Woo, one month down. So far, February has been in the mid 40s, which gives me hope for the predictive outcome of our scrawny Knob-dwelling miscreant tomorrow.
Inputs
1: Little Elon has decided to try and take his ball and run home. Typically, companies incorporate in Delaware for insanely permissive and business-friendly terms and organizational structures. That somehow even this was not permissive enough to let Elon get away with all of the various shenanigans he wished to do with his, ahem, PUBLICLY OWNED CORPORATION, is laughable.
Maybe he really should have gone private at whatever whackadoo valuation he wanted to make up as being financed rather than lie about it and get slapped so hard he decided to buy Twitter1Which he only did because he joked about doing so, had his bluff called, and couldn’t get out of it like he wriggled out of the funding he claimed to have for Tesla. so he could use it however he wanted to control public narrative rather than feel shackled by the continual oversight of the SEC.
2: John Rogers, who was one of the forces behind Leverage, as well as many other great pieces of entertainment, is working on a series called Cons & Heists 101, which has started off great (he’s big on loading on the nuance and detail, which my squirrel brain fuckin’ LOVES) and portends more greatness to come. It’s a newsletter that I ingest via RSS, so get it however ya like, but the first issue is here.
Also, a quote for you as a teaser, which is a sidebar that he noted on Bluesky and which I’m thrilled he paid off in the newsletter, on the Rules of Crime:
SIDEBAR: THE RULES OF CRIME
I mentioned “the rules” over on Bluesky the other day and someone requested the whole set. It fits this week’s context, so let’s do it here. There’s no theme here other than “In twenty-five years of researching crime, this is what appears to be universally, without exception, true.”
Rule 1: Where there is value, there is crime.
Rule 2: A fine is a price2Whenever I hear this, I’m reminded of the story about Steve Jobs, who had no license plate on his car and parked wherever he wanted around Cupertino, because chancing the ticket and paying it was more effective for him than having to fuck around with parking. The man is not full of only positive stories, and yet he was a force of nature..
Rule 3: Nothing ever stops until a Rich White Guy goes to jail.
Rule 4: There are no Moriartys
Rule 5: Everyone can be conned.
https://buttondown.email/kungfumonkey/archive/cons-heists-101-orientation/
3: Well, holy hell, Lewis is moving to Ferrari. I have so many questions, that may never truly get answered. I suspect there’s a level of consternation on his behalf about how George Russell has started to be viewed as their focus over the seven-time champion of the world, as well as the lack of progress being made on the car over the past couple years and the massive engineering missteps that continue to plague the setup.
I’m a big fan of Lewis’s, mostly for how much he annoys staid fans who would rather he be less outspoken and supportive of diversity and inclusion in the sport, and his willingness to wave a flag of acceptance in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where they’d so, so rather he wouldn’t. Ferrari’s cars are on the cusp, and if they can stop pulling insane hijinks mid race, they might have a chance at returning a title to the group. Or they might continue being Wacky Races. Regardless, will make for an interesting 2024 season as Lewis is riding out his last season with Toto and Mercedes. Here’s hoping he takes every instruction to give up spots for George and tells them to shove it.
Notes:
- 1Which he only did because he joked about doing so, had his bluff called, and couldn’t get out of it like he wriggled out of the funding he claimed to have for Tesla.
- 2Whenever I hear this, I’m reminded of the story about Steve Jobs, who had no license plate on his car and parked wherever he wanted around Cupertino, because chancing the ticket and paying it was more effective for him than having to fuck around with parking. The man is not full of only positive stories, and yet he was a force of nature.