Its certainly not fully determined what was responsible for the two Boeing Max aircraft that crashed but it is beginning to look like it was related to some advanced technology.
I was reading that two other pilots reported an issue that occurred shortly after takeoff where as the autopilot was engaged the plane went into a fairly rapid descent. They quickly turned of the autopilot and regained control of the plane.
It may or may not be related to the actual crashes, but it certainly seems like uncorrected it would have had the same outcome. Why the pilots would not have corrected would probably be the never answered question.
It may of course be something completely different, but unless we had two suicidal pilots it is almost definitely related to some technological glitch.
Technology is becoming more and more controlling in many areas and we are seeing the introduction of self driving cars.
Many new cars now have technological warning systems such as warning you if you drift over a lane divided, some have auto braking systems as you approach an object.
These have some significant potential to improve safety but they also create some risk.
Systems that we rely on, which malfunction, can keep us from doing simple acts we would have routinely done without the system. If you over rely on the technology you become vulnerable. Even worse, you open yourself up to being hacked.
It is entirely possible that the two crashes were caused by the glitch in the autopilot system reported by other pilots and the difference was that the pilots who crashed didn't disengage the autopilot, because they trusted it. Maybe, maybe not.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Pollution
Nobody that I'm aware of is in favor of polluting the environment. I doubt there is anyone who would openly support that.
What the question becomes is what are we willing to do to prevent it?
At the individual level are we willing to make decisions that support a clean environment?
Are we willing to extend regulations to businesses that require them to?
Those are the decisions that cause the issue. If we could do everything with no pain or no cost, we would be fine.
However it costs money and effort to prevent pollution and sadly it costs even more to clean it up if we don't prevent it.
On an individual level many of us feel our decisions won't matter but of course its the sum of all those individual decisions that matter. There is no acceptable level of pollution, it all contributes to climate change, polluted air and water and tons of plastic in our oceans.
Similarly we allow businesses to continue to contaminate the air, ground and water.
Some of course behave better than others and some regulations have been passed to curb the worst abuses, but we have seen a bit of a reversal.
We already have sites around the country that were polluted years ago and which are now extremely costly to clean up. In many cases the original polluters are not available to pay for the clean up leaving the cost to us. Inevitably, without control we will have the same problem own the road.
What the question becomes is what are we willing to do to prevent it?
At the individual level are we willing to make decisions that support a clean environment?
Are we willing to extend regulations to businesses that require them to?
Those are the decisions that cause the issue. If we could do everything with no pain or no cost, we would be fine.
However it costs money and effort to prevent pollution and sadly it costs even more to clean it up if we don't prevent it.
On an individual level many of us feel our decisions won't matter but of course its the sum of all those individual decisions that matter. There is no acceptable level of pollution, it all contributes to climate change, polluted air and water and tons of plastic in our oceans.
Similarly we allow businesses to continue to contaminate the air, ground and water.
Some of course behave better than others and some regulations have been passed to curb the worst abuses, but we have seen a bit of a reversal.
We already have sites around the country that were polluted years ago and which are now extremely costly to clean up. In many cases the original polluters are not available to pay for the clean up leaving the cost to us. Inevitably, without control we will have the same problem own the road.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Trick(le) Down and out.
A view frequently shared by wealthy people is that building wealth is the way to improve the economy.
In order to build wealth you have to engage in some sort of business endeavor and that will create jobs, require supplies, and generally provide a stimulus to economic growth.
This is in fact the heart of trickle down economics and to some extent the basis of much of the Republican platform.
Its not a fair doctrine, in fact its more of a dog eat dog concept. Let the successful truly succeed and everyone will benefit, to some extent.
Naturally the movers and shakers will get the lions share and that is a good thing encouraging others to strive to succeed and accumulate wealth.
The theory is not completely wrong, a rising tide does in fact lift all ships.
You just have to have a ship.
One of the problems with the theory is that the majority of the people are simply viewed as potential assets who cost money. The goal is to pay them as little as you can in order to maximize profits.
Not the best thing if you are one of those workers.
Further, if you replace them totally with a machine that doesn't' suffer from fatigue or illness or demands for higher pay, it is even better
What are the workers to do? That is they're problem and making them figure that out may lead to new economic opportunities.
Look there's a trickle, better get some before it is all gone. .
In order to build wealth you have to engage in some sort of business endeavor and that will create jobs, require supplies, and generally provide a stimulus to economic growth.
This is in fact the heart of trickle down economics and to some extent the basis of much of the Republican platform.
Its not a fair doctrine, in fact its more of a dog eat dog concept. Let the successful truly succeed and everyone will benefit, to some extent.
Naturally the movers and shakers will get the lions share and that is a good thing encouraging others to strive to succeed and accumulate wealth.
The theory is not completely wrong, a rising tide does in fact lift all ships.
You just have to have a ship.
One of the problems with the theory is that the majority of the people are simply viewed as potential assets who cost money. The goal is to pay them as little as you can in order to maximize profits.
Not the best thing if you are one of those workers.
Further, if you replace them totally with a machine that doesn't' suffer from fatigue or illness or demands for higher pay, it is even better
What are the workers to do? That is they're problem and making them figure that out may lead to new economic opportunities.
Look there's a trickle, better get some before it is all gone. .
Monday, March 11, 2019
Loose cannons
Its hard to achieve much when you have no discipline.
You also have to be realistic.
Its important to understand that the press an media are almost never your friend. They may seem like it at times if playing you up gets them what they want, but they generally want to get readers or listeners or watchers, so if that can be achieved by throwing you to the wolves, expect to get bitten.
A lot of new congress people are finding that out.
Its worse in todays era when anybody can shoot out a message without much thought in a tweet.
Once its out there its done.
If it at least is on message it can't do much harm.
If it is related to infighting or promoting a fringe view, it isn't going to be helpful
You also have to be realistic.
Its important to understand that the press an media are almost never your friend. They may seem like it at times if playing you up gets them what they want, but they generally want to get readers or listeners or watchers, so if that can be achieved by throwing you to the wolves, expect to get bitten.
A lot of new congress people are finding that out.
Its worse in todays era when anybody can shoot out a message without much thought in a tweet.
Once its out there its done.
If it at least is on message it can't do much harm.
If it is related to infighting or promoting a fringe view, it isn't going to be helpful
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Budget Follies
We live in a country where the Government spends much more than it collects in taxes. Faced with that the last congress at the urging of the administration passed a tax break primarily for businesses and the wealthy. The deficit grew and so did the national debt.
National Debt is one of those things that is fine until the day that it isn't. Since we run higher and higher deficits we are forced to borrow to pay the interest on it. As it grows the interest grows and we need to borrow more.
We have actually been pretty fortunate in the fact that interest rates have been very low for an extended period of time. The interest on the debt is dependent on the amount of the debt and the interest rate.
There is no current achievable way to eliminate the deficit. We would need to take draconian measures to even come close. Massive cuts in popular programs or significant tax increases would be required and no one in politics is going to do that.
The other way to reduce or possibly even eliminate the deficit would be if the economy was to grow at a rate that we aren't even close to. achieving.
In the budget about to be proposed by the administration we see significant increases in defense and wall funding slightly offset by unacceptable reductions in domestic programs.
It includes unrealistic growth projections that make it look like we can actually reduce the deficit. So far this year the deficit has increased 77% over the prior fiscal year as growth has slowed, our trade deficits have increased and spending is greatly outstripping revenue.
It may improve a bit as the year progresses, but the year we are talking about started in October so we are approaching the half way point.
Since the financial crisis we have seen deficit numbers that were unimaginable not too long ago, but having gotten used to them we do not treat them as a crisis.
They are much more of a national emergency than the issue on our southern border.
National Debt is one of those things that is fine until the day that it isn't. Since we run higher and higher deficits we are forced to borrow to pay the interest on it. As it grows the interest grows and we need to borrow more.
We have actually been pretty fortunate in the fact that interest rates have been very low for an extended period of time. The interest on the debt is dependent on the amount of the debt and the interest rate.
There is no current achievable way to eliminate the deficit. We would need to take draconian measures to even come close. Massive cuts in popular programs or significant tax increases would be required and no one in politics is going to do that.
The other way to reduce or possibly even eliminate the deficit would be if the economy was to grow at a rate that we aren't even close to. achieving.
In the budget about to be proposed by the administration we see significant increases in defense and wall funding slightly offset by unacceptable reductions in domestic programs.
It includes unrealistic growth projections that make it look like we can actually reduce the deficit. So far this year the deficit has increased 77% over the prior fiscal year as growth has slowed, our trade deficits have increased and spending is greatly outstripping revenue.
It may improve a bit as the year progresses, but the year we are talking about started in October so we are approaching the half way point.
Since the financial crisis we have seen deficit numbers that were unimaginable not too long ago, but having gotten used to them we do not treat them as a crisis.
They are much more of a national emergency than the issue on our southern border.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Recycling
Recycling has reached a point where it is often not practical or economical.
The issue is that China which used to buy our materials has started accepting significantly less. Without them the materials are generally not easily reused, at lest in most cases.
They used to sort through the items and effectively make them usable. In this country the cost of doing that is prohibitive.
So most recycled material are effectively contaminated with non recyclable stuff that needs to be sorted, but to do that is prohibitively expensive. Much of it is simply going into landfills.
More and more items are also packaged in materials that simply can't be recycled. Much of the plastic packaging used is not easily recycled.
The following article from the Atlantic list the issues.
Atlantic Article
One of the problems is that the true cost of products is not just the cost of manufacturing them.It is also the aftermarket costs they create.
The same problem exists with energy although it some ways a bit less traceable.
Like most things dealing with the problem on the back side is the hardest and most expensive method. If the items are biodegradable in the first place, the recycling issue doesn't exist. Plastic is a very convenient material for many applications, but other materials can be used.
When we shop we should be conscious of how we impact the planet and our worlds future. I'm a firm believer that most of us would prefer to do the right thing, if we could.
Each person is a minor impact, but small impacts can add up and while it may not be the complete solution it is a start.
To quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy and it is us"
The issue is that China which used to buy our materials has started accepting significantly less. Without them the materials are generally not easily reused, at lest in most cases.
They used to sort through the items and effectively make them usable. In this country the cost of doing that is prohibitive.
So most recycled material are effectively contaminated with non recyclable stuff that needs to be sorted, but to do that is prohibitively expensive. Much of it is simply going into landfills.
More and more items are also packaged in materials that simply can't be recycled. Much of the plastic packaging used is not easily recycled.
The following article from the Atlantic list the issues.
Atlantic Article
One of the problems is that the true cost of products is not just the cost of manufacturing them.It is also the aftermarket costs they create.
The same problem exists with energy although it some ways a bit less traceable.
Like most things dealing with the problem on the back side is the hardest and most expensive method. If the items are biodegradable in the first place, the recycling issue doesn't exist. Plastic is a very convenient material for many applications, but other materials can be used.
When we shop we should be conscious of how we impact the planet and our worlds future. I'm a firm believer that most of us would prefer to do the right thing, if we could.
Each person is a minor impact, but small impacts can add up and while it may not be the complete solution it is a start.
To quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy and it is us"
Friday, March 8, 2019
Filters
To some extent everything is a bit of a game, even things that are decidedly very important. People make it that way as at least some of them are always trying to gain an advantage, I'm not aware of any profession or endeavor which is not subject to some game playing.
Now politicians are probably the biggest game players of all since they spend much of their time figuring out what to do and how to position themselves. Once in a while someone comes along and changes the rules, causing a mad scramble.
We saw this in the 2016 election cycle but it really started in 2010 when the tea party started to infiltrate the Republican party. Of course there have always been factions within the parties but they seemed to be unwilling to even consider some of the accepted norms.
Now of course we see some of this in the Democratic party. It is possible that the failure of people who supported Bernie Sanders contributed to the Democratic candidates loss. It was a factor and it required every factor to get the outcome we did.
In the mid terms we have seen an influx of non-traditional representatives, some of whom are getting a lot of attention. Part of this is because they either don't know the accepted rules or don't care about them.
This of course provides ammunition to the other side to point out any foibles or mistakes they make.
What's worse is that many of the traditional filters are simply gone. In days past you often had more awareness of what you were saying or doing.
Of course now, with twitter, you can shoot off a comment in the privacy of your bedroom without any filters at all.
Every tweet is subject to analysis and in some cases fact checking and it is probably a good idea for many of the new players to find a filter who can provide feedback on proposed tweets.
Or not and let the games begin!
Now politicians are probably the biggest game players of all since they spend much of their time figuring out what to do and how to position themselves. Once in a while someone comes along and changes the rules, causing a mad scramble.
We saw this in the 2016 election cycle but it really started in 2010 when the tea party started to infiltrate the Republican party. Of course there have always been factions within the parties but they seemed to be unwilling to even consider some of the accepted norms.
Now of course we see some of this in the Democratic party. It is possible that the failure of people who supported Bernie Sanders contributed to the Democratic candidates loss. It was a factor and it required every factor to get the outcome we did.
In the mid terms we have seen an influx of non-traditional representatives, some of whom are getting a lot of attention. Part of this is because they either don't know the accepted rules or don't care about them.
This of course provides ammunition to the other side to point out any foibles or mistakes they make.
What's worse is that many of the traditional filters are simply gone. In days past you often had more awareness of what you were saying or doing.
Of course now, with twitter, you can shoot off a comment in the privacy of your bedroom without any filters at all.
Every tweet is subject to analysis and in some cases fact checking and it is probably a good idea for many of the new players to find a filter who can provide feedback on proposed tweets.
Or not and let the games begin!
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