
Atlantic City Is Really Going Down This Time - acjohnson55
https://longreads.com/2019/02/11/atlantic-city-is-really-going-down-this-time/
======
sjjshvuiajhz
The whole gambling industry is a really a utility black hole. Human risk-
taking impulses evolved so that we could decide to look around that corner,
explore that dense underbrush, see what happens if we rub some sticks
together. Instead of directing those impulses toward making our lives better
(eg. through scientific research, or making a better product more efficiently)
people are having them exploited by the world’s most expensive video games.

Please, if you’re going to make bets, stick to those that might have a
positive expected value!

~~~
Smithalicious
I hate this "fun is inefficient" mentality that permiates HN. You're perhaps
not wrong that most entertainment isn't optimally generating utility (for some
definitions of "utility"), but this position is really hard for anyone the HN
workaholic culture to empathize with.

~~~
opportune
the vast majority of revenues from gambling comes from problematic gamblers.
Nobody is saying we should make it illegal to go to the casino for a night
every few months but the gambling industry doesn't really make money off those
people except as a gateway drug. I doubt you could gain insight into the lives
of a problem gambler and tell me it's even "fun".

~~~
Gibbon1
I think gambling is like booze in that respect. There is hardly any tail at
all in the distribution. 5% of the drinkers are consuming 95% of the booze.

Edit: Prostitution is probably also like that.

Basically the three things that underpin Atlantic City right there.

------
oska
> We were standing at the base of the lighthouse, which he clearly adores.
> He’s climbed it 71 times this year. “I don’t volunteer here, I just climb
> the steps,” he said. “It’s a lot more interesting than spending time on a
> Stairmaster.”

Good on this guy. Stairclimbing is an under-appreciated fitness activity.

------
sizzzzlerz
Although it's fictionalized, the TV show, Boardwalk Empire, does a pretty good
depiction of what AC must of been like in the early 20th century. Of course,
the place was completely mobbed up and one had to become enured to the
occasional dead body dumped in a vacant lot or washing up on the beach, but,
otherwise, the place was relatively free from street crime.

~~~
walrus01
The wikipedia page and linked references for the inspiration for the fictional
Nucky Thompson:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_L._Johnson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_L._Johnson)

~~~
jmts
Rather a significant number of characters in that series that based on real
people, to the point that many characters use the real person's actual name.
The cast section of the Wikipedia page shows the extent:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boardwalk_Empire#Cast_and_char...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boardwalk_Empire#Cast_and_characters)

The references beyond that are quite interesting as well. I always felt that
the character Nelson Van Alden (also George Mueller) was a reference to Baby
Face Nelson, who was known also as George Nelson.

~~~
dwd
Most of the Chicago mafia depicted were real people.

If you enjoyed Boardwalk, you should also like Peaky Blinders.

Being set in the same era, there are interesting crossovers like when the
Peakies get involved in selling whiskey to the US.

Many of these characters are also loosly based on real people like Tom Hardy's
Alfie Solomon who steals many a scene much like Stephen Graham's Capone.

------
dashmatte
The problem with us common folk understanding climate science is the problem
seems so daunting how do we even start to tackle the problem and a road map
that's easy to digest to get us to where we want to be.

~~~
RandallBrown
I don't think we should focus on climate change at all. Like you said, it's
too daunting of a problem.

What we should focus on is solutions to "now" problems that will help with
climate change as well.

I'm talking about things like smog prevention. That's a problem people can see
_right now_ , that can be improved within our lifetimes.

~~~
perl4ever
Europe is doing ok with higher gas taxes than the US. If other countries
converged that would help a little.

People talk about boiling a frog in a pot as a negative thing, but why can't
it be used to accomplish something worthwhile?

~~~
Kephael
Except that's exactly what kicked off the Yellow Vests.

~~~
perl4ever
Is a _gradual_ increase what caused it, or was the problem that there was a
_sudden_ increase?

------
Zecar
I don't know how much real science can be done on a barrier island, we already
know how these things work. Same reason you don't buy a house in a horseshoe
bend on a river.

