Fred's Blog

Author: Fred Rothganger

  • COVID update

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    Fred Rothganger
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    We’re back home from Bunker Hill. Hoping we didn’t pick up Corona along the way. Now I must wait 14 days before going back to work, though the chances of work actually being open in 14 days are a bit unclear. Strictly speaking, I should self-quarantine for the next 2 weeks, but I hope to…

  • Are we better than the Inquisition?

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Watched the movie “The Fountain” last night, which contains horrific scenes from the Spanish Inquisition. What makes our modern world different than the “Dark Ages”? Technology Freedom of thought and respect for human rights While these may seem connected (freedom of thought –> science –> technology), they can be separated. The Nazi’s used advanced technology…

  • Arrival of the Corona Apocalypse

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Well, the Corona Apocalypse has suddenly gotten a lot more real in Albuquerque. With 6 confirmed cases, the governor decided to close schools for the next 3 weeks. At my job there is talk of asking everyone to work from home. We were taking bets today on whether that would happen by Monday or not.…

  • You are precious

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I believe that individual human beings are the most valuable thing in the universe. Your mind, with the unique experiences that have formed your view of the world, and the well-being of the body that carries that mind, are very important to me. I won’t pretend to always live up to this principle. I’m a…

  • I Am Not A Robot

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I’m always on the hunt for a good robot story. For some reason, these seem hard to find. US and European artists tend to veer towards dark stories, where AI tries to take over the world and kill off humans (Robopocalypse) or where robots get abused (Westworld, Humans). On the other hand, Asian artists tend…

  • Propaganda

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I have a number of friends on social media who share political posters. They vary from extreme liberal to extreme conservative. I find all propaganda, regardless of political persuasion, to be irrational. And I hate irrationality more than any specific political view. It doesn’t matter if it’s something you agree with or not. Propaganda is…

  • Gun control

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I’ve heard arguments for and against gun control, and I feel confused about which approach is best. The Constitution protects our right to defend ourselves, which implies that we have access to as much deadly force as anyone else. OTOH, easy access to military grade weapons seems to enable mass shootings. I think there are…

  • Chicken behavior

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    Fred Rothganger
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    One of our chickens died yesterday, and I had the opportunity to see some interesting behavior from the rest of the flock. Normally they are pretty relaxed around us, especially when we are putting down water and feed. But when I picked up the dead bird, the others starting making warning clucks and ran to…

  • Humans 2.0

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    Fred Rothganger
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    The second season of Humans is now available without extra charge on Amazon Prime. Yeah! Binge watched this week. Like the first season, it was an engaging story with interesting characters and problems. Here a few of the things it did right: Working out the relationship between humans and technology — This is really the…

  • Half-Broken Music Box

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Recently I mentioned watching Plastic Memories. Another anime with similar theme is “Kowarekake no Orgel” (“Half-Broken Music Box”), though only about half an hour long. It’s the story of a guy who finds an old gynoid that has been thrown away. He tries to take care of her and make her happy, but she is…