DAILY PHOTO: Autumn Fields in South India
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Preacher Limerick
There once was an evangelical preacher who made each sermon a double-feature: first, the evils that tempt; then, why he was exempt: "One must know math's pitfalls to be a math teacher..."
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BOOKS: A Few Rules for Predicting the Future by Octavia Butler
A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia E. ButlerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release Date: April 16, 2024
This brief essay by one of science fiction’s greats, Octavia Butler, discusses her thoughts about forecasting the future and why it’s worth doing even though it’s so difficult (at some level of precision– even impossible.) Butler tells a few stories about questions from fans, being prescribed medication, and growing up during the space race and Cold War, stories that cleverly present her thoughts on the challenging art of anticipating the future.
It should be pointed out that this is a very short work. Even the sixty-ish page count is deceptive as that is accomplished with lots of white space, with large fonts, and even with colorful blank pages (and / or artwork.) If you’re paying full book price for it, be forewarned that, as clever and quotable as it is, it’s essentially magazine article length (and not a long article at that.)
If you can get your hands on this essay for a price commensurate with its word count, I’d highly recommend reading it.
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London by William Blake [w/ Audio]
I wander thro' each charter'd street, Near where the charter'd Thames does flow, And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. In every cry of every Man, In every Infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forged manacles I hear. How the Chimney-sweeper's cry Every black'ning Church appalls; And the hapless Soldier's sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls. But most thro' midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlot's curse Blasts the new born Infant's tear, And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.
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PROMPT: Instincts
Do you trust your instincts?
With regards to some types of questions, I trust my instincts implicitly. This is NOT because I think I have infallible instincts or a gift, but rather because reasoning and conscious cognitive processes are often demonstrably and systematically wrong in some domains. For example, the science shows people who think they can detect lies by observing and employing their reasoning to what they observe are wrong far more often than people who go with their gut, sans analysis. There are many areas like this, where being overly cerebral offers bad outcomes.
Of course, there are cases like the Monty Hall problem, in which being more deeply analytic and reasoned yields a better outcome. And, so, the trick is to know when to go with your gut and when to systematically think things through.
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Rhythm Counter [Haiku]
autumn grasses sway to a different rhythm than in summer's youth.
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Butterfly Dogfight [Haiku]
butterflies in spastic jinky orbit: play or bloom combat?
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DAILY PHOTO: From Hilltop to Hilltop
Summer Grasses by Matsuo Bashō [w/ Audio]
in Summer grass, resides the remnants of warrior dreams.
Japanese: 夏草や兵共がゆめの跡; natsugusa ya // tsuwamonodomo ga // yume no ato
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Growing in Stone [Haiku]
from old stone ruins
grow hardy weeds, raising
flowery heads skyward.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 