Weekly Update

I got an arcade stick this week for playing Shoot Em Ups! It’s super fun to play, and I think it’s increasing my skill a little.

I’ve been having a good time putting on Gyruss in MAME with unlimited lives and listening to music. It’s just a nice vibe. I’m starting to think I prefer games with a black background. They seem more cozy at night? I may start a collection on here of good games with a black background.

I haven’t found too much new music this week, which is rare. But I’m digging Big Earth Energy by Cool Maritime.

Now I’m at an all inclusive resort this weekend. I’ve never been to one before. It’s pretty crazy! I’m relaxing a lot, although part of me feels like I shouldn’t be here. I feel like I’m have more in common with the workers than the other people staying here. It’s nice though – all the loud extroverted party people stay at the pool in the back, and the quiet introverts stay at the pool in the front. It’s funny how life is always self-sorting like this.

As I was floating around the lazy river, reflecting, I was struck with a thought. This resort is very fake and manufactored, in a way to maximize human relaxation. The plants and palm trees are real – it’s not as fake as say, Disney World, but through the foilage weaves a “lazy river” pool. It invokes the feeling of floating through a jungle river, but I don’t have to worry about crocodiles or anything like that. It’s completly safe.

It brings to mind something I’ve been thinking about lately. There’s a lot of talk about how much technology is ruining our lives and society. How we need to get back to some past ideal – put down the smart phone and pick up a book. I’ve been very much in this space for the past year – trying to limit my phone use, being descerning with what tech I engage with. I mostly agree, a lot about technology is bad for society. But Gosh, is it also really really good for a lot of things! I’m enjoying being able to relax in the lazy river without piranhas eating my toes, a product of human ingenuity and progress!

I think too about how quickly I can get into a relaxing flow state with a video game – having a rough day and being able to turn off my mind in 30 seconds is quite incredible!

I was chatting about all this with ChatGPT and we started to combine it with other topics, mainly God and evolution. I said, let’s assume God is real. Let’s assume evolution is real. Many people think humans were created whole – that the ideal way to live is maybe growing our own food, living in tribes, etc. Even people who don’t believe in God think like this. That we may have  levolved a certain way and technology is disrupting it.

But what if we’re still evolving and what if this is part of God’s design? If there is a God and evolution is real, then evolving is part of God’s plan for us and we are evolving toward our true potential as a species. Maybe technology factors into this. A way to refine our being and reach out true potential  – like being able to relax quickly.

ChatGPT informed me that these are not new ideas. It recommended that I read
Pierre Telihard de Chardin. Also Ilia Delio. A corisory look into these thinkers shows me I have a lot of reading to do!

I don’t necessarily believe all of this. It’s just fun to think about such things.