So Says The Duke . . . Or Not November 15, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Nature, People, Word Play.20 comments
At the Farmer’s Market at Phillippi Estates, we parked next to a car that made us laugh out loud.
Well, not the car exactly, but a quote appliquéd to the window.
Now, I’ll be honest, it didn’t sound like something the Duke would have said, so I checked it out on Snopes.com . . . because Snopes knows!
And, nope, not the Duke:
Well, whoever said it first, it’s got a ring of truth to it.
Aah . . . that’s more like it!
Jack Davis November 13, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Humor, People.18 comments
Do you remember Jack Davis?
We didn’t recognize his name, but as we walked around the exhibit at Ringling College, his work rang a bell.
His cartoons and caricatures have appeared on the covers of TIME and TV Guide, and in Playboy and MAD Magazines.
Go team!
Aah . . . that’s talent!
A Nationwide Scam on Airbnb? November 1, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in People, Travel & Leisure.23 comments
If you or your family & friends use Airbnb when you travel, you might want to read this article before making your next reservation:
I Accidentally Uncovered A Nationwide Scam on Airbnb (Vice)
The author, Allie Conti, investigated and reported on a potential Airbnb scam involving a number of “fake hosts” in multiple cities.
During her investigation, she received no satisfactory answers from Airbnb to her questions about its verification procedure to guard against scammers.
Aah . . . Be Wary!
Note to Self: One more reason to stay home.
What Makes You You? October 21, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Mindfulness, People.8 comments
Since my writing mojo is still MIA, I’m going to direct you to another killer post on Wait But Why . . . Tim’s repost of:
Tim got so turned around by the post that he ended it before reaching a satisfactory conclusion, something that is rare on Wait But Why.
But, hey, life is what happens while you’re busy writing blog posts.
Aah . . . that’s existential!
The Thinking Ladder October 9, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, People, Writing & Writers.22 comments
Tim Urban, over at Wait But Why, is sharing a fantastic series right now ~ The Story of Us: Full Series.
Last week’s post, The Thinking Ladder, is fabulous.
It’s about HOW we think (and to a much lesser extent WHAT we think).
It addresses different types of information processing, hypothesis testing, confirmation bias, dissent, etc.
It is LONG . . . and worth every minute it takes to digest it.
Aah . . . that’s better!
The Triumph of Stupidity September 30, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, People, Word Play, Writing & Writers.27 comments
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves and wise people so full of doubts.”
~ Bertrand Russell
Hmm . . . he sounds certain of himself, but did he really say that?
I wasn’t sure so I did a bit of cyber digging to alleviate my doubts.
I found a nugget that suggests that Russell may have said something similar, but different:
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
~ The Triumph of Stupidity, Mortals and Others: Bertrand Russell’s American Essays, 1931-1935.
Hmm . . . he sounds cocksure about The Triumph of Stupidity, but did he really say that?
And does “the modern world” encompass the years 1931 – 1935?
Who was this guy anyway? A fool? A fanatic? Stupid or Wise? Cocksure or Uncertain?
To doubt, or not to doubt, that is the question.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Wake Up! September 10, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, People, Travel & Leisure.32 comments
Did you hear about the guy driving on the Massachusetts Pike, with a passenger on board, while both appeared to be sound asleep?
Yup. It happened yesterday.
The couple were in a self driving car and . . . (wait for it!) . . . Massachusetts State Police told WBZ-TV there’s technically no law against falling asleep behind the wheel of a self-driving car.
Say what?!
Just think of the benefit of a self-driving car to people who want to drive while:
(a) applying make-up; (b) shaving; (c) texting;
(d) eating; (e) surfing the web; (f) having sex;
(g) reading a newspaper; (h) painting; or
(i) catching some ZZZ’s.
Time for a nap. Guess I’ll take a drive.
Aah . . . that’s scary!
To read more: TESLA Driver Asleep on the Mass Pike (CBS Boston) * Destined to Fall: Auto Safety Expert Calls for Oversight (CBS Boston)
F.N. In a statement included in the second article, Tesla said the system reminds drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.
“Many of these videos appear to be dangerous pranks or hoaxes,” a Tesla spokesperson said. “Our driver-monitoring system repeatedly reminds drivers to remain engaged and prohibits the use of Autopilot when warnings are ignored. At highway speeds, drivers typically receive warnings every 30 seconds or less if their hands aren’t detected on the wheel. Tesla owners have driven billions of miles using Autopilot, and data from our quarterly Vehicle Safety Report indicates that drivers using Autopilot experience fewer accidents than those operating without assistance.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
A Matter Of Life & Death August 27, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, People.32 comments
Like sleep, death can be seen as reward . . .
In 1990 B.C., a man who was tired of life wrote a poem called The Man Who Was Tired of Life:
Death is in my sight today
As when a man desires to see home
After he has spent many years in captivity
Even though death can be a welcome relief, most of us want to steer clear of the grim reaper for as long as possible.
I expect it’s the perpetual part that gives us pause.
That and the fact that there’s no “try before you die” plan to give us a preview.
And now for a little gallows humor:
“When I’m bored, I send a text to a random number saying, “I hid the body . . . now what?” ”
“Many people are alive only because it’s illegal to shoot them.”
“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.” ~ Will Rogers
Aah . . . that’s better!
Snowden August 21, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.34 comments
What if they are watching every step we take?
What if they are reading, saving, and collating our e-mails, library cards, movie queues, blog posts, account data, fitbit readouts, grocery store purchases, etc.?
What if they keep track of the books we read and the movies we watch?
What if they eavesdrop on our conversations and use facial recognition software as we window shop?
What if they watch us while we’re sleeping and know when we’re awake?
What if they know when we’ve been bad or good . . . and decide to tell Santa on us?
Hmm . . . “let’s give them something to talk about.
A little mystery to figure out.”
Let’s do something wild and crazy and unexpected.
Let’s be who we are and say what we will because . . . we can.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Shibal Biyong and Tangjinjaem August 9, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.22 comments
What’s Shibal Biyong?
It’s a “fuck it expense” ~ an unnecessary indulgence that keeps you from giving up entirely. The expression originated in South Korea in 2016:
[I]n South Korea, a generation of frustrated young people is reclaiming the idea of frivolous expenses—from cab rides to expensive sushi—as a psychological survival tool dubbed shibal biyong.
* * *
A shibal biyong is an expense that might seem unnecessary but that helps you get through a bad day. It’s the $20 you splurge for a cab home instead of taking the subway after you’ve been denied a promotion or the comforting but expensive sushi you buy after you’ve been berated by your boss. The term implies that you might as well make yourself happy right now because your prospects in the long term seem bleak. Buy that nice coat, because you’ll never get on the housing ladder. Eat that steak, because you’ll never save up enough to retire.
* * *
Inequality and a sense of economic despair have taken a fierce toll on South Koreans’ mental health. Nearly half of all deaths among South Koreans in their 20s are due to suicide, compared with just under 1 in 5 Americans of the same age. The country’s overall suicide rate was the highest among OECD countries from 2003 to 2016.
The title of a recent South Korean bestselling book, I Want to Die, but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), captures the essence of shibal biyong.
* * *
If South Korean millennials are squandering their money, it’s not because they’ve lost touch with reality. Quite the opposite: For many of them, short-term consumption has become a rational choice maximizing the utility of money based on a realistic assessment of the future.
* * *
“Shibal biyong and tangjinjaem [squandering fun] are symbolic endeavors responding to social problems via individual consumption,” said Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, a professor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. “As saving cannot guarantee the future, unlike in the past, the idea of investing in the present rather than the future gains strength.”
* * *
Koreans have begun blowing their money not out of ignorance but out of common sense. A small pleasure now is better than a promised future contentment that will never come.
To read more: Why Young Koreans Love to Splurge (Foreign Policy)
Aah . . . that’s better!
