|
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
patrissimo
|
11:22a
Heading home
Jaw hurts from so much talking, I am exhausted from not much sleep. It was largely due to my choices - going to parties after the long conference days, so I'm not complaining, merely commenting. I think I am getting sick. I don't sleep well in Vegas, my nose doesn't like the dry air, and when my nose ain't happy, it takes it out on my sleep.
I wonder if I am going to find edible food here at the airport? I just looked at Wendy's & Popeye's and could not bring myself to eat anything I saw. Which is a good thing, I've been eating pretty paleo, and I'm getting used to healthy food. Except for salads, which I don't want in the morning, the food at these places is awful. Ah, I found nuts! Really, the obesity and dietary disease in the US is totally understandable given the foods we eat. (Random fact to annoy the eco-localists: only 1% of the carbon generated by an average piece of food is due to transportation. The largest factor is making the fertilizer, as it is very energy-intensive. Half the carbon load occurs in the agricultural process. I'm not claiming that some farming techniques aren't lower-carbon, only that transportation is a negligible overall factor)
The eye candy here is so annoying / distracting. My made-up evolutionary just so story is: in the evolutionary environment, hot young strange women were very unusual. You knew everyone in your tribe. So if you saw such a person, it was a serious mating opportunity. Hence, strangers are super-exciting. I dunno if that's the reason, I just know that every time I see one of these scantily clad desert beauties, lights flash in my head and bells ring and a little guy in there jumps up and down and yells "LOOK AT HER! NO, LOOK AT HER! WOW! LOOK AT THAT!" I know it sounds funny, and when I am really bored (which is rare) it is good entertainment, but the vast majority of the time when I would rather not be yelled at by a horny little libido imp in my head, it's really annoying! I have deep thoughts to think, and it is hard to think when someone is screaming inside your head.
I'm still attracted to cute people I'm used to, of course, but it's toned down to a much more manageable level.
Anyway, schmoozing while tired works fine for me, talking to people keeps me interested and alert, so it was a fine week for talking to people at the booth, but I did not get a lot of other work done during breaks. It's really hard for me to focus on more abstract stuff like reading/writing when I am tired. I think I'll prob. take a sleeping pill tonight and sleep 12 hours. Then, I'm going to try getting up at 8 or 8:30am every morning. Dunno if I'll be able to stick to it, but I'm healed enough that I'm ready to attempt a consistent schedule.
I doubt we'll do a booth at FreedomFest again, and many exhibitors I talked to said the same. Just not a lot of foot traffic in the exhibit hall. Basically just during breaks, which is 2 hours a day. And for that, we had several staff sitting around all day. A lot of time and energy, and not worth it. I will probably come back, to talk to people and enjoy being around like-minded people. A lot of the talks were awful, but there are a few good ones in there that were fun. I am annoyed that the event charges speakers for speaking and listeners for listening, and I think that's why a lot of the talks were awful, but the event still has some value.
Also a weird mix of old and young people (compared to, say, NH Liberty Forum), which some of the young people I talked to didn't like, although I didn't really mind.
Anyway, a lot more I could say about FF, like the awful "debate" between my dad and Mark Skousen on anarchy vs. minarchy, where Skousen's "points" alternated between ad hominem and irrelevance, but I don't really feel like writing up more detail right now. Suffice it to say that I have a rather low opinion of Skousen as a person and a thinker. Anyway, if you are thinking of going to FF, expect the highlights to be talking to and partying with other libertarians, many who work at non-profits / think-tanks, and a few good talks. But it's expensive and the guy who runs it is lame.
So much work has piled up this last week...hopefully I can get lots of sleep tonight, take modafinil a couple times next week, and work through it. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ipsafictura is leaving TSI for personal reasons, and jhogan is moving and getting ready for a trip to Asia, which makes us even busier than usual. (I'll post our job req for a new Director of Development next week). Fortunately James is a work machine, and with luck I will be too next week.
I think I might invest a bunch of my money with Peter Schiff's firm. I really hate managing my own money. So glad I put some into Palantir, I like it way better than the stock market right now.
I am getting better and better at accepting reality and living in the present, either acting to change situations or accepting them. Haven't done any hard-core practicing on it, like a daily practice, but I try when I can, and I have had noticeably less frustration in my life as a result. Not sure whether I will ever get a tattoo along those lines, it is tempting, as it feels like something that will be part of my attitude for the rest of my life, but I'm not sure what purpose a tattoo would serve, I don't think I need it as a reminder, so it would mostly be advertising, and it is said that advertising one's mindfulness is anti-mindfulness, although I have mixed feelings about whether that is true.
Enough rambling, my flight is boarding. 'twill be nice to be home with family and work and more regular sleep and all that.
|
(comment on this)
(comment on this)
howardtayler
|
9:32a
Missing from the Pentagon's proposed ban on smoking in the military
From this CNN article:
A new study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs recommends a complete ban on tobacco, which would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform, not even combat troops in the thick of battle.
According to the study, tobacco use impairs military readiness in the short term. Over the long term, it can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The study also says smokeless tobacco use can lead to oral and pancreatic cancer.
I read the entire article and never saw what friends of mine with military backgrounds have told me repeatedly: if you smoke, you get more break time.
"Hey sarge, I'm gonna go light one up. Back in ten minutes."
And you're off. You're still on the clock, you're still technically "on duty," but you're taking a paid break. And it's only available to smokers.
"Hey sarge. I'm gonna go lean against that wall with my hands in my pockets. Back in ten minutes."
That'll probably get you laughed at or worse.
Now I'm sure this will differ from unit to unit, base to base, deployment to deployment, and branch to branch. Please! If you read this and have military experience, I'd love to hear your take on it.
If it's as broadly true as I've been anecdotally led to believe then the military has one more really good reason to ban smoking - it will increase productivity.
Of course they should then employ some decent management practices so that the overworked, undercompensated men and women in uniform can find healthy ways to decompress, blow off steam, take five, or whatever. Because let's face it... whether or not you smoke, sometimes you just need to take a break.
|
(11 comments | comment on this) Saturday, July 11th, 2009
sandratayler
|
11:11p
Together again
Reunions after an absence are one of the most emotion laden times in life. Today I was musing on how these greetings are so often set against an inhospitable background such as a crowded airport. I mused on this while sitting in a noisy McDonald's Playplace while waiting for my brother to arrive with Gleek. She arrived to interrupt my musing, all tanned and sun bleached and grinning. She hugged me tight and said "I missed you!" softly then she let go and dashed off to play. This left my brother and I to visit for awhile before we sorted out which kids were to return with him (his daughter and her friend) and which ones were to come with me (all of mine.) Gleek had a good adventure. She got to travel places with Grandma and Grandpa. She got to visit lava hot springs. She did crafts and acquired new shiny things. And she is very obviously glad to be home. We're glad to have her.
With all of us here I found myself naturally planning snack and bedtime, which is something I haven't done for weeks. It has me longing for a more stable routine. We're halfway through the summer now. All of June was spent scrambling to meet business obligations. For the first time I can look ahead and think about the small things I can be doing to make sure that this summer is satisfactory for the kids. I called Link's bestfriend who moved. There will be a get together with him sometime this week. There should also be some swimming that is not attached to swim lessons. There should be park trips. Beyond that, I need to sit down with the accounts and figure out what my budget is for summer fun. It would be nice to visit the local museums and zoos, but that can add up. Also, I need to not over schedule. I want to plan fun stuff with the kids, but there are business tasks yet to do.
Some day I'll master the whole balancing life and work thing.
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
howardtayler
|
11:17a
"You talk too much."
My friend Tex, a regular at Dragon's Keep, is on Facebook. We friended each other, and then about a week later I got a Facebook message from him de-friending me.
"Sorry, man. You tweet so often I can never see anybody else's updates because they've scrolled off the bottom."
This, believe it or not, is the very first time anybody has told me they can't be my friend because I talk too much.
So I explained to Tex that he can hide my updates by checking a little box. This way he can tune me out and still be my friend.
(Note: I suspect that this is what all my friends do in real-life.)
|
(19 comments | comment on this)
hradzka
|
10:55a
APED: status update
I don't go back and count that often, so I only just checked my master catalogue and discovered that I am officially a couple of days past the halfway point.
Writing a poem every day for a year seemed like utter insanity. And now it's half-done. Good gravy, I might actually be able to pull this off.
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
hradzka
|
8:16a
APED: "on the road again"
Let's get on the road! It's a beautiful day.
Let's get on the road, and be bound for away.
I don't know what's out there, but one thing I know:
The road's there. It's waiting. Get up, and let's go.
|
(comment on this) Friday, July 10th, 2009
(4 comments | comment on this)
patrissimo
|
10:26p
Some days, I love my job
Among the things that happened today:
* Knud & I talked to a guy for 10 minutes, pitching seasteading, he signed up for our mailing list ("I get bored in the afternoon and like to read political theory"), and I thought "Hmm...John Stagliano. That name sounds familiar. Well, we're in Vegas, at a libertarian convention, and he's wearing a hip open shirt showing his chest. Yeah, he's probably who I think he is." A few minutes later in the conversation, his profession came up, and we talked a bit about his current court cases, and all the fun you could have on a floating platform.
* Talked to Krestin, a Dane living in Estonia (and quite a sharp guy), quite a bit about seasteading, Austrian econ, diet, and many other things. He had previously invited me to come talk in Estonia sometime, and on the way to dinner tonight he suggested that if I did come, we set up a meeting w/ the prime minister and talk about the possibilities for a treaty to put a seastead settlement in the Estonian EEZ (which fits well with Lasse & Steffen's suggestion of the Baltic as a place to start seasteading). Apparently for a connected guy in a country of 1.2 million, it is not too hard to get in touch with the prime minister. It's an exciting thought, because I think it would be significantly easier to raise capital for an expensive seastead if we had a deal with a country. (Plus, as jhogan says "It would make a great blog post").
|
(8 comments | comment on this)
johncwright
|
7:24p
NEW SPACE OPERA TWO!
I just today received a courtesy copy of the mass market edition of NEW SPACE OPERA TWO edited by Strahan and Dozois. What I did not know is that they gave my story, 'Far End of History: A Tale of the Eighth Mental Structure' (takes place in my Golden Oecumene background--all for you, Atkins fans) the anchor position.
The anchor position! By ancient custom among anthologists, the biggest draw is usually the first story in the table of contents, to get the reader to pick up the book, and the second best is the last story to get the reader to keep reading till the end.
This is a signal honor that will almost make up for my mad grief at not winning the Prometheus Award. Now I am sorry I tore my garments and poured all these ashes in my hair. If I did not know better, I would say my excessive yet unmanly wailing might make me, at first glance, seem a little shallow.
Besides, now my frail yet fickle ego can be propped up by this transitory dignity! Frail egos are wonderful things, are they not--serving one is sort of like being the slave of a half-insane but half-drunken werewolf overlord on a planet with multiple moons. Often I wonder why bondage to the ego is considered by modern philosophers to be the paramount of liberty.
But no matter! Release the pigeons of happiness! Reduce the Agonizers to half-voltage! Allow the workers a half-cup of watered-down grog! For I am slobbery with happiness! The anchor position is mine! Mine, I say! Command the stonecutters to erect my monument of green iridium next to the Pharaoh, but bigger, and with a neon nimbus crowning my pshent!
Nay, larger still! Where is Lens Larque, the Demon Prince of Dar Sai? Perhaps he will sculpt for me a monument of equal size and dignity to his own. Send Kerth Gersen to look for him.
.... Unless Strahan and Dozois just put the authors in alphabetically, in which case my story got last position because the volume contains no reprints from Zelazny or Zindell. Hmph.
In any case, it is a good story, one of the ones I am least discontented with, so I hope some kind reader somewhere will read and enjoy it.
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
(1 comment | comment on this)
sandratayler
|
5:16p
Going out in formal attire
There is something about beautiful clothes that makes me happy. Note that I don't say expensive clothes. I don't care what the clothes cost, but I love when the lines and the colors work together to complement the wearer. When I was a teen I spent significant amounts of energy selecting clothes so that they were both useful for their intended purpose and were aesthetically pleasing. Then I got married and started having kids. I had less disposable time and energy. I selected clothing for comfort and washability, since trying to maintain any other clothing criteria seemed an exercise in frustration. But I retained the longing for beautiful clothing. I had this buried dream of Howard and I dressing up in formal clothes and going somewhere together. Going to a fancy restaurant did not fit the bill because I could not justify the expenditure of time, energy, and money for and event I created alone, particularly when I knew that I'd only get Howard to dress up because he was humoring me. So the dream languished and I more or less gave it up.
But then Howard became a cartoonist. And then he decided to discard his hawaiian shirts and t-shirts for sharp dress shirts. And I love the change. And then he got nominated for a Hugo award. And suddenly here was a ready made occasion for which Howard wants to dress up and which we can attend together.
Strictly speaking, formal wear is not required for the Hugo awards. I attended last year and there were far more people in t-shirts and jeans than in fancy clothing. But I looked at those who were wearing ball gowns and tuxedos and I wished that I were more dressed up. I wanted to be one of the beautifully dressed people with an escort to match. Howard and I do not have to dress up, but we want to. I want to, just for the sheer pleasure of wearing beautiful clothing to an occasion where other people are also wearing beautiful clothing. We also want to dress up because it is a way to honor all those efforts which made the Hugo awards possible. It is a way to honor those who were nominated. We make the effort to dress up because the occasion is special and may be singular in our lives. The category for which Howard is nominated is not a permanent category. Even if it is made permanent, there is no guarantee that Howard would be nominated again. So we intend to dress beautifully.
Howard and I went Tuxedo shopping today. I loved being part of that process. He picked out a sharp tuxedo that looks really good on him. It is nicer than the suit he wore to our wedding. I am really looking forward to dressing up and going out together. Just thinking ahead to it makes me happy.
|
(2 comments | comment on this) Saturday, July 11th, 2009
(comment on this) Friday, July 10th, 2009
arhyalon
|
1:50p
Prayers for a little girl in peril
There is a little girl in the Hope Project in China (an effort to find permenant homes for older children) whose time is about to run out. In a couple of months, she turns fourteen and will no longer be elegible for adoption.
Our agency is asking for prayers that she find her forever home in time.
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
johncwright
|
1:00p
The Prometheus Award
Well...THE GOLDEN AGE did not win the Prometheus award it was up for...but neither did the other books I was expecting. Instead, LORD OF THE RINGS won the coveted prize.
http://sfscope.com/2009/07/2009-prometheus-award-winners.html
Funny that a tale of mystical Norse-medieval sentiment would win out over an openly pro-Libertarian morality play about individual effort. Gee, I even had a scene where one character lectures another on Ricardo's principle of comparative advantage, and in the appendix I mention the drawbacks of allowing a central bank to interfere with the credit market. Whether it is good or bad storytelling to mention Ricardo in an SFF book, I would have thought this was the sort of thing pro-free-market readers would rejoice to read.
Ah well, maybe artistic merit counts for more than partisan ideological purity after all. So I dare not complain.
However, this means I will not be writing that science-fictionalized version of F. A. Hayek I had been planning: THE GALACTIC ROAD TO STAR SERFDOM, in which R. John Galt, a golden robot programmed with the Three Laws of von Mises, together with space-outlaw Santiago and the smart-alec detective "Win" Bear Kropotkin, matches wits with the evil parallel-universe version of Hari Seldon who, just as the Galaxy is breaking free of Imperial dominion from the planet Splendid Wisdom, uses Cleometry, the predictive science of history, to attempt to smother cosmic freedom once more into a single Second Empire, by means of credit and currency manipulation. Hijinks abound when robot Galt falls in love with the fierce yet lovely space-locomotive magnate Dagny D'Anconia. You'll be breathless with boredom at the fifty-page long speech the superrobot gives over galactic radio, explaining his metaphysics, epistemology, and economic theory!
Instead I will write something staring a space princess. I mean, if Tolkein can win the Prometheus Award by portraying a divinely sanctioned monarch like Aragorn (Elessar I to historians) I should be able to do the same with my Princess Aura-Leia.
|
(17 comments | comment on this)
|
