Thanksgiving with Arlo Guthrie

So, here I sit in the heart of God's Own Country, Ky, on 11 Nov...

... and the American Legion post next door is NOT flying the flag at half staff.

-- Mal

For Poppy Day:

Slide show of NYC in the '70s

Bertrand Russell prophesizes:

"In all this I see a grave danger, the danger of what might be called cosmic impiety. The concept of 'truth' as something dependent upon facts largely outside of human control has been one of the ways in which philosophy hitherto has inculcated the necessary element of humility. When this check upon pride is removed, a further step is taken on the road towards a certain kind of madness, the intoxication of power which invaded philosophy with Fichte, and to which modern men, whether philosophers or not, are prone. I am persuaded that this intoxication is the greatest danger of our time, and that any philosophy which, however unintentionally, contributes to it is increasing the danger of vast social disaster."

(From A History of Western Philosophy)

One thing I find interesting about this admonition is that it was the conclusion of a section in which he criticizes the philosophy of truth defined by utility; to do so, he relies on an argument of utility.

But his warning certainly does ring true today, eh?

-- Mal

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

Rather, I have had to move from Philly to The-Middle-of-Nowhere, Kentucky, and have been offline for the past couple of months. After many alarums and excursions, my computer is now up and running and connected to the 'Net, so now you *will* have Malthaussen to kick around again. ***ouch, ouch***

-- Mal

Why I Don't Have a Blog

I have a terrible confession to make: I pee sitting down.

Yeah, okay, guys, stop cackling. You win, I have no desire to get into a pissing contest with you. What Real Man (tm) would pee sitting down (or admit to it, anyway). I get it.

There's a reason for it, and not because I can't aim. Oh, I can get the sight reticle on the target okay, but it's like there's an imperfection in the barrel or something, because I never know what direction the actual stream is going to take. 45 degrees left? 45 degrees right? Both? (Yeah, both. It's like I put my hands over the top of a garden hose or something, and a quick check of my fingers shows, yeah, they're in the right place). Or it could just spray out every which way like somebody's lawn sprinkler on a hot day.

That's an imperfect analogy, though, because if a rifle has a flaw in the barrel, the results are predictable and repeatable. Me peeing? God knows, I may hit the bowl, the floor, the wall, or some innocent bystander. Flip a coin.

Do other guys have this problem? Beats me, I only know I've never discussed it or seen it discussed elsewhere. Do men walk around with a burning, secret shame because they can't aim their pee, or because they secretly sit down on the toilet themselves but won't admit it? Do we need a Pee-ers anonymous, with a 12-step program for Men Who Can't Hit the Toilet Bowl? How can I know, I have no idea what you Real Men (tm) talk about in your smoke-filled (but hopefully not pee-filled) caves.

There is an upside, though. This disability makes me a great housemate for a female. There's never any discussion of whether the seat stays Up or Down, it's always Down.

***

And that, children, is why I don't have a blog. Because I think what you just wasted two minutes of your life on was funny.

-- Mal

75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway today...

,,, found a little YT tribute to the torpedo bombers:

There are two boxes before you:

One contains one million USD. The other, a certain oorang-utang's head on a platter. You may only choose one. Which box shall you choose?

-- Mal

American Gods for the independently wealthy

I see that this past March, The Folio Society published a new edition of Neil Gaimen's American Gods, using a corrected version of the author's preferred text. Illustrated and luxuriously bound (the Folio Society produces wonderful books), and with a healthy-enough price tag of USD 120.00. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the commencement of the new TV series.

http://www.foliosociety.com/book/ACG/american-gods-neil-gaiman

-- Mal