Essays by Larry Barnett
What is to become of us? Or rather, what is to become of those of us in modern civilization? This is an essential question, but it’s not being asked seriously as the rush into a world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) gathers increasing momentum.
Some have embraced transhumanism, the idea that merging … Read the rest
“The quality of mercy is not strained…it is twice blest. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
— Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
The subject of mercy is in the news lately, not the least of which because Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde raised the issue before Donald Trump in her … Read the rest
Fallen leaves, yellow and brown, cover the courtyard. High in the branches, a few green stragglers hang on stubbornly. Looking up, I feel like I’m watching myself hanging on, and then suddenly, I’m watching myself watching myself. Who am I, the watcher or the watched? Am I Mini-Me or Meta-Me, or both?… Read the rest
My wife and I recently went to see “A Complete Unknown” about Bob Dylan, and it prompted a night of remembrance and reflection on my life in the mid-sixties.
Brought up in the middle-class suburbs of New York City, I enrolled at NYU’s Institute of Film and Television, and at eighteen I moved into a studio… Read the rest
Some years ago I removed a stand of bamboo and replaced it with two 3’ x 8’ livestock troughs that I converted to raised garden beds. I’ve always been a gardening enthusiast, a self-confessed hortisexual who loves plants, but our home is shaded by big trees so a large vegetable garden has never been workable.… Read the rest
After briefly attending Rhode Island School of Design in the mid-sixties, I moved to San Francisco. At nineteen years of age I managed to get a job working in the copy center at Golden Gate College. Located in the basement, the copy center had no windows; all the ventilation was provided by vents connected… Read the rest
“The candle that burns at both ends burns half as long, and you have burned so very brightly, Roy.” – Dr. Eldon Tyrel to Replicant Roy Blatty in the movie “Blade Runner.”
It’s the subject of nearly all our entertainment and scrutiny: how and why some people burn so brightly they are able to attract… Read the rest
Revolutions are nothing new; uprisings have plagued humanity for many centuries, perhaps forever. Always about wealth and power, which are essentially the same, styles of revolution vary, however.
In general terms, revolutions are of three kinds. There is revolution by the disenfranchised poor… Read the rest
“How many bags do you want?” So indicated the screen at Whole Foods. “Are you sure you only want one?” I turned to my friend Rick, who often supervises the self-checkout registers. “They ask more questions about how many paper bags I use than anything else,” I remarked. “Must be a lot of bag theft!”
“You … Read the rest
If this recent election indicates anything, people have deep dissatisfaction with how things feel in America, and for a majority, it feels like shit.
In the thoughts and feelings of many, the institutions we have created to ensure the health, wealth, and welfare of society seem to be failing, and public… Read the rest
I grew up at the feet of a fabulous cook. My mother was a natural, able to make something delicious out of almost nothing. She was not recipe dependent, although she had taken classes in French cooking and had a thick notebook of recipes. Accordingly, I ate very well as a boy.
Every night, while growing up,… Read the rest
The power of ideas is, well, powerful. Ideas can literally change the world and alter the course of history. With the rise of social media, more and more people are trying to become influencers, some to make money, others to become famous, and yet others just because they want to share their ideas. Being… Read the rest
Is the universe intelligent? It often appears that way. Over the course of earth’s 4.5 billion year history, nature has produced countless lifeforms. Each of these, in a sense, is an experiment. And that includes us.
We like to think we’re special; the penultimate form of intelligent life that has ever… Read the rest
Everyone is focused on Donald Trump and his election victory, but I’m thinking about Elon Musk. The richest man in the world poured a small fortune and his personal reputation into Donald Trump’s campaign. To hear Donald, Elon Musk is his new best friend.
Whether or not this is sufficient evidence of … Read the rest
Trapped as we are in the Realm of Desire, we always want something. I’m reminded of a scene from the movie “Groundhog Day.”
Phil Connor, played by Bill Murray, is stuck repeating Groundhog Day, seemingly for eternity. Initially he wants the day to end, but even his suicide attempts do not break the repetitive… Read the rest
Every year around the holidays my father received a delivery of liquor. The foyer of the house would suddenly be filled with a dozen cardboard boxes and an afternoon was spent unpacking them and putting bottles of booze in The Liquor Closet.
The Liquor Closet was just off the foyer, next to a coat closet… Read the rest
All and everything in the universe is moving. Matter, sub-atomic particles, energy and even ideas are on a 4.5 billion year trajectory, and it’s all happening at once.
And yet, borrowing from Physicist Richard Feynman’s ideas, each “object” has its own “world line,” a trajectory through spacetime… Read the rest
Small towns in California are an endangered species. The combination of expensive state and federal mandates and regulations, rising costs of government, internet-based consumer spending, and limited revenue opportunities poses an almost insurmountable obstacle to survival.
It was not always… Read the rest
In many respects modern life in America has never been better. From healthcare to the economy, technological innovation like smart phones and handy gadgets of all kinds, people enjoy conveniences and opportunities unimaginable 25 years ago. And yet, many people are angry.
Civilization has always… Read the rest
Emotions are contagious. If you’ve ever been to a theatre to watch a comedian perform his schtick and found yourself guffawing along with the rest of the crowd, you’ve experienced the power of psychological mirroring.
People are social animals, and elements of our behavior – while acted out … Read the rest