December 2009

Top 10 SF Films of the Decade

Serenity – At first it might seem ridiculous and fanboyish to place Serenity higher than Children of Men.  Not only is the latter more finely composed, but on first appearance Serenity appears not simply ramshackle but less stalwartly Science Fiction.  While there are necessary paradigmatic environmental changes (the G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorat, the psychic capacities of [...]

Continue reading at Human Iterations …

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Time Capsule

Happy New Year to my readers east of the Central time zone! Greetings from back here in 2009.

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THE BIG STRIKE 1956

THE BIG STRIKE

[1:50] Two fascists fighting away with the strikers who are trying to drag them down and turn over the lorry. One of the strikers manages to stand on the lorry and he tries to pull down the loud speaker. The striker kicks the fascists in the stomach. Striker jumps down from the lorry.

Sauce : British Pathe
Wave of placard : Atreus

Melbourne Graffiti 2009

It’s goodbye 2009 and a goodbye to Connex. Your performance results were appalling and your staff — thugs. Though, with MTR Metro, I know some things won’t change, but I certainly hope some things do.

Some artists are: Sofles, Reign, Sat, Naser, Revok, Rime, Shots, Bailer, Lench, Dvate, Linz, Dirty Sanchez, Prism, Nekm, Hazkem, Armed, Aeon, Histo, Phat One, Quest, Wers, Reach, Inpac & Phibs.

Sauce : LilithFilth

Let the Bloggregation Resume!

I’m pleased to see that the Left-Libertarian blog aggregator, out of commission for lo these many moons, has been resurrected.

Piracy on the Amazon

Eight months ago, Kevin Carson called for a hack of Amazon’s Kindle.

He got his wish this week, just in time for Christmas. (CHT Sheldon Richman.)

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Franklin on Humility

Benjamin Franklin writes in his autobiography:

I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue [= humility], but I had a good deal with regard to the appearance of it. I made it a rule to forbear all direct contradiction to the sentiments of others, and all positive assertion of my own. I even forbid myself, agreeably to the old laws of our Junto, the use of every word or expression in the language that imported a fix’d opinion, such as certainly, undoubtedly, etc., and I Benjamin Franklinadopted, instead of them, I conceive, I apprehend, or I imagine a thing to be so or so; or it so appears to me at present. When another asserted something that I thought an error, I deny’d myself the pleasure of contradicting him abruptly, and of showing immediately some absurdity in his proposition; and in answering I began by observing that in certain cases or circumstances his opinion would be right, but in the present case there appeared or seem’d to me some difference, etc. I soon found the advantage of this change in my manner; the conversations I engage’d in went on more pleasantly. The modest way in which I propos’d my opinions procure’d them a readier reception and less contradiction; I had less mortification when I was found to be in the wrong, and I more easily prevail’d with others to give up their mistakes and join with me when I happened to be in the right.

And this mode, which I at first put on with some violence to natural inclination, became at length so easy, and so habitual to me, that perhaps for these fifty years past no one has ever heard a dogmatical expression escape me. And to this habit (after my character of integrity) I think it principally owing that I had early so much weight with my fellow-citizens when I proposed new institutions, or alterations in the old, and so much influence in public councils when I became a member; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in language, and yet I generally carried my points.

I’m neither endorsing nor rejecting this quote. I find that sometimes I follow Franklin’s advice and sometimes I don’t; my inner eirenist and my inner Randian are clearly somewhat divided over the policy. But I do find myself less annoyed with opponents when they follow the policy; so it’s worth thinking about.

IMHO, of course.

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Typical


I’ve just gotten a parking ticket for the sin of failing to curb my wheels, on this mortal, like, 10% grade.  Also, the genius officer got both the address and date of the offense wrong.  For supposedly putting my fellow citizens in danger, I now owe my fine city about fifty bucks.  When will I get compensated for every individual occasion in which state action puts my life at greater risk?

Well, happy new year, folks.  I’d write more, but I’m fearful that the authorities will suddenly instigate a fine for pessimism, which would leave me beyond destitute.

Posted in Anarchocapitalism Tagged: happynewyear, pessimism

Financial Saga Update

So the the latest in my financial saga is that my lawyer has gotten the Alabama Tax Mafia to agree to hold off on further action so long as I pay them $650 a month; so I should be free of them (well, except for the usual) by the spring of 2011.

Perhaps worrisomely, I don’t actually have this agreement in writing. But then, even if I did, contracts with Leviathan aren’t especially reliable anyway. So I’ll plow ahead and hope for the best.

Thanks again, so much, to everyone who helped me back when this tempête de merde first broke in July.

I dislike the concentration of power in the Federal government but not the functions that it performs

Which is something that I think a lot of people who are either anti-Statist or libertarian don't consider. I would love to see authority devolve to the States, however I think that in that scenario the local setup would fulfill the functions that the federal government does today, along with more. Regulations are great, so are programs, they help keep people from being hurt and keep society in