Generation Gaps

Inspired by WashPost (of course) Prehistoric Pols ...

The Google and the Internets have obviously been confounding more than a few of our country's leaders. This depresses me. Science and technology are an element of the equation that sets the USA apart from other countries. The proportionate spending of our national budget in these regards is often shameful. Even our military technologies such as the F-16 have been auctioned off to the highest bidders.

And these are the people making policies for the FCC and newspaper/media ownership, copyright and patent laws, and more. "A series of tubes" doesn't quite cut as as an explanation. While seniors are using the Wii to promote activity and interaction, out leaders don't even know what You Tube is. Now, I would suggest that anyone become a technophile, but a little basic knowledge would be appreciated. Now wonder they don't care about running a yearly budget deficit and an astronomical national debt, they must think the world's ending and their children have no future. They have shoved their problems onto our shoulders ... personal responsibility a joke. Supposedly, we're all feeling entitled now. I don't feel that way. I feel fucked over.

Anyway ... I hope that you are at least mildly following the election. And if you are young, vote young ... these other folks just don't have our interests at heart.

Don't know what to write

Just wanted to add a new entry. I'm now going to Google hydroponic herbs. I want an herb garden and if it has soil my pets will soil in it.

People making decisions

Suggestion from - WP article - that conservatives trust people to make good decisions. When is this effective? What are the situations in which people consistently make bad decisions against their own interests?

For example, taxing the richest 1% of the country more is in the best interest of 99% of the population, yet many people oppose this on principle. I'm certain there are other examples. Also, for some reason, people often have a hard time balancing long term risk. And if presented with an appropriate third option, people may be swayed one way or another. Decision making is a very interesting thing to me.

But I'll also concerned about the things which people do not choose: illness, etc. People do not elect to have debilitating afflictions, so as a society, are we not somewhat responsible for these folks. It gets more confusing with things like smoking and lung cancer, heart problems and obesity, etc. In these situations, the short term decisions may have long term consequences that affect many others. Who is responsible in these cases? Using the government to control vices only makes sense to me in the case of direct negative consequences (i.e. drunk driving, theft, murder, certain drugs). Otherwise people should be left to decide what's best for themselves.

No I've royally confused myself and seem to have gone off on a half-rant. Ah well.

Lastly, I'd like to put down my vote in favor of evolution again. Sometimes, science wins and rightly so.

I am the guinea pig

So, today - I volunteered to be the guinea pig. My ears ring a little, but otherwise, it's alright. I kind of like being the guinea pig. Always interesting to find out more about science and experimental methodology. I also listened to this Radio Lab episode about their own show. Okay, I can't find a direct link right now, but it was in the podcast. Wow, I feel geeky.

This is a nerd out post anyway. But I think that recording a radio show would be awesome. Maybe I'll get on it one day.

Check out the guinea pig again ...




Thought about something else too - man, I'm having some serious memory lapses. Oil prices, writer's strike, etc. Anyway, short post I suppose, but at least I'm at it.

Is sharing that picture a violation of copyright, who knows?

Fine - thoughtless

I had it. It was right there. My thoughts on the day. Something I had heard - maybe about Norman Mailer? I've never read any his books but people clearly think he's all that. Some even saying the essays may be better than the books. But I was thinking about something else ... something about ... maybe the entitlement generation and how all the old people need to coddle us. That's supposing that I'm included in that, but I really feel more in between. What generation am I? Gen X? Or Y? The millenniums? Who knows - that's just for stereotyping and grouping so that our brains can manage all the information. Categorizing is what comes naturally.

I also listen to This American Life about Harold Washington. Seriously, were people that racist only 25 years ago? Now, I know Chicago is an especially tense place - but I can't imagine some of the things in that story taking place around me. Glad things have reasonably improved.

I'm practically boring myself with this ... I'll have to keep better track of what's interesting throughout the day.

Tough

Sometimes, things are just tough. Like that overcooked steak. Maybe you should've taken off the grill a little earlier, but you thought you had it. Next thing you know ... burned.

In other news, two days running, it's a start. Hopefully, these goals are their own reward. But I totally get the reward yourself idea. I've just never been able to implement it. It's like, I'm my own worst boss. I think I can handle having a boss, or being a boss; I just can't handle being my own boss. I'll have to work on the reward thing. Maybe I need my own "All-Star Goals" like in elementary school, but I never quite figured out that either, not then, not now. On the other hand, maybe self-improvement is self-destruction. Who knows? We'll keep at it anyway --- I'm bound to manage a month --- and maybe even run while the temperature remains moderate. I've been contemplating the 1/2 marathon ... that seems possible ... the full marathon just seems crazy to me. No offense to those runners, it's just not me right now. The Ironman appeals to me - as an idea - but not the training, nor the swimming.

Hopefully, I'll get to the library soon and have to fine reading material. Maybe that'll give me some more stuff to think about. Slow news today.

Staying with it

Ok - first of all, we watched Blood Diamond last night. Entertaining for certain, but made me remember that most Americans (and America as a nation) do not care about Africa. This was further reinforced by an article in the Tribune today, Even with the Best Intentions, that basically said that it's too hard - and even those who would want to help, usually are not very successful.

Second - personal goals are so tough. Easy to make, hard to follow through with. Anyone have any good suggestions? I tried toning down the goals, make them doable, but it's still very difficult. This is throwing it out there, but this week the goals are:
1. Write everyday in the blog - it's supposed to be healthy
2. Do 25 pushups - some exercise is better than none

Those I might do. Harder ones I'm still thinking about
Less than 2 hours TV/videogames (shouldn't be that tough - except on a dreary Sunday)
Run everyday (more than 1 mile)
Read for fun for more than 20 minutes (would be easy - but I've got to get to the library)

Anyway, that's the idea. My will power can only get me so far. So, keep it simple stupid.

Daily posting

In an effort to keep up with this ... we will go for the daily post (anticipating lasting no more than 3 days until falling off into oblivion).

So, alright day today --- could've been better, could've been worse.

Nothing overly interesting to comment about. I took this lame NPR survey about some new show - The Bryant Park Show. Which sucked. It was trying to be everything and failing. NPR is not hip, it's lame - it's boring ass information. That's what I like and what I expect when I turn the dial left. That and Christian Rock ...shudder ... But the samples they had in the survey were awful. Furthermore, I do thoroughly enjoy podcasts - it's like time-shifting radio programs - it's great. People against this do not understand the capabilities of modern technology.

Yes, I sometimes listen to NPR. Okay, frequently. It's 'cause they play a lot of Smashing Pumpkins out here and that makes me want to kill myself or change the station. Changing the station is easier - so I opt for that. 'Cause I'm lazy.

Q of the day: Barber or Jacobs? I was going with the I hate Dallas for now.

Argh - f***ing writers

Well, for the day things are looking up. There's still the weekend - who knows what tomorrow will bring?

I'm mad as hell at the writers guild. Look, I watch a very small amount of network TV, but would prefer the production of that continues undisrupted. But moreover, why aren't the writer's like the UAW? Why don't the strike on a particular network? It would seem to be more effective. Let's take Fox for example - say Fox came to an agreement. The other networks would be fucked. Fox would have new shows - while paying the writers for online material - and no one else would. Come on, everyone would rather watch some new programming than reality TV, right? Okay, that's probably not true. Additionally, I've been favoring NBC lately, so I'd hope they come back first. But anyway - 0.0001% hardly seems worth it for the execs? Can you offer services as a half-arse replacement writer? Not as good, but better than nothing? Is that cool??

Well, I hope it ends soon. TV is great great escape from reality. Without it (like for the pass couple months - FU Sharp) I have to turn to videogames and the internet - hardly as mindnumbing as the tube. So - here's to hoping they give you whatever you want - screw the execs.

Do I get flagged for using profanity? No one will read this anyway.

Rock and a hard place

Well, there we have it. The quintessential rock and a hard place: damned if you do, damned if you don't. And things were going so well (yeah, ... right). Why do past decisions hold such a grip over us? Why do we compare ourselves with others? It must be psychologically ingrained.

There was a time for ending ... but that time was largely past. Now, we're stuck in a waiting game. Everyone is waiting for this stage to end and the next to begin. In the meantime, misery seems to be the only path. It's like some type of punishment for a crime. Only, I can't determine what the crime was or why I can't just leave this punishment behind me. There's the voice whispering in my ear, "Don't give up, it's only a little longer. You'll hate yourself if you stop now." But I don't know how much more of that I can take, I've been hearing that for a long, long while now. Nothing has changed. I feel no closer to the end nor more able to walk away. I feel trapped.

Book idea

A recent debate on Intelligence Squared, "Should We Welcome Illegal Immigrants?" got me thinking. That combined with a story I heard about the war on drugs and legalization of drugs on Worldview: Geopolitics of Legalization. Perhaps these, and potentially other, social problems should be viewed more as simple supply and demand debates. In the War on Drugs story there was a suggestion to curb demand by arresting users, not dealers. There is too much money and too many people willing to fill in for arrested dealers, while users are more easily intimidated with fines and short jail times. Illegal immigration might also be viewed in such light. Workers are under attack, but the supply of workers is high - they often risk life and more crossing the border and desert to work. The demand for said workers could be addressed by penalizing employers who pay little price now and may be dissuaded from using this labor be small fines. There is no fine or consequence for the laborers that would significantly change the flow. They already spend large amounts of money and risk life to cross the border - this will not change until the demand is curbed. A national ID program is a necessary piece of this enforcement.

Old versus young

Alright after reading the Think Tank Entitlement responses on the WashingtonPost website, I was again pondering the resentment I might eventually feel for the elderly. Sure, we'll be paying there health benefits and cruises to the Caribbean, but couldn't they have at least built some roads. Infrastruture is falling apart and we're supplementing prescription drugs. What's that about? Clearly health care is a mess, but the solution is not clear.

But bridges and roads - that's simple - everybody benefits. Hike the gas tax. It's that simple. Use it only for transportation projects. Even people who don't drive get things delivered and int would encourage less driving through economics. What's not to like?

But, back to the subject at hand. What are we going to do about the aging population and why isn't anyone talking about it. That's the worst part of it all. We need dialog and someone is going to have to sacrifice. SS was suppose to be a way to prevent a lower class of elderly, not a vacation supplement. Rich elderly folks - why are they getting it? And I hope I can retire at 62, I just don't see it happening. All we can hope for is no wars between the young and old. The old will win, there are more of them and yong people don't vote.

Time capsules

Ok, I received an advertisement via the Internet (see left). What's that about? I thought time capsules were something kids did in the fifties to pass the time. That would be before Mr. Wizard.

I'm certainly going to pass on this -- but I just have to ask: when did my personal history become so incorporated?

Every other time I get a letter from a past self I wind up with one thought: You didn't know what the hell you were thinking when you wrote this, and you certainly don't now.

Dear Future-self - If time travel has been invented, rewind to the time I wrote this and talk me out of it. Many thanks.

Social Networking - keeping in touch

So, the soiree has started. I can see how quickly it could become an obsession. I check it incessantly for no reason. My social esteem cannot be tied up into that a number of friends, coworkers, etc. That's ridiculous. It hardly serves a communication. Instead, making me feel as though I"m keeping in better touch with folks. My apologies, but I'm probably not. Maybe this one sided conversation will serve me better.

Half the terms of the site I don't understand. And are people paying to send other people virtual gifts? I'm sorry, but a virtual martini is not a real martini. I can't taste it, can't smell it, can't hold it, and it doesn't give me that warm I think more clearly now feeling. And so, are people purchasing, with hard-earned (or grows on trees) US dollars, these virtual icon gifts? If so, can you tell me why? I'm utterly confounded.