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I think everything began to fall apart with the rise of agrarian society.

We evolved to function as hunter and gatherers (yes we slowly keep evolving, but millions of years vs tens of thousands is a big evolutionary and genetic “thing”), but Agrarian times saw the birth of 2 things for the first time: Land ownership & stores of peas, lentils, barley, etc, both the first consequential wealth. Capitalism is born.

Now everything is inherently dehumanizing in the framework of capitalism, because if you don’t have that “thing”, you’re less than. You aren’t as good as you could be without this [land, grain, horse, house, car, boat, jewelry, fitness routine, Wakman, DVD collection, makeup, your favorite team’s jersey, etc]. Then the way it exploits workers seems pretty wild, and the pandemic has really uncovered that in a myriad of ways.

This system or framework is not inherently evil, and not the worst political or economic system out there, BY A LONG SHOT. Funny that the definition of “Capitalism” is “an economic system, while “Communism” is defined as “philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology”. Come on Capitalism… you’re not fooling anyone. You are absolutely a philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology. Or at least, that “invisible hand” keeps getting slapped out of the way by self-interested millionaires and politicians, so it “is what it is”, which we’ll get to later.

However, any system will abuse it’s humans, because we’re not set up to operate within it, necessarily. Maybe a “simpler capitalism” that does believe in the invisible hand of the free market, that operates in anarcho-syndicate commune city-states of up to a few thousand people. I don’t have the answers, but our system *ABSOLUTELY DOES* fundamentally psychologically scar us “users”.

What’s so much more, our humanity is subjugated to the system. The entire workforce on the planet earth is burnt out right now, and there’s legitimately no escape valve for that, and no living person, and likely no one in human history, has ever dealt with anything like this… this nexus point of frustration and exhaustion.  Neither economics nor business have real answers or solutions. It’s all mystified shoulder shrugging.  Why? The system is built to bend to us, because we’re meant to be utilized for the system, the infrastructure, and the greater web of commerce before concern for ourselves.

 

When we’ve essentially taken Descartes’ worldview of mechanistic thinking and applied it to Capitalism, we can simply become replaceable cogs in the machine.  It’s fine if we are ground to dust, as we can be replaced like parts. At the same time, we humans are not built like clocks.

 

 

It is encouraging to see a non-unionized (save for the connection of social comm tech) workforce with the most bargaining power and leverage than any time in modern history. It’ll be interesting when the wage wars settle, and see if people can afford the old American Dream notion of one person working being “enough” to provide for a family… and whether billionaires might pay their fair share in taxes. It’s hilarious the whole “their wealth creates innovation” is proven wrong time and time again, whether by hiding money in Shell companies, or that the 2017 tax cuts were a windfall of savings for companies and the top 20% of the country, who did NOT reinvest ANY of it (basically): https://www.npr.org/2019/12/20/789540931/2-years-later-trump-tax-cuts-have-failed-to-deliver-on-gops-promises

 

It reminds me of this notion that INFURIATES ME (source anonymous):

“Everyone keeps telling millennials to buy less avocado toast or lattes, but no one seems to be telling billionaires to buy less mansions, yachts, and rocket ships”. 

 

But, we are worn down and hear “It is what it is”, which is code for “you’re fucked”.  We all finally admit we’re tired, beaten, and not well in mind, body, or spirit because of this system.  So, what happens when we try and break out and ask for help from this toxic framework, admitting we’re not well within the chaotic confines of the scaffolding of modern existence?

 

… HERE’S BIG PHARMA TO THE RESCUE! WELCOME!

From our founder: Why we chose Big Pharma - Tarbell

 

And now we are going to keep your horrible, painful existence of suffering going for as long as you can, because it’s not about quality of life vs buying our pills for the absolute greatest length of time. We’re like a vessel yoked to a machine that rather rip us apart than listen to our collective clamoring for answers. I guess life is like the end of “The Hitcher”.

 

Because, they are literally saying out loud that you are simply a “Unit”, not a person:

 

Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report (JFC):

‘Is curing patients a sustainable business model?’

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.html

 

 

I KNOW IT ISN’T THAT BAD, BUT TELL ME THAT IS NOT HOW IT IS? You can’t.

 

Aaaand… checking my privilege while we’re at it… I am so fortunate in 1000 ways, but it can’t be too bad for me if I have the time to academically ponder the human condition as it is existentially applied to the framework of capitalism (DING DING DING THE TITLE OF THE NEWSLETTER! LOVE THOSE TITULAR MOMENTS).

I’ve also been thinking about privilege a lot, but not as a judgement (You were born into a rich family and are a dunce), but as another framework for understanding our role in existence.  Essentially so that you can create a little understanding and empathy for other people’s lives, and be a bit less stoic or emotionally unavailable in understanding your place in time alongside people who may have deeper struggles, or have more complex and difficult situations than yourself. Like how hard my life is when I lose my dog, but the privilege of getting the space to grieve her… vs the housekeeper who can’t be by her husband at the hospital because she has two jobs, etc.

Life is full of conscious and unconscious choices, but one privilege is realizing that some people don’t get to choose, or have options you’ve had. Empathy can go a loooong way to heal hearts, baby.

By the by…

Did anyone re-read The Plague during lockdown or the pandemic? Camus was so prescient, especially in the literal and figurative dualities: It is fascinating that as the EU sees spikes in cases and head for a newfound “cordon sanitaire“, in America the right desperately attempts their own cordon sanitaire against knowledge, civility, and basic human rights.

 

Let’s get out of this depressing college course, and move on to groovy.

 

ROBES ARE GREAT LIKE MARC REBILLET

 

 

OK, you might disagree because untying the robe has a new step, but try it. It fits so well it’s unreal:

I’m a hotel guy. This is not humblebrag, it’s laying out the landscape of how dumb I am. I’ve helped with the build and design of two resorts, two Inns, a historic house, a Lodge, and now a coastal retreat type “inn & cottages” spot. This also includes two high end spas. Unrelated, but FWIW, food and beverage too… that includes 2 fine dining restaurants, 2 bars/lounges, a hotel restaurant, and now a soon to re-open historic pub and hotel restaurant. I am proud of that! But that’s not why we’re here.

I’m a robe guy. I’ve vetted scores and scores of robes, and dozens of companies. In my house I have four different weighted robes… two heavy winter robes, a fall/spring robe, and a silk summer robe that I am quite fond of. So, what is wrong with all of you? Textile people, companies, spa people, hotel people, grandmas that didn’t tell us…

 

WE HAVE ALL BEEN TYING ROBES WRONG AND I CAN NO LONGER FOCUS

@sidneyrazyears and years of the opposite #inmy30s #learnontik #tipsandtricks #chubbiesshorts #firstimetry? original sound – sidneyraz

 

SPACE AND “MY GOD… IT’S FULL OF STARS”

 

  • Russia is such a bad faith, bad actor, with impunity, and it’s alarmingly stupid how it happens, but obviously the world doesn’t have the tools or processes to deal with corruption fanned by gridlock. We’re just stuck, and then there are those that just take, take, take. In this case, Russia aggressively and irresponsibly blew up one of their satellites, and the space debris, which I’ve spoken about and is getting constantly worse, made the crew of the ISS shelter in place, in their suits, in case the movie Gravity’s plot really came factually true. But no one’s getting home from that.

nb: More strikes may be possible and Mission Control is just angling this thing to miss passes. FFS.

A couple takes… funny the Space.com was like “great day to bond as a crew”. LOL Always pros.

AUDIO:

 

  • Rosetta’s Comet in Gemini Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST) Explanation: Returning along its 6.4 year orbit, periodic comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) is caught in this telescopic frame from November 7. Sweeping past background stars in the constellation Gemini the comet’s dusty tail stretches toward the upper right to Upsilon Geminorum. Also known as Pollux, Beta Geminorum, Gemini’s brightest star, shines just off the upper left edge of the field-of-view. Churyumov-Gerasimenko reached its 2021 perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on November 2. At perigee, its closest approach to planet Earth on November 12, this comet was about 0.42 astronomical units away, though it remains too faint to be seen by eye alone. The well-studied comet was explored by robots from planet Earth during its last trip through the inner solar system. It’s now famous as the final resting place for the historic Rosetta spacecraft and Philae lander. apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211113.html

 

 

 

 

  • Jupiter has protected earth for millions of years. It’s known as “Jupiter’s influence”. Here’s how:

 

Shorter version:

@astro_stuffJupiter appreciation post????#fyp #space #astro #jupiter? ????? (????? ?????) – Molchat Doma

 

 

  • Declassified Documents Reflect the Covert Side of Lunar Programs
  1. Soldiers, Spies and the Moon: Secret U.S. and Soviet Plans from the 1950s and 1960s Declassified Documents Reflect the Covert Side of Lunar Programs
  2. Army and Air Force studies from 1959 – 1961 on the creation of a military lunar base, with possible uses as a surveillance platform (for targets on earth and space) and the Lunar Based Earth Bombardment System
  3. A study on the detonation of a nuclear device on or in the vicinity of the moon
  4. The use of the lunar surface to relay signals from Washington to Hawaii and from U.S. spy ships.
  5. Collection of Soviet radar signals after they bounced off the moon — a technique known as Moon Bounce ELINT
  6. The U.S. theft and return of a Soviet space capsule during an exhibition tour.
  7. A 1965 estimate of Soviet intentions with regard to a manned moon landing.
  8. Several analyses of Soviet Luna missions, including Luna 9 — the first mission to result in a soft landing on the moon https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB479/

 

 

Infall time in the Eddington-Finkelstein metric, with application to Einstein-Rosen bridges https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.05938

 

 

  • I can’t paste them all here, but this link of Hubble Photos to celebrate it’s anniversary? AMAZING MIND BLOWN. 30 Images for 30 years.

NASA unveils 30 dazzling new Hubble space images for an epic anniversary The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating 30 years in orbit with fresh looks at gorgeous nebulae, stars and galaxies. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/nasa-unveils-30-dazzling-new-hubble-space-images-for-an-epic-anniversary/

hubble30mngc2360-acs-1-flat

 

hubble30bngc869-wfpc2-crop-final-blue

 

hubble30cngc147-wfc3-centerflatcrop-final

 

hubble30hngc5248-wfc3-wfpc2-4flatcrop2-final

 

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

  • In 2021, becoming old and all the problems that come along with that, or developing a chronic illness or disease… it’s not the death sentence it used to be, and technology is making these severe “bumming me out” issues more manageable.

This is a innovation for disabled people to be able to bypass stairs with vertical walking technology. Unbelievable!!! —> vertiwalk vertical walking https://www.vertiwalk.com

 

  • An 8000 mile journey for a box of shoes costing less than a chicken nugget. —-> How shipping works, and why it’s broken. This is fascinating.

 

  • Thermodynamics be damned? I have questions, but even if this is more like science fiction than practical, it is interesting to see people start to innovate those out of the box solutions, ie like backing into the numbers you want to see in a spreadsheet. It takes the big idea to actually be engineered, but not sure how this wouldn’t produce heat, and at what scale would it be needed?
@getwasteedIs this GIANT ice machine the solution to rising sea levels? ???? Faris Rajak Kotahatuhaha ##risingsea ##submarine ##makingice ##climatecrisis? Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic

 

  • So what’s the joke? SOMA a la Brave New World? Gleemonex from Kids in the Hall’s Brain Candy (underrated, watch it)?

What are the ethics of an implant that delivers pleasure directly into your brain? “I mean everyone’s got wants and needs. Some people may go father for whatever it may be.” https://futurism.com/neoscope/ethics-implant-delivers-pleasure-brain

 

  • What exerts the greater potential of pressure-per-square inch when walking? A 100 lb. woman in high heels or a 6K lb elephant? Stiletto heels have an area of about 1/16 of a square inch. So at the point in walking when she stands solely on the heel, it exerts more than 1,500 psi Elephants, unlike humans, walk with two feet on the ground at a time. Each foot is about 40 square inches. Thus, the elephant only exerts 75 psi.

There are far more anecdotes in this article about physics in play: “Pressure Under High Heels” https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/JackGreen.shtml

 

 

 

  • The steepest funicular in the world! A masterpiece of engineering, notice how the train pods swivel as the gradient increases. Incredible! The cabins are connected to a hydraulic system that makes sure the cabins swivel and remain level and flat so passengers don’t fly off their seats! —> How the Rotating ‘Stoosbahn’ Train Climbs a Mountain as Steep as 47.7 Degrees With cylindrical passenger cabins, it might just be the world’s strangest train. https://www.thedrive.com/news/43145/how-the-rotating-stoosbahn-train-climbs-a-mountain-as-steep-as-47-7-degrees

 

 

 

 

  • Not sure if Cartography and data visualization would be under culture, but I think it’s more appropriate here: a tile elevation map of the US. Note CA peak and valley! User: https://www.reddit.com/user/newishtodc/

 

 

NSFW SCIENCE & TECH SECTION, but no surprises so SFW

 

  • We’ve entered the clickbait era of – “I still can’t help but drift off into a potential genetically optimized future, where we’re all customizing our offspring like we’re rolling up a Dungeons & Dragons character.”

CAN CRISPR HELP ENGINEER A SPECIES OF MEN WITH HONKIN’ DICKS? It’s being used to edit out problematic genes for everything from Alzheimer’s to blindness — why not use it to snip out the genes that prevent men from having 12-inch dongs, too? https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/crispr-penis-size

 

 

  • THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF EROTIC VR BODY-SWAPPING Buoyed by research that says inhabiting someone else’s body can change how you perceive your own, researchers have started to investigate the vast, erotic potential of virtual sex. This is typically seen in creating empathy between races, but this is fascinating. Also… nudity warning in the video! https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/body-swap-vr

[nudity warning]

 

 

  • NSFW but “is it art”?? RISKY CLICK OF THE DAY DOWN THERE, but I really wanted to publish the pictures.

This is a marriage of Cronenberg, Lovecraft, Lynch, and more. What hides in suburbia? Neural Network porn is here, and it’s machine learning AI that doesn’t know what it sees, but flesh. A world of blended and twisted flesh melting into itself. This is the most fascinating thing I’ve seen in a long time, and has many social and cultural statements embedded within, inclusive of new body and cosmic horror ideas that I can NOT get over. There is some truly powerfully disturbing “art” here, and I am fascinated to see the review of the advent of this interesting statement. NSFW: http://themachinegaze.com/

ARTICLE NSFW: Gaze Upon the Horrid Melting Flesh of Neural Network Porn AI-generated porn is here — and yikes. https://futurism.com/neural-network-porn

 

[I redacted a disturbingly NSFW pic, but it’s more Lovecraft horror art than it would be pornographic, by all sense of the term, BUT I WARNED YOU TO NOT LOOK AT THIS [SUBURBIA] IMAGE OR THIS [Release the Hounds] IMAGE OR THIS [Creative Accounting] IMAGE]

 

Lastly… This video is disturbing but seemingly not explicit: http://themachinegaze.com/video/four-hands-2019

 

HUMOR OR MAGIC

 

  • Tik Tok is such a pure place, but I note it’s veered toward deliberate showing of flesh and more viral news clips that aren’t the “happy creators having fun” ethos I love about it. I’ve just figured out how to filter, so that’s nice…

But one corner I’ve discovered is “food tiktok” and there is some hilarity, magic, and joy there. The water sommelier, however? It seems pretentious but he is dead on:

Lovecraft was a horrible human that created a runaway universe of cosmic horror. Here’s a few wonderful films.

 

 

  • In 2002, Tracy Morgan joked that Black people LOVE watching white people in airports, because now everyone is profiled, and it’s hilarious to watch entitled white people *RAGE* about taking off shoes, etc. It reminds me of the Q-Anon, Maga thing now, and a very specific quote:

“When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”

 

 

 

  • Her vocal chords are Frozen, at least. Ooooh boy that’s a cruise, somewhat of a chilly experience:
@e.casey.s? Disney minus frozen – Elizabeth Smoot

 

 

  • This is absolutely impossible what is happening? This guy is word salad every trick, but the magic is so unreal.

 

 

  • You never know if its setup, right? Whatever the case, this has been accomplished plenty of times in plenty of ways, and if you’ve not seen the shampoo trick, it’s painfully funny. If this gent figures out what’s happening, I am assuming it would be even more painful.

 

@hoodvineunratedThat aint no prank, thats torture???????? (via:@Weeeman) #Hoodvine #RapTV? original sound – HOODVINE by RapTV

 

  • This is speaking to an audience of one, which is Andy’s wife, a pilot. This is about the phrase “with you” on the comms. This is basically a moment a frequency has changed and you’re basically saying to air traffic, “I’m here”. But a lot of people think it’s like an “umm” or “ahhh” and does nothing but fill space. Someone said, “It signifies nothing. You’re obviously “with them” if you are talking on their frequency. It’s like walking up to someone and saying “hi I’m talking to you right now.”. Especially as they are hearing you, so you don’t need to tell them. But most chill aviation people say it’s harmless. So?

This is a thread of pilots and Air Traffic Control getting salty about the phrase, and whether it is or isn’t okay. It made me laugh quite a bit, but that’s my humor.

 

 

MOVIES AND TV

 

What films have the highest body count? It’s interesting that you need to dig into methodology, because not all these lists are the same. But a firm did a study for some reason, and here ya go! =)

Director’s Cut by Gocompare.com

 

  • IT’S NOT SEAN BEAN! What actors die the most on screen?

Some actors are an unfortunate magnet for on-screen deaths, while others have the bad luck of appearing in particularly deadly flicks. We used cinemorgue and imdb to find out which actors are the most prone to dying on-screen, and which movies and years across cinematic history are the deadliest.  https://www.buzzbingo.com/bingo-games/movie-mortality/

 

 

 

  • I guess I need to add this, and rewatch the film, because I was too young to clench my rear cheeks as much as they should have been:

An Overpass, a Helicopter, and the Riskiest Stunt in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ Or, as James Cameron puts it in the commentary: “See this helicopter going under a freeway overpass? That’s a helicopter going under a freeway overpass.” https://filmschoolrejects.com/terminator-2-helicopter-stunt/

 

 

  • Random MOVIE REC!, go in blind… but Kristen Stewart is so good as the Amanda Ripley style lead.  If you like great B-Movies, Underwater is sublime and nearly perfect. And no spoilers, but here’s that list of wildly enjoyable Cosmic or Body Horror films inspired by Lovecraft. It’s not about the script, but I liked these two lines:

There’s a comfort in cynicism. There is a lot less to lose.

and

He told me he didn’t believe in time, only moments.

 

 

  • Here’s some more superb films in the psychological and cosmic horror realm:

Lovecraft was a horrible human that created a runaway universe of cosmic horror. Here’s a few wonderful films.

 

 

 

 

  • Disney is retroactively editing films. In this case, modern safety standards would frown on a child in a dryer, so it’s now a hutch.
@dudemcshredy#duet with @corinneisin NEW vs OLD #KFCSecretMenuHacks #DISNEY? original sound – Corinne Is In

 

More, on that scene: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2493332/yes-disney-apparently-edited-a-lilo-and-stitch-scene-and-fans-are-freaking

https://impactingculture.com/disneys-retroactive-editing/

 

  • $$$$$$$$$—>

Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson to Sell His Visual Effects Studio Weta Digital for $1.6 Billion Director Peter Jackson is selling his visual effects studio, which helped create characters for films like Avatar and Planet of the Apes https://people.com/movies/lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-sells-visual-effects-company/

 

 

  • This SF Muni bus driver shares his thoughts on the fantastic Shang-Chi bus scene, tongue firmly in cheek. =)

 

  • This is so sweet. Disney+ has a new series about Dug from Up.

 

PEOPLE, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY, AND THIS ALWAYS FEELS LIKE A TRIVIAL PURSUIT CATEGORY

 

  • The guy on the other end of the pipe is just as good!

 

@spicyiceeemems#fyp #full #omg #memes #mem #sugar #rus? ???????????? ???? – SpicyIceeeMems

 

  • In lieu of no “Music” section this week, David Bowie’s Spanish Version of “Day In, Day Out” also goes under culture! =)

 

  • The real Constitution’s first original “official” edition sold today. $41 Million by some bitcoin guy EDIT: it was swiped by a traditional finance guy Ken Griffin. LOL He outbid 18,000 crypto nuts. HAHahahahaha they wanted to show the liberterian values of bitcoin alongside the Constitution or something, and the hedge fund billionaire bought it to hang in a free Arkansas museum.

“A hedge fund billionaire outbid crypto investors for a rare copy of the US Constitution 15 The document sold for $43 million on Thursday night” https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22791989/citadel-ceo-ken-griffin-won-constitutiondao-sothebys-auction

 

BUT THE ACTUAL AUCTION!!!! Brook is handling Griffin’s bids, but most people thought she repped the DAO.

1h45m *left* (for timebar) into this auction is the original “Official Edition Constitution” auction. 1787 *real* Constitution – 9mins of bidding to $41M.

Starts at $10M, is at $14M within 2 seconds, then $30M within 5 seconds. The rest is historic drama. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TBa-9Lx3vc

 

  • nb: anyone could have expected this would be a huge hit, considering the way we slobber over trampling wildflower super blooms:

Nobody expected Sensorio Field of Light in Paso Robles to become a global sensation. Now it’s bigger than ever. https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Nobody-expected-Sensorio-Field-of-Light-in-Paso-16616125.php

 

 

  • Sportsmanship from a man, sportsmanship from a mother. This is glorious:

 

 

  • British Propaganda from World War I

 

 

VEHICLES

 

  • u gunna use dat wittle watter?
@jakeyypoo11Bet it’s nice when it wains and you’re in the wiver #widdlewadder #toyota #4runner #fyp? original sound – Motionz

 

 

  • Standard Rivian feature? Yes I thought it was a DJ Booth. BUT HOLY COW:
@edert_lopez##rivian ##timesquare ##newyork ##nasdaq ##electriccar ##viral? original sound – Eder Lopez

 

 

  • A successful marketing gimmick that works but not that fast, it’s also just so odd, and build quality issues aside picked up at auction for $111K.

 

 

 

 

HEY, WHY ARE YOU ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE? I’ll send you a dollar if you email me. So thanks for coming. =)

By Uncle FishbitsCategories: Newsletter