yogthos

I think he actually gets that part, hence why he's freaking out over countries moving off the dollar. What he doesn't get is that he can't just bully to get his way.

she found the most fitting place for herself https://www.ned.org/ned-welcomes-victoria-nuland-to-the-board-of-directors/

Turns out the point was so the west could moralize the developing world about their increasing energy use.

Yup

Same, I think the next few months are going to be the most dangerous in human history.

yup

Basically, I think that China has no choice but to keep dedollarizing. If they don't then it's just going to be worse for them when the US starts stealing their foreign assets, cutting them out of SWIFT, and so on. They have to do it on their terms while they have leverage. Given that China has to dedollarize, they cannot possibly accept Trump's demand to stop trading outside the dollar.

China will say we're happy to keep trading in dollars, but it's our business if we want to use other currencies. At that point the US has to decide whether they start putting 100% tariffs on China and countries trading with China. If they do, then the US economy is likely gonna crash cause prices on everything will shoot through the roof overnight. On top of that, countries will be forced to pick whether trade with China or trade with US is more essential to them.

I think it's likely that Trump is bluffing, and the US walks it back when China says no, but you never know. I do think that the economic war with Russia gives us some idea of what to expect. The US pulled the trigger on trying to cut Russia out, and we see that major countries like China and India did not fall in line. At that point the whole scheme collapsed. Trying to cut China out of world trade is even more absurd in my opinion, and putting 100% tariff would be tantamount to that.

We can't underestimate sheer ignorance and stupidity on the part of the US. Plenty of people warned that the trade war with Russia would have disastrous consequences for the west, but that didn't stop the US from pulling the trigger. I don't think anything has been learned over the past three years.

For me, the biggest selling point is that it's both expressive and simple. Most languages tend to be one or the other. You have languages like C that are relatively simple to learn, but it takes a lot of code to express what you're trying to do semantically, and you end up with a lot of incidental boilerplate in the process. At the other end of the spectrum you have languages like Haskell or Scala that let you write very concise code, but the cost is the mental overhead of understanding complex syntax and tons of language rules.

Lisps show that you can have a small language with minimal syntax and simple semantics that can be extremely expressive. Our of all the languages I've used over the years, I've enjoyed working in Lisp the most. At this point you couldn't pay me enough to use anything else.

Exactly, a well-functioning society requires a balance between individual initiative and collective coordination. Market forces can play a role, but they cannot be the sole guiding principle. I would make an analogy with complex organisms having a central nervous system and a brain to coordinate the actions of different organs towards a common purpose. A similar mechanism is necessary for seeing the big picture and making decisions that benefit society as a whole.

Such an institution is uniquely equipped to analyze information about available resources, population needs, and potential threats. By comprehensively assessing these factors, it can develop and implement strategies to ensure efficient use of resources. Moreover, a holistic perspective allows the central planning body to recognize the interconnectedness of economic and social systems, understanding how decisions made in one area might have consequences in others.

These types of institutions are indispensable for coordinating large-scale collective actions that demand substantial resource allocation and sustained commitment. History abounds with precedents of ambitious public initiatives that would have been inconceivable without central planning. These projects demand not only the efficient allocation of resources but also the ability to navigate political intricacies, manage diverse stakeholder interests, and adapt to evolving circumstances over extended periods.

Building a cross-country high-speed rail network, for example, is a monumental undertaking that requires immense capital investment, complex engineering expertise, and long-term commitment. Such projects often involve navigating challenging terrains, acquiring land rights, coordinating with various government agencies, and addressing potential environmental concerns. The upfront costs are astronomical, and the payback period can stretch over decades. Without the guidance of a central planning body, such projects inevitably flounder due to short-term thinking, conflicting priorities, and a lack of coordinated effort.

Even from a purely profit-driven perspective, such ventures are not attractive to private businesses. The massive initial investment, coupled with the uncertainty of long-term returns, makes them inherently risky. Private companies, guided by the need to generate shareholder value, simply won't commit to such long-term, capital-intensive projects. However, the social benefits of such infrastructure projects far outweigh the desire for immediate profit. A high-speed rail network bolsters economic activity by facilitating the movement of people and goods, create jobs, improve social mobility, and enhance overall quality of life. These positive externalities, while not easily quantifiable in financial terms, contribute significantly to the long-term health and prosperity of a society.

Governments, unlike private businesses, have the capacity to take a long view and invest in projects that generate significant social benefits, regardless of their profitability. They are able to mobilize resources, coordinate diverse stakeholders, and ensure that infrastructure projects are aligned with broader societal goals and priorities. The success of projects of unprecedented scale and ambition in China is a testament to the power of central planning.

without having to worry about data loss :)

yup...