Existentialist Kidneys

The New York Times had an interesting article about people asking the government’s help as they attempt to behave themselves.

In some states with casino gambling, like Missouri and Michigan, compulsive gamblers have the option of putting their names on a blacklist, or “self-exclusion” list, that bars them from casinos. Once on the list, they are banned for life. If they violate the ban, they risk being arrested and having their winnings confiscated.

I can see where that might be a helpful service for some, and where some would find it a frightening expansion of government powers.

But let’s not get into that. The meat of this article is buried in the second-to-last paragraph:

Thinkers of an existentialist kidney, like Jean-Paul Sartre, used to insist that each of us is free to redefine his character through an act of radical choice.

I had no idea it was the kidneys that caused such thoughts. I thought they just made pee.

Where’s the thing about eclipses?

Via Tim Blair, via Instapundit, I found this story of a woman overcome by an irrational fear while on the subway.

Her description of her feelings afterwards is curious:

Almost as soon as it has subsided, my fear seemed cartoonish and unreasonable. Generally, I prefer reason over impulse. Trembling like a devout Christian at the onset of a solar eclipse seems odd. I had joined the coalition of the nervous and I wasn’t at all certain why.

I admit I’m relatively new at trying to live a Christian life (so it’s entirely possible that I missed something) but I can’t figure out this thing about “a devout Christian should tremble at the onset of a solar eclipse.”

I am genuinely curious, here. I know some people like to get hung up on specific Bible verses — is this one of those? Or is she poking fun at something she just made up?

An ‘A’ in Geek

I prefer ‘geek’, but the recent arguments in favor of ‘nerd’ can be quite convincing.

Jim’s score is way too low. Gwynne’s seems about right, as near as I can tell. And Patti is someone I should be reading more often, it would seem.

Mine’s a little too high (but somehow, I feel it should be higher. I run Linux on my router! I use the CLI as much as the GUI! My favorite calculator is the long-discontinued HP-11C I got from my Dad. Wait a minute – I have a favorite calculator!)

Still, I am to “Apply for a professorship at MIT now!!!.”
(Punctuation is as provided on the evaluation. I’ll be sure to follow that example on my application.)