September 2005 Archives
I know I'm probably late to the Malcolm Gladwell bandwagon, but I finished 'The Tipping Point' recently, and am in the middle of 'Blink', and this guy has a highly-tuned sense of perception. He's a writer for the New Yorker, and has written these amazingly perceptive and insightful and well researched books about the underworkings of processes we hardly understand if not totally misunderstand. I'm just having a complete blast with 'Blink' -- for once, someone gives a rational analysis of the effects and importance of 'intuition', or as he puts it 'thin slicing' -- not a mystical power, but a normal functioning of the human brain that we should learn both to rely upon more than we do, and be more wary of.
The basic idea is that we have two different brains that work simultaneously, the thinking rational brain, and the preconscious rapid-response brain, and each has their particular strengths and weaknesses. Gladwell gives us example after example of how this mechanism works, and how research bears out that more information is not always good (and can even be harmful) to rapid decision making, and how much of our ideas and insight heavily depends on the pre-conscious actions of our brain.
It's late, I'm tired, and I cannot do it justice, but if you're looking for an awesome book to read that will blow your mind, go get Blink.
Spent the day out in Casa De Fruita, south of Gilroy with the family. It's always surreal to visit the Renaissance Faire, because it's a lot like visiting your home town once you've moved away. A lot of faces change, some stay the same. You hook up with people you know from the good ol' days, and you're hit with that wave of nostalgia and disorientation that leaves you wondering what your relationship is to the whole experience.
Eli had a great time today, and that's what it's all about to me anyhow. He spent hours at the pistolbow booth, where he shot mini hand crossbows at barbie dolls dressed up like witches, snakes, ghosts, rats and other creepy monster type things inhabiting a 4-foot tall castle. They dubbed him a 'triple captain' and a 'master of archery'. He loved it. We also went to the tourney and watched the jousting match, which was great because it was basically real, and other than just a bit of choreography, these guys were really tilting with real lances (not those cheap break-away kind).
I had my perquisite beer and turkey leg, and got a few new stars to add to my sun necklace to commemorate my two boys. So, I'm happy :).
The drive down and the drive home were brutal, however. I didn't get home until 10:30 PM. If I had any illusions whatsoever of joining back up with that mad mad pastime, the drive pretty much killed it. But, it's good to visit from time to time. Nothing like a bunch of folks reenacting a weekend from 430 years ago.
"Let's just hope the vote doesn't kill my buzz."
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
It's been an interesting day celebrating Old Bilbo Baggins' birthday -- it started with an impromptu performance in the space between the library and the IT building, near the cafe of a little person ('dwarf' is no longer PC, but I prefer it as a term) with tribal tats all over his arms and body... playing the didgeridoo... for like a half-hour. It was surreal, to say the least.
Then I rushed home to take one of my little people (Eli) out to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory while it was still in the movie theaters, and in it were of course Oompa Loompas. They were weird and tiny and freaked me out -- not real-sized small-person actors, but one digitally reduced and reproduced actor for all the oompa loompas. Totally freaky, and not convincing.
I don't want to spoil the film for those who haven't seen it, but my general take on the film was 'meh' -- qualified with the following response. The cinematography and art direction were superb. The script was weak, and the direction was a bit off -- no one seemed to be acting natural at all, but were instead surreal characters playing out a emotionally muted pantomime of the first movie's characters. I found this latest version of the masterpiece somewhat lacking, as beautiful as it was. Depp was great in his role, and really turned the character from the avuncular i-know-something-you-don't know figure that Gene Wilder created into a closeted and unpredictable shut-in with serious sociopathic tendencies. Depp scared me, but in a good way. The movie wrapped up nicely, but in the end left something to be desired.
Okay, I'm tired, it's 2am and I'm going to be expected to get up with the kids tomorrow morning. ttfn.
Eli (while momma is reading him a Scooby Doo comic book):
"Momma, can you pause that?"
(Juris) Doctor Robert(s), you’re a new and better man,
He helps you to understand,
He does ev’rything he can, (Juris) Doctor Robert(s).
I've been listening to the confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts for the position of chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, and it's very interesting to me. The position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is one of the most important jobs in the US Government, and because Roberts is so young (50), he's likely to be in the job for at least 35 years, on average. So, respectably, everyone is taking this very very seriously. I do not believe that anyone is in doubt that John Roberts is very likely the most intelligent, best researched and most highly skilled man to come before review for this position. What appears to be in question, is Judge Roberts' moral stance, and how or whether his particular ethical responses would affect his judgments on the Supreme Court.
He's been on stage and had the lights and questions pointed at him for the last three days, and while I am not by any means a professional political analyst, I am getting a very positive feeling about him, which most likely differs from many of my more liberal friends. I guess, this is where I show myself to be more conservative in the literal sense, but I really like what I've heard from Roberts' own mouth about his commitment to the rule of law, and to doing his job and nothing outside of the definition of his job. Many on the right are trying to get to the moral core of Roberts and find out what he believes is right and wrong, with the assumption that on the basis of his sense of personal justice, these opinions would determine the outcome of his decisions in the court. I think that this is a sensible concern, and I've been happy that these questions are being asked. Nonetheless, I am really liking what I'm hearing from Judge Roberts, though it's not what the Democratic Senators are trying to get out of him. I like what I'm hearing, mostly because it's his response not just to the Dems, but also the Reps. on issues of moral opinion. Some might say that he's avoiding and evading placing any personal judgement out, but to me he's holding to his highest level of moral dedication -- that of allowing the rule of law to be his guide, and to not be persuaded by personal opinion in his decision making -- to be as objective as personally able. While in an ideal world where the Democrats own the house, senate and presidency I might hope for a liberal activist Chief Justice, that's not the world we live in. We live in a world where the Republicans own the game, and will more than likely be able to push through any positions, appointments or legislation they wish. We should be overjoyed, thrilled that they've given us a candidate whose highest ethical position is to be objective and to leave lawmaking to the legislature. Really, this is a boon -- we're being given someone... objective and impartial... (if we can believe him at his word) to lead the court whose job it is to be impartial and objective, and to interpret the intentions of the constitution and the laws of this country. The argument against Roberts is that he lacks a moral compass, and some on the left are saying for this reason he's not the right person for the job in our day and times. Instead, I'm of the opinion that Roberts shows a higher level of moral direction, and will not be swayed by political or personal opinion. He believes in the legal and judicial system, and can restore integrity to the courts -- an integrity that was lost when the Supreme Court overstepped their bounds in 2000 and took away a state's rights to follow their own constitution and its mandate to hold and complete a full manual recount of any election that was closer than a specific margin, and in doing so put a man into the presidency that was not voted into office, but was appointed by the courts. I have a strong feeling that if Judge Roberts were presiding, that case would have never been touched by the Supreme Court in the first place, and would have been kicked back down to the state supreme court where it belonged. It's just a hunch, and as I said, I'm not a political expert. But, everything John Roberts is saying seems to back up my impression.
In the days and weeks to follow, a decision will be made to allow or deny Judge Roberts the position of Chief justice of the United States Supreme court. If he is denied confirmation, I personally fear who the next candidate may be. Will they be as intelligent? Will they be as committed to objectivity, or will they carry a hidden agenda? One thing is certain, with the extreme government we have right now, it's not going to be a political moderate. Personally, I think Roberts may be a snafu the administration may not be prepared for. I think they are deceived and think they're getting someone who's prepared to push through their agenda. I think Roberts is uncontrollable, and will do his job faithfully. I'm prepared for the possibility that I'm wrong, but in my gut I feel that I am right.
In a very real way, it's already out of my hands. I'm a spectator in a battle whose outcome is already determined. All I can do is sit back and watch.
Oh my god.
I just spent the last four hours catching up on my feeds, and I have to say I skimmed most, and read few. Dude. My brain is fried. I was only going to read a few, but once you get going, you tell yourself 'I can totally whip through these in no time', well... tempus fugit. I'd go to bed this very second, but I still have some things to do... crap. I should go to bed and do those things in the morning, and just admit I totally blew my evening surfing the blogosphere. If I go to bed now, I pretty much will get like 4 hours of sleep. So be it. It's better if I get a little rest and just slog through the morning. Tomorrow is trash day, recycling has to go out, and the cleaners are coming, so we have to pick up too. I told Julie I'd do some of that tonight, but I totally just fucked off the evening. I was also supposed to put up previews for Serena today for Nightmares #14, but I got trapped in the rss black hole. I'll work through lunch tomorrow and get them out then. It's a Wednesday, which means it's staff meeting hell day. I should just call in sick... But no, must persevere.
Okay, that's it. Goodnight folks.
1200+ feed entries. Jesus, where do they all come from? It's worse than email.
Moving On.: "reality "
It's been four years since our lives and our world changes irrevocably from being innocently naive about our personal safety on these shores to a world of paranoia, distrust, and burdonsome procedures fashioned to emulate a sense of security. This year, in the wake of Katrina, the reflections have been somewhat muted, but the echo is the same -- the federal government screwing up and squandering an opportunity to unite the people of this country and of the world.
But it is strange to me that only four years later, we've totally forgotten the terror of those fallen high-rise buildings. The feeling that the world was collapsing in front of us. That perhaps, we weren't going to make it out of this one alive. It was the day my eldest son crawled for the first time, and I remember looking at him and wondering where he'd be tomorrow. Hey, and what ever happened to Osama Bin Laden? Didn't some cowboy president promise us that he'd track him down, find him and capture/kill him? So... Where is he? Instead, we got a long protracted war and the capture of Saddam, a dictator of a broken country with no direct threat to the united states, which ironically has killed more Americans after it's overthrow than at any time before, and now stands as a haven for terrorists and will most likely become a religious theocracy in the power vacuum left in Saddam's wake.
Does anyone remember how we used to laugh and shake our heads in disbelief at that crazy Dubayah, as he hid on his ranch from his job, and bungled public speech after public speech, that is before the towers fell. And does anyone remember how he was virtually transformed overnight by that event into the single-minded powerhouse that he is today? Well, I suspect he's still that same guy, but wearing different clothing and with more effective speech writers.
Since that day, we've seen 4 years of insanity and obstinant rule, of a refusal to rationally debate and examine facts. We've seen the destruction of our voting apparatus and the resulting disenfranchisement of the entire voting constituency of the USA. We've seen a major bungle of a natural disaster, which was marked not only by infrastructure failing due to budget cuts several years in a row, in order to fund a war in Iraq, but also a lack of personnel in the national guard, who signed up for their jobs in order to exactly respond to this type of emergency. We've seen the breakdown of society and mismanagement of events on the ground which has caused police resignations and suicides, and which has cost thousands of people their lives.
I'm hearing a lot from my liberal friends how they are ashamed of being American right now, and I have to say not only does that hurt me to hear, but it is something I strongly disagree with. I am seeing my fellow Americans open their homes and checkbooks across the country to help those in dire straights. I've seen a grass-roots response which completely blows me away, and outstrips anything the feds can put together. I'm ashamed of the royal family right now, with their complete lack of perspective. Barbara Bush in her latest public faux-pas sounded just like the out-of-touch Marie Antoinette who in answer to the question of what the poor will eat that are starving in the streets of Paris -- 'let them eat cake', in her similarly crazy comment that those who are suffering tragedy from the poorest parts of New Orleans are receiving so much aid and support from those who are good enough to help out that the event is actually WORKING FOR THEM. Unbelievable. But... remember, WE THE PEOPLE are the manifest inheritors of the USA, of its constitution and its institutions. It is we that stand tall and proud and are helping those in need, not the feds. We the people are the compassionate ones, and the ones with the real resources and power to get things done. That is, except vote in a truly representative government.
But before I get started on the serious woes we face with our lack of consistent and verifiable voting practices, let me just focus again on the positive -- We The People of the United States of America are great and proud, and we have the resources and the will to do good in this world. We have done it across the oceans in other countries, and we're doing it today, for our own. Don't let those bastards in charge get you down, and don't let them claim credit for this, when the credit belongs in total to the average folk in our country opening their hearts, their homes and their wallets to complete strangers, just because it's the right thing to do.
I am proud to be an American.
Okay, I've been avoiding blogging on this, because it's all over the media and I really didn't know what else I could add, or say, that hasn't been said already, and honestly, I didn't want to live in that place to intensely for too long. The thought of the suffering in New Orleans brings me to tears every single time I contemplate it. I think of all the people who lost their homes, their possessions, their loved ones and their lives, and I feel that whatever petty problems that we in the drier parts of the country think we have, it cannot compare with the immediate suffering of those down in the Big Easy. I've thought of those who were caught in NOLA when the levees broke, and how they didn't have the money to get out of town before the storm, or anywhere to go if they did decide to leave, so they stayed and suffered the plight of being corralled into large buildings and left to live like dogs for days without food or water. I think of children not eating or drinking, of being raped. I think of murders and general lawlessness. I think of hopelessnes, and I think of a police force that is overstrapped and freaking out, unable to handle the pressures of what they're experiencing. I think of scores of corpses in the streets. I think of stagnant nasty polluted water that is dangerous to even breathe near, much less touch. I think of the administration's total disconnect with the situation, and their inability to do the right thing because they've overcommitted in Iraq, and because they can't make a right decision to save their lives. I think of Barbara Bush, and her completely insensitive remarks about how the hurricane was actually a good think for the poor of NOLA.
But you know what, I also think -- hell, why don't they just pick up their bags and just walk the fuck out of town? I mean, seriously. Stay in a concrete bunker and live like animals, or find your way to the nearest bridge and get the fuck out of town, right?
Well guess what -- they weren't allowed to leave. That's right, as I dig deeper and deeper into this story, I'm seeing reports that people tried to leave on foot, but they were held back at gunpoint by the police in neighboring cities just across the bridges. People banded together, and gathered supplies, and tried to camp out on bridges and high ground, but the local police broke them up, divided them, and confiscated their food and water. It's crazy. It's the lowest form of hate and fear working, and here's one account. It's crazy.
I'm tired, and I'm losing coherence at this late hour, but I just needed to say -- WTF?! Not only does the place flood like a fishbowl of toxic sludge, but unless you have a car, you've got to stay and stew in it. That's all new levels of fucked-up.
You're a Mod. You dig expensive things, like suits
and speed. You have a fine appreciation for the
Kinks and know that Motown started it all, and
you have fabulous style. Hey, nice hair.
You Know Yer Indie. Let's Sub-Categorize.
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You scored as Neutral Good. A Neutral Good person tries to do the 'goodest' thing possible. These people are willing to work with the law to accomplish their goal, but if the law is corrupt they are just as willing to tear it down. To these people, doing what's right is the most important thing, regardless of rules, customs, or laws.
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