New Yorker
This is a must read, that your mother would not recommend.
I had to lookup Chelsea, Manhattan in the Wiki. The area has a large LGBTQ population.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Bad Feels Good
We are dealing with a reversal of values here.
A complete title would be "For Americans, being bad feels good."
They tried being good, with Obama, and didn't like it.
Once before, with LBJ, they had the Great Society and the War on Poverty. But went with Vietnam instead.
My analysis of today's situation had been "Self Destruction" and I see nothing wrong with that. But that is a process, and takes time. An identity is instantaneous, and direct. And the American identity is now "Being Bad".
But only certain kinds of badness need apply. Today's bad guys have to be computer aware. This awareness may be minimal - someone with a Phone is an acting member. Because the Computer Industry, has made a huge effort to make these people feel they are part of them. Which they are not, at all.
Who are the new Computer Elite?
Thousands of people (who are smart and well-connected) are asking themselves just that. And going to conferences frequently, in an attempt to sort the hype from the real. And buying expensive hardware and software to help them find the answers themselves.
There are no secrets here - everyone is telling everyone else, what the latest scoop (or poop) is.
I am part of this act myself. and am looking at Github. that was recently acquired by Microsoft. Many fine apps are there, begging you to use them.
This is a new world, where everything wants to be free! That people used to the old world cannot comprehend.
A complete title would be "For Americans, being bad feels good."
They tried being good, with Obama, and didn't like it.
Once before, with LBJ, they had the Great Society and the War on Poverty. But went with Vietnam instead.
My analysis of today's situation had been "Self Destruction" and I see nothing wrong with that. But that is a process, and takes time. An identity is instantaneous, and direct. And the American identity is now "Being Bad".
But only certain kinds of badness need apply. Today's bad guys have to be computer aware. This awareness may be minimal - someone with a Phone is an acting member. Because the Computer Industry, has made a huge effort to make these people feel they are part of them. Which they are not, at all.
Who are the new Computer Elite?
Thousands of people (who are smart and well-connected) are asking themselves just that. And going to conferences frequently, in an attempt to sort the hype from the real. And buying expensive hardware and software to help them find the answers themselves.
There are no secrets here - everyone is telling everyone else, what the latest scoop (or poop) is.
I am part of this act myself. and am looking at Github. that was recently acquired by Microsoft. Many fine apps are there, begging you to use them.
This is a new world, where everything wants to be free! That people used to the old world cannot comprehend.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Taking Netflix Seriously
I am watching Russian Doll on Netflix, on my Laptop. I read a review of it, and decided it was so surreal (like me) I had to get it.
Now I am watching the first episode again, looking for all the things I missed the first time.
And keeping in mind the overall philosophy of the show "Life is not easy, and sometimes you have to do it over (many times) to get it right."
The Buddha would have approved.
Now I am watching the first episode again, looking for all the things I missed the first time.
And keeping in mind the overall philosophy of the show "Life is not easy, and sometimes you have to do it over (many times) to get it right."
The Buddha would have approved.
Why Trump Won
Open Democracy
Consider that only about one-third of Americans have a four-year degree, and while progressives outnumber conservatives more than 10:1 in fields like the humanities and social sciences, in the broader society Americans are (and basically always have been) more likely to identify as conservative than liberal. When one adds in the moderates, the picture is clear: the American public is decisively to the right of most university faculty and students.
To the extent that experts and the institutions which produce them like universities seem to have a political agenda that is out of step with the will and interests of the general public, populists like Trump will be able to seize and maintain power by exploiting a growing mistrust of elites. Meanwhile, social research will increasingly be devalued and defunded.
Consider that only about one-third of Americans have a four-year degree, and while progressives outnumber conservatives more than 10:1 in fields like the humanities and social sciences, in the broader society Americans are (and basically always have been) more likely to identify as conservative than liberal. When one adds in the moderates, the picture is clear: the American public is decisively to the right of most university faculty and students.
This explanation does not explain everything, about the American situation - but it explains a lot.
Sexy but Crazy
I first started to write this article using the title Beth was Sexy - Beth being my wife of five tumultuous years. At the time, I felt this was the best part of my life, and the worst.
We were an attractive couple, and we did some interesting things together. In bed, and out of it.
She was a great backpacker, and we had a little donkey to help us with that.
But practical she was not. She destroyed everything she got her hands on. Including eventually, herself.
We were an attractive couple, and we did some interesting things together. In bed, and out of it.
She was a great backpacker, and we had a little donkey to help us with that.
But practical she was not. She destroyed everything she got her hands on. Including eventually, herself.
Evil is Real, but Not Something I have to Fight
The first part of this statement is important - Evil is Real. Most people do not believe this.
The reason for this is simple - they have decided to not notice bad things. Perhaps thinking if they don't notice them, they will go away. Or they will not exist in the first place.
Or they may use displacement - blaming bad things on others.
These two strategies can be used at the same time, and often are. Without anyone noticing how incompatible they are.
The strategy I have adopted - that evil is real, but I don't have to fight it. seems to be mine alone.
Before leaving this subject, I want to say one thing more. People who do not notice evil, are evil themselves!
Good and Evil are part of the same spectrum of human values, and people can flip from one extreme to the other, easily.
The reason for this is simple - they have decided to not notice bad things. Perhaps thinking if they don't notice them, they will go away. Or they will not exist in the first place.
Or they may use displacement - blaming bad things on others.
These two strategies can be used at the same time, and often are. Without anyone noticing how incompatible they are.
The strategy I have adopted - that evil is real, but I don't have to fight it. seems to be mine alone.
Before leaving this subject, I want to say one thing more. People who do not notice evil, are evil themselves!
Good and Evil are part of the same spectrum of human values, and people can flip from one extreme to the other, easily.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Red Bananas
Red bananas are a common ornamental plant. People do not like them because they are not sweet, and are full of seeds. But birds like them, fly off after eating them and deposit the seeds in their droppings.
This photo shoes some unripe fruits, with their red skin. And what is left, after they are eaten.
Bananas only grow in the tropics, where it never freezes.
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