23 Jun Kotodama 24
Hear here. Sound is the presence of the now....
20 Jun Eddie Penn*
Shitting with Victor Shit my pants yesterday. 43 seconds away from my bathroom. After a furious run home. A quixotic run interrupted by several emergency sphincter squeezes. Made it all the way from E79 and 1st to 64th and 1st. And up five flights of stairs. Made it through a door key twist. But...
19 Jun The Imaginary River Of Time
Time is an imaginary measure of the space between events. It only exists because we are its parents. Time is a river from fountainhead to sea. It wouldn't exist if it wasn't for me. The river is the river, it is as it is. where I am in the river makes time whiz. I am who I am, unchanged from the fountainhead until the time I think I'm dead. The river is the river, even when its part of the sea But that is something I cannot see....
18 Jun Time And Transition
Time and Transition Time is invisible, like the wind. Only seen in its affects on everything On the back of the wind clouds take a ride Until over the horizon they hide. Soon they return from I don’t know where But I enjoy them now and do not care....
16 Jun Rock-Paper-Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a game dating to antiquity. It is also a metaphor for the dynamic interrelationship between nature, civilization and technology. In the game, each of two players declares themselves as either rock, paper or scissors by a show of a fist (rock), an open hand (paper) or the index and middle fingers apart (scissors). Paper wins vs rock (as paper can envelop rock); scissors wins vs paper (as scissors can cut paper); and rock wins vs scissors (as rock can destroy scissors). Rocks are nature in rudimentary form. Paper, as it’s organic and manmade, represents civilization. Scissors are a simple form of technology. A fist is a symbol of oneness, the fundamental nature of the universe. An open hand, like a handshake, represents openness and cooperation; essential in development of civilization. Fingers apart are fork-like, a useful tool that is also potentially a weapon. Civilization, as in the advent of farming, dominates nature. Technology is often a force used in the destruction of civilization. Nature, as an asteroid or sun storm flare hitting Earth (see Carrington Event of 1859), can destroy technology (electric grid, GPS systems, etc.). In an informal survey, I've found that those who pick rock, paper or scissors identify themselves as a knife, spoon and fork (see knife-fork-spoon) respectively....
16 Jun Knife-Fork-Spoon
At whatever we look, we see ourselves; especially that with which we most closely identify. In that light, are you a knife, fork, or spoon? People who identify as knives tend to view the world as bigger than themselves; a world which needs to be cut to a smaller size to make it digestible. They see only one way of doing things as knives can be safely held from only one side. Forks are people who look to identify simple opportunities to enrich themselves. Most businesspeople identify as forks. Spoons look like the human form. They are gentle, cupping their food. Moreover, they are relatively friendly as they can safely be held from either side. Alternatively, there are chopsticks. Chopsticks can be invariably held by one side or the other; that is, we treat others as we do ourselves. People who identify as chopsticks view life as not viable when lived independently (one chopstick), but easy when we work in tandem with others....
15 Jun Daniel J. Boorstin
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge." When we think we know, our curiosity evaporates and we cease exploring to become truly knowledgeable....
14 Jun William Wisher
"If you think about where you are, you’re probably somewhere else." There is only the here and now. Thinking about where we are, or comparing ourselves to others separates us from this here and now. Lost, yet not knowing it, our thoughts take us somewhere else, a somewhere that soon turns to nowhere....
11 Jun Deathday Party
Today, June 12th, is my birthday. It's not a significant day unless I'm stopped for a traffic violation and given a pass by a sympathetic police officer. Birthday parties celebrate the calendar date upon which we arrived on Earth for our short time here. Deathday ceremonies celebrate those who have transitioned to be one with everything forever. Birthday celebrations are ubiquitous while the deathday is rarely acknowledged in the Western world outside of Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Korean and Vietnamese communities. Birthday parties are an incapsulated mix of food, chitchat, perhaps a couple of speeches and gifting. Deathday ceremonies can be more fun and impactful. On the deathday we can gather and each attendee can view their life and the lives of others from the perspective of the one who is one with everything. Then, those who have gathered can be born again as they perceive themselves in a new light and the presence of the one who transitioned is felt by all for a time long passed their deathday....
09 Jun Practical And Idealistic Diversity
In recent years there's been a loud call for diversity at large companies. The practical ideology supporting diversity is that without discrimination an organization can access wisdom (see the wisdom of the crowd) which is essential to realizing its potential. However, diversity, as articulated by government, is superficial and not as effective as true diversification. As the government sees it, individuals are not unique but belong to one or several groups; religious, racial, sexual, ethnic, etc. The goal of diversity is to have employees in every large organization as members in different groups such that all groups are represented in an organization in some proportion that reflects society at-large. This mechanical approach often misses its intended goal as the viewpoints of members from different groups are not necessarily meaningfully diverse. Organizations naturally discriminate in their hiring practices. For example, it "makes sense" for a company to require all hires to be hardworking people. However, a company that aims for a diverse workforce would hire a few lazy workers as well. While the lazy workers might put a drag on existing operations, they would likely find easier processes to get the job done which would lead to greater efficiencies. That's the benefit of having a diverse workforce. The government also has an idealistic ideology that promotes diversity. It is the absurd notion that relative equality among members in society makes for a happy society. As the human species benefits by having diverse talents and personalities, there will always be lazy and industrious people. However, few industrious people work industriously for similar financial outcomes as those who are lazy. Hence, the idealistic ideology promoting diversity leads to a lower standard of living on average for all. That's unlikely to make many societal members happy....