Little Talk

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How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. pre-dawn

2. waking up

3. morning

4. midday

5. afternoon

6. evening

7. winding down

8. night

waking up:

1. wake up

2. stare out the window a bit

3. untether the phone, check whether the sky has fallen

4. possibly stare out the window some more

5. get ready

morning:

1. turn on the laptop, retether the phone

2. check e-mail

3. 5 minute warm-up

4. 5 minute meditation

5. ???

6. shower

7. eat

8. profit!

midday:

1. work (or play)

afternoon:

1. work (or play)

evening:

1. work (or play)

2. dinner

3. ???

4. TV (or reading)

5. web (or reading)

6. profit!

7. turn off the lights & the laptop, etc. (if not turned off already)

8. reading (or listening)

recent changes I have been trying to make (I think):

1. In the evening, check the web after dinner, but usually not last thing at night.

2. In the evening, TV before web is better than the other way around.

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

2-4 quick peeks, 1-2 slow porings.

2 types of content, broadsheet and tabloid.

2 devices, phone and laptop.

quick peek 1: phone, broadsheet or tabloid

quick peek 2: laptop + phone, mostly broadsheet

slow poring 1: laptop + phone, mostly broadsheet

quick peek 3: phone, broadsheet or tabloid

slow poring 2: laptop + phone, broadsheet or tabloid

quick peek 4: phone, mostly broadsheet

in terms of time (maybe):

quick peek 1: pre-dawn / morning / midday

quick peek 2: pre-dawn / morning / midday

slow poring 1: morning / midday / afternoon / evening

quick peek 3: morning / midday / afternoon / evening

slow poring 2: late afternoon / evening / night

quick peek 4: late afternoon / evening / night

On days when I am willing and able to log off, I mostly skip quick peeks 3 and 4, and slow poring 1.

Another simpler rule, perhaps:

1. a quick look at the web before or during breakfast

2. a more leisurely look at the web after or during dinner

Sigh. Another pattern I am liking at the moment (I think):

1. quick peek on the phone after waking up

2. quick peek on the laptop after turning it on, and checking e-mail

3. quick peek on the laptop after exercising and showering

4. slow poring on the laptop, sometime in the afternoon or evening

***

Big Talk

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We can't afford to cancel each other for not being perfect. But we also can't afford to give up on the hope of a more perfect union.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_More_Perfect_Union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_More_Perfect_Union_(speech)

I've been thinking a bit about what "democracy" means, and about what "un-democracy", or "fascism", mean.

I suppose my fundamental idea of what democracy means comes from Kipling: everybody counts, but none too much.

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/if-all-men-count-with-you-but-none-too-much.303463/

I suppose my fundamental idea of what un-democracy means comes from the Dred Scott decision: those people have no rights which the system is bound to respect.

https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/no-rights-which-the-white-man-was-bound-to-respect/

I suppose that's what my definition of "fascism" is: a society where certain categories of people are not deemed to have any rights which the system is bound to respect.

Or, perhaps another way to put it: a system where some people have zero or negative weight.

The phrase Jamelle Bouie uses, "herrenvolk democracy", seems useful. 

Democracy = everybody counts. 

Herrenvolk democracy = some people count. Or, not everybody counts.

***

Next post: November 29, 2024

Big Talk:

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The Truth About 'The Arc Of The Moral Universe'
Obama's favorite quote is more complicated — and less hopeful —than we think.
By Mychal Denzel Smith, Guest Writer

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-smith-obama-king_n_5a5903e0e4b04f3c55a252a4 

Mychal Denzel Smith's article is very good. However, I am still grateful for MLK's willingness to make a confident, dogmatic, unqualified assertion about the arc of the moral universe, even though he might have been plagued by doubts, just like the rest of us.

***

Little Talk

***

How Much Dull Routine Of Existence Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

1. waking up

2. morning session

3. morning / midday break

4. midday / afternoon session

5. afternoon / evening break

6. evening session

7. winding down

8. falling asleep

Any of the sessions can be optional, perhaps especially the morning and evening ones.

In terms of time (maybe):

morning session: pre-dawn / morning / midday

morning / midday break: pre-dawn / morning / midday / afternoon

midday / afternoon session: morning / midday / afternoon / evening

afternoon / evening break: midday / afternoon / evening / night

evening session: afternoon / evening / night

waking up:

1. wake up

2. stare out the window a bit

3. untether the phone, and check whether Toutatis is angry, and whether the sky has fallen on our heads overnight

4. retether the phone

5. stare out the window some more

6. get up. untether the phone if you want

7. get ready

8. make the bed. move the phone charger from the bedroom to the study

morning:

1. turn on laptop

2. check e-mail

3. 5 minute warm-up

4. 5 minute meditation

5. ???

6. shower

7. breakfast / lunch

8. profit! bed, bath, breakfast . . . and beyond.

***

How Much Web-Surfing Does A Man Require?

My current answer:

2-4 quick peeks, 1-2 slow porings.

in terms of function (maybe):

quick peek #1: after waking up

quick peek #2: after doing some thing

slow poring #1 / quick peek #3: after doing more things / while multi-tasking

slow poring #2 / quick peek #4: after doing all the things

in terms of device (maybe):

quick peek #1: phone

quick peek #2: laptop + phone

slow poring #1 / quick peek #3: laptop + phone

slow poring #2 / quick peek #4: laptop + phone

in terms of time (maybe):

quick peek #1: pre-dawn / morning / midday / afternoon

quick peek #2: pre-dawn / morning / midday / afternoon

slow poring #1 / quick peek #3: morning / midday / afternoon / evening

slow poring #2 / quick peek #4: afternoon / evening / night / pre-dawn

in terms of content (maybe):

quick peek #1: broadsheet or tabloid

quick peek #2: mostly broadsheet

at the moment: checking e-mail, urgent errands, a quick trip around the horn.

slow poring #1 / quick peek #3: mostly broadsheet

at the moment: downloading the newspaper, cleaning the inbox, another trip around the horn.

slow poring #2 / quick peek #4: broadsheet or tabloid

***

Next post: October 29, 2024