I think the hardest thing to do in today's world is spend time with other people. I don't mean interact and see people that's easy. I mean to get down and know people it's hard. I say this because I have more time than most people can possibly dream of 3hrs a day max at school and that's it.
However with the other 21 hours in a day I don't find that I'm meeting and working with other people. It seems that even with so many people unemployed, and more people than ever walking the streets that trying to gain a bit of someone's time is the hardest thing in the world to do.
My guess is that we've made it so we travel farther and do more complex things daily than we used to and our mental capacity is just filled up. Sure I get on the cell phone and call people and interact via Facebook and my blog but it seems that everything requires money to do and I don't have it and neither does anyone else.
So lets hear it for deflation. Maybe if things cost less, we could stop worrying about trying to keep up. People have wanted raises and increased minimum wages for a long time but all these things do is make people keep turning on the hamster wheel of work and then nobody has time to sit down and chat.
Except me. And every time I call someone it feels like I'm interrupting important business. So people calm the hell down and lets have coffee.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
A new post
It's hard to decide what to talk about when your mind is a million different places at once. But I thought I'd talk about a debate I recently listened to. It was about the morality of paying for sex.
The old joke is that you always pay for sex, and I think that's true, however the debate centered on the issue of prostitution. This is a dry post so I'd skip it if I were you.
At one point a speaker asked the question "If prostitution can be a fulfilling role for a person why aren't more men being pimped out? Don't you think they're missing out?"
While I usually don't answer rhetorical questions, especially to people who aren't near, this one provoked some thought in me. There are some areas where a man can be rented but they aren't nearly as prevalent as places to get women.
I think it might just be a problem of supply and demand. Basically there are more men who want sex than there are females to provide it. The world population ratio is evidence for that. http://www.geohive.com/earth/pop_gender.aspx There must then be greater supply of men than women demand.
However even in areas where this isn't as true say in the United States there is a historical case for having multiple females to one male whereas there aren't as many cases of multiple males to a single female with the exception of the sex industry. Men have been seen as providers (this is changing) women haven't historically had as much in liquid assets to afford the services of male sex workers.
There is also the problem of societal roles males have been taught to engage in seeking behavior whilst women aren't pushed to do the same. So we have social stigma against the receiving male and the dominant female.
In any case these factors lead me to believe that the market just can't support male sex workers and that the shear demand for sex keeps the institution alive when it comes to females.
However in the interest of Science I'll say in this post for anybody who wishes to prove me wrong that I know plenty of guys who'll go for this.
The old joke is that you always pay for sex, and I think that's true, however the debate centered on the issue of prostitution. This is a dry post so I'd skip it if I were you.
At one point a speaker asked the question "If prostitution can be a fulfilling role for a person why aren't more men being pimped out? Don't you think they're missing out?"
While I usually don't answer rhetorical questions, especially to people who aren't near, this one provoked some thought in me. There are some areas where a man can be rented but they aren't nearly as prevalent as places to get women.
I think it might just be a problem of supply and demand. Basically there are more men who want sex than there are females to provide it. The world population ratio is evidence for that. http://www.geohive.com/earth/pop_gender.aspx There must then be greater supply of men than women demand.
However even in areas where this isn't as true say in the United States there is a historical case for having multiple females to one male whereas there aren't as many cases of multiple males to a single female with the exception of the sex industry. Men have been seen as providers (this is changing) women haven't historically had as much in liquid assets to afford the services of male sex workers.
There is also the problem of societal roles males have been taught to engage in seeking behavior whilst women aren't pushed to do the same. So we have social stigma against the receiving male and the dominant female.
In any case these factors lead me to believe that the market just can't support male sex workers and that the shear demand for sex keeps the institution alive when it comes to females.
However in the interest of Science I'll say in this post for anybody who wishes to prove me wrong that I know plenty of guys who'll go for this.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The problem with losing weight
I've been trying for some time now to lose the some of the excess weight from my body. It's hard as hell. And one thought keeps coming to my mind losing weight isn't as simple as taking off a pound here or there, since a person eats and drinks grows hair and loses it or may have less fat and more muscle.
The act of losing 10lbs isn't losing a only 10 lbs it's losing 2-3 lbs a day for a month after gaining 1.5-2.5lbs eating. At least if you want to keep off the weight.
Also every human activity we engage in requires some sort of building of trust and one of the fastest ways to do that is to eat with another person. Just think of dates. Coffee dates, dinner dates, to get to know someone well we eat with them. It's a matter of trust.
The act of losing 10lbs isn't losing a only 10 lbs it's losing 2-3 lbs a day for a month after gaining 1.5-2.5lbs eating. At least if you want to keep off the weight.
Also every human activity we engage in requires some sort of building of trust and one of the fastest ways to do that is to eat with another person. Just think of dates. Coffee dates, dinner dates, to get to know someone well we eat with them. It's a matter of trust.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
One Year of Blogging. The Challenge.
Sometimes I take people's joking suggestions seriously and I haven't regretted it yet. Though I may yet. Anyway the suggestion was that I write a blog post a day for a year. I'm going for it.
I'd like to make a comment today about knowing what it is you are doing, and why. It seems to me that many things happen because people don't know what they are supposed to do. That's fine I like being surprised. I think that finding yourself is a great thing. Looking for work, creating new art, and peanut-butter mixed with chocolate have all come from somebody who didn't quite know what they were doing at first.
But there are sometimes when you know what you're supposed to do and you just don't do it. I think this is happening in many safety checks around the world as well as some industry. I'm just going to focus on one: gaming.
The goal is to create games that people will buy, I know this but I think creating new ideas is more important. When people get on video games for being violent I think that's a stretch but there are at least 4 Call of Duty's and Grand Theft Auto games out there. They're violent but more to the point they've got no point to the violence other than following some formula.
After a while when everyone is copying everyone else things get stale and not exciting. So I think that game companies know they need to do something new. Which is why they're making more motion control and 3d technology. But the idea needs to be good. Maybe a game where you actually learn guitar instead of faking it would be a good idea. Or if that seems too hard to impliment, Piano, we already have keyboards and they can correspond to controls without too much work. Or better a game that teaches a person to draw, or animate things.
I think that we have lots of untapped ideas that want to get out. Maybe the tech is too expensive just yet but I have hope that we can get it cost effective and maybe revitalize my favorite pastime.
Especially now that games can teach me how to dance.
I'd like to make a comment today about knowing what it is you are doing, and why. It seems to me that many things happen because people don't know what they are supposed to do. That's fine I like being surprised. I think that finding yourself is a great thing. Looking for work, creating new art, and peanut-butter mixed with chocolate have all come from somebody who didn't quite know what they were doing at first.
But there are sometimes when you know what you're supposed to do and you just don't do it. I think this is happening in many safety checks around the world as well as some industry. I'm just going to focus on one: gaming.
The goal is to create games that people will buy, I know this but I think creating new ideas is more important. When people get on video games for being violent I think that's a stretch but there are at least 4 Call of Duty's and Grand Theft Auto games out there. They're violent but more to the point they've got no point to the violence other than following some formula.
After a while when everyone is copying everyone else things get stale and not exciting. So I think that game companies know they need to do something new. Which is why they're making more motion control and 3d technology. But the idea needs to be good. Maybe a game where you actually learn guitar instead of faking it would be a good idea. Or if that seems too hard to impliment, Piano, we already have keyboards and they can correspond to controls without too much work. Or better a game that teaches a person to draw, or animate things.
I think that we have lots of untapped ideas that want to get out. Maybe the tech is too expensive just yet but I have hope that we can get it cost effective and maybe revitalize my favorite pastime.
Especially now that games can teach me how to dance.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Another Ted Talk
If there's one thing in life I like it's people who work to make a difference in understanding our world and who try and use that understanding to create a better world. As such one of the things I've enjoyed most over the past two years has been the videos maintained for The Technology Entertainment and Design conference or TED. Although some of the things in it are frivolous the inventive spark and willingness to improve our world is one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen.
As a person I often feel that my duty to myself and my world is constant striving for improvement. Part of that duty includes letting others know what is available and informing myself. I figure that reciprocation is the key to these relationships. If I put enough of this type of thing out there and try to do things that improve the community a continual small return that grows will eventually outpace my efforts and the world itself (at least for humanity) will be improved.
Oh and I like the space program. Lets get more of that working.
Here's the talk:
Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world | Video on TED.com
As a person I often feel that my duty to myself and my world is constant striving for improvement. Part of that duty includes letting others know what is available and informing myself. I figure that reciprocation is the key to these relationships. If I put enough of this type of thing out there and try to do things that improve the community a continual small return that grows will eventually outpace my efforts and the world itself (at least for humanity) will be improved.
Oh and I like the space program. Lets get more of that working.
Here's the talk:
Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world | Video on TED.com
Friday, June 18, 2010
A case for euthanasia.
I bring this up only because there is a elderly woman on campus who sets off my "danger sense" whenever I'm near her. She's been attending the school as a student for some time now as an art major, or at least she's enrolled in classes as an evaluator, I'm not sure the circumstances. Suffice it to say I don't know why she's in the college and I wish she weren't.
This particular woman has mood swings, I'd say bi-polar but really I'm thinking crazy. One day nice old woman with a cart that's always with her, next day hissing viper. I've even been warned by one instructor to avoid contact with the old lady as she's not stable. Physically I don't think she's scary but it's the fact that I couldn't easily deal with her if she flipped, that makes me uncomfortable. I mean you can't just punch someone that's mean.
Anyway I'd say she's lonely but she treats everyone like shit. Except the pigeons. Still I can't say that's a redeeming quality.
Thinking about her made me think of Terry Pratchett and how he feels about his Alzheimer's disease. I'd hate to get to a point where people only have to glance at me to see that something's wrong, and that everyone would be powerless to do anything about it.
Before writing this post I had to look up the infamous Dr. Kevorkian and see exactly what that man is about. I've only ever heard his name as associated with evil and I think that when a person gets that kind of reputation in controversy you need to know more about the situation.
He claimed to have helped 130 patients and was convicted on a video of his assisting a patient with als to kill himself. I've heard it said that suicide is one of the most selfish acts a person can commit but when a person can't move their limbs, or is in constant pain with no relief other than to lose their ability to think, I'm not convinced that that state something that we should inflict on them.
The scariest thing to me is to "lose my mind" and no longer be me. It seems to me to be a type of living death or worse that someone has stolen my identity to destroy the memory of me. This is an area in which I think careful consideration must be taken in every case but the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness surely include the rights of choosing how to die (part of life) and how to live your life(liberty) and if a person is trying to end pain and misery (happiness) then I think that our country ought to support people in these hard situations instead of ostracizing them.
None of which helps me when I think of the crazy old lady. She'll live on just to spite people like me.
This particular woman has mood swings, I'd say bi-polar but really I'm thinking crazy. One day nice old woman with a cart that's always with her, next day hissing viper. I've even been warned by one instructor to avoid contact with the old lady as she's not stable. Physically I don't think she's scary but it's the fact that I couldn't easily deal with her if she flipped, that makes me uncomfortable. I mean you can't just punch someone that's mean.
Anyway I'd say she's lonely but she treats everyone like shit. Except the pigeons. Still I can't say that's a redeeming quality.
Thinking about her made me think of Terry Pratchett and how he feels about his Alzheimer's disease. I'd hate to get to a point where people only have to glance at me to see that something's wrong, and that everyone would be powerless to do anything about it.
Before writing this post I had to look up the infamous Dr. Kevorkian and see exactly what that man is about. I've only ever heard his name as associated with evil and I think that when a person gets that kind of reputation in controversy you need to know more about the situation.
He claimed to have helped 130 patients and was convicted on a video of his assisting a patient with als to kill himself. I've heard it said that suicide is one of the most selfish acts a person can commit but when a person can't move their limbs, or is in constant pain with no relief other than to lose their ability to think, I'm not convinced that that state something that we should inflict on them.
The scariest thing to me is to "lose my mind" and no longer be me. It seems to me to be a type of living death or worse that someone has stolen my identity to destroy the memory of me. This is an area in which I think careful consideration must be taken in every case but the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness surely include the rights of choosing how to die (part of life) and how to live your life(liberty) and if a person is trying to end pain and misery (happiness) then I think that our country ought to support people in these hard situations instead of ostracizing them.
None of which helps me when I think of the crazy old lady. She'll live on just to spite people like me.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Why presentation is everything.
So tonight was a bit off the beaten path in thought processes for me. First I went to my old apartment to check the mail. Since I'm not sure quite how many people I still need to notify about my change in address. Anyway the story starts when I reach the door outside the old building.
There was a woman and child in the foyer of where a person goes to check the mail. The door is locked so that only residents can enter the building with keys from management. As I was walking up this lady kindly opens the door for me, as I'm walking my bike in. I go to check the mail and she then approaches me and asks me in a sweet little voice.
"Do you smoke weed?"
Now this has caught me quite off guard since for the first time in my life I am now being approached by a drug dealer. I shouldn't be surprised when this happens since I'm now an art student with long hair and I often forget to shave. I'm looking kinda hippy right now.
Needless to say I wasn't prepared for this and my brain caused me to double take. At first I wondered if she was asking me for some, and I my immediate reaction was nope I don't have any. I've never had any, I've just never sought it out and that's the type of thing that usually requires some hunting before you get it.
Anyway she corrected me and showed me a bag of what I assume was weed, and told me I could have it for some price that included $5 it might have been 5 45 25 or any such but speaking as soft as she did I wasn't quite sure I had the right number. It was a small bag but from what I hear which isn't much the price seemed low maybe? I couldn't tell.
My wallet was in my back pocket and at this point seeing the woman's child I felt really charitable. But for some reason my hands pulled the I can't find my wallet even though it's right next to my butt. Not that I could have bought anything. I'm a student, it's nearly always empty.
So anyway she left telling me an apartment I could go to if I wanted to pick some up. Now here's the part where time and presentation change. I go sort my mail and find I infact have money in my wallet as I'm planning on seeing the Hoover Dam this weekend and I figured I should have money to buy a ticket when I get there. But the woman and child have me feeling like I could be a savior so I head to the named apartment.
I have in my head an idea that she's a single mom who's selling marijuana to support her kid while trying to make it in the big city. (I'm a sucker for a good sob story) And here's a guy who can help her by making a small donation to this worthy cause.
But as I walk down the hallway towards the door numbered W336 I hear two things that stop me cold in my tracks.
1. Loud music. I lived in a place where people couldn't resist playing loud music at the worst times of day. 8am -3am you could have your ears accosted at any time from somebody who didn't realize that other people didn't want to hear your sh*t at any time let alone 10 at night when finals are tomorrow and someone need to study.
2. The deal breaker: a loud angry man voice, this shatters my first illusion, that I might help out a single quiet mom who's got a poor kid to care for. Next when the loud man voice stops I hear a loud woman voice. Suddenly if I want to get myself narcotics which I'm not used to in the first place, I have to enter in on a fight between two people who sound like they're arguing about money, work, and other life details that frankly I deal with without fighting people over.
I'll grant you here that I'm a coward. I could deal with a woman who posed no threat, but I wasn't ready to deal with 2 people in a bad mood.
I like hero. I don't like nosy neighbor who complains about the music and enters when others are talking(or shouting) serious matters. I tiptoe away hoping that one day I can be a knight in shining armor (who gets the gold of course) to someone who doesn't go from madam to monster in 10 minutes.
There was a woman and child in the foyer of where a person goes to check the mail. The door is locked so that only residents can enter the building with keys from management. As I was walking up this lady kindly opens the door for me, as I'm walking my bike in. I go to check the mail and she then approaches me and asks me in a sweet little voice.
"Do you smoke weed?"
Now this has caught me quite off guard since for the first time in my life I am now being approached by a drug dealer. I shouldn't be surprised when this happens since I'm now an art student with long hair and I often forget to shave. I'm looking kinda hippy right now.
Needless to say I wasn't prepared for this and my brain caused me to double take. At first I wondered if she was asking me for some, and I my immediate reaction was nope I don't have any. I've never had any, I've just never sought it out and that's the type of thing that usually requires some hunting before you get it.
Anyway she corrected me and showed me a bag of what I assume was weed, and told me I could have it for some price that included $5 it might have been 5 45 25 or any such but speaking as soft as she did I wasn't quite sure I had the right number. It was a small bag but from what I hear which isn't much the price seemed low maybe? I couldn't tell.
My wallet was in my back pocket and at this point seeing the woman's child I felt really charitable. But for some reason my hands pulled the I can't find my wallet even though it's right next to my butt. Not that I could have bought anything. I'm a student, it's nearly always empty.
So anyway she left telling me an apartment I could go to if I wanted to pick some up. Now here's the part where time and presentation change. I go sort my mail and find I infact have money in my wallet as I'm planning on seeing the Hoover Dam this weekend and I figured I should have money to buy a ticket when I get there. But the woman and child have me feeling like I could be a savior so I head to the named apartment.
I have in my head an idea that she's a single mom who's selling marijuana to support her kid while trying to make it in the big city. (I'm a sucker for a good sob story) And here's a guy who can help her by making a small donation to this worthy cause.
But as I walk down the hallway towards the door numbered W336 I hear two things that stop me cold in my tracks.
1. Loud music. I lived in a place where people couldn't resist playing loud music at the worst times of day. 8am -3am you could have your ears accosted at any time from somebody who didn't realize that other people didn't want to hear your sh*t at any time let alone 10 at night when finals are tomorrow and someone need to study.
2. The deal breaker: a loud angry man voice, this shatters my first illusion, that I might help out a single quiet mom who's got a poor kid to care for. Next when the loud man voice stops I hear a loud woman voice. Suddenly if I want to get myself narcotics which I'm not used to in the first place, I have to enter in on a fight between two people who sound like they're arguing about money, work, and other life details that frankly I deal with without fighting people over.
I'll grant you here that I'm a coward. I could deal with a woman who posed no threat, but I wasn't ready to deal with 2 people in a bad mood.
I like hero. I don't like nosy neighbor who complains about the music and enters when others are talking(or shouting) serious matters. I tiptoe away hoping that one day I can be a knight in shining armor (who gets the gold of course) to someone who doesn't go from madam to monster in 10 minutes.
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