 1990)
* Olympic medals (compared to wee Ireland)
* PISA scores (72/74 in 2009, before dropping out)
* The fact that Indian nationals will do almost ANYTHING to escape India
I don't recall ever mentioning Israel (but I suppose it is possible):
>>> import statistics
>>> india = statistics.NormalDist(mu=76, sigma=15)
>>> round(100*(1 - india.cdf(100)), 2)
5.48
>>> round(100*(1 - india.cdf(115)), 2)
0.47
If these numbers are correct, around than 5% of Indians can compete for a 100 IQ job, and less than 0.5% for a 115 IQ job.
If the top 10% of Indians are already integrated into the global economy, the maximum IQ of those "waiting in the wings" to take over a Western job if WFH persists is:
>>> round(india.inv_cdf(0.90))
95
...
So 10% of Indians are CURRENTLY integrated into the global economy, the marginal Indian worker who is NOT ALREADY in the global economy (90th percentile in India) falls between the state AVERAGE of #49 Louisiana and #50 Mississippi.
Even with all that, I think it's fair to say that we have no "Indian supremacists" arguing on ACF. We have a few fellows who happen to hail from India and, while they are realistic about their country as we try to be about ours, will bristle if this forum turns into an endless rant on Indians as a whole.
My livelihood has been adversely impacted by H1-Bs -- but the truth of it was that it was American corporate lizards, working from the basest instincts possible, who created the situation, not the fellows who came here to do the work.
If a company in Switzerland offered me 5x my current wage to go work in Switzerland, I'd do it in a heartbeat, even if I had to lie on my resume and live in a cramped apartment once I got there. I have absolute sympathy for the people who come here to better their lives, and absolute hatred for the people who are misusing Indians and other folks to destroy the standard of living in the USA.
I certainly don't blame the Indians but our corporate lizards should be hanged. I still want to limit immigration which doesn't mean I hate Indians or Mexicans or anyone else. Except Russians. I guess we're allowed to hate THOSE immigrants again and I gotta hate someone
I've posted similar comments about not hating the individuals who take advantage of the situation, and that the blame lies with the politicians and other lizard people.
A lot of this started with Boom's bold claim that if WFH continued, all white collar work would move to India. I used statistics to dispute that claim, given India's state of education and human capital and the large number of corporations that already have offices in country.
It is very typical for Indians to simultaneously:
1) Insult Europeans as ignorant, stupid, and lazy
2) Brag and praise about the superiority of India and Indian pepole
3) Argue fiercely with anything that conflicts with #2
4) Work 24/7 to avoid returning to India
If more Indians took an attitude of "Yeah, it's objectively a shithole with a lot of really dumb people, I'm glad I was in the top 0.01% and made it out, and I just try to be a good citizen in my new country," then they would attract a lot less resentment.
I'm comfortable saying the following about my culture:
North Americans are disgustingly fat, and Europe is catching up. The Scottish have shockingly high substance abuse rates. The English are wankers. The West has adopted numerous toxic, self-desructive, and evil ideologies. Marriage is all but extinct in most of the West. White people are literally GOING extinct due to sub-replacement fertility. American food contains too much soy and GMO.
The main issue (irrespective of the lying and the "are they actually getting these jobs on merit?" question) is just the ethnic nepotism networks and the often overt antiwhite hatred.
if white guys started moving to india and turning indian multinationals alabaster employee by employee, Indians would have a right to be extremely pissed about it, and the intelligence of the white people replacing them would be mostly irrelevant in the matter. The same is true in reverse
All these debates come down to an issue of "what percentage of [people X] are smart? what percent are crooks? What percent are kind, open people who can assimilate into judeo-christian values?
It's difficult to estimate the proportions, since good data are hard to come by (and most likely illegal to attest to in print in the US!) That said, the anecdotes don't always paint a pretty picture.
our clique would be ILLEGAL and aggressively prosecuted!
This is even stranger...the company had a DUTY to protect sensitive military technology from non-citizens, and then got nailed for not making an exception for a strange edge cases. I think that the law is possibly incorrect here. Suppose the Native Americans were to rise up against people like me and I went to Israel for asylum: would the Israelis give me access to sensitive tech, or would they say "we'll let you stay for your safety, but try working at a bank or a bakery or something."
The fact that Liam Lawson is watching this year while Dan Ric, Sargent, and Stroll drive really highlights the fact that driving talent is far from the only consideration F1 teams have when hiring their drivers.
Lance Stroll has an absolute ironclad right to drive in Formula 1, given his father poured tens of millions of dollars into his junior career, funded his seat at Williams, rescued the Force India team from administration, and invested hundreds of millions into the “Aston Martin” team.
Lance can race F1 until he’s 50 if his father is still willing to fund it.
One could make an argument that Max should be looking at Aston Martin for 2026, or more likely 2027 (if the Red Bull Powertrains effort goes poorly):
Honda engine; Aramco fuel and oil (outside budget cap I believe); Aramco’s ability and willingness to pay Max (he could probably get $250MM / year). If they can lure Adrian Newey over it would make sense.
This 100 percent. And could Andretti do any worse than Sauber or Alpine? And you can imagine the team could afford more than 2 chassis and wouldn't bite its nails every time a driver crashed.
"And could Andretti do any worse than Sauber or Alpine?"
My God, they could.
They could be 5 seconds off the pace. They could be where Minardi was before they got Tsunoda. (Kidding sorta).
I met Gene Haas and visited his shop before they did their first season. I also went to their NASCAR shop. The difference between the two was like the difference between a modern supercomputer and a TI calculator. People have no idea how hard it is to be DFL in F1. Look how easily Williams just knocked out the Best Porsche Engine Of All Time. As a side gig.
As a constructor, Andretti might post the worst record in the modern era. They have zero idea what it takes.
One of the biggest problems with 'IQ' is that being too far above the mean is almost as bad as being just as far below. Because the world is made for the mean and the further you get from that, the harder certain things can get. Language and communication being key among them.
Take the phrase 'Drive it like you stole it'. It has two distinct meanings, right?
I know one very smart woman who is often very annoyed. The other smart people I know of both genders seem mostly be very successful and happy. I think that having PhD's from good schools has helped most of them to get good jobs that don't bore them (to Jack's observation that often midwits are better at jobs than the highly intelligent).
I think it was Oliver Sacks who said that people who have outsized abilities in intelligence or art often show minor symptoms of major mental illnesses.
Drive carefully, obey all the laws, don't attract any attention.
THAT was what it meant to me. If you stole it, you sure as hell don't want to be caught in it. Also, after going to the trouble of stealing it, why would you want to wreck it (as well as go to jail)?
i thought driving it like you stole it was used to describe joyriding more specifically because if you stole it youd need to escape custody if you were in danger of getting caught
Excellent example of language having two meanings depending on which end of the spectrum you are on. At one end you may actually be confused if you don’t have context.
My problem is if I “Drive it like I stole it.” I am still getting caught by the cops or passed on the cart track. Know your limitations and stay out of the left lane of there is faster traffic is what I have to do.
I am having difficulty understanding why you are obsessed with what other people think of Indians, particularly those who might criticize in any way or have a view on “castes” that doesn’t align with yours.
The same could be said for posters who are obsessed with Israel and believe that anyone who dares criticize Israel(is) is a petty, jealous, Jew-hating antisemite.
No doubt he doesn't want to pay money to read people who just rant about his countrymen -- even if he disagrees with them.
I'd stand idly by while New York City got dropped into a woodchipper -- but if I moved to Germany and some people were always ragging on the USA, I can guarantee you I'd work up some patriotism.
You don't just post in self-defense. You often make triumphant "obvious" and "common sense" posts that Indians are better than Europeans and Euro-Americans in every meaningful respect; that therefore displacement is natural, obvious, just, and rightfully will only accelerate; and that anyone who objects to this glorious process should probably be ashamed of himself.
When challenged with counterexamples, you dismiss them as anecdotes.
When challenged with statistics, you dismiss the statistics (or, today, the concept of IQ testing itself).
Attempting to characterize legitimate data as "ridiculous tropes" doesn't change the truth of the ideas presented.
A very smart man once gave me some advice about arguing with internet randos: "It doesn't earn you a dime, does it?"
I had a splendid time watching the eclipse with my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids at their friend's place in Cleveland. Showed the kids how to make a pinhole camera to watch the eclipse. Totality was cosmically amazing. Took home some pulled beef from Mendel's KC BBQ. Everyone made it home safely. Life is good.
Intuitive improvisation is the secret of genius per Max Zorin. Yet he goes out of his airship and tries to whack some limey hanging off some suspension bridge, and gets himself killed instead.
The sight of AARP-aged Roger Moore clomping up the stairs at Le Tour Eiffel in pursuit of May Day after a delightful lunch at Restaurant Jules Verne really sets the tone.
I don’t think any tests measure spatial intelligence aside from the drivers test.
I do think drawing stems from spatial intelligence.
There was no test or grade that would indicate that I could design and solve problems at 3x the rate of my peers, and that I could also work at 2x the speed of my mechanics.
I think spatial intelligence is tied to testosterone in a way that nerds and study Asian NPCs really don’t want to acknowledge.
A friend who has played and taught guitar professionally once said, "There's no such thing as talent. It's just technique and practice."
"What about improvisational solos?"
"Oh, I was just talking about playing. Soloing, writing songs, that takes talent."
Knowing how to draw would help me in a lot of things that I do so I asked another friend, who did commercial art and taught art and illustration at the collegiate level, how to learn how to draw. He said to start drawing 30 minutes a day. "What about technical stuff like perspective?" "Oh, that you can learn in minutes, but you can only learn how to draw by drawing."
Interestingly, when people ask me about become writers, I pretty much tell them the same thing. Start writing and eventually you'll find your voice. Oh, and read Strunk & White and once you're good at following their rules you can start to break them.
Yeah, I pretty much tell people the same thing, you have to keep doing it to learn how to do it well. I don't tell them about grammar books though. As I've mentioned before, it's pretty much a waste of time. After all there are I think 4 major grammar books and they agree on almost nothing? English grammar is a complete bitch that changes it's clothes, makeup, and shoes, like every other minute.
Just make it entertaining and understandable and you'll do okay.
They're supposed to be building the future, or at least bridges and airplanes, and they can't pull a coherent image off a piece of paper with a pencil.
In reality, for me, I've spent too much time on a computer.
I used to have less than decent handwriting but it wasn't terrible. I would struggle today to write a legible paragraph.
When I had to draw on graph paper for math or engineering, it wasn't bad. Today its terrible. I struggled last week just just to put a state diagram on a white board. It's all about practice.
Because we only have to draw one bird and label it "Bird (typ.)". Or better yet just use a keynote and a legend that says "bird (see sheet C702 for bird detail)" and paste in the standard detail from your bird vendor.
"See Ref. 25-788-A-Ver. 6K on DWG5623-7790-F, Rev J for currently-approved 'BIRD.' Not for common distribution outside of Design Department. Penalties apply."
Must specify type of bird, male/female, age, mass, color, number of feathers, color of eyes, size and hardness of beak, length of talons, expected angle of wing rotation, and anything else that the vendor (or your own purchasing dept) might try to cheap out on. Lock it down in the initial quote dwg!!!!
When I'm designing something, I might make a crude sketch or two, certainly take some measurements, but then I just start cutting wood or using CAD etc.
This fucking iPhone makes me sound like a short bus parole with the spelling and word interjecting however. I’m now refusing to have to visit the physical site to edit.
I’m too dum to know what spatial intelligence means but it sounds something like the ASTB? Jack you might want to learn that acronym based on your son’s intended path.
Good equipment operators have excellent spatial awareness. Some of the operators at the customer sites I go to can thread a needle with twin 20ft containers
WAIS includes at least Block Design and probably other visual-spatial subtests
Most evaluations include the Rey–Osterrieth complex figure
AFTQ includes at least some spatial relations (object rotation, I think)
there are probably others
Also, there *IS* a relationship between visual-spatial and testosterone (although many studies said low-T men did *better*). Also some researchers believe that depression affects VS more strongly than verbal.
I was sitting on my back porch smoking cigars when the CEO of f-1 Miami called me and asked "Do you want to go to the race" I had just had a child so I had to regretfully tell him "No" This story is partially true.
We live in an era where it is very easy and popular to cut things down, but few seem to offer a superior alternative. In days gone by, it seems that it was understood the latest and greatest was known to be flawed, but was used until the improved version, or a better technology, came along. Now we just dig in for or against and yell at the opposing side.
It also seems that an IQ test would be the most useful, in a truly compassionate society, to understand which people rank low, so that extra help could be given to them. But that doesn’t seem to be the way the world works.
Btw, kudos to you, Jack, for the Max Zorin reference. It seems most folks have blocked him from their minds.
I hadn't considered Suzuka, mostly because flying from the East Coast to Asia is a long miserable slog, but I did similar math with Europe and Canada. If I attend F1 in person, the most likely candidates are Budapest and Montreal. My company has an office in both places, so I might even get some of my travel expenses paid for.
Having been to the city it is wonderful. The food is great and do the Lada car city tour and see the Memorial Park with the Soviet sculptures and hit some of the thermal baths and do a river tour. We missed the race but you will have plenty of other things to do. Wonderful time.
I think Zandvoort would be an absolute blast, but be sure to rent a bicycle that can carry at least 4 Heineken minikegs. Honorable mentions to Austria, Hungary, and any of the Asian races with the exception of China.
Montreal rocks….no, I mean it; the town literally parties non-stop on GP weekend and the women are breathtakingly gorgeous in their European fashions. Great town, and the race is cool too.
Yeah, getting in and out is painful. I’ve had the good fortune of taking the boats down the canal, but the novelty wears off on that pretty quick when it’s pouring rain and there’s not enough cover aboard. You still have to line up coming and going. Last year we figured out a super secret back route that took us down the road where the driver’s road cars are parked. It turned out to be a long walk, but still shorter than waiting in line for the boats.
The boats are the best option to return IMO. I tried the secret way last year and it was just as long. Coming there we had good luck to take Ubers that dropped us off before the bridges.
It rained like mad two years ago, we were freezing Saturday. Still fun. Paying $800 a night for accommodations wasn't that fun though.
Important thing about Logan’s race; the Williams pit crew hosed him (at the same time that Yuki’s crew elevated him to the front of that mid pack battle and, ultimately, a points finish).
After that he made an (unforced) error at Degner 2, one of the toughest corners on the calendar. Before he pitted, he was racy within the midfield and driving an assured race.
Had things broken a bit differently, he could’ve been tenth. That would’ve been a great result for him, obviously.
When Alex crashed in Australia, he took over Logan’s chassis. Logan campaigned the repaired (i.e., heavier) chassis in Japan. Logan crashed it pretty heavily in FP1 at Suzuka (bizarre). Alex departed the Grand Prix at Turn 2 courtesy of the Village Idiot.
If Alex’s chassis (Logan’s old chassis) is cracked, will they stand Logan down in China? The spare Williams chassis won’t be ready until Miami at the earliest.
My father, a truly humble man of staggering talents that I have long since given up on approaching living up to, was most proud of mastering the 81mm mortar using the .22 training rounds on the 1:10 range. I think that was all the Army could afford to let them use at the time.
In the olden days they had an 81mm sabot fired with .22 caliber blanks onto a 1:10 scale range to learn how to calculate the trajectories and whatnnot. So once again, if you have a well above average person do some math, you can teach an average to above average person some math, to allow them to accurately drop explosives on people. And isn't that what it's really all about?
Spud Webb at 5'6" was better at basketball than most 6'6" men.
But if I were captain of an aircraft carrier and had 15 minutes to assemble 10 basketball teams, I'd probably have everyone line up by height and pick the top 50.
Now the question is: Can Caitlin Clark, or whatever her name is, shine against the WNBA? Or would she fare better, in the immortal words of Don Imus, against the Toronto Raptors?
Based on her play Sunday I'd say she's going to be a solid top 20% player but nothing special. Iowa built a team around her outside shot, but she offered little value in all the other aspects of the sport in that game, little off the ball movement and basically 0 defense. (Note, the national championship game was the only game of hers I watched, perhaps she was not playing her best game)
As someone who grew up in CT in the 1990s watching UConn men and women’s basketball, I do find the Caitlin spectacle a little interesting. I haven’t sat down and done the spec comparisons, nor do I intend to, but I’d she really more dominant than Rebecca Lobo or Sue Bird or Diana Turasi or others? UConn was so dominant for so long, going undefeated multiple seasons and winning championships, that I don’t know if Clark is that great or it’s just recency bias.
I think Caitlin has very good basketball IQ (to get back to that topic, eh), sees the court far better than anyone else at the college level. Up there with Lindsay Whalen and Diana Taurasi. I really don't like the women's game generally, but a few players make it worthwhile. I think Caitlin will play better when the pressure is off her to do everything.
Looked like she had a down game, but she still made some good passes that I don't think anyone else would've seen. The two-person game between Stuelke and Clark was fun to watch at times -- give and go's, cuts, backdoors, etc. held some promise, but SC's gigantic center made life on the inside impossible for Iowa. SC had too many superior players, leaving Iowa with no good options besides Clark. I think she got frustrated and gave up. It was pretty clear SC was far better from the start, and it was a matter of time before SC pulled away.
Very similar feel as the men's Purdue / UConn champ game. Purdue needed more than Edey and didn't have it.
I’ll give you an example of her basketball IQ. In the semifinal against UCON, Iowa was up two with 3.9 seconds left and had an inbound under their basket. UCON tried to defend the Iowa stack play by putting there tallest player facing the stack with arms spread with her back to Clark who was inbounding the ball. Clark looks around and calmly bounces the inbound pass off the defender’s backside and lets it dribble back out of bounds. It takes the clock to .9 seconds for the next inbound pass so the game is effectively over. That can be a common play in high school but took some nerve and awareness to do it in that situation.
She should really consider Ice Cube's $5 million Big3 offer. I don't think she could come close to hanging with even retired NBAers, but, the top salary in the WNBA is (and this isn't a typo) < $250k. As an added bonus, this move could really help prove a point about biological advantage to the side that's full of people who never did anything competitive and coincidentally also see nothing wrong with letting people with dongs entering female MMA or weight lifting events.
I played pickup ball against a couple of women NC State basketball players when I was living in Raleigh. They both started for a division I team. Neither of them could score on me, ever. I played one year of small college ball. I am 6’2” and could dunk. I was much quicker and faster than them. I was a mediocre player but I think I could take Caitlin Clark in my prime. That is not boasting because I think every player on my high school team could beat her.
I hate to generalize (not really), but it seems like in the women's game, when the women get taller, they really get slow. This is common sense, but it's damn near universal. This same thing happens in the men's game of course, but the men need to be much taller to get as slow. Most of the women over 6' are ploddingly slow, can't jump over 3 inches, and are unwatchable. Maybe the men's game, with many more years in which to mature, has already weeded out the worst big slow guys. Unless they're REALLY big, that is, like good old Zach Edey from Purdue. But even he is more athletic than many female centers in the college game.
i am always seeing these post bragging about ashkenazi jewish iq scores. i think it’s really odd to point out that jews score on average 10 points higher than asians. asia is a very diverse place. how do jewish scores compare to the scores of koreans or the japanese? i bet you it ain’t a big differential. for the record, i’m ashkenazi and i have spent my life getting outsmarted by people who have a lower iq tan me. i think the whole thing is bs.
As a Gentile, I don't know if it is bragging as much as defense against resentment. IQ, combined with a cultural emphasis on education, provides an alternative to nepotism for explaining Jewish overachievement.
As I understand it, northern Asians have higher average IQs than Ashkenazim. I'm about 99% Ashkenazi myself and it doesn't bother me that there are smarter cultures than mine.
Regarding IQ, the joke here in Michigan is "What do Michigan graduates call Michigan State grads?" Boss.
i'd like to add that i logged back on to delete my comment because i thought it was obnoxious and possibly humble bragging. but i was so impressed with the responses that i've decided to leave it.
It is impossible to both talk about your intelligence and be polite. You have to either brag, humblebrag, or self deprecate, and it it still feels awkward.
Jack is on record with his belief that wearing a Rolex Daytona is cringe, unless you “earned” the watch by winning in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (sponsorship agreement began in the early ‘90s) or, presumably, by winning overall at Le Mans (only the overall winner “earns” a Daytona at Le Mans).
Mark Webber conducts podium interviews for Formula 1 from time to time; predictably, he did so recently in Australia. He is a Rolex “testimonee” (i.e., spokesperson) like Jackie Stewart. Neither of them have ever won Daytona or Le Mans; so what do they think they are doing prancing around with a Cosmograph on their wrist??
NB - I don’t necessarily agree with this belief, but it’s not a big deal to me. I owned, enjoyed, and eventually sold a Daytona.
On a similar “stolen valor” tangent:
I think it’s downright pathetic for someone who is not a member of Augusta National to wear any branded Masters - or, even worse, Augusta National - merchandise.
Given the flex that is getting Masters tickets I would argue that if you’ve been to ANGC, you can wear the merch.
To say otherwise is like saying if you aren’t an owner or otherwise staff of the Red Sox, or haven’t played a game on Fenway Park field, you can’t wear Red Sox merch.
We don’t need to go through life gatekeeping everything.
I would also not presume to tell Mark Webber, or especially Jackie Stewart, what they can and can’t do.
I don’t think going to the Masters is a flex; wearing the merch illustrates that the wearer thinks it IS a flex.
Being a member is a flex, but very few of the members would ever flex about it - both because they don’t need to, and because they know it would be seen as tacky (by their peers).
His bio lists a number of affiliations, memberships, etc. He is an Augusta National member, but he would never put that in his bio. It *might* be in his obituary.
You may not think going to the Masters is a flex, but it is the most desirable ticket in one of the US’s most prominent sports. I would have a hard time choosing between tickets to the Masters, Super Bowl, and Final Four/National Championship game for men’s college bball. I’d take Master’s tickets hands down over World Series or NBA finals or Stanley Cup tickets, no question. I would happily wear a shirt or hat from the Masters, and be happy to tell anyone who didn’t like it they can fuck off.
I don’t play golf. I don’t watch golf. I might watch an hour or two of the Masters on Sunday, if it’s close. I have not been to the Masters since I was a teenager (I went once with my grandfather, who was friends with a member - both are dead now).
I have been invited to play the course … but I don’t play golf, so I turned it down.
I have never been impressed by what one wears, but understand it is a symbol. Now if you have qualified for the Boston Marathon or an ultramarathon in your age you have my respect. (Not talking about people who qualify for a charity spot or an athletic company spot).
Exactly. When it was one a boat and not a swag bag/get one with entry they were the bomb. Now you’re a douche.
Always enjoyed the races in Key West but did more scuba diving. I would spend more time feeding the fishes on a boat than being an effective crew mate.
What I said was that a Daytona should not be worn by any driver who might at some point in his career be in, or adjacent to, the chance to win one.
If non-competitive people on the street want to wear a Daytona, more power to them. If a Lemons racer wants to... who cares. But if I go to an SCCA or IMSA race and see a Daytona on your wrist, I'm gonna ask you what year you won it.
The equivalent I think in cycling is the maillot jeune. I could wear a yellow jersey while riding road. But if a Cat 1 rider wears it without earning it, they're gonna get hassled.
Yeah, this is gatekeeping, but you gotta be in the club for it to apply to you. I don't walk around a restaurant at dinner and complain that people have the nerve to wear a Daytona.
There is a lot of mystique surrounding the Daytona, whether from car / motorsports people or people who are entirely unaware of the racing connection.
The Daytona seemed a lot less special to me after I bought a Royal Oak. The Daytona bracelet is simply the Oyster bracelet (i.e., the same as the Submariner, etc.) with polished center links. Rolex’s best bracelet is the Jubliee, imo. The Daytona case is very similar to that of the other Rolex sport models, the dial is fairly illegible, the chronograph functionality robs you of the large sweeping second hand (unless you have the chrono running), there’s no date window, etc.
Cameron Weiss is on record claiming that Vacheron’s finishing exceeds AP or Patek; I have never seen anyone wearing any Vacheron other than an Overseas in real life. The problem with Vacheron is that it is owned by Richemont. As is Lange.
I am usually a few days behind in catching up with all my ACF comments, so this will most likely get buried, but had to contribute to a watch related discussion.
GS and Seiko (medium - high end) are so underrated, many times within the watch enthusiasts world, much less the general "watch aware" public.
Last December, I bought a Seiko SPB143 for my college age son. He expressed an interest in his first nice watch, so I set myself a budget of $1000. I ordered the watch from a local AD in the Atlanta area, and got it for $972 out the door with tax. Fantastic watch and quality for the money, great value. He loves it.
I was so impressed with the SPB143 I ended up purchasing a Seiko SJE093 (one of the many "reissues" of the Seiko's first 62MAS diver) for myself. I don't like Seiko's practice of limited editions etc. but I've always wanted a Seiko diver this size (38mm and < 13mm thick), and I'm a sucker for the vintage skin diver style and size.
I have owned many high end swiss watches and the first time I was in a GS shop, I was very, very impressed with the quality and finishing. Styling and size don't suit me, but very impressive watches.
MY brother has a couple of Grand Seikos including the usual Snowflake. I *wish* I had some, the closest I can come is a very nice Presage I bought from an AD in Kuala Lumpur five years ago. It's just lovely and bears evidence of careful finishing everywhere you look.
That SBP143 feels like 95% of a Submariner, plus it might last longer -- call it an ES350 to the Submariner's E-Class? The SLA017 appears to close the gap entirely, albeit for more money.
Tried on the AP RO 15550 recently at the Atlanta AD. The bracelet and dial are absolutely special. If it wasn't for inability to get the 15550 at retail and social media stigma of AP these days, I would absolutely be saving my pennies for the RO.
I always say that APs, particularly Royal Oaks and Code 11:59s, need to be seen in person, ideally on your wrist, to appreciate them. The bracelet really makes the watch.
Be patient - prices continue to trend back toward earth, and I think you will be able to secure what you want either at retail from an AD or in the secondary market with an acceptable premium to MSRP (and no sales tax).
I agree with the social media stigma comment - I’d rather they were not so polarizing.
Finally, it is my understanding that the Atlanta AP / Watches of Switzerland boutique will be closing imminently. It opened during summer of 2019, so perhaps it was a five year commitment / lease.
My buddies have a tournament every year where the winner gets a really bad green sport coat that was bought at Goodwill. They get much drunker than the real Masters’ winner, so there is achievement involved.
Join the club! I like to skewer the Chicago politicians, but questioning why I’m still doing it. I’m never moving back there, will hardly ever visit, and should just stop paying attention to anything over there since it’s my past life. I guess it’s kind like watching a train wreck, hard to look away. But I come up with these one line zingers about the current absurdity there that make me laugh so I comment. I should stop paying attention to Chicago and Illinois going forward because of all the negativity there.
Apr 11·edited Apr 11Liked by Sherman McCoy, Jack Baruth
Jackie Stewart was a three-time world champion and two-time runner-up at a time when men regularly died in horrific crashes, and he fought to make the sport safer for all.
Mark Webber's car went airborne, flipped lengthwise, slid on its roll hoop, then flipped back over and went into the tire barrier in a 190 mph crash during the 2010 European Grand Prix and he walked away.
Both men can line Daytonas up the length of their arms like 80s kids wearing Swatches. They've earned the right to do whatever the fuck they want.
Neither of them need lower themselves to the level of a candy-ass BOP series like IMSA; I say that as someone who has paid out of pocket to attend 40+ IMSA race weekends.
I always interpreted Jack's position as referring to wanna-be drivers, not guys who have actually gone wheel-to-wheel at truly dangerous speeds with any level of skill and talent.
I can't imagine him looking askance at Webber for wearing a Daytona. Now if it were a Monaco, that's another story...
Webber gets paid to wear a Daytona, which is why he wears it. If you work for Rolex, you're going to wear a Rolex.
He's certainly a better driver than I am, although he was lucky to have Vettel as a standard of comparison instead of say, one M. Verstappen, who would have lapped him in every race.
Point taken on him being paid to wear one, but if he simply wore one for the hell of it, I'd have no problem with it. I wasn't taking a shot at you, just saying the guy's earned the right to do what he wants with anyone gatekeeping him.
Yeah, if Max were his teammate we'd never have had the "Multi 21" meltdown.
I had to relook up 2015 results because I was sure he drove a 919 and that a 919 won, then I remembered how he got rocked by Hulk. I know he was heated given the talent of Timo and Hartley. I’d never wear a Daytona simply for the fact that it would remind me I went from being #2 in F1 to #2 in Le Mans.
The instrumental driver in the “dark horse” / third car 919 that ultimately won in 2015 was Nick Tandy, whose overnight quadruple stint made the difference.
Wearing a Daytona without having won at Daytona is the same as wearing a Submariner (or Seadweller) and not being a deep sea diver, or wearing a Skydweller and not being a pilot.
Can't argue with anything you said about F1. Ricciardo needs to leave, and Sargent as well.
Funny you should mention IQ, since Mr. Leyland used aggregate numbers from Israel and India to tell me how Indians as a whole are inferior.
I have another subtle point about the IQ test, the MAKERS of the test did not intend it to be used as a indicator of suitability, or to cast a linear curve the way people interpret it. Don't know if that was in Taleb's article (DNR), but just throwing it out there.
The difficulty with using IQ to shit on Indians is that, just by bell curve and population mechanics/numbers, there are gonna be a LOT more 130IQ Indians that 130IQ Israelis. The same is true of China, about whom the Russians used to say, "If you could machine-gun a million a day, you'd have three years' work ahead of you."
A fact I tried pointing out, and failed before being berated further.
I literally DID THE MATH to show that there would be SOME outliers compatible with Western norms and how the SUBSTANTIALLY lower mean interacts with 4x higher population. 4x population only means 4x as many competent people if the means are similar.
Indian Supremacists need to also explain:
* GDP/capita (compared to, say, Vietnam which was communist until 1990)
* Olympic medals (compared to wee Ireland)
* PISA scores (72/74 in 2009, before dropping out)
* The fact that Indian nationals will do almost ANYTHING to escape India
I don't recall ever mentioning Israel (but I suppose it is possible):
>>> import statistics
>>> india = statistics.NormalDist(mu=76, sigma=15)
>>> round(100*(1 - india.cdf(100)), 2)
5.48
>>> round(100*(1 - india.cdf(115)), 2)
0.47
If these numbers are correct, around than 5% of Indians can compete for a 100 IQ job, and less than 0.5% for a 115 IQ job.
If the top 10% of Indians are already integrated into the global economy, the maximum IQ of those "waiting in the wings" to take over a Western job if WFH persists is:
>>> round(india.inv_cdf(0.90))
95
...
So 10% of Indians are CURRENTLY integrated into the global economy, the marginal Indian worker who is NOT ALREADY in the global economy (90th percentile in India) falls between the state AVERAGE of #49 Louisiana and #50 Mississippi.
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/we-compared-average-iq-score-in-all-50-states-results-are-eye-opening.html
Even with all that, I think it's fair to say that we have no "Indian supremacists" arguing on ACF. We have a few fellows who happen to hail from India and, while they are realistic about their country as we try to be about ours, will bristle if this forum turns into an endless rant on Indians as a whole.
My livelihood has been adversely impacted by H1-Bs -- but the truth of it was that it was American corporate lizards, working from the basest instincts possible, who created the situation, not the fellows who came here to do the work.
If a company in Switzerland offered me 5x my current wage to go work in Switzerland, I'd do it in a heartbeat, even if I had to lie on my resume and live in a cramped apartment once I got there. I have absolute sympathy for the people who come here to better their lives, and absolute hatred for the people who are misusing Indians and other folks to destroy the standard of living in the USA.
I certainly don't blame the Indians but our corporate lizards should be hanged. I still want to limit immigration which doesn't mean I hate Indians or Mexicans or anyone else. Except Russians. I guess we're allowed to hate THOSE immigrants again and I gotta hate someone
I've posted similar comments about not hating the individuals who take advantage of the situation, and that the blame lies with the politicians and other lizard people.
A lot of this started with Boom's bold claim that if WFH continued, all white collar work would move to India. I used statistics to dispute that claim, given India's state of education and human capital and the large number of corporations that already have offices in country.
It is very typical for Indians to simultaneously:
1) Insult Europeans as ignorant, stupid, and lazy
2) Brag and praise about the superiority of India and Indian pepole
3) Argue fiercely with anything that conflicts with #2
4) Work 24/7 to avoid returning to India
If more Indians took an attitude of "Yeah, it's objectively a shithole with a lot of really dumb people, I'm glad I was in the top 0.01% and made it out, and I just try to be a good citizen in my new country," then they would attract a lot less resentment.
I'm comfortable saying the following about my culture:
North Americans are disgustingly fat, and Europe is catching up. The Scottish have shockingly high substance abuse rates. The English are wankers. The West has adopted numerous toxic, self-desructive, and evil ideologies. Marriage is all but extinct in most of the West. White people are literally GOING extinct due to sub-replacement fertility. American food contains too much soy and GMO.
The main issue (irrespective of the lying and the "are they actually getting these jobs on merit?" question) is just the ethnic nepotism networks and the often overt antiwhite hatred.
if white guys started moving to india and turning indian multinationals alabaster employee by employee, Indians would have a right to be extremely pissed about it, and the intelligence of the white people replacing them would be mostly irrelevant in the matter. The same is true in reverse
You're right.
If someone's giving something away, you'd be a fool not to take advantage of it.
Don't hate the player, comrade, hate the game. - Joe Stalin
Baruth :: fellows
Obama &c :: folks
>tfw i have to take a stats class to be racist on the internet
why does life have to be so hard
All these debates come down to an issue of "what percentage of [people X] are smart? what percent are crooks? What percent are kind, open people who can assimilate into judeo-christian values?
It's difficult to estimate the proportions, since good data are hard to come by (and most likely illegal to attest to in print in the US!) That said, the anecdotes don't always paint a pretty picture.
Speaking of anecdotes, the ones from this book https://tinyurl.com/3hvk8zwa
Contained in this twitter thread are HILARIOUS. https://tinyurl.com/3mn7hyj9
(The guy in question in the book still maintains his innocence--impressive chutzpah)
This service makes TwitterX threads more readable:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1768089462246900134.html
thanks bud
really makes me hate cliques of individuals that arent mine
our clique would be ILLEGAL and aggressively prosecuted!
This is even stranger...the company had a DUTY to protect sensitive military technology from non-citizens, and then got nailed for not making an exception for a strange edge cases. I think that the law is possibly incorrect here. Suppose the Native Americans were to rise up against people like me and I went to Israel for asylum: would the Israelis give me access to sensitive tech, or would they say "we'll let you stay for your safety, but try working at a bank or a bakery or something."
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-spacex-discriminating-against-asylees-and-refugees-hiring
The fact that Liam Lawson is watching this year while Dan Ric, Sargent, and Stroll drive really highlights the fact that driving talent is far from the only consideration F1 teams have when hiring their drivers.
Lance Stroll has an absolute ironclad right to drive in Formula 1, given his father poured tens of millions of dollars into his junior career, funded his seat at Williams, rescued the Force India team from administration, and invested hundreds of millions into the “Aston Martin” team.
Lance can race F1 until he’s 50 if his father is still willing to fund it.
One could make an argument that Max should be looking at Aston Martin for 2026, or more likely 2027 (if the Red Bull Powertrains effort goes poorly):
Honda engine; Aramco fuel and oil (outside budget cap I believe); Aramco’s ability and willingness to pay Max (he could probably get $250MM / year). If they can lure Adrian Newey over it would make sense.
I would have less of an issue with Stroll if F1 wasn't effectively a closed shop. I believe every team voted against Andretti joining.
Now I'm not saying Team Andretti would be any good, but there would be two more drivers jobs available.
This 100 percent. And could Andretti do any worse than Sauber or Alpine? And you can imagine the team could afford more than 2 chassis and wouldn't bite its nails every time a driver crashed.
"And could Andretti do any worse than Sauber or Alpine?"
My God, they could.
They could be 5 seconds off the pace. They could be where Minardi was before they got Tsunoda. (Kidding sorta).
I met Gene Haas and visited his shop before they did their first season. I also went to their NASCAR shop. The difference between the two was like the difference between a modern supercomputer and a TI calculator. People have no idea how hard it is to be DFL in F1. Look how easily Williams just knocked out the Best Porsche Engine Of All Time. As a side gig.
As a constructor, Andretti might post the worst record in the modern era. They have zero idea what it takes.
fair enough...
Andretti would finish multiple laps down to Logan.
When was the last time Andretti or GM raced in a development series?
Adrian Newey being worth much more than any driver! Have you read his book?
Of course I have!
Yeah, and you probably recommended it to me! It's not the kind of data I store in my ageing brain...
One of the biggest problems with 'IQ' is that being too far above the mean is almost as bad as being just as far below. Because the world is made for the mean and the further you get from that, the harder certain things can get. Language and communication being key among them.
Take the phrase 'Drive it like you stole it'. It has two distinct meanings, right?
Now you begin to see the problem.
I know one very smart woman who is often very annoyed. The other smart people I know of both genders seem mostly be very successful and happy. I think that having PhD's from good schools has helped most of them to get good jobs that don't bore them (to Jack's observation that often midwits are better at jobs than the highly intelligent).
I have said before, having intelligence above a certain threshold is indistinguishable from mental illness.
I think it was Oliver Sacks who said that people who have outsized abilities in intelligence or art often show minor symptoms of major mental illnesses.
It would be nice to have data on IQ versus mental issues. Gotta wonder what that correlation factor is
wait what do you mean it has two different meanings
What does it mean to you?
Go fast as hell? really not sure what else it could mean because ive only ever heard it in that context
Drive carefully, obey all the laws, don't attract any attention.
THAT was what it meant to me. If you stole it, you sure as hell don't want to be caught in it. Also, after going to the trouble of stealing it, why would you want to wreck it (as well as go to jail)?
i thought driving it like you stole it was used to describe joyriding more specifically because if you stole it youd need to escape custody if you were in danger of getting caught
Excellent example of language having two meanings depending on which end of the spectrum you are on. At one end you may actually be confused if you don’t have context.
My problem is if I “Drive it like I stole it.” I am still getting caught by the cops or passed on the cart track. Know your limitations and stay out of the left lane of there is faster traffic is what I have to do.
I missed the relevant discussion on Sunday.
I am having difficulty understanding why you are obsessed with what other people think of Indians, particularly those who might criticize in any way or have a view on “castes” that doesn’t align with yours.
The same could be said for posters who are obsessed with Israel and believe that anyone who dares criticize Israel(is) is a petty, jealous, Jew-hating antisemite.
He's Indian!
No doubt he doesn't want to pay money to read people who just rant about his countrymen -- even if he disagrees with them.
I'd stand idly by while New York City got dropped into a woodchipper -- but if I moved to Germany and some people were always ragging on the USA, I can guarantee you I'd work up some patriotism.
I'm not even patriotic. Some of the ridiculous tropes that get trotted out on every opportunity get to be grating..
There are many things wrong culturally with people from the subcontinent, but raw intelligence, or the lack there of is not an obvious one..
To be clear - I have no problem with India or its exports (i.e., Indians).
Most of the ones I personally know are smart, hard-working, ambitious, clever, etc … but don’t take themselves too seriously.
You don't just post in self-defense. You often make triumphant "obvious" and "common sense" posts that Indians are better than Europeans and Euro-Americans in every meaningful respect; that therefore displacement is natural, obvious, just, and rightfully will only accelerate; and that anyone who objects to this glorious process should probably be ashamed of himself.
When challenged with counterexamples, you dismiss them as anecdotes.
When challenged with statistics, you dismiss the statistics (or, today, the concept of IQ testing itself).
Attempting to characterize legitimate data as "ridiculous tropes" doesn't change the truth of the ideas presented.
Not once have I asserted anything of the sort... But keep at it Sir.. you have things to get off your chest
A very smart man once gave me some advice about arguing with internet randos: "It doesn't earn you a dime, does it?"
I had a splendid time watching the eclipse with my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids at their friend's place in Cleveland. Showed the kids how to make a pinhole camera to watch the eclipse. Totality was cosmically amazing. Took home some pulled beef from Mendel's KC BBQ. Everyone made it home safely. Life is good.
man
but what if arguing with randos could be turned into a profession
Then you'd be working for one of the lefty PACs that spam 4chan with low effort posts
id be a shitposting double agent in a heartbeat
not like lefty memes are good or hard to make
I don't value IQ, judge
Well how do you compare yourself to other golfers?
By height
Thank you very little.
Hope everyone is excited for King of the Baggers at COTA!
And some other races, too. I think it's European?
Intuitive improvisation is the secret of genius per Max Zorin. Yet he goes out of his airship and tries to whack some limey hanging off some suspension bridge, and gets himself killed instead.
You, Jack, are correct.
It was BAD intuitive improvisation!
One of my absolute favorite Bond movies.
The sight of AARP-aged Roger Moore clomping up the stairs at Le Tour Eiffel in pursuit of May Day after a delightful lunch at Restaurant Jules Verne really sets the tone.
I don’t think any tests measure spatial intelligence aside from the drivers test.
I do think drawing stems from spatial intelligence.
There was no test or grade that would indicate that I could design and solve problems at 3x the rate of my peers, and that I could also work at 2x the speed of my mechanics.
I think spatial intelligence is tied to testosterone in a way that nerds and study Asian NPCs really don’t want to acknowledge.
Ah, but why am I such a great driver, and have the temper control of a chimpanzee, when I can't draw, then? :)
Drawing is a skill that takes practice, just like any other skill.
Art, even more so - though having a certain amount of inborn talent will help.
A friend who has played and taught guitar professionally once said, "There's no such thing as talent. It's just technique and practice."
"What about improvisational solos?"
"Oh, I was just talking about playing. Soloing, writing songs, that takes talent."
Knowing how to draw would help me in a lot of things that I do so I asked another friend, who did commercial art and taught art and illustration at the collegiate level, how to learn how to draw. He said to start drawing 30 minutes a day. "What about technical stuff like perspective?" "Oh, that you can learn in minutes, but you can only learn how to draw by drawing."
Interestingly, when people ask me about become writers, I pretty much tell them the same thing. Start writing and eventually you'll find your voice. Oh, and read Strunk & White and once you're good at following their rules you can start to break them.
Yeah, I pretty much tell people the same thing, you have to keep doing it to learn how to do it well. I don't tell them about grammar books though. As I've mentioned before, it's pretty much a waste of time. After all there are I think 4 major grammar books and they agree on almost nothing? English grammar is a complete bitch that changes it's clothes, makeup, and shoes, like every other minute.
Just make it entertaining and understandable and you'll do okay.
Why can't ENGINEERS draw?
They're supposed to be building the future, or at least bridges and airplanes, and they can't pull a coherent image off a piece of paper with a pencil.
I resemble that remark!
In reality, for me, I've spent too much time on a computer.
I used to have less than decent handwriting but it wasn't terrible. I would struggle today to write a legible paragraph.
When I had to draw on graph paper for math or engineering, it wasn't bad. Today its terrible. I struggled last week just just to put a state diagram on a white board. It's all about practice.
My writing is so terrible that people have said I should have been a doctor. My reply is that I don’t have the patients for it!
I’m here all week—try the Caesar Salad!
bro im trying
ive only taken one class of technical drawing and apparently nobody uses pencil anymore
"The hardest part of any project is WANTING TO DO IT. Get that out of the way and everything else falls into place by itself."
"Don't try to be better than everyone else. Just try to be better than you were yesterday."
Two of the best pieces of wisdom I ever heard.
Testify!
If there’s a will, there’s a way.
Because we only have to draw one bird and label it "Bird (typ.)". Or better yet just use a keynote and a legend that says "bird (see sheet C702 for bird detail)" and paste in the standard detail from your bird vendor.
"See Ref. 25-788-A-Ver. 6K on DWG5623-7790-F, Rev J for currently-approved 'BIRD.' Not for common distribution outside of Design Department. Penalties apply."
Sounds confusing. I'll just write "contractor to match existing wingspan" and call it a day.
No no no no no no
Must specify type of bird, male/female, age, mass, color, number of feathers, color of eyes, size and hardness of beak, length of talons, expected angle of wing rotation, and anything else that the vendor (or your own purchasing dept) might try to cheap out on. Lock it down in the initial quote dwg!!!!
😂
If they are good engineers, then they can draw, or at least sketch out the idea. If they can’t draw/sketch, then they should do something else.
When I'm designing something, I might make a crude sketch or two, certainly take some measurements, but then I just start cutting wood or using CAD etc.
I can draft pretty well freehand. Better if I use a few basic tools.
Ask the guys giving you the bad drawings if they took any drafting classes or not.
I know it was a requirement when I got my degree, and I'm a EE
I draw extremely well with a an excellent mechanical intellect…probably why I gravitated towards Industrial Design.
This fucking iPhone makes me sound like a short bus parole with the spelling and word interjecting however. I’m now refusing to have to visit the physical site to edit.
Same here.
Look on the bright side considering the last German artist anyone talks about
Doubt it did, but if that scene in the show "The Gentlemen" used authentic paintings, he wasn't as bad as people say.
Edit: his work is not great not terrible.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hitler+paintings
because you get faster when youre mad
duh
I’m too dum to know what spatial intelligence means but it sounds something like the ASTB? Jack you might want to learn that acronym based on your son’s intended path.
I was going to suggest that a pilots license, captains license, or competition license would be strong indicators.
Good equipment operators have excellent spatial awareness. Some of the operators at the customer sites I go to can thread a needle with twin 20ft containers
One of the most painful things I’ve witnessed were the forklift drivers at Cat’s Seguin engine plant. And there are a lot of forklifts there.
Germany has a forklift operator championship
of course they do
I would watch that
Rotating objects in your head. I am very good at this but functionally illiterate. Hence 85
WAIS includes at least Block Design and probably other visual-spatial subtests
Most evaluations include the Rey–Osterrieth complex figure
AFTQ includes at least some spatial relations (object rotation, I think)
there are probably others
Also, there *IS* a relationship between visual-spatial and testosterone (although many studies said low-T men did *better*). Also some researchers believe that depression affects VS more strongly than verbal.
There was a shape rotation game but they took it down. Pretty sure it was here.
https://rotate-game.herokuapp.com/
reminds me of that meme where people on twitter were saying they dont have an internal monologue and that they couldnt visualize shapes in their head
Yeah this was the game at that time
Internal monologue lackers though... not sure about them (unless present company includes those... but i doubt it)
Sitting here trying to think of an F1 race I wouldn't prefer over Vegas... I'll get back to you.
I was sitting on my back porch smoking cigars when the CEO of f-1 Miami called me and asked "Do you want to go to the race" I had just had a child so I had to regretfully tell him "No" This story is partially true.
We live in an era where it is very easy and popular to cut things down, but few seem to offer a superior alternative. In days gone by, it seems that it was understood the latest and greatest was known to be flawed, but was used until the improved version, or a better technology, came along. Now we just dig in for or against and yell at the opposing side.
It also seems that an IQ test would be the most useful, in a truly compassionate society, to understand which people rank low, so that extra help could be given to them. But that doesn’t seem to be the way the world works.
Btw, kudos to you, Jack, for the Max Zorin reference. It seems most folks have blocked him from their minds.
"The haters said I couldn't do it. And they were correct. Honestly great call from the haters" - Daniel Ricciardo
"We told 'em we'd do comedy, and they laughed. But we did it and boy, they're not laughing now!"
- Harold Green
The Red Green Show
7 Eleven bear claw + cup of coffee + Wednesday thread = another good day at the office
It's the little things, you know?
I hadn't considered Suzuka, mostly because flying from the East Coast to Asia is a long miserable slog, but I did similar math with Europe and Canada. If I attend F1 in person, the most likely candidates are Budapest and Montreal. My company has an office in both places, so I might even get some of my travel expenses paid for.
Budapest is the one that I have my eye on for a visit.
Having been to the city it is wonderful. The food is great and do the Lada car city tour and see the Memorial Park with the Soviet sculptures and hit some of the thermal baths and do a river tour. We missed the race but you will have plenty of other things to do. Wonderful time.
Seconded!
I think Zandvoort would be an absolute blast, but be sure to rent a bicycle that can carry at least 4 Heineken minikegs. Honorable mentions to Austria, Hungary, and any of the Asian races with the exception of China.
Montreal is worth it. do it
Montreal rocks….no, I mean it; the town literally parties non-stop on GP weekend and the women are breathtakingly gorgeous in their European fashions. Great town, and the race is cool too.
True to all that, I've gone to the last two GPs there, and even though the ingress and exit are a bitch, it's a fun circuit to be in.
Yeah, getting in and out is painful. I’ve had the good fortune of taking the boats down the canal, but the novelty wears off on that pretty quick when it’s pouring rain and there’s not enough cover aboard. You still have to line up coming and going. Last year we figured out a super secret back route that took us down the road where the driver’s road cars are parked. It turned out to be a long walk, but still shorter than waiting in line for the boats.
The boats are the best option to return IMO. I tried the secret way last year and it was just as long. Coming there we had good luck to take Ubers that dropped us off before the bridges.
It rained like mad two years ago, we were freezing Saturday. Still fun. Paying $800 a night for accommodations wasn't that fun though.
Where do you come from to go to Montreal, or do you live there?
Vancouver
I think the ability to discern patterns is WISDOM.
Important thing about Logan’s race; the Williams pit crew hosed him (at the same time that Yuki’s crew elevated him to the front of that mid pack battle and, ultimately, a points finish).
After that he made an (unforced) error at Degner 2, one of the toughest corners on the calendar. Before he pitted, he was racy within the midfield and driving an assured race.
Well yeah! I was super stoked right up to that moment.
Had things broken a bit differently, he could’ve been tenth. That would’ve been a great result for him, obviously.
When Alex crashed in Australia, he took over Logan’s chassis. Logan campaigned the repaired (i.e., heavier) chassis in Japan. Logan crashed it pretty heavily in FP1 at Suzuka (bizarre). Alex departed the Grand Prix at Turn 2 courtesy of the Village Idiot.
If Alex’s chassis (Logan’s old chassis) is cracked, will they stand Logan down in China? The spare Williams chassis won’t be ready until Miami at the earliest.
My father, a truly humble man of staggering talents that I have long since given up on approaching living up to, was most proud of mastering the 81mm mortar using the .22 training rounds on the 1:10 range. I think that was all the Army could afford to let them use at the time.
Had to read this twice.
They trained them to use the mortar without mortar rounds?
Honestly it's probably done on a computer now.
i wonder if all that time using kentucky windage in battlefield games would transfer over to real life in some respect
When dropping unguided munitions, Kentucky Windage is very much a consideration.
We practice dropping 500lb bombs with 25lb bombs.
The key is to make the ballistics the same.
In the olden days they had an 81mm sabot fired with .22 caliber blanks onto a 1:10 scale range to learn how to calculate the trajectories and whatnnot. So once again, if you have a well above average person do some math, you can teach an average to above average person some math, to allow them to accurately drop explosives on people. And isn't that what it's really all about?
It is what life is all about! A man needs little else for satisfaction in fact
I kinda want a 1:10 mortar now...
Spud Webb at 5'6" was better at basketball than most 6'6" men.
But if I were captain of an aircraft carrier and had 15 minutes to assemble 10 basketball teams, I'd probably have everyone line up by height and pick the top 50.
IQ is kind of like that.
Now the question is: Can Caitlin Clark, or whatever her name is, shine against the WNBA? Or would she fare better, in the immortal words of Don Imus, against the Toronto Raptors?
Based on her play Sunday I'd say she's going to be a solid top 20% player but nothing special. Iowa built a team around her outside shot, but she offered little value in all the other aspects of the sport in that game, little off the ball movement and basically 0 defense. (Note, the national championship game was the only game of hers I watched, perhaps she was not playing her best game)
As someone who grew up in CT in the 1990s watching UConn men and women’s basketball, I do find the Caitlin spectacle a little interesting. I haven’t sat down and done the spec comparisons, nor do I intend to, but I’d she really more dominant than Rebecca Lobo or Sue Bird or Diana Turasi or others? UConn was so dominant for so long, going undefeated multiple seasons and winning championships, that I don’t know if Clark is that great or it’s just recency bias.
I think Caitlin has very good basketball IQ (to get back to that topic, eh), sees the court far better than anyone else at the college level. Up there with Lindsay Whalen and Diana Taurasi. I really don't like the women's game generally, but a few players make it worthwhile. I think Caitlin will play better when the pressure is off her to do everything.
So did I see a bad showing or am I being too critical of women's game style which I don't watch really any of or did she have a down game?
I went to quite a few UConn games both men and women in the mid to late 00s while I lived in Winstead.
Looked like she had a down game, but she still made some good passes that I don't think anyone else would've seen. The two-person game between Stuelke and Clark was fun to watch at times -- give and go's, cuts, backdoors, etc. held some promise, but SC's gigantic center made life on the inside impossible for Iowa. SC had too many superior players, leaving Iowa with no good options besides Clark. I think she got frustrated and gave up. It was pretty clear SC was far better from the start, and it was a matter of time before SC pulled away.
Very similar feel as the men's Purdue / UConn champ game. Purdue needed more than Edey and didn't have it.
I’ll give you an example of her basketball IQ. In the semifinal against UCON, Iowa was up two with 3.9 seconds left and had an inbound under their basket. UCON tried to defend the Iowa stack play by putting there tallest player facing the stack with arms spread with her back to Clark who was inbounding the ball. Clark looks around and calmly bounces the inbound pass off the defender’s backside and lets it dribble back out of bounds. It takes the clock to .9 seconds for the next inbound pass so the game is effectively over. That can be a common play in high school but took some nerve and awareness to do it in that situation.
that's a great example. what a ballsy, heads-up play. who thinks like that in the moment?
She should really consider Ice Cube's $5 million Big3 offer. I don't think she could come close to hanging with even retired NBAers, but, the top salary in the WNBA is (and this isn't a typo) < $250k. As an added bonus, this move could really help prove a point about biological advantage to the side that's full of people who never did anything competitive and coincidentally also see nothing wrong with letting people with dongs entering female MMA or weight lifting events.
I played pickup ball against a couple of women NC State basketball players when I was living in Raleigh. They both started for a division I team. Neither of them could score on me, ever. I played one year of small college ball. I am 6’2” and could dunk. I was much quicker and faster than them. I was a mediocre player but I think I could take Caitlin Clark in my prime. That is not boasting because I think every player on my high school team could beat her.
For sure. The national champion SC team famously prepares by practicing against a men's intramural team.
I hate to generalize (not really), but it seems like in the women's game, when the women get taller, they really get slow. This is common sense, but it's damn near universal. This same thing happens in the men's game of course, but the men need to be much taller to get as slow. Most of the women over 6' are ploddingly slow, can't jump over 3 inches, and are unwatchable. Maybe the men's game, with many more years in which to mature, has already weeded out the worst big slow guys. Unless they're REALLY big, that is, like good old Zach Edey from Purdue. But even he is more athletic than many female centers in the college game.
i am always seeing these post bragging about ashkenazi jewish iq scores. i think it’s really odd to point out that jews score on average 10 points higher than asians. asia is a very diverse place. how do jewish scores compare to the scores of koreans or the japanese? i bet you it ain’t a big differential. for the record, i’m ashkenazi and i have spent my life getting outsmarted by people who have a lower iq tan me. i think the whole thing is bs.
As a Gentile, I don't know if it is bragging as much as defense against resentment. IQ, combined with a cultural emphasis on education, provides an alternative to nepotism for explaining Jewish overachievement.
It’s both. I think the average iq is over rated, the nepotism and hard work under rated. And i shouldn’t throw stones about nepotism
As I understand it, northern Asians have higher average IQs than Ashkenazim. I'm about 99% Ashkenazi myself and it doesn't bother me that there are smarter cultures than mine.
Regarding IQ, the joke here in Michigan is "What do Michigan graduates call Michigan State grads?" Boss.
never heard that one but it reminds me of this one: "a" students work for "b" students in companies founded by "c" students.
i'd like to add that i logged back on to delete my comment because i thought it was obnoxious and possibly humble bragging. but i was so impressed with the responses that i've decided to leave it.
It is impossible to both talk about your intelligence and be polite. You have to either brag, humblebrag, or self deprecate, and it it still feels awkward.
iq is like dick size
if yours is bigger they hate you
if its smaller they mock you
and 99% of the time nobody asked anyway
IQ is like dick size
Everybody is lying
Agreed. I did it anyway here, but if it wasn't here I would not have done it at all. That's a compliment, folks.
Here’s a question for the hivemind:
Jack is on record with his belief that wearing a Rolex Daytona is cringe, unless you “earned” the watch by winning in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (sponsorship agreement began in the early ‘90s) or, presumably, by winning overall at Le Mans (only the overall winner “earns” a Daytona at Le Mans).
Mark Webber conducts podium interviews for Formula 1 from time to time; predictably, he did so recently in Australia. He is a Rolex “testimonee” (i.e., spokesperson) like Jackie Stewart. Neither of them have ever won Daytona or Le Mans; so what do they think they are doing prancing around with a Cosmograph on their wrist??
NB - I don’t necessarily agree with this belief, but it’s not a big deal to me. I owned, enjoyed, and eventually sold a Daytona.
On a similar “stolen valor” tangent:
I think it’s downright pathetic for someone who is not a member of Augusta National to wear any branded Masters - or, even worse, Augusta National - merchandise.
Given the flex that is getting Masters tickets I would argue that if you’ve been to ANGC, you can wear the merch.
To say otherwise is like saying if you aren’t an owner or otherwise staff of the Red Sox, or haven’t played a game on Fenway Park field, you can’t wear Red Sox merch.
We don’t need to go through life gatekeeping everything.
I would also not presume to tell Mark Webber, or especially Jackie Stewart, what they can and can’t do.
That’s the crux of it:
I don’t think going to the Masters is a flex; wearing the merch illustrates that the wearer thinks it IS a flex.
Being a member is a flex, but very few of the members would ever flex about it - both because they don’t need to, and because they know it would be seen as tacky (by their peers).
E.g. - this guy: https://www.monarchprivate.com/team-members/turner-simkins/
His bio lists a number of affiliations, memberships, etc. He is an Augusta National member, but he would never put that in his bio. It *might* be in his obituary.
You may not think going to the Masters is a flex, but it is the most desirable ticket in one of the US’s most prominent sports. I would have a hard time choosing between tickets to the Masters, Super Bowl, and Final Four/National Championship game for men’s college bball. I’d take Master’s tickets hands down over World Series or NBA finals or Stanley Cup tickets, no question. I would happily wear a shirt or hat from the Masters, and be happy to tell anyone who didn’t like it they can fuck off.
At an absolute minimum, you would need to have played the course to wear the merch.
Okay.
Makes jerk off hand motion
To be clear:
I don’t play golf. I don’t watch golf. I might watch an hour or two of the Masters on Sunday, if it’s close. I have not been to the Masters since I was a teenager (I went once with my grandfather, who was friends with a member - both are dead now).
I have been invited to play the course … but I don’t play golf, so I turned it down.
I went to the ryder cup (us vs euro. I think thats what its called) practice rounds 10+ years ago and left with two thoughts
1. These guys are really good
2. Golf is still boring
I have never been impressed by what one wears, but understand it is a symbol. Now if you have qualified for the Boston Marathon or an ultramarathon in your age you have my respect. (Not talking about people who qualify for a charity spot or an athletic company spot).
Another example is the Mount Gay Rum sailing hat.
Exactly. When it was one a boat and not a swag bag/get one with entry they were the bomb. Now you’re a douche.
Always enjoyed the races in Key West but did more scuba diving. I would spend more time feeding the fishes on a boat than being an effective crew mate.
Do they wear that at the West Douche Canoe Yacht & Country Club?
heh
mount gay
was homo hill already taken
Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The rum, I mean…
More rules than the *Shulchan Aruch. How do you keep track of them all?
*For the culturally uninformed, that's the Code of Jewish Law by R' Yoseph Caro.
For purposes of clarification:
What I said was that a Daytona should not be worn by any driver who might at some point in his career be in, or adjacent to, the chance to win one.
If non-competitive people on the street want to wear a Daytona, more power to them. If a Lemons racer wants to... who cares. But if I go to an SCCA or IMSA race and see a Daytona on your wrist, I'm gonna ask you what year you won it.
The equivalent I think in cycling is the maillot jeune. I could wear a yellow jersey while riding road. But if a Cat 1 rider wears it without earning it, they're gonna get hassled.
Yeah, this is gatekeeping, but you gotta be in the club for it to apply to you. I don't walk around a restaurant at dinner and complain that people have the nerve to wear a Daytona.
There is a lot of mystique surrounding the Daytona, whether from car / motorsports people or people who are entirely unaware of the racing connection.
The Daytona seemed a lot less special to me after I bought a Royal Oak. The Daytona bracelet is simply the Oyster bracelet (i.e., the same as the Submariner, etc.) with polished center links. Rolex’s best bracelet is the Jubliee, imo. The Daytona case is very similar to that of the other Rolex sport models, the dial is fairly illegible, the chronograph functionality robs you of the large sweeping second hand (unless you have the chrono running), there’s no date window, etc.
Learning too much about ANY watch will disabuse you of envy for it.
Pretty much every Swiss watch out there looks like dogshit under a microscope compared to a Grand Seiko Spring Drive.
Would you extend that claim to Holy Trinity or similar (e.g., Lange) watches?
I’ve never examined a Grand Seiko up close; a friend of mine has one, but he rarely wears it.
I suspect a Lange is nicer than any Swiss watch extant, but I couldn't articulate exactly why.
I get the impression that Vacheron does as much polishing and finish work as Seiko... they just charge a lot more for it.
Probably because Lange is German!
Cameron Weiss is on record claiming that Vacheron’s finishing exceeds AP or Patek; I have never seen anyone wearing any Vacheron other than an Overseas in real life. The problem with Vacheron is that it is owned by Richemont. As is Lange.
Watched are jewelry and men shouldnt wear jewelry! Unless theyre italian or black.
assuming then that you don't wear a wedding band?
Rarely. I wear it at church and family gatherings. Gave it a solid effort and I don’t like having it on
I am usually a few days behind in catching up with all my ACF comments, so this will most likely get buried, but had to contribute to a watch related discussion.
GS and Seiko (medium - high end) are so underrated, many times within the watch enthusiasts world, much less the general "watch aware" public.
Last December, I bought a Seiko SPB143 for my college age son. He expressed an interest in his first nice watch, so I set myself a budget of $1000. I ordered the watch from a local AD in the Atlanta area, and got it for $972 out the door with tax. Fantastic watch and quality for the money, great value. He loves it.
I was so impressed with the SPB143 I ended up purchasing a Seiko SJE093 (one of the many "reissues" of the Seiko's first 62MAS diver) for myself. I don't like Seiko's practice of limited editions etc. but I've always wanted a Seiko diver this size (38mm and < 13mm thick), and I'm a sucker for the vintage skin diver style and size.
I have owned many high end swiss watches and the first time I was in a GS shop, I was very, very impressed with the quality and finishing. Styling and size don't suit me, but very impressive watches.
MY brother has a couple of Grand Seikos including the usual Snowflake. I *wish* I had some, the closest I can come is a very nice Presage I bought from an AD in Kuala Lumpur five years ago. It's just lovely and bears evidence of careful finishing everywhere you look.
That SBP143 feels like 95% of a Submariner, plus it might last longer -- call it an ES350 to the Submariner's E-Class? The SLA017 appears to close the gap entirely, albeit for more money.
Tried on the AP RO 15550 recently at the Atlanta AD. The bracelet and dial are absolutely special. If it wasn't for inability to get the 15550 at retail and social media stigma of AP these days, I would absolutely be saving my pennies for the RO.
I always say that APs, particularly Royal Oaks and Code 11:59s, need to be seen in person, ideally on your wrist, to appreciate them. The bracelet really makes the watch.
Be patient - prices continue to trend back toward earth, and I think you will be able to secure what you want either at retail from an AD or in the secondary market with an acceptable premium to MSRP (and no sales tax).
I agree with the social media stigma comment - I’d rather they were not so polarizing.
Finally, it is my understanding that the Atlanta AP / Watches of Switzerland boutique will be closing imminently. It opened during summer of 2019, so perhaps it was a five year commitment / lease.
Okay, the Code 11:59 is just awful, it looks like a Nomos assembled in China by someone who has never seen a Nomos.
I will hazard that you have not “test driven” one on your wrist!
The introductory collection did itself few favors, given the lackluster dials, hand sets, etc. But the watch has improved greatly since inception.
The case itself is stunning in three dimensions, as is the subtly domed sapphire crystal (this applies to all models).
This new-ish perpetual calendar is fantastic; from an aesthetic standpoint, I prefer this to ANY perpetual in the current Patek catalog:
https://www.audemarspiguet.com/com/en/watch-collection/code-1159/26394BC.OO.D027KB.01.html
As a bonus, you’d pay nowhere near $109K + tax if you shopped in the secondary market.
My buddies have a tournament every year where the winner gets a really bad green sport coat that was bought at Goodwill. They get much drunker than the real Masters’ winner, so there is achievement involved.
The green jackets themselves are hideous.
"I believe that's Mr. Gilmore's jacket!"
Ataraxis, on a completely unrelated note, did you recently make a comment on Wirepoints?
I’ve been known to comment there.
Probably have seen other comments you have made. Liked the one from yesterday so much actually noticed who made it. I'm a little slow sometimes.
Join the club! I like to skewer the Chicago politicians, but questioning why I’m still doing it. I’m never moving back there, will hardly ever visit, and should just stop paying attention to anything over there since it’s my past life. I guess it’s kind like watching a train wreck, hard to look away. But I come up with these one line zingers about the current absurdity there that make me laugh so I comment. I should stop paying attention to Chicago and Illinois going forward because of all the negativity there.
Well your one line zinger was spot on. Please don't stop calling them out on it. It needs to be done.
Jackie Stewart was a three-time world champion and two-time runner-up at a time when men regularly died in horrific crashes, and he fought to make the sport safer for all.
Mark Webber's car went airborne, flipped lengthwise, slid on its roll hoop, then flipped back over and went into the tire barrier in a 190 mph crash during the 2010 European Grand Prix and he walked away.
Both men can line Daytonas up the length of their arms like 80s kids wearing Swatches. They've earned the right to do whatever the fuck they want.
That was mostly a dig at Jack’s philosophy.
Neither of them need lower themselves to the level of a candy-ass BOP series like IMSA; I say that as someone who has paid out of pocket to attend 40+ IMSA race weekends.
I always interpreted Jack's position as referring to wanna-be drivers, not guys who have actually gone wheel-to-wheel at truly dangerous speeds with any level of skill and talent.
I can't imagine him looking askance at Webber for wearing a Daytona. Now if it were a Monaco, that's another story...
Webber gets paid to wear a Daytona, which is why he wears it. If you work for Rolex, you're going to wear a Rolex.
He's certainly a better driver than I am, although he was lucky to have Vettel as a standard of comparison instead of say, one M. Verstappen, who would have lapped him in every race.
Point taken on him being paid to wear one, but if he simply wore one for the hell of it, I'd have no problem with it. I wasn't taking a shot at you, just saying the guy's earned the right to do what he wants with anyone gatekeeping him.
Yeah, if Max were his teammate we'd never have had the "Multi 21" meltdown.
I had to relook up 2015 results because I was sure he drove a 919 and that a 919 won, then I remembered how he got rocked by Hulk. I know he was heated given the talent of Timo and Hartley. I’d never wear a Daytona simply for the fact that it would remind me I went from being #2 in F1 to #2 in Le Mans.
The instrumental driver in the “dark horse” / third car 919 that ultimately won in 2015 was Nick Tandy, whose overnight quadruple stint made the difference.
Verstappen wears a Monaco … because he’s paid to.
I wonder what his real watch is (I don't pay attention). I imagine it is many, many times pricier than a Monaco.
I have seen pictures of him, both of his parents, and his sister wearing precious metal Daytonas over the years.
He also wears a Cartier love bracelet away from the track / race weekend.
Wearing a Daytona without having won at Daytona is the same as wearing a Submariner (or Seadweller) and not being a deep sea diver, or wearing a Skydweller and not being a pilot.
In other words, nobody cares.
No one should wear a Skydweller for any reason!
Okay, what about an Air King*?
* nobody wants those either
The Skydweller is an elaborate prank perpetrated upon everyone with eyes.