The Power of Negative Thinking

This Article from Slate introduces a book called Never Saw It Coming as a counterpoint to The Secret. It appears to be a book about the need for contingency planning, and what happens when you don't look at and prepare for possible disasters.
This interests me in particular because it touches on the wider themes of how to establish policy, prevent intelligence failures, and how to think in general.

I need a wishlist.

The design of a cat dish

Imagine a food and water dish with a port to screw in a water bottle. The bottle refills the water dish whenever the water level drops below the mouth of the bottle. To refill the bottle, you have to turn the dish upside down, which would cause any leftover food to spill out. The solution is to keep the food dish as a separate item, a detachable bowl that nests into a cavity next to the water dish. It keeps all the functionality of independent items, but appears as a single unit.

It came.

I got a tube in the mail today, inside was my print of Minus 37. Woohoo! It's signed on the back! I looked at it and it is awesome, but I put it back into the tube until I can get it framed.

Moment of Humor

I am watching Red Eye on Fox news at 2 in the morning. They are talking about the palestinian Mickey Mouse teaching Muslim expansion. The host questions whether such a silly figure teaching hate can be taken seriously. A guest responds, and she is identified on screen as a Playboy centerfold.

This is why I don't watch Fox News.

Anarchy, Equality, Humility, Charity, Community

Five Qualities

Anarchy
Anarchy is the natural and optimal state. We have no authority over one another, and we owe no one. Controlling influences rob people of their will. Without rulers, you develop a knowledge of:
Equality
No one is better or worse than anyone else. We are all in this together. When you know that your worth is the same no matter who you are, what you believe, or what you've done, you are led to:
Humility
Arrogance and Pride are invariably harmful. The Humility that is required to develop friendship also provides:
Charity
A willingness to give what you have for the benefit of all, charity is a recognition of the true nature of property. When charity is extended without discrimination, you create:
Community
People can only come together as one when they choose to not consider their differences important. Living united, a community is commanded by only:
Anarchy


Entered into problogger's Top 5 writing project.