Category: Philosophy


  • I will try not to spoil Westworld but no guarantees. So the premise of the show and movies is there is a park with androids who become dangerous. Part of the fun is determining whether this is because of an accident, systemic problems, or sabotage. Essentially this is the kind of story that motivated Isaac Asimov…

  • Is it yours?

    I did have this experience once: One assumption that always gets me, and I am sure makes most of my African American male friends perhaps slightly uncomfortable when we are in public together, is when someone says to one of them, “Oh, your daughter is beautiful” ― except as Jerry Springer would announce, “He is…

  • Social Currency

    This is from Douglas Rushkoff who is known for his infecting marketing with the idea of viral marketing. Observe yourself the next time you’re listening to a joke. You may start by listening to the joke for the humor – because you really want the belly laugh at the end. But chances are, a few…

  • Defensive pessimism

    … a strategy used by anxious people to help them manage their anxiety so they can work productively. Defensive pessimists lower their expectations to help prepare themselves for the worst. Then, they mentally play through all the bad things that might happen. Though it sounds as if it might be depressing, defensive pessimism actually helps anxious…

  • Creature of Habit

    I can be pretty scatterbrained. Time has a way of whizzing past when engaged in some activity. Creating and adhering to a schedule makes being where I need to be easier and less stressful. Pre-smartphone, I set Google calendar to send me SMS notifications to give me a heads up about meetings or appointments. If I…

  • In the eyes of the law, your race is considered immutable because it cannot be changed from its natural state. This made me laugh. Being mixed the perception of my race is very mutable. People often have no idea what to make of my skin color, hair, or facial features.The day-to-day decisions I make influence…

  • Outage FUD

    A gas pipeline running from Houston to New York had a break in Alabama over the weekend. My understanding is the owner has crews working to route around the problem. By the end of the week the flow should resume. Their second line for other fuels is apparently being used to help. The governor of…

  • Since the United State presidential election is right around the corner, I have been thinking quite a bit about qualities in the head of the executive branch. Here are some quotes I ran across in dwelling so much. You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn’t that long ago…

  • Michelle Obama: I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. Bill O’Reilly: Slaves that worked there were well fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government, which stopped hiring slave labor in 1802. If he used a weasel word like “some” to say slaves had relatively decent treatment, then I…