For Those in The Bakken -- Happy New Year -- 2024

Locator: 46437B.

The Post-Modern Period -- Commentary -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46436B.

************************
Into The 21st Century

I assume this is Susan Rubinow Gorsky but I wrote this years ago, and did not catch the source, or the full name of the writer. But let's assume it was Susan Rubinow Gorsky:

Gorsky said that “Virginia Woolf speaks for the modern period.  Modernism is the most important aesthetic movement of the twentieth century. Along with such experiments as Joyce, Eliot, Yeats, Faulkner, and Lawrence, Virginia Woolf is a prime representative of those so strongly affected by the tumultuous transition to the current [20th] century.”  

According to Gorsky, at the time of Virginia’s birth, “Victorian England was becoming increasingly aware of the tumultuous change which introduced what today is called the modern age.  

This period of upheaval witnessed frequently disruptive events in history and literature. 

The breakdown of the traditional Western family and of class structure, the coming of a major economic depression, the accelerated shift from an agricultural to an urban and industrialized society – these general trends were supported or symbolized by specific occurrences, among them the death of Queen Victoria, in 1901, the flights of the Wright brothers in 1903, and in 1914 the great climax of the first World War. At the same time, startling new ideas were being promulgated by Carl Jung in anthropology and psychology, by Sigmund Freud in psychology, by William James in philosophy and psychology, by Henri Bergson in philosophy, by Albert Einstein in the sciences, and by Sir James Frazer in anthropology. 

"However little or much the theories of these important thinkers may have been understood by their popular audiences, there can be no question of their impact.  For example, Jung’s work suggested strange and universal links among all people, an idea supported by Frazer’s study of myths which repeat themselves from one community to another, from one culture to another.  The explorers offered support for each others’ ideas, and the ideas themselves inflamed the curious and sensitive who learned of the new discoveries.” Somewhere Gorsky stated that the transition from the Victorian Age to the Modern Age was as remarkable as the transition from the Dark (Medieval) Ages to the Renaissance Age. That is a remarkable statement if one stops to think about it a moment. 

From my perspective, moving into the second half of this decade (2020 - 2029) could be just as tumultuous:

• "the death of literature as we knew it":
• the rise of OpenAI; 
• Harvard president not guilty of plagiarism; 
• admits to "duplicative language";
• will be allowed to add citations to her PhD thesis
  
• "woke" literature;
• LBGTQ authors rise and shine
• wedge issues decide elections
• supposedly decided in the 60s, abortion now the #1 wedge issue
  
• tectonic geo-political changes:
• most believe that one way or another, the boundary between mainland China and Taiwan will be much more seamless by the end of the decade;
• US hegemony will continue to decline
• US seems unable to manage asymmetric warfare
  
• Putin "wins" in Ukraine
• NATO grows but a paper tiger as it cedes Ukraine territory to Russia
• Middle East: Iran showing its bite through its proxies
• globally: anti-Semitism becoming acceptable
• US east coast / west colleges leading the charge
• Palestinian movement in US seems to be gaining almost exponentially 
• Southern Surge divides the nation
  
• medicine:
• mRNA
• CRISPR
• cures for sickle cell; thalassemia
• diabetes type II: Ozempic
• diabetes type I: on the cusp?
  
• the gilded age: at least in the US
  
• the wealth gap between the well-off and the middle class will continue to widen
• cryptocurrency surges in value
• guys like Warren Buffett won't touch it
• Elon Musk will do a whole lot more than touch it
• EV house of cards falls; implications enormous
  

How Nvidia Is Powering The A.I. Revolution -- The New Yorker -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46435TECH.

Chips, semiconductor: link here.

• Home page for tech: link here.
• The cloud: link here.  
• Streaming: link here. Streaming wars.
• Spatial computing: link here.
• Generative AI: link here. 
• Apple Silicon: link here.
• Supercomputers: link here.

From the December 4, 2023 issue of The New Yorker, "How Nvidia is powering the A.I. revolution."

 You can click on the image and zoom in to read the first page of the article. 

Cornish Hen For New Year's Eve -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46434RECIPES.

I am making Cornish hen for New Year's Eve dinner this evening.

From a post many years ago. 

 **************************************
Cornish Hen

If I am dining alone on Thanksgiving, my preferred dish: Cornish hen. 

Because I will be dining with Corky, Sophia, and Sophia's family tomorrow, I  had my Thanksgiving-dinner-for-one tonight. And wow, it turned out nicely. Mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, and Cornish hen. Next year I will add the sides. LOL.

Preparation: ten minutes, at most.

• Cornish hen baked on a bed of rosemary and thyme; always trussed;
• first time, tonight, I added a slice of thick-cut, high-quality bacon -- just one slice -- on the bed of rosemary/thyme;
• brushed with oil; rub of Weber's "Kickin' Chicken," small amount of pepper; smaller amount of salt;
• basted with butter during cooking
• one Cornish hen: 60 minutes uncovered; an additional 15 minutes covered; at 350°F
  

Note: if you like crispy skin, and I do, so I will do this differently next time, don't baste with butter. 

Before: 

After:

Rex Reed -- Best And Worst -- 2023

Locator: 46433ARCHIVES.

Link here.

He got Barbie correct. He says he never bothered going. LOL.

He got Asteroid City way wrong. But, I, too, couldn't stand it the first time I saw it -- I also almost walked out -- but after seeing it three times, I love it. Perhaps my favorite film off all time. 

Rex Reed also got "theater" correct.

*****************************
The Book Page

The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Folger, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, c. 2015.

The book:

• The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Folger, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, 

****************************
Background

Languages on the Italian peninsula, 6th century BCE: a lot of history in this one graphic --

It's amazing how much Shakespeare packed into his plays and how, with minimal information from the play, experts have "solved" so many of the secrets of the plays.

Symmetry:

On the island of Vulcano:

• Prospero -- oldest son; should have gotten the duchy; stolen by his younger brother, Antonio;
• Miranda -- 15 y/o daughter after 12 years exiled on the island;
• Ariel -- a spirit -- early in the play, a Harpy
• Caliban -- original inhabitant of Vulcano; son of a witch, Sycorax (see wiki)
  

Shipwrecked on the north side of Sicily, on the island of Vulcano:

• Antonio -- younger brother of Prospero who deposed Prospero;
• King Alfonso of Naples -- father of Prospero, Antonio, and Ferdinand;
• Prince Ferdinand -- third "innocent" son of King Alfonso; falls in love with Arie;
• Gonzalo: wise old councillor to the King, but also to Prospero
• Sebastian: Alfonso's brother
  

Prospero andd Antonio are brothers. I assume sons of King Alfonso which means that Prince Ferdinand is a third son / brother to Prospero and Antonio.

Family from Duchy of Milano. Though most likely originally from Florence, but for political reasons, Shakespeare had to change to Duchy of Florence (Tuscany) to Milano (now, Lombardy). Shakespeare's staged play: Milano.

Duchy of Naples: huge. So, King Alfonso, king of Naples but also controlled Milan as another duchy. Sort of like King of England and Wales, prince of Wales.

Milano is on the "wrong" side of Italy to sail down the west coast of Italy, but that's where Shakespeare places the story because for political reasons couldn't be set in Florence, which is on the correct side of Italy to go down the west coast to Vulcano, Sicily, Tunis.

*************************
For The Archives

While reading and reading about The Tempest, my digression of languages on the Italian peninsula led me to the island of Sardinia and some great memories. See map of languages above.

One can follow the story at wiki, following first the Nuragic civilization, named after the pre-historic sites on that island, the nuraghe. 

This graphic shows the density/location of the 7,000 nuraghe sites on Sardinia.

This is the map of southern Sardinia. We deployed to Decimomannu every summer when I was assigned to the 22 TFW at Bitburg Air Base, flying F-15s. The beach where we frequented on the weekends is to the south.

New Apple Store In Southern California -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46432APPLE.

Link here.

Apple is preparing to open a new store at the Del Amo Fashion Center shopping mall in Torrance, California, per building permits filed with the city in October. Torrance is located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.

The permits reveal that Apple will be located on the main level of the mall, between Lululemon and Madewell. The store will be taking over the combined space of two side-by-side units previously occupied by J.Crew and Chico's.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report on Apple's plans for the store in June, after obtaining the company's internal roadmap for retail expansion. Apple estimated that the store would open in March 2024, per the roadmap, but this timeframe is subject to change based on completion of construction, hiring, and other factors.

Personal note: lots of good memories of this area in Torrance, Los Angeles. May's mother was a waitress at an upscale Japanese restaurant, sharing parking lot with Del Amo. Del Amo is a huge, huge mall. If I recall correctly, it was actually twice the size of the typical southern California mall at the time. 

Initial Production Data -- Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46431B.

The wells:

• 39996, conf, Ragnar Exploration, Reardon 1-20H, Ffryburg,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	1486	0
10-2023	1964	0
9-2023	251	0

• 39928, conf, Neptune Operating, Fritz 20-29-32 2H, Pronghorn,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	36443	20799

• 39927, conf, Neptune Operating, Fritz 20-29-32 3H, Pronghorn,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	38744	22921

• 39929, conf, Neptune Operating, Jacobson 17-8-5 3H, Pronghorn,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	27998	16909

• 39930, conf, Neptune Operating, Jacobson 17-8-5 2H, Pronghorn,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	26575	16129

• 39025, conf, Hess, GO-Golden Valley-157-96-283H-2, Ray,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
10-2023	11813	25954
9-2023	12496	23944
8-2023	16322	37173
7-2023	26002	27101

• 39024, conf, Hess, GO-Golden Valley-157-96-2833H-3, Ray,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
10-2023	9995	22222
9-2023	10898	22248
8-2023	9264	15680
7-2023	15953	37696

• 39960, conf, Blue Flint Sequester, Mag 2,  Underwood Carbon Dioxide,
• 39232, conf, Grayson Mill, Reidle 6-3F 4H, Briar Creek,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
11-2023	26679	12391
10-2023	29312	17810
9-2023	30497	23111
8-2023	30481	23183
7-2023	44202	32928
6-2023	6802	382

• 39289, conf, Hess, GO-Tong Trust A-LW-157-96-2032H-1, Ray,

Date	Oil Runs	MCF Sold
10-2023	18367	28840
9-2023	16247	26112
8-2023	31579	49184
7-2023	47667	68536
6-2023	0	289

Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46430B.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024: 9 for the month; 9 for the quarter, 9 for the year
None.

Tuesday, January 9, 2024: 9 for the month; 9 for the quarter, 9 for the year
39996, conf, Ragnar Exploration, Reardon 1-20H
39928, conf, Neptune Operating, Fritz 20-29-32 2H,
39927, conf, Neptune Operating, Fritz 20-29-32 3H,

Monday, January 8, 2024: 6 for the month; 6 for the quarter, 6 for the year
39929, conf, Neptune Operating, Jacobson 17-8-5 3H,

Sunday, January 7, 2024: 5 for the month; 5 for the quarter, 5 for the year
39930, conf, Neptune Operating, Jacobson 17-8-5 2H,

Saturday, January 6, 2024: 4 for the month; 4 for the quarter, 4 for the year
39025, conf, Hess, GO-Golden Valley-157-96-283H-2,
39024, conf, Hess, GO-Golden Valley-157-96-2833H-3,

Friday, January 5, 2024: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
None.

Thursday, January 4, 2024: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
None.

Wednesday, January 3, 2024: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
None.

Tuesday, January 2, 2024: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
None.

Monday, January 1, 2024: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
39960, conf, Blue Flint Sequester, Mag 2,
39232, conf, Grayson Mill, Reidle 6-3F 4H,

Sunday, December 31, 2023: 2 for the month; 2 for the quarter, 2 for the year
None.

Saturday, December 30, 2023: 45 for the month; 194 for the quarter, 764 for the year
39289, conf, Hess, GO-Tong Trust A-LW-157-96-2032H-1,

Peak Oil Demand -- US Crude Oil Field Production -- December 31, 2023

Locator: 46429B. 

US crude oil field production, three consecutive months, greater than 13 million bopd.

 ******************************
Peak Oil Demand

Bjorn Lomborg: IEA was wrong -- just six months ago.

  

New Year's Eve Eve -- December 30, 2023

Locator: 46428NCAA. 

Now we know why the selection sidelined FSU.

Right now, 63 - 3.

From the net:

 

The record spread: 58 points. Greogia set the all-time record: a 60-point spread. 

I was disappointed in the way the commentators discussed this during the game: not once did they say this was a bowl game and a highly embarrassing bowl game. A lousy competition. Except for the Georgia fans, I assume most folks watching the game quit watching well before the game ended.

*************************
The Cowboys Know They Were Outplayed

They won on a technicality. 

Detroit Lions at Dallas.

**************************
For The Archives

Where was the Israeli military on October 7, 2023?

As you read through this, it reads a lot like At Dawn We Slept, the story of the Japanese attack on Hawaii during WWII.

Ford -- November Sales -- December 30, 2023

Locator: 46427FORD.

I've completely lost the bubble on Ford's sales. 

Like the economy and the weather and global warming, everyone has his/her own opinion on Ford.

Three links:

• electrek: Lightning becomes bestselling electric truck, edging out Rivian RT;
• Reuters: Ford's November US vehicle sales slip; EV sales rise;
• CBT: Ford's sales fall slightly in November, 2023 on both a monthly and yearly basis, but achieved success through its hybrid andd EV lineups

It must be noted that Ford has chopped off $15,000 from MSRP for the Lightning. Some say that Ford loses money on each Lightning sold and now cuts $15,000 from the MRSP.

In addition, Ford has cut back on the production off its electric Mustang. 

Ticker F:

• past five years: up 50%.
• past one year: up 4%.
• past six months: down 20%.
• past month: up 16%.

Stuart Wallace On 2023 -- Investing -- December 30, 2023

Locator: 46426INV. 

College bowl games. How did "they" get it so wrong?

• FSU: #5.
• Georgia: #6.
• At 8:52 in the third quarter, 49 - 3.
• The big loser, Florida State? Nope, the advertisers. Anybody still watching this debacle? It's so bad, I just switched to ABC Evening News.
  

And this is pretty much the norm for the Bowl games this year.

***********************
Back to Investing

Link here.

What a great year to be fully invested throughout the year. 

Closed at / near 4,800.

Forecast: to close at / near 3,800.

1,000 / 3,800 = 26%.

BRK-B: 15% and paid no dividends. Warren's benchmark: the S&P 500.

The NASDAQ 100: 55% over the past year.

Cathie Wood's ARKK: 79%.

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

Bloomberg: Peak Oil Demand

I skipped over this earlier, on peak oil demand, a Bloomberg op-ed. It’s a must-read. Link here. This probably needs to be a stand-alone post. It’s that good.

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

Art Berman: Peak Oil Demand

Link here. Also good.

************************
Eric Nuttall

Link here. Folks may want to "connect" with Nuttall.

Best Deli In Texas -- Top Delis In The US -- December 30, 2023

Locator: 46425TXDELI.

In Grapevine, TX -- whoo-hoo!

Just down the street from us!

Link here.

Weinberger's Deli.

****************************
The Book Page

This next week:

• Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Scott Anderson, c. 2013
• see notes here;
  
• The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Folger, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, 

Languages on the Italian peninsula, 6th century BCE: a lot of history in this one graphic --

************************
The Movie Page

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Amazon Prime Video

• price drop, to buy, from $14.99 to $4.99

I had not noticed this before but in the scene in which Dr Frankfurter is introduced, his two ladies-in-waiting are wearing Covid masks. LOL. 

It makes sense, they are coming out of surgery, but still ....

Most-Watched Prime Time Telecasts 2023

Locator: 46424TV. 

Tag: TV watched Nielsen rankings ratings television streaming

Updates

January 31, 2024: AFC championship, Chiefs vs Ravens hits viewing record for AFC championship game, at 55.47 viewers, link here. 

January 23, 2024: Chiefs / Bills divisional -- 40 million. 

January 17, 2024: The Hollywood Reporter, Peacock's NFL Playoff  games.

• Link here. Dolphins vs Chiefs. Peacock says 23 million; writer says 16 million using same "apples vs apples."
  

Original Post 

From July 9, 2021,  this did not age well:

Top 100, “all NFL.”

• TNF
• TNF: 2 in the top ten
• MNF: 0 in the top ten
• top TNF, #6; top SNF, #7
• in full year, 2023, TNF equaled MNF
• of the 11 TNF games, three included Dallas or Kansas City

*****************************
Original Post

Link here.

			NFL	Dallas or KC	TNF	MNF
1	Super Bowl — KC	2/12/23	1	1
2	AFC Title — KC	1/29/23	1
3	NFC Playoff — Dallas	1/22/23	1
4	NFC Playoff	1/21/23	1
5	NFL Playoff	1/15/23	1
6	NFL TNF — KC	9/7/23	1	1	1
7	NFL SNF — KC	10/1/23	1	1
8	NFL TNF	11/23/23	1		1
9	NFL SNF — Dallas	10/8/23	1	1
10	NFL SNF — KC	12/3/23	1	1
11	NFL SNF	1/8/23	1
12	NFL Playoff	1/14/23	1
13	NFL SNF	10/22/23	1
14	NFL SNF — Dallas	9/10/23	1	1
15	The Oscars	3/12/23
16	NFL SNF	9/24/23	1
17	NFL SNF	11/19/23	1
18	NFL SNF	11/5/23	1
19	NFL SNF	9/17/23	1
20	NFL WCG — Dallas	1/16/23	1	1
21	NFL SNF	1/1/23	1
22	Cooking	2/12/23
23	NFL SNF	10/15/23	1
24	NFL SNF	11/26/23	1
25	NFL SNF	10/29/23	1
26	NFL SNF	11/12/23	1			1
27	NFL MNF — KC	11/20/23	1	1		1
28	NFL MNF	9/18/23	1			1
29	NFL TNF	9/14/23	1		1
30	NFL TNF — Dallas	11/30/23	1	1	1
31	NCAA Championship	4/3/23
32	NFL TNF — KC	10/12/23	1	1	1
33	NFL TNF	9/21/2023	1		1
34	NFL TNF	9/28/23	1		1
35	NBA Finals	6/12/3
36	Grammy Awards	11/16/23
37	NFL TNF	2/5/23	1		1
38	NCAA Final Four	4/1/23
39	NFL MNF	1/7/23	1			1
40	60 Minutes	1/8/23
41	60 Minutes
42	NCAA
43	Fire Country
44	NBA Conf Final
45	NBA Finals
46	NFL TNF	10/5/23	1		1
47	NFL WCG — Dallas	1/16/23	1	1
48	NFL MNF		1			1
49	NFL MNF — KC		1	1		1
50	NFL TNF		1		1
51	The OT (Fox)
52	Yellowstone
53	NFL TNF		1
54	NBA Finals
55	NCIS
56	NFL MNF		1			1
57	NBA Finals
58	NFL MNF — Dallas		1	1		1
59	Accused
60	NCIS
61	NBA Finals
62	60 Minutes
63	NCIS
64	FBI
65	NFL MNF — Dallas		1	1		1
66	FBI
67	60 Minutes
68	60 Minutes
69	NCI
70	NFL MNF					1
71	NCAA
72	NCIS
73	NCIS
74	NCIS
75	FBI
76	60 Minutes
77	60 Minutes
78	NCIS
79	Young Sheldon
80	FBI
81	NFL TNF		1		1	1
82	NCIS
83	Young Sheldon
84	Blue Bloods
85	Blue Bloods
86	Chicago Fire
87	Blue Bloods
88	NCIS
89	Young Sheldon
90	Chicago Fire
91	NFL TNF		1
92	Young Sheldon
93	NCI
94	Night Court
95	Blue Bloods
96	NCIS
97	NCIS
98	Blue Bloods
99	Chicago Fire
100	Chicago Fire
101
102	Total		44	14	11	11