syrakusos

I find the forums to be streamlined when a couple of people are not turbulences on them.

A teenager in Scotland used his bagpipes to shut down a man spreading anti-gay and anti-Muslim messages on Saturday. New York Daily News, September 21, 2015 here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/scottish-bagpiper-shuts-hate-preacher-article-1.2368257 The hater was a Christian. I experienced them here in Austin a couple of years ago when I was guarding buildings at 6th and Congress. One guy with a megaphone accosted women calling them painted Jezebels and whores from Babylon. It went on for weeks. One of the tenants in one of the buildings actually moved up the street when his lease expired. He was four or five floors up and the megaphone was impossible to ignore.

Sometime in early 21st century, I read a portion of The Good Walk Alone and then ordered the book from the author. That was obviously the same person who wrote The Constitution of Government in Galt's Gulch. It was also the same person who spent a morning on my back deck smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee after the screening of Alongside Night here in Austin the previous night. He is exactly what he seems to be: brilliant, deep, and complicated.

People in prison have a lot of time, and nothing else to do except to serve it. Their achievement is noteworthy and commendable, but should be kept in context. More salient would be their lack of previous education. That speaks to their productive use of their forced free time. The debate was only the tip of the iceberg. Their real effort was not perceived. That was the building of a foundation of skills which the Harvard students already had. It is the same 12 years for everyone. You can do it as a child or as an adult.

I have never heard baseball referred to as a "combat" sport...clarify please? Well, it is not like football, or boxing, but you have two teams: one wins; the other loses. In golf you play against the course. You play in groups for camaraderie and convenience. Maybe you care who gets the low score, but you could play alone, and it would be the same game. Track and field, rock climbing, running,... many sports are not adversarial.

The catcher is the field captain. The catcher controls the game by signallng the pitches. Baseball and cricket are unusual among combat sports in that the defense controls the ball. For me, being from Cleveland, it was Jim Egan and then Sandy Alomar. But even above them, Yogi Berra was the greatest of them all. You can observe a lot by watching.

AUSTIN – A woman in her 30s was transported to an Austin hospital after a crash involving a tractor-trailer in southwest Austin on Tuesday afternoon. According to Austin-Travis County EMS, the crash occurred around 2:50 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Southwest Parkway and Barton Creek Road.

I found it helpful. I had to take semester of symbolic logic for my associate's degree in criminal justice. The instructor was a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan; and she taught it as a class in symbolic logic. The other instructor (the department chair), taught it as a class in critical thinking, and only introduced symbolic logic at the end of the class. What does "necessary and sufficient" mean? After Hurricane Katrina, President Bush insisted that "our response was necessary and sufficient." "Necessary and sufficient" means "equal to". Suppose there had been no hurricane at all. Nothing. But the federal government sent the response anyway. Would the consequences have been as destructive as a hurricane? I do not mean that we must always analyze every plain statement for logical flaws. ("How are you?" Fine. "Are you fine, as in not coarse, fine as measure of purity as sterling silver is .925 fine, fine as a penalty to be paid?") But I do insist that if you have some experience with logic, you can see through more fallacies in the so-called "ideas" of other people. (And, of course, seeing your own would be "the giftee some Pow'r gie us".) English has only one "or" though in computing we have the "Xor" which also exists in other languages such as Latin. Working freelance, I sign a lot of contracts. It matters whether "or" could mean both, rather than just one xor the other. If Mom says that Sue or Nancy will bring you a chocolate cake and they both show up on your doorstep with the treat, you are unlikely to raise a fuss. However - "You can have two weeks' sick leave or two weeks of vacation." That, you need to get clear before you sign. The negation of (A or B) is (not-A and not-B). I figured it out on my own and wanted to wave my homework at the instructor, but the girl behind me figured it out on her own and waved hers first. It is well known as "De Morgan's Theorem." Maybe the shortcoming was only mine, but when someone said "If A, then B" I took that to mean that the creation of A would cause B. "If you go over the speed limit (A), you will get a ticket (B)." That is not what it means. It means that if you got a ticket (A), then you went over the speed limit (B). The predicate identifies the cause. That is why symbolic logic is also called predicate calculus. (If A then B) does not imply (if B then A). You can get away with speeding. You might get something else entirely different out of studying logic. I see that Wolf jumped in ahead of me here. Let me say that so-called "Boolean Algebra" is more than what we learn in computers. He is right about Boolean algebra being the symbolic logic of computing. But the or xor and nand if then of computering is a very restricted application. (See here.)

At your name at the top, the little arrow indicates a drop down menu for your Profile. You can go to My Settings and on the left, find 'Ignore' Preferences. That lets you enter the usernames of people you do not want to read. I knew about this generically from other boards, but never used the feature. What I read from others was "You are an idiot. I am ignoring you." Then, the next day, that person replies to a post from the one being 'ignored.' Usually, it was because the writer saw a quoted passage in a message. Realizing that the idiot was still an idiot, the writer could not help but tell him a thing or two. That, of course, always led to, "I thought that you were ignoring me." Having been outed as an obsessive-compulsive, the ignorer backpedals with furious hand-waving. So, it seemed unproductive and embarrassing. If you do not want to read someone, just do not read them. It is easy enough. And, yet, the miracle of automation delivers a wonderful world of comfort.

It has been suggested, perhaps from kindness, that political progressives and other anti-capitalists denigrate the rich because it is difficult to conceptualize how a Fortune 500 CEO earns their money. We understand sports stars because we all play sports after some fashion. Very few people coordinate a complex organization. The result is that the work of CEOs is not perceived as value-production. The best kind of misunderstanding of capitalism comes from within the Austrian school. They seek one essential distinguishing characteristic on which to bases a definition of entrepreneurship. Is entrepreneurship the bringing of new products and services to market? Is it risk reduction? Is it risk-taking? Is it increasing an efficiency? For some advocates of economic freedom, capitalism can only be the activity of a capitalist, i.e., an investor. Then, they have moral arguments about whether capital can come from the sale of risk ("credit" for instance via the "stock market") or must come from savings (Rothbard's claim). One key difference between all of them and what goes on here is that actually having social status among themselves as college professors, they do not succumb to insulting each other. The Minnesota Fox challenged Wolf Devoon to a fistfight. Of course, the dreaded triple dog dare began with an insult. Like other forms of harassment, it exists largely in the mind of the victim. (It is nonetheless real, but the magnitude and direction have changed. Harassment is a vector, not a scalar.) The reason that IQ tests work at all is that for some problems, no amount of time will ever be enough: you either can find a solution or you cannot.

Austin's SXSW began as a music festival, and it remains largely that. They added a film festival. In recent years Stephen Wolfram has been a guest lecturer. Laurel created this proposal for this year's event. The Panelpicker weighs public voting 30% of the consideration. To vote, you have to register, easily enough. http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote

I would wish you "Happy Birthday" but you probably saw this before it was posted.

Once again... though it has been a while since we acknowledged the day. Rather than whimsy, I offer this thoughtful birthday gift:

("At sunset") (Text: Joseph von Eichendorff) (Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Last_Songs) Wir sind durch Not und Freude gegangen Hand in Hand; vom Wandern ruhen wir nun überm stillen Land. Rings sich die Täler neigen, es dunkelt schon die Luft. Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen nachträumend in den Duft. Tritt her und lass sie schwirren, bald ist es Schlafenszeit. Dass wir uns nicht verirren in dieser Einsamkeit. O weiter, stiller Friede! So tief im Abendrot. Wie sind wir wandermüde-- Ist dies etwa der Tod? We have through sorrow and joy gone hand in hand; From our wanderings, let's now rest in this quiet land. Around us, the valleys bow as the sun goes down. Two larks soar upwards dreamily into the light air. Come close, and let them fly. Soon it will be time for sleep. Let's not lose our way in this solitude. O vast, tranquil peace, so deep in the evening's glow! How weary we are of wandering--- Is this perhaps death?

I saw this yesterday, but was blanking out on it. Another loss. I remember the storm on SOLO, I did not remember that essay being the start. This is his SOLO (RoR) autobiography: His articles covered a range, but he clearly shared several interests and perspectives with Lindsay Perigo, which may explain his concern. James Kilbourne's SOLO (RoR) articles are here: http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Author_107.shtml

So sad... I feel bitter about not knowing that he passed. Just a couple of general reflections on this if I may... 1. Bill was teaching statistics at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai and that was really cool. His CV is, indeed, as Mikee said, "impressive": he four-pointed his graduate and post-graduate degrees at SMU, no mean feat. After working at Harris Semiconductor, the University of Tennessee hired him with tenure - hired in 89, tenured from 90 - also an achievement. He had over 50 original papers and a slew of book reviews and et ceteras go along with that. He had a life of achievement. His death at such an early age is sad, but no one knows how long they have. One Norn spins; one Norn measures; one Norn cuts; even the gods have no control over Fate. This is not the first time that I wished I had gotten to know someone better before they died. (I lost a manager in an industrial accident...) And that leads to: 2. The paradigmatic downside to all this individualism is that lack of social contact. That is very American. We are not the only individualist culture in the world. Even Nigeria has them. But I find this in other social spheres as well. Right now, two of my hobbies are numismatics and astronomy, and while they do embrace large populations with attendant varieties of personality, they tend to attract those who do better with empirical concretes and their abstractions, than with they do with actual living people. My other hobby is the Texas State Guard here (or here) on my blog. No one is ever left out there alone. Twice in the last three months, I sat with another guardsman who told a personal story. While he and his family dealt with the grief of loss of a parent or a child, the "details" at the funeral home were "taken care of" and not another word was communicated. Someone knew about their situation and someone else responded. No one is ever left alone -- which has a downside, also. I do not know where the middle ground is. Perhaps it must remain Either-Or

I had no idea that Theodore Roosevelt had been shot. Thanks for the history lesson. National Park Service here: http://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/whoshottr.htm Thanks for the history lesson.

I reject and rebuke my generation. When I am in a grocery store and they play The Doors, I leave. Sure, the first two albums were innovative, but then what? I celebrate the Eighties. Blondie on the Muppet Show here. Patty Smyth and Scandal Good-bye to You Train: "Drops of Jupiter in Her Hair" (here) [A special song for me, an unrequited crush on a much younger woman in my graduate geography class in 2010... You gotta suffer if you want to live...] But I do honor and respect the past, those days when I was young because it is true, the rooms were colder and my father was a soldier and times were hard... That said, as we live, we grow, and as we grow, we change. The core must remain, but the socially active component acquires new expressions. You never know what will resonate with you as you acquire new skills, new abilities, and take on new challenges. Each of us in the Texas State Guard is prepared to support ourselves for 72 hours when deployed. (The National Guard needs seven days to be deployed.) So, I went to buy a rain pancho at a local "army/navy store" and there ahead of me, were three Mexicans, in their 20s, buying camos and other gear. Clearly, these were boys that my own would meet on the border later. I never went back to that store. I understand the "Ferengi Rules of Acquisition" and in the fact that it is profitable to supply both sides in a war -- except when one of those side is my own. Sometimes, it is just complicated and you have to wonder what an Objectivist could see in East Germany. But mostly, the memories remain crystal clear.

This was posted to Galt's Gulch Online. "Carly Fiorina is No Conservative" - http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/08/carly-fiorina-is-no-conservative-candidate/ Personally, I evaluate this as "aluminum foil cap" craziness, at least on one level. That "Lucent" is echoic of "Lucifer" might be interesting to an anthropologist or sociologist (and might have some mythic meaning), but to raise that in passing as if it were a political discussion is demented. Dementia being what it is, even paranoids have enemies, and the rest of the rant does resonate. No one gets close to the White House without the support and approval of the kingmakers. The Tea Party and Occupy movements were distractions to keep people amused in the moment. So, where and whither Carly Fiorina? is she really just speaking "conservatism" now because that what the Bilderbergers/CFR/Davos want her to say to draw conservative votes? What (if anything) does she believe in her heart of hearts? Just to go on the record here, I intend to contribute to her campaign. In Kyle Jacob's "Stallman" topic, I mentioned paying for OSF products. So, I do put my money where my mouth is. That being as it may, the blog piece cited above remains...

Shanghaied... But still in our thoughts.

I posted this here and on other O-ist sites because I found it useful. I have a ppb of Atlas that I mark up with notes. The TOC has reminders of what is in each chapter, for instance. As it was, I was looking for Mr. Weatherby. "Atlas Listed" made that easy.

That is not clear, at all. The missing commas and the comma splice leave me wondering. Oh, Steve, I'm sorry. You were right. I was wrong. Oh, Steve, I am sorry that you were right and that I was wrong. As we buy lotto tickets anyway, when Laurel admits that she was wrong, I put it on the calendar.

http://atlaslisted.com/ Atlas Listed an Ayn Rand tribute site because "Before he shrugged . . . he listed." This is an attempt to create a census of each individual mentioned in the novel, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Major and minor characters are counted, including any individual mentioned by name or by title, or with a physical description or dialog, or, when in a small group, by the order within the group, or when in relationship to an individual as previously identified by the rubric above, then by the nature of that relationship, whether fictional or real, within the novel. Please send suggestions, corrections or questions to:AtlasListed@gmail.com Individuals are listed here in order of appearance, followed by an alphabetized list, with page numbers indicating their first appearance in the Plume trade paperback edition, August 1999 printing. There are, based on this census, 137 individuals identified by nickname or name (first, last or both), and 581 unnamed individuals identified by job title, relationship to a named character, or otherwise as indicated above, for a total of 718 individuals counted, as listed below. http://atlaslisted.com/

You've been on board with the FSM? What have you done for the movement ... Sorry to be late with this, and I apologize if I overstated my case. All I meant was that I have known about Stallman and the OSF for many years, and, like you, have told people what it is, and is not. "Free" does not (necessarily) mean "no pay." For myself, I have the GPG public key crypto on my computer and I sent them $25 for it. My wife is the real computerist here and she runs Kali Linux on her test network. We both have Wireshark, and we took a class in it a couple of years ago. She also has Metasploit, BeEF, and a few others. I do not know which she has sent in money for. I am pretty sure that she has not posted any of her own updates, patches, etc. I am a lot freer with my money than she is with hers. On the Galt's Gulch board, one of the regulars touted Axanar, a new Star Trek fan movie now in production. I watched their trailer, Prelude to Axanar, and then I sent them $100. (Of course, I was a contributor to AS3. My daughter and I got a line credit at the end.) I just joined the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers for $30. I could go on. The point is that if I use "free" software, I pay for it. But, no, I do not modify it, post it to GitHub, or anything like that. I am a technical writer, not a devops person. And I also knew about Richard Stallman from the old WELL: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link. I was active there, in the 80s and 90s, but their being taken over by Salon left me completely alienated. Whereas before, at least some semblance of libertarianism was evident, since Salon, the mainstream there pretty much never met a government program they did not like. I must confess, though, that I feel special for having heard about Barack Obama in 2006. I even voted for him in 2008, though not in 2012, of course.

Once again, I wish the Like feature were enabled. To be more complete on this, I find that Millennials seem less invested in sexual stereotypes, though, of course, people are people, so that is a generalization, maybe just confirmation bias. Also, it matters who we are talking about. As a technical writer, I often hang with the "interface designers" with their pierces and tattoos just for perspective.