Memories of the 28th Century

Asperger's Syndrome in a syndrome in individuals that is typified by talking a lot, usually about a favorite subject in one-sided conversations in which the one with Asperger’s will not admit the possibility that he is wrong. People with Asperger’s also lack empathy, do not pick up on social cues and may lack inborn social skills, such as being able to read others' body language, recognize subtle differences in speech tone, pitch, and accent that alter the meaning of others, speech may be flat and ...

The passage of the Senate bill to end the shutdown brought to mind other confidence games; the whole shutdown was a scam; it was just some troublesome children making life inconvenient for other people. But that scam was nothing compared to the great scams of the past, and Ponzi doesn’t even deserve this much of a mention, but the financial industry has been responsible for some good ones. The insurance crisis that led to the Great Recession was a good one, but it never fooled any except the silliest ...

There were good reasons why the adage “spare the rod and spoil the child” has been in use for so long. In isn’t the act of hitting that instills decent behavior; it is the matter of receiving prompt and appropriate punishment. Even those who have been conditioned by their genetic heritage can be amended to some degree, if the treatment is prompt and appropriate. Not only can that help parents to teach their children to mind their manners at home, but thousands of years of experience have shown that ...

I suppose that there are reasons for holidays existing, but they can’t be very good reasons, because holidays mostly just get in the way, and yesterday I heard someone ask why Columbus Day was a holiday. If that’s the kind of respect that Columbus gets these days, then he probably would agree that there should not be a holiday for him, even though that’s one of better reasons for a holiday.

If we go back to the beginning, I don’t think that anyone has determined whether demand for ...

I am not advocating the use of any illegal substance, but I do not believe that there should be any illegal substances, certainly not in a supposedly free society. There are fairly good rationales for the existences of some laws that are supposedly intended to save people from themselves, but I question whether it is the business of government to save people from themselves. I realize that there are individuals who are incapable of caring for them, and some laws are intended to protect such people ...