Do Moral Codes Fail?

This is a pet peeve of mine: I do not enjoy seeing people fall down and I don't like seeing other people enjoy it either.  And they do it in one of two ways, usually - both of which are uncool.

When folks have some kind of scandal come out and the revelations are nasty, ugly, or embarrassing - why do those of us that follow a similar moral code sometimes stand around clucking at the horror of it all and telling the poor schmuck that they should have done better at living the way he knew he was supposed to.  I mean, we've all done nasty, ugly, and embarrassing things, right?  The only difference is we don't usually get caught and held under some kind of massive spotlight.  Have some compassion and use it as an excuse for self-reflection and self-correction, huh?

That's one side of the human response to seeing someone fail to live up to their ideals that I don't like.  The other side is even worse!  People who normally either ignore, condone, or excuse the bad behavior, when they see it in others, will start crowing that the stupid sap's moral code failed to work - and therefore no one should adhere to it.  This of course, is absurd - it doesn't even qualify as a logical fallacy - that's how much it sucks.  Nope, all this statement reveals is a startling lack of understanding of basic language.

You see, when someone follows a moral code and they make a mistake it is a failure to APPLY the moral code, not a failure OF the moral code. 

That's what caused the trouble.  Not living it.  Duh.  And how is just giving up on a ideal so much better than actually trying for something better?

How do people get that mixed up?!?

The bottom line is this: I hope everyone gets a little bit better (by whatever measure they care to apply) each and every day.  I hope that we all become a bit stronger by learning from our own mistakes.  And I hope that we can learn from other people's mistakes so we don't have to learn everything the hardest way possible!

/rant

Bare Minimum PC Checklist

It amazes me how often I am asked for computer advice.  Being a geek, I guess I don't think about it much.  Like most human beings, I assume that everyone knows the same things that I do.

To save time and in the interests of efficiency, here is a list of the things that should be put on any new computer and some key things to know.  These utilities, tools, and methods will ensure security, enable full access to the power of the machine, and simplify maintenance.

Blog Division!

My blog has ripped into two new entities!  It's amazing!  The Funhouse will remain right here and continue to please and delight you with it's surrealality, but all of the family stuff has moved to a lighter, softer blog.

Be sure to keep up with all the things going on at both locations from now on!

Core American Values (As I See Them)

As I have mentioned in prior posts, I am somewhat active in grassroots politics.  And nowhere have I found a more succinct explanation of what my own ideas about the core American values are (full disclosure: they are quite conservative) than in Bill Whittle's "What We Believe" videos.  Not only does he hit the nail on the head over and over again - he does it in an entertaining and stylish manner.  His sincere love of this country and what it stands for is bold.  I feel inspired by his optimism and vision of the future - not just for America, but for all mankind.  The series talks about seven different topics: Small Government and Free Enterprise, The Problem of Elitism, Wealth Creation, Natural Law, Gun Rights, Immigration, and American Exceptionalism.

Whether you are curious about what those crazy Tea-Partiers are thinking, want to better understand your ideological foes, want some ideas of how to clearly express yourself as a conservative, or you just want to watch something engaging and enjoyable - these videos will satisfy you.  I've been a reader of Bill Whittle's for many years now and he's just an all-around impressive guy.  His written articles are usually quite a bit of writing and take a bit to absorb, but they are all excellently done.  Here's a list of my favorites (Note: Unlike his videos, some of his articles have a bit of 'spicy' language - he's a passionate guy):

• The first article of his that I ever read was about political game theory - and it's awesome!!!
• The power of iconography (the use of images as symbols).  Really cool stuff.
• The destructive influence of tribalism in America and how to turn it into a plus.
• The mutual exclusivity of freedom and justice (it's all about trade-offs in the end).
• Reasonable men - historical tidbits about our founding fathers concerning current topics.

Do a search on youtube or goggle for "Bill Whittle" and you'll find a bunch more - he's smart, clear, inspiring, and entertaining.  Just thought I'd share!

Multi-Part, Mood-Based Gifts

With the approach of Christmas, the giving of gifts is on my mind.  Allow me to share one of my favorite romantic gift-giving strategies with you.  It works well and can make any offering much more meaningful for both you and the one receiving it.

When giving a gift to my wife, I like to break it up into several smaller gifts, each labeled to be opened when she is in a specific mood.  This allows her to select the gift that she feels like opening, depending on how she is feeling at the moment and saving the rest for later.  I call this kind of present a "multi-part, mood-based gift".  There are many advantages to giving a lady this type of gift collection.

The Technological Singularity

The Technological Singularity is an event in human history that will occur in our lifetime.  It will change just about everything for just about everyone.  Those who know me perhaps will have heard me ask, "Are you acceleration aware?"  People who are aware can be a bit more prepared and a bit less fearful of this event.  Unfortunately, most people don't even know what this upcoming event is or what it means.  Let's jump in, shall we?

I think the first half of the term "Technological Singularity" is pretty clear - we're talking about technology.  The singularity part is what is so darn interesting.  A singularity is a black hole.  A warping of normal Einstein space-time by a point so massive that nothing can escape it, not even light.  Anything that gets too close is sucked in and can't escape.  The edge of this point-of-no-return is called the event horizon.  Modern science has some speculation about what goes on past this point, but it is impossible, by definition, to see what really lies beyond it.  Due to the unreal levels of radiation, pressure, and velocity, whatever it is like is agreed to be unlike anything, anywhere else in the known universe.  The normal rules of physics do not apply.  Mathematical models that define reality break down.  Key elements of how we perceive time and space become totally meaningless.

The Technological Singularity is an event of intelligence innovation that we can't see beyond.  No amount of forecasting, study, or research can tell us what anything will be like beyond its development.  As the pace at which invention and the expansion of human knowledge increases, we draw ever nearer to this event.  Life after this event will be different - substantially and fundamentally different.  As The Futurist writes, it is "the event when the rate of technological change becomes human-surpassing, just as the advent of human civilization a few millenia ago surpassed the comprehension of non-human creatures."  In other words, those humans who live in a post-singularity world will be as incomprehensible to us as we are currently to chipmunks.

Given this brief introduction, I'd like to cover four basic points that you need to focus on, at a minimum, in order to take advantage of being acceleration aware: