5 Thoughts for November 11, 2015

1. GOP Debate: No, I didn't watch the debate; there's not much point to it, if the candidates are allowed to create their own facts and make bold statements that are counter to the historical record. But if I had watched, I would have guessed that Rubio won --  he's been getting comfortable over time and into the swing of things, while Bush continues to dive. The only question is, whether Rubio's past will haunt him; if not, then he's going to be the GOP nominee; he might even win against Clinton if he gets past the primary and is allowed to talk up immigration reform without losing his base.
2. The 100: It's a terrible show. Still, I'm binge-watching it. Once I get through season 2, I'm done with the show. Here's what's wrong with the show: Everything. Roughly every 5 minutes there's a logical flaw, a character who changes his or her stripes, or a flip-flop on who's patronizing who. It's a show that is targeted to teens, by fantasizing that adults are incapable, and if only kids could take over the world, things would get better. So many logical errors, that it's difficult to watch the show.
3. Starbucks: If they wanted to "get rid of Christmas", they would not make the cups red, nor use "Christmas" explicitly in environmental design, packaging and products. I am in disbelief that so many idiots, including politicians and the media, would believe some two-bit preacher hack (and his acolytes) on YouTube, who clearly has an agenda that is disparate from the truth. I'm so irritated by this devilish person, there's just no way I'm going to link to his video or mention his name. As for the intern-designed Dunkin' Donuts cups...it's time to stop using MS Paint.
4. iPad Pro: No, it's not a replacement for your desktop or your laptop if you require lots of computing power -- 3D renderings or long algorithm processing -- but I really do think that these larger screen tablets (12" and up) are useful. Now, I realize lots of people want to believe that they're power users, but this is not the case. However, you have to understand that these large tablet screens is where iOS and Android fall short in the UI department, and where Windows 10 would shine; this is exactly the opposite on small screens like smart phones, where iOS and Android shine, and Windows 10 sucks.
5. Portland Rents: I know that rents are rising and that new construction doesn't actually help since most of them are targeting upper market rentals, but I also know that this isn't a strictly Portland phenomenon; rents are rising all over the west coast. While this may be driving artists out of Portland, it also means that cool is being spread outward, too. Either East Portland or Hillsboro, would be my guess of what's the next cool place; both are connected to TriMet's Max and both are secondary cities, just as Tacoma is to Seattle. Rent control is not the answer; it will exacerbate rental availability in Portland, by putting an artificial cap on profitability on new development, which will then trigger greater investment (such as large tax subsidies) by the city, to encourage development.