T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 144

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #144!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too.

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Spending thresholds–idiot (Life In FIRE) “So again, today I was evaluating an Amazon purchase and trying to decide which item/version was the best for the price.  I realized about 10 minutes into my research I needed to stop digging in and just buy the damn thing and not waste my time being an idiot.”  Dave’s Comment – “I feel seen!!”

50% of parents financially support adult children, report finds. Here’s how much it costs them. (NBC News) “From buying food to paying for a cellphone plan or covering health and auto insurance or even rent, these parents are shelling out about $1,474 a month, on average.“

Video

Ever been swallowed by a humpback whale?  Yeah, me neither.  But this guy had it happen, and thankfully humpbacks are incapable of fully swallowing a person so they have to gargle and spit us out.  This video went a bit viral a few weeks back and is confirmed to be real and not AI, as we have to check these things nowadays and forever.

What I’m Grateful For

An old cycling friend who, despite having moved away from the DC area 4 years ago, hits me up to go running every time she’s in town, which is pretty frequently.

Lyrically Speaking

She works hard
Does it all without complaining
She believes that
Sacred things don’t need explaining

From “Needle And A Knife” by Tennis. 

Tennis are a husband/wife duo from Denver Colorado.  They’re one of those bands who most people have never heard of but who can go to any city in America and sell out a decent size venue, possibly for more than one night.  Their sound is hard to describe and has changed a bit over time, but it’s fair to say they sit squarely in the “indie rock/pop” category that houses bands like the Shout Out Louds or the Delays.  Tennis have six full length albums dating back to 2011 and just announced and new release coming soon, which will unfortunately be their last.  They’re a band I caught on to a bit late but once I dove into their back catalog I became a fan. 

As for the lyrics above, I love them because you’re not sure if they’re saying that hard work is sacred, but I think they are.  And if so I agree 🙂

Miscellaneous

How stress shapes cancer’s course – “Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?”

To Make Language Models Work Better, Researchers Sidestep Language – “We insist that large language models repeatedly translate their mathematical processes into words. There may be a better way.”

Skepticism greets claims of a possible biosignature on a distant world – “It’s really difficult to get a clear sign of life on an exoplanet.”