"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> hi,
>
> "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > Yay, power's back on! It got knocked out last night, thanks to Tropical Storm
> > Hilary.
>
> ah, good.  a "novelty" in that area I read (80 years!).  made me think, another
> benefit of "urban" living - priority when restoring services.

A number of the private utilities don't seem to be working out too well for some
of us in the 'states. Things are bound to happen, of course, but sometimes the
frequency of those 'things' is a bit too high. (It's not as bad as Puerto Rico
here, but... that line of thinking doesn't help the people living there :/)

> > > > (I think India might be making a moon landing here pretty soon...)
> > > this week, fingers crossed.
> > Yes! And hopefully this attempt goes better than the last (unfortunate things
> > happen, unfortunately).
>
> very much hope the second attempt goes well.  (even if that means (the
> insufferable ;-)) Mr Modi gets to beat his chest :-))

Any progress is good, as long as it's real and not just to show off. Searching
for water and minerals on the south lunar pole seems like a good goal to me. I
know there's a lot of criticism regarding their space program (e.g. that money
could be used for people in need), but that seems like a deflection from taxing
rich people more.

> > Russia's got a moon mission going too, but I think it has already hit a snag.
> > With any luck, it won't be a major setback for them.
>
> from where I'm sitting, it looked a little like Russia was trying to "upstage"
> India.  in that sense, "poetic justice".  </shrug>

It did seem that way... and it probably was. Still, I'm disappointed the mission
failed. Evidently, the lander 'ceased its existence' after making a maneuver at
1.5 times the velocity needed, thus impacting into the lunar surface :(

I was also bummed that North Korea's recent satellite launch wasn't successful.
Not only would it have been a source of (hopefully healthy) pride and
accomplishment, it would have also been another way for them to be less
paranoid, since having more eyes on nearby things helps one make better
decisions.

> > > > ...
> > > > That's good. Personally, I have at times found it hard to feel alone and
> > > > comfortable, even though I live in a rural area. ...
> > > ...
> > > I envy people who (can afford to) live in, say, Tokyo.  think them real
> > > lucky having the products and services of _millions_ on the doorstep.
> >
> > It would be nice to order a pizza on a whim, or have a package reliably make it
> > to my doorstep (and not some post office). But the noise would be too much for
> > me, I'm pretty sure.
> >
> > Would greater access to products & services outweigh the busyness of the place
> > for you? Or maybe the busyness is part of the appeal? I can imagine how seeing
> > and hearing all the commotion from a cozy apartment would be neat.
>
> I think/know the "hustle + bustle" is part of the appeal.  I struggle to see the
> noise problem though.  life == "noise" :-)  I remember (vaguely) hearing
> grasshoppers and birdsong when little.  silence is a problem because it implies
> perceived threat(s) (in the natural world).

The natural sounds of birds, grasshoppers, storms... it's all great. Even people
doing normal people things isn't so bad. But at the risk of self-diagnosing, I
think I might have some form of transient misophonia. Certain things like a bass
drum beat, large beeping equipment, people partying at all times and such... it
just rubs me the wrong way sometimes. I'm getting better, though. I use ear
plugs to cut out most of the noise, and a degree of stoicism to navigate my
feelings about the onslaught. (It's not often as bad as I make it out to be.)

> (re-ordered)
> > > > ...
> > > > But yeah, I like a good debate, provided all parties are arguing in good
faith.
> > >
> > > yes, in good faith.
> > >
> > > (that then precludes conversation with about any politician who ever walked the
> > > Earth :-))
> >
> > I'm looking at my country's next presidential election and just shaking my head
> > `:/
>
> > ...
> > It's been suggested many times that all world leaders should take a bunch of
> > mushrooms and meditate on things. It would be great if it helped, but it's also
> > said people lacking a conscience are drawn to power, or find it easier to stay
> > there, so, idk.
>
> :-)  that would be kind of irresponsible too, I'd think that many of those
> "leaders" could be vulnerable afterwards, depressed, suicidal, some without
> doubt.

Well, it wouldn't have to be done in a reckless manner. Keep some trip killers
on hand, nurses on call, and above all: make sure set and setting is good
beforehand. Therapists to help with integration afterward. And it wouldn't have
to be 'a bunch of shrooms,' just enough to break out of the default mode network
a bit. But o course, even with every safeguard, things can still happen.

> how about just "cookies"

That could work, if they are 'special' cookies. Caution would still need to be
exercised, but probably not as much as with other things. (Green cookies can
still get *very* carried away.)

> and MJ Cole's 'Sincere' as background during
> debates ?  </grin>
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MJ_Cole>
> > I read the news almost every day, but I try not to get too upset about it all.

I looked that up. Found a song I'm not particularly interested in, but the idea
of something being created on an Atari system is intriguing.

> fwiw, I used to be a "news junkie", papers and (BBC) Radio 4.  but, I kept
> getting upset.  so I've made changes[*].

I read the news every morning on Lemmy and Reddit. On a basic level, reading
words is different than hearing audio and seeing video on TV. The potential for
getting upset is still there, but at least the manipulation is attenuated by a
few degrees. (Speaking of cannabis, that's how I found out how much television
was manipulating my mind. It happens on a level most of us ignore...
subconscious even. And to think, many people just don't realize that it's going
on all the time. [Or maybe I just think too much.])

> like people recommend to do with caged parrots and other social birds, I leave
> the radio on, 24/7, just above audible or "volume up" :-), on a music
> station[**].  works a treat.

I should have done this when we had cockatiels. Probably would have made things
better.

What's listening to that low-level noise like? Do you ever misrepresent the
sounds or is it basically white noise to you?

I have some kind of tinnitus, and when I'm in certain stages of sleep (dreaming)
it makes music. I'd like to learn a music application better in order to record
what I hear. It's almost like some sort of inter-dimensional radio, but I'm
pretty sure it's just my subconscious remixing memories. (Unless 'SpaghettiOs
Cereal' is a thing somewhere, haha.)

> [*] I still "allow" myself 15/20 minutes daily on a news channel, but find more
> and more days where I don't bother.
> [**] BBC Radio 6Music.  on DAB here, your side of the pond would require
> streaming I guess.

Pretty sure my radio can't pick that up. But have you ever seen this?
http://radio.garden/visit/ It's a site with a 3D globe you can navigate. You can
listen in on real-time broadcasts, from anywhere on Earth.

Sam

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