Tiger! Tiger! or The Stars My Destination is really an amazing read.

Not a coffee aficionado, being medically prohibited from much caffeine for a very long time. Now I find myself able to enjoy the equivalent of about a cup of coffee a day. I find some popular styles taste like poison. Starbucks tastes scorched to me. So I have no problem with the quick and easy instant solution.

Tea, on the other hand has been a useful and enjoyable beverage. So many beverages we call tea. I like the red (rooibos) for something different with a couple fingers of almond milk. Decaf green tea provably helps me sleep. Likely because of the L-theanine it contains. And now that I can do a bit of caffeine, genmaicha is pretty awesome in the day.

Having been without coffee and now allowed a bit again, I make the following observation; folks able to take advantage of the drug caffeine have a decided productivity advantage over those unable to use it. Don't take that boost for granted. You might not always have it.

Speaking of YouTube relaxation and sleep inducers, I'll often put on an Alan Watts lecture. This has to be one of the most recorded guys of his time. Must be 1000's of them. Well worth listening to while alert I'm sure, but I find I drift off pretty quickly if reclining.

And Clinton's campaign is certainly responding to this threat. Today, my social media feeds are blanketed with blurbs questioning Sanders participation in the civil rights movement and alleging he dodged military service.

Would certainly never buy a new car. It's an awful investment. If I lived in a decent city or even a walkable village, I might consider not having one at all. To my eye, Uber and it's ilk seem exploitative. Mostly residing in one boondock or another, we prefer to buy gently totalled autos at auction and have them patched up.

I dunno. Here's my favorite absurd perennial candidate:

Interesting if it bears out. Unfortunately it doesn't seem as though the actual study can be viewed - by me anyway.

As a formerly obese person who must devote not insignificant attention to remaining fit, I would like to see more research as to why it is such an uphill effort. Just look at the relapse rates. My body does physiologically want to be obese again.

As to why it might be more difficult now than in past decades... Could be microbiome related. If so microbiome transplants might help. If this proves to be a concrete phenomenon, I'm more inclined to believe it could have more to do with compositional changes to staple foods. Obesogenic compounds might also be a thing.

The bottom line is folks seem to be having a really tough time controlling their weight, losing weight and a positively terrible time keeping lost weight off. The health benefits alone have made it well worth it for me. But there is an investment of time and attention that is honestly out of step with the expectations of the general population. I don't believe most people understand what they are up against when they embark on a significant weight loss that they of course wish to be lasting.

I'm on Diaspora. It seems to be a hard sell to get other folks I know on board.

They even strip the bark from young trees here in winter. Lots more coyotes/hybrids here now too despite it being open season on them year round. And while not the primary problem, everyone I know has had collisions with deer here. There are just too many. They dart out of woods right into traffic. On country roads, attentive and slow driving with your hand on the horn can help. But they often cross busy highways with predictable results.

Thanks for the video! That's a cool glass crock she's using. I've never seen one with a water-lock made of glass. Ours is the german-style ceramic cylinder.

I've quit it for stretches. But here's the thing, we often live in really very remote locations. It maintains some simulacra of connection with friends and family. Which I suppose is also it's function for lots of other folks in more densely populated, but socially cocooned urban/suburban lifestyles.

As much as I hate to say it, it's tough to get along without it. It's unfortunately the most reliable means of contact for a lot of people I know.

Where is the more authentic and privacy enhanced fork of Facebook that I can talk my friends/colleagues into?

We've experimented a lot with various ferments. Usually chop up kimchee and kraut somewhat finer than this. Have not found the bag over the water-lock necessary. Nor the brine quite that concentrated. Probably a matter of taste.

Kim Davis and lots of other folks make me sometimes embarrassed to be from Kentucky. On the deer issue though... There are so many deer here (and I assume in Indiana state parks) and so few natural predators that they are a legitimate hazard to driving. If they were not subject to some population control, it is very likely large numbers would starve in winter. Which solution is more kind? And folks seem disinclined to reintroduce predators that would keep the exploding population in check without direct human intervention.

It really struck a chord with me. His whole catalog is pretty amazing. Cat's Cradle is probably the most cynically beautiful thing I've read.

Getting over some kind of viral crud this week. Back on exercise this morning.

Reading and getting caught up on some homework for a couple certs we're working on.

Dividing my time between too many projects it seems. Doing my best to stay in motion. Stay motivated. Without heroic measures, this region can empty your soul.

Certainly getting colder and less sunlit in these parts. Time to give a thought to shuffling off to fairer climes for sake of health in a couple months.

Our luck, we find some ambitious structure around some far sun. Phone them up. By the time we connect, the civ that built it is long gone and replaced by some opportunistic scavenger species who also spotted it. They've found ftl drives laying around or near-light drives and have lots of relativistic time on their pseudohands. These xenoconquistadors show up at our place with the How to Serve Man cookbook.

Or

FF a couple millennia and we may be the opportunists.

Children of Men. Soylent Green. Planet of the Apes (original). They Live.

Interesting. Any folks hereabouts using this service?

Bronca would reciprocate. She's a sweet girl.

One of those is the choice of least resistance.

Yep. Don't have much to add, but I see a real decline in optimism about the future. Even here in economically blasted Appalachia where you might figure folks are used to this sort of thing. Political ads are more rabid than ever to resonate with that sort of dissatisfaction. "Who can be blamed? Immigrants, minorities, slackers, socialists?"

Exercise. Especially challenging hikes in wilderness areas. This is easy because we live in a forest. It's like a meditation.

Face to face interaction with people. Because we choose to live in solitude the impact of interacting with others when the opportunity arises is striking.

Time with my dogs. When I question my sanity or wonder about the future of humanity, I play with my dogs.

I've had to give alcohol and most all of caffeine a miss for many years. They're no longer compatible with my health. I sort of miss them sometimes. I do partake of some decaf green tea for the theanine, which has a noticeable effect on mood and improves my quality of sleep. Proper sleep has a huge impact on mood and outlook.

Music/literature that moves me.

I understand Volkswagen has a job offer for you.

Great discussion. What I come to hubski.com for.

It has always been true. But at the rate which change is now progressing, I wonder if that adaptation and reeducation can keep up for the multitudes. And if the new jobs will provide a living wage. And yes, a huge number of people unemployed/underemployed disrupts the economy. But I wonder if a lot of businesses now can even afford to look beyond the profits of the next couple quarters. As I understand it, most of the job growth in the US is taking place in low-wage occupations. This may relate more or less to the tech issue. As you point out, corporate policies may be contingent on other factors.

Expected Appalachia to be generally lit up, but population density being comparatively low, there are just points here and there. And likely less complete data for communities under a certain size.

I have little experience with the "sharing economy". My perception from speaking with folks and the coverage I've read makes these schemes seem largely exploitative. I'd like to hear other viewpoints.

I have noticed lately that when using a tablet or phone, Wikipedia tries to shunt me to the download of an app. It's possible that lots of people, just trying to quickly look something up, are saying "screw it", rather than jump through the hoops.