Tuesdays with Muerte

Here's a funny video demonstrating a key difference between humans and computers —humans find it challenging to not immediately create connections and leap to conclusions.  Humans Computers Computers on the other hand are not programmed to impatiently misinterpret incoming data. I asked ChatGPT the same question and it spits out this response:

Do You Recognize the Melody? When I first listened to Aurora's 2023 hit single, " Your Blood ," I was immediately reminded of " Lovefool ," a 1996 classic from fellow Scandinavians, The Cardigans. I assumed they were both singing about unrequited love, but I realized they told different stories as I spent more time with Aurora's work. Background Interview with the Artist In this article, A Matter of the Heart , Aurora gives listeners a glimpse into the meaning behind her hit single, " Your Blood" .  In summary, "Your Blood" reflects on the loss of heart and empathy in a world driven by rationality and profit, exploring themes of pain, empathy, and interconnectedness.  Inspired by a letter written by  Indigenous activists from Brazil , Aurora's album,  What Happened to the Heart?,  questions humanity's reliance on mind over heart, highlighting how decisions driven by logic rather than compassion lead to suffering, both for the Eart...

Kenneth Rooks poses after winning the silver medal in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase final, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. Ashley Landis, Associated Press According to a Church News article , Kenneth Rooks, a former Brigham Young University track star and Latter-day Saint missionary, said that Alma 26 from The Book of Mormon inspired him to win a silver medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics men's 3,000-meter steeplechase.  In the chapter, Ammon says, " I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things " (verse 12). Rooks said this passage reminded him to be humble and trust the Lord. He also said that he was thinking about being an instrument in God's hands and that the Olympics were an opportunity to do that. Inspiration I draw from Rook's Olympic story: Rooks feared how he would measure up to internati...

Introduction I'm reading Filled with His Love by Russell T. Osguthorpe, emeritus Sunday School General President for the LDS church. I was startled by the first paragraph of his book. Of all the problems we face in mortality, the most vexing is not the lack of money or even the lack of food and water. It is the lack of love—the inability to receive and give love as the Savior did. If our physical body receives the necessary nourishment but our spirit does not receive and give love, our time on earth has no meaning. We might as well not exist. —Russell T. Osguthorpe, Filled with His Love Osguthorpe obviously feels strongly about the importance of being filled with the love of God (loving and feeling loved). It reminded me of a special interaction with him over a decade ago circa 2013. While walking between classes, I recognized Professor Osguthorpe walking between buildings. He was still a BYU McKay school professor, but he was also on campus developing the Church-wide  Come Follow...

Hunky-Dory Hunky-dory  is a term that means things are safe, all good, or going well. E.g., "Everything is hunky-dory" But where did the phrase come from? Adobe Stock The  Online Etymology Dictionary  claims that the phrase  hunky-dory  may have originated from the Middle Dutch word  honc , meaning "place of refuge, hiding place." Honc  then evolved into the Dutch word  honk , which was used in a Frisian variant of the game of tag (as in guten tag ) to mean the “goal” or “homebase.” The Dutch took this word (and presumably the game, too) overseas from New Amsterdam to New York. The first recorded usage of the term was around the 1840s in New York. Once the children's game hit New York, honk  may have evolved into the slang term  hunk  ("in a safe position," 1847). Perhaps hunk evolved into the cutsie derivative  hunkey  ("safe, all right, satisfactory," 1861). In other words, to achieve ...

Winning after a clutch penalty kick, Adobe Stock I love the word clutch , especially when it describes a person winning a game or accomplishing a difficult activity (such as being the only remaining player on one's team against several opponents). When I hear the word "clutch," multiple meanings come to mind simultaneously: Etymologically, clutch  comes from the Middle English clitch , which means to "close the hand," or "grasp something tightly" which reminds me of cinching the win (like a horse saddle strap), leaving no room for escape. In Old English, clyccan  means "crook" or "bend," which adds a new dimension to the word's meaning. A clutch play can be illustrated by a shepherd's crook, illustrating a sudden 180-degree change in the momentum of the game. In the vernacular, I imagine a bird of prey's clawed clutch , unexpectedly (or luckily) swooping in and snatching victory away from one's opponents. Clutch migh...