Investing

Investment strategies and portfolio management

On Bergman’s *Persona*

On Bergman’s *Persona*

I first saw Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, his stone-cold classic of 1965, as a teenager, and God knows how many times I have seen it since. It has the greatest opening sequence in cinema: a percussive, ra...

October 16, 2026
Astra Held Its Ground (Truth)

Astra Held Its Ground (Truth)

TheoPhysEval: We present a suite of 50 unpublished research-level theoretical physics problems with verifiable answers. Without AI assistance, a typical problem in our collection could be solved by a ...

October 15, 2026
Why I do not use LLMs more

Why I do not use LLMs more

They are so very, very good at matching me to the books I wish to read and the music I wish to listen to.  In this odd sense they are not very sticky.  The LLMs are amazing, but the world is awesome t...

October 15, 2026
My excellent Conversation with Liaquat Ahamed

My excellent Conversation with Liaquat Ahamed

Here is the audio, video, and transcript.  Here is part of the episode summary: They start with that puzzle before moving through Gladstone’s startlingly self-interested bet on Egyptian bonds, Bismarc...

October 15, 2026
*Plunder: The Last of the War in Europe, 1945*

*Plunder: The Last of the War in Europe, 1945*

By Max Hastings, an excellent book, I benefited from every page.  One recurring theme is simply how hard the Germans fought on the way down, and how unusual that behavior was.  Here is one interesting...

October 14, 2026
Stranded Middle East LNG Supply Upends Gas Markets

Stranded Middle East LNG Supply Upends Gas Markets

OPEC Sees Oil Demand Growth Surging to 2.6 Million Bpd in 2027 European gas-price assumptions repeatedly converge… What I Cover Tsvetana Paraskova is an energy and commodities journalist who has contr...

October 13, 2026