Friday, January 20, 2017

Day 2594

I had a major website revision to complete today, but I kept the television on for most of the day to watch the inauguration. Kudos to anyone with the stamina to endure a day like this. Trump, Pence, and their entire entourage were up at dawn, standing for most of the day, and apparently still going strong, because I hear coverage of the presidential balls on the bedroom TV as I write this. A two hour meeting can wear me out. This is one of many reasons I could never be a politician.

I have been opposed to globalization long before Donald Trump arrived on the scene, so I found his inaugural message of a return to nationalism strangely comforting. I've always thought that we as a country should mind our own business and let other countries mind theirs. The Vietnam War was a mistake. Both Gulf Wars were a huge mistake. Virtually every attempt at nation building we've embarked on as a country has been a mistake. Maybe now, we will finally learn to get our priorities straight.

Income inequality is a direct result of globalism. It may be efficient to have the entire world eating Kentucky Fried Chicken and drinking a latte from Starbucks, but this kind of efficiency puts more and more wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people. Globalism turns every conflict into a potential world war. It really doesn't have to be this way. I like the Internet model better. Instead of a single giant server, the Internet consists of tens of thousands of independent nodes. It is virtually indestructible, because if one server goes down, the information is just rerouted and the net continues to function normally. The animal kingdom is the same way. There is a reason why there aren't elephants or penguins on every continent. With the notable exception of humans, each species on this planet is very localized and thrives where it is best adapted to the existing conditions. Nature has been trying to teach us that small and independent is better for centuries. Why do we still insist on a homogenized world where we all think alike? Maybe it's just because giant international companies want to sell everybody the same thing.

Just a few observations about the inauguration. Burning cars is not going to win people over to your cause. Hey, it's OK if you think Donald Trump is a sign of the apocalypse, but if you really want to marginalize your efforts and become the next Green Party, just keep doing what you're doing. Oh, and all you fashionistas; Melania looked fabulous. I don't think we need to worry about politically correct designers deserting her. Ralph Lauren did a spectacular job of evoking the ghost of Jacqueline Kennedy.

I ordered the wrong thing for breakfast this morning. It happens sometimes. I often don't know what I'm hungry for until I actually start eating. If I wasn't so tired, I could create some sort of metaphor that linked breakfast choices to desire and expectations. It probably isn't that complicated though. I just shouldn't have ordered pancakes today.

If the weather continues to be nice this weekend, I'm going to wash the car and remove all the remaining leaves from the roof. The evil bird that shits on my car has been busy this week. It's time to show that bird who's boss.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day
 
Watch of the Day