Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
Jerry Buss, 1933-2013
I’m sad. As a lifelong Laker fan, I kind of feel like I knew the guy. He bought the Lakers in 1979, which means he was younger than I am today, and now he’s dead at the age of 80. I feel old.
Dr. Buss was a USC alum. Fight on.
R.I.P. Jerry Buss
Aside
A good outcome is not the same as a good decision.
There is a Difference
There’s a difference between being persistent and floundering.
Thus spoke The Programmer.
More People I’m Sick Unto Death Of
Recruiters who write job descriptions with requirements like this:
- Great Communication – must be able to speak very clear
Philosophy of Mind
I thought about something and then I thought, Why did I think about that? I can have thoughts about thoughts!
Poems I’ve Read Recently and Liked
- “Aubade” by Philip Larkin
- “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” by William Butler Yeats
Facing it — always facing it — that’s the way to get through. — Joseph Conrad, Typhoon
Preaching to the Choir
Mom #1: Moms are right 99 percent of the time.
Mom #2: Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time.
Online Porn May Make You Forget
Pornographic Picture Processing Interferes with Working Memory Performance
Researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen found that looking at internet porn has a negative effect on working memory.
Wait a second . . . did I already post this link?
Mad Libs
President Barack Obama’s speeches have a familiar ring these days — no matter if it’s guns, immigration or the budget.
Tout what he’s already done. Say the public’s in his corner. Demand Congress do something. Lament Washington dysfunction. Lay out his own plan. Avoid details. Urge voters to keep up the pressure. Warn it won’t be easy. Bask in the applause.
It’s the fill-in-the-blank approach to selling a presidential agenda: same template, just adjusted for the topic.
Aside
Philosophical skepticism must be distinguished from ordinary incredulity . . .
USC 75, UCLA 71 (OT)
Sorry to spoil Reggie Miller Jersey Retirement Night at the new Pauley Pavilion, but you should know better than to schedule these things against the Men of Troy.
FIGHT ON!
Confidence
‘Confidence’ I now regard as a psychopathic state. Confidence, it’s a cry for help. I mean, you look at all that out there, and what you feel is confidence?
To Be Safe, Never Say Anything to Anyone
Money
Without money, you’re one day old and one inch tall. And you’re nude, too. But the beauty of it is, there’s no point in doing anything to you if you haven’t got any money. They could do things to you. But if you haven’t got the money, they can’t be fucked.
Academically Speaking, I’ve Still Got the Geedus
I took a Computational Finance midterm over the weekend on Coursera. I’ve taken a few Coursera classes before — they had quizzes, problem sets, programming assignments, essays — but none of them had a midterm or final exam.
It’s the first academic exam I’ve taken in at least a couple of decades, and the first exam ever in which — because it was online — I was able to participate in the company of my life partner, Wild Turkey.
Here’s my result:
I lost the one point on this question right here:
If you understand the question, it’s obvious which one of the four I missed, but it may not be obvious what the right answer is. It wasn’t to me, anyway.
My wife asks, “Did you see the grading curve?”
“No, but when you score 149 out of 150, you leave it to others to worry about the curve.”
Coursera Recommendations
Coursera‘s been around long enough now that some classes are being offered for a second time, including a couple that I’ve taken and recommend:
- Modern & Contemporary American Poetry, taught by Al Filreis at Penn
- Social Network Analysis, taught by Lada Adamic at the University of Michigan
Life is Losing
We are all receding — waving or beckoning or just kissing our fingertips, we are all fading, shrinking, paling. Life is all losing, we are all losing, losing mother, father, youth, hair, looks, teeth, friends, lovers, shape, reason, life. We are losing, losing, losing. Take life away. It’s too hard, too difficult. We aren’t any good at it. Try us out on something else. But shelve life. Take life off the stands. It’s too fucking difficult and we aren’t any good at it.
That reminds me — it’s probably about time to schedule an eye exam because I can’t goddamn see any more . . .
Kobe Bryant, 1978-2013
One never knows when the blow may fall, Mamba Mentality notwithstanding. He wakes up this morning and a few hours later he dies at the age of 41.
It sounds like they may have been flying through fog and hit a hillside rather than hitting the ground. Is there enough time to grab your daughter’s hand and say “I love you” or is it all over too fast? Which would be better or worse?
RIP Kobe Bryant, Gianna and all the other passengers
