There is always some late-breaking news. Samsung is warning people to avoid discussing sensitive, private or valuable information in front of their smart TV's which can hear. The hearing function is built into the tv to make it possible to control the tv by speaking to it. The set may need a command like "TV, don't listen". (Just Google about it for more information.)
Researchers in Scotland, the US and elsewhere are accumulating evidence that fatty buildup in one's arteries may be rather independent of the amount of fat eaten. They are also getting doubts that 'good' cholesterol is as good as previously thought.
One reason for the steady diet of information about recent events is that we have radio, tv, internet and other channels worked by both professionals and amateurs searching for news and commenting on its implications, similarities and contrasts to yesterday's news. So, we have large groups of people dedicated to the production of news and a steady stream of comments, considerations, projections, and extrapolation. Some of our attention to news comes from our basic wiring, which is aimed at noticing and reacting to danger signals. Is a big storm coming? Are our valuables safe? Has a deadly flaw been discovered in our car's air bags?
Sometimes, I just want to pay attention to the world beyond our chatter. The sky, the air, the wind, even the cold. Up in the north, we have to respect the cold and we have to face the fact that we don't control it. I am comforted by the fact that I am not in control of the weather. It and the natural world have their own business, their own patterns and existence. It is a pleasure to pay attention to something that is not related to human struggles and desires and irritations. The wind, the clouds, our attention to gravity, the natural world takes us out of ourselves, at least for a moment.
Some thinkers have bemoaned the fact that we are more or less trapped inside ourselves. We have listening panels called ears that vibrate to air movements outside ourselves and we have retinas that change light into brain impulses. But, we can't really feel, or see, or hear. We just react to nerve impulses, not the world. Ok, big deal. I still like to have the wind on my face once in a while. It also helps to use my body a little differently. Using the mouse with my minor hand, wearing my watch on my other wrist, finding a different chair and facing it in a different direction can remind me that the world is full of a number of things, most of which I typically ignore. I could take another tour of the national parks but just sitting over there refreshes me, too.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
