From: smirzo@example.com   
      
   D  writes:   
      
   >>> Too much screen reading if you ask me. But when I'm not working, I   
   >>> read a lot of   
   >>> regular books, or on my eInk device, which is much kinder to the   
   >>> eyes. Reading   
   >>> is one of my greatest hobbies. My wife gets annoyed at the enormous number   
   of   
   >>> books I accumulate. She wants me to throw them away, but it would be like   
   >>> throwing away my children. I cannot do it! =/   
   >>   
   >> I don't know the two of you, but it does sound like a good idea to throw   
   >> it all away.  But I'm suspicious to say it because I often do it.  When   
   >   
   > Ouch! My children! ;)   
      
   Lol.  I know. :)   
      
   >>>> I try to go to the beach every day.  Today, for instance, I biked to the   
   >>>> beach, swam and then drank coconut water and do my reading.  If I'm not   
   >>>   
   >>> Oh, wonderful! Where do you live?   
   >>   
   >> Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   
   >   
   > Ahh... the country of eternal sunshine and happiness! At least that is what   
   it   
   > looks like from here on the surface.   
      
   That's how it looks from my perspective here as well, although I'm aware   
   of so much suffering taking place here every day.   
      
   > But sadly I have also heard that polarization and leftists vs rightist   
   > has infiltrated brazil as well. =( I hope it won't become as bad as   
   > the US, that would be really bad for the country.   
      
   You can definitely say that.  This theme is very interesting for people   
   interested in Brazil or perhaps the US.  The US has a huge influence in   
   Brazil.  A very /small/ illustration is the political system.  Like the   
   US, Brazil has a bicameral federal congress---meaning, you know, you   
   have a house of representatives and a senate.  We can argue that such a   
   system makes sense for the United States, considering how its republic   
   came about.  In the origins of the federation, you have a movement to   
   centralize power from the individual states---let's say a movement from   
   the outer to the inner.  In Brazil, it's the opposite: Brazil's republic   
   came about by a distribution of power from the monarchic center to its   
   smaller regions.  A bicameral system is a certain conservative system   
   that makes sense in a federation formed out of mistrusting states,   
   unlike Brazil's case.  So the bicameral system for Brazil serves more to   
   slow it down than anything else.  I could make the case that this was   
   done by Brazil by mere influence on aesthetics---we think they're   
   smarter than us, so let's what they're doing.  (Surely this is too   
   simplistic, but I want just a single paragraph here.)   
      
   But that's only an illustration.  Due to commercial reasons, the   
   Brazilian food industry has been following in the foot steps of the   
   American, with the disastrous consequences of a population overweight   
   now (with all of the chronic diseases that are killing the american   
   population, like nearly everywhere else in the world).   
      
   American influence in Brazil started out strongly in the 40s and 50s,   
   reaching its apex in the 60s.  It's an interesting history because it   
   was clearly planned and a good illustration of the current status quo:   
   it's quite useful to study this history if one wishes to understand   
   Brazil today.   
      
   > I also imagine that it would be difficult to work from the beach. Too many   
   > beautiful women, it must be very distracting!   
      
   You're quite right.  It is indeed *very* distracting.  In fact,   
   observing such things has given the conclusion that visual stimili (at   
   least in myself) is a really strong physiological thing: it seems quite   
   stronger than any will power.  I started out reading at the beach so I   
   would have something to do there, staying longer in the sun.  So my slow   
   reading doesn't defeat that purpose.  I also often go during week days,   
   when the beach is not crowded with people.  It worked out so well that   
   it seems to work like a second phase of my work schedule.  I write in   
   the morning and read in the afternoon, intermixed with walking, swimming   
   and biking.  I cannot do it *every* day because I need to ``the office''   
   some days.   
      
   >>> Wonderful! Sounds like an excellent idea! I do save online articles   
   >>> and stuff as pdf:s and do the same thing sometimes, going to a café   
   >>> or when flying. I find the effect very similar to yours.   
   >>   
   >> I used to go to cafés too... But they only have bad stuff to eat such as   
   >> coffee and coffee-like drinks and anything with gluten. :) Coconut   
   >   
   > Bad coffee?? Doesn't brazil have the best coffee in the world?? Be thankful   
   that   
   > you don't have to drink the crap I have here in europe. ;)   
      
   I think we produce wonderful coffee, but I also think that wonderful   
   coffee is mostly exported.  Makes perfect sense: you sell your best   
   products to your best customers (those that pay more).  That's a sorry   
   thing when living in a country with too many poor people: the industry   
   brings the cheapest things for you.   
      
   But I consider coffee---no matter how good quality if might be---a drug   
   to be totally kept on a leash.  I don't think we should make regular use   
   of any stimulants---of any drug at all.   
      
   I am probably a naturalist.  If coffee ``accelerates your physiology'',   
   then we can say that such ``speed'' is not the natural way of your body.   
   If you do it every day, you're totally not respecting the natural way of   
   the system.  Not a religious thing at all---recall that perspective I   
   had on tattoos.  So this is another illustration of why I find myself   
   more religious than the vast number of very religious people I've ever   
   met.   
      
   >>> I'm currently reading Mirrorshades by Bruce Sterling (and other   
   >>> authors). Some good, classic cyberpunk.   
   >>   
   >> Sounds interesting.  The topic is fascinating.  But it might be a little   
   >> overrated as well.  Currently, I don't think our technology is really   
   >> advanced to warrant all the exploration of cyberpunk writing.  What I   
   >> think we have a lot of hype, which makes sense, given that the industry   
   >> has taken over the monarchies over the years.  You see, rewind history   
   >> until the collapse of the roman empire; then feuds sprang; then   
   >> monarchies were established, with help from the churches; eventually the   
   >> industrial revolution begins and then the bourgeoisie rises.  Now it's   
   >> their prime time---no wonder the hype is all in their favor.   
   >   
   > It is an interesting thought that kingdoms faded, were replaced by nations.   
   > Perhaps now, nations are fading (slowly) and getting replaced with   
   corporations?   
   > Imagine a future were your primary allegiance is to your corporation, and the   
   > nation of old, just exists in the background as a faint humming sound, that   
   no   
   > one really cares about.   
   >   
   > What do you think?   
      
   I think along these lines.  Today I see most of government as just   
   employees of corporations.  I think it's very easy to see.  Political   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)