Misc on Random thoughts of me

Before You Drop $500 on a Switch 2, Read This

Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Before You Drop $500 on a Switch 2, Read This

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a great machine. But is it $500-better than a $45 handheld that plays the entire NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), SNES (Super Nintendo), Game Boy, Genesis, and PlayStation 1 libraries — or a $249 one that handles PS2 and GameCube?

A Little Story

A few weeks ago I went looking for something my kids could play classic games on — something I wouldn’t mourn if it got dropped, lost, or used as a frisbee.

The Sky Arena: Why Air Shows Are a Moral Anachronism We've Somehow Normalized

Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Sky Arena: Why Air Shows Are a Moral Anachronism We’ve Somehow Normalized

We banned gladiatorial combat. We reformed NASCAR until the deaths stopped. Air shows cannot be reformed — they can only be banned.

There is a particular kind of moral blindness that only becomes visible in retrospect. Future generations look back and ask: how did they not see it? How did they sit in those stands, eat their funnel cake, and watch without flinching?

The AI PC Kickstarter Gold Rush

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The AI PC Kickstarter Gold Rush: A Buyer’s Guide for the Discerning Paranoid

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Just Buy a Framework Desktop

The year is 2026. Every company with access to a Shenzhen ODM catalog and a Canva account has discovered that if you put the words “local AI,” “agentic,” and “private” in a Kickstarter headline, people will throw money at a render of an aluminum cube. We are in the middle of the AI PC gold rush, and somebody has to sort the nuggets from the gravel.

A Close Reading of the Dearborn Heights Mayor's Statement on the Temple Israel Attack

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

A Close Reading of the Dearborn Heights Mayor’s Statement on the Temple Israel Attack

On March 12, 2026, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali — a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon and resident of Dearborn Heights, Michigan — drove a truck loaded with explosives into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. He exited with a rifle and opened fire. Approximately 140 students and staff were inside, including young children in an early childhood center. Security guards engaged and killed him. The FBI is investigating it as “a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

When Justice Hits a Dead End: The Mary Fong Lau Case and America's Vehicular Homicide Problem

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

On March 16, 2024, Mary Fong Lau drove her Mercedes SUV at 70 miles per hour—the wrong way down a residential San Francisco street. She killed an entire family: Diego Cardoso de Oliveira (40), his wife Matilde Moncada Ramos Pinto (38), and their two infant sons, one-year-old Joaquim and three-month-old Cauê. They were waiting for a bus to the zoo.

On February 13, Lau pleaded no contest. The judge indicated she’ll receive probation. No prison time.

Beyond Managed Decline: The Torah Framework for Human Flourishing - Part 2

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Beyond Managed Decline: The Torah Framework for Human Flourishing

Part 2: Israel’s Exception and the Rebbe’s Framework

This is Part 2 of a three-part essay. Part 1 examined the demographic, institutional, and fiscal crises facing developed nations, with Israel emerging as an unexplained exception to universal patterns of decline.

The Limits of Materialist Frameworks

Part 1 documented a civilization in managed decline: unsustainable entitlements, collapsing fertility, institutional incompetence, and escalating debt. The analysis concluded that America’s position rests less on excellence than on competitors facing similar or worse challenges.

Beyond Managed Decline: The Torah Framework for Human Flourishing - Part 3

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Beyond Managed Decline: The Torah Framework for Human Flourishing

Part 3: The Universal Path to Redemption

This is Part 3 of a three-part essay. Part 1 examined civilizational decline across developed nations. Part 2 explored Israel’s exceptionalism and the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Torah-based framework that outperformed secular strategic analysis.

The Seven Laws of Noah: Universal Moral Code

Judaism offers a framework that applies not only to Jews but to all humanity: the Seven Laws of Noah (Sheva Mitzvot B’nei Noach). According to the Talmud, these universal laws were given to Noah and his descendants—meaning all of humanity—after the Flood.¹

When Bad Games Drive Out Good: The Hidden Cost of "Free"

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

A Simple Question That Reveals Everything

Do any current Angry Birds games have the same simple elegance as the original?

The answer is no. And the reason why reveals something far more disturbing than the decline of a mobile game franchise.

The Death of Premium Mobile Gaming

In 2009, Angry Birds was a revelation. You paid $0.99 once, and you owned a complete, polished game. Pure physics puzzles that scaled through clever level design. No ads. No energy systems. No daily login bonuses. No loot boxes.

The Force Is a Religion: Why Modern Star Wars Can't Find Its Soul

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Force Is a Religion: Why Modern Star Wars Can’t Find Its Soul

There’s a persistent mystery in contemporary pop culture: why can’t the most valuable intellectual property in entertainment history recapture its magic? Disney has poured billions into Star Wars, hired talented filmmakers, and produced technically proficient content—yet something essential keeps slipping through their fingers. The sequel trilogy divided the fanbase. Solo flopped. The streaming shows range from “pretty good” to “forgettable.” Meanwhile, the original and prequel trilogies, for all their flaws, continue to resonate across generations.