Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. HIATUS

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. I've been very busy reading and interacting with various folks on Facebook. I do this gig when I am not working. But the goal is one post per day which I have not been meeting. I must also admit that coming up with new material has been a chore. I feel that I am in creative stagnation. I don't have anything new to say. I just have new ways of saying the old things. This combined with the fact that I am approaching 40 makes me wonder if I am spent in the creativity department. But I think it is just the fact that I have yet to encounter or embrace any new or compelling ideas in awhile. My personal stagnation may just be indicative of a wider stagnation in the culture.

2. WIKILEAKS

Julian Assange cause a stir with his data dump of the Afghan war logs on the WikiLeaks site. First of all, I think he is a hero for doing this. The American people need to know what the hell is going on over there in their name. Secondly, I find claims that Assange has endangered the lives of innocents to be without merit considering that he has withheld a lot of documents and gave the White House a change to vet the material through the NYT. Finally, Assange does have an ego. Who doesn't? He should be proud of taking on the governments of the world which will almost certainly lead to his sudden disappearance. Both Russia and Israel have shown no qualms in assassinating people on foreign soil. I can't say the same for the USA, but it would not surprise me if this country did the same sort of stuff.

Governments don't want us to know what they are up to, and their defense is that is for our "safety and security." No, it isn't. It is for sparing them the scrutiny of their citizenry who they claim to serve.

3. CHARLIE RANGEL

Turns out that Charlie Rangel is a bit crooked. Whoa! Really?

I don't really care about these shenanigans of Rep. Rangel. This is because I am more outraged by what folks like Rangel do in the open and in public like his constant efforts to reinstate the draft. These charges against him are misdemeanors compared to the felonies he perpetrates daily on the House floor. The only thing is that crime becomes legal when legislated.

4. BRADASS87

In a corollary to the WikiLeaks story, I am not as impressed with PFC Bradley Manning who leaked documents to WikiLeaks and now faces a shitstorm and the rest of his adult life in the stockade. This is because Manning was stupid. Assange's motives are clear and mature. Manning's motivations are childish and immature. This is why he got caught. Using the moniker "BRADASS87" and bragging to another hacker about what you did was damn stupid. Assange and Co. go to great lengths to protect sources, but you can't protect the stupid.

5. THE PROBLEM WITH APPLE

The Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field is breaking down. He is both the savior and the damnation of Apple. It's like having Hitler as CEO. He comes in with swagger and brilliance, but you begin to wonder if the fucker is just plain nuts. When Jobs told a customer to not hold the iPhone 4 that way when the customer lost reception, Jobs went to the nut side of the ledger. The fact is that Apple products are aesthetically pleasing, but they fail on the utilitarian side. Consequently, Android phones are gaining market share because they are cheaper, more useful, and more open. We are seeing a repeat of Microsoft vs. Apple.

The debate is a simple one. Should companies be democratic or autocratic? The answer to that question is not so simple. It is also bigger than just companies since the same can be applied to organizations, governments, families, etc. Apple was closed while Microsoft was open. Now, Apple is closed while Google is open. As a libertarian, I tend to favor the open side of things though I admire the sleekness of Apple products. The Nazis were spiffy dressers, too, and they had a logo, dammit. But being closed leads to failure and atrocity. I will have further thoughts on this issue.

6. MINIMALIST VS. SIMPLE

I think I am on the verge of rejecting minimalism. This doesn't mean embracing maximalism. The reason for this is because I am torn between two opposite poles. Take music, for instance. You have the maximalism of a group like King Crimson and the minimalism of Brian Eno's ambient work. Then, you have Bob Dylan with a guitar and harmonica. I love Dylan. I find the spareness of Eno and the bloat of Crimson to be equally offensive to my ears.

In terms of lifestyle, minimalism is too austere. My girlfriend says that I am a minimalist, but this isn't true. I can't afford to be a minimalist since I don't own elegant furniture or live in modernist architecture. I just live simply.

The reality is that minimalism and maximalism are joined together. Take Crimson and Eno. Those guys have been collaborators on music. This should not be surprising. The problem is that their respective music is without a soul.

I think music should be simple. I don't think it should be overdone or underdone. Similarly, architecture, writing, art, and lifestyle design should be the same way. I struggle to find this simplicity as opposed to the poles of excess and austerity. For me, the perfect house is an old farm house with wood floors and comfortable furniture but also some modern touches. I am struggling to find this balance.

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