some links to enrage you, then blah blah blah about walking around

[solarbird]

A couple of links:

st_rev finds a Quote of the Day that absolutely nails one of the biggest problems in America today:

Even worse, as mathematician John Allen Paulos is fond of pointing out, Americans are often too innumerate to analyze statistics printed in the newspaper. America’s schools haven’t given its citizens any more ability than its journalists to analyze the information that floods our lives. We would call it a case of the blind leading the blind, but the comparison is inappropriate. Blind people know they can’t see.

Sources and article links on st_rev's journal here.

And on the same theme, the author of this has no concept of the idea of social mobility and the 1. fact that it's vital in anything pretending to be a meritocracy, 2. the things you need to do on a system-wide level to make it continue to be possible, and 3. the stability it adds to a non-oppressive social system, or is in favour of high degrees of social stratification as long as they are in a layer they like. Either way, it's deserving of the rampaging idiocy tag. (Article link courtesy kathrynt and llachglin. Also, see an earlier commentary of mine for other comments on why this is such a disastrously wretched idea.)

Today's (Thursday's) miles: 1.1 (whoo boy. should not be so tired.)
Miles out of Hobbiton: 1315.1
Miles out of Rivendell: 850.1
Miles out of Lothlórien: 395.1
Miles to Rauros Falls: 13.9

Vacuumed the main floor today, which, annoyingly, wore me out enough to take a short nap. This is stupid. But despite that, I did the now-p.t.-ordered walk up and down the hill, so that's good. Tomorrow I think I will try the walk to the shops for physical therapy. (It should be easier. It's no further and it's mostly downhill.) Still feel awfully useless, tho'. But in better news, I have the last homework assignment problem set from Chem 142 - the problem set I missed - so I can try to work on them despite the anti-seizure meds making me dumb. (I have noticed that I do seem to build up a little bit of a tolerance to them over a few days, so I think I'm less dumb than I was the day back on them after having missed. So that's good.) Still sleepy tho'.

Comments

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

Are you sure that MSNBC article isn't failed satire?

[llachglin.livejournal.com]

I'm not entirely sure. It reads exactly like a well-crafted Usenet or mailing list troll, but it's published by a major media company and played straight as commentary by a "futurist." I wish it were a troll, but I don't think it is.

[loopback.livejournal.com]

The only thing that makes me think that, perhaps, it could be satire is the fact that it's a long column of text, and doesn't stop at 100 words.

Even as satire it fails, since it doesn't pass the sniff test by ostensibly smarty-pants types. Which means that the middle of the curve will take it seriously, so it just adds to the belief that 'book larnin aint no good nohow'.

[solarbird]

The only thing that makes me think that, perhaps, it could be satire is the fact that it's a long column of text, and doesn't stop at 100 words.
har +10

[solarbird]

I've seen other variants of this floated before, so I don't really think so. It's just that you don't usually see it at this level of visibility.

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

Yeah - after I posted this Jim mentioned to me that they discussed this concept in his MLS program as well.

Not that it matters, but I agree with your assessment of the writer's ignornace about rigid social strata.

[brombear.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with that quote of the day. For as much stuff as Hollyweird shows in the movies and such, you'd think that people would be more open minded, but in comparison to the rest of the world, we're socially ignorant for the most part. Maybe we shouldn't be laughing at comedians when they make fun of the politicians, but should be going..."He's Right...or he's wrong..."

Also glad to hear that they're letting you work on your Chemistry lessons! *snugs and hugs*

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

wore me out enough to take a short nap. This is stupid.

It's not stupid. Building new brain tissue, or even just remapping existing brain tissue, is RIDICULOUSLY hard work. Building an entire central nervous system from scratch earlier this year taught me that; it was the hardest, most exhausting thing I've ever done, ever.