Another Reason I Love Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

(image found on our beloved interweb)

Because – oh, you know – he so often shows that he thinks like me.

For example:


Why Seniors Don’t Care About Technology

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

It’s a common joke in pop culture how inept seniors are when it comes to technology. They mispronounce GIF (it’s “jif,” according to GIF creator Steve Wilhite). They type their names at the end of text messages. They need help programming anything that needs programming. Ha ha. Silly old coots. (Remember, this is just a stereotype; many seniors are very capable when it comes to tech.)

Some defend seniors’ lack of tech-savvy as a result of how quickly technology changes. Today’s iPhone is tomorrow’s Blackberry. No sooner do you learn how to transfer data from your old computer to your new laptop then they change the ports and cables and you have to start all over again.

I have another explanation. Technology symbolizes optimism for the future. It exudes the promise, however hollow, of solving any and all our problems—eventually. Plus, using the latest tech is a kind of rite of passage into the generation on the fast track to the wondrous future. It is tribal fetishism. Like using slang that old folks don’t understand.

But oldsters like me aren’t interested in acquiring, we’re in the process of decluttering. Youth gathers mementos, gadgets, trendy clothes—the flotsam that both memorializes and invigorates their journey through life. We, on the frozen shores, waiting to step aboard our inevitable ice floe, wish to shed ourselves of the distractions and digressions. Sure, an app on my phone can make life easier, but will it be that much easier than the hassle of learning how to use it, update it, understand the new functions? Usually not.

This is not a screed against new-fangled technology. I actually enjoy the technological innovations. Any song, any time. Love it. Favorite movies in an instant. Wonderful. But, while I once was the first in line to purchase new tech products like the VCR, 8-track tape, flip phone, etc., I have seen them float by on the river of time like the conquered soldiers of a relentless army…

Read it all at Kareem’s SubStack Blog


LYMI,

LaughingEagle

Novel Mini Review: A GOOD MAN

A GOOD MAN:
An Intoxicating Psychological Crime Thriller
by P.J. McIlvaine
MINI REVIEW

by Larry Brody

P.J. McIlvaine’s new thriller, A GOOD MAN, is the best novel I’ve read in a very long time, and I’ve read a hell of a lot of novels by many wonderful writers, especially in recent COVID-filled years.

Unlike most thrillers, A GOOD MAN is much more than an escape from our current stress-filled reality. As the cover says, it is indeed “An intoxicating psychological crime thriller,” and, yes, the plot is twistily superb and the suspense brilliantly paced, with personal stakes that keep ratcheting up, up, up, but that’s not all.

The bonus here is that P.J.’s writing is so thoughtful, so mature, that it actually put me into a place where I had no choice but to seriously consider and reappraise my own attitudes about love and family. Most impressively,  it literally made me feel emotions I didn’t even know I had.

In other words, I don’t just recommend this book, I recommend it unreservedly. And if you know me at all you know I’ve never said that publicly before, about anything.

EDITED TO ADD: Hey, I just saw that A Good Man is available on Kindle Unlimited over at Amazon, which means you can read it for free HERE

LB: BLOOM COUNTY is Back!

In Case You Didn’t Know Dept:

The Strip above is the sixth one this summer, with, I’m hopefully assuming, many more to come. And you can find them HERE.

Big thanks to Berkeley Breathed for having pity on us.

Hmm, I wonder…does this mean he’s gone broke or some such? Has the AMPTP struck again???


LYMI,

LB

LB: G The B took a nice pic of my 2nd best friend

(pic by Gwen Brody)

Yep, it’s Layla and me resting in bed together. And you probably thought that all she did was take me out for walks and keep me going upright in a straight line.

Turns out she keeps me smiling almost as well as Gwen (AKA my 1st best friend) does.

Gwen, btw, was my best friend from the time of my first conversation with her thirty plus years ago, while it took five years of companionship and training and more patience than either G The B or I ever imagined we could call upon for Layla the Lovely to become the best assistance/service dog any human could ask for.

Sometimes things do turn out even better than we’d ever dared hope.


 LYMI LB