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Zeros, Ones, and Twenty-First Century Reasoning

Of the handful of books which have changed my life, The Next 100 Years , written in 2009, by George Friedman remains one of my favorites.  Not only do I think it is an extraordinary book, but it is also the only book of which I say I have a favorite chapter (Chapter 3) 1 .  It contains a straightforward observation about computers, from which Friedman draws some extraordinary conclusions. “The computer is based on binary logic… To a computer, everything is a number, from a letter on a screen to a bit of music. Everything is reduced to zeros and ones...  It is a powerful and seductive tool. Yet it operates using a logic that lacks other, more complex, elements of reason. The computer focuses ruthlessly on things that can be represented in numbers. By doing so, it also seduces people into thinking that other aspects of knowledge are either unreal or unimportant. The computer treats reason as an instrument for achieving things, not for contemplating things. It narrows d...
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Epstein's Shadow

Even if the entirety of the Epstein files are released, it will change nothing. I don't mean because "they" will "win" and avoid justice.  But because, given what has already been released, it's clear there's no evidence of an elite pedophile sex trafficking ring.  There's plenty of embarrassing information, and  evidence of crimes , but nothing pointing to a large conspiracy to unmask. But, boy, do we wish there was!  It would be exciting to live during a time of big change.  The Big Bads of the world are revealed, defeated, and something new arises to take its place.  We get to be in the struggle.  Our names go down in history.  In a decadent time, we finally get something that matters.  Our lives can have BIG meaning, rather than eking out an existence which consists of work, community, and leisure. But work, community, and leisure are the cornerstones of life. Work provides us money, which is needed to live comfortably in society....
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Be professional, not righteous

In learning about Renee Good's death, I have mostly been surprised at Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed her, and his colleague's lack of professionalism.  They are shouting curses, he is handling a phone in one hand and a gun in the other, they leave the scene before any other authorities arrived.  They, of course, are masked, too.  They are full of righteousness - the ends justify their means. I tried to have a discussion with some friends online who were defending Ross.  What I remember now was how much of their argument laid on that righteousness.  Sometimes I'd make a point and I knew it clicked with them because they'd say "I'm not an expert and neither are you" or "you're making assumptions before we know all the facts."  But ultimately it was an avalanche of righteousness. Righteousness is a popular way of talking about things online.  "I may lose followers over this..." "I've been defriended because I think......
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2025 prediction review and 2026 predictions

OK, a review of my predictions for 2025.  Bold are 2026 comments . Trump: I think Trump's presidency will be a lot like his first: chaotic without many constructive achievements (Tarrifs) . Most achievements will be the undoing of things (Reducing vaccination requirements . Unless you are an undocumented immigrant, your life won't be made worse. If you want to, do what you can to protect the undocumented immigrants you know. Mass deportation is so difficult I don't think it's going to happen. The administration will focus on criminals (as in they've been caught because of non-immigrant laws) and preventing more crossings. The border may become much more dangerous (E.G. more armed guards with more permissive rules of engagement).  If you know someone trying to enter this country, help them do it legally even if that means they have to wait.  You can reach out to your congressperson for help, too - such as the person you know is trying to join the rest of their family...
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Maslow's Hierarchies of Matters - December 2025

Man I am so glad 2025 is over so I can now stop doing this.  It was interesting but making these monthly lists was definitely a chore.  It helped me realize, though, how little of the year's news was all that important to my life.  Obviously there are some people for whom much of it was important, but I am not an illegal immigrant in America, a Ukrainian, a Russian soldier, or an Israeli soldier, or a Palestinian.  I'm going to guess that is less than 2% of the world population.  Most of the things that impact me are through higher costs, which is bad for me, but not going to kill or capture me - and certainly not violently. Well, let's wrap this up.  Following through is important.  What were the MAIN things that mattered in December?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Flu spike !  Getting sick is terrible and affects you directly, and worse if you don't have sick-time to use f...
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Maslow's Hierarchies of Matters - November 2025

What were the MAIN things that mattered in November?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Nothing.  Hope you enjoyed the fall weather and had a great Thanksgiving! Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. Trump's court lossess.  It's good to see the law working as we want.  There are now appeals to the Supreme Court, so it ain't over yet, but the process is, so far, working against Trump. Trump's response to the attack on 2 National Guard members.  I don't think there's a large number of Afghan's trying to come to America, but those that are - and those already here - probably have some connection to the US military, and therefore are in danger as long as they remain in Afghanistan.  We should want locals who supp...
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Maslow's Hierarchies of Matters - October 2025

Before we get started, I want to highlight something Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, because as a guy who wants to be known as tough, it's odd.  He's speaking of the suspected drug smugglers we've been killing (murdering?) in the ocean: “These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda,” the defense secretary tweeted on Tuesday, “and they will be treated the same.” Obviously, he's invoking Al-Qaeda because they are a modern classic American enemy. Who likes those guys? Easy sympathy points! But if these narco-terrorists have killed more Americans (putting aside whether that's the best measure of badness) shouldn't our reaction against them be greater? He's got a pundit's mind but he is in a practical job. A qualified Secretary of Defense would have spoken more precisely, not for tough-guy theatrics. OK, now to the main event!  What were the MAIN things that mattered in October?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable atte...
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