Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Astroball

On a 2014 cover of Sports Illustrated, Ben Reiter predicted that the Houston Astros would win the World Series in 2017. They did. This is no small feat considering the salaries the large market teams are able to afford, and the armies of data analysts various teams employ in order to garner an edge. In Astroball: The New Way to Win It All, Reiter tells the story of how they did it.

Friday, April 26, 2019

The Dip

Some books can be shortened to the length of an article without losing anything. Seth Godin's The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit can probably be shortened to a sentence.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

The Game

I rarely read books a second time (though I plan to do more of it in the future), so when I do it's because I considered them great. The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists is definitely in that category. It blew me away in a number of ways when I first read it more than a decade ago, and so I decided to give it another go.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

The CEO Pay Machine

In general, CEO pay is out of control and out of line with the value managers provide. I suspect that few people who don't benefit from this system would dispute that. Study after study has shown that CEO performance is not correlated with pay, and that luck plays a far more dominant role in company results than management prowess. And yet, the CEO pay scale has risen to astronomical heights, because company boards, who are supposed to be shareholder representatives, have been captured by company management. Since I already have this point of view, I thought there was little point in reading Steven Clifford's The CEO Pay Machine: How it Trashes America and How to Stop it, but it came so highly recommended that I read it anyway.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The Starch Solution

My LDL cholesterol level (136) was far and above what my family doctor was expecting on a recent blood test. At first, he thought the number was so high that I must have a genetic abnormality, but after asking me a few questions he now pinpoints my low-carb diet as the problem. I've lost 40 lbs following a low-carb diet over the course of the last couple of years, and while my doctor says it's a great way to lose weight, he also says it's bad for my long-term health. He suggested I read The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good! by McDougall. This book blew my mind!

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Vista Outdoor

Shares of Vista Outdoor have been decimated as the company has been dragged through a deep industry slowdown. Shares are down 80% from their highs in 2016.

Friday, April 5, 2019

Karsan Value Funds: 2019 Q1 Results

Karsan Value Funds (KVF) is a value-oriented fund, as described here. Due to securities regulations, the fund is not open to the public at this time. Should that change in the future, there will be an announcement on this site.