Flying pigs – Not just a dream

The folks at the University of Nijmegen have been levitating frogs. So when are they going to get around to pigs?

Visitors from Allanta

Recently, a group of us were holding a surprise birthday party at the local bowling alley. (Let it not be said that Highmore does not have entertainment facilities.) We, the birthday party people, noticed a tour bus by the entrance and a lot of strangers in the bowling alley/bar/restaurant. This aroused a good deal of curiousity; Highmore does not exactly get a lot of tourists in tour busses. Finally one of us (me) asked one of the strangers what the deal was.

The stranger, an amiable sort, explained that some 70 years ago a chap had moved away from Highmore and had ended up in Atlanta where he had produced kin and found friends. His friends and kin (and perhaps him – I didn’t get the particulars on that point) had come via tour bus to Rapid City SD, one of the points on his path to Atlanta. As a side trip, they came to Highmore to see what that was about.

They seemed to be quite taken with the place, so I expect we can start seeing tour busses full of tourists as a regular thing.

Advice for prospective world conquerors

If you mean to conquer the world it is best not to get in the habit of thinking criticially about what you are doing, why you are doing it, or what the probable outcome will be.

The cynic’s advice on choosing friends

When choosing friends it is best to choose friends whose opinions engender in you the pleasant feeling that you are much wiser than your friends.

Articles on Politics

It is perhaps unfortunate that they are written in language that deadens the ability to think, rather like the anesthetic used when performing a root canal of the mind. Each author has his own private version of Orwell’s Newspeak, a language in which it is impossible to think the thoughts he does not want thought.

Politicians

Original thought is not wanted in politicians; it is not desirable and can be positively dangerous. Instead they should have the ability to eloquently articulate the common prejudices and the ability to appear to be steadfast whilst inconspicuously moving to the front of the mob as it changes direction.

Programming languages and cars

One of the little games that programming nerds play is to compare computer programming languages to cars. For example, C is a 1950’s dragster, the kind driven by kids with a greasy DA, a tattoo on one bicep, and a cigarette pack in a rolled up T-shirt sleave on the other, whereas Ada is a volvo, square and boxy, with a reputation for safety that is derived mostly from being driven by people who are into safety, organic food, compost, and wearing sensible shoes.

Freedom

Once upon a time it was an oddity of America that not working was vaguely disreputable. A man was defined by his answer to the question “what do you do” where “you do” is your occupation. It was an article of faith that the ideal in Europe was to be a member of rentier class, i.e., to have an income that appeared by itself without labor on your part, whereas in America all must justify their existence by the a labor of some sort.

We are none of us free men nor free women; we never were, and we never shall be. True happiness lies in believing that this state of affairs is as it should be.