I haven't written anything on my blog lately, but it's the dead part of winter so I thought I would just write randomly about some of the things I've been looking at/thinking about in the last few weeks.
P.S. I normally take time to edit and pare things down. My fear right now is that I won't ever post this if I take more time with it, so I'm doing it now in less-than-concise form. My apologies.
1. What makes for quality mens clothing?
I decided to look into this after hearing an interview with the author of "Cheap: The High Cost Of Discount Culture". One of the central ideas put forward in this book is that buying most low-priced items is actually a poor value - you end up having to replace things more often, which takes a lot of time, adds to the garbage/waste problem, creates an unskilled retail labor caste (um, maybe including me, though I'm not exactly the bottom rung), and of course we end up spending more money.
That led me to think about the dress shirts I usually buy for work, which also get used for other occasions. Could I even afford 'tailored' shirts that weren't made in Bangladesh? The answer is: sort of. A concurrent trip to Goodwill produced an excellent quality dress shirt by an unheard-of manufacturer, and from the USA. That shirt was likely not tailored, but sold at a dedicated men's clothing store and made with much more attention. I don't want to get too geeky about it, but it has elements that are only (sometimes) seen in a shirt sold at Kohl's or the mall. The shirt cost $4, and is even better than the "fitted" shirts I normally buy for around $20 (or, more often, $7-$15 on clearance and out-of-season).
It is probably rare to find a shirt like that, and even good quality shirts are usually not made in the US anymore. There are high end retailers who make quality shirts that are more expensive, but are manufactured much better (and slower!). Many tailored shirts are made in Hong Kong, which is historically a tailoring capital - that doesn't guarantee sweatshop-free goods, but better-made clothing takes time and care, and therefore it seems less likely these items are being made under atrocious conditions.
I have read good things about 2 places (online) that will make a shirt to measure for you, for about $60 (or more if you want luxury materials, monogramming, etc). I won't recommend them because I haven't tried them yet. And yes, $60 is a lot of money, but you get a good shirt that you can wear for longer, and not be stuck with junk that wears terribly while not fitting your body shape properly. Plus you can delete the breast-pocket, which seems kind of pointless much of the time.
My closet is getting full. I like the idea of having maybe 6 well-made dress shirts that I like, rather than 20 that I only sort of like. That's less laundry/ironing to worry about, too. With many of those 20 shirts I own, I only wear them grudgingly because they fit so poorly, but I feel bad about throwing them away before they are worn out. Even at sale prices, think of the money I've wasted! Think of all the crap in your closet you've only worn a few times because it's junk!
There are many other areas to explore here about consumerism, labor and waste; this was just a practical, recent example. I will try to return to this topic again.
2. Black tea
As it turns out, I like tea about as much as coffee, but here again, I've been drinking the bad stuff, and hadn't really figured out what to buy that is good. Right now I'm drinking PG Tips, which is a common brand in the UK. This isn't loose tea, but it's fantastic with a little half/half and Splenda (exactly how I take my coffee). The caffeine doesn't seem to be so much as to make me jittery, so I can drink more tea if I'm sitting at the computer (like right now).
3. That Apple tablet computer
As a long term Apple-watcher and someone who is interested in the dynamics of mass media, I was interested to see what the Apple tablet was going to be able to do (revealed today to be called the "iPad"). Almost a year ago, I was already reading articles on the web that claimed that such a device from Apple would save the newspaper and magazine industry the same way Apple had "saved" the music industry.
The idea put forth in these articles was that traditional content found in paper magazines or in internet form could be transformed into a third 'tablet' form that would take the best of both media, and that people would be willing to pay for it. At the very least advertising could be better leveraged to pay the bills of running a media enterprise like Time, The New York Times or Sports Illustrated. A few months back TimeWarner put together a demo video on YouTube that showed how such a publication would work on an iPad-like device.
Now that it's been revealed, we know the iPad, with its 9.7" screen and single button, looks like a giant iPod Touch with the ability to download content over cellular phone networks (which costs extra). This means it can surf the web in WiFi hotspots like your house or a café, as well as on the bus or in the park.
But will you ever have it with you? A small device like an iPhone can do almost everything this can, and you always have that in your pocket. The iPad is also somewhat heavy at just under 2 pounds, which means it isn't as good for reading e-books as say, Amazon's Kindle. Something like this has to be as light as a paperback book for people to take it with them everywhere. Plus it doesn't look like something that can be dropped, so it's not like it will replace a newspaper in every circumstance.
However, the screen on the iPad is supposed to be amazing - almost immersive because you would hold it closer to your face than a laptop, and it's at HD resolution. It also has a 10-hour battery, which means in many circumstances it's better to have along than a laptop, and can do many (though certainly not all) the things you might do on a laptop, like making presentations or typing a paper. And it can run anything an iPhone can, so there's already a huge library of applications available for it, including all the time-wasters you've used your iPhone for previously.
I must force myself to reserve judgement until I see the thing, but my initial thought is that the iPad won't be the revolution that's hoped for by the media gods. But it IS certainly nice, and Apple will therefore sell a ton of them. It's usually not wise to bet against Apple. At the $500 base price, it's not much more than buying an iPod Touch anyway. The damn thing is even largely recyclable, as its two chief materials are aluminum and glass.
And, for you misanthropes out there, it's one more way for you to never interact with another human being ever again.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 15, 2009
He's only the president.
I would like to believe that Barack Obama could change so much more than he can. I would like to wake up on January 21st and have so much changed:
-I would like health care that is based on the idea that it is a human right.
-I would like Americans to have some equality in education.
-I would like more progress on civil rights.
-I would like some oversight to make sure people aren't being screwed in banking, real estate, the stock market, labor relations, law enforcement and the environment.
-I would like for America to build a car that doesn't make me feel like I'm driving a shopping cart.
-I would like Americans to be less afraid. Because if anything, paranoia is what defines living in America today. Being afraid of strangers, losing your job/home/livelihood, the government, and people who are different than you.
-And I would like America to have some REAL unity - not phony-baloney jingoism and flag-waving - to become a place where the people themselves are important, and cooperation is valued at the same level competition is.
Those things aren't going to happen magically, of course, and some of it may not happen at all - like the car thing, for example.
These issues have to be addressed collectively. The president can help shape the conversation and the tenor of the times we live in. Yeah, I'm talking about one of my favorite words - he can help change the "Zeitgeist."
However, a different president, even a brilliant and charismatic one, can only do so much. With less than a week before the inauguration, I feel it's important to remember that.
Ultimately, we have to challenge our own assumptions about what America is in order to make it better. We need to finally stop resting on the fact that we won World War II and that we outlasted the Soviet Union and are therefore the powerfullest and bestest there is. None of that's going to help us get out of the credit crisis or prevent you from losing your health insurance or your job at the auto factory (or mine in retail).
As a younger lad I believed that America needed another revolution to change things; but a revolution really wouldn't change the way Americans think about ourselves anyway. We have to start out by changing our beliefs to match the reality of the times we live in. Government can then change to meet those beliefs, however slowly. I don't even mean that in an idealist Norman Rockwell sense - if a revolution works for us, hey, let's do it - I'm just saying it's not the first step.
Until then, challenging common American wisdom on a whole range of issues would be just super. Even if we get it wrong, the journey is worth the sand in our shoes.
Concurrently with our new president, I'm kinda hoping that starts now.
--
David J. Dannenberg resides in Slinger, Wisconsin. He does not hold a post-secondary degree, and hasn't had a girlfriend in five years. Take that, collective intelligentsia.
-I would like health care that is based on the idea that it is a human right.
-I would like Americans to have some equality in education.
-I would like more progress on civil rights.
-I would like some oversight to make sure people aren't being screwed in banking, real estate, the stock market, labor relations, law enforcement and the environment.
-I would like for America to build a car that doesn't make me feel like I'm driving a shopping cart.
-I would like Americans to be less afraid. Because if anything, paranoia is what defines living in America today. Being afraid of strangers, losing your job/home/livelihood, the government, and people who are different than you.
-And I would like America to have some REAL unity - not phony-baloney jingoism and flag-waving - to become a place where the people themselves are important, and cooperation is valued at the same level competition is.
Those things aren't going to happen magically, of course, and some of it may not happen at all - like the car thing, for example.
These issues have to be addressed collectively. The president can help shape the conversation and the tenor of the times we live in. Yeah, I'm talking about one of my favorite words - he can help change the "Zeitgeist."
However, a different president, even a brilliant and charismatic one, can only do so much. With less than a week before the inauguration, I feel it's important to remember that.
Ultimately, we have to challenge our own assumptions about what America is in order to make it better. We need to finally stop resting on the fact that we won World War II and that we outlasted the Soviet Union and are therefore the powerfullest and bestest there is. None of that's going to help us get out of the credit crisis or prevent you from losing your health insurance or your job at the auto factory (or mine in retail).
As a younger lad I believed that America needed another revolution to change things; but a revolution really wouldn't change the way Americans think about ourselves anyway. We have to start out by changing our beliefs to match the reality of the times we live in. Government can then change to meet those beliefs, however slowly. I don't even mean that in an idealist Norman Rockwell sense - if a revolution works for us, hey, let's do it - I'm just saying it's not the first step.
Until then, challenging common American wisdom on a whole range of issues would be just super. Even if we get it wrong, the journey is worth the sand in our shoes.
Concurrently with our new president, I'm kinda hoping that starts now.
--
David J. Dannenberg resides in Slinger, Wisconsin. He does not hold a post-secondary degree, and hasn't had a girlfriend in five years. Take that, collective intelligentsia.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Ten New TV Shows to Watch in 2009
Dancing With The Disabled (FOX) – Great dancing meets social consciousness when visibly uncomfortable celebrities are paired up with injured Vietnam veterans to win $50,000 worth of health insurance deductibles in a do-or-die ballroom dancing competition! Hosted by Leonard Nimoy.
Sorbo! (PBS) – Kevin Sorbo, the former star of the syndicated television show “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” discusses his views on Near East affairs with special guest contributors including New York Times columnist David Brooks, CBS News’ Bob Schieffer, Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria and NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
Candy Man (TBS) – Recently fired office temp Vince Hoffman suffers from a rare disease that makes his body-odor smell just like English toffee. It ruins his life, until he discovers that he can lure missing children and pregnant women with the smell, making him indispensable to a rural Kentucky police department. Starring Topher Grace, Minnie Driver and Slash.
Leprechauns: Fact or Fiction? (History) – This two-hour History channel special asks the daunting question “Are leprechauns real?” and concludes that, no, they are not.
Don’t Panic (ABC) – Severe anxiety sufferer Jeff Benson must prevent his constant panic attacks the only way he knows how: Finding and viciously torturing terrorists. Starring Stephen Baldwin, Marcia Gay Harden and Susan Anton.
Mue Calliente! (Telemundo) – Celebrities who don’t speak Spanish try their best at this beat-the-clock game show, but ultimately they always lose and have to “Eat The Pepper,” a euphemism for a degrading sexual act that will surely make this the biggest reality TV hit this season.
The Crazybergs (Comedy Central) - An animated comedy where a mentally ill family goes on a killing spree each week. Will they ever get caught? Will the “stupid” father Ziggy Crazyberg (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) say something wacky? Tune in and find out!
Well That Phelps A Lot! (NBC) – Five years after retiring from swimming, and after gaining 150 pounds, a disheartened octuple gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps is told by the Olympic committee that one of his gold medals will be taken away due to a timing error at the Beijing games. The only way he can get the medal back is if he swims the race again, and his new coach Bill Cosby isn’t about to give up on him. Also, Mark Spitz tries to murder him. Special appearances by Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Amanda Bynes.
The New Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy (Nickelodeon) – Beloved childhood dolls come to life and creep everybody the Hell out in this new live-action series produced by James Cameron. Absurdly realistic special effects guarantee these dolls will haunt you through years of counseling. Featuring the voice talents of Mercedes Ruehl and Chris Rock.
Twelve Stepps To Quantico (CBS) - A brilliant but alcoholic FBI agent must work through his personal demons to do his job. That’s not easy when corruption in the agency makes special agent Richard Stepp question his loyalties to the bureau and to his daughter, Mindy, who owns a liquor store. Starring Jon Lithgow, Keith David and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Sorbo! (PBS) – Kevin Sorbo, the former star of the syndicated television show “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” discusses his views on Near East affairs with special guest contributors including New York Times columnist David Brooks, CBS News’ Bob Schieffer, Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria and NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
Candy Man (TBS) – Recently fired office temp Vince Hoffman suffers from a rare disease that makes his body-odor smell just like English toffee. It ruins his life, until he discovers that he can lure missing children and pregnant women with the smell, making him indispensable to a rural Kentucky police department. Starring Topher Grace, Minnie Driver and Slash.
Leprechauns: Fact or Fiction? (History) – This two-hour History channel special asks the daunting question “Are leprechauns real?” and concludes that, no, they are not.
Don’t Panic (ABC) – Severe anxiety sufferer Jeff Benson must prevent his constant panic attacks the only way he knows how: Finding and viciously torturing terrorists. Starring Stephen Baldwin, Marcia Gay Harden and Susan Anton.
Mue Calliente! (Telemundo) – Celebrities who don’t speak Spanish try their best at this beat-the-clock game show, but ultimately they always lose and have to “Eat The Pepper,” a euphemism for a degrading sexual act that will surely make this the biggest reality TV hit this season.
The Crazybergs (Comedy Central) - An animated comedy where a mentally ill family goes on a killing spree each week. Will they ever get caught? Will the “stupid” father Ziggy Crazyberg (voiced by Malcolm McDowell) say something wacky? Tune in and find out!
Well That Phelps A Lot! (NBC) – Five years after retiring from swimming, and after gaining 150 pounds, a disheartened octuple gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps is told by the Olympic committee that one of his gold medals will be taken away due to a timing error at the Beijing games. The only way he can get the medal back is if he swims the race again, and his new coach Bill Cosby isn’t about to give up on him. Also, Mark Spitz tries to murder him. Special appearances by Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Amanda Bynes.
The New Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy (Nickelodeon) – Beloved childhood dolls come to life and creep everybody the Hell out in this new live-action series produced by James Cameron. Absurdly realistic special effects guarantee these dolls will haunt you through years of counseling. Featuring the voice talents of Mercedes Ruehl and Chris Rock.
Twelve Stepps To Quantico (CBS) - A brilliant but alcoholic FBI agent must work through his personal demons to do his job. That’s not easy when corruption in the agency makes special agent Richard Stepp question his loyalties to the bureau and to his daughter, Mindy, who owns a liquor store. Starring Jon Lithgow, Keith David and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Alternate "Law and Order" sequels
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
2009: A Projected Timeline of World Events
I published this on my Facebook page, but I thought it was enough work to go ahead and publish it here too.
January 20, 2009: US President Barack Obama is sworn into his first term of office after winning both the popular and electoral vote last November. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Nicole Derse is appointed, with broad new powers awarded to her by Congress.
February 5, 2009: All reality television shows cancelled from lack of interest. Arts education and libraries experience a renaissance as full funding is restored.
March 18, 2009: David Dannenberg opens a brewery/restaurant/vintage clothing store in Milwaukee, WI. It’s also got a ping-pong table in the back.
March 28, 2009: Justin Johnson completes his first artistic short film, which renders in heart-breaking clarity the ups and downs of lifelong friendships formed in small Wisconsin towns. In May it receives the Palm d’Or for short film at Cannes.
April 1, 2009: On his thirtieth birthday, David Dannenberg’s parents reveal the secret that he is sixth in line to the throne of Norway. It turns out the “Dannenberg” family was just hiding in America from the seventh in line for the throne, actor John Goodman, who might have murdered them to ensure his own coronation. Soon after, David’s brewery is sold to a Russian oil tycoon with the profits going to Amnesty International.
May 17, 2009: Bono takes over as UN Secretary General after Ban Ki-moon resigns to concentrate on negotiations with North Korea.
May 20, 2009: John Goodman arrested in Cardiff, Wales on suspicion of trying to murder members of the Norwegian royal family.
June 10, 2009: Brett Kell is brought to national fame after he sacrifices his own car to save a busload full of blind orphans from crashing through the side of Milwaukee’s Hoan Bridge and certain death. He is soon after appointed as president of the International Red Cross in a gala ceremony in Geneva.
June 19, 2009: After an embarrassing and revealing impeachment process by the Alaska state legislature, former Governor Sarah Palin recedes to her fall-back career as night manager of the Wasilla “Lens Crafters.”
July 4, 2009: America celebrates Independence Day in high style by passing comprehensive universal healthcare legislation that reduces the cost of care for all Americans. Final development of the program was moved along with aid from a newly minted Norwegian ambassador to the US: Prince Olaf, née David Dannenberg, who was instructive on integrating public and private institutions and negotiating a strong pricing framework with pharmaceutical companies.
July 13, 2009: Newest James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” finally arrives on DVD in North America, with an international release one week later.
July 27, 2009: Sir Richard Branson announces that all Virgin Airlines flights will be powered by new matter/anti-matter fusion reactors that create no waste products or pollution whatsoever.
July 30, 2009: Mike Hauser wins a MacArthur Genius grant, which he uses to publish a book of offensive street poetry for children.
August 1, 2009: Taco Bell introduces new burrito that actually burns more calories than it contains, violating what were previously thought to be unbreakable laws of thermodynamics.
August 15, 2009: Clay Anton accidentally creates a cheap and effective cure for Malaria by sneezing on a mug of Miller Lite. The concoction is replicated and distributed across Africa by his friend Brett, who happens to run the Red Cross.
September 6, 2009: New Japanese fashion of going pants-less spreads to Europe when French President Nikolas Sarkozy makes televised speech to his nation without pants.
September 19, 2009: Dr. Kate Connolly purchases and runs a winery in Napa Valley with funding provided by the Norwegian monarchy.
October 12, 2009: NYU professor Don Kingsbury helps to normalize relations with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez after getting America to stop trying to covertly overthrow everybody.
October 15, 2009: Ben and Jerry’s relents to pressure from PETA and manufactures ice cream made from human breast milk, and it tastes fantastic.
October 17, 2009: Taking into account his non-profit career experience, as well as curing Malaria, Clay Anton is appointed director of Doctors Without Borders.
October 31, 2009: Halloween is like, the best ever. Did you see that one guy in the Chewbacca costume? Far out, man.
November 2, 2009: Flags are at half-staff throughout America as the nation mourns death of football personality Jon Madden.
November 10, 2009: Prince Olaf of Norway, ambassador to the US, surprises everybody when he buys a totally bitchin’ new Camaro SS.
November 26, 2009: Thanksgiving is celebrated in America. World is flabbergasted after a small group of dolphins learn how to speak English and demand permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
December 5, 2009: Popular film maker Justin Johnson and celebrity wife Jessica Johnson buy home on the Spanish Riviera, next to vacation home of Prince Olaf of Norway.
December 16, 2009: Reunification of Korea completed. Buying a Hyundai no longer thought of as “uncool.”
December 25, 2009: Christmas is celebrated with Oprah buying all US citizens a new Hyundai or motorcycle of their choice.
December 31, 2009: Global climate change stopped just short of being irreversible, using new technology adapted from the August development of Taco Bell’s thermodynamically revolutionary burrito.
January 20, 2009: US President Barack Obama is sworn into his first term of office after winning both the popular and electoral vote last November. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Nicole Derse is appointed, with broad new powers awarded to her by Congress.
February 5, 2009: All reality television shows cancelled from lack of interest. Arts education and libraries experience a renaissance as full funding is restored.
March 18, 2009: David Dannenberg opens a brewery/restaurant/vintage clothing store in Milwaukee, WI. It’s also got a ping-pong table in the back.
March 28, 2009: Justin Johnson completes his first artistic short film, which renders in heart-breaking clarity the ups and downs of lifelong friendships formed in small Wisconsin towns. In May it receives the Palm d’Or for short film at Cannes.
April 1, 2009: On his thirtieth birthday, David Dannenberg’s parents reveal the secret that he is sixth in line to the throne of Norway. It turns out the “Dannenberg” family was just hiding in America from the seventh in line for the throne, actor John Goodman, who might have murdered them to ensure his own coronation. Soon after, David’s brewery is sold to a Russian oil tycoon with the profits going to Amnesty International.
May 17, 2009: Bono takes over as UN Secretary General after Ban Ki-moon resigns to concentrate on negotiations with North Korea.
May 20, 2009: John Goodman arrested in Cardiff, Wales on suspicion of trying to murder members of the Norwegian royal family.
June 10, 2009: Brett Kell is brought to national fame after he sacrifices his own car to save a busload full of blind orphans from crashing through the side of Milwaukee’s Hoan Bridge and certain death. He is soon after appointed as president of the International Red Cross in a gala ceremony in Geneva.
June 19, 2009: After an embarrassing and revealing impeachment process by the Alaska state legislature, former Governor Sarah Palin recedes to her fall-back career as night manager of the Wasilla “Lens Crafters.”
July 4, 2009: America celebrates Independence Day in high style by passing comprehensive universal healthcare legislation that reduces the cost of care for all Americans. Final development of the program was moved along with aid from a newly minted Norwegian ambassador to the US: Prince Olaf, née David Dannenberg, who was instructive on integrating public and private institutions and negotiating a strong pricing framework with pharmaceutical companies.
July 13, 2009: Newest James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” finally arrives on DVD in North America, with an international release one week later.
July 27, 2009: Sir Richard Branson announces that all Virgin Airlines flights will be powered by new matter/anti-matter fusion reactors that create no waste products or pollution whatsoever.
July 30, 2009: Mike Hauser wins a MacArthur Genius grant, which he uses to publish a book of offensive street poetry for children.
August 1, 2009: Taco Bell introduces new burrito that actually burns more calories than it contains, violating what were previously thought to be unbreakable laws of thermodynamics.
August 15, 2009: Clay Anton accidentally creates a cheap and effective cure for Malaria by sneezing on a mug of Miller Lite. The concoction is replicated and distributed across Africa by his friend Brett, who happens to run the Red Cross.
September 6, 2009: New Japanese fashion of going pants-less spreads to Europe when French President Nikolas Sarkozy makes televised speech to his nation without pants.
September 19, 2009: Dr. Kate Connolly purchases and runs a winery in Napa Valley with funding provided by the Norwegian monarchy.
October 12, 2009: NYU professor Don Kingsbury helps to normalize relations with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez after getting America to stop trying to covertly overthrow everybody.
October 15, 2009: Ben and Jerry’s relents to pressure from PETA and manufactures ice cream made from human breast milk, and it tastes fantastic.
October 17, 2009: Taking into account his non-profit career experience, as well as curing Malaria, Clay Anton is appointed director of Doctors Without Borders.
October 31, 2009: Halloween is like, the best ever. Did you see that one guy in the Chewbacca costume? Far out, man.
November 2, 2009: Flags are at half-staff throughout America as the nation mourns death of football personality Jon Madden.
November 10, 2009: Prince Olaf of Norway, ambassador to the US, surprises everybody when he buys a totally bitchin’ new Camaro SS.
November 26, 2009: Thanksgiving is celebrated in America. World is flabbergasted after a small group of dolphins learn how to speak English and demand permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
December 5, 2009: Popular film maker Justin Johnson and celebrity wife Jessica Johnson buy home on the Spanish Riviera, next to vacation home of Prince Olaf of Norway.
December 16, 2009: Reunification of Korea completed. Buying a Hyundai no longer thought of as “uncool.”
December 25, 2009: Christmas is celebrated with Oprah buying all US citizens a new Hyundai or motorcycle of their choice.
December 31, 2009: Global climate change stopped just short of being irreversible, using new technology adapted from the August development of Taco Bell’s thermodynamically revolutionary burrito.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Oh No, We're All Gonna Die!
How would you change your life if you knew for certain a natural disaster was going to end civilization, or at least cause major upheaval?
I just saw this article in The Independent newspaper in Britain that says massive amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are bubbling out of the Arctic ocean. Because the ocean is warming, methane that was previously trapped in permafrost is being released. Methane makes the earth warmer, which causes the release of even more frozen methane, and so on. This is a chain reaction that is probably too rapid to be stopped by changes in human behavior, and could lead to the massive rise in sea levels that I’ve been worrying about since I saw James Burke’s cheesy “After the Warming” as a geeky child in the early 90’s.
All this has me thinking about how people should live. If we can’t hold back the changes of the Earth, should we worry so much about whether we drive an economical car (even if you could afford something more polluting), use fluorescent light bulbs, or restrict air travel? Soon, you may not be able to take that trip to Miami because Miami might not be there. So why not burn some extra hydrocarbons and live in the present?
For unrelated reasons, I have been thinking a lot about the saying “Live like you’re going to die tomorrow.” I keep thinking of it because I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of my life, and often wish I had the discipline to live life like tomorrow doesn’t matter. It would take enormous discipline to live like that, because the day before you die would be anything but routine. You probably wouldn’t bother to do simple things like making breakfast or checking your email, but mainly you would not fear what anyone thinks of you or does to you. You’d talk to people you wouldn’t normally, you’d tell the truth, and you’d do any number of other things that are out of character – a premise that’s behind a number of movies and books as well.
Well, let’s stretch the “dying tomorrow” scenario a little. Let’s say instead you knew you had 15 years before your life would be completely and utterly screwed, although you wouldn’t die. What if you knew that your savings or investments weren’t going to be worth anything, and that your reasonably comfortable office job wouldn’t be there because suddenly the Midwest never got above 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer?
Well maybe you’d just move.
But you still wouldn’t avoid a global-crisis-to-come, so how would you live in the meantime? Would you have children? Would you still try to excel at your job?
I don’t have answers. Not even for myself. But I like questions like this because it always seems that there is wisdom to be found lurking in the gray areas of the discussion.
But I’ll continue to use fluorescent light bulbs, drive an economical car and try to have a savings account. Because that’s just how I roll.
Thoughts?
I just saw this article in The Independent newspaper in Britain that says massive amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are bubbling out of the Arctic ocean. Because the ocean is warming, methane that was previously trapped in permafrost is being released. Methane makes the earth warmer, which causes the release of even more frozen methane, and so on. This is a chain reaction that is probably too rapid to be stopped by changes in human behavior, and could lead to the massive rise in sea levels that I’ve been worrying about since I saw James Burke’s cheesy “After the Warming” as a geeky child in the early 90’s.
All this has me thinking about how people should live. If we can’t hold back the changes of the Earth, should we worry so much about whether we drive an economical car (even if you could afford something more polluting), use fluorescent light bulbs, or restrict air travel? Soon, you may not be able to take that trip to Miami because Miami might not be there. So why not burn some extra hydrocarbons and live in the present?
For unrelated reasons, I have been thinking a lot about the saying “Live like you’re going to die tomorrow.” I keep thinking of it because I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of my life, and often wish I had the discipline to live life like tomorrow doesn’t matter. It would take enormous discipline to live like that, because the day before you die would be anything but routine. You probably wouldn’t bother to do simple things like making breakfast or checking your email, but mainly you would not fear what anyone thinks of you or does to you. You’d talk to people you wouldn’t normally, you’d tell the truth, and you’d do any number of other things that are out of character – a premise that’s behind a number of movies and books as well.
Well, let’s stretch the “dying tomorrow” scenario a little. Let’s say instead you knew you had 15 years before your life would be completely and utterly screwed, although you wouldn’t die. What if you knew that your savings or investments weren’t going to be worth anything, and that your reasonably comfortable office job wouldn’t be there because suddenly the Midwest never got above 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer?
Well maybe you’d just move.
But you still wouldn’t avoid a global-crisis-to-come, so how would you live in the meantime? Would you have children? Would you still try to excel at your job?
I don’t have answers. Not even for myself. But I like questions like this because it always seems that there is wisdom to be found lurking in the gray areas of the discussion.
But I’ll continue to use fluorescent light bulbs, drive an economical car and try to have a savings account. Because that’s just how I roll.
Thoughts?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Google Reader: You Buy It.
I used to be one of those cool techie people that used to be always ahead of the curve technologically for one reason: I enjoyed it. I'm not that person anymore; I just don't think life is improved that much more by the latest gadget.** Some new digital whatzamajiggy can't make life worth living (though I did enjoy being technologically superior to you all).
But, if you read blogs and like to keep up to date in certain areas of specialized knowledge, I really must recommend a tool by the parent company of Blogger, and that is Google Reader.
I had been getting RSS subscriptions to my friends' blogs through a built-in function in my Firefox web browser, which works fine, but Google Reader organizes news feeds from my friends, favorite photography sites, tech blogs, boingboing.net, etc. with great efficiency - much like Gmail kicks my email's ass.
I heartily endorse this service, America.
David Out.
**P.S. I have already gone against that notion, bragging about my Nikon camera today to a friend. Geez, I'm a dork.
But, if you read blogs and like to keep up to date in certain areas of specialized knowledge, I really must recommend a tool by the parent company of Blogger, and that is Google Reader.
I had been getting RSS subscriptions to my friends' blogs through a built-in function in my Firefox web browser, which works fine, but Google Reader organizes news feeds from my friends, favorite photography sites, tech blogs, boingboing.net, etc. with great efficiency - much like Gmail kicks my email's ass.
I heartily endorse this service, America.
David Out.
**P.S. I have already gone against that notion, bragging about my Nikon camera today to a friend. Geez, I'm a dork.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)