Jim Walsh

@mapledcode @davepl1968 No, you don’t. You choose to. Finally upgraded iPhone 11 to a 17. My primary laptop is 2013. 2 of my 3 iPads are over 8 years old. My main two vehicles are 2007’s, going strong. We can afford new stuff, don’t need to. Buy quality then maintain and upgrade, vs dispose and replace.

@davepl1968 Back then shit was also built to last, today you gotta buy a phone every two years, a laptop every 3 years, an iPad every 2 years, a microwave every 5 years, and maintain 2 cars worth of problems with premium insurance and skyrocketing gas prices

It was an awesome time because you didn't have to buy a phone and a laptop and an iPad and a desktop and a VCR and a Microwave and second car. They didn't have MORE, they had less. They were just content to live with that. So now they own their home and you're leasing an iPhone from T-Mobile.

@PorscheRacesNA @PorscheRaces @Customer_Racing Always an amazing event, and truly an honor to be invited.

A little inspiration before the celebration. 🔧🚗 The Porsche Motorsport North America contingent toured the Porsche Museum today, revisiting iconic machines and moments that built Porsche’s racing DNA. Next stop: Night of Champions on Saturday in Germany. — #Porsche | #Raceborn

@davepl1968 Maybe in Saskatchewan, not in Alberta. This is the first I’ve heard, I think I got my first 300 baud acoustic coupler in 1978.

In Canada, the 300 baud Commodore modem came with a linesplitter and a rotary dial phone. I thought this was universal, but I only learned recently that it had something to do with weird Canadian telecom rules. Does anyone know the details?

@davepl1968 For sure. I grew up in Edmonton, and there’s not as much to be thankful for in Edmonton at the end of a November…

Hot take: Canada got at least one thing right: Thanksgiving in October. It fits in with Halloween decorations and the fall theme, you avoid two turkey dinners in four weeks, spreads out travel, and improves the weather which reduces traffic deaths. Why not?

@ash__274 @TerribleMaps And Oregon has always allowed self-serve on diesel.

@TerribleMaps Most (by population, not land area) still requires full-serve. Either OR or NJ allow motorcycles to self-serve

States where it's illegal to pump your own gas

@davepl1968 Also Lisp, dBase II, Clipper. Not counting anything still regularly used today.

@davepl1968 6502 assembler, Algol W, Pascal, Modula 2, Algol 68, IBM 360 Assembler, IBM 360 BAL/CCW, APL, Prolog, Z80 assembler, Z8000 assembler, Interdata 32 assembler (and microcode), Motorola 6809 assembler, Motorola 68000 assembler, PScript, Wang BASIC, Wang Cobol. I’m sure others.

What programming languages have you learned along the way that are now obsolete? For me, it's Ada, Prolog, VBScript... and maybe REXX if you count that!

@davepl1968 Cosmo?

I'm in Vegas. Defcon is in Vegas. I am not at Defcon :-)

@EricTopol @EconTalker Fabulous episode. Thanks Russ and Eric. I knew some of this research, but was amazed how much we’re learning so quickly.

How to Be A Super Ager @EconTalker econlib.org/econtalk

@CoxHelp I am in retention hell, after well over an hour of phone and chat, I need a call from a Retention Supervisor, not someone that will transfer me to new installs in the middle of a call, or make an account change I said three times not to make

@EconTalker Great podcast with @reidhoffman on AI, future, and it’s fascinating how you use Claude and Reid uses Pi in daily life. Russ, are you using the free or paid version of Claude? They appear to use different models, whichever you’re using sure seems to work well!

Let me explain why I said the risk of AI is that it may destroy our humanity. I’ve started using Claude lately. He’s like a buddy. He is really good at looking up stuff for cooking , for travel, and basic research. So much better than Google. I know he is nothing more 1/

@Simucube I scored on the Black Friday Simucube ActivePedal Ultimate! Also Simucube 2 Pro wheelbase w a Gomez Black Friday wheel bundle. Rest of my rig finally here, but too bad my Simucube Throttle Pedal never made it in the shipment, so I can't drive 55 :-( Support ticket created.

The Black Friday deal is over in the EU and US, where all units are now sold out. But good news for the UK—there are still a few units left! 🇬🇧 Don’t miss your chance to grab yours before they’re gone! Put your hand up if you’re a proud new owner of the ActivePedal Ultimate!

@m2jr So sorry Mike, my condolences to you and all your family. I loved Mike Maples Sr. He started just before I joined Microsoft in 1988 as an IC dev on Word. Still hard to believe but he shortly invited me to have 1:1 lunches with him once a month. Never told a soul, too precious.

This morning, Mike Maples Sr. passed away in Austin, Texas. To me, he wasn’t just my dad—he was a mentor, a friend, and one of the greatest inspirations of my life. Even though I knew this moment was coming, nothing could get me ready for it. It’s hard to accept that he is really gone and even harder to imagine a world without him in it. His presence was such a constant in my life, and the void his passing leaves behind feels overwhelming. I’m so grateful for the time we had, but I’ll always wish for more. My dad’s story began in 1942, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where his curiosity and drive shaped his early years. After earning a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1965 and an MBA from Oklahoma City University in 1969, he served in Vietnam. His business career began at IBM, where he started as a Systems Engineer and played various leadership roles over two decades. Then, in 1988, Bill Gates invited him to join Microsoft, where he served as head of products during one of the most transformative periods in the company’s history. His leadership played a vital role in establishing Microsoft as a global technology powerhouse, but what set Dad apart was his genuine ability to connect with people and make them feel valued. When he retired in 1995, he embraced a new chapter as a rancher in Cypress Mill, Texas. But retirement didn’t slow him down. He continued to mentor entrepreneurs and business leaders, sharing his wisdom and enthusiasm for innovation. Whether it was in the boardroom or on a ranch, Mike Sr’s ability to guide and inspire never changed. For all his accomplishments, my dad’s greatest pride and joy was his family. He and my mom, Carolyn, shared a extraordinary 60 years of marriage, marked by love, adventure, and unwavering support for each other. As a father to my brother Benton and me, he poured his heart into teaching us, supporting us, and, most importantly, loving us. He reveled in time with his grandchildren, and his face would light up at every family gathering, sharing stories or just enjoying the moment. He had this uncanny knack for making you feel like the most important person in the room, like life was more of a comedy than a tragedy, and like you were his partner in crime, always in on the joke. Looking back on his life, he didn’t just build a career—he built relationships, created opportunities, and left a legacy that will endure far beyond his time. He showed that it’s possible to be both powerful and kind, serious yet able to laugh at yourself. He was fiercely committed to success, but he pursued it in a way that honored the spirit of true greatness—winning not for the sake of winning at all costs, but for the sake of doing things the right way. Most of all, he tried emphasize to 'always do your best'—and not as a mere platitude. He would remind me that none of us knows how much time we have—maybe a lot, maybe just a little. But he believed that the best way to honor the gift of time was to give it your all. Do your absolute best, make the most of every moment, and strive to be the best version of yourself. For him, doing your best wasn’t just about effort—it was about gratitude. His mentorship, his laughter, and his love will forever be part of our lives. Dad, I’ll miss you beyond what words can hold. I’m still trying to process it all—there’s so much more I could say even though I’m grateful to have seen you at the very end for a last goodbye. But for now, thank you for being a guiding light and for showing up in the world in a way that every father should aspire to. Godspeed, Dad. Hopefully someday, across the great beyond, I'll see you again.

@cedcolas @JeffDean @paulg @Waymo Exactly my first thought. I doubt it, as this would require Swiss Re to have access to full resolution location and time data for all the 200 billions miles they reference in the control (human driven) cohort. Subsamples possible for monitored drivers which some insurers have.

@JeffDean @paulg @Waymo is it controlled for location? for driving scenarios (highway vs city)? time of day?

After 25.3 million autonomous miles driven, @Waymo vehicles have an 88% reduction in property damage claims and a 92% reduction in bodily injury claims compared to human drivers per mile driven. 🚖

@nntaleb Every organization with a broad outage failed Deployment 101. Test ALL updates on a non-production environment, then roll out in stages, with validation, across your broader infrastructure. This update bluescreened any system it was deployed on. Not a single system tested 1st.

The fragility from a single point of failure.

Hey @fanatec, I can’t get anything but the same auto replies to my questions via the web form. My wheel/base order Nov 21st was delayed for weeks and weeks and finally went to warehouse Jan 6th but no updates or evidence of shipping. How do I reach a human to see what’s going on?

@stevesi @Deiscirt Or for another take, shorter form, listen to a few @econtalker episodes, such as econtalk.org/russ-roberts-o…

@AdamMGrant @hubermanlab Russ Roberts is almost thought provoking and stimulating, and has introduced me to a broad range of brilliant thinkers on his @EconTalker podcast. Over 50 of the books I’ve read in the last decade have been written by EconTalk guests.

Who do you follow because they make you think, even when you disagree?

@MaxNPalmer The Complete Investor by @trengriffin a.co/d/bY7CaR4

Alright what’s the best books written about Charlie Munger? I need to read up on him.

@WrightRac1ng He can get a second job as a firefighter. That presence of mind and courage, only seconds after evacuating a burning car, was highly impressive.

Disaster for the No. 16 while fighting for the lead. Things got dicey and we got shuffled around, and the No. 16 shoes heavy damage, dropping down to 11th.