Why is this? How has the United States become so saturated in slaughter?
There are, of course, many reasons, but three stand out, one of which is deep and longstanding and the others of more recent vintage. The deep reason lies in our competitive individualism. … The second reason is the decline of our ability to control events in the world. … The third reason is economic.
~ Todd May from, Is American Nonviolence Possible? – The New York Times
Elsewhere, this is 4unyia1. — slipbox
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Nyuunanshin roughly translated means having a “flexible, pliant, generous spirit.” It’s having an attitude of being open to one’s feelings, environment, and situation, and trying to adapt instead of trying to be like an unmoving, solid block of wood. It’s sort of a contrast to the notion of fudoshin (being immovable, like the implacable god Fudo-Myoo); but fudoshin concerns a spirit of facing adversity. Nyuunanshin is not so much about a combative mind as it is about being able to grasp or accept concepts in a learning environment. It’s not about being a pushover; you do have convictions. But you are flexible enough to look at all sides and then make a conclusion.
~ Wayne Muromoto from, 77. Nyuunanshin: Being “open” to your feelings – The Classic Budoka
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Is there any way to make genuine debates — sustained back-and-forth exchanges, meeting high intellectual standards but still widely accessible — part of our political culture? (I leave to historians the question of whether there are historical precedents— like the Webster-Hayne or Lincoln-Douglas debates.) Can we put our politicians in a situation where they cannot ignore challenges, where they must genuinely engage with one another in responsible discussion and not just repeat talking points?
~ Gary Gutting from, A Great Debate – The New York Times
Elsewhere, this is 4unyae1. — slipbox
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The Listserve is an e-mail lottery. One person a day wins a chance to write to the growing list of subscribers. (23,000+ when last I looked at the web site statistics.) So every day, you get one REALLY random email via The Listserve from someone, somewhere around the globe.
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In fact it is so difficult to argue against simplicity that this post won’t even attempt to. Let’s state emphatically that software should always do only what you need it to do, with the fewest number of steps, and least potential for errors due to complex choices and options.
On the other hand, good luck with that.
~ Steven Sinofsky from, Designing for scale and the tyranny of choice | Learning by Shipping
Elsewhere, this is 4ulede1. — slipbox
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I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking.
The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.
~ Carl Sagan
Elsewhere, this is 4a791. — slipbox
On 05/07/13 09:15, Michael Tiernan wrote:
> “What is the UDP three way handshake?” He said he was wondering how many people would catch the question’s trick.You send three UDP packets in three different directions, then shake the hand of the person next to you.
~ Robert Lanning from, «https://lists.lopsa.org/pipermail/discuss/2013-May/018116.html»
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What you’ve just said… is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
~ “Decathalon Judge” from, Billy Madison – Wikipedia
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1. A calm morning ritual
~ Leo Babauta from, The 7 Habits of Calmness – Zen Habits Website
2. Learn to watch your response
3. Don’t take things personally
4. Be grateful
5. Create stress coping habits
6. Single-task
7. Reduce noise
Elsewhere, this is 4uzeca1. — slipbox
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We can see that PPUE for most regions peaked around 2000. The big exceptions being Canada in 1992 and Europe and Africa in the mid 2000s. What this means for the majority of the world is that in little over ten years the average number of barrels of oil a single rig produces has almost halved. Put another way oil companies have had to double the number of rigs in operation just to maintain oil production at 2000 levels. This is the very definition of drilling faster just to stay still.
~ Andrew McKay from, Drilling Faster Just To Stay Still: A Proposal To Use ‘Production Per Unit Effort’ (PPUE) As An Indicator Of Peak Oil
Elsewhere, this is 4uteno1. — slipbox
One way to gauge the cost/effort of producing oil is via Production Per Unit Effort (PPUE).
“Peak oil” is not simply about the quantity of oil being produced; it is about the cost/effort of producing oil. For most of the history of petroleum production, the cost/effort was decreasing or steady. But now the cost/effort is increasing; That’s an inflection of the second derivative of the cost/effort versus production relationship.
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