The last greatest hope: technology
I was shopping for a new computer and office chair a few weeks ago and was struck by how absurd prices have become. I bought a fully loaded quad-core PC for about $500 and was stunned to find the best office chairs cost even more! What kind of crazy world do we live in? Consider all the research, engineering, design, manufacturing, assembly, shipping from the four corners of the earth… required to build a computer, then compare that process to a few pieces of plastic/metal with a cushion wrapped in some cloth or leather. Are you kidding me? That’s an astounding testament to the incredible productivity of the technology sector and those who work in it. Every other industry sucks in comparison, you heard me. Ideas for America
America has one advantage, the perception of freedom and opportunity. Any economic recovery plan that doesn’t play to this core strength in my opinion will be in vain. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head: What is the meaning of cool?
Last week I learned from another person that a friend of mine wants to buy a motorcycle. Silly practical me, I asked if it was because he wanted to save on fuel costs… which resulted in some laughter. No, he just wants to be cool. What does “cool” mean, anyway, and why do people want to be it so badly? I am naturally repelled by “cool” things. I liked SUV’s until they became cool. I liked Apple computer until they became cool. When I was 4 or 5 years old I used to tell people my favorite color was yellow… I actually hated yellow, but I chose it because everybody else hated it too. What does that say about me? The suburban upper-middle class delusion syndrome
I find it quite ironic and somewhat amusing — the first word that comes to mind when I recall conversations with socialists (by any other name) is “ego”… followed closely by “ignorance”. The irony of course is that their entire platform is based on denying themselves what they deserve in order to help others, but there is a certain element of smug self-satisfaction that comes along with believing you are sacrificing something for the greater good. In most cases it doesn’t even seem to matter whether the policies make sense, just slap a catchy slogan and a sympathy-inducing picture and you’re good to go. You can see it on their faces, “I just have more compassion.” Conformity breeds stupidity
There is a difference between conforming your behavior and conforming your mind. It’s perfectly reasonable to respect murder prohibitions, but it’s not reasonable to accept conventional thinking without challenge. That doesn’t mean you should disagree with every idea or conviction held by another, but it does mean you shouldn’t include deference or majority opinion as an important factor in determining your conclusions — assuming you are knowledgeable and intelligent enough to understand the subject matter. Who cares what other people think, prove your case. I just coined a new word: hedgy [plural: hedgies]
hedgy       /hej-ee/ The giant casino in the sky
It’s not really in the sky, it’s actually in New York, but for those of us who only interact with the casino through computers or brokers, it might as well be on the moon. A positive spin on arrogance
When a person asks if they look fat, the answer is always yes. People who are fit, know they are fit. It’s perhaps unfortunate, but common sense requires that you acknowledge that people who look good know they look good, even if well advised politeness or political correctness causes them to suppress any expression of that which is plain to see. Are universities destroying the economy?
My degree is hanging on the wall, but every time it enters my field of vision I am reminded of a post-secondary education spent dreaming of building something real, something with my name on the cover. I have always hated school, but not for the reasons you might expect. Work Sucks
I realized a few years ago, after working on a project that generated millions of dollars for my employer, that it doesn’t make sense to work hard to enrich other people. If you have the skills necessary to generate all those dollars for someone else, you should find a way to use those skills for yourself. |
Highest Rated
|
