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.

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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

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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.

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Next post: November 29, 2024