That is the one that I thought was going to change everything. For about a month, I thought the fullest version of the Utopian nightmare was upon us all, and then they just. . . disappeared.

I feel a sense of relief every time i think about it.

I will reserve judgment on this matter until I see how China unwinds its urban housing bubbles.

China has fallen hook-line-and-sinker for the American trick of watching GDP metrics to justify breaking community goods/services/resilience. If they can de-couple from the American Way, then being an authoritarian nation allows for sharper and quicker pivots than what the U.S. can do. We are trapped by our housing stock, bad sub-urban designs, how much people rely on the paper wealth of these houses, and the terrified NIMBY politics this engenders.

To the world I say, don’t be like us. Figure out housing. And figure out how to not trap your human capital in housing arrangements that steal all of their money in the name of GDP.

Norman, as a university town, has famous stuff related to the university. There are 7 National Championships in football. But my favorite is that it employed Louis Jolyon West. He did a lot of experiments with LSD, including work for MK-Ultra and making an Elephant trip out (to the point that the elephant died).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Jolyon_West

I had Covid recently myself. I only had one really scary day with it.

May I ask how long you’ve had it or lingering lung issues?

Well, it was still nice to be able to meet friends somewhere else. In that manner, you didn’t have to worry about how your home looked.

Mine is going to coffee houses.

Hi. I thought about making a joke where I said I was the opposite of a Nazi and a dick, but I decided that would come off sounding bad, too. . .

I throw my lot in for minimalism.

Such is the way of the Buddha.

By making it slower at first, we now appreciate the speed.

Such is the way of the Buddha.

Have you looked in The Red Queen by Ridley? It might be a good follow-up.

If you want your fucking mind blown try:

• Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Jack Weatherford.
• Methaphors we Live By. Lakoff
• I am a Strange Loop (or GEB). Hofstandter
• The Book. Watts.
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Prisig.

Lathe of Heaven is the best fictional treatment of the dao I have ever read. It is a masterpiece.

When the ideas he delivers are good, his writing skills (and slick marketing) give people the impression he came up with them. When he fits his own ideas in, they are pretty much bullshit. He defined a style of pop nonfiction that is to some extent still with us, with human interest anecdotes worked in at structurally the same point in every chapter. . . I would imagine he’d be more on that liberal end, yes. At least that’s the kind of crowd he runs with and the vibe he gives off. He’ll help you achieve excellence, and all that.