Thursday, September 25, 2008

How The Brain Works...

i just recently came across a news item that reported that David Foster Wallace had committed suicide...
And i thought... Who is that... That name sounds familiar...
And i made the association of that name to the popular series of Books of Lists... ( ? )
But the obituaries didn't mention these books at all...
And i hadn't read any of his books, although, now, i think i might try his First Infinity Book...

But the curious bit was that the actual authors of The Book of Lists was:
David Wallechinsky & Amy Wallace
Ha!

That's pretty funny huh!

P.S.
The obituaries didn't mention why he hanged himself...???

Thursday, September 18, 2008

If Western Civilizaiton were a Person... And other Political Thoughts

Granted: This analogy may have it's flaws;
But if our culture, or civilization were a physical, biological being,
What part of it would be The Government?

Brain
Heart
Stomach
Liver
Kidneys
Muscles
Blood
Veins
Hands
Feet
Eyes
Nose
Tongue
Ears
...???

i think that the government should most properly be thought of as The Spleen.
The Spleen is the one organ that helps the other gastrointestinal organs to do their jobs,
While at the same time, If it were removed, The organism would survive, but do so less efficiently.
The Government of any Civilization should not define that civilization in any way,
But instead; Be it's spleen, and just help it to get things done...
- - -
Gay Marriage
The Government should get out of the marriage business.
Marriages should be defined and authorized by religions, and once one is established, the government, if it chooses to do so, may be allowed to establish tax brackets around it.
Other institutions, such as hospitals & insurance companies may be allowed to make up whatever rules they want, and let the free market decide if those policies are fair & equatable.
- - -
Abortions
Everyone should be working to make Abortions as rare as possible—
Women should have the right to choose to have an abortion, and choose not to need or have one.
- - -
Policing the World
Local Nations should police their own regions & determine if their social policies adhere to whatever they define as human rights.
It should also be possible and easy for anyone to move from one country that they would choose not to live in, to any other country that they would prefer to live in.
If one country finds that they are being depleted of their population, while a neighboring nation is absorbing their citizens, then the boarders will be moved to accommodate the reduction of one population and the expansion of the other.
- - -
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Every country should have at least 12 nuclear bombs.
Those with too many, will redistribute those that they have to lesser endowed nations.
- - -

Feeling Very Odd Lately...

So i tried walking over to a park near where i live the other day,
It's about a mile away, and it nearly killed me!
My left foot, which is my ‘Good’ Foot went completely numb and felt like it was swelling up,
But when i got to the park and sat down, then examined it, it looked OK...???
- - -
Do you have memories that seem completely real, but you aren't quite able to place them anywhere...? They seem to have all the usual attributes of a memory, but you don't know when they happened, or where...???
i've had memories like this from time to time throughout my whole life, but now, they are starting to become more frequent.
Typically; The memory will seem very tangible, and then they will disappear in a day or two, only to be recalled if i made a note or reminder of that peculiar memory in my day journal.
- - -
Also: If we were turned into robots and had a tiny fusion generator built into us, so that we wouldn't have to eat, and the internal primal drive to procreate were erased from our programming...
What would we do?
We'd no longer be driven insensibly to have sex, and wouldn't want to eat, & have no need or necessity to work to provide shelter or food for ourselves or children...
What would we do to fill our afternoons?
It seems to me that if we were robots, we'd be substantially more free than we are now, but what we do with that freedom?
- - -
i've also been thinking, or wondering, what is the best idea that humanimals have ever come up with?
Such an idea would necessarily have to be functional.
But it should also be inobvious.
Or extremely crazy and functional.
Or just crazy and sensible, but not very functional, or functional within the parameters of a story...???
i can't seem to think of a really good candidate?