2021 archive
QOTD 0
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield:
A weak mind is like a microscope, which magnifies trifling things, but cannot receive great ones.
Vaccine Nation 0
Writing at the Tampa Bay Times, a retired physician struggles to understand why persons are refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. An excerpt:
Follow the link for his reasoning.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
The hunt for politeness continues apace.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Facebook Frolics 0
In responding to a post by psychology professor Madeleine A. Fugère, Dr. Ravi Chandra considers the implications of the “Facebook files.” He makes several thoughtful observations that shed light on dis coarse discourse and the Zuckerborg’s contribution thereunto, including the following:
1. Sensationalistic information that plays to user fears propagates virally and overwhelmingly.
2. Mental health concerns have been minimized.
3. The drive for growth and engagement online is problematic at best.
Follow the link for a details discussion of the above, as well as his other observations.
Originalist Sin 0
Joe Patrice looks into the belly of the “originalist” Trojan Horse and sees (gasp!) . . . well, no surprises here.
Nagware 0
I have a (properly licensed and registered) VirtualBox VM of Windows 8.
When I start Windows 8, I am greeted by multiple pop-up windows enticing me to upgrade to this or that paid version of something or other in which I have no interest.
This does not happen in my Linux world.
Windows is a kludge.
Fly the Fiendly Skies 0
Once again, fists fly in the fiendly skies.
On the same topic, Jeffrey Hanna, writing at The Roanoke Times, tries to make sense of the plethora of pathological passengers peopling the planes. I don’t think he can, because it’s clearly senseless, but follow the link and decide for yourself.