Robert Reich: The Truth About the Economy
Robert Reich describes what’s wrong with the economy in 2 minutes.
- The economy doubles since 1980, but wages flat. Where did the money go…
- All (or most) of the gains went to the super rich.
- With money comes political power.
- Taxes on super rich slashed, revenues evaporate.
You might disagree with his economics and/or his politics, but the guy can DRAW!
P. O. Box: Fighting spam
Reply
I rented a post office box this week. The smallest size. Costs $42 a year. The post office is just a couple of blocks from The Coffee Zone, my morning hang-out. My plan is to check the box on Saturday mornings. If someone needs to reach me more often, there’s email.
“Home delivery” for us has been a box at the entry to where we live. Every night Barb brings up all the cataloges and 3rd class junk mail that cannot be stopped. Nine of ten pieces go into the trash. Nothing –absolutely nothing– needs to be delivered every day.
So I pursaded Barb to let me rent a PO Box.
The USPS will forward 1st class mail to the box but not the junk (“You’ll want to let them know your new address,” reminded the carrier.) Uh huh.
I’m unclear if all of the 3rd class spam will find me. I assume it will. The spammers just pay USPS for sticking some shit in my box. I got the smallest box in an effort to make it harder for them. If the piece is too large, they leave me a note and I can pick it up at the front desk. Right.
I don’t feel like I am giving up any convenience and I will have at least the illusion of some control.
Help friends make switch to Gmail
“You’ve probably already improved the lives of your friends and family members by helping them switch to Gmail, but what about that one friend who still hasn’t made the switch? It’s time to take a stand and stage an intervention.”
Time to end the war in Afghanistan
British MP Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan after 9/11, talking with citizens and warlords alike. Now, a decade later, he asks: Why are Western and coalition forces still fighting there? He shares lessons from past military interventions that worked – Bosnia, for instance – and shows that humility and local expertise are the keys to success.
Americans Elect 2012
“Now you can participate in the first direct presidential nomination process, ever. Americans Elect technology makes it possible for you to decide the issues, shape the debate, choose candidates and nominate the president in 2012.
Start by building your profile and identifying your colors, not just red or blue, but your true colors. The more you define your views, the more unique and vivid your palate will become. Maybe you’re light purple. Maybe you’re turquoise. Maybe you’re lime green. Choose where you stand on each of the issues and find out.
But don’t stop there because Americans Elect is just getting started. Soon you’ll be able to join discussion groups, connect with others and share the topics you care about most. You’ll also have the option to search a variety of candidates to find someone who matches your values, preferences and goals for the country. You might only be a 40% match with your neighbors or a 55% match with your state, but wouldn’t you want to match close to a 100% with your president?
And at the end of the day, Americans Elect is made up of you and other delegates. There is no special interest and no partisanship. We’re bringing the nominating process into the 21st century, to put the candidate you choose on the ballot in 2012.”
Google+ Hangout
In the small town where Barb and I spent some of our best years, it was not uncommon for someone to pop in, without calling, with a six pack and just hang out. Before the evening was over, there could be 8 or 10 people, just hanging out. Nothing planned, no preparations.
I think that’s sort of what Google was going for with the Hangout feature on Google+. To make it that easy and that comfortable to hangout with friends. And I think they nailed it.
The video above does not do justice to the quality of the audio and video. Or to the ease of making it happen. I can easily imagine myself surfing mindlessly with the Hangout light on and people dropping by to chat for a few minutes..
You have to try it to appreciate it.
God as software engineer
“When we make these virtual worlds in the future —worlds whose virtual beings will have autonomy to commit evil, murder, hurt, and destroy options— it’s not unthinkable that the game creator would go in to try to fix the world from the inside. That’s the story of Jesus’ redemption to me. We have an unbounded God who enters this world in the same way that you would go into virtual reality and bind yourself to a limited being and try to redeem the actions of the other beings since they are your creations. So I would begin there. For some technological people, that makes the faith a little more understandable.”
— From a piece titled “Geek Theologian” Kevin Kelly talks with Christianity Today’s Katelyn Beaty.
Difficult to noodle on such things and not recall the scene with The Architect in the later Matrix films.
“A planetary soul”
“I think we should prepare ourselves for all kinds of new religions based around the idea of a planetary soul. As in a single web of electronic neurons around the globe, connecting all sentient beings. The Noosphere will go from a hypothetical speculation by a Catholic priest to an outright competitor to the Catholic faith. We will see the rise of Noosnics, Globalists, Overminders, Bit Monks, Quantumarians, and a hundred other sects and cults that take seriously the idea of a glorified planetary spirit as a reflection of the divine.”
“The internet will become a religion in part because everything will happen on it, including all other religions. But mostly because it will be the first platform for true Otherness that will appear on the planet. Not Other as in other variety of human, or other variety of animal, but Other as in an agent not like us, yet bigger than us. A true alien being. Of which we are part. This conundrum will trigger so many spiritual and religious buttons that it will also shake the established religions.”
— Kevin Kelly interview in CHRISTIANITY TODAY
Bonus Link: AI, God, and the Future of Faith: A conversation
Is the party moving?
Been a while since I went five days without sharing something here. Most of Friday and Saturday in Tulsa with family. Busy at work. But the real culprit is almost certainly Google +, the new social “project” from Google. I’m spending a lot of my online time there, and less all other places (here, Twitter, etc).
I won’t try to explain it. I learned that lesson with Twitter. If I have to explain it, you probably won’t use G+. And I’ll be very surprised if it “kills” any of the other social sites. But for those who like and use Google products/services, Google + is fun.
Like most users, the Circles approach to following and sharing is the big thing for me. I have a circle of friends & family; work; and interesting people who I don’t know but like to read. This is pretty close to how my life works.
So what about smays.com. That’s a good question. Some of the Cool Kids have already shuttered their blogs and moved lock, stock and barrel to Google +. Unlikely I will do that. I have almost 10 years invested in this blog and I like having my on place to park things. But I do expect to post less.
I’m thinking I’ll share something here here when I have something “original” to contribute. All of the the “did you see this?” stuff will get posted to my Google + stream. That’s got to be a 10-to-1 ratio. Maybe higher.
As for Twitter, who knows. I really like the Twitter format. And the people I follow on Twitter. If many/most of them migrate to G+, Twitter becomes that much less interesting. We’ll see.