Saturday, February 02, 2019
Constants and Variables 119
I hadn't updated this chart in two years, so I filled it in today.
This is a graph of blog verbosity, measured in ASCII characters per month, using the HTML monthly archives.
You can see a strong division between the Variable part and the Constant part.
The change came in March 2011, and it's equally clear in the numbers:
What happened in March 2011? I turned off the TV.
If this graph was recording the output of an electronic gadget, I'd know how to interpret it. On the left side the gadget was ungrounded, picking up random charges and discharges from the ether around it. In March 2011 the gadget was attached to an earth ground. After that, its own internal battery was the only thing visible in the output.
But in this case the left side is "tied down" and the right side is "untied". What's the difference?
Good old Comrade O'Brien. TV ties you to Room 101. Your brain is FORCIBLY INJECTED with rapidly changing inputs, buffeted by the intentionally random gusts and tornados of "news".
Without TV, your internal battery is in charge (heh). You are deciding which information to take in, based on your own standards.
= = = = =
Why does this change show up in monthly verbosity? Best guess is CONFIDENCE. The deepest and oldest and most intentional effect of TV is to sap your confidence. Even before the expert O'Briens took over, advertising and programs were designed to make you feel insecure and confused. When you're unsure of your status and popularity, you're a sucker for PRODUCTS that promise to raise your status. After the experts took over in the '70s, the confusion expanded to all aspects of life, ESPECIALLY the "news".
When you're confused and discouraged you don't feel like writing. Why bother? When you're on top of the world you want the world to know what you know. Up and down, back and forth, spinning in the wind.
After disconnecting the confuser, I always feel like writing something. It's part of the pointless but CONSTANT devotion to duty. Life is a gift. In exchange we are required to make more life, beauty, and value. It doesn't matter if the authorities As Seen On TV consider your output to be valuable. You trust your own judgment, but constantly check your judgment.
You can see a strong division between the Variable part and the Constant part.
The change came in March 2011, and it's equally clear in the numbers:
What happened in March 2011? I turned off the TV.
If this graph was recording the output of an electronic gadget, I'd know how to interpret it. On the left side the gadget was ungrounded, picking up random charges and discharges from the ether around it. In March 2011 the gadget was attached to an earth ground. After that, its own internal battery was the only thing visible in the output.
But in this case the left side is "tied down" and the right side is "untied". What's the difference?
Good old Comrade O'Brien. TV ties you to Room 101. Your brain is FORCIBLY INJECTED with rapidly changing inputs, buffeted by the intentionally random gusts and tornados of "news".
Without TV, your internal battery is in charge (heh). You are deciding which information to take in, based on your own standards.
= = = = =
Why does this change show up in monthly verbosity? Best guess is CONFIDENCE. The deepest and oldest and most intentional effect of TV is to sap your confidence. Even before the expert O'Briens took over, advertising and programs were designed to make you feel insecure and confused. When you're unsure of your status and popularity, you're a sucker for PRODUCTS that promise to raise your status. After the experts took over in the '70s, the confusion expanded to all aspects of life, ESPECIALLY the "news".
When you're confused and discouraged you don't feel like writing. Why bother? When you're on top of the world you want the world to know what you know. Up and down, back and forth, spinning in the wind.
After disconnecting the confuser, I always feel like writing something. It's part of the pointless but CONSTANT devotion to duty. Life is a gift. In exchange we are required to make more life, beauty, and value. It doesn't matter if the authorities As Seen On TV consider your output to be valuable. You trust your own judgment, but constantly check your judgment.Labels: Constants and Variables, From rights to duties
¶ 1:20 AM
