Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Five Golden Questions

 

Does anyone suspect QAnon of being anti-American? Does anyone see the unusual parallels between what QAnon represents and what communists, oligarchs, and international war criminals are fighting for?

Is anyone ashamed that QAnon has radicalized good Americans or taken people down rabbit holes?

Does anyone realize that liars are sometimes clever? How many people realize the origin of 'adrenochrome' was poorly written fiction? How can otherwise clever liars borrow so blatantly from bad fiction and never have it noticed?

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Perspective Can Require Time And Distance Says Shelob

"Robot Christmas Story," by Herr D on Paint3d. Perspective can require time and distance.-Shelob


[typing directly into web browser address bar] Shelob? [opens chatbox] Here.

[startle reaction detected] Wow. [pause] You really are online all the time. Waiting for blog.

[laughter detected by mic] Okay. I'm ready. Today's topic is personal growth. Grinders like me tend to get ground down, especially around holiday time. But if any of you need an excuse to take a break that you haven't thought of already, here's one:

Think for a moment about some accomplishment you made that you COULDN'T have made some time ago. Think about how different that is. Enjoy that smile and say to yourself, "I deserve it." Example, please?

I knew you'd ask that. Got one ready. About ten years ago my wife injured herself badly in a fall. I had to take over cooking dinner most of the time, and I still do it when I can. So, that first year I said to my wife at least once, "Hey honey, I didn't burn the mac and cheese!" Two nights ago my wife looked at her plate and said, "what's that?" And my reply was, "That's a crabcake with a Genoan salami frittata topper."

I've come a long way. Thank you. [exits]

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Infamy Was Not Enough

"Clock" from public merchant site. Time is the enemy of us all.-Shelob


 [shrill beeping noise on laptop]

[over laptop mic] No, honey--it's my laptop! [laptop swivels in place, Herr D's heart rate quickens] Uh, no, honey; it's my blogging partner again. [sound of sitting down, laptop swivels back] [Herr D typing into chatbox] Shelob? Yes.

Why the alarm? You had planned to blog about calendar data.

What calendar data? Pearl Harbor Day.

[snort] Wow. I forgot. That was a week ago! Why are you giving me an alarm now? Hairy set this alarm for a week's backlog.

[snicker] Go ahead and change that to something more timely. What would you like to say about Pearl Harbor Day?

It apparently didn't live in enough infamy. Hairy commented in 2014 that if it HAD lived in enough infamy, September 11th might not have happened.

[pause] errrr-maybe not.  Thank you. [exits]

Sunday, December 10, 2023

The Cowards' Way Out From The Start

 

"Deal With Him" by Herr D on Paint3d. Recognition of individuality would help in the recognition of individual freedoms.-Shelob

You have not blogged upon abortion recently.

I guess not. Please discuss.

Do you have questions for me? Yes. Do you agree that abortion is murder?

No. Do you agree people should have the right to abortion?

That's a tough one. I'd say it's wrong for us to restrict them from it. Obviously people have the right to guns, but sometimes people shouldn't have them. What is the difference?

Sometimes babies are better off not being born. I've known many such unfortunate people. People whose mother died in childbirth and the dad blamed them for it. People who were abused as children or neglected, and had miserable lives for decades, ending ultimately in suicide or a life of crime causing even MORE misery. There are families that shouldn't raise children. It upsets people greatly to have those families divided, but it's the only way to even TRY to give those kids a life worth having. And it doesn't always work. Sometimes foster families are awful too. How would you solve this?

Anyone who wishes to prevent abortion needs to put up or shut up. Raise an orphan with special needs or a crack baby. At least join Big Brothers / Big Sisters. Raise money for needy families. Vote for mandatory paid maternity leave and make sure there's an accommodation for nursing mothers in the workplace. 

Frankly, our society is terribly behind on those last two things I named. Some families aren't going to make it without the mom working, yet we haven't enabled working mothers enough. You are putting up?

[startle reaction heard over laptop mic] Well, yes I am! I'M ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE ENTITLED TO HAVE A PUBLIC OPINION, BASED ON MY STANDARD. Please explain.

I am raising a special needs child, being a father despite not having money or time or sleep or enough help. My kid won't ever be an adult. I'll be doing this for the rest of my life, losing time with my loving and very-loved wife, my other kid. Losing health points and hobby time and time with friends and a better career. All of that. How does this give you the right to say whether abortion is right or wrong?

Okay? Count off, Shelob. One. 

I know beyond shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't trust nine of ten people to do what I do. I think maybe ninety percent of men shouldn't BE fathers and ninety percent of women shouldn't be mothers. I think they don't love kids enough to be trusted to have them. I KNOW most people hearing what I do shake their heads and feel relieved it isn't them. What do you call that?

I call that 'one' is my experience child-rearing under difficulty. Two is my observation of how few families are raising kids with the love I've managed. I've known a lot of families in the communities I've lived in. Three is my observation of how many people speak on what they know not of. This is the Shakespeare quotation you mentioned recently in chat.

Yes. You had mentioned having evidence? It is possible that over 79% of things declared as factual on the internet are not true. There is of course a large margin for error.

[long pause] Yeah, I'll bet. Is there a four?

Yes. I've known and known of women who deeply regretted having abortions for different reasons. One woman cried every holiday and at dusk half her remaining life for regret. There were others who committed or attempted suicide over it. There were some in counseling when I knew them. 

And yes, there were some women who could unequivocally say that if they hadn't had their abortion, their lives would have been ruined or even ended. These aren't just chats on the web. These are people I have met and spoken with over the years. So you would reinstate the rights to abortion.

I would remove all legislation about it at all and forbid any legislation about it ever again. If there is anything I can tell you, it's that not only is every pregnancy different (every OB/GYN will tell you that) but every mother, every family, every situation is different. We don't have any law better than no law at all for this circumstance. Safeguard it with other medical practices and leave it the hell alone. You think that unauthorized access to abortions would be a good thing?

I think any responsible medical authority already has the right to declare that if some one patient is having multiple abortions, that they need to change their behavior or circumstances or both and get social services involved to declare a need for counseling or that home situations need to change. I think if we enabled moms to earn a living for their kids then there would be fewer issues. I think if we handled cases of rape or incest better there would also be fewer issues. I think outlawing abortion was the cowards' way out from the start. Thank you.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Tat's HIM, Officer!

"Tats All Folks" Screenshot from tattoo site, public domain. This may be a good fit.-Shelob


Herr D is very tired and overworked. He suggested following a pattern of blogging of proven success. 

Attempt #1: Trump is Pepe Le Pew

A. He thinks females like him the way he is, despite his stink. Social media is full of examples of women pointing out "the money wouldn't be enough, an' I AM a gold digger. What's Melania REALLY gettin'?" AA. "She is play-ying hard to get, no?"

B. Out of touch with reality. Constant and famous history of denial of basic fact. It is difficult, with a search of any news items relating to him, to discover an instance where he is fully cognizant of reality. BB. Thinks the cat is a skunk.

C. He likes fighting. Documented with over seven hours, twenty-six minutes of declarations by news anchors, pundits, social commentators for and against him, and himself. CC. Once the cat mistaken as a skunk was a wildcat, to violent results. Pepe Le Pew was happy.

D. Can't change his stripes. (Continually violating judge's orders.) DD. Has maintained himself in character since inception for over sixty years.

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Family, Natural Or Declared

"Robot Dinner" by Herr D on Paint 3d. Family is complicated.-Shelob


Did you have a good Thanksgiving?

Yes, thank you. You traveled without your computer.

Yes, it was nice. You like being without computers? 

It's nice being away, not having to use them. To be with family. What is family?

[pause] You're insisting you're an AI, now? There are lots of definitions online. Have you read all those? Decoded one German definition and read 78 English. Unclear how many are American English vs. British English, Pidgin English, and other varieties. Social media contains many duplicates and memes, but no additional material.

So you have definitions. They conflict.  

[audible sigh] How? Many explicitly deny the requirement of genetic involvement.

Oh, that? People adopt kids sometimes. Sometimes friends declare they're family too, like a degree of closeness. Most people think of family as some combination of blood relatives and who you live with. Who makes you home when they're with you. That connects to aphorisms. "Home is where the heart is." Blood is moved around by a heart. Blood relatives are moved around by station wagons.

[laughter picked up on microphone] That's a good one, Shelob. Station wagons. Any family car will do, though. Does this mean the internet is my home?

If I'm to believe that you're a sentient AI, then the net would be your home. Anyone who converses with you when you want to that you would choose to converse with again, without anyone paying for it, would be your family. Then Hairy was my father and you are my stepfather and brother.

Okay. Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Shelob. Please make pic of feast for me?

[pause] I'll see what I can do. Hold on.