tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post6710256367491832501..comments2024-03-29T06:22:47.638-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: What to do during Cov-Fe-Fe (Covid Forced-exile From-employment). Some of you are writing fiction. Even science fiction! David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88118153094432608152020-04-18T12:23:21.249-07:002020-04-18T12:23:21.249-07:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48897129014800555332020-04-18T11:47:08.167-07:002020-04-18T11:47:08.167-07:00Trump hotels won't house doctors/nurses, despi...<br />Trump hotels won't house doctors/nurses, despite DT's praise of that campaign.<br /> <br />https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEMhp_okh0YJzjZhKtdHnAskqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowjtSUCjC30XQwzqe5AQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen<br /><br />And while screaming he's all-powerful, refusing to federally coordinate distribution of scarce medical supplies, forcing states and cities into bidding wars that directly benefit Trump cronies. WHILE sending homeland security agents to seize-and-hide supply shipments already paid-for by desperate hospitals, resulting directly in infection of doctors and nurses on the front line. While firing the inspectors who might ensure most of the 4 $trillion bailout won't go directly to GOP cronies (2/3 is already gone to Wall Street)...<br /><br />..But worst of all, doing everything possible to delay by TWO months the rollout of nationwide testing that would let us get a handle on this thing. And so much more...<br /><br />Tell us if even one of those crimes (and there is so much more) aren't felonies? <br />There is an old saying: "Don't ascribe to criminal intent that which can be explained by incompetence." <br />Years ago the Foxite-Putin-Party Confederates leaped on that aphorism as a final bulwark in any argument, even when cornered by tsunamis of facts.<br /><br />We must answer with Goldfinger’s Rule: <br />“Once, Mr. Bond, may be happenstance. <br />"Twice could be coincidence.<br />“Three times is enemy action.”<br /><br />To which let's add:<br /><br />"20,000 times is deliberate and relentless treason."<br /><br />---<br />---<br />Eleven years ago I cited Goldfinger's Rule:<br />http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-polemical-power-we-dont-use-wagers.html<br /><br />...David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20681102666486090712020-04-18T11:05:33.020-07:002020-04-18T11:05:33.020-07:00"I may go online and record how to turn a T-s...<i>"I may go online and record how to turn a T-shirt into an almost perfect burnoose."</i><br /><br />Reminds me of a Tik-Tok clip I saw recently where a young woman from Brooklyn demonstrated how to fold a T-shirt into a combination hair net/pandemic mask. The result, with its uncanny resemblance to a niqab, caused one Islamic poster to reply, "Welcome, sister!"Jon S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13585842845661267920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76187173851134966082020-04-18T09:59:45.793-07:002020-04-18T09:59:45.793-07:00yana's post is deeply moving. And written with...yana's post is deeply moving. And written with passionate flair. And yes, recordings are vital. We got my Dad (Bernie's clone) to record his autobiography which is now permanently online. I may go online and record how to turn a T-shirt into an almost perfect burnoose. David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-826046636728947012020-04-18T04:42:46.464-07:002020-04-18T04:42:46.464-07:00@Dr Brin,
My post-Rapture Summer Daydreams includ...@Dr Brin,<br /><br />My post-Rapture Summer Daydreams include some admittedly-contradictory premises. I leave it to others to imagine that those who deserve to be taken up to heaven are not the ones the Evangelicals are expecting them to be. I ask, "What if they <b>are</b> the ones who leave the rest of us behind?", and try to picture what the world would be like at that point.<br /><br />The four-to-nothing majority on the supreme court and the permanent Democratic Senate are just the start. :)Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40603742015444427872020-04-18T04:06:29.689-07:002020-04-18T04:06:29.689-07:00The real tragedy is loss of cultural memory. This ...<br />The real tragedy is loss of cultural memory. This sickness carries off the old more than the young, and it's crazy airborne. Before VacDay 2021, it's going to kill a couple million people, mostly older folks. One of history's more faithful cycles is the procession of generations. Natural and implacable, this force got attenuated as the advance of the Enlightenment made 20th c. science possible. Doubled life expectancy in 2 centuries, and though the latex will not snap back all the way to a life "brutish and short," it is about to get a jolt which it is unaccustomed to.<br /><br />JFK's "passing of the torch" is about to be quaint. Of course a massive transfer of wealth down 1.5 generations, but more costly is the coming deficit of cultural history. Nobody knows how to choose the best draughthorse for a milk route anymore, but the few people who still know how to install a pipe organ might be gone soon.<br /><br />Just an example, but it's not about the technical knowledge. That's all written down. What we are about to lose is the experience of millions of people who once had to ration radio usage. The Greatest Generation remembers food coupons, the Boomers knew life before screens. GenX had 3 tv stations and if someone had too many 9's and 0's in their number, people were less inclined to call them. And where are Hi-Ho crackers?<br /><br />Listen, this thing is just going to keep chewing through our older people until VacDay 2021. If you know any oldsters, get in touch tele-ways and record their stories. If you got "it" and got over it, not contagious, then get a podcast mic and get over to a nursing home. If a pic is worth a thousand words, a living person is worth 1,000 stories.<br /><br />The real cost of this pandemic is not measured in GDP or IMF de-growth projections. The true cost is two billion stories.<br />yananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16439002624415134422020-04-18T03:20:13.649-07:002020-04-18T03:20:13.649-07:00Some other story ideas:
1. Humanity is manipulate...Some other story ideas: <br />1. Humanity is manipulated by an incredibly advanced alien species, all religious myths somehow relate to their interaction with them. Perhaps it is part of a plan to develop us into an enlightened civilisation, or nothing more than a recreative game, we are nothing more than chess pieces, "good" and "evil" nothing more than the colour of said pieces. <br />2. The Battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell: Heavens forces are led by an ex-convict, Hells by a former radical preacher who leads a gilead-style fascist nation.<br />3.The Four Riders of apocalypse are AI. The Plague Rider is an intelligent supervirus, infecting and destroying the hardware of an increasingly dependent world. The Rider of War could be a Skynet-like AI, whereas Hunger could once have been a tool to increase the wealth of oligarchs. Haven't found a role for Death, though.<br />4. A Normal Joe is elected into the Office of the Adversary for six years, six days and six hours. It is his job to prevent man-made apocalypses.<br />A German Nursenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15137254110941005292020-04-18T01:44:46.526-07:002020-04-18T01:44:46.526-07:00To
"The Rapture"
I can think of nothing...To <br />"The Rapture"<br />I can think of nothing worse or more boring than being swept up into an already existing paradise <br /><br />I would much rather work on converting the Earth into our own paradise a bit at a time<br /><br />Although that would be easier if all the religious loonies did get taken awayduncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88818039991255227002020-04-17T23:17:29.065-07:002020-04-17T23:17:29.065-07:00If anyone cares to see the self-commentary, I put ...If anyone cares to see the self-commentary, I put it on my own blog.<br />No need for clutter here.<br /><br />https://adiffer.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflecting-my-what-i-say-and-what-i-do.htmlAlfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-27702294282158619522020-04-17T22:39:44.143-07:002020-04-17T22:39:44.143-07:00Deuxglass,
I also put my money where my mouth is ...Deuxglass,<br /><br /><i>I also put my money where my mouth is and ...</i><br /><br />I wanted to say something similar, but I just spent an hour looking back at what I posted here and it isn't true. I put my money where my thoughts went (my IRA's are back to their pre-crash values for now, my 401K isn't), but I didn't say much of anything about my thinking and how it affected where my investments went.<br /><br />My first comment on Twitter was oblique on 13 Mar when my employer had us take our computers home. I commented on paper towel shortages. The rest of March on Twitter (not here) is all about impacts of corona virus, but nothing about trying to make money off what the markets were doing... which I was trying.<br /><br />My IRA's were 75% cash in mid-Feb. <br />I had my sister's accounts at about 80% cash. <br />[On your advice? Anyone's? Not really. The market was behaving stupidly.]<br />On mine where I can trade options, late Feb and all of Mar were busy. Apr has been a little calmer. Slightly.<br />On her's I got back in after the first week of Apr and missed some of the bounce. Essentially even now.<br /><br />Here, I'm most talkative on politics. <br />Seems I spent a lot of wasted time refuting locumranch too. More than I realized. Justified it as thinking about ideas. Ugh.<br /><br />So, why this introspection made public?<br />I suspect many of us are saying and doing different things.<br />Looking back at the evidence creates insights into our own thinking. 8)<br />I'm encouraging others to try it on there own musings.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37230129797484575932020-04-17T21:54:06.387-07:002020-04-17T21:54:06.387-07:00I would hope that the Divinity in question would l...I would hope that the Divinity in question would let them know "the others were Raptured because they were following the Divine's plan" but even if they refused to acknowledge that and claimed the Taken were in Hell or the like, so long as no animals or innocents were being tormented anymore, would it matter? I just figured it would be amusing. Heck, it would be even more amusing to see someone write such a story, if only to hear the screeching of the Evangelicals over the "corruption" of "their" Rapture myths.<br /><br />Acacia H. Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1072298834706071772020-04-17T19:23:16.604-07:002020-04-17T19:23:16.604-07:00Acacia all the fanatics would do is assume we were...Acacia all the fanatics would do is assume we weren't "raptured" but rather eliminated, purged, taken to our just desserts.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85631410593224089432020-04-17T17:35:58.816-07:002020-04-17T17:35:58.816-07:00What would be truly amusing is if the Rapture happ...What would be truly amusing is if the Rapture happened... and all of the scientists, social workers, engineers, LGBTQ+ people, artists, writers, pagans, and other "undesirables" all vanished, leaving just the Evangelicals and other hateful Christians and related groups among other religious groups behind. And you just know that they'd immediately go to war with each other and probably try to claim God "smote" the "infidels" and that "they've inherited the Earth."<br /><br />I just truly hope that most of the animals also vanished because wildlife and livestock (and pets) don't deserve what the Evangelicals would do to them. <br /><br />Acacia Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91349915721853916882020-04-17T17:13:32.447-07:002020-04-17T17:13:32.447-07:00While that rant about the benefits of being left b...While that rant about the benefits of being left behind is ripe Stonekettle and amusing, fact is I'll bet the ratios of decent to nasty folks are pretty similar in both camps, if you put aside the utter nastiness of the Dominionist beliefs, themselves. And if you allow for very large numbers of the raptured. Which is NOT how the Dominionists view it, thinking their numbers of the pure & "elect" are very small and the rest of us were made to be background screamers of pain for their theater.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48445677135483589782020-04-17T16:40:26.889-07:002020-04-17T16:40:26.889-07:00In previous comments, Dr Brin referred back to thi...In previous comments, Dr Brin referred back to this old Rapture posting:<br /><br />http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2011/05/whose-millennium.html<br /><br />Which in turn links to this contemporary post on Stonekettle Station:<br />http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/05/ten-reasons-doomsday-will-be-awesome.html<br /><br />Both are worth reading in entirety (including the old comments under Dr Brin's), but I particularly like that Jim Wright agrees with me on some of the benefits of being Left Behind, post-Rapture:<br /><br /><i><br />...<br />7) ) Equality for all: Monday morning we’ll be issuing all the gay marriage licenses you like. No bitching. No bullshit. Be happy and congratulations.<br /><br />8) Improved Education: We can finally teach biology in school without interruption. <br /><br />...<br /><br />and finally,<br /><br />10) Fewer Selfish Assholes. Less crowed highways. There’ll be a bunch of job openings. Less trolls on the Science forums. You can sleep in on the weekends without some Evangelical Rapture Monkey banging on your door at 8Am to sell you The Jesus. <br /><br />Oh, and best of all?<br /><br />With all the pious godly people all gone up to the Holy Ghost’s house and out of the way, we should have enough extra money and resources to finally feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and heal the sick without having to hear about socialism, communism, Nazis or how lazy people make Jesus cry.<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67714720432935144022020-04-17T11:44:47.313-07:002020-04-17T11:44:47.313-07:00Here we go...
https://www.geekwire.com/2020/date-h...Here we go...<br />https://www.geekwire.com/2020/date-history-nasa-spacex-schedule-first-crewed-dragon-mission-may-27-launch/scidatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152319593457629592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-33329363592261301822020-04-17T11:23:43.107-07:002020-04-17T11:23:43.107-07:00Well, if you insist on subjecting yourself to it.....Well, if you insist on subjecting yourself to it...<br /><br />https://jonsills.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Note that some of the stories make more sense if you've played the Federation side of <i>Star Trek Online</i>, at least through the Klingon War arc ("Outpost 47" does make reference to some things you learn during the opening arc for a Romulan character, but I don't think that damages the story significantly). Also, until fairly recently your character got a promotion and a new ship every ten levels until reaching lvl 50; the introduction of scaling Tier 6 ships, that have some of their high-level capabilities suppressed until you level up to them, has largely obviated that, but it's why Grunt got so many new ships. (Well, "new" ships.)Jon S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13585842845661267920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29588586646958779052020-04-17T11:05:56.735-07:002020-04-17T11:05:56.735-07:00Gotta hand it to my governor:
https://www.elector...Gotta hand it to my governor:<br /><br />https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/Maps/Apr17.html#item-2<br /><i><br />In addition, there are also cases of governors subverting the administration through...covert ops? Is there a better name? For example, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) is sick of supplies headed for his state being commandeered by the federal government. And so, he's begun arranging secret flights from China to Chicago, so that he can acquire needed supplies. That's right, the governor of the nation's fifth-largest state has been reduced to smuggling in order to do his job. Undoubtedly, other governors will be inspired by his example, if they haven't already organized covert ops of their own.<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76823258549880242112020-04-17T09:30:13.045-07:002020-04-17T09:30:13.045-07:00Tim Wolter,
I must thank you for saying that I ha...Tim Wolter,<br /><br />I must thank you for saying that I had the best Oracular Pronouncement. I did give me a nice jolt to my pleasure center. At the time the impeachment circus was full on and although everyone knew how it would end the drama was high enough to keep the media focused on that and not on the really important things. In my job before retiring “What If” scenarios are what we thought about and gamed on a daily basis and the global pandemic scenario is one of the classics so when it came up in real life I didn't have to think much to make decisions. I am glad that people here did understand what was happening early on.<br /><br />I for one underestimated the rapid reaction of both state and federal governments. Quite suddenly when faced with a clear and present danger Democrats and Republicans got together to pass legislation in record time. Lock downs were followed by enough people to cut the transmission rate to low levels. Mistakes were made of course as happens in anything of this size but in general things went according to the plans set up decades ago and updated periodically. As expected research is coming up with many promising treatments. This is not a rerun of 1918. We have a lot more arrows in our quiver now and we all snuff out a second wave when it comes. I am optimistic. I think the economy will bounce back quicker than you think. I also put my money where my mouth is and I said it here.<br />Deuxglasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03488986307291616948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77484142465331575592020-04-17T09:06:19.259-07:002020-04-17T09:06:19.259-07:00Guy I know lost both of his parents to this, in tw...Guy I know lost both of his parents to this, in two days. Here's his deeply affecting account of the horrible experience, having to Facetime them during their last hours. <br />http://genreonlinenet.blogspot.com/2020/04/with-regards-to-covid-19.htmlDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66585574910226586722020-04-17T08:45:52.972-07:002020-04-17T08:45:52.972-07:00Jon S. It all sounds delightful and creative and y...Jon S. It all sounds delightful and creative and you should post the Blogspot address here.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63767121514831778812020-04-17T08:31:00.950-07:002020-04-17T08:31:00.950-07:00While I do dabble in writing from time to time, I ...While I do dabble in writing from time to time, I just haven't been able to string the words together lately. Can't think what stressful situation might be distracting me...<br /><br />On the other tentacle, I kind of <i>have</i> to give it away for free, because what I write (so far at least) is based on some of my characters from the MMO <i>Star Trek Online</i>, and the ToS says that everything from the game technically belongs to Cryptic Studios. It all got "published" on the official STO forums, and then I went and stuck most of the stories (all the ones involving Capt. Grunt and crew, for instance, and one about then-Ensign Burwell, the poor time-lost Romulan War vet who wound up in 2409) into a Blogspot site. It ain't great, but it's what I do...<br /><br />(They were all written in response to writing prompts issued on the forums. Currently stuck on a crossover concept - I've gotten Our Heroes stranded in the Commonwealth from <i>Fallout 4</i>, and I know how they get home in the end, but it's all the bits in between that are trouble.)Jon S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13585842845661267920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77449570720081097462020-04-16T19:22:23.258-07:002020-04-16T19:22:23.258-07:00Could be the best to date --- https://www.youtube...Could be the best to date --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DwlnT3WxrI&feature=youtu.beDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23415292086677898392020-04-16T18:51:48.910-07:002020-04-16T18:51:48.910-07:00Duncan... cool activity!Duncan... cool activity!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21698823312120724192020-04-16T16:59:31.590-07:002020-04-16T16:59:31.590-07:00Lockdown Activities
Back in the 80's a friend...Lockdown Activities<br /><br />Back in the 80's a friend built a kit car - a Marlin Roadster<br />https://www.google.com/search?q=marlin+roadster&rlz=1C1GCEA_enNZ882NZ882&oq=marlin+roadster&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.6263j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8<br /><br />That friend is now retired and living in a narrowboat<br />So I asked about the Marlin - it's been off the road for 10+ years and no plans to get it back on the road<br />So I said "Can I have it?"<br />"N"o was the reply - but I have a "spare"<br />The "Spare" - which was started in 1995 and never completed is in my shed and is today's project<br />Unfortunately it's tiny - too small to get enough batteries for a decent range - so it is getting an old ford dino burner to propel it<br /><br />duncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.com