Ryanware

I finished The Time Machine by H.G. Wells the other day. This is the second book I’ve read by him, the first being The War of the Worlds. I quite like his writing style. The Time Machine, as I understood it, is more of a political statement than a science fiction book about time travel. It’s a warning to humanity that this quest for the perfect world, the quest to remove all hardship will backfire if done in the way it’s currently being handled.

H.G. Wells wrote the book in the late 1800s and saw then this trend towards all play and no work. It’s worse now. Think about all our modern inventions: cars, planes, computers, microwave ovens, refrigerators, heating, air conditioning, TV, iPods, bread makers, etc. All these things can make life easier and can even allow us to spend more time on what matters most to us. But where does the luxury stop? If the current course follows it won’t be too long before everything is all taken care of for us. What happens when so much is done for us that we forget to do things any other way? What happens if it all goes away? With all the computerized advances cars are making, they’re getting harder to fix. I don’t even know how to fix a traditional car without any computers in it, let alone these new amazing pieces of machinery.

With all the technological and even biological advances we are making, we would be wise to learn how to live without it all. Life without all our present luxuries (for that is what they are) is not frightening if you’re prepared.

I think I have some sort of disease: I can’t stop starting new books! I’m reading 9 books right now. Yes, reading multiple books at the same time means I finish them all at a slower rate, but that doesn’t really matter. It’s so much fun! Here’s my currently reading list:

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
The Art of War by Tzu Sun
The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
Gandhi An Autobiography by Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Positive Imaging: The Powerful Way to Change Your Life by Norman Vincent Peale
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I started reading the first 4 on that list just yesterday. I’ve been reading A Tale of Two Cities and Positive Imaging for a very long time now, but I’m still plugging away. I have a feeling Gandhi’s autobiography is going to take me a really long time. It’s a big book.

Anyway, the main reason for this post is because of something I read today in The Art of War:

6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.
- Sun-Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter II. Waging War

No benefit from prolonged warfare? Sounds like the United States’ current situation in the middle east. Perhaps President Bush could learn a thing or two from this book. Then again, I think trying to win a war that can’t be won isn’t a very bright idea. We should be getting out of there instead. Too bad nobody really wants to do that.

Oh wait, except this one guy, I hear he’s running from President or something?

Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America.
- Ron Paul

I alluded yesterday, in mentioning that I spent the first day of 2008 in airports, that I’d been on vacation. I went to San Diego on December 28th to attend the final Rhythmic Arts Festival (RAF). RAF is basically a big New Year’s lindy hop dance party with competitions and workshops thrown in. I did three things while there (ordered by time spent on each): danced, slept, and ate. The main problem with dancing until 5 or 6 in the morning is that your body kind of tends to not have much time to do other essential things, like fighting off germs. So I have a sore throat with a cough developing and my voice is kind of gone. But, it was totally worth it.

I’d show you a nifty picture or two from the event, but I sorta can’t find my camera. I have no idea what happened to it. I’m guessing it found the unapparent wormhole in my room and is currently engaged, in some other part of the universe, in a wild make out party with all my missing socks.

As awesome as RAF was I don’t have the desire to go on and on about it. For whatever reason, the thought of describing all the details of a dance event makes me tired. Or maybe it’s that it’s past 4 AM and I’m still awake. Not sure which. Basically, I danced a lot with a lot of really awesome dancers. Also, the Loose Marbles were amazing. And, The Cheesecake Factory is awesome too. Finally, I need some new adjectives. I’ve used the words amazing and awesome way too much.

I was planning on going to bed early. Oh wait, that’s not true. I guess I never planned on going to bed early. I kind of sort of wanted to (having a sore throat and needing sleep), but didn’t really plan on it. I guess that’s why I’m still awake. Fail to plan and you plan to fail. I failed at going to bed early. But! I did read over half of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells! Great book so far (’great’ is my attempt at a different adjective)! I can’t put it down (figuratively, of course, since I’m reading it via DailyLit). I also watched Zoolander, which is an incredibly stupid movie that I never should have watched. Yes, it has some funny moments, but in retrospect it wasn’t worth the $2.99 I paid Amazon (Amazon Unbox rentals).

I’m sorely tempted to finish reading the book, but the other voice in my head, the one that says “going to bed makes breakfast more enjoyable,” is winning.