Home Alone

There was a minor kerfluffle this morning over some missing car keys, but it seemed to have been resolved. A few hours later I hear what sounds like a knock down drag out argument between my wife and daughter. They are screaming to beat the band. I start to go upstairs to see what all the fuss is about, but then I think maybe I'd better not interfere. Anything I might say or do would probably just stir the pot, and the pot is plenty stirred enough as it is.
    The racket subsides in short order, as these things are wont to do, and a little later I make a foray to assess the damage. Turns out there was no argument - it was something my wife was watching on the computer. I never suspected I could be fooled by an audio recording. There is a solid door at the top of the stairs, so I have the interference from that in my defense. There have been scenes in movies where this has been done, but I always suspected it of being just movie stuff - no one would actually be fooled into thinking there were real people talking when it was just a television playing, would they?

Neato Keeno

Neo sees the white rabbit.

I've never been able to figure out how to pronounce Keanu Reeves name. For a while I was calling him Keeno, but whenever I did this within earshot of older son he would correct me with something unpronouncable. Then I got the idea that if you got the order of the letters mixed up you could have Kneau. In this case the K would be silent (as in "knock"), and if you mangle the vowels to suit your purposes you could have ee-oh. Put it all together and you have Neo. How about them apples?

Sticker Shock

NYC: $12 for a pack of smokes!?! $5 for the Sunday Paper!?! At least the beer is cold. And big. Picture stolen from Burro Hall. Last time I noticed smokes were $5 locally. Seems like the older I get, the faster inflation goes (runs? inflates?).

"Teardrop" - Massive Attack

This song has been on my playlist for a while now, but looking at the title I never made the connection to the actual song, either positive of negative. It just kind of flows by. Only when I started looking at the playlist in detail did I figure out that I actually liked it.
      Listened to Royals by Lorde yesterday and I'm not quite sure about it. There's some good, harmonious singing on there, the theme is agreeable, and the boxers in the video make me think she might have some idea what she's singing about, but at this point it's not quit a keeper for me. As always, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).
      Sometimes I think the obvious, simple and important parts of life get complete obfuscated by the incessant blather we get from the media. Life was much simpler before Eve took the bite out of that apple.

Idlers, Gentrification, Bifurcation of Society, etc.

California Bob reports:

Speaking of idlers, and anger at the modern economy, this little episode illustrates a contemporary phenomenon.

  

Around here many large companies run coaches to provide transportation for their employees.  Google, Yahoo, Apple have big shiny buses running all over bringing in workers.  They are very visible, and although the intent is good (reduces traffic, congestion, fuel consumption, etc.), the coaches have become symbols of privilege.  The tinted windows only help create wild speculation about the perverted excesses inside (diamond encrusted Wi-Fi transponders?).

Several interesting things here:

• If the employees were to do something much more socially obnoxious (ie: buy a big Mercedes and drive themselves to work), they wouldn't be a target.

• One protester infiltrated the bus posing as a Google employee, and in order to inflame anger against Google, shouted out the bus windows: "This is a city for the right people who can afford it. You can't afford it? You can leave. I'm sorry, get a better job!"  This was supposed to be scandalous and controversial, but it sounds pretty realistic to me.  What is he suggesting, that people should be entitled to live anywhere they want, whether they can afford it or not?  What is that supposed to look like?

I'm actually hopeful that the tide is swinging away from trickle-down, back toward a kinder-gentler mindset.  Obama got re-elected.  Obamacare, a gateway to single-payer health, got enacted.  And I read today that 70% of voters support an increase in the minimum wage.  There's been a ton of displacement, and these things take time to rectify, but I see broad support for channeling economic flows back toward the middle classes, and I don't see broad support for predatory free-market policies.

On the other hand, success depends on personal skills that are learned at home, not on policy.  The social capital in this country is notoriously degenerate.  We may already have a permanent underclass of people who just have no clue how, or inclination, to behave responsibly.

One more remark: I myself hold a fair amount of resentment toward "yuppie douchebags," and I'm somewhat conflicted about having to adopt certain values and sublimate others in order to work among them.  So why do I do it?  The answer is simple, "I like flexibility and independence," and money is the best way to achieve that, and a good job is the easiest way to get money.  I often find myself humiliated at behaving the way I do.  But in my experience the alternative is an existence of scrounging and foraging which, while not humiliating, is not particularly rewarding, either, and can be downright depressing. 

Depression, or humiliation?  Tough call.

I asked for clarification on the conflicted bit, and received this reply:

For example, having to buy new and "on-trend" clothing, instead of wearing thrift shop stuff.  And eliminating the sarcasm, negativity and vitriolic social commentary.  Foregoing challenging people on stupid remarks or behavior.  In other words, becoming a mellow predictable pleasant acting dweeb.

I have to say though, my experience has been, by simply sanding down my edges and prettying up a little, I am getting noticeably more mileage socially and work-wise.  Noticeably.

Peak Oil

Today's oil factoid.



From Wikipedia, via Iowa Andy. At 25 million barrels a day it will take 120 years to exhaust the estimated 3 trillion barrels that God buried somewhere under the surface. You'd think he could have left us a map. My only question right now is how long will it be before will need to start building drill ships out of unobtanium ala The Core.

Russians are VERY SERIOUS about Operational Security

Yes, it is being, how you say, a joke?