epiphanatic » 2003» June

Posted on 06.25.03 by jstoner @ 11:43 am

I visited my friend Scott recently. As we were driving back from his place, he said, “I’ve never voted in any kind of election before, but I’m sure as hell going to vote in 2004.” Scott is fairly liberal, like me, and not happy with what he sees going on in Washington.

Scott is about thirty. He’s a young father. He and his wife bought a house in Evanston a little while ago. His daughter is two, and adorable. Scott is at that point where the bonds to the community become important; if you haven’t given up your youthful alienation and ignorance yet, you’re now forced to. It’s that moment in life when you wake up and realize “Hey, these are my problems.”

There is a distinction between legal voting age and effective voting age in American political culture. It’s the difference between when you could vote and when you actually bother to do so.

I remember growing up feeling politically alienated. I think my first political memory was Nixon’s resignation. And I really thought they were mostly crooks or irresponsible. Some were just ridiculous.

The first election I was old enough to vote in was 1988. I didn’t like either Bush or Dukakis. I was estranged by the bickering and negative campaigning. I didn’t respect the process enough to bother participating. I might have voted for Paul Simon had the Democrats had the sense to nominate him.

It’s funny the ways we find connection with society’s establishment. Maybe you buy a house, and now you worry about crime rates and property values. Maybe you have kids, and now you worry about schools. Maybe you fall into a community of people with certain political views, and a couple years later you find yourself passing out pamphlets on the street.

For me in part it was simple accomplishment, building something at work that mattered to some business, that helped them reduce costs or pursue opportunities they didn’t have before. Working inside “the system,” and actually seeing it work. And being heard and heeded by those around you, seeing your ideas and recommendations put into practice.

It makes you feel like you are a part of something, and even more that you are responsible for it. This is one experience I took away from the dot-com era. I wouldn’t call it a directly political experience. But it colored my experience of politics.

None or any of this this could be enough to get someone to pay attention to the campaigns, show up at the poll, and vote. I suppose that’s for the best: you want the people who choose to vote to take it seriously, whether or not you agree with their politics.

Filed under: politics--us
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in the grip of techno-lust

Posted on 06.21.03 by jstoner @ 11:41 pm

must… have… so… cool…

The Medtronic Mag Pro, used by an Autralian research neurologist, is used to selectively activate and supress different areas of the brain, to elicit savant-like capabilities, enhanced creativity and mathematical abilities among other things. Really really hard things like instantaneous recognition of large prime numbers. For the non-mathematicians, it’s a very difficult thing to do.

All of this is based on theories about autism and autisitc savants The article explains it well enough. Suffice it to say, maybe you really do only use ten per cent of your brain.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. I’m reminded of the science fiction of Ted Chiang, one of the better speculators about enhanced intelligence. His collection of short stories, Stories of your Life and Others is superb.

A personal note: I wonder if such a device could treat my dystonia, without brain surgery or drugs that render me unable to finish a sentence.

Filed under: science|technology
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Favorite 19th-century polysyllabic insults

Posted on 06.15.03 by jstoner @ 3:49 pm

Why do so many of the great old insults have three syllables? I think I need to grow a big handlebar moustache to use these:

Mountebank!
Scallywag!
Reprobate! (alternately “Old reprobate!” or even better “You old reprobate!”)
Charlatan!
Hooligan!
Miscreant!
Jezebel!

Of course the ever-popular Shakespearean Insult Server has some good ones. I like “Fustilarian!,” though I can’t find a definition anywhere. I think my favorite from that site is “Measle!” though it doesn’t have many syllables. I also like “Maggot-pie!” (well, I like the insult, not the pie), though I suppose it requires Shakespearean context to establish a literary tone.

There are some other fun ones, like “Carpetbagger!” and Rapscallion! If anyone has more, let me know.

Now, back to my fustilary pursuits…

Filed under: ha
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an amusing thought

Posted on 06.08.03 by jstoner @ 6:11 pm

Any purportedly comprehensive theory of human nature created by human beings must account for itself, its own formulation, and its own debate.

Filed under: ha
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a day with a racing tricycle

Posted on 06.08.03 by jstoner @ 3:29 pm

Got to do two things yesterday that I’ve wanted to do for years. I went to the Printer’s Row Book Fair, and I got to take a ride on a recumbent bike.

Printer’s Row was mostly a disappointment. I read a lot, but I’m not much of an idle browser. I’ll browse the bibliographies of books I already like, I’ll take the recommendations of friends I respect, but I don’t bother much with the disorganized stacks at used book stores. Which is what Printer’s Row amounted to. The author’s panels seemed mostly dry or boring. The presidential biography one wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have much use for the rest. I also ran into some old friends from high school, which was nice.

But I also got to take my buddy Todd’s Windcheetah racing tricycle out for a spin on the Chicago lakefront path. I want one!

It was perfect: a glorious spring day, mild temperatures and breezes, hangin’ out with friends. I only got it up to 22 miles an hour, but I was a little confused about the shitifng for the front chanrings, so I didn’t get it all the way up into top gear till we were almost home. Some notes:

Very comfortable. I hadn’t realized how much of the fatigue I experienced riding a wedgie (a regular bike) was just from discomfort;
Hard to break a sweat. I would definitely have to go pretty fast to make it a major part of my exercise routine. Which isn’t necesarily a bad thing;
Close to the ground. So you have all those clearance issues to deal with: bumps in the pavement, puddles, cracks. It’s all much more in-your-face than it is on a regular bike. Lucky Chicago is so flat;
Low to the ground. So you’re nearly invisible, which is bad in traffic. I think I’d want lots of flashing lights and probably a tall flag, at least for urban riding;
Three wheels. The stability is nice, not having to unclip your feet from the pedals to stop, and so forth. But it also means you’re actually concious of the tilt in the road surface. Not all recumbent bikes have three wheels. Odd that the lakefront path seems banked the wrong way on a lot of curves;
Touchy steering. I didn’t quite have enough time to get used to it in one day. This is particular to the model I was riding. This was another reason I didn’t get it up to top speed. I think I’d probably want something less touchy;
Hills are different. They’re a little harder to climb, because you can’t use your upper body. But lots of hills are the other side of a dip, so you climb them after you come down a previous incline. And because you lose less energy to wind resistance, your inertia caries you up farther;
Higher maintenance. Maybe it’s just that Todd is more attentive to such things than I am. But keeping such a long chain clean is more important on a recumbent;
More expensive. Getting a bent(recumbent) is one of those things to worry about after I get a freakin’ job. I think that the expense also adds to the maintenance issue. You’re naturally going to be fussier about a more expensive bike.

So there are some pluses and some minuses. But I’ve had a fascination with HPVs since reading about them in Omni magazine in eighth grade. Anyone remember Omni? I wonder whatever happened to it.

Anyway, really cool, fun ride. I want one, though I have plenty of food for thought before I get one. Not to mention plenty of money to make.

Filed under: bike
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I’m turning into George Costanza

Posted on 06.03.03 by jstoner @ 12:45 am

I had an interview last Friday. It seemed to go well. The elevator in the building was panelled with mirrors, and I got a good look at the back of my head on the way out. I began to note the ugly ways my life resembles George Costanza’s:

I’m losing my hair;
I’ve been unemployed for a while;
I’m single in my mid 30’s;
I live with my parents;
who often bicker.

I need a freakin’ job…

Filed under: life
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