The Scottish independence referendum left me disappointed. That’s funny because I would have voted against separation if I had been able to vote. I didn’t have any kind of stake, but it looked to me like Scottish independence would have been bad for the UK as well as for Scotland. Divorces are almost always messier…
Friendship has been a subject for philosophical thought since there has been philosophical thought. This only makes sense since friendship is such an important part of human life. As with much of philosophy, Plato discussed the topic, but Aristotle’s views are what dominate the landscape. Aristotle saw three different types of friendship. There are friendships…
Every September 11th, I dread going on social media. It’s bad enough that I’m forced to relive an awful experience every year, but it seems like everyone is exhorting me to, “Never forget!” Aside from the fact that I bristle at people telling me what to do, the vagueness of it is annoying. Am I…
Apple had a rather famous security breach not too long ago. The iCloud accounts of a bunch of celebrities were hacked and the hackers stole naked pictures and posted them to the internet. While I don’t know the people involved or the circumstances surrounding the taking of the pictures, the whole ordeal has highlighted just…
With everything happening in Ferguson, MO, I wanted to take a few minutes to write about Trayvon Martin. I know, that’s over. Everyone else is writing and talking about Ferguson. But there are two things I firmly believe. The first is that it is almost impossible to talk about current events beyond the physical facts. Who,…
There’s been a lot of posts on social media about depression since the news of Robin Williams’ death broke. That’s probably a good thing. When something sad happens, it is nice if something positive can come of it. And making more people aware of the seriousness of depression is certainly a good thing. Yet, two…
I went to see Renee Rosnes in Hartford’s Bushnell Park tonight and had two competing things on my mind. One was how great it was, not just the band, but the whole experience. The band was fantastic: Renee Rosnes on piano, John Patitucci on bass, Carl Allen on drums, and Steve Nelson on vibes. It doesn’t…
If you follow baseball, you will inevitably hear someone say, “It’s a business.” Most people never stop to think about what a strange statement that is. On the one hand, it means different things depending on who uses it. On the other, it doesn’t really mean anything at all. Whichever hand you choose, it’s clearly…
I just finished watching the entire series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It was wonderful. I’ve been a Trek fan as long as I can remember. My mom and I would watch reruns of TOS when I was little. I watched TNG, DS9, Voyager, and even Enterprise while they aired. I’ve seen all of…
You know how people say that peoples from the arctic have fifty words for snow? They say it because it’s supposed to seem impressive, but it never struck me as impressive. And apparently it’s not true. That’s too bad. While not impressed, I like the flexibility of language, and it saddens me that arctic peoples…
