Random Thoughts, Part 27: Trump 2.0, Sci-Fi AI vs. Real AI, Black Cats, Satanic Panic, Musical Time-Slippage, Conceptual Constructions of Politics, Sinners, etc.

 

My random thoughts continue, now with 27 parts with 801 total thoughts! With the second Trump administration driving us full-bore into making America less great several times every single goddamn day, I've had a lot of politics on my mind lately. And there are continuing issues about AI. I worry my random thoughts are not so random these days. But randomness doesn't rule out clusters of similar ideas. And you'll still find a few other things in there about my dental habits, listening to Nirvana, the Satanic Panic, the film Sinners, cats, and more. And of course, there are memes! Enjoy!

First Contact Day, Hands Off, and the Fruitfully Inscrutable Effects of Protest

 

A shot of the Hands Off Protest in Chattanooga, TN, April 5, 2025.
You can see me in the street on duty as a crossing guard. (Credit: Sophia Cowan)

Yesterday, April 5, 2025, saw the the confluence of two events. For Star Trek fans, it was First Contact Day, a day that celebrates first contact between humans and Vulcans, which in most Star Trek timelines will take place on April 5, 2063 (a mere 38 years from now!). Yesterday was also a Hands-Off protest with over 1000 individual events around the US, including here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Millions of Americans nationwide protested the recent dramatic actions of the Trump administration and his ally Elon Musk.

How on Earth (or any other planet) could these two events be connected?

So You're Going to Quote MLK?

 

So you're going to quote Martin Luther King, Jr.? Great! Here are a few pointers.

Some Thoughts on the Chauvin Verdict

 

Now that it’s been a few days, here are some thoughts on the Chauvin verdict (he was the former Minneapolis police officer who was recently found guilty of murdering George Floyd in May 2020).

Thoughts on the Pandemi-versary: Will we really learn anything?

 

Sign of the times: the collection of masks I've accumulated over the last year

Today is the anniversary of the day when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Here's an entry from my pandemic journal on the topic. I'll keep posting that journal, but I thought excerpting this entry would be a good way to commemorate our pandemi-versary.

2020 in Hindsight

                      

What a fucking year. At the beginning of 2020 I was looking forward to a year of tenure and travel. Here, at the end, I’m looking back on a year of turmoil.

Pandemic Journal, Part 16: Our Non-Normal November

My Pandemic Journal continues with Part 16: Our Non-Normal November. (I tried to think of something catchier. Maybe you can do better!) 

It has been a non-normal month (granted, we have had a lot of non-normal months lately). But this one had the bizarreness of the US election on top of everything else.

One thing that has become normal (at least on this blog): memes! Enjoy!

Four Thanksgiving Horror Movies to Watch at Home Instead of Spreading the Coronavirus to Your Family

 

Last week we showcased my horror and philosophy students' films in Horrific Thoughts: Post-Halloween Philosophical Horror Film Fest! (You can see a recording of the full event here, or just watch most of the films here).

Why was it not a Halloween film fest? In previous pre-COVID years, it was. But I figured that life is horrific enough right now, and I gave my students a few more weeks to complete their films. And they did a great job making some fun films during a pandemic (they will be writing philosophical reflections on their films as explained here).

Toward the end of the event, I noted that Thanksgiving is coming up here in the US and mentioned that there are Thanksgiving horror films. And one of the jurors for the film fest, Chris Dortch (who runs the excellent Chattanooga Film Festival), mentioned Blood Rage. I watched Pilgrim last year. After looking into it, I also found The Oath and Thankskilling. 

So, I guess I have enough for a short list of Thanksgiving horror films to watch at home instead of spreading the Coronavirus to your family this year! Seriously, don't give your family COVID-19. Small indoor gatherings with people outside your immediate household are a major spreader of the virus. Stay home. Be safe. And hopefully your family will all still be here to celebrate next Thanksgiving. Stay home and watch these movies instead!

Pandemic Journal, Part 11

My Pandemic Journal continues with Part 11, which covers most of July 2020 until the 25th. You can see Part 10 here. And as has become tradition, there are lots of random memes. I have an even larger than usual store of memes saved for this post. I may have gotten a little carried away. Enjoy!

Militarism and Metaphysics: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

I wasn't sure what I'd think of this book when I saw that it was a Hugo nominee this year. I'm not a huge fan of military science fiction (I don't even like Heinlein's Starship Troopers), but having read Hurley's bizarre/cool novel The Stars Are Legion, I was interested to see what she'd come up with.

Pandemic Journal, Part 9 (A New Hope?)

My pandemic journal continues (see my previous entry here). It's an understatement to say that a lot has been happening the last couple weeks. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll see. And of course, there are memes.