Microsoft is Evil. That's neither a question, nor a debate. If you don't know that you're not paying attention - they've been very up front about it. Basically, they try to get everyone hooked on closed-source internet software, and if they could get enough people they'd own the internet outright. Everyone in the world paying Microsoft a monthly fee is their plan for world domination. Basically, it almost worked, but it didn't. Thank goodness for open source, Linux, and Richard Stallman!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my little university has converted to Google Docs and I'm a bit worried. Why? Let's see if I have this straight. Google can find virtually any content on the web (Search). Yahoo tracks all of the web pages I visit (and with app sharing on the net, I'm sure Google has access to this), they literally hire people to take pictures of people's houses and streets (Google Maps), and have satellite photos of each place in the world (Google Earth). Google also has access to all the videos (Google Video) and pictures (Google Pictures) people make about themselves and their lives. They also have detailed information about your life preferences (Google Plus, Google Calendar,....) Soon, I'll being switching my work over to Google Docs so they'll have all my work info in addition to my private info. Google knows where I live, who my family is, what I, they, my house, my work look like. They know how long I've lived in each place. They know more about me than probably anyone alive.
It's more than a bit scary. My guess at the future is that Google will offer a new app: Google Funerals. Plug your laptop into a projector, make a few decisions and hit "Go." Google will automatically create a video that talks about everywhere they've lived, who their family and friends are, and put a positive spin on their life. You'll be able to choose a virtual Pope from the past to run your wedding (selected from a pull down menu of course). "No one will be forgotten" will be their motto. The cost? Nothing, just a small stamp on you and your children's digital foreheads.
The Google name will then lose some of it's luster, but no one will be able to do anything about it. So, they'll start to be brazen and just rename themselves "SkyNet."
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
2012 PCT Hike - Gear Review 3 - Misc.
On-The-Go
Water Kit – Aquamira, plastic
bag, 0.5 L PowerAde Bottle, 1 L Platypus, 2 L Platypus
Discussion: Very happy with Aqua Mira.
I didn't use the 1 L Platypus, but near Crater Lake there is a 30
mile dry section where even more water containers would be advisable.
I did not use the Platypi as a Camel Pack. I prefer to use a water
bottle so I can have Gatorade when I want it.
Grade: A
Map Kit - maps for 2 sections, 1
page handwritten trail guide, Petzl 3-LED headlamp, Garmin Etrex
Legend HCX GPS + sock.
Camera Kit – Olympus Tough
Camera, extra memory card.
Discussion: An iPhone has a gps,
camera, and phone in one. With the new halfmile's PCT app (created
by White Truck, a trail angel I had the good fortune of meeting). I
don't own an iPhone, but in the future I'll probably have an all-in-1
device to save weight. Of course iPhone users need to carry a
charger. The gps was nice, but mostly unnecessary. In fact, it led
me astray once! However, with it I always had a pretty good idea of
where I was. The sock on the gps was necessary because the screen
was starting to get scratched. A thru-hiker showed me his gps and it
was very scratched up. I never used the headlamp as there were a lot
of daylight hours in August. I liked the security of a waterproof
and shock-resistant camera. Both the camera and the gps took
conventional batteries so they were easily replaced when necessary.
Grade: B, this stuff will be
constantly changing.
p.s. I also brought a SPOT device,
mostly for the little woman.
Hygiene:
Toilet Kit – TP, 2 oz. Hand
Sanitizer, metal shoehorn, plastic bag
Toiletry Kit - 2 cutoff
toothbrushes + tooth soap
Discussion: After the trip I upped the
Hand Sanitizer to 2 oz. I used the shoehorn as a trowel and I still
like that., but I wouldn't carry it if I carried hiking poles. Tooth
soap is lighter and more effective than toothpaste, but it doesn't
help your breath.
Grade: A-
Other Essentials:
1st Aid Kit
– band aids, mole skin, Calendula ointment, knife, burn gel, drugs,
threaded needle, 2 plastic bags
Kitchen - Bowl (Plastic
Gatorade Powder Container with Lid), plastic spoon
Emergency firestarting kit -
matches, bic mini-lighter, esbit tablet, dryer lint, shoelace,
plastic bag
Discussion: Didn't have enough band
aids and mole skin. Calendula was good to have. Didn't have the
right combination of drugs (ibuprofen+allergy meds), easy to fix.
Bowl with Lid could be used to carry another 1/3 L water if need be.
Grade: A-
Sunday, August 26, 2012
2012 PCT Hike - Gear Review 2 - Clothes
Clothes
Philosophy: There's a lot of very
expensive backpacking clothes. I wouldn't buy expensive clothes
unless I knew exactly what I wanted. I don't know how you'd know
this without a lot of testing. The trip took place in the hot month
of August.
Underwear - Starter
9” Underwear/Trunks, $10 each from WalMart
I don't want to deal with chafing, and
I want underwear to help me deal with that. I basically had no
problems with chafing on this trip. One caveat: I previously had
chafing problems when it rained and it didn't rain on this trip.
Eric Valentine recommends BodyGlide for my feet – of course it's
also used for chafing, so if I use the Bodyglide I really shouldn't
have problems in the future.
Verdict:
Excellent, not interested in anything else.
Shirt –
Long Sleeve White shirt with a giant Bear, from WalMart
I like the advantages of white, long
sleeve shirts (they retain sweat making it cool when it's hot, add a
heat layer when it's cold, and keeps sun and mosquitoes off, while
the white reflects heat and makes mosquitoes easy to spot). After
the hike I found a shirt that I want – a Columbia Sportswear Long
Sleeve Base Layer “Insect Guard.” However, at $70 retail I'm
waiting for a sale.
Verdict:
Looking to upgrade to the Columbia shirt.
Pants -
Cabela Bug Skinz Bugproof lycra pants
Instead of running shorts I like long
“pants” for the same reasons I like long shirts. The lycra pants
were very light and I liked them fine, but between the Shirt and the
Pants I didn't have any pockets, and I needed them. The Cabela pants
were not mosquito-proof. The pants were a hunter flavor of
camouflage, I would have preferred white.
Verdict: Good, but I need to get
pockets either on the pants or somewhere else.
Sunglasses - $10
polarized fishing sunglasses, from WalMart
I used lightweight half-frame polarized
sunglasses . I was very happy with them, and as I left them on a
tree I liked the $10 price. I wasn't sure I wanted sunglasses, but
after hiking without them for a day and a half, I think they're
important.
Verdict: Excellent, not
interested in anything else.
Shade Hat – Garage Sale Special
Lightweight full round brim. The brim
was a little small as was the fit. I found the hat at a garage sale
and cut up the inside to make it larger and lighter. However, it was
still a pinch small. The brim was a little small too. If I had
lighter skin I'd insist on a larger brim, but for me it was fine.
Verdict: Good, happy to take
again but I'll keep looking.
Warm Hat – Garage Sale Special
Wool, Very stretchy, a smidge small. I
bought a Summer Buff but it was too small. I was happy with my hat,
and I'll probably take it on my next trip.
Verdict: Good, happy to take
again but I'll keep looking.
Rain/Wind Jacket – Garage Sale
Special
It's a little heavy (just under a
pound) but it's wind proof, water proof, and provides warmth. I take one thing where some take several lighter things.
Verdict: Good, happy to take
again but I'll keep looking.
Socks – WalMart/Dollar Store
2 pairs of Dollar Store dress socks, 1
pair of low-cut socks. I wore 2 pair of socks at a time. I didn't
have a good way of drying my socks while hiking, so under the same
conditions I'd take one more pair of socks. The low-cut socks
scrunched my toes together. Two different thru-hikers suggested
toe-socks which would keep my toes separated. I also forgot to clip
my toenails before the trip :(
Verdict: Will switch to
toe-socks, but not sure which ones yet.
Shoes – Vasque hiking shoes, 1
size too large.
Verdict: Good, will continue to
use until I finish the Oregon PCT.
Gaiters - Dirty Girl Gaiters
They helped keep crud out of my socks - I didn't get any until the 3rd day. Between the gaiters, my socks, and the long lycra pants I didn't have any skin showing.
Verdict: Excellent, not interested in anything else.
Gaiters - Dirty Girl Gaiters
They helped keep crud out of my socks - I didn't get any until the 3rd day. Between the gaiters, my socks, and the long lycra pants I didn't have any skin showing.
Verdict: Excellent, not interested in anything else.
Watch
I carefully took the band off the watch and kept the watch in a pocket to save weight. This was a mistake. What I found out is that the way many PCTers know where they're at on their map is this: get to a landmark on the map, note the time, know about how fast you hike. This helps them not miss as many water sources as I did. The point is that you need to reference your watch a lot and it's better to have instant access. To me, a watch is one of the most philosophically challenging items to get. If you have a watch that does everything with a phone that does everything are you really getting the nature experience you want? Seriously, I don't know. I do think I'd like a watch that at least has an altimeter, though. Note: I bought a fancier watch from Big 5 a couple of years ago, but it takes batteries that WalMart doesn't carry so next time I'll make sure that whatever I get does take standard watch batteries.
Verdict: OK, but still figuring out exactly what I want.
What was left Behind:
Going cookless, the plan was to walk
all day, pitch a tent at night, and go straight to sleep. Because of
this I didn't need a lot of clothes. However, I ended up spending
some time with other hikers and I got a little cold just standing
there. I didn't run into many mosquitoes.
Gloves – didn't need them.
Rain/Warm Pants – didn't need my
long nylon pants, but may be a luxury worth having.
Down Vest – didn't really need it,
but it would have been nice (even as a pillow).
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2012 PCT Hike - Gear Review I
I went 120 miles in 5 days, turning my feet in hamburger in the process. However, it was a good opportunity to determine the actual usefulness of much of my gear. I thought I'd start reviewing the gear by focusing on the Big 3. A note about costs. All of this stuff goes on sale from time to time, so I just checked google every couple of weeks throughout the year to get the cheapest price. So, I paid less than the prices listed below.
Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1
Specced at 30 oz., it is one of the lightest 1-man tents available. It is currently listed at $320 and I remember when I bought it that I felt like I was blowing my budget a bit on the tent. I never used the rainfly on this trip, and some of the thru-hikers I met said that they hadn't run into rain in the 1700+ miles they had gone. Some of the thru-hikers were envious of my tent. It is easy to set up, and since I laced the tent pegs around the laces like you're obviously supposed to, set up was very quick and easy. So far I've completed 3 PCT sections (about 180 miles) and I haven't had any problems with the quality of the tent materials. The downside of the tent is that I can't sit up in it without rubbing my head against the top (I'm 5'10"). If the tent was only a little bigger or I was 3 inches shorter, I wouldn't have this problem. Of course, if it was a little bigger, it would also be a little heavier, and I was in an ultralight state of mind when purchasing, so I might've bought another tent. Would I buy it again? I'm not sure. If I was 5'7" or shorter, I would buy this tent and never look back. If I were 6'0" or taller I would buy the UL2 (same tent but in 2-man version). At 5'10" I think the UL1 might be better for thru-hiking and the 4 extra oz. UL2 is better for section hiking. I will end up doing my section hiking than thru-hiking in my life, so if I had to do it again, I'd probably buy the UL2.
Grade: B+
Sleeping Bag: Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 32
Synthetic Bag rated at 32 degrees F, weighing 31 oz., and it currently listed at $200. I wanted to get the lightest synthetic bag on the market. Why synthetic? I live in Oregon - home of the free, land of the rain. Modern down sleeping bags are made with water repellent materials making them difficult to get soaked. Of course if they do, you're in trouble. If you've read this blog about my previous exploits, you'd understand that I need the peace of mind of one fewer thing that can go wrong (that and the fact that a good down pack costs about $400). This model is basically the lightest synthetic bag on the market. Was the bag warm enough? Yes, absolutely. The temperatures got down to the mid 30s some nights. I was ready to put a cap on my head and socks on my feet, but I didn't need to. In fact I slept without clothes at all. What made the bag so light? Besides the technology of man-made fibers, the bag was small - not head to toe, but side to side - like claustrophobia small. There was no way I could touch my knees with my hands while inside the bag. I didn't mind sacrificing some size for the weight savings, but not everyone would feel that way. Would I buy this bag again? No. I plan to do most of the backpacking in the summer - here's the problem. The bag has 2 side zippers which go down you your waist. I could not unzip the bag and use it as a quilt. I had lots of blister problems and my feet were radiating heat - even at night. The bag acted like an oven. If I had a full zipper on one side I could have unzipped it completely poking my feet out at the bottom. If they had a full, one-sided zipper, I would absolutely buy it again.
Grade: B-
Backpack: GoLite Jam
Weighs 31 oz. It's a very good pack. The Dyneema Mesh makes this backpack rainproof and bulletproof. Seriously, from all accounts this pack can last a lifetime. Don't be tricked by lighter packs. They are lighter because they are made of flimsier material or they have taken out some of the features of the Jam. For example, some have no chest belt or shoulder belt in order to make them ultralight. No problem if you have the Jam and don't want these things, just cut them off. Some don't have a sleeve for a hydration bladder. Again, this can be cut off. Ditto for loops to hold trekking poles. If you know exactly which of about 8 different things you want and don't want on a backpack, get the pack that has exactly what you want. The truth is that unless you've backpacked for 1000 miles or so, you don't know exactly what you want. I'm still unsure of the issue of hiking poles for example. Even though I don't use a hydration bladder and never will, I made good use of the sleeve on this trip. Put another way, I feel this is probably one of the best first packs to own, especially if you're comfortable enough to carefully cut out the parts of the pack you don't want. It's the right size and one of the cheaper packs out there. It does have a few little problems I won't go into, but one big problem that I haven't fixed yet - the pack does not have any external mesh pockets. I found no good way to get wet socks to dry while hiking with this backpack. With all of this build-up, of course I would buy this pack again, right? Probably not. If money were a serious issue, I would buy this pack again, but Six Moons Designs makes a similar Dyneema back with lots of external mesh pockets. However, I'd really like to see one of these emptied so that I could make sure it had the features I liked in the Jam to make a definitive judgment. If you're a masochist, you should watch this youtube video - but be warned, while it's a good review of Jason Klass's favorite packs of all time, the result of the video is that there is no perfect backpack.
Grade: B+
Ground Cloth: Tyvek
Cost: $0. I saw some construction workers building a structure a block from my house and asked them to give me the let overs. I can't imagine wanting a different ground cloth. The only problem is that my tent doesn't have an obvious bottom so it's hard to figure out where to cut it, and my experience with the rain is that you don't want it too large.
Grade: A
Mattress Pad: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite (short)
Weighs 10 oz. Scott Williamson uses a 1/8" thick pad and I've been eying a similar (but thicker) pad to get some weight savings. However, on this trip I went from liking this pad to loving it! I strapped it on the outside of my pack, and was able to quickly get it out and use it as a sitting pad. There's just not a lot of good sitting places on the PCT, and with this pad I was able to sit anywhere within moments. Before this trip I thought sitting pads were for wimps. I've completely changed my tune. As a bonus, I even used the pad to elevate my feet when staying at a "rustic" cabin. Would I buy this pad again? Absolutely, even at 10 oz. (as long as I have a pack that I can strap it on the outside).
Grade: A-
Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1
Specced at 30 oz., it is one of the lightest 1-man tents available. It is currently listed at $320 and I remember when I bought it that I felt like I was blowing my budget a bit on the tent. I never used the rainfly on this trip, and some of the thru-hikers I met said that they hadn't run into rain in the 1700+ miles they had gone. Some of the thru-hikers were envious of my tent. It is easy to set up, and since I laced the tent pegs around the laces like you're obviously supposed to, set up was very quick and easy. So far I've completed 3 PCT sections (about 180 miles) and I haven't had any problems with the quality of the tent materials. The downside of the tent is that I can't sit up in it without rubbing my head against the top (I'm 5'10"). If the tent was only a little bigger or I was 3 inches shorter, I wouldn't have this problem. Of course, if it was a little bigger, it would also be a little heavier, and I was in an ultralight state of mind when purchasing, so I might've bought another tent. Would I buy it again? I'm not sure. If I was 5'7" or shorter, I would buy this tent and never look back. If I were 6'0" or taller I would buy the UL2 (same tent but in 2-man version). At 5'10" I think the UL1 might be better for thru-hiking and the 4 extra oz. UL2 is better for section hiking. I will end up doing my section hiking than thru-hiking in my life, so if I had to do it again, I'd probably buy the UL2.
Grade: B+
Sleeping Bag: Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 32
Synthetic Bag rated at 32 degrees F, weighing 31 oz., and it currently listed at $200. I wanted to get the lightest synthetic bag on the market. Why synthetic? I live in Oregon - home of the free, land of the rain. Modern down sleeping bags are made with water repellent materials making them difficult to get soaked. Of course if they do, you're in trouble. If you've read this blog about my previous exploits, you'd understand that I need the peace of mind of one fewer thing that can go wrong (that and the fact that a good down pack costs about $400). This model is basically the lightest synthetic bag on the market. Was the bag warm enough? Yes, absolutely. The temperatures got down to the mid 30s some nights. I was ready to put a cap on my head and socks on my feet, but I didn't need to. In fact I slept without clothes at all. What made the bag so light? Besides the technology of man-made fibers, the bag was small - not head to toe, but side to side - like claustrophobia small. There was no way I could touch my knees with my hands while inside the bag. I didn't mind sacrificing some size for the weight savings, but not everyone would feel that way. Would I buy this bag again? No. I plan to do most of the backpacking in the summer - here's the problem. The bag has 2 side zippers which go down you your waist. I could not unzip the bag and use it as a quilt. I had lots of blister problems and my feet were radiating heat - even at night. The bag acted like an oven. If I had a full zipper on one side I could have unzipped it completely poking my feet out at the bottom. If they had a full, one-sided zipper, I would absolutely buy it again.
Grade: B-
Backpack: GoLite Jam
Weighs 31 oz. It's a very good pack. The Dyneema Mesh makes this backpack rainproof and bulletproof. Seriously, from all accounts this pack can last a lifetime. Don't be tricked by lighter packs. They are lighter because they are made of flimsier material or they have taken out some of the features of the Jam. For example, some have no chest belt or shoulder belt in order to make them ultralight. No problem if you have the Jam and don't want these things, just cut them off. Some don't have a sleeve for a hydration bladder. Again, this can be cut off. Ditto for loops to hold trekking poles. If you know exactly which of about 8 different things you want and don't want on a backpack, get the pack that has exactly what you want. The truth is that unless you've backpacked for 1000 miles or so, you don't know exactly what you want. I'm still unsure of the issue of hiking poles for example. Even though I don't use a hydration bladder and never will, I made good use of the sleeve on this trip. Put another way, I feel this is probably one of the best first packs to own, especially if you're comfortable enough to carefully cut out the parts of the pack you don't want. It's the right size and one of the cheaper packs out there. It does have a few little problems I won't go into, but one big problem that I haven't fixed yet - the pack does not have any external mesh pockets. I found no good way to get wet socks to dry while hiking with this backpack. With all of this build-up, of course I would buy this pack again, right? Probably not. If money were a serious issue, I would buy this pack again, but Six Moons Designs makes a similar Dyneema back with lots of external mesh pockets. However, I'd really like to see one of these emptied so that I could make sure it had the features I liked in the Jam to make a definitive judgment. If you're a masochist, you should watch this youtube video - but be warned, while it's a good review of Jason Klass's favorite packs of all time, the result of the video is that there is no perfect backpack.
Grade: B+
Ground Cloth: Tyvek
Cost: $0. I saw some construction workers building a structure a block from my house and asked them to give me the let overs. I can't imagine wanting a different ground cloth. The only problem is that my tent doesn't have an obvious bottom so it's hard to figure out where to cut it, and my experience with the rain is that you don't want it too large.
Grade: A
Mattress Pad: Therm-a-Rest Z Lite (short)
Weighs 10 oz. Scott Williamson uses a 1/8" thick pad and I've been eying a similar (but thicker) pad to get some weight savings. However, on this trip I went from liking this pad to loving it! I strapped it on the outside of my pack, and was able to quickly get it out and use it as a sitting pad. There's just not a lot of good sitting places on the PCT, and with this pad I was able to sit anywhere within moments. Before this trip I thought sitting pads were for wimps. I've completely changed my tune. As a bonus, I even used the pad to elevate my feet when staying at a "rustic" cabin. Would I buy this pad again? Absolutely, even at 10 oz. (as long as I have a pack that I can strap it on the outside).
Grade: A-
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Two Weeks in the Summer
Last
2 weeks... Lyn gets off work at 2, Leave La Grande for Wilsonville,
spend night at Gary's house (Lyn's brother), drove to Mcminnville, go
to Evergreen Space Museum Water Park, drove to PDX and back for
Class Reunion, Drove to Seiad Valley, California, Hike for 120 miles
in 5 days (24 miles/day), meet lots of cool “thru-hikers”, turn
feet to hamburger, rest for 2 days, get Lyn to call an old friend
from high school to drive 40 miles and pick me up (she lives in
Medford), take a shower at my host's request! Spend the night
talking and watching Olympics, get on Greyhound Bus, sit 2 seats from
a guy who talks loudly to himself – he starts talking about hurting
people, and he has a gun, which turns out to be a Zippo Lighter which
the bus driver takes away, arrive in PDX after 8 hours, get picked up
by my dad at the bus station, get to his house, take off my shoes and
not put them on for 4 days, watching the Olympics and talking to my
dad all day, every day, get picked up by Lyn, drive to Linfield, drop
off a bunch of stuff for son Sylvan, visit Grammy, drove to Salem,
visited Lyn's old high school friends Mark & Cheryl and Karen
(good times guys), went to Lyn's brother's house, spent night, drove
to WOU, saw Dale's final concert for his weeklong Jazz camp (Dale got
another award, only one I know about at the entire camp), drove to
sister Alice's for family get together, stay for 1.5 hours, drive
back to La Grande arriving at 1 AM – sleep! Feet.Still.Hurt.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Criminality, Tobacco, and Cultural Contradictions - Kentucky Memories and Lessons
On Becoming a Criminal
Being a bachelor for a week while my kids and wife were away at camp was a good opportunity to watch a couple of movies my wife would not be interested in and that were not appropriate for the kids. I watched two cocaine smuggling movies I loaned from my oldest son Forrest (wonder if he's trying to tell me something!) - "Blow" and "American Gangster". The lessons are relatively straightforward:
1) The problem with being a criminal is that you have to trust criminals - sometimes with your life.
2) Apparently, when you become a criminal you forget how to say "when".
3) If you can't sever your ties to your family and friends (especially flawed ones), you shouldn't be a criminal.
4) If being a criminal sounds like "easy money", you are too stupid to be a successful criminal.
I used to teach my senior physics students how to become a serial killer. The idea being that physics is supposed to teach you how to think, how to do anything you want. Of course, it's part of a liberal education in which you should learn why it is inappropriate to become a serial killer. Nevertheless, a physicist shouldn't be a serial killer because they can't learn how, they should choose not to be a serial killers for ethical/moral/social reasons. The third problem listed above is highly relevant to being a serial killer, i.e. being a serial killer is like being a priest, to do it successfully you must give up all worldly attachments. The penalties for not doing this are more severe for the serial killer. So, if you're interested in being a serial killer, you should probably just become a priest instead :)
A Kentucky Memory
In 1995, I received my Ph.D. and got a job teaching in Murray, Kentucky. I was there for 3 years. My son Dale was born there. The first thing I really noticed when I moved there was all of the contradictions that are inherent in the Kentucky culture. It's Bible Belt country and one friend called it "The Buckle." So, everyone (90+%) goes to church and everyone uses good manners. You would expect that in such a place the people would be more virtuous and have less vices - certainly a lot less criminal activity. After all, right and wrong are pretty important to these people. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was just as much crime there as anywhere else. Some people will openly lie to your face. It's the land of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, not to mention a haven for Riverboat Gambling. Some people are rightfully uneasy about these things, but the truth is that they provide much needed money and jobs which is doubly important in a generally low income area. So, there is some complacency about many of these things, but there is some strong contention about Tobacco growing. Some of the older folks, including some whom I greatly admired, would not hear anything bad about Tobacco - they'd get visibly upset if you were anti-tobacco. Part of the manners culture included Respecting Your Elders, so people (me included) wouldn't raise the issue in their presence. Being a somewhat liberal, self-righteous, anti-tobacco proponent I did have plenty of conversations and feelings of superiority. There was no doubt in my mind that I was a better human than a Tobacco Farmer. Then, I read a pair of newspaper articles.
The first was about a tobacco farmer that was uncomfortable growing tobacco, so he tried to grow fruits and vegetables. ( FYI, all tobacco farmer grow grains and other stuff - it is not prudent as a farmer to "put all of your eggs in one basket", so there is an important sense of crop diversity - but their cash cow is tobacco}. After 3 years, the farmer still kept his other crops, but got rid of the fruits and veggies and went back to tobacco. Simply put, he could not make a living without growing tobacco. I was demonizing the farmers, and feeling good about myself. The problem was not with the farmers, it is with a society that does not allow farmers to make an honest living without tobacco. Our society sucks, but it's harder to point your finger at an amorphous blob than it is at a group. It's not easy telling you that I was self-righteous, but that article made me reexamine myself a bit. By the way, all 4 of my wife's grandparents were Kansas farmers and of her 24 aunts and uncles on her side of the family, very few have continued into farming. It's very hard work and it's very high risk/reward. I now have a lot of sympathy for farmers - even tobacco farmers.
[I don't want to be too political here, but I think the problem is plain - we don't pay the correct amount for things, too much for some things, not enough for others - we subsidize other people's lifestyle. For example, it doesn't cost much to grow corn and turn it into high fructose corn syrup, and the government subsidizes the corn making it super-ultra cheap. However, as a practical matter the real cost of high fructose corn syrup comes in health care. Instead of subsidizing the corn (making it nearly unprofitable to grow anything else), we should be taxing the bejesus out of high fructose corn syrup - ditto with anything obviously horrible for you. After all, we have appropriately excessive "sin" taxes on tobacco and alcohol, time for high fructose corn syrup and transfat to be recognized as "sins." (Oh yeah, those extra taxes should go directly to health care, not some politicians pet project). Similarly, there should be more user fees. You get taxes on the life you lead, less so for the life of others, especially rich people. If we do these things, we can lower income taxes and eliminate the EVIL that is property taxes. OK, I guess I have gotten too political here, time to move on].
More Tobacco and Back to Criminal Behavior
While that first article was enlightening, a second article was heart breaking. Trafficing in tobacco is not illegal activity, but it is clearly bad - there is a taint to it and some of the 4 problems listed above apply in some way to the tobacco industry. To intelligently traffic in cocaine or tobacco, you really need to start with this most fundamental rule:
Do not use the product
The consequences of doing so are numerous and dire. So one farmer was resolute - he would never use tobacco of any sort, and he never did. He was a very prosperous farmer acquiring much wealth including vast tracts of land. So, what could possibly go wrong? Where's the downside? The government was never going to "bust him" - indeed he received substantial subsidies from the government. He would go on to lead a long life. But, he lived long enough to see each of his children die of lung cancer. Seriously, it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I let you process that however you may.
Back to Kentucky Life
You may not have gotten this from my writing, so let me be plain. I enjoyed living in rural Kentucky a lot, and I have fond memories and good friends there. Despite the obvious contradictions in the culture, the people were almost universally pleasant, sincere, and kind. It is a very good place to raise children. After living there for about a year and contemplating the above contradictions, something kind of amazing happened - I was able to see that there were many similar contradictions in my liberal, hippyesque life in Oregon. These things were difficult for me to see living inside that culture, but when I got away from it for a while I could see them much more clearly. I won't go on about it, but let's just say that drinking coffee and eating pastries/other crap from Starbucks every day will probably end your life and make it as uncomfortable as quickly as a pack of cigarettes a day. The point is that I think there is value in moving around a bit, whether by job relocations, extended vacations, or however. Getting out of the country for a while is also a good thing, and in addition to doing it ourselves, my wife and I have given our children opportunities to do that as well.
Being a bachelor for a week while my kids and wife were away at camp was a good opportunity to watch a couple of movies my wife would not be interested in and that were not appropriate for the kids. I watched two cocaine smuggling movies I loaned from my oldest son Forrest (wonder if he's trying to tell me something!) - "Blow" and "American Gangster". The lessons are relatively straightforward:
1) The problem with being a criminal is that you have to trust criminals - sometimes with your life.
2) Apparently, when you become a criminal you forget how to say "when".
3) If you can't sever your ties to your family and friends (especially flawed ones), you shouldn't be a criminal.
4) If being a criminal sounds like "easy money", you are too stupid to be a successful criminal.
I used to teach my senior physics students how to become a serial killer. The idea being that physics is supposed to teach you how to think, how to do anything you want. Of course, it's part of a liberal education in which you should learn why it is inappropriate to become a serial killer. Nevertheless, a physicist shouldn't be a serial killer because they can't learn how, they should choose not to be a serial killers for ethical/moral/social reasons. The third problem listed above is highly relevant to being a serial killer, i.e. being a serial killer is like being a priest, to do it successfully you must give up all worldly attachments. The penalties for not doing this are more severe for the serial killer. So, if you're interested in being a serial killer, you should probably just become a priest instead :)
A Kentucky Memory
In 1995, I received my Ph.D. and got a job teaching in Murray, Kentucky. I was there for 3 years. My son Dale was born there. The first thing I really noticed when I moved there was all of the contradictions that are inherent in the Kentucky culture. It's Bible Belt country and one friend called it "The Buckle." So, everyone (90+%) goes to church and everyone uses good manners. You would expect that in such a place the people would be more virtuous and have less vices - certainly a lot less criminal activity. After all, right and wrong are pretty important to these people. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was just as much crime there as anywhere else. Some people will openly lie to your face. It's the land of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, not to mention a haven for Riverboat Gambling. Some people are rightfully uneasy about these things, but the truth is that they provide much needed money and jobs which is doubly important in a generally low income area. So, there is some complacency about many of these things, but there is some strong contention about Tobacco growing. Some of the older folks, including some whom I greatly admired, would not hear anything bad about Tobacco - they'd get visibly upset if you were anti-tobacco. Part of the manners culture included Respecting Your Elders, so people (me included) wouldn't raise the issue in their presence. Being a somewhat liberal, self-righteous, anti-tobacco proponent I did have plenty of conversations and feelings of superiority. There was no doubt in my mind that I was a better human than a Tobacco Farmer. Then, I read a pair of newspaper articles.
The first was about a tobacco farmer that was uncomfortable growing tobacco, so he tried to grow fruits and vegetables. ( FYI, all tobacco farmer grow grains and other stuff - it is not prudent as a farmer to "put all of your eggs in one basket", so there is an important sense of crop diversity - but their cash cow is tobacco}. After 3 years, the farmer still kept his other crops, but got rid of the fruits and veggies and went back to tobacco. Simply put, he could not make a living without growing tobacco. I was demonizing the farmers, and feeling good about myself. The problem was not with the farmers, it is with a society that does not allow farmers to make an honest living without tobacco. Our society sucks, but it's harder to point your finger at an amorphous blob than it is at a group. It's not easy telling you that I was self-righteous, but that article made me reexamine myself a bit. By the way, all 4 of my wife's grandparents were Kansas farmers and of her 24 aunts and uncles on her side of the family, very few have continued into farming. It's very hard work and it's very high risk/reward. I now have a lot of sympathy for farmers - even tobacco farmers.
[I don't want to be too political here, but I think the problem is plain - we don't pay the correct amount for things, too much for some things, not enough for others - we subsidize other people's lifestyle. For example, it doesn't cost much to grow corn and turn it into high fructose corn syrup, and the government subsidizes the corn making it super-ultra cheap. However, as a practical matter the real cost of high fructose corn syrup comes in health care. Instead of subsidizing the corn (making it nearly unprofitable to grow anything else), we should be taxing the bejesus out of high fructose corn syrup - ditto with anything obviously horrible for you. After all, we have appropriately excessive "sin" taxes on tobacco and alcohol, time for high fructose corn syrup and transfat to be recognized as "sins." (Oh yeah, those extra taxes should go directly to health care, not some politicians pet project). Similarly, there should be more user fees. You get taxes on the life you lead, less so for the life of others, especially rich people. If we do these things, we can lower income taxes and eliminate the EVIL that is property taxes. OK, I guess I have gotten too political here, time to move on].
More Tobacco and Back to Criminal Behavior
While that first article was enlightening, a second article was heart breaking. Trafficing in tobacco is not illegal activity, but it is clearly bad - there is a taint to it and some of the 4 problems listed above apply in some way to the tobacco industry. To intelligently traffic in cocaine or tobacco, you really need to start with this most fundamental rule:
Do not use the product
The consequences of doing so are numerous and dire. So one farmer was resolute - he would never use tobacco of any sort, and he never did. He was a very prosperous farmer acquiring much wealth including vast tracts of land. So, what could possibly go wrong? Where's the downside? The government was never going to "bust him" - indeed he received substantial subsidies from the government. He would go on to lead a long life. But, he lived long enough to see each of his children die of lung cancer. Seriously, it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I let you process that however you may.
Back to Kentucky Life
You may not have gotten this from my writing, so let me be plain. I enjoyed living in rural Kentucky a lot, and I have fond memories and good friends there. Despite the obvious contradictions in the culture, the people were almost universally pleasant, sincere, and kind. It is a very good place to raise children. After living there for about a year and contemplating the above contradictions, something kind of amazing happened - I was able to see that there were many similar contradictions in my liberal, hippyesque life in Oregon. These things were difficult for me to see living inside that culture, but when I got away from it for a while I could see them much more clearly. I won't go on about it, but let's just say that drinking coffee and eating pastries/other crap from Starbucks every day will probably end your life and make it as uncomfortable as quickly as a pack of cigarettes a day. The point is that I think there is value in moving around a bit, whether by job relocations, extended vacations, or however. Getting out of the country for a while is also a good thing, and in addition to doing it ourselves, my wife and I have given our children opportunities to do that as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)