Galt's Gulch

I am BORED

Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago to Philosophy
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look at my points on this board. who the hell is willing to produce? say something that draws K

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  • Posted by jimjamesjames 8 years, 9 months ago
    No offense, K, but when I said I was bored one time (I was probably 13 or so) my dad responded, "No, YOU are boring." Changed my thought pattern.
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    • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
      well, I did not say I was bored in LIFE. just in here. and I produced hugely in here for a couple of years. but I get your meaning
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      • Posted by $ puzzlelady 8 years, 9 months ago
        Sorry, but 'producing" in here is not the same as producing in real life, which is where time is better spent. Gulch conversations CAN invigorate, knowing people who share our values exist, and we get some visibility among them. But we are not here just to provide entertainment to or gain approval from certain individuals. When every thread is monopolized by pushers of some religious agendas, I check out. Thanks, kh, for trying to recalibrate our Gulchian wavelength.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
    Do you need us to contribute more? I don't respond to need. ;)
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    • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
      Scott once told me that it has to do with the movies. They are all out there now and we aren't getting the excitement riveted around the next one happening. could be. Maybe I should have asked a more productive question. What is missing? Let's find it. Make it a reality in here. I'm not sure what it is. I'm thinking about it though :)
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      • Posted by $ AJAshinoff 8 years, 9 months ago
        Its not that the movies are all out, though I'm sure that part of it. I'd wager that its people gradually grew tired of the echo chamber. A robust and interesting conversation can only be had when others don't entirely think as you do. Getting kicked in the crotch by people you valued when you speak generally stops people from speaking and, in time, showing interest. Sorry to say, this is no surprise to me.

        I now only post things of social and scientific interest every so often. Its just not worth the time/trouble expressing myself here anymore.

        Solely my perspective.
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        • Posted by $ root1657 8 years, 9 months ago
          I'd like to concur with all that you've said an add a piece more... I'm a producer, and agree with the fundamental tenants of objectivism. I support this site financially (notice the little $ by my name) and contribute to conversations when time allows. All of that said, the voices of the echo chamber have openly stated that I would not be welcome in their gulch because of my religious beliefs. How many others got a bad taste for this site over that kind of attitude, and have infact shrugged this gulch? I know I nearly did, but I chose to overlook the little minds and support the larger mission of educating more people to the ways of Galt.
          So if I asked here, and if there was a voting button for it, how many here would accept me in the gulch, with the understanding that my money and my principles are not server-able from my beliefs? How many others took the conversations at value, and see the people here as no different than the looters that want them to change their ways while still providing the means for their own destruction?
          I'd contend that some portion of those people didn't get bored and leave, they shrugged galtsgulchonline, silently left, and you are just now noticing they are going missing... guess it's the flip side of the coin, they didn't need the gulch as much as the gulch needed them.
          I guess that makes me a Hank or Dagny, refusing to shrug.... yet...
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          • Posted by plusaf 8 years, 9 months ago
            Yep, that's me.. except I got voted down for NOT having religious convictions or views shared by enough others.
            The endless 'views and opinions' of the early days when AS1 was first being created; the limitless opinions and complaints about which actor or actress should have or should Not have been cast in some part or another... bored me to tears. None of our opinions or votes could have changed anything.
            Now we're doing the same thing with a made-for-TV version?
            Or debating which presidential candidate Will Be The Best (or Worst) President Ever "Next time"?
            Do some of you / Can some of you imagine how discouraging it is to offer Critical Thinking Questions and process into discussions here and get zero response or insults in return?
            I came very close to ending my subscription and support at the last renewal time, and right now I'm not sure I didn't make a mistake BY renewing.

            Funny thing for me is that I dropped my hardcopy subscription to our local paper here in Raleigh due to increasing costs, and that's freed up time for me to catch up on some Reason Magazine issues from the past year and a half that have been waiting for me.
            I've discovered that Many issues that are bitched and moaned about Today were addressed in depth and thoughtfully at least a year ago in Reason.
            And they're still bitched about today.
            You think THAT isn't discouraging, too?
            Well, it is.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
        The reality that things are getting progressively (word chosen very carefully) worse exponentially is sinking in. The Fed's proposal of negative interest rates is an example.

        If you look at the five stages of grief, this forum had/has many who are angry. The next stage after that is depression and detachment. I am moving into that phase now. After that comes dialogue and bargaining. There had been a lot of people dialoguing, but now have moved into the frightening stage given our current circumstances called acceptance. I will never accept the current situation. I suggested to my wife and kids last night that, if Bernie Sanders is elected, that we should just shrug and leave.
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        • Posted by plusaf 8 years, 9 months ago
          Well, negative rates haven't done shit for Japan, and to the other point, Where Else IS There To Go?
          With all the shortcomings of the US government and its policies, my wife and I can't come up with any other country that doesn't have similar or worse issues They're bitching about.
          We toured part of Great Britain last summer, and the papers and TV programs and just about everyone we overheard were complaining about Almost Exactly The Same "Problems" we'd heard in the US before we left.
          It's The SOLUTIONS and ANALYSIS that's failing us and them, too.
          One thing that's kept me very cheerful is that I was born in late 1945, just after the end of WWII, and I've lived through, survived and enjoyed some of the BEST Times I could have imagined in the US.
          Today, as the Millennials worship Bernie for his promises to let them off the hook for their stupid and "unacceptable" college loan debts, I revel in the fact that my life expectancy will certainly not let me suffer from their mistakes for but a small percentage of my life span.
          I've tried to open some youngsters' eyes to the history and viewpoints but except for a VERY small number who can still Think and Reason, for most of the rest, it's like Pushing On A Rope. Futile.
          So, I've found my alternative: Enjoy life as much as possible for as long as I have left. It's worked quite well since I got an early retirement in '02. One of the Only Things I'll Ever thank Carly for.
          Cheers; Enjoy!
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          • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
            Enjoy your retirement, plusaf. I'm only 49. A couple more years like the late 1990s would have been enough, but I have been treading water for 15 years now.
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            • Posted by plusaf 8 years, 9 months ago
              Subscribe to MarketMinder.com's weekly summaries or daily briefings. We've been with Fisher as our IRAs' money managers for nearly twelve years... beginning in 06.04, and they've only missed one reallocation trend in that period because they hadn't been observing or tracking some of the Government's influences on the economy... so they missed part of the Housing Bubble's Bust. Now they have a department dedicated to that.
              Their philosophies are consistent over the years. If you buy into their Kool-Aid policies of what they do and why, you, like I, will tend to stop following the financial mainscream media's howling and cancel all of your financial newsletters.
              As I finally deduced some decades ago, financial newsletter publishers (ALL of them) are publishing their religious beliefs in order to make extra cash on the side. If they weren't, WHYTF would they try to educate people to compete in the financial investment markets Using Their Strategies?!?!? Think competition and free markets, scratch your head, then cancel your expensive subscriptions.
              A dear friend of mine connected us with Fisher when, in retirement, he discovered he was spending too much of his life tracking the market and managing his investments and not doing any better than Fisher.
              At 49, you might not reach the minimum threshold buy-in to be a Fisher Client (currently $500k) but if you do some day, I'd strongly recommend them.
              And no, I don't get a toaster if you sign up with them :) .
              I left Schwab because they were cookbook and didn't have any hands-on help for me.
              I bailed on Smith-Barney when our IRAs were losing money and the broker was bragging about their new high-end SUV and home remodeling. They were not in business to help ME, either.
              Fisher makes money based on its clients' balances. If they want more fees, they need to increase the values of all clients' portfolios.
              Took me decades of pissing money away on get-rich cold-callers to learn my lesson.
              And hey,... no charge for this screed, either!
              Enjoy!
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              • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
                Thanks for the tip. I have that much, but that would be putting too many eggs in one basket for me.
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                • Posted by plusaf 8 years, 9 months ago
                  The 'one basket' is the One Company. Our IRAs are spread across fifty or sixty holdings, virtually none of which comprise more than 1-2% of the total holdings... equities, bonds, whatever. It's not like they put all your money in one bucket. Check the fisher.com website for a better view of who they are and what they do...
                  Whatever.... I just wanted to make sure that misconception, if any, was clarified.
                  Best wishes and good luck, whatever you choose.
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                  • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 9 months ago
                    I had done something similar with the Janus family of funds. When I investigated the details of which stocks were owned in which funds, there was more overlap than I was comfortable with. If I am seeking some protection through diversification, I will recognize that I am not going to get the huge win, but I'm not going to get any nasty surprises either. For the huge wins, I am counting on myself. ;)
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      • Posted by $ winterwind 8 years, 9 months ago
        This is about the most interesting thing said in this entire thread, and about the least addressed. What is missing, or has been added, to make this living room boring and sometimes tedious to people who valued it and were valueable before? I want it back, too. If you would, do an ask-the-Gulch and see what people say. Ask "do you go to the Gulch more or less than you did a year ago? Why? What would you like to see that would help that boredom go away?" I'll help you tabulate the results. I would bet that the complaints seen on this thread alone would be a large part of it: people get treated in ways they don't like. Why? This is not anarchy - is anything done about that, or has the Gulch been cut loose to float away?
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  • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
    When I was growing up, I learned never to say I'm bored because I got put to work. If you lived close I would give you something to do. Lucky for you you don't since it is about 10 degrees today. I'd have to make it an outside job just to make it more challenging. :)
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  • Posted by $ Terraformer_One 8 years, 9 months ago
    I have been focused on my concept of creating a business for the Industrial-scale production of organic food and using that as a platform for marshalling my desire to do 'Terraforming' (which I defined as: "Creating Beautiful Gardens.On Other Worlds")

    However I fell into the trap of getting all excited about the idea and its hypothetical potential while neglecting the fact that a business won't go anywhere without customers.

    I like to make some comments on topics that I feel people are going to have strong opinions on, in order to point out facets that I previously hadn't considered.
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  • Posted by helidrvr 8 years, 9 months ago
    A short while ago I found myself feeling a little bored, I decided to read Pendulum of Justice; enjoyed it so much that I kept right on going with Trails of Injustice. Now I'm bored again while I wait to find out what Hank will be up to next. (wink)
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    • Posted by Timelord 8 years, 9 months ago
      You were channeling me when you wrote your comment! I bought Pendulum when DB announced that the Kindle version was available for $0.99. A few days later I gladly paid whatever it cost for Trials. And the day Rangar (That's Ranger, with an A) #3 is available I'll buy that one! I would pre-purchase the next 10 if it were possible.

      I would never want to put any stress on the Hallings, but wouldn't it be a better world if there were a few million eager fans impatiently awaiting the next installment? Forget George R.R. Martin, we want DB R.R. Halling! (But with fewer dragons, not that dragons aren't totally awesome, because obviously they are!)

      On Monday, 2/15, I'll be having open heart surgery to replace my mitral valve, tune up my tricuspid and do 3 by-passes. It sure would have been great to recuperate with a copy of the next book on my tablet!
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    • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
      I agree, 2 great books. If you are looking for something before the next book comes out, which I have the impression there is another, try The Golden Pinnacle. I thought it was a great read as well as thought provoking.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 9 months ago
    I think a more interesting topic would be how we can protect whatever wealth we have from the coming collapse, and in particular how to resurrect our way of life when that happens. AS doesnt really address that, as it ends in the collapse of the statist system. Look no further than Venezuela, which is crashing in real time from a currency collapse while people seem to sit around just watching it happen.

    I know that if I do nothing, my small business making off road lights would collapse along with whatever I have saved. That said, the typical defensive actions like buying gold would be not that helpful when the government repeats the FDR actions of confiscating it during the depression. Venezuela is a real time example of the ways things crash, and we should be looking at it in depth I think.
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    • Posted by helidrvr 8 years, 9 months ago
      At some point you'll have to make a judgement call as to which of those actions you can get away with ignoring. Gold confiscation, among many others, might fit in that category.

      The only morally credible response to the sociopaths is to ignore and/or disobey as many of their dictatorial edicts as your particular tolerance for risk allows.
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      • Posted by term2 8 years, 9 months ago
        sounds like you read Harry Browne's book about living free in an unfree world. I agree with what he says. One has to know the rules the government sets down, the penalties, and the liklihood of being prosecuted.

        As to gold, I keep mine in the "bank of the backyard" outside the control of the banking system. The problem comes in when one tries to spend it after its made illegal. The last time it was illegal, it took I think at least 20-30 years before the illegality was removed. Thats a long time, and I doubt one could buy things like cars or houses using hidden gold. It would only work for black market purchases, for which one might face possible jail time.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 9 months ago
    Are lotteries actually a form of taxation? Fifty percent of Powerball proceeds are paid out to the winner. The rest goes to administrative costs, education, general fund and other things. Is this really just a way of getting poorer Americans to line up and gladly fund government programs?
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    • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
      That is my take on them. Even worst, I suspect a portion of the people playing lotteries are actually receiving taxpayer dollars to play them.
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      • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 9 months ago
        A form of recycling.
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        • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
          Or theft.
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          • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
            this is actually interesting
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            • Posted by richrobinson 8 years, 9 months ago
              A little while ago the Powerball jackpot went to almost 2 billion dollars. I theorized that this was done on purpose. States know the amount coming in accelerates as the jackpot grows. Each night the news showed long lines of people lining up to give money to the State and they had big smiles on their faces. Many of the States that participate don't allow gambling. Legitimate gambling pays out a lot more than 50%.
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            • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
              Scary if this is interesting. You must be bored. :) Me too a little. Too much of the same thing right now. I don't have anything to add so I've been spending more of my spare time, what little I have on your book. It's not boring.
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              • Posted by khalling 8 years, 9 months ago
                nice to hear. we used to have such fun in here
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                • Posted by Mamaemma 8 years, 9 months ago
                  K, I agree. I even posted once about the vibrant sense of life in the Gulch and how coming here always made me smile.
                  For some months now, the Gulch has been dominated by a few individuals who are very wordy and overwhelming; also very conservative. Frankly, I find those comments and posts boring. The result has been that I participate in the Gulch much less.
                  I don't know how to bring back the vibrancy of the Gulch. Do you?
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                  • Posted by plusaf 8 years, 9 months ago
                    Same for me, Mama...
                    and one of the biggest turnoffs for me has been debates on Religion and Does God Exist.
                    (or was Hitler really a Christian or Atheist or FSM Believer...)

                    As a friend said to me MANY LONG years ago, "If, in the next ten minutes, I could convince you that God Exists... OR that God does NOT Exist.... and, out of that epiphany, you were to change your behavior or outlook on life....
                    THEN YOU REALLY SHOULD LOOK AT HOW YOU'RE BEHAVING NOW!
                    And still people debate the wrong issue.
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                • Posted by edweaver 8 years, 9 months ago
                  We did have a much fun and I learned allot. Don't you think this is a natural progression of any subject? Once it has been stated so many times in so many ways it becomes beating a dead horse. I get bored if there is not something new to talk about. I have the same issue with books. Too much of the same thing and I new info or I move on to something else. But this is the gulch so something new and interesting will show up sooner or later. Maybe it will be you or I that post it.
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    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 8 years, 9 months ago
      It may have a useful function. Recently with the Power Ball so high many people started thinking about what they would do if they won. I don't usually think along those lines because without a ticket it's even more unlikely, but I did.

      So did Jan. And when we compared notes on what we would do with virtually unlimited cash we both had similar ideas for investing some in our company. The perspective gave us some thoughts on how to prioritize the money we actually do have.

      So it was a useful exercise. Now, you don't actually have to spend $2 to think about what you would do, but it may add verisimilitude to your ruminations.
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    • Posted by bsmith51 8 years, 9 months ago
      Lotteries constitute a tax on the stupidity of the ticket buyers. The conflict of interest is that lotteries often then support public (government) education, which guarantees an ever increasing number of them.
      It follows, then, that - since it's time for the stupid people to finally pay their fair share - all government at all levels should be solely financed by lottery ticket buyers. If this seems too radical, consider it would not really such a departure from the current situation; the size of government(s) would be directly proportional to the stupidity of the populace.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 9 months ago
    You're kidding, of course.
    Bored at the Gulch, the news, your creativity? Short attention span?
    My mom always said the same thing when as a kid I told her I was bored (Transliterating) "Gai shlug dienen kopf in vant." -- go hit your head against the wall. That should cure your boredom. Easy to see that she was eastern European. Ever since I retired, I have become the most unbored person you ever met. (Unbored is not a word, isit?)
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 9 months ago
    the few, the far, the in between?

    a rock and a very hard place

    For the record....i would never have go to one thousand without the main stays of the conversation and still be mired in a a few vital misconceptions so ....for what it's worth...

    thank you
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  • Posted by $ Stormi 8 years, 9 months ago
    When our daughter would say she was "bored", I would tell her to use her brain, and she would not be. Not every day will be a party, but there is always lots to learn, to share, and converts to be corralled. Bring fresh blood into the Gulch for lively exchanges, it is not supposed to be about any one of us. I have been getting people to look at AS, the book, shaiing information about Rand, capitalism and the economy, via letters to the editor. There is much to be done, and we are on the verge of losing both capitalism and freedom. I am not bored, just worried..
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  • Posted by ProfChuck 8 years, 9 months ago
    Boredom is something I have never understood. There are so many things to do and so little time to do them. I understand frustration but not boredom.
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