How the voice can make you feel things you can't touch and how touch can make you feel things you can't fathom with your eyes. Also, how the word "soft" conveys two different experiences to the ear and to the touch.
And how I wish this were a poem, very, very,
very much.
Because you see with your sorrow
And you hear with your beliefs
And war is growing, growing the number of lonely sheaths
And this isn't the music you tasted
On the night of your birth's sunrise
More innocent, like Christmas,
More warm and carefree and wise.
America, America,
Where have gone the brave?
Devoted to live a life to give
For peace and freedom, we crave.
A special song, togetherness
We dance a beat as one
But the drummer left his mallet
With his ballot, and now this tune is done.
You don't have to break the base of a pot to render it broken. Remove the handle, and in a weakened and unexpected state, the soup may fall to the floor. The same with many things, dishware is not alone in this metaphor. But it is those who see a handleless pot and reach for ovenmits instead of their wallet to buy a new one that shall overcome in hard times.
Funny how the word "cauldron" instantly conveys images of witches in your head. And pot, at this moment in time, has at least two meanings. Three if you play poker. Four if you're also a gardener. More if you are thinking better than I am right now probably.
What is a unified theory anyway? How do you gather the totality of the universe in one metaphor?
I finally understand what school was preparing us for all these years: Voting. You do the homework assignments. Watch the debates, do your research, maybe express yourself by writing about it and showing that writing to others who critique it. You quiz yourself on what you know by occasionally talking to people in groups. You were given the study guide (sample ballot) but never looked at it...you cram the last few nights and then you finally get to the final exam (which is open-book if you take it at home) and you're like "SHIT! These other 18 candidates weren't in the reading!" >_<
And then you realize that all of the other students' tests affect your final score. And that there's not actually a right answer, but a preferred answer. And that answer depends on what information you have at the time - which is so true for many studies of information throughout our lives. This collective test says a lot about what we believe...and what we think we know at the time.
I wonder if one problem with our political system is we have a choice for essentially two groups of values that people believe so fiercely in (sometimes one value and "meh" about the others) that they vote just for their "group" because they feel so strongly about X, and take a blind eye to the lesser qualities of the candidate who represents those values. Did people really vote for Trump, or did they vote to maintain Republican values? Also, I think our TV culture plays into this a bit. Not knowing Trump personally, any of us could convince ourselves that all Trump did and said for his campaign was just an act. A show. A role with a goal.
What are humanity's interests in developing AI?
- Freedom from meaningless tasks?
- Multi-planetary exploration?
- Lengthen life/Survival? via---v
- Maximized calculation of complex problems?
Does competition increase the likelihood or prevent us from having the best products? Ex: Companies can develop a product to have one really astounding feature, but are prevented from collaborating with everyone to create a product with everyone's product's astounding features. So we get products that are "meh" in some areas and "WOW!!" in others, but the other company makes "WOW!!" in some areas and "meh" in others.
An important part about metaphors is that they highlight certain aspects and hide others. They cast light AND shadows on how we see the world.
Biodiversity. Species, genetics, ecosystem. The result of evolution, of change, but change not all at the same time or in one place.
Struggling with two thought processes, the first - Sometimes friendship is acknowledging how busy your friend is and accepting that sometimes you are a lesser priority. Friendship is saying, “I’ll be here, whenever you are ready to talk.”
The second – When is it time to let a friend go? If they no longer make time to talk to you, is it worth hanging on to the friendship? Or, is has the Internet completely affected the way we expect friends to react and communicate, and we need to realize it is foolish to expect everyone to be able to respond in a day, a week, etc?
I feel it’s important not to be too quick to jump to the end of a chapter. Not every friendship needs to be finite in its definition (friends/not friends). People come and people go. Let them. But keep your light on. Friendship, even at a distance, has never been more important.
Music of the Week:
My brother helped me write this song as a birthday gift this year. I wrote the lyrics, he did the composition and vocal magic. Something fun if you like the sound of indie jazz love songs: http://www.cdbaby.com/m/cd/thekonartists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p5T156l4tg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X5VjCqIAyk
https://youtu.be/RJCLnFOfFKQ
"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm." — Publilius Syrus
"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." — Max Lucado (I say this quote can probably be taken the wrong way for a leader, but it's a metaphor, nonetheless - leader = conductor of orchestra).
People put up Christmas lights earlier in colder climates because if they wait until December, they will be putting Christmas lights up in the snow. And then those same people move to Florida, but they're used to the routine that they had when they lived in colder climates, so they still put up their Christmas lights in November. And Florida residents are all like "Grumble Grumble Grumble" when they see Christmas lights up in November. And the cold climate people are like "Well hey, this is what we've always done." But Floridians are like "It's not right. You can put Christmas lights up in December - it's like...80 outside." This, this is why we need to branch out of our own little circle occasionally. This is why we need to explore the world a little bit. Because from one point of view, it just doesn't make sense. But when you get outside your point of view into another's world, much more starts to make sense and you stop grumbling about things other people do that you don't understand.
It is not better to be feared than loved. I have seen the look of fear and I want no part of it. Fear is no way to rule.
Appearances are not always what they seem.
Dr. Strange. Enjoyed the storyline, but felt the second half of the script was a bit cliché.
Harry Potter books and movies have a very human-centered version of time travel. The rule is you can't be seen (by other humans). But could they possibly hide from birds and insects? No! Does it affect time? No!
Feeling crafy, but don't have the tools? Make the tools! I made my own glue this weekend. Worked great! (Use the cornstarch version, folks).
Analyzing abstract concepts, like art.
Infinity. You have not escaped my mind palace.
Sometimes, in order to create new and better ideas, you first need to rest. - something I learned from TV. (Because it is not the medium that feeds ideas, but the willing mind to look for them - or in some cases, not to look, but to let your mind come upon them when the time is right and you are open to receiving them). So, er, thank you Ron Swanson, and the script writer who crafted your persona to care about others, sometimes anyway.
Hope you found the stream thoughtful. Have a good Thanksgiving!
