http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/19/a-holiday-message-from-ricky-gervais-why-im-an-atheist/
http://www.slate.com/id/2278923/
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Revolution Calling
Obama calls liberal critics 'sanctimonious'
Murmurs of Primary Challenge to Obama
As Obama is already one of many conservatives' least favorite politicans, he has now decided to alienate liberals. I'm not sure what kind of political strategy this is, it leaves a very narrow slice of the population left for support. Who does he think voted for him on this idea of change? It wasn't the Bush supporters. They obviously liked the way the country had become completely FUBAR. Quick compromise isn't always the best method. Taking the easy road is exactly that, it isn't fighting for what's best for the country. Democrats never seem to learn this, and that's why the Republicans remain a force of solidarity. So now the talk moves to a primary challenger.
As for the Republicans, their behavior over the tax cuts has revealed their true colors. And they're obnoxious. Blocking any legislation until the rich get their way proves that the Republicans are nothing but paid shills for the wealthy. But, one thing is for sure, they sure as hell better not bitch about budget deficits! No one cares. But they drone on and on endlessly, proving even more that Republicans do the opposite of what they say. The rich are not in a situation to need the tax cuts, yet they will benefit more than the lower classes who desperately need more cuts. Merry f-ing Pearl Harbor Day. Revolution Calling.
Murmurs of Primary Challenge to Obama
As Obama is already one of many conservatives' least favorite politicans, he has now decided to alienate liberals. I'm not sure what kind of political strategy this is, it leaves a very narrow slice of the population left for support. Who does he think voted for him on this idea of change? It wasn't the Bush supporters. They obviously liked the way the country had become completely FUBAR. Quick compromise isn't always the best method. Taking the easy road is exactly that, it isn't fighting for what's best for the country. Democrats never seem to learn this, and that's why the Republicans remain a force of solidarity. So now the talk moves to a primary challenger.
As for the Republicans, their behavior over the tax cuts has revealed their true colors. And they're obnoxious. Blocking any legislation until the rich get their way proves that the Republicans are nothing but paid shills for the wealthy. But, one thing is for sure, they sure as hell better not bitch about budget deficits! No one cares. But they drone on and on endlessly, proving even more that Republicans do the opposite of what they say. The rich are not in a situation to need the tax cuts, yet they will benefit more than the lower classes who desperately need more cuts. Merry f-ing Pearl Harbor Day. Revolution Calling.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Aviation Nation 2010
Aviation Nation 2010, Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada 2010.11.13-14
As usual, November brings with it one of the best air shows of the year. This time, Aviation Nation was a bit scaled back - there was only two tactical demo teams, but the level of energy managed to stay high.
Performers:
Thunderbirds (F-16) / F-22 (Zeke's final demo) / F/A-18C /
F-16 Aggressor fly-by / Nellis fly-by: F-16C, A-10, F-15C (Aggressor) / F-4 / T-33/
CSAR (modern): F-16C, A-10, C-130, HH-60 / CSAR (Vietnam): F-4, A-1, O-2, UH-1
Notable statics:
Nellis Line-up: F-16C, A-10, F-22, F-15C, F-15E, F-15C Aggressor, F-16C Aggressor
F/A-18C, F/A-18C (NASA), F-5E(N), A-10, Eurofighetr Typhoon (British), T-38
E-2C, EA-6B, B-52, E-6, RC-135, C-5, C-17, C-130, MV-22
Photo Gallery
Thanks to the members of the 64th AS and the 65th AS, they were great to talk to, especially the 64th commander, Shaggy. There was some info on upcoming aggressor paint schemes. As the 64th receives aircraft from the Duluth MN ANG during its conversion to the block 25, two of the aircraft will get the arctic scheme. There is also a proposed new blue flanker scheme. As for the 65th, the F-15 will be getting a splinter scheme.
+ Aggressor fly-by, CSAR demo
- No extra TAC or foreign demo, no C-17 demo,No B-1B static. Bus fubar on Saturday caused attendees to miss the first hour of the show, most importantly the aggressor fly-by. Aggressor squadron T-shirts were sold out.
As usual, November brings with it one of the best air shows of the year. This time, Aviation Nation was a bit scaled back - there was only two tactical demo teams, but the level of energy managed to stay high.
Performers:
Thunderbirds (F-16) / F-22 (Zeke's final demo) / F/A-18C /
F-16 Aggressor fly-by / Nellis fly-by: F-16C, A-10, F-15C (Aggressor) / F-4 / T-33/
CSAR (modern): F-16C, A-10, C-130, HH-60 / CSAR (Vietnam): F-4, A-1, O-2, UH-1
Notable statics:
Nellis Line-up: F-16C, A-10, F-22, F-15C, F-15E, F-15C Aggressor, F-16C Aggressor
F/A-18C, F/A-18C (NASA), F-5E(N), A-10, Eurofighetr Typhoon (British), T-38
E-2C, EA-6B, B-52, E-6, RC-135, C-5, C-17, C-130, MV-22
Photo Gallery
Thanks to the members of the 64th AS and the 65th AS, they were great to talk to, especially the 64th commander, Shaggy. There was some info on upcoming aggressor paint schemes. As the 64th receives aircraft from the Duluth MN ANG during its conversion to the block 25, two of the aircraft will get the arctic scheme. There is also a proposed new blue flanker scheme. As for the 65th, the F-15 will be getting a splinter scheme.
+ Aggressor fly-by, CSAR demo
- No extra TAC or foreign demo, no C-17 demo,No B-1B static. Bus fubar on Saturday caused attendees to miss the first hour of the show, most importantly the aggressor fly-by. Aggressor squadron T-shirts were sold out.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Zombie
In recognition of Halloween, I'll give a recommendation for the new TV series Walking Dead. As much as I hate zombies, I mean really hate zombies [1], this show seems to have good potential, and an ambitious cinematic feel. Immediately, it seems like Mad Max meets 28 Days Later meets Jericho.
[1] That feeling originates from the days of playing Thief in the quiet darkness of the middle of the night. Other than some joyous carnage playing Dead Rising, I try to avoid them at all costs.
[1] That feeling originates from the days of playing Thief in the quiet darkness of the middle of the night. Other than some joyous carnage playing Dead Rising, I try to avoid them at all costs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A Radical Pessimist's Guide to the Next 10 years
Postmodern favorite Douglas Coupland has made some predictions about the future - and it doesn't look good. Some of these are not necessarily his original ideas, but I think he makes valuable references by stating them.
Notable points:
Separation anxiety will become your permanent state
Yep.
The middle class is over. It's not coming back
Yep. Having read Paull Fussell recently, that might not be a big loss - culturally. Economically it's going to be a big punch. Hopefully there will still be a way for "category X" to survive. (Fussell's Category X, incidentally, is not unrelated to Coupland's Generation X.)
You may well burn out on the effort of being an individual. To the new order you're just a node.
The loss of subjectivity and its result - individuals are just nodes in a net - is an idea that's been around for 25+ years in Jameson-style postmodernism, but it's about time people start to realize it.
North America can easily fragment quickly as did the Eastern Bloc in 1989.
This is a nagging feeling I've had for a few years, and it seems quite plausible to me. If the hate states group together though, I'm not sure this will be a bad thing (for the rest of us).
Being alone will become easier.
I'm not sure about this one, it contradicts his idea of separation anxiety. Unless this counter-reaction will just cause us to live in a neurotic state of denial.
It will become harder to view your life as “a story.”
Once again, the postmodern idea of the death of a narrative.
People who shun new technologies will be viewed as passive-aggressive control freaks trying to rope people into their world, much like vegetarian teenage girls in the early 1980s.
Yep.
You're going to miss the 1990s more than you ever thought.
Oh yes, I miss the 90s like I never thought I would. The 21st Century has been nothing but an abysmal disappointment. The last ten years have proven to be an intellectual and aesthetic wasteland. Now, get off my lawn so I can enjoy my CDs in peace.
Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered.
This one is painfully obvious. Just when you thought the media couldn't find anyone dumber than Sarah Palin - here comes Christine O'Donnell. And then, there are the even worse emptyheads (like SH) who defend the intellect of these devolved blankwits, making them even dumber than dumb. It may be time for Plato's philosopher kings and a benevolent dictatorship. But for now, stupid is the new norm. Perhaps a majority of society can't handle the kinds of changes that Coupland is presenting here. Ignorance is bliss.
In related news, Americans Underestimate U.S. Wealth Inequality. Simply put, the public isn't aware of the exterme inequality that plagues the U.S. these days. If they were, they obviously wouldn't think that some regulation to tone down radical economic disparity would be a bad thing. So all this talk of the current "socialist agenda" and "communism" is absolute nonsense. Governement regulation into healthcare and other areas of extreme inequality are no worse than labor laws into place to regulate the massive disparity produced by early capitalism.
Notable points:
Separation anxiety will become your permanent state
Yep.
The middle class is over. It's not coming back
Yep. Having read Paull Fussell recently, that might not be a big loss - culturally. Economically it's going to be a big punch. Hopefully there will still be a way for "category X" to survive. (Fussell's Category X, incidentally, is not unrelated to Coupland's Generation X.)
You may well burn out on the effort of being an individual. To the new order you're just a node.
The loss of subjectivity and its result - individuals are just nodes in a net - is an idea that's been around for 25+ years in Jameson-style postmodernism, but it's about time people start to realize it.
North America can easily fragment quickly as did the Eastern Bloc in 1989.
This is a nagging feeling I've had for a few years, and it seems quite plausible to me. If the hate states group together though, I'm not sure this will be a bad thing (for the rest of us).
Being alone will become easier.
I'm not sure about this one, it contradicts his idea of separation anxiety. Unless this counter-reaction will just cause us to live in a neurotic state of denial.
It will become harder to view your life as “a story.”
Once again, the postmodern idea of the death of a narrative.
People who shun new technologies will be viewed as passive-aggressive control freaks trying to rope people into their world, much like vegetarian teenage girls in the early 1980s.
Yep.
You're going to miss the 1990s more than you ever thought.
Oh yes, I miss the 90s like I never thought I would. The 21st Century has been nothing but an abysmal disappointment. The last ten years have proven to be an intellectual and aesthetic wasteland. Now, get off my lawn so I can enjoy my CDs in peace.
Stupid people will be in charge, only to be replaced by ever-stupider people. You will live in a world without kings, only princes in whom our faith is shattered.
This one is painfully obvious. Just when you thought the media couldn't find anyone dumber than Sarah Palin - here comes Christine O'Donnell. And then, there are the even worse emptyheads (like SH) who defend the intellect of these devolved blankwits, making them even dumber than dumb. It may be time for Plato's philosopher kings and a benevolent dictatorship. But for now, stupid is the new norm. Perhaps a majority of society can't handle the kinds of changes that Coupland is presenting here. Ignorance is bliss.
In related news, Americans Underestimate U.S. Wealth Inequality. Simply put, the public isn't aware of the exterme inequality that plagues the U.S. these days. If they were, they obviously wouldn't think that some regulation to tone down radical economic disparity would be a bad thing. So all this talk of the current "socialist agenda" and "communism" is absolute nonsense. Governement regulation into healthcare and other areas of extreme inequality are no worse than labor laws into place to regulate the massive disparity produced by early capitalism.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Presto
Rush @ The Minnesota State Fair 2010.08.27
Playing in one of the absolute worst music venues I have ever experienced, Rush returned to the Minnesota State Fair 36 years to the day they first played the fair (which also happens to be Alex's birthday). Being more or less a greatest hits tour, the set featured heavily on the early classics with some of the very latest tracks thrown in. In addition to performing the full Moving Pictures album (with the superior side B
finally represented), what middle-era tracks were present were highly anticipated, including the addition of the rare Presto.
Setlist: The Spirit of Radio / Time Stand Still / Presto / Stick it Out/ Workin Them Angels / Leave That Thing Alone / Faithless / BU2B / Freewill / Marathon / Subdivisions / Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / Limelight / The Camera Eye / Witch Hunt / Vital Signs / Caravan / Drum Solo / Closer to the Heart / 2112 Overture / 2112 The Temple of Syrinx / Far Cry / La Villa Strangiato / Working Man
+ Presto, Time Stand Still, Leave That Thing Alone, Marathon, Subdivisions, Moving Pictures Side B
- Working Man, Too many new songs/ old "classics"
Twenty Years Ago: This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of Presto Tour, which played at the Met Center June 19th, 1990 (perhaps one of the last concerts at that venue). This show marked my introduction to Rush, and seems to me to be the middle of their high period. I'm sure many long time classic fans thought this period was too modern and tracks like Superconductor were probably off to them, but Superconductor was the song that made me buy Presto after the show, and I still think that record is their best work and one of my favorite all time albums. Perhaps they will continue the trend of playing full albums and perform the entire Presto in 2015. For comparison, here is the setlist from that night:
Intro (A Show of Hands video) / Force Ten / Freewill / Distant Early Warning / Time Stand Still /Subdivisions / Marathon / Red Barchetta / Superconductor / Show Don't Tell / The Pass / Closer To The Heart / Manhattan Project / Xanadu / YYZ / The Rhythm Method (Drum solo) / Scars / War Paint / Mission / Tom Sawyer / The Spirit of Radio / 2112 (Overture) / La Villa Strangiato / In The Mood / Wipe Out
Playing in one of the absolute worst music venues I have ever experienced, Rush returned to the Minnesota State Fair 36 years to the day they first played the fair (which also happens to be Alex's birthday). Being more or less a greatest hits tour, the set featured heavily on the early classics with some of the very latest tracks thrown in. In addition to performing the full Moving Pictures album (with the superior side B
finally represented), what middle-era tracks were present were highly anticipated, including the addition of the rare Presto.
Setlist: The Spirit of Radio / Time Stand Still / Presto / Stick it Out/ Workin Them Angels / Leave That Thing Alone / Faithless / BU2B / Freewill / Marathon / Subdivisions / Tom Sawyer / Red Barchetta / Limelight / The Camera Eye / Witch Hunt / Vital Signs / Caravan / Drum Solo / Closer to the Heart / 2112 Overture / 2112 The Temple of Syrinx / Far Cry / La Villa Strangiato / Working Man
+ Presto, Time Stand Still, Leave That Thing Alone, Marathon, Subdivisions, Moving Pictures Side B
- Working Man, Too many new songs/ old "classics"
Twenty Years Ago: This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of Presto Tour, which played at the Met Center June 19th, 1990 (perhaps one of the last concerts at that venue). This show marked my introduction to Rush, and seems to me to be the middle of their high period. I'm sure many long time classic fans thought this period was too modern and tracks like Superconductor were probably off to them, but Superconductor was the song that made me buy Presto after the show, and I still think that record is their best work and one of my favorite all time albums. Perhaps they will continue the trend of playing full albums and perform the entire Presto in 2015. For comparison, here is the setlist from that night:
Intro (A Show of Hands video) / Force Ten / Freewill / Distant Early Warning / Time Stand Still /Subdivisions / Marathon / Red Barchetta / Superconductor / Show Don't Tell / The Pass / Closer To The Heart / Manhattan Project / Xanadu / YYZ / The Rhythm Method (Drum solo) / Scars / War Paint / Mission / Tom Sawyer / The Spirit of Radio / 2112 (Overture) / La Villa Strangiato / In The Mood / Wipe Out
Friday, August 13, 2010
To Fight Socialism We Must Become Communist
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Deductible Me | ||||
| ||||
* Disclaimer: If anyone thinks the title of the post is serious - it isn't. Not for me. But I'm not so sure about conservatives. Given their current anti-government state of mind, I wonder how different they really are from those with a proletarian idea of dissolving government.
Monday, June 28, 2010
St Cloud 2010 Air Show
Great Minnesota Air Show 2010.06.26-27
After the precipitous disasters of the 2008 season, I began to wonder when St Cloud may be large enough to consider having an air show. My answer came on December 7th 2009, with the release of the jet team schedules.
The main attraction was of course the Blue Angels, but the real star of the show was the F-22, not only because of its fifth generation advancements, and its unprecedented maneuverability. More important is its rarity, with only 18 global appearances this year (up from roughly 12 last year ). This marked the first Raptor trip to Minnesota, for any F-22. Military statics were sparse: 2 EA-6Bs, NASA's F-18A and an MV-22, along with a last minute surprise of a VFC-111 F-5E.
During my five day adventure, I was able to complete my checklist, viewing all the arrivals and practices, getting close to the Raptor (briefly) and meeting the legendary, yet elusive Zeke. The only glitch, besides the weather making photography problematic, was missing part of the Raptor practice, as I was coming back from lunch, but I did get the experience of having my car buzzed by Zeke.
Thanks to the Great Minnesota Air Show team for making that a possibility, let's hope for a continued tradition in the future. Also, thanks to Zeke, Gap, Gabe, Zeke's family and the rest of the Raptor team.
Full Photo Album
After the precipitous disasters of the 2008 season, I began to wonder when St Cloud may be large enough to consider having an air show. My answer came on December 7th 2009, with the release of the jet team schedules.
The main attraction was of course the Blue Angels, but the real star of the show was the F-22, not only because of its fifth generation advancements, and its unprecedented maneuverability. More important is its rarity, with only 18 global appearances this year (up from roughly 12 last year ). This marked the first Raptor trip to Minnesota, for any F-22. Military statics were sparse: 2 EA-6Bs, NASA's F-18A and an MV-22, along with a last minute surprise of a VFC-111 F-5E.
During my five day adventure, I was able to complete my checklist, viewing all the arrivals and practices, getting close to the Raptor (briefly) and meeting the legendary, yet elusive Zeke. The only glitch, besides the weather making photography problematic, was missing part of the Raptor practice, as I was coming back from lunch, but I did get the experience of having my car buzzed by Zeke.
Thanks to the Great Minnesota Air Show team for making that a possibility, let's hope for a continued tradition in the future. Also, thanks to Zeke, Gap, Gabe, Zeke's family and the rest of the Raptor team.
Full Photo Album
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Symphonicity
Sting & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Xcel Center, St Paul, MN 2010.06.21
How often do you get to go to a rock concert and hear a clarinet solo? It wasn't Branford on the soprano sax, but it filled the role. After a two-year tour with The Police, this attempt seems to be an appropriate Sting counterpoint response, and probably more lucrative and less dreadful than his lute/ English folk side career that has consumed much of the past five years. The strength of Sting's music has always come through the best in the Police and with his 1990 band, being a stripped down less-is-more approach[1]. With only a few great musicians contributing, each instrument and each note takes on a prominent role in the sound. Here the situation is reversed. Rather than strip everything to its minimalist components, the songs incorporated every intsrument into a wall of sound. This is itself is a leap for Sting, who is a control freak and has always been able to control his bands from the lowest bass note to the highest vocal note. The immense amount of scoring and choreographing necessary here completely negates any spontaneous control he might have. While Dominic Miller provided an important center with his elegant guitar, he could have been allowed a little more electric juice. Most importantly, the lack of an electric bass was a glaring auditory hole, preferably one played by Mr Sumner himself. Sting's shows have always suffered when they lost him in that role. Inverting the rock concert from the rock concert presented a more relaxed environment and allowed Sting to take a Storyteller approach, becoming more more verbose than normal.
There were the usual tracks as expected: Every Breath You Take, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Fields of Gold. Most intersting were the tracks that never made a standard setlist (at least in modern history), When We Dance, End of the Game, Moon Over Bourbon Street and Russians were all given a new dimension by the orchestra, with Russians particularly enhanced by having its Prokofievian themes amplified. The setlist featured heavily on Sting-2 tracks (1997-) and these changed relatively little, being overproduced to begin with. The pre-1996 material, particularly the tracks from the 1990 quartet were most noticably reconstructed, however Why Should I Cry was a welcome reactivation [2] and the audience began to react much more enthusiastically after its performance. Mad About You and Shape of My Heart also received classy and sophisticated renditions. King of Pain drove the show into high gear, leaving only Sting's lack of a bass holding the show back from hitting a relative 11.
Setlist:
If I Ever Lose My Faith / Englishman in New York / Every Little Thing She Does / Roxanne / When We Dance / Russians / Straight to My Heart / Why Should I Cry / Whenever I Say Your Name / Fields of Gold / Next To You / A Thousand Years / I Hung My Head / Shape of My Heart / Tomorrow We'll See / Moon Over Bourbon Street / Shape of My Heart / End of The Game / My Ain True Love/ All Would Envy / Mad About You / King of Pain / Every Breath You Take /*/ Desert Rose / She's Too Good For Me / Fragile / I Was Brought to My Senses (a capella)
* Freebird
+: King of Pain / Dominic Miller / 2 Soul Cages songs / Dominic Miller playing Soul Cages songs
-: No bass playing by Sting - you just can't feel cellos like a good electric bass. Too many Sting-2 tracks, notably Whenever I Say Your Name.
[1] Sting has been playing one-off shows with this band recently, and since he has Dominic, David Sancious and Vinnie Colaiuta working together again, hopefully they can do a full scale tour.
[2] Dominic's guitar sound on The Soul Cages is perhaps the most uniquely interesting guitar tone I've heard. And it's so specific to that album, I suspect it will never be used again, so after 19 years in obscurity it's great to hear it again, worth the price of admission alone. Any to chance to hear tracks from that album is a wrothwhile endeavor , perhaps someone can convince Sting to do a 20th anniversary tour and resurrect the 1991 band and setlist.
How often do you get to go to a rock concert and hear a clarinet solo? It wasn't Branford on the soprano sax, but it filled the role. After a two-year tour with The Police, this attempt seems to be an appropriate Sting counterpoint response, and probably more lucrative and less dreadful than his lute/ English folk side career that has consumed much of the past five years. The strength of Sting's music has always come through the best in the Police and with his 1990 band, being a stripped down less-is-more approach[1]. With only a few great musicians contributing, each instrument and each note takes on a prominent role in the sound. Here the situation is reversed. Rather than strip everything to its minimalist components, the songs incorporated every intsrument into a wall of sound. This is itself is a leap for Sting, who is a control freak and has always been able to control his bands from the lowest bass note to the highest vocal note. The immense amount of scoring and choreographing necessary here completely negates any spontaneous control he might have. While Dominic Miller provided an important center with his elegant guitar, he could have been allowed a little more electric juice. Most importantly, the lack of an electric bass was a glaring auditory hole, preferably one played by Mr Sumner himself. Sting's shows have always suffered when they lost him in that role. Inverting the rock concert from the rock concert presented a more relaxed environment and allowed Sting to take a Storyteller approach, becoming more more verbose than normal.
There were the usual tracks as expected: Every Breath You Take, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Fields of Gold. Most intersting were the tracks that never made a standard setlist (at least in modern history), When We Dance, End of the Game, Moon Over Bourbon Street and Russians were all given a new dimension by the orchestra, with Russians particularly enhanced by having its Prokofievian themes amplified. The setlist featured heavily on Sting-2 tracks (1997-) and these changed relatively little, being overproduced to begin with. The pre-1996 material, particularly the tracks from the 1990 quartet were most noticably reconstructed, however Why Should I Cry was a welcome reactivation [2] and the audience began to react much more enthusiastically after its performance. Mad About You and Shape of My Heart also received classy and sophisticated renditions. King of Pain drove the show into high gear, leaving only Sting's lack of a bass holding the show back from hitting a relative 11.
Setlist:
If I Ever Lose My Faith / Englishman in New York / Every Little Thing She Does / Roxanne / When We Dance / Russians / Straight to My Heart / Why Should I Cry / Whenever I Say Your Name / Fields of Gold / Next To You / A Thousand Years / I Hung My Head / Shape of My Heart / Tomorrow We'll See / Moon Over Bourbon Street / Shape of My Heart / End of The Game / My Ain True Love/ All Would Envy / Mad About You / King of Pain / Every Breath You Take /*/ Desert Rose / She's Too Good For Me / Fragile / I Was Brought to My Senses (a capella)
* Freebird
+: King of Pain / Dominic Miller / 2 Soul Cages songs / Dominic Miller playing Soul Cages songs
-: No bass playing by Sting - you just can't feel cellos like a good electric bass. Too many Sting-2 tracks, notably Whenever I Say Your Name.
[1] Sting has been playing one-off shows with this band recently, and since he has Dominic, David Sancious and Vinnie Colaiuta working together again, hopefully they can do a full scale tour.
[2] Dominic's guitar sound on The Soul Cages is perhaps the most uniquely interesting guitar tone I've heard. And it's so specific to that album, I suspect it will never be used again, so after 19 years in obscurity it's great to hear it again, worth the price of admission alone. Any to chance to hear tracks from that album is a wrothwhile endeavor , perhaps someone can convince Sting to do a 20th anniversary tour and resurrect the 1991 band and setlist.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Martin Gardner, 1914
Martin Gardner, 1914 – 2010
It's sad when the world loses one of the good guys. Martin Gardner exemplified rationality and the ability to explore competing alternatives to choose the best option and answer. Unfortunately this is exactly the kind of thinking that is quickly disappearing. Between the ridiculous amount of ghost-hunting shows, UFO watchers (You do know that there are alien fish-people living off the coast of California right?) and religious nonsense (I just learned from the radio the other night that the universe is only a few thousand years old), the world of the 21st century is quickly devolving into a state of superstitious, gullible Neanderthals.
Known for his mathematical ability, Gardner also excelled when he pursued knowledge beyond his strict intellectual studies. His avid interest in magic allowed him to debunk the work of many psychics and magicians. Religiously, he transcended Christianity, and rejected (at least technically) atheism and pantheism. His position of philosophical theism may contain the only compelling arguments for that direction of thinking. Socially, he had a good grasp on politics and economics and defended Democratic Socialism over anything else, including Liberalism, believing this was simply the best for everyone. I have much to say about Gardner's ideas that I just haven't had time to comment on. I hope to in the future, and hope the world will continue to be exposed to his ideas to help them stay out of the dark world of anti-rationality.
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It's sad when the world loses one of the good guys. Martin Gardner exemplified rationality and the ability to explore competing alternatives to choose the best option and answer. Unfortunately this is exactly the kind of thinking that is quickly disappearing. Between the ridiculous amount of ghost-hunting shows, UFO watchers (You do know that there are alien fish-people living off the coast of California right?) and religious nonsense (I just learned from the radio the other night that the universe is only a few thousand years old), the world of the 21st century is quickly devolving into a state of superstitious, gullible Neanderthals.
Known for his mathematical ability, Gardner also excelled when he pursued knowledge beyond his strict intellectual studies. His avid interest in magic allowed him to debunk the work of many psychics and magicians. Religiously, he transcended Christianity, and rejected (at least technically) atheism and pantheism. His position of philosophical theism may contain the only compelling arguments for that direction of thinking. Socially, he had a good grasp on politics and economics and defended Democratic Socialism over anything else, including Liberalism, believing this was simply the best for everyone. I have much to say about Gardner's ideas that I just haven't had time to comment on. I hope to in the future, and hope the world will continue to be exposed to his ideas to help them stay out of the dark world of anti-rationality.
Posted using ShareThis
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A Kind of Magic
I expect this will be my penultimate posting about Lost, now that all the pieces are in place for the grand finale. First of all we have come the part of the mythology where explanation has to stop, and a kind of magic takes over. The light, the heart of the island, is what's important, and hopefully we will get a little more explanation, but ultimately there is an underlying magic here, and that mystique must be preserved. We have immortality, magic incantations, omniscient observation, etc. Just as in Highlander, the best explanation is to never get to the source.
Most interesting at this point is that six years have led us to the Jacob / brother conflict. The writers have stated that the show isn't about them, but they seem just as important in the scheme of this story. Jacob continues in the Christ archetype, baptising and turning water into wine. Furthermore, a Gnostic theme has entered the show with "the light." MIB continues to fulfill the satanic archetype, deceiving and manipulating people. The most striking elements of these characters are their internal contradictions. MIB wants to leave the island but can't. Jacob doesn't want to leave, but as protector he can. As the monster, the MIB acts as protector, as "the security system" of the island, even though he doesn't care about it and may be the main thing it needs protection from. Jacob protects the island, yet he's the one who brings people to it. MIB embraces the human culture, yet despises them and disagrees with bringing them to the island (although some of that may come from trauma of the death of "his people" and he claims to try to help them.)
As for all of the chraracters, what seems relevant is their complete fall into despair. All of the characters have hit bottom, starting with Juliet who was desperate enough to beat on a nuclear bomb (without any kind of Young Ones humor involved). Jack, the leader, reached the point of giving up trying to do anything. Richard the immortal became suicidal. Ben reached the point of not be able to forgive himself. Desmond already hit bottom in season 2, and Locke had his problem in season 1 and 4, the latter being terminal. The writers have been dropping some existential hints this season, with copies of Fear and Trembling and Notes from Underground laying around. Richard reaches the point of Camus's only important philosophical question - is it worth living? Jack takes a life threatening chance and a Kierkegaardian leap of faith, and both of them emerge much stronger than before, motivated by the power of choice and the conviciton of action. And Desmond has now transcended a Nietzschian "that which does not destroy me makes me stronger" moment and in the Alt timeline has replaced Jacob as the mastermind.
There has been a lot of complaining about the direction of this season. Things that have long been anticipated, when finally revealed, have lost their impact, such as the Claire/Jack reveal. "Ab Aeterno", while a great episode, may have had better impact if it was shown earlier in the season. The progression of the show has led us from one group of characters to another, raising the level up each time (815> Desmond> others> Richard> Jacob), so at this point it is necessary to explore those far removed from the show's stars. The placement of "Across the Sea," has people upset that time has been taken away from our main characters. I however think this was a necessary episode, and that we still have too many characters taking up screen time (i.e. Kate, what the hell has she done?). Furthermore, we've had too many characters introduced just to be quickly removed. Ilana was a good addition, but Zoe has been a waste of time. As for ATS, it may have played better if it was made a two-part episode, alternating between current island events. Part of "What They Died For" would have fit in well , as would some of "The Candidate." In fact the whole season would have been interesting if alternating between 2007 and the backward progression of the Richard / Jacob history, but with an alternate timeline in play there is already too much going on. ATS felt rushed (or in a way it felt slow), not because it was bad, but because so much needed to be said, that the clock was always ticking. Every answer led to more questions, and I think some of that could have been avoided with a few lines of dialogue. For instance, Mother could have said that she came to the island x years ago and that there has always been a protector of the island throughout time.[1]
One problem I have noticed is that with the limited time available, scenes are put together in places where they best would have been separated. For instance, the reuniting of the Richard and Jack groups in "Dr Linus" (another highpoint of this season) would have made a more dramatic ending, but we were then shown a following scene reintroducing Widmore. The introduction of important characters has always been done the best at the start of a new episode, with the audience completely in the dark. This worked great for Desmond, Jacob and the Mothers. While it would have also worked great for introducing Richard, at least the flashback would have worked best if the episode started in 1867, rather than having the main characters discuss why Richard hasn't aged. ATS contained the Adam & Eve flashback that seemed very forced, while not a point many people might remember, it could have been emphasized in the previous episode, and the main charaters left completely out of it.
I expect many things in this show have been metaphors for the larger dimension of things. The compass, for one, has revealed an ontological paradox, just as events have shown their own causation through a loop. More significant, Desmond "pushing the button" in isolation for all those years is a micro-version of protecting the island, "just saving the world." It has been clear since day one that Jack and Locke were really the only important members of 815, the rest were just their support, but they have been joined by Desmond / Penny, Ben / Richard, and Jacob / MIB as the important characters. At least I will be vindicated knowing that Desmond is quite special, if he's not a candidate, he's just as important as a failsafe. The biggest surprise of the finale maybe the pivitol role of Penny, with Ben and MIB out to kill her. I never suspected she would play that important of a role at this point.
Finally, here are a few micellaneous observations I have.
1.The numbers seem to be meaningless in themselves, but they do seem to have a Jungian unconcious quality as synchronicity, repeating as a meaningful coincidence from the depths of the collective unconcious of the island.
2. Interestingly, our first view of MIB kiling a candidae might go back to season 3. If Nikki was indeed a candidate, as indicated by the compass and cave, she was paralyzed by MIB (as the spiders) because he couldn't kill her, and left to be buried alive by the 815ers.
3. After years of trying to figure out the Libby story (which I believe we will not get answered, even with the return of the actress) I now believe that the character who transitioned her from the Hurley story to the Desmond story was indeed Jacob, who needed her to give Desmond the boat so he could get stranded on the island. Since this rumored character was not a flight 815 passanger, it would make sense to be Jacob, and since the writers could not reveal this scene before introducing Jacob, I believe that is why they ommitted it.
4. Finally, there has been speculation that the children born on the island were actually conceived by the island. Ignoring any midichlorian controversy, this idea parallels the immortals of Highlander, who were changelings, caused by some unknown progenitor.
Damon and Carlton were recently commended by George Lucas for their planning of the entire story arc. While Star Wars turned out to be made up as it went along, Lost seems to be coming full circle, although I think that there was less planning than might be apparent. Despite the clear influence of Star Wars on Lost, it would be intesting to see a Star Wars that clearly shows a Lost influence (how's that for a mobius strip). I will commend both stories for using some elements of classic drama: starting in the middle of the story, and having the conflict revolve around a family that impacts the entire civilization.
[1] Similarly, many other things could have been dismissed simply. They could have said that all of the 815 red shirts died in the flaming arrow attack. That would have saved me years of wondering about them. Now, I see that many people of the story become casualties of Jacob's purpose.
Most interesting at this point is that six years have led us to the Jacob / brother conflict. The writers have stated that the show isn't about them, but they seem just as important in the scheme of this story. Jacob continues in the Christ archetype, baptising and turning water into wine. Furthermore, a Gnostic theme has entered the show with "the light." MIB continues to fulfill the satanic archetype, deceiving and manipulating people. The most striking elements of these characters are their internal contradictions. MIB wants to leave the island but can't. Jacob doesn't want to leave, but as protector he can. As the monster, the MIB acts as protector, as "the security system" of the island, even though he doesn't care about it and may be the main thing it needs protection from. Jacob protects the island, yet he's the one who brings people to it. MIB embraces the human culture, yet despises them and disagrees with bringing them to the island (although some of that may come from trauma of the death of "his people" and he claims to try to help them.)
As for all of the chraracters, what seems relevant is their complete fall into despair. All of the characters have hit bottom, starting with Juliet who was desperate enough to beat on a nuclear bomb (without any kind of Young Ones humor involved). Jack, the leader, reached the point of giving up trying to do anything. Richard the immortal became suicidal. Ben reached the point of not be able to forgive himself. Desmond already hit bottom in season 2, and Locke had his problem in season 1 and 4, the latter being terminal. The writers have been dropping some existential hints this season, with copies of Fear and Trembling and Notes from Underground laying around. Richard reaches the point of Camus's only important philosophical question - is it worth living? Jack takes a life threatening chance and a Kierkegaardian leap of faith, and both of them emerge much stronger than before, motivated by the power of choice and the conviciton of action. And Desmond has now transcended a Nietzschian "that which does not destroy me makes me stronger" moment and in the Alt timeline has replaced Jacob as the mastermind.
There has been a lot of complaining about the direction of this season. Things that have long been anticipated, when finally revealed, have lost their impact, such as the Claire/Jack reveal. "Ab Aeterno", while a great episode, may have had better impact if it was shown earlier in the season. The progression of the show has led us from one group of characters to another, raising the level up each time (815> Desmond> others> Richard> Jacob), so at this point it is necessary to explore those far removed from the show's stars. The placement of "Across the Sea," has people upset that time has been taken away from our main characters. I however think this was a necessary episode, and that we still have too many characters taking up screen time (i.e. Kate, what the hell has she done?). Furthermore, we've had too many characters introduced just to be quickly removed. Ilana was a good addition, but Zoe has been a waste of time. As for ATS, it may have played better if it was made a two-part episode, alternating between current island events. Part of "What They Died For" would have fit in well , as would some of "The Candidate." In fact the whole season would have been interesting if alternating between 2007 and the backward progression of the Richard / Jacob history, but with an alternate timeline in play there is already too much going on. ATS felt rushed (or in a way it felt slow), not because it was bad, but because so much needed to be said, that the clock was always ticking. Every answer led to more questions, and I think some of that could have been avoided with a few lines of dialogue. For instance, Mother could have said that she came to the island x years ago and that there has always been a protector of the island throughout time.[1]
One problem I have noticed is that with the limited time available, scenes are put together in places where they best would have been separated. For instance, the reuniting of the Richard and Jack groups in "Dr Linus" (another highpoint of this season) would have made a more dramatic ending, but we were then shown a following scene reintroducing Widmore. The introduction of important characters has always been done the best at the start of a new episode, with the audience completely in the dark. This worked great for Desmond, Jacob and the Mothers. While it would have also worked great for introducing Richard, at least the flashback would have worked best if the episode started in 1867, rather than having the main characters discuss why Richard hasn't aged. ATS contained the Adam & Eve flashback that seemed very forced, while not a point many people might remember, it could have been emphasized in the previous episode, and the main charaters left completely out of it.
I expect many things in this show have been metaphors for the larger dimension of things. The compass, for one, has revealed an ontological paradox, just as events have shown their own causation through a loop. More significant, Desmond "pushing the button" in isolation for all those years is a micro-version of protecting the island, "just saving the world." It has been clear since day one that Jack and Locke were really the only important members of 815, the rest were just their support, but they have been joined by Desmond / Penny, Ben / Richard, and Jacob / MIB as the important characters. At least I will be vindicated knowing that Desmond is quite special, if he's not a candidate, he's just as important as a failsafe. The biggest surprise of the finale maybe the pivitol role of Penny, with Ben and MIB out to kill her. I never suspected she would play that important of a role at this point.
Finally, here are a few micellaneous observations I have.
1.The numbers seem to be meaningless in themselves, but they do seem to have a Jungian unconcious quality as synchronicity, repeating as a meaningful coincidence from the depths of the collective unconcious of the island.
2. Interestingly, our first view of MIB kiling a candidae might go back to season 3. If Nikki was indeed a candidate, as indicated by the compass and cave, she was paralyzed by MIB (as the spiders) because he couldn't kill her, and left to be buried alive by the 815ers.
3. After years of trying to figure out the Libby story (which I believe we will not get answered, even with the return of the actress) I now believe that the character who transitioned her from the Hurley story to the Desmond story was indeed Jacob, who needed her to give Desmond the boat so he could get stranded on the island. Since this rumored character was not a flight 815 passanger, it would make sense to be Jacob, and since the writers could not reveal this scene before introducing Jacob, I believe that is why they ommitted it.
4. Finally, there has been speculation that the children born on the island were actually conceived by the island. Ignoring any midichlorian controversy, this idea parallels the immortals of Highlander, who were changelings, caused by some unknown progenitor.
Damon and Carlton were recently commended by George Lucas for their planning of the entire story arc. While Star Wars turned out to be made up as it went along, Lost seems to be coming full circle, although I think that there was less planning than might be apparent. Despite the clear influence of Star Wars on Lost, it would be intesting to see a Star Wars that clearly shows a Lost influence (how's that for a mobius strip). I will commend both stories for using some elements of classic drama: starting in the middle of the story, and having the conflict revolve around a family that impacts the entire civilization.
[1] Similarly, many other things could have been dismissed simply. They could have said that all of the 815 red shirts died in the flaming arrow attack. That would have saved me years of wondering about them. Now, I see that many people of the story become casualties of Jacob's purpose.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Being In The World
Here's a look at a new film that I hope will be available quite soon. The idea of being human in a technological world by attaining mastery seems quite compelling.
Being In The World
Being In The World
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Right-Wing Media-Industrial Complex - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
The Right-Wing Media-Industrial Complex - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
"Under Bush, the conservative media machine's partisan loyalty enabled the GOP to put domestic spending on steroids, launch two enormously expensive unending wars, drastically increase the power of the executive to trample on civil liberties, and added a huge unfunded entitlement, Medicare D. So while Fox was giddily celebrating power, conservatism was busy abandoning whatever policy principles it once had."
"I also believe that the health insurance reform was about as centrist a bill for universal care as you could get (but needs improvement and cost-vigilance) and that a winning party gets to pass what it ran on. For a Democrat, Obama is as moderate as it comes."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for continuing clarification of modern conservativism
"Under Bush, the conservative media machine's partisan loyalty enabled the GOP to put domestic spending on steroids, launch two enormously expensive unending wars, drastically increase the power of the executive to trample on civil liberties, and added a huge unfunded entitlement, Medicare D. So while Fox was giddily celebrating power, conservatism was busy abandoning whatever policy principles it once had."
"I also believe that the health insurance reform was about as centrist a bill for universal care as you could get (but needs improvement and cost-vigilance) and that a winning party gets to pass what it ran on. For a Democrat, Obama is as moderate as it comes."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for continuing clarification of modern conservativism
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Physics of the Impossible
Last Book Read: The Physics of the Impossible - Michio Kaku
In The Physics of the Impossible Michio Kaku continues his enthusiastic discussion of cutting edge science and theorizs how technology might continue to advance through the next few millenia and beyond, to the point of being able to manipulate everything in the universe. He discusses such topics as invisibility, teleportation, beam weapons, starships, time travel, and precognition.
Interestingly, while discussing technological means to reproduce psychic phenomema, he notes the ease with which scientists are fooled by magicians, just as Gardner has mentioned. The advancement of our technology with require fundamental leaps in acquiring energy and as we move to new levels we will be able to achieve more advancements that are currently deemed impossible. We may be at one of the most difficult points now. Discussing the transformation from a Type 0 to Type I civilization, Kaku remarks, "a Type 0 is still wracked with the sectarianism, fundamentalism, and racism that typified its rise, and it is not clear whether or not these tribal and religious passions will overwhelm the transition." "There will emerge a planetary language and culture. . . There are also forces that oppose this march to a planetary sytem. These are the terrorists who unconciously, instinctively, realize that the progression to a planetary civilization is one that will make tolerance and secular pluralism a centerpiece of their emerging culture, and this prospect is a threat to people who fell more comfortable living in the last millenium." I think his analysis here is very insightful, not only from a technology perspective, but in regards to the evolution of humanity in general.
Kaku really shines while discussing parallel universes. Here he divides them into three types: hyperspace, multiverse, and quantum parallel universes. But these distinctions seem unnecessary as types, if there is are multiple universes than they all must exist inthe multiverse. The only difference between the types is how they are formed and their relation to each other. Hyperspace suggests universes in a spatial dimension higher than the three we experience. All of the universes are possibly pre-existing as independent ones, stacked in 11-dimensional space. Kaku mentions the possibility of one googol universes predicted by string theory. But it is unclear if this is the number required to contain all possible parallel universes, or if it amounts to one googol possible types of universes (each with a unique set of physical properties and constants). Another explanation is that the universe splits. One theory, the Copenhagen School, is inseparable from conciousness. The state of the universe cannot be known until the wave function collapses. Since we are in the universe, we cannot make the external measurement. This implies a "'cosmic conciousness' pervading the universe," some type of god, which brings external difficulties into the theory. Another theory is that our universe has "decohered" from other universes, essentially our wave functions are on different frequencies that do not interact with other universe, like separate radio signals. The explaination here seems incomplete. This seems to indicate that all universes in the multiverse exist in the same physical space, rather than sheets of three-dimensional space hyper-stacked on each other. Only the "stuff" in these universes exist seperately because of decohered wave functions. I imagine this is the kind of parallel dimension illustrated in the Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web". This theory also doesn't explain what it means to exist in a multiple universe that has yet to decohere. It would imply that there is simply one universe and if decoherence happens, I suppose, certain things will just disappear, as they will be left in the original universe. What was one universe becomes two and we wouldn't notice much of anything unless we were able to retune to the orignal coherence wave. This leaves us in the same isolated condition as separate sheets of spacetime. The third category suggests that universes can be created out of a quantum flucuation of the vacuum, out of nothingness. Interestingly, noting the sum totals of properties of our universe in measurements of charge, spin or total matter-energy, the end result is always zero, suggesting a possible creation from nothing. Both decoherence and quantum flucuation seem to suggest different ways that a baby uiverse could form in an ever growing multiverse.
Finally, while discussing a possible "theory of everything" he notes the difficulty caused by Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. Mathematics is self-referential and "since the observer cannot be separated from the observation process, it means physics will always refer to itself, since we cannot leave the universe. In the final analysis, the observer is also made of atoms and molecules, and hence must be an integral part of the experiment he is performing." This means that any mathematics used in the development of the TOE must be carefully constructed to avoid self-reference.
I find Kaku's predictions highly optimistic, yet this is necessary optimism. Without it I fear there would be no drive to test these wild theories, and we have come so far in the twentieth century, with the verification of quantum theory and the existence of quarks, that we may be near the next leap.
In The Physics of the Impossible Michio Kaku continues his enthusiastic discussion of cutting edge science and theorizs how technology might continue to advance through the next few millenia and beyond, to the point of being able to manipulate everything in the universe. He discusses such topics as invisibility, teleportation, beam weapons, starships, time travel, and precognition.
Interestingly, while discussing technological means to reproduce psychic phenomema, he notes the ease with which scientists are fooled by magicians, just as Gardner has mentioned. The advancement of our technology with require fundamental leaps in acquiring energy and as we move to new levels we will be able to achieve more advancements that are currently deemed impossible. We may be at one of the most difficult points now. Discussing the transformation from a Type 0 to Type I civilization, Kaku remarks, "a Type 0 is still wracked with the sectarianism, fundamentalism, and racism that typified its rise, and it is not clear whether or not these tribal and religious passions will overwhelm the transition." "There will emerge a planetary language and culture. . . There are also forces that oppose this march to a planetary sytem. These are the terrorists who unconciously, instinctively, realize that the progression to a planetary civilization is one that will make tolerance and secular pluralism a centerpiece of their emerging culture, and this prospect is a threat to people who fell more comfortable living in the last millenium." I think his analysis here is very insightful, not only from a technology perspective, but in regards to the evolution of humanity in general.
Kaku really shines while discussing parallel universes. Here he divides them into three types: hyperspace, multiverse, and quantum parallel universes. But these distinctions seem unnecessary as types, if there is are multiple universes than they all must exist inthe multiverse. The only difference between the types is how they are formed and their relation to each other. Hyperspace suggests universes in a spatial dimension higher than the three we experience. All of the universes are possibly pre-existing as independent ones, stacked in 11-dimensional space. Kaku mentions the possibility of one googol universes predicted by string theory. But it is unclear if this is the number required to contain all possible parallel universes, or if it amounts to one googol possible types of universes (each with a unique set of physical properties and constants). Another explanation is that the universe splits. One theory, the Copenhagen School, is inseparable from conciousness. The state of the universe cannot be known until the wave function collapses. Since we are in the universe, we cannot make the external measurement. This implies a "'cosmic conciousness' pervading the universe," some type of god, which brings external difficulties into the theory. Another theory is that our universe has "decohered" from other universes, essentially our wave functions are on different frequencies that do not interact with other universe, like separate radio signals. The explaination here seems incomplete. This seems to indicate that all universes in the multiverse exist in the same physical space, rather than sheets of three-dimensional space hyper-stacked on each other. Only the "stuff" in these universes exist seperately because of decohered wave functions. I imagine this is the kind of parallel dimension illustrated in the Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web". This theory also doesn't explain what it means to exist in a multiple universe that has yet to decohere. It would imply that there is simply one universe and if decoherence happens, I suppose, certain things will just disappear, as they will be left in the original universe. What was one universe becomes two and we wouldn't notice much of anything unless we were able to retune to the orignal coherence wave. This leaves us in the same isolated condition as separate sheets of spacetime. The third category suggests that universes can be created out of a quantum flucuation of the vacuum, out of nothingness. Interestingly, noting the sum totals of properties of our universe in measurements of charge, spin or total matter-energy, the end result is always zero, suggesting a possible creation from nothing. Both decoherence and quantum flucuation seem to suggest different ways that a baby uiverse could form in an ever growing multiverse.
Finally, while discussing a possible "theory of everything" he notes the difficulty caused by Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. Mathematics is self-referential and "since the observer cannot be separated from the observation process, it means physics will always refer to itself, since we cannot leave the universe. In the final analysis, the observer is also made of atoms and molecules, and hence must be an integral part of the experiment he is performing." This means that any mathematics used in the development of the TOE must be carefully constructed to avoid self-reference.
I find Kaku's predictions highly optimistic, yet this is necessary optimism. Without it I fear there would be no drive to test these wild theories, and we have come so far in the twentieth century, with the verification of quantum theory and the existence of quarks, that we may be near the next leap.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Reverse Reaganomics
The latest poll about the Tea Party shows no surprises. For instance, most Tea Party members have above average income. This is not at all surprising given their obsession over materialism. Despite Fox News's attempt to make the poll look revealing and the "mainstream media" look insulting, the poll remains obvious. The real problem with the Tea Party is that it's built on a foundation of ignorance. They claim that the Tea Party is highly educated, but only 1/3rd have graduated from college. This doesn't seem "highly" educated to me. The Tea Party attempts to make themselves look smarter than they really are as they spread disinformation. They throw around terms like communist and socialist, without a real academic understanding of them. But these are great words as a scare tactic.
President Obama is far from a socialist. He has been denounced by the Socialist Party, and has been called Bush's third term. The main point here is that he is continuing the 20th century tradition of corporatism. He is continually supporting corporate America. There has been no attempt to overtake corporations, nationalize them and make them public for redistribution. The capitalist profit is not in danger. But, the mythical small-business loving captialism that conservatives love to dream about is simply not real, it was surpassed early in the twentieth century, being replaced by corporatism and supercapitalism. As these idealogies swung to the right of capitalism, we became even less socialist than in pre-World War I history when that party was much larger and more influential.
The only differences, economically, between Obama and his conservative predecessor are healthcare reform and tax cuts for the lower classes. Public healthcare is no more socialist than Social Securty or the Post Office. In fact, the current reform still relies on the private insurance industry, funneling money into that system, making it a purely capitalist system. Furthermore, public healthcare is actually less socialist than the current employer-based system. [1] The fact that Obama gets called vile names and compared to Hitler for attempting to expand a publlic service, one that is difficult for many to afford, is mind-boggling.
The Tea Party claims to be for smaller government and lower taxes. As for government, where was the party when the Republicans were handing out massive bailouts to the private sector? Nowhere. And now the polls show that Tea Partiers don't want cuts in Medicare or Social Security. They don't want "their" benefits cut. Clearly they really are not for smaller government. If they were, the best strategy would be to denounce corporatism, end corporate welfare, and realize that government exists to serve the people - through public services like healthcare.
Concerning taxes, they protest even though 95% of Americans received a tax cut under Obama. I suspect most Tea Party members fall into that category. For the Tea Party to protest increased taxes while their own have decreased only shows their distorted view of reailty. If the top 5% want to complain, that's fine. But they have brain-washed the lower classes into fighting their battle. The rich have never enjoyed as much prosperity as they have in the last thirty years. To stand as a prosperous country, we need a strong social system. And we have to pay for it. Being the richest country in history this should not be a problem. But, the wealthy have to pay their share. Even Adam Smith understood the need for progressive taxation. What Obama has done is reverse a little Reaganomics. When Reagan made the largest tax cuts on the rich in the 1980s, economic inequality began to widen immensely, and has continued to expand since. At best, Obama will be able to undo some of the damage.
I don't hear anyone calling Canada communist. Or Japan. Or England, or the rest of Europe. But even though those systems are more socialist, any attempt at advancement here prompts hysteria. When the Tea Party gets useless airheads like Victoria Jackson to call Obama a communist it is not only ignorant, but blatantly deceptive. And then, when the media propagates these terms in defense of the Tea Party, the result is beyond bad journailsm, it is plain lying.
It seems that countries are like people, with older ones exhibiting more maturity. In Europe this maturity manifests as attempts to improve their public service and soften economic inequality. Meanwhile, America acts young, loud and arrogant, without trying to improve. As history continues, the human race matures and we find that we have better means to provide a society that is morally and practically necessary. We should not be afraid of trying new and better ways to improve society. Conservatives should embrace American ingenuity and have faith that we can do things better than others. We could make a public health system that is uniquely American and better than any socialist one. But we can't achieve that level of thinking while manevolent manipulators are dividing the country by deceiving the American public.
[1] See Supercapitalism, Robert Reich, for an explanation of non-taxed employer benefits as publicly funded redistribution. This is something I will return to in the future.
President Obama is far from a socialist. He has been denounced by the Socialist Party, and has been called Bush's third term. The main point here is that he is continuing the 20th century tradition of corporatism. He is continually supporting corporate America. There has been no attempt to overtake corporations, nationalize them and make them public for redistribution. The capitalist profit is not in danger. But, the mythical small-business loving captialism that conservatives love to dream about is simply not real, it was surpassed early in the twentieth century, being replaced by corporatism and supercapitalism. As these idealogies swung to the right of capitalism, we became even less socialist than in pre-World War I history when that party was much larger and more influential.
The only differences, economically, between Obama and his conservative predecessor are healthcare reform and tax cuts for the lower classes. Public healthcare is no more socialist than Social Securty or the Post Office. In fact, the current reform still relies on the private insurance industry, funneling money into that system, making it a purely capitalist system. Furthermore, public healthcare is actually less socialist than the current employer-based system. [1] The fact that Obama gets called vile names and compared to Hitler for attempting to expand a publlic service, one that is difficult for many to afford, is mind-boggling.
The Tea Party claims to be for smaller government and lower taxes. As for government, where was the party when the Republicans were handing out massive bailouts to the private sector? Nowhere. And now the polls show that Tea Partiers don't want cuts in Medicare or Social Security. They don't want "their" benefits cut. Clearly they really are not for smaller government. If they were, the best strategy would be to denounce corporatism, end corporate welfare, and realize that government exists to serve the people - through public services like healthcare.
Concerning taxes, they protest even though 95% of Americans received a tax cut under Obama. I suspect most Tea Party members fall into that category. For the Tea Party to protest increased taxes while their own have decreased only shows their distorted view of reailty. If the top 5% want to complain, that's fine. But they have brain-washed the lower classes into fighting their battle. The rich have never enjoyed as much prosperity as they have in the last thirty years. To stand as a prosperous country, we need a strong social system. And we have to pay for it. Being the richest country in history this should not be a problem. But, the wealthy have to pay their share. Even Adam Smith understood the need for progressive taxation. What Obama has done is reverse a little Reaganomics. When Reagan made the largest tax cuts on the rich in the 1980s, economic inequality began to widen immensely, and has continued to expand since. At best, Obama will be able to undo some of the damage.
I don't hear anyone calling Canada communist. Or Japan. Or England, or the rest of Europe. But even though those systems are more socialist, any attempt at advancement here prompts hysteria. When the Tea Party gets useless airheads like Victoria Jackson to call Obama a communist it is not only ignorant, but blatantly deceptive. And then, when the media propagates these terms in defense of the Tea Party, the result is beyond bad journailsm, it is plain lying.
It seems that countries are like people, with older ones exhibiting more maturity. In Europe this maturity manifests as attempts to improve their public service and soften economic inequality. Meanwhile, America acts young, loud and arrogant, without trying to improve. As history continues, the human race matures and we find that we have better means to provide a society that is morally and practically necessary. We should not be afraid of trying new and better ways to improve society. Conservatives should embrace American ingenuity and have faith that we can do things better than others. We could make a public health system that is uniquely American and better than any socialist one. But we can't achieve that level of thinking while manevolent manipulators are dividing the country by deceiving the American public.
[1] See Supercapitalism, Robert Reich, for an explanation of non-taxed employer benefits as publicly funded redistribution. This is something I will return to in the future.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Episode 0
I have to take a minute and recommend the film reviews at redlettermedia.com. So far I've only got through the 70 minute review of Star Wars The Phantom Menace, and it's absolutely brilliant. It's far more enjoyable than watching the film itself, and elucidates many of the thoughts, complaints and confusions I have about that film. After sixteen years of intense waiting, The Phantom Menace was a kick in the crotch from George Lucas. I believe it should really be relegated to being Episode 0, and we should get a free replacement made for our wait, troubles and disappointment. Jar Jar is punishment enough, with Lucas's response being that it is a film aimed at children. If that's true, then why the hell does the plot revolve around some obfuscated story about trade routes and taxation? I've been to college and I can't understand what the hell it's about. Anyway, if you are as frustrated as me then check out these reviews.
Monday, April 12, 2010
How to Read Literature Like A Professor
Last Book Read: How to Read Literature Like A Professor - Thomas Foster
This book is a good read about reading. While not revealing anything too earth-shattering, it does provide a good insight into the process of reading and story construction. Foster emphasizes how each work of literature is part of the meta-story of humanity. He shows the relevance of the obvious literary allusions to classical mythology, Shakespeare and the Bible. The collection of myth is highly relevant to all of humanity, it is "a body of story that matters." "It is the ability of story to explain ourselves to ourselves in ways that physics, philosophy, mathematics, chemistry - all very highly useful and informative in their own right - can't." Foster points out Egyptian writing that complains that everything has already been written, "that papyrus describing the postmodern condition is forty-five hundred years old." So while everything is reused and retold, there is a collective wealth of meaning that is accessed by common symbolism and metaphor. These pre-defined patterns can be used to efficiently place a story on a determined path, without reinventing all of human history and share understanding. Foster discusses many of these common and cliche ideas: weather, seasons, sex, illness, geography, etc, while ignoring others, as a comprehensive attempt would be immense. Written in a conversational tone, this book is not a referential text, but it makes an easy and enjoyable read.
This book is a good read about reading. While not revealing anything too earth-shattering, it does provide a good insight into the process of reading and story construction. Foster emphasizes how each work of literature is part of the meta-story of humanity. He shows the relevance of the obvious literary allusions to classical mythology, Shakespeare and the Bible. The collection of myth is highly relevant to all of humanity, it is "a body of story that matters." "It is the ability of story to explain ourselves to ourselves in ways that physics, philosophy, mathematics, chemistry - all very highly useful and informative in their own right - can't." Foster points out Egyptian writing that complains that everything has already been written, "that papyrus describing the postmodern condition is forty-five hundred years old." So while everything is reused and retold, there is a collective wealth of meaning that is accessed by common symbolism and metaphor. These pre-defined patterns can be used to efficiently place a story on a determined path, without reinventing all of human history and share understanding. Foster discusses many of these common and cliche ideas: weather, seasons, sex, illness, geography, etc, while ignoring others, as a comprehensive attempt would be immense. Written in a conversational tone, this book is not a referential text, but it makes an easy and enjoyable read.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Safety Dance
Political celebrity/imbecile Sarah Palin has attacked President Obama's latest Nuclear Posture review, claiming "we miss Ronald Reagan." Ignoring the fact that Reagan almost got us all killed, he was the first president to advocate the abolishment of nuclear weapons. His goal was to meet with Gorbachev by 1996 and dismantel the final remaining weapons in each nuclear arsenal. Now, Obama is only the second president to advocate the complete abolishment of nuclear weapons. Therefore, as far as nuclear ideology goes, he is directly in line with Reagan. So, once again Sarah Palin reveals her ignorance and her lack of political and historic understanding. As for the new START treaty, there is little reason to criticize Obama. The 1500 warhead limit still provides far more WMD firepower than we need. A massive nuclear arsenal in a post-Cold War is beyond absurd and a necessary element of final completion of that conflict is the reduction of a complete strategic stockpile [1]. This 1500 limit is similar to what would have been the START III treaty in the 1990s, had it been ratified and not discarded by the Bush administration. What this new treaty does is just catch us up to 1990 levels, and we are still 10 years behind in reductions. The neo-con reactions can only indicate their warmonger intentions and their continued wish for a U.S-dominated armageddon.
For more, I turn to commentator extraordinaire Jon Stewart:
[1] I would not push for complete nuclear disarmament in an increasingly chaotic world with renegade countries developing WMDs. As Carl Sagan stated while discussing nuclear war: a few nuclear weapons make you safer than none.
For more, I turn to commentator extraordinaire Jon Stewart:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Big Bang Treaty | ||||
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[1] I would not push for complete nuclear disarmament in an increasingly chaotic world with renegade countries developing WMDs. As Carl Sagan stated while discussing nuclear war: a few nuclear weapons make you safer than none.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
De revolutionibus
While searching for information about John Gardner, I came across a suprisingly high number of websites denouncing postmodernism. These were mostly church and religious sites, and some academic ones (with educators that have some personal interest in religious evangelicalism). These sites give lists of resources about the dangers of postmodernism (like the works of Sire, whom I've mentioned before). Some of the resistance is probably due to multiculturalism and relativism, although the first is an inevitable fact of globalism and the latter is just one response. But, they totally miss the point. This is like lecturing about the dangers of a sky that is blue. Postmodernism is a description of the contemporary world, it is not a prescriptive philosophy. If there has been a theory proposed from it that is complete and coherent, I am not aware of it. [1] This is an exact repeat of what happened when the Sun was found to be at the center of the Solar System. The Church and traditional thinkers denied the facts of heliocentrism. I can imagine similar arguments circa 1600 denouncing the dangers of modernism. Now, it would be silly to argue against the dangers of science (although some do, and they are doubly lost). Postmodernism describes the current understanding of existence.[2] It serves no purpose to argue against it.
Modernist art and literature, reaching its apex in the mid twentieth century, mourned the loss of traditional understanding, and uncovered the discontinuity and fragmentation of reality. This sense of loss was the same as experienced by the existentialists. They hoped for a foundation of absolute meaning, but knew that there could not be one. These inevitable results of modernism were already predicted by Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Underlying nihilism would be the outcome of progress and deeper understandings of the world. But, that doesn't mean we can stop progress, we must deal with it. Overcome it. This is what the existentialists did. Camus went in his own direction with absurdism, welcoming the inevitable alienation and celebrating experience in the moment. Similarly, postmodernism celebrates fragmentation. A number of postmodern commentators have picked up on this "living for the moment." That might be a superficial response. But, it doesn't have to be hedonistic. Even Camus had deep reasons for advocating life in the moment for his "barbarian gods." This is one track we can take, but there are always more. One is already waiting. Existentialism is a pre-anticipated modernist solution to the problem of postmodernism. Contemporary religious leaders might be wise to turn to Kierkegaard, rather than deny reality. [3]
[1] Deconstructionism is just an overly complicated jargon-filled method of literary analysis, and Foucault's philosophy seems to me to be fairly incomplete as anything useful.
[2] Historically, I would argue that the postmodern age started in 1991.
[3] I realize that the term "reality" is dicey in this situation, given hyperreality, etc, but I use this in the common traditional sense.
Modernist art and literature, reaching its apex in the mid twentieth century, mourned the loss of traditional understanding, and uncovered the discontinuity and fragmentation of reality. This sense of loss was the same as experienced by the existentialists. They hoped for a foundation of absolute meaning, but knew that there could not be one. These inevitable results of modernism were already predicted by Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Underlying nihilism would be the outcome of progress and deeper understandings of the world. But, that doesn't mean we can stop progress, we must deal with it. Overcome it. This is what the existentialists did. Camus went in his own direction with absurdism, welcoming the inevitable alienation and celebrating experience in the moment. Similarly, postmodernism celebrates fragmentation. A number of postmodern commentators have picked up on this "living for the moment." That might be a superficial response. But, it doesn't have to be hedonistic. Even Camus had deep reasons for advocating life in the moment for his "barbarian gods." This is one track we can take, but there are always more. One is already waiting. Existentialism is a pre-anticipated modernist solution to the problem of postmodernism. Contemporary religious leaders might be wise to turn to Kierkegaard, rather than deny reality. [3]
[1] Deconstructionism is just an overly complicated jargon-filled method of literary analysis, and Foucault's philosophy seems to me to be fairly incomplete as anything useful.
[2] Historically, I would argue that the postmodern age started in 1991.
[3] I realize that the term "reality" is dicey in this situation, given hyperreality, etc, but I use this in the common traditional sense.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Are Universes Thicker than Blackberries?
Last Book Read - Are Universes Thicker than Blackberries? - Martin Gardner
In this book the prolific Martin Gardner offers a collection of writings on science, mathematics, religion, literature and the paranormal. This work is much less cohesive than his previous books. It's really more of a random collection - something like what his blog would be like, I would guess. The scope of the book is much more general, and the subjects are discussed far too narrowly, resulting in a lack of the dense insights found in Gardner's usual work, hence I have few comments to make.
The title chapter quickly dismisses the possibility of alternate universes, using Occam's razor. This subject, while begging for further exposition, is never returned to in this book. Moving through the section on science, one issue I find with Gardner is his view of postmodernism. Here he refers to the views of postmodernists as "crazy", held by "professors of literature who know almost nothing about science." I think these remarks show a superficiality, and an examination of Einstein and Heisenberg could reveal the foundations of a postmodern science. Furthermore, works like The Postmodern Turn show the progress of science in the postmodern age.
Moving on to religion, while discussing false messiahs, Gardner makes some interesting points about liberal christians who take the Second Advent as a symbol of gradual progress in the world, not a literal second coming. This point is highly relevant to the socio-political controversies of 2010 and something all churches would be wise to consider.
The section on literature mostly deals with very obscure works, many long out-of-print novels, and some poetry, the meaning of which I can't grasp. The most profound ideas are in terms of one of Gardner's favorite authors - G.K. Chesterton. While discussing Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, Gardner presents intersting points about the problem of evil. Natural evil, being less explainable than human evil can only be blamed on God. This presents a problem for the theist. Here, Gardner, borrowing from Henry James, points out the difference between life (as individually experienced) and merely existing. He continues discussing one of his favorite topics, the mysterium tremendum. Illustrated in terms from Chesterton, nature must be viewed "as the back of reality", the front being unobservable to us. Through horror "we pay for the mysterious gift of free will."
The final section, concerning the paranormal seems out of place in this collection and would probably have been better as a seperate volume. Although mildly interesting, most of the topics here are too specific to be deeply engrossing. As a magician and debunker of the paranormal, the most interesting element here is Gardner's analysis of investigating magicians. He discusses why scientists are the easiest persons to fool - because they think too logically. The only true investigation of psi activity, Gardner argues, can only be done by another magician.
While an entertaining read, the core of Gardner's thought is much better presented and expounded in works like Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener.
In this book the prolific Martin Gardner offers a collection of writings on science, mathematics, religion, literature and the paranormal. This work is much less cohesive than his previous books. It's really more of a random collection - something like what his blog would be like, I would guess. The scope of the book is much more general, and the subjects are discussed far too narrowly, resulting in a lack of the dense insights found in Gardner's usual work, hence I have few comments to make.
The title chapter quickly dismisses the possibility of alternate universes, using Occam's razor. This subject, while begging for further exposition, is never returned to in this book. Moving through the section on science, one issue I find with Gardner is his view of postmodernism. Here he refers to the views of postmodernists as "crazy", held by "professors of literature who know almost nothing about science." I think these remarks show a superficiality, and an examination of Einstein and Heisenberg could reveal the foundations of a postmodern science. Furthermore, works like The Postmodern Turn show the progress of science in the postmodern age.
Moving on to religion, while discussing false messiahs, Gardner makes some interesting points about liberal christians who take the Second Advent as a symbol of gradual progress in the world, not a literal second coming. This point is highly relevant to the socio-political controversies of 2010 and something all churches would be wise to consider.
The section on literature mostly deals with very obscure works, many long out-of-print novels, and some poetry, the meaning of which I can't grasp. The most profound ideas are in terms of one of Gardner's favorite authors - G.K. Chesterton. While discussing Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, Gardner presents intersting points about the problem of evil. Natural evil, being less explainable than human evil can only be blamed on God. This presents a problem for the theist. Here, Gardner, borrowing from Henry James, points out the difference between life (as individually experienced) and merely existing. He continues discussing one of his favorite topics, the mysterium tremendum. Illustrated in terms from Chesterton, nature must be viewed "as the back of reality", the front being unobservable to us. Through horror "we pay for the mysterious gift of free will."
The final section, concerning the paranormal seems out of place in this collection and would probably have been better as a seperate volume. Although mildly interesting, most of the topics here are too specific to be deeply engrossing. As a magician and debunker of the paranormal, the most interesting element here is Gardner's analysis of investigating magicians. He discusses why scientists are the easiest persons to fool - because they think too logically. The only true investigation of psi activity, Gardner argues, can only be done by another magician.
While an entertaining read, the core of Gardner's thought is much better presented and expounded in works like Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Something the Boy Said
As Lost moves into it endgame, we can now see the adventure accelerating. So far this season we have seen serene, picturesque locales that are reminiscent of the quest in Myst [1]. But, now we see the battle between good and evil erupt into an engagement between two individual powers and the prophecized results are beginning to have catastrophic ramifications to individuals, past, present and future. I expect that the overly literal explanation of a Christ / Satan conflict is far too obvious to be the fundamental narrative. Although, we have seen one individual in Christ-like performances, and the other has been labeled the "incarnation of evil". Perhaps more significant to the nature of the show are the sci-fi overtones. There is a definite Star Wars theme, as acknowledge by the "Obi-Wan" reference. But the candidate/recruit element also reflects to the Jedi/ Sith conflict, where individuals carry on a tradition of a cold war-like conflict, ready to oppose the other, bringing "balance" to the force. Furthermore, the Sith rule of two, or "there can only be two" may have some kind bearing on these individual forces that control the island. Also present is a Highlander quality, involving immortals intent on killing each other. Soon we will know if "there can only be one" will apply here, with one individual becoming triumphant.
[1] The Myst reference was something that was also picked up by many others in various forums at the same time it occurred to me, after the lighthouse (as well as the cave) appeared.
[1] The Myst reference was something that was also picked up by many others in various forums at the same time it occurred to me, after the lighthouse (as well as the cave) appeared.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Intelligence is a Disorder
This is the only conclusion that can be reasonably deduced, as many online discussions have recently accused liberals of having a mental disorder. But these accusers are only capable of repeating this "clever" line without delivering any substance (similar to the one-trick charlatans like Levin and Beck). It is the vacuous thought process of a group of people who have not proposed ANY alternate solutions to anything. Their only mantra is" free market this blah blah and free market that blah blah". Nevermind that the free market is what got us into this current mess (that and a little help from Bushco). Since liberals are the only ones attempting to provide rational solutions and not stick solely to name calling, I can only surmise that if they do have a mental defect, it is known as intelligence.
This weekend I saw Sarah Palin whining at the Teabagger convention about the left-leaning mainstream media - that is the media that presented her trite presentation on at least six different networks. That may be a prime example of irony. This was a convention of 600 people, but by their attitude you would think they are two-thirds of America. Why is the media even covering a six-hundred person event? Amusingly, Sarah Palin continues to provide new levels of retardation to her fellow conservatives. She defends Limbaugh's use of "retard" because it was a satirical use of the word (obviously her understanding of satire is severely retarded, but then this is a person that had to read her hand.) To be clear here, Sarah Palin is fucking retarded.
Palin’s Increasingly Casual Falsehoods
The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin XXXVII: Limbaugh, Emanuel and "Retards"
"And now she is to be exclusively "interviewed" by Fox News which now employs her. And that will be her only venue for scrutiny, apart from Limbaugh, Levin, Beck et al., even as she runs for president. And because she is no longer an elected politician, this game will go on and on. And eventually the lies will become the truth."
This is exactly the neo-conservative method: repeat lies over and over (like "liberal" media) until people believe it as the truth (even though in reality the media gives Palin a pass on everything and never subjects her to any scrutiny).
But, if Palin is the kind of company conservatives wish to stand behind, then that speaks volumes about conservative anti-intellectualism. Interestingly, the Tea Party was supposed to be a break by true fiscal conservatives from the Republican theocrats, but now seems to be the batshiat crazy wing of the conservatives, rather than the thoughtful problem-solving ones. It seems their aim is simply to shift the field so far that Republicans look like crazy left-wingers.
Conversely, Jon Stewart may be the smartest person in the American public. He at least knows what a narrative is, and is able to easily and articulately defend criticism. He should win an award for getting O'Reilly to shut up. Furthermore, his criticism of Obama being too friendly and cooperative is spot on.
Please note that any name calling in this post is purely Palinian satire.
This weekend I saw Sarah Palin whining at the Teabagger convention about the left-leaning mainstream media - that is the media that presented her trite presentation on at least six different networks. That may be a prime example of irony. This was a convention of 600 people, but by their attitude you would think they are two-thirds of America. Why is the media even covering a six-hundred person event? Amusingly, Sarah Palin continues to provide new levels of retardation to her fellow conservatives. She defends Limbaugh's use of "retard" because it was a satirical use of the word (obviously her understanding of satire is severely retarded, but then this is a person that had to read her hand.) To be clear here, Sarah Palin is fucking retarded.
Palin’s Increasingly Casual Falsehoods
The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin XXXVII: Limbaugh, Emanuel and "Retards"
"And now she is to be exclusively "interviewed" by Fox News which now employs her. And that will be her only venue for scrutiny, apart from Limbaugh, Levin, Beck et al., even as she runs for president. And because she is no longer an elected politician, this game will go on and on. And eventually the lies will become the truth."
This is exactly the neo-conservative method: repeat lies over and over (like "liberal" media) until people believe it as the truth (even though in reality the media gives Palin a pass on everything and never subjects her to any scrutiny).
But, if Palin is the kind of company conservatives wish to stand behind, then that speaks volumes about conservative anti-intellectualism. Interestingly, the Tea Party was supposed to be a break by true fiscal conservatives from the Republican theocrats, but now seems to be the batshiat crazy wing of the conservatives, rather than the thoughtful problem-solving ones. It seems their aim is simply to shift the field so far that Republicans look like crazy left-wingers.
Conversely, Jon Stewart may be the smartest person in the American public. He at least knows what a narrative is, and is able to easily and articulately defend criticism. He should win an award for getting O'Reilly to shut up. Furthermore, his criticism of Obama being too friendly and cooperative is spot on.
Please note that any name calling in this post is purely Palinian satire.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Apple and the Cloud at the Dawn of Cyber-Punk World
In what seems like a fitting first post for 2010, Apple's announced its long anticipated tablet - the iPad. What has surprised me most is the amount of negative reception. Some of the criticism is accurate. The name, for starters, is terrible, but I won't go into why. But, I am less concerned by the software limitations or its "lack" of usefullness. This is exactly the device I have been waiting for - a laptop replacement. And by this, I don't mean a device that can replicate all of the functions of a laptop. What is needed is a truly portable computer for connectivity to the cloud, leaving full PC activities to Pcs. As laptops have become desktop replacements they have become less portable, leaving netbooks to fill this category. But netbooks seem rather useless to me, lacking the usability of a laptop without gaining much advantage. The optical drives are gone, but the bulky and unnecessary keyboard remains. As does the full operating system, along with its ridiculous boot up time. In these respects, the iPad provides the solution.
At the other end of the spectrum, the argument goes, smart phones fill the need. I don't think so. Besides having the opinion that I prefer a phone to be just a phone (and I loathe AT&T), I'm not going to read a book or browse on a phone screen. I don't want one device that does everything. I want as many devices as are necessary to perform their respective functions the best. The iPad solution begins by replacing the Ebook reader, and adds picture viewing and web browsing. Since I don't need a laptop for full productivity, this eliminates two devices for me.
As for hardware, I am most surprised by the complaints about a lack of a camera. Does everything really need a camera? I don't want it. At most I want two cameras - one that takes good high-end photos and one I can carry easily for everyday shots. The best criticisms of the iPad do address its lack of drive connectivity. It doesn't have a media card connector or a USB connector for flash drives. This would pride much more flexibility for accessing photos and ebooks and would eliminate limitations with the internal flash memory. There is a camera connection kit available, providing USB and SD connections. Hopefully this will work with any devices of those types. The other major problem is the lack of Wi-Fi syncing. The iPad must be connected (by USB) to the host computer and files must be synced through Tunes like the Pod. This also reduces functionality. It would be much easier to access shared files through the Wi-Fi connection, like any computer can do.
But, it's early in this game and just as the first iPod had its problems, so will the iPad. I'm sure the 2nd Gen will be much more useful and address the actual problems. Apple may be a fashion-driven luxury item designer, being over-priced and over-rated. But, they are good at what they do. They produce items that are well received and integrated by consumers and reach the status of icons. If anybody can introduce a new class of technology into the Zeitgeist, it is Apple.
More importantly, the iPad shows that we are finally advancing in our relationship with technology. Computers are no longer boxes in the corner of the room, and now they're not boxes we have to lug around with us. They have become integrated into the very fabric of our lives and everything we do. We have invested so much into extending our lives into "The Cloud" through social networking as well as online information such as Google Docs and Notebook. We have reached the door to the world of Cyber-Punk,but next we must enter it by making a fundamental leap to a new paradigm. All that we need to do this is a good interface - something that is always with us and not an inconvenience or an out-of-place intrusion. The iPad seems to me to be the beginning of this digital future.
At the other end of the spectrum, the argument goes, smart phones fill the need. I don't think so. Besides having the opinion that I prefer a phone to be just a phone (and I loathe AT&T), I'm not going to read a book or browse on a phone screen. I don't want one device that does everything. I want as many devices as are necessary to perform their respective functions the best. The iPad solution begins by replacing the Ebook reader, and adds picture viewing and web browsing. Since I don't need a laptop for full productivity, this eliminates two devices for me.
As for hardware, I am most surprised by the complaints about a lack of a camera. Does everything really need a camera? I don't want it. At most I want two cameras - one that takes good high-end photos and one I can carry easily for everyday shots. The best criticisms of the iPad do address its lack of drive connectivity. It doesn't have a media card connector or a USB connector for flash drives. This would pride much more flexibility for accessing photos and ebooks and would eliminate limitations with the internal flash memory. There is a camera connection kit available, providing USB and SD connections. Hopefully this will work with any devices of those types. The other major problem is the lack of Wi-Fi syncing. The iPad must be connected (by USB) to the host computer and files must be synced through Tunes like the Pod. This also reduces functionality. It would be much easier to access shared files through the Wi-Fi connection, like any computer can do.
But, it's early in this game and just as the first iPod had its problems, so will the iPad. I'm sure the 2nd Gen will be much more useful and address the actual problems. Apple may be a fashion-driven luxury item designer, being over-priced and over-rated. But, they are good at what they do. They produce items that are well received and integrated by consumers and reach the status of icons. If anybody can introduce a new class of technology into the Zeitgeist, it is Apple.
More importantly, the iPad shows that we are finally advancing in our relationship with technology. Computers are no longer boxes in the corner of the room, and now they're not boxes we have to lug around with us. They have become integrated into the very fabric of our lives and everything we do. We have invested so much into extending our lives into "The Cloud" through social networking as well as online information such as Google Docs and Notebook. We have reached the door to the world of Cyber-Punk,but next we must enter it by making a fundamental leap to a new paradigm. All that we need to do this is a good interface - something that is always with us and not an inconvenience or an out-of-place intrusion. The iPad seems to me to be the beginning of this digital future.
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