Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Whoops - forgot a book. Andy will appreciate the irony that I forgot about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is the basis for the movie Blade Runner that I never stay awake through. Good book, though, although I'm not 100% certain that the ending has the meaning big fans say it does (don't want to say more for fear of spoiling it).

Went to see Lion King touring show this weekend - it was pretty good. Probably one of the best shows I've seen since ... well, I don't remember enjoying one this much since W;t.

I saw today the majority of Americans favor citizenship for longtime illegal immigrants - there's some obstacles to be overcome in the interests of fairness and effective government, but I don't see how we can not keep trained people who are already a significant piece of our economy. Not to get into a full where-I-stand, but it seems democracy can only be effective when the government is viewed as of the people (a collection of people making decisions, not an entity itself) and for the people (impacting individual people, not faceless castes or other socioeconomic groupings). If the individuals on both sides treated their peers on both sides of the line as people, I think a lot would change.

That might not have made much sense - I hope it will soon.
posted by Unknown 5:28 PM | 1 comments

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Getting ready to interview high school students for a scholarship next week. Anyone have any questions they recommend using or avoiding?

I've been noticing how much an angry tone indicates that reason and logic are pointless. If someone's angry, they've pretty much defined the only acceptable conclusion to be one that agrees with them. Not that cooler heads can't be just as pig-headed, but anger always seems to accompany a my-way-or-the-highway attitude. Dunno the reason - just an observation.

Not much else going on right now. I'm actually OK with my job right now - things are going well. I think it'll let me focus on wrapping up some projects that are necessary before I start trying to develop some more marketable skills.

Anyway, that's the status here. Have a great one!
posted by Unknown 6:19 PM | 1 comments

Monday, April 17, 2006

I've been on a bit of a reading tear this year, so figured I'd document that too:

Currently reading "Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale" which is philosophical essays about one of the best shows of the last decade. It's part of a Popular Culture and Philosophy series that also includes the Simpsons' "D'oh of Homer". It's not especially deep, but is a nice shallow survey that reminds me of some of the terms and authors that are fun to play with (Manichaean, anyone?).

Finished Genius, a biography of Richard Feynman. Feynman was a leader on the Manhattan Project, and developed much of the framework used to describe and explore quantum mechanics (or at least did through the middle of the century - I don't know enough to know if it's been surpassed). And he was a scientific snob of a mad professor. Great reading for anyone interested.

Read Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons (of Hyperion fame) - I can't recommend it highly enough. The number of different ideas and worlds he can blend into his books is amazing. If you start Ilium, btw, make sure you have Olympos - they're basically a single 1200-page book.

The Bible Jesus Read, about the Old Testament. It's good to get some context and perspective on the Old Testament if you want to read it because their literary traditions are so alien. And Yancey's always a pretty engaging writer, even with material this dry.

Hmm I can't think of anything else besides starting to read through my complete Far Side 2-volume collection. That will be many fun hours. I suppose I spent a good bit of time using my Netflix subscription to watch Season 1 of Veronica Mars, all of Freaks & Geeks (great show!), and a bunch o movies. Still, it feels like there was more. If the other ones come to mind, I'll post them.
posted by Unknown 3:28 PM | 1 comments

Don't get your hopes up - I'm hoping to get back into this regularly, but I make no promises.

Brownbeard posted a Where I Stand, and I was intrigued - especially after a few other conversations, decided I'd steal the idea (before filing a lawsuit, remember imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). I'm a Christian, and believe the entire Bible to be the inspired word of God. It might not all be true in a historical or scientific sense, because that kind of accuracy wasn't in the mindset of the people God used to write it, but it is from God and thus has value as truth. For those afraid I'm completely fundamentalist, I do believe in evolution as the best current scientific explanation of natural history - I just don't see a conflict between it and God.

Someone asked me last week what I think about prayer in schools: I don't support a prayer organized/led by any employees of the government (although I think a short prayer/meditation/introspection time allowed to students in the course of the day allows everyone to pursue their own purpose), I do support the right of students to conduct prayers in voluntary activities, and I think teachers should be able to answer questions about their beliefs. My main reason for the latter is that while I believe my religious beliefs are true, from an objective perspective, they are a philosophy. Teachers can discuss their personal philosophy on government, economics, life, and many other things, so long as it doesn't affect the actual teaching - I think religion should be no different. To me, separation of church and state means the state treating religion as no different from other speech/beliefs rather than endorsing or suppressing it especially.

A friend who used to be a Christian asked me once if I thought she was going to Hell as she'd studied and believed in the Christian God, and then chosen another path. I think any preacher who says they know who's going to Hell is on the same path as the Pharisees of Jesus' time, assuming far too much of God's judgement into their own incapable hands. I believe the Bible is God's word, but there are so many good people in the world who either don't know Christ or have rejected him due to the obvious faults of his human church that it seems God must have other ways of reaching out to and teaching people. And I know how much my view of God has changed with time and specific experiences, so I don't think anyone has everything right.

Fortunately for me, I believe in a loving God who keeps looking for excuses to include people in his flock rather than new rules to shut people out. When I read the Bible as a single story, it's a story of the continuing exercise of his love to all people, and their response, both good and bad. Where people see stultifying rules, I see guidance from a creator who actually does know what's best in how to live our lives. Where people see divine wrath, I see how regularly God changes his mind and withholds agreed-upon punishment for violating a contract, but never withholds promised rewards.

So that's a rambling, probably incomplete Where I Stand. Might try one of these with politics soon. Congratulations if you actually made it this far!
posted by Unknown 7:23 AM | 2 comments