U2F is a marvelous new technology that improves the security on your laptop. I bought the little dongle, from Amazon for $20, plugged into a USB port on my Windows 7 laptop, and followed the instructions that appeared on the screen.
It installed some software on my laptop, and on my Android phone, in only a few seconds, and was done! I got an email from Google, thanking me for installing two-factor authorization.
Then I got a message saying, to really be secure, I should install screen-lock on my phone. So I did, and my phone died! I took it to my Cellular provider, and they said they needed a special 4-digital number to fix it. I had no idea what that number could be - and decided I could live without a phone instead.
Which I am doing, without too much trouble.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Understanding Cuba
NY Review - Cuba on the Verge
To read this article, you will have to subscribe to the Review, so you can read all its excellent articles. This article says, for example:
Seen from Cuba, the ascendance of Trump at first invited bemusement. He seemed to represent a throwback to the 1950s, when Havana was run by New York mobsters who lined the city’s oceanfront with shiny casino-hotels. Everyone in Havana knew that Trump had made repeated attempts in the early 2000s, before it was legal, to pick up where Meyer Lansky (who built his Riviera Hotel not long before Fidel seized Havana) left off. “This is a time for doing business, and Trump is a businessman,” became a kind of mantra in Havana. Many Cubans thought Trump could be good for US–Cuba relations. What this hopeful stance didn’t account for, as they soon learned, was that mounting a campaign for the US presidency as a Republican still requires appeasing hard-right Cuban-Americans in Miami. Even more important was Trump’s sheer will, once in office, to undo as many of Obama’s achievements as possible.
In November 2017, the administration formalized the new regulations, whose imprecision still frustrated many (including Rubio), but did see Trump’s Treasury and Commerce Departments issue a list of several dozen hotels, stores, and travel agencies owned by the Cuban military where vacationing Americans are now officially banned from spending money.
To read this article, you will have to subscribe to the Review, so you can read all its excellent articles. This article says, for example:
Seen from Cuba, the ascendance of Trump at first invited bemusement. He seemed to represent a throwback to the 1950s, when Havana was run by New York mobsters who lined the city’s oceanfront with shiny casino-hotels. Everyone in Havana knew that Trump had made repeated attempts in the early 2000s, before it was legal, to pick up where Meyer Lansky (who built his Riviera Hotel not long before Fidel seized Havana) left off. “This is a time for doing business, and Trump is a businessman,” became a kind of mantra in Havana. Many Cubans thought Trump could be good for US–Cuba relations. What this hopeful stance didn’t account for, as they soon learned, was that mounting a campaign for the US presidency as a Republican still requires appeasing hard-right Cuban-Americans in Miami. Even more important was Trump’s sheer will, once in office, to undo as many of Obama’s achievements as possible.
I knew an American once, who had visited Cuba back then - and enjoyed the services of its whores. He did not realize these were ordinary, desperate woman, who only did this to survive. He had no idea what was really going on in Cuba - and didn't want to know.
This is still true of Americans. If they are tourists, they only want to see the sights - nothing more!
The Ability to Know What is Important
This is part of the ability to know, that was critical to human success. As soon as we became human, we had the ability to understand our world - even places we had never seen before, and we soon we were living successfully everywhere in that world.
Much of this success, was due to our Language, something no other species has ever had. This gave us the ability to think about our world, and to pass the knowledge we gained, on to other people - especially our children.
We hunted some large animals to extinction - but other than that, had little impact on the world. We had everything we needed, and were content with that, for millions of years. We had our religions also, and they were concerned with the spirits of everything. Our spirits lived in harmony, more or less, with the other spirits.
I will skip over the rest of human history, because I want to concentrate on some recent developments, during the last 500 years, or so. When we became Modern People. And I will fast-forward, even more, to the last 50 years - when some really amazing developments occurred. Namely the appearance of the Hard Right. That happened everywhere, but especially in the US, with the election of Trump.
This surprised everyone, but it was only the last of a long development that began in the middle of the 19th Century, and was intensified in the Thirties, with the rise of the masses and Fascism.
Most people now can no longer think for themselves, and have lost the ability to think about what is important, and what is not.
They cannot think, because they know, they are not supposed to think. Something else is doing their thinking for them.
Much of this success, was due to our Language, something no other species has ever had. This gave us the ability to think about our world, and to pass the knowledge we gained, on to other people - especially our children.
We hunted some large animals to extinction - but other than that, had little impact on the world. We had everything we needed, and were content with that, for millions of years. We had our religions also, and they were concerned with the spirits of everything. Our spirits lived in harmony, more or less, with the other spirits.
I will skip over the rest of human history, because I want to concentrate on some recent developments, during the last 500 years, or so. When we became Modern People. And I will fast-forward, even more, to the last 50 years - when some really amazing developments occurred. Namely the appearance of the Hard Right. That happened everywhere, but especially in the US, with the election of Trump.
This surprised everyone, but it was only the last of a long development that began in the middle of the 19th Century, and was intensified in the Thirties, with the rise of the masses and Fascism.
Most people now can no longer think for themselves, and have lost the ability to think about what is important, and what is not.
They cannot think, because they know, they are not supposed to think. Something else is doing their thinking for them.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
America has the Best Homes in the World, and the Best Cities
I have used this blog to badmouth America - but now it is time for me to say something nice, for a change.
Americans have the best homes in the world, for its large middle class - except for the homes of the very rich overseas.
To be accurate, I have to also add that this middle class is shrinking, and these home are heavily mortgaged. Sometimes the mortgage is worth more than the houses themselves. In which case, they are said to be underwater.
And these mortgages have fueled an Industry to finance them, by the use of derivatives, very complicated in structure - that led to the 2008 Financial Crisis. Also known as the Great Recession. That affected the whole world - just as the Great Depression did.
But let me return to my second subject - America has the best cities in the world. The reason for this is simple - they were designed, and their zoning laws enforced these designs. "If you want to build here, you will have to build this way!"
This has been done nowhere else. and the cities elsewhere are a total mess.
These zoning laws, however, were not enforced in America's inner cities, and they are not good places to look at, or to live in.
Americans have the best homes in the world, for its large middle class - except for the homes of the very rich overseas.
To be accurate, I have to also add that this middle class is shrinking, and these home are heavily mortgaged. Sometimes the mortgage is worth more than the houses themselves. In which case, they are said to be underwater.
And these mortgages have fueled an Industry to finance them, by the use of derivatives, very complicated in structure - that led to the 2008 Financial Crisis. Also known as the Great Recession. That affected the whole world - just as the Great Depression did.
But let me return to my second subject - America has the best cities in the world. The reason for this is simple - they were designed, and their zoning laws enforced these designs. "If you want to build here, you will have to build this way!"
This has been done nowhere else. and the cities elsewhere are a total mess.
These zoning laws, however, were not enforced in America's inner cities, and they are not good places to look at, or to live in.
What Happens to a People Determined to Not Know?
I really have no idea, but I am going to find out, pretty soon. Because America is this way - and is moving rapidly toward this unknown destination.
The easiest place to look, I thought, would be at the Economy. Money has to be expressed in numbers, and numbers I could understand - I thought. I bought The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.
To my surprise, I found that money was not the abstract value I thought it was. It is human, and as emotional as anything can be. This should not have amazed me, the Business Cycle has always had a huge effect - and it has always been based on what people thought was going on, not was was actually going on. If they panicked, the Market panicked. Booms were always followed by Busts.
If people do not want to control their destination, something else will do this for them. And this something else is hard at work - and is not treating us kindly, since it is not interested in us, at all.
The future does not look good.
The easiest place to look, I thought, would be at the Economy. Money has to be expressed in numbers, and numbers I could understand - I thought. I bought The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.
To my surprise, I found that money was not the abstract value I thought it was. It is human, and as emotional as anything can be. This should not have amazed me, the Business Cycle has always had a huge effect - and it has always been based on what people thought was going on, not was was actually going on. If they panicked, the Market panicked. Booms were always followed by Busts.
If people do not want to control their destination, something else will do this for them. And this something else is hard at work - and is not treating us kindly, since it is not interested in us, at all.
The future does not look good.
The Complex of Values that Created the Hard Right
People have been asking, why no one is opposing this. The reason is simple - because that would be too hard, too much would have to change - including some core values, that people cherish.
People have changed greatly in the last 500 years - so much so, they can hardly recognize each other - or even recognize themselves.
And this is probably a good place to start - with the fact of rapid change, which our species is poorly equipped to deal with. We want the latest fashion - and we want to stay the stay the same. And we cannot make up our minds, which we want most.
This not an impossible problem - all we have to do is recognize that we have it, and will always have it. And then get on with our lives.
But this is not what we have done. We have created the fantasy that we have somehow solved this problem, and all problems like it. And we don't have to bother with them anymore. We believe we are much smarter than we really are. Superhuman, in fact.
This is a modern problem, it would never have occured to the Ancients - for whom, our human frailties, was all too obvious.
Allow me to reiterate what I have just said. We have developed a new identity - that has made us much better, than we actually are.
This must have happened in a series of steps, over a period of hundreds of years. That included the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Industrial Revolution. All huge changes. Changes so vast, we could not understand them.
But (and this is important) we thought we did.
People have changed greatly in the last 500 years - so much so, they can hardly recognize each other - or even recognize themselves.
And this is probably a good place to start - with the fact of rapid change, which our species is poorly equipped to deal with. We want the latest fashion - and we want to stay the stay the same. And we cannot make up our minds, which we want most.
This not an impossible problem - all we have to do is recognize that we have it, and will always have it. And then get on with our lives.
But this is not what we have done. We have created the fantasy that we have somehow solved this problem, and all problems like it. And we don't have to bother with them anymore. We believe we are much smarter than we really are. Superhuman, in fact.
This is a modern problem, it would never have occured to the Ancients - for whom, our human frailties, was all too obvious.
Allow me to reiterate what I have just said. We have developed a new identity - that has made us much better, than we actually are.
This must have happened in a series of steps, over a period of hundreds of years. That included the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Industrial Revolution. All huge changes. Changes so vast, we could not understand them.
But (and this is important) we thought we did.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Altar Boys and Girls
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I decided to see what was going on, and was surprised to see altar boys and girls in front of the church. One girl is holding a large cross, and one of the boys is swinging the incense burner - although no smoke was coming from it.
I was told that altar girls have been common in the Catholic Church for some time now.
You Can be Too Smart for Your Own Good
You will agree with this, instantly. "Nothing could be more obvious!" You will say.
But this is not obvious at all. Why should people be discriminated against, because they are smart? Because the people around them are not smart, and they do not want smart people around them, making them look stupid!
People want to feel good, and they are not much interested in, whether or not someone is right.
I am now studying programming, as a hobby. And in that limited world - you gotta be right! And determining if someone is right, is simplicity itself. You just send your code to a computer - and either it likes it, or it does not - and if does not like it, it will tell you, why it does not like it. "I was expecting this, but this is what you sent me. Fix it, and try again."
Can this be applied to the real world? Yes. You try to fix a problem, but likely as not - your fix will not work very well. But you have learned something, you know what doesn't work. And you try again, doing something slightly different, or entirely different.
This assumes you are in a country that allows you to experiment. Not many countries allow this.
But this is not obvious at all. Why should people be discriminated against, because they are smart? Because the people around them are not smart, and they do not want smart people around them, making them look stupid!
People want to feel good, and they are not much interested in, whether or not someone is right.
I am now studying programming, as a hobby. And in that limited world - you gotta be right! And determining if someone is right, is simplicity itself. You just send your code to a computer - and either it likes it, or it does not - and if does not like it, it will tell you, why it does not like it. "I was expecting this, but this is what you sent me. Fix it, and try again."
Can this be applied to the real world? Yes. You try to fix a problem, but likely as not - your fix will not work very well. But you have learned something, you know what doesn't work. And you try again, doing something slightly different, or entirely different.
This assumes you are in a country that allows you to experiment. Not many countries allow this.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Wikipedia
These people are active in my little town of Orosi, Costa Rica. I frequently see them standing by their rack of free literature. As you can see from the Wikipedia article, they are successful - judging them by almost any standard.
What was interesting to me, was that my family's RLDS church, and the Seventh Day Adventists, were formed at the same time (the 1860s). The RLDS failed, but they succeeded.
They are part of the Evangelical movement, that is common throughout Central America. In the last Presidential elections in Costa Rica, an Evangelical candidate won 40% of the vote. Because he opposed same-sex marriages, and abortions.
They are conservative (in the American sense of the word) and receive generous economic support from their American churches.
These people are active in my little town of Orosi, Costa Rica. I frequently see them standing by their rack of free literature. As you can see from the Wikipedia article, they are successful - judging them by almost any standard.
What was interesting to me, was that my family's RLDS church, and the Seventh Day Adventists, were formed at the same time (the 1860s). The RLDS failed, but they succeeded.
They are part of the Evangelical movement, that is common throughout Central America. In the last Presidential elections in Costa Rica, an Evangelical candidate won 40% of the vote. Because he opposed same-sex marriages, and abortions.
They are conservative (in the American sense of the word) and receive generous economic support from their American churches.
Americans are not Good, at Being Good to Each Other
This is a huge deficiency, and one they do not want to be aware of. One of the many deficiencies they do not want to be aware of.
How on earth did they get this way? Or, to be more practical, what can we do about it now? The we in this case, being the Americans who know about this, and want to fix it.
We can say America is in bad shape, and get plenty of agreement about this, from all kinds of Americans. But getting more explicit, is impossible - one of the basic deficiencies I just spoke of.
Americans do not want to think about many things, including their most pressing problems. They would rather do almost anything else - than think about their problems. These appear insoluble to them, and best left alone.
Perhaps this is a good place to start - with the belief that today's problems are too big to be solved. No one will admit to this, but we can see this is what they really believe, in their unconscious lives.
In fact, denial of the unconscious, is one of the symptoms of our times. Recognizing the unconscious, makes things too complicated - and they crave simplicity.
They also believe that people are basically good - when it has been obvious for thousands of years, that people are both good and bad. And that this is a basic fact of human nature.
In short, people have become stupid - but think they have become smart.
How on earth did they get this way? Or, to be more practical, what can we do about it now? The we in this case, being the Americans who know about this, and want to fix it.
We can say America is in bad shape, and get plenty of agreement about this, from all kinds of Americans. But getting more explicit, is impossible - one of the basic deficiencies I just spoke of.
Americans do not want to think about many things, including their most pressing problems. They would rather do almost anything else - than think about their problems. These appear insoluble to them, and best left alone.
Perhaps this is a good place to start - with the belief that today's problems are too big to be solved. No one will admit to this, but we can see this is what they really believe, in their unconscious lives.
In fact, denial of the unconscious, is one of the symptoms of our times. Recognizing the unconscious, makes things too complicated - and they crave simplicity.
They also believe that people are basically good - when it has been obvious for thousands of years, that people are both good and bad. And that this is a basic fact of human nature.
In short, people have become stupid - but think they have become smart.
Friday, April 27, 2018
The Right and Wrong Kind of Supermen
From the middle of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th, we produced an abundance of the wrong kind of superior beings - all over the world, with the Nazis showing the world, how bad they could really be.
But in the last half of the last century, America showed the world how to be dysfunctional in an entirely new way. By taking Capitalism to a new extreme - and building new supermen and women.
We never proclaimed ourselves to be super beings, like the Fascists did - but deep in our hearts, we knew we were - and we acted on that assumption. There were two kinds of people, we thought - the rich and powerful (like us) and everyone else.
And for 20 years, or so, after WWII - America was the richest and most powerful nation in history, and this wealth was fairly well distributed, with an active middle class. Going to college was cheap, and there were plenty of good jobs. Americans became a superior people - superior to the human side of themselves.
We never questioned our basic assumption - that we were superior people, and entitled to its benefits. As superior people, we looked down on dependent people - including our own children. We were only interested in power and its economic benefits. Business became our new religion.
This obsession with power was nothing new, people had been this way for thousands of years. But Americans had a huge advantage - they were a democracy, and shared their wealth, inside America, fairly equally.
Allow me to repeat that - wealth in America was shared equally (if not perfectly) and Americans agreed on this kind of income distribution - at least in theory. LBJ encoded this attitude into the Great Society, complete with Civil Rights, that were enforced, for the first time in a hundred years.
But this was followed, almost immediately - by the Vietnam War. And growing income inequality - that became extreme. And something even more important - Americans became socially unaware, and determined to notice nothing.
They still thought they were superior beings - but helpless ones. Unable to control their own destiny. This was being determined by other forces, they did not understand in the least - but had to obey.
This led to the Economic Crisis of 2008 - that made a few people extremely wealthy, and impoverished many more. This happened because Americans wanted a weaker government, unable to regulate the Financial Industry. The Government no longer represented them - but the Rich and the Powerful, that had most of the power and the money.
America (and the rest of the world) is now ruled by them - not by their own people.
But in the last half of the last century, America showed the world how to be dysfunctional in an entirely new way. By taking Capitalism to a new extreme - and building new supermen and women.
We never proclaimed ourselves to be super beings, like the Fascists did - but deep in our hearts, we knew we were - and we acted on that assumption. There were two kinds of people, we thought - the rich and powerful (like us) and everyone else.
And for 20 years, or so, after WWII - America was the richest and most powerful nation in history, and this wealth was fairly well distributed, with an active middle class. Going to college was cheap, and there were plenty of good jobs. Americans became a superior people - superior to the human side of themselves.
We never questioned our basic assumption - that we were superior people, and entitled to its benefits. As superior people, we looked down on dependent people - including our own children. We were only interested in power and its economic benefits. Business became our new religion.
This obsession with power was nothing new, people had been this way for thousands of years. But Americans had a huge advantage - they were a democracy, and shared their wealth, inside America, fairly equally.
Allow me to repeat that - wealth in America was shared equally (if not perfectly) and Americans agreed on this kind of income distribution - at least in theory. LBJ encoded this attitude into the Great Society, complete with Civil Rights, that were enforced, for the first time in a hundred years.
But this was followed, almost immediately - by the Vietnam War. And growing income inequality - that became extreme. And something even more important - Americans became socially unaware, and determined to notice nothing.
They still thought they were superior beings - but helpless ones. Unable to control their own destiny. This was being determined by other forces, they did not understand in the least - but had to obey.
This led to the Economic Crisis of 2008 - that made a few people extremely wealthy, and impoverished many more. This happened because Americans wanted a weaker government, unable to regulate the Financial Industry. The Government no longer represented them - but the Rich and the Powerful, that had most of the power and the money.
America (and the rest of the world) is now ruled by them - not by their own people.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
The Money Now is in Software
But not many people are interested in this.
They have to choose between the minimal income that they already have - or studying Software, where they can make much more. They prefer staying where they are.
What is going on in their heads? Whatever it is, it places them in the 90 percent of the population, that time is passing by.
They have to choose between the minimal income that they already have - or studying Software, where they can make much more. They prefer staying where they are.
What is going on in their heads? Whatever it is, it places them in the 90 percent of the population, that time is passing by.
How Lorca Contributed to His Own Death
The Lorca I am referring to is Federico García Lorca, the famous poet and playwright. He became popular and successful in Argentina, as did many other artists - who immigrated there, to escape the Fascism in Europe. But for some strange reason, he returned to Spain, and was killed there.
He was obsessed with death all his life, but could not see it, in person, when it was right in front of him.
This is true of many of us - we cannot see our world is being destroyed, right in front of us.
He was obsessed with death all his life, but could not see it, in person, when it was right in front of him.
This is true of many of us - we cannot see our world is being destroyed, right in front of us.
Ambition and Ethics
To be a successful person, or a successful organization, you have to have both of these. It's not enough, to just be good - you have to do good things also. You have to develop your own talents, and become yourself.
But what about Ethics? How is that compatible with Ambition? This is where things get complicated. And where the answer depends on the context a person or organization is situated in. If you are in a bad situation, you have to be bad also, just to survive.
I have had a hard time with this fact of life, myself - and am still having a hard time with it. You have to be able to tell what kind of ethical environment you are in - and then navigate that minefield successfully.
The strategy most people have adopted here - is to not see anything, and not be anything! That way they won't be hurt. My personal strategy is similar - I notice what is going on, but keep quiet about it, and do the best I can - under the circumstances.
An example will help. I have a Windows 7 laptop, that works fine. But I keep thinking an upgrade to Windows 10 would be an improvement. To my surprise, this turns out to be not the case. My latest Windows 10 laptop with 4 GB of RAM, will be deposited in the trash.
What is going on here? No one is saying Windows 10 is ripping everyone off. This is one of those things, you are not supposed to say. So no one says it. And this list can be easily expanded.
We are in a situation similar to the Fall of the Roman Empire - lots of bad things are happening all over the place. But few are taking a good look at the overall situation. And these few are being ignored.
But what about Ethics? How is that compatible with Ambition? This is where things get complicated. And where the answer depends on the context a person or organization is situated in. If you are in a bad situation, you have to be bad also, just to survive.
I have had a hard time with this fact of life, myself - and am still having a hard time with it. You have to be able to tell what kind of ethical environment you are in - and then navigate that minefield successfully.
The strategy most people have adopted here - is to not see anything, and not be anything! That way they won't be hurt. My personal strategy is similar - I notice what is going on, but keep quiet about it, and do the best I can - under the circumstances.
An example will help. I have a Windows 7 laptop, that works fine. But I keep thinking an upgrade to Windows 10 would be an improvement. To my surprise, this turns out to be not the case. My latest Windows 10 laptop with 4 GB of RAM, will be deposited in the trash.
What is going on here? No one is saying Windows 10 is ripping everyone off. This is one of those things, you are not supposed to say. So no one says it. And this list can be easily expanded.
We are in a situation similar to the Fall of the Roman Empire - lots of bad things are happening all over the place. But few are taking a good look at the overall situation. And these few are being ignored.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
The Level of the Times
This is a phrase used by Ortega y Gasset, the man who discovered the Masses - an incredible discovery that should have been taken more seriously.
I have found this concept to be useful in describing the America that I grew up in, in the last half of the last Century. What was the ethical and intellectual level of those times? It was fairly low. Not very low, just fairly low. Below the water level.
These people could consider themselves virtuous, if they were not worse than their fellow-men. If they were only moderately stupid, or incompetent. This was the level of their times.
Ortega y Gasset was at home in the Spanish language, and was never interested in the English language, or in North America. But always lived, and taught in Latin America.
Living in North America would not have been easy for him (the culture clash would have been intense) - but he would have learned a lot.
He can be compared to another Spaniard - Federico García Lorca. Who was a Spanish poet and a New York poet, both.
I have found this concept to be useful in describing the America that I grew up in, in the last half of the last Century. What was the ethical and intellectual level of those times? It was fairly low. Not very low, just fairly low. Below the water level.
These people could consider themselves virtuous, if they were not worse than their fellow-men. If they were only moderately stupid, or incompetent. This was the level of their times.
Ortega y Gasset was at home in the Spanish language, and was never interested in the English language, or in North America. But always lived, and taught in Latin America.
Living in North America would not have been easy for him (the culture clash would have been intense) - but he would have learned a lot.
He can be compared to another Spaniard - Federico García Lorca. Who was a Spanish poet and a New York poet, both.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Computers Like This, should not Be Sold
New Yorker - McMaster and Commander
But they are, and no one seems to be complaining about them.
What is going on here? To answer this, you have to take a wide-angle view of things. What is going on, in general? Not just in Computers. The situation in the US, is nicely summarized in the New Yorker article referred to above.
The American people elected Trump, and they seem satisfied with him - even though he is a spectacular incompetent. Just as they use Windows 10 computers, that barely work. In either case, whether something works or not - does not seem to matter.
Something strange is going on here, something very strange. But it can be summarized neatly - people are not interested in making things work.
This has been true, many times in human history. People do not like the situation they are in - and they are not interested in helping it. The logical thing to do, is analyze the situation - and help it, wherever it can be helped. But people, in many situations - are not logical.
And one of these situations was America, in the last half of the last Century. This was when the wheels came off our wagon.
But they are, and no one seems to be complaining about them.
What is going on here? To answer this, you have to take a wide-angle view of things. What is going on, in general? Not just in Computers. The situation in the US, is nicely summarized in the New Yorker article referred to above.
The American people elected Trump, and they seem satisfied with him - even though he is a spectacular incompetent. Just as they use Windows 10 computers, that barely work. In either case, whether something works or not - does not seem to matter.
Something strange is going on here, something very strange. But it can be summarized neatly - people are not interested in making things work.
This has been true, many times in human history. People do not like the situation they are in - and they are not interested in helping it. The logical thing to do, is analyze the situation - and help it, wherever it can be helped. But people, in many situations - are not logical.
And one of these situations was America, in the last half of the last Century. This was when the wheels came off our wagon.
Monday, April 23, 2018
You can now take easy courses, from any University - that will Do You, no Good
Many of these have been introduced in the last fifty years, or so. Because students like them (they don't have to study much) and they can easily get loans for them. Only later, when they don't get any jobs from them, but have to pay off their student loans anyway - do they suspect something has gone wrong.
What has gone wrong is a bit complicated, so I will illustrate it with a story.
My sister used to go on canoe trips, with her family, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Later, her husband died, and she had to develop a career for herself, preferably at the University level. She didn't like to study much herself, and she assumed most college students did not either.
So she developed a new course of college studies - and called it Outdoor Education. This was something new in American colleges but had been around in Europe for a long time. Her personal objectives were to make easy for her to teach, and easy for her students to learn. And it included field trips in the summer.
The University she was at, however, required department heads to have a PhD Degree - but this was impossible for her - and she was out of a job.
But somehow, I really don't know how, she ended up at another University. Her courses were a good fit there, because this University was in the mountains, and many of its students went skiing on weekends. And it had many courses that were not academic (such as Sports Medicine).
This was part of a new ethic, where learning was fun and easy!
What has gone wrong is a bit complicated, so I will illustrate it with a story.
My sister used to go on canoe trips, with her family, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Later, her husband died, and she had to develop a career for herself, preferably at the University level. She didn't like to study much herself, and she assumed most college students did not either.
So she developed a new course of college studies - and called it Outdoor Education. This was something new in American colleges but had been around in Europe for a long time. Her personal objectives were to make easy for her to teach, and easy for her students to learn. And it included field trips in the summer.
The University she was at, however, required department heads to have a PhD Degree - but this was impossible for her - and she was out of a job.
But somehow, I really don't know how, she ended up at another University. Her courses were a good fit there, because this University was in the mountains, and many of its students went skiing on weekends. And it had many courses that were not academic (such as Sports Medicine).
This was part of a new ethic, where learning was fun and easy!
Windows 10 is a memory hog
The first Windows 10 laptop I got had 2 GB of RAM. It didn't take me long to realize it was useless.
So I got one with 4 GB of RAM, and am using it now. I installed the same apps I have in my Windows 7 laptop - the Chrome Browser, with Gmail, Google Calendar, and the Google Blogger app. I am writing this with the Blogger app, and it is more stable here than in Windows 7.
But I am getting these messages, saying I am running out of memory and cannot install the latest Windows 10 updates, that are critical. I will have to buy more memory (a lot more) and plug it into one of my USB ports, or into the SD slot.
If you buy one of these these things, you will need 8 GB, and that will cost you more.
So I got one with 4 GB of RAM, and am using it now. I installed the same apps I have in my Windows 7 laptop - the Chrome Browser, with Gmail, Google Calendar, and the Google Blogger app. I am writing this with the Blogger app, and it is more stable here than in Windows 7.
But I am getting these messages, saying I am running out of memory and cannot install the latest Windows 10 updates, that are critical. I will have to buy more memory (a lot more) and plug it into one of my USB ports, or into the SD slot.
If you buy one of these these things, you will need 8 GB, and that will cost you more.
People are Capable of Amazing Stupidity
And even more amazingly, they are not aware of this.
In fact, saying they are stupid, is not saying enough. There are many other things you can say about them, all unflattering and all accurate. And, to make it worse - this has gotten worse, because people think they have gotten smarter.
And, by strange coincidence, I bought The Big Short - about the Financial Crisis of 2008. This was an eye-opener for me, and I could believe it had been overlooked by most people. Note that important phrase most people. Most people, as I have already said, are idiots.
Where can I go from here? Nowhere, really. All I can do is stay pat, and enjoy the feeling of being right - for a change. I can imagine telling my Sister about what I have found. She would simply say "That has nothing to do with me!" She is wrong, of course - in today's world, everyone is affected by everything. Whether we like it or not.
This not something new - the world has always been like that, where everything affected everything else - to a greater or lessor degree. But the Scientific Method, had divided the world into many specialties (commonly referred to as Silos) and communication between them was difficult.
To put this another way - we have become so smart, we have become stupid.
In fact, saying they are stupid, is not saying enough. There are many other things you can say about them, all unflattering and all accurate. And, to make it worse - this has gotten worse, because people think they have gotten smarter.
And, by strange coincidence, I bought The Big Short - about the Financial Crisis of 2008. This was an eye-opener for me, and I could believe it had been overlooked by most people. Note that important phrase most people. Most people, as I have already said, are idiots.
Where can I go from here? Nowhere, really. All I can do is stay pat, and enjoy the feeling of being right - for a change. I can imagine telling my Sister about what I have found. She would simply say "That has nothing to do with me!" She is wrong, of course - in today's world, everyone is affected by everything. Whether we like it or not.
This not something new - the world has always been like that, where everything affected everything else - to a greater or lessor degree. But the Scientific Method, had divided the world into many specialties (commonly referred to as Silos) and communication between them was difficult.
To put this another way - we have become so smart, we have become stupid.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
My Yemenren Digital Audio Recorder
I liked the price, $30 from Amazon. But the User Manual was a shock, it was so tiny - and there is no online manual. The screen is so small, you need a magnifier to read it.
You have to start with the User Manual, and the labels printed on the device - and figure out the rest for yourself.
The power switch does exactly what it is supposed to do - turn it On and Off. It has to be On, before you can charge the battery - via the USB cable, that you can plug into any charger.
The Record/Save switch does just that also. You cannot press on it, as the manual claims, to stop and start recording. I make many small recordings, saving each of them to a separate file. It has two microphones, and records them in stereo, in the WAVE format, that my Windows 7 computer has no problems with.
Once I upload the audio files, using the USB cable, I can listen to each of them with the Windows Media Player, delete the ones I no longer want, or send them to other people. Or I can play them on this device itself - more about that later.
The track select switch, switches between audio files.
The Volume switch raises or lowers the volume during playback.
The Mode switch switches between the Record and the Play modes. and changes the screen to reflect this change.
I tried to make a photo of the different screens, but could not. You need a special camera to do this. You will need a magnifier to look at them - as I said before.
You can delete a recording on this device, but the process is complicated. You have to do a long press on Volume switch, then select No, Yes, or Delete - using the Track Select Switch, and then confirm this selection, using the Play button!
There are lots of other settings, but I have not bothered with them. I only use this for recording my personal notes - and it works fine for that.
Recording my ideas, as they come to me - makes even more ideas pop into my head!
You have to start with the User Manual, and the labels printed on the device - and figure out the rest for yourself.
The power switch does exactly what it is supposed to do - turn it On and Off. It has to be On, before you can charge the battery - via the USB cable, that you can plug into any charger.
The Record/Save switch does just that also. You cannot press on it, as the manual claims, to stop and start recording. I make many small recordings, saving each of them to a separate file. It has two microphones, and records them in stereo, in the WAVE format, that my Windows 7 computer has no problems with.
Once I upload the audio files, using the USB cable, I can listen to each of them with the Windows Media Player, delete the ones I no longer want, or send them to other people. Or I can play them on this device itself - more about that later.
The track select switch, switches between audio files.
The Volume switch raises or lowers the volume during playback.
The Mode switch switches between the Record and the Play modes. and changes the screen to reflect this change.
I tried to make a photo of the different screens, but could not. You need a special camera to do this. You will need a magnifier to look at them - as I said before.
You can delete a recording on this device, but the process is complicated. You have to do a long press on Volume switch, then select No, Yes, or Delete - using the Track Select Switch, and then confirm this selection, using the Play button!
There are lots of other settings, but I have not bothered with them. I only use this for recording my personal notes - and it works fine for that.
Recording my ideas, as they come to me - makes even more ideas pop into my head!
Nauvoo and the RLDS church
This period of history needs to be reexamined. And that is the subject of this posting.
After Joseph Smith was killed, there was a Mormon War (complete with cannons) that forced the Mormons to leave Nauvoo. Emma Smith left also, taking her children northward (I don't remember exactly where) so they would be safe.
As soon as it was safe, she returned to Nauvoo, to claim her property. She was the owner of much of the town, the property of her late husband. Unfortunately, she also inherited his debts - and to pay them off, she had to sell most of her property. The details of this process have been lost, but she ended up with not much more than the Homestead, and Mansion House, and the Nauvoo House.
Only two walls stood of the Nauvoo House, but her second husband tore most of them down, and used the material to build a the three-story building, that still stands. Emma moved into that building, operated part of it as a hotel, lived in the rest - and ended her life there.
She abandoned the Mansion House, that fell into serious disrepair. The Laytons, later, had to tear most of it down.
This was the situation her sons grew up in - in a ghost town, with unpleasant memories of their Father, who had caused all this suffering. The youngest son, David, lost his mind, and ended his life in an insane asylum. The oldest son, Joseph Smith III, married a Nauvoo girl, and tried to become a financial success - but failed at this, completely.
Meanwhile a group of of rich farmers, in Northern Illinois, who had been members of the LDS church, organized their own RLDS church. They wanted JSIII, to take his father's place, and be their leader. They approached him several times, without success.
Finally, his mother took things in her own hands, and persuaded him to accept - and traveled with him, to make sure he did. All three of her sons now had jobs with the RLDS church. There is no record of her interest in the RLDS church after that.
At first, JSIII thought he could continue to live in Nauvoo, but his financial backers insisted that he move, to be with them. So he, and his unwilling wife, moved. This continued to be the basic pattern - he would live where his farmers wanted him to live (Lamoni, Iowa, and then Independence, Missouri). But would concentrate on building his church - but adding many new members.
The records for this growth are no longer available - but the growth in membership and financing was considerable. With many of the most active new members coming from Australia!
After Joseph Smith was killed, there was a Mormon War (complete with cannons) that forced the Mormons to leave Nauvoo. Emma Smith left also, taking her children northward (I don't remember exactly where) so they would be safe.
As soon as it was safe, she returned to Nauvoo, to claim her property. She was the owner of much of the town, the property of her late husband. Unfortunately, she also inherited his debts - and to pay them off, she had to sell most of her property. The details of this process have been lost, but she ended up with not much more than the Homestead, and Mansion House, and the Nauvoo House.
Only two walls stood of the Nauvoo House, but her second husband tore most of them down, and used the material to build a the three-story building, that still stands. Emma moved into that building, operated part of it as a hotel, lived in the rest - and ended her life there.
She abandoned the Mansion House, that fell into serious disrepair. The Laytons, later, had to tear most of it down.
This was the situation her sons grew up in - in a ghost town, with unpleasant memories of their Father, who had caused all this suffering. The youngest son, David, lost his mind, and ended his life in an insane asylum. The oldest son, Joseph Smith III, married a Nauvoo girl, and tried to become a financial success - but failed at this, completely.
Meanwhile a group of of rich farmers, in Northern Illinois, who had been members of the LDS church, organized their own RLDS church. They wanted JSIII, to take his father's place, and be their leader. They approached him several times, without success.
Finally, his mother took things in her own hands, and persuaded him to accept - and traveled with him, to make sure he did. All three of her sons now had jobs with the RLDS church. There is no record of her interest in the RLDS church after that.
At first, JSIII thought he could continue to live in Nauvoo, but his financial backers insisted that he move, to be with them. So he, and his unwilling wife, moved. This continued to be the basic pattern - he would live where his farmers wanted him to live (Lamoni, Iowa, and then Independence, Missouri). But would concentrate on building his church - but adding many new members.
The records for this growth are no longer available - but the growth in membership and financing was considerable. With many of the most active new members coming from Australia!
The Huge Difference Between Machines and Living Beings
The difference is simple - all life occurs in cells, that are very complicated. and full of huge organic molecules, that are interacting constantly - and can self-replicate.
Machines are much simpler, and have to be made, and maintained - by people.
The Industrial Revolution - a huge event we have never understood very well, put machines (made of metal) at the center of our lives. And created a new kind of people, who thought themselves superior to ordinary people.
They created a new economy, dedicated to Manufacture (in factories) and Transportation (by Railroads and Steamships). And people who served them, were made rich, and powerful - by them.
This is an important point - the people who served machines, became powerful - and also became like them. Hard, and capable of domineering other people - including their own children. And, of course - women.
Machines are much simpler, and have to be made, and maintained - by people.
The Industrial Revolution - a huge event we have never understood very well, put machines (made of metal) at the center of our lives. And created a new kind of people, who thought themselves superior to ordinary people.
They created a new economy, dedicated to Manufacture (in factories) and Transportation (by Railroads and Steamships). And people who served them, were made rich, and powerful - by them.
This is an important point - the people who served machines, became powerful - and also became like them. Hard, and capable of domineering other people - including their own children. And, of course - women.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Joseph Smith Thought He was an Expert on Anything and Everything
And this was just the kind of person his followers were looking for.
To understand Mormonism, you have to understand the social context that it was part of - the early 19th Century in America and England. A time so different from ours, it seems like another world.
The important factors here, were the Industrial Revolution - and in the US, Slavery. And the Presidency of Andrew Jackson. And the Second Great Awakening, that shaped Religious History in America.
My religious family, is not interested in historical explanations - but insists on religious, miraculous explanations. For them, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and his writings are scripture.
I will continue to believe. that he was a person of his times, a charismatic religious leader - and just plain crazy. A combination that is common in religious leaders.
His story ended violently - he was killed by an angry mob, in Illinois. Most of his followers forgot about him, but some of them, followed Brigham Young (who was a better leader) to Utah. Where they still believe in Joseph Smith, as much as ever.
To understand Mormonism, you have to understand the social context that it was part of - the early 19th Century in America and England. A time so different from ours, it seems like another world.
The important factors here, were the Industrial Revolution - and in the US, Slavery. And the Presidency of Andrew Jackson. And the Second Great Awakening, that shaped Religious History in America.
My religious family, is not interested in historical explanations - but insists on religious, miraculous explanations. For them, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and his writings are scripture.
I will continue to believe. that he was a person of his times, a charismatic religious leader - and just plain crazy. A combination that is common in religious leaders.
His story ended violently - he was killed by an angry mob, in Illinois. Most of his followers forgot about him, but some of them, followed Brigham Young (who was a better leader) to Utah. Where they still believe in Joseph Smith, as much as ever.
20th Century History, According to Madeleine Albright
Amazon - Fascism, a Warning
I am enjoying this book, she is an excellent writer, and has a good grasp of History.
But it will have little effect on Americans, because they do not read. They are surrounded by excellent learning material (much of it online) - but they are not interested in learning.
I am enjoying this book, she is an excellent writer, and has a good grasp of History.
But it will have little effect on Americans, because they do not read. They are surrounded by excellent learning material (much of it online) - but they are not interested in learning.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Tostitos
This is a cheese dip, and it tastes great!
But, I wondered, was is good for me, was it healthy stuff? There is a label on it, but I could not read it, even with a magnifier.
So I did a search for it. and found it was made by Frito-Lay - the friendliest company imaginable! Even if it is deceptive - one bottle contains 530 calories, mostly of fat.
You can read this for yourself here. Click on the Nutrition Facts.
But, I wondered, was is good for me, was it healthy stuff? There is a label on it, but I could not read it, even with a magnifier.
So I did a search for it. and found it was made by Frito-Lay - the friendliest company imaginable! Even if it is deceptive - one bottle contains 530 calories, mostly of fat.
You can read this for yourself here. Click on the Nutrition Facts.
New Subdivisions in Orosi
Orosi is the little town I live in, in Costa Rica. Like much of Costa Rica, it was once a agricultural community, devoted to growing Coffee. But this is no longer profitable, since so many other countries are also growing Coffee.
And the farmers are making more money, by selling their land to Real Estate developers - who are now building many small, cheap houses, using mass production techniques. This is helped by the low interest rates, that keep mortgage payments low.
There are no local jobs, so these home owners must commute to their jobs - using the local bus service, or driving their own cars. Orosi has become a bedroom community - like many in the US.
And many communities in California, where Orange groves had been turned into vast subdivisions, and megacities, such as Los Angles.
Ticos can see nothing wrong with this - and see LA as a beautiful city, rich with economic opportunities, that they want to emulate.
And the farmers are making more money, by selling their land to Real Estate developers - who are now building many small, cheap houses, using mass production techniques. This is helped by the low interest rates, that keep mortgage payments low.
There are no local jobs, so these home owners must commute to their jobs - using the local bus service, or driving their own cars. Orosi has become a bedroom community - like many in the US.
And many communities in California, where Orange groves had been turned into vast subdivisions, and megacities, such as Los Angles.
Ticos can see nothing wrong with this - and see LA as a beautiful city, rich with economic opportunities, that they want to emulate.
Fantasy and Reality
I have a personal problem with this, with managing my money. Money is real, and it cannot be invented - as many, many people have tried to do. They will think, as I have done, unconsciously - that they can make more money, just by imagining they have more money.
But it does not work that way - what happens in our Minds, can be entirely different from what is out there, in Reality. And this can cause plenty of problems.
President Trump has a serious problem with this - as he has shown, over and over. But the American people still support him - with some reservations, that depend on local circumstances. He is much like them - out of touch with Reality.
And this is causing the American People plenty of problems - that they do not want to face. They stubbornly believe, if they think they have no problems - they have no problems. When they have problems so serious, and so pervasive - almost no one can understand them.
But if they are so hard to understand, people reason - nothing can be done about them, and the situation cannot be fixed! This is defective reasoning at its worse. The same reasoning that doomed the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago, And may doom the American Empire (and the Global Economy) with it, today. Small changes can be made, and should be made - being helpless will not help!
To repeat something that has been said before, many times - we have become a complex, technical society - that the people in it, cannot understand. Even though they have enormous computing power at their disposal.
But it does not work that way - what happens in our Minds, can be entirely different from what is out there, in Reality. And this can cause plenty of problems.
President Trump has a serious problem with this - as he has shown, over and over. But the American people still support him - with some reservations, that depend on local circumstances. He is much like them - out of touch with Reality.
And this is causing the American People plenty of problems - that they do not want to face. They stubbornly believe, if they think they have no problems - they have no problems. When they have problems so serious, and so pervasive - almost no one can understand them.
But if they are so hard to understand, people reason - nothing can be done about them, and the situation cannot be fixed! This is defective reasoning at its worse. The same reasoning that doomed the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago, And may doom the American Empire (and the Global Economy) with it, today. Small changes can be made, and should be made - being helpless will not help!
To repeat something that has been said before, many times - we have become a complex, technical society - that the people in it, cannot understand. Even though they have enormous computing power at their disposal.
Ray Comes to the Rescue
Last week, during my weekly shopping trip to the nearest large town of Cartago, I used an ATM to get some local cash (in Colones). I thought I asked for $100 worth, but I made a mistake and asked for $400, instead. I ended up with far more Colones than I needed - and only $200 in my Wells Fargo bank account - not enough to last me for the rest of the month.
I couldn't put Colones back in the ATM, to replenish my bank account. But I had a bright idea - ask my friend Ray to transfer money from his American bank, to my Wells Fargo account. His bank needed all kinds of information, to be able to make the transfer. My account number, and my bank's routing number - and everything else associated with my account.
Ray fed all this to his bank, and asked that $200 be transferred to my account. Today, two days later, I have his $200 in my account - for a total of $230. Enough to get me through - until payday, two weeks from now. Today I will pay him back, in Colones.
Social Security should have cost-of-living increases - but the Republicans have turned this off. And this means I will have to be extra careful with my spending, in the future.
I couldn't put Colones back in the ATM, to replenish my bank account. But I had a bright idea - ask my friend Ray to transfer money from his American bank, to my Wells Fargo account. His bank needed all kinds of information, to be able to make the transfer. My account number, and my bank's routing number - and everything else associated with my account.
Ray fed all this to his bank, and asked that $200 be transferred to my account. Today, two days later, I have his $200 in my account - for a total of $230. Enough to get me through - until payday, two weeks from now. Today I will pay him back, in Colones.
Social Security should have cost-of-living increases - but the Republicans have turned this off. And this means I will have to be extra careful with my spending, in the future.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Poetry, You Win
Poetry Magazine
Then, recently, a friend who is, like, a for-real legit poet gave me a book of poems by John Ashbery, and I was like, damn. This is the real deal. I’m not ready for this. It had been a long time since I’d read any poems at all, and I considered carrying the book around and pretending I was reading it, like everyone did with Infinite Jest when it came out, so that I’d either absorb its contents through osmosis or I’d eventually be so bored that I’d actually crack it open and read it. But it was kinda too heavy to carry around so I just stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it. I finally dragged it out months later out of guilt and shame, and, holy shit! I didn’t know words could be this good!
Then, recently, a friend who is, like, a for-real legit poet gave me a book of poems by John Ashbery, and I was like, damn. This is the real deal. I’m not ready for this. It had been a long time since I’d read any poems at all, and I considered carrying the book around and pretending I was reading it, like everyone did with Infinite Jest when it came out, so that I’d either absorb its contents through osmosis or I’d eventually be so bored that I’d actually crack it open and read it. But it was kinda too heavy to carry around so I just stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it. I finally dragged it out months later out of guilt and shame, and, holy shit! I didn’t know words could be this good!
Small Children Know what They are Supposed to Want
I saw this in operation yesterday, when I gave my friend Catherine, some little bags of cookies - containing six small cookies (about two inches across) in each bag.
She has two daughters, aged about three and four. To my amazement, they both wanted those cookies, instantly. How did they know those bags contained cookies, when they could barely talk?
Cookies are not part of their vocabulary yet - but somehow they know those pretty little bags, have something they should want to eat, in them.
I think this is alarming - but most people think is is charming, when their little ones know what they are supposed to want, so early in their lives.
She has two daughters, aged about three and four. To my amazement, they both wanted those cookies, instantly. How did they know those bags contained cookies, when they could barely talk?
Cookies are not part of their vocabulary yet - but somehow they know those pretty little bags, have something they should want to eat, in them.
I think this is alarming - but most people think is is charming, when their little ones know what they are supposed to want, so early in their lives.
Do Whatever Feels Good
This strategy has served us well for millions of years. But it is not working very well anymore - because our wants have been perverted.
What I have said so far is nothing new - everyone will agree, without thinking about it. But they will not agree, to look into it further, and discover how our wants have been perverted. They are quite satisfied to enjoy the perversions they already have.
But this is where we have to begin - with the knowledge that we are easily perverted. Not something we will readily admit to. We prefer to think we are somehow perfect! A religious belief that has become a business assumption. Instead of doing whatever feels good to us - we are urged to do whatever makes our powerful people, more powerful.
We only have to go back a few hundred years in our history, to when Enlightenment values were assumed. These people were aware of their power instincts, but valued their social instincts more.
But this desirable state of affairs did not last - Power became more important, because of the Industrial Revolution - with its powerful engines, powered by fossil fuels. Two industries became important - Manufacturing and Transportation.
I grew up in this world, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. The West End of town was dominated by the Santa Fe Railroad - and the East End by the Sheaffer Pen Company. Today, neither exist, and Ft. Madison has become part of the American Rust Belt. The people left there, are not aware that his huge change has happened! The town is full of houses that are not occupied, because few jobs are available. The money has moved to the East Coast, or West Coast.
What I have said so far is nothing new - everyone will agree, without thinking about it. But they will not agree, to look into it further, and discover how our wants have been perverted. They are quite satisfied to enjoy the perversions they already have.
But this is where we have to begin - with the knowledge that we are easily perverted. Not something we will readily admit to. We prefer to think we are somehow perfect! A religious belief that has become a business assumption. Instead of doing whatever feels good to us - we are urged to do whatever makes our powerful people, more powerful.
We only have to go back a few hundred years in our history, to when Enlightenment values were assumed. These people were aware of their power instincts, but valued their social instincts more.
But this desirable state of affairs did not last - Power became more important, because of the Industrial Revolution - with its powerful engines, powered by fossil fuels. Two industries became important - Manufacturing and Transportation.
I grew up in this world, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. The West End of town was dominated by the Santa Fe Railroad - and the East End by the Sheaffer Pen Company. Today, neither exist, and Ft. Madison has become part of the American Rust Belt. The people left there, are not aware that his huge change has happened! The town is full of houses that are not occupied, because few jobs are available. The money has moved to the East Coast, or West Coast.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
We did not Realize How Bad It Was
Alan Watts has come into my life again - and bringing a lot of memories with him.
Once again, I am asking myself "What went wrong?" We were so hopeful in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies. But the world went to hell, anyway.
I think it was because - we could not understand, how bad things really were. Our deepest instincts told us - things could not possibly be that bad! But they were that bad, as bad as they could possibly be.
Some of this defective approach still exists in the Spirit Rock Meditation Center - the most beautiful (and best funded) meditation center in the world! Not too long ago, they decided to solve this problem, by gathering all their meditation experts together, for an intensive session - and coming up with a solution to whatever the problem was. They even advertised this intention, and promised a solution. When this did not happen - they quietly forgot about the whole thing.
I haven't forgotten, however, and won't let this problem rest. And have concluded that the answer is simply - that everything had gone wrong! You no doubt, will think this is ridiculous - how could everything go wrong? I have no idea how it happened, I only know it did happen. And it happened from the middle of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th.
We were left with no memory of this happening. You may call this an extreme form of paranoia, and that would be a good way of describing it. We were, and are paranoid - for the best of reasons. And the first step toward recovery, is recognizing where we are - in a horrible situation, and scared to death of it.
You may say "I'm not scared, and I don't know anyone who is!" And I am sure you are being honest. But you are only aware of your conscious mind, not your unconscious mind - that, in my opinion, has different feelings entirely.
Once again, I am asking myself "What went wrong?" We were so hopeful in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies. But the world went to hell, anyway.
I think it was because - we could not understand, how bad things really were. Our deepest instincts told us - things could not possibly be that bad! But they were that bad, as bad as they could possibly be.
Some of this defective approach still exists in the Spirit Rock Meditation Center - the most beautiful (and best funded) meditation center in the world! Not too long ago, they decided to solve this problem, by gathering all their meditation experts together, for an intensive session - and coming up with a solution to whatever the problem was. They even advertised this intention, and promised a solution. When this did not happen - they quietly forgot about the whole thing.
I haven't forgotten, however, and won't let this problem rest. And have concluded that the answer is simply - that everything had gone wrong! You no doubt, will think this is ridiculous - how could everything go wrong? I have no idea how it happened, I only know it did happen. And it happened from the middle of the 19th Century to the middle of the 20th.
We were left with no memory of this happening. You may call this an extreme form of paranoia, and that would be a good way of describing it. We were, and are paranoid - for the best of reasons. And the first step toward recovery, is recognizing where we are - in a horrible situation, and scared to death of it.
You may say "I'm not scared, and I don't know anyone who is!" And I am sure you are being honest. But you are only aware of your conscious mind, not your unconscious mind - that, in my opinion, has different feelings entirely.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
The Ability to Not Reason
Once again, I try to reason with my family - only to discover they are immune to reasoning.
How strange! But also how common. They are not very different from all the other people around them - who cannot reason either.
I am reminded of what I learned about the South, in the American Civil War. Everyone but them noticed they were crazy. They went to their death (literally) convinced they were right. And remained that way for a hundred years - until the Civil Rights movements in the Sixties.
If you talk to them now, you will notice something even stranger - they have forgotten this part of their history entirely!
To understand this, I am forced to divide people into two categories - those who can think, and those who cannot - by far, the larger group. And I am forced to consider the implications of this - how this affects them, in many ways.
They will not think for themselves, they cannot. They will want what other people want - and not want, what other people do not want. And they are very good at detecting what this is.
They cannot tolerate ambiguity. When changes are made, they are changed suddenly. That way, everyone remains the same.
One other thing (and this is amazing) instead of being like everyone else, they can be nothing at all! And be perfectly comfortable that way.
How strange! But also how common. They are not very different from all the other people around them - who cannot reason either.
I am reminded of what I learned about the South, in the American Civil War. Everyone but them noticed they were crazy. They went to their death (literally) convinced they were right. And remained that way for a hundred years - until the Civil Rights movements in the Sixties.
If you talk to them now, you will notice something even stranger - they have forgotten this part of their history entirely!
To understand this, I am forced to divide people into two categories - those who can think, and those who cannot - by far, the larger group. And I am forced to consider the implications of this - how this affects them, in many ways.
They will not think for themselves, they cannot. They will want what other people want - and not want, what other people do not want. And they are very good at detecting what this is.
They cannot tolerate ambiguity. When changes are made, they are changed suddenly. That way, everyone remains the same.
One other thing (and this is amazing) instead of being like everyone else, they can be nothing at all! And be perfectly comfortable that way.
Social Insanity
We assume that insanity involves malfunctions of the brain - or some other part of the body, such as the thyroid. But we have concentrated on the brain, because it is so fascinating - and it is obvious that plenty of things can go wrong there. In fact, its a miracle that it works at all.
But it is also obvious. that much insanity is developed by groups of people, acting in dysfunctional ways. Nazism, being prime example. And, on a more mundane level - the dysfunctional family.
When I was working in Silicon Valley, in the Nineties, I become acquainted with Elaine Aron, and attended a workshop she gave in San Francisco. She told us how she had discovered, that she was a highly sensitive person.
She had attracted a following herself - of other highly-sensitive people. And had become one of the Interesting People in the Valley. One of many of them.
She would not say, however - that the Valley itself was dysfunctional. Which it clearly was.
That was going too far.
But it is also obvious. that much insanity is developed by groups of people, acting in dysfunctional ways. Nazism, being prime example. And, on a more mundane level - the dysfunctional family.
When I was working in Silicon Valley, in the Nineties, I become acquainted with Elaine Aron, and attended a workshop she gave in San Francisco. She told us how she had discovered, that she was a highly sensitive person.
She had attracted a following herself - of other highly-sensitive people. And had become one of the Interesting People in the Valley. One of many of them.
She would not say, however - that the Valley itself was dysfunctional. Which it clearly was.
That was going too far.
A Perfect Moral system Exists Somewhere in our Consciousness
Quartz - We can train AI to identify good and evil, and then use it to teach us morality
This line of reasoning has been used before, in Linguistics, by Noam Chomsky. There exists, he said, somewhere in our mind (and by implication, in our brain) a built-in mechanism that gives us the ability to use Language. And this ability, a Universal Grammar, could be detected, and elucidated by researchers, such as him.
This theory had instant appeal, and made him famous. But it has since been questioned - because, it doesn't tell us very much about the many discoveries Linguistics has made, about how Language actually actually functions - and believe me, it's complicated.
Ambarish Mitra makes a similar assumption - that somewhere in our mind (or our consciousness) there exists a perfect morality. And all we have to do is discover it!
I won't say this is a ridiculous idea, AI could be used - and should be used, in making moral (or ethical) decisions.
But we cannot expect miracles.
This line of reasoning has been used before, in Linguistics, by Noam Chomsky. There exists, he said, somewhere in our mind (and by implication, in our brain) a built-in mechanism that gives us the ability to use Language. And this ability, a Universal Grammar, could be detected, and elucidated by researchers, such as him.
This theory had instant appeal, and made him famous. But it has since been questioned - because, it doesn't tell us very much about the many discoveries Linguistics has made, about how Language actually actually functions - and believe me, it's complicated.
Ambarish Mitra makes a similar assumption - that somewhere in our mind (or our consciousness) there exists a perfect morality. And all we have to do is discover it!
I won't say this is a ridiculous idea, AI could be used - and should be used, in making moral (or ethical) decisions.
But we cannot expect miracles.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Learning Software
I keep coming back to this - because I can see, this is a skill with a future. Most other skills, have no future.
I keep saying this, but most other people (the 99 percent) have no idea what I am talking about. Like the dinosaurs, they will disappear - and leave little evidence in the fossil record. A hundred years from now (not a thousand years from now) the survivors, will find it hard to imagine they ever existed. "What kind of beings were they?"
For most people, this makes little difference - one hundred years from now, might was well be a million years from now - something they cannot comprehend. They have a short attention span - a few years in the past (maybe) and an even shorter attention span into the future - maybe six months.
I have looked into the future, however - which, in Software, is right now.
Understanding this future, is not easy - it is hard work, and only special minds can excel at it. And I am far from having this special mind.
Take a look at the explanation of Typescript in Wikipedia. This was made to be as simple as possible (given the state of the art) - but - this art or Science, or whatever you want to call it, has advanced so rapidly, it might as be in another world - in fact, the Computer ecosystem (and that is what they actually call it).
In the past, people had to move to another part of the world, to get a job. Now, you have to move to another world. entirely.
I keep saying this, but most other people (the 99 percent) have no idea what I am talking about. Like the dinosaurs, they will disappear - and leave little evidence in the fossil record. A hundred years from now (not a thousand years from now) the survivors, will find it hard to imagine they ever existed. "What kind of beings were they?"
For most people, this makes little difference - one hundred years from now, might was well be a million years from now - something they cannot comprehend. They have a short attention span - a few years in the past (maybe) and an even shorter attention span into the future - maybe six months.
I have looked into the future, however - which, in Software, is right now.
Understanding this future, is not easy - it is hard work, and only special minds can excel at it. And I am far from having this special mind.
Take a look at the explanation of Typescript in Wikipedia. This was made to be as simple as possible (given the state of the art) - but - this art or Science, or whatever you want to call it, has advanced so rapidly, it might as be in another world - in fact, the Computer ecosystem (and that is what they actually call it).
In the past, people had to move to another part of the world, to get a job. Now, you have to move to another world. entirely.
Tracy K. Smith, America’s Poet Laureate, Is a Woman With a Mission
NY Times Magazine
To Smith, poetry is a shortcut to honest conversation, a way of getting past small talk to probe the spots where our culture is most sore. “Literature allows us to be open, to listen and to be curious,” she told me over lunch in Princeton, N.J., where she’s the director of Princeton University’s creative-writing program, not long before her trip. When she reads poetry, her voice is deep and clear, but in conversation she speaks so softly that I sometimes had trouble understanding her. “I want to just go to places where writers don’t usually go, where people like me don’t usually show up, and say: ‘Here are some poems. Do they speak to you? What do you hear in them?’ ”
So far as I know, she had not been to the country I was from - the States of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Where Poetry does not exist.
To Smith, poetry is a shortcut to honest conversation, a way of getting past small talk to probe the spots where our culture is most sore. “Literature allows us to be open, to listen and to be curious,” she told me over lunch in Princeton, N.J., where she’s the director of Princeton University’s creative-writing program, not long before her trip. When she reads poetry, her voice is deep and clear, but in conversation she speaks so softly that I sometimes had trouble understanding her. “I want to just go to places where writers don’t usually go, where people like me don’t usually show up, and say: ‘Here are some poems. Do they speak to you? What do you hear in them?’ ”
You live in Difficult Times
This message is for Americans, and I am telling them their lifestyle is causing them some serious political, economic, mental, and medical problems. That they are not aware of.
They will readily agree. that they live in difficult times - but insist these are not much of a problem. When in fact, they are living in a world that is ending with disastrous consequences.
The majority of Americans look around them, and see nothing but success everywhere. Or if they live in an economically backward area, they are certain other places in American are doing fine, but they benefit from lower housing costs.
For America as a whole, they think - there is no problem, and cannot possibly be a problem. Because America is special place, and cannot possibly fail. And this takes us to the core of the problem - American Exceptionalism. That all Americans believe in, fervently.
They may not know much - but they know that, without question.
God, or something equally powerful - is taking care of them. We can ask "What has taken the place of God?" And the answer has been - The Market Economy. The two, in most American minds, are synonymous.
This is never said very loudly - but it is said quietly, in the background - and it includes a Big Promise (all those wonderful jobs, that make everything possible). People will put up with anything - as long as they have a good job.
What happens when those good jobs go away? The Stress involved here is immense - especially for men, who sometimes kill themselves, as a result. Or they manage to get along somehow, with simple, low-paying jobs - that the Young often have. The have learned to live, with being a failure.
Let's begin with the obvious - good jobs. Jobs where one worker can support a family, a good house, and two cars. There are few of them left - and they are being squeezed harder all the time.
What about the Economy? Here the Economic Crisis of 2008, looms large. This has happened, and there is little that can prevent it from happening again. What about Free Trade? This has been replaced by Trade Agreements, where the rich and powerful, of the countries involved - make themselves even richer. At the expense of everyone else.
What about Politics? The Election, and Presidency of Trump answers that question easily. Americans supported him, and still support him.
They will readily agree. that they live in difficult times - but insist these are not much of a problem. When in fact, they are living in a world that is ending with disastrous consequences.
The majority of Americans look around them, and see nothing but success everywhere. Or if they live in an economically backward area, they are certain other places in American are doing fine, but they benefit from lower housing costs.
For America as a whole, they think - there is no problem, and cannot possibly be a problem. Because America is special place, and cannot possibly fail. And this takes us to the core of the problem - American Exceptionalism. That all Americans believe in, fervently.
They may not know much - but they know that, without question.
God, or something equally powerful - is taking care of them. We can ask "What has taken the place of God?" And the answer has been - The Market Economy. The two, in most American minds, are synonymous.
This is never said very loudly - but it is said quietly, in the background - and it includes a Big Promise (all those wonderful jobs, that make everything possible). People will put up with anything - as long as they have a good job.
What happens when those good jobs go away? The Stress involved here is immense - especially for men, who sometimes kill themselves, as a result. Or they manage to get along somehow, with simple, low-paying jobs - that the Young often have. The have learned to live, with being a failure.
Let's begin with the obvious - good jobs. Jobs where one worker can support a family, a good house, and two cars. There are few of them left - and they are being squeezed harder all the time.
What about the Economy? Here the Economic Crisis of 2008, looms large. This has happened, and there is little that can prevent it from happening again. What about Free Trade? This has been replaced by Trade Agreements, where the rich and powerful, of the countries involved - make themselves even richer. At the expense of everyone else.
What about Politics? The Election, and Presidency of Trump answers that question easily. Americans supported him, and still support him.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
People Know They Should do Some Things - but Don't
They also know they should not do some things - but do them anyway. Two sides of the same coin.
This is so common an occurrence, it is usually not remarked on. I have done this plenty of times, myself.
A prime example, was my marriage of five years - that didn't have a chance of working. Both Beth and I thought some miracle would happen. It didn't. We tried to do the impossible, and failed.
I don't know what was going on in her mind, but I know what was going on in mine. I thought this was my only change for love, and I was not going to miss it!
My life up to then (I was 29 years old) had been devoid of love. My parents did not love each other, and they did not love their children. They did not consider this necessary, or even desirable.
Something similar was probably going on in Beth's mind also. She was also desperate.
Beth was worse off (she broke into a nervous rash) and I took her to a therapist. He asked "Is this therapy only for her, or for both of you?" If I had any sense, I would have said "Both of us!" And would have made sure, that we worked on our problems together.
Beth would have made this impossible, and would have agreed to a divorce - reasonably enough. She did not want to hurt me - but as things turned out, she hurt both of us.
And ended up killing herself.
This is so common an occurrence, it is usually not remarked on. I have done this plenty of times, myself.
A prime example, was my marriage of five years - that didn't have a chance of working. Both Beth and I thought some miracle would happen. It didn't. We tried to do the impossible, and failed.
I don't know what was going on in her mind, but I know what was going on in mine. I thought this was my only change for love, and I was not going to miss it!
My life up to then (I was 29 years old) had been devoid of love. My parents did not love each other, and they did not love their children. They did not consider this necessary, or even desirable.
Something similar was probably going on in Beth's mind also. She was also desperate.
Beth was worse off (she broke into a nervous rash) and I took her to a therapist. He asked "Is this therapy only for her, or for both of you?" If I had any sense, I would have said "Both of us!" And would have made sure, that we worked on our problems together.
Beth would have made this impossible, and would have agreed to a divorce - reasonably enough. She did not want to hurt me - but as things turned out, she hurt both of us.
And ended up killing herself.
Mormonism and the Industrial Revolution
These two are related, even though the Mormons do not realize this. Let me explain why.
Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, and as soon as it was published, missionaries took copies of it to England. They found an eager audience in the Industrial Midlands of that country - who decided it was of divine origin, and that Smith was a Prophet of God. And left in large numbers, for America, to be close to this wonderful man.
All this was news to Joseph Smith himself - but he quickly adapted to this new role. Twenty years later, he was killed by an angry mob. But there are still people (nearly two hundred years later) who believe in him, and his work.
Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, and as soon as it was published, missionaries took copies of it to England. They found an eager audience in the Industrial Midlands of that country - who decided it was of divine origin, and that Smith was a Prophet of God. And left in large numbers, for America, to be close to this wonderful man.
All this was news to Joseph Smith himself - but he quickly adapted to this new role. Twenty years later, he was killed by an angry mob. But there are still people (nearly two hundred years later) who believe in him, and his work.
The Cleric and I
Guernica
Writing a blog is easy - you just sort through the many articles you find in your inbox - and select the best ones.
Writing a blog is easy - you just sort through the many articles you find in your inbox - and select the best ones.
It is More Important than We Are
This I am sure, is on the back of everyone's mind - and we make sure we accommodate ourselves to it. And not that it accommodates itself to us.
Certain priorities have been established in the world - and this is the most fundamental one.
It was not always this way. When we first came out of East Africa, perhaps two million years ago - we were like any other animal, interested mainly in ourselves - and finding out about the rest of the world. We were a success, and made ourselves at home everywhere in the world.
Today, we are not so sure whether we are a success or not - because we are a small part of something much bigger (and much more important) than we are.
We need to ask ourselves "What is It?" And take this question seriously. Even though It does not want us to do this. Note that I have capitalized It - just as we do for Deity.
And our belief in gods, and especially God - is behind this, I am sure. There is something big, out there - and It is in control. And all kinds of things, can fit comfortably into that divine space.
Most recently, the Machine. The basic discovery of the Industrial Revolution. Once we discovered it - It discovered us - and took control of us.
One of the products of this revolution, was Classical Music. Where each instrumentalist is an expert at playing his instrument - reading carefully the music on a printed page, in front it him (or her). And a huge audience, sits respectfully, in a concert hall - and may or may not, applaud the music produced by the orchestra.
This was what I expected to do, when I went to work, in the Fifties - make beautiful music. I was shocked, to find this was not the case. Something else was going on - and it was not good.
Something had changed, in the logic of our social machinery. A simple switch, that reversed our values - making the good bad, and the bad good. No one noticed this - and they proceeded as though nothing had happened.
Then another kind of machine came along - the Computer, with its Software and Networks. This is putting People in control again - because only people can write Software.
We are living in a time of a Great Transition, or equally - a Great Confusion.
Certain priorities have been established in the world - and this is the most fundamental one.
It was not always this way. When we first came out of East Africa, perhaps two million years ago - we were like any other animal, interested mainly in ourselves - and finding out about the rest of the world. We were a success, and made ourselves at home everywhere in the world.
Today, we are not so sure whether we are a success or not - because we are a small part of something much bigger (and much more important) than we are.
We need to ask ourselves "What is It?" And take this question seriously. Even though It does not want us to do this. Note that I have capitalized It - just as we do for Deity.
And our belief in gods, and especially God - is behind this, I am sure. There is something big, out there - and It is in control. And all kinds of things, can fit comfortably into that divine space.
Most recently, the Machine. The basic discovery of the Industrial Revolution. Once we discovered it - It discovered us - and took control of us.
One of the products of this revolution, was Classical Music. Where each instrumentalist is an expert at playing his instrument - reading carefully the music on a printed page, in front it him (or her). And a huge audience, sits respectfully, in a concert hall - and may or may not, applaud the music produced by the orchestra.
This was what I expected to do, when I went to work, in the Fifties - make beautiful music. I was shocked, to find this was not the case. Something else was going on - and it was not good.
Something had changed, in the logic of our social machinery. A simple switch, that reversed our values - making the good bad, and the bad good. No one noticed this - and they proceeded as though nothing had happened.
Then another kind of machine came along - the Computer, with its Software and Networks. This is putting People in control again - because only people can write Software.
We are living in a time of a Great Transition, or equally - a Great Confusion.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Paradox of Historical Knowledge
I am reading Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
The following is from page 58:
Centuries ago human knowledge increased slowly, so politics and economics changed at a leisurely pace too. Today our knowledge is increasing at breakneck speed, and theoretically we should understand the world better and better. But the very opposite is happening.
Our new-found knowledge leads to faster economic, social and political changes; in an attempt to understand what is happening, we accelerate the accumulation of knowledge, which leads only to faster and greater upheavals. Consequently we are less and less able to make sense of the present or forecast the future.
Our Most Important Challenge now, is Being Good to Ourselves
"Don't we already do this, as a natural part of being human?" You may ask.
My answer to this is "Sometimes we are good to ourselves, and sometimes we are not. And this ambivalence is part of our human nature."
Part of the problem is our split between our logical and emotional natures. Every smoker knows smoking is bad for him - but few quite smoking because of that.
This list can be expanded indefinitely - we are creatures of habit, and many of our habits (the good ones and the bad ones) are very strong.
The reply here has been made many times - we should keep our good habits, and get rid of the bad ones. Simple as that.
But life is not that easy - whether habits are good or bad, depends on the situation they are in. The best of people do bad things, and vice versa.
What we have to do, in any case - is improve our decision-making abilities. Which those in power may not approve of.
My answer to this is "Sometimes we are good to ourselves, and sometimes we are not. And this ambivalence is part of our human nature."
Part of the problem is our split between our logical and emotional natures. Every smoker knows smoking is bad for him - but few quite smoking because of that.
This list can be expanded indefinitely - we are creatures of habit, and many of our habits (the good ones and the bad ones) are very strong.
The reply here has been made many times - we should keep our good habits, and get rid of the bad ones. Simple as that.
But life is not that easy - whether habits are good or bad, depends on the situation they are in. The best of people do bad things, and vice versa.
What we have to do, in any case - is improve our decision-making abilities. Which those in power may not approve of.
Overcoming Death
I am reading Homo Deus, and I must say this guy is sharp. But he does not realize that people have overcome death already, by the simplest of means - by leaving Reality (that always includes the fact of Death) and living in alternative realities, that they can shape as they please.
These alternative realities, however, empower movements that are degenerate - sometimes called Illiberal Nationalism, or the Hard Right. We have not decided on a label for them, because they are a complex of factors, that add up to a baffling total. Whatever they are, people are satisfied with them, and want them to continue.
The most important belief here - is that they have overcome death, by becoming gods themselves.
This idea has been around since late in the 19th Century - when Nietzsche spoke of the Ubermensch. Today, someone like him would be an important part of a corporation - one of the many that come and go.
But that would not matter, because the Enterprise (Big Business in the Global Economy) never dies. And the people who identify with it, never die either. They live forever, are all-powerful - and they can feel this their sexuality.
These alternative realities, however, empower movements that are degenerate - sometimes called Illiberal Nationalism, or the Hard Right. We have not decided on a label for them, because they are a complex of factors, that add up to a baffling total. Whatever they are, people are satisfied with them, and want them to continue.
The most important belief here - is that they have overcome death, by becoming gods themselves.
This idea has been around since late in the 19th Century - when Nietzsche spoke of the Ubermensch. Today, someone like him would be an important part of a corporation - one of the many that come and go.
But that would not matter, because the Enterprise (Big Business in the Global Economy) never dies. And the people who identify with it, never die either. They live forever, are all-powerful - and they can feel this their sexuality.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Exiled - Mike Pence and the evangelical fantasy of persecution
This was written by an Evangelical who had left the faith. Much as I left my Family's faith (the RLDS church).
Here are two paragraphs from his article:
The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind
I got this as a Kindle book, with Audible narration added to it - a nice combination.
She starts off with an excellent review, of what we know about mental illness - which is not very much. But the fact that we don't know very much - is important information, that many resist.
I knew a woman, when I lived in Silicon Valley, in the Nineties, who advertised herself (in the Yellow Pages), as hypnotherapist. Psychotherapists in California, are regulated - so other types of therapists call themselves something different. And they practice a wide variety of therapies - some of them pretty far out. Psychics, for example, are common.
My friend would listen to her patient talk about his problems, concentrating intensely on what he was saying. Then, at the end of the hour, she would tell him what his problems were, and how to solve them. No further therapy was required.
She was successful - her patients usually felt better after visiting her, even though their behavior had not changed Most of them wanted to stop smoking, and they continued smoking.. But felt better about it - because they had consulted an expert about their problem, and she didn't seem worried about it.
This was typical of the American attitude toward change - pretend to change, but don't really.
I knew a woman, when I lived in Silicon Valley, in the Nineties, who advertised herself (in the Yellow Pages), as hypnotherapist. Psychotherapists in California, are regulated - so other types of therapists call themselves something different. And they practice a wide variety of therapies - some of them pretty far out. Psychics, for example, are common.
My friend would listen to her patient talk about his problems, concentrating intensely on what he was saying. Then, at the end of the hour, she would tell him what his problems were, and how to solve them. No further therapy was required.
She was successful - her patients usually felt better after visiting her, even though their behavior had not changed Most of them wanted to stop smoking, and they continued smoking.. But felt better about it - because they had consulted an expert about their problem, and she didn't seem worried about it.
This was typical of the American attitude toward change - pretend to change, but don't really.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Angular
This is a new breed of app, that is easy for software, but hard for software developers. It's part of a new movement, where software is asserting itself, and doing great new things - but people are having a hard time understanding how it is doing it.
Back in the Eighties, I was a programmer for awhile. I learned the C programming language, and wrote a program that would draw some simple graphics - boxes, connected by horizontal and vertical lines.
Doing this wasn't easy, the first thing I learned, was that software was hard. But once I got used to it, I could crank out code easily enough. Too easily, and I soon became bored - and went back to being a technical writer, where the pay was better.
I should have gotten aboard the software bandwagon, back in the Nineties, when Java made its appearance and changed everything. But I wasn't that smart. Seeing the gold in all the crap that was going on (and a lot of it was going on) was not that easy.
Back in the Eighties, I was a programmer for awhile. I learned the C programming language, and wrote a program that would draw some simple graphics - boxes, connected by horizontal and vertical lines.
Doing this wasn't easy, the first thing I learned, was that software was hard. But once I got used to it, I could crank out code easily enough. Too easily, and I soon became bored - and went back to being a technical writer, where the pay was better.
I should have gotten aboard the software bandwagon, back in the Nineties, when Java made its appearance and changed everything. But I wasn't that smart. Seeing the gold in all the crap that was going on (and a lot of it was going on) was not that easy.
People who are Easy to Manipulate
This is the kind of person the Mass Media wants.
There is an enormous interest now in Facebook, and its dangers. When the basic situation is much bigger - the use of the Mass Media by Business, with its obsession on making money - and its lack of interest in ethics. It wants people who it can easily sell to. And who will not question its dominance.
This was the kind of people wanted by the Church in Medieval times. And which the Enlightenment strove against.
A short historical review is in order. The Modern World included a new worldview - progressive, forward-looking, and Scientific. And a new technology, the Printing Press. This turned out printed matter, and a lot of it - on Paper, also new invention.
Society became divided between those who were enlightened (who read and wrote extensively) and those who were not. In America, this was typified by Thomas Jefferson - who wrote almost constantly, and had sex with one of his slaves.
America began with the Enlightenment - but soon became Industrialized. And fought a terrible Civil War - over Slavery. The Industrial North won, and soon Robber Barons ran the Railroads, and the economy. The Common People did not object - because they created jobs. There were objections however, from the Farmers, who were impoverished, while the Railroads and the Factories - prospered.
This gradual development, was obscured however, by WWI, the Depression, and WWII. That changed the whole world. I can remember the people (such as my parents) who resulted from this, since I was born in 1936.
They had no idea what was going on - so much had been going on, and so fast. Perhaps the people in New York City did - but we were in the Midwest, far from them. They were ignorant - but considered that a virtue.
They were also rich - they had new houses, and new cars. They were also fighting the Cold War, and spending huge sums on that. As a new Electronic Engineer, some of that money went into my pockets. I should have been happy, but I was not - I knew something was wrong.
I will end this posting here, in the Seventies - when the wheels were coming off our wagon.
There is an enormous interest now in Facebook, and its dangers. When the basic situation is much bigger - the use of the Mass Media by Business, with its obsession on making money - and its lack of interest in ethics. It wants people who it can easily sell to. And who will not question its dominance.
This was the kind of people wanted by the Church in Medieval times. And which the Enlightenment strove against.
A short historical review is in order. The Modern World included a new worldview - progressive, forward-looking, and Scientific. And a new technology, the Printing Press. This turned out printed matter, and a lot of it - on Paper, also new invention.
Society became divided between those who were enlightened (who read and wrote extensively) and those who were not. In America, this was typified by Thomas Jefferson - who wrote almost constantly, and had sex with one of his slaves.
America began with the Enlightenment - but soon became Industrialized. And fought a terrible Civil War - over Slavery. The Industrial North won, and soon Robber Barons ran the Railroads, and the economy. The Common People did not object - because they created jobs. There were objections however, from the Farmers, who were impoverished, while the Railroads and the Factories - prospered.
This gradual development, was obscured however, by WWI, the Depression, and WWII. That changed the whole world. I can remember the people (such as my parents) who resulted from this, since I was born in 1936.
They had no idea what was going on - so much had been going on, and so fast. Perhaps the people in New York City did - but we were in the Midwest, far from them. They were ignorant - but considered that a virtue.
They were also rich - they had new houses, and new cars. They were also fighting the Cold War, and spending huge sums on that. As a new Electronic Engineer, some of that money went into my pockets. I should have been happy, but I was not - I knew something was wrong.
I will end this posting here, in the Seventies - when the wheels were coming off our wagon.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Lula Falls, and Brazilian Democracy Looks Shakier
New Yorker
Poor Latin America! It has tried so hard to be an advanced democracy, but the cards seem stacked against it.
This article describes these problems, in considerable detail. Missing here, for a change, are accusations that the US is causing these problems.
The transition from an underdeveloped country, to a developed country - seems harder than ever.
Poor Latin America! It has tried so hard to be an advanced democracy, but the cards seem stacked against it.
This article describes these problems, in considerable detail. Missing here, for a change, are accusations that the US is causing these problems.
The transition from an underdeveloped country, to a developed country - seems harder than ever.
There is Only One World
You may object to this assertion, and say there are many worlds. And every culture lives in its own world - speaks its own language, and has its own gods.
But all these cultures are deluded, in its own way (they all think they are the right one).
Let us consider our own culture - the USA. That is convinced it is the right one. This belief is now under a lot of stress - because Americans are being forced to accept the presence of other nations, that are also rich and powerful. And are not interested in accepting the leadership of America.
If America is going to lead, it has to know where it is going. Which it clearly does not.
Two hundred years ago, it did know - and led by its example, by forming a Constitutional Government. An amazing achievement, that most of the world followed - usually imperfectly.
The existence of One World, is now being enforced by the Computer, and its networks - the Internet and the Cellular. These form one global network - to the intense dislike of all the dictators that now populate it. America does lead here - its software is so far advanced, nothing else can touch it.
There is now one global Economic model - although this is being fought against by numerous trade agreements - as different groups try to enrich themselves, at the expense of others.
I have not mentioned one other technology, that is helping run the show - Television. Everyone in the world has a TV, and spends time every day, watching it. It tells him everything he needs to know - what to buy, and what to think.
But all these cultures are deluded, in its own way (they all think they are the right one).
Let us consider our own culture - the USA. That is convinced it is the right one. This belief is now under a lot of stress - because Americans are being forced to accept the presence of other nations, that are also rich and powerful. And are not interested in accepting the leadership of America.
If America is going to lead, it has to know where it is going. Which it clearly does not.
Two hundred years ago, it did know - and led by its example, by forming a Constitutional Government. An amazing achievement, that most of the world followed - usually imperfectly.
The existence of One World, is now being enforced by the Computer, and its networks - the Internet and the Cellular. These form one global network - to the intense dislike of all the dictators that now populate it. America does lead here - its software is so far advanced, nothing else can touch it.
There is now one global Economic model - although this is being fought against by numerous trade agreements - as different groups try to enrich themselves, at the expense of others.
I have not mentioned one other technology, that is helping run the show - Television. Everyone in the world has a TV, and spends time every day, watching it. It tells him everything he needs to know - what to buy, and what to think.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
A Chronic, Low-Grade Disaster
Disasters like this happen gradually, over a long time period. And are usually ignored, as just a nuisance - hardly worth bothering with. Lots of things come and go naturally - and its not worth getting upset about them.
It's hard to tell when they cease being a nuisance, and become a serious problem. The Canary in a Coal Mine is a useful example. If the Canary conks out - it's time for the people to leave, before the same thing happens to them. The same is true of the human population - some people are more sensitive than others, and the less sensitive ones should pay attention to them.
But in our time, the less sensitive are valued because they can function in disagreeable, and even toxic, circumstances. The owners of the coal mines, can point to them proudly, and declare the sensitive ones are less fit. Until the coal mine blows up - and hopefully, takes the owners with it.
So far, what I have said is not controversial - everyone will agree with it.
But people (and ethics) are not so simple. How can we distinguish between people who are sensitive (or represent a minority group) - and people who are crazy? Or those who are a little crazy, in ways that do not matter, at the moment.
I am thinking of a friend of mine, who was crazy in an unusual way. She was passionate about the Theatre. She and her husband went to New York City - because that's where the theaters were. He became an alcoholic, and could not support her and her children. So she went into the Publishing business, that was also in NYC - and quickly became a success there. She was smart, and talented.
I met her some time later, when I was working in Silicon Valley, as a Tech Writer, in the Nineties. She was dead broke, and sleeping in her car. I told my boss, I needed an editor - and he hired her (she was an excellent editor). She was as happy as she could be - she had money again! A month later, her money was gone.
I watched in amazement, as this pattern repeated itself. She would get a lucky break, become a success - and then through her success away! I have no idea what her basic problem was - it probably originated in her childhood (and she did have an unusual childhood).
This childhood problem became part of the low-grade background problems - that she, and everyone else has to cope with. And these problems are gradually getting worse - as our technical society gets harder to understand.
No one can point to the combination of these problems - people only have the vague feeling that something is wrong.
It's hard to tell when they cease being a nuisance, and become a serious problem. The Canary in a Coal Mine is a useful example. If the Canary conks out - it's time for the people to leave, before the same thing happens to them. The same is true of the human population - some people are more sensitive than others, and the less sensitive ones should pay attention to them.
But in our time, the less sensitive are valued because they can function in disagreeable, and even toxic, circumstances. The owners of the coal mines, can point to them proudly, and declare the sensitive ones are less fit. Until the coal mine blows up - and hopefully, takes the owners with it.
So far, what I have said is not controversial - everyone will agree with it.
But people (and ethics) are not so simple. How can we distinguish between people who are sensitive (or represent a minority group) - and people who are crazy? Or those who are a little crazy, in ways that do not matter, at the moment.
I am thinking of a friend of mine, who was crazy in an unusual way. She was passionate about the Theatre. She and her husband went to New York City - because that's where the theaters were. He became an alcoholic, and could not support her and her children. So she went into the Publishing business, that was also in NYC - and quickly became a success there. She was smart, and talented.
I met her some time later, when I was working in Silicon Valley, as a Tech Writer, in the Nineties. She was dead broke, and sleeping in her car. I told my boss, I needed an editor - and he hired her (she was an excellent editor). She was as happy as she could be - she had money again! A month later, her money was gone.
I watched in amazement, as this pattern repeated itself. She would get a lucky break, become a success - and then through her success away! I have no idea what her basic problem was - it probably originated in her childhood (and she did have an unusual childhood).
This childhood problem became part of the low-grade background problems - that she, and everyone else has to cope with. And these problems are gradually getting worse - as our technical society gets harder to understand.
No one can point to the combination of these problems - people only have the vague feeling that something is wrong.
The angular ide does not do Angular
This product from Genuitec, is only their Eclipse IDE, with support for Typescript added. It has nothing about Angular in it at all.
It even has a bug in it, something about Java 8 and Java 9 - that it wants me to fix for them. I uninstalled the whole thing instead.
It even has a bug in it, something about Java 8 and Java 9 - that it wants me to fix for them. I uninstalled the whole thing instead.
The Worst Thing You Can Do, is to Stop Being
For most people the opposite is true - the best thing you can do, is stop being, because that way you will not contribute to the global disaster that is forming. This is caused by people, and if you are not a person yourself, you will not be responsible, for anything that happens.
Perhaps I should have started this essay, by speaking of the Global Disaster. Is there such a thing? I can only speak for one country, the USA, and my experience in it. But that experience was so horrible, I go into shock, just remembering it.
And that one word, shock, summarizes the whole situation.
We are a social species, and we became successful by helping each other. Benevolence is part of our nature. We lived in small social units, of not more than a hundred people - where everyone knew everyone else. And where the bad guys did not prosper. This way of life, that lasted for a million years, or so - became part of our human nature.
When we became civilized, we lived in much larger units - where the strong, ended up on top of the social structure - and had ample opportunities to be bad - to take advantage of the weak.
We became a highly conflicted society, where our basic, benevolent nature - struggled with the power structures we were in. This, in short, was the Ancient World - that lasted until the collapse of the Roman Empire.
This was replaced by the Medieval World, that lasted for a thousand years. And was replaced, in turn, by the Modern World. I am saying nothing new here - but this is something contemporary people, cannot grasp. They live in a lifespan of a hundred years, at most - and these historical periods lasted for thousands of years.
Part of a liberal education, was being able to take the long view, and think in terms of thousands of years. But today, few have this kind of education - and are completely baffled by what is going on. And end up, wanting to have no part of it.
As is often the case, supporting views plop into my inbox, just in time. This morning it is The Failures of Anti-Trumpism.
Perhaps I should have started this essay, by speaking of the Global Disaster. Is there such a thing? I can only speak for one country, the USA, and my experience in it. But that experience was so horrible, I go into shock, just remembering it.
And that one word, shock, summarizes the whole situation.
We are a social species, and we became successful by helping each other. Benevolence is part of our nature. We lived in small social units, of not more than a hundred people - where everyone knew everyone else. And where the bad guys did not prosper. This way of life, that lasted for a million years, or so - became part of our human nature.
When we became civilized, we lived in much larger units - where the strong, ended up on top of the social structure - and had ample opportunities to be bad - to take advantage of the weak.
We became a highly conflicted society, where our basic, benevolent nature - struggled with the power structures we were in. This, in short, was the Ancient World - that lasted until the collapse of the Roman Empire.
This was replaced by the Medieval World, that lasted for a thousand years. And was replaced, in turn, by the Modern World. I am saying nothing new here - but this is something contemporary people, cannot grasp. They live in a lifespan of a hundred years, at most - and these historical periods lasted for thousands of years.
Part of a liberal education, was being able to take the long view, and think in terms of thousands of years. But today, few have this kind of education - and are completely baffled by what is going on. And end up, wanting to have no part of it.
As is often the case, supporting views plop into my inbox, just in time. This morning it is The Failures of Anti-Trumpism.
Monday, April 9, 2018
What worries me about AI
Medium - François Chollet
This guy is reading my mind, better than I can.
But some of the solutions, he recommends already exist - in online learning, of many different kinds.
I have links to four O'Reilly courses, in different tabs, in my Chrome browser - right now. And another tab, showing me how to add Ubuntu to my laptop. And a tab to Wikipedia, that will tell me about anything, that I could possibly want to know. And MOOCs are available from universities all over the world.
How on earth can we cope with all this? The problem, as we have always known - is in ourselves (or if you prefer, our selves). Our minds are very advanced, and exceeding primitive - both.
This guy is reading my mind, better than I can.
But some of the solutions, he recommends already exist - in online learning, of many different kinds.
I have links to four O'Reilly courses, in different tabs, in my Chrome browser - right now. And another tab, showing me how to add Ubuntu to my laptop. And a tab to Wikipedia, that will tell me about anything, that I could possibly want to know. And MOOCs are available from universities all over the world.
How on earth can we cope with all this? The problem, as we have always known - is in ourselves (or if you prefer, our selves). Our minds are very advanced, and exceeding primitive - both.
My Family, and its Relationship to Mexico
This relationship began, when my Father was Marine in Haiti, in 1930-34. To his surprise, he liked being there - and developed a romantic attachment for a young Haitian woman. He didn't mind if she was partly black, but his family, back in Ft. Madison, Iowa - most certainly did.
Much later, in the late Forties, he visited Maya ruins in Yucatan and Belize, with a 35mm camera. This was new invention then, haven been invented by the Germans, in WWII. He came back and developed a slide show (another new invention) that made him popular locally.
We were soon visiting Mexico every year-end vacation - driving all the way from our home in Illinois. We all enjoyed this - Mexico was cheap, friendly. and exotic. Dad enjoyed learning Spanish.
As soon as they could retire, in the Sixties, they moved to Saltillo, Mexico, to be part of a church mission there.
Meanwhile, I became friends with a young Mexican man, his Sister, and her Husband, who were Doctors, doing their advanced training at a children's hospital in DC. It was easy to go back and forth over the border then, and for Mexicans to work and study in the US.
In the Seventies, everything changed - in Mexico, in the US, and in the relationship between the two countries.
Now, Mexico is an enemy of the US!
Much later, in the late Forties, he visited Maya ruins in Yucatan and Belize, with a 35mm camera. This was new invention then, haven been invented by the Germans, in WWII. He came back and developed a slide show (another new invention) that made him popular locally.
We were soon visiting Mexico every year-end vacation - driving all the way from our home in Illinois. We all enjoyed this - Mexico was cheap, friendly. and exotic. Dad enjoyed learning Spanish.
As soon as they could retire, in the Sixties, they moved to Saltillo, Mexico, to be part of a church mission there.
Meanwhile, I became friends with a young Mexican man, his Sister, and her Husband, who were Doctors, doing their advanced training at a children's hospital in DC. It was easy to go back and forth over the border then, and for Mexicans to work and study in the US.
In the Seventies, everything changed - in Mexico, in the US, and in the relationship between the two countries.
Now, Mexico is an enemy of the US!
The Living in the Service of the Non-Living
The living are human beings, who have an unusual way of relating to the world around them. We have Language, that allows us to think about the world - and adapt to it rapidly. About two million years ago, we appeared in East Africa - and soon appeared everywhere in the world, except Antarctica. There were not many of us, but we were everywhere - one animal among many others, speaking hundreds of languages.
We soon realized, we could invent tools that would make us more successful. Take careful note of this fact - our minds had come up with the idea of success. Our most important idea - that was going make us something else entirely.
What we would become, we had no idea - but we had to find out! And this still applies today - we don't know what we will become, for better or worse. But we are finding out - at an ever-increasing pace!
We next became civilized - and became something else entirely. What we became, we are still not sure - but different entirely. And not always better. Some of us began to think about what we had become (they became Philosophers) - but they started too late, and the Roman Empire collapsed. And this collapse lasted a thousand years.
We had failed, our first big failure. The pattern became familiar - boom, and then bust. A pattern we were helpless to prevent. Something much bigger than us, was in control.
With the Industrial Revolution, this big something became more visible - with its machines everywhere. And global warfare. We now speak of Globalization - but it began then, in the 19th Century. And eventually led to the development of the Atomic Bomb, in the 20th Century.
And the development of the Computer, a new kind of machine entirely. It is too soon to tell how successful we will be, in adapting to it.
We soon realized, we could invent tools that would make us more successful. Take careful note of this fact - our minds had come up with the idea of success. Our most important idea - that was going make us something else entirely.
What we would become, we had no idea - but we had to find out! And this still applies today - we don't know what we will become, for better or worse. But we are finding out - at an ever-increasing pace!
We next became civilized - and became something else entirely. What we became, we are still not sure - but different entirely. And not always better. Some of us began to think about what we had become (they became Philosophers) - but they started too late, and the Roman Empire collapsed. And this collapse lasted a thousand years.
We had failed, our first big failure. The pattern became familiar - boom, and then bust. A pattern we were helpless to prevent. Something much bigger than us, was in control.
With the Industrial Revolution, this big something became more visible - with its machines everywhere. And global warfare. We now speak of Globalization - but it began then, in the 19th Century. And eventually led to the development of the Atomic Bomb, in the 20th Century.
And the development of the Computer, a new kind of machine entirely. It is too soon to tell how successful we will be, in adapting to it.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
She Criticizes the DSM
I am reading An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness - that I recommend highly.
The DSM has had many critics, from within the psychiatric community itself - but hers is especially poignant.
In the last section of the book she argues that manic-depressive is a better label for her illness than bipolar. As she says: No patient or family member is well served by elegant and expressive language if it is also imprecise and subjective.
What on earth is she talking about? I quote from her again:
Oddly enough, it had never occurred to me not to have children simply because I had manic-depressive illness. Even in my blackest depressions, I never regretted having been born. It is true that I had wanted to die, but that is peculiarly different from regretting having been born.
Overwhelmingly, I was enormously glad to have been born, grateful for life, and I couldn’t imagine not wanting to pass on life to someone else. All things considered, I had had a marvelous—albeit turbulent and occasionally awful—existence. Of course, I had had serious concerns: How could one not?
Would I, for example, be able to take care of my children properly? What would happen to them if I got severely depressed? Much more frightening still, what would happen to them if I got manic, if my judgment became impaired, if I became violent or uncontrollable? How would it be to have to watch my own children struggle with depression, hopelessness, despair, or insanity if they themselves became ill?
Would I watch them too hawkishly for symptoms or mistake their normal reactions to life as signs of illness? All of these were things I had thought about a thousand times, but never, not once, had I questioned having children.
The DSM has had many critics, from within the psychiatric community itself - but hers is especially poignant.
In the last section of the book she argues that manic-depressive is a better label for her illness than bipolar. As she says: No patient or family member is well served by elegant and expressive language if it is also imprecise and subjective.
What on earth is she talking about? I quote from her again:
Oddly enough, it had never occurred to me not to have children simply because I had manic-depressive illness. Even in my blackest depressions, I never regretted having been born. It is true that I had wanted to die, but that is peculiarly different from regretting having been born.
Overwhelmingly, I was enormously glad to have been born, grateful for life, and I couldn’t imagine not wanting to pass on life to someone else. All things considered, I had had a marvelous—albeit turbulent and occasionally awful—existence. Of course, I had had serious concerns: How could one not?
Would I, for example, be able to take care of my children properly? What would happen to them if I got severely depressed? Much more frightening still, what would happen to them if I got manic, if my judgment became impaired, if I became violent or uncontrollable? How would it be to have to watch my own children struggle with depression, hopelessness, despair, or insanity if they themselves became ill?
Would I watch them too hawkishly for symptoms or mistake their normal reactions to life as signs of illness? All of these were things I had thought about a thousand times, but never, not once, had I questioned having children.
They do not Exist, and will not Tolerate those Who Notice This
Open Democracy - The hard right and its threats to democratic liberalism
This is a long, and well thought-out article. And will appeal to those who think - a small part (unfortunately) of the total population.
The last time I was in the States, I lived with my cousin and his wife, in Northern Virginia, in the DC area. They had an iron-clad unwritten rule "No serious discussions!" And I could see they were not alone - everyone else felt the same way. The most amazing things were going on - but no one noticed them.
They had discovered the perfect solution, for their situation - "Notice nothing!" And I could see, by looking around me - everyone felt the same way. Their country was in free-fall, and heading for a hard landing - but they felt perfect! And they said this to each other, constantly "Everything is fine!"
At the same time, however - a powerful counter-message was circulating, just under the surface "Things are in terrible shape, and something drastic will have to be done to fix them!" And they were right - things were in terrible shape.
I helped my cousin campaign for Obama, and he was elected - because he said the right things, but did the wrong things. When I pointed this out to my cousin, by email, he did not reply - because to his mind, I did not exist!
Trump did exist, however, and the Hard Right, discussed in the article - made its sudden appearance..
This is a long, and well thought-out article. And will appeal to those who think - a small part (unfortunately) of the total population.
The last time I was in the States, I lived with my cousin and his wife, in Northern Virginia, in the DC area. They had an iron-clad unwritten rule "No serious discussions!" And I could see they were not alone - everyone else felt the same way. The most amazing things were going on - but no one noticed them.
They had discovered the perfect solution, for their situation - "Notice nothing!" And I could see, by looking around me - everyone felt the same way. Their country was in free-fall, and heading for a hard landing - but they felt perfect! And they said this to each other, constantly "Everything is fine!"
At the same time, however - a powerful counter-message was circulating, just under the surface "Things are in terrible shape, and something drastic will have to be done to fix them!" And they were right - things were in terrible shape.
I helped my cousin campaign for Obama, and he was elected - because he said the right things, but did the wrong things. When I pointed this out to my cousin, by email, he did not reply - because to his mind, I did not exist!
Trump did exist, however, and the Hard Right, discussed in the article - made its sudden appearance..
Saturday, April 7, 2018
How U2F works
I bought a Yubico security device from Amazon. This is the little piece of plastic shown here. I didn't understand how it works, and no one has ever explained it to me. Yubico has no technical support.
I followed the instructions on the Yubico site, that could not have been easier. I got an email from Google saying that 2-Step Verification had been turned on. Great! what did that mean?
I finally figured it out - and I should get a Purple Heart, or something for this effort. It works like this:
When you go through the installation, if it is successful, it establishes the following processes on your Laptop and your Phone. Once that is done, you no longer need the little dongle.
When you turn on your laptop, you enter your password - same as before. It then sends a message to your phone. Your phone then replies, with a right message. Your laptop receives the message, and boots up, same as before. If your Phone is not working, your Laptop will not work either.
The whole things depends on two independent devices working together - your Laptop and your Phone. Really clever - but all this happens without the user knowing all this black magic is protecting him.
Even if someone steals your phone, but it is still working, somewhere else - your laptop will work.
I followed the instructions on the Yubico site, that could not have been easier. I got an email from Google saying that 2-Step Verification had been turned on. Great! what did that mean?
I finally figured it out - and I should get a Purple Heart, or something for this effort. It works like this:
When you go through the installation, if it is successful, it establishes the following processes on your Laptop and your Phone. Once that is done, you no longer need the little dongle.
When you turn on your laptop, you enter your password - same as before. It then sends a message to your phone. Your phone then replies, with a right message. Your laptop receives the message, and boots up, same as before. If your Phone is not working, your Laptop will not work either.
The whole things depends on two independent devices working together - your Laptop and your Phone. Really clever - but all this happens without the user knowing all this black magic is protecting him.
Even if someone steals your phone, but it is still working, somewhere else - your laptop will work.
What we Think of Ourselves
When we think of ourselves, we have to realize that we are many selves - and we are getting more of them (and more complicated ones) all the time.
The typical response to this, is to decide to not think about it, at all. The problem goes away, instantly!
Except it doesn't go away - it gets worse.
The world is getting worse, something we can recognize easily enough - but instead of being horrified, we rejoice! Because this means the End Times are approaching - when everything will be destroyed, and rebuilt properly.
I have covered a lot of ground here, in a few paragraphs. And I need to go over them again.
We have become an over-developed society - and that always leads to a collapse - one that is going on, right now. We don't have to wait for the End Times, that will never happen - there is an huge adjustment going on right now!
A new kind of person, a new kind of society, is being built - beginning with a destruction of the one we have now.
This is not an intelligent destruction, however - quite the opposite. It seems to think, the worse it is, the better the end result will be.
The basic attitude here, began two thousand years ago, with the Crucifiction of Christ. Something that never happened, but was the basis of Christianity. Something bad had happened - and, as a result, many more bad things, were going to happen - and could not be prevented.
Not everyone believed this. They\didn't see why everything had to be destroyed, or anything had to be destroyed. Why not make things work, instead? Why not be constructive, instead of destructive?
Allow me to return to my statement, that we are an over-developed society. This seems obvious, but what does it mean? It means, an economy based solely on the pursuit of profit - is no longer working. Other objectives, other values, must also be considered.
This is reasonable, but people are not being reasonable - they are being religious, in many new religions.
Friday, April 6, 2018
The Strange State of Not Being
"To be, or not to be, that is the question!"
In Shakespeare's time, this could be a question. Today, it is better thought of as a situation - that strongly influences most people in the world. They are told "Do not be!" And therefore, they are not.
And this is a one-way change - once made, it cannot be reversed very easily. To speak of being, to them - means nothing. They have no idea (not even a feel) of what that is.
I made this mistake myself, back in the Nineties, in Silicon Valley. A revolution in Software Development was in the making - but I did not become part of it. This could have become the new me. But I did not get on board.
I did notice that the programmers I was working around, did not know what they were doing. But it did not dawn on me, that another way was possible - and it was being developed rapidly.
And this split into two approaches would widen even more - into those who wanted to make it work, and those who did not want to make it work.
In Shakespeare's time, this could be a question. Today, it is better thought of as a situation - that strongly influences most people in the world. They are told "Do not be!" And therefore, they are not.
And this is a one-way change - once made, it cannot be reversed very easily. To speak of being, to them - means nothing. They have no idea (not even a feel) of what that is.
I made this mistake myself, back in the Nineties, in Silicon Valley. A revolution in Software Development was in the making - but I did not become part of it. This could have become the new me. But I did not get on board.
I did notice that the programmers I was working around, did not know what they were doing. But it did not dawn on me, that another way was possible - and it was being developed rapidly.
And this split into two approaches would widen even more - into those who wanted to make it work, and those who did not want to make it work.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Supporting Medical Students and Residents With DACA Status
LinkedIn
DACA is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This article is about immigrants who want to remain here, and become doctors. It's an easy read.
I once knew a young woman who wanted to become a doctor, and was spending all her money applying to medical schools. She was smart, she was determined - and she would make a good doctor. I have no idea if she succeeded or not - I certainly hope so.
DACA is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This article is about immigrants who want to remain here, and become doctors. It's an easy read.
I once knew a young woman who wanted to become a doctor, and was spending all her money applying to medical schools. She was smart, she was determined - and she would make a good doctor. I have no idea if she succeeded or not - I certainly hope so.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
You are not Worth Much, but Your Info Is
Why? Because your info can be sold easily, but you cannot. Your info can be turned into bits, and sent over the Internet - but you cannot. Your info can be digitized, but this cannot be done for your hot little (or not-so-little) body.
While all this is true, more needs to be said - about Machine Learning (ML). Until now, you had to make a computer app smart yourself, and this was not easy. With ML, you give it lots of data - and it gets smart from that. If you give it the right kind of data.
Consider how Gmail decides, what to put in your Spam folder. Gmail had email from millions of users, in the past - and whether those users considered it Spam. Its computers put all this info together, and came up with a software model that does this for you. If you find something in your Spam folder, that is not spam - this info is sent back to Google, so its model works even better!
How does it do this? Google tells you how in its Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC). It also explains TensorFlow for you - if you are looking for some black magic, you will find it there.
While all this is true, more needs to be said - about Machine Learning (ML). Until now, you had to make a computer app smart yourself, and this was not easy. With ML, you give it lots of data - and it gets smart from that. If you give it the right kind of data.
Consider how Gmail decides, what to put in your Spam folder. Gmail had email from millions of users, in the past - and whether those users considered it Spam. Its computers put all this info together, and came up with a software model that does this for you. If you find something in your Spam folder, that is not spam - this info is sent back to Google, so its model works even better!
How does it do this? Google tells you how in its Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC). It also explains TensorFlow for you - if you are looking for some black magic, you will find it there.
Craziness that Passes as Sanity
I am still reading Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right it's about Louisiana, one of the wastelands of America. The author tries her best, to understand these people, and her efforts make good reading. But she does not reach the conclusion, that these people are insane - and suffering from a fairly common form of insanity, at that.
Insanity is part of the human condition - and we should recognize it as one of the things we must expect in our lives. And consider ourselves lucky, if we can keep it under control.
One of the biggest problems we face, is deciding which behaviors are sane, and which are not. We have done a very poor job of this - and many people consider this incompetence a virtue, because it lets them be considered normal.
And indeed, polite behavior often means, accepting other people's imperfections graciously. And recognizing that people are often a mixture of good and evil.
One of the best examples of this, was the Industrial Revolution, a huge event we have never understood very well - that ended with the collapse of the USSR, in 1991. And the rise of the Computer. Although its aftershocks are still with us - in the endless war in Afghanistan.
And Religion, a subject I am reluctant to bring up, since it was, and still is - so important to my family. How can we decide which religious activities are sane? By using the same tests, we use everywhere else.
For example, when my parents retired, they moved to Mexico - to be part of a church mission there. My father loved it - he got to live in a undeveloped country and be helpful to the students the mission supported. He overlooked the craziness that was going on also.
He had done this all his life - but this time it did him in. I don't know the details of what happened - but he weakened, and a few years later - he was dead. He could not recognize the craziness in his church - that soon ceased to exist, itself.
This is one definition of insanity - it makes people less likely to survive.
Insanity is part of the human condition - and we should recognize it as one of the things we must expect in our lives. And consider ourselves lucky, if we can keep it under control.
One of the biggest problems we face, is deciding which behaviors are sane, and which are not. We have done a very poor job of this - and many people consider this incompetence a virtue, because it lets them be considered normal.
And indeed, polite behavior often means, accepting other people's imperfections graciously. And recognizing that people are often a mixture of good and evil.
One of the best examples of this, was the Industrial Revolution, a huge event we have never understood very well - that ended with the collapse of the USSR, in 1991. And the rise of the Computer. Although its aftershocks are still with us - in the endless war in Afghanistan.
And Religion, a subject I am reluctant to bring up, since it was, and still is - so important to my family. How can we decide which religious activities are sane? By using the same tests, we use everywhere else.
For example, when my parents retired, they moved to Mexico - to be part of a church mission there. My father loved it - he got to live in a undeveloped country and be helpful to the students the mission supported. He overlooked the craziness that was going on also.
He had done this all his life - but this time it did him in. I don't know the details of what happened - but he weakened, and a few years later - he was dead. He could not recognize the craziness in his church - that soon ceased to exist, itself.
This is one definition of insanity - it makes people less likely to survive.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
People Have an Excellent Feel, for what Other People Feel
But they often do not know, who those other people are - at least on the conscious level.
This is where the concept of the masses comes in. The masses know instinctively, what the other people in their group are feeling. And they all act in much the same way - an example of the herd instinct.
This can have bad results, or good results.
I will not go into the bad results very much - the Nazis being an obvious example. In ten years, they went from being the rulers of Europe - to complete devastation.
For good results, consider the progress being made in Software. Software designers go to conferences - so they can get a good feel for what is going on. They want to see, and be seen - and get on the winning bandwagons.
But I have skipped over a common problem - when we think other people have more power than they actually do. When we are young, our parents have more power than we do. In adolescence, we should have to the opportunity to become our own selves - with our own power.
But there are many adults around - who are fearful children, at heart.
This is where the concept of the masses comes in. The masses know instinctively, what the other people in their group are feeling. And they all act in much the same way - an example of the herd instinct.
This can have bad results, or good results.
I will not go into the bad results very much - the Nazis being an obvious example. In ten years, they went from being the rulers of Europe - to complete devastation.
For good results, consider the progress being made in Software. Software designers go to conferences - so they can get a good feel for what is going on. They want to see, and be seen - and get on the winning bandwagons.
But I have skipped over a common problem - when we think other people have more power than they actually do. When we are young, our parents have more power than we do. In adolescence, we should have to the opportunity to become our own selves - with our own power.
But there are many adults around - who are fearful children, at heart.
The Basic Business Model
This model was described by Adam Smith, in 1776, and it was simple - if everyone acted in their own self-interest, society as a whole would benefit, economically.
Actually, what he wrote, was not so simple. He was aware of the defects of this model, and thought it should be used with care. But his objections were ignored, in the rush of the emerging countries, especially England - to become rich and powerful, in the Industrial Revolution.
Two hundred years later, in 1976, it was still the Business Model - and was defended (by Big Business, as well as smaller ones) against any competing models.
But it was forced to change, because it was no longer so profitable - all the big oil fields had been discovered, and were being pumped dry. And the Computer (its Software, actually) operates on a different business model.
Right now, I am taking the Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC) provided by Google, for free. Anyone can understand this, it is described in simple steps, with friendly videos. Google is giving away its expertise - so other companies can use it.
Something that never would have happened fifty years ago!
Actually, what he wrote, was not so simple. He was aware of the defects of this model, and thought it should be used with care. But his objections were ignored, in the rush of the emerging countries, especially England - to become rich and powerful, in the Industrial Revolution.
Two hundred years later, in 1976, it was still the Business Model - and was defended (by Big Business, as well as smaller ones) against any competing models.
But it was forced to change, because it was no longer so profitable - all the big oil fields had been discovered, and were being pumped dry. And the Computer (its Software, actually) operates on a different business model.
Right now, I am taking the Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC) provided by Google, for free. Anyone can understand this, it is described in simple steps, with friendly videos. Google is giving away its expertise - so other companies can use it.
Something that never would have happened fifty years ago!
Being Nice
Being nice is an essential American skill. It was best illustrated for us by President Reagan - who did many horrible things, without being bothered about them in the least. Before him, the Bad Guy had to act bad - and the Good Guy had to act good.
He showed, you could be nothing at all - and be perfectly acceptable. As long as under this agreeable facade - you did really bad things. In other words - you had to act good, but be bad.
He was an actor, used to being, in front of the camera - whatever the role demanded. The people behind the cameras however, were only interested in using their audiences, to win power, and money - for themselves.
Americans loved Reagan (and Hollywood), for showing them how this could be done. And they set about doing this, in every aspect of their lives. Including Business and Politics - that became the same thing.
To be fair, many Americans were uncomfortable with this deceit, and tried to straddle the line between being good, and being bad. They could be good to their friends and family - but not to the Government, that Reagan taught them to hate.
This was a huge change. The Government, as Lincoln said - was of the People and for the People. Now it was seen as the Enemy of the People.
How did this happen? That is the forty dollar question - only now it is the forty trillion dollar question. There is no easy answer. All we can say, is that many factors are involved - and are interacting in complex ways. All we can say, with any certainty - is that we don't know.
These are the main two facts, of the world today - (1) it isn't working and (2) we don't know why.
All we have to do, is accept these facts - and Move On.
He showed, you could be nothing at all - and be perfectly acceptable. As long as under this agreeable facade - you did really bad things. In other words - you had to act good, but be bad.
He was an actor, used to being, in front of the camera - whatever the role demanded. The people behind the cameras however, were only interested in using their audiences, to win power, and money - for themselves.
Americans loved Reagan (and Hollywood), for showing them how this could be done. And they set about doing this, in every aspect of their lives. Including Business and Politics - that became the same thing.
To be fair, many Americans were uncomfortable with this deceit, and tried to straddle the line between being good, and being bad. They could be good to their friends and family - but not to the Government, that Reagan taught them to hate.
This was a huge change. The Government, as Lincoln said - was of the People and for the People. Now it was seen as the Enemy of the People.
How did this happen? That is the forty dollar question - only now it is the forty trillion dollar question. There is no easy answer. All we can say, is that many factors are involved - and are interacting in complex ways. All we can say, with any certainty - is that we don't know.
These are the main two facts, of the world today - (1) it isn't working and (2) we don't know why.
All we have to do, is accept these facts - and Move On.
Monday, April 2, 2018
The Best I Can Do
The best I can do, is not help other people destroy themselves.
It amazes me, how people do not take destructiveness seriously. They even seem to think - it does not exist! Even though it has happened many times, to many people - individually and collectively.
And is the case in our world, right now - it is destroying itself.
My case in point is the Computer Industry, in the Eighties and Nineties - in the last century. Companies were being destroyed (and destroying themselves) at an incredible rate. I compared it to mushrooms growing on manure.
At the same time, the Computer (its hardware and software) were maturing at an incredible rate.
Both were happening at the same time!
Allow me to return to a previous statement - the world is destroying itself. This is obvious, in many ways - but in less obvious ways, it is making itself better.
We are not talking about one world here - but many worlds. All going in many directions at the same time.
Let me enlarge on that, there is only one time - but many things going on, in many places, at that time. Some places are getting better, and some are getting worse.
With your permission, I will get personal, and recall my five years, with my beautiful, but crazy wife, Beth. She destroyed herself, in gradual stages. She had the best therapists I could find, but all we could do was watch her get worse. I survived, but she did not.
It amazes me, how people do not take destructiveness seriously. They even seem to think - it does not exist! Even though it has happened many times, to many people - individually and collectively.
And is the case in our world, right now - it is destroying itself.
My case in point is the Computer Industry, in the Eighties and Nineties - in the last century. Companies were being destroyed (and destroying themselves) at an incredible rate. I compared it to mushrooms growing on manure.
At the same time, the Computer (its hardware and software) were maturing at an incredible rate.
Both were happening at the same time!
Allow me to return to a previous statement - the world is destroying itself. This is obvious, in many ways - but in less obvious ways, it is making itself better.
We are not talking about one world here - but many worlds. All going in many directions at the same time.
Let me enlarge on that, there is only one time - but many things going on, in many places, at that time. Some places are getting better, and some are getting worse.
With your permission, I will get personal, and recall my five years, with my beautiful, but crazy wife, Beth. She destroyed herself, in gradual stages. She had the best therapists I could find, but all we could do was watch her get worse. I survived, but she did not.
They Can Read, but They Don't Enjoy Reading
And as a result - they don't read much. They watch TV, or their Phones, instead - and these are much more interesting, in fact, entertaining - because they are designed that way.
I am reading Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right that tries to understand the new movements that are affecting the American Mind.
I downloaded it to my Fire Tablet, where I can read it easily, even easier than on the printed page.
A strange thing is going on in our time. More books are being published (on paper, and online) but fewer people are reading them. Text cannot compete with moving images.
I am reading Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right that tries to understand the new movements that are affecting the American Mind.
I downloaded it to my Fire Tablet, where I can read it easily, even easier than on the printed page.
A strange thing is going on in our time. More books are being published (on paper, and online) but fewer people are reading them. Text cannot compete with moving images.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
The World of Facts
This is the world that Science discovered for us. The objective world that exists independently of our human existence, wants, desires, and beliefs.
Its discovery in the 18th Century, was a great relief from the despotic rulers and religious dogmatism then prevalent.
It made possible the Industrial Revolution - that created more wealth than ever before.
It produced liberal democracies - devoted to the welfare of everyone!
But it was too good to last. And people came to hate it intensely.
This change, that had been noticed by everyone - has not been understood by anyone. Because it cannot be understood - but only added to the world of facts.
I put it this way - people can be either constructive or destructive. And the switch from constructive to destructive behavior - can happen quickly.
And once that switch has been made - the world of facts becomes inaccessible.
Its discovery in the 18th Century, was a great relief from the despotic rulers and religious dogmatism then prevalent.
It made possible the Industrial Revolution - that created more wealth than ever before.
It produced liberal democracies - devoted to the welfare of everyone!
But it was too good to last. And people came to hate it intensely.
This change, that had been noticed by everyone - has not been understood by anyone. Because it cannot be understood - but only added to the world of facts.
I put it this way - people can be either constructive or destructive. And the switch from constructive to destructive behavior - can happen quickly.
And once that switch has been made - the world of facts becomes inaccessible.
How it Really Is
People differ greatly in their attitude toward this. Most Americans do not want to know about it - and do not want to know, they do not want to know about it. They are quite satisfied to live without thinking - a prospect that horrifies me.
To put this another way - most Americans are desperately trying not to think. Not an easy job, but one they have assigned to themselves with a passion.
They want to let something else run their lives, and their country. And they do not care much what that something else is. Whatever it is, it is better than them.
And that gets right down to the problem I had growing up - the deep feeling that something was wrong with me - very wrong with me. One of the worst feelings a person could have.
To put this another way - most Americans are desperately trying not to think. Not an easy job, but one they have assigned to themselves with a passion.
They want to let something else run their lives, and their country. And they do not care much what that something else is. Whatever it is, it is better than them.
And that gets right down to the problem I had growing up - the deep feeling that something was wrong with me - very wrong with me. One of the worst feelings a person could have.
The Google Cloud, Explained
YouTube
This video does a good job of explaining a complicated subject. It makes it so interesting, you want to know more.
This is one of the amazing things about the Computer Ecosystem. Computers are not hard to understand, and computer companies are working hard, to help you understand it.
It's a sharing economy - the more software expertise gets shared, the better it becomes.
This video does a good job of explaining a complicated subject. It makes it so interesting, you want to know more.
This is one of the amazing things about the Computer Ecosystem. Computers are not hard to understand, and computer companies are working hard, to help you understand it.
It's a sharing economy - the more software expertise gets shared, the better it becomes.
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