On the 8 Spot

Placing the spreadsheeting-of-the-self trend in the context of the social-networking trend, Wolf observes, “You might not always have something to say, but you always have a number to report.” To give it a different spin: Who needs imagination when you have the data?

via Rough Type: Nicholas Carr’s Blog: Sunday rambles.

And that brings me to minimalism, rethunk: we need to let go.

Let go of obsessions, and embrace the moment.

Let go of salesmanship and hype, and be content.

Let go of one-upsmanship and competitiveness, and just share and encourage.

Let go of control, and embrace what comes.

Let go of perfection, and just do.

via minimalism, rethunk | Zen Habits.

I am a Muslim and I am a fan of South Park. To make those terms mutually exclusive is polarizing and frankly, unproductive. Aasif Mandvi over at the Daily Show summarized my sentiment exactly when he said last night, “Yes, it [the depiction] would make me uncomfortable and I can understand people being upset about it…but here’s whats more upsetting. Someone, in the name of a faith that I believe in, threatening another person for doing it.”

via The South Park Controversy « CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan.

A wise friend once said to me about being judge. I don’t care to judge other people and thus I don’t worry how they judge me. Just let each other be.

We are free to feel as we feel. As long as we don’t hurt others, we may live as we prefer. But trouble starts when we pass judgment on each other’s choices and perceptions. One reason we see extrovert bashing on this blog is because a lot of introverts who have been harshly judged for their preferences feel free here to vent their perceptions for a change. It’s not always easy, in a world where extroverts seem to rule, to defend our quiet ways.

via Seeing Life Through Introvert Eyes | Psychology Today.

The man who looks for security, even in the mind, is like a man who would chop off his limbs in order to have artificial ones which will give him no pain or trouble.

via Character of the week: Henry Miller « Paulo Coelho’s Blog.

Postscript: This is a little unfair. Normal people with lives in the neighborhood, aren’t doing this every day or even most days. And in fact the volume of really-late and really-early messaging is less than at other jobs I’ve had. But, if you like your work, it’s sure easy to get through a whole lot each day.

via ongoing by Tim Bray · Life at Google.

I believe that doing all this: learning, loving, sharing, socialising: it’s called living. I believe that anything that stops us from reaching and extending our potential and purpose is wrong; I believe that anything that stops us relating to others is wrong; I believe that anything that stops us sharing is wrong; I believe that anything that stops us learning is wrong.

via “it’s not normal” | gapingvoid.

“Plagiarius est non bonus tamen nos postulo viaticus” (Plagiarism is not good but we need cash).

via TESTS « The Professional Heckler.

This was beautiful prose.

The second is an expedition into largely uncharted territory: yourself. You are in unfamiliar surroundings, among strangers; your comfortable assumptions do not operate here. We could argue that this is the natural, stripped-down, real version of you. Meet yourself. A mildly terrifying prospect, if you think about it: What if you don’t like you?

via The uncharted wilderness of your mind | JessicarulestheUniverse.

I take this as another indication that I am correct in my suspicion that when computers finally pass the Turing test it won’t be because computers have become smarter; it will be because humans have become dumber.

lol

via Rough Type: Nicholas Carr’s Blog: TuringCraft.