Finding Hope

 The daily onslaught of right-wing political atrocities makes it hard at times to maintain any sense of optimism about a rational way forward.  I found a NY Times article today that seemed very encouraging  about the two rising stars of the progressive left:

The Wary, Warming, Wildly Consequential Alliance of Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani

Lens Design

 Physicists and mathematicians discovered centuries ago that spherical sections of glass could bend and focus images onto a flat field.  That discovery enabled lens designs well into the Twentieth Century.  For instance, the Sonnar-type lens for my Nikon S from the 1950s has seven elements, all circular in cross section.

The combinations of lens elements provide a high degree of resolution along with minimizing aberrations with the widest possible aperture for each design type. Glass of great purity was essential to the process of sharp image formation. 

The lenses in my Iphone also have seven elements, but they embody complex aspherical shapes made possible by computer aided design and ultra-miniaturazation. It would be physically impossible to form such tiny lenses using the mechanical polishing processes for glass lenses.  

Instead, the cellphone lenses are made of injection molded plastic with very high light transmission qualities.

A Perspective on Violence

 

It does seem that we are seeing an uptick in violence, including the lethal varieties. I also seems important, however, to not lose sight of the broader context.  Perhaps the most important element is that instances of violence are reported instantly and world-wide.  In the longer term it also should not be forgotten that politically-connected violence and assassinations are a time-honored feature of American life.

Which is not to deny that recent killings have a clear connection to the current political climate, but there are other contributing factors unique to our time.  Internet-based social networking and gaming are an obvious place to look. It seems a little simplistic, though, to ascribe violent tendencies to mere exposure.

It is possible that the more important aspect to examine in the online experience is that so many people seem to easily become totally immersed in digital interaction, and perhaps even subject to a confusion of reality with imagined scenarios in which violence has no consequences.

What has so far been revealed about the life of Charlie Kirk's assassin points to just such a disconnection from reality.  Look at the bravado of the online statements prior to the killing.  And then consider the fear expressed when the killer was actually confronted by police.

So, what can be done to lessen the psychological and societal damages that are occurring?  Perhaps a more immediately practical question is to ask what should not be done.  One loud and immediate response has been to call for the execution of the miscreant, partly it is clear out of a need for revenge, but also with the assertion that the example will serve as a deterrent.

There is ample evidence that such a course will have little effect on behaviors based on impulsivity or a distorted sense of reality. It might also be argued that State-based killing is really just another contributor to the acceptance of violence as a legitimate solution to complex problems.

In the What Might Be Done category, the fact that the country is awash in guns should point to one course of action.

First Light

I got an Iphone; not the latest model, but quite an improvement over my old Android.

Your Money

 

It is abundantly clear that Trump's invasions of LA and D.C. did not move the needle at all in regard to crime control.  An article in The Intercept points out what those millions of dollars could actually accomplish if properly used:

Trump’s Chicago Occupation Could Cost Four Times More Than Housing City Homeless

Sending troops to Chicago could cost $1.6 million per day, four times as much as housing the city’s homeless — plus it’s illegal, experts say.

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Trump’s domestic troop deployments aren’t about crime – they’re about intimidation

by Moira Donegan in The Guardian