A philosophic system is an integrated view of existence. As a human being, you have no choice about the fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought and scrupulously logical deliberation — or let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions, false generalizations, undefined contradictions, undigested slogans, unidentified wishes, doubts and fears, thrown together by chance, but integrated by your subconscious into a kind of mongrel philosophy and fused into a single, solid weight: self-doubt, like a ball and chain in the place where your mind’s wings should have grown.

Ayn Rand, Philosophy: Who Needs It

The TV phenomenon LOST came to an end last night after six seasons. There’s a great deal of hubbub as to whether the resolution of the show was legitimate, satisfying, or even “valid,” based on the rules of the LOST universe set in place by the show’s creators.

First of all, twelve hours after the eye closed, my head is still spinning. I am still sorting out the implications of the final moments of the show. However, I can definitively say that I am completely satisfied with the way the show ended. I’ll try to explain why in the following paragraphs, but first I’ll explore a little about why so many fans are upset by what transpired in the finale.

Ever since I started watching LOST at the beginning of the second season (I played catch up a week before the season two premiere by NetFlix-ing season one), there’s been a large faction of viewers touting the notion that the creators shouldn’t rely on “religion,” “spirituality,” or “mysticism” to explain the universe they had created. The implication was that that would be a sort of “cop out,” often predicated on the fact that the speaker “doesn’t believe in all that stuff.”

I was always mystified by these misgivings, since the essence of good stories contains at least a little bit of mystery, and–as Kurt Vonnegut observed–all stories follow a well-known pattern in which we expect a sort of “outside intervention” and it is this very transaction between the mundane, “real life” of the characters and the providence of Fate, or God, or Whatever that makes the story worth telling and retelling.

I think part of the problem is the refusal to accept that there may be things that we will never understand. Science is the god of our age and it provides all the answers. Scientists admit, or course, that there are answers that science can’t give us right now, but with the proper amount of time and inquiry, the answers will always come.

I think LOST is predicated on the idea that there are answers that will never come. There are things that will always elude human understanding. Do I think that should curtail our quest for understanding? Of course not. Rather, I think we should see the limits of human reason and understanding not as a boundary that we can not or should not cross, but a vast frontier in which to explore anything and everything within our grasp.

The way LOST ends is not a cop out. It doesn’t fall flat and unresolved. It’s a nod to the limits of human understanding. And I’m OK with that.

EDIT: If you want a sample of the “I can’t believe it was all about religion!” discussion, look here.

… that we were floating in space, connected to each other by only a thin umbilical cord. The cord snapped and I began to drift away from you. I was helpless. I tried to swim back to you but in the frictionless vacuum of space, I was only flailing and spinning.

Suddenly I became aware that I was carrying a lot of stuff in my arms. Whatever these things were, they were dear to me and I didn’t want to give them up. But my despair grew as I drifted farther away from you. Finally I lifted a parcel over my head and heaved it away from me. My departure from you slowed ever so slightly.

Encouraged, I lifted another item high over my head and shoved it away into the blackness. Looking back, I noticed that I had stopped moving away from you. Now I began enthusiastically throwing away these dear things, watching them float away in the opposite direction as I picked up velocity toward you.

I began to weep as the distance between us closed. At last I was left with a lone package in my arms. My dearest possession. I hesitated, realizing that it wasn’t necessary to release this package in order to reach you. All it would do is further increase my velocity.

I strengthened my resolve and shoved this last parcel away into infinity just before you embraced me and I felt more whole than I knew was possible.

Then I woke up.

First of all, it’s not you, it’s me. Actually, it’s another browser. You see, Google Chrome has extensions now and … It’s just that, you’re not the browser I used to know. You were so revolutionary, so fast and carefree. You opened my eyes to what a browser can be after a long abusive relationship with Internet Explorer. But now it’s like every time I bring home a little extra memory, you gobble it up and I’m stuck watching the pages load.

I hope we can remain friends. I still really like you. I just need a change of scenery.

You’ll always be my first true browser.

You may have heard me refer to myself as a “high tech redneck” and wondered what the heck that means. I’m here now to hopefully clear up some confusion as to what the label means, as I see it.
I like to work with my hands. Splitting wood, working on my old pickup truck, building a bookshelf, you get the idea.
I like living in the country and I like the emphasis that people “out here” place on family and community. I also like the focus on “traditional values.” Note, however, that I don’t necessarily cling to the “real ‘Mericans are Republicans who distrust minorities, favor bombing other countries for any and all reasons, and always buy Chevys” ideals upheld by some of my brethren. I favor Formula One over NASCAR, and I don’t think God needed a driver.
I think activities like hunting and fishing, done right, breed a respect and intimacy with the earth and its inhabitants that people concerned about “cruelty to animals” and “senseless killing” will probably never understand (and no, at this writing I have never been hunting–yet).
On the other hand, I love technology, although I tend to take a rather grassroots approach to it. I’d much rather “home brew” a gadget or other solution to a tech problem than go out and buy the latest “thing.” I love progressive ideas and changing the rules of the game when it comes to technology and progress.
I often find myself stuck in the gap between self sufficiency and interconnection. There’s a disconnect sometimes between the expansionary forces involved in emerging platforms like Twitter, and the stripped down, subsistence-based pioneer ethos. So, being a high tech redneck is about the balancing act between these two (apparently) disparate paradigms.
Enough about me. Write a comment and tell me what you think.

November 1 marks the start of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month), where the goal is to make (at least) one blog post each day for 30 days. After nearly being preempted by my hosting provider, I’m here to throw may hat in the ring. I’ve been beating myself up lately about neglecting this blog, so this is an opportunity to get into the good habit of establishing a connection between the cloud of ideas and opinions in my head and the output of Ridiculosity.

P.S. Wanna help out? If you read this blog, and especially if you like what you read, leave a comment, tweet or retweet a link, or post a Facebook link. There’s nothing like positive reinforcement to help establish a new habit! Thanks!

This was originally written to a Facebook friend who recently started tweeting. It’s an amalgamation of thoughts that have been floating around in my head for a while.

It takes a while to find your “niche” on Twitter (both your “voice”–what you write and share, and your “ears”–who you follow). Stick with it and try some different things. Look for people who are interested in the same things as you, or who have things to say that you’re interested in hearing. You’ll find that people will begin to reciprocate and follow you. 140 character limitation aside, Twitter is blogging and blogging is writing and writing takes practice. If you don’t like the way it sounds, try again until you find an authentic point of view that enriches your relationships.

As an aside, resist the urge to use a tool that syncs your tweets with your FB status or vice versa. I find that it ends up short-changing either “followers” or “friends” (or both). There are times that I update or share something on both at once, but as a rule I use them independently. Above all, do what works for you while striving to “create more value than you capture,” as Tim O’Reilly says.
Here are some links that may help you get started on Twitter, all written by Michael Hyatt on his blog:

Answers to Top 10 Twitter Objections

12 Reasons to Start Twittering

The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter

An article on Mashable today shows that according to a Nielsen study, Twitter’s growth can’t be attributed to those younger than 25.  Implications of this are manifold, but the first thing that came to mind is the fact that Twitter, like “real life,” in-person relationships, is sometimes hard work.

Twitter resonates with people who are more comfortable in their position in society and  are looking for meaningful relationships through which valuable content is exchanged.  Twitter is an ongoing conversation. What’s been said is water under the bridge. The focus is on moving the conversation forward and collaborating to create value and meaning by sharing information.

By contrast, Facebook provides a way to create a static view into your life. You can carefully select quotes, interests, links, and photos that reflect exactly what you want your friends to see. You can even tailor your friend list to control exactly who you associate with and who can see your meticulously manicured online identity. When it comes down to it, Facebook becomes an exercise in creating a self that you want others to see,  rather than one of finding meaning through relationships with others.

Twitter more closely emulates real life relationships. The focus is more on content. What you say and how you say it has a lot of influence on how you fit into the social landscape. Being a professional writer, I frequently tell my colleagues and friends that Twitter is a lot of fun because every update is an exercise in careful editing as you choose which 140 characters you’ll use to convey information.

Followers and followed come and go on Twitter as we search for meaningful relationships and useful information. Facebook is a popularity contest. The more friends you have, the bigger the audience to watch as you tweak your profile into the envy of your friends.

I upgraded to WordPress 2.8 and added a new theme. The coolest thing about 2.8 is the ability to add themes and plugins directly withing WordPress.

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Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro dashboard:

Looks like a clown puked all over it, huh?