Tuesday, August 25, 2015
News noted
Barbarians continue to be barbarians. Apparently the more self-confident and energetic a religion is, the more inevitable it is that its adherents will adopt the viewpoint of the Caliph Omar.
Selfies in voting booths -- free speech, or incipient threat to democratic elections? How much do you suppose the Koch Brothers -- or George Soros, if you prefer -- would pay for my vote?
Can the SCA and pop-culture fascination with the middle ages save Medieval Studies?
On the Ashley Madison imbroglio:
Jennifer Weiner points out that the people who signed up for Ashley Madison's services with their real names and email addresses are just plain stupid (on top of being dishonest). As for the people who signed up from .gov and .mil addresses -- or, so help us, the Vatican -- they're well into the realm of Idiocracy, but without the funny parts.
More trenchantly, a DailyKos blogger points out that even before it was hacked, Ashley Madison was almost certainly a scam. If something looks too good to be true, well, you know the rest of the saying. And if you're going to a website for the express purpose of cheating and lying, don't be too surprised when the people you meet there are just as dishonest as you.
Why hello there, little weblog.
I'd almost forgotten you were still here. Still following me around like a good and faithful servant.
I've neglected you, I'm afraid. I got distracted by something new and flashy. And also by other things of greater import. There has been much sturm und drang in the life of Felix over the past few years, as well as sweetness and light. We needn't go into that in much detail.
Suffice it to say that that flashy distraction has turned out to be kind of shallow. All looks, no substance. The kind of place where all they care about is what you look like, not what you have to say. And it's so crowded! Every day, every hour, dozens -- hundreds -- of impassioned pleas for attention. Look at me! Sign my petition! Like me, like me, like me! Please like me! Like my joke! Like my cartoon! Like my church! Like my political party! Or else a little kid with cancer will die if you don't like me RIGHT NOW!
It's exhausting.
So the little space of peace and quiet that you offer is quite welcome. And -- I have to be honest about this -- I like the exclusivity of our relationship. I guess I'm just egotistical about things like that.
Oh, I'll still visit That Other Place, too. It's a good place to see and be seen. But for more reflective discussions, I'll be coming here to hang out with you.
Good to see you again.
I'd almost forgotten you were still here. Still following me around like a good and faithful servant.
I've neglected you, I'm afraid. I got distracted by something new and flashy. And also by other things of greater import. There has been much sturm und drang in the life of Felix over the past few years, as well as sweetness and light. We needn't go into that in much detail.
Suffice it to say that that flashy distraction has turned out to be kind of shallow. All looks, no substance. The kind of place where all they care about is what you look like, not what you have to say. And it's so crowded! Every day, every hour, dozens -- hundreds -- of impassioned pleas for attention. Look at me! Sign my petition! Like me, like me, like me! Please like me! Like my joke! Like my cartoon! Like my church! Like my political party! Or else a little kid with cancer will die if you don't like me RIGHT NOW!
It's exhausting.
So the little space of peace and quiet that you offer is quite welcome. And -- I have to be honest about this -- I like the exclusivity of our relationship. I guess I'm just egotistical about things like that.
Oh, I'll still visit That Other Place, too. It's a good place to see and be seen. But for more reflective discussions, I'll be coming here to hang out with you.
Good to see you again.
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