A powerful piece by Gore Vidal (1925-2012) written in 2003.

Photo courtesy of CommonDreams.org.

Here’s a pretty interesting piece about the futility of trying to change someone’s mind about their deep-seated beliefs – even with facts.  The author refers to it as the Backfire Effect. Helps explain all those folks who believe there were WMDs in Iraq and that Obama was not born in Hawaii – even though the facts prove otherwise.

The perpetual Hatfields and McCoys . . . . and the premise of the article is proved out in all the comments that follow that piece. Amazing.

I have just a few regrets in life, not many – I regret not having chosen Oceanography instead of Journalism as a career; I regret not saving more money when I was making more money. And I have one other huge regret, the biggest one of all. But one thing I also regret is not having gone to watch a live Shuttle Launch – especially as I sat at my computer yesterday and watched the last one.

Another lesson learned. Well, relearned. Don’t put stuff off. The old cliche is true: you never regret the things you’ve done – you regret the things you did not do.

This is mesmerizing to watch:

Locked in a Vegas Hotel Room with a Phantom Flex from Tom Guilmette on Vimeo.

I see that the ubiquitous Like button now appears on my posts. I see that having it appear on the posts is the default. I see that I can uncheck the option to have it there.

I DISLIKE the Like button. I hate the Like button. I will never click on a Like button. Why is there no Dislike button next to the Like button? WTF.

The keeper of the Like button is starting to get on my nerves.

Dislike. Be the first to Dislike this.

As Stella gets older and time with her feels like it’s getting short, I want to make sure that she and I spend as much time at our favorite place in the world – the beach. We went over a couple of weeks ago and the sun managed to come out so that we could walk on the beach several times.

Here’s the path to the beach from the house and then the beach itself. The beach at Gleneden is one of the most changeable I’ve ever known.  From day to day the patterns of the sand changes – one day the beach is smooth from shore to waterline, and the next a cliff has been carved out of the sand at the wave line. One day there are just a few pebbles and bits of driftwood on the beach and the next, you have a rocky beach like the one below.  No two walks along the beach are the same. Ever.

Path to the Beach

A Rocky Gleneden Beac

Stella at the Beach

And here’s that Stella girl trotting on the beach.  All that fresh air — okay 30 miles an hour winds — up her bumper nose gives her a big blast of energy. That and the feel of the cool sand between her toes . . .  Been thinking we need to make it a point to get over there at least once a month.  One way or another.

Because she only asked half the question.

If you’re looking for something that’s out of the ordinary, try WNYC Radiolab. Here’s how they describe themselves:

“Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll feed it with possibility.”

And this is a pretty accurate  description of the show. I download the podcasts and like listening at night. Gives me stuff to think about as I’m drifting off.