Andy Baio’s Neighborhood

Article about McLeod

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html...

Awesome that Kellianne got to be on the front page. The photographer didn't even know she was my fiancee.

I have always believed that art and alcohol go well together.  Glad we're getting some credit for the idea in Seattle now.

There's a difference between saying:

• I don't have much in common with the Olympics
  
• I don't like the Olympics
• The Olympics are bad
  

Just like there's a difference to these statements:

• I don't have much in common with the Christians/Muslims
• I don't like the Christians/Muslims
• Christians/Muslims are bad

The first statement talks about what you identify with.  What's within the sphere of your world.  We operate almost entirely within the sphere of our own world, and within that sphere there's a whole other spectrum of taste, preference, and morality, but outside of the sphere of personal identity I think that the application of preferences and morality become very potentially ungrounded.

Because, it's not very easy to judge something that you don't identify with.  Most likely, you also don't fully understand it, and are rarely as giving of the benefit of the doubt as you are when an object resides within your sphere of identity.  Think of your friend circle.  Most likely there's at least one person that you wouldn't necessarily like if you weren't so close to them.  If there's not a friend like that, there's probably a family member.  But because they're part of your circle, you're more likely to say, "but that's just who they are" and be sympathetic to them.  But that same person may be totally misunderstood by someone who is not in their friend or family circle and be harshly judged.

I guess the question is, which judgment is more fair?

And, how static is the circle of identity?  Can we (and should we) try to stretch it out to include more and more of the world?  Like in a world war.  We stretch our sphere of identity to include all nationalities on our side, or on the side we identify with.  It's software in our head that is played with through creating sides, creating a sense of unity across extremely different people.  Will globalization create a wider sphere of identity or will it fracture it?  Will we all be able to feel like brothers because we all drive cars, drink Coke, and listen to U2?  Probably not.

Meditation and personal will can probably stretch this out, but there are bound to be people who think that the sphere of identity is as big as it is for a reason.  It's a sphere of trust.  And you can't trust everyone.  But then again, if that were the case, there are probably already people in the sphere that should not be there.  And people outside of the sphere that should be there. 

I'm just trying to be careful when I say "this is bad" and it also happens to be something that I can't identify with or that just isn't "me".  50% of the time I could be saying it just because I don't understand it.  And rather than disliking it, trying to understand it might be a better strategy.  There's a chance I may find something new of interest, and that's always good.

I have been obsessed... OBSESSED... with iPhone apps these last couple weeks.  Part of it is because I haven't really dove into something new and interesting for a while, part of it because I think I was basically put on this planet to build iPhone apps in some weird conglomeration of my talents and interests, and part because I'm really busy with everything else going on in my life and like they say if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.

So, I'm getting married in less than 60 days.  I'm going to Italy for 3 whole weeks after that.  And stuff is happening with McLeod.  And I spent a week in NYC.  And it's summer.  It's actually all a little crazy and sometimes I daydream about next January and its relative normalness.  But I know I'll just jam pack it full of new craziness.

Kellianne's in Vegas this weekend with a few of her girlfriends doing what girls do in Vegas.  Afternoon tea!  I know it's all a front for some serious debauchery.  And I'm retaliating by pretty much refusing to leave the house.  Reading, napping, working on stuff, researching a few wedding things, etc.  But I do have a bottle of wine in the fridge that will most likely not be in there much longer.

I got an email from Mint.com tonight letting me know that we've been very, very bad.  Fat and happy, but bad...:

Hi there,

You exceeded the $230 monthly budget you set for Groceries by $793 in July.

To view details go here:

[View Overview page]

Reminder: it's easy to re-set budget levels from your [Mint Overview page].

Cheers,
The Mint Team

P.S. Love Mint.com? Please tell a friend!

This isn't so bad of course.  If you're going to blow a budget, I think you should blow the shit out of it...

...but no.

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