Category Archives: Geeky Musings

Thinking aloud about all manner of voodoo and geekery from resident Club Troppo geeks.

Are drugs the Achilles heel of stagnant inequality?

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Paul Frijters

[off the cuff research idea memo] There is an uncanny analogy between China in the 19th century and the US this very moment: in both cases a large part of the general population could not be persuaded away from drugs … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and taxes, Geeky Musings, Health, History, Political theory, Politics - international, Politics - national, Race and indigenous, Society | 13 Comments

Churchill’s children: the rise of the privileged Marketeers in Anglo-Land

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Paul Frijters

For almost a century the royal road to becoming a top politician in Anglo-Land was to study law and/or a bit of economics. In Australia that was the ticket for Keating, Hawke, Gillard, Howard, and Turnbull. In the US, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Geeky Musings, History, Journalism, Law, Life, Political theory, Politics - international, Social Policy, Society | 9 Comments

Is it the duty of the state to police a positive national history story?

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Paul Frijters

Something very odd happens when people get told a story of how other people with some shared characteristic have behaved in the past: they take it personal and see themselves in those ‘ancestors’, even if they share no actual family … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Democracy, Geeky Musings, History, Politics - international, Politics - national, Religion, Society | 18 Comments

Is Trump a blessing in disguise for world peace?

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Paul Frijters

Let’s first agree that if Trump is a blessing in disguise for world peace, he makes an exceptionally good disguise. Trump’s bark is probably the worst of any US president in living memory. He has threatened the total destruction of … Continue reading →

Posted in Death and taxes, Environment, Geeky Musings, History, Humour, Immigration and refugees, Politics - international, Society | 13 Comments

George RR Martin just reminded us of the horrors of war and our role in them.

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Paul Frijters

Episode 5 of the final season of Game of Thrones showed us a vengeful fallen angle, Daenerys Targaryen, after whom thousands of children in the real world have been named. Even though her enemies had been defeated and surrendered, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Democracy, Ethics, Films and TV, Geeky Musings, History, Law, Life, Literature, Media, Print media, Religion, Social Policy, Society, Theatre | 25 Comments

The Guru recipe

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Paul Frijters

[I just read a self-help book and, like Don Quixote, need to vent…] My 10 rules for becoming a successful guru: Appear popular at the start: humans are just like dogs that follow other dogs. So have a legion of … Continue reading →

Posted in bubble, Cultural Critique, Ethics, Geeky Musings, Journalism, Law, Libertarian Musings, Life, Social, Society, Space, Theatre | 18 Comments

The logic of the inevitable (nuclear) apocalypse. Can the Gods save us?

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Paul Frijters

The probability of a massive nuclear war the next 10 years between any of the 8 current nuclear powers (US, UK, France, Russia, India, Pakistan, NK, Israel) seems low. The bluster of the leaders is supposed to make the threat … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask Troppo's Love Gods, Chess, Climate Change, Cultural Critique, Dance, Death and taxes, Democracy, Education, Environment, Ethics, Geeky Musings, Health, History, Humour, IT and Internet, Life, Literature, Philosophy, Politics - international, Politics - national, Religion, Science, Social, Society, Space, Terror | 26 Comments