Andy Lowry @AndyLowry@qoto.org

@jayarava
A further note on superstition-- were you to see me, I would appear very superstitious indeed. For example, whenever I’m about to engage in some simple physical activity, like washing dishes, ironing, cooking, et cetera, I’m likely to put on a rakusu to act as a reminder that this is a great time to exercise a little stillness if I can. I’m a little nutty about such reminders— I have a dhamma tattoo and several items with Chinese micro-engraving of the Heart thing (a ring, a wrist mala , a tiny metal book, and a little onyx pendant). Yes, the jewelry and such are a bit silly, but silly can be fun. Little private jokes with myself, I guess. 😎

@malwaretech
Thank you Marcus.

@atomicpoet
I want one of those so bad. When I retired, I finally ditched Windows with glee, forgetting that that meant no more Mass Effect and the like for me. My M1 Mac will run a lot of it with Parallels, but their fee is a bit high and the Windows licensing is really iffy (as in eval only). Good to hear you're using one, would be delighted to learn more of you impressions!

@lauren
That really blew me away at the time.

@dangillmor
I really love that they sent in a police officer to arrest books, essentially. I sure hope nobody tells them about digital lending. Or Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive and the like.

@ct_bergstrom
Thanks very much for that. I've always suspected that I could have friendly association with the ubiquitous ravens that live around me in large numbers, and I'm guessing your advice would work just as well for that slightly different species.

@ralf
Yeah, I guess anything edible does have intrinsic value. Including water.

@jayarava
Very interesting indeed! I'll be spending some time with that today. Always a sucker for archeological references that pin events and concepts in time. I wish the author had gone to the trouble of providing English translations for the Pali so that I could follow along better, but I'll settle for what I can get. 😉 🤔

@jayarava
'What you mean "we,"' as the old song goes? 😉 I need to re-read your essay on the topic of sunyata, I guess, which I don't remember as being quite so extreme. I'll probably always think of sunyata as related to anatta and everything-happening- by-itself, the no-there-there realization that the "Diamond" and Perfection writings talk about. I can't see the distinction between your notion of sunyata and coma or death. Could that really be what the authors intended?

Your analysis of May 2018 touches on a similar, and I presume related, point, in talking about the meaning and use of anupalambayogena. Is it really about attempting a vegetative state, though, or is it (as I think more likely) plain old non-attachment, if at a more thorough approach? I've no doubt, given some incomprehensible behavior amongst us humans, that there may well indeed have been attempts by practitioners to chase after the state I was in when anesthetized for surgery. But is that really what the Perfection works are recommending as a practice? Seems counter-productive to me, unless they thought of suicide as productive. (Which I guess they very well could have.)

Looks like my argument is mostly "I don't like it!" at this point, so I guess I have some work to do here. At least it won't be boring. As always, thank you.

@jujuliagrace
Though American, this is a topic that is interesting and alarming to me. Thanks for continuing to provide alerts, and may Sysiphus bless you.

@MinAdrianne
As a non-Christian and thus an outsider, I've been quite confused by some ideas that have adopted the Christian label. 😉

A copy of the New Testament can be found most anywhere, even for free. I've read it (and was delighted enough by some sections to have returned them for more contemplation). So it's odd to me that so many self-identified ultra-Christian folks have not a damn clue what any of it says or means. Maybe there needs to be tests and licensing and registration. 😀 😉

@SFuntowicz @TheConversationUS
I've read about those, but didn't know they were happening in Italy too. It's such a beautiful idea. Thanks!

@alanthwaits@noc.social
Good on you! That's the kind of interest that just keeps opening broadening.

If you haven't read Gleick's "The Information," this would be the perfect time. An entertaining and readable history of ideas about communication, storage, processing, and so on. Claude Shannon was god, I'm pretty sure.

@theghostoftomjoad
Don't remind me. I'd go picket the shop in Wales, but it'd be cold and I'm lazy.

@ralf
Funny and I agree, but what currency is NOT imaginary? That's the one I want to use.