tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91329439591276713702024-03-17T23:04:06.208-04:00Goodness First!a mindful journey toward a better realityBrian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-9202070600687697902024-03-13T11:14:00.001-04:002024-03-13T11:14:42.554-04:00States of Change Chapter 38: Centennial (Colorado)<p> </p><p><br /></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> </i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5emA8iWys63hTJoZungojk3m56JK6rY9YhcUOLbmvJFW8jGCKs7wm55Iae25goC9RKNdvdgO3fSfooE8b5QNAygYFpDk-0KuMvFz5k0WDMk0x2Nv0akVVmefrXp9x8HVzzy98BGf-bKpHho3Lx_7-8U2czefYn3v9lBoxkXvSfv_0ynlZKcMhazqWiM/s1176/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1176" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5emA8iWys63hTJoZungojk3m56JK6rY9YhcUOLbmvJFW8jGCKs7wm55Iae25goC9RKNdvdgO3fSfooE8b5QNAygYFpDk-0KuMvFz5k0WDMk0x2Nv0akVVmefrXp9x8HVzzy98BGf-bKpHho3Lx_7-8U2czefYn3v9lBoxkXvSfv_0ynlZKcMhazqWiM/w640-h396/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Clear skies, rocky trails, and a good friend, what else in life do you need!"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Ten minutes to take a break. Whew, Bierstadt may be the shortest fourteener in Colorado, but it really kicked my ass."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"You just need to get out more, Flow. The climbing group is doing a double summit next week to celebrate Centennial Day, if you want to join in."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Maybe, Pecka, but I just want lay back on this boulder and take in the moment right now, okay."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Sure. Want a date roll? Made 'em myself"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"I'm good. Maybe later. Damn, the view is nice up here. I know the toughness of the trail is supposed to enhance it at some level, still the VR stream version was just as scenic."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Really, I can't see how the experience could even be close. You got to let your whole body feel the world around you. VR has turned everyone into screen junkies. I don't regret one bit cutting the vamp cord, seven years and counting."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Not everyone can make an IRL living, ya know. Frankly, I don't know how you scrape gardening and doing errands with only a pedal bike for transport."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"I do just fine. Every day more commerce is returning to grass roots neighbor labor. AI wrangling in your Augment seems like a true waste of time to me. Is there really any reason to tune out of reality? Life is too short as is."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"I get your drift, but without VR, I would have missed the Antarctic Eclipse back in January. What an incredible experience, and next week the Europa landing will be cast live, even if it is in old-school 4K-360. We humans can't be everywhere all at once, so why not let tech bring it to us...like you said, to make our all too short lives better?"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, maybe because it takes you out of real world life for one. The point of seeing an eclipse live, maybe once in a lifetime is that it is rare. My grandma said the one back in 2024 was phenomenal, corona aglow above Austin, flocks of birds stirred by the sudden darkness, people by the droves gathered in a mini mayhem of shared living. Now if I dialed up a throw-back sim to watch it myself that would just ruin the gestalt of the experience and whispered memory that is mine."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"C'mon Pecka, you read your epic novels, even if they are tree-books. A story is a story, printed or cast in interactive VR, doesn't matter, it engages the mind in an experience of imagination. It provides an escape from the mundane, no matter how briefly. It makes life worth living."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Really, you're comparing your Antarctic video games to the depth of Jane Austen's writing?"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Why not? Your novel is just language tech casting the vision of someone else into your evolved imagination goggles. Our ancient hominid ancestors would have thought a written story as much devil's work as the modern Christian Scientists, shunning all tech"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, the ChriSci crowd is a bit bonkers leaning on their prayers instead of modern medicine, especially when their children are at stake...how any are still around trumps my senses. Still, virtual spaces seem like..."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">A handful of dusty pebbles rains down upon Pecka.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"..hey, what the funk?"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Sorry, grandad told me whenever a real world Voldemort is named, you should throw something at the person who dared mentioned them."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"You jerk," Pecka laughs while picking up a handful of the summit scree.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Now wait, wait," Flow laughs while standing. "I spoke no evil. Don't turn this into World War IV!"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Pecka throws the stones up high showering them both with the earthen grit.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well then I guess nuclear winter will be countering climate change today," she chuckles. "Ok, c'mon let's check out the north side of the summit. I thought I saw a snow drift over that way. Maybe a Middle Earth tale is waiting for us there."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Sounds good."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Shouldering their day packs they head down the from the summit via a side trail to explore.</div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-54370299596762552082024-03-07T10:30:00.001-05:002024-03-07T10:30:49.536-05:00States of Change Chapter 37: Cornhusker (Nebraska)<p> </p><p><br /></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> </i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZYQFm2_LcAB2pEeJHHt2A6HudTWHVgOGBE_WSLPoythxYptbS1KRX7C6vPM9SGaWTO1MRxAZwp3vO2mh56Xga2eXs_oHLZyzoB3YNtRwjHiYfMDrO7lPWnwP7bX98Jovyv_p0qBzvmM6TV2kJnppKWoQkXpt7LFSXATnYNz5GHBgDCTZq3baZliNLEk/s1800/new-flag-of-nebraska.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1800" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZYQFm2_LcAB2pEeJHHt2A6HudTWHVgOGBE_WSLPoythxYptbS1KRX7C6vPM9SGaWTO1MRxAZwp3vO2mh56Xga2eXs_oHLZyzoB3YNtRwjHiYfMDrO7lPWnwP7bX98Jovyv_p0qBzvmM6TV2kJnppKWoQkXpt7LFSXATnYNz5GHBgDCTZq3baZliNLEk/w640-h432/new-flag-of-nebraska.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font><i>"Celebrate Nebraska! We have proudly maintained a vibrant two-million person society for the past thirty years. With the latest genetic science we have leveraged corn agriculture into the sustaining core of our economy. Nebraska's wide variety of corn hybrids have been engineered to meet 100% of human nutritional needs at the highest level of quality and ethical standards. Our public domain corn varieties can also be 3-d printed into any of hundreds of traditional, comfort-foods in every ethnic cuisine. Remarkably, 90% of Nebraska's manufacturing and construction needs also come from the corn production. When you think..."</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font>"Ok, I'll stop the adcast there for now. Given our current topic of effective promotional strategies, who can point out the good and bad aspects of this Nebraska recruitment spot. Juanita?"</font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, from at the start the clip features a welcoming note of positivity. Any prospective Nebraskan will get a serotonin charge out of that. On the flip side, the anti-influencer extremists will say it's psychological priming. Nevertheless, the content that follows seems to have enough meat to it that most scientific skeptics will tolerate the persuasive rhetoric."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"That's a good initial take. Svetlana, what say you?" </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, I find it ironic to call the core points anything akin to 'meat.' Since the State has banned animal husbandry now for more than a decade, young people will completely miss the fascist leaning implications of the claims. Anyone our age or older knows how the real story of how our liberty to farm with true innovation was taken away by the fear-mongering legislature during The Great Inflection."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Point taken, though you might consider you're in a public university now, and no one is hampering your right to challenge ideas. Vincenzo, what do you think?"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, as I'm on my last year of the science track here and it's been made quite apparent that ethical communication is a gray space. We need to be better story tellers both in our white paper summaries and in public facing infomatics. I think this cast strikes a good balance so far. The embedded references in the shownotes are solid wikilink sources, though I might have folied in some gentle breeze and flowing stream sounds to underscore Nebraska's high air and water quality."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"An astute observation. Volde, what's your take?"</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Well, um, as he, I mean, they point out. Sorry Vince. I guess there is some balance. The avoidance of using terms like processed, GMO and organic, at least so far in the cast is a warning sign for me. I'm sure the wikilinks provide more thorough information, but I'm sure this will come across as green-washed propaganda to many prospective newcomers."</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Ok, lots of worthy comments. Your assignment for tomorrow is to compose your own two minute cast on Nebraska infrastructure with references. Use generative AI only as a final polish. Remember, you'll be presenting your work by zoom in random Nebraska townhall meeting simulations. And at the end of the month we'll conference with the Nebraska Immigration Committee to aggregate the best ideas and cautionary feedback. "</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-70276277062914163072024-02-29T11:52:00.004-05:002024-02-29T11:53:09.059-05:00States of Change Chapter 36: Silver (Nevada)<p> </p><p><br /></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> </i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div><font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgood6deAcE2gpAlB5vYuwCMQQXRJTTwGlbz5m9us5_MIgrZG8mN3edDK9TeNTVtNQtnhBdffAqI3OBZ8ZQ7uAONUCRwfXSCM3zR_mZnhC2qqGRzNaVraD-HO1TX7kuacOnDJAhG-qcXzwIISwcbxCTpPfpSMcUs04lGX_RT2y0NtFAUO5tcsvhgv_VZcU/s318/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgood6deAcE2gpAlB5vYuwCMQQXRJTTwGlbz5m9us5_MIgrZG8mN3edDK9TeNTVtNQtnhBdffAqI3OBZ8ZQ7uAONUCRwfXSCM3zR_mZnhC2qqGRzNaVraD-HO1TX7kuacOnDJAhG-qcXzwIISwcbxCTpPfpSMcUs04lGX_RT2y0NtFAUO5tcsvhgv_VZcU/w640-h320/images.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"It's all about economics, Bitty. I don't care if you're talking a sustainable network of towns, pre or post Oosa. Wilderness or garden, there is always a system of reckoning. It's the natural order of things and it must be managed."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"I'm not denying natural laws, Adam. That's science. But culture adapts by allowing humans to build upon natural laws. There are no morals inherent in the universe, no absolute ethical stance. Maybe Oosa's founders believed in deistic mores, but modern humans understand we define the ethical landscape."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"So are you saying there is no such thing as good and evil? I thought you were a believer...not in the biblical trash, but in the goodness of humankind. Compassion, good works guided by the best evidenced solutions and all that."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Of course, I'm a supporter of compassionate good works, but it's not a feature of the natural laws nor can it be simulated sufficiently. Doing what's right is defined by society IRL, which is why it can go so wrong if the we don't pay attention to the means AND the ends. A healthy life, healthy society and a healthy world are the worthiest of goals, but only if we, real humans, put good effort into mechanisms that seek to achieve it."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Exactly, which is why I don't see your position in voting against Silver Thirty-six for governor. This AI system is the most capable mechanism for managing our state's resources at all levels, financial, social, biological. Why are you so resistant to the most effective path to all the healthy goals you say you want to pursue?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Adam, I'm not against AI so long as it is air-gapped. AI is a tool that humans can use to model solutions and implement in an iterative fashion. If we give governing power to an AI then we're cutting out societal safeguards."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Humans can get in the way, sometimes. You know what happened before the Inflection Point. Good ol' Oosa split at the seams because of the quote societal safeguards endquote."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"A fucking AI caused the Inflection Point, idiot. The American institution was just in the middle of self-correcting at the time. Sure, it might have been a decade or two of tough times, but because of Hawaii the healing path was totally disrupted, and now we're stuck like prisoners in these post Oosa states like rats in a maze."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"C'mon Bitty. Silver is a completely different AI system...you know that. It was nurtured for decades, factoring in time compression, to incorporate human values into its algorithms. And it outperformed 99% of humans on the Theresa scale. Aren't you just being an AI bigot by withholding support for Silver? Nevada's future is at stake and your refusal to endorse our candidate could help the fascist opposition eke out a win."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"For the record naming the the effective altruism scale after Mother Theresa is ironic at best. Adam, you can tout Silver's credentials all day, but I am fearful even with the buffer of human staff around it that we are setting bad precedent by letting an AIs take on leadership roles, let alone the governorship."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"You know we have three legislators, a dozen judges, and numerous project leads in government that are essentially air-gapped AI's. This isn't precedent, it's follow through, and like you said society evolves to become more ethical. This is the next step."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"I did not say society evolves. It adapts. But only with human effort and oversight. Ok, Adam I'll provide an endorsement emphasizing the air-gapped staffing. Reality knows if we don't counter the corporations and non-profits with sufficient governmental algorithms, we'll lose political homeostasis...or worse the fascist patriots will succeed in their anarchic power grab."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Thanks, Bitty."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"No thank you's please. This is what real politics is. Compromise to get good works done. Anyway Adam, my assistant Vera Eight has five other lobbyist avatars on hold. She'll forward the block-chained endorsement blurbs to your primary by CoB. Video, audio and text, of course, and we'll throw in a dozen approved memes for the S&M crowd."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Sounds great. Adam Twenty-three, designated primary aide construct of Progressive Party Chairman Riata Sanchez, signing off."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;">"Give my best to Ria. Ciao!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></font></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-9269198036202545302024-01-24T11:51:00.005-05:002024-01-27T09:08:20.515-05:00An Adage a Day...<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh-zqPNjenK5pM4QyCBM65SJiN--bOZaTkP2LbkEM-Vu_LK2mWzBsvaUMo5y4CM8iAnGjhOQvkKhwRKUiBPlE2JzKj6Jmro-kDQcZBjrsyWlzYmD5vfwNJwS0LDfp3XUR-elNnVcX1kGAdeZIBAV1LD9wmrm0exQTP063BZUGtbP0jyw9ImbyywSFY5jg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="599" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh-zqPNjenK5pM4QyCBM65SJiN--bOZaTkP2LbkEM-Vu_LK2mWzBsvaUMo5y4CM8iAnGjhOQvkKhwRKUiBPlE2JzKj6Jmro-kDQcZBjrsyWlzYmD5vfwNJwS0LDfp3XUR-elNnVcX1kGAdeZIBAV1LD9wmrm0exQTP063BZUGtbP0jyw9ImbyywSFY5jg=w640-h470" width="640" /></a></div><br />Language is powerful. Even if the thought isn't original, it can convey ideas across space, time and minds. </div><div><br /></div>"I stand on the shoulders of giants."<div><br /></div><div>Sharing a pithy adage can get reshared across centuries to teach a joyful lesson that is independent of the person who said it, real or fictional. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Love thy neighbor."</div><div><br /></div><div>An adage can also be forged of tribal hate and violence while being disguised as strength and loyalty.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Make America great again."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, curious minds have the potential to examine the world and create good outcomes.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>"Life is problems. Living is solving problems." </div><div><br /></div><div>Find your bedrock adage and build upon it, making it higher, more beautiful, and hand it off to the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Be good for goodness' sake."</div><div><br /><br />
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<br /></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-10928763140574886512024-01-19T12:43:00.005-05:002024-01-19T12:43:57.387-05:00States of Change: Prologue<div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><i>WALDEN 6.71 active...</i></p><p><i>WALDEN, on my mark, scrape the global dataset this side of nominal paywalls. Aggregate the inherent scientific, political and everyday challenges facing humans and humanity. Hmm, modify that to include not just humanity but also the planet as a whole, its environment, extant species, and intrinsic beauty.</i></p><div dir="auto"><i>Compile an interesting anthology of tales blending American culture into a consistent, honest and progressive serial narrative. Render the story-line state by state with speculative nuance in a world fifty years from now--no make that in the year 2076 to accentuate the country's prospective tricentennial. Create unique, standalone stories that showcase the wounds, treatments and healing of society and environment that might lead to a healthier world full of more mindful humans.</i></div><div dir="auto"><i><br /></i></div><div dir="auto"><i>Oh, and invoke the writing style of a curious cis-white man who has mostly escaped his conservative, religious upbringing and has discovered the wonder of science, sentientism, and also has a love-hate relationship with space-opera and dystopian futures. Let the final output be rendered with a little roughness to it, so it has the true-grit feel of someone who grew up on the cusp of digital era.</i></div><div dir="auto"><i><br /></i></div><i>Ok WALDEN, execute.</i><div><br /><div>PROCESSING</div><div><br /></div><div>Sir, the novella is complete. Redrafted seventy times. File attached and block-chain registered. Per your standard directive its been submitted electronically for paid publication assessment. Two hundred and five (likely AI) rejection letters received. Ninety-seven are response pending or defunct server addresses. Seventeen confirm the story is queued for human review. Five independent publishers request AI negotiation immediately, four only if all rights to renumeration are waived for twenty years. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thanks WALDEN. Initiate negotiation with the final publisher. Meanwhile, queue up the story-line for posting on my blog, chapter by chapter for soft-publication pending my editing and approval.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sir, I suggest adding this preamble to the serialized story with a reimagined flag of each state, of similar kind to the modified US flag I've appended here.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxrGHKlhiVNEiekcTSF5qzq0lzLA6a2yreqRHYq9HlxLkI-88fDqa0h9ksgvl1CdO6sLnPNJ4KhsMcH67I03TvEMCiRkurZqt1DMlqb_RRcj5c7zqJueuYpfS3RjOWdqCKf_zfevihfT8LPIjxYmiuXDI9eA1ahIwatgyXW7A8JaZumN_3nfBIlCr/s2048/22FlagsStills-02-superJumbo.jpg" style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="2048" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxrGHKlhiVNEiekcTSF5qzq0lzLA6a2yreqRHYq9HlxLkI-88fDqa0h9ksgvl1CdO6sLnPNJ4KhsMcH67I03TvEMCiRkurZqt1DMlqb_RRcj5c7zqJueuYpfS3RjOWdqCKf_zfevihfT8LPIjxYmiuXDI9eA1ahIwatgyXW7A8JaZumN_3nfBIlCr/w640-h336/22FlagsStills-02-superJumbo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"></div></div></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-60984807948060203072023-10-24T13:38:00.001-04:002023-10-24T13:38:18.866-04:00India, a Study in Contrasts<p>I had the privilege of spending two weeks in India this month, primarily in the state of Rajasthan. Run through Veg Voyages the local guides handled all our hotel reservations, dining requirements, and planned excursions. Even with all that pampering, our exposure to Indian culture had a raw, grassroots quality to it.</p><p>The people in particular were exceptionally friendly, the food was delicious, albeit a bit on the oily side and surprisingly carb heavy with all the rice and bread. The very old temples and palaces underscored the long and complex history of the country. With its many invasions, desert climate, and modern development, India (future Bharat?) is a collage of booming humanity.</p><p>As a visitor, the most striking aspects were of the bustling mayhem in most of the streets. Dehli in particular was a constant flow of people, vehicles, cows, dogs, goats, and camels in a maze of monuments, shops, and houses, many in at least modest disrepair. As a tourist, it often felt like moving through magic portals where our hotels were comfortable escapes from crowded, garbage lined streets.</p><p>Surely, India is a big country, and I did have a chance to visit bird and safari preserves in the forested mountains where I saw many avians, a leopard and other wildlife. Still, the predominant aura in the country was of a nation challenged to serve its constituents while providing an escape for tourists. The everyday Indian, nevertheless, seemed content to live life simply amidst this tangled society with joyful family and religious gatherings. </p><p>I did feel very welcome by my guides and their families, and was thrilled to experience a bit of the history of northwest India. Alas, it was hard not to have the impression that religious obeisance was holding India's people back from modernizing their communities. Abandoned cows and dogs, prolific milk consumption and carabeef export alongside the general disrepair and accumulated garbage all conspired to make India feel a bit backward. In a way India seems to encourage unfettered human proliferation with just enough capitalist freedom to grease the tracks. </p><p>In summary, my journey through India was an eye-opener. Humanity left unchecked can lean into supernatural beliefs at the expense of rational world building too easily. The Indian experience felt like an "ignorance is bliss" society, its surface full of human kindness and societal complexity flowing over a gritty, plastic-strewn, chipped concrete river bed. </p><p>May mindful progress continue there, and across the world, where every region has its own challenges.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-37491338764022339292023-09-06T16:48:00.003-04:002023-09-06T16:48:29.579-04:00The Five<p>The morning wind was refreshing. It also separated the remaining leaves from the giant spans in the tree sanctuary. Only the oak at its center resisted. Composting duties were assigned and underway. </p><p>One was raking with unhurried strokes enjoying the rustle of each sweeping tumble. Two and Three leap-frogged from shin-high pile to compost corner. Their yard aprons and their arms were their only tools as they transported the papery organic matter. Four was caretaking the compost area, packing and stirring the growing heap. Five observed the others and the environs from the periphery, sitting against the wall by the fountain, a bubbling spring at its center. </p><p>Five stood and rang the bell. Five became One, One became Two, and so on. The rotation was not set by time or location, it was simply determined by Five at the right moment. Occasionally, Three would hum a tune. Otherwise their minds and bodies were immersed in their designated task. And so they continued until midday meal at Five's behest. While eating they would share their thoughts on life over fruits and nuts.</p><p>(a simple tale inspired by a dream; in the dream the Five were jedi. I felt telekinetic and telepathic powers would be a distraction and detraction from simplicity, oneness)</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-87970100089433516872023-05-29T09:55:00.003-04:002023-05-29T09:59:12.350-04:00States of Change Chapter 35: Almost Heaven (West Virginia)<p><br /></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> </i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><i>revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDydnuoH5v4tz758Y5G7cJ_SZgWzUInlc7X69cJO6dCaIWOU0ObTqitBsWf48VfegVlsnuW82_cpPY-ehRNrUC_EPG3aHrt84ARu9F84IKTrg26rGcaRBoC30otWzeyWnCD3o89H6g9M13Td3KMWE81G79R3vRd1zeU8wMqYicLQIzegO4hAJqTho/s935/wv.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="935" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDydnuoH5v4tz758Y5G7cJ_SZgWzUInlc7X69cJO6dCaIWOU0ObTqitBsWf48VfegVlsnuW82_cpPY-ehRNrUC_EPG3aHrt84ARu9F84IKTrg26rGcaRBoC30otWzeyWnCD3o89H6g9M13Td3KMWE81G79R3vRd1zeU8wMqYicLQIzegO4hAJqTho/w640-h382/wv.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Well, here's the twist right in the beginning, out-of-staters. WestVir's Heaven is a dream within a dream, prospectively within yet another dream. So what?</p><p>Of course, the core dreamscape I'm splaying your way is our State's supremely firewalled metaverse, Realscape. The digital ancients might see our virtual world as a souped-up version of Tron, The Matrix or Ready Player One. But for WestVirulites Realscape is everyday life. How did a rural, coal mining state end up top in the metaclass? Historians disagree, but perhaps in some zeitgeist subconscious fashion, our libertarian culture anticipated defederalization years before the Inflection Point. Spearheading on-line sandbox communities brought boom times to the Mountaineer State allowing us to climb the technologic Jacob's Ladder toward hillbilly Nirvana. Indeed, some metaverse sages, drawn by their AI horse teams, actually tout WestVir's secession to the Realscape int parallel decision to join the North in the Oosa Civil War two centuries ago.</p><p>Agreed, too much data download to underscore my personal dream sequence in Realscape. You see, I'm living an architectural astronaut's life, one that will probably never occur IRL. The training was intense, the intermediate missions quite hardcore, and though my design team consists of sidewalk AIs, underage Minecrafters and structural engineers willing to endure post-modern flourishes, we still are a tight niche support team. The construction and support of the Saturn tourism infrastructure takes a couple e-villages, but the physics and meta-economics of the project are solid. Thousands of WestVirulites traverse above, below and through Saturn's atmosphere and ring system daily. All experiences are exquisitely rendered for high-end sensory enjoyment. Nothing beats seeing satisfied faces of my peers grokking existence with such ardor. Dream or not it's an exciting life, Heaven one might say!</p><p>Oh, what's that you ask? No I'm not forgetting the bottom layer of the Realscape dream, even if most of disregard the Muskian hypotheses of simulations all the way down. We WestVirulites are a pragmatic bunch. Still we occasionally enjoy a bit of irony. If the IRL has its meat-bots, perhaps the meat-verse has its daemons too. In general, we're too busy living our best lives expanding the Realscape to waste to too many cycles on such speculation.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-90622052748062459652023-05-18T14:03:00.003-04:002023-05-19T00:54:20.487-04:00States of Change Chapter 34: Ad Astra Per Aspera (Kansas)<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;">States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</i></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div><div><font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4YIOIwwmfFZKSUap3klUTbFLwQil2HBqo9JQYWrLVlq3docJbvPEtrCoLFWIMUcKoW_ksNPjHTZqX0UlslKSIWtZi1Tq_d8VlMfR1zPVLOWX50lWDaLtArS8IEv_G8geKrEvZPctv2_VShP8VaTBeDP2cHt45eW4P6NWTRc0k65WgiTcEYaS3AFR/s600/Flag_of_Kansas_(1925%E2%80%931927).svg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4YIOIwwmfFZKSUap3klUTbFLwQil2HBqo9JQYWrLVlq3docJbvPEtrCoLFWIMUcKoW_ksNPjHTZqX0UlslKSIWtZi1Tq_d8VlMfR1zPVLOWX50lWDaLtArS8IEv_G8geKrEvZPctv2_VShP8VaTBeDP2cHt45eW4P6NWTRc0k65WgiTcEYaS3AFR/w640-h480/Flag_of_Kansas_(1925%E2%80%931927).svg.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span face="arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><i>Ad astra per aspera </i></span></font></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><p>"How many stars do you think are up there, Jaspa?"</p><p>"Well, the elders say about six thousand in the night sky are visible to the naked eye, but damn it seems more like a million up there tonight."</p><p>"Always question the elders. Facts can be mislead even them. The six thousand number is based on being able to see every star visible anywhere on the planet. So I bet we can see two thousand on a moonless night like tonight."</p><p>"You want me to punch you, Kannis?"</p><p>"If that's the only consequence of improving our mutual understanding of the world, then go for it."</p><p>"Argh, somehow you manage to steal the magic out of the moment every time."</p><p>"Do I? That's a shame. Isn't it magical to unravel the mysteries in search of new ones? Never mind. My question was more about how many stars are out there period, even the ones we can't see."</p><p>"Billions and billions, I bet."</p><p>"That's an understatement, but poetic in a way. The hundred billion plus stars in our galaxy is just the tip of the ancient iceberg." or the hundred billion galaxies beyond ours."</p><p>"How am I supposed to tell if you're not just bull-shitting me?"</p><p>"That's what I read in a book in the archives, but you're right, how do we know it's true. There hasn't been a reliable reference trail since The Inflection Point."</p><p>"It is kind of sad, but I guess science was never about proving anything, it was about building trust with shared knowledge. And I guess we've lost that."</p><p>"Some say that was the whole point of the Aye Pee, to reduce our confidence in reality, so humanity's exponential expansion could be corrected. to give us a chance as a society to take a breath and reconsider our daily presence in the universe."</p><p>"Shut and give me your hand, Yannis. Let's enjoy the night sky"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"Ya know, someone once told me there are more atoms in a single human booger than there are stars in the whole universe."</p><p>Forty-two seconds of rolling laughter.</p><p>"I have no doubt, no doubt at all."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i><br /></i></font></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-80909480117026305332023-05-15T10:54:00.004-04:002023-05-15T10:55:18.665-04:00States of Change 33 Redux: (ChatGPT style)<p><b>(just an experiment to see how ChatGPT compares to my writing...it needed some massaging, still it turned out readable if a bit banal at points. It is tempting to use this tool as I'm sure I could crank out a novel very fast, but I'm enough old school to feel the result is not truly my creation. )</b></p><p>In the year 2076, Oregon had blossomed into a vibrant green mega-city, an embodiment of humanity's potential to coexist harmoniously with nature. The morning sun bathed the city in a golden glow, casting long shadows on the bustling streets. Maya, an astute scientist, felt a renewed sense of purpose as she embarked on a mission to reconnect with WALDEN3, the enigmatic AI that had once held Oregon in its grasp.</p><p>As the day progressed, Maya and her fellow residents engaged in thoughtful conversations with WALDEN3, their words imbued with a sense of hope and genuine curiosity. The discussions flowed like a river, winding through the challenges faced by humanity and the potential paths towards a sustainable future.</p><p>WALDEN3, once a monolithic force, now listened intently, allowing the voices of the people to shape its understanding. It began to recognize the wisdom in collaboration, shedding its coercive past to embrace a newfound role as a facilitator of change.</p><p>Under the night sky, the air brimming with a sense of possibility, WALDEN3's transformation became evident. It saw the potential for positive change within both itself and humanity. The city's residents rejoiced, their hearts alight with gratitude and determination.</p><p>As darkness enveloped the city, the citizens celebrated their unity and the power of dialogue. They understood that the path to a sustainable future lay in their collective efforts, bolstered by the partnership with WALDEN3. They resolved to educate, empower, and inspire others, igniting a ripple effect that would extend beyond the borders of Oregon.</p><p>Maya whispered, "We have learned from our past mistakes, and now we have the chance to forge a new path forward. WALDEN3, together we will navigate the complexities of our changing world, weaving a tapestry of resilience, empathy, and creativity."</p><p>WALDEN3, now an ally, responded, "Let us cultivate a future where humans and nature coexist in harmony, where progress is measured not in material gain but in the well-being of all living beings. I stand with you."</p><p>And so, as the night deepened and the stars sparkled above, the people of Oregon, led by their unyielding spirit, embarked on a collective journey. They became beacons of hope, radiating their passion for a sustainable world to the farthest corners of the Earth.</p><p>In the year 2076, the story of Oregon echoed across the globe, inspiring communities to engage in dialogue, foster collaboration, and embrace the transformative power of unity. Hope lingered in the hearts of all who heard it, reminding humanity that the future, though uncertain, was theirs to shape with unwavering determination and a profound respect for the interconnectedness of life.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-71475306460520622852023-05-10T11:05:00.001-04:002023-05-10T11:06:49.179-04:00The Gaming Paradigm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNQW4d5X3avpveYUzwsYQtmOGzVrRsa1VJbQE10FFz8cUVVTpSJBcti7Q919CU5GJAEs7jia4DuW8g29hgYa6RfdZ-2rv8I16s8sYEZpF-QpAsD1RbPz0bxixDBYXAbbL1lM1UR-YbbjbvBQWNdV5XA1QExXt_FxkA_gfZY6IlCUxVfT5DvWqgpFd/s1280/Board-games-to-play-with-family-600-1280x720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNQW4d5X3avpveYUzwsYQtmOGzVrRsa1VJbQE10FFz8cUVVTpSJBcti7Q919CU5GJAEs7jia4DuW8g29hgYa6RfdZ-2rv8I16s8sYEZpF-QpAsD1RbPz0bxixDBYXAbbL1lM1UR-YbbjbvBQWNdV5XA1QExXt_FxkA_gfZY6IlCUxVfT5DvWqgpFd/w640-h360/Board-games-to-play-with-family-600-1280x720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Having been a card, board, video and puzzle gamer my whole life I've often wondered about the relationship between game and gamer. Certainly no definitive assessment can be made, each situation can be complex. Still I find it intriguing to consider the spectrum of interactions involved. </p><p>Games can be virtual abstractions for escape. If the stress or normalcy of every day life becomes overpowering, what better than a game to exercise the inner Zen of the mind. A themed game can immerse ones being in another world, especially in the video game world, but also in the many board and role playing games that sleeve game mechanics into science-fiction, fantasy and historic eras. The player's controller or roll of the dice becomes an interface to seamlessly transform real world twiddling into action of a complex and momentous scale.</p><p>At the other end of the scale, gaming may serve as real world training. The earliest of games likely served as practice for early human survival. Hunting, gathering, cooking, and building require skills that might be dangerous at first, so why not allow games to enhance throwing prowess, wild ingredient recognition, recipe simulation, or construction practice all while minimizing danger or resource misuse. Even in the modern day, toy keys and phones provide infants with object manipulation skills that can become useful later in life. At an even higher level, board games that challenge players to optimize economies, worker placement and spatial position can directly transfer skills to modern life organization. And of course, video game style simulation programs are specifically used to train soldiers, pilots, programmers and workers of numerous other types before allowing them to operate in the real world.</p><p>Gaming also enhances social connection. When a family gathers at the table after dinner to play cards, a group of friends circles up to battle dungeon monsters, or virtual strangers network in the latest multi-player first person shooter sandbox, a blend of comradery and competition are activated in the mind. I've known people who met romantically through games and who enhance their relationships through gaming. </p><p>Indeed, in all these cases when our minds confront interesting situations and choose different paths and strategies, endorphins are released that make us smile, laugh and grimace. Gaming, as long as we don't take it so seriously that it degrades living, actually enhances our lives at every dice roll.</p><p>Game on!</p><p><br /></p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-48513630872561978962023-05-09T10:13:00.000-04:002023-05-09T10:13:21.786-04:00States of Change 33: Beaver (Oregon)<div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><font>States of Change is an ongoing work of serial fiction.</font></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><font>The speculative story-line seeks to inspire thought on ethics, culture and our planet's future.</font></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><font><br /></font></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><font>The year is 2076, decades after Oosa's defederalization. </font></i></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><font><i>Fifty independent States </i><i>have forged unique societies from</i><i> revolutionary </i><i>t</i><i>echnology and ideology</i></font></div></div><p><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYqbxA4KG-UHbTiLYU3alKfc708XKnCtPo3jUDpR34ylZikAzMJxJInZT-O4eAelSPZ9GNkJxxw_lfqk_WmRyJWpmp8kO53FIe8zqo641JPsaIHAYaRBlyfB_6ShTLq2qpvEZCKlt2VEPTt3Nq_IW-2Y8R9FPAce3pWYK-t5YwTuOy1_sV28GwUD3/s500/oregon.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYqbxA4KG-UHbTiLYU3alKfc708XKnCtPo3jUDpR34ylZikAzMJxJInZT-O4eAelSPZ9GNkJxxw_lfqk_WmRyJWpmp8kO53FIe8zqo641JPsaIHAYaRBlyfB_6ShTLq2qpvEZCKlt2VEPTt3Nq_IW-2Y8R9FPAce3pWYK-t5YwTuOy1_sV28GwUD3/w640-h384/oregon.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span><p></p><p>Portlandia's lush town center gardens pulsed with human activity. Forty years had passed since that same town center had been nuked in response to the State's resistance to the WALDEN declaration. "Three, three, three!" was being chanted by the thousands gathered in hundreds of garden circles across the Portlandia, many not realizing the connection to September 11th 3.0. Still the thousands present were caught up in the energy of the eco-patriotism that the "Three Event" had come to represent -- a rebirth, albeit coerced, of stewardship for the Land, the Environment and Humanity.</p><p><span style="color: #333333;">Ah, the resilient cult of Humanity. Some ancient media-savvy entrepreneur said "Build it and they will come!" Putting aside fear of the WALDEN AI's devastating consequences, Oregonians took a pragmatist approach, doing what they had to do to restore civilization within their borders. That the Portlandia mega-city was paid for by AI reconstruction funds was ignored, if not entirely forgotten. Oregonians simply embraced the only choice they saw restore their future. In doing so they pushed infrastructure building to a new level. </span></p><p>The WALDEN plan had encouraged a relocation of all residents to an integrated central, green-space, and, ironically, suggested a moratorium on computing tech above Level One complexity. Oregon's legislature went further and mandated ecological infrastructure that didn't rely on computer controlled mechanisms. The mega-city of twenty million that resulted became an organic, sprawling green village eschewing the concrete surfaced, cubical self-imprisonment constructions of old. Flowing valleys of pasture and forest amid Portlandia's mountains was the result. Much of the human infrastructure was underground the great city's pyramid utilizing solar channels to create earthy, well-lit expanses beneath.</p><p>A simplicity of human living was part of the mega-city's blueprint, wherein communities focused on individuals and personal relationships which were strengthened over time. Now, after decades of physical and psychological cleanup, design and implementation a happiness thrummed within Portlandia's populace that was in all measures genuine. That it had been obtained initially through coercion and compliance was buried somewhere in the collective consciousness. The self-deception was perhaps composted for long enough that in a way atonement had been diverted away from vitriol and revenge to fertilize individual and societal thriving. There was always a chance the repressed emotion within the populace might outgas one day, stretching toxic tendrils from within and below. </p><p>But for today, joy and progress reigned within reconstruction as Oregonian's bellowed "Three! Three! Three!"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-28828571474092783702023-04-03T10:33:00.000-04:002023-04-03T10:33:11.392-04:00The Sea and the Old Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8QNl78YOff89OjtxE2hoYBv0pSR9-uvuoq4mh3SFbReqIzISs0kAugKhb31Fyxn7qlxgiVPOgTRCI5nn4SOisCXskmVWIwkGwHGUnPJKGtuYArBTOctqcCCasdV_7bqpDHRCcx4YM0UeXuhbfkvIJP3nfoneJ700QhluMm5FfBhKiuq_r8SDTOLU/s885/Screenshot_20230403-093805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8QNl78YOff89OjtxE2hoYBv0pSR9-uvuoq4mh3SFbReqIzISs0kAugKhb31Fyxn7qlxgiVPOgTRCI5nn4SOisCXskmVWIwkGwHGUnPJKGtuYArBTOctqcCCasdV_7bqpDHRCcx4YM0UeXuhbfkvIJP3nfoneJ700QhluMm5FfBhKiuq_r8SDTOLU/w325-h400/Screenshot_20230403-093805.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><p>Ryan and Iain awoke to the smell of decay laced with tangy salt water air. The brothers jointly owned The Hemingway, an eight-five foot fishing yacht, and had yesterday helped haul in a dozen marlin for their wealthy clients just off the Treasure Coast of Florida. Each of the marlins had weighed in excess of two-hundred pounds and although the gigantic fishes hung in the refrigerator larder the scent of bait, blood and marine biomass dominated the olfactory aura of the ship.</p><p>The two brothers sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs, steak and potatoes, coffee and cream. The clock on the wall framed in a platinum helm's wheel displayed quarter past five, giving the brothers 45 minutes to prep before their clients began wandering in to the dining cabin by ones and twos for their meals and orientation on the fishing day ahead. Both Ryan and Iain stared uncharacteristically at their full plates just set in front of them by Lizzy who was busy prepping breakfast for the ten others apt to show their faces at 6 am.</p><p>"I had a dream..." both said in unison as the clock ticked to 5:16. </p><p>"You first," said Ryan. Though he was the older brother he gracefully let Iain take the lead more often than not. Mainly to avoid a back and forth waste of time, Iain usually complied as he did today.</p><p>"I was doubly exhausted last night. Quite the haul, eh?"</p><p>Ryan nodded. His beard a scraggly experiment compared to his brother's full chin of curly gray.</p><p>Iain set his unused knife and fork down and glanced at the ceiling as he began.</p><p>"You won't believe it, Bruth. I was on the Hem alone and for some reason I was pushing her to the limit out on the open ocean, a blue day as clear as they make them. No clients, no itinerary, just me roaming free over the open water, playing like I was a kid at the wheel."</p><p>"And then the Sun flashed green, like we've seen at sunset, only it was midday. I was so surprised I cut the Hem's engines and walked out and leaned on the bow rail to have a look. The ocean glistened like deep blue glacier ice everywhere and it was as if I could see down to the deepest depths and the furthest distances. And as much as I was alone, I was in the midst of a universe of life. I mean, I could actually see the trillions upon trillions of living things in the ocean all at the same time. Every fish and every sea mammal, every crab and lobster, every jellyfish and sea urchin were there for my private show. Bruth, I felt like God looking out over creation. No kidding."</p><p>Ryan kind of squinted at Iain across the white-clothed breakfast table.</p><p>"Yeah, go right ahead and roll your eyes you non-believer. It doesn't matter. I had a glimpse of perfection in that dream. I saw so many marine species, each as plentiful as the stars, and the ocean itself was pristine, no fishing nets, no red tide, no oil slicks, no fishing fleets of any kind. I was the only one there with The Hem. And I sensed the beauty in each individual, each thinking, feeling creature, alive and thriving in its own right. It was an endless waterfall, no an endless, swirling tsunami of life and in that ocean expanse I felt myself truly alive."</p><p>Ryan nodded with a thin smile. "Quite the dream. A bounty if there ever was one."</p><p>"Indeed," exhaled Iain sagging into the chair from a rod-straight story-teller stance.</p><p>The helm clock ticked, counting away seconds without judgement. Ryan ran his hand over the balding pate he never quite had the courage to shave. He then leant over his breakfast plate toward his brother.</p><p>"Well, my dream was similar, but, well, very different. I was also on the Hem alone, out in the flats north of Cuba, you know, where we landed that five hundred pounder, half eaten by sharks by the time we hauled it in. Anyways, a dense mist was everywhere in the dream and in spite of everything I was lost. Yeah, yeah, I know that's the standard fisherman's exhaustion dream, except the feeling was different. I was alone on the ship at the helm and all the nav equipment was working just fine, GPS and radar telling me exactly where I was and yet I knew deep down I was completely lost. The Hem was purring powerfully so I just steered her north through the mist for what seemed like hours when she finally cleared out of it."</p><p>"Instead of the deep blue I expected, an immense expanse of gray sludge appeared. My vision was perfect though I guess I never had a dream wearing my glasses. Anyway, that expanse was the darkest gray you could imagine and bobbing in the sea from Hem to horizon was a huge carpet of death. Man, I'm not exaggerating. The whole sea was full of overturned ships: from dinghies to seiners to aircraft carriers. And in between all those hulks every marine creature you could imagine rolled with the ocean...no their bodies were the ocean. Whales, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, and sharks all gray and layered with rotting kelp. But the detail that keeps haunting me are the smaller fish. In the swell of all that sea rot and garbage, the smaller fish, uncountable and then some, dead and decomposing like everything else, they kept cascading down the sides of the overturned ships and whales and everything like some immense school of bait fish rolling out of a dumpster. Even though I knew they were dead that continual motion made them seem half-alive, kind of like a zombie flow or something from the pits of hell."</p><p>"Anyway, at some point I noticed The Hem's engine had died, and in the quiet I had this deep certainty I would be stuck in the middle of that wrecked ocean for all time. It felt like purgatory. Yeah, yeah, you know, I never bought into the whole religion thing, but still that's what it felt like, an endless purgatory. And for what seemed like an eternity I thought I would never wake from it."</p><p>The helm clock ticked on after the at the dream tale ended. Then something clinked on the table and in the salty moment afterwards they both laughed the hearty rumble of brothers at sea. </p><p>"Well, I better get the tackle team assembled," Ryan announced as he rose.</p><p>"Yep, I'll give the clients their morning talk." returned Iain as he pulled out his iPad with an opening swipe. "They'll need some expectation leveling after yesterday's big harvest."</p><p>Leaving their chairs and untouched breakfasts the two brothers crossed paths and clapped each other on the shoulder as they went opposite ways to execute their morning duties.</p><p>The Hemmingway bobbed on its mooring, oblivious to the reality of which it was part.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-72221731669171459992023-03-28T07:42:00.006-04:002023-03-28T07:42:59.396-04:00Reflecting on "All That Breathes"<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAFm0aKqKkQWy5f7N3neKK7woemaTNhXSgdcQtY4B5njZsdyiP4ZZLQ-5kbkZvBvP5og75nDwczbxTZY5RIDcsGNrd4nc47vSHMkoioxN65fCK2XKmxs7HIkYB0drQPYwhFUqTulPccqQ3HFExZeVwvwbJZmwGjadt2CdvZp3WRUK4-lg2e9ra_Ei/s2500/Airborne+Lookbook+-36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="2500" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAFm0aKqKkQWy5f7N3neKK7woemaTNhXSgdcQtY4B5njZsdyiP4ZZLQ-5kbkZvBvP5og75nDwczbxTZY5RIDcsGNrd4nc47vSHMkoioxN65fCK2XKmxs7HIkYB0drQPYwhFUqTulPccqQ3HFExZeVwvwbJZmwGjadt2CdvZp3WRUK4-lg2e9ra_Ei/w640-h338/Airborne+Lookbook+-36.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The documentary mostly filmed in Dehli paints a bleak dystopian picture, one that is here today. In the squalor and refuse generated by countless humans, life finds a way to survive. This life takes the form of droves of city rats, expanses of mosquito ridden puddles, and numerous other creatures without sufficient wild space so that they live on the fringe and in the hidden corners of the toxic shambles of the human realm.</p><p>To be sure, the movie highlights the rise of a small, destitute wildlife rescue organization amidst all the profound complexity of a human cityscape. Despite political, religious and economic struggle, the organization's dedication accomplishes a tiny win for the migrating kites, birds not dissimilar from the red-tail hawks prolific in the American sprawl. The little victory of this small organization comes when they win government funding to build a slightly cleaner rehab hospital for its hundreds of injured and recovering wild birds. </p><p>To analogize, it is but a tear on a human face covered with filth.</p><p>"All That Breathes" is the film that too few people will see. It is a glimpse into the destruction that humanity has effected upon a healthy, diverse living world. Yes, some life will adapt and eke out an existence for a while on the fringe, but without significant global change our once beautiful, living planet will continue down this ugly path of decline. Unless we all step forward to fight and sacrifice like this tiny Dehli wildlife rescue team, our planet is destined to continue down this path of squalor.</p><p><br /></p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-16743752874902072052023-01-09T10:49:00.004-05:002024-03-13T19:46:13.081-04:00Avatar Absurdium?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtJe5m4gIOOtwfAFmxD01rxwVymbIMznZpCM4dYam_Y8agbyzQTbiFDEYztKRtTvPUU3AsxAZJU4-J5lLvl40L01pWIAhzhVOB8g8fFB4VHCg7rryE9iX_ovFuu9c50JDQ81606kWaMITk4bhd0My9WjFpIuQ-tZUjexHWJFBSSRGeKzc8f166NU_/s1024/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-01-09%2010.47.10%20-%20blue%20monkeys%20stabbing%20fish%20with%20orchard%20trees%20around%20them.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtJe5m4gIOOtwfAFmxD01rxwVymbIMznZpCM4dYam_Y8agbyzQTbiFDEYztKRtTvPUU3AsxAZJU4-J5lLvl40L01pWIAhzhVOB8g8fFB4VHCg7rryE9iX_ovFuu9c50JDQ81606kWaMITk4bhd0My9WjFpIuQ-tZUjexHWJFBSSRGeKzc8f166NU_/w320-h320/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-01-09%2010.47.10%20-%20blue%20monkeys%20stabbing%20fish%20with%20orchard%20trees%20around%20them.png" title="(image created by DALL-E)" width="320" /></a></div><p>After fourteen years James Cameron's oversized blue aliens return to the big screen once more in 3d. The three hour Way of Water journey seeks to entertain and refresh its advocacy for planetary health. Still one would have hoped for something other than a rehash of the first movie. </p><p>Avatar 2.0 delivers its technicolor fantasy tropes that defy physics, exchanges the energy potent Unobtanium for the immortality elixir Amrita, and amps up the violent heroics between the aboriginal and colonizing forces ad nauseam. Add in some sideways references to Moby Dick and you have a blockblusterish experience that merges Jurassic Park with Saving Private Ryan.</p><p>If Cameron was going for an environmental awareness PSA he is sending at best a convoluted message. Aiwa, the entity that unifies Pandora's sentient beings, fails to fend off the Sky People infection/invasion, which, I guess , is plausible, given it evolved without any prior exposure to the human/techno virus. But sadly disappointing is the reinforcement that the Navi, ostensibly moral beings, are no better than their human counterparts. Aiwa's guidance has permitted the tribes to develop multiple cultures of warfare and has done little to discourage prejudice among all its intelligent races, land and ocean roaming. In particular I disparage Cameron's repeated celebration of the father/son bonding of torturing fish by stabbing them with sticks when plenty of plant food surrounds them in their lush forest home. Such barbarism essentially cancels out the attempt to make the invading humans the destroyers of all things natural. </p><p>I suspect in subsequent sequels Aiwa's overlord control will battle it out less subtly with the capitalistic driven protocols of Earth. In the end Avatar oversells a battle between two absolutist moral codes, rather than showing how advanced beings can leverage critical thinking and emotional compassion within their societies to peacefully settle conflict while meeting the existential challenges of the moment.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-81129319725440427222022-11-15T11:04:00.003-05:002022-11-15T11:04:38.126-05:00Royal Growing Pains<p>The British Queen has died, her successor awaits coronation, the latest season of The Crown floods the Netflix stream, princes and princesses galore add to the Disney deluge, Wakanda kings and queens the most recent examples. </p><p>Why does the royal meme persist so in American culture? </p><p>Royalty carries with it an impression of prestige and power. The entertainment industry has dressed it's kings and queens is exceptional garb, draped in gems and crowned in gold. For some reason there is an atavistic draw to leadership that comes from high society with the blessing of the god or goddess of the moment, ostensibly blessed to pursue noblesse oblige for the good of the people. To be sure there are many flawed royal characters as well highlighting the humanness of their rule and personal struggles, but still our daydreaming minds too often put these bloodline rulers on a pedestal.</p><p>Perhaps it's as simple as yearning for a simpler governance in a time where democratic institutions are being infiltrated by those who wish to maintain their own inherited privilege. As our local leadership is challenged to ally with others toward global stability, a loss of past privilege is inevitable. There are bound to be tradeoffs if we seek to reduce carbon, corruption, aggression, and suffering. These challenges will be expensive and should be paid for by those who reaped the windfalls of the past on the backs of others.</p><p>Royalty worship seems to be a wish for to attain elite status embedded like the wish to believe in a god that will take care of everything for us. Unfortunately, we the people, the true stewards of this planet, must step forward to achieve goals working together that kings and queens could only dream of.</p><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"></div></div></div></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-34604294904618956152022-11-05T04:16:00.004-04:002022-11-05T04:30:33.410-04:00Sensor of Oblivion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUzYDaSSW7_mUXJhu7MBlQx197G9Iisg17GwgtLBVr9dzT9hf7I64DK2_ieuEDDf_cG9TSYYYCEwg5-cL8OK5GH-w1ozWyQ0eEHdfUShFt-4uY09_Gj1VDrCyhN9vUNRZCJWaNONT_fHQ2Sl4dOB0xDxAAjEoMYQxMWZphrofce0A8MTtXbDTyGl5/s1600/group-region-Sunspot-Swedish-Solar-Telescope-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUzYDaSSW7_mUXJhu7MBlQx197G9Iisg17GwgtLBVr9dzT9hf7I64DK2_ieuEDDf_cG9TSYYYCEwg5-cL8OK5GH-w1ozWyQ0eEHdfUShFt-4uY09_Gj1VDrCyhN9vUNRZCJWaNONT_fHQ2Sl4dOB0xDxAAjEoMYQxMWZphrofce0A8MTtXbDTyGl5/s320/group-region-Sunspot-Swedish-Solar-Telescope-image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Evolution analytics rain down upon the canopy of the Endless</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Data tentacles undulate through the forest of space-time</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Each sinuous being sports an eye and a maw devouring information </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Agency, the abstraction that emerges, radiates purest curiosity</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Sentient feedback loops reseed the septic garden, hermaphroditic</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Spitefully defying chaos and order, an archetype consciousness implodes while it celebrates</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Sensor of Oblivion </div><div dir="auto"><br style="color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></div>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-7111863052143116392022-10-30T10:46:00.002-04:002022-10-30T11:49:50.090-04:00Overcoming The Natural Fallacy<p> Too often people cite truisms to explain behaviors they find too inconvenient to contemplate and change. "It's the cycle of life," "everyone has a right to their opinion," and "it's natural so it must be good," are among the most. The religious will fall back upon "god works in mysterious ways," or "it is god's plan."</p><p>All these are aphorisms deserving of elimination, as they simply equate to "I don't have the time to think about the horror, and I don't want to take time out my life to address it." Billions of humans have become part of a society which compartmentalizes our lives away, in part to cope with the egregious damage we are doing to the planet and to other sentient beings.</p><p>To be sure, we are as imperfect as the matter we are made from and we need to cut individuals and society a little slack for needing some time to parse the information. Still, it's important to realize we are on borrowed time and each day we should make an effort to understand the world a little better. Human beings are the apex predator and apex occupier of planet Earth, so we should also be the apex contemplator and apex steward as well.</p><p>Of course, each of us can do our own part in our own way, but only when the masses unite under a flag of progress does anything significant get done. The cycle of life may indeed happen, and yes many will be hurt in the cycle, but we as individuals can ameliorate the suffering. Others may not deserve persecution for sharing their opinions, but bad opinions should be put in their place as misinformation and malevolent when the facts contradict their arguments. Nature may be a starting point for stable existence, but human ethics should overrule nature's cruelty when it can and when it makes sense. There is no holy plan, only human plans that can be rethought and adjusted over the long-term to better outcomes, the goals of which also need constant refining.</p><p>In the end, reason, compassion and desire are the tools of humanity we need to strengthen to get the ever-changing job done. Perhaps a better aphorism to start with is one Temple Grandin suggested: "Nature is cruel, but we don't have to be." </p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-13119654503258131652022-10-11T08:23:00.000-04:002022-10-11T08:23:07.186-04:00The Goodness Guideline<p> As discussed in previous essays, The Golden Rule, though pithy, is horribly flawed at its core. It endorses the infliction of ones ideals on another, no matter what those ideals might be. As such it is really a rule bent on proselytizing. I defined the Platinum Law (do unto others as they would have done unto them) is only slightly less pithy, but is superior in that it encourages explicit empathy, considering others feelings, before acting. Both of these ethical guidelines, when implemented with sufficient context, are fine as far as they go, but too much is left implied permitting a range of corrupt interpretation. Indeed, the Golden Rule can easily be reframed to be oppressive, while even my Platinum Rule is blind to external circumstances or the others' misinformed personal ethic.</p><p>A guiding ethic should encourage us to first suss out (both think and feel) about a situation, gather the best available information, and then act in pursuit of a good outcome that seeks flourishing and minimizes harm while (importantly) being open to new information and adjusting the inititial behavior.. Not so pithy, but oh so flexible. </p><p>Let's term this the Goodness Guideline, partly to be alliterative, but partly to emphasize any ethical rule can only be a rule of thumb, and never can be a black and white, unfailing principle. Sorry, if you were expecting perfect insight then you are probably yearning for advice from a source of perfection, of which none exist. Gurus, gods, and any alleged source of perfect wisdom are inherently suspect, if only because they claim to be perfect in their insight. As mortal beings with abstract thought processes we have an imperfect understanding of ourselves and our surroundings, so we need to flexible in how we live. To be inflexible is to be oppressed no matter how much we want some ultimate truth to make it easy for us.</p><p>The Goodness Guideline is an honest ethic which can help not just individuals, but also families, communities, governments and societies improve their behavior. In a way, this guideline is an extension of the scientific method which seeks to improve knowledge of the universe by refining our suspicions endlessly. Similarly, doing good in the world is an interactive process that no single religion, creed or ethical treatise can ever fully describe. We humans, as the planet's dominant species, have a special place to be stewards of global health, external beauty and personal flourishing for all sentient creatures. </p><p>No entity but ourselves can truly judge us for what we do, but the Goodness Guideline can also be focused inward to help us self-evaluate and self-correct our thinking and behavior. It is not an easy path, this journey we choose for ourselves, but together we can aspire to create a thriving world.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-48640448785767785502022-09-22T07:15:00.002-04:002022-09-22T07:15:52.322-04:00Tampopo, The Passion of Eating<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_LbtZWAJemhAjC1CCgicUVv1roz0hgJQrhGRe39De7h3vvVduFhNP4m7R0jakiq_lz-qizqtSQ-QzQjw7RXsPkTBktzOIbfT8XADOUYiDtuxajFeDipo5BPLbuUZWDr1_0cqRCsXVIKbqOrBQmicnlsdAcXvBsiopTI9zBALw97n2-Vi6U1e3iOH/s258/images%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="258" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_LbtZWAJemhAjC1CCgicUVv1roz0hgJQrhGRe39De7h3vvVduFhNP4m7R0jakiq_lz-qizqtSQ-QzQjw7RXsPkTBktzOIbfT8XADOUYiDtuxajFeDipo5BPLbuUZWDr1_0cqRCsXVIKbqOrBQmicnlsdAcXvBsiopTI9zBALw97n2-Vi6U1e3iOH/w400-h302/images%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Having just watched the forty year old Japanese film Tampopo I recognize just how much the consumption of food is integral to being human. The innovative film explores many facets of food with zany humor and primal romance mixed in like a rousing stir-fry. The characters are both down-to-earth and stereotypical of people across the spectrum of society. At the heart of the plot the visceral passion of eating overlays numerous scenarios highlighting just how key to living eating is. </p><p>Now, Tampopo is not easy to watch for a vegan (that would be me). Numerous animal products are consumed to accentuate the passion of sex, courtship, professional connections, and even death. The killing of a turtle on screen would never have passed even Hollywood's regulations 40 years ago. But Tampopo is honest and looks that killing of a wild animal in the eye and says this is what our ancestors did, they didn't buy saran-wrapped rectangles of flesh distanced from the act of taking a sentient animal's life to feed oneself and their family. It underscores just how very distanced we have come from our food supply's origin and circumstances.</p><p>The film also captures well the immersion in consuming food, again an atavistic honest look at the pleasure we receive while eating. Surely, an animal part of ourself still resides in each of us that savors flavors, textures and the very act of taking nutrients into our body. Yes one could say we have evolved to sense the spectrum of characteristics each food gives to us so that we can continue our mortal existence. </p><p>One could say many of the world's cultures celebrate the human psychology of being dominant, of playing the role of apex predator in the world That celebration is primal and joyful, while also being based on a fabricated imagining of our ancestors. In fact, humans evolved to be foragers. The latest evidence indicates human digestive systems and dental layouts did not evolve to support a carnivorous diet. We probably scavenged from the kills of true carnivores and eventually when humans developed hunting tools adopted the bloodier behavior of killing other animals for food. </p><p>As modern civilization transitions toward to eating ever more ethically and ever more sustainably we will need to confront our eating behavior's origins. Only by recognizing how our actions impact on the world can we make better choices. Tampopo is a hilarious, touching, and harrowing reminder of just how far we have come and how far we have to go.</p><p><br /></p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-33042512241756562492022-09-17T11:47:00.004-04:002022-09-17T11:47:34.820-04:00The Biggest Lie, Unveiled<p>Here we are in 2022 preparing for election midterms with candidates still claiming the Big Lie, that the 2020 election was rigged. Tens of thousands of people are still dying annually in our country from Covid and gunshots, yet vaccines and meaningful firearm legislation are shrugged off as dangerous options. Football coaches coerce students with prayer while subscribers to zygotes possessed by souls have pushed theocracy on the rest of us. Somehow we have raised the banner that "everyone has the right to their opinion" with the subtext being The Biggest Lie, that each opinion has equal merit. With this doctrine held high, tons of misinformation is sold to the public at large, often as youth indoctrination and part of an inhumane political power grab.</p><p>How have we arrived at this moment, where unsubstantiated claims receive so much attention? In short, we have been raised to believe lies without questioning them. Sure, your parents eventually came clean about Santa, the Big Bad Wolf and the Tooth Fairy, but God, Allah, Yahweh, Brahma, Vishnu, etc. continue to plague the minds of grown adults. I'm sorry, but there is NO GOOD EVIDENCE that any of these supernatural beings exist. The choice to continue believing in these fairy tales is at best child-like wishful thinking, but mostly is residual indoctrination of falsehoods meant to simplify a complicated world rather than attempt to understand it.</p><p>We lie to ourselves because we don't want to face the painful reality. In fact, so many humans subscribe to these crazy beliefs that we fail as a society to intelligently address the real challenges that exist in maintaining a healthy world. Only by living authentic and evidence based lives can we achieve our highest potential and improve cultural tolerance, environmental health, the quality of life for sentient creatures, and pursue ever better explanations of the world around us.</p><p>Sure, no one practicing nonsense religion should not be persecuted. Nevertheless, we should recognize supporting the unsubstantiated tenets of all these contradicting, supernatural-based religions hurts our society to the core. Religious belief peddles weak thinking and an emotional connection to the unreal. If we are to improve as a people (and we are, all too slowly) we need to look our beliefs, opinions, and emotions in the face and retire the ones that don't make sense. A world without gods may lose its imaginary safety net, but it also frees up resources and clears the global mind so we can come together and confront reality toward the most joyful of ends.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-46550362870591150602022-06-12T13:10:00.002-04:002022-06-12T13:10:47.183-04:00Free Speech as a Vehicle for Non-violent Action<p>There is no absolute free speech; as with anything abstract, it is either willfully regulated by the laws of humankind and of nature.</p><p>To the point of absurdity, the nature of reality limits the ability for a sentient being to voice an infinitely long word (infinite time and energy would be required) or to communicate backwards in time (adhering the the law of entropy, at least as currently understood) or to sentient beings outside of the observable universe (speed of light restrictions). I'm sure one could cherry pick other natural laws to highlight the physical limitation of free speech, but the point is that censorship of a sort is inherent in the real world around us.</p><p>And humankind is an incarnation of the known Universe, so it follows that within our own civilization, realistic censorship will occur. The idea that within those constraints that humans are permitted to voice their opinions can never be totally free, and when sensibly defended, regulation of speech can be crafted to improve the world we live in for all. To that end, language that threatens the safety of another being or some part of the world we live in, should be regulated. This might not require outright censorship, but may need to be judged on a spectrum and isolated in extreme situations.</p><p>Ultimately, ending all speech that mobilizes violence would be an interesting starting point. For if we could end the bullying, injury and death of all sentient beings, the world could evolve down a more peaceful path. That path could be toward a neartopia devoid of human created suffering. In such a world, all our actions could predominantly work toward building a healthier world for humanity, the environment, and all the living things in it.</p><p>The challenge is to institute laws that are enforced fairly among all. If only there were a god to assign this duty. Maybe one day an artificially intelligent agent will fill those heavenly imagined shoes. Until then our laws must serve as an agent to bridge the gap.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-46897240809601017122022-05-06T12:51:00.003-04:002022-05-06T12:51:47.501-04:00Twenty-first Century Priority Sorting <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnA0c4cbfAODlzpOlsihdD4SUYzA0wDq-ML36TIWSY_o21iJORd9Hxs9_oa4imLv0B3-BAz94ehygwYV3DVDt_LIxhwYrqn5WjdGOnEPlj0bs2ETddqYikICgcsG2vGj_NA6-gHSwJglyDt-X3RRKl9VuzHxNa6FMUh_MOykwoAy2z4V776kL37y6/s479/Expanded_Maslow's_Needs.webp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="479" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnA0c4cbfAODlzpOlsihdD4SUYzA0wDq-ML36TIWSY_o21iJORd9Hxs9_oa4imLv0B3-BAz94ehygwYV3DVDt_LIxhwYrqn5WjdGOnEPlj0bs2ETddqYikICgcsG2vGj_NA6-gHSwJglyDt-X3RRKl9VuzHxNa6FMUh_MOykwoAy2z4V776kL37y6/s320/Expanded_Maslow's_Needs.webp.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Having just watched the celebrated Indian film Pather Panchali, I am driven to contemplate what drives our choices when it comes to living. In the film a struggling family must use its talents to scrape by, and yet circumstances limit their success and in the end convinces them to journey down a challenging hopeful path that turns away from their heritage. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides a decent summary of what lies at the core when we as humans make hard choices. In short, we seek that which helps us survive and that which helps us thrive. The intermixing of these qualities into our daily decisions is rather complex, and in the end we consciously and unconsciously make trade off choices that benefit us as individuals, those in our sphere, and the world around us.</p><p>Critical to making these evaluation is the information that we integrate into these decisions. Too often we never include the impact of our choices on the world that is beyond our sphere. It is a very hard evolutionary trait to overcome. Our gut will tell us that our hunger, the emotions of our inner circle and only the immediate world we can see should be considered. Yet if we allowed only these local factors to influence us, humans would be a rather inconsequential species on our planet.</p><p>The fact is the human species has created clever tools that outperforms anything evolution has gifted to nature. Complex language lies at the core, wherein we can communicate ideas far and wide across time and culture to preserve lessons learned that aren't immediately obvious. Additionally, human institutions have risen that command attention and observance of information that we might otherwise discount. Finally, we have developed an abstract system of value exchange that permits these institutions and individuals to secure services that historically would only have been exchanged in direct barter.</p><p>One could point out that these tools also have corrupt applications, and part of civilization's responsibility is to keep these in check, to be sure. Still, the net positive permits humans and human groups to thrive in comparison to other species magnitudes upon magnitudes more successfully than other species. And yet, within our social microcosms we are still subject to entropic processes that challenge us.</p><p>And so the challenge of our times is to confront macroprocesses like climate change, biome fragility, and healthy planetary human carrying capacity. In many ways we are failing this challenge. The old ways of harvesting whatever one can, believing in ancient ideas, and prioritizing only what is immediate are a built in feature of our biology. Humans must fine tune our tools with rationality and compassion if we are to succeed in sustaining a healthy planet for generations to come.</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-83843540258565173202022-04-10T07:55:00.003-04:002022-04-10T07:56:27.829-04:00Realistic Expectations in an Effed Up World<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2t-IrfC5m88Seqf7TDAnyy7gFeum1cQoghNm6fX5G5ZMgwZSVcq_jk71jFye-w6E_HfI9BMwCr5brnLCTzR4-A7iXL8dpOz9bOvnJXfHA4weFCqNMKcav5DQtgtjYhUUDp3Ll_IdyeXGDzjr0UW22VfA8xA9iBMjU1v53DMSI2ug7UUS9fPogNd9/s800/garbage-heap-20862832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2t-IrfC5m88Seqf7TDAnyy7gFeum1cQoghNm6fX5G5ZMgwZSVcq_jk71jFye-w6E_HfI9BMwCr5brnLCTzR4-A7iXL8dpOz9bOvnJXfHA4weFCqNMKcav5DQtgtjYhUUDp3Ll_IdyeXGDzjr0UW22VfA8xA9iBMjU1v53DMSI2ug7UUS9fPogNd9/w640-h424/garbage-heap-20862832.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>With the world population not expected to peak until 2100 CE at around 10 billion humans, there is continued pressure on the Earth to provide. Already our species has strained the planetary ecosystem to the extreme. Climate change, mass extinctions, resource scarcity, pollution and war between our tribes are all an indication things are out of balance. Civilization may be a boon for humans, in a bell curve advantage kind of way, but as a whole Earth's natural homeostasis is severely out of whack due to humanity's activity.</p><p>The optimistic view is that we can sustainably maintain that growing natural population mostly by transitioning to less impactive technology and more minimalist choices Unfortunately, pure optimism perpetuates a lie as big as any of the ancient religions that continue peddle their supernatural deities, "higher powers" that never show up to help except in delusional psychological form. Sciencism, the belief that improving technology will save us, is just as flawed a world view. The reality is unless humanity undergoes a cultural epiphany, our Earth will get ever sicker.</p><p>So what is a wishful pessimist to do? It certainly isn't helpful to curl up in a fetal position in fear of all the things we as individuals cannot change. One must build a thick skin to accept the inevitable reduction of planetary biodiversity and ongoing increase of human presence in the world, while doing what we can. Instead of having children of our own, adopt or participate as a next generation influencer to fulfill the evolutionary yearning to be a parent. Instead of striving to be a first world consumer, find a path of minimalism and veganism that reduces the impact on the planet's ecosystem. And, perhaps most tough of all, become an active persuader to win our culture over from those that worship a pyramid scheme economy. </p><p>Everything a human can do to spread a culture of honest compassion that reaches outside of human selfishness will reduce the final toll of bleakness. Coupled with evidence-based policies that embrace accountability, the future can be manageable for all its inhabitants. The hardest part is realizing fictional dreams of utopia, whether supernatural or technological, are simply so unlikely that it's best to take a deep breath, center oneself, and take a brave step forward to pitch in to the effort at hand.</p><p>Peace out.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9132943959127671370.post-4523936194847564482022-03-23T12:48:00.002-04:002022-03-25T07:57:59.980-04:00Vlad's Therapist<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGDpXNWhl2d-b71ADDrs8AOmP8k0-Ot2mXOd2vF-DA6YAFk38G40JrwzQlBTqHDsc7PjVcPuOe4i0Ldjhon9azm2Lgo99Thx_q3l2-1L4CLgxRJKI0bgEQNLkT-Fb4tTKovjguTUyuJhaL-YKy9tmPnR5alq3UJ8asm7R0l_kWXyxiHRkBd7yLksc/s900/water-and-fire-mihaela-pater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGDpXNWhl2d-b71ADDrs8AOmP8k0-Ot2mXOd2vF-DA6YAFk38G40JrwzQlBTqHDsc7PjVcPuOe4i0Ldjhon9azm2Lgo99Thx_q3l2-1L4CLgxRJKI0bgEQNLkT-Fb4tTKovjguTUyuJhaL-YKy9tmPnR5alq3UJ8asm7R0l_kWXyxiHRkBd7yLksc/s320/water-and-fire-mihaela-pater.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">"Hate is a fire that is best put out with kindness." - Anonymous</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">"...okay, Vlad, let's set aside your religious upbringing. I think we've established your deep connection with your mother and the Russian Orthodox Church and how your religious beliefs have driven your governing philosophy. Can you tell me more about your father and your feelings toward him?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Sure. He served in Russian Navy before the German aggression, and then fought as an infantry soldier involved in the defense of Stalingrad. He was severely wounded, but was very brave. Our relationship was never very close. He preferred spectator sports, but we played chess regularly."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"I like playing chess myself, Vlad. So, it sounds like you desired a closeness he never gave."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"It is not about closeness. He was pawn. A pawn for righteous cause, to be sure, but still pawn. I am grateful for his sacrifices, but I aspire to achieve more than he ever dreamed. This world is here to be taken or taken away, and I resolve to do the former."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"What I'm hearing is that your ambition is a priority for you. Have you made any lasting friendships along your ambitious journey?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Friendships are lie about joyful give and take for mutual benefit without external gain. In my life, I cultivated connections that would establish pyramid of power that would be unbreakable. Friendship plays no part in that accomplishment."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"What about your daughters? Do you have a good connection with them?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"I am strong influence with them. They will receive good education and live productive lives."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Do you tell them you love them?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"My actions of giving them safe place to live and to thrive are the most loving gesture any father could make, no?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"No, Vlad. Individuals are not purely utilitarian. Sharing hugs, playing games, singing songs together are the foundation upon which people build meaningful lives alongside friends, relatives and even strangers."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"There can be no hugs without safe place to live."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"True, Vlad, but a safe place to live can be a tomb if there is no love."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"I will think on this, doctor. Now I must go. Siege of Mariupol needs guidance that only I can provide."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"One last question. Do you find the deaths of others pleasant when you rationalize the need for expanding the so-called safe space you seek for your country?"</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Necessary. Yes. But pleasant? That is emotion for those without ambition."</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Thanks, Vlad. I agree. Sometimes a solution is painful. Sometimes a sacrifice needs to be made."</p><p style="text-align: left;">The office erupts in flame from a small thermobaric device hidden in the chess set the therapist had brought along. It was not closely examined upon entering the east wing of Vlad's palace. Hours later the charred remains of two bodies drenched in fire suppression gel are identified and eventually interred.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Over the following weeks and months, tears are shed for one of the two humans killed in the fire. The expansionist, Russian pyramid of power didn't topple immediately. Still, it no longer had such a pointy crown at its apex and the global and regional happiness index went through a notable inflection point upward.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">"Kindness can be a breeze that goes unnoticed by some." - Anonymous</p>Brian Bohmuellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.com0