Tag Archives: For The Record
At one point I had the idea that I was going write a bunch of For The Record posts — position papers that attempt to be final words on a topic (at least until new considerations came into play). Other one about guns (back in 2015), I never really followed through.
In a sense, all posts, are final words (until further consideration), so all posts can be seen as FTR. The question is whether it makes any sense to mark an expressed opinion as more official or duly considered rather than off the cuff or casual. That was my thought, anyway.
So, seven years later, FTR take two: Free Will
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37 Comments | tags: causal determinism, determinism, For The Record, free will, physical determinism | posted in Philosophy
As I watch nearly everyone in the country simultaneously succumb to the seasonal short bout of red carpet fever, I’m trying to remember the last time I actually watched “The Oscars” — the Academy Awards, Hollywood’s incestuous night of indulgent and opulent self-congratulation.
I’m pretty sure the last time I watched was back in the 1990s. It’s possible it’s even back in the 1980s. For sure, I can’t recall watching them this century. But I can say for sure when is the last time I cared about the Oscars. Because that one is easy. Because that one is: never!
For the record, here’s why…
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2 Comments | tags: Academy Awards, actors, For The Record, FTR, George Burns, Harrison Ford, Johnny Carson, Leon Wieseltier, Michael Jackson, The Oscars, tyranny of the majority, wisdom of the crowd | posted in Movies
Some months ago, someone commented that I apparently watched a lot of TV. A recent Nielsen report claims the average American watches 5 hours per day, although age and race are factors. Children (2-11) watch a bit over 24 hours per week, and those 65 and older watch over 50 hours per week. It’s apparently close to a flat line with a dip in the teens.
My 50-64 age group supposedly watches nearly 44 hours per week (6.3 hours per day). For this TV Tuesday post, I thought it’d be interesting to see just how much I actually do watch.
It turns out I do watch a lot of TV; here’s the proof…
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18 Comments | tags: ABC, Angie Harmon, Bill Lawrence, Castle (TV series), CBS, Doctor Who, Elementary (TV series), For The Record, FTR, Grimm (TV series), HBO, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lisa Edelstein, Lucy Liu, NBC, NCIS, NCIS:New Orleans, Rizzoli & Isles, Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock Holmes, Showtime, TBS, The Blacklist, TNT | posted in TV, TV Tuesday
In a discussion a while back I mentioned in passing that humans sense wetness and time. That was challenged on the basis that we don’t sense time at all and — when it comes to wetness — sense only pressure and temperature. There is some truth to that. We don’t have an actual time sensor, nor do we have specific “wetness” sensors.
I’ve been thinking about this ever since (not constantly; you know, on and off). A key question is whether wetness can be reduced to pressure and temperature and remain wetness. And time is a topic all on its own!
For the record: Here is my final answer…
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14 Comments | tags: emergent phenomenon, emergent property, For The Record, FTR, h20, motion pictures, musical chord, pixels, pressure, qualia, temperature, water, wetness | posted in Opinion, Philosophy
I mentioned recently that I intended to write some “For The Record” (FTR) posts setting down — once and for all — my views on certain oft-debated topics. “Once and for all” is misleading, though. My opinions evolve over time, and no controversial topic is ever truly closed. “Here and for now” would be a better phrase.
This one will certainly draw a sand line where some will stand on my side and others — people I like and respect — will stand on the other. I’m not sure I believe there is a right answer here; it really depends on your worldview. If nothing else, this seeks to explain my rationale as well as my opinion.
So, for the record: here we go on guns!
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13 Comments | tags: For The Record, FTR, gun control, gun debate, gun laws, gun ownership, gun regulation, gun safety, guns, movie violence, NRA, Second Amendment, TV violence, violence, violence in movies, violent society | posted in Opinion
It was a number of years ago that the book you see pictured here on the right caught my eye. I was wandering around a bookstore, as book-lovers do, seeing what there was to see (and possibly buy). This may surprise you, but I’ve always enjoyed a good debate, so the book’s topic seemed attractive and a nice change of pace from baseball and science books or SF novels.
Plus: Aristotle, Lincoln and Homer Simpson! Who could resist that? A glance at a few of the pages showed an easy and breezy open writing style that went down nicely, and the bits I read were quite intriguing. I snagged it thinking it would be right up my alley, and that I’d enjoy it thoroughly.
I never got more than a third of the way through it!
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20 Comments | tags: Ancient Greeks, debate, For The Record, FTR, Jay Heinrichs, Plato, rhetoric, sophism, sophist, sophistry, Thank You For Arguing | posted in Opinion
Logos con carne 