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Just me.
Here's "Soph", a great 14-yo content-creator on YouTube recommended by Styxhexenhammer666.
chuckpo comments on May 2, 2019:
The verbal display is really impressive--seemingly pretty far beyond a 14 year old--even a 14 year old genius. Who wrote the script? I didn't listen to all of it (about the first 4 minutes or so), but I only noticed one time where she butchered a word, canaanite.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@chuckpo 100% agreed.
I have to admit some trepedation at the thought of " Joining " a group called " Keep Out " But being...
jwhitten comments on May 2, 2019:
Welcome stranger! Even if you is a liberal-- which I'm not saying you is, and I'm not saying you ain't.... if'n you catch my drift... Nah, seriously, we'll take all types here. What's the point of only talking to people you agree with? Especially if you can get an opportunity to annoy the living ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@MADcHATTER LOL! Had you worried there for a moment, huh?? ;-)
Thoughts on this. [reuters.com]
dmatic comments on May 2, 2019:
This is a huge issue! Many, many, Americans it seems, have come to not fear this idea that we can continue to borrow "money" and have our grandchildren's children pay for it. If this 'economy' is real, there is no way we can continue down this path without some bad, bad consequences....
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
What do you expect, those same "many Americans" get their check from the Government once a month, bitch about the ever increasing rise in prices, and go back to watching Oprah-- or The View.
Thoughts on this. [reuters.com]
jwhitten comments on May 2, 2019:
They'll raise the ceiing. What do they care, it's not their money and nobody's going to hold a single one of them accountable for the mess they've made.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@dmatic I thought it had already burst-- several times at this point. What we're talking about now are the patches on top of the patches on top of the bailing wire and string holding it all together.
Here's "Soph", a great 14-yo content-creator on YouTube recommended by Styxhexenhammer666.
chuckpo comments on May 2, 2019:
The verbal display is really impressive--seemingly pretty far beyond a 14 year old--even a 14 year old genius. Who wrote the script? I didn't listen to all of it (about the first 4 minutes or so), but I only noticed one time where she butchered a word, canaanite.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
Yeah, that was something I noticed too. Very very sophisticated and well-tuned verbiage. Sounds like she probably had help. But doesn't matter to me-- truth can come from any quarter and you gotta accept it when it presents itself, IMO.
Left-wing Activists Are Forcing Mastercard to Hold Shareholder Vote to Cut Off Right-Wing Funding...
Boardwine comments on May 2, 2019:
It's all out war. For the very soul of Western culture. The still sane among us must realize this and fight back with all means available before it's too late. I know that sounds extreme and possibly a bit paranoid but the left is nothing if not utterly relentless.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@chuckpo LOL
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
Pate49 comments on May 1, 2019:
Very interesting concept. I’ve come to see consciousness as the soul. Obviously there are varying degrees of consciousness as well so very much need of further scrutiny. But we know all things are made up of two constants, matter and energy. The energy being like you described with the Atoms. I ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
Yes, I can accept this view. One is like the hardware and the other is like the software, which in our present view of the mind / soul, exists in transient, ephemeral state along the juncture of the ethereal and the corporeal planes... (isn't metaphysics fun? ;-)
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
R_D_Russell comments on May 1, 2019:
I would be curious to know if you have ever read Noam Chompsky's work The Poverty of the Stimulus, and if so, what your opinion of it is.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@R_D_Russell A student after a fashion-- I mostly just make my own observations and think my own thoughts. From time-to-time I find something interesting which seems related to something I've been mulling over and go give it a look. In general I'm interested in the mind, intelligence, how it's formed, what the components are-- how you go from scrapple to a fully-formed mind. The Julian Jaynes book was interesting, IMO, but in a more general sort of way. A friend of mine turned me on to it some years back-- hmm, I didn't know he had died. Turns out there's a PDF of the book available if you want to read it. http://s-f-walker.org.uk/pubsebooks/pdfs/Julian_Jaynes_The_Origin_of_Consciousness.pdf Anyway I guess you could boil down his thing as being the "crossover point" between being "intelligent" (in some capacity) to being "conscious" and "aware", in the sense that we (humans) believe that we are. Frankly, Minsky's book kind of bored me, which is not to say that it wasn't useful, but given his stature in the field it really seemed to me like he just phoned it in. Could be that's what he had to do to make it palatable and consumable by the general public :-) Turns out Minsky's book is available in PDF too: http://www.acad.bg/ebook/ml/Society%20of%20Mind.pdf Minsky believed that the mind was comprised of "agents", individual standalone components, which each acts according to its own manner and interacts with the whole as needed-- sort of like a collection of computer programs, though more in "meat-space". Another interesting guy is Rodney Brooks, I remember reading a book of his back in the early 1980's about 'Subsumption Architecture'-- as a general high-level framework (of sorts) to build a mind around. It wasn't about "thinking" in any substantive sense, but rather more concerned with the question of "impetus"-- providing underlying motivation for doing things, which are based on the "needs" of the beastie. In his theory you have various areas which are "competing" (for lack of a better term) for control over the individual. Each attempts to assert its "interest" in an attempt to "subsume" the others. I've heard since that he's more or less abandoned the theory but it is still interesting-- and frankly, I don't think terribly off the mark. Brooks was a student of Minsky, btw. FWIW. Some of the things though that I've found curious for myself is the idea that inanimate matter / simplistic proto-life / simplistic early-life can somehow organize itself and hoist itself into some sort of an information processing system. There are a lot of conceptual leaps of faith here, it seems to me, though not all of them entirely insurmountable, just seemingly improbable-- at least at first blush. Somehow you have to get past the initial "switching" ...
Once upon a time we as a nation stood tall and talked to each other like adults now we can not even ...
TommyB comments on May 1, 2019:
Agreed, but i don't think we're there yet. Hopefully 2020 will prove me bonkers.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
I think we've all found our seats, the orchestra is tuned, and the fat lady is up on stage going "Me, Me, Me"...
The Venezuelan uprising is still happening.
10thGeneration comments on May 1, 2019:
Any one remember Granada? I do. I was part of the Naval detachment that inserted Marine units and provided Naval Gun support. The main issue was the building of a Bear Bomber capable Airstrip. That shifts the balance power. Last year Venezuela opened a similar facility. This will end with Russia ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
Grenada -- yeah, that's what Reagan had for breakfast every morning! I remember watching all of that on CNN-- you know, back in the days when they actually reported news and stuff. Maduro's not going to have a change of heart, but I hope he brought along a change of pants. He's gonna need 'em.
Left-wing Activists Are Forcing Mastercard to Hold Shareholder Vote to Cut Off Right-Wing Funding...
Boardwine comments on May 2, 2019:
It's all out war. For the very soul of Western culture. The still sane among us must realize this and fight back with all means available before it's too late. I know that sounds extreme and possibly a bit paranoid but the left is nothing if not utterly relentless.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@chuckpo >> "violence exists wherever militant socialism exists" That's catchy, did you just make that up yourself? It has a ring to it... ;-)
Left-wing Activists Are Forcing Mastercard to Hold Shareholder Vote to Cut Off Right-Wing Funding...
An_Ominous comments on May 2, 2019:
Scary stuff. That is the definition of a slippery slope.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
It is indeed. But I don't see it as a long-term problem. There are lots of banks. If one bank doesn't want the money, another one will. I guess we'll get to see what's in somebody else's wallet from now on.
Left-wing Activists Are Forcing Mastercard to Hold Shareholder Vote to Cut Off Right-Wing Funding...
Boardwine comments on May 2, 2019:
It's all out war. For the very soul of Western culture. The still sane among us must realize this and fight back with all means available before it's too late. I know that sounds extreme and possibly a bit paranoid but the left is nothing if not utterly relentless.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
I'm not too worried about the banks. They're greedy and-- well, you know-- "white supremacist" money spends just as well as anybody else's. They'll play along for a little while, until it hits their bottom line. Besides, what better way to denounce "white supremacy" than to give yourself a great big honkin' bonus and buy yourself another Maserati?
Beto said it best when he almost said, “Desperate times call for desperate candidates and I’m ...
jwhitten comments on May 2, 2019:
Given his proclivity for standing upon tables and bartops, he may literally topple out of the race at any moment.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@An_Ominous LOL! That's funny right there, I don't care who you are.
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
LonnieRooks comments on May 1, 2019:
Listening to The skeptics guide to the universe one time and they did a deep dive into this subject . I tend to default to their opinions on things cause they are all so practical . What they all mostly agree on is that consciousness is a mix of your upbringing , personal experiences, reactions, ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
Certainly I would agree with this. But that would be a content-perspective, and there is also the hardware-perspective. They require each other in order to form the completed item.
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
R_D_Russell comments on May 1, 2019:
I would be curious to know if you have ever read Noam Chompsky's work The Poverty of the Stimulus, and if so, what your opinion of it is.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
If you're asking me(?), no I haven't-- not that book specifically-- but I have read articles and such in the past which may have been derived from his work or book, or possibly excerpts from his book. In any case, I'm somewhat familiar with the ideas and I have been impressed with the apparent "universality" of speech, even-- curiously-- in animals who don't otherwise possess the means or ability to utilize it. And I have been left to wonder how much of the rest of the (a?) brain / mind is also there in some dormant or latent state. I earnestly believe that the brain is geared to organize itself into basic neural network patterns, which are likely somewhat optimized to handle / deal with certain types of events, stimuli or inputs. And there appears to be a common method of interconnecting the various sections of the brain which need to communicate, such as across the top via the corpus callosum, but also between the folds as well. IMO, one very interesting detail of the brain as an evolved processing engine is how it is hyper-folded in such a way as to permit interconnections and rapid "intradimensional shortcuts" between various physical areas of the brain. 'Dimensional' in the sense that the connections can be made between the folds to processing elements situated within the folds.
Is RBG alive?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Define "alive".
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@BooRadley You know he's just Biden his time...
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
george comments on May 1, 2019:
Equality of outcome is a ridiculous goal to even consider but when u are in the richest country to ever exist that continues to profit more and more every year there should be a min standard of living for all. Anyone willing to work a full time job should be guaranteed a wage that provides them a ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@george The point that I'm making is that it's piling up faster and faster in somebody else's garage.
Is RBG alive?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Define "alive".
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@BooRadley That one's hard to beat. I think you win! ;-)
SO WHATS THE PLAN NOW?
Varga comments on Apr 28, 2019:
Well if you’re “throwing down the gauntlet”, and it sounds like that’s what you’ve done, I’ll have to read the book. Beyond this I will tell you that it has been and continues to be that I work with younger people who appear willing to ask the older folks like myself ( people of the ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@DocWatty Saul Alinsky was one of Hillary's mentors. Who knows how many additional 'rules for radicals' she has that aren't in the book.
Is RBG alive?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Define "alive".
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@BooRadley Well, I can understand it in Creepy Uncle Joe's case, he has to buy all those lollipops.
Thoughts on this. [reuters.com]
FrankZeleniuk comments on May 1, 2019:
If congress ever gets off its concentration of harassing Trump and decides to do some actual work then they will probably, as they have always done in the past, just raise the debt ceiling. Who knows the Dems just might let it ride, allowing an economic collapse to occur and try to blame it all on ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
It'll only explode all over the Democrats. Who do you think is getting all of that money?
20 states trying to keep Trump off the ballot. This is unconstitutional. Is your state one of them?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Relax, it can't happen. Doesn't matter what the States want or doesn't want.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@AZWoman My eyes are open. They can bluster all they want. Doing it for real will earn them a visit by the United States military to monitor the election.
Here's "Soph", a great 14-yo content-creator on YouTube recommended by Styxhexenhammer666.
chuckpo comments on May 2, 2019:
How many separate takes do you think they shot?
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
A bunch, but it was a grand rant. She's heading up and out, I'd say.
Is RBG alive?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Define "alive".
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@BooRadley Isn't it interesting that Bernie's a millionaire and yet every single day I get an email from him asking for a handout. I thought Socialism was supposed to work the other way around, when he gets a million he's supposed to send me a check..??
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Do you suppose that the concept of 'free will' must necessarily suppose / include the ability to *act* upon that perception? Meaning that it is not simply enough to perceive a situation and make a choice, but to also have the ability to effect that choice within or upon the world. And I don't ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@Dlaing1986 >> "I wonder if anyone else can answer this; "can a being of freewill have a destiny?" Do these terms contradict one another?" You weren't interested in my having a go? Does 'Destiny' imply an outcome or simply portend an arrival? A cosmic calendar notice.
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Do you suppose that the concept of 'free will' must necessarily suppose / include the ability to *act* upon that perception? Meaning that it is not simply enough to perceive a situation and make a choice, but to also have the ability to effect that choice within or upon the world. And I don't ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@Dlaing1986 So, by that standard, I am exercising my free will to save the planet even as I simultaneously am busy doing nothing about it. Or choosing to live even as I'm having my head sawn off?
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
Dlaing1986 comments on May 1, 2019:
Even quantum effects are quantifiable in one form or another, that which is in this universe is because we can measure that it is. It is not clear that consciousness is quantifiable, not only in the fact that it can't be measured, but also that each one is completely unique. Generally speaking, ...
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@Dlaing1986 There's no point arguing over what "could be" when there is no particular evidence to suggest that there is. But by the same token, your original statement is similarly a statement of belief, not fact. It is clear that consciousness is something- we think, therefore we are-- and all of that. We happen to be the same species who can't account for all of the alleged matter in the universe and therefore has to conjecture that the remainder is filled with some sort of invisible swiss cheese-- er, I mean dark matter. And they keep forgetting on a daily basis where it is they left that, so consequently it keeps stinking up the place.
The Mueller investigation was never about justice.
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
If there's a way to ACTUALLY, FOR REAL charge, prosecute and convict the perpetrators, I say bring it on. If not, I say let it go. Else we lose sight of the fact that our real goal is to drain the swamp.
jwhitten replies on May 2, 2019:
@Troy_Alias It's not about "letting it go", it's about ACTUALLY charging, prosecuting in a real trial and doing their best to convict the people responsible. I'm personally still annoyed that we saw massive bank fraud during the Bush and Obama administrations and we have YET to see any perp walks. Much less any ACTUAL ACTION regarding putting Hillary and her campaign and DNC cronies in jail for election fraud, etc. But I realize that my chances of seing that happen are right up there with seeing Elvis do a River Dance with a pack of rabid Yetis. And then there is the problem of bitterness-- being bitter for too long eats people away-- turns them into, you know-- Democrats. And I really wouldn't want that. It'd be a fate worse than death and one that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. Enemies who, come to think of it, are probably already Democrats.
Is RBG alive?
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Define "alive".
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@BooRadley Oh, you mean like Nancy Pelosi or Joe Biden?? Oh wait, that's Self-Important Corpse, my bad.
Representation in a Republic When the US was founded, representation was set by the phrase in the...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
11,000... might be too many to conduct business, but would be grand sport at Thanksgiving in lieu of a turkey shoot...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@Lickspittle Yes, on both sides. And that's the beauty of it.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Ironically, whenever I really need to think, I always look for something droll and boring on YouTube to put on to distract me ;-)
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@CRBG >> "intelligent people would be forced to wear ear-pieces that distracted their thoughts"
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
george comments on May 1, 2019:
Equality of outcome is a ridiculous goal to even consider but when u are in the richest country to ever exist that continues to profit more and more every year there should be a min standard of living for all. Anyone willing to work a full time job should be guaranteed a wage that provides them a ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@george Regarding wealth disparity-- I think it is a self-limiting proposition. Consider, what is the meaning of money when nobody has any? When it is all piled up on one side and practically none on the other. And when you add to that the prospect of a post-scarcity economy, the conditions which create (and require) billionaires begin to evaporate.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
Ironically, whenever I really need to think, I always look for something droll and boring on YouTube to put on to distract me ;-)
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@CRBG Somebody droning on about trypanosomiasis tends to do it... I put it on to have "talking noise" in the background which for some reason, as long as it's boring and doesn't interest me (engage me), often helps me think better. At the same time it can't just be regular TV or banter back and forth. Boring documentaries-- and space stuff, even though I like watching and listening to astronomical documentaries, I can generally tune them out as well. Maybe because I've seen so many that I can gloss over the repetitive stuff. (shrug)
How do we alleviate the effects of artificial intelligence and automation replacing human workers?
jneedler comments on May 1, 2019:
Every technological revolution that removes jobs from the workforce, ultimately results in a net gain of jobs (even if it's in another job sector). Just look at America today: * we have more automation than we've ever had before * we have more people than we've ever had before * **but our ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@jneedler Sure, let's consider capitalism from the perspective of people and society. It's a good way to promote ambition through healthy competition. Meaning it provides a socially-useful method to channel ambition, greed, desire for more, etc. into endeavors which not only reward the individual (and by extension his/her family) but also convey beneficial effects on the nearby community which it is a part of. In a reasonably large pool of disconnected shoulder-length ventures, it allows every person to determine for themselves their own level of comfort with regards to "risk" versus "safety", or perhaps for some people simply "convenience" and/or level of effort. Capitalism works best, in my opinion, when it occurs on the local to somewhat regional scale. For some rarer types of ventures, there can be good rationale / justification for exceptions to be made. Further, I don't see any problem with the idea of collectives and cooperatives which encourage smaller ventures to band together to use their collective status to lobby for greater purchasing power, market reach, access to resources or customers or whatever. As long as there is some sort of a collective which is comprised of local ventures who have more-or-less equal ability to negotiate for their concerns. So by way of analogy, it's a bit like having a garden which is put in place to assist with one's own needs and perhaps to assist in supplying the needs of the local community through barter, exchange or in modern times, abstract currency. That type of model has been serving our human communities very well for a very long time. As I mentioned above, it helps people channel their ambitions into useful, productive endeavors, helps foster and promote community involvement and exchange-- gets other people off their butts to do their own thing so they'll have something to trade or barter for your stuff. And generally helps communities stay "fiscally hydrated" and spreads the wealth around so it can be collectively reinvested in the local community efforts which serve the community and benefit the community. Another benefit which is not often considered in the basic "Capitalism" prospect is the mixing of people and interests within the community in the sense that the owners / operators of the local ventures typically live in the same communities as the employees, vendors, clients, customers and even its competitors, and thus the venture is rooted in the community in some ecological niche and serves primarily the community in its effort. As non-collectivized ventures get larger (and there is also the potential for issues created by crowding here too)-- more and more of that local incentive, involvement and "fiscal hydration" gets centralized and sucked away to feed far off coffers and serve the ...
Wellllll because i consider the occident to be the ONLY civilization that allow a self criticism of ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
So you're the Occidental Tourist...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@RemiDallaire Ironic.
So IDW now insists on a member joining a "Group/groups" where the moderator can remove your posts if...
DrN1 comments on May 1, 2019:
The enlightened will always appeal to reason and rational debate, the illusion inevitably disappears when real head to head arguments get going...I felt that was part of the fun....how to tolerate arseholes, that is the lesson.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Indeed. You jerk. (Did I do that right? ;-)
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
RichardD comments on May 1, 2019:
Consciousness has certainly evolved. It is a function of brains. We can notice that consciousness is turned down when we are in a deep sleep, so it is more of a process than a state. Free will is a tricky concept - it is difficult to even define it - but most of the time everyone acts as though ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I believe that our minds-- in addition to other parts not being considered here-- are a bit like a greek chorus, divided up into many 'observers' who are each able to notice and react and form an 'opinion', which can then be conveyed back to the "conscious actor" (ourself), fed back onto the "chorus" for additional observation / reaction, or some of both. Thus we are always the product of a "consensus of opinion" formed by a "plurality of observers". Rarely do I find myself having a single opinion but rather a collection of opinions ranging from a "majority opinion" (major opinion) to some number of increasingly trivial opinions / considerations which are then focused / directed through one physical being out and onto the world. Occasionally I am especially "conflicted" about some decision or other and then have to employ some sort of "supervisory" (boss) selection function to choose from some number of similarly-ranked options. All of that is dynamic of course and immediately feeds back into itself to begin the next round. The idea of consciousness being a duality or plurality consensus of opinion has been explored by a number of researchers, including the late Marvin Minsky in his book "Society of Mind" and Julian Jaynes in his book "The Bicameral Mind", and of course others. Further, I believe very, very strongly that the central component of the mind-- perhaps it is the "me" portion, the central observer / actor portion, which is built as a "Story Engine" (my term for it) which hoists / forces events and occurences, both those originating from external sources as well as those perceived from within, into an internal narrative which we are then "forced to believe" (accept) as our worldview, and the subsequent framing for all of our follow-on thoughts and actions. I believe that we see direct evidence of this story engine when we sleep, day-dream, create, hallucinate and probably other state conditions as well, which all generate internal "states" by various means and stimuli which is then fed into the story engine whereupon we are "forced to view it" and to accept it as real-- even as we might recognize it as our dream state or part of our "creative process". Further, neural networks have a variety of "settling" phenomenon as well as the various "housekeeping" functions that any large, centralized information processing engine would require-- to process new stuff, revisit older stuff, consider "problematic" or "vexatious" stuff, as well as deciding what to keep and what to toss overboard-- i.e., the process of "forgetting". All of these items get dredged up and dragged around in our dream / creative states and forced through our reality / story engine and thus we view our dreams as a storyline full of fantastical things which are ...
The Hard Problems of Consciousness Lately, the likes of Sam Harris devotees, along with ...
Dlaing1986 comments on May 1, 2019:
Even quantum effects are quantifiable in one form or another, that which is in this universe is because we can measure that it is. It is not clear that consciousness is quantifiable, not only in the fact that it can't be measured, but also that each one is completely unique. Generally speaking, ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
"can't be measured" THAT WE KNOW OF with our present level of knowledge and technology.
Wellllll because i consider the occident to be the ONLY civilization that allow a self criticism of ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
So you're the Occidental Tourist...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@RemiDallaire That's really enzyting news! I'm glad to see things are looking up for you.
THE admin of this website worked very hard to give all of us a place to be able to speak freely, he ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
The pictures notwithstanding (and commendable) this is a rather ironic post to be reading on the "NO SPEECH POLICE - ANY TOPIC" group.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@Gerri4321 Self-restraint is the bulwark of free society. Profanity is the last bastion of the inarticulate mother-fucker.
20 states trying to keep Trump off the ballot. This is unconstitutional. Is your state one of them?
DanMartinovich comments on Apr 30, 2019:
I may be wrong but my first inclination is that it is not unconstitutional. Just over the top corrupt. The kind of thing that starts civil wars.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@DanMartinovich Yeah, me either. But it was a fun thought for 30 seconds.
Wellllll because i consider the occident to be the ONLY civilization that allow a self criticism of ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
So you're the Occidental Tourist...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@RemiDallaire I've heard there's a pill for that these days.
THE admin of this website worked very hard to give all of us a place to be able to speak freely, he ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
The pictures notwithstanding (and commendable) this is a rather ironic post to be reading on the "NO SPEECH POLICE - ANY TOPIC" group.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@Gerri4321 Seems you're pretty quick on the uptake... Curiously, one of the inherent dangers of free speech has always been people speaking freely.
How do we alleviate the effects of artificial intelligence and automation replacing human workers?
jneedler comments on May 1, 2019:
Every technological revolution that removes jobs from the workforce, ultimately results in a net gain of jobs (even if it's in another job sector). Just look at America today: * we have more automation than we've ever had before * we have more people than we've ever had before * **but our ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@jneedler I think Capitalism is fine-- what do they say..?? That it's the absolute worst system out there, excepting of course for all the others? It's got its good points and warts. One of the things that I particularly like about Capitalism is that it hooks into human ambition and greed, and has a more-or-less built-in reward mechanism. But one of the insanely bad points about Capitalism is how easy it is to over-compete (I don't mean out-compete) and blow everybody else out of the water-- and thus lose all of its benefits. Capitalism is great for encouraging competition, matching reward to ambition, fostering growth and reinvestment in communities, building healthy, people-centered communities-- and a whole lot of other things. But it is all too easy for Capitalism to outgrow the box and suddenly become a menace to everybody else's garden. Socialism, on the other hand, is all about handouts and free stuff. At least in concept. The reality typically seems to be what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine and if you get out of line again I'll shoot you in the face-- and your whole family too, just because I can. Now get back in line and praise the party of the people. Somewhere between Marx and Mao the fun gets lost... But I think we're going to soon be contending with a new element, the post-scarcity economy, which is going to toss a whole new wrinkle in at both ends. How can you control the masses when they have literally everything, and why would you get up off your ass and go to work when you have literally everything? The answer of course is that *somebody's got to feed the monkey!*
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a story about and equalized society. If you were a good dancer, you wore a weight on your leg. If you were beautiful, you wore a mask. It was made into a movies called Harrison Bergeron. You can watch it on youtube. It was made in the 90s but, it feels prophetic.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@MickeyRat Interesting story. Yup, I would say that the book had a somewhat profound influence on me-- way back when, I'm not sure where those brain cells are now... But it's one of the books I generally push towards people to see how they tick. A good read.
THE admin of this website worked very hard to give all of us a place to be able to speak freely, he ...
jwhitten comments on May 1, 2019:
The pictures notwithstanding (and commendable) this is a rather ironic post to be reading on the "NO SPEECH POLICE - ANY TOPIC" group.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@Gerri4321 Frankly, if you're going to censor it, no. Besides, that's false advertising. ;-)
Stacey Abrams still can’t let it go.
An_Ominous comments on Apr 30, 2019:
Perhaps she's following in the footsteps of Hillary. Hillary won't let it go until she dies... and after that she'll vote for herself in every election.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
**Better Together** (That way the rest of us will know where they are...)
IDEAS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Alive. Now What?
Georgesblogforum comments on Apr 30, 2019:
I think this is the sixth time he's been dug up .
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Death becomes him.
Still waiting for AOC to disavow David Duke, ole Dave is a huge fan of hers.
JobyOneKenobi comments on Apr 30, 2019:
Live by the sword, die by the sword right? This is the narrative that she and her ilk have created. If you are vague on anything bad you support it.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Now all she needs is a sword.
Still waiting for AOC to disavow David Duke, ole Dave is a huge fan of hers.
Mmeola84 comments on Apr 30, 2019:
It still makes me laugh that she basically auditioned for her position. if she calmed down and took a more realistic position maybe she would get support from people outside her global Twitter cult. At least the criticism of her is amusing.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
And accurate.
Virginia judge rules Charlottesville confederate statues are war monuments protected by state law | ...
CRBG comments on Apr 30, 2019:
This is good news! Those who feel that their ancestors died and sacrificed for the south in what they consider a "War of Northern Aggression" have a legitimate claim to memorializing Robert E. Lee, an objectively good military general, even in Grant's estimation. His statue means different things ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
>> "People should be able to make of him what they please." They did. And that's the problem.
Should President Trump invoke the Monroe Doctrine on Russia’s interference in Venezuela?
AZWoman comments on Apr 30, 2019:
The US needs to focus on our own issues. Screw VENUZULA.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Yeah and Venezuela too!
20 states trying to keep Trump off the ballot. This is unconstitutional. Is your state one of them?
DanMartinovich comments on Apr 30, 2019:
I may be wrong but my first inclination is that it is not unconstitutional. Just over the top corrupt. The kind of thing that starts civil wars.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@DanMartinovich You make an interesting point-- President Trump was a strong and vocal proponent of the "Obama Birther Movement"... ever wonder if maybe the whole two years of Russiagate was Barack Obama's revenge??
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a story about and equalized society. If you were a good dancer, you wore a weight on your leg. If you were beautiful, you wore a mask. It was made into a movies called Harrison Bergeron. You can watch it on youtube. It was made in the 90s but, it feels prophetic.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@MickeyRat Another good book (and author) that I've always liked is "Another Roadside Attraction" by Tom Robbins. Have you read that one? If not and you like Vonnegut, you'll probably like that one quite a bit too.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a story about and equalized society. If you were a good dancer, you wore a weight on your leg. If you were beautiful, you wore a mask. It was made into a movies called Harrison Bergeron. You can watch it on youtube. It was made in the 90s but, it feels prophetic.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@MickeyRat God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater ;-)
How do we alleviate the effects of artificial intelligence and automation replacing human workers?
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
What he says is true about revolution. What I didn't hear is a suggested solution. I don't have one either but, I do agree we need one.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@MickeyRat I agree. That's why I figured the application would be the more difficult aspect.
So i must ask does anyone here watch the view.
Gerri4321 comments on May 1, 2019:
I stopped watching years ago when they would not listen to the child actor as a adult try to talk about the abuse going on in Hollywood just keep shutting him down
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
#HimToo.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
jnaatjes comments on May 1, 2019:
Agree 100%. What do you do with the people who stack up at the bottom of the hierarchy (as Jordan Peterson often talks about)?
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Give 'em all Blue Hats and Flags and tell them to go vote Democrat...
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a story about and equalized society. If you were a good dancer, you wore a weight on your leg. If you were beautiful, you wore a mask. It was made into a movies called Harrison Bergeron. You can watch it on youtube. It was made in the 90s but, it feels prophetic.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors. One of my favorite books of his is called "Player Piano" about a near Utopian society administered by machines, where one day the machines break.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
george comments on May 1, 2019:
Equality of outcome is a ridiculous goal to even consider but when u are in the richest country to ever exist that continues to profit more and more every year there should be a min standard of living for all. Anyone willing to work a full time job should be guaranteed a wage that provides them a ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I believe that proposition is overly quotidian. I think the answer will likely be more revolutionary than that. A fundamentally new approach towards production and logistics, along with a new way to relate and interact with each other. I believe we are seeing the last of the billionaires and oligarchs. Their time is nearly over. They are simply becoming obsolete.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
RichardD comments on May 1, 2019:
What we do want though is a movement towards equality of opportunity
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Hmm... can't be Feminism, that's a movement rooted in inferiority.
In a society obsessed with the equality of outcome, good-looking people would be forced to wear ...
Viking comments on May 1, 2019:
At the expense of coming across as pretentious and arrogant, I have been selected for jobs because I am handsome, cultured and have sex appeal although I didn't even qualify. Some employers do have certain standards and an image to maintain. Sucks to be ugly on the inside as well as the outside.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
The problem with society is that we have erected too many handrails.
How do we alleviate the effects of artificial intelligence and automation replacing human workers?
MickeyRat comments on May 1, 2019:
What he says is true about revolution. What I didn't hear is a suggested solution. I don't have one either but, I do agree we need one.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
The solution is simple. We will have to start fundamentally valuing each other for more than our labor exploitation potential. It's the application of that which is hard. It means that we'll have to actually start caring about each other.
How do we alleviate the effects of artificial intelligence and automation replacing human workers?
jneedler comments on May 1, 2019:
Every technological revolution that removes jobs from the workforce, ultimately results in a net gain of jobs (even if it's in another job sector). Just look at America today: * we have more automation than we've ever had before * we have more people than we've ever had before * **but our ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I'm not certain that axiom will always hold true. Certainly in the past and perhaps in the present it has seemed to. But I believe that we are on the threshold of a completely new mode of human existence, and one for which we do not have much in the way of historical parallels to draw upon for guidance. Which is not to say that we will starve, but rather that will will have to adopt a new paradigm for society.
Every day another Democrat idiot throws their hat into the ring.
chuckpo comments on May 1, 2019:
My patience is gone for the left's rather unprecedented level of bias. It's really egregious. I can have civil conversations IF they're capable of a modicum of objectivity. But, my experience with them is otherwise.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@chuckpo One of the thorniest issues to surmount in organizing conservative activism to do much of anything is the simple logistical detail that most of them have jobs.
Every day another Democrat idiot throws their hat into the ring.
Sarge45 comments on May 1, 2019:
All **HOT AIR** To much energy focused on hate of one man...not doing what they were elected to do... protect the country... Karma is a bitch...will come back and bite them in the A$$
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
It already did. They're just too stupid-- or too insane-- to realize it.
Every day another Democrat idiot throws their hat into the ring.
Mogli3000 comments on May 1, 2019:
I find it funny that a bunch of them are already failed candidates that are still somehow able to convince people that they will magically be sucessful as a presidential candidate. Hell, Booker was caught in a campaign finance sting by the FBI and no one seems to care. The debates should be ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I hope more lefties run. The more the merrier! Heck, I hope they ALL get some votes. That would be fabulous.
So, when it's proven that ANTIFA were planning something like this (and vehemently denying it when ...
Raphio comments on May 1, 2019:
Joe Biden lauded antifa in his latest speech... strange how these "anarcho communist" rebels seem to hold all the same views as the Leftist establishment. perhaps they are actually the tool of the globalist left
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
So then one avenue of push-back would be to have a mass call out on Creepy Uncle Joe for his call to violence and support for domestic terrorist groups. The left may control the media but the right controls the message.
SO WHATS THE PLAN NOW?
Varga comments on Apr 28, 2019:
Well if you’re “throwing down the gauntlet”, and it sounds like that’s what you’ve done, I’ll have to read the book. Beyond this I will tell you that it has been and continues to be that I work with younger people who appear willing to ask the older folks like myself ( people of the ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
The biggest and most potent weapon of the left is SHAME. As human beings, it is one of the most powerful social weapons that we can face. It is unfortunate that one of the principle losses that we will incur in the culture war will be our ability to brought into line through shame. On the surface this may sound like a good thing but in the end it will make it difficult for us to return to normal after we have won. Shame is an important tool in society for the regulation of social behavior and losing its effectiveness will have a profound impact on our ability to erect and maintain social order. It is a dangerous trade-off, IMO but likely necessary in order to win.
SO WHATS THE PLAN NOW?
DocWatty comments on Apr 28, 2019:
I’m afraid we are about as ready as Most of Europe was for the Blitzkrieg in the late 30’s... Boomers circa 1946-1964 DOB... Maybe a meaningful Legacy to confront this Very Toxic Ideology These ideologues have had a few decades to prepare and position their resources and to develop ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
Awaken your neighbors and warn them of the danger. That's one of the biggest resources they have that we lack, deployable numbers. Most people have no idea about the depth and breadth of the culture war taking place all around them, nor where to go for more information even if they do. CNN and MSNBC might have fallen heavily in the ratings but most people are too busy working for a living to spend any time or have much knowledge regarding where to go to tune in for the truth. We may be accustomed to getting our information from the Internet but they are not. Show them where they can go to get news, information and answers.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
chuckpo comments on Apr 29, 2019:
No single act stands to condemn Democrat corruption more than the way they eagerly and consciously butchered Brett Kavanaugh in a wholly unwarranted character assassination. I'm not quite ready to joke about this yet, I guess. This is the best example of a flat out heinous mob doing unspeakable ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@chuckpo, @An_Ominous absolutely. I couldn't have said it better myself. Last time I voted for Trump as a protest. Next time it will be 100% on purpose.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
chuckpo comments on Apr 29, 2019:
No single act stands to condemn Democrat corruption more than the way they eagerly and consciously butchered Brett Kavanaugh in a wholly unwarranted character assassination. I'm not quite ready to joke about this yet, I guess. This is the best example of a flat out heinous mob doing unspeakable ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@An_Ominous, @chuckpo > "Is this a case of ignorance by choice, or just ignorance at an inconceivable level? Neither of those options is appealing or complimentary. I still can't organize that mess into any schema I can value or respect" That's because it's neither valuable nor respectable. It is intentional ostracization and "othering" based solely on manufactured outrage. It's the sort of smearing and de-personing that we have long seen so effectively used in totalitarian regimes in every era all over the world. It is very systematic and dehumanizing. The goal is to completely strip him of any element which could be seen as sympathetic and to paint him with the ugliest brush possible. They're busy doing the same thing to Sargon (Carl Benjamin), Tommy Robinson and others now in an effort to hang on to the narrative and gain control over the conversation and the "facts" to make sure that consumers only have one version to choose from. It's pretty evil.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
chuckpo comments on Apr 29, 2019:
No single act stands to condemn Democrat corruption more than the way they eagerly and consciously butchered Brett Kavanaugh in a wholly unwarranted character assassination. I'm not quite ready to joke about this yet, I guess. This is the best example of a flat out heinous mob doing unspeakable ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@An_Ominous you have to at least give them props on their ability to generate creative fiction. If they don't make it in politics they have bright futures ahead writing for soap operas.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
chuckpo comments on Apr 29, 2019:
No single act stands to condemn Democrat corruption more than the way they eagerly and consciously butchered Brett Kavanaugh in a wholly unwarranted character assassination. I'm not quite ready to joke about this yet, I guess. This is the best example of a flat out heinous mob doing unspeakable ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@An_Ominous whatever they do, that's what they'll accuse you of.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
chuckpo comments on Apr 29, 2019:
No single act stands to condemn Democrat corruption more than the way they eagerly and consciously butchered Brett Kavanaugh in a wholly unwarranted character assassination. I'm not quite ready to joke about this yet, I guess. This is the best example of a flat out heinous mob doing unspeakable ...
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I dunno, the list is pretty long.
The (democrats) catalog of Kavanaugh Crimes.
crsederwall comments on Apr 29, 2019:
I self admit to most of the things on this list plus a few more. I was once voted in as president of the local PTA despite my protests that my profane tourettes would make me a bad choice.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
I had a dentist with tourettes once. He would always look in my mouth and mutter fuck, fuck. I never knew whether it was about him or my teeth!
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy Here's the next one from the same list: "Maryland actually was the first state to pass a law that makes wife-beating a crime, which is punishable by 40 lashes or a year in jail. (1882)" This one turns out to be true. But the question is "so what?" Because they passed this law I suppose you're going to try and tell me that it was legal to beat your wife in Maryland prior to 1882. But the truth is that States go through and decide to codify things all the time. In the year that this law was passed there were 23,902 arrests in the entire State, of which only 156 were actually for 'Assault upon the Wife'. From a population of 50,189,209 (reported a year later in the 1890 census) we're talking about a crime rate of 0.00031%. That's quite the crime spree. Even if we assume EVERY SINGLE ONE of the men arrested-- irrespective of the charge-- was guilty that still would have only amounted to a crime rate of 0.047%. And those numbers are in FRACTIONS OF A PERCENT they are so very low. So, we have determined that there were indeed some assholes in the State of Maryland back in 1882. But hardly an epidemic. But you can read it for yourself here, in the Maryland Law Review: https://books.google.com/books?id=-hdAAAAAYAAJ=PA14=nod0f0QVlq&dq=maryland%20law%20beat%20wife%201882&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q=maryland%20law%20beat%20wife%201882&f=false You can also read an opinion of it by Feminist Christina Hoff-Sommers where she specifically speaks to this matter of "the rule of thumb" in one of her books (other people have too): https://historymyths.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/revisited-myth-109-laws-allowed-a-man-to-beat-his-wife-with-a-stick-no-thicker-than-his-thumb-and-thats-where-the-phrase-rule-of-thumb-originated/ Though I will freely admit that the CHS link is opinion, so thus can be questioned, even though it is a reasonable assertion based on available research. Another judge, in a court case I read, believed that it might harken back to the Old Testament in the bible. He did not know the reference. Certainly there has been a lot of misconception on this issue and very little actual fact-- and more to the point-- very little actual evidence of any supposed systematic oppression through men beating their wives.
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on May 1, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy I already picked out the first one and disproved the first item I spotted on the page. The second link was essentially a repeat of the first link only with a fancy graphic at the top. Must I *REALLY* spoon feed the entirety of history to you? Or do you think it's possible for you to use some common sense and do your own research. By research, I mean actually *READ* what it is you're attempting to use for support..? I don't even believe you when you say you won't respond. You've flounced so many times at this point that even your keyboard has got to be moaning from the whiplash. However, to be sporting, I'll crack a few more.... from YOUR link, "http://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/Curriculum/310DomesticViolenceIssuesAnIntroductionforChildWelfareProfessionals/Handouts/HO3DomesticViolenceTimeline.pdf" It states: "Early settlers in America based their laws on an Old-English common-law that explicitly permits wife-beating for correctional purposes. The states tried to break away from that law by saying that the husband is only allowed to whip his wife with a switch no bigger than his thumb. (Early 1500s)" Are you aware that this is a statement of OPINION? Not fact. Where is the reference which demonstrates this to be the case. There are numerous court records which EXPLICITLY DISPROVE THIS-- as evidenced by even the one you dredged up yourself in an attempt to claim it previously. The judge explicitly REJECTED the defendant's claim that 'wife beating was justified'. There are other court cases which state the same thing. GO LOOK THEM UP FOR YOURSELF. You're obviously not going to be satisfied with any of MY links. I can't help it if you REFUSE TO READ OR DO RESEARCH. That does not invalidate the existence nor veracity of the court records. IF YOU THINK I'M WRONG-- PROVE IT-- I've challenged you on this before. SHOW ME A STATUTE MAKING IT LEGAL in the United States. SHOW ME. PROVE IT. PUT UP OR SHUT UP. Okay, so here's another one from YOUR SAME LINK: "Mississippi’s Supreme Court allows a husband to administer “moderate chastisement in case of emergencies”." In chasing this one down, here is the entire summary, quoted from "The Virginia Law Register" with quotes from various courts, references from "Old English Law" and numerous quotes from "Blacks Law": https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1106112/1106112_djvu.txt. If you don't like that link (which is easier to read), you can get the original here directly from the Virginia Law Register: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1106112?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents I recommend that you READ IT. Not just skim the first couple of sentences or paragraphs, but READ IT and see for yourself what courts and legal experts ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES had to say about the notion of a husband beating his ...
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy Nobody said anything about a court or a book, nor any evidence of 'Good Feminism' either. Moreover, even if I were to put myself in those shoes, we are not talking about a "system of oppression" here, but rather one individual asshole and one individual circumstance. Even if you find a hundred such instances, you still cannot make the leap of "systemic oppression". And even if we did-- for the sake of the argument-- agree that there is "systemic oppression', the solution is not MORE oppression and hateful, bigoted ideology, but clear, rational effort and negotiation to redress the issues and create a more equitable situation, not a worse one. One can make the extremely good argument that much of the situation which brought about the second world war was the manner and extent of the conditions of surrender imposed upon the German people at the conclusion of the first world war. While that does not excuse the war, it certainly points out the inadvisability of simply 'turning the tables' and imposing insurmountable conditions by way of revenge.
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
chuckpo comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I love doing most of what I do with my wife. We go to movies, love to try new restaurants and new foods (withing reason. not sophisticated enough to eat a bug), like to take some short drives and visit small towns in Texas. I love it when my young adult children still join us. I love to learn, and I...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@chuckpo Correct Way to Be & Perfection- I'm glad to hear that you and your wife found each other and have achieved perfection. My wife and I have adopted the 'ignorant is bliss' strategy. I'm ignorant and she was just shining me on about the bliss... ;-) I don't know if there is or ever could be a "one true path" or way to be because the "path to enlightenment" is really just all about figuring out the question, IMO. And the answer is almost certainly, "Compared to what?" I think we spend way too much of our life's energy trying to figure out the answers when, IMO we'd all be much better off simply comparing each other's questions instead. And when you stop to think about it, what good are the answers going to do you anyway? So what, you find 'em out and then you die. Doesn't mean you can't have fun in the meantime though hashing it out. Intelligence and Perfection- When I was younger I postulated that *outcome* of intelligence might be defined as "always doing the 'right thing' in response to any particular given stimuli". Of course, therein lies the rub, how do you code that, the 'right thing' and what sort of automaton would that produce?? In conjecture, one might posit an infinite set of wires and relays or something all going off in different directions-- such that whenever something happened, the 'right' wire would send the event to the 'right' relay and trigger the 'right' response. Side-stepping the issue of how the event gets routed to the 'right' wire, the whole thing is a marvel of predetermined action and consequence. So the question being, trivial systems aside, how does one do that in the real world where wires are limited and relays even harder to get, and very quickly it becomes apparent that some other method must be found to substitute for the wires and synthesize the 'right' response. And this, I think, is where we find ourselves with respect to postulating and understanding intelligence, which is related to but separate from simply processing data in some sort of automatic (automaton-ish) sort of manner, distilling it for meaning and then formulating some type of response as output. Then the cycle repeats itself. Further, I believe intelligence arises out of necessity in a bit of a universal "Spy vs. Spy" type arrangement. I have it so you need it, and to counter me, you make yours a little better. Then I need to improve mine. Then you need to improve yours, and on it goes. Generation after generation there's this back and forth and competitive tit-for-tat thing going. For every 'X' I make, you produce a 'Y' to counter it. And the cycle repeats. As a side note, do you think this might account for the 'Flynn Effect' ?? :-) Jordan Peterson, IQ and Worth- I have to take issue with you there. I cannot recall Jordan ...
Classical Liberalism is what got us here. Can it still get us out?
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
It may be that your initial premise is weak, or incorrect-- or in my view, incomplete. Why must it follow that liberalism / progressivism is the impetus for science and philosophical thinking?
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@govols From my comments (more or less) -- When civility breaks down and the set of steady-state conditions erode to the point where one side perceives an opportunity to rise up... The telling phrase in this whole video: "Both claim the army, or at least parts of it, is still on their side..." Ultimately at the end of the day it all boils down to "Might makes right" and the new social order begins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkXZ0cyhEPk
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
chuckpo comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I love doing most of what I do with my wife. We go to movies, love to try new restaurants and new foods (withing reason. not sophisticated enough to eat a bug), like to take some short drives and visit small towns in Texas. I love it when my young adult children still join us. I love to learn, and I...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@chuckpo Please ensure that you do... ;-)
Open Question - What YouTube channels do you regularly watch?
MickeyRat comments on Apr 28, 2019:
I don't really do channels. I'm a bit of a privacy freak so I won't log into youtube. I usually will start by checking out what Dave Rubin or Gad Saad have been doing lately. Then if I find something interesting, I might look up what some of the people they interview are doing. That's how I ran ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@MickeyRat Hey now, them's fighting words! I might resemble that remark ;-)
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
chuckpo comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I love doing most of what I do with my wife. We go to movies, love to try new restaurants and new foods (withing reason. not sophisticated enough to eat a bug), like to take some short drives and visit small towns in Texas. I love it when my young adult children still join us. I love to learn, and I...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@chuckpo @chuckpo Sounds like you and I were in the Dallas-FtWorth area at about the same time, I was also around 20. Not sure if I have anything worthwhile to show for it though. A lot of running around acting like a dumb-ass mostly. I wonder if anybody ever really knows anything at that age actually. I suppose maybe some people do-- the ones who are saddled with real responsibility and real potential liabilities for failure perhaps. But that wasn't me. I was too 'young and dumb and...'-- well, you know-- for my own good at that age. It's a miracle that I even survived to tell the tale! ;-) As for mysteries, I wonder about several things... What is the meaning of life, if there is one-- and to work to prove or disprove one or the other. What is the correct way to be-- at least from a philosophical standpoint. Not sure I would want to be perfect even if I had the opportunity. Seems kind of straight-laced and boring if you ask me. ;-) What is the meaning of intelligence? What makes something intelligent? How do you know? By what standard? Where is the boundary between having intelligence and just being a rock? How is 'intelligence' (in any capacity) connected with being alive?-- in the sense that life defies entropy. What is the definition of life? Is there / Could there be alternate definitions? Could "being alive" mean different things in different frameworks / chemistry sets? Is "Applied Engineering" essentially the same thing as evolution? How does intelligence evolve? And the various issues related to the socialization of intelligence-- meaning "intelligent" beings forming societies and the various ways which that can / could be manifested. One interested question that I've always pondered is whether or not 'Socialism' could ever be successfully applied without creating miserable / dystopian conditions and killing off millions of people? And the converse, what is better than Capitalism? But you know, apart from that kind of stuff, nothing much really.
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy >> "Also, until 1856, only land owning white men could vote, at which time all men got the right to vote." I am not sure what to do with this item-- where it goes or how it's supposed to fit in with anything. Are you claiming that only land-owning White Men could vote anywhere in the United States prior to 1856? If so, you and/or your source are sadly mistaken and I suggest you research it a little more. Furthermore, I'm not sure why you're even dickering over these points anyway. Let us stipulate that you're right-- for the discussion-- so it was 50 or 100 years-- the point is that women do now vote, so what? Moreover, I don't even think the bulk of the women (and men) who were 'Suffragettes' considered themselves Feminists. Although certainly modern Feminists would like you to believe so. Rather they were simply women and men who believed and agreed that these issues needed to be addressed and corrected for women and so they worked to campaign and lobby until they brought it about. No "Feminism" required. Example to wit: https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/dont-call-feminist-says-84-1860546
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy >> "Until 1890 in Wyoming, it appears there were no laws allowing women to vote. That means ONLY men had a legal right to vote. " SHHhhh!!! Don't tell anybody, but Wyoming didn't become a State until 1890, and was only established as a territory in 1869. But you just keep right on with those "fun links".
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
chuckpo comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I love doing most of what I do with my wife. We go to movies, love to try new restaurants and new foods (withing reason. not sophisticated enough to eat a bug), like to take some short drives and visit small towns in Texas. I love it when my young adult children still join us. I love to learn, and I...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
What part of Texas? I used to live in the Dallas area like a million years ago. What would you say your biggest question in life is?? What point do you ponder the most?
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy How many times are you going to flounce out of here?? Seriously, how am I going to MISS YOU if you won't LEAVE already !??!
Open Question - What YouTube channels do you regularly watch?
MickeyRat comments on Apr 28, 2019:
I don't really do channels. I'm a bit of a privacy freak so I won't log into youtube. I usually will start by checking out what Dave Rubin or Gad Saad have been doing lately. Then if I find something interesting, I might look up what some of the people they interview are doing. That's how I ran ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
I used to be that way, and then I finally said the heck with it. I like to toss my oar in way too much to let that stop me. ;-)
Open Question - What YouTube channels do you regularly watch?
HollyLouise comments on Apr 29, 2019:
I have a number of subscriptions, but can't say I "regularly" watch any of them. If something catches my eye, I'll check it out. I often get interested in a subject and watch a lot of different videos about the subject. That's actually how I discovered Peterson just before he became a rock star--I ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
Yeah, I'm a bit like you. I do a lot of "binge-watching" myself. I'm always on the lookout for something new to watch. I tend to like things that have some interesting or unique perspective that get me to think in some new way. I don't like overtly leftist opinions, though I'm fine with actual, true "liberal" opinions, in the classic sense. I like philosophy in general, but typically more in terms of 'application', meaning how it can really actually relate to me in my own life, or how it has worked out for someone else in theirs. I get glassy-eyed pretty quick listening to someone drone on and on about esoterica-- not that I would actually know anybody like that myself... (whistling, looking away guiltily...)
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy "Consider how you would feel, being overpowered, beaten regularly, and not allowed to leave that marriage! Do you think you just might have a little anger? Maybe a lot? Maybe this helps you put into perspective how anger became part of early women's rights." You're doing an awful lot of projection there. Tell me again, how many times have you beaten your wife today?
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy That first link is not a law, it is simply some words written down and passed off as fact hoping you'll believe them. It doesn't even cite sources. Show me the law / statute. The second link is nearly a carbon-copy of the first. Take the 'Alabama 1871' item, that is simply referring to the same case that I provided the actual court record for. Did you read it? It said no such thing AT ALL. Did you ACTUALLY READ IT? Feminists LIE all the damned time. If they tell you the sky is blue, IMO-- you should go to the window and look out to verify it for yourself. I'm not even sure what the third link is supposed to be. Look-- let's stick with the 'Alabama 1871' thing for a minute-- as that's an actual real, verifiable document that you and I can both go read and compare notes on. If you READ THE CASE, it says that a man DOES NOT have the right to beat his wife, and moreover, NEVER DID, no matter WHAT erroneous notion the defendant had in his mind when he did it. Go READ the fricken thing and see it for yourself. Here's a link to the case. Not sure if it's the same link I gave you before, but it's the same text: https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/Fulghamv.State_.pdf And, as I've mentioned before, *I* have actually gone out looking for anything which in this country (the United States) LEGALLY gives a man the right to beat his wife. To this moment in time I have yet to find anything which applies. I hold open the potential that it could exist, I am not so assured that men are so noble that it couldn't be true somewhere-- but I have yet to see it codified into law / statute anywhere such that it was actually legal. And moreover, at every instance where it even seemed possible-- that the issue came up as part of a court case-- in EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE THAT I MYSELF HAVE SEEN-- it was struck down unanimously as bullshit-- abhorrent, abominable and with the admonishment in open court that it was no part of any law or statute. Show me otherwise. Show me the evidence. I will believe it if it exists. I am not a lawyer, I don't do this as a profession. And I cannot speak for laws in other countries, though I can't say that I know of any references there either-- but possibly some may exist? Possibly in Islamic regions?? I don't know. But I haven't seen any in the United States-- show me the proof.
Family Ties Are Coming Undone Pew Research Center
jwhitten comments on Apr 24, 2019:
Feminism and subversive action by cultural marxists.
jwhitten replies on Apr 30, 2019:
@ObiRonMoldy Hi, sorry for my absence, the last few days have been busy for me. I don't know what your name is-- I wanted to use it in greeting, mine's John, btw. Let's see if maybe we can put this onto a different tack... I have said previously that I believe in equality (of opportunity and legal representation) for everyone as a baseline position. From what you have said, you believe that too. So I think we have agreement there. I have said before that I have no problems with advocacy groups, as long as they stay in their lanes. When they cross that boundary and either actively work to disenfranchise me and/or act in a bigoted manner towards me, I stop being charitable in my opinion. I have also stated that there are a lot of women out there who call themselves "Feminists", who from what I can see, would be what *I* would call, "Feminist-lite"-- my term. Who are people who are generally good, kind, decent people but who have been grown-up being exposed to bigoted "Feminist culture" and have thus integrated various aspects of it into their lives, ranging from making bigoted Feminist remarks towards men, holding mild-to-moderately bigoted viewpoints about men, to acting and/or supporting various Feminist activities or initiatives which are detrimental to the interests of men and/or work to disenfranchise men. I think one of the biggest places that you and I might differ-- I don't know, this is supposition on my part and not aimed at being disrespectful or putting words in your mouth, feel free to tell me how/if I'm right or wrong... is that I don't agree that people need to subscribe to a bigoted ideology in order to agree that women are worthwhile and valuable members of society and deserving of good things. And here, I think is the **MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT** that "working to resolve issues for women" does not mean men have to "lose" in order for women to "win". It is not a zero-sum gain. And that seems to be the largest takeaway that the majority of Feminists that I've met, experienced, read about, seen, heard and observed, have, preach and practice. I understand that there are individual people who can have bigoted views, individually. And that individually-- even taken collectively-- they do not (necessarily) represent the viewpoint or perspective of the larger group and/or that they can simply be "bad examples" of the ideology which is in question. I completely get that and understand, and it is one of the fundamental elements that I keep in my mind as I ponder where to draw the line on Feminism as both a practice and an ideology. I too have read many books and spoken with / listened to / experienced / been around many Feminists and I do not share yours (or your wife's) viewpoint that Feminism is simply the advocating of rights for women. ...
Welcome Old Farts, Tired of wandering around aimlessly?
chuckpo comments on Apr 25, 2019:
HENRY BLAKE! Why? Why Henry? Why are you doing this to me. I'd finally forgotten!
jwhitten replies on Apr 27, 2019:
@chuckpo Doo doo doo doo... This showed up in my YouTube feed tonight. What are the odds? https://youtu.be/g3Rh2EkQWhw
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
CodeBuster comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I was born in Mt. Vernon, Washington state. My dad owned an auto repair shop alongside the Skagit River but was tired of the same old day to day grind. One day he put the camper on the truck and the family headed off to the interior region of British Columbia where an old school mate of his had ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 27, 2019:
@CodeBuster I have discovered that the 'Buster' book is a book common among a lot of interesting technically-minded people. Sort of like the JD Salinger book "Catcher in the Rye" ties together all of the assassins and tower shooters... I have two workshops really, one of them is in the garage, which you saw in the photos, where we do all of our messy stuff-- painting, sawing, drilling, cutting, etc. And the other is our 'Project Room' where we do all of our other messy stuff-- electronics, robotics, 3d-printing, programming and such. I guess it's not messy so much as extremely cluttered. My latest project is a rolling 'maker cart' which I put together to help me go from place to place and take enough 'workshop' with me to work on projects and get 'interesting things done' anywhere in the house, or somewhere else as needed. I am presently not at home and won't be for some months, so the cart has really been coming in handy as a make-shift workbench, which was one of its design use-cases. I miss having access to all my parts and stuff, but I've loaded up a number of divider-box cases with some essentials to bring along, which helps out somewhat. I also brought along the 3d-printer, but unfortunately had to leave the router at home. I like having it but it is really mainly useful for certain types of projects. Here is the project log for that if you're interested: Maker Cart: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zYbG7AgvbXJJ9xaY9 . The photo log is the most up-to-date, but you could also view the article write-up on my blog which has less pictures but more explanation about its purpose. Article: https://makeme.blog/2019/04/03/making-the-maker-cart/
Well, can somebody tell me the "essential" groups for philosophy, politics policy, sociology, and ...
chuckpo comments on Apr 26, 2019:
Ummm, not sure I understand the question. Have you seen the groups list? It's a little chaotic. If they're going to stay with user-side groups in some form, they're going to have to create some sensible lanes, I think--whittle down from the number of existing groups into something manageable. ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 26, 2019:
@Garsco We're glad you found us, hope you'll make yourself at home.
Know something that drives me bonkers?
jwhitten comments on Apr 26, 2019:
You get no argument from me. I unfortunately voted for Obama. I wasn't particularly enamored with either Romney or McCain. Both of them are pretty scummy too, IMO. The real problem is that we live in a country with a population of over 325 million people and these are the only assholes we can find ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 26, 2019:
@chuckpo I aim to please.
So tell us a little about yourselves. What are your hobbies and interests?
CodeBuster comments on Apr 26, 2019:
I was born in Mt. Vernon, Washington state. My dad owned an auto repair shop alongside the Skagit River but was tired of the same old day to day grind. One day he put the camper on the truck and the family headed off to the interior region of British Columbia where an old school mate of his had ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 26, 2019:
This is me: 'MakeMe' blog: https://makeme.blog/about/ Talk about dorky...
Know something that drives me bonkers?
jwhitten comments on Apr 26, 2019:
You get no argument from me. I unfortunately voted for Obama. I wasn't particularly enamored with either Romney or McCain. Both of them are pretty scummy too, IMO. The real problem is that we live in a country with a population of over 325 million people and these are the only assholes we can find ...
jwhitten replies on Apr 26, 2019:
@chuckpo The lead-up to 2016 ripped the band-aid off for me. I've always been 'independent' but have generally voted either Democrat or Libertarian-- at one point I was a card-carrying Libertarian, but I finally accepted that they're never going to hit the big time and let it lapse. Anyway, I supported Bernie (financially) all the way up through his campaign until the Hillary emails came out that basically proved that she and the DNC were playing him. When he finally caved and tossed in the towel and came out supporting her-- that was it for me. Hillary, as you undoubtedly know, is the evil bitch queen and always has been. There's no way on God's green earth that I was (or ever will) going to vote for that woman. So my vote for Trump was initially a protest vote-- and for the humor value. I figured "How bad can it be? At least he isn't Hillary", and I pulled the lever. I thank God every day that he won. Every. Single. Day. And after Trump got into office and got past the start-up blunders, I started noticing right away that he wasn't business as usual-- and started getting interested-- and started taking back everything I ever thought or said about that man (which was mostly my mother talking anyway ;-) I really like what President Trump is doing for our country-- even if he was (whatever anybody else said he was) before he took office-- I will say he took to the office like it was made for him and he is *GOVERNING*. Not "doing what he is told"-- but he is in command... large and in-charge. And I have been behind him all the way ever since. For me, it's not about being "Blue" or "Red"-- what does that even matter? It's simply about rising above the bullshit and getting something *DONE*. I don't care one whit what he SAYS, only that what he is DOING is working. And quite frankly, it tickles the shit out of me that he is so bold, brass and NOT politically-correct, and says EXACTLY what he thinks and EXACTLY what is on his mind, and I just love watching the Left get their panties in a twist. I cannot wait for vote for him again in 2020. KEEP MAKING AMERICA GREAT.

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I enjoy computers, robotics, automation, making things. This is one of my favorite toys. Go here to see how I built it: https://goo.gl/photos/Co81AvGwVijE2zow9
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