"Toddler Militia"

I'm diminishing what time I spend on the Internet and news sites, but this was too nuanced to ignore.

http://uverse.com/watch/h___60692587?ref=yfp

Sensationalism aside ("But I wanna try them NOW!", "The gun lobby"), I'm actually very torn on this issue.  Handguns operate differently from long rifles.  You have to try really hard to shift a rifle barrel from downrange to an unsafe target; but it doesn't take much to adjust the aim of a handgun to point at someone else.  In Arizona, you have to be 21 to purchase a pistol, but only 18 for a long rifle.  I took a friend to the range and she instantly agreed that was a good choice by the state.  The poor girl given a fully-automatic Uzi submachine gun (more of an oversized pistol than a rifle) who accidentally shot her rangemaster reinforces this.

I do believe it's ultimately up to the parents and children to responsibly and safely own and operate their firearms, whatever their firearms.  You can hand a toddler a handgun and they can use it safely, provided adequate supervision.  It can be done.  And using a long gun instead does not make you safer if the barrel is pointed in an unsafe direction.  Behavior is imperative.  I make this distinction strictly due to the erratic nature of sub-teen children, and the harder-to-control nature of handguns as opposed to long rifles.

May Iowa do what Iowa wants.  If I saw similar legislation in Arizona, I would vote against it for the reason stated above.

Mediocrity

Never settle. \o/

Productivity

I spend too much time writing.

This was in response to someone regarding productivity and the wage gap.  Enjoy.

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I'm aware the plural of anecdote is not evidence, and this would piss off a lot of people, but I have a theory I believe I can logically support based on what I've seen and experienced.  We're not actually more productive.  Yes, materially, we have way more stuff than before, and far simpler methods of acquiring said stuff.  But we, the people, are not advancing that productivity like we used to.

In any given field besides code-monkeying, you have to be stellar to get a decent-paying job.

I argue that the shifts in distribution of the current pie (which I agree concentrate near the top earners) are due to differences in productivity of individual workers: a few who work themselves to the bone innovating and coming up with new stuff; and the vast majority of average joes who are satisfied getting by with the bare minimum productivity.

I do not say effort.  I’m well aware there are individuals working round-the-clock at three jobs to make ends meet.  I contend the scarce resource of their time could be applied to alternative, more productive uses.

Look at the way we spend our time online: games, commenting, video streaming, Instagram, adult content.  And with the miracles of Wi-Fi and smart phones, it’s all in the palms of our hands.  Mobile, inexpensive, and virtually limitless.  And everyone’s got access to it all.

I have invested thousands of hours and dollars into video games over the course of my lifetime.  I have not received zero return on that investment, no, but it does not compare to the productivity I could have generated if I had used those resources in nearly any other way.  What wealth have I actually produced?  What more could I have produced instead?  What process have I made more efficient?  What product have I invented that did not exist previously?

At the mine, what do I do to earn my paycheck, to increase wealth for the corporation, to increase my own compensation?  Why don’t I study some of the blastholes getting sent to the leach pads, to determine what effect acid-consuming material has on the acid-leaching process, and come up with a solution that reduces the cost of our process?  Why don’t I study the fuel efficiency of our haul trucks, and what speed is ideal for haulage costs, to save time and money on refueling?  I don’t.  But I could and I should.

I use myself as an example to show I’m part of the problem I’m diagnosing.

I’d love to find out what the range of college degrees are today, what percentage are in the hard sciences and engineering, what percentage are in the trades like plumbing and electrician work, and what percentage are in “_____ Studies.”  I’d love to compare those percentages today with those from the 1950’s.  Not to say those last degrees are unimportant, but they do not create the same amount of wealth that other majors do.  In other words, they are not as productive.

My point is you have to look at this stuff specifically, on an individual level.  The general trends are imperative, yes, but there are hundreds of millions of factors feeding that result, many of which could be harboring (hiding) a necessary (if insufficient) cause.

Regret

"Treat your past as a book that you learn from instead of a hammer that you beat yourself up about."
- Bill Whittle

Don't Leave Things Undone

Today, I wrote a script, voiced it, and got the project ready in Sony Movie Studio.  Then I sat there for a second, on the verge of working on the project, but chose to close it and do other stuff for the evening.

Distractions are so powerful.  The infinity of the Internet beckons too unyieldingly.  How can one focus amidst that intimidating efficiency and eternity?

It's just gotta be done.  No multitasking.  One thing at a time.  Every moment of every day.  To not win does not mean to lose; to not try is to lose.  Start from nothing and keep working your way up.  The only limit is the one under you, at zero.

Saying But Not Doing

I hope a common theme surfaces with these blogs by now.

I think, fantasize, dream, and talk a lot.  But I don't do it.  I rarely follow through anymore.  When I do, it's way past my original deadline.  I must get some weird kick out of promising a thing, then not doing it, 'cause I've been doing this (no pun intended) for many years.

Finished XCOM 2 today.  Murdered my last three days like it did half my squad on Saturday.  It was fun, and now that I've completed the campaign, I can remove it from my hard drive until the DLC comes out on a sale this winter.

That's how it should be.

Focus, and finish.  One thing at a time.  Every waking moment.  Only way to get stuff done.

XCOM 2

Curse you.  Curse you....

Flippin' Easy mode without Ironman and I struggle.

This game is tough, man.  Dark Souls level of tough.

Skiing And Sunburn

Been awhile, hasn't it.

By all means, this is an excuse: I've been busy.  On one hand, of course, that's a great thing; I'm getting away from the computer and doing more active things.  On the other hand, I break certain good habits, like this one.

I went skiing with some friends last weekend on a rushed trip.  I barely packed and ended up wholly unprepared.  Of course I know what to bring to the slopes.  I just didn't bring it, lol.  I knew better, and I should have acted better.

Can't wait to feel my face again.

Wear sunscreen.

It was fun otherwise. :-D


I saw an ad offering employment for a "professional skier" in the lodge.  Back when my dad took me to Colorado, I grew so enamored with skiing I vowed to become a professional. (lol)  Seeing this advertisement with "Previous Ability Not Required - We'll Train You!!" sparked that passion again, a little.

I've immediately begun fantasizing about driving up there with half a car full of stuff, the rest of my belongings sold off, getting a one-room house or apartment, and pursuing that goal.  14-hour days training my heart out, Monday through Saturday, hittin' the slopes from sunrise to sunset; recuperating quietly all day Sunday, roasting meat for next week's burritos, reading books and watching movies.

That simplicity entices only my fantasies.  Reality hits me too hard.  Our winters last two months (even at 11,000 feet), I could easily fall prey to a debilitating injury, I probably have a too-elevated interpretation of the ad, and the ever-present concern I'll just blow thousands of dollars and an uprooting of my entire life for a pipe dream.

I probably need a major shift in my attitude just like this, but I can't see this as a wise decision worth risking.  That bugs me, but I admit I'm too comfortable down here, keeping pace with the snails.

Explicit?

I'm watching Berserk and I wonder how explicit and grotesque a show or film needs to be to portray a story well. Berserk is intensely violent and egregiously explicit, yet it's hard to imagine the themes hitting home as well as it does if it were tamer.

Game of Thrones offers superbly intriguing character dynamism, though the amount and expression of cursing and sex could get toned down and detract nothing from the experience.

Mr. Robot has a couple of explicit scenes, a little violence, and some language, but hardly gratuitous, and its message is portrayed meaningfully.

Rome and Spartacus, however, seem crafted with the explicitness as a selling point. Whatever redeeming plot they have is buried under bloody bodies and bulging breasts.

The logical side of me says "No," a great story doesn't require limbs littering a battlefield or a sex scene every episode.  But the intuitive part of me insists "Yes," there's no tamer way to instill the viewer with the intended feelings than with all, or most, of that.  Disregarding the fact it can be implemented proficiently and poorly, I question whether it is necessary at all.

Ninja Scroll showed an x-rated scene that coincidentally elucidated a plot point later on in the movie.  Reading the commentary, the producers said there was no other way to look at it: it was pure fanservice.  So did it need inclusion at all?  Or did they stub their toes on a bit of brilliance?

When writing a story, given the option to include something explicit, which proves better, generally speaking?  To leave it in, or take it out?

Fear, Life, And Free Will

Christopher was great.  Lots of people search him for his brutal rebuttals of religion, but he had so much more to say on politics and philosophy in general.  This short clip encapsulates one of those moments.

Kill 'Em With Kindness

Pertaining to yesterday's blog, I had a very angry, depressed mood, obsessing over someone who managed to pull at my nerves.  Today, I casually waved good-bye to them as I saw them leave, and it occurred to me: be kind, and their power over you vanishes.

Up until that point, I'd been angry and afraid.  But I considered how they'd react if I were nice to them, ...and I can't think of a situation that doesn't end with me still being happy and them either self-destructing or improving themselves in return.

I don't intend this to cause the downfall of another.  My goal isn't to get back at them or retaliate in any way.  I just realized it was the right thing to do, and if they take it as mockery, well, they're wrong, but that's up to them.

There are times, I believe, where the righteous rage of violence is required, such as to pacify a physical threat to human beings.  99% of the time, it is not that time, and this situation wholly falls in that category.  Courtesy and kindness are virtues worth exemplifying.  If I remain pleasant, what does that make my opponent?

Dumbstruck

Something happened today that pertains to the title, but I've more important progress to bring up.

Went to the rec center for fencing and got a great half-hour workout in.  Lots of advancing and retreating, stretching, tip control, and lunges.  Tried the leg-lift support contraption afterwards.  Came out of it with a sweat and sore muscles.  I needed the tension release.

Now I have to learn to stop visiting the deli for fried chicken....

Not-So-Free-To-Play

This past weekend found me throwing 12 hours of my life at a Facebook-level, free-to-play, strategy game.  I fell for the pretty visuals and interesting premise.  It turns out to be dumb as rocks and a waste of brain space, but I plodded through to level 20 'cause I adore accruing meaningless experience points.

Drift0r on YouTube posted a good video sharing his thoughts on free-to-play titles.  While you don't invest money, you do invest your time.  Every minute you spend in a match or collecting resources is a minute you've donated to that game's developers.

"Free" is a ridiculous concept.  Everything has a cost.  We fear costs of money, sometimes of opportunity, and rarely of time.  Large investments appear greater and more fearsome than they really are; small, bite-sized donations seem trivial, but add up quickly.

Once again, I'm learning it's not how much you have, it's how you use it.

"Homefront"

If you've seen "Homefront" with Jason Statham, that's basically what I've been fearing the past few days.  I've been away from this computer during that time.  I hope to God I'm overreacting.  Thoughts and prayers are welcomed.