How It Once Was

 I have always pretty much been an FDR Democrat.

I was born in 1942, so that says that there was some lead/lag time involved; but I voted enthusiastically for Lyndon Johnson in 1964, which was the first time I was eligible to vote (I find it unbelievable that young people don't think that voting is more important than Tik Tok; but they don't, so I am told).  

I once saw Dion, in the middle of a musician strike, be a scab, come on stage, and sing Abraham, Martin and John, accompanied only by him on his guitar, no orchestra, they were on strike, but Dion had a message that he wanted to purvey, and that song says most of what voting, and giving a shit about yourself, your country and humanity might be all bout.

If it's about anything.

Which most people would like you to believe, anymore, it isn't.

And that, I guess, is because in the last fifty years all elections have boiled down to choosing between the lesser of two evils.

So the focus groups say.

With vigor and emphasis.

That's so easy to say.  

That must be why they all say it.

The focus groups.

But I think something way more sinister is afoot.

"Lesser of two evils" sounds erudite; so you can be stupid, and hide it; just say you are choosing the lesser of two evils and that's better than being a dumb fuck; or morally and intellectually vapid; in fact "lesser of two evils" sounds kinda like John Milton, non?

So, you not only must be erudite, but you are, also, harking back to your Puritan Heritage.

And what could be more white?

And erudite?

Poetry accidental but accepted.

In the waning days of 1966, I was in Portland waiting to get on a plane that would lead to a plane that would, ultimately, disgorge me off some plane, along with many more like me, onto the soil of Vietnam.

In my final days in Portland the race for the US Senate had heated up: Mark Hatfield, incumbent Republican governor was running for the Senate in a contest with Robert Duncan, Democrat opponent. 

Duncan was not thought to be going to win.

Hatfield was a very popular two term governor running for the Senate; all he had to do was put in campaign time until election day

That changed one day when Hatfield said he was against the Vietnam War.

No Republican said that; they all wanted to stop that domino.

But Hatfield saw the real situation, and he said he wouldn't support it.

And that was not a popular viewpoint.

But he followed his conscience and won the election anyway.

And that is why I still harbor delusions of a Republican Party that once stood for something.

Other than delusions, hate, unreason and christianity of a non-jesus, mega meeting, mega corporate, mega contribute, mega bullshit sort.

Of christianity.

Big Bang Question

For the last several years my reading activity has been a weird mix of books about artificial intelligence, quantum physics, one book that could be called theological (The God Problem) and the normal stuff one reads.

Recently that "normal" stuff has been a dive into the 20 Aubrey/Maturin books.

I'm currently at book four.

A question has distilled out of all of that.

I have asked the only astro physicist that I know, but I think he thought that I was kidding - or plug stupid.

So I finally decided to ask Bing/Copilot.

Here is that exchange.

********************************************

You

I have a question about the big bang:  I understand that "everything" pre-existed the bang as a "singularity".  That "singularity" although nonexistent in space and time was "potential". For some reason that I don't need to understand that potential became "everything", and "everything" began a limitless journey of expansion.  That gave birth to "time" which accounted for the fact that the new "everything" was moving, and the description of where everything had been, was "now" and,soon,  "would be" is called "time".  My question is did that phenomenon occur in a spherical manner, and if so, where in that spherical phenomenon are "we" ("we" being the portion of "everything" that came into existence at the four billion year mark)?

Copilot

The Big Bang theory describes the universe’s expansion from an extremely hot and dense state. While it’s common to visualize this expansion as a spherical explosion, it’s more accurate to think of it as the expansion of space itself, rather than an explosion into space. The universe doesn’t expand into pre-existing space; instead, space itself is expanding.

The expansion is often described as isotropic, meaning it looks the same in all directions. This isotropy suggests that there is no central point of expansion; every point in the universe is moving away from every other point. This can be visualized with the analogy of the surface of a balloon being inflated: as the balloon expands, every point on the surface moves away from every other point, but there is no center on the surface itself.

Regarding your question about our position in this expanding universe, we are not at a specific “edge” or “center” of a spherical expansion. Instead, we are part of this isotropic expansion. The observable universe is about 13.8 billion years old, and our solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago. We are located in one of the many galaxies that formed as the universe expanded and cooled.

In summary, the Big Bang’s expansion is not spherical in the traditional sense but rather an expansion of space itself, with no central point. We are simply one part of this vast, expanding universe.

IBM According To Bing/Copilot

What businesses does IBM pursue?

IBM operates in several key business areas:

Software: This is IBM’s largest segment, focusing on hybrid cloud and AI solutions. It includes products for data and AI, automation, cybersecurity, and transaction processing, with Red Hat being a significant part of this segment.

Consulting: IBM provides consulting services to help businesses transform and implement digital technologies, particularly hybrid cloud architectures. This includes data and technology consulting, cloud modernization, application operations, and business transformation.

Infrastructure: This segment offers hybrid cloud infrastructure solutions, including high-performance servers, storage solutions, and cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). IBM’s infrastructure services support enterprise AI workloads and hybrid multi-cloud environments.

Financing: IBM facilitates the acquisition of hardware, software, and services through financing solutions, helping clients manage their technology investments more effectively.

IBM’s focus on hybrid cloud and AI, particularly through platforms like Red Hat OpenShift and Watsonx, positions it as a leader in these transformative technologies.

Is IBM likely to be purchased and if so by whom?

Currently, there are no strong indications that IBM is likely to be purchased by another company. Instead, IBM has been actively acquiring other companies to strengthen its capabilities in hybrid cloud, AI, and other strategic areas. For example, IBM recently announced its acquisition of HashiCorp, a leading multi-cloud infrastructure automation company, for $6.4 billion. This acquisition aims to enhance IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and support its AI-driven application growth.

Given IBM’s focus on expanding its own portfolio through acquisitions, it seems more likely that IBM will continue to grow and innovate independently rather than being acquired by another company.

Does the company design and/or manufacture any hardware?

Yes, IBM designs and manufactures a variety of hardware products. Here are some key areas:

Servers: IBM produces high-performance servers, including the IBM Z mainframes and IBM Power Systems, which are designed for enterprise workloads and hybrid cloud environments.

Storage Solutions: IBM offers a range of storage products, such as IBM FlashSystem, which provides high-speed data storage solutions for businesses.

Quantum Computing: IBM is a leader in quantum computing hardware with its IBM Quantum systems, which are used for research and development in various scientific and industrial fields.

Networking Hardware: IBM also provides networking hardware solutions to support data centers and enterprise networks.

Are the Z mainframes descendants of the IBM 360/370 computers?

Yes, IBM Z mainframes are indeed descendants of the IBM System/360 and System/370 computers. The IBM Z family maintains full backward compatibility with these earlier systems1. This means that many applications written for the System/360 and System/370 can still run unmodified on the latest IBM Z mainframes.

The IBM System/360, introduced in 1964, was revolutionary for its time, offering a range of compatible computers that could run the same software. The System/370, introduced in 1970, built on this foundation with improved performance and features. Over the decades, IBM has continued to evolve its mainframe architecture, leading to the current IBM Z series.

Magellan And Parsley

 Here on the Island there have pretty much always been rabbits.

A long time ago somebody brought in European hares and that variety must have liked it here because when we got here twelve years ago there were lots of them.

By then some later arriving domestic rabbits had escaped so the population had become more of a mélange.

In our time here the overall population grew at a noticeable rate - not an explosion, but a steady increase.

Then a few years back, we heard that on the next island over a hemorrhagic virus was wasting that island's rabbits.

It took a couple years, but the virus found its way to our population and frighteningly soon all our rabbit friends disappeared.

So, when after a couple of years of no rabbits a tiny pair of them appeared in early mornings in the gravel and moss adjacent to a large stand of ground hugging juniper in front of our house, we were overjoyed.

The rabbits were back.

These tiny guys were identical except one was black and one was brindle.

I could watch them for hours as they ran around, stopped to eat whatever it was that was edible where they stopped and had endless faux fights and baby rabbit boxing matches.

That was early last year.

In the interim they have both grown into adults with the black one being more rangy - like a jack rabbit - and the brindle one looking like a typical hare.

In spite of the differences, they must be siblings.

And they both still like to hang out together most of the time.

One of our neighbors named the black one Magellan because he is always travelling somewhere.

We have named the brindle one Parsley because he really likes parsley.

We don't really know if they are he or she.

Yesterday we found both of them dead and partially eaten immediately adjacent to their juniper covered home.

We will be forever sad.

 

 

Voting In North Carolina

One of my family members lives in North Carolina.

 
She recently told me in extensive detail what the republican legislature has done to deeply impede voting.

 
It sums up to "it's very difficult for most people - anyone but old white republicans - to register, and if any non-white, non-republican manages to register, voting will be close to impossible ".

(There is also a whole big farce ID card story that would be interesting to tell, but I haven't the time.)

Also, I think I heard that anyone voting not on election day and not in a voting booth looked over by republican white christian poll watchers needs to vote in the presence of a republican approved notary public.

Sounds kinda like the abortion watch brigade, doesn't it?

Probably is.

 
I mentioned in a recent post that this sort of thing was being done, but this is my first personal contact with it.

And I am sorry that it is in North Carolina, a state that I had thought to be, like Georgia, rational.

 
That condition, accompanied by the fact that (probably) Blue Asheville won't be able to vote, since it no longer exists, makes any Kamala North Carolina Miracle little more than drunken discourse from the end of the bar.

I am deeply regretful.

For North Carolina.

And for Kamala Harris.

A Short Civics Lesson

In the recent vice president's candidate debate, if I had been Tim Walz, after three or four of Vance's assertions that everything wrong in the world is the result of "Kamala Harris's failed policies" I would have said, at the outset of the next time I got the mike, "I'll answer the question on the table if I am able after taking the time necessary to give the Senator a brief civics lesson. The Vice President has no power to do anything except stay healthy and wait for the President to die, in which case the Vice President assumes the presidency and, with it, all the executive powers that the Vice President lacks, chief among them, setting policy."

J. D. Is either plug stupid or he's lying.

Since he went to Yale, he may not be stupid.