tammikuu
My plans on New Years changed quite quickly, a fifty degree day directly previous melted all of the snow, so instead of sledding I began the night in Ames at The Cafe, ordering the Macaroni and Cheese (with lobster, basil, and breadcrumbs) chatting with friends about gun caches, the viability of using Wal-marts for zombie apocalypses (I opine that they will be flooded with people like the airports in 28 Days Later), memories of 2010, etc. After this I went to play laser tag at a newer hometown arena built in the last few years, but as we prepared to enjoin in fierce combat the power went out over much of the south side for over half an hour, making the later concert, possibly during intermittent blackouts on a freezing night, seem like a less attractive option for rolling in the New Years. Eventually we got to play (with a free game added on for the wait) and I beat my own high score over those two games (while once sliding down the ramp on my knees firing continuously while shouting "LAAAAASEEEEER!!!") that was fun. Then we all went to a house party where we played Mad-Gabs and Catch Phrase while waiting for midnight listening to Beck and Parliament Funkadelic, AFTER WHICH I was invited to play Super Smash Brothers 64, with the warning that the other players were really really good and had spent unhealthy amounts of time perfecting their abilities. Ha ha ha. Iwasa Luigi, Numbare One.
Later still I went to Perkins to play inappropriate Scattergories until 5am, because why not? I woke at 9am to hang out some more around town and then headed to DM for another party of high intellectual edification. This time while being beaten at PS3 move ping-pong by a sassy Puerto Rican NPC, getting trounced at Comedy Film Scene-It and only slightly dominating at Ticket to Ride I was having weighty conversations on literature, pescetarianism, puppy-mills, life philosophy, and how to build scale models of Alpine mountain retreats out of Legos. Also there was a very cute young canine by the name of Lola recently acquired by our gracious host. I didn't take any pictures because I hate everyone reading this.
The only other notable development this week has been the continued inavailability of the Crib0 forums. I've found dozens of interesting articles and news-pieces I'd like to discuss and now I have no place to put them... :(
I was asked via FB who I thought was the "public intellectual of the year" and I would have to say my choice is Eagleman. Edge was all over him on his time projects, he has begun forming his own vague-yet-nonobjectionable religion, and he uses his credibility as a neuroscientist, creativity in example, and telegenic presence with an expertise not even seen in modern politics. It is like watching an instantiation of Tobey Macguire's Peter Parker give a talk about walnuts. Who is this guy's tailor? and as I've griped before: His last name is seriously Eagle-man?! So perhaps he presents "the hard problem" as an actual barrier to science and invokes QUALIA (Ughhhhhhhhhhhh) but read his papers, there are a lot of very nice theoretical workthroughs he has formulated- I think he is going to eventually get the presidency of the AAN (after me, he will be 77).
AND ANOTHER THING: Stephen Hawking's new book portion on the validity of logical positivism is a total ripoff of my junior undergrad "Philosophy of Science" refutation papers against Kuhn. Every point is exactly the same! I demand recompense!