To read: Masscult and Midcult by Dwight Macdonald Mythologies by Roland Barthes Elements of Semilogy by Roland Barthes Manufacturing Consent by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky The Global Cold War by Odd Arne Westad Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom Sense and Sensability by Jane Austen Emily Dickinson Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman maybe some Freidrich Nietzsche Subculture: The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebidge Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan Read more...

Page 3 - Year of Glad Hal, C.T., tennis, genius, a mushroom Hal Incandenza is at a college admission interview at the University of Arizona with three Deans (Admissions, Academic Affairs, Athletic Affairs) Also present are: Director of Composition, tennis coach, Mr. deLint, and his uncle Charles Tavis (C.T.) They’re discussing Hal’s application which shows: High athletic ranking in tennis Very low standardized test scores Exceptional academic essays Outstanding grades from ETA (Enfield Tennis Academy) The Deans are concerned about the discrepancy between his test scores and academic performance, suggesting possible academic fraud Read more...

**Error: [RuntimeException] - "NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtual method 'void com.example.app.someMethod()' on a null object reference. Stack trace: at com.example.app.MainActivity.onCreate(MainActivity.java:72) at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:788) at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1307) at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3588) at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:3761) at android.app.servertransaction.LaunchActivityItem.execute(LaunchActivityItem.java:83) at android.app.servertransaction.TransactionExecutor.executeCallbacks(TransactionExecutor.java:135) at android.app.servertransaction.TransactionExecutor.execute(TransactionExecutor.java:95) at ... I think it’s been eleven hours, but I am not sure. If I had to guess, I would say I last got up from my chair around 5pm. The bottom right of my computer screen reads 3:41am. Read more...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States Brief history of inception End of the 18th, Continental Army established with George Washington as commander. Revolutionary war begins in 1775. Declaration of Independence is signed in July 1776 by delegates of the Second Continental Congress. Revolutionary war ends in 1783 and US is established as independent nation. In 1789 US Constitution is ratified and based on federalism, republicanism, and democracy. Federalism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIjmUxT9FWI JD Vance is concerned about free speech in Europe. The most worrisome threat to Europe isn’t from Russia or China. It is “the threat from within.” References Romanian court canceling an election and boasting about it. “We must do more than talk about democractic values, we must live them” Soviets did not respect free speech, and thankfully they lost the Cold War. References multiple examples of European governments cracking down on free speech. Read more...

Preface This book will perhaps only be understood by those who have already thought these thoughts. This book deals with the problems of philosophy Not any particular problem (like fatalism), but rather all philosophical problems. The problem of philosophy is how we formulate our problems, which we do because we fundamentally misunderstand the logic of our language. “Its whole meaning could be summed up somewhat as follows: What can be said at all can be said clearly; and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent” Read more...

Huberman When we enter relationships, are we looking to (whether we know it or not) extend our identity in its current form, or update it? Perel Completely both. We want to change, but only so much. I am drawn to you because you are structured, organized, disciplined, I am not, and I seek to be. At the same time, I might start resenting you for your rigidity. Maybe we seek others as catalysts for change, but when the friction starts we get defensive. Read more...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crMxqDwqbKg Zizek: We live in a “liberal” society in which we are free only nominally It’s easier than ever before to find a partner, in the sense that you can download an app and match with someone. Paradoxically, because it has become so easy to find people, it has become so difficult to find a partner for life. In today’s world, sticking with someone in a monogamous relationship is almost an act of rebellion! Read more...