The Forkes Report Comments

Tim: Walking Talking Spam

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:34:37 -0700

Hi Joe!

Dan, well put.

Young Dan: Walking Talking Spam

nospam@example.com (Young Dan) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:44:43 -0700

Palin abandoned and betrayed the people of Alaska. She walked out on her responsibility. She used the trust of her people to further her own goals. When that failed, she left them. Why? Because she was facing "opposition". No shit. You lie to these people to make a bid for president, and you expect them to just go along with whatever you say after that? Not only have you no honor, Mrs. Palin, you seem completely unable to think coherently. Nothing you say, nothing you do, can be trusted. You are a liar. Fuck Sarah Palin. She quit.

Joe Porubcan: Walking Talking Spam

nospam@example.com (Joe Porubcan) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:00:49 -0700

http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewJobs?oid=1833771

Hey Time Forbes- check out this job link for you.

Young Dan: Ghosts and the President

nospam@example.com (Young Dan) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:23:21 -0700

I would say that you are Tim. Labels are handy for describing a thing, but they are not the thing itself.

I would say that life has suffering, and self improvement alleviates some of the suffering.

I would say that yes, we can be serene. Consider a stream: Flowing, bubbling, burbling. Peaceful, serene. Yet a closer looks reveals a humble jumble of molecules and complex chemical interactions. What seems peaceful is chaotic. We are complex. We are simple. We are chaotic, we are serene. I can take leave emotion, thought, and action, thereby bringing a serenity to my mind and body (essentially meditation). I can isolate emotion from the cause of emotion, leaving my mind serene. I can experience great emotion internally, and yet my external actions are calm and serene. I can lose myself into mindless activity (lifting weights and running on a treadmill come to mind.) and thus have serenity within my mind. I could choose to let my powerful emotions command my actions, though I fear that if I went too far this way I would end up flinging paint at a ten by ten canvas and calling it art.

My actions may be complex, but the result may be simple. My actions may be simple, but the result could be complex. Serenity is not denied by complexity, but rather one cannot exist without the other. To know something fully you must know it's opposite, it's negation, it's antonym.

At least, that's what I think now. I read a book called Simplexity by Jeffrey Kluger, who co-wrote Apollo 13 with Jim Lovell, who almost landed on the Moon. Landing on the Moon being a very simple goal, but very complex to achieve. At any rate, Kluger's book is about the relation between simplicity and complexity. Quite an interesting read.

I believe that aliens exist elsewhere, not just within the universe, but within the Milky Way galaxy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation

I do not feel, though, that there is sufficient evidence to support the idea that they have visited Earth. Before radio technology there would have been no obvious sign of the planets existence, much less it's habitability. Using the volume of the Earth versus the volume of the galaxy, we have some 137 trillion (that's right, all twelve zeros. Screw the British and their "long count" sixteen zero trillion) possible locations for Earth. Before a hundred years ago there would have been no reason to look in our direction. It is unlikely that our weak signals were picked up by aliens in the few solar systems those signals could have reached in that amount of time.

Your question about the self-revelation of aliens created for me a funny image of an alien giving Obama the bird and then teleporting to the super bowl. Why would an alien fly all the way to Earth only to subjugate themselves to whims of one government? For that matter, why would a government hide their relationship with aliens? I can imagine the next summit of world leaders.
"Well, before we get started, I would like to introduce you to my friend Slpo!rqt. He's an alien, and my buddy. Now then, weren't we going to discuss some trade agreements? I have some ideas about that"

The limitations around physically visiting another inhabited planet virtually assure that any contact between alien species will be similar to the book Contact by Carl Sagan, who founded the Sagan institute, who made a potential greeting for aliens, which was used in a fictional setting in an episode of Stargate: SG-1. I love Stargate.

Aliens? Yes, but they haven't ever been to our humble abode.

Tim: Ghosts and the President

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:06:15 -0700

I'm wondering: since you and I have very comparable philosophies, does that make me a nihilist? Or at least an existentialist? I do have hope for the future and have forgiven myself for the past (mostly) because there's no point in holding on to either guilt or resentment; it only brings suffering.
On the other hand I agree with the Buddhist philosophy that life IS suffering, but a cessation of suffering can be attained through self improvement.
The question is: can "we" (I) be content and serene while being complicated individuals? I guess that's part of my suffering, trying to figure that out.
As for aliens, living in San Diego brings me into close proximity with many aliens, legal and otherwise.
You, of course, are probably referring to aliens of the "not from this planet" variety. I have seen unexplainable things in the skies in three states, ordered by military authority not to publicly comment about one such incident and see enough footage and evidence from credible witnesses to believe a very real possibility exists that we are not alone in this universe.
The fly in that ointment though is always this: If we have truly had other worldly visitors, why haven't they come forth and introduced themselves? Why play a cat-n-mouse game of now you see me, now you don't?
Until an alien drops out of a metallic object and waves at neighbor Bob's new digital video camera, it will be hard to believe neighbors form Alpha Centauri truly exist. Which, if the astronomers have it right, is the closest star system to our solar system. Did you realize that if we had a space vehicle that could travel at just a quarter of the speed of sound it could reach Alpha Centauri in five years! That's like only 167,400,000 MPH!
Well, when I kept the speed in light years it seemed more doable. Alpha Centauri is still out of reach — for now.
Aliens? I'm leaning yes.

Young Dan: Ghosts and the President

nospam@example.com (Young Dan) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:59:24 -0700

"The best course of action, as always, is to live each day one at a time, experience each moment. If I work on certain elements of my life today they will no doubt influence who I am in the future, but really, the only reason to try and live life better today is to enjoy this day, not some — so far fictional — day in the future."

Exactly. You would like to create the best day possible for yourself this day. As much as we can learn from the past, it does not change. We only have the power to change this moment, this hour, this day. And so I set out each day wondering, "What can I do today that will make me happy for having done it. What can I do today that gives me a sense of fulfillment?" and at the close of each day I accept that this day that was mine is now my past. To learn from. To grow from. But I can imagine a day where at the end of it I can say "I did something amazing today." Something that could not have been accomplished in one day, or two, but in many. And so it is that I seek to find balance in my days. Balance of past and future, balancing living in the moment with planning my future.

And of course, there are some things that that can force a change in plans. But that happens sometimes.

Ghosts do not exist (empirically). However, there is some crazy crap that happens sometimes so if someone wishes to hunt them down that's there own affair. I for one would not willingly call myself a ghost HUNTER and sleep in a haunted house, but that's me. If there was solid evidence and scientific theories about ghosts it would be one of the most astounding things in the history of Humanity. Same goes for aliens.

So, umm, how do you feel about aliens?

Tim: Ghosts and the President

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:54:55 -0700

In other words, you are evolving. As we all should. Or maybe I’m being too assumptive to say we all should evolve. Or, maybe we all evolve whether we want to or not and if we can exert some control over that evolution, then maybe we can shape who we are and who we may be in ten years, should we live that long.

On the other hand, who knows what will happen in the intervening nine years and how it will inform and influence any future decisions.

The best course of action, as always, is to live each day one at a time, experience each moment. If I work on certain elements of my life today they will no doubt influence who I am in the future, but really, the only reason to try and live life better today is to enjoy this day, not some — so far fictional — day in the future.

It's interesting: I was on the phone with a friend for nearly an hour talking about our collective day and for that period of my recent history I was free from worry. My attention was focused squarely on the moment, not interrupted or split by something on the computer or TV or iPod.

So, umm, how do you feel about ghosts?

Young Dan: Ghosts and the President

nospam@example.com (Young Dan) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:45:13 -0700

All life is a choice, because one can not know anything in any sort of absolute sense, except for one thing. I am absolutely sure that I exist. (Arguably I'm equally sure that you exist, otherwise why go through the bother of writing to a figment of my imagination?) Therefore, if there are bad times afoot, then I choose how to react to them. Basically. There's a billion years of instinct fighting a million years of thinking fighting ten thousand years of civilization fighting twenty three years, one hundred eight days of existence. So I may not always understand my decisions, but I am the one making them. I have some measure of control over such decisions as my immediate reaction to certain classes and types of information, and so can avoid overly negative reactions to (subjectively) negative information as well as overly positive reactions to (subjectively) positive information, as well as any other possible subjective reaction.

However, there are certain assumptions I can feel pretty good for making, such as the assumption that you exist. I feel confident in this assumption because all the evidence for your existence as an independent individual in an inter-dependent world matches the evidence for my own existence in the world. So while I can never know most everything in an absolute sense, I can empirically know most everything in an inferential sense.

But that is how I am now. Who I was then was different but not wholly so. My personal history defines me. My future becomes my past, and so my future defines me. But now is my time. I define my future. The best way to accomplish this is to study my history. Which is also why I love history. It lives inside all of us. So yes, I was a bit of a nihilist existentialist. As my past is me, then I can say that I am a nihilist existentialist. Just not at the moment

Ray: Self-Appraisal Myth Utilization

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:42:05 -0700

"big mountain of condos directly east of us to come crashing down on everything" have been there a long time and I have been watching them for my 20 years in this area without even a budge... Roxanne is also pretty damn cute...

Mary Lou: Self-Appraisal Myth Utilization

nospam@example.com (Mary Lou) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:02:38 -0700

sounds rather drastic out there...just stay safe
by the way, my Firebird could beat your RX-7 hands down.....don't you agree????

Mary Lou: Happy Birthday!

nospam@example.com (Mary Lou) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:50:29 -0700

good write and read Tim.....
I too miss Milwaukee a lot lately...

Tim: Merry Christmas!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:50:57 -0700

I beg to differ! I've had great service at Hooters! I've always been happy with the wait staff of Hooters!

Eric: Merry Christmas!

nospam@example.com (Eric) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:49:23 -0700

You're doing your best Craig Ferguson imitation, so I see. As far as the closing of the PB Hooters, no big loss - the bimbos (yes, I said bimbos) that worked there couldn't wait their way out of a lighted paper bag - service there was, on a scale of 1-10 at Hooters, a negative 1. (And Hooters is not known for their outstanding service, if you know what I mean)

Ray: Proud Uncle of a Navy Corpsman

nospam@example.com (Ray) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:03:58 -0700

Tim, nice piece of work (your writing;-) beautiful niece and great-niece. I'm with you. Everything I have to say after that would offend others needlessly, so thanks for the essay.

Jane Marie: Are You Rockin’?

nospam@example.com (Jane Marie) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:44:50 -0700

He's Rockin! Mark directed me to you and you're blog! I'll be following ya.
Milwaukee and Wisconsin is so lucky to still have Mark to be bringing his music as well as so many other talented musicians music to the masses. He has moved into promoting a large amount of other bands and individuals, booking and getting them exposure in so many different events, venues and markets. He really is a Wisconsin treasure.
And on top of everthing else, a wonderful, sweet human being.