While reading Brent’s description of how he programmed in the 90s using UserLand Frontier I immediately thought of NewtonScript. Apple had much innovation in Newton that got overlooked and how apps were developed and ran on the operating system is one. Newton OS even had a database based file system that optimized sharing across applications to prevent redundancy. I think the Newton files system was not only needed due to the constraints of limited physical storage but also to enable fast and easy application development like Brent describes.
One thing I have never understood about conservatism in the United States is how the ideology thinks progress is to be made. Today all tenants of conservatism are being bent in extreme directions such that any and every change today is tarred by the claim of wokeness. Why does it matter that a corporation changes its logo? It only matters when you obsess on watching for and fighting against every single change no matter how big or small, good or bad. What a scary world to live in!
I think we are heading toward a time in which public education in the United States will no longer exist. First, it is already hard enough to get good people willing to be teachers and work in public education, but the right wing populism in the United States makes public education totally unattractive. Further, the last thing populist leaders want is an educated electorate and one of the main grievances of right wing populism is against the “educated elite.” Broadly, public education has long strayed away from its original purpose of developing children in to good citizens. The current purposes range from enabling children to be wealthy adults to providing daycare and in almost all ways alleviating parents from the burden of raising their children.
The prime reason why right wing populism has risen in the United States has been greed or the very least extreme self interest. When the Internet made it easier to ship jobs outside the United States the management class did not think of the consequences., although Ross Perot warned us! The primary message from half the United States is, “get a job” and yet most of that half worked hard to take jobs away. The same thing is now happening with AI. Rather than ignore the consequences we need to make fundamental changes to how work is viewed in the United States and what enables a sound society. I am thinking about things like changing the definition of full time employment to 20 hours a week so that the number of the original pool of limited jobs doubles. It is drastic thinking like this that is going to be required because we are seeing the results of the current way of thinking.
Christian Nationalism Did Not Save Rome
For me the fact that “Christian Nationalism” exposes is that so few people know the history of Christianity nor really try to understand it. All of Christian doctrine relies on freedom. Whether it is to repent, to say the “sinners prayer,” or to open our eyes and change our mind we think we have to be free to choose because we do not know love. Even if Christianity is seen through the lens of love, true love is not forced, it is fallen in to. Therefore, using laws to enforce any part of Christianity upon anyone is to take away freedom and antithetical to Jesus. It’s a denial of Christ crucified and to resurrection.
Christian Nationalism exposes Christianity to what it is, a religion founded on empire. Jesus did not establish a religion, for religion is a part of the norm of civilization for which Jesus told us to change our minds about. (Repent, metanoia).
The Roman Empire fell even after the Christian religion was created to become the religion of the empire for the sake of saving the empire. Likewise the Christian religion, “Christian Nationalism,” will not save the United States.
First day on the patio when it’s cool enough to need a hoodie. Still the cicadas that are in the sun are making their sounds of summer.
Introducing Mythos Theme | Matt Langford
I am currently using the Tiny theme here but will check out Mythos.
Browsing through some old posts here using Surprise Me and I think this picture is really good.
Google launched the Pixel 10 series this week, and there are several things about it that I like but I would prefer to not spend more than $500 on a phone even if I can get $200 in trade-in for the Pixel 7a. I am leaning toward getting the Pixel 10a when it comes out next spring, particularly if it has the Pixelsnap charging and the Tensor G5 processor. I might consider buying a Pixel 10 later in the year if Google (or Amazon or Best Buy etc.) has a sale that can be combined with a trade-in that gets the price closer to $500. I do like that Lemongrass color.