Random Notes from a Crank

Existential Comics is back it again by taking down Plato through David Hume. The comic explains why people vote for imbeciles and take positions on issues without a lot of forethought. 

As reported by The New York Times, The U.S. is back to bombing civilians in Iran: "New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows." 

As a result of President Adolf "excursion" (sarcasm intended), gas prices are skyrocketing, especially the price of diesel that drives up the costs of lot of products because semis haul all kinds of stuff around the U.S. 

Inflation and possibly stagflation here we are. 

Making America More Expensive

And the idiotic attacks on Iran are simply going to create less safety for Americans because many terrrorist groups are aligned with Iran from a philsophical standpoint. 

Making America More Dangerous

Here are some interesting stats and figures from the March "Harper's Index":

• Portion of people detained by ICE between October 1 and November 15, 2025 who had a prior violent criminal conviction: 1/20
• Who had no prior criminal convictions: 3/4
• Port of U.S. small business owners who plan to hire new staff or otherwise expand this year: 1/10
• Who worry that their business will not survive the year: 3/4

The cost of diesel fuel is going to drive costs for everyone. So I see why business owners are worried. 

Random Notes from a Crank

After reading last week's Existential Comic about David Hume, it's clear to me that I need to work "dullard" more into my vocabulary. 

There are way too many of them out there. 

Lalo Alcaraz got this right. 

The Supreme Court did the right thing. Well, six of the justices did. The three dissenters are simply obsequious ass-kissers to President Adolf. 

And Joe Heller is spot on with this one. 

The coverup is so clear by the American Fascist Party's Justice department. 

The blizzard that shut down the east coast is something to behold: "Millions Under Road Travel Bans as Blizzard Conditions Slam US North-East." 

Musing of the Moment: Bertrand Russell & The Dunning-Kruger Effect

This week's Existential Comic features the point by Bertrand Russell that the wiser the person the less sure they tend to be. 

 

Russell's advice is that "So whenever you see someone proclaiming that they have all the answers with total confidence, think to yourself: This guy is probably a total idiot." 

His advice relates to the Dunning-Kruger Effect, as explained by Psychology Today.  

The Decision Lab also has some details and advice: "Why Do We Fail To Accurately Gauge Our Own Abilities?" 

The section on politics is topical because way too many politicians present solutions to systemic problems with confident assertions. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Ben Rhodes has a solid guest column in The New York Times: "Trump Is Falling for a Trap We Can All See Coming." He's right. We're living under an autocratic ruler who thinks he's above the law, both national and international. 

Consider today, which is January 6th, the day his clones tried to overturn a free and fair election. And then he pardoned the domestic terrorists. 

As George Carlin is supposed to have said, "America is an oil company with an army." Indeed. 

This week's Existential Comic relates to the current administration's tactics. 

The past couple of months' (December and January) Harper's indexes provide some interesting stats and figures: 

• Number of U.S. households whose members lived full-time in an RV in 2021: 168,000
• In 2025: 486,000
• Number of Americans projected to enter poverty next year (2026) because of tariff-related price hikes: 875,000
• Estimated number of U.S. jobs created for every $1,000,000 the federal government spends on defense: 5
• For every $1,000,000 it spends on education: 13
• Average number of days that an American had to wait for a doctor's appointment in 2004: 21
• In 2025: 31
• Percentage by which more AI-generated articles were posted online last year than articles written by humans were: 3
• Estimated percentage of news-related queries that AI chatbots answer in a misleading or false way: 45

Instead of spending so much damn money on defense and AI shit, we need to fund education, affordable housing, and universal health care. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I took one of those three-part YouGov polls the other day, and it was in response to scheduling marijuana to less restrictive class. 

Here were the questions with pertinent percentages:

• Do you think that marijuana has legitimate medical uses? Definitely 43%, Probably 33%, Probably not 8%, Definitely not 5%, and Not sure 11%
• Do you approve or disapprove of the government reclassifying marijuana from the most restrictive category of drugs to a less restrictive category that allows for research on its potential medical uses? Strong approve 42%, Somewhat approve 28%, Somewhat disapprove 8%, Strongly disapprove 8%, and Not sure 14%
• Do you think that the recreational use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States or not? Yes 54%, No 27%, and Not sure 19%

The bottom line is that most people think it has legitimate medical uses (and it does), people feel it should be moved to a lesser class of drug, and a slim majority want it nationally legalized. 

I'm not a pot smoker, but these poll numbers don't surprise me. 

Existential Comics is at it again with great thoughts on "Stupidity and the Progress of Human Civilization."  

The author of the comic has a point. Civilization has advanced because of intelligent thinking. However, there have to be all kinds of cases where some stupid moves or dumb thinking or just plain old chance created some good in the world. 

The author uses the examples of riding horses, domesticating wolves into dogs, and the discovery of alcohol. Another one would be coffee. How the hell did that mainstay in many people's routines originate?

There's story about a goat herder named Kaldi, but who knows if that tale is actually true. See the "History of Coffee" from the National Coffee Association.  

Happy Festivus. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Yet again this week's Existential Comic is great. It takes on AI and the hype machine behind it. 

Here are some gleanings from November's "Harper's Index":

• Portion of companies that report using AI in their business: 4/5
• Portion of those using AI for which it has not resulted in any "tangible bottom-line impact": 5/6
• Percentage change since 2023 in total U.S. investment in constructing housing: +5
• In total U.S. investment in constructing data centers: +115
• Portion of Americans with household incomes above $200,000 who expect AI to them more harm than good: 3/10
• Of those with household incomes below $50,000: 3/5
• Estimated percentage of ICE detainees who are held in private, for-profit facilities: 86
• Percentage of Americans over the age of 65 who say they can tell the time on an analog clock "instantly": 95
• Of those aged 18-30: 43

There are people who are worried about an "AI bubble" like we had with the dot.com bubble. 

And with AI, the amount of energy these data centers use is massively unsustainable while working and middle-class folks are going to be negatively affected, such as losing their jobs. 

It's not surprising ICE is using private prisons because it's just another way for the plutocrats to make money. 

What is with the recent trend of players spitting on each in the NFL? I get that trash talking can get heated, but really, spitting on on opponent? That's just stupid. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In yet another FAFO moment, the New York Times has a decent article about how the state of Iowa is getting hurt by Moscow Don's dumbass economic policies: "In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President's Policies Have Hit Hard." 

The Governor's race, a U.S. Senate race, and two competitive House races are up for grabs in the midterm elections. Let's hope the people in my native state come to their senses. 

I doubt they will because the state is comprised of a bunch of old people who believe what they hear on FauxNews. 

Tottenham Hotspur have a hell of a run of games in the coming week and month of November:

• At Newcastle in the League Cup
• Home vs. Chelsea
• Home vs. Copenhagen in the Champions League
• Home vs. Manchester United
• At Arsenal
• At Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League
• Home vs. Fulham

It's going to be a difficult run of games to get points from. Spurs were successful giving Everton its first home defeat in their new stadium though. That was a welcome outcome. 

This week's Existential Comic is a good one. It takes on consciousness and AI: "Philosophy Vs. the Terminator." 

 

I went into the public restroom at work today, and some dude was sitting in one of the stalls listening to videos on his phone that were playing very loudly.

When did that become a thing? 

Random Notes from a Crank

The BBC has an interesting article about the world's safest countries: "Five of the World Safest Countries for 2025." The article also provide the top ten but just features the top five in detail. 

There were some surprises for me. Neither Norway nor Sweden are in the top ten. Ireland was a bit surprising to me, but Denmark and New Zealand are usually in the top ten of most lists of countries where people are happy and safe. And I've heard good things about Portugal. 

This week's Existential Comic is a good one. It's a commentary on imperialism and the rationales people have used for conquering countries: "The Philosophy of Julius Caesar." 

The character asks a great question of Caesar: "How do you justify it philosophically?"

James McMurtry is a great songwriter. On his most recent album, The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, he has a song about Pinocchio as an adult: "Pinocchio in Vegas." 

Today is National Dog Day. Treat your dog/s right. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I need someone with a culinary and scientific mind to explain to me why chili seems to taste better as a leftover as compared to when you make it. 

Sometimes that seems to work the same with red sauce. 

Watching the X-Files makes one remember the terrible stylistic blandness of mid-90s American sedans. 

Well, the meeting of Moscow Don and Putin went as expected. 

President Adolf is still trying to get the taste of Putin's cock out of his mouth. This comic by Clay Bennett sums it up. 

This week's Existential Comic about William James is pretty good: "William James and the Train Robbery." 

As is expected, Moscow Don doesn't know what the hell he's talking about: "Trump Said the US Is the 'Only Country' that Uses Mail-In Voting. That's Wrong." 

I'm still waiting on the release of those Epstein files, bruh. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I have a couple of favorite Norm Macdonald jokes (1) The moth who went to the podiatrist and 2) The unconventional doctor's solution to a husband whose wife is in a coma), but one of his small observations is spot on. 

I wonder if there is a similar deal with the abbreviation of "number," which is "No." as in No. 2. 

Why the heck is an "o" used instead of "Nu. 2" or "Nr. 2"? But some cursory research shows that it's my old friend the Latin language making an appearance on the linguistic scene because the Latin word for number is "numero."  

This week's Existential Comic is one of my favorites: "The future will have stupidity beyond our wildest imagination." Indeed. "Stupidity will multiply and spread, and new advanced forms of stupidity will emerge that we cannot even begin to conceive of." 

As Stephen Colbert noted in Tuesday's monologue, Moscow Don didn't even say the car company's name right in his photo app. He called it "Tesler," which is probably a Freudian slip since it seems to be a mash-up of Tesla and Hitler. That's on brand because Musk supported a far-right Neo-Nazi-like party in Germany's recent election. 

After watching the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, I am wondering if there are plans for a move to San Francisco in the series because we find out that Karen Page is in the Bay Area, and in the comic books under Mark Waid's run, Murdock moved to San Francisco. In fact, I think I have a number of those issues/books down in the basement. 

As Moscow Don cuts the Department of Education, the smallest federal agency, by half, it remains to be seen how these cuts will affect the funding for K-12 education and the FAFSA. I doubt the cuts will improve matters. 

Random Notes from a Crank

If you worry about our freedom of speech like I do, check out "The Newest Excuse for Shutting Down Campus Speech: 'Security.'"

If you've ever read any of the Stoics, you're going to appreciate "The Next Great Stoic Competition" from Existential Comics. 

The Telegraph has an article out that relates how eating cheese is actually good for you, which provides plenty of solace for a cheese lover like me: "High-fat Cheese: The Secret to a Healthy Life?" 

I've read articles over the years that claim that eating cheese is addictive. Recently The Huffington Post took up that claim in "We Found Out If Cheese is Really as Addictive as Cocaine." It's not, but eating cheese is certainly one of the pleasures in life. 

While I might be amenable to cutting the corporate taxes in some fashion in order for U.S. companies to stay in the States (but can we also stop the corporate welfare that currently exists?), Trump's new economic plan simply helps the rich with a tremendous dose of wishful thinking as is detailed in "Trump's Economic Plan Goes from Worse to Bad." 

The above article about corporate welfare from Forbes spurs me to provide these:

• "10 Taxpayer Handouts to the SuperRich That Will Make Your Blood Boil" from U.S. Uncut
• The "Eliminate Corporate Welfare" page from Taxpayers for Common Sense

Random Notes from a Crank

The most recent issue of The Atlantic had a good article about Saudi Arabia moving toward major solar power projects: "Why the Saudis Are Going Solar." The initiative has political and reference-point hurdles, but part of the impetus behind the move  is that Saudis are crazy inefficient with energy consumption: "The Saudis burn about a quarter of the oil they produce." Another major reason behind the solar initiative is $$$. Regardless, as the author, Jeffrey Ball, concludes, "Saudi Arabia's energy challenge is a more extreme version of the one that faces the rest of the world. But if the kingdom's leaders can find the political courage to act decisively, Saudi Arabia, of all nations, could become a model for other countries trying to shift away from oil."

And China is moving toward renewables because of air pollution problems, climate change, and business interests. A National Geographic article concisely relates what's going on: "NASA Photos Show China's Plan to Meet New UN Climate Pledge." China has agreed to halt the rise of greenhouse gases and plans to get at least 20% of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.  

The past couple of weeks my kids have been featured as "swimmers of the week" in the local paper. One of the coaches talks about each kid, and they ask the kids about their favorite strokes and their goals. Local celebrities, people.

Here's another good installment from Existential Comics: "Philosophy News Network: The Death of God." 

I'm thinking about starting up a flip-phone support group in this world awash with people staring at their smartphones. 

Random Notes from a Crank

After the Cubs acquired Jon Lester shortly after my last post, Bovada moved the Cubs' odds of winning the World Series to 12-to-1. To me and probably others, moving from 50-to-1 odds to 12-to-1 seems like the folks at Bovada are drunk on Cubs-brand Kool-Aid. "The Chicago Cubs Still Have a Lot of Work to Do" takes a more realistic approach about what went down at the MLB Owners' Meeting this week. And Rob Neyer has a realistic evaluation of where the Cubs with "Even with Lester, Cubs Won't Contend in '15." 

If Ross gets signed, Castillo will get moved for sure. From what I saw of Baez last season, I was impressed with the power and frustrated with the lack of plate discipline, strikeouts, and batting average. The first of that series caused the other two. Whatever happened to hitters shortening their strokes when they have two strikes? Just make some solid contact without jumping out of your shoes. 

As I've noted before, I'm fond of Existential Comics, and this week's strip takes on the absurdity of Candyland. The main characters are Camus and Sartre. As Camus opines, "The contrast between the meaningless, fixed nature of the game and the narratives we tell ourselves as we are playing causes the feeling of the absurd." Exactly.

Random Notes from a Crank

This recent strip about happiness from Existential Comics is worth a read. In the bald guy's last counter-example, he's wrong. Happiness can be a both/and deal. The young man who enjoyed "reckless hedonism" was happy then, and the same man but now older with "a life of responsibility" is also happy. He's just a different man with different goals, desires, and aspirations. Happiness is contextual and relative to what that person is like and time. 

Or maybe I was once a fan of "reckless hedonism." 

The other day I was told a person got a divorce. It reminded me of one of my fraternity brothers who liked hearing when someone had gotten a divorce because in his mind, that data point (another person getting a divorce) increased his chances that he wasn't going to get a divorce. 

That's one way to look at it. 

I'm a fan of an interesting map. For your viewing pleasure, check out the Tax Foundation's "The Real Value of $100 in Each State." It's not all that surprising, but for a cheapskate, miserly, frugal person like me, if I ever aim to move, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana are on my radar.