I live in a cabin on a lake in a forest (purchased back when people like me, not-rich people, could afford such things). There are about ten permanent residences; about ten cottages owned by people who may (or may not) be there during any given weekend or week; and, now, oh the horror, about ten …
Category: uncategorized
Aug 23 2021
The replacement of journalism
“The replacement of journalism by rumor aggregators …” (Zendegi, Greg Egan). Yes. That. Precisely.
Aug 11 2021
Truth and Negotiation
“Caitlin knew she was not a good negotiator, not like Annelise or Rachel. Sicence didn’t negotiate truth; it tried to discover and prove it.” The Eleventh Gate, Nancy Kress Ah. The less regard for truth, the greater one’s negotiation skills. Explains politics. The state of the world.
Aug 03 2021
Who should pay for housework?
“In strict economic terms, the almighty free market theoretically considers the work of women in the home to be without value, to be worthless. It is recognized nowhere in the free market economic model” (The High Road, Terry Fallis). Also true for the work of men in (and around) the home. But I would not …
Jul 23 2021
“None of the Above” Ballot Idea
NANCY MOUNT BILL PASSES IN HOUSE Proposes “None of the Above” Be Added to Ballot Thirty Percent of the Votes Would Trigger New Election Excellent idea. from Jack McDevitt’s The Long Sunset
Jul 11 2021
James White’s Sector General series
James White’s Sector General series should be required reading for ANYONE assigned to first contact missions. Note in the first paragraph below (from Alien Emergencies), the inclusion of specialists in communications, philosophy, and psychology. Note the exclusion of specialists in any of the hard sciences. And the military. (Note also, the more effective way.) “The …
Jun 20 2021
Everything turned into entertainment
“Look at the world around you, David. What do you see? An endless theme part, with everything turned into entertainment. Science, politics, education–they’re so many fairground rides. Sadly, people are happy to buy their tickets and climb aboard.” The Millennium People, J. G. Ballard
May 17 2021
Mimicry?
Read mention in a Lionel Shriver novel (The Motion of the Body through Space) about “white readers [the main, white, character read for audiobooks] pretending to talk like [members of] marginalized communities is ‘mimicry’ and … cultural appropriation” (p31). But I can’t help thinking that if she were not to use an accent other than …
Apr 09 2021
Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men is a must-read. (And although she soft-pedals this, surely the persistent failure to consider women is evidence of what they think of us: we’re unimportant, we’re not worth consideration. Or perhaps it’s simply evidence of their persistent failure to consider anyone but themselves. Either way …
Feb 20 2021
The No. 1 Cause of Climate Change the Media Don’t Mention
The No. 1 Cause of Climate Change the Media Don’t Mention another great piece by Lee Camp here.
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