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First off, a signal boost from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mizkit (who got it from a reader):
Also frommizkit but much less serious is the old interview meme. (I'd put it in a separate post but I don't want to spam you, especially as there's another random post buzzing around my brain.)
Here are the rules:
1. If you’d like, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature. Or, you know, not so creepy/personal. Whatever. (Note: I suck at coming up with interesting questions, but I'll do my best. Or maybe I'll just recyclemizkit's, because they're really good.)
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. If you so wish, include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you ask them five questions.
I was asked:
1. Is money the answer or the problem?
Yes. And no. To both.
Money is a huge problem in that it causes people to act selfishly and screws up the distribution of resources. A small percentage of people, often as much by luck as anything, end up with far more than they need, sometimes more than they could ever use. At the same time, a large percentage of people are deprived of the resources to fill the most basic human needs.
On the other hand, money is the answer to other problems. It can be used directly to fix problems. And it can actually channel our innate selfishness to motivate us to do important things. At its best, it allows people to be rewarded for their contributions to our society in a form that they can use directly to get what they want or need when and as they choose, without having to go through complex barter exchanges.
In short, I'm in favor of a combination of capitalism to motivate people and socialism (and social programs) to see to basic needs: food, water, shelter, medical care, eduction, etc.
2. Would you sign up for a generation ship?
Whoa. There's an interesting one. And it kind of comes with some big assumptions, since I don't think I'd be a candidate for one in my current condition.
But, you know what? I think I would. It would be exciting and fascinating. It would be hard to leave my family behind, though. And I'm fairly certain they wouldn't go.
3. Mutant power! What would yours be?
Oh boy. I should have a good answer to this.
I kind of want to say that I want Jean Gray's power. But that's kind of cheating, because Jean can do pretty much anything. Flight, telekinesis, and telepathy (both send and receive). But I so want to be able to fly. And there's so much you can do with TK. And telepathy... I wish the whole human race was telepathic. It would change everything. You can't lie telepathically. And you can't be misunderstood. It even transcends language barriers. And it allows you to actually get to know people in a way that isn't possible any other way. To truly understand their point of view.
But, like I said, that's kind of cheating. I could wish for the power to heal. Because I don't want a destructive power, and I do want to be a healer. But that carried with it such a weight of responsibility. I'm not sure I could handle it.
And the thing is that I have a superhero alter ego. HatMan. The guy in my default userpic. And he has a super power. And, in a way, it's a healing one. HatMan, at his best, has the power to be funny. Which is no small thing. Laughter is medicine for the mind.
4. There's a Zen saying, "If you leap the net will open." Are you a leaper?
I'm not familiar with that saying. (And it sounds oddly un-zen, encouraging rash action.)
Am I a leaper? In a way. Probably not. I'll put it this way: I will happily go on a road trip with no route and no destination. I will improvise. I will make plans and then throw them out the window with no regrets when something else comes up. But I'll do all of that with a stack of maps and guidebooks and a full suitcase. I'll sign up for the generation ship, but I'll do so knowing that the thing is well built and stocked. I'll go out into the world, but I'll do it with a bag full of stuff to prepare me for any reasonable contingency.
In short: I'll leap, but only after I've made my own damn net.
5. You're given the chance to join a fictional world (um, not the one I'm going to write you into). Which one would you choose, and why?
Now that's a fascinating question. I'm not sure how to answer it.
I could pick a kids' universe. Sesame Street or My Little Pony or something. A place where life is simple, there's some real magic in the world, friends are true, and life's problems can all be solved. But that's kind of a cheap choice, isn't it? Limiting. And besides, it could get boring fast, living it 24/7.
I could pick a comic book universe. Where super powers exist, the world is filled with shining examples of heroism, and good wins out over evil in the end. But those worlds are incredibly chaotic and dangerous for ordinary folk. And I think real live super heroes can encourage complacency and humbleness as much as they can inspire people to better themselves.
Maybe one with magic? But that's as much a double-edged sword as anything.
You know, for all the time I spend with fictional universes, it's surprisingly difficult to answer this.
Wait. You know what? Star Trek: TNG. I want to explore the universe, and I want to do it with advanced technology, and I want to do it in a world where people have hope and where they look out for each other. Oh yeah, and meet aliens. And doctors who can fix me by waving a few blinking lights in my general direction. You'll find me in Main Engineering.
mizkit (who got it from a reader):A friend of a friend of mine, Amy Ahonen, disappeared on 7/8 from the highway west of Golden, CO. Her wallet, keys, and cell phone were all still in her car. The official search for her was called off after a day and a half. Recent information suggests she may have been abducted, and could be anywhere. Now family and friends are trying to harness the immense power of the internet to get the word out, and try to connect with anyone who might have information regarding Amy’s whereabouts. They have created a Facebook page, Help Find Amy, and a Twitter feed at #findamy, and are asking that people simply pass her picture around.
Also from
mizkit but much less serious is the old interview meme. (I'd put it in a separate post but I don't want to spam you, especially as there's another random post buzzing around my brain.)Here are the rules:
1. If you’d like, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature. Or, you know, not so creepy/personal. Whatever. (Note: I suck at coming up with interesting questions, but I'll do my best. Or maybe I'll just recycle
mizkit's, because they're really good.)3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. If you so wish, include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you ask them five questions.
I was asked:
1. Is money the answer or the problem?
Yes. And no. To both.
Money is a huge problem in that it causes people to act selfishly and screws up the distribution of resources. A small percentage of people, often as much by luck as anything, end up with far more than they need, sometimes more than they could ever use. At the same time, a large percentage of people are deprived of the resources to fill the most basic human needs.
On the other hand, money is the answer to other problems. It can be used directly to fix problems. And it can actually channel our innate selfishness to motivate us to do important things. At its best, it allows people to be rewarded for their contributions to our society in a form that they can use directly to get what they want or need when and as they choose, without having to go through complex barter exchanges.
In short, I'm in favor of a combination of capitalism to motivate people and socialism (and social programs) to see to basic needs: food, water, shelter, medical care, eduction, etc.
2. Would you sign up for a generation ship?
Whoa. There's an interesting one. And it kind of comes with some big assumptions, since I don't think I'd be a candidate for one in my current condition.
But, you know what? I think I would. It would be exciting and fascinating. It would be hard to leave my family behind, though. And I'm fairly certain they wouldn't go.
3. Mutant power! What would yours be?
Oh boy. I should have a good answer to this.
I kind of want to say that I want Jean Gray's power. But that's kind of cheating, because Jean can do pretty much anything. Flight, telekinesis, and telepathy (both send and receive). But I so want to be able to fly. And there's so much you can do with TK. And telepathy... I wish the whole human race was telepathic. It would change everything. You can't lie telepathically. And you can't be misunderstood. It even transcends language barriers. And it allows you to actually get to know people in a way that isn't possible any other way. To truly understand their point of view.
But, like I said, that's kind of cheating. I could wish for the power to heal. Because I don't want a destructive power, and I do want to be a healer. But that carried with it such a weight of responsibility. I'm not sure I could handle it.
And the thing is that I have a superhero alter ego. HatMan. The guy in my default userpic. And he has a super power. And, in a way, it's a healing one. HatMan, at his best, has the power to be funny. Which is no small thing. Laughter is medicine for the mind.
4. There's a Zen saying, "If you leap the net will open." Are you a leaper?
I'm not familiar with that saying. (And it sounds oddly un-zen, encouraging rash action.)
Am I a leaper? In a way. Probably not. I'll put it this way: I will happily go on a road trip with no route and no destination. I will improvise. I will make plans and then throw them out the window with no regrets when something else comes up. But I'll do all of that with a stack of maps and guidebooks and a full suitcase. I'll sign up for the generation ship, but I'll do so knowing that the thing is well built and stocked. I'll go out into the world, but I'll do it with a bag full of stuff to prepare me for any reasonable contingency.
In short: I'll leap, but only after I've made my own damn net.
5. You're given the chance to join a fictional world (um, not the one I'm going to write you into). Which one would you choose, and why?
Now that's a fascinating question. I'm not sure how to answer it.
I could pick a kids' universe. Sesame Street or My Little Pony or something. A place where life is simple, there's some real magic in the world, friends are true, and life's problems can all be solved. But that's kind of a cheap choice, isn't it? Limiting. And besides, it could get boring fast, living it 24/7.
I could pick a comic book universe. Where super powers exist, the world is filled with shining examples of heroism, and good wins out over evil in the end. But those worlds are incredibly chaotic and dangerous for ordinary folk. And I think real live super heroes can encourage complacency and humbleness as much as they can inspire people to better themselves.
Maybe one with magic? But that's as much a double-edged sword as anything.
You know, for all the time I spend with fictional universes, it's surprisingly difficult to answer this.
Wait. You know what? Star Trek: TNG. I want to explore the universe, and I want to do it with advanced technology, and I want to do it in a world where people have hope and where they look out for each other. Oh yeah, and meet aliens. And doctors who can fix me by waving a few blinking lights in my general direction. You'll find me in Main Engineering.
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