The Fever Of Phineas -- O hai, a Six of Racer 5 is Awesome! Thanks!

Ouch April 28, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Irrelevant, Outdoors/Travel , add a comment

That 6 mile hike, 2000 elevation gain along steep gravelly trails around Mt Diablo (Eagle Peak) that I took yesterday today has me questioning the wisdom of my new standup desk configuration.

Bitterness April 16, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : End Of The World, Irrelevant, Lies, Political/Editorial , add a comment

OK, at the risk of participating in the echo chamber of non-issues, I’ll enter the guns/religion/bitter/elitist fray to make one small remark.

The second amendment provides the right of the people to bear arms. People who own and use guns do so thanks to this amendment. People who feel very strongly about often argue that this right is to protect them against the government among other threats. People who make such arguments generally do not think well of the government if they feel the need to defend themselves against it with weapons.

So to suggest such people are bitter about the failure of government and as a response cling to weapons is not elitist, but is perfectly in line with this very same line of reasoning that some gun owners themselves make, none of whom are ever accused of being “elitist”.

Racer 5 April 13, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Alcohol, Info, Irrelevant, Lies, Timewaster , 1 comment so far

O hai.

A six of Racer 5 is awesome!

Thanks!

Quotes April 6, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Irrelevant , add a comment

People place quotes from other people on their email templates. They put quotes on bumper stickers. Authors sometimes place quotes at the beginning of a poem or a chapter, to prepare the reader for the upcoming themes. It’s neat to learn what famous people have previously said. Einstein said, “God does not play dice.” Neat.

The problem with quotes is that they are removed from context. In removing them from the original context, the suggestion is that the person attributed said this thing. That this thing actually represents their position, their opinion, their belief system. It’s a timeless characterization of that person. It’s an assertion. That that person is endorsing whatever position you are using it to represent on your own behalf.

Some quotes are not really quotes. I’m reminded of something Jimi Hendrix once said. He said, “Scuse me, while I kiss the sky.” Oh he said that did he? He authored it, but he did not “say” it, any more than Shakespeare “said” “Et tu, Brutus?” That kind of quote is the weakest, lamest, most dishonest kind of quote there is. It is also very likely the most ubiquitous. Did Einstein actually “say” “God does not play dice”? Or was that line part of a larger exposition towards a specific point made in specific phase of a debate? He’s not telling you that God does not play dice.

Some people list quotations. Some people think having a web page listing lots of quotes is something. They believe that they have compiled actual knowledge or wisdom. They have not. It’s not something. It’s nothing at all.

News magazines do a really annoying thing. They have a page where they show you the quote in bold, then in italics, have this little paragraph explaining the context. It’s a strange way of reading. It’s like telling a punch line of a joke, then telling the setup. Why not reverse the order? On this day in this setting this person said this thing? Why be so cute about it?

I conclude with a quote from a great author people love to quote, Kurt Vonnegut.

“Some people are assholes.” — Kurt Vonnegut*

*I don’t know the source, but I’m sure he must have said it on more than one occassion.

Stuff Some People Like April 2, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Irrelevant , 1 comment so far

I won’t go so far as to say I “hate” Stuff White People Like.
And that’s saying something cause I hate just about everything, especially if it’s a website.

But I find it rather weak and unfunny. It supposedly skewers a class of people not used to being viewed or treated as a class. However, it’s overly reliant on a single concept, pivoting on that single word “white”. Obviously, simple math tells us that not all white people like all of these things, many white people dislike many of these things; many non-white people do like some of these things; and not all non-white people like many of these things.

Therefore a more accurate wording would be “Stuff some people like.” Just swapping that single word out instantly deflates the humor of the site.

Here’s a simple aid to that end:

Stuff Some People Like

Château Briot Bordeaux 2005 March 25, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Alcohol, Irrelevant , add a comment

Wine Spectator | Editors Picks | Daily Wine Picks | Under $15 | Château Briot Bordeaux 2005

Mmmm, “lead pencil aromas”. For those with a pica-influenced palate, such as myself…

The Thrill Of It All March 22, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Film, Irrelevant, Music , add a comment

I’m enjoying the heck out of the Roxy Music DVD “Thrill of It All: A Visual History 1972-1982″

I read about it in The New Yorker and don’t have a whole lot to add to that. But it’s just beautiful. I love Eno’s various machines, hairstyles and blouses. I also enjoy how incongruous the low-tech video production quality is juxtaposed with these energetic, brilliant, outrageous musical compositions and performances. The songs all rock. Plus I think Bryan Ferry is flirting with me.

Wottled Butter March 21, 2008

Posted by Phineas in : Environment, Irrelevant, Lies, Political/Editorial , 1 comment so far

Just another unnecessary untimely and incorrect rant on the bottled water controversy. I may be writing this because I feel compelled to defend myself. The problems with bottled water are many. So let’s identify a couple main ones:

bottled water is expensive
production of bottled water is environmentally damaging in terms of energy to produce and the waste byproduct of the bottles, even though they are “recyclable”
much bottled water marketing is deceptive in appealing to perceptions that it tastes better or is healthier than tap
people who drink bottled water are therefore dupes who foolishly believe bottled water is different than tap; and, paradoxically, selfish litterbugs unconcerned with the damage their lifestyle causes the environment.

There are more objections but I think those are the main ones which you see restated in one form or another.

I agree with all of them in principle. Things that are too expensive compared to cheaper things of equal quality suck big time - agreed. Things that have horrific and entirely avoidable environmental damage way do suck. Marketing which is fraudulent or deceptive can go off and suck for all I care. Selfish dupes are such dicks.

But I’m here to say, but on the other hand… just cause I’m ornery. On the other hand, every single statement above could be said of many other things. Butter is more expensive than gasoline, that does not make the dairy industry criminal. Lying marketing scams occur in every retail sector. Waste is inherent in consumer life. It’s bad, it’s all bad.

But I think it goes way too far to claim that people who drink bottled water are fooled, duped, and somehow the same as bird-flipping Hummer drivers. I know for a fact, as much as I know anything for a fact, that the bottled water I buy (San Pellegrino, Aqcua Ferrarelle, Perrier) is NOT bottled at the local Podunk municipal water source. Perhaps worse than that, it’s imported all the way from Europe. I know for a fact that it tastes better and is healthier than what comes out out of the many tap sources I pass buy in the course of my day (the tap from the BART station bathroom? No thanks!). I do drink tap water at home, as well as expensive bottled water. When I stay in hotels I usually drink their tap water. But there are lots of places in between whose taps I won’t trust, so I’ll carry my own. I do bottle my own from my tap, but I’m not going to dehydrate if I run out. I’ll not hesitate to buy a bottle at the convenience store.

There’s plainly a difference between crappy bottle water marketed by liars, and good bottled water not marketed by liars. I just hate blanket generalizations, and I hate moral posturing. I am certainly guilty of it myself (fuck Hummers and the arrogant assholes who drive them!). I recognize that spending a lot of money for water is unsustainable — most people cannot afford it, so that’s a bit of a clue of how out of whack things are. Water is like air and should be cheap and available to all. The evil in question is not necessarily perpetrated by the consumers (although consumers can have a huge impact on the industry).

What would you say if the bottling of water could be done much more efficiently? And the recycling of the bottles were 100% effective (no landfill)? And all liars were marched off to Liar’s Island, so only truthtellers remained. Then would it be OK to drink bottled water? What if municipal water supplies could improve to produce much higher quality of water? Just saying bottled water is the same as tap is not quite the same thing as saying tap water is the very best that water can be. Even then different kinds of water have different qualities. It’s the same as wine or air or butter. It’s not all exactly the same. Sometimes I like a sparkling water, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I like mineral water and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I feel like a nut. How will these pleasures be satisfied if we’re not allowed to bottle the different varieties of water? I totally recognize how elitist that sounds, but again, it’s absolutely no more true of bottled water than it is of wine. Wine could be delivered to local innkeepers in barrels and only served from there, eliminating the bottling of wine. Maybe the difference between bottled wine and bottled water is scale. You could just drive to a nearby farm and have the butter dumped into your reusable tupperware container instead of buying it at the supermarket. Etc.

My main gripe is really the confusion between the problems of the industry and the consumers who participate in it. If there’s cynicism, deceit, waste in the industry, is it really necessary to demonize the consumer? Isn’t it possible all those statements about the industry per se are true, yet a given consumer could still be making an informed, ethical choice? I feel the same way about cigarette smoking. I am so glad we finally purged that horrible habit from mainstream public space. I am glad we have exposed the cynicism and corruption of cigarette manufacturers and the lobbyists who helped them profit by killing their customers. That said, I sometimes enjoy a cigarette. It’s still possible in spite of everything we know about tobacco, nicotine, and the tobacco industry, that a given individual is making an informed, ethical choice when they smoke. These two things are not incompatible.

How about everything in moderation, (except no Hummers)?