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Joan Didion has died

nytimes.com

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Re: Joan Didion has died

#21

Post by georgeecollins »

noduerme wrote: post #10
PaulHoule wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go read the sources I point to. In the case of Franchise a computer does an interview of one voter and then calculates who the president should be. In real life, if 538 was perfect at simulating the election there would be no need to have the election. The point of Insider Baseball is that ‘horse-race’ coverage and coverage that pretends to give you an insider view of the campaign as the candidates and their staff se…

The funny thing is, they're just as often wrong with their sports predictions. No serious sports wagerer I know would ever rely on 538 to make their picks. Gamblers understand that touts serve two masters. Apparently, punters are less gullible than political pundits when it comes to believing that a set of chosen stats represents a neutral, scientific prediction.

Predictions are hard, particularly about the future.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#23

Post by 0x0nyandesu »

raegis wrote: post #7
509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

The book Cadillac Desert and the documentary of the same name (narrated by Alfre Woodard) woke me up to this problem. (I live in CA but grew up back east). It's astonishing that we use so much imported water on our lawns (including during Winter) while watering lawns is not even necessary elsewhere.

I find it funny that a farm in the valley has "water use rights" and will end up using millions of gallons of water per month and pay almost nothing for it meanwhile my sfm which uses about 15k gallons a month will cost $300 for the privilege and I'm allowed to keep going and water outside as much as I want however California regulations prevent me from installing a second shower head in my walk in shower wet room under the guise of not wasting water.

All this even though the place where I live is basically 97% recycled water so you're really just paying for the cost of treating the water.

Eh I generally don't understand why my property has to stay a dessert while 10 minutes from my house the farms take the water and sell it for themselves in the fruit.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#24

Post by bspammer »

509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

There is something so strange about reading such a beautiful thing and then reading that comment at the bottom. The juxtaposition is just bizarre. Is there a word for this feeling? It happens to me frequently online.

Anyway, thank you for sharing.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#25

Post by Quarrel »

rurban wrote: post #19

The documentary about her, by her nephew, is still on Netflix. I just watched it. It's excellent. Initially I was a bit sceptical, because I only knew her A+ screenwriting and her lifestyle reporting, but she was a great one.

For those looking, it is:

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Didion:_The_Center_Will_N...

89% on RT. So pretty fkn good.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#26

Post by CalChris »

noduerme wrote: post #20
biophysboy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They by no means have total control. People can still think. The point is media also provides interpretation. So, instead of going into a voting booth reflecting over your own needs or principles, you go into the booth thinking about polling and statistics. You vote for somebody because their number is higher on 538. It gets worse when you consider that the people being polled are themselves thinking about who is mos…

It could just as easily work the other way. e.g. all the polling says Trump can't beat Hillary, so no one bothers going out to vote for Hillary.

In fact, Hillary won the popular vote by quite a lot, 2.8M or more than 2% of the vote.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#27

Post by leesalminen »

0x0nyandesu wrote: post #23
raegis wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The book Cadillac Desert and the documentary of the same name (narrated by Alfre Woodard) woke me up to this problem. (I live in CA but grew up back east). It's astonishing that we use so much imported water on our lawns (including during Winter) while watering lawns is not even necessary elsewhere.

I find it funny that a farm in the valley has "water use rights" and will end up using millions of gallons of water per month and pay almost nothing for it meanwhile my sfm which uses about 15k gallons a month will cost $300 for the privilege and I'm allowed to keep going and water outside as much as I want however California regulations prevent me from installing a second shower head in my walk in shower wet room un…

15k gallons per month?!? >7k/mo where I live in Colorado would result in a 4-digit bill and a nasty gram to boot.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#29

Post by 509engr »

bspammer wrote: post #24
509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

There is something so strange about reading such a beautiful thing and then reading that comment at the bottom. The juxtaposition is just bizarre. Is there a word for this feeling? It happens to me frequently online. Anyway, thank you for sharing.

Wow, that is quite bizarre. I hadn't noticed the comment due to my browser extensions.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#30

Post by quirino »

bspammer wrote: post #24
509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

There is something so strange about reading such a beautiful thing and then reading that comment at the bottom. The juxtaposition is just bizarre. Is there a word for this feeling? It happens to me frequently online. Anyway, thank you for sharing.

The song "That Funny Feeling" by comedian Bo Burnham may be related to the feeling you're describing
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