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Archive for January, 2017

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
   ―    J.K. Rowling
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On This Day In:
2022 Sometimes I’m Confused
2021 You Need Me On That Wall
Counting Bees And Chasing Clouds
2020 Precious Life
2019 Nothing Is Too Difficult For Me
Patterns Of Caring
2018 And May Never Be
2017 Don’t Forget
2016 I Was A Percentage Man
2015 It Waits Patiently
2014 Unknown
2013 Explaining Love?
2012 Echoes of 1%
2011 Salaam, Egypt!!
Where Do You Learn?

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We cannot afford enemies any more …  Within a generation or two human society will be in total destructive disarray.  Heaven knows how bad it will be.  The most optimistic view I can take is this:  Things will get so bad within a dozen years that it will become obvious … that we must, whether were like each other or not, work together.  We have no choice in the matter.  … Technologically, we can stop overpopulation, but we have to persuade people to accept the technology.  … Babies are the enemies of the human race …  Let’s consider it this way:  by the time the world doubles its population, the amount of energy we will be using will be increased sevenfold which means probably the amount of pollution that we are producing will also be increased sevenfold.  If we are now threatened by pollution at the present rate, how will we be threatened with sevenfold pollution by, say, 2010 A.D., distributed among twice the population?  We’ll be having to grow twice the food out of soil that is being poisoned at seven times the rate.
    —    Isaac Asimov
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On This Day In:
2022 There Is No Fate But What You Make
2021 The Silent Word
Touched My Hand
2020 Releasing Their Fears
2019 17 Days Until The Next Government Shutdown
2018 Disciplined Models
2017 We Cannot Afford Enemies
2016 Love Is Just A State Of Mind
2015 Waiting?
2014 Big C, Little B (II)
Where God Has Not
2013 Chasing His Dragon
Shaped And Molded
2012 Believe In Yourself
2011 Cultural Equivalence
Why Not?
Books About Books
The Basis For Adult Continuing Education

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Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
    ―    Langston Hughes
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On This Day In:
2022 A Murmuring Note
2021 Satisfied If Not Fulfilled
You Don’t Know
Urban Ballroom
2020 R.I.P. Kobe
2019 Looks A Lot Like #45
2018 Trying To Stay Young
2017 Seems Reasonable To Me
2016 We Can Get Through This Together (In Time)
2015 How Long Is A Piece Of String?
2014 Heathen, n.
2013 Wisdom’s Folly
2012 When The Student Is Ready
Disconnected Leadership
2011 The Complex Richness Of Life

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Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
    —    John F. Kennedy
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On This Day In:
2022 A Happy Realization
2021 Is Science Cumulative?
We’re Aging With Time
2020 Where #45 Is Leading The Republican Party
2019 Your Own Blog Posts
The Man With A Code
2018 Choose Goodness
2017 Developing Translations
2016 Think Like A Hero
2015 Reductionism
2014 Gravitation, n.
2013 Ups And Downs
2012 Nerd Heard – And Good-Bye
Your Continuum
2011 Career Tips (Part 2)

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An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
   —    Benjamin Franklin
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On This Day In:
2022 Are You Confused?
2021 Working On The Ordinary
Smoothed My Jagged Edges
2020 Republican Senators Should Vote For Conviction Of #45
2019 Carry It
2018 Simple
2017 Knowledge Pays
2016 Brief Glimpses And Full Glances
2015 Pursuing Perspective
2014 Wearing Down?
2013 Labouring Under A Curse
2012 Listen To Yourself
2011 Career Tips (Part 1)
No Captain Dunsel

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You can never plan the future by the past.
    —     Edmund Burke
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On This Day In:
2022 An Experiment Without A Control Group
2021 Seeking Center
Your Love Is Near
2020 You Mean I’m STILL In School?
2019 Finishing Work
2018 Diversity
2017 Timely Planning
2016 Just Too Easy To Know Fewer And Fewer
2015 A Fine Balance
2014 Next Rung
2013 Super Bowl Prep
Romantics
A Goal For Zen?
2012 Mutant Powers Of Obsession
2011 Federal Stars
Mud Pie

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Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.
    —    David Hume
[I would argue this is only true for subjective beauty.  A person’s beautiful inner spirit exists even when no one else contemplates it.  But, that’s just my view.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022 The Fight Continues…
2021 Short, Swift, Haste
Another Friend’s Passing
2020 Can We At Least Set The Bar Higher Than An Incompetent Liar In The Oval Office?
2019 Uncertain Times
And Government Shutdowns, Too
2018 Satisfied
2017 In The Mind
2016 Dreaming
2015 The Best Medicine Is Also Contagious
2014 Eyes Off
2013 The More Things Change…
2012 The Delicate Moment Of Giving
2011 Ready, Shoot, Aim!!

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He who has no inclination to learn more will be very apt to think that he knows enough.
    —    Thomas Powell
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On This Day In:
2022 By Any Other Name (Or Description)
2021 Democracy, Pandemic, Economy And Climate Change
Heaven Is…
2020 Hoping For #46 In January 2021
2019 Interesting, But Not Fascinating
But Try To Eat The Low-Hanging First
2018 Me, Too
2017 Apt Enough?
2016 Now Or Ever
21, Pause, Restart
2015 I Am Shocked, Sir, Shocked…
Lucy & FSND-2
2014 Less Difficult
2013 The Spirit Of Liberty
2012 The Essential Freedom Of Aloneness
2011 A Problem Of Scale
Fred Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
2010 Another Book, Another Jog…

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The dignity of labor depends not on what you do, but how you do it.
   —    Edwin Osgood Grover
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On This Day In:
2022 And Even Fewer Regrets
2021 Today Counts
I Hope You’ll Understand
2020 Maybe #IncompetentDonald Really Is A Great Manager
2019 Your Only Choice
2018 A Good Definition
2017 Getting It Done
2016 Getting To Know Me
2015 Why I Pay Taxes
2014 Inequality Of Sacrifice
2013 I Never Saw A Moor
2012 Fill In The Blank
Not For Naught
Cliff Notes To Life?
2011 Conference Games Sunday

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My definition of an educated man is the fellow who knows the right thing to do at the right time it has to be done…  You can be sincere and still be stupid.
    —    Charles Kettering
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On This Day In:
2022 Enduring Success
2021 Dealing With Trumpism, Racism and Fascism In America
Just Wondering
2020 And So Must Good Government
2019 Are You Done Watching?
2018 Spineless Capitulation By The Democrats
Woe Is Me…
2017 Sincerely Yours
2016 Only Good To Say
2015 A Series Of Temporary Conditions
2014 Gaps
2013 Duty
2012 Cost Not Price
Superheroes
2011 The Simple Normalcy Of Everyday Life – “Squirrel!”

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Today’s reviews are for a pair of biographical movies about two geniuses.  The men are Srinivasa Ramanujan and Alan Turing.  Technically, both are mathematicians, but Turing is more remembered for his work with computers.  The two movies are titled:  “The Man Who Knew Infinity” (2015) about Ramanujan, and “The Imitation Game” (2014) about Turing.
The Man Who Knew Infinity” (2015)  —  movie review
This movie stars Dev Patel as Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and Jeremy Irons as his British mentor (collaborator) G. H. Hardy.  Basically, a poor, self-taught mathematician moves to Trinity College at Cambridge after mailing some of his work to a world famous mathematics professor (Hardy).  The two collaborate (and publish), but the movie is basically about their personal relationship and not about their maths.  The movie is beautifully shot in both India and England and I was moved by the depictions of both environments:  brightly colored poverty contrasted with muted earth-toned (relative) wealth.  A second major plot contrast is Hardy’s atheism vs Ramanujan’s devout Hindu faith.   Ramanujan tells Hardy that his math comes from the lips of his god.  Hardy can only struggle to understand divine inspiration.  In the end, Hardy accepts that his friend believes it is true even if he cannot share that belief.
Final recommendation:  highly recommended and I look forward to reading the book (of the same title) the movie is based on.
The Imitation Game” (2014)   —  movie review
This movie stars  Benedict Cumberbatch (aka Sherlock Holmes / Doctor Strange) as Alan Turing and  Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke who was Turing’s fiancé briefly.  Turing was a homosexual and at that time, being gay was considered a serious crime in England.  Both Turing and Clarke were mathematicians who became cryptologists.  They famously developed a computer which was used to break the Nazi Enigma cypher.   This movie describes this invention and Turing’s subsequent suicide.   As a personal note: I consider Turing to be one of the seminal figures in computer science and in artificial intelligence.  The “test” for general purpose artificial intelligence is named “The Turing Test” and based on one of his papers.
Turing and Clarke worked closely together and are reported to have actually been very close friends although I’ve seen Turing portrayed as almost autistic in dealing with social settings, so I’m not sure how accurate the descriptions or the portrayals have been.  In any case, Turing proposed marriage to Clarke and then later withdrew and admitted to being gay.  The movie purports to Clarke being indifferent to Turing’s sexuality as she is contented with having a relationship with a friend and an intellectual equal.
The “surprise” hack at the end of the movie is the realization that the Nazi messages all end the same and this can be used as a key to reduce the number of variations the computer needs to evaluate.  Whether this is what actually happened or not, I don’t know, but it did make for a plausible ending!  Final recommendation:  highly recommended!
While I enjoyed both movies I would rate “Infinity” slightly higher than “Imitation“.  I’m not really sure why, but I’ve already re-watched “Infinity” twice and I’m just getting around to my second viewing of “Imitation“.  But, again, both highly recommended…
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On This Day In:
2022 End The Filibuster
2021 Be Creative, Question Assumptions
By No Means
2020 I’ll Eat To That (Gemütlichkeit)
To The Front
2019 #ContinueToResist
Except Willful Ignorance And Prideful Stupidity
2018 More Executive Time For #DumbDonald
2017 Watched The Inauguration
Two Geniuses
2016 Come Dance And Laugh With Me
2015 Looks Good To Me
2014 Desire For The Sea
2013 The Fierce Urgency Of NOW
Happy Inauguration Day!
2012 One Path
Sorrow And Joy
The Seven Year View
2011 Emergent Practicality

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I have great faith in fools;  self-confidence my friends call it.
    —    Edgar Allan Poe
[Please God, Let me be wrong…     —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022 End The Filibuster
2021 Be Creative, Question Assumptions
By No Means
2020 I’ll Eat To That (Gemütlichkeit)
To The Front
2019 #ContinueToResist
Except Willful Ignorance And Prideful Stupidity
2018 More Executive Time For #DumbDonald
2017 Watched The Inauguration
Two Geniuses
2016 Come Dance And Laugh With Me
2015 Looks Good To Me
2014 Desire For The Sea
2013 The Fierce Urgency Of NOW
Happy Inauguration Day!
2012 One Path
Sorrow And Joy
The Seven Year View
2011 Emergent Practicality

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The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
   ―    Leonard Henry Courtney
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
   —    Edmund Burke
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
   ―    Plato
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On This Day In:
2022 Biden Starts His Second Year
2021 DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications (2)
Inauguration Day 2021
(Hopefully) Good-Bye To The Trump Dark Ages
2020 Posting As A Continual Exercise
2019 Border Security – Yes, Border Wall – No
2018 Supporting Survival Values
2017 Inauguration Day 2017   [Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right!   —   kmab]
2016 Or A Pot Of Gold After The Storm
2015 One, Two, Three…
2014 Lend Your Hand
2013 Amnesty, n.
2012 Best Resolv’d
The Clock Is Running
2011 Magic

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The loneliness of the President is another well-established truism of essays on the presidential process.  It is only part of the story; for, during the rest of the time, no one in the country is more assailed by divergent advice and clamorous counsel.  This advice and counsel, indeed, are essential to the process of decision;  for they give the President not only needed information and ideas but a sense of the possibilities and the limitations of action.  A wise President therefore gathers strength and insight from the Nation.  Still, in the end, he is alone.  There stands the decision — and there stands the President.  “I have accustomed myself to receive with respect the opinions of others,” said Andrew Jackson, “but always take the responsibility of deciding for myself.”
    —    President John F. Kennedy
Quoted by:  Theodore C. Sorensen
From the Foreword to his book:  “Decision-Making in the White House
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On This Day In:
2022 Pass A Voting Rights Act For Democracy’s Sake
2021 Tomorrow President Biden Starts Wrestling
Good-Bye #45
2020 The Burden Of Faith
On To Superbowl LIV (54)!!
2019 Are Your Dogs Barking?
Dangerous Waistcoats
2018 And 40+ Years Later?
2017 He Is Alone
2016 Compensation
2015 Charlie Redux
2014 The Crux
2013 Erosion And Rechannelling
Alliance, n.
2012 How Many Thought… (One I Know Of)
Choices And Decisions
2011 Speed Spoils
Simply Intended
2010 A Second 4 Hour Jog

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Every tyrant who has lived has believed in freedom for himself.
    —   Elbert Hubbard
[Despite almost 50 years history of Presidential candidates releasing their tax returns, President-elect Trump now says he won’t release his tax returns while he is under audit.   He has never offered proof he is under audit and the IRS is not allowed to discuss / confirm if he is under audit.  They are not allowed to do so for any person without the person’s permission.  Trump could authorize the IRS to confirm the audit and state which years are being audited.  He refuses to even do this.  Why not?  What is he hiding?  I’m not in the press, but I want to know…
Trump said he would completely set aside his business interests because he was (now) more interested in becoming President and helping this country become great again.  At one of the Republican debates, Trump said running his business was “peanuts” compared to the Presidency.  Now, he will not do this (divest his business interests).  His attorney states that no one should expect him to destroy the business he has spent his whole life building just because he is President.  Why is selling off his assets “destroying the business” if they are worth billions which would then be placed in a blind trust?  Since he is such a great negotiator, would he not get a great price for them?  Are they not worth billions?
Trump is “ceding” control of his company to his sons, but he retains the right to fire them if they don’t do a great job.  Of course there are those nasty little things called gift taxes, so he can’t “give” the assets to his kids without the assets being valued and taxed.  And we all know it’s “stupid” to pay taxes.  The key to a blind trust is that you don’t know what’s going on.  How is it “blind” if you must know what they’re doing in order to judge if they are doing a great job?
Trump is refusing to sell off assets which might lead to a conflict of interest.  Instead he proposes to “gift” to the U.S. Treasury any profits received from foreign governments for the use of his assets.  Of course, he hasn’t said how his company intends to determine “profit” or how it will be independently verified.  Since he is a pathological liar, why should we trust him?
President Kennedy got his brother Robert appointed Attorney General of the United States.  Congress subsequently passed a law to prevent future nepotism in high offices.  Trump wants to appoint his son-in-law as a senior counselor to the President.  If you want to talk to a family member and get his advice, why does the U.S. taxpayer have to pay for it?
Questions big and small…  Just asking?   —    kmab]
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
    ―    President Abraham Lincoln
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On This Day In:
2022 Do It
2021 The Honor Is To Serve…
I Don’t Know That I Will
Only So Long
2020 Each Meaning
2019 The Deep End
Is Anyone ELSE Out There Listening?
2018 Defining Characteristic
2017 Just Asking
2016 Still A Burden
15 And Counting
2015 All A Game
2014 Two Thoughts
2013 RIP – Dear Abby
Half-Life Problems
2012 To The Soul…
2011 Reverted!!

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