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Monthly Archives: March 2014

We have become show dogs

26 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by Steve in Uncategorized

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This is a great quote from Erwan LeCorre founder of the Natural Movement (MovNat) approach to fitness. I think his view can well be applied to many aspects of our lives including work, eating, etc. I was thinking about this today as my wife and I were discussing Twitter and how everyone seems to have their face in a smartphone screen these days, missing out on what is going on in the world around them, living vicariously through other people’s experiences. We have become evolutionary show dogs.

Our workouts are domesticated, while the world out there is still plenty wild. In a pinch, can a man put gym-generated biceps and tank-tread abs to any real use? Could it be that our treadmill-running, elliptical-gliding, well-oiled Cybex world has turned us into show dogs who can’t hold our own in the hunt?

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The flavours of Crete

15 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by Steve in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

I love Crete. One of the last truly authentic places in Greece, preserving millennia-old traditions of food and lifestyle. Great video. Makes me really hungry (it doesn’t take much):

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Why That ‘First Kiss’ Video Now Feels Like A Bad First Date

13 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Steve in Uncategorized

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Here’s the real story

TIME

In fairness, we really should have seen this coming.

As it turns out, that video of 20 strangers kissing that has spread to all corners of the internet in the last 48 hours (and racked up more 24 million views on YouTube) is not exactly what it seems to be. Rather than ten pairs of total strangers meeting for the first time and—after a brief interlude of awkward small-talk—passionately losing themselves in each other’s lips, it’s 20 actors, models and musicians who seem just a little confident for the video’s premise.

The viral video, directed by Tatia Pilieva, is actually an advertisement for a clothing company. According to Slate, these are some of the performers in the video:

Models Natalia Bonifacci, Ingrid Schram, and Langley Fox (daughter of actress Mariel Hemingway and sister of model Dree); musicians Z Berg of The Like, Damian Kulash of OK Go, Justin…

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“News” = Opinions, lies, and hoaxes…and it’s a good thing

13 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Steve in Uncategorized

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A video picked up from various “legitimate” news sources spread like wildfire on Facebook. “First Kiss” ostensibly shows complete strangers kissing. It was later revealed that the video was in fact a commercial for a fashion brand, and that the strangers were all professional actors.

This is just one in a long string of hoaxes perpetuated on the public; a daily event it seems. News sources no longer practice journalism; it’s a lot cheaper to just grab all kinds of garbage off different sources without any research. What we experience as news today is unfortunately nothing more than a collection of opinions, lies, exaggerations, and hoaxes.

And it’s a good thing! Mistrust is a powerful platform for questioning everything you hear, see, or read. Used properly, it can become Hemingway’s “100% foolproof shit-detector”, providing impetus to search out the truth by exploring many different sources rather than relying on one or two. Unfortunately, most people are just too lazy to leverage this opportunity, preferring instead to pick and choose their “truth” to support what they already believe, e.g., the anit-vaxxers, Obama isn’t American, global warming denialists.

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Getting old

12 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by Steve in Health, Psychology

≈ 5 Comments

Since turning 60 last Summer, I’ve becoming more interested in the process of getting old(er). While the physical changes are undeniable and inevitable, their rate of onset isn’t necessarily fixed in stone, and much can be done to slow down the process (nutrition, exercise, etc.). The psychological dimension is another thing though.

A number of my friends have retired early. They fill their days with many banal activities; former “hobbies” that have now assumed a much greater role in their lives: Stamp collecting, bird watching, long road-trips, reading, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, etc. Not that there’s anything wrong with these activities per se, it’s just that they are insufficient to maintain a mental edge the way working in a productive environment surrounded by young people who constantly challenge you can.

My own plan is to die on the job; taken out horizontally, fingers still scrolling and texting on my iPhone. My idol in this sense is the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who having already been written off in his ’60s as a has-been, stunned the architectural world be designing and building his masterpiece, the Guggenheim Museum at age 92!

solomon-guggenheim-museum1Guggenheim-NYC

 

In my humble opinion, the first step to forestalling old age then is to work productively at something you enjoy and that is validated by society through substantial remuneration. It should also bring you in contact with young people whom you empower to kick your intellectual ass on a regular basis. Teaching at a university springs to mind as an interesting option.

The second step is to make sure your stuff is either in very good shape or current. There is a difference between antiques and junk. I have noticed that old people often settle into a material mustiness; their furniture is old, creaky, worn, poorly maintained, and uncomfortable. Their clothing dates back several decades, as do their cars, TV’s, home, etc. Don’t get me wrong, the stuff still works “well-enough” for them….although in reality, not very well at all. It’s just that they have lowered their standards and expectations; often they can’t see well enough to notice the changes, are resistant to their kids telling them, or are just plain cheap, wearing frugality as some badge of honour. Their stuff becomes a reflection and metaphor of their old age.

The third step is to embrace technology and stay on top of it. My mother in-law got her first laptop about seven years ago at age 85! She has learned to email, manage photos, and browse the net for stuff related to her hobbies. She often sends me racy jokes or forwards interesting stuff from her internet-savvy buddies. At 92 she’s still damned sharp and a joy to have a discussion with. I am still blown away by people in their 50’s and 60’s who don’t email and still go to the bank for regular, simple transactions. They have voicemail….but rarely check it, rendering it useless for others to leave them a message. Embracing the constant learning curve necessitated by technology is a great way to stay sharp. 

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