T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 154

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #154

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

AI Financial Advisers Target Young People Living Paycheck to Paycheck (Wired) “AI finance apps are reaching Gen Z and millennial users with personalized chatbots that offer money advice—and upsell them big-time.“

The Bar Only Gets Higher (Of Dollars And Data) “We’ve gone from competing with a small group of local peers to competing with the entire world and their computers.“

Video

On a recent bike ride one of my buddies and I were talking about AI and how it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell what’s real, even in video form. Nowadays fake videos go viral and fool most people, and it’s only gonna get worse, rapidly. It made me think of one of the first ever viral videos in the pretty early days of Youtube. Many or even most of you might know this one but to me it’s worth watching again and again ‘cuz it’s just that friggin funny. It has over 105,000,000 views for a reason.

What I’m Grateful For

Hawaiian pizza. Sam Panapoulos invented it in 1962 and should have gotten a medal of some sort. Sometimes ya gotta appreciate the simple things.

Lyrically Speaking

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily
Oh, joyfully, oh, playfully watching me
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh, responsible, practical
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh, clinical, oh, intellectual, cynical

From “The Logical Song” by Supertramp

Well, we’re back to eulogizing our rock heroes.  Rick Davies, one of the co-founders of the legendary band Supertramp died this past week at the age of 81.  Supertramp formed a large part of the soundtrack of my youth as their hits were on constant play on FM radio in the 70’s and 80’s.  As a kid I tended to pay more attention to the music – the guitar riffs and the melodies – than the lyrics.  “The Logical Song” was one of Supertramp’s biggest hits and you have no doubt heard it in grocery stores or doctors offices many times.  As a now retired adult when I revisit the song I’m struck by how damn good the lyrics are and the theme it addresses. 

I wrote a post called The Blinking Cursor Of Your Youth back in 2018 and I think it’s one of my best.  In nutshell, it’s about how financial independence can free up your time to get back to the things that turned you on as a child, the things you abandoned because of adulthood.  Well “The Logical Song” is kind of about the same thing.  Maybe I was unconsciously channeling it into my post, or maybe it’s that the guys in Supertramp had the same ideas I did.  That in childhood the world and life were amazing, and in adulthood, stupid logical, responsible, & practical adulthood, things just don’t seem as amazing.  It takes free time to pursue your whims, and financial independence allows for that.  Go part-time like I did for 8 years, or ditch the job all together like I just did this year.  I’m still young, and I spend my time doing art and designing.  Yes it makes me money but even if it didn’t I’d do it anyway.  I love it. 

R.I.P. Rick Davies and thanks for the music.  Here’s an amazing live performance of “Goodbye Stranger” which is one that he wrote and one of my favorite Supertramp songs.

Miscellaneous

Why ultra-processed diets make you gain fat even without extra calories – “Men eating ultra-processed foods gained more fat than those eating unprocessed meals, even with equal calories. Their hormone levels shifted in worrying ways, with testosterone falling and pollutants rising. Researchers say the processing itself, not overeating, is to blame.”  

U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge – “The percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest by one percentage point in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend.”  Dave’s Comment: I went two full years without a single alcoholic drink and have largely given it up. I will still have a drink on a very special occasion, but my past as a functional alcoholic has convinced me it serves no real purpose in my life.  And non-alcoholic beers are so good now I can still enjoy the taste of beer and drink along with my friends.  Lastly, as America continues to get less healthy and have more chronic disease, this at least is a good trend

Apophis flyby in 2029 will be the first time a potentially hazardous asteroid has been visible to the naked eye – “In 2029, asteroid Apophis will skim safely past Earth, where it will be visible to billions. For scientists, it’s a once-in-a-millennium planetary experiment.”