Having just cleaned out my parents final home, I was reminded of a great philsopher:
I psyched up for yet another purge. Organizing, donating, reducing, simplifying my worldly goods.
For example, how many pairs of socks do you think I need for the rest of my life?
Should I hang on to all the singletons — just in case the other somehow shows up later? 😀
… NEXT ➙ Underwear.
UPDATE. Here’s my 1st load of donations for the Sally Ann.
I’d quit 3 of the last 4 new novels focused on a dysfunctional woman complaining about her life.
Too depressing.
YET quite enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, the debut novel by Gail Honeyman. (2017)
I laughed out loud many times. A bit of a black comedy.
Eleanor Oliphant, our heroine, is a disaster. Anti-social. Disconnected from society and culture. A functioning alcoholic. Potentially suicidal. Perhaps slightly autistic.
Her only previous relationship was abusive — ex-husband putting her in the hospital multiple times.
Somehow … you can’t help but cheer for Eleanor.
She lives in Glasgow, Scotland, and works as a finance clerk for a graphic design company.
The novel deals with themes of isolation and loneliness, and depicts Eleanor’s transformational journey towards a fuller understanding of self and life.
It’s modern. Exploring loneliness in an internet age, the vulnerability of being uncoupled in a culture that prizes relationships.
The character I liked best in this book is Raymond Gibbons, an I.T. help desk co-worker who awkwardly tries to help Eleanor.
Uniquely, the most important relationship in this novel is friendship.
Name another hit novel without some kind of romance central to the plot.
Jenny Colgan, reviewing for The Guardian, described the novel as “a narrative full of quiet warmth and deep and unspoken sadness” with a “wonderful, joyful” ultimate message. …
Sarah Gilmartin of The Irish Times called the title character “one of the most unusual and thought-provoking heroines of recent contemporary fiction”. …
Any panel put together to save the world, would certainly include Professor Yuval Noah Harari.
He’s a BIG thinker.
Some feel he overstates the risks to mankind. I’d rather we err on the side of caution.
His 2024 book is …
I’m not smart enough to explain his thinking — but here’s a ChatGPT summary of the non-fiction tomb.
Main Focus: Nexus explores the intersection of technology, human evolution, and the future of societies, emphasizing the merging of biological and digital realms.
Technological Convergence: Harari examines how advancements in genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology are changing humanity’s relationship with itself and the world.
Human Enhancement: A central theme is the idea that humans may soon be able to enhance their biological and mental capacities through technology, leading to “post-human” forms of existence.
Ethical Implications: The book raises questions about the ethics of altering human biology, creating artificial life, and the consequences of tampering with the essence of what it means to be human.
Social and Economic Impact: Harari discusses how these technological advancements could lead to social divides, with some individuals or groups gaining access to powerful enhancements while others are left behind.
Surveillance and Control: A significant concern is the potential for increased surveillance and control over individuals’ minds and bodies, both by governments and corporations.
Evolution of Consciousness: Harari reflects on how human consciousness may evolve or change in response to these new technologies, as well as the philosophical questions surrounding free will and identity.
End of Homo Sapiens: The book suggests that humanity might be on the verge of an epochal shift, where Homo sapiens could be replaced by a new, technologically-enhanced species—either through natural evolution or deliberate engineering.
Uncertainty of the Future: Harari emphasizes the unpredictability of the future, acknowledging that the developments discussed could lead to both utopian and dystopian outcomes.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
| Other books | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015) 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) |
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The American economy might never have been stronger relative to the rest of the world than in 2024.
BUT more and more of that money is going to the very rich. If that continues, you can project the States will be come some kind of oligarchy. Perhaps even a totalitarian state.
Government power in an oligarchy rests with a small number of people; nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, religious, political, or military control. Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Iran are all oligarchies.
The Economist still ranks the USA as a ‘flawed democracy‘ in their annual Democracy Index. Only 29th on the list of democracies.
The full democracies 2023:
I want to live in a full democracy where it’s easiest to get rid of leaders the majority don’t want. As Churchill said: “democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.”
The full democracies tend to have a smaller gap between rich and poor.
Russians can’t get rid of Putin. Ali Hosseini Khamenei has been the leader of Iran since 1989. Iranians can’t get rid of him.
Americans should be wondering whether they can get rid of Musk or Trump.
It’s obvious that the top 1% buy American politicians who vote in their interest. This chart is from 2014. Things are much worse in 2024.
At its heart, this is a problem of corruption – caused by money in our political system.
THE U.S. IS AN OLIGARCHY? THE RESEARCH, EXPLAINED
Thanks Tony.
An important film.
Unscripted road trip.
Touching.
It’s about friendship. Life. … Aging.
Acceptance about who you are. And being tolerant of others to be who they want to be.
I was quite charmed by the warm welcome Harper got dropping into a random Oklahoma biker bar. (You can still smoke in Oklahoma bars?)
Face to face, people are most often welcoming and open minded. Even rednecks in country bars.
Since 2020, right wing politicians have been attacking the rights of transgender people — simply as a way to motivate their most deplorable voters. Very few of those haters have ever once had an encounter with a trans person.
Considered and attempted suicide rate of transgender people in the United States
from 2000 to 2022, with a forecast from 2023 to 2030
Right wing politicians and influencers like Musk and J. K. Rowling are partially responsible for those suicides.
I admire Will Ferrell trying to bring trans folks some hope with this movie.
I’d to do the same if any of my friends announced they were transitioning.
It’s a complicated process. And different for every single person.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I found the ending of this movie just perfect.
The independently made VIDEO is a bit cheesy, but McConaughey does offer some good advice.
Celebrities! Is there anything they don’t know? 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
We still have NO IDEA how Artificial Intelligence will be affecting our lives in 5 years.
Perhaps Alicia Vikander as Ava will be a reality.
Kevin Roose made 18 A.I. friends online from many different services. And interacted with them for a month.
Here he sums up the state of the art in April 2024.
Amazing. But still far from human.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I might like to chat with Victoria Shi, the AI spokesperson for the Ukraine foreign ministry.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I often think of the Freakonomics podcast from 2011 …
… “Sunk cost” is about the past — it’s the time, or money, or sweat equity that you’ve put into something, which makes it hard to abandon.
“Opportunity cost” is about the future. It means that for every hour or dollar you spend on one thing, you’re giving up the opportunity to spend that hour or dollar on something else — something that might make your life better. If only you weren’t so worried about the sunk cost.
If only you could quit. …
Jim VandeHei, founder of Politico and then Axios:
In 2009, I was recruited for one of the most prestigious and cool appointments in American journalism: to serve a nine-year term on the Pulitzer Prize Board.
Three years later, I quit. …
So, how do we know when to quit? Looking back over my decades of best quits, here’s how you know. If the position is…
Diana Greene Foster is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
She led the ten-year nationwide Turnaway Study analyzing the health and wellbeing of women who seek abortion in the United States — including those who do not receive one — and in 2020 published a book, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having—or Being Denied—an Abortion, on her findings.
In 2023, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of her scientific work, including the book and more than 120 scientific papers. …
In 2022, she was recognized as one of the ten people who shaped science that year by Nature.
One of the most expert in the field.
Here’s a fascinating new TED Talk. Unsurprisingly, the women forced to carry a child to term have worse consequences than those who have the freedom to make the choice to abort.
Anti-choice advocates in the USA often simultaneously deny raises in minimum wage, health care for children, maternity leave, and even free school lunch. Pro birth. But not pro life.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Have you seen My Octopus Teacher, the 2020 Netflix Original documentary film?
Fantastic.
Seems to me they are the most amazing possible pet.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is the guy who created all those terrific squirrel mazes.
Rick McCharles 