The Minds of Men | Official Documentary by Aaron & Melissa Dykes A rather exhaustive documentary on the MKUltra program. The link leads to a timestamp later in the video that offers a decent summary. It “feels” like all that research went nowhere, but you can be sure there were things discovered about the mind … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 44
Why Sexual Morality May be Far More Important than You Ever Thought Kirk (the author) rightly points out the sexual restraint is a sign, not a cause, of civilizational flourishing. We could assume that loosening sexual restraints is also a sign, not a cause, of decline. There’s probably a myriad of causes that contribute to … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 43
‘It’s too late’: Alabama doctor shares final moments of Covid patients, urges vaccination This is almost as fake as the Jewish doctor treating the Neo-Nazi that I posted about a few months ago. It has all the tells. The only thing that would make it a more obvious ploy is if Antonio Planas (the article’s … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 42
Y2K Music Curse Good article about the realities of signing onto a traditional record label. tl;dr version: artists need to pay everything back. It’s especially hard when you are a metal band trying to nudge your way into the already-limited fanbase, which is what I went through in the bands I was involved with in … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 41
How Giving Up TV For A Month Changed My Brain And My Life “Never watch more television than the amount of time you exercise.” I am in the clear here, since every day I exercise around 45 minutes. Only some days, I’d only watch a standard-length show with my daughter at night, though nowadays with … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 40
Kickstarter Project: The Cosmic Courtship, by Julian Hawthorne Who knew that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son was an accomplished writer in his own right, and serialized a science-fiction romance story in a pulp publication, before sci-fi really took off as a genre? Not me, but I backed this fundraiser, because: “Mary Faust, a brilliant scientist, has developed … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 39
Saker® Profile Gauge with Lock This looks like an ingenious tool that I will I had thought of. This Is How The Way You Read Impacts Your Memory And Productivity For some reason, we read complex information on physical paper slower than digital mediums, but we retain it better. How Instagram influencers can fake their … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 38
The Great Myths 9: Hypatia of Alexandria Though the topic interested me, I never bothered with Agora, since Hollywood would never get the history right. I don’t mind that when it’s a film based on history, but Agora was way over the line and took itself too seriously as something accurate. I don’t doubt some … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 37
5 Reasons Trump Is Right to Save Incandescent Light Bulbs I may like LED bulbs a little more, but they are likely to progress as a technology because of Trump’s revoking the standards. If the lower prices of incandescent bulbs aren’t a factor in competition, there’s no incentive for firms to figure out how to … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 36
This is who Disney hired to write the new “all female” Star Wars series. Here’s how to make a great Star Wars story: interesting characters with flaws and strengths, who change and learn things over the course of the film/series, crazy alien species and space creatures, flashy, acrobatic lightsaber duels, devious villains and undercover agents, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 34
The Minäverse is free on Kindle (for now) Internet friend and fellow author Jill Domschot put up her newest book on Amazon for free, until April 10. Also, my two books are always free over at Smashwords, but go get you some Minäverse first. Predator Helicopter Scene – Long Tall Sally It’s a movie, sure, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 33
Anberlin’s Adelaide in Sydney, Australia – May 5, 2019 “Sweet” and “wholesome” isn’t usually associated with rock and roll, but this is this the sweetest, most wholesome, thing I’ve seen at a rock show. Culdesac | Experience Someplace Better Interesting. Can’t Unsee Despite the name, it’s not a gross website, unless you consider design error … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 32
Design Is [Protopian] Feels a little too much like the UX discipline overreaching itself. UX designers tend to do that anyway, but this seems…extreme. I rarely find futurists compelling, because most of them simply get their predictions wrong. Some get it right, but only in the particulars, like when Kubrick predicted tablets in 2001. But … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 31
Scott Van Pelt Fired Back At ESPN Haters No cable and reading books all the time? Sounds like heaven to me. Sean Parker unloads on Facebook “exploiting” human weakness It’s not called Faceborg without a good reason. Vegetarian Men Are More Depressed – Are Steaks A Treatment? It might not be a bad idea, but … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 30
Jay DiNitto – LinkedIn Profile Don’t click that link—it’s broken. I took my deleted my profile since I saw no point in it. “Old Life In Your Way stuff” YouTube playlist I uploaded a bunch of old material from my old band, with varying production quality. The videos I play on are the “Skies Broke … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 29
Japanese-style public service ads in LA metro Cute, but it feels the novelty could wear off quick. The real reason why network ‘neutrality’ is impossible Interesting technical reasons why this idea is a nightmare. It will cause shortages of service, just like every other time bureaucrats try to make things “fair.” Twitter is done with … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 28
What Are Heuristics? A very brief but good overview: the “world violence” ratio the video mentions is a good example of the spotlight fallacy. But the unspoken conclusion is that heuristics are bad at knowing large scale phenomena because human beings qua human beings are bad at knowing large scale phenomena. When to Trust the … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 27
Jay at 40 I recently turned 40, so like all beautiful young women I took a bad selfie with no filters or edits. Enjoy. Over-40s most at risk in UK’s laziness epidemic, says PHE Speaking of middle age… Starbucks Invite-a-Friend Interstitial Attn: Starbucks. I think you’re okay. Your Sumatra K-Cups, brewed at 6 oz and served … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 26
Look at this downtrodden robot and rejoice at your human superiority (for now) The poor dear probably realized his epistemology was more limited than humans’. Guest Post by Yakov Merkin: The Dark Side of “Badass” Women Official YouTube Blog: An update on our commitment to fight terror content online Whenever an NGO with “dialogue” in … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 25
Warning: lots of music here. Spotify Sucks It does. Just let me hear the song, dude. Fleshkiller – Parallel Kingdom (Official Lyric Video) This is a welcome change to a lot of the Christian metal that’s been coming out lately. 70000TONS OF METAL – The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise This looks like a fun … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 24
I think Jill took it down (or it takes itself down after a while), but she mentioned me in one of her Periscope broadcasts. Thank ye! Top 10 Science Fiction Films of All Time Pretty good list. I personally would take Contact out—I like the movie but the tropey characterizations were almost unwatchable—and Prestige, since … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 23
The Great Chain of Linking, Part 2 Please welcome Graham to the world of curated link list creation on the Internet, as though there are no other places to find links such as these. Moist Meter: Wonder Woman The best review of Wonder Woman. Don’t watch it if you’re scared of bad words. The Truth … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 22
I get super irritated below. Periscope F*ck you, Periscope. I’m not creating a Twitter account just to access you. A shameless scalzification No one who Tweets out the phrase entirely unsubtly should be anywhere near G.K. Chesterton. Goodreads Blog Post: If Belle Were on Goodreads, She’d Probably Act a Lot Like Emma Watson No. Please, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 21
Shut Up About ‘Whitewashing’ in Ghost in the Shell 2017 Good idea, since “cultural appropriation” is usually a one-way criticism. I didn’t like the idea of Motoko played by an Anglo actress for different reasons, but the narrator makes a decent case against it. A related video. A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 20
Stop Saying “Whilst” “Stop Crying” subreddit – That link doesn’t go anywhere because the subreddit doesn’t exist. Someone needs to start it, though, kind of like the “I Am Very Smart” or “Le Wrong Generation” subreddits, to highlight all the people who comment on Facebook images or Youtube videos of overtly sentimental subject matter with … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 19
The Dull Men’s Club – I hope to be one someday. I may be well on my way. Spain Is without a National Government — And Spaniards Are Digging It Photo: The Primal Kitchen’s Coconut Cashew Bars – I got a free box. They’re good! tricot – “KABUKU TOUR 2016 FINAL at AKASAKA BLITZ” Trailer … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 18
Mind-Altering Quantum Experiment Shows Time Has Never Existed As We Think It Does – “You totally can’t trust anything about the universe, except the results of my experiment. Trust me! Science.” Study warns that science as we know it is evolving into something shoddy and unreliable – Bring back natural philosophy and engineering-as-research! How to … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 17
Feminism As Mental Illness – Jill throws down a gauntlet. And another one Reviewing Darkness 03 – Ed throws down a gauntlet, too: “So no one should be surprised if we suggest that the major flaw with Western Christian religion in all its forms is the insistence on subjecting faith to human reason.” The Christian … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 16
Authors Respond to Brexit on Twitter – I am shocked—shocked—that rich elitists would sympathize with soulless bureaucracies. Fit for a King singer faces backlash for comments on race – AKA: People are oversensitive sissies. Aristotle’s 2400 Year Old Tomb Found at Stagira – Found next to Plato’s Cave. Anyone? Yes? No? I’ll see myself out… … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 15
The Fall of Venezuela. Prepare Yourself Accordingly. – Surprise! A socialist nation turns into a sick, broke, starving, boiling-hot dystopia. What Are the Dreams of Blind People Like? FDA Claims the Power to Define Words What the Hell? – “The language you speak is the language you think, and the language can seriously hold you … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 14
Lots of music-based and tech stuff this time, and two Onion links. Am I getting jolly as I get older? 4 Sets of Identical Twins Pull Off NYC Subway Prank – Awkwardly pulled off, but great idea. Star Wars Main Theme – Single by Galactic Empire – Even the plates on the amps are translated! … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 13
Pitt Students Completely Melt Down After Visit From Conservative Writer – Behold, the next generation of industry leaders and politicians. There’s lots of stories like these, but this is in my own backyard—I can see the Cathedral of Learning if I look behind me at work. Phobialist doesn’t list “an irrational fear of a different … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 12
When Philosophy Lost Its Way – “Philosophy should never have been purified.” The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do (And What to Do About It) – Throw away your clothes. No food is healthy. Not even kale. – AKA: Everything causes cancer, everything prevents cancer. How the … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 11
Buon Natale! You Barely Make a Difference and It’s a Good Thing – Stop trying to fix the world Also, you are not advancing the kingdom – “There is no social agenda that has any relationship with the Kingdom of God.” The Metalhead Kids Are All Right How Progressives Stole Christian History – Progressivism is … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 10
The Real Reason We Need to Stop Trying to Protect Everyone’s Feelings Sic et Non, Souls and Pre-existence – I’m in the middle of reading Plato’s Phaedo, and the soul’s pre-existence was forefront. Instead of bumbling through a post about it, JT’s writing is much better. A classic formula for pi has been discovered hidden … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 9
It’s been a while since I did one of these! The Medieval Mind and the Modernist Error – You might be dumber than a 12th century French peasant who makes $2 a year. Academia’s Rejection of Diversity – AKA: A moral imperative for us, not for them. The Latest Evidence That Helmet Laws Don’t Help … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 8
I made a silly video of a polar bear “dancing” to a Meshuggah song. Ed links to an interesting article about the HTML5 canvas tag and a possible use/misuse to track client-side activity. We something of an ongoing discussion on how to resolve it (somewhat) with user-defined javascripting. Germany government might revert to typewriters for … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 7
“Nice” people might be immoral. Also, any casual observer of human nature already knew this. No need for a study. [HT: Jill] The cupcake bust. Easy credit = bubbles. As if this never happened over and over again in the past. How families lose a lot of money in a few generations. Your band does … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 6
It occurred to me recently that I still haven’t gotten sick since will before the past winter. See here for my “hacks,” though recently my vitamin intake has been sporadic. This isn’t really a Link of Possible Relevance proper, but more just unmitigated bragging. Hobby Lobby blah blah. It was an okay decision but arguments … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 5
Archie comics now has an openly gay character. Soon to come: the first character openly not caring about who other people doink. The economics of WALL-E. The site of Aristotle’s Lyceum is open to the public. I like grass-fed butter, and I like coffee, so… Math metal, lit’rally. Yet another “man up” post for Father’s … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 4
Michael Bay might direct the live action version of Neon Genesis Evangelion. There’s no supporting links on that page so I’m doubtful. Also, if it actually happens I will curse Bay’s name with my last breath. Why a boom in skyscraper constructions is a sign of economic downturn. This video will make a man out … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 3
The quintessential Enlightenment-nonsense song gets the comic treatment. A List Apart, instead of being a resource for UI/UX industry thought and trend, will soon be a platform for constant social-political hand-wringing, finger-wagging and other such compound-word descriptors. Such is the chosen way of all tech sub-industries, it seems. If you’re a man, you need to … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 2
Taking cold showers may be a good idea. Looking at net neutrality through the libertarian lens: “They are against regulation of the Internet, so they support ceding power to the government to…decide how and whether the Internet should be regulated.” Stefan Molyneux’s new, free ebook about atheism and agnosticism is out. His arguments about the … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 1