Hey, WanderingEng - remember our deal from last week's Pubski? You said you wanted motivation, so I agreed to put my own flaws on display with something for this week. Here you go- a somewhat off-looking rose...
Oh crap, I have to be interesting for this? That's not good. I should start drawing again so I actually have something that's not boring. Lately I've just been extremely busy, to the point where I forgot my car's emissions inspection for a month. I only noticed it yesterday. Yikes.
This was offputting. It drips with disdain. I understand that he's trying to make a political point, but way to do that by being an arrogant tool to the entire state of South Dakota. The best compliment he can come up with in the whole thing is "It was as beautiful as any land I’ve ever seen". That's the compliment equivalent of "meh" while looking down your nose. I've been to South Dakota, and yeah, Mt. Rushmore is kind of strange. "The hubris of man" and all. But? Custer's a great little town, and it's an excellent base of operations to see the state. There's more than a freakin' Pizza Hut there. Try out Wall Drug. Custer SP is quite beautiful. There's Pipestone. There's Badlands. There's Teddy Roosevelt NP. South Dakota is a treasure trove of nature's wonders. Instead of appreciating any of this, our narrator tosses his backhanded compliment out and spills more words talking about the local fauna come begging to lick the salt off his car. Does he ever mention another human being outside of his family unit? Is he that self-absorbed? If I was to give Mr. Anderson some polite advice, I'd say: - Go on your trip in season, because things will be open. - If you want to actually see things, do some research and take some time to get out of your car and take a hike. - Put down your electronics, and please make your kids do the same. If they're unshackled from their screens for a while, they might actually look around them, and appreciate it. They should understand how fortunate they are to be able to go on such a trip to such a beautiful area of the country. If all they do is Snapchat, you've wasted all your money getting them there. - Check your preconceptions at the door and talk to people.
Alrighty. So we've established that organized religion in America is dying out, as it has in other Western states. I can't speak for Europe/Canada/etc., and I don't want to generalize that all religion is dying out (Islam is growing, in fact). This is a discussion on American faith because that's what I can speak on with a shred of authority. Before that, though, I want to clear something up about this article: It begins with this "none" category, then asserting that these people "ignore faith". If you look at the actual PRRI study that is being referenced, this category is actually "unaffiliated", which reads rather differently than "none", and changes the entire meaning of the study. Instead of, as Mr. Haught would like us to believe, people saying "to hell with religion", the study has this to say about the unaffiliated: So, the majority is saying "to hell with religion", but far from all are doing it. 18% are still religious and 22% say that religion is a force for good even if it's not personally important. That's 40% of the unaffiliated, with a positive view of religion. This is crucial information that Haught chooses to ignore, and in fact attempts to hide by calling them "nones" instead of unaffiliated. I'm not impressed. Now, with that out of the way, I can move on... That 18% of the unaffiliated is the first thing I'd like to discuss. These people have left organized religion, yes, but they are still religious. Perhaps because of disagreements with the church, revulsion at church conduct, or a belief that they can do it better on their own, they have opted for their own way of doing things. It's "unconventional" religion - unorganized, but religion nonetheless. The existence of this group, and of the 22% that still views religion favorably, indicates that religion is - at least in part - evolving, not dying. Belief systems rise and fall with time, and to declare a modern perma-death of religion ignores the lessons of the past in that regard. To claim that we live in the era of ultimate scientific rationality that spells the final end of barbaric religion is quite hubristic. My second argument is more opinionated, so feel free to take it or leave it. Humans have a basic drive towards religious faith. This is easily seen in the scores of religions that have independently developed all around the world throughout history. We have that desire for the presence and the reassurance of the omnipotent, to explain the things we don't understand and maybe to help us feel a little less lonely. Now, with science answering a number of the questions that we used to have and the world becoming smaller and smaller, it's become harder to accept the dusty words of ancient texts for a number of people (not nearly all, though) because of the sheer cognitive dissonance. So, if traditional religion isn't working for you, what do you do? How do you get your omnipotence fix? You worship what's around you. We deify other people. Look at somebody like Elon Musk. He's gonna do this, that and the other thing, and save humanity by sending us all to Mars yada yada yada. Never mind the fact that his company's finances are pretty much a nightmare, Tesla stock is a hot commodity. It's buoyed up by his cult of personality. People have faith in the power of the man that overcomes whatever negative feelings they may have from Tesla's performance. Steve Jobs was the same way. How many people worshipped him? How many Jobs movies, books, and documentaries have been churned out since his death? How many people still like wearing those black turtlenecks like they're some sort of priestly garment? My point is, ideating people like Jobs and Musk scratches the same itch that organized religion does, it gives that comfort of being in the presence of the omnipotent. It arises from the same motivations, from a channeling of devotional energy to the "unconventional". I would call it a religion of sorts, just not the kind that we're used to. I'd conjecture that the same argument can be made for technology in the surrogate role.Rejectionists, who account for the majority (58%) of all unaffiliated Americans, say religion is not personally important in their lives and believe religion as a whole does more harm than good in society. Apatheists, who make up 22% of the unaffiliated, say religion is not personally important to them, but believe it generally is more socially helpful than harmful. Unattached believers, who make up only 18% of the unaffiliated, say religion is important to them personally.
This is an interesting find, and a great example of evolution. If you take a look at the picture- -the feathers look almost hairy. Even though they're longer feathers, they don't have the same structure that long bird feathers do. You know how if you get a turkey feather all the barbs stick together and you can run your finger down the side, making a slot? These dino feathers don't have that particular feature- they're more like the down you'd find on a bird today. Reason being, having those barbs stick together (a la turkey feather) was a flight adaptation to make the feathers into lifting surfaces. Instead of going that route, dinos used feathers for body temperature regulation, which was their original purpose. Flight evolved separately, as the ancestors to today's birds flapped their limbs to propel them up steep inclines. Eventually, the feathers and body structures of those creatures were selected for enough to allow for actual flight.
- Get back in shape and run a seven minute mile like I used to do - Read more - Play the trombone - Be a kinder person than I was this year - Be happier with who I am
Hey Pubski, it's been a while. It's very rough few months, and I kind of holed up and ghosted the joint. But I'm feeling a bit better now, so I'm glad to be back. Have a nice day everybody.
My best guess is this from the Clevenger Bros. Glass Works in Clayton, New Jersey sometime after 1966. The company did a lot of mold blown reproductions (would explain the seam), and started putting a "CB" mark on their glass in '66. So, maybe is this is a reproduction of an earlier design, done by that company. https://www.glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks-2/ http://clevenger.sjerseyglass.com/ Edit: by the way, rosemary oil is indeed one of those things that people like to use as a natural remedy. A right cure-all, if the exceedingly reliable internet is to be believed...
Godspeed to a war hero, a space pioneer, and a senator.We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.
The Electric Guilt Machine Soul Harvest Fiery Appliance The Strangeloves
I used to do it quite a bit, but the time is harder to find now. It is very soothing though. Tell you what, let's both draw something and post it up in next week's pubski. Deal?
But that album is great though.
Pubski today. I'm no social or psychological genius, so I just sincerely hope that you get a cathartic conclusion. As a guy, I'll take it as a lesson in self-awareness. Best wishes.
This "religion is dying" sentiment is pretty common, but I don't agree with it. Religion as a whole is evolving, not dying. People are simply choosing to direct their devotional energy to other outlets than the conventional.
Congrats! That's great.
I'm trying to find the time to finish Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson at some point. After that, I plan to move on to the Wheel of Time series. Maybe once I finish with that the next Game of Thrones book will have come out... I've also recently picked up beginner's books in Russian, French, and Python (the programming language, I'm not gonna speak snake) and would like to delve into them; again, when the time presents itself.
Been a busy week for me, so I wasn't able to read Neutron Star (might post my thoughts in a few days); but since I'm already familiar with The Machine Stops, here's a contribution: I first encountered this story in a 50 cent paperback compilation from the early 60s called 17X Infinity. Even then, this story was considered to be old. Here's the editor's notes from that paperback: Mr. Forster wrote the editor on February 10, 1962, concerning the origins of the story: "I have not the least recollection of what set it going, but it was a protest against one of the earlier heavens of H.G. Wells. It was variously judged and on the whole unfavourably. I remember reading it to a few friends, and the sole comment was 'Too long.' " The story was first published, according to Mr. Forster, "in a long-defunct and brief-lived periodical, The Oxford and Cambridge Review." It must give the author a grimly ironic feeling, now, almost fifty-five years later, to read of plans for building underground cities against atomic attack. That was one invention he did not predict: the nuclear bomb. I absolutely love this story for its predictions, because we can really see their reflections in the world today. We're increasingly glued to our own screens and isolating each other physically or through body language, tapping at keyboards and getting most of our entertainment through the internet in a way that the editor of 17X probably wouldn't be able to predict himself in 1962. We do this through computers and phones that many people see as "magic boxes" that they can't repair themselves. We "lecture" each other, either through a vlog on YouTube or simply by typing up posts like this. There's a diagnosible condition, agoraphobia, for the fear of the outdoors. With the impending effects of climate change, even the respirators don't seem that far off. I do think the appeal comes from the way it's aged; read at the time, I'd understand why it would get bad reviews. It's a fairly boring ramble in that context I'd imagine. However, as its predictions have come true, its commentary on human nature becomes more relevant- and that's why it's interesting. Are we as a species really so predictable that it was possible to visualize so relatively accurately what we'd be like in the future? Given the negativity of the prediction, should that disturb us at all?This story was written in 1909- the year that the Wright brothers formed their first corporation to manufacture "airships," and the year that the first radio "S-O-S" was ever sent- by Jack Binns, when his ship, the S.S. Republic, collided with the S.S. Florida. There were no hints of modern television, cybernetics, push-button living, intercommunication systems or fallout shelters. None of these bits of paraphernalia of the modern Machine that Forster imagines were in existence in those verdant days. Remember all this as you read this vision of the future by a thoughtful philosopher and one of the greatest prose stylists of our time.
It's a shame there's not much of a chance of life under there. At the very least, this sounds like a good location for a colony to go up.
I'm thankful for my old friends, who I just got to see for the first time in months. I'm also thankful that I just found Hubski. Y'all seem really nice and I'm looking forward to chewing the fat.
I'm really impressed by this, and by how multi-talented you are in general. It's inspirational. You really do deserve all the praise you get. Just out of curiosity, how did you choose the album art?
Really cool! It must be super satisfying to get results out of a project like this. I claim to love cars, but I wouldn't know the first thing about what to do about fixing one. I don't know how I would go about accumulating any experience.
For Pete's sake, maybe people aren't getting licenses because they're using other options. It's not like younger people enjoy living in cities where there's public transportation or something. This article is a desert for critical thinking.
Awful for us maybe. Mars is Mars.
That's an impressive amount of work. Since I'm a clueless noob, do you mind if I ask what project you're working on up in the frozen north? Sounds like a fairly epic undertaking.
Thanks a bunch, I'm happy to be here.
I can't hear that Redbone song without thinking of Guardians of the Galaxy now. The Witch Queen of New Orleans is another good one by them.
I used to be on Voat, and really liked it at first. After some of the mass exoduses (exodi?) from Reddit it started going downhill and I don't even recognize the community anymore. It's sad.
Outcast and The Walking Dead. I'm a Kirkman comic fan.
Yeah, I know a few other people who took the opportunity to get in at that point as well. Because of money constraints I really only get titles in the Batman sphere (Nightwing, Batgirl, Batman et. al.), and I've usually been happy. Batman especially. The Court of Owls arc way back in the beginning of New 52 was great. I also get titles from Image, Titan and Marvel. Of those, Outcast is probably my favorite right now.
Honestly, New 52 is when I jumped in so I can't really make a comparison to past continuity. All I can say is that I've generally been pretty pleased with how they've handled things. There have been some excellent story arcs, IMHO. One thing that did happen to Detective Comics recently is they reverted to the old pre-New 52 numbering system (I think they did it for Action Comics too). When New 52 happened they reset all the issue numbers back to 1, and that made some collectors unhappy because they wanted "Issue 1000". Eventually DC decided to go back to the old numbering system for a few titles, so the numbers jumped from Issue 52 to Issue 900-something after a recent storyline event.