Screens and Screen Time

There is a lot of deploring of the amount of time the Youth of America is spending in front of screens, and how that has taken over older people's attention as well. Reading from a book is considered better, more ennobling, and certainly better for learning. Silence is considered superior to listening to a speaker, even if one is learning from a course on tape or a podcast. 

Are we sure? The research I have seen largely assumes what it sets out to prove. The worst aspects of the new are contrasted to the best aspects of the old. I spend a lot of time on screens, and I did while I was working as well.  Am I damaged?  Am I not what I should be? Have I let go of the rope and ceased to be a Real Intellectual? Whatever shall we do? The Apocalypse is upon us.  Again.

Simulation

When I was in college and reading Lord of the Rings, I thought invisibility would be the best superpower to have. I also thought that Time Stop would be useful in sports. I eventually settled on Time Travel, but I have been waiting for this and nothing has happened. 

I think getting into asimulation that picks up at a particular point of my life might be just as good.  I do worry about having to listen to and participating in the boring parts again, but if I make some changes, who knows what I might get out of. A couple of you won't make the friend list next time around, but I intend to be minimalist in my interventions.  Who knows what might be upended.

The objection would be that it would be less valuable because it "wasn't real," to which I say "Compared to what?" 

I Wonder Why

 

Italian boys from near Belmont Avenue in the Bronx.  Ahead of their time.

Duelling Motte-and Baileys

There is a FB argument between two Christians who I find rather tiring. One is saying "Tolerance is not a Christian virtue."  The other is insisting that it is, while acknowledging that the word itself does not appear in the Scriptures, and his wife jumps in to state even more emphatically that of course it is, quoting Bible verses in a proof-text fashion.

It looks like a clear problem of definition to me. By some definitions of tolerance, such as tolerating sin within the congregation, or tolerating the teaching or sin, the first man is of course correct. In terms of putting up with differences and difficulties from others, especially within the Church, the second man is correct. A mediated or refereed discussion between Christians who desired to live together in harmony could find points of agreement rather quickly, but neither seems interested.  One is a State Rep and the other is a college history professor, so they both feel they have territory to claim and protect for the sake of others who might be led astray. 

You see why I find this tiring. When disputatnts cannot acknowledge that they are at least in part arguing definitions and relent at least to the point that the other has a point according to his own definition, I find that one or both is trying to smuggle in other ideas with their definition. In current America, this is usually trying to add in some favorite political or cultural idea in disguise. At its worst it can insist that patriotism is the same as Christianity, or that socialism is the same as Christianity if one will only squint hard enough and count a second cousin as a sibling.

Duelling Motte-and-Bailey arguments, both attempting to claim territory they cannot fully defend on the basis of narrower claims that they can. 

 

Misinterpretations in the History of Heredity

 Two Misinterpreted Insights in the History of Heredity. Why did it take humans so long to discover what we now consider obvious, that things "run in families?" We knew there was similarity between parents and children, but somehow couldn't stretch that to families as a whole.  It seemed interesting enough, but when I ran across the sentence 

In 1644, the English philosopher, astrologer and pirate Sir Kenelm Digby published an exploration of the nature of matter, including problems associated with generation. (Italics mine)

I was all in.  OK, now you're talking! Philosopher, astrologer, and pirate. No one has had that on their resume for perhaps 300 years now, and it couldn't have been common in any era. Even two out of those three in a single individual would be rare after 1600. 

 

 

Monkeys Predict Elections

I missed this 18 months ago.  Monkeys accurately predict the outcomes of elections 54% of the time just by how long the look at the photos of both candidates. One of the commenters suggested that this implies humans could predict the outcome of monkey elections, which does seem equally likely.

PDQ Bach

We had a PDQ Bach concert when I was in college, but I skipped it.  I didn't know any better, and didn't tend to take advice then.

 

Founding Mother

David Foster talks about Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was a founding mother of libertarianism. 

 In modern Europe, some years of every young man’s life are consumed in training for war. But a far greater loss of productive energy is in the attempt to control productive energy. All their lives, all workers pour an enormous amount of energy into producing food, clothes, shelter, light, heat, transportation, all the necessities and comforts, and mountains of paper, pens, ink, stamps, filing cases, and acres of beautiful buildings, all to be used by men in Government who produce nothing whatever.

Great White Sharks

 Nellie Bowles reports that Bernie Sanders held a discussion with Chinese, Canadian, and US professors about the existential threat of AI. 

 → Well, I’m sure China is doing this altruistically: Bernie Sanders hosted an event on The Existential Threat of AI. It featured the dean of the Beijing Institute of Al Safety and Governance and a professor from Tsinghua University. Wow, all the Chinese professors think America should stop pursuing artificial intelligence research, maybe we should listen to our foreign friends! They also keep saying that we should disband our military. Seems thoughtful and reasonable. This just in: Great white sharks think seals should stop jumping out of the water and actually just stay in and float around a while.

China and Russia have also contributed heavily to American environmental causes over the years.  Which is odd, because they don't spend much on their own environmental causes. It's a puzzle. AI might in fact be an existential threat and we may need to have serious discussions with lots of people.  I'm just not sure we should start with the Chinese...

Do you think there are Chinese preppers? That might be an international conference worth having.

Medieval Manuscripts

 25 medieval manuscripts you can look at online right now.

The Beatus of Saint Sever  Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, lat. 8878 (France, ca. 1028-1072 AD)

 

"A good medieval illuminated Apocalypse should still be a bit disturbing to look through, even today. If you ask me, this Romanesque edition with its flat, expressive, colourful compositions fits the bill nicely."