P.S. A Column On Things

Start of July 26 Column

Paul’s Poetry Corner: If Offered A Choice

Link to If Offered a Choice

Reincarnation.
I’d be surprised
If we’re offered choices
About other lives.

Musing on Reincarnation

I am no expert on the subject, but the discussion that led to the recent poem (see above) got me to thinking: what if reincarnation is a version of Groundhog Day; in the immortal words of Edna St. Vincent Millay, “It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another—it’s one damn thing over & over.

Of course we can never know about reincarnation, because of the unfair built-in restriction―no explicit memory of past lives. One of the great things about Groundhog Day is that Phil could remember all of the previous days he had lived through, and he could learn and grow as a result.

Clearly you could learn and grow (and we do) without that knowledge, but it would be a slower and harder process. If I am in a time loop, I’ve been through it a few thousand times, because my decision-making has been pristine. In GHD terms, I’m not getting my face slapped anymore. If it’s just a multiverse, this is a great timeline, one I hope to stay on. I think this is probably the best of all my alternate universes, but I’m sure all the other Pauls think the same thing.

My brain hurts, I’m going to take a nap.

Expose Yourself To Art

An iconic, amusing poster shot on the street downtown in my home town of Portland, Oregon. Was talking about it the other day with a Californian and realized not everyone in the world has seen it.

High School Alternative

I’m aged out of the demo that cares, but if you and your high schooler liked remote learning and are not looking forward to a return to the daily grind, consider Living Wisdom Online International High School. A good friend works there. I have no direct experience, but speaking as a teacher, the principles look fantastic. This in no way diminishes my support for public schools, but they aren’t for everyone, and there are more interesting education models out there.

Here is a blurb for the school: “Come join our holistic, spiritual high school! Broaden your horizons by learning with high-minded teens around the world. Classes are small, live and interactive. Our students, so far, have come from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. The normal academic curriculum is enriched with yoga, meditation, cultivation of personal expertise and an annual, in-person Service Adventure. In 2021 our senior class scored in the top 3% of schools in nationwide standardized testing.  All welcome. Fully accredited by WASC.”

Peckarsky for Wisconsin

Peckarsky on the Bandwagon--literally

 

A stirring speech by my classmate, Democratic hopeful Peter Peckarsky, who is campaigning for the chance to oust Ron Johnson from the Senate.  He isn’t hoping for much… just providing Quality Health Care As a Basic Right, Protecting The Rights of Workers and Their Unions, Protecting our Environment and Prioritizing Our Fight Against Climate Change, Reducing Economic Inequality, Stopping Systemic Racism, Justice For Veterans, and Ending Forever Wars.

This and That

The Moray Eel Meme Strikes Again
Great Pun headline and photo captions that actually appeared in the New York Times, at least the digital version: When an Eel Climbs a Ramp to Eat Squid From a Clamp, That’s a Moray (also, scroll down on this page to August 2020 for more such puns)
...
Equal Rights Amendment
As usual, Michael Moore is right. There is NO legitimate reason not to place the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Take a minute and do your part.
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Crime
Michael Moore, again, right. He asked, “Are you worried about your neighbor, who makes $60,000 climbing the fence and stealing your TV or mugging you for your wallet? No.” Maybe, as he believes, a more just society with a more equal sharing of the economic pie would not need so many cops and cells.

End of July 26 Column

Mac vs. PC: The struggle continues

Dr. Bob Kaplan, a band buddy of mine, sent me a copy of a column by author Douglas Rushkoff. Two years ago, he wrote a column about leaving the Mac for a Windows PC. Last month, he came back to the Mac and wrote another column about that transition. nettiquette requires me to point you to his column, but here are some excerpts. I am sure the Mac people will be handing this one around for a long time. He posted a couple of different versions around the net, but here's some quotes to give you a flavor of the piece:

Now, two years and three Windows operating systems later, I am finally admitting defeat...

In short, my two years in Windows has fundamentally altered my experience of the computer and of the Internet...

Microsoft is more concerned with fighting wars against its competitors than providing a workable system for its own constituency...

Why I've Gone Back to Mac, Douglas Rushkoff, Electronic Mail and Guardian

For the curious, here's the column he wrote when he left the Macintosh platform

Turning My Back on Mac, Douglas Rushkoff, NY Times Syndicate

[2021 editor's note: Yes, I am the Paul Schindler who predicted, in 1985, when the Macintosh was a year old, that it wouldn't be a success in business. I stand by that opinion. You can see Paul Schindler Pans Mac .

Start of July 19 Column