I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED I was in for a major bummer when I saw that I was the only person in the theater. Then, when ‘One Battle After Another’ kicked off, and the audio-visual filmic assault commenced with a series of cretinous scenes that seemed to reach out and punch me in the face… Well, I lasted another ten minutes before I walked out. At my late age, I’m not easily offended, but this thing was so dumb, so offensively and implausibly vulgar I marveled that the big name cast would agree to be part of it. Do they need money this bad?
One review was titled, “In ‘One Battle After Another,’ Thomas Pynchon’s genius becomes a cinematic masterpiece.” What? The reviewer must be on the take. But who am I, a guy who fled after a few minutes to assess this alleged consensus masterpiece? Well, for one thing, I’m not deaf and blind and I read the book, upon which this abomination is allegedly based. It was also partly filmed in Humboldt County, so I’m sure rural saps by the hundreds will pay to watch it.
THE COVER The cover of the November Harper’s magazine asks, in giant type like it’s some kind of daring, breakthrough inquiry, “Why Don’t We Trust the Media?” Since most Americans get their info from television, and since media have lied all the way back to the Spanish American War, and visual media since forever, small wonder that even the most inattentive, low information Yank soon came to believe the Moon Shot was faked.
And now? The media, via the internet, have splintered into literal thousands of info-missiles, and all of us everyday citizens do the best we can to sort out what’s true and what isn’t.
Most of us, I daresay, choose the media that most closely resembles our psycho-social biases. The truly vengeful go to Fox or News Max and would approve Trump bulldozing the entire White House, while millions think they’re getting the straight skinny from the New York Times.
I’m as biased as the next guy. I watch David Muir nightly flex his gym biceps, I listen to NPR to get the Nice Peoples’ versions of events, I occasionally tune in the dead white men shows on Sunday mornings, and faithfully wade through the on-line NYT to get Lib Central’s perspective on things, but I go to long form, print journalism to flesh out the details. Of all media, I still read the Chron’s sports page first thing every morning, a habit begun in 1948. If all media disappeared, the Chron’s sports page would be the only one I’d miss.
SHERIFF MATT KENDALL:
I just don’t see how we can continue being divided and expect to get out of this with all of our pieces. This little forum I think is a pretty good example to me. Every day I see so many political views written. Many of them don’t match mine but then I see some names of old friends writing them. People I absolutely trust and have worked with at my work and in the community. These are some good people and it makes me want to listen to what they have to say.
We shouldn’t be more concerned with winning an argument than hearing what is being said.
ED NOTE: Agree, but it doesn’t help civic harmony to have a president making vulgar jokes like his flyover gag of last weekend and his constant denunciation of half the people in the country as “Marxist lunatics.” His behavior ignites militant opposition with barrages of insults aimed at him, and here we are with a basic split growing worse by the day. Not to be too pollyanny-ish here, but in Mendo, generally speaking, we still seem able to talk to each other without going for our guns. Our commendable Sheriff is certainly due all praise for the civil example he sets.
HEALTH UPDATE: I got my last radiation zap on Wednesday, I take two chemo pills every day, I get a shot every three months. The prognosis? No idea, and I prefer not to know. But I feel pretty good, good enough to step up my daily exercise regimen. The radiation process is no sweat. I lay on a table while this rotating machine like a giant microscope shoots death rays at the killers in my gut. Took about about twenty minutes each visit. (First day they asked me what kind of music I’d like while prone on the slab. Music? I wrote, Gangsta rap. Uh, sorry Mr. Anderson, we don’t have any of that, but we can get it for you.)
A TIMBER FALLER'S LIFE
I have been falling timber (and climbing) in the woods for 34 years now…You talk about watching your back, Well in the woods/forest there are mountain lions, rattlesnakes,, wild boar, bees, hornets, bear, falling branches, leaning madrone and oak trees that decide to quietly fall on you with your back turned on them, scorpions, spiders, heat stroke, the danger of getting killed or seriously hurt at any moment during the 6 hours that OSHA approves you to work in the woods, poison oak everywhere sometimes, flying splinters trying to go into your eyes while cutting, logs that can roll down the hill onto you, lightning strike threats sometimes… The list goes on and on. So people, next time you see or meet a legitimate timber faller give him a good hug and say thank you for him (or her, nowadays) for risking their lives daily for putting wood on the ground so you can enjoy all your wood products you use because it’s the most dangerous job on the planet because of so many predicaments that are out of our control. We are just hoping to get away with not getting killed every day. Most of us fallers get off on the challenge and the rush. WE ARE NOT doing it for the money. It’s very addictive, the rush. And just so you people know, I had 7 timber faller partners killed in Mendocino County cutting those huge trees for the public to have wood.
— Roy Stockton
BOB ABELES:
I normally do not read Kuntsler, but today I’ve made an exception. While he does have a facile understanding of the “huffing your own farts” problem of model degradation, he erroneously attributes A.I. hallucinations to it. In fact, A.I. hallucinations are due to a fundamental problem that occurs in LLMs (Large Language Models) when the relative weights of nodes in several pathways through its neural network are too close together to yield a definitive result. When this happens the LLM effectively guesses, generating a result that the LLM then presents as authoritative.
Of course Kunstler wouldn’t be Kunstler without jumping to a purely alarmist set of conclusions that are nothing more than his own imagination hallucinating the worst possible outcomes. Never afraid to wax political, he paints LLMs as agents of a terrifying (in his own mind) woke conspiracy.
I’m no fan of the A.I., but the technology does have its uses. Sadly, its utility and societal effects have been vastly over-hyped. We will witness the collapse of one of the largest investment bubbles in human history. The con artists that created the A.I. bubble (Sam Altman, et al) are now flooding the zone with all manner of business partnerships and other noise in a vain effort to keep the milk train running just a little longer.
SHERIFF MATT KENDALL:
I think AI is an incredible opportunity and a frightening thought all at the same time.
When I was still a young man, a long time ago according to the kids, I was in a professional office. I can’t recall if it was the dentist or optometrist, it doesn’t really matter. But I was reading a magazine which I wouldn’t normally read.
There was an article which discussed the The collective knowledge of humanity. The author basically summed it up as the total accumulated experience, understanding, and wisdom shared across individuals, generations, and cultures.
This author talked about how this knowledge had doubled many times, and he gave markers in time which I don’t totally recall and I’m simply not interested in chasing down now. The authors point was, there were significant moments when knowledge had roughly doubled.
From the stone ages to the dark ages this knowledge had doubled. From the dark ages to the Industrial Revolution it seemed to double again. Following that were the Industrial Revolution to the 1980s when computers were becoming a main stream product, again.
This author also spoke of Moores law and described “The doubling effect” The law predicts that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles at a consistent rate, leading to increased performance over time. Strangely the doubling effect began happening in a shorter and shorter time frame. The point was the amount of time it took to double our knowledge was becoming less and less.
All of this was a lead up to making his point and, here’s the point that he eventually made.
The author made a frightening prediction. Knowledge and technology would eventually be our downfall. His concerns were that knowledge and technology would eventually outpace our humanity. The ability to build an atomic bomb, grow anthrax, or radiate a building full of people could eventually end up in the hands of a teenager who was having a bad day. The outcome would be devastating to humanity.
What I have seen when I turn on the news is evidence this is already occurring. Mass casualty events are happening constantly across the globe. Mass shootings, people being run over by vehicles at gatherings, grenade attacks are common in some nations.
If we can’t get in front of the technology we will have to step up our game teaching humanity. That’s the only thing I can think of to help us navigate what is to come.
BOB ABELES:
Energy consumption during the training of an AI model is one of several drawbacks inherent in the current state of the technology. To gain insight into why so much energy is required, have a look at this video: https://youtu.be/LPZh9BOjkQs?si=IvE5Qc6pA2iK3CTZ
MAZIE MALONE on Mendo’s last Point In Time Count report:
Most people won’t read the report and see the discrepancies. There are other issues in this data info but these are the most crucial to provide housing and support!
What’s missing from this report is just as important as what’s in it.
There’s no category for serious mental illness only a vague “mental health disorder” label that hides the real scope of need. You can’t build solutions if you don’t name what’s actually happening.
The report also doesn’t match itself. It talks about progress, but the charts show chronic homelessness rising and housing numbers going down. That’s not improvement, that’s a contradiction.
And buried inside is one of the most telling facts: the number of people receiving disability payments is very low. That’s not because people don’t qualify it’s because the SSI process is almost impossible to navigate without help and takes years. When someone is disabled, unhoused, and cut off from that safety net, that’s not personal failure that’s systemic failure.
This report was produced by a paid outside firm likely costing the county tens of thousands of dollars and yet it still leaves out the most critical truths. That says a lot about where our priorities are.
I’m tired of reports that sound polished but don’t reflect the reality of people’s lives or acknowledge how serious mental illness and homelessness are connected.
And remember, this data came straight from the Continuum of Care the same agencies running the services being measured. That’s not accountability, that’s the system grading itself and giving itself an A+.
MAZIE MALONE:
The numbers and wording in that report matter, but what really matters is understanding what they mean. Too many people just skim and take it all at face value. I’m not trying to be critical, just honest.
The numbers can look fine on paper and still hide what’s really going on. Even the regional totals don’t match the overall count, and some of the timeframes overlap, which makes it hard to tell what actually changed.
I didn’t even point that out before, I just focused on the main things that really matter for housing, treatment, and support.
A READER WRITES:
Regarding Newsom not jump starting housing: The housing crisis is due in large part to the governor, the legislature and the faceless desk jockey bureaucrats in the various state agencies who have been amending the California Building Standards Codes for years to further their green ideology, social engineering desires and for job security for the faceless state agency bureaucrats who constantly crank out regulation’s and unfunded mandates. All of the foregoing increases the cost of construction.
I am a retired building official with nearly 40 years of experience. When I first started in 1988, the five state mandated code books were each the size of a 300-page paperback novel. Currently there are nearly a dozen state mandated code books that when stacked on a library shelf they are almost 3 ft. wide containing thousands of pages of regulations. The state average cost for a basic, minimum code, 1500 sq. ft. single family dwelling is anywhere from $350 – $500 per sq. ft. The average home price in California (New and used) is $850,000. Over regulatory policies, feel good legislation and the unaccountable bureaucrats has made housing so expensive that “affordable housing” is an oxymoron. When the federal government, the state, cities and counties participate in housing construction or provide funds in the form of grants or loans, the state’s prevailing wage (union scale) law is mandated, further increasing the cost of construction. Add in the exorbitant cost of homeowner’s insurance (if you can get it), the housing crisis will only get worse.
GEORGE HOLLISTER: 1,500 sq. ft. one story house the structural requirements are known to any builder, and should be available at the local building department, no engineer needed. Plans for these structures should also be readily available, no architect needed. Computer programs are available to help with various configurations that a homeowner made choose from, an extension service could provide this service for free. Approval of a plan should be automatic, done on line, for free. Of course every excuse in the book will be provided for why none of this can be done.
A READER REPLIES: I mostly agree with you. Government is a major part of the problem. I am currently the interim building official for a northeast California county. We have pre-approved engineered plans for a 600 sq. ft. and a 1000 sq. ft. residence, free of charge to our customers. These plans can be uploaded off our website and printed by the applicant. There are vendors that sell residential plans online, however, in my experience, none of them meet the California Building Code requirements and are a waste of money. The building permit fees we charge include the state mandated fees and to cover the cost to provide service for record keeping, permit processing and for inspections. It is illegal for government to charge more than what it costs to provide the service.
A READER WRITES: Anent the Vaillancourt Fountain, I volunteer to be cussed and defend it. Sorry, Bruce. I believe it was meant to be site-specific, as the truly abominable Embarcadero Freeway used to run directly behind it. They were meant to be mated for life, so a little chunk of the Freeway should have been saved to provide context. Eh, it’s not so bad. One is supposed to feel free to walk within it as the water splashes nearby, as is the case with the Halprin fountain on Market Street. Perhaps it could be updated: sewer sludge could be pumped through it and young people who don’t know better could be told that it’s a metaphor for the internet.
KRON BAY AREA NEWS covered the ICE protest on Coast Guard Island in San Francisco Bay Thursday morning. They later apologized for what they called “any vulgar or offensive images or language that may have appeared” on their live coverage. The primary offender was a man in an inflatable penis costume who obviously intentionally wandered around for almost a minute in the reporter’s background as a prank.
Apparently, these costumes and others like them have become a popular form of street protest. They are available on the internet at a variety of party and Halloween sites for prices ranging from $30 to $70 (some with free shipping). One costume site’s penis costume listing says: “Do you have the balls to wear this inflatable penis costume? Turn yourself into a giant penis with this full-body inflatable penis suit. Featuring armholes, a sheer face panel, and an internal fan that keeps things erect, this costume is a guaranteed hit.”
SHERIFF MATT KENDALL:
When I was a younger man swinging a hammer things were fairly simple. The Simpson book looked like a hymnal and the strong ties, straps and anchors made sense. I built a house around 2010 and it was fairly simple. I built a house a few years ago and that book looks like a King James Bible now.
The Uniform Building Code changes are nearly completely driven by people wanting politicians to mandate the uses of their products which puts money in their pockets.
The only easy part of the process for me was dealing with the county and getting my permits approved. Those folks truly helped me navigate some of the new codes and assisted with some questions because I hadn’t been in the game for over a decade. They were also scratching their heads on a couple of the new codes. It took some time but I was really happy to have their assistance.
JAMES TIPPETT:
People may long for an idealized past where saw logs were infinite and the economy was thriving, but I agree, the resource dried up because it was over exploited. As for the cannabis canard, when the sawmill closed in a small town not mentioned and long gone, the loggers and mill workers turned to the cannabis growers and said, “Show us how! We need to feed our families!” Aggressive enforcement literally took their land and homes out from under small, mindful growers, opening the market to organized crime, cartels and the destruction they brought with them.
The problem is that folks, including electeds, refuse to look at the county and our economy as an integrated system. Folks refuse to step out of their own “camera angle” and look at the big picture from multiple angles and dimensions. Then they come up with their “fix” (which coincidentally is a slang term for a drug dose) to solve what they see as the most important problem, ignoring the collateral changes inflicted on other systems. Until we take a systems approach, we’ll simply be moving problems around, leaving collateral damage in their wake.
What’s needed for people to take a systems approach? The first step is folks need to put their own vested interests, their egos, careers and training aside, and be willing to listen and learn, be willing to step outside their comfort zones. That requires trust, something in short supply and actively being undermined in our current reality.
I’ll leave it at that.
GEORGE HOLLISTER:
Yes, the Building Department is there to help. The younger folks there are dealing with the same challenges as everyone else when it comes to building a house, and they don’t set the policies. There are ways to make the system simpler, easier, and just as effective. Trying to solve every problem in the world of housing with the use of the building code should not be the mission, but that is what is being done. Recognizing which building problems are public ones, and which ones are problems for the homeowner is important. If the problem results in a fire call that is a public problem. If the problem is an inconvenience to the homeowner, that is a private problem. The unintended consequence of the current system is most building is being done outside the permit process and is being done to address a problem the building code created.
BILL HARPER:
Blaming Building codes for the cost of housing is ridiculous. My house cost something like 0.4 percent in fees including $3000 to the local school district. Cost of plywood and hangers, wiring plumbing has tripled in the 20 years since. Non code hippie houses have either fallen over, full of mice or have had extensive repairs to keep them. Those lost communities had mills selling lumber for $400 a unit.
ELISE COX (Mendo Local Media):
I need to call local Republicans and test this hypothesis, but I believe that the reason there was no counter-protest in Fort Bragg is because whatever political team our friends and neighbors identify with, we all believe in our freedom of speech and assembly. And neither Republicans nor anyone else want to provide an excuse for a crack down on the friends and neighbors who feed their pets when they go away for the weekend, who share their produce, and who are there for an emergency ride to the hospital or to help with heavy lifting and so much more. Democrats and Republicans are voting together on maternity care in Sacramento, and we are voting for free speech with our actions in Mendocino County.
ON-LINE COMMENTS OF THE WEEK
[1] I read that 40% of food produced in the USA is wasted. Maybe a program to efficiently prepare, package and distribute ‘healthy’ sustenance is in order for this period of political ‘belt-tightening’? Think MREs distributed by the USPS, FedEx and “Buster Brown”!
[2] So are any of you assholes complaining that this protest was ‘childish’ going to address Trump’s response OF AI slop, in which he flies a “King Trump” plane wearing a crown and shits on protestors? How is “I go poopy on you!!” Anything but childish? Why do you idiots worship that rotting pumpkin currently soiling — and destroying — the White House?
[3] I’m old enough to remember the country club Boomer set in absolute glee when blue collar union jobs were shipped overseas. All the old tropes about those lazy union bums, 13 weeks paid vacation, overpaid to push a mop, etc. Now the children of the country club Boomers have no future and nothing to do. My own profession is on its way out, having been mostly outsourced, and now A-I’d out of existence. I’m just trying to run out the clock. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that my children never set foot in a college. Stacking and selling cordwood is a more noble and useful undertaking.
[4] I work in land development and we are seeing more and more proposals to develop land as "package" data centers specifically because of AI. The amount of power and water these facilities require is staggering, especially for smaller communities. One of these facilities comes with its own power generator, however, in my state power is generated using natural gas. Even though it will generate its own power it will still be sucking natural gas out of the system that could be used elsewhere. Using this amount of resources for something as useless as AI is not prudent.
[5] Hard questions. Are we not complicit in our downfall if all we do is analyze the problem endlessly? Is it enough to simply serve as documentarians of our demise? Does anyone really believe that if someone comes up with the optimum "magic words" in an internet posting, the light bulb will go off and the masses with suddenly get wise to our dilemma? Is there a better use of our brain power, such as devising tangible solutions? Can we talk (or read) our way out of the mess we're in? We do we get off the couch and reclaim our agency? If we simply stay on the sidelines, have we actually earned any future redemption? We stand on the shoulders of evolutionary survivors. They didn't just talk their way into the future.
[6] Greatest country in the world… Yet we have 42 million people on SNAP benefits, we cut medicaid and we're about to kick millions off of health insurance. We have billions for Argentina and for military hardware. What good is that going to do if we're hungry and ill?
The sum total of human knowledge and transistors on a chip may well be increasing exponentially, but individual cognitive and adaptive abilities certainly are not. There is such a thing as the human scale. We exceed it at our peril.