BOOKISH - Musings on recent reading

JUICE 

For ten years or more we have been proving to machines that we are not robots. 

Recently reading Tim Winton’s novel, “Juice”  there was a moment when it suddenly occurred to me that, that one issue is going to become ever more crucial. Only when the child in the scenario wet herself were they trusted, because now the stranger knew she was human and not a machine.

My thoughts flew immediately, and stopped at, YES, we have been proving we are not robots on screens but how do/will we know that we are dealing with robots and not people? We have no way of verifying now. When the technology becomes even more sophisticated, we are doomed. 

Resistance is futile.

…….. maybe …….  just maybe, that is my current dilemma! The machines are onto me and I send too much snail mail so I must be stopped. Such a threat. 

I think I live too much inside my head. Reading and writing endlessly. I should socialise more I’m not good at it. 

The Art of Frugal Hedonism

There are so many habits, behaviours, lifestyle choices in this title that match our own way of living well on less. It surprised me. Extremes well beyond our penny-pinching habits and alternative transport preferences are detailed and suggestions for their adoption made, but it’s neither judgemental nor proselytizing. 

The asides have an offbeat humour.  The anecdotes are relatable in some instances, but fanciful and absurd in others. The facts, science, figures, quotes, historical perspective and referencing were much appreciated. 

A jolly good read with many moments of confirming and questioning the lifestyle we have deliberately adopted. Perhaps the closest thing to a label I would put on myself but I doubt I’m hedonistic enough for it to really stick.  Just knowing that a tribe of other concerned individuals with similar ideals and values is out there, is reassuring. 

I’m still aiming for the smallest possible ecological footprint. 

Finally some food for thought in the form of a little quote that made me feel reassured about the path we have taken on consumption and waste for the past 20 plus years. 

“…… it seems probable at this point that population growth, resource constraints, and a shaky global economy will soon put pressure on most of us to consume less. In many cases, much, much less.

So isn’t it possible that there might occur a flipping of the Pancake of Scorn? (Scorn for frugality and lack of consumerism) That profligacy may replace frugality as the embarrassingly outdated mode?”