Glen D

@jake

” It feels like time is accelerating. What felt like a week as a kid takes up a month..”

–and every time you blink seems like another year has passed.

No, you’re not imagining it.  There’s a scientific explanation for this perception.  It has to do with new experiences and hence new memories.

From The Scientific American, 2…[Read more]

@Encogitati

“As an older person, you are not invisible.  Younger folks can always stand to learn of the ways and insights of the youths that came before them.  Please keep us informed. ”

How very kind of you to say. I do my best to contribute.

However, my observation is supported by studies.  I realise this not a universal thing, especially in…[Read more]

@Unseen

Fairly imaginative examples, unless you’ve actually experienced them.

In well into senior’s age and have never witnessed such crass behaviour. I’ve now been waiting for some years just to reply: “Well, I’d rather be an old fart than  a young dickhead”

Arguably worse than having ignorant young shits being rude is becoming invisible. The…[Read more]

@Unseen

I’m a bit behind reading replies, and found this:

” Once, I explained some aspect of the law regarding when it’s necessary to obtain releases when shooting in public ”

Interesting.

A lawyer friend once told me  there are no privacy laws in Australia. This means not only in public but also on private premises.Nobody has the right to te…[Read more]

@ Unseen

“And didn’t Jimi Hendrix say, “Excuse me, while I kiss this guy”?”

Close enough.

This bloke seems to have it sewn up.

“Glen, on most days I know that it’s “Danny boy” not “Johnny boy.” Senior moment, perhaps.”

I empathise. Only recently I’ve discovered how unforgiving a PC can be when I have such a moment

@ Kristina

“But is it the Londonderry Air or the London Derriere?”

That depends on whether one is on the way to, or on the way from the pub and half a do…[Read more]

“Oh Johnny Boy, the pipes the pipes are calling/From glen to glen, and down the mountainside”

LMAO

First, it’s “Danny Boy”. T’was my father’s favourite song. Dad had a fine lyric tenor voice and would sing it at parties when he was oiled.

A perfect  example of the word being archaic in describing a geographic feature:

Strictly speaking, is on…[Read more]

@Unseen

“Why can’t it be both a personal name and a name for a something?”

I don’t remember saying it cannot. I simply pointed out that  “Glen” is not a gaelic name. However, in  non gaelic speaking Australia   it is mainly used as a name. The use of  ‘glen’ as a geographic feature is rarely heard.   Perhaps seen as  a little archaic , even flow…[Read more]

@jakelafort

” I was not aware of the Gaelic Glen.”

It’s actually a generic  gaelic suffix  “een” .  It means ‘little’ or is used  as term of endearment.   It can also be used as a pejorative.

Pretty sure ‘Glen’ is not a gaelic name, but comes from the Irish and Scottish gaelic;  ‘gleann’ , a small mountain valley.

“You might be a Christian if you quote the bible; you might be an atheist if you’ve actually read it.”

Ironically, too true.

At the catholic boys schools  I attended we were actively discouraged  from reading the bible, “lest you become confused.” ( I kid you not)  I was 16 the time ,so of course I went home and read the entire thing. I soon…[Read more]

jakelafort

I was hoping you were joking.

I’m fine with Glen. Also wouldn’t mind the gaelic  “Gleneen” which is  diminutive/intimate. Has never happened.

My Canadian Mother deliberately gave myself and  my brother  4 letter names.  This was because  of the Aussie habit of messing around with names, sometimes longer, shorter, even a new name…[Read more]

@jakelafort.

“No, not a good video!

If you keep playing redneck videos you might be a redneck.”

In what sense? Morally? Moot.

Informative and reasonably objective?  I thought so,  I thought he made a lot of sense.

Now I’m truly not being sarcastic.  I would like to understand why you thought the video was not a good one. This is cheese and ch…[Read more]

@Kristina

“Hypothetically, everyone is supposed to have the same protections and rights save for when there are bona fide exemptions.”

Oh absolutely! Yet even in my own well developed society and functioning democracy(Australia) this is rarely the case.  Although Oz does have some robust Social Justice policies (in health, education and…[Read more]

Not being a scientist, I’m afraid the conclusions I’ve reached on my own remain a bit muddled:

First,  I reject cartesian dualism.   IE I’m unable to accept that consciousness/the mind  exists independently of the body due to a lack of  empirical evidence

That consciousness is not an object, rather, it is a process, a dynamic of the living brai…[Read more]

@unseen

“You know, there’s a lot of fun made of elderly people. It can hurt”

Just so.

It comes as a bit of a shock to realise one has become socially invisible. Not just from being old*** either.  It can also happen to divorced people. The invitations stop coming.

“When was the last time you saw an elderly person as a flight attendant, for ex…[Read more]

@PopeBeanie

“It’s accepted wisdom that the fewer the people who vote, the better GOP does in elections.”

Certainly that seems the intuitive position.  I can’t remember seeing any data to support that claim, but it could be true I guess.

Anyway, it’s been entertaining trying to  predict what Donald will do next.

Read  some pundit this morn…[Read more]

” They are usually to protect people from their own folly, to criminalize victimless, consensual acts of consenting adults, or to subsidize some special interest at the expense of others.”

What a romantic view of the legal system, any legal system.

Another perception:  <b>The</b> reason for a legal system is to maintain order and the status…[Read more]

@Kristina

Yeah, Dunning-Kruger is very interesting.

Over my Public Service Career I often had to write performance appraisals.

Part of my process was to sit down with the person first and ask them to evaluate their own  performance.Without exception,each person was far less positive about their performance than I was. No doubt at least some…[Read more]

As an outsider, I’m very relieved for the US.

However, I have no expectations of Joe Biden. I hope I’m wrong, because imo  the US needs some fixing.

I can’t help but wonder if his choice of VP was deliberate .IE  That he’s aware his mental health is failing and picked someone capable of taking over if necessary .OR that he has no intention of r…[Read more]