Assorted things that bug me/freak me out as a geek

[azurelunatic]

Regular excess grooming. I'm clean and so are my clothes. I am wearing clothes. Clothing is often a valid life choice. The clothing has been selected to generally look at least vaguely like a trained professional and a grown-up, and not scrape, poke, or pinch any part of me. Unless something really epic is happening, this is about it. I don't generally care either way if someone else picks extra grooming above and beyond on a daily basis as one of their hobbies, I mean, some people juggle geese, but it's not one of mine because it's annoying.

People who don't want to learn. Learning things (even just passively) is a joy and basically my reason to exist. People who don't want to learn give me the screaming heebie-jeebies. (My ex River and I had an amazing row over the phrase "ignorance is bliss" until we figured out that his position on it was that learning is bliss and you can't have a learning state without having an ignorance to learn better from, and therefore ignorance is bliss because hey, more things to learn!)

Security by obscurity. This one is a religious issue with me. Since learning is so vital, and the people of my tribe learn recreationally (give me a juicy technical manual, a comfortable chair, and a relaxing beverage, and I am set for a few hours), it is never a safe bet to say that no one will stumble upon the thing you hope to keep obscure. One of the first principles of defense is that it helps to know what you are defending against. Security by obscurity leaves innocents unarmed against nefarious fuckbags. I have preached loudly about this on public transit, to the point of having complete strangers tell me to can it. Religious, I tell you.

Comments

[cleverthylacine]

Mmmm, when I think of "ignorance is bliss" I think of the many times I've been perfectly happy not knowing Unpleasant Fact X about Person Y.

Unpleasant Fact X usually is some piece of personal history or deeply held opinion that I actually am better off knowing than not, but losing a friend is still stressful and painful and generally gross.

[azurelunatic]

It is true that I was a much happier reader when I had never read Orson Scott Card's blog. I liked Ender's Game, but I don't think I'll be able to re-read it, knowing what I do.

[cleverthylacine]

I once liked some of John C Wright's books but after I tangled with him on LJ I sold them all.

It is also unpleasant and awkward when you agree to hold something in confidence without having already guessed what it is, and it turns out to be something rage-inducing, nauseating, legally actionable or just completely unethical. I think one of the reasons I so deeply loathe a certain person in my past is that I am STILL keeping many of her secrets because to expose her would mean getting back in her life and probably not being believed by the parties who ought to know.

[krait]

Yep. I liked it too (and Ender's Shadow!), but even then I was just sort of... pretending I hadn't read certain sentences. If I ever listened to the man unload all his issues, I'd probably lose what remaining affection I have for it.

[azurelunatic]

Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, read his blog. He is in no fashion LGBTQ*-friendly, though I gather that he might have fewer problems with asexuals, because at least *they* aren't having icky gay sex.

[krait]

That is good to know, I guess.

Since his books left me with the feeling that he's not even female-friendly, I think we'll just mark him Right Off The List of people whose blogs FDL should peruse should she have a boring hour to fill.

[azurelunatic]

Yes.