Panpsychism is a philosophical idea that seems to be getting more and more popular. I just can’t wrap my head around it. The basic idea is that mind is everywhere. In other words, everything in the universe has something mental about it. Rocks, water, and air in some minimal sense have minds. The thing is,…
I got to watch the major league debut of Pat Venditte tonight. He is a 29 year old pitcher for the Oakland A’s. He pitched two innings against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park and pitched well. He retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced with one strikeout and no walks or runs…
Anyone who stops to think about it should notice that racism is everywhere in The United States. Strangely, many people don’t seem to notice it. This is something I’ve known for quite a long time, but I’ve never understood it. The evidence is everywhere from our schools to our prisons to our military to our…
I recently heard that depression is a risk factor for covid. It was actually in a commercial. In the commercial, a bunch of celebrities with various risk factors were telling people with those risk factors to be extra careful. It surprised me. I have depression, but never thought it put me at higher risk for…
There was a kerfuffle in the chess world this weekend. Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen quit a tournament on Friday because the tournament officials tried to get him to change out of his jeans. He’ll be back in on Monday. The tournament decided to loosen their dress code to allow “appropriate jeans”. I find the whole…
Well, I saw the new Star Wars. It was a bad movie. Like, a really bad movie. But I have some good news. My preparations worked. I went in expecting to see one of the worst movies ever made, and it met my expectations. That’s something the last two didn’t do. With Episodes VII &…
New Year’s Eve has long been one of my least favorite days. There are two fairly universal traditions, drinking and staying up late. As someone who doesn’t drink at all, that holds no appeal for me. And as someone who has struggled with insomnia most of my life, I can’t get too excited about staying…
Earlier this week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus released a letter calling for the Biden Administration to “pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire.” While referring to Russia’s invasion as “outrageous and illegal,” the letter…
One of my jobs is at a community college as a writing tutor. It’s mostly a fun job, but about once a week I will get a student whose problem is, “I don’t know how to start.” What the students are describing is writer’s block. Luckily, writer’s block is not a problem I’ve experienced. But…
For a long time, I’ve said the way to be healthy is to eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, drink when you’re thirsty, and move around. The eat when you’re hungry part is basically intuitive eating. It’s the idea that we should listen to our bodies and eat when our bodies tell us…
