October 02013
So ends the month of October. Fogbanking: An Overview August-October 2013 August (started writing mid-month): 4 posts, ~5,600 words, post to revisit: Kludge. September: 8 posts, ~11,400 words, post to revisit: Developing Organizations (I talked about TIMN, which uses some vocabulary that I use and abuse pretty frequently. My definition of ‘tribe’ has expanded from this more »
“Beginnings”
For ages they had been without heads. Headless they lived, and headless they died. How long they had thus flourished none of them knew. Then something began to change. It happened over unremembered generations. The signs of a transfiguring were being writ ever more deeply into them. As their breed moved forward, they began crossing boundaries more »
Two Books on Incomprehensible Man-Made Systems
Two books: One I’m reading and one I just heard of. Their essences below, no detailed notes yet. Normal Accidents “Normal” Accidents: What Perrow calls System Accidents. Normal Accidents have two characteristics: The complex interaction of multiple discrete failures that are not in operational sequence. Opaque processes: due to that complexity, the systems are more »
Mencius Moldbug II
In which things become a little hairy. This post is now my official longest, but it’s mostly Moldbug quotes and the guy wrote up a storm, so I don’t think it properly counts. After his discussion of the American Revolution, Moldbug quickly turns his attention to what many might consider his most caustic positions: to Moldbug, Anthropogenic Climate more »
Mencius Moldbug I
The Ninety Degree Revolution This article on Aeon Magazine proposed a new political dichotomy based on (as ever) views of human nature and what kind of future we are prepared for. The new dichotomy: Green (or DownWings) vs Black (or UpWings). [As opposed to Red/Blue (or Blue/Red if you’re American) Left-Wing/Right-Wing] Of course, the strength more »
Mulling Over
More only-vaguely-connected notes on things I’ve done and things I’ve considered. I’m kind of wandering in the desert right now, I expect to find a direction again soon. This one may be especially incoherent or especially uninteresting, I could certainly see that complaint. I. (Notes and Lists) I scribble notes. In college my desk was more »
In-Flight Notes
It’s becoming a ritual: writing on my work laptop as I fly home to New York every week, armed with Feedly (via over-expensive in-flight wifi) and free liquor. This particular post is probably derivative of some earlier thoughts I’ve expressed (this time more concisely!), and also borrows vocabulary liberally from recent reads/experiences. I. Even more »
On Choking Your Enemies to Death
Some free writing that came out strangely focused. No idea what set me off. I wish I could credit the standup comedian who suggested this idea I’m elaborating on. I honestly can’t find the video again (I think it’s an old special), but I remembered this idea. I will edit this with the source if/when more »
A Survey of Futures
Well, I’ve done it. I’ve burned out my backlog. Scribbled this out on the plane and cleaned it up afterwards, hopefully it makes sense. Futures (By Rate-of-Change) Before moving onto a new sequence of ideas, I wanted to play with some other notes I have, about views of futurism. Quick pick-me-ups before I get started: more »
Spengler on Pseudomorphosis
Pseudomorphosis is one of my favorite surprises in reading notes on Spengler. Quotations are from Decline, and I’ll let the quotations carry the points here. I had some guidance by selected quotes cited by this site. This is my last post on Decline for a little while. I scribbled some notes on my flight, and I’m cleaning that up for more »