The Means AND the Ends

The Means AND The Ends is the recognition that "getting there" is at least as important as where you're going. These posts are a curated collection of articles I've written as well as interesting finds that can be serious, humorous, and sometimes skeptical about investing and saving for retirement while being mindful that we must enjoy the ride all along the way.

The Dead Bodies I Left – Contrarian Thinking

Behavioral Finance, Lifestyle

Humans. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of emails that say “I hope you’re doing well in these trying times,” (although I may, cough, be guilty of sending 1 or 70 of ‘em). I’m tired of conversations (mine included) that default to politics, protests, posturing.

Conversations where we are all-knowing and the other is an imbecile. Yes, I am very worried about our government, Big Tech, overreach, social unrest, and tactical things like inflation, stock market plunges, and economic downturn.

But here’s the truth…we all need to gander a second or two longer in the mirror and do a little less pointing with those trigger-happy index fingers. I’ve never met a perfect human. I’m not, and I’d wager a bet you also aren’t.

Read the entire article: The Dead Bodies I Left – Contrarian Thinking

The Dead Bodies I Left – Contrarian Thinking Read Post »

Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine

Travel

New scholarship points to a paradox of historic scope: Our writing system was devised by people who couldn’t read.

Centuries before Moses wandered in the “great and terrible wilderness” of the Sinai Peninsula, this triangle of desert wedged between Africa and Asia attracted speculators, drawn by rich mineral deposits hidden in the rocks. And it was on one of these expeditions, around 4,000 years ago, that some mysterious person or group took a bold step that, in retrospect, was truly revolutionary. Scratched on the wall of a mine is the very first attempt at something we use every day: the alphabet.

The evidence, which continues to be examined and reinterpreted 116 years after its discovery, is on a windswept plateau in Egypt called Serabit el-Khadim, a remote spot even by Sinai standards. Yet it wasn’t too difficult for even ancient Egyptians to reach, as the presence of a temple right at the top shows.

Read the entire article: Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine

Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine Read Post »

How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance – IEEE Spectrum

Lifestyle

A week ago, Boston Dynamics posted a video of Atlas, Spot, and Handle dancing to “Do You Love Me.” It was, according to the video description, a way “to celebrate the start of what we hope will be a happier year.”

As of today, the video has been viewed nearly 24 million times,

Read the entire article: How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance – IEEE Spectrum

How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance – IEEE Spectrum Read Post »

Holiday travel numbers broke records. Will the trend continue in 2021? – The Washington Post

Lifestyle, Travel

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, travel screeched to a halt in the United States. In April, airports were devoid of their usual crowds, with ghostly security checkpoints seeing a mere 4 percent of typical traveler volumes that month.

Daily passenger levels — which in 2019 were usually around 2 to 3 million travelers daily — dipped to their lowest levels in a decade; a mere 100,000 travelers passed through airports most days in April.

Read the entire article: Holiday travel numbers broke records. Will the trend continue in 2021? – The Washington Post

Holiday travel numbers broke records. Will the trend continue in 2021? – The Washington Post Read Post »

This Guy Went to Get Groceries and Ended Up Getting the Covid Vaccine

Health & Fitness

Law student David MacMillan was just walking through a Giant grocery store in DC Friday night when the pharmacist flagged him and his friend down.

Apparently, several first responders who were scheduled to get their Moderna Covid vaccines at that location had missed their appointments.“She turned to us and was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got two doses of the vaccine and I’m going to have to throw them away if I don’t give them to somebody. We close in 10 minutes. Do you want the Moderna vaccine?” MacMillan told NBC.

Read the entire article: This Guy Went to Get Groceries and Ended Up Getting the Covid Vaccine

This Guy Went to Get Groceries and Ended Up Getting the Covid Vaccine Read Post »

In Graying Italy, the Old Defy Biases Laid Bare by Pandemic | Voice of America – English

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Retirement

ROME – From his newsstand at the bottom of two hilly streets in Rome, Armando Alviti has been dispensing newspapers, magazines and good cheer to locals from before dawn till after dusk nearly every day for more than a half-century.“Ciao, Armando,” his customers greet him as part of their daily routine. “Ciao, amore (love)” he calls back.

Alviti chuckled as he recalled how, when he was a young boy, newspaper deliverers would drop off the day’s stacks at his parents’ newsstand, sit him in the emptied baskets of their motorbikes and take him for a spin.

Read the entire article: In Graying Italy, the Old Defy Biases Laid Bare by Pandemic | Voice of America – English

In Graying Italy, the Old Defy Biases Laid Bare by Pandemic | Voice of America – English Read Post »

Personal Finance: Should I Leave My Kids an Inheritance? – Bloomberg

Financial Planning, Lifestyle, Retirement

Bold retirees sport the bumper sticker “I am spending my children’s inheritance.” The sentiment might seem selfish, but it’s good financial planning.

Trying to leave a bequest could put older people in a tight spot. Finance author Chris Farrell once told me about a panicked 83-year-old woman with four kids who was on track to run out of money in three years because she was trying to save for her kids’ inheritance. She is not atypical.

Read the entire article: Personal Finance: Should I Leave My Kids an Inheritance? – Bloomberg

Personal Finance: Should I Leave My Kids an Inheritance? – Bloomberg Read Post »

Massachusetts Regulators File Complaint Against Robinhood – WSJ

Behavioral Finance, Markets

Massachusetts securities regulators filed a complaint Wednesday against the wildly popular trading platform operated by Robinhood Financial LLC, alleging the company aggressively marketed to inexperienced investors and failed to implement controls to protect them.

Read the entire article: Massachusetts Regulators File Complaint Against Robinhood – WSJ

Massachusetts Regulators File Complaint Against Robinhood – WSJ Read Post »

This App Is Emerging As A Leader Among Covid-19 Digital Travel Passes

Health & Fitness, Travel

2021 is shaping up to be the year of the digital travel pass – most likely in the form of an app – for anyone looking to take to the skies. We can expect things in that sector to develop quickly from here on. And the latest indications are that one particular app is now gaining momentum, with several airlines making plans to begin rolling it out this month.

It’s called CommonPass. So what exactly does it do, and will you need to have it on your phone the next time you fly?

Read the entire article: This App Is Emerging As A Leader Among Covid-19 Digital Travel Passes

This App Is Emerging As A Leader Among Covid-19 Digital Travel Passes Read Post »

Make the Best Booze-infused Red Velvet Cupcakes Ever With Comedian Loni Love and Georgetown Cupcakes | Travel + Leisure

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

Is there anything better during the holiday season than the copious amounts of baked goods floating around? From tins filled with cheesecake brownies shipped across state lines (thanks, Nancy!) to pies of every shape, color, and flavor sending noses scrambling to the kitchen, baking is truly one of the joys of this time of year.

Read the entire article: Make the Best Booze-infused Red Velvet Cupcakes Ever With Comedian Loni Love and Georgetown Cupcakes | Travel + Leisure

Make the Best Booze-infused Red Velvet Cupcakes Ever With Comedian Loni Love and Georgetown Cupcakes | Travel + Leisure Read Post »

Gavin Newsom’s New Stay-at-Home Order a ‘Deathblow’ to California’s Small Businesses – Reason.com

Industry, Lifestyle

Most of California will be going back into March-style lockdowns following the issuance of a new public health order from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) that closes large swaths of the economy in regions hardest hit by COVID-19 and places tougher restrictions on businesses allowed to remain open.

Critics say Newsom’s order is full of arbitrary restrictions that will damage small business owners while doing little to stem the spread of the pandemic.

Read the entire article: Gavin Newsom’s New Stay-at-Home Order a ‘Deathblow’ to California’s Small Businesses – Reason.com

Gavin Newsom’s New Stay-at-Home Order a ‘Deathblow’ to California’s Small Businesses – Reason.com Read Post »

DeepMind AI cracks 50-year-old problem of protein folding | DeepMind | The Guardian

Health & Fitness, Industry, Lifestyle

Having risen to fame on its superhuman performance at playing games, the artificial intelligence group DeepMind has cracked a serious scientific problem that has stumped researchers for half a century.

With its latest AI program, AlphaFold, the company, and research laboratory showed it can predict how proteins fold into 3D shapes, a fiendishly complex process that is fundamental to understanding the biological machinery of life.

Read the entire article: DeepMind AI cracks 50-year-old problem of protein folding | DeepMind | The Guardian

DeepMind AI cracks 50-year-old problem of protein folding | DeepMind | The Guardian Read Post »

Americans Are Starting a Staggering Number of Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Reason.com

Industry, Lifestyle

In a year that will be remembered for a deadly pandemic that shut down parts of the economy and cost millions of people their jobs, here’s one silver lining.

Read the entire article: Americans Are Starting a Staggering Number of Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Reason.com

Americans Are Starting a Staggering Number of Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Reason.com Read Post »

Here’s What Skiing at Mammoth Mountain Looks Like Right Now | Travel + Leisure

Lifestyle, Travel

Everyone has their happy place. A place both real and imagined that brings them a sense of calm, joy, and pure happiness. For me, that’s the mountains in winter.

The fresh snow, crisp air, and joyful shrieks of skiers and snowboarders as they rip down the powder. But, being 2020, I thought my happy place was in peril. Until I visited Mammoth Mountain for opening week.

Read the entire article: Here’s What Skiing at Mammoth Mountain Looks Like Right Now | Travel + Leisure

Here’s What Skiing at Mammoth Mountain Looks Like Right Now | Travel + Leisure Read Post »

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