Midday links

Working from home, and taking a late lunch break to blog...yes, excitement rules my life.

That Tuesday Tribe game was wild; hell, yesterday was wild.  Mind you, I still think they are done, but....one likes to be pleasantly surprised once in a while.

I also watched -- through the wonders of Netflix -- "The Internet's Own Boy," the documentary about Aaron Swartz... one thing about that one was that, well, our own governmrnt drove him to suicide, which is why I am something of a libertarian.  More amusingly of course was that... well, he was certainly a progressive, and most of the people around him were, but no one seemed to sense the incongruity of that... The thing was interesting, though I think they tended to stray off message to make unrelated points (such as the culture of mass incarceration) rather than the main one, which was that the DOJ persecuted a guy who didn't like our copyright system.

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-some-of-americas-richest-towns-fight-affordable-housing

I get a kick out of these things, mainly because 1) I am shocked, shocked that progressives would do this and 2) Maybe they're right?  I  tend to sympathize with these people, as they are protecting their investment and, in all honesty, no one wants to live next to the Fighting Palins, be they white, black, or Martian.

https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/measles-for-the-one-percent.html

I had never heard of Waldorf schools until this article, and I was....fascinated.  I mean, there are idiots, and then there are these people, but, as I like to say, this is why Trump got elected...

Relaxing

Trying to blog more often here... this wasn't the worst Memorial Day weekend I've had; in some ways it was surprising, considering all of the stuff I did...  one thing I finished off was the Philo Vance series of mysteries.  I will miss them, because they were... good.  I mean, a little dated, but certainly enjoyable, and it is good to mix up the reading once in a while.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/when-malls-saved-the-suburbs-from-despair

Interesting?  I don't know, I don't go to the mall that often, but when I do...I enjoy myself.  I suspect online shopping has replaced this for many people, but I just wonder...some malls still exist.  I would assume not being a shithole, having decent stores and a good experience would still go a long way.  People like to shop and for some, they like to see it before they buy.  I guess most of my mall experience is South Park... which is pretty nice, and I tend to go off-hours, as well...

The Tribe is depressing, and it sounds like they are already in tear down mode... maybe?  This could be me, but 1) the Wild Card is a thing and 2) very rarely do teams nowadays say "Gee, this year we failed, but we'll fix it and move on;" rather, it's tear down and sell off.  Economically it makes sense, but... I am not sure that it does, and if you think about it, teams tend to spend more time in the cellar than not, which beggars the question...

Catching Up

You'll note that 1) I haven't blogged in ten days and 2) It's midnight.  Yes, I have been busy, and not necessarily good busy, either.  But we survive, as I like to say.  Actually, today, I had a meeting and went to see this:
https://www.fathomevents.com/events/the-cold-blue
Which was pretty interesting, though I wish it could have been...longer?  I also watched a few days ago "The Shining," which got me to 704 on the AFI list.  It was...ok?  I don't know; don't doubt the cultural significance, but the film was just...meh.

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/5/21/18633090/2020-buttigieg-mayor-pete-policies-religious
I don't know...this could be me, but I think the whole part about the language of strife is the issue; namely, for Christians, daily life is a struggle against the force of sin and the power of evil, in battles great and small.  Overcoming and winning the battles, even if not fully, is of course, the point of the game.  For most liberals, I think, the obect is more... I dont know, there but for the grace of God go I, which is fine, but... it is also not quite what Jesus says, either.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-feynman-diagrams-revolutionized-physics-20190514/

This was interesting!

Drained

On the one hand, I made a decision today; namely, that for all of my usual Matt-talk of finding love, summer romance, etc., and for all of the "Roll Up The Map of Europe" events lately, I need to STOP going so hard into these things.  I'm not getting any younger, but... well, easier said than done.

Also...I had a root canal today... I noticed some tooth pain, and it wasn't getting any better, so off I went to a local dental chain.  They diagnosed it right away and sent me to the oral surgeon down the street, who could take me today... so there it was.  It was not exactly fun, and while it does hurt, I am also NOT taking the full ibuprofen regime he recommended.  Anyways, I get the permanent crown later in the week so I will be very careful the next few days.  I have to admit, I am drained, mentally and physically, so off to bed for me will be a thing...

Watching Shane Bieber throw two-out batting practice... well, I guess it's not the easiest park to pitch in, but it is depressing for the team to struggle to score runs, score them, and give them back.  Mercado arrives tomorrow, supposedly, which should be good, even if it comes at the expense of a hanstring from Tyler Naquin, imagine that...

Links

I probably should start blogging more than once a week, but I also should be less busy, too... alas.  Life is just like that sometime.  I wouldn't necessarily say I am good busy, either.  But we survive, as I like to say.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/civil-war-museum-speaks-truths-former-capital-of-confederacy-180972085/
I thought this was pretty interesting, actually; sort of want to go there.  Years ago we took a family trip out there... makes me want to go back now.

https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-most-local-governments-census.html
This was also interesting... all I can say is that I think we have too much government, and if this is the GOP state it is supposed to be...well, maybe they should get to work.  Of course....

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/04/cuyahoga-countys-high-taxes-prompt-discussion-about-consolidation.html

I think this is funny, because the PD has never found a tax increase they didn't like, so when this comes around... well... call me skeptical.

https://aeon.co/essays/when-time-became-regular-and-universal-it-changed-history
I also thought this was interesting...

Links

Ten days since I've written?  Well, that is impressive, maybe even a record.  I've been nusy -- and not good busy --but even so...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/why-wages-are-finally-rising-10-years-after-the-recession/ar-AAAOwhH?li=BBnbfcN

One of my coworkers sent this to me; I say at work as often I have here that part of the problem with wages is that there are still plenty of people not in the job market, and lo and behold, someone is finally recognizing my genius.  :)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/30/donald-trump-evangelicals-god-1294578

 This was...a little much, even for me?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/how-dungeons-and-dragons-somehow-became-more-popular-than-ever/2019/04/18/fc226f56-5f8f-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?utm_term=.43f4306746f0

Now?  Now this happens?  Not when I wanted it to be? Oi. :) More seriously, some of the best fun I've ever had came from playing D&D, so this is...awesome.

https://radio.wosu.org/post/ohio-wesleyan-takes-one-year-pause-methodist-church-over-lgbtq-issues#stream/0

This, as you can imagine, amused the hell out of me...

https://slate.com/business/2019/05/gentrification-definition-housing-policy-methodology-cities-suburbs.html

I don't know; this could be me, but I would like to think that for most people, Beverly Hills is....the epitome of gentrification...