Very sad. Bourdain seemed like one of the few on TV who didn't take himself too seriously. I can't think of too many people who didn't like him or enjoy his show.

Stories like these are the reason that much of the public hates unions -- especially public sector unions and unions employed/contracted on public sector projects. If public sector unions negotiated work rules and compensation that were more in line with the private sector, I suspect that their public image would benefit tremendously.

and with very poor signage, it's extremely easy to get lost.

"The other issue I see is that for some reason Houston didn't require all of these people to have flood insurance."

Banks require homeowners in flood plains with mortgages to maintain flood insurance. The problem is if you don't have a mortgage, you don't necessarily need insurance. However, perpetual Federal Government bailouts of homeowners creates moral hazard, and the expectation that Government will make you whole regardless of insurance, and thus bigger risks for all.

If Coinbase only supports one version, what happens to the forked coins?

Guesses as to the purchase price? Curious how folks think the founders and VC will make out.

Last I read, Ron Howard was involved in producing the movie adaptation. Anyone seen any update on this project recently?

I haven't heard anything since the announcement. IMDB's last update was in January. It's not just Ron Howard though--it's also a bunch of the people who worked on the Apollo 13 film, which seems like a very good fit.

Unlike a lot of folks, I liked the second part of Seveneves, but I won't miss it if they cut it from the film. I don't even know how they'll fit the whole first part in without a 3.5 hour running time.

This is very interesting, and not something that many have given much thought to (including me). It suggests that Capitalism is a more effective path to freedom than Democracy, over the long term. Perhaps this bodes well for China.

Free markets, free minds, free individuals.

It's a libertarian mantra. I'm not a libertarian but the substance behind the credo is commendable and accurate.

One of the best guerilla marketing tactics I've seen in a while.

Yep, those Chinese bootleggers of a Swedish children's toy are gonna be rolling in it.

I was able to quit my 1/2 pack a day addiction four years ago after 15+ years, but it was challenging. Smoking was expensive (four years ago: 4 packs a week = $40), but quitting smoking was even more expensive. In addition to the expense of Chantix, I also started surfing Amazon for things to reward myself instead of going outside for a smoke break. So it was probably $100 - $200 a week. Now nicotine-free for 4+ years, it's less costly all around (not to mention the health costs), but I understand all too well the difficulty and economics of quitting.

The long term rewards are the ones that matter most. Congratulations!

I quit cold turkey and ate 2 large bags of sunflower seeds in the first 3 weeks. Quitting was cheap.

Quitting isn't that hard. It's just super annoying.

Things like exercising regularly and eating properly take more discipline and willpower, for example.

> Things like exercising regularly and eating properly take more discipline and willpower, for example.

From what I've read quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things to pull off in general (even compared to 'hard drugs'). Do you have any references in support of your view?