![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
FreeWill Lets The Wookiee Win
Aug. 19th, 2016 10:29 pmSome species of weeds become even more robust and entrenched as they develop resistances to the pesticides that are designed to eradicate them. This is one example of how fighting a problem can make the problem worse -- especially if you attack too furiously or use the wrong weapons. I invite you to consider the possibility that this might be a useful metaphor for you to contemplate in the coming weeks. Your desire to solve a knotty dilemma or shed a bad influence is admirable. Just make sure you choose a strategy that actually works.
This summer there has been a mice infestation here at Rather Manor. We don't know how many of them there are, but their droppings are firm evidence of their movements around the premises.
Dad found one of them dead this morning. It had drowned in the kitchen wash basin. I'd had a moral dilemma about buying poison baits to use against the mice, partly because of fear of the possible impact on the surrounding wildlife. I guess this might be a sign to let stupidity take care of its own.
FP
FreeWill Finds Wisdom In Folly
Feb. 2nd, 2016 04:21 pmSagittarius Horoscope for week of February 4, 2016 Richard P. Feynman was a brilliant physicist who won a Nobel Prize in 1965 for his pioneering work in quantum electrodynamics. He also played the bongo drums and was a competent artist. But excessive pride was not a problem for him. "I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb," he testified. "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool." I suggest you adopt him as your role model for the next two weeks, Sagittarius. All of us need periodic reminders that we've got a lot to learn, and this is your time. Be extra vigilant in protecting yourself from your own misinformation and misdirection. I applied to be a Delegate at one of the Presidential Election National Conventions overnight. I'm not fooling myself in believing that I'll get my ticket--but I sort of feel that my chances are good. We'll see in March. |
Can't Really Kick
Aug. 3rd, 2014 06:58 pmOver the course of my time here at LiveJournal, I've posted 55 times related to the show ROBOTECH. Yes, you'd think I'd have had an interest in the Kickstarter for Harmony Gold's ROBOTECH ACADEMY project--
--And you'd be completely wrong.
The problem is that the concept of ROBOTECH is obsolete on a number of levels. It does pain me to say that but it's true and I won't deny it. Harmony Gold is being very stupid with their choices, everybody knows it, and Harmony Gold is being very stupid about that too. It's a lot of playground bickering on all sides, and I'm staying the heck out of it because I know my opinion means nothing.
It's about fandom relationships more than anything else. When a producer is intent on making everybody into one another's enemies, it's better to lay down your arms and walk away than to stick around for the crossfire. This isn't worth my time.
FP
Randomnity, Again
Mar. 6th, 2014 11:00 pm*) Zvezda in Russia promises that there will be new kits in their Art of Tactic series that will be scale compatible with Wings of Glory WW2...and I'm particularly interested in the Bristol Blenheim bombers. Well, with the politics between Stateside and Moscow being what they are, I shouldn't expect to get these very quickly.
*) REIGN on CW is a mess. It's supposed to be historical but their visual RNA for scenery, props, costuming and casting is jarringly off-the-mark. Or, at least, I THINK it's supposed to be historical.
Will FreeWill Make You Wise?
Jan. 30th, 2013 04:08 pm"Everyone is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day," said writer Elbert Hubbard. "Wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit." Judging from my personal experience, I'd say that five minutes is a lowball figure. My own daily rate is rarely less than half an hour. But the good news as far as you're concerned, Sagittarius, is that in the coming weeks you might have many days when you're not a damn fool for even five seconds. In fact, you may break your all-time records for levels of wild, pure wisdom. Make constructive use of your enhanced intelligence!
Is it that wisdom is wasted on the wise or that idiocy is wasted on the idiots?
When my Mom had to choose a Medicare health plan, she picked Cariten because she didn't want to belong to Humana as she saw Humana being nothing but trouble. Soon after, Humana took over Cariten's business in Tennessee and it has proved to be just as troublesome as she imagined.
When she went through her terminal health emergency she was at a specialty clinic (covered by Humana) that had been prescribed by her surgeon (covered by Humana) who in turn had been referred by her Humana primary care doctor. The doctor in charge of the clinic determined that Mum's condition was so critical that either he or his staff arranged an ambulance to take her to the nearest hospital (also covered by Humana). Neither Dad, nor I, had anything to do with this choice.
Now Humana wants us to pay up for her ambulance ride, with their excuses being 1) the company operating the ambulance was "out of their network" (?!) and 2) her primary care doctor (who wasn't available!) had to approve or endorse the decision to transport her by ambulance.
No matter that Medicare should be covering this transportation, because the circumstances fit the Medicare rules and requirements on the matter.
We're looking at a bill in excess of $500, and paying it would hurt us. Dad's trying to challenge the charge, but the Humana lawyers are giving him the runaround.
Meanwhile, Humana's marketing division is still sending Mum junk mail asking her to expand her coverage to include dental care and other specialty services. What stupidity!
Tomorrow is the Regional Convention and I'll find out then whether I'm going to Charlotte. I think my odds are pretty long but who knows?
A stage show, or possibly a "permanent" theater, based on/cast from former contestants (and not WINNERS) of American Idol, The Voice, America's Got Talent, The X Factor, The Sing-Off and other such shows.
A Chink In The Defenses
Mar. 1st, 2012 09:16 pmNot the first time something like this has happened. In fact, this was fodder for a commercial for replacement windshield wiper blades a long time ago.
For some years, my thinking was that if I were a terrorist, I'd probably get my gang to ram-raid into the airport perimeter near the terminal after the last departure of the night, so I could steal one of the freshly-refueled jets parked for the early morning flights. Airport police departments are usually at their weakest at that time and could easily be overwhelmed by just a few gunmen.
I don't think I'm saying anything that would actually compromise secrets...and in fact I hope that the justice establishment in this nation has already thought about this.
Got more data yesterday.
A soldier in the National Guard who is deployed to one of the warzones (makes no difference which one: Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen...) has a one in 1000 chance of getting killed and a one in 400 chance of getting wounded to the level of medical discharge eligibility. That's pretty darned low. Compare that to the men who stormed ashore at Anzio, Tarawa, Normandy or Inchon.
Granted, that's the Guard. The regular forces are sent to the hotter of the hot spots. But this is a war with no front line, no rear areas, and where the enemy is supposedly anywhere.
Al-Qaida and the Taliban are horribly ineffective enemies. We're killing far more of them than they are killing of ours. So why isn't the War On Terror won yet? The answer to that riddle may save the world.
Phone Rings
Jul. 5th, 2011 07:37 pmThe party on the other end may or not may be recorded. She talks fast in a carefully-constructed statement words to the effect that you won a prize and that you have to call back to a 1-800 number (with an extension) to claim the prize. You don't hear what the prize is, who the prize is intended for, or how come they have your number. (She made have said something, but it isn't very clear on this end.) There is no possibility that you can get her to repeat the information or just push a button on the phone to switch it to the number/extension she means.
How is this supposed to succeed?
1) I got it for free as a birthday gift from my brother;
2) I don't have to pay the bills for it, as the number is part of brother's account at the moment.
3) It has a lot of features that sometimes work but I don't know for sure do because I haven't tried a lot of them out.
Meanwhile, I sporadically get calls from people trying to reach the previous owner of the phone number, which annoys me and also annoys them when I tell them that I'm not who they were trying to call. I never actually learn anything from these exchanges.
The feature I'd like to see, as a follow-on to the Caller ID that these phones already have, is a "Look-Up" function. If you get a call from somebody you don't know, you can tell the phone to do a look-up of the number that called and get the directory information: Name and Address. Then you can decide whether they were in fact trying to call you or just had the wrong party, and perhaps add the caller to your Contacts if it is the former situation. It would cost the phone companies very little, and would share information that is virtually public anyway.
Writer's Block: Fast-food TV
May. 27th, 2011 10:07 pmDoes the local TV news count? All the anchors must have gotten their journalism degrees from Murphy Brown.
Signal To Noise
Apr. 15th, 2011 03:56 pmWe learn that Dad had all the local NPR pledge drive gibber he could endure, so he switched the radio in the living room to a commercial Top-40 station for the afternoon.
Now, I probably have the most open mind about music of anybody in the house.
But ninety minutes of autotuned rubbish is all that I can stand. Music these days is nothing short of horrible.
Why I Asked Yesterday's Question
Feb. 22nd, 2011 12:06 pmBut instead of big budget bombs, they're making hamburger movies--dumbed down, concocted to appeal to a specific clientele--and ultimately all the same.
Top Gun was invoked; my thoughts: 1) I own a second-hand, ex-rental copy on VHS, and haven't bothered to get it on DVD (read into that what you will); 2) I agree with the film director (Scorcese?) who called it "homoerotic"; 3) Cruise is overrated, Skerritt and Edwards were underrated but are not at all likely to be in any sequel; 4) the real star of the movie was the F-14 Tomcat, which is unavailable for any sequel either; 5) Top Gun has been copied and ripped-off so many times it's ludicrous. Heck, I've ripped it off myself.
In short, I don't consider Top Gun to be a classic at all. So I'm wary about the fact that the current mass media mogul generation sees it as one.
Writer's Block: Biggest Lie
Jan. 26th, 2011 01:16 pmNever happened in my whole life. Never got to MEET anybody who so attracted me, and even if I had, never got to tell anything--let alone lies.
