Smaug’s Real Desolation: The Economy

I finally had the chance to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug the other day, and when Bilbo found himself inside the Dwaft kingdom in the Lonely Mountain staring at the dragon Smaug and his horde of gold, all I could think was, “My god. If all that gold is released back into the economy the inflation will be catastrophic.” So that’s a big change from when I was a kid reading The Hobbit and thinking, “Just put the damn ring on, Bilbo!”

Smaug economics

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Bacon Bread: It’s Magic!

A couple years ago I gave up on store bought bread and started making my own because I wanted something I liked and didn’t cost a small fortune. I found a recipe that worked for me and over time I refined it until I had something that was just about perfect. Of course, I can’t leave well enough alone, so I tried an experiment: Bacon bread. Oh, yes.

Bacon bread cut

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