Oil and Exchange Rates

Someone I know was trying to convince me that exchange rates between the dollar and middle eastern currencies are the primary driver for oil price fluctuations, along with commodities speculation (never mind that the Saudi currency and others are tied to the dollar). So I did a little analysis. Here are the graphs:




DPB is dollars per barrel. The currency graphs are the price of a unit of currency in dollars. They are scaled to make them comparable. There is a mild correlation, but the oil price fluctuations are much larger than the currency fluctuations. This means the exchange rate cannot be driving the oil price, it has to be the other way around. When oil prices go up, the US economy will suffer, and the value of the dollar is weakened.

BTW, the price of oil is mostly driven by demand. All producers except for the Saudis are pretty much maxed out, a sign that we are close to the production peak.

Stealing Trash

Here's an article on trash stealers, who go around swiping people's recycling, and ... recycling it. Some of this stuff is criminal and should be fully prosecuted, like stealing manhole covers and free magazines. But stealing homeowners recyclables is doing them a service.

Now, I don't mean it helps them to have the stuff gone. What I mean is, it lets them know they are being overcharged for waste management. Garbage is a serious racket. Our homeowner's association contracts with a local company at $7/month for curbside trash and recycling service. Our city recently passed a law that said that anyone who does not have a contract through their homeowner's association which includes recycling, has to use the city's designated provider at $20/month. Ouch.

The city's provider is happy to charge extra for the recycling service, and then sell the raw materials for a hefty profit.

If freelancers can make a profit provide recycling service for free, why are residents being charged?

Bank Security

The other day I went to 1stBank without my account number. They asked for my verbal password. Funny, I never set such a thing. They assured me I did and wrote it down on a slip of paper. It was my login password! They tried to convince me I had set it once and forgotten it, and that all their customers do. The problem is, it is not a word at all but a string of characters that is awkward to say. I would never say it out loud in front of other customers as it could allow anyone to use my online account to transfer funds. In fact the teller could just do that anonymously from the comfort of his home, if he realized what it was. He could do that for any number of accounts.

The other scary part of this is, online passwords are supposed to be encrypted using a one-way hash. If you forget a password, they are supposed to reset it to a random string, then you have to change it when you next log in. They are not supposed to have any way to recover a password. That way, disgruntled system administrators cannot get them. The fact that they created verbal passwords from their online passwords means they are not securing the online passwords. This is much worse than keeping credit card numbers in their database. 1stBank has $8 billion in deposits!

Worlds Hardest Tongue Twister

Inspired by a Dr. Seuss book, it's about monsters pounding sand. I think they look something like elephant seals.

Each leech beast beats east beach least.

Pee in a Cup

I recently applied for a job through an agency. They said all of their placements have to authorize a criminal background check and take a drug test. I don't have a problem with a background check, and I think employers are wise to do that, but I do have a problem with the drug test. Passing it is not an issue. I do not even use alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine. But it is a matter of principle. It's a terrible invasion of privacy. If the job involved operating heavy machinery or something dangerous, that would be fine, but what I, or my coworkers do in their own time is none of the employer's business. Not to mention the possibility of secretly screening for health insurance liabilities.

I told the agent ambiguously that I might have an issue with that. We proceeded to schedule an interview with the client. I aced the interview, which was with the sole proprieter, so I knew I had leverage. I asked generally if certain requirements were his, or just the agency's. He said "you mean the drug test and backgrounder? That's the agency". Apparently he had been forewarned.

So when the agency called back, and explained the details and tried to send me a contract, I figured they would just forget about the tests. But they didn't. Apparently it would get them in trouble if they tested some, but not others. I sensed this would not be an issue, so I declined the offer.

I called back the client, who called the CEO of the agency, and they made an arrangement where the client just pays a finder's fee, instead of me being employed by the agency as a 'consultant'. As it turns out, the client had done that before for someone who could not pass a pee test. It's fun to use the invisible hand to slap big brother.

Disclaimer: Don't try this at home unless you can afford to miss that opportunity.

B2 Bomber Problem

I thought of an interesting and not too difficult go problem. Black to play and escape with his B2 bomber.

Add a comment if you have seen this somewhere before.