I feel as if all the point of progressivism has just served to use it as a target. Every place where there has been an attempt to move forward, it turns out that the forces of moving back are more motivated, more powerful, and they play dirty.
It’s a scary moment, when you realize that nationalism is a pack of lies, like religion and being a sports fan. For me, it was slow-dawning but got a strong boost when I was in the army (1983-9, basic and reserve) the wastage and stupidity began to sink in on me and I was reading a lot of the history of other countries. It’s hard not to read stuff like The Best and The Brightest [worldcat] and start to realize that the author is not just pointing out that the emperor’s new clothes show a lot of skin, but so do all of his wise senior advisors. So, how did such a bunch of idiots accomplish this? Then, you realize that behind every Bonaparte is a Talleyrand. Behind every Trump is a Miller. And they create the sweet-smelling bullshit we are all fed as we grow up. What really did it for me was reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History, [worldcat] which – my offer still stands – I will give anyone a copy of if they ask for it politely.
Reading Zinn caused me to shift my interest in history a few points to the side of where it had been focused straight on military history, and I began re-reading my favorite military histories and thinking about the political context. And/or wondering how it was pitched at the time.
Its official name is “Perimetr” but many Soviet-era nuclear control officers called it “The Dead Hand.” David Hoffman’s book with that title won him a Pulitzer prize. Now you can imagine President Trump tweeting away over how Harper Lee should give him hers. And, now, you should stop – it’s horrifying. [openlibrary] [Read more…]
Defense Expert Dunc commented in an earlier post of mine, with a link to an article that we both find worthy of discussion. I think it’s worth treating as a separate posting, not Dunc’s words (if I have specific comments on Dunc’s thoughts I’ll make them elsewhere or on the OP)
I’m not in favor of assassinations; I’m especially not fond of sloppy wet work.
One of the things that sometimes frustrates me about AI is that they are constantly being tweaked and adjusted, so they don’t necessarily give the same answer every time. Of course, I’m getting a different run through however many billion nodes get involved in my question, but also, there are (as PZ seems to think is important) random numbers involved, and the generation/version of the various checkpoints that the AI is running.
It’s like asking me what I think about some point regarding Nietzsche before or after I’ve been reading Hume. My opinions on both of them change, mysteriously and below my awareness. But the answer I would give is different.
Imagine how odd it would look if all the heavenly bodies we see are more or less round-ish, and only Earth was flat?
Personally, I feel that brands should hire me – to destroy their brands. Why? It’s great branding!
I started this thought-stream in 2016. Since then, it’s interesting to watch how my interests have changed focus. I think my interests have changed in ways that reflect the changes in the internet, politics, and how society decides who and what is important, when.
I have actually checked with GPT and they say that the take-over will be non-violent.