Spreading ideas is slow

The rate of change in culture — the spread of ideas from one person to the group, from one group to many groups — has been accelerating for several decades. It has been accelerating longer than any of us here today have been alive. It has been accelerating so much that the rate of acceleration is something we accept as is, rather than something […]

In Celebration of “Norm!”

It just occurred to me in the “everyman” character, Norm, was, in fact, a narrative device to normalize the behaviour that he exhibited — go to bar, sit with friends, discuss meaningful shit in meaningless ways. The other patrons’ response to Norm walking in to Cheers, specifically, is. It’s not a hypernormalization, mind you — they’re […]

Timet Nosce

Appreciation for the genuine differences between people can help you orient yourself in the world, and appreciate the truly diverse viewpoints necessary to make the complex systems of society function, as well as increasing your comprehension of the singular and unique combination of basic traits and subsidiary aspects that characterize you, personally. From Understanding Myself

omnivore wins the comments

the internet will make available long-obsolete media, produced incidentally, and not for its long-term value, for others to draw ironic conclusions about, allowing the blindness, limitations and stupidity of all previous generations to be demonstrated, while offering opportunities for self-regarding individuals in the present to create self-congratulatory comparisons with their own incisive, far seeing 20-20 […]

Op-Ed Columnist – The Evil Behind the Smiles – NYTimes.com

“My first phrase in Khmer,” the Cambodian language, “was, ‘I want to sleep with you,’ ” she said. “My first phrase in English was” — well, it’s unprintable. Sina mostly followed instructions and smiled alluringly at men because she would have been beaten if men didn’t choose her. But sometimes she was in such pain […]

Skepchick: Critical Thinking at its Finest

A lot of Christians who have seen the billboards have found them offensive enough that they felt a need to complain. Some have even accused the billboards of being hate speech and denigrating Christians. One Christian driver who saw the billboard went so far as to say “It is a despicable act to allow that sign…” I, for one, […]

obama is the man we need: he likes big dogs

“It’s like a little yappy dog?” Obama asked Walters, foolishly ignoring his wife’s advice not to criticize. “It, like, sits in your lap and things?” queried the skeptical president-elect. Michelle, still trying to save her husband from himself, pronounced the dog “cute.” Barack wasn’t buying it. “It sounds kind of like a…a girly dog,” he […]

obama and hell and christianity today

as i’ve spoken of before, the “hell” topic was one of the main bones of contention i ended up having with what most evangelical christians consider “orthodox”. i did a big study on it in 2004, and abandoned the idea of hell once i actually got my mind around what the bible actually does and […]

“Homes With Tails” — how to get broadband into all the world

America’s communications infrastructure is stuck at a copper wall. For the vast majority of homes, copper wires remain the principal means of getting broadband services. The deployment of fiber optic connections to the home would enable exponentially faster connections, and few dispute that upgrading to more robust infrastructure is essential to America’s economic growth. However, […]