https://vimeo.com/22053820 I was reminded of this talk recently. Thought it was worth adding since the advice is timeless, even though it is relatively old. The only thing I don't like is the use of the word, "fuck," and the cutesy obscured spelling of it. Here's an idea, if the word "fuck," is inappropriate, don't use … Continue reading F*ck [Fuck] you. Pay me.
Category: writing
Amazon & The Cultural Landscape of Books
The small print publisher 404 Ink's discussion of their finances, particularly the portion on the cost to small press publishers to have their books sold via Amazon, is a bit of an eye-opener. On some level, I was aware that the discounts that Amazon is able to offer on books had to be squeezed from … Continue reading Amazon & The Cultural Landscape of Books
Silurian Stories
I have a idea for a series of stories exploring the Silurian Hypothesis as recurrent history, where we discover previous industrial civilizations on earth, and are in turn discovered by the industrial civilization after ours, possibly after some minor colonization of the solar system but where climate change catastrophe cuts the sustainability of human settlements … Continue reading Silurian Stories
Son of Man, The Second Coming of Christ
Rough sketch of a story idea: Androids have taken over construction. They form construction families with specialized roles: Foreman, Support, Block & Tackle, Cut & Finisher, etc. They use 3D printers to print large sections of buildings, then they move and assemble them. As embodied generalized artificial intelligences, each must periodically run their processors at … Continue reading Son of Man, The Second Coming of Christ
Buddhist Android
"Ogawa says an android deity isn’t a normal experience for the Japanese and is still an alien concept. But Japanese people don’t carry stereotypical thinking when it comes to robots and don’t hold any prejudices. 'They just think 'oh, what’s happened here' and then just accept it,' he laughs." —Thisanka Siripala, "An Ancient Japanese Shrine … Continue reading Buddhist Android
The Shaggy, Sharp-Toothed Thing With Thin Skin
"'As a concept,' Wang writes, 'the schizophrenias encompass a range of psychotic disorders, and it is a genus that I choose to identify with as a woman whose diagnosis is unfamiliar to most — the shaggy, sharp-toothed thing, and not the wolf... ...'the liminal' as a space in which 'thin-skinned' individuals — those who 'have … Continue reading The Shaggy, Sharp-Toothed Thing With Thin Skin
PEDAL on Vimeo
The Spirit of Good Will
I was reading How to Think by Alan Jacobs, and he makes this really insightful comment: "Genuine community is open to questioning from people of good will." He makes a distinction between cliques and in-groups, where conforming to certain ideas are the condition for acceptance, and genuine community, where the communities are open to dialogue … Continue reading The Spirit of Good Will
The House Democrats’ “Rebuke” of Rep. Ilhan Omar is a Fraud For Many Reasons
It is, for instance, beyond dispute that what Omar is saying is true given that the very first bill passed by the U.S. Senate this year was one that allowed punishment for American citizens who boycott Israel, while U.S. citizens in 26 states are formally punished for boycotting this foreign nation, as we reported last month … Continue reading The House Democrats’ “Rebuke” of Rep. Ilhan Omar is a Fraud For Many Reasons
The Decline of Fox News & Trump TV
The amazing thing is how pervasive Fox—this niche, tabloid-style news network—is in American life. It's in fast food restaurants. It's playing in hotel lobbies. I keep seeing it in public spaces, seemingly everywhere. A common scenario is you walk into a space, say a hotel breakfast area, and there will be some old white dude(s) … Continue reading The Decline of Fox News & Trump TV
The Fox News Ringmaster
"'Trump gets great ratings, but if you’re not careful he’s going to end up totally controlling Fox News.'... ...Murdoch didn’t invent Trump, but he invented the audience. Murdoch was going to make a Trump exist. Then Trump comes along, sees all these people, and says, 'I’ll be the ringmaster in your circus!'" ...“Fox’s great insight … Continue reading The Fox News Ringmaster
Two Computing Revolutions, Exhibit R: Manipulating & Visualizing MASIE Sea Ice Data
Back in April 2018, I mentioned the idea of two computing revolutions: "There are two computer revolutions. One revolution is trying to abstract out the technology and present people with an easy, touch interface to accomplish specific tasks. Using your phone to take a picture, send a text message, post to social media, play YouTube … Continue reading Two Computing Revolutions, Exhibit R: Manipulating & Visualizing MASIE Sea Ice Data
Unauthorized Views Are Punished With Incomprehension
I'm completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly.
Dunbar Numbers, Relationships & Magic
"Humanity will have to extricate itself from these bags created by false moralists, according to whom we taste happiness and then pass judgment on it as if it were a piece of fruit. But I maintain that even for a piece of fruit we can do something to help it taste good. This is even … Continue reading Dunbar Numbers, Relationships & Magic
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