Giving it the ol’ college try
Good luck to my senior year college roommates who are going across the world on new and interesting programs this year! Joe is leaving for England, where he'll be taking on a year-long Masters program in publishing. He's promised not to become a Kindle-hater. And Caleb is going to work for something called the Human Terrain System, a project of the Army (though involving civilians) where he will serve as a liaison between the army and the community they are in (possibly in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa). The description from the site is: The near-term focus of the HTS program Read more…
If Seven-of-Nine wasn’t crowned Miss Illinois …
… would Barack Obama be President today, 20 years after that event? The last idea in the last post that the eruption of Tambora was the indirect cause of Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein gets to one of those fun games of alternate history. Maybe I'm just a sucker for them, especially after my readings on randomness. But here's a thought experiment: Barack Obama was able to run for President because he was a Senator and not still in the Illinois State government. He was able to win his Senate seat in part because Republican candidate Jack Ryan withdrew from the Read more…
Almost 7 billion now …
This is a well-produced video about the “myth” of overpopulation. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZVOU5bfHrM?wmode=transparent] I agree with its message … to a certain extent. I think that those like Kunstler who predict widespread devastation (whether as a result of overpopulation or a dearth of oil) are wrong to ignore future technological innovations. There’s a reason we didn’t all die of in 1890, or 1970, and that’s that we got a lot better at growing things and getting them to the people who needed them. On the other hand, consider what a major natural disaster could do to our system. Take the year Read more…
Fooled By Randomness
I finished Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book Fooled By Randomness. I'd previously read The Black Swan by him. Even though it's his second book, I would refer it to anyone before Fooled by Randomness. Fooled is a dense book, as close to a philosophical treatise as I will probably ever read. I appreciate the content, though. Taleb uses anecdotes, hypotheticals, and his own experience as a trader to argue that when it comes to areas with a lot of uncertainty and randomness (the market, etc) that success is not necessarily indicative of actual merit. (He also argues that there are many Read more…
A Prairie Home Companion
Once again, I revisited A Prairie Home Companion, and once again, I came away with a profound respect for Altman, Keillor, and the cast. I don’t know why this movies gets me the way it does, but it always succeeds. It’s got music, comedy, fart jokes, Lindsey Lohan, fictional characters, Minnesotans, angels, and is still somehow a beautiful meditation on death. I’m always touched when I see it. If I were ever to write a critical analysis of a film, I think I’d probably choose this one. … either this or Death Proof (no foolin’, I think Death Proof, for Read more…
Roosevelt on the River of Doubt
I just finished "The River of Doubt," a history of Theodore Roosevelt's exploration of the unknown River of Doubt (since renamed Roosevelt River). A really great history! After reading McCullough's Mornings on Horseback, I now have an interesting sense of Roosevelt. I've read his biography up until he was 27 or so and started to come onto the national stage, and then a biography of him after he failed to be re-elected in 1912. Judged by everything but his Presidency in the middle, he's a magnetic character. Incredibly likable, he has traits I sincerely admire, most notably what McCullough calls Read more…
Erik Opines
I've really enjoyed blogging on Posterous. But the system has encouraged more "what Erik's doing" blogging as opposed to "what Erik thinks about" blogging. Of course, in addition to the new system, I now have a new job as the Executive Director of a non-profit, and that makes me a little more reticent to spout off. If I express that I am glad the City Council passed the Mixed Use Center update (as I am) am I jeopardizing having a potential City Club member join because they disagree with me? Most EDs of non-profits stay out of this issue by simply Read more…
We’re going to “Beat the Heat” at the @hotel_murano tonight.
The tweet from the Murano offered rooms for $101, since that’s the expected high today. That’s when the light went on. “Holy cow! We got a gift certifcate for the Murano for our wedding. What a great time to use it!” Turns out, our outdoor bedroom wasn’t a super success. It was still pretty hot, and an aerobed isn’t super comfortable in the heat. Mary eventually went inside and slept with the fans directly on her. I slept outside till 7am when the light woke me. So the Murano deal sounded pretty dang good. Especially since we have a gift Read more…
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