Socrates has said that the unexamined life is not worth living. He neglects to add, however, that the examined life is no picnic either.
The Unexamined Life
Well, there is a piece of famous advice, grand advice even if it is German, to forget what you can’t bear. — Saul Bellow, Herzog
What You Don’t See
When you watch someone perform, you’re seeing them at the top of their game. When they score the winning point or sell their company for millions — you’re seeing them in their moment of glory. What you don’t see is the thousands of hours of preparation. You don’t see the self doubt, the lost sleep, the lonely nights spent working. You don’t see the moment they started. The moment they were just like you, wondering how they could ever be good.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=daC2EPUh22w
If sin and folly get punished appropriately, we’re in for a bad time. — Charlie Munger
Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013
The way we are living,
timorous or bold,
will have been our life.
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- In Memoriam Seamus Heaney (text-patterns.thenewatlantis.com)
Comedy Pug
Hi everybody! It’s me, Lightning!
I never have any leftovers when I eat but if I did, I would ask for a doggie bag.
WHAAAAA–?! Thanks, I’ll be here all week!
— Lightning 
Do Something Different
"If you're not doing anything different, you're not doing anything at all." ET video interview with WashPost. http://t.co/a8vgyRxXOV
— Edward Tufte (@EdwardTufte) August 25, 2013
More People I’m Sick Unto Death Of
People who think it’s okay to insult members of certain groups (e.g., homophobes, people from the state of West Virginia), but not members of certain other groups (e.g., homosexuals, fat women), and particularly not members of groups that they themselves belong to.
People who bully others into taking offense at things that they’re “supposed to be” offended by because the bully is offended by those things.
People who allow themselves to be bullied into taking offense at things that they’re “supposed to be” offended by, even though it never occurred to them to be offended and they really couldn’t care less.
Animal Cruelty
Hi everybody! It’s me, Lightning!
I’m so mad! The guy behind us in the Starbucks drive-thru lane is taking pictures of himself and his dog but he’s not SHOWING the pictures to the dog!
YOU HAVE TO SHOW THE PICTURES TO THE DOG! GRRRRRRR!
— Lightning
The Price is Right
Guess how much I paid for this stack of books . . .
Hint #1: I bought them at the One Dollar Bookstore.
Hint #2: There are 10 books in the stack.
A Lot on My Plate
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Lightning!
I hear people say “I’ve got a lot on my plate” like it’s a bad thing. I LOVE to have a lot on my plate!
We’re talking about food, right?
— Lightning
A Tradeoff
If female employment rates matched male rates in the U.S., the GDP would rise by 5%. This stat & more: http://t.co/XsBVJW1xtE
— Harvard Biz Review (@HarvardBiz) August 25, 2013
Okay . . . but who would be raising our kids? Or is that not important?
The Kind of Outside-the-Box Thinking That Pays Dividends in Hollywood
Here’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking that propels executives to the top of Hollywood: Paying a woman for sex is illegal. Paying a woman to act in a sex scene on camera is not.
Not to say there won’t be consequences, but at least you won’t have a prostitution beef on your record.
Roll ’em . . . aaaaand ACTION!
Tipping Points
Elmore Leonard, 1925-2013
Elmore Leonard wrote 45 books. Were they good books? Well, let me ask you: Do you know anyone who’s written 45 good books? Neither do I. He’s a literary Joey Chestnut.
I know Leonard wrote at least one good book though and that book is Get Shorty. It’s not Proust but it’s a good novel, not just good as genre fiction. I really enjoyed it.
In fact, my enjoyment was such that I bought another Leonard book, Maximum Bob. If I’d read Maximum Bob first, I would have stopped right there with the Leonard canon. Maximum Bob is so bad, it’s hard to believe these two books were written by the same person.
I read Gold Coast as a tiebreaker. Gold Coast is better than Maximum Bob, no question about it, but not nearly as good as Get Shorty. So I stopped reading Elmore Leonard books, but I highly recommend Get Shorty.
R.I.P. Elmore Leonard
Aside
T.J. Rodgers: Targeting the Wealthy Kills Jobs
Hot August Morning
It’s going to be another hot day! Not even 8 a.m. and I’m panting already!
— Lightning
How the Willis Tower Got Its Name
When the Sears Tower opened in 1973, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the biggest retailing company in the world. The annual Sears Christmas catalog was like amphetamines for American schoolchildren. (This was before half of America’s schoolchildren were already on amphetamines.)
Sadly, as time passed, the fortunes of Sears & Roebuck declined. Sears moved its offices out of the tower and sold it to some guy named Willis, who was so sick and tired of listening to people say “What you talkin bout, Willis?” that he renamed it to the Willis Tower.
Now when people say “What you talkin bout, Willis?” he says “You want to know what I’m talkin bout?! I’m talkin bout THE TALLEST BUILDING IN NORTH AMERICA! That’s what I’m talkin bout, you pricks.”
Is the Medication Working?
“How is your new medication working?”
“I can’t tell yet . . . I’m going to read for a few minutes then I’m going to bed.”
“How is your new medication working?”
“You just asked me that 10 seconds ago.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“I DID answer you. I said I CAN’T TELL YET.”
“I don’t think it’s working.”
Rearview Cameras in Cars
Gov’t delays requiring rearview cameras in cars — Associated Press
Rearview cameras in cars seem like a good idea. Who wants to accidentally back over a child or a pet, right? It’s upsetting, not to mention whoever the child or pet belonged to is probably going to hold it against you forever.
Let’s make rearview cameras required by law.
In fact, let’s make rearview and frontview cameras required, because kids and pets can get under the front of your car too, and running over them is bad, no matter what direction you’re going.
I’ve seen TV commercials where cars can detect obstacles in their path and stop automatically to avoid a collision. That’s great. Let’s make that required too.
In fact, let’s make so many features required by law that you can’t even buy a car anymore for less than $50,000.
You know what else is a good idea? Freedom, which is the reason we started up this country in the first place. Let people buy and sell whatever they want.