Underlore

Why I abandoned Avaaz, Moveon, and Change.org

So I’m like basically a leftist with regard to most things.

I’m not some myopic libertarian islander that thinks all forms of government are exploitative. I’m not forgetful enough to trust the market alone to stop commerce from turning into slavery. (The history of the East India Trading Company shows what happens in a setting of zero regulation.)

What this means is that among other things I ended up subscribed to a lot of activist left wing news letters. Who for the most part presumably do a lot of good and check a lot of evil.

Well what that means today thanks to the recent flurry of gun control hysteria, is that I am getting a lot of disgusting and hypocritical email.

You all know by now where I stand on this issue but I’d like to share a particularly disgusting batch of petition signature requests I got as a single email and why they are loathsome:

Reenact the Assault Weapons Ban and make it law

As I said here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103840576618549598514/posts/3K88UjicLQs

The AWB is problematic primarily for two reasons. Firstly and most importantly the definition of “assault weapon” is murky at best. Secondly, the 2nd amendment says “shall not be infringed.” It’s pretty clear that a ban on any small arms counts as infringement. (I’d go even further given the obvious point of the 2nd amendment, but that’s a separate issue. I can no longer link to my essay, as my book is now officially for sale, and part of the terms is not giving the book away for at least 90 days.)

Basically the pro-gun crowd is for the most part worried about a slippery slope. Which I think given the government’s behavior on most issues and the progression of past events in countries which have managed to ban guns (such as Australia), is a legitimate concern.

Increase the availability of mental health services now

They are plenty available. Just no one can afford them. The left bent over fast and happily for the right when it let them and their insurance/pharma owners gut Obamacare, including Obama himself personally executing the public option.

Maybe if the left had grown a spine this never would have happened.

Protect grieving families from politically charged demonstrations at funerals.

Freedom of speech, live with it. This is a market signal. Find a cemetery with a wall and make attendance RSVP. If companies can write their own rules with EULAs and TOCs then so can cemeteries. This is how corporations have enacted a de facto national dress code via employment controls. It would be a simple matter to hire security and enforce a code of conduct worked out with the family in advance.

This is not a matter for legislation. We already have laws to deal with this. They are called property rights. It’s not even about money. If I have a private function and people show up whom I haven’t invited, that’s trespassing, and that’s why we have police.

Walmart: Stop selling assault rifles in stores.

So long as they are legal to own it’s absurd to demand that people or businesses not sell them, especially when “assault rifle” as I said above has no objective definition.

All legislative anti-gun efforts do is create niche and black markets.

So yeah… I’ve in the past 3 days unsubscribed to Avaaz, change.org, and Moveon.

Sucks for them because I was a pretty good promoter for other activist efforts.

Why quit the whole game over a single issue? Because it’s clear to me that in this case they aren’t looking at the facts, and they aren’t being consistent with their rhetoric of freedom and respect for the constitution. You can’t be against NDAA and in favor of gun control at the same time and claim respect for the Constitution. The 4th 5th 6th and 8th amednments are every bit as important as the second and the first.

Their capability to compromise their ethics to exploit a political opportunity undermines my faith in them entirely.

For all I know all their efforts on my behalf are disgustingly compromised, like the fair trade coffee scam.

The end is the beginning.

Or what publishing Food for Rage means to me.

Coincidentally I recently published the perhaps final version of my work, and then had a conversation with a good friend (who hosts this blog on his own dime) about purpose. The original post and comment stream is interesting I think but secondary to the point here. https://plus.google.com/u/0/103840576618549598514/posts/BEijF8JGgkW?cfem=1

Without going to much into it, when I was younger (lol, now I sound like an old man) I debated a lot and sharing my thoughts and making sure they were understood was almost a neccessity for me. I can’t say what exactly happened, but I don’t feel that way anymore. It’s not that I have given up, I’m far from that, it’s more like I developed some kind of trust that people will find knowledge (call it the “truth”) if they honestly search for it. Also I guess I realized that the main problem isn’t that we don’t have access to that knowledge (people far more intelligent than me have contributed incredible knowledge/insights and still got ignored), but that we just have trouble accepting it.

This allows me to be a lot more tolerant and relaxed when it comes to opinions that differ from mine, but it also takes away most of the motivation I would need to put enough effort into such a blog to actually make it reflect my opinions and thoughts in a meaningful way.

If this sounds like an excuse, that’s because it partially is; I know that. It doesn’t change the way I feel though.

Anyway, I’m glad people like you shoulder this task (which can be a very unrewarding one, I know that) and I try to support those people if I can and have the energy and time, but I don’t think I’ll start writing again in the near future. 🙂

We have quite a bit in common. Indeed I could speak to almost every sentence of this post.

Our difference it would seem is that on top of my intellectual drive I have some kind of instinctive one. Like the nerd equivalent of an anger management problem. If called to the fray, I respond, with or without my consent to a large degree.

However, I’ve recently finished my book. (Lower right of my blog.) And found thorium. This lets me “off the hook” intellectually having now written on every major issue and still aiming myself at the most important one, I am “free” to climb into a partial filter bubble.

I did not know going in that logic was worthless as a persuasive tool for the vast majority of issues. The only thing I don’t doubt is the majority accuracy of the final product. No one has recently stood against me in debate on any subject. Either no one can because I’m right, or no one will because I’m crazy. This is where the experiment comes in because I have to gamble.

If I’m just crazy I’m by definition incapable of knowing. But if I’m right… Well, that gave me obligations. Those obligations are now satisfied. All I have to do now is live up to my own standard, stay sane, and wait.

My next project is getting into the habit of finally writing fiction.

“I did not know going in that logic was worthless as a persuasive tool for the vast majority of issues.”
Yeah, that’s a harsh lesson to learn…

“Either no one can because I’m right, or no one will because I’m crazy. ”
There’s a third possibility: Sometimes the person you debate with is just not willing to invest as much energy into the debate as you are, which leads to you “winning” the debate without actually succeeding to convince them. This happened to me quite often, but I didn’t realize it until my mother(!) pointed it out.

I’m glad you feel free to relax a bit and I’m thrilled you decided writing fiction. You certainly have the skills to be good at it, let’s hope you will also be successful!

“There’s a third possibility…”

I lump that under undecided between the primary two outcomes. I believe viewpoints can be reduced to atomic elements and with respect to each of those elements people are either wrong, or I am wrong. If I am wrong they should be able to prove it.

Ultimately either I’m right, or something is so badly amiss I’ll never be able to accept evidence of being wrong.

The third category is implied, sorry for not being explicit about it. People who are dead, people who I’ll never encounter, people not born yet, etc.

The ones who walk away for reasons X or Y, are no different in effect from that third group because they didn’t stick around long enough to get properly sorted. From inside it changes nothing because either I’m wrong and they shirked their duty in the whole peer review model, or they tried and I rejected their input because I’m crazy/irredeemably flawed until they gave up. (This truly is binary with regard to specific elements, but on the macro scale it can be a blend.)

Also a lot of it depends on methodology, I realize that. People like +Hugh Mann for instance are more than capable of this exhaustive fact checking but don’t because they reject the methodology itself. I have no way of knowing if that’s the proper course of action, which it may well be, so again I’m back to the crazy/Cassandra model.

This unknowability, this recognized permanent uncertainty, is why I am incapable of stepping away much of the time. That nagging doubt, that this debate will be the one that changes everything. Driven by a kind of instinctive conditioned faith that accuracy will lead to a positive place, either for me or them, and I take that responsibility I mentioned seriously.

I should also add that I am assuming equal axiomatic baseline. Volitionism is based on the axioms of pleasure and life being good. It’s perfectly possible to start from different axioms, look at the same reality, and come to different conclusions.

Thorium 101 for Human Beings

Thorium and Molten Salt: The Ultimate Disruptive Technology in a Nutshell

Thorium is a naturally occurring extremely widespread natural element that in the right kind of fission reactor can be used to power the planet more cheaply and safely than coal or even conventional nuclear reactors while generating materials badly needed by the rare earths industry, cancer researchers, and NASA.

It would also allow us to convert existing nuclear waste stockpiles into fuel. What little waste LFTR does produce which we don’t have some other use for, is only dangerous for around 300 years, as opposed to several hundred thousand. This is possible because liquid fueled reactors are far more efficient than solid fuel reactors, which means less radioactivity making it to the environment because LFTRs convert much more of their fuel into heat and electricity.

Why aren’t we using Thorium in this way right now? The answer probably won’t surprise you. Basically the nuclear age was borne of war. LWRs, or light water reactors, the ones used for making bombs and which burn uranium, were more clearly understood and the infrastructure already existed to build and fuel them when the time came to choose a path. MSRs, or molten salt reactors, or the ones that burn thorium, were basically useless for producing weapons grade plutonium, and Westinghouse and GE were not familiar with how to build them. Also they would not have been able to lock utilities into fuel rod purchase contracts. The guy that holds the patent on the light water reactor opposed their use as domestic power generators until the moment he was deposed as head of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as a result of his constant attacks on the safety of the LWR, his own invention. He is also the inventor of the molten salt reactor and his name is Alvin Weinberg.

For one reason or another, depending on what you are comparing it to, thorium is superior to every other known power source in some critical respect. The moment humanity begins producing LFTRs, or Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors, the future of our species will radically improve.

Which ever country does this first will secure a lasting advantage on the global stage with a subsequent long term positive impact whose scope and intensity can only be guessed at.

This issue is of paramount importance to me. I mean that literally. It is the single most important disruptive technology not already being aggressively pursued. There are three videos you can watch to get yourself on board. They are in order of length and simplicity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYxlpeJEKmw Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTR): Energy for the Future? 3:14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9Ll5EX1jc Motherboard TV: The Thorium Dream 28:26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tyqYP6f66Mw 29:01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9M__yYbsZ4 LFTR in 5 Minutes – THORIUM REMIX 2011 – An energy solution. 1:59:59

Why is thorium better than…

Solar/Wind: Cheaper, constant power supply, much less area consumed, and fewer transmission lines needed.
Oil: Cheaper, no spills, no wars, no CO2, far less pollution.
Coal: Cheaper, much less radiation, no CO2, far less pollution.
Conventional nuclear: Cheaper, sustainable, less waste, less radiation, no melt downs, no explosions, smaller, easier to build, no need to build near water, no cooling towers, easier to run, more process heat, radically more efficient, abundant fuel, produces extremely useful secondary materials needed for space exploration and cancer research, and breaks the Chinese global rare earth monopoly.

If you would like to know more, and possibly join us in correcting this gargantuan social error please check out Thorium Now, our G+ community. I’m doing my best to make sure it links to every other known Thorium/MSR advocacy effort on the planet. If you know of a group that isn’t listed, please list them.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/115460652257293860011

Thorium Now is a group of individuals and organizations convinced that the key to humanity’s immediate and long term energy future is the proper exploitation of the Thorium atom.

Thomas Edison: Evil

So I couldn’t find a nice solid list of atrocious thing that Thomas Edison did, but I found a lot of partial things, and here are the links.

Would be monopolist:
http://hermitjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/evil-thomas-edison.html

Executing kittens:

The Evil Thomas Edison

Stealing credit for inventions:
http://www.cracked.com/article_16072_5-famous-inventors-who-stole-their-big-idea.html

All sorts of other atrocious crap:
http://www.lateralscience.co.uk/edison/index.html
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla

And finally, wasting electricity in gargantuan amounts all the way to the present day.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/115056313943520401920/posts/H4NSNV6K6ah?cfem=1

Evernote: Latest addition to the class action band wagon.

See also: http://underlore.com/microsoft-jumps-on-the-rights-denial-steam-bandwagon/

Got this in email just now.

Resolution of Disputes

We have revamped our dispute resolution process by introducing arbitration provisions that will enable users throughout the world to resolve disputes they may have with Evernote more expeditiously and less expensively.

Using arbitration to resolve claims means that users will not be required to travel to California (or Switzerland, for Evernote GmbH users) to file a lawsuit and appear in court and, if the amount of the claim is less than US$10,000, the arbitration may even be done over the phone or internet, depending upon the circumstances. In an effort to resolve all disputes promptly, we are also including a provision that requires both parties to use good faith to initiate the arbitration proceeding within 30 days, with a mutually acceptable arbitrator managing the process.

Our changes will provide users outside the US an option to have their dispute resolved through arbitration, but under a special US law, we are requiring users in the US to use binding arbitration as the exclusive means for resolving disputes and to agree that such claims will be resolved only between them and Evernote (prohibiting participation in class actions or similar representative actions).

We feel strongly that requiring arbitration of disputes on an individual basis will enhance our ability to work with our users to resolve disputes, while ensuring that an individual user maintains control of the issue raised and resolution desired – and that this will happen much more quickly than the long months or years that class action matters typically require. Because we are requiring arbitration for US users (and others subject to the US Federal Arbitration Act), we will pay the arbitration-related fees for all claims up to US$10,000 and even in cases involving more than that amount if those fees would be prohibitive compared to litigation costs, unless, in either case, the claim asserted is determined by the arbitrator to be frivolous. We appreciate that this is a significant change, so we will permit existing Evernote users who do not agree with this change to “opt-out” of the arbitration agreement by notifying us via the methods described in our Terms within 30 days of December 4, 2012 (the effective date of our new Terms).

At least they include an opt out sort of… By closing your account >.>

Or of course by jumping through hoops.

https://evernote.com/legal/tos.php

In order to do so, you must send a written notice to us at Evernote Corporation’s address provided above that contains the following: (i) the statement “I do not agree to the Arbitration Agreement” and (ii) your username and email address associated with the Evernote account(s) to which the opt-out shall apply. You must sign the opt-out notice and ensure it is delivered to us no later than 30 days after the Effective Date posted at the top of these Terms for it to be effective. This procedure is the only way you can opt-out of the Arbitration Agreement. If you opt-out of the Arbitration Agreement, the rest of these Terms shall continue to apply, including the Alternative Dispute Resolution Process. In addition, opting out of the Arbitration Agreement has no effect on any previous or future arbitration agreement that you may have with us.

“We feel strongly that requiring arbitration of disputes on an individual basis will enhance our…” Immunity to legal recourse. Because what American company wants to be required to obey the law anyhow right?

Update:
I submitted this ticket to support.

http://underlore.com/evernote-latest-addition-to-the-class-action-band-wagon/

https://evernote.com/legal/tos.php

“This procedure is the only way you can opt-out of the Arbitration Agreement.”

Wow, that’s not slimy or anything.

So I can delete my account or anything else online but if it comes to protecting my right to legal recourse suddenly it’s the pony express days.

Fine, delete my account, I’ve already deleted my content.

I’ll be sure to tell all my clients and readers to avoid your “service” like the plague.

An open letter to my parents, Thanksgiving 2012.

Since it’s Thanksgiving I’ll say something to you both that I think pretty frequently, but is just kind of hard to work into normal conversation.

Thanks for being literally the best parents I have ever known. I mean that objectively. No other parents have demonstrated such consistent respect, compassion, and ethical fiber. You both have broken a cycle at a personal level that has plagued mankind at a social level since we developed farming. While others are slaves to their past, you two have largely risen above it, and in so doing give me great hope for my own future and my own abilities to transcend such things given sufficient time.

You are both appreciated to a degree that is nearly impossible to express but I feel like now is a good time to make the attempt. Indeed if my actions were to reflect this level of appreciation I would no doubt appear quite (even more so) insane.

Your intentions are the very model of ethical quality. My ethics are as I have said many times my best feature and I copied them wholesale from you both. Though I developed and carried them to logical places you did/have not by applying them to global issues, they are still regardless of that extra development in every sense that matters, yours. They are the greatest gift it is humanly possible to give, and though agencies of our culture seek to ruthlessly and often successfully exploit them for my loss and their gain, I would die before giving them up.

They have provided a sense of self worth and identity that have made it demonstrable objectively if we share axioms that the world is definitively an ever so slightly better place for having had me in it. The value of such a gift, of being able to say such a thing with absolute conviction, is beyond quantification.

And this is but the capitol city of an entire planet of actions worthy of praise and expressions of gratitude. Your unflinching tolerance of me and who I am provides a model for the very apex of logical compassion. In one of life’s more benevolent paradoxes and ironies it is this very tolerance that has made me struggle so hard to be worthy of it. It is the precise opposite of bribery and coercion, and the mechanisms that allow it to function have provided for me a template upon which to build a world view that could well save humanity from extinction if anyone would listen.

But even if they don’t, I know these things down to my marrow and can prove almost all of them. That too is a gift directly from the both of you.

Every compliment I am given, is in truth yours, every improvement I have made to the lives of those around me, is yours. Conversely my flaws and the minor harms I have done are mine alone and stem only from my own errors or weaknesses, which again thanks to you I can gracefully accept, admit, and endeavor to correct.

I love you both literally more than humanity’s future, literally more than my own oxygen supply.

The world deserves to hear more from the both of you, indeed it NEEDS to hear more from you. Echoing the greatness of your intentions is the core of my life’s work, and I can’t help but feel like I am a poor substitute indeed. But such is your choice and for me it only makes this all the more profound because if humanity does ever listen they will wrongly give me the credit for it, yet another gift from you to me of superlative value.

Please accept my sincerest thanks on this Thanksgiving.