The brave new COVID world is a strange place, with the struggles over health, power, freedom, and life making for a confusing mess. The Biden administration asked for courts to reinstate the OSHA vaccine mandate for private companies after it was stayed by judges in the Fifth Circuit. The President also says that more than 90% of federal… Read More Strange new world
In recent weeks, the headlines have been filled with the news of several high-profile legal cases (here and here), sparking much commentary on the judicial system and the nature of justice. After the vindication of Kyle Rittenhouse, the trial for the killers of Ahmaud Arbery and the case against Andrew Coffee also concluded, both defendants claiming self-defence. Though the details varied considerably,… Read More Let it flow like a river
1. It isolates you.2. Its channels are an input monopoly.3. It demeans your outdatedness incessantly.4. It breeds exhaustion.5. It rules via FOMO.6. It bleeds just enough eye-candy to keep you coming back.7. There is never anything you can do about it.8. What you see is just the way it is. One medium. Endless messages. All… Read More The Religion of the Screen
Thieves have had a field day in California and Minneapolis, brazenly taking merchandise from an Apple store and Best Buy. A “flash mob” made a corral of their getaway vehicles while they ransacked a Nordstrom store. Best Buy saw its market value slide in the wake of the robberies, which left staff traumatized. Best Buy announced that they were going to provide counselling… Read More Daylight robbery
John Hanke, the CEO of gaming company Niantic, recently tweeted that the idea of the “metaverse” is a “dystopian nightmare.” Niantic, the company behind Pokemon GO is mapping the world, making a database to help future developers of augmented reality (AR) technology. Hanke has an unease about the project, knowing that “bad actors” could abuse such information, but… Read More Reality Check
Eminent astronomer, John Kormendy, decided to cancel himself after trying to use data to make hiring and promoting people less subjective. While honest people will admit that there is a lot more than credentials that make the right candidate for a job, the fact that Professor Kormendy suggested merit should be rewarded was not well-received by the… Read More According to merit
Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted of all charges after a Kenosha jury deliberated for almost four days. The killing of two men and wounding of a third during riots in Wisconsin last year was ruled an act of self-defense. There were celebrations outside the courthouse, with motorists honking their approval of the verdict. However, violence broke out in Portland and other cities… Read More The verdict
Greatness is the ability to sense moments of agency. They will seem small at first. But the capacity to gain capacity compounds with interest. Discipline over time equals wisdom. Influence isn’t the moment you’ve been waiting for so much as integrity and loyalty coming home to roost. In the winter, build for spring. Till angel… Read More Endurance is leverage
A Federalist reporter and a Newsweek journalist sat down for a conversation and the result is an insightful critique of the news media. Emily Jashinsky and Batya Ungar-Sargon discussed the changing patterns of news reporting and consumption, concluding that today’s highly-educated journalists are out of touch with “middle America.” Ungar-Sargon argues that political polarization is really an elite phenomenon, as… Read More The chattering class
“The truth is he was so glad at being free from his long enchantment that all the dangers seemed a game in comparison.” – CS Lewis, The Silver Chair Mindset is everything. Words are the framework of your mindset. The battle of today’s warfare is for the right to control your words, and by controlling your… Read More Words are Strategic Territory
