More adu about belief
Ben Stein had some interesting insights on the subject of love a while back, and I most recently re-read them.
Roughly indeed. I often question ideas like love and their universal acceptance. From an analytical standpoint, can one truly believe in love if there is little evidence for it other than brain waves? I feel the similar about karma. Why should I believe if I don’t have any proof, if there is nothing to measure, no correlations? I don’t seek to marginalize feeling and emotion, yet I have a tenancy to disbelieve anything without proof. To me, if someone can put an electrode to my head and produce love, then maybe what we think of as love is something else, a byproduct of evolution designed to make us a more successful species.
I recently engaged in some pretty spirited conversation about the subject of morals/ethics. Can there exist a universal standard of what is ethical or moral? I love love love the TED talk regarding the subject because it argues yes in a scientific way. I don’t like how individuals argue that we should be tolerant of other ideals simply because other people hold them sacrosanct. As Aristotle would urge I agree we must entertain all thoughts, yet I think a line should be drawn at behavior / ideologies that are shielded from reason and the scythe of the scientific method simply because they are traditional.
Bottom line if an idea / belief/ practice is irrational it should be reevaluated. Rational by who’s standard? Science. There can be no other standard.
Posted Elsewhere
I’m writing on Chinese Small Cap stocks over at OTC China Player. My first post is up over there. Check it out.
Counter Intelligence
An extremely good friend of mine has an aversion to celery. She dislikes it so much that the smell(?), sight, or even mention makes her nauseous. I keep commenting to her that she should go to a hypnotist to get that corrected, a comment that we both kind of laugh off, even though i’m completely serious. In her defense she eats a very wholesome and varied diet, much more so than the average person, as well as routinely visits the farmers market. Although for me, I would have to attack that celery issue from a standpoint of programming, one of my philosophical cornerstones. For if I thought, as I do, that beets are luxurious, carrots are addictive, and fennel is sublime, why then would I hate celery? (She adores rhubarb?) This mire poix mishap can and should be corrected in the sub-conscious.
I can usually tell a good deal about how well i’m going to get along with someone by the way that they eat. I especially dislike those that have “food texture” issues; I cringe when I hear someone say they don’t like the texture of something. I’m all for critiquing food with a scalpel, however to reject on these grounds in my eyes is akin to disliking a wine because of it’s bottle. In reading a recent NY Times article about Cilantro, it is clear that the brain chemistry makes itself known through preferences in appetite and taste. I almost always get along with gastronomically advanced individuals, as diverse a group they usually are. Picky people I find a perverse, handicapped group. It makes poor sense to me to raise children on a “Children’s Menu.” It is no secret I am a large human being, and I credit my health and rapid development on adequate nutrition, as opposed to pasta with butter and salt. Such behavior I feel leads to obesity, malnutrition, and a general lack of dietary intelligence.
Yet for me it goes a step further; picky people are the first to perish in an evolutionary bottle neck.
Why should I care what other people eat? Well, I suppose our ancestors were thinking the same thing about 70,000 years ago when the Toba Catastrophe occurred. I’m sure they were eating whatever they could find after such an event. Evolution is adaptation, and true while most of the changes we undergo are done at the molecular level, I believe that we must force ourselves to try new things – all the time. A step further would be to understand why we dislike the things we do. I mean come on, everyone likes the taste of meat – you’ve just convinced yourself you don’t. Otherwise a volcano will erupt rendering chicken fingers poisonous and leaving celery the only surviving crop. A great deal of people won’t make it.
Health, Wealth, Bust
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”
– John Maynard Keynes
I like to take fairly complex issues and break them down into simple truths. This process in mathematics is called forming a proof. A proof is based upon a series of accepted and demonstrable truths called axioms. In economics, the most valuable information is often found in analyzing past data, as the future is based upon far too many variables. It does not take a Ph.D however to see that we are venturing on a precipice in American history with various parallels, yet few equals.
In this country we approach almost 400% debt to GDP ratio, i.for every dollar we earn we already owe 4. I’ve been talking to a great number of people regarding their thoughts on the reformed health care system, how great it is, how we should be more like Europe, Canada, etc. I tend to agree. It would be great to have free, universal health care. Yet when I pose the question, should a person earning 100k have the same level of health care as a person earning 20k and people answer yes, I sense a fundamental misunderstanding of capitalism.
Capitalism empowers the individual, not the society. It enables the individual to provide for himself, whereas Socialism empowers the society to provide for the individual. Personally, I would rather be empowered to provide for myself, and in the current system I am unable; yet the solution for me is not to scrap the whole system. I am less concerned with which system we use, and I doubt it means a fundamental shift in our economy. The simple point I make is that we can not afford it.
People forget that we as a country are on paper insolvent. We are not China, who has billions of dollars in reserves in several different currencies, increasing by the minute. We are America, who almost every week have to auction off billions of dollars in debt to finance our economic activity. If we look at Greece (and Portugal, Spain, and several other countries.) We can see this process isn’t going well.
Lets look at some axioms: We are posed for the largest tax increase in history come January 2011. While research shows that a tax increase has a 3x negative effect on GDP. Unemployment is at an unsustainable high. The government buys mortgages in large pools to keep mortgage rates low. They have signaled they are going to cease this.
So what does the future look like? We are broke, we are unemployed, and we have high taxes (we are Europe?). At least we have great health.
Will it truly be cheaper to change course now, because in the long run it will cost us less per capita? Forgive my morbid ending, however I am reminded of this article of wisdom.
“In the long run we are all dead.”
– John Maynard Keynes, A Tract on Monetary Reform, 1924
Apple
It would appear, after reading about the specifications of the new Apple iPad that the worlds most innovative company has finally faltered. Apple is a brilliant company, the instigators of the revolution; yet as a life long computer user, programmer, and builder I have never been seduced by Apple computers.
Apple makes computers for people that don’t understand computers. I make this claim and people jump up to argue with me because they are in love with the clean intuitive design, the ease of use, the lack of viruses, the innovate interfaces.. I could go on. As far as the computer goes, that is simply window dressing. Apple makes people fall in love with the whole so that they are able to neglect the parts, after all, who cares about the chipset or the mainboard? People who understand computuers.
Obviously I’m stereotyping here, because there are some uber geeks that use Apples, but ask your average Mac user what chip set they are running, what speed their RAM is,or how their hard drive is setup and you will receive and answer like, “Oh, I have a MacBook Pro, the new one.” The migration to Cloud Computing is leading to a vast ignorance in regards to computers. It is application ready, press the button and start using applications. Most people simply don’t know how a computer works, they just know how to use it. Apple covets and breeds users, endlessly trapped in the upgrade cycle.
This was a different argument completely back when Apple was utilizing a completely different architecture all together (one vastly superior for multitasking actually), but it all changed when they began sourcing the same semiconductors as PCs. Most call it the Apple Tax
The MacBook Pro situation is worse, especially when you factor in the oh-so-viable option of a $1700 last-gen MBP delivering the same basic performance as the current $2500 model. But even when you consider the $2000 config against the $2500 one, the pricier one holds more value: Double the RAM, video memory, L2 cache and more storage/speed. It’s almost dumb to get the $2000 one. Except for the fact you’re now talking about a $2500 computer. – Gizmodo
I can take a PC and build it exactly how I want it hardware wise. I can upgrade it, I can overclock it, I can mod the case, I can control everything. I simply cannot do this on a Mac, and I am going to pay more for it because it comes prettier (out of the box).
If you look at the history of Apple, you can see that it was started by Hackers. People that had limited funds and extensive know how, who were interested in developing machines for others who understood computers. They used to even include the schematic of the entire computer when you purchased it! Now it is different, if you try to change anything the warranty is voided. At this point, you can find people who understand computers using both Apple and Non-Apple operating systems just because they are both so prevalent – however many of them are using hackintoshes (custom built PCs running apple software).
Calling oneself a geek or a hacker used to have an air of elitism to it. You had to take time to read manuals, understand the software limitations and abilities; you had to actually learn. Now the applications are so easy to use, anyone can create a song, make a movie, start a blog. It is genius when you think about it, they have been able to expand to every demographic of user with one exception, people who understand computers.
10 things learned or Ways I’ve changed in 2009
I was going over some of my older posts today thinking about how much my opinions have changed over the years on a variety topics.
10. I’m not against breast augmentation as I was a few years ago. These days I think it is your body, do what you want with it. I can respect that.
9. To focus much more on happiness rather than the future, success, or money is healthy. Naturally because of my personal evolution, like my friend Kram, financial independence is and has always been a huge goal for me.
8. I was telling the other day about how much I used to pray, and how religious I was. Casting off this illogical coil has been a huge benefit to my mental well being. I try to control my disdain for those that believe in creationism, and it has become less of an issue, like a parent who’s child believes in Santa Claus.
7. Vegans are morons – and their argument is seriously flawed. . Just because pigs have teeth similar to our own or factory farming is terrible does not mean we should just stop doing what we’ve evolved to do. I rant about this all the time. I still think sugar is evil, but I tend to not worry as much about my diet as I used too. This is a bad thing.
6. You are the 5 people you spend the most time with this one is huge. As much as I’ve felt in the past that my resolve is iron clad, we humans are like sponges.
5. The world is full of things we are not designed to utilize, the majority of our own design. It’s all poison..HF-CS, hallucinogens, stimulants, the Jonas brothers..etc.. The best life is one lived free, with a clear mind and body. For me this was a huge one this year, freeing myself of things in the past I negated as having a huge effect really cured a great deal of depression.
4. Scotch is the drink of lions, warriors, and kings. I never understood scotch when I was younger. Many things are hard to appreciate when you don’t understand them, but when they click the halo of enlightenment is bliss. As a man ages, he should drink less, and drink better. That’s it.
3. Spearfishing, or hunting of any kind is fantastic. Jacques Cousteau said that civilization is about farming replacing hunting, which I can appreciate – but if you can’t farm, then go hunt.
2. The man makes the man, but the clothes make him better. I actually shop for clothes now, something I’ve not done since the first day of 7th grade.
1. Los Angeles is unlike any other place in the United States. It is the perfect place for people to live that don’t know what they want to do. Once you figure it out, if it isn’t art related, then it is usually time to leave.
The Nobility of Truth
I took an Intro to Buddhism class in the twilight of my college years. I had a pretty good understanding of the religion however the class went in depth; I was largely uninterested due to the instruction coming from a lame brained grad student. As I continue my never ending quest for the perfect tattoo, I was reading some Buddhist tenets and I recalled my main qualm with the religion.
In the eightfold path, practitioners are asked to a lot of “right” things. Some of them make sense. ”Do not become intoxicated to the point where you can’t control your speech or actions.” – If anything is ever said about my personal philosophy, they will say that it borrowed a great deal from Buddhism. I do however detract a great deal from “Do not kill other living things or ask that they be killed for you.”
I read an article about the issues with meat, and I watched F0od Inc with its depiction of the terrifying horrors of factory farming. Yet frankly, in my best Gordon Gecko voice, “Meat is good.”
I think people have started to realize in this century that there is no need for carbohydrates in our diet, they just taste great. Meat has become a great deal less healthy with all the genetic engineering we’ve done to it, but refusing to eat it is like not breathing air because it’s polluted.
I advocate vastly reducing or eliminating the intake of grains for almost everyone. Far more than the fat in the foods we eat, it’s the excess carbohydrates from our starch and sugar-loaded diet that’s making people fat and unhealthy, and leading to epidemic levels of a host of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
It was only with the advent of agriculture a mere 10,000 years ago, or 500 generations ago, that humans began ingesting large amounts of sugar and starch in the form of grains (and potatoes) into their diets. Indeed, 99.99% of our genes were formed before the advent of agriculture; in biological terms, our bodies are still those of hunter-gatherers.
Societies where the transition from a primarily meat/vegetation diet to one high in cereals show a reduced lifespan and stature, increases in infant mortality and infectious disease, and higher nutritional deficiencies. We haven’t suddenly evolved mechanisms to incorporate the high carbohydrates from starch and sugar-rich foods into our diet. -Dr. Joseph Mercola
Anyone who thinks otherwise I would urge to study the history of Homo Sapiens. Yes, we might of never reached civility without the population densities derived from the advent of agriculture – but we where weaned on meat. We have evolved to chase it, to hunt it, to digest it, yes some vegetables are great too – soy excluded!
I remember when I was a child and my father would torment me with Sci-Fi flicks; animals getting enlarged to astronomical proportions. We would watch massive house cats chasing around terrified owners and a home sized Fido eating little Jimmy. He would always comment, “What, do you think they wouldn’t eat us? We will even eat each other given the right circumstances.”
One cannot ignore the true nature of what we are as humans, no matter how much we effectively change the course of our evolutions. Given society, the rules deviate from simply the strong survive – but our bodies like meat. Besides, you know steak tastes great, even if you’ve convinced yourself you “just don’t like the taste.”
Athleticism
So i’m watching Football this season, which is one of my favorite things to do since I acquired a love for the sport in college. Growing up, my father was never into sports and while I would watch a little basketball with my mother I was largely of the same mind. That was until someone tossed me a rugby ball my first fall semester of college in Central Florida.
I was always a larger kid. I read somewhere that grip strength as a child is largely indicative of strength at maturity. My father used to always tell me he marveled at my ability to rip out my sisters hair or pick up heavy objects. Anything where strength was a factor I would always stand out. Yet I began to gain weight from spending most of my time at less active geek pursuits, and my abilities became uncommon in the face of my advancing peers. I didn’t like soccer because I couldn’t use my hands, and I was just clueless at football – I couldn’t stand wearing all the padding and sweaty helmets. I was always top pick playing park football but never showed any promise in high school.
When I discovered Rugby it was like an awakening – here was a sport where I could utilize everything: speed, strength, and endurance. Great Rugby players are multi-talented, and Rugby draws on all human strengths. It is like a game of real time chess. No one can do the tackling for you; everyone runs, tackles, passes, and uses the boot to a certain degree. I love football, but I prefer Rugby.
I bring all this up because when I look at football, and this offense called the Wildcat formation, I can’t help but think of Rugby. The athletes that make it possible have multiple skills, running backs that can pass, and quarterbacks that block. In rugby the coach only talks to his team at the half, the players look to their captain and think in real time on the field. Look at the drift towards the No-Huddle offense and the increase in calling Audibles. Americans took Rugby and turned it into football, but it seems like natural evolution of the game is drifting towards it’s roots.
The most dangerous plaything
The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Every so often I will meet a woman who I am impressed with. She is put together, she is clean, she is emotionally stable, and she has a sense of humor. She has books other than foolish fiction on her shelves, she works out, her DVD collection does not include Beerfest, and her vices are within her control. On the surface it appears that she is without a tragic flaw like enriched white bread in her cupboards or Kraft mac and cheese in her pantry. Yet I find that this type of woman is almost always not attracted to me.
There is a great salon.com article about how women form love maps early on in life, that they have a certain type of man they are attracted too. I think the same is true for men to a certain degree.
Apparently smell, money, and birth control have something to do with it. Men always ask me about my size, how long I’ve been working out, etc. I always comment that I feel my size has been more a hindrance than a source of attraction. Whatever it is the women that I like want, I surely don’t have it. People have commented that I should stop indulging the ones that I don’t like; that would be like a lion not eating sleeping gazelles.
To be fair, I suppose I rarely ask any women out, and I hear that merely trying is half the battle. I prefer to see my prey wounded and bleeding before I approach. Further in the article it is indicated that the number of premarital sex partners is a good predictor of infidelity post-marriage.
Which is why I’ve decided to resort to cave age tactics of clubbing and hair dragging.
Kidding. Sort of 
The price of tea in China
I love this phrase, heard it on Mad Men and then in conversation the other day. So in the spirit of random:
I was having a conversation with our resident town crier at my restaurant job the other day when he made an interesting observation. People are neither polite nor kind anymore these days.
I have always prided myself on the fact that I am never rude to anyone, I don’t see the point of it being rude. He highlighted the Kanye West incident, Rep. Joe Wilson yelling at the President, etc. L.A times talked about it like it was some new affliction leading to the decline of civility. I think it has to do with proximity. People in the Midwest and remote areas are much friendlier because they have to cope with one another far less frequently.
In other randomness, I was fascinated to discover that several people I know, who I would consider rather hairy abhor hair on others. I remember as a child being amazed that my late grandmother had a mustache. Apparently a high fat levels promote increased levels of circulating insulin causing the ovaries to produce androgen. Hirsutism is another reason to not be fat.
Lastly, a great quote from Timothy Leary, an extremely fascinating person: Before his first experiments with mushrooms, Leary had described his life of 35 years disparagingly, writing he had been “an anonymous institutional employee who drove to work each morning in a long line of commuter cars and drove home each night and drank martinis … like several million middle-class, liberal, intellectual robots.”
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