2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog was a lot better than it really had any right to be, borne along on a tide of audience good-will, easy-going charm, and a fun throw-back performance by Jim Carrey. I was pleased with it and looking forward to the promised sequel. Well, now I’ve seen the sequel (actually, I saw … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’
Friday Flotsam: Crashes, Consolations, and Memorial Day
1. Had a car accident last weekend. No one hurt, thank God, and really not more than a fender-bender. Only, my fenders ended up much less bent than the other guy’s (he hit me, but no one really at fault; just a bad situation involving merging and unexpectedly stopped traffic), so I felt bad about … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Crashes, Consolations, and Memorial Day
Standard of Living
"The standard of living has never been higher." You hear this a lot, especially from conservatives. The average person has never been wealthier, never has lived longer, never has had so many conveniences and so few dangers. His jobs and homes are more comfortable. He has access to high-quality medical care. The poorest of the … Continue reading Standard of Living
Low-Effort Blogging: David Stewart
This week I'm outsourcing to author / YouTuber David Stewart, whom I find to be one of the more interesting and helpful creators on the platform, especially where writing advice is concerned, though his social / economic commentary is generally excellent as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqFiUzCe3nA&list=PLrcjHcKc8BLiI28WyqwJK3ChsZT3pSMGL&index=133&ab_channel=DavidStewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHsxkUgu2c&list=PLrcjHcKc8BLjrnN9DpFJC4tqj98XZPlEO&index=4&t=392s&ab_channel=DavidStewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzaqSf_I9qg&ab_channel=DavidStewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFkF0ozf8yM&t=2s&ab_channel=DavidStewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR3cRQEQGs4&t=2s
Reflections: First Principles
Note: I've been toying with the idea of putting together a series of essays of my worldview and thoughts on different subjects. Partly as a way of working them out myself, and partly just for the interest. Below is a draft of the first installment. No one starts from first principles when developing a worldview; … Continue reading Reflections: First Principles
Poetry – “Surprised By Joy – Impatient as the Wind”
(This was in fact suggested by my daughter Catherine long after her death - Wordsworth) Surprised by joy - impatient as the windI turned to share the transport - Oh! with whomBut thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,That spot which no vicissitude can find?Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind -But how could … Continue reading Poetry – “Surprised By Joy – Impatient as the Wind”
Words of the Saints: St. Ignatius’s Principle
"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. All other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him fulfill the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use these things to … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. Ignatius’s Principle
Flash-Fiction: Gotta Eat
Ritter watched Chloe entering the library. She was a sweet thing; a blooming, innocent seventeen. Just what he liked. She was a regular at the library, of course. That was why he had chosen it. A comfortable, safe place where her guard would be down. Chloe walked up a long row of shelves, as though … Continue reading Flash-Fiction: Gotta Eat
Friday Flotsam: Psych Days, Recreation, ‘The Living Shadow’, and an Interesting Fact
1. One thing I would recommend to any fellow sufferers from depression or related problems is not to be ashamed to occasionally take off ‘psych days’ to try to recoup yourself, especially if your job is a source of strain and unhappiness (which, I may be cynical, but I think most jobs these days are). … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Psych Days, Recreation, ‘The Living Shadow’, and an Interesting Fact
Thoughts on ‘Flatland’
You have almost certainly never read a novel like Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott (under the name ‘A. Square’). It depicts a two-dimensional world, and the narrator’s experience of being granted visions of other dimensions. About two-thirds of the book consists in simply describing the nature and some of the … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Flatland’
Serpent's Den 