Wow! South Korea!

 On Reddit, I went to r/AskReddit and asked:

"Where's the 'I'm 61 years old and I just watched Alienoid 

 

 

 

and it's completely bonkers, so I finally listened to some Kpop and I like that, too, and Hyundai and Kia are slaying in the EV sector, and so, in conclusion, South Korea' sub?"

And being the lame sub that it is, r/AskReddit nuked that post in about 2 minutes, but not before it got some upvotes and comments. One commenter pointed out that I could create a sub. And he's right, I could.

But of course, I already have a sub, and you're reading it now, except it's a blog, not a sub. 

I also like bibimbap, but that's not as new to me as all that other stuff. 

Wow. South Korea, huh? We were all anxiously watching Japan, and then China, and South Korea sneaked up and POW, ZOOM!

Your move, world!

Gordon Ramsay: Thinly-Veiled International Douchebag or Misunderstood Fragile Genius?

In the early 2000's, the US seemed to suddenly develop a taste for being verbally abused by unpleasant British people: in 2001 a quiz show debuted, "Weakest Link," which was primarily known for the sadistic demeanor of its host Anne Robinson, particularly her catch phrase repeated each time a contested was eliminated from the show: "You are the weakest link  -- goodbye!" Then in 2002 came "American Idol," known for contestants who all sounded the same, but known even more for one of the show's judges, real-life sleazy music industry executive Simon Cowell, who clearly greatly enjoyed the opportunity to humiliate singers trying to curry his favor, but on broadcast TV this time. 

And then in 2005 came the biggest douchebag, hello: 

 

Gordon Ramsay, who screamed maniacally at chefs competing to win his favor and a job, in several different series. Like Cowell's smirking insults, Ramsay's screamed insults often had nothing to do with the talents being ostensibly judged: for example, both of them regularly made fun of contestants' physical appearance. They did this on TV, for audiences numbering into the millions. And were paid huge amounts of money for it. And then even more money by way of the exploitative contracts awarded to the shows' "winners."

Then, suddenly, it seemed that America had had enough of such loathsome behavior -- enough of the on-screen part of it, anyway -- and Cowell and Ramsay both... disappeared from TV screens? No, not at all. Instead, they both have worked very hard, in other TV shows, to present themselves as nice guys. And they have both claimed that the earlier bad behavior, the insulting people about things which often had nothing to do with music or cooking, insulting them just because they could -- all of that earlier stuff, they now claim, was an act. Editing was used, they say, to make things look much worse than they were. 

What an incredible load of bollocks, as the British say. Editing wouldn't have been nearly enough to make Ramsay seem like that if he really were a decent person. CGI and dubbing in expert impersonation of his voice wouldn't have done it.

Recently, I was on a Reddit sub having to do with food -- never mind which sub -- and someone posted a link to a video with Ramsay, and I replied, saying something like: Hm, am I going to click on that? No, I don't think so. I've seen enough of him on the promos for those shows where he heaps verbal abuse on people who are in no position to retaliate. More than enough.

And then, to my surprise, I was heaped with verbal abuse by others in the sub, who said that Ramsay was a great chef. So much abuse that I left the sub and haven't been back. 

But, I am autistic, which means that I am constantly misunderstood, and that I constantly misunderstand others. I suppose it is possible that those people agreed with me about Ramsay, and were humorously imitating him with all of that all-caps stuff.

That incident made me curious about Ramsay, and I researched him a little, and I found that he has been associated with restaurants which have had a total of 17 Michelin stars. The Gordon Ramsay Group currently owns 58 restaurants which have a total of 7 stars among them. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London has had 3 stars continuously since 2001.

So, obviously, Michelin doesn't take stars away from a restaurant simply because the owner and head chef has become an internationally-notorious asshole. Hm.

Hey, for all I know, the people who award the Michelin stars are sadistic ass-hats themselves, and admire such loathsome behavior in others. 

Well, I don't admire it. I'm never going to eat at any of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. There's plenty of good food in the world made by good people. 

If you want to see someone's true character, watch how they treat a creature who's helpless to retaliate: an animal, or a "reality"-show contestant. And in my mind, Ramsay and Cowell are just making themselves look worse by claiming that the horrible behavior we all saw earlier, was an act, urged upon them by others, made to seem what it was not by editing, etc. They're not just sadists -- they're lying sadists.

"This is a permanent book."

I started to read my copy of John L Stephens' Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan, and noticed I had only 1 of 2 volumes. My vol 1 was an old copy from Dover, old enough to still carry proudly on its back cover the note which reads:

 A DOVER EDITION DESIGNED FOR YEARS OF USE!

We have made every effort to make this the best book possible. Our paper is opaque, with minimal show-through; it will not discolor or become brittle with age. Pages are bound in signatures, in the method traditionally used for the best books, and will not drop out. Books open flat for easy reference. The binding will not crack or split. This is a permanent book.

As many people still know, those old Dovers are well-made, and well-made things are beautiful, and a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Still, I ordered a copy of vol 2 sold from a third party on Amazon. It arrived today, well ahead of schedule. My first thought, taking the pristine volume from the envelope, was, "Yes, that's a brand-new book alright." Because, as many of you know, third-party sellers on Amazon often fudge on details such as the condition of the items they're selling. But this volume is pristine. Obviously pristine at first glance.

Then I turned the book over and was gobsmacked to see the proud note you don't see on the back covers of Dover books since some time around 2000, about how this is a permanent book. 

At first I thought, Is it possible that Dover have done the right thing, and once more concentrate on a quality product? But no: this volume has no 978 at the beginning of its ISBN. "6.95 IN USA" has been stamped on it.

It's pristine enough to pass for brand new, and it's at least 20 years old. That's how well-made Dover books used to be. 

 

Perhaps this little anecdote will inspire someone, somewhere to defiantly give people a good deal and a quality product.

Collecting

I've always loved to look at paintings and sculpture. When I was a young man, 35 or 40 years ago, I first learned of the existence of some art collectors, and, angrily, I thought: those ********, they're just hoarding.

I was wrong. Over the years, I found out a lot more about those very same people. I found out how they promoted poor, unknown artists, gave their careers a boost. I learned how they brought publicity to artists who deserved more attention. I learned how in some cases they were bona fide art historians. I found out how they donated their collections to museums. I learned how there is this whole huge tradition of art collecting which is a good thing, and not hoarding at all. Over the course of centuries, art collecting has become a sort of career, which contributes a lot to the world.

 

That's art collecting. People collect all sorts of other things: comics, salt shakers, stamps, coins, Bibles, automobiles, dresses, etc, etc. Sometimes they know about the traditional art collecting and consciously are a part of that tradition of collecting. Other times they may not know anything about any of this stuff, but they have the same sorts of positive, productive, kind, morally good instincts which drive the best art collectors.

Nostalgia Revisited

A man shaves with a straight razor, dresses, tucks his fountain pen and mechanical pocket watch into his waistcoat, dusts off his spats, leaves his home and walks across the street paved with cobblestones to his internal-combustion car, which he drives with its manual transmission to his club, where he dines on steak and oysters, and then relaxes before the fireplace with a cigar and a snifter of brandy, exchanging witticisms in Latin with other club members while someone extemporizes upon the grand piano.

 

16 things which either are, or are perceived to be, in decline: straight razors, fountain pens, mechanical pocket watches, waistcoats, spats, cobblestones, internal combustion engines, manual transmissions, private clubs, steak, oysters, fireplaces, cigars, brandy, the Latin language and grand pianos. But each of those things are staunchly defended by groups small or large. Internal combustion still predominates, but it will be outnumbered by electric vehicles much sooner than some people realize, while not soon enough to suit some of us, who are concerned about climate catastrophe. 

The number of people who eat steak is shrinking, and it seems it will continue to shrink. Vegans consider the human consumption of beef to be a catastrophe in several major ways, while others think that life without the possibility of steak would be a disaster, and I must say that I sympathize with both sides in this fight. The vegans make very convincing arguments. On the other hand, we still have teeth designed to tear flesh, and the smell of a well-prepared steak still makes our mouths water. It still makes my mouth water, at least. Are the vegans really immune to this lure? 

I think that if the vegans want to win, they will have to produce great quantities of delicious vegan food. And it seems that many vegans agree, because the amount of truly delicious vegan food is growing at an amazing rate. This will be much more effective than the stereotypical unbearable self-righteous disapproving vegan.

I've written often in this blog about my love for mechanical watches. But even I am wearing a G-Shock right now. They just work better. Yes, can get a mechanical watch which does 80% of what a $100 quartz watch does, almost as well as the quartz watch. You can get such a mechanical watch for as little as $50,000. 

Fountain pens are more of a mixed bag compared to ballpoints and gel. Fountain pens can, unquestionably, do much more than other pens. But the amount of work it takes to keep them working is -- well, it's much more than the amount of work it takes to wind a watch every day, if your mechanical watch is not an automatic wristwatch which winds itself as your wrist moves when you wear it.

If you're an American, you may or may not be amazed to learn how many cobblestones are still in use in Europe, and even on a few of New York city's streets, and for all I know, maybe in many other American cities too. What about cobblestones in Canada? Or Latin America? Hey, good questions! I don't know.

Anyway, maybe I've been a bit of a douchebag for the way that I've repeatedly attacked nostalgia, because I feel a protective urge for most of these old-timey things, and I can at least sympathize with most of the rest. And that doesn't make me, or anyone else who likes these things, reactionary.

But, Aha! you exclaim. The club! It excluded women, and most men, too!

But Aha! yourself, I shout back at you. Just because you were in the club in 1903 didn't mean you weren't progressive. You could go to the club and argue that club membership, and even the vote! should be given to all women and men. Just because you love a stick shift doesn't mean you're not going to get an EV -- or even a bus pass. Loving history does not mean that you hate every progressive evolution. Conversely, cheering on ever-better automatic transmissions and EV's, and doing away with writing on paper altogether, let alone fountain pens, and being vegan, and having been the first to abandoned straight razors and spats -- alas, none of that guarantees that you are not, politically, socially, a reactionary pig! You can't judge the citizen by her timepiece!

More Blackouts

On Saturday, February 25, I posted a few impressions from the middle of a blackout which affected hundreds of thousands of people in Michigan, maybe over a a million. Two days later, on Monday, February 27, the power came back on. 

And it stayed on for four whole days, until Friday, March 3. There had been a big snowstorm overnight, and when I opened my eyes in the morning, the red LED clock that sits close to my face as I sleep was out.

This time it was much warmer than the previous blackout. Once again it seemed our whole block was affected. As late morning came on, my major problem personally was caffeine withdrawal. There was no way to heat water in my place. I headed off to a steakhouse, the nearest place that would have coffee. Google maps says it was a 4/10 of a mile walk. It didn't feel that long. The biggest problem was finding dry sidewalk or street to walk on amid huge piles of melting snow. 

On the way to the steakhouse I could see kids sledding down two hills in the public park nearby. On the smaller of the two hills, smaller kids were not moving very fast. Bigger kids were really zooming down the bigger hill. Near the steakhouse, people said there they had had no interruption in power.

The steakhouse was sort of like a return to my childhood: rural Midwest, 50 years ago. The coffee was nothing fancy. It was what people used to call "Joe." But it was strong, the waitress was very nice and she kept it coming, and after I while I decided to have some eggs Benedict. They make a big serving of eggs Benedict. I walked home in a much better mood than I had been in walking out, with the caffeine energy competing with sleepiness from a huge meal in a very pleasant way.

It wasn't nearly as cold as the previous blackout, but that night it was plenty cold enough. The next day, most of the snow blocking my car in had melted. I dug out the rest and headed to the library, and to the coffee shop adjacent to the library, or, actually, IN the library, which makes a great almond-milk mocha latte. 

This library is where people come to warm up and charge up their phones and laptops during blackouts. And that's exactly what I was doing when I got an email telling me that Amazon had made a delivery back at my place. I looked around for a photo of the delivery on the Amazon website, and sure enough: the package was outside, right next to the door of the enclosed porch, instead of inside that door, as is my standing request, and as Amazon does most of the time. 

I've never had a package stolen when it was left outside like that. I've never heard of any such thefts anywhere near my home. But anyone who is obsessive-compulsive will understand that that doesn't matter. I had to return home immediately to get that package inside before someone stole it or an unexpected downpour got it wet, or some huge stray dog picked it up between his jaws and began to to carry it west toward Nebraska. 

I retrieved the package. I changed into clean clothes. I was ready to return to the library for more warmth and wifi and recharging when I noticed that the sun was shining very brightly into the living room. Then it occurred to me that it was strange for the living room to be all lit up at that time of day -- and THEN it occurred to me that I had left the living-room light on, and that my electricity was back.

And the electricity meant that I could get my laptop online from home -- except that now my Internet was out. My brother called to see how I was, I told him: fine, except for the Internet. He suggested calling tech support. Sure enough, just like that, after two calls to tech support, BAM, my Internet was back.

Some people who, like me, favor big changes in the local energy structure, such as massive adoption of rooftop solar, are hopeful that blackouts will win people to our cause. While I certainly agree that massive adoption of rooftop solar would both help prevent these blackouts, and keep more people warm during blackouts (besides things like cutting way down on pollution and greenhouse gasses from electricity generated from Koch Industries coal), I don't see a lot of local people saying the same things. Solar energy remains far from widespread in Michigan. I think we've got a lot of hard work to do in changing public opinion.