Sunday, February 09, 2014
Saturday, February 08, 2014
Thursday, February 06, 2014
Bread and Circuses
Bread and Circuses
Wikipedia: Bread and Circuses
A more contemporary take on the subject by the Grandmaster of Science Fiction, Robert A. Heinlein:
"Bread and Circuses"--From Robert Heinlein
Today, Obamacare and "Obama phones" and the Farm Bill and mortgage "forgiveness" and the discharge of student loans and so on are the equivalent of the plebs' bread.
Let us hope we may yet turn away from the approaching winter of the American Era without too much pain and discontent.
"This phrase originates from Rome in Satire X of the Roman satirist and poet Juvenal (circa A.D. 100). In context, the Latin metaphor panem et circenses (bread and circuses) identifies the only remaining cares of a new Roman populace which cares not for tis historical birthright of political involvement. Here Juvenal displays his contempt for the declining heroism of his contemporary Romans. Roman politicians devised a plan in 140 B.C. to win the votes of these new citizens: giving out cheap food and entertainment, "bread and circuses", would be the most effective way to rise to power.
…Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties, for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions--everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.
…iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli / uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim / imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se / continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, / panem et circensus. (Juvenal, Satire 10.77-81)
Juvenal here makes reference to the Roman practice of providing free wheat to ROman citizens as well as costly circus games and other forms of entertainment as a means of gaining political power. The Annona (grain dole) was begun under the instigation of the popularis politician Gaius Sempronius Gracchus in 123 B.C.; it remained an object of political contention until it was taken under the control of the autocratic Roman emperors."
Wikipedia: Bread and Circuses
A more contemporary take on the subject by the Grandmaster of Science Fiction, Robert A. Heinlein:
"Bread and Circuses"--From Robert Heinlein
In 'To Sail Beyond The Sunset', the last of Heinlein's Lazarus Long stories, Lazarus discusses a dynamic that I think is rampant today. Food for thought for all newly elected politicians.
From handouts to bailouts to…?
"A perfect democracy, a 'warm body' democracy in which every adult may vote and all votes count equally has no internal feedback for self correction. It depends solely on the wisdom and self-restraint of citizens…which is opposed by the folly and lack of self-respect of other citizens. What is supposed to happen in a democracy is that each sovereign citizen will always vote in the public interest for the safety and welfare of all. But what does happen is that he votes his own self-interest as he sees it..which for the majority translates as 'Bread and Circuses'.
"Bread and Circuses is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure. Democracy often works beautifully at first. But once a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, that day marks the beginning of the end of the state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death or in its weakened state succumbs to an invader--the barbarians enter Rome."Bonilogue on Heinlein
Today, Obamacare and "Obama phones" and the Farm Bill and mortgage "forgiveness" and the discharge of student loans and so on are the equivalent of the plebs' bread.
Let us hope we may yet turn away from the approaching winter of the American Era without too much pain and discontent.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Indiegogo -- bRight Switch
Looks like something out of Star Trek. A touch screen light switch that adds a room-to-room intercom, Pandora/music that follows you from room-to-room, Skype in each room, security video, a built-in alarm clock, and the ability to set timers and sense when you're in a room to control the lighting.
Only a few days left to hit their target and they're currently US$30k short.
Cool it, America: Jay Carney says freedom ain’t nothin’ but a ‘buzzword’
The Press Secretary--spokesman for the President of the United States of America--just threw one of our founding principles under the bus.
This will not stand.
This will not stand.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Here Is What Happens When A Magnet Is Dropped Through A Copper Pipe [W/VIDEO] ‹ truthseekerdaily.com
It's SCIENCE!! Really cool looking science to boot!
Monday, February 03, 2014
Sunday, February 02, 2014
A Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics
From last September. Shiny!
Physicists have discovered a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality.
“This is completely new and very much simpler than anything that has been done before,” said Andrew Hodges, a mathematical physicist at Oxford University who has been following the work.
The revelation that particle interactions, the most basic events in nature, may be consequences of geometry significantly advances a decades-long effort to reformulate quantum field theory, the body of laws describing elementary particles and their interactions. Interactions that were previously calculated with mathematical formulas thousands of terms long can now be described by computing the volume of the corresponding jewel-like “amplituhedron,” which yields an equivalent one-term expression.
“The degree of efficiency is mind-boggling,” said Jacob Bourjaily, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University and one of the researchers who developed the new idea. “You can easily do, on paper, computations that were infeasible even with a computer before.”
Saturday, February 01, 2014
The Surprising Origins of Life’s Complexity
"Unlike standard evolutionary theory, McShea and Brandon see complexity increasing even in the absence of natural selection. This statement is, they maintain, a fundamental law of biology—perhaps its only one. They have dubbed it the zero-force evolutionary law."
A fascinating concept especially when considered with this recent theory by physicist Jeremy England of MIT.
‘I will not comply’: Doctor slams Obamacare, sends must-read breakup letter to Aetna
Kudos to Dr. Held for standing up for her convictions and making a difficult choice to operate outside of the government-health insurance complex.
Are you ready for some American footy?
Football! pic.twitter.com/rdtXP6IGTE
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) January 31, 2014
Beams of sound immerse you in music others can't hear - tech - 29 January 2014 - New Scientist
Can't wait to see this make its way into home and office design. I've been following this type of technology for a few years now and there are some amazing capabilities here.
Man with tiny brain shocks doctors - health - 20 July 2007 - New Scientist
What this case shows--besides the amazing image--is that you can be mostly brainless but still be a civil servant.
"Feuillet and his colleagues describe the case of this patient in The Lancet. He is a married father of two children, and works as a civil servant."
"Feuillet and his colleagues describe the case of this patient in The Lancet. He is a married father of two children, and works as a civil servant."
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