Isn't It Obvious

K Sera discusses the need for better clothing options for professionals. Micah discusses first impressions. Phil realizes that in a world "make believe" he would still be a sad engineer.

 

Shownotes:

JNCO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JNCO

 

K Sera's after thoughts:

This didn’t come up in the episode, but as I was listening to our conversation, Steve Jobs came to mind. He was certainly a trend setter in the business and tech world, but I wanted to point out that he also set trends for business fashion, wearing black mock turtlenecks, Levi’s and New Balance sneakers. This was a little too casual, maybe, but I think dressier blue jeans or dress pants would look more professional, along with simpler, well made dress shoes - that would be my suggestions for improvement. It’s unisex, simple and clean, which I think works well for a business setting. You can swap out the jeans for a modest skirt, or design a dress with a similar look and pair it with leggings or tights.

More thoughts: will this wardrobe have the ability to look professional on all body types? Can you make changes to the design for different climates, keeping the same overall aesthetic, but adapting it to season and temperature?

The biggest takeaway for this episode is that I think the professional aesthetic relies mostly on neatness and cleanliness with a nod to modesty. Minimalistic and well made. There’s room for boldness, but subtlety and presence are at the heart of professionalism.

I think the full on business suit is ridiculous and should go away. No more heavy blazers, no more pencil skirts, no more ties. High heels are the worst. I don’t care if you think it makes your calves look amazing, they’re terrible for your feet. Be kinder to your body!

All this to say -  ties are vestigial bibs, change my mind.

 

Phil's after thoughts:

- Do clothes "maketh the man" (to borrow a quote from Kingsman)?

-Also, fashion is something that I currently struggle with understanding. 

Micah discusses sports. K Sera has insightful thoughts on this subject. Phil can only talk about football because that's all he knows, and he doesn't know much about it.

 

Show notes: n/a

 

After thoughts: N/A

Phil asks about "sell by dates" and the validity of those dates. Micah and K Sera have different thoughts.

 

Show notes: N/A

 

After thoughts: N/A

In this episode Phil discusses the obvious that people should not talk while pooping. Micah disagrees. K Sera brings up the infamous poop knife story.

 

Shownotes: N/A

 

After thoughts: N/A

 

K Sera discusses the ANTI-WORK. Micah discusses capitalism. And as the time of this recording, Phil is still using his spite as both motivation to work.

 

Shownotes:

N/A

 

K Sera's after thoughts:

I feel two ways (as I often do) about anti-work/anti-ambition. One way is that, yes, of course people need to work for society to function, and we “like” society because it makes us safer (or makes us feel safer?) and there is this sense (indoctrination? philosophy?) that if people want to reap the benefits of society, they need to pull their own weight and put in a “fair share” of work towards society’s upkeep. This isn’t wrong necessarily - or hasn’t been wrong - but let’s put a pin in that for a moment.

 

The other way I feel aligns a bit closer to what other philosophers describe in their criticism of the work ethic. We are expected to ‘work for our bread’ for the ‘right to live a decent life,’ which can be both sad and discouraging. I live in a very privileged position. I’ve never been so desperate for basic needs that I would go to creative and terrible lengths to obtain them. I have a hard time understanding the reality of having to survive on little to nothing. But I can imagine it to a point. I have an idea of what that could be, which gives me enough of an incentive to continue to grind away at a job, to make money, to live comfortably - oh joy. 

 

So let me grab that pin back now. There are a lot of jobs that few people will ever find fulfilling, and yet they “need to be done” so we can keep living comfortable and convenient lives. So we convince people to sell their time and effort to do these things for capital to purchase goods that provide (a sense of?) fulfillment as an incentive. 

 

But what if we design machines to replace the dangerous and undesirable jobs? Not a lot of people actually want to work in retail or fast-food. People die doing things like fishing and logging. So, let’s imagine that we replace those jobs with robots, or design a safe and sustainable system to produce and manage resources. Ok, I like this idea. You still need to maintain these machines and facilities. Human labor will need to be a factor at some level. So now what? Those undesirable jobs are suddenly gone. What work can those people who would have filled those positions do? Do they need to work? Will the ‘cost’ to manufacture goods go down at all because the robot workers don’t need to be paid? They still need to be maintained, but they don’t need rest or food, they don’t need healthcare benefits or a vehicle or a house to live in separate from the worksite. So, if the cost of manufacturing goes down, will the cost of goods go down? Will people who can’t find an open job be able to afford the cost to live comfortably? Or will we need a UBI to keep the people who can’t or won’t work alive and safe and comfortable enough to not rise up and riot or steal just to survive? A person’s sense of ‘fairness’ is really tested here. (But life has never been fair.)

 

What if we take ‘cost’ out of the equation?

 

Everything about the way our society functions reinforces the message that human lives are cheap. Individuals are only worth as much as they can add to the collective. You need some way to ‘prove’ your worth to the collective. Right now that’s money, but what if there was something a bit different? Something money adjacent? Now we are getting into creepy social credit territory. Nothing could possibly go wrong with recorded social credit, right? No one would ever cheat the system to establish power and control of the population for their own gain. 

 

So… iio, humanity sucks and that’s why our lives are cheap and why we will forever be wage slaves. The end. 

Keep striving for that magical unicorn occupation that fulfills all the ‘ikigai’ quadrants! And, if you can’t manage that, well, find something you can tolerate that will pay the bills and give you enough time to rest and find fulfillment in recreation. Status quo for the… win… yeah.

 

 

Phil's after thoughts:

This is what I would call a “timeless episode” because our views remain unchanged even after a year. I will argue that our views will not change even after a decade. I suspect it is because we are running into a foundational issue, albeit from a different angle, that the universal truth is that humans do indeed suck.

Yet we humans are very resilient and versatile when no other choice presents itself. And so, with these two contrasting truths, I have no idea what to make of our situation.

For example, I keep thinking about this question (after listening to the episode): While we suffer a decline in our quality of life, there are places where the promise of the social contract is at least recognized (e.g. Nordic nations). The idea of “work hard and you will be rewarded” is laughably naïve here in the States, but perhaps in other societies this still holds true. My inquiry is the following: for those that are a developed country that also have an upward trend in their quality of life, do they also harbor ill resentment of the status-quo system? Do they subscribe to the anti-work/anti-ambition mindset? Do they see the same universal truth that humans do indeed suck? Or are they happy with their social contract?

While we keep moving up the technology ladder and upgrading from brutish machines to smart AI servo-motored robotics, we (as a nation) seem incapable of addressing the political and human issues. We Min-Maxed on Technology while leaving Wisdom at absolute zero. To borrow another analogy: we missed leg day for far too long. This combination of advancement in human labor replacement while also removing social safety nets and/or neglecting retraining  will not bode well for our immediate future, and it may prove to be nightmarish for the next generation if we continue to remain on autopilot.

And I think this conclusion (in its own right) means that the second universal truth is that while money is fiction, power is most definitely not. And in many ways, individuals being deemed viewed as worthy via “productivity” is a cross-product from the current vectors of Money and Time. To answer your question about what else could be money-adjacent, I believe that Power is the closest corollary. And honestly that is much more disturbing in my humble opinion.

As far as teaching my children what to do about our dystopian society, the answer is the same as what Japan has discovered decades ago: compete to win and try not to be a god damn psychopath.

In this episode, Micah discusses the idea of having full transparency (of the audio kind) for our elected officials.

K Sera is against, Micah is for it, and Phil talks about mustard and tan suits.

 

Shownotes: N/A

 

K Sera's afterthoughts:

On the one hand, no. On the other hand, really no. 

That said… I kinda get where Micah is coming from with this topic? The more stories I hear about unsecured classified documents being discovered in elected officials’ private residences, the less and less faith I have in them. The, “Oh, whoops, are those MY classified documents just chillin’ on my kitchen counter?” isn’t inspiring trust.

I don’t really care about what politicians do in their ‘off hours’ - except, well, seems like I really should. What are ethics? Never heard of her?

My feelings about and experience with no one wanting or willing to serve in a position of stewardship hasn’t changed. It’s incredibly hard to get people involved in social necessities when there’s really no incentive. And the incentives are another problem… but I’m not going to digress down that rabbit hole right now. The sad fact is, there are just not enough good people with hardline ethics, flexible thinking, and who are intrinsically motivated to work for society’s betterment. I don’t blame them. It’s thankless work for the most part. When everything is running smoothly, no one notices the effort. 

I’m so tired of being outraged all the time. I’m tired of getting angry at things I have no intention of putting a foot forward to fix. This isn’t a good place to be.

Frankly, I don’t need perfection out of my social leaders. But ideally, they should be a cut above in moral ethics and intelligence. Is that really so much to ask?

Probably. 

People are kind of terrible.

 

Phil's after thoughts:

-At this point this would only hurt Democrats. From my experience living on this planet for almost 40 years, it is astounding just how little the voters hold the GOP accountable for anything. Perhaps I am old fashioned, but back in my day when our politicians at least pretended they care. Now, it seems that even when they are caught 100% doing terrible "against the law" things, they don't even have the common decency to deny it. Maybe someday we can go back to a world where republican politicians will respect the American people enough to lie to our face. Sadly now we just need to subside with their new version of deflection, which is as unpalatable as it is honest: "we don't care you caught us lying, and evidently  neither do you."

-The strangest part about this is how paradoxical our situation is. WE LIVE off outrage-entertainment now (anger-based news is all the "rage" so to speak) but at the same time we have tons of firearms and weapons at our literal disposal. This is a very bad idea. For them and for us.

K Sera states that watching movies at home is better than going to the theater. Micah discusses the finer technical aspects that only movie theater offers. Phill discusses a completely different topic all together about dating.

 

Show notes:

N/A

 

Should have named this episode Phil’s dating advice 101. 

What happened to my home movies?

Also, Micah really likes the movie theater experience. I still can’t figure out why? But there’s a lot of things other people do and enjoy that I … really don’t. So! 

Maybe I should become a Buddhist monk? Just reject these earthly attachments and hermit myself away? Yeah. Except I have plenty of earthly attachments. Curses! It will never work. I love cheese way too much! 

Pro tip: don’t assume everyone likes the same things you like! Even if you can’t really understand what kind of heathen doesn’t like cheese? I mean, cheese is so good? Why wouldn’t you have cheese with every meal? Still, it’s okay if you don’t like cheese. More for me!

 

Phil's after thought:

This episode made me yell at myself (when listening/editing)! That being said, there is something important about having "a third place" and movie theaters seem like a decent enough spot for that. I think Micah really enjoys the technical aspects of movies and sometimes that experience is highlighted with going to a good theater. For me, going to the movies is a treat because of how costly the logistics are (hiring a baby sitter, finding the time to do it, going out and most likely eating at a restaurant near by). It's not that these are necessary things to enjoy a film, but they are nice to have.

  Also, movies themselves are very much boring. Maybe because every story is the same story, or maybe I watched too many movies and now I am just hard to impress, but reading/listening to a good book (or entertaining book, or both) has more joy to me now. I think there is something about a good story (not ruined by Hollywood executives) that really shines through any medium, and right now books are less contaminated by "focus groups, return on investment, and non-value additions to plot to satisfy a new growing marker"   I have this same feeling for video games too. Small indie games feel more artistic and fun while AAA games are just a mass manufactured frozen dinner by comparison. Nintendo is an example where even their most successful franchise "Mario Kart" is literally a remake of a game from the previous generation. And don't get me started on Pokemon!   So perhaps "theater experience" is just a derivative of the decline of good films, and that low-budget indie films are enjoyable at home (as they are not going to be technically oriented due to costs anyway).   I should have led with this argument first, instead of my outdated take on what dating is (good grief). The last time I dated (this is with the editor) I was in High School and AOL instant messaging with a 56k modem was a large part of my courtship. My advice on dating tips should include "warning: these suggestions coincide with dinosaurs roaming the earth, caveat emptor!"

Micah discusses artificial intelligence and activates a trap card. Phil cannot comprehend the 2nd book from Ernest Cline. K Sera has plans.

 

Show notes:

N/A

 

K Sera's after thoughts: 

I don’t have much to say for this episode except:

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” - W. Shakespeare.

“You guys do planning?” - Phil

(๑•ૅㅁ•๑)!? Guys! What? 

 

Phil's after thoughts:

In this episode we really beat down on the book Ready Player Two as a novel that is so terrible we spent half an hour discussing just how bad Ernest Cline was in writing this book during COVID-19 lockdown. While I still defend my position (that this book is terrible), I do want to say that at least he tried. A lot of people write terrible science fiction (to your point), but at least they attempted to promote their idea (even if the idea is a blatant money grab). I feel like it is far too easy to critique, and while Ernest Cline deserves it, he should get some credit for putting himself out there (because Craig Alanson of Expeditionary Force said that he started writing books because he read a science fiction book so bad, he said to his wife that "he could write a better book" and that is exactly what he did; the terrible book serves as a motivation that others can do this too, but just don't expect to make any money out of it).

  Finally, as for making plans, with so many "once in a life time" events happening every 7 years, I think my "plans" in life are more like Bear Grylls "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome" and I struggle in doing any of these, let alone being competent in all three. Now that I think about it, maybe there is a lot of merit in planning. Also, I know that the Editor has long range plans (of course) so thank goodness I can be on autopilot! Plan: be lucky.

Phil discusses the difficulty of critical thinking. Micah and K Sera also talk about pets!

 

Show Notes:

N/A

 

K Sera's after thoughts:

- It’s good to leave your echo chambers every once in a while. It’s also good to travel outside of your community and your country on occasion. Be a guest in someone else’s land. After your travels, it’s okay to return home, or alternatively, to move.

- Friends shouldn’t be your “cabinet of adversaries” unless you have long-standing trust and your friendship can handle the strain of disagreement. Mostly, friends should have your back and share your core values. Surrounding yourself with other perspectives is healthy, but if your inner values and philosophies don’t align at least in a few fundamental areas, you won’t have a very strong friendship. The best you can hope for is to have a civil and professional relationship with the people who don’t share your core values. You may not trust or relax fully with those people, but you can still potentially do business or be respectful neighbors. 

- There are definitely people you don’t want to be your neighbors, though… some people are just assholes and certain fundamental values have no compromises.

 

Phil's after thoughts:

- I assume I am normal. I am starting to have my doubts.

- That being said, I do have trust issues when talking about silly and serious things to people I know. There is a certain level of trust that I need before I can feel open to talk about serious and silly things. I am certain that everyone has this barrier too. I also agree with K Sera that it is far easier to develop trust with people that have the same core values. I do wonder if that is how echo chambers are created.

Micah asks if it is obvious if we (as a society) are so interested in dystopias is because we are currently living in one. Will Micah convince K Sera and Phil?

 

Show notes:

N/A

 

After thoughts:

N/A