Browsing

Some unexpected open time this afternoon gave me the chance to follow links around the internet and uncover some new sites worth a look. One was the new site operated by the recently retired Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass. Kass took the buyout offered by the paper's new ownership but decided to begin his own with various kinds of contributions. I appreciated it enough to add it to the links list. As I mentioned in a discussion, Kass struck me as one of the last remaining "local big city columnists," which means a good deal of his writing is probably going to keep centering on Chicago. But that has some nostalgia value for me, and it'll be worth checking out now and again to see what he's turned his eye towards.

Another site is the forum and web community Less Wrong, which aims to promote rationalism in thinking, discussion, society and policy decisions. I toyed with adding it or even joining, but I'll press pause for now. Many of the posts looked interesting and I'm sure I'll read a few, but the overall tone of the community -- especially in Ye Olde Comments Section -- seemed about as arch and pleased with itself as anything on Daily Kos or one of the Breitbart sites.

I'll need some more convincing on the site, but the idea is a pretty good one. As far as one can manage, if I wake up tomorrow and act, think or judge less wrongly than I did today, then I have improved my life and, I hope, the lives of those around me. The "about" page gives the idea behind the title as drawn from a short poem by Danish scientist Piet Hein:

The road to wisdom?
-- Well, it's plain
and simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again
but less
and less
and less.

Hein gave this genre of short aphorism the name "Gruk," (pronounced "grook"). That brand could maybe stand some reworking.