Aaahh Love....
What a terrible word.
Love is problematic, because we use it to define so many different things.
I remember in my youth someone passing around a poem at a church activity with morality as the theme. I only remember the line "You and me and Eros and Agape" A poor attempt to use Greek in an effort to distinguish "Love" from Infatuation. I'm not convinced they actually use the Greek correctly - perhaps that was as deep as they felt they could go on the subject without losing teenagers. Perhaps I break out the fire hose too often.
Tradition has it that the Greek philosophers used quite a number of words to categorize "Love":
Agape - Although the word predates Christ's birth, the term has been largely taken over by the Christian world to mean Christlike love. The original meaning seems to be in line with this, though. Charity is perhaps the most strictly secular word we use today, though are secular use of it fails to capture the heights to which it reaches. Agape is the perfect love, the love that sees the good and the bad and loves regardless. Some would argue Agape is unattainable by mere mortals, something that we should strive for. The kind of love that reaches beyond mortal comprehension.
Philia - This one gets used as a suffix in a number of... uncomfortable words, It has a sort of double meaning, I suppose. More generally it is used to mean "affection" (even then, our use as a suffix seems inaccurate). More specifically it refers to brotherly love (Hence, Philidelphia, The city of brotherly love). This form of "Love" is comradeship. It is the bond shared between members of an atheletic team, a military unit, or similar, close-knit group.
Philautia - Self-esteem is the current name for this one. It is a healthy self-love, the recognition of personal worth. It is distinctly different from narcissism or hubris - self absorption.
Xenia - A close kin to Philia, this is hospitality, or "guest-friendship" it is different from Philia in that Philia is a strong bond built on a relationship of shared experiences and common objectives. This is a weak affection towards strangers, the desire to lend a helping hand. It generally carries an implied reciprocity, the expectation that kindness will be returned for kindness (making it distinctly different from Agape some might argue this is our attempt to achieve agape).
Storge - Called natural love, this is the relationship between parent and child. (Some also place love between brother and sister here, others include it in Philia).
Ludus - Playful love, this one often get's confused with Eros, but it is in fact very different. This is the fun, flirty kinds of relationship. The playful banter, teasing, it is a fun, uncommitted, kind of relationship. The "Falling in love" feeling that often gets called "Love" is more indicative of Ludus.
Pragma - Enduring love. When you talk about a couple who have been married for fifty+ years in terms of Love. Pragma is what you are talking about. Pragma is a... pragmatic love. One which recognizes the faults in a companion, and accepts them, or at least places them as subordinate to the shared ideals and goals within the relationship. Pragma keeps a couple together through hard times and disagreements.It is often considered the opposite of Ludus, though the two can coexist in a relationship, and in doing so,make the relationship much stronger and more fulfilling.
Mania - Obsession this is the one unhealthy "Love" on the list (okay yes, there were two others mentioned above as unhealthy forms of Philautia, but this is the one that get's it's own section). Mania is usually a symptom of a lack of Philautia, the absence of self-esteem causes one to seek that validation externally. They NEED to have a friend, not just a friend, but someone who adores them. They can't stop thinking about them, can't be without them. It is insecure, codependent and manipulative, it is often harmful, causing one to and up in abusive relationships (either as the abuser or the victim).
Eros- I saved this one for last for a few reasons. Many argue this one doesn't belong on this list, as it is so uniquely different. It is said the Greek philosophers treated Eros with a certain fear. Eros was like lightening, sudden, intense, unpredictable... fickle. It could strike with a flash out of nowhere, when you least expected it, and could vanish just as quickly. While the others deal with a relationship made by choice. Eros is a... natural instinct, driven by physiology. In Nature, there are three, prime directives if you will which drive all animal behavior.
1. Seek Pleasure
2. Avoid Pain
3. Conserve Energy
Our body uses chemistry to help drive our behavior with respect to these directives. Most notably, dopamine. The body is set up to give a hit of dopamine when we do things that support these directives.
Eat when your are hungry, get a shot of dopamine.
Wrap up in a warm blanket when it's too cold, get a shot of dopamine.
Exercise, get a shot of dopamine.
Propagate the species (That means 'have sex', just to be clear), get a big shot of dopamine.
And this is Eros the drive to procreate. Eros is problematic, it can easily turn into Mania if not tempered. On the other hand, it, like Ludus, can be paired with Pragma to create a much stronger, much more fulfilling bond.
If you consider all of these carefully, you may notice that the Most common use of the word "Love" today is missing.
Romantic Love- Romantic Love didn't show up in literature until sometime in the 1800's it is a new creation. And I would argue it is a deception.
Romantic Love tries to disguise Eros as Pragma. It suggests that the feeling of Eros is the indicator of the existence of Pragma, but without all the work. It's everywhere today, especially in children's literature. Two unassuming people see each other from across the room and... "Zing", fireworks, love at first site. They fight together against some evil being who want to keep them apart, they vanquish their foe and then ... "They live happily ever after".
But there is no strict relationship between Eros and Pragma. The two can exist entirely independent of one another. So this connection portrayed by the idea of Romantic love is a false connection. And the biggest problem with this is that people are unable to distinguish between the two. So, they think they have found their "soulmate", they rush in without ever committing and they "fall out of love" when hard times come.
This is further complicated due to the nature of Eros.
You see, the bodies directive mechanism can be "hacked". One of the classic experiments on this topic is Pavlov's dog. Pavlov repeated a process of ringing a bell, then giving a dog food. In time, the dog salivated when the bell was rang whether food was provided or not.
Another notable experiment was done with rats. A button was wired up to inject dopamine directly into the pleasure center of a rat's brain. So, now the rat could get the pleasure reward which normally came from eating or mating, but with less work (directive 3: conserve energy). The rat would ignore an available mate, ignore food, and just repeatedly press the button. It would do this until it collapsed from exhaustion. It would do this until it dies.
(Note: An interesting correlative experiment was done in which they blocked the dopamine receptors entirely. Without the pleasure reward, the rat would just lie there. It wouldn't try to mate, it wouldn't go looking for food. It would just lie there and starve to death..)
So, the Eros feeling can actually get mis-wired to any number of things, some of which might even be detrimental to our survival.
Sometimes this occur intentionally- as an example many military organizations would purposefully utilize this to "improve" their soldiers. A new recruit would be required to kill an enemy prisoner. As soon as he had fulfilled this requirement his comrades would give him high-fives (or the appropriate equivalent of the time and region) and take him to the brother for his "reward", thereby linking the pleasure response to the act of killing.
This can also occur unintentionally, under any number of circumstances, often culminating in destructive behaviors, such as drug abuse, pornography addiction, or much less nefarious seeming addictions, like overeating, unhealthy eating (high fat, high sugar foods goes right to directive 3. In fact another rat study found that while rats would go for heroin over most foods or mating, they would pass up heroin for the filing in an Oreo cookie), social media addiction (the quick, often artificial interactions give a dopamine boost, that pesky directive 3 again...), video game addiction.
So we take a highly questionable, easily redirect-able, chemical sensation and link it to the end result of a hard, committed endeavor. (Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth...).
No wonder we have such a hard time with "Love".
Yeah, I know, somehow "I pragma you" doesn't feel as.... romantic....
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Is Covid-19 Really THAT Bad?
Sometimes there is more than one perspective - more than one way to look at something, and sometimes, a different viewpoint leads to a different approach to a problem. Both approaches may ultimately get to the desired result, but through very different philosophies.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell which approach is really better. Either the end result of either are so similar, or the real consequences don't manifest for decades, centuries...
With that in mind, consider the following counterpoint:
The average human body is composed of roughly 37 Trillion Cells. It also contains roughly 40 trillion bacteria. There as much or slightly more bacteria than there is you in your body! Crazy right? And those bacteria are largely beneficial, even necessary to your existence. They help digest your food, and help you absorb the nutrients, as well as bolster your immune system.
Wait, it gets better. You've heard of e.coli? Staphylococcus? Did you know you have e.coli living in your gut right now? And Staphylococcus on your skin?
"Wait!" you might be saying, "Isn't e.coli the dreaded bacteria that gives you diarrhea? And staph., isn't that the terrifying, antibiotic resistant super-bug?"
Yup, but see, it is other peoples' e.coli and staph. that give you trouble. Your own are your friends. Your e.coli helps you absorb iron. Your staphylococci help regulate inflammation. Without it, you could wind up with psoriasis or other inflammatory skin diseases.
So, arbitrarily obliterating all bacteria, or even some of the bacteria that we tend to think of as "Bad bacteria", would be pretty bad for us.
Scientists are less fixed on the precise number of viruses that live on and in your body, but the current estimates are around 300 Trillion. Roughly ten times as many viruses as bacteria! And they are largely beneficial too. Some fight off bad (for you, at least) bacteria. Some viruses destroy cancer cells. In fact, some of the most exciting cancer treatments currently being explored involve using modified or selectively bred viruses which can target your specific form of cancer.
Typically, the reason a particular virus or bacteria makes you sick is due to your immune system not successfully integrating or eliminating the new strain.
Your particular microbiome is unique. It is influenced by your environment, your diet... The types of food you eat have an impact on the health and makeup of your gut microbiome, and consequently, on your health. Every time you come into contact with another person, and exchange of microbes occur. Some your microbiome views as allies, and they are integrated into your system, increasing the diversity of your system. Others are viewed as enemies and are destroyed, these can also be beneficial, as your microbiome "remembers their genetic code", and now can utilize that knowledge to bolster your defenses against future similar, perhaps more dangerous invaders.
So, given this alternate perspective on the nature of microbes in the human condition. Is excessive isolation and eradication really the best choice for humankind's future?
Sometimes it is difficult to tell which approach is really better. Either the end result of either are so similar, or the real consequences don't manifest for decades, centuries...
With that in mind, consider the following counterpoint:
The average human body is composed of roughly 37 Trillion Cells. It also contains roughly 40 trillion bacteria. There as much or slightly more bacteria than there is you in your body! Crazy right? And those bacteria are largely beneficial, even necessary to your existence. They help digest your food, and help you absorb the nutrients, as well as bolster your immune system.
Wait, it gets better. You've heard of e.coli? Staphylococcus? Did you know you have e.coli living in your gut right now? And Staphylococcus on your skin?
"Wait!" you might be saying, "Isn't e.coli the dreaded bacteria that gives you diarrhea? And staph., isn't that the terrifying, antibiotic resistant super-bug?"
Yup, but see, it is other peoples' e.coli and staph. that give you trouble. Your own are your friends. Your e.coli helps you absorb iron. Your staphylococci help regulate inflammation. Without it, you could wind up with psoriasis or other inflammatory skin diseases.
So, arbitrarily obliterating all bacteria, or even some of the bacteria that we tend to think of as "Bad bacteria", would be pretty bad for us.
Scientists are less fixed on the precise number of viruses that live on and in your body, but the current estimates are around 300 Trillion. Roughly ten times as many viruses as bacteria! And they are largely beneficial too. Some fight off bad (for you, at least) bacteria. Some viruses destroy cancer cells. In fact, some of the most exciting cancer treatments currently being explored involve using modified or selectively bred viruses which can target your specific form of cancer.
Typically, the reason a particular virus or bacteria makes you sick is due to your immune system not successfully integrating or eliminating the new strain.
Your particular microbiome is unique. It is influenced by your environment, your diet... The types of food you eat have an impact on the health and makeup of your gut microbiome, and consequently, on your health. Every time you come into contact with another person, and exchange of microbes occur. Some your microbiome views as allies, and they are integrated into your system, increasing the diversity of your system. Others are viewed as enemies and are destroyed, these can also be beneficial, as your microbiome "remembers their genetic code", and now can utilize that knowledge to bolster your defenses against future similar, perhaps more dangerous invaders.
So, given this alternate perspective on the nature of microbes in the human condition. Is excessive isolation and eradication really the best choice for humankind's future?
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Dear Mom - An apology
My mother managed to annoy a number of people over the years. Specifically, many people complained to me about her habit of intruding on their lives and pointing out their flaws. Not directly mind you (well, there was some of that as well, because all mothers do that a bit, and at least the times I can remember her doing it to me, it was entirely deserved), but that's not the one that caused people to complain.
No, it was the "barely subtle", "passive-aggressive" way she would send books, or magazine articles, or newspaper clippings with self-help advice. That "back-door" fault-finding. That is what really got people upset. And many complained to me about it. And I nodded sympathetically, because I had received many of those myself.
Just recently however, I realized something. We had it all wrong.
Have you even seen a sunset, or heard a song or watched a movie that just.... inspired you? It touched you, moved you, filled you with excitement, or wonder, or joy, or hope or... all of the above?
You wanted to share it with your friends, your family, your loved ones. You wanted them to be able to experience that same amazing, euphoric feeling you felt.
Those self help articles were her sunsets, her brilliant arias. When she read them she felt inspired to do more, to be more. She felt hope at the prospect of a new idea, a new approach to life that might help her improve herself, that might help her to fix some of the many flaws, face down some of the many demons which beset her.
And so she shared it, because that's what you do when a sunset or a song is just too beautiful for words; you share it with the people you love.
I understand now, Mom. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I love you too.
Love,
Ed
No, it was the "barely subtle", "passive-aggressive" way she would send books, or magazine articles, or newspaper clippings with self-help advice. That "back-door" fault-finding. That is what really got people upset. And many complained to me about it. And I nodded sympathetically, because I had received many of those myself.
Just recently however, I realized something. We had it all wrong.
Have you even seen a sunset, or heard a song or watched a movie that just.... inspired you? It touched you, moved you, filled you with excitement, or wonder, or joy, or hope or... all of the above?
You wanted to share it with your friends, your family, your loved ones. You wanted them to be able to experience that same amazing, euphoric feeling you felt.
Those self help articles were her sunsets, her brilliant arias. When she read them she felt inspired to do more, to be more. She felt hope at the prospect of a new idea, a new approach to life that might help her improve herself, that might help her to fix some of the many flaws, face down some of the many demons which beset her.
And so she shared it, because that's what you do when a sunset or a song is just too beautiful for words; you share it with the people you love.
I understand now, Mom. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I love you too.
Love,
Ed
Sunday, October 20, 2019
50th Birthday
My 50th Birthday just happened. A half-century. Kind if a big deal I think.
Especially given my history with aging.
My Mother used to tell a story about when I was little (3? 5? somewhere in there). I had my life plan in place. I was going to be a farmer. I apparently had a blueprint with milestones, though I don't recall her saying much about the specifics. At any rate, after going through the plan, she suggested I need to make sure I included a mission in my timeline. I asked how old that would be. She said 19-21.
I became quite distressed by this because 20 was "Over the hill!!!"
Later in high-school, and the couple years following that, the plan had changed to joining the Air Force, becoming a fighter pilot, and dying heroically in a dog fight sometime before I turned forty. I had some kind phobia of aging I guess.
So, yeah, fifty! Kind of a big deal.
A couple weeks before, I started thinking about the fact that this was one of those big one's. And decided that I wanted it to be celebrated accordingly. Of course, my first thought was a big party. get lots of friends together.
But. That just didn't quite feel right. maybe in part because I am something of an introvert. or maybe my lack of self-esteem. In part our current accommodations, don't really lend to big gatherings. I hate for people- especially large groups- to have to get off and then back on the highway. And since we are right on the highway, there really isn't much room for parking.
Then it came to me. Fifty acts of kindness! That's how I wanted to spend my birthday! I started writing down and looking up ideas for things to do. There were a number of things I really liked, but that were really not in the budget, particularly while trying to build a house, and especially when home-building costs are outrageously high.
Then I remembered a YouTube video I had watched- a Ted talk by a musician, about asking. She talked about starting her career as a statue - one of those people who stands super still and has a can for people to put tips in. She talked about how that influenced her music career, how today she makes her music freely available online and relies on the goodwill of her fans (She's a multi-millionaire, by the way).
I am not good at asking for help. A pride thing mostly, I guess. I feel like I have the ability to do things, so I should just do them. Probably that self-esteem thing plays a role here as well.
But I had also just recently watch a video about embracing trials, and doing hard things with enthusiasm, so I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I set up a gofundme campaign, and asked for donations to help. Four kind people Donated a total of $40!
So, the day before my birthday, I withdrew $100 and got ready for the big day.
Okay, I cheated a little bit. I started the night before my birthday, by giving a $20 tip for a $16 meal. The waitress was such a sweet, happy person, it just seemed the right way to kick it off.
I went to the temple early that morning which seemed like a great way to start the day. Then I raced (at the speed limit) to where the cross country team (including my daughter) were running for their workout. and cheered for them (we had planned to follow them, playing eye of the tiger, but that didn't work out, due to a misunderstanding of their route. Still got to cheer for them though!).
I stopped to get my family donuts for breakfast, and decided to buy the order of the couple in front of me. That turned out pretty cool, I don't know how the couple reacted, but it did seem to make the cashier's day. She was just telling me she would be right with me after she rang up the order ahead of me.
"Actually," I said, then leaned over the counter, and in a conspiratorial whisper I said, "I'd like to pay for their order as well."
She looked surprised at first, then lit up in a big smile and said "Thank-you!" She then took my order, gave me the total and took my card for payment. I suspect this might have been a bit puzzling for the couple who was ahead of me; Here I was behind them, and I was getting my order before them. I grabbed my receipt and was out the door before the cashier could give them their donuts.
For the rest of the day, I enlisted the aid of my family (since some of the things we did might have seemed creepy being done by a 50 year old man, but totally fine by four kids in their tweens and teens).
We taped envelopes with quarters to several vending machines. We also picked a couple store items and taped envelopes to them, with enough money to buy the item (with a little change left over).
We put post-its on the mirrors of a few public restrooms with notes that said things like,
"You are Beautiful"
"You are Amazing!"
"You rock!"
We also put post-its on some cars, and a few doors of public buildings (We specifically put a "You Rock!" on the door of the geology building at USU. Couldn't pass that up). And other messages like "Always be like a proton: Positive".
We also purchased a dozen roses, and handed roses out to strangers (my kids did that, to reduce the chances of me getting pepper-sprayed).
And there were a few other little things- holding doors, an award certificate to a little girl for having the cutest face,... It was interesting seeing peoples' reactions; some were puzzled, some preoccupied, some were guarded, some were very appreciative.
It was great fun! I counted a little over 60 acts of kindness performed with the help of my wife and children. My kids loved it as well (My oldest daughter said the roses were her favorite). My wife made the observation that my youngest two, who bicker and quarrel with each other a great deal, did not do so once the entire time we were engaged in this project. It was great to see them having so much fun serving others.
There was also an interesting twist that afternoon. We have a tradition of taking the kids to the American West Heritage Center around this time every year, to go through the corn maze, play the outdoor games and such. We were going to go Saturday, but decided to go that afternoon instead, as the forecast had rain on Saturday. Since it was after 2 pm, and we hadn't stopped for lunch, we decided we'd treat the kids to lunch there.
There were a couple of vendors there, but the BBQ vendor won the vote. We ordered hot dogs or pulled pork sandwiches for everyone and sat down at a table to eat. Then the owner of the trailer walked over, said "Why don't you take this to help feed your family." and handed me a container with a half-rack of ribs! An act of kindness returned!
He came back after a while and just visited with us, which was thoroughly enjoyable. You know, just sharing pleasant conversation with someone can be such an act of kindness.
So that was my 50th birthday. It was without a doubt THE BEST Birthday I have ever had.
.
.
.
So far....
Especially given my history with aging.
My Mother used to tell a story about when I was little (3? 5? somewhere in there). I had my life plan in place. I was going to be a farmer. I apparently had a blueprint with milestones, though I don't recall her saying much about the specifics. At any rate, after going through the plan, she suggested I need to make sure I included a mission in my timeline. I asked how old that would be. She said 19-21.
I became quite distressed by this because 20 was "Over the hill!!!"
Later in high-school, and the couple years following that, the plan had changed to joining the Air Force, becoming a fighter pilot, and dying heroically in a dog fight sometime before I turned forty. I had some kind phobia of aging I guess.
So, yeah, fifty! Kind of a big deal.
A couple weeks before, I started thinking about the fact that this was one of those big one's. And decided that I wanted it to be celebrated accordingly. Of course, my first thought was a big party. get lots of friends together.
But. That just didn't quite feel right. maybe in part because I am something of an introvert. or maybe my lack of self-esteem. In part our current accommodations, don't really lend to big gatherings. I hate for people- especially large groups- to have to get off and then back on the highway. And since we are right on the highway, there really isn't much room for parking.
Then it came to me. Fifty acts of kindness! That's how I wanted to spend my birthday! I started writing down and looking up ideas for things to do. There were a number of things I really liked, but that were really not in the budget, particularly while trying to build a house, and especially when home-building costs are outrageously high.
Then I remembered a YouTube video I had watched- a Ted talk by a musician, about asking. She talked about starting her career as a statue - one of those people who stands super still and has a can for people to put tips in. She talked about how that influenced her music career, how today she makes her music freely available online and relies on the goodwill of her fans (She's a multi-millionaire, by the way).
I am not good at asking for help. A pride thing mostly, I guess. I feel like I have the ability to do things, so I should just do them. Probably that self-esteem thing plays a role here as well.
But I had also just recently watch a video about embracing trials, and doing hard things with enthusiasm, so I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I set up a gofundme campaign, and asked for donations to help. Four kind people Donated a total of $40!
So, the day before my birthday, I withdrew $100 and got ready for the big day.
Okay, I cheated a little bit. I started the night before my birthday, by giving a $20 tip for a $16 meal. The waitress was such a sweet, happy person, it just seemed the right way to kick it off.
I went to the temple early that morning which seemed like a great way to start the day. Then I raced (at the speed limit) to where the cross country team (including my daughter) were running for their workout. and cheered for them (we had planned to follow them, playing eye of the tiger, but that didn't work out, due to a misunderstanding of their route. Still got to cheer for them though!).
I stopped to get my family donuts for breakfast, and decided to buy the order of the couple in front of me. That turned out pretty cool, I don't know how the couple reacted, but it did seem to make the cashier's day. She was just telling me she would be right with me after she rang up the order ahead of me.
"Actually," I said, then leaned over the counter, and in a conspiratorial whisper I said, "I'd like to pay for their order as well."
She looked surprised at first, then lit up in a big smile and said "Thank-you!" She then took my order, gave me the total and took my card for payment. I suspect this might have been a bit puzzling for the couple who was ahead of me; Here I was behind them, and I was getting my order before them. I grabbed my receipt and was out the door before the cashier could give them their donuts.
For the rest of the day, I enlisted the aid of my family (since some of the things we did might have seemed creepy being done by a 50 year old man, but totally fine by four kids in their tweens and teens).
We taped envelopes with quarters to several vending machines. We also picked a couple store items and taped envelopes to them, with enough money to buy the item (with a little change left over).
We put post-its on the mirrors of a few public restrooms with notes that said things like,
"You are Beautiful"
"You are Amazing!"
"You rock!"
We also put post-its on some cars, and a few doors of public buildings (We specifically put a "You Rock!" on the door of the geology building at USU. Couldn't pass that up). And other messages like "Always be like a proton: Positive".
We also purchased a dozen roses, and handed roses out to strangers (my kids did that, to reduce the chances of me getting pepper-sprayed).
And there were a few other little things- holding doors, an award certificate to a little girl for having the cutest face,... It was interesting seeing peoples' reactions; some were puzzled, some preoccupied, some were guarded, some were very appreciative.
It was great fun! I counted a little over 60 acts of kindness performed with the help of my wife and children. My kids loved it as well (My oldest daughter said the roses were her favorite). My wife made the observation that my youngest two, who bicker and quarrel with each other a great deal, did not do so once the entire time we were engaged in this project. It was great to see them having so much fun serving others.
There was also an interesting twist that afternoon. We have a tradition of taking the kids to the American West Heritage Center around this time every year, to go through the corn maze, play the outdoor games and such. We were going to go Saturday, but decided to go that afternoon instead, as the forecast had rain on Saturday. Since it was after 2 pm, and we hadn't stopped for lunch, we decided we'd treat the kids to lunch there.
There were a couple of vendors there, but the BBQ vendor won the vote. We ordered hot dogs or pulled pork sandwiches for everyone and sat down at a table to eat. Then the owner of the trailer walked over, said "Why don't you take this to help feed your family." and handed me a container with a half-rack of ribs! An act of kindness returned!
He came back after a while and just visited with us, which was thoroughly enjoyable. You know, just sharing pleasant conversation with someone can be such an act of kindness.
So that was my 50th birthday. It was without a doubt THE BEST Birthday I have ever had.
.
.
.
So far....
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Gun Control: Still a thing?
The conversation about gun control is heating up again. But as a technologist, I find myself questioning the practicality:
Let's ignore for a moment the fact there are already more guns than people in the US.
Let's ignore the fact that the current 300-20k (depending on whose interpretation you accept) current gun control laws don't seem to be working.
Let's ignore the fact that there are a fair number of rabidly crazy 2nd amendment proponents who will require you to pry their firearms form their 'cold, dead hands'.
Let's just talk modern technology.
Over seven years ago, a handful of 20 somethings 3D printed a plastic AR lower and fired a half-dozen rounds through it before it failed. (I remember seeing the vid. Can't find it now).
Another individual at roughly the same time printed a .22-caliber pistol, based on the AR lower, which reportedly was still fully functional after firing 200 rounds (https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/133514-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-gun).
Since then, 3d plastic printers have dropped in price, and quality of plastics has improved. A good 3D printer can be purchased for less than $500. People are successfully printing standard AR lowers and firing large numbers of rounds without component failure. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKw8VVP5VmU)
Today, 3D metal printers are coming of age. In just a few short years they have dropped from million dollar to half-million dollar items. There are even a few in the low $100k range. There is also talk of start-ups trying to build desktop models, aiming for a price point around $1500.
"But can't we just enact laws forcing the printer manufacturers to prevent printing of firearms?"
Ignoring the difficulty of that being not dissimilar to making an antivirus program that can catch all current and future malware (i.e. people will just start building firearms that look like teapots)...
Many 3D printers use the Raspberry Pi, or the Arduino as their controller. The Raspberry pi is an open standards compute platform. It is trivial to re-program.
The Arduino is an open SOURCE platform. This means, with instructions you can build your own controller from scratch, using off the shelf parts; parts that have no code in them.
We are growing ever closer to the time when someone would actually be able to print all the parts for a printer. And build their own custom code for controlling it. And build tools that allow virtually anyone with a skill level sufficient to set the clock on their microwave to do the same.
"Well, let's restrict access to the 3D models people use to print the guns."
I recall a time when the US tried to control cryptography this way. Some geek published the code in a paper he wrote. He won the court case because of the first amendment right to free speech.
Exactly how much freedom are you willing to surrender in order to get control of firearms?
And will that actually fix the problem? A year ago I was in Ireland, listening to a new report of yet another mass-knifing incident in a UK town. The report showed a group of people demonstrating for tougher knife-control laws. This wasn't an isolated event either. (https://freebeacon.com/issues/knife-control-debate-heats-uk-amid-london-murder-spike-2/)
So, yes, is this gun control conversation really a practical endeavor? Or are we tilting at windmills?
Let's ignore for a moment the fact there are already more guns than people in the US.
Let's ignore the fact that the current 300-20k (depending on whose interpretation you accept) current gun control laws don't seem to be working.
Let's ignore the fact that there are a fair number of rabidly crazy 2nd amendment proponents who will require you to pry their firearms form their 'cold, dead hands'.
Let's just talk modern technology.
Over seven years ago, a handful of 20 somethings 3D printed a plastic AR lower and fired a half-dozen rounds through it before it failed. (I remember seeing the vid. Can't find it now).
Another individual at roughly the same time printed a .22-caliber pistol, based on the AR lower, which reportedly was still fully functional after firing 200 rounds (https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/133514-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-gun).
Since then, 3d plastic printers have dropped in price, and quality of plastics has improved. A good 3D printer can be purchased for less than $500. People are successfully printing standard AR lowers and firing large numbers of rounds without component failure. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKw8VVP5VmU)
Today, 3D metal printers are coming of age. In just a few short years they have dropped from million dollar to half-million dollar items. There are even a few in the low $100k range. There is also talk of start-ups trying to build desktop models, aiming for a price point around $1500.
"But can't we just enact laws forcing the printer manufacturers to prevent printing of firearms?"
Ignoring the difficulty of that being not dissimilar to making an antivirus program that can catch all current and future malware (i.e. people will just start building firearms that look like teapots)...
Many 3D printers use the Raspberry Pi, or the Arduino as their controller. The Raspberry pi is an open standards compute platform. It is trivial to re-program.
The Arduino is an open SOURCE platform. This means, with instructions you can build your own controller from scratch, using off the shelf parts; parts that have no code in them.
We are growing ever closer to the time when someone would actually be able to print all the parts for a printer. And build their own custom code for controlling it. And build tools that allow virtually anyone with a skill level sufficient to set the clock on their microwave to do the same.
"Well, let's restrict access to the 3D models people use to print the guns."
I recall a time when the US tried to control cryptography this way. Some geek published the code in a paper he wrote. He won the court case because of the first amendment right to free speech.
Exactly how much freedom are you willing to surrender in order to get control of firearms?
And will that actually fix the problem? A year ago I was in Ireland, listening to a new report of yet another mass-knifing incident in a UK town. The report showed a group of people demonstrating for tougher knife-control laws. This wasn't an isolated event either. (https://freebeacon.com/issues/knife-control-debate-heats-uk-amid-london-murder-spike-2/)
So, yes, is this gun control conversation really a practical endeavor? Or are we tilting at windmills?
Monday, August 19, 2019
Unraveling The free economy
A long time ago (At least a year ago). I saw a clip from a news spot in which a couple of young, popular, stylish progressive commentators were discussing the free economy and making fun of an older lawmaker who "Just didn't get it." They spent a couple of minutes lambasting the out-dated fossil who just couldn't seem to come to grips with how all these internet services could be free.
Problem is, they didn't explain how it worked. They just made fun of the fossil for not getting it. I was left feeling perhaps they didn't get it either.
I thought about trying to unpack it, but just wasn't quite motivated enough.
Recently I watched a Ted Talk presentation by Amanda Palmer Titled "The Art of Asking".
(You can find it here, if you wish to watch it. "Parental warning" I was dividing my time between two other tasks, so I don't know if there was mature language, I do know there is a photo of her - rear-oblique angle - Head to just above buttocks - with no clothes, being drawn on by a crowd of fans.)
The key takeaway: As an artist she has largely stopped selling her music. Instead she gives it away free, encourages people to share it, then asks for donations. (essentially the classic street musician model, enhanced by the global reach of the internet.
It is an interesting business model. She seems to be making a decent living doing it. She isn't rolling in cash like the Beatles ($2 billion+), Metallica ($820 million) or Eminem, ($230 million), or Ariana Grande ($100 million), but she definitely isn't starving ($18 million). Even better in my opinion, The RIAA protection racket, er.. I mean... legal team doesn't get to leech off her work.
This isn't free economy as previously mentioned. It is actually a derivation of capitalism, using an optimistic, abundance mindset, (as opposed to the pessimistic, scarcity mindset used by - as an example - Disney, who historically placed their videos in the vault at regular intervals to create an artificial scarcity of product, thereby artificially keeping the price high), and placing the negotiation power solely in the hands of the buyer. She performs the work/service of creating and publishing her art, and trusts that the general population is mostly good and trustworthy and will of their own free will, with no coercion, pay her a fair wage for her effort. She also gets money from endorsements, which I assume utilize more balanced negotiations, and it is unclear what percentage of her wealth comes from this vs fan... donations?.
So, I maintain a bit of skepticism, but I think It is actually a cool business model, particularly well suited for artistic endeavors, I think. It allows everyone to see the art, and then those who appreciate can pay what they feel it is worth, according to what they can afford. I am working on writing a book (a bucket list item of mine). I am approaching two years working on it - just about done with the first draft, and I have been wanting to publish it using this model.
Sorry, wandering a bit there.
None of that is really about the free economy, just what motivated me to try and unpack it.
The free economy the commentators were discussing was specifically centered around Digital tools (Such as google docs, Facebook, Trello,...) and games (Candy Crush, Empires and Puzzles...). You can use/play them for free. You aren't required to pay to play.
But...
People invested time/calories to build/design these things. Don't they need to be paid, so they can provide food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their families? These applications run on servers. Lots of servers. Someone has to pay for the hardware, and for the power to run them, and for the power to cool the rooms they are in, and for the network connections. And while some of those services might be overpriced in the market. I believe it is fairly obvious they can't be absolutely free. They all require labor to research, design build, and maintain.
So if those services aren't in fact free, and you aren't paying for them, who is?
Many utilize a "Freemium" model. That is; you can use the app in a basic or limited form for free, but there are advanced features that you must pay for. Trello is a good example of this. The basic features of this organizational/project management/collaboration tool are free. But if you want the tools that allow you to automate things, or have more than just a handful of boards, you will need to subscribe to one of the premium versions - approximately $10 per user per month.
Still, it allows anyone to use at least the basic features, by having the more affluent users subsidize the free accounts.
Others - specifically the games - use micro-payments in a somewhat similar fashion. You can play the game for free (and you might be subjected to ads, but we'll get to that later), but you will frequently find yourself making very little progress. To overcome this, you can purchase power-ups, or boosters, which will give you a better chance (not a guarantee) of faster progress. This turns out to be a ridiculously good model, by exploiting human characteristics (impatience, addiction). Once upon a time, a high quality game with cutting-edge graphics, hours of unique game play, complex story line, quality voice acting, etc... was a $50 investment for the player. Today, many of the successful games are simple three-matchers, with an occasional novelty introduced. They're trivial to program, largely unimaginative and incredibly repetitive. Yet in some cases people have paid thousands of dollars per month!
So again, the rich and/or stupid subsidize the poor and/or patient. (there are other problems with these games, but that might be another post).
What about the Facebook's and Google doc's? They rely on marketing revenue (Many/most of the games leverage this stream as well, in the form of in-game ads). One aspect of this is simply putting ads in front of your eyes.
Another is research into your habits. By learning more about you, they can be more efficient with advertising dollars, by showing you ads for the things you are actually interested in. The more sinister aspect of this is the deep-learning that the social media platforms utilize to help marketing firms. They essentially experiment on you; try to understand what makes you tick, so they can figure out how to more effectively influence you to buy their stuff.
Does this work? Certainly seems to. Coca Cola, as an example outspends Pepsi by nearly double, and Dr. Pepper by four times, the second and third highest spenders on marketing. Coca Cola owns 42% of the market share. Repetition of a message is very effective in influencing your attitudes and opinions, whether you believe it or not, whether you like it or not. Repeat a lie enough times and it becomes the truth for all intents and purposes. That is the power of propaganda.
But, Coca Cola doesn't pay for their marketing campaigns. The consumer does. Coca cola spends roughly 12.5% of it's revenue on marketing, and that cost is included in the price of the product. For every dollar you you spend on Coke products, twelve cents of it is a micro-payment for those "free things" you use, so that Coca Cola can propagandize you into giving them more of your money.
So there you have it; the "free" economy unpacked. It would be more accurately described as the indirect economy, or perhaps the sneaky, manipulative economy.
There is a saying "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product." Turns out, you are the product, and you are paying for it too.
Problem is, they didn't explain how it worked. They just made fun of the fossil for not getting it. I was left feeling perhaps they didn't get it either.
I thought about trying to unpack it, but just wasn't quite motivated enough.
Recently I watched a Ted Talk presentation by Amanda Palmer Titled "The Art of Asking".
(You can find it here, if you wish to watch it. "Parental warning" I was dividing my time between two other tasks, so I don't know if there was mature language, I do know there is a photo of her - rear-oblique angle - Head to just above buttocks - with no clothes, being drawn on by a crowd of fans.)
The key takeaway: As an artist she has largely stopped selling her music. Instead she gives it away free, encourages people to share it, then asks for donations. (essentially the classic street musician model, enhanced by the global reach of the internet.
It is an interesting business model. She seems to be making a decent living doing it. She isn't rolling in cash like the Beatles ($2 billion+), Metallica ($820 million) or Eminem, ($230 million), or Ariana Grande ($100 million), but she definitely isn't starving ($18 million). Even better in my opinion, The RIAA protection racket, er.. I mean... legal team doesn't get to leech off her work.
This isn't free economy as previously mentioned. It is actually a derivation of capitalism, using an optimistic, abundance mindset, (as opposed to the pessimistic, scarcity mindset used by - as an example - Disney, who historically placed their videos in the vault at regular intervals to create an artificial scarcity of product, thereby artificially keeping the price high), and placing the negotiation power solely in the hands of the buyer. She performs the work/service of creating and publishing her art, and trusts that the general population is mostly good and trustworthy and will of their own free will, with no coercion, pay her a fair wage for her effort. She also gets money from endorsements, which I assume utilize more balanced negotiations, and it is unclear what percentage of her wealth comes from this vs fan... donations?.
So, I maintain a bit of skepticism, but I think It is actually a cool business model, particularly well suited for artistic endeavors, I think. It allows everyone to see the art, and then those who appreciate can pay what they feel it is worth, according to what they can afford. I am working on writing a book (a bucket list item of mine). I am approaching two years working on it - just about done with the first draft, and I have been wanting to publish it using this model.
Sorry, wandering a bit there.
None of that is really about the free economy, just what motivated me to try and unpack it.
The free economy the commentators were discussing was specifically centered around Digital tools (Such as google docs, Facebook, Trello,...) and games (Candy Crush, Empires and Puzzles...). You can use/play them for free. You aren't required to pay to play.
But...
People invested time/calories to build/design these things. Don't they need to be paid, so they can provide food, clothing and shelter for themselves and their families? These applications run on servers. Lots of servers. Someone has to pay for the hardware, and for the power to run them, and for the power to cool the rooms they are in, and for the network connections. And while some of those services might be overpriced in the market. I believe it is fairly obvious they can't be absolutely free. They all require labor to research, design build, and maintain.
So if those services aren't in fact free, and you aren't paying for them, who is?
Many utilize a "Freemium" model. That is; you can use the app in a basic or limited form for free, but there are advanced features that you must pay for. Trello is a good example of this. The basic features of this organizational/project management/collaboration tool are free. But if you want the tools that allow you to automate things, or have more than just a handful of boards, you will need to subscribe to one of the premium versions - approximately $10 per user per month.
Still, it allows anyone to use at least the basic features, by having the more affluent users subsidize the free accounts.
Others - specifically the games - use micro-payments in a somewhat similar fashion. You can play the game for free (and you might be subjected to ads, but we'll get to that later), but you will frequently find yourself making very little progress. To overcome this, you can purchase power-ups, or boosters, which will give you a better chance (not a guarantee) of faster progress. This turns out to be a ridiculously good model, by exploiting human characteristics (impatience, addiction). Once upon a time, a high quality game with cutting-edge graphics, hours of unique game play, complex story line, quality voice acting, etc... was a $50 investment for the player. Today, many of the successful games are simple three-matchers, with an occasional novelty introduced. They're trivial to program, largely unimaginative and incredibly repetitive. Yet in some cases people have paid thousands of dollars per month!
So again, the rich and/or stupid subsidize the poor and/or patient. (there are other problems with these games, but that might be another post).
What about the Facebook's and Google doc's? They rely on marketing revenue (Many/most of the games leverage this stream as well, in the form of in-game ads). One aspect of this is simply putting ads in front of your eyes.
Another is research into your habits. By learning more about you, they can be more efficient with advertising dollars, by showing you ads for the things you are actually interested in. The more sinister aspect of this is the deep-learning that the social media platforms utilize to help marketing firms. They essentially experiment on you; try to understand what makes you tick, so they can figure out how to more effectively influence you to buy their stuff.
Does this work? Certainly seems to. Coca Cola, as an example outspends Pepsi by nearly double, and Dr. Pepper by four times, the second and third highest spenders on marketing. Coca Cola owns 42% of the market share. Repetition of a message is very effective in influencing your attitudes and opinions, whether you believe it or not, whether you like it or not. Repeat a lie enough times and it becomes the truth for all intents and purposes. That is the power of propaganda.
But, Coca Cola doesn't pay for their marketing campaigns. The consumer does. Coca cola spends roughly 12.5% of it's revenue on marketing, and that cost is included in the price of the product. For every dollar you you spend on Coke products, twelve cents of it is a micro-payment for those "free things" you use, so that Coca Cola can propagandize you into giving them more of your money.
So there you have it; the "free" economy unpacked. It would be more accurately described as the indirect economy, or perhaps the sneaky, manipulative economy.
There is a saying "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product." Turns out, you are the product, and you are paying for it too.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Regrets Revisted
In an April 2014 post, I wrote about my regret for taking a car loan.
I find it necessary to revisit that.
So, I was in an automobile accident, which totaled my car, This was right around the time of my SSRI induced apathy and resulting overspend, so I wasn't in a particularly solvent state at the time.
My wife was driving four kids everywhere, and now she was driving me to and from work as well. So I felt a rather urgent need to get a new car. The accident was my fault; I pulled out to turn left and didn't see the oncoming traffic, or didn't realize how close they were....
As a result, I was feeling very much not-confident in my driving, The medication, and illnesses and so forth were leaving me feeling much older than I feel now, and I feared perhaps I was no longer fit to drive. So, I opted to go with a more expensive, automatic transmission. (On the up side, that has worked out well for my son, who is now driving age).
I know I said I wouldn't do another car loan, but I convinced myself this one was okay. We needed a car, and since interest rates were so ridiculously low, I would end up only paying a few hundred dollars over the life of the loan. It really wouldn't be a big deal.
Except. There is more to it than just the interest. You see, there is also the matter of monthly payments. Those monthly payments, interest or no, are what really make you a prisoner.
A $200 monthly car loan payment means $200 of your monthly budget is now unavailable to you. For the duration of the loan.
We did a road trip vacation across the US this summer, using Tax return money. It was great, I am glad we did it.
But.
We had to do it super on the cheap. We are building a house, at a time when construction costs are outrageous. So we are trying to save as much of that money as we can to help keep that loan from being too outrageous.
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is find amazing, local places to eat. Once when I was in Phoenix decades ago, I randomly drove around until I found this Italian restaurant in a converted house, run by three generations of Italian men. It was so cool! Meeting the family and watching them work and interact while I ate amazing food was a truly memorable experience.
I also have fond memories of a barbecue place in Florida. It was actually an area of pavement, with tables set up under canopies, next to a parking lot. There was a small brick structure which consisted of a pit, a walk in cooler, and a restroom. The owner was a large, friendly gentleman of African heritage. The food was old family recipes. It was amazing! It was kind of like being invited to a (incredibly hospitable) stranger's neighborhood party.
I'd love to share that kind of experience with my family (though perhaps they might not find it as enjoyable as I do. Everyone has their own tastes I suppose, pun intended).
On our vacation we ate peanut butter sandwiches and McDonald's. We did eat at a barbecue place in Nashville one time, but it was a chain, not a local hangout (not that it wasn't good, mind you. The food was good, and it had a fun atmosphere, but it still had that chain feel. It didn't have that special, one of a kind, memorable uniqueness.).
It those little things, those unexpected opportunities that you sacrifice when you commit yourself to the bondage of a monthly payment.
A car payment, even if the interest rate is virtually nothing, is still a car payment. It is still money you can't choose to use elsewhere when an opportunity arises, or when an unexpected series of events tightens the belt.
For serious. Avoid loans like the plague!
I find it necessary to revisit that.
So, I was in an automobile accident, which totaled my car, This was right around the time of my SSRI induced apathy and resulting overspend, so I wasn't in a particularly solvent state at the time.
My wife was driving four kids everywhere, and now she was driving me to and from work as well. So I felt a rather urgent need to get a new car. The accident was my fault; I pulled out to turn left and didn't see the oncoming traffic, or didn't realize how close they were....
As a result, I was feeling very much not-confident in my driving, The medication, and illnesses and so forth were leaving me feeling much older than I feel now, and I feared perhaps I was no longer fit to drive. So, I opted to go with a more expensive, automatic transmission. (On the up side, that has worked out well for my son, who is now driving age).
I know I said I wouldn't do another car loan, but I convinced myself this one was okay. We needed a car, and since interest rates were so ridiculously low, I would end up only paying a few hundred dollars over the life of the loan. It really wouldn't be a big deal.
Except. There is more to it than just the interest. You see, there is also the matter of monthly payments. Those monthly payments, interest or no, are what really make you a prisoner.
A $200 monthly car loan payment means $200 of your monthly budget is now unavailable to you. For the duration of the loan.
We did a road trip vacation across the US this summer, using Tax return money. It was great, I am glad we did it.
But.
We had to do it super on the cheap. We are building a house, at a time when construction costs are outrageous. So we are trying to save as much of that money as we can to help keep that loan from being too outrageous.
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is find amazing, local places to eat. Once when I was in Phoenix decades ago, I randomly drove around until I found this Italian restaurant in a converted house, run by three generations of Italian men. It was so cool! Meeting the family and watching them work and interact while I ate amazing food was a truly memorable experience.
I also have fond memories of a barbecue place in Florida. It was actually an area of pavement, with tables set up under canopies, next to a parking lot. There was a small brick structure which consisted of a pit, a walk in cooler, and a restroom. The owner was a large, friendly gentleman of African heritage. The food was old family recipes. It was amazing! It was kind of like being invited to a (incredibly hospitable) stranger's neighborhood party.
I'd love to share that kind of experience with my family (though perhaps they might not find it as enjoyable as I do. Everyone has their own tastes I suppose, pun intended).
On our vacation we ate peanut butter sandwiches and McDonald's. We did eat at a barbecue place in Nashville one time, but it was a chain, not a local hangout (not that it wasn't good, mind you. The food was good, and it had a fun atmosphere, but it still had that chain feel. It didn't have that special, one of a kind, memorable uniqueness.).
It those little things, those unexpected opportunities that you sacrifice when you commit yourself to the bondage of a monthly payment.
A car payment, even if the interest rate is virtually nothing, is still a car payment. It is still money you can't choose to use elsewhere when an opportunity arises, or when an unexpected series of events tightens the belt.
For serious. Avoid loans like the plague!
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