https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effici...ket_hypothesis

Great. All I need now is a definition of "information".

More import line:

His 2012 study with Kenneth French confirmed this view, showing that the distribution of abnormal returns of US mutual funds is very similar to what would be expected if no fund managers had any skill—a necessary condition for the EMH to hold.


This simply means that the wise person purchases and holds index funds, and they do not pay a fund manager to invested your assets for you. If you wish to invest individually in a limited number of certain stocks, bonds, or other investments tools yourself that is also an option. And information is the key*. I suggest looking into a crystal ball or tossing darts or praying to the god Moloch for your investment picks. I think BTM2 is closing in on making his first million or two with this devious method.

* I have a pamphlet that tells how to get the best information and hidden secrets of the market. Just send me 100 quid and I will mail it to you. Postage Free!!!!

& I have a good thought experiment that proves the linked study is not all that sound.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read the bathroom wall at the local sports pub. Nothing outstanding. Dive bars have better wall news I think.

And some pubs/taverns now will post the local sports page above the urinal. Wonder if this is done for the women's pisser too.

I call this light reading on the local scene, rudimentary and limited in quality and quantity but you can pick up a few hints and suggestions and other colorful commentary. Always worth a look.

An oldie but still a goodie:

"What are you looking up here for - the jokes in your hand"

How efficient is the market today when a 10% is inevitable drop or in 2009 in spring that it was a screaming buy in leaps and stocks.

There is no such thing as efficient market, only nearly efficient well known arbitrage methods basically in positions that billions are played. There is not even such thing as market or free market or whatever. Its just a game people play to manipulate each other. If you have more information and better math you can win in the game. If you cheat you can win even more. How efficient is the market if you have cheating all the time? How efficient is the market during the flash crash event in a few minutes of irrational drop that are recovered a few hours or less later?

I started wondering about how many free lunches have actually happened in the whole history of mid-day meals, but realized it involved more math than I have time to do. Definitely seems easier to count about how many lunches have been voted not free for some reason or another, though the size of the free lunch number does make me curious.

I get it. It's pleasant to sit drinking decent beer in a decent pub listening to a decent jukebox on a Saturday afternoon. Just up from arguably the finest, unknown Georgean square in London, spared from the Luftwaffe and the post-war town planners according to a doubtless well-understood probability distribution, while the hipsters on their skateboards come and go. Just "around the corner" from where some stupid, druggy slag embroiled one in a cycle of abuse for the best part of a year. Difficult to tear oneself away. That you have to devote your entire life to it is the part that I don't get.

What else is there?

Roxy Beaujolais is an excellent cook.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/08/...-of-the-stars/

From above:

Roxy and her ale-wenches serve an excellent pint of Adnam’s. The food is both hearty and thoughtful. Although the menu changes constantly according to Roxy’s fancy, it is always interesting. Well-hung, Scottish, the beef is as it should be and there are sound cheeses. It is the sort of meal you would be happy to eat at a dinner party.

Adnam’s also supplies the Champagne and Roxy is forever foraying to Provence or the Minervois in pursuit of good and reasonable bottles. But when I lunched there the other day, the principal red was southern-hemisphere: a Gouguenheim Malbec which was thoroughly drinkable. The Argentinians may fantasise about the Falklands and they have never really recovered from the blood-poisoning of Peronism. But they are improving as wine-makers. I have not yet come across a disappointing Malbec.

**************************

Coincidence that last night I had a very good Malbec from Argentina, (Mendoza) with my steak? I think not.

Fun article. Almost ban worthy for the snarky political comments interspersed throughout. Well done. Lastcard has earned bonus posting points that can be turned in as a buffer against banning for posting something that would make some venerable group and their spokesperson gasp in horror. To be cashed in at Lastcard's discretion.

Being happy and enjoying your life is one of the most active and worst crimes that you can commit. It causes extreme jealousy in 95% of the people on the planet. It would not cause any robots distress however. Being an automaton has certain advantages. Howard Beale should take note.

Roxy is larger than life. I was unaware that such landladies have not yet been rendered extinct by the corporations. I think we may have caught her on a good day. On a bad one I can see her being hell on wheels.

California oranges are the best (the tree ripen kind). I just confirmed this with my impeccable palate and blind tasting test. Texas oranges were a close second, and Florida Oranges a distance third. The UK had no entries. It was automatically disqualified from judging because of its racist Brexit policies.

A clarification: It is only, under current social law, against the law to mention that you are happy and enjoying your life.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes/

He became 54.

Also a 'lol' bec since I spend so much time taking care of mom most of my socialization is at a poker table two days/wk and the greater part of the happiness is either faked or temporary after winning a big pot soon to be gone after the next beat. It's really pretty obvious that many of these ppl are not really there for fun.

Here's my quip (you can all use it) when the misery index rises to a level I think sufficient: 'You ppl are here of your own free will and never mind what Sam Harris says. I'M here by court order. Why don't you go do something else?'

Sometimes the dealers laugh and I give them a dollar.

Too much to say or get into after the events of today so will pass on that - But a more important message is that our thoughts go out to our friends across the water in the UK and the UK posters that participate on 2+2 and in the SMP forum.

You're a good egg, Zeno.

USA 8; Puerto Rico 0, in the World Baseball Classic. USA #1*

united-states-beats-puerto-rico-for-first-world-baseball-classic

*This is a bit silly in a way, Puerto Rico is part of the USA, it is a US territory not a state, so either way a US team would have won. So the World Baseball Classic came down to an internal struggle between US Teams.

Territories_of_the_United_States

I wonder whether this extends to Where's Waldo:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...1110205051.htm

interesting article about income inequality: http://www.salon.com/2015/07/15/35_s...ality_partner/

most of the interesting things I read are on reddit, good place to be on the intrawebs

thoughts on this? although I was aware I create my identity and never defined myself by what I decided to identify myself as this went to an even deeper place - our consciousness

"Did I tell you The Cosmic Joke, and how you were in on it all this while ?
What if I tell you that the Kingdom of God is within your reach. And it is reachable right here and right now. What will it take for you to believe me for a few mere minutes of your life ? You were probably going to spend these few minutes by marinating in the current gossip at your office, or worrying about the latest problem to hit your life, or reminiscing in a new love interest that is showing a lot of promise to last the long mile ? I'm not asking you to believe in anything. All I ask is for you to look and find something yourself. I'm only pointing to it. And I will try my best to point to it, with my complete capacity to currently do so.

On the night of 7th Dec '16, I realized that I did not exist as a seperate identity. It was the most subtle, yet profound realization of my life. I cannot compare it to anything at all. Since then, I've been going deeper and deeper into it. I found that I was the Ocean of Love myself, and it was so for as long as I could recall, and will be so for all eternity. I've been trying hard to make sense of it, but herein lies the problem - it cannot be made sense of. It is what allows the sense to exist. Anyway, starting in such an abstract manner was actually intended so that I have your undivided attention for the foreseeable future now. There is no magic here, and nothing is to be conjured. On the 4th Feb '17, I was able to guide my wife to also realize the Self. It also was the most profound realization for her, and she wept and laughed when she saw that it was so easy. She could not believe that for realizing something so simple, is what a lot of religious texts are written. I hope to be able to repeat this with everyone here, as I believe that every human being is 100% capable of realizing this.
The most important thing to remember here is that you should not have any expectations whatsoever. Even the slightest of expectations will thwart your union with your true Self. So just do what I say and stay in the moment.

RULES -
Read this text only when you are not pre-occupied with a chore, and are in an environment conducive for inner reflection.
Read completely until the end.
Have no expectations.
Read the instructions and reflect upon them.
DO NOT TRY TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES.
The instructions are very simple. Do not assume or create your own version of the instructions.
Keep aside all that you have read or know about spirituality.
Finally, be truthful to yourself. There is no one judging you because everyone else is reading this and seeing this for themselves

Let us start with the gross world - the things that you own in your home. You own the chair/bed/etc you are sitting on. But are you that chair/bed ? You own the phone/computer screen you are reading this on. But are you this phone ? Are you, your possessions ? Reflect upon this, and read further only when you realize that you are not your possessions.

Obviously you are not the chair, or the phone, just because you own them. Then take this body of yours. You say, this is your body. The entire body belongs to you, but you are not your possessions. Reflect upon this, and read further only when you realize that you are not your body as well.

Obviously, you are not even your body for the simple fact that you cannot be something that you yourself owns. Along with your body, you also removed all your senses of tasting, smelling, hearing, seeing and touching, from the equation. You are not even your 5 senses. The 5 senses serve you, but they are not you. Things are starting to get a little heated now. Something wonky is going on here, isn't it ? What about thoughts ? Do you think that the thought came to you, because you thought of it ? Or did the thought come to you of its' own accord ? If I say, do not think of the white dog barking outside, why did an image of the white dog flash in your mind right now ? It is not because you were unable in controlling your mind. It is because that is how the mind functions. It functions of its' own accord. It can be said that it has a life of its' own. You do not say that I will now think of an orange sun setting in the mountains, and then you think of the orange sun setting in the mountains. The thought of the orange sun setting in the mountains comes directly to you, without your decision to think so. Do you know that your kidney is fulfilling its' functions without you interfering into it ? Is it because it has a life of its' own too ? Oh no. Do all of your body organs fulfill their functions without you intervening in them ? Something seriously twisted is going on here and should be investigated into ! Reflect upon this paragraph and read further only when you realize that thoughts come to you by themselves.

Obviously, you are not even your thoughts. What about emotions ? Guess what,
emotions too are thoughts. Your emotions. Your thoughts. Your senses. Your body. Your possessions. But they aren't you. Then what are you ? What about breath ? What is a breath after all ? The air that your lungs are filling up with AT THE MOMENT. The next moment, your lungs are empty of all this air as well. The breath has gone out now. But you are still here. Reflect upon this paragraph and read further only when you realize that you are not even the breath you take.

Are you still here or not ? I'm sure you are. But who are you here as ? Are you here as your identity or name ? You have a certain set of beliefs that you carry along with yourself as what you think makes you 'you'. What if I tell you that your parents are not your biological parents and that they had adopted you from your real parents, and that your name is not what you call yourself currently. What if your parents provide you proof of this as well. A minute ago, you were someone you always thought you were, but now suddenly, with the introduction of some new facts, your idea of who you are seems to have changed. What do you know about yourself that is for certain and doesn't change, regardless of changes in your so called identity ? Reflect upon this paragraph and read further only when you realize that you are not the identity you take yourself to be.

You hold your identity the closest to yourself, because you protect it with your life. Read this below scenario completely and then try to imagine the same with your eyes closed to get a deeper feel for it. You are in a pitch black room without a single ray of light. It makes no difference if your eyes are open or closed in this room. Your hands and legs are bound in chains and stretched away from your torso. Next, you realize that you have absolutely no recollection of anything from the past. You don't even know any language that you can speak. You don't know your name. You don't know your caste and creed. You don't even know the color of your skin. Heck, there is no way for you to even know your own gender. You can't move your hands over your body to verify your gender because your hands are bound in chains. Oh, what a predicament to be in ! Despite having literally no information about yourself, you know that you are here in this pitch black room. How do you acknowledge your presence in this black room ? Can you deny your presence in this room ? Is it possible for you to say that you are not here in this room ? Look carefully, and see what is it about you, which allows you to make the statement,"I am here". You don't even know any languages you can speak. And yet, you can ascertain your presence in this black room. You have been stripped off of everything you owned, but there is something that you do not own. You do not own your own presence. You ARE the presence. Your presence cannot be taken from you. You can never say that, "I am not here", because even to say this, something has to perceive your own absence. Before you say "I am Daniel (hypothetical name)", you have to be here. Before you add 'Daniel', you say "I AM..." To be Daniel, you have to be Here and Now. Do you see how simple and subtle this realization is ? It is something that you have taken for granted for all your life. But, today is the day you meet your real Self. Your presence, is the most important factor of all, because it is on the screen of your presence, that the entire world and the cosmos is reflected upon. You are the cinema screen, devoid of any flavor, onto which movies of unlimited genres are played upon. Tragic situations, comedic situations, romantic and action and sci-fi alike. It all happens because of your presence. The world is in you. You are not in the world. This is why Nisargadutta Maharaj says, "I am that, by which I know, I am." Read that again slowly and you will get it. The 'amness', is the most critical factor of all. Think about it - is your presence any different from mine ? Does your presence have a gender ? Or any age ? Or any emotion or feeling ? Does it even have a morality scale ? Do you see how you judge your self more than others judge you ? This is what is called, being aware of awareness. It is even called liberation, or moksha, or nirvana, or enlightenment, or cosmic consciousness.

Yes, it is as simple as that. Your name and your personality, is just a bundle of thoughts, ideas, opinions, judgements and feelings at best, and they are not you. This is why it is said that everything is Maya, an illusion. Because everything is passing and changing, but it is doing so on the screen of your presence, which is ever unchanging. You never stop being you. And by you, I don't mean your identity. I simply mean your beingness, or your presence. Someone might say that the presence too belongs to someone, but it is not so. Your 'am-ness' doesn't belong to you. It isn't yours ! You ARE it !!!

I'm sure that this text, that I so joyfully wrote, will help someone to see through the prisons that they themselves created. There was no person inside you, and that we inherently are all hollow, or filled with nothingness. Our presence is the vacant nothingness onto which the everythingness of the world is projected upon. To anyone who has followed me here so far and can see this most simple truth reflected in their own being - when the thoughts come to you, do you see who it comes to ? It comes to no one. There is no solitary being sitting inside you, who you serve. There is no ego, because there never was one. All your psychological suffering was imagined. There is no ego. There only is egoic behaviour. It is a funny thing to see this.
You might have doubts about something now. Do you doubt your own presence ? Is there anything else that you are sure of, apart from your own presence ?
This is the first version of my little guide to realizing your true nature, and might undergo further future revisions, as and how I find a better way to state examples or scenarios to guide you to your Self. I sincerely hope that this helps everyone here.
The one who is laughing uncontrollably by now knows that he got the joke !!!"

https://www.reddit.com/r/Psychonaut/...our_real_self/

That politics thread is like flypaper.

Well, yeah. To be expected. No matter how much you try and scrape the **** off the soles of your shoes the stink is still there. And the flies will gather. Be careful what you allow.

Partisan Diary: A Woman's Life in the Italian Resistance - This is an excellent book that I am currently reading.

partisan-diary


Packed full of very poignant observations of human nature and how people deal with duress and the challenges of extraordinary circumstance. Aside from the important details and historical significance of this first-hand account of the Italian Resistance in Northern Italy, 1943-1945.