Skip to main content

Ides of March

While Latin is not my forte I got to thinking if the origin of certain words had to do with the date in history when Julius Caesar was a victim of Homicide.

This month - specifically around the Ides  (perhaps it happens each month - just that I happen to have time to watch the idiot box) I noticed we have quite a collection of and conversations about -

Homicides  - someone murders someone else
Suicides - someone murders themselves
Infanticides - someone kills an infant
Genocides - large group killings

While I think these phrases are used by the media to sensationalize stories I think our human brain has still not evolved beyond basic hunting and gathering across the board or globe.

The human brain weighs in at less than 2% of total body weight but is capable of doing amazing things.  Murdering others included.

The size of the human brain in contrast to a chimp's which weighs five times more seems to be adapted to doing things smarter, what with ANOTHER SMART WATCH in the offing.  Apparently we do not have to use our brains to hunt for food as chimps do (what with microwaves and Bluetooth to simply order in or heat up leftovers) and that leaves our smaller cerebral cortex to think of other brainy ideas.

Some include how to snuff someone out without leaving a trace.  Or as in the case of Julius, how to assassinate by stabbing.

So going back to who is actually smarter - who decides?  In March or any other month.

Perhaps the smart watch will alert us with a text if a stabber is in the crowd?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Of Jims and Johns

Here is another essay on the subject of first names. As in birth names. Or names provided to an offspring at birth. While the developed world tends to shy away from the exotic like Refrigerator or Coca Cola for their new production there is a plethora of Jims and Johns and Bobs or Robs. Speaking of which I do not think there is a categoric decision point at the time of birth if a child will be hereafter called as Bob. I mean have not yet met a toddler called Bob or Rob for that matter. At some point though the parental instinct to mouth out multiple syllables runs out and they switch from calling the crawler Robert to simply Robbie to Rob. Now speaking of - it is strange that the name sounds like something you would not want Rob to do - i.e. Rob anyone. Then why call someone that? After all Rob Peter to Pay Paul is not exactly a maxim to live a young life? Is it? Perhaps Peter or Paul might want to have a say in it? Then there is this matter of going to the John. Why degrad...

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected.  I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot.  It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is.  Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy.  It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff?  Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality.  So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing?  Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...