Confessions of a Conservative Atheist
The world’s only one man media empire
If you are remotely interested in outdoor activities and don’t mind paying ridiculously high prices for food and other necessities, the number of things to do is staggering and the landscapes stunning practically wherever you may look. Iceland is a country of almost alien beauty. Situated at the juncture of two tectonic plates, the bridge… Continue reading The rugged, alien beauty of Iceland, land of ice, fire, and ridiculously high prices
However appealing it may sound on the surface, Artificial Intelligence in particular and computers in general simply don’t work the same way they do in the movies, making any comparison completely useless. There used to be an old expression that truth is stranger than fiction, but I don’t think anyone ever thought truth to many… Continue reading We’re not living in the Terminator franchise and supposedly intelligent people should know the difference between fact and fiction
Whatever you personally believe about the state of the world or our prospects for the future, humans simply don’t get to choose. You are here and will remain here until you aren’t whether you like it or not. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Charles Dickens began his immortal A… Continue reading This Labor Day, it isn’t the best of times or the worst of times, it’s simply the only times we have
Though some might claim otherwise, I was there and few would really want to go back to a time when our lives were shorter, far less convenient, far less mobile, and far more of a pain in the ass in almost every measurable way. Over the past several weeks, more than one person has mentioned… Continue reading The quality of life canard and the irresistible appeal of nostalgia
Some of us know the type. Like Bernie Litgo in the movie adapted from David Mamet’s play, they spin wild tales for our amusement, but in academia and publishing, fact is supposed to be far more important than fiction, and processes are said to be in place to ensure only facts get published. In the… Continue reading Academia, the publishing industry, Jason Arday, bullshit artists, and the 80s cult classic About Last Night
If young people today face a problem totally unique to their generation, it’s one of plenty itself. Simply put, they have too many choices about everything and anything in life, but not enough money or time to possibly have or do it all. The 19th century novelist Henry James once claimed his works were centered… Continue reading The problem of plenty, the genius of Henry James, and the sad truth that we’re all Isabel Archer now
Most of us have encountered someone on a regular basis – in class, at work, on the train, on the bus, working at a store, wherever – that brightened our day somehow, prompting us to imagine what they might be like should we ever actually meet, but the pleasure is mostly in the imagining. “Cynthia”… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Cynthia” and those dreams that never come true
Whatever some may claim and why ever they may claim it, the road to prosperity isn’t paved by a single product. It’s paved by people making choices based on what they value most and what they can afford, but really, this shouldn’t be that difficult to explain. Last week, social media erupted once again over… Continue reading The $20 burrito, the woke right, the meaning of value, and the reality that personal choice produces better outcomes than government fiats
While many are shocked at the extent uncovered so far and at least some are expecting more to come, anyone who spent their formative years in the car business in the early 1990s like me is probably not surprised in the least. Though the mainstream media has done their level best to pretend it’s an… Continue reading The hidden or not-so-hidden fraudster in each of us and a few confessions from selling cars
While I applaud the professor for his ingenuity and understand we cannot live in a society that condones cheating, you might not be surprised to learn I had a similar incident in high school way back in 1994 and can sympathize with both sides. Last week, a professor at Alcorn State University in Mississippi, Dr.… Continue reading A professor uses an ingenious means to catch cheating students and a few confessions from a high school cheat
