Faceplam
Wow, it is scary to think that I share a representative government with people like that. More so that I share highways with people like that! In both, I put my well-being partially in the hands of strangers assuming that they are not totally crazy and will look out for me. People that out of touch with reality freak me out.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Advice
The workout you dread the most is probably the one you need the most. Embrace the pain.
Elite athletes are not defined by their miles times or bench press PRs, but when their mid-workout, glazed over 1,000yd stare fades and sharpens to a 3-inch glare. A 3-inch glare straight into the eyes of the beast, for now they stand nose-to-nose, toe-to-toe with their limits and are not backing down.
Elite athletes are not defined by their miles times or bench press PRs, but when their mid-workout, glazed over 1,000yd stare fades and sharpens to a 3-inch glare. A 3-inch glare straight into the eyes of the beast, for now they stand nose-to-nose, toe-to-toe with their limits and are not backing down.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tragedy
Tragedy is not the conflict between right and wrong, but the conflict between two rights.
Its is a eventually painfully shattered childhood myth that if only all the wrong in the world could be defeated we'd all be fine and dandy. Woe is the man confronted by his enemy Truth when his weapon is the same.
Its is a eventually painfully shattered childhood myth that if only all the wrong in the world could be defeated we'd all be fine and dandy. Woe is the man confronted by his enemy Truth when his weapon is the same.
Friday, July 23, 2010
As Soon as the Season Starts...
...The Season Starts to End.*
Are you working every day to make your team better?
See you all at Colorado Cup
*stolen from the Bravo website
Are you working every day to make your team better?
See you all at Colorado Cup
*stolen from the Bravo website
Philosophical Determinism
An excellent response to an essay on the Logical Argument For Determinism and Against Free Will on The NYT Philosophy Blog:
The illusion of responsibility - even if it is indeed only an illusion - does seem to make evolutionary sense. If mental states are factors in future behavior the memory of past guilt is a helpful force in future decisions. Even if we philosophers are baffled by the circular arguments presented to us by our senses, and surprised by the logical conclusions that result (the absence of free will), at least we can marvel at our quirky existence (the illusion of free will and feelings of responsibility)
That this argument fails to convince anyone that his choice is absolutely determined feels just like the Anselm argument failing to really convince anyone that God exists. It is always interesting that logic, however strong and well structured, doesn't really have much power to convince. There is pretty good evidence that our physical selves are pretty well deterministic, but we never believe it.
One reason, I think, is that our conscious mind may be just a passenger, watching what happens, but not really in control of anything. This conclusion is verified by scientific studies which show the patterns of mental activity about some action actually come very slightly after the body's action has been taken. Our body's actions are, in fact, pretty much determined. But, if our "mind" is a passenger, then it can't know what will happen and is always both surprised, so to speak, and filled with responsibility ( because it doesn't know that it is just a passenger).
- mitch diamond
The illusion of responsibility - even if it is indeed only an illusion - does seem to make evolutionary sense. If mental states are factors in future behavior the memory of past guilt is a helpful force in future decisions. Even if we philosophers are baffled by the circular arguments presented to us by our senses, and surprised by the logical conclusions that result (the absence of free will), at least we can marvel at our quirky existence (the illusion of free will and feelings of responsibility)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Haha
I put "haha" at the end of lots of things I write. Emails, facebook comments, tweets. I do this, for the most part, because I am worried people will be offended or put off if I seemed very serious. We all know how hard it is to convey inflection through text; better that the reader think I am joking than they get their feelings hurt because they misconstrue.
Actually, it upsets me that I feel the need to qualify my statements like this. It angers me that I feel people don't know how to not be offend by something they read on the internet because they most likely don't understand what the writer means. It makes me frustrated that I feel ashamed to write with heavy wording.Mostly, it makes me sad that I notice this "Haha" trend so astutely because this fact indicates that I communicate through a screen way more than I should.
Haha
Actually, it upsets me that I feel the need to qualify my statements like this. It angers me that I feel people don't know how to not be offend by something they read on the internet because they most likely don't understand what the writer means. It makes me frustrated that I feel ashamed to write with heavy wording.Mostly, it makes me sad that I notice this "Haha" trend so astutely because this fact indicates that I communicate through a screen way more than I should.
Haha
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Hidden from the News Feed
The ability to hide certain people or certain types of updates (I'm looking at you FarmVille) from one's Facebook Newsfeed is great - it allows you to customize your FB experience. Yet, there is a big downside.
I feel that it's sort of unfair that once someone is hidden they are never seen again by the hider. Oh how I loath the notion that my wondrous and insightful status updates never reach the multitudes because of my past youthful indiscretions (spamming my status with stupid inside jokes and unauthorized and inadvertent Texas Hold accomplishments). I know better now - my statuses are pure gold but you may never see them because you could so easily block me forever.
I say that 4 times a year, for 2 days at a time, EVERYONE you have ever blocked shows up on your feed - a re-audition of sorts. Then, if you find something really valuable, you can UNBLOCK them. If after the trial period, you take no action then everyone is returned to the blocked list.
The worst part of the whole mess is that I will never know that you blocked me. I might spout untold wisdom with you in particular in mind and never will you see it.
I feel that it's sort of unfair that once someone is hidden they are never seen again by the hider. Oh how I loath the notion that my wondrous and insightful status updates never reach the multitudes because of my past youthful indiscretions (spamming my status with stupid inside jokes and unauthorized and inadvertent Texas Hold accomplishments). I know better now - my statuses are pure gold but you may never see them because you could so easily block me forever.
I say that 4 times a year, for 2 days at a time, EVERYONE you have ever blocked shows up on your feed - a re-audition of sorts. Then, if you find something really valuable, you can UNBLOCK them. If after the trial period, you take no action then everyone is returned to the blocked list.
The worst part of the whole mess is that I will never know that you blocked me. I might spout untold wisdom with you in particular in mind and never will you see it.
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