Jason's Notes About Stuff

I’ve recently gone from a 5-year period without any cable television to a condo that has a tv in every room. When I’m eating, I’ll often turn it on for a half hour or so, possibly getting sucked in for an hour show.  I usually watch TBS, Discovery, Comedy Central, or Sci-Fi. I had forgotten what constant bombardment from commercials feels like.  The television is relentlessly telling me: Eat more cheap, yummy fast food!  $1 for burgers! $2.99 for a full, greasy meal complete with a 1 gallon soda! But you’re fat, so take diet pills, and join Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig to buy “magical” food that will effortlessly make you lose weight. You have to buy an American car or truck to make jobs and support the economy! 3 different companies have the absolute lowest car insurance rates.  And people saved an average of $400 by switching from any of them to another. Did you not pay your taxes?  Were you deemed ineligible for government benefits?  That’s not your fault!  Sue them! Y

Something to think about from Tim Ferris' blog : "While many are wringing their hands, I recall the 1970s when we were suffering from an oil shock causing long lines at gas stations, rationing, and 55 MPH speed limits on Federal highways, a recession, very little venture capital ($50 million per year into VC firms), and, what President Jimmy Carter (wearing a sweater while addressing the Nation on TV because he had turned down the heat in the White House) called a “malaise”. It was during those times that two kids without any real college education, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs , started companies that did pretty well." Also of note: Google grew substantially during the 2001-2003 recession.