Learning

I snatched this from Eric Zorn's Chicago Tribune blog:

Learning brings out the stupid in us all. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz wrote that, "Every act of learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all."

It's a quote of a quote. How silly.

Token Opposition

Well, the Illinois Republicans had to look outside the state of Illinois to find an African-American to offer up as a scrificial lamb on the temple of OBAMA! I think I'll begin to present Barack Obama's name in the future - both in print and speech -as simply: OBAMA! It reminds me of the movie 'SARAFINA!' Hopefully, OBAMA! won't be as easily forgotten.

By the way, how cool is the Internet Movie Database? I did a search for Cleavon Little earlier in the week while watching 'Blazing Saddles'. I was actually searching for an obscure western actor who is mentioned in 'Blazing Saddles'. It was a bit disconcerting that 'Blazing Saddles' had been stripped down for presentation on the ABC Family Channel. Should this really be shown on a 'family' channel? Why ruin it for everyone?

Robot trees

So, I'm reading this article on the New York Times web site about genetically engineered trees being created to do environmental cleanup, and I start thinking: 'Hey, we were supposed to have robots doing this kind of thing in the 21st century!'
Do you realize that the Sci-Fi future of wanton environmental damage is slowly slipping away? Instead of widespread pollution and acid rain a la 'Blade Runner' or 'The Fifth Element', we'll have Green Buildings that are designed to minimize energy and water consumption among other things. Soon, we'll combine Green Buildings with genetically engineered plants and trees to provide photosynthetic energy sources. We'll all be living and working in giant treehouses like the Ewoks or the Swiss Family Robinson. Hey, maybe that's not too bad. As long as we get to swing from tree to tree with big vines.