Intro

I intend to use this blog as a platform for my daily thoughts on a variety of topics. I welcome comments, objections, and questions.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Various Thoughts

I'm sure that my last post was rather daunting, but I'd still appreciate comments!

This post is going to be a little more ecclectic since I have several things on my mind that are not really related.

I played in an online poker tournament for several hours this afternoon, and I did quite well! The buy-in was $4, with 180 players paid in. I reached the final table, and in quick order became the chip leader by a 2-to-1 margin with only two other players remaining. Then came a disastrously unlucky hand. I started off with an Ace and Jack off suit, a pretty good hand pre-flop in a three-player match, so I raised. I was called, and out came the flop. I flopped an inside straight-draw, so I bet. The other player called, so now we have the turn. Bam! There is my straight card. I now have a straight to the Ace. I bet hard. He goes all-in and I call. He has pocket 10's, with a 3rd ten on the board, giving him trip 10's. At this point I am ecstatic. I have a great hand, and I am about to knock out the 3rd player, guaranteeing me at least a $144 prize, or quite possibly the $212 1st prize (since I would have had a 4-to-1 chip lead). But, the last card comes out.....the board pairs Kings. He now has a full house, and I lose 3/4 of my chips. It was only a matter of time before I was done, and I finished in 3rd place, with a prize of $85.68. I was so close to 1st place....

I'd like to quickly comment on an amazing piece of music that I also heard this afternoon. Shortly after my tragic defeat, I heard the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony. It's an astoundingly beautiful piece, which is surprising, because what I have heard from Mahler has often been chaotic, undisciplined, and mediocre. But in this one movement (the fourth movement of Mahler's 5th Symphony, for those of you who are counting), Mahler presents a deeply clear, focused, and pristine work. If anyone else can point out works of Mahler that fit these characteristics (not like the rest of Mahler's 5th Symphony), I'd be happy to hear them! I was feeling a little frustrated that I did not capture first place, when, after the work was finished, the radio announcer immediately said "You feel better now, don't you?" I quite literally laughed out loud.

My final thought, randomly enough, has to do with our penal system. I was watching a very good episode of the science fiction television show, The Outer Limits, in the early afternoon. David Hyde Pierce (of Fraiser fame) plays a character named Dr. Jack Henson, whom I would presume to be a psychologist/neurologist/scientist of some sort. He is demonstrating his new invention to several Senators who will be voting on whether or not to use this invention for the federal penal system. A convict is "plugged in" to this invention wherein he experiences the full prison sentence that the court has laid down. A virtual prison is created in the mind of the convict, and the nature of his punishment is custom fit to his own mind. His body remaining in a chair for only a few hours, the mind of the convict experiences a full 20 years of his sentence. When he awakens, he discovers that he has been given a second chance and is now completely rehabilitated (or so Dr. Henson claims). The character is clearly distraught and confused, but off he is taken to soon be re-entered into society.

Another subject, Corey Isaacs, is brought in to demonstrate the effectiveness of the system once more. However, as he is brought in, he is repeatedly screaming, "I'm innocent! I didn't do it! Don't do this to me!" Despite reservations from his assistant, Dr. Henson puts Isaacs in the machine. Suddenly, Isaacs goes into cardiac arrest. Suddenly they realize that if they had just put an innocent man into that machine, it would have disastrous results on his health and would, in all likelihood, kill him. So, Pierce's character decides to go into the virtual world to pull the man out. He successfully gets him out and awakens in his lab, only to find the man collapsed on the floor and being given CPR. He is dead.

As Dr. Henson and his assistant try to figure out what has happened, he is arrested for the murder of Corey Isaacs. At his trial, he is convicted and sentenced to 20 years without the possibility of parole. He enters the very harsh prison environment to find only brutal conditions existing there. There is very little activity, food is scarce, and attempts at rehabilitation are feeble at best. After an escape attempt, he is put into a solitary confinement chamber bordering on sensory deprivation. There is very little room to move, no books or other input of any kind, and no sound. He has a clear emotional breakdown and screams, "If you treat men like animals they are going to act like animals!" As he tries to cope with this torture, he finally says that he will obey, he will do everything that he is told. In this moment you can see a man fall apart. If this is not the definition of cruel and unusual punishment, I do not know what is.

What follows is a grueling montage sequence of the next 20 years of his life in prison. As it ends, Dr. Henson is about to leave the prison as his 20 year sentence has been completed. Spiritually broken and enfeebled, he moves painfully towards the exit of the prison. He sees a reflection of himself in the wall panel, and both he and the audience realize that he has been through torture, and that he is a broken man. There is a flash of white light and he sees his reflection yet again, however, he is once again a young man. He looks around his environment to find that he is back in his lab, with the Senators thanking him for saving Corey Isaacs' life. They had their reservations about the project, but now they are convinced. Dr. Henson's invention will go into full federal service by next year! Dr. Henson convulses with shock and disgust and immediately moves to destroy everything in the lab. Shocked security guards quickly restrain him and remove him from the room, frantically screaming, "You can't do this to people! It isn't right! Don't let this happen!" Oh my god, his assistant says, he sentenced himself to life in there. End of episode.

One of the things that I love most about science fiction is its ability to say so much through analogy. I will comment on what is wrong with our actual penal system in a later post. Food for thought.

Comments welcome!

3 comments:

sms said...

We should play poker some time.

I think you might like some of Mahler's 1st symphony, the beginning of the 1st and 3rd movements specifically. They are different than 4th of symph 5, darker, but not as chaotic as usual Mahler (3rd movement isn't at least, 1st gets to be later on).
Also, some Mahler songs (like single movement vocal and orchestral works) are not even slihgtly chaotic, just dark and beautiful. "Um Mitternacht" is one that I recall playing in undergrad.

Also, that outer limits episode is so good, definitely one of my favorites.

A Rational Egoist said...

We should in fact play poker sometime. I think we tried playing many many months ago, but it was an utter failure. It's too bad that you are not around while Drew is in session, seeing as I have several friends there that would be interested in playing.

Thanks for the Mahler suggestions - I'm going to check those out. I received several iTunes gift cards for xmas, so I'm anticipating quite the spree coming up.

Anonymous said...

Hey man,
Mahler's second symphony has some sections that are comparable to the gorgeous adagietto from the 5th. Also, the 9th symphony is very uplifting.