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R for Reduce

I built a simple service that reduce-s long texts into an unreadable language. Below is the US Constitution squeezed into this alternative tongue. Note the beginning letters below of “Wtp…” for “We the people …” Yes, this is completely useless.

Wtpot usio tfam pueji dtpftc dptg was. T bolto aopd oae. T cftuso ai1lp hgsb viacot uswsc oasahor 2hor sbcomcesyb tpotssa teie sshtqrfe otmnbots lpsba rwsn hat. T aotfy absy acot usaw snweb aiots iwhs bcadt sbaa tsswmb iwtu attr nwsbdbat twno fpitb tsfatoy aeintt foaop taes bmwtyat fmot cotu sawe stotyi smats bldtn orsn eofett bess hal? Orau sesb mtso nhsbe tctmer appocf nsnj fped omsvt ncfs cfagtvh itrfa stea tsiwo etfs vhor scts aooasht spoi3 sotu ssbc otsf escb tltfsyae ssh. Ov atsb aicot fetsb daeam bitc tsotso tfcs bvat eots yotsc ateo tfyao ttcateo tsys totm bces yaiv hbro odtr otloast etmmta utnm otlwstf svps basw snha ttao tyabn yacotusa wsnweb aiot sfwh sbcvpot ussbp otsbshnv utbed sscto oaaa ppti taot vpow hseto opotu sssht sptt aiws ftptsbo ooawtp otusit tcjsp anps bcwt cot! Tot mpic oisn eftt rfoa dthaea oohtop utusb tpcs nbla stitj apatl4 tpamoh efsa rsbpie sbt? Lt btc. Maa tblmo asrea ttpocscs aalo ieyas msb. O tfmi duts blaadd5 hsbt joteraqoi omaam oesc aqtd bbas nmaf dtdambatct aoami sma. Us paehm phm! D troipp imfd bawtc otte amhs kajoi pafttt ptsesp amit jrsatya notm oeho aqsat doofo tpbeot jhdtsoc swtc otoafmttd ntaop ttiw tths bs6sa rsra cftstb abla poot totust siac etfa bot? Pb pfad taatso trha igta rftsa fas! Od iehtsn bqiao psorsd ttfwhw ebat acou taot uswshb cote wshb edsta nphao utus sbam oehd hcio7bf rrso ithor btsm pocwaa oobb wshpt hor. At ssbib albp ttpo tusi hahssi binhs riwh otth iwis hows etoa lotj aptr iias rtto thsat ptbi sbs? T wtott ohbwi slbr aiabtt othis balb iasc tvobhsbd byan atnotpvf aatbsb eotj oehri absnb rbtpw td(ea ishb ptht ssbal ilma ihhs iutcbt apir iwci snba loro vtwtco tsah ormb n(o. A qoasb pttp otusabt sste sba. B hobdb hsbrbt tots aho! Rattralp itcoa b8cshp tla. Ctd iaet ptda pftcdag wotusba diae sbut tus. Bm otco tusrcwfn aatssa wtit eauron aulotso bttu scmrtvta ofca ftsow ampf tpocts accot usep oapr ptpo saua bsfltt aaiter ttrw adct itts cdappafc othsaoat londwglom aram rcco lawr asabnaomttu sbfa lttt ypama nmrf tgar otla nfpf cftmte tlotusi arip foaad tmaf gspotam beit sotus rttsrta otoataottm attd pbceel iacw osd(et msambc opsa taoc btso tgotus atel aoappb tcotl otsiwts sbft eofmada onbm alwsbn apfc ietf paaopvb tcit gotu soia doot9 moio spaaotsne stpt asnb pbtcp ttyo tehae batod mbio sinetd fepp otwo hcsn bsu! W icoroitps mribo aoepf lsbpc oodtsb luipt tcoe hbdt btto dsbl oaef aspsbgbar ocor ttpoo soto ansv btofo sbote copd iams bdft tbic oambl aarsa aotra eoap msb. P fttt tons bgbtus anpha oopo tut! S wtco tcaoape ooto akwfa kpofs 1sseia taocgl omarc mebocma tbgascatipodp aboa epfl olit oocogato nsswt cotcl aiod oioee wmba nfeiila tnpoa dailb aso? Ioe sbft uottotu saasl sbsttra cotcs swtcoc ladot ktos owitop eiaao cwa. So wafp oeiwua iois idawnao di1epsb viapo tusoa hshh odtt ofy. A twtv pcftstb eafs sai? Smatl tmda noee ttwnosar twtsmb eitcbns oroph aooto putus sbaae esmi trsa vbbf tpowo alsnb aiotssw tatsm alo? A tpvf aotnovfewlts saca tsttso tgotusdt tpot stpots sitp otsaho roatcatvst bctph tgno vsbt pisn bamo twno eaaitbmt owhsmah aenovt thor sicbb ootfp ainphamt ftfh otltsh silm ctpb ictpt vsbt bstr fes? H ovaqf tpsco amomf ttot saamo atss bnta cieca tcot ptph tgnov otesb tvpbi tsrt omwhe vtsscf tbbtvpcmdtt octeatdo wtsgt vwds btsttuspe anbc oaco tusa ttota otcs bett oopns apbe ttowsn hattaotfy abfya rwtu scotrotp fooohd roi! T dtpad otsotssd otvpa tcmblp ftco rdroi botp avpd wos? T aap! A sosa autd broap sbep sastr fhsa cwsnb inddt pfwh shbe ahsnrwtpao eftu soao theot eoho hsttfoo adss (ati wfet oopo tusaw ttbo mapp adtc otu! S 2psbcico taan otusa otmot sswci taso tushmr toiwo tpoie otedu asrt tdo. Troah shptgr apfo atuseicois hpbawt aaco tstmt ptto tspca hsna bawt aacot ssaaop macjotsca aoo! O tusw aanh opfawsbebl btc. Mb lvta osi! O attpitp aitcol oit? H odps hptf uavt mhdt rots bgcw seate otns 3sft ttgttc iotso tuar ttcs mahsjn aehm oeoc bhoe otaicodb twr. Tt toahmat tsta hstph sraa opmh stcttl bfea scatootu s4pv paa! C ootu ssbrfo oifa cotboohcami1 jpot ussb vios cais icat cmfttto aetj botsaic sht. O dgba sast rftsacws nbdd tcio 2jpse taci laeaut ctlotusa tmowsbmutaac aaopm acacoaa mjctw tuss bapc bto. M sbas acoascods cots sclug odsabaso tcta fscosa caao pmaca tiwa ssbptsc shoj iato cbmtsc shajb atla fws. Ea usra tcsm toace icoi sbbj asts bhits wtscs hbcb wncw astt sbas popa tcmblh d3a. T ussco ilwa toia tteg taacnp sbco tuot totw ttsoaooc iocc shpt dtpot bnaots wcobof edtl otpa i1fa csbgie sttparaj poeo satcm bglp tmiwsa raps bpate t2c? Oessb etap aioc itssp ciaswt fooc wsff jabfias sodo teaot sfw? H fbdut brtt shjo tcph tsolio sutl teia sicoa lortb dfss olbsb duoc otptwsso lmbd3 smbabt citubn nssbf oewt joaosna sbfb tjot omso poswtcot lots cawaot ccsh ptdo amanra rrttoopb ttus anitc sbsc atp. Ac otuso oaps 4ussg tesi tuar foga speo taia oaot loote( tlcb cadvv cwttob hsdins patt coot aotl ottot ssscacfp awie csb! Vt aia! Papo tcwrb tlotfot ssobc itft atoo tomo rmbpb tcptna wmbm ptty otehaes iamat fafcitns otfa atns wics bdoiesi tsvd caee ibtao tcsbav atusutca utccatlotu swsbmi ptaatmow sbmu taotu ssbtsl otla tjie ssbbta titc oloa sttcnsarb matm otsslaa eaj. Ob otusa otss sbbb ooat stcb nrts ebra aqta ooptut usvr otco nssbs fteot cbts srts wbi bts! A elotfp twbpw oaei tflo tfptw tbib ttsa ttlot fpatwbib tfta fflots pwjsicbtu cotspt sdos ityoo lotsh aesa otio tusoa ttiwwwhhsonw adfv rbjd bbmo stjcbmj cbds wcrc ppbfbhl ggksj syhjl bpdf mmcfi wm.

Pointing to the Sky
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Today I was in Washington DC at the White House as a Trustee of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. It is a simple affair every year with the winners of the National Design Awards and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. There are many historical pieces of art on display at the White House, but my favorite “things” to look at are the wonderful views from the inside of the First House like the simple and enigmatic Washington Monument. I enjoyed the awkward differences in my local surrounds of the frill and fine craft of the parlour compared with the stark, skyward facing object not so far away.

The Conquest of Happiness

 

A reader recommended that I read this book by the esteemed philosopher Bertrand Russell. Originally published in 1930, it feels like the original self-help book with its accessible, but dated, charm. From the preface by A.C. Grayling, “Some of the deepest truths are simple, when seen in the clearest light, and it takes a lucid intellect to grasp them so thoroughly that their simplicity can be brought into that light and offered to all, not just the privileged few.”

Russell puts it well in his chapter on the “Fear of Public Opinion” when he says, “Fear of public opinion, like every other form of fear, is oppressive and stunts growth. It is difficult to achieve any kind of greatness while a fear of this kind remains strong, and it is impossible to acquire that freedom of spirit in which true happiness consists, for it is essential to happiness that our way of living should spring from our own deep impulses and not from the accidental tastes and desires of those who happen to be our neighbours, or even our relations.” All in all not a terribly simple book to read, but certainly satisfying emotion-ally.

Simplified Investing

Last week in Bologna I met an investment banker and we got on the topic of ING Direct and their incredible success with a strategy centered around simplicity. The banker told me something interesting I hadn’t heard before that I couldn’t find online. Something to the effect that ING Direct tells their customers that to determine how much of their money they should put into high-risk investments versus low-risk ones, just take your age up to 100 years old. However old you are, that is the percentage that you should invest in the low-risk stuff; then take the number 100 and subtract your age from it and invest that percentage in the high-risk stuff. I was impressed with the simple elegance of the thought.

The New More
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While waiting for a connection in Dallas, I passed this sign and the copy caught my eye. What does it mean? “The new more” expresses that “the old more” is somehow less impressive. It made me think that somehow more got upgraded by becoming a qualitatively better more. In the same way that there can be a better more, there can probably be a better less. Thus the sign gave me hope.