There are two words whose meanings reflect our somewhat warped attitudes toward levels of commitment to physical or mental activities. These are the terms amateur and dilettante. Nowadays these labels are slightly derogatory. An amateur or a dilettante is someone not quite up to par, a person not to be taken very seriously, one whose performance falls short of professional standards. But originally, “amateur,” from the Latin verb amare, “to love,” referred to a person who loved what he was doing. Similarly a “dilettante,” from the Latin delectare, “to find delight in,” was someone who enjoyed a given activity. The earliest meanings of these words therefore drew attention to experiences rather than accomplishments; they described the subjective rewards individuals gained from doing things, instead of focusing on how well they were achieving. Nothing illustrates as clearly our changing attitudes toward the value of experience as the fate of these two words. There was a time when it was admirable to be an amateur poet or a dilettante scientist, because it meant that the quality of life could be improved by engaging in such activities. But increasingly the emphasis has been to value behavior over subjective states; what is admired is success, achievement, the quality of performance rather than the quality of experience. Consequently it has become embarrassing to be called a dilettante, even though to be a dilettante is is to achieve what counts most–the enjoyment one’s actions provide.
Category: english
Next Generation Nothingness
Yesteryear’s predictions
It’s time to shed a light on the following question: are Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) growth projections up until 2016 realistic? The assertion in question has been made just a year ago. Channelnomics wrote the following on the topic:
“By 2016, NGFWs will secure 35 percent of all Internet connections, in what will become a $10 billion market (including VPNs and intrusion prevention systems).”
About Consciousness
[“A phenomenological model of consciousness based on information theory”] is phenomenological in that it deals directly with events–phenomena–as we experience and interpret them, rather than focusing on the anatomical structures, neurochemical process, or unconscious purposes that make these events possible. Of course, it is understood that whatever happens in the mind is the result of electrochemical changes in the central nervous system, as laid down over millions of years by biological evolution. But phenomenology assumes that a mental event can be best understood if we look at it directly as it was experienced, that than through the specialised optics of a particular discipline. Yet in contrast to pure phenomenology, which model we will explore here adopts principles from information theory as being relevant for understanding what happens in consciousness. These principles include knowledge about how sensory data are processed, stored and used–the dynamics of attention and memory.
About the Yes to Life
“Don’t aim at success–the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue… as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.”
Viktor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning
inside
talk or walk / or don’t
you should hear yourself / but won’t
I know it’s hard but take a breath for me
I feel there’s more than you would like to see
hush now / to condescend I did not mean
I’ll start again / my conscience is clean
you can’t know what I want to say
do you think being angry is a way
About Writing
When I’m writing, I think of the whole academic world; I know what they think, and they don’t think what I think. I just have to say, Let the guillotine come down; you’ve got me kid, but you’re gonna get this message. I always feel as though I were going through a Simpeglades that’s just about to close, but I get through before I let that thought come to me. And it’s a very strange feeling of holding–actually, intellectually, holding–that door open to get this thought out. Now that’s, that’s the way to do it. Don’t think about the negative side. There are going to be negatives and they are going to come down and that’s like washing the dishes, you know? You’ve got to hold the door open to do anything that hasn’t been done before. You have to do your thing, you have to hold all the criticism in abeyance. I’m sure that that’s an experience that everyone has in life. In writing, you have it all the time in a minor way, getting that sentence out.
About Assholes
The asshole fails to recognize you to your face… The asshole is especially outrageous, because, whatever his private motives, he can’t even be polite. And when he is polite, or even charming, fundamental respect is not the reason why. Other motives are in play.
Aaron James – Assholes: A Theory