Tobacco addiction cheap for society?

Some really strange things get said on /. sometimes.

As I was originally starting to type this, there was an article (which I failed to record a link to and now can't be sure which it was) on Bitcoin being used in the black market for illicit drugs. Lots of people in that part of the conversation seem to want to make drugs generally legal in the US, and they cite the supposed failure of Prohibition.

(I thought I had blogged about the supposed failure of prohibition. Apparently not.

It did not fail, but we failed to do it wisely.

We should have specifically authorized the states and communities to prohibit and/or regulate intrastate commerce in alcohol and other substances with strong habit-forming properties and/or negative health consequences, and restricted the states from attempting to prohibit personal and private production and use of the same, except in cases where the production and/or use at private level presented legal issues in other areas. (Production facilities blowing up and/or threatening neighbor's property, health, etc. Also, allowing states and communities to attempt to deal with individuals who, when consuming or using such substances, would lose control and present a clear danger to others.)

And we should have authorized laws to be made regulating and/or prohibiting interstate commerce and transportation of such substances, particularly into states where such was regulated and/or prohibited.

This would have been in keeping with the spirit and letter of the Constitution.

Having failed to do that, we undid the prohibition amendment in a way that left us open to the FDA. That was a bigger failure than the way we originally did prohibition.)

Well, somebody brought up a concept that is apparently making the rounds in parts of Europe -- that tobacco is actually cheaper than euthanasia. Talk about false dilemma and strawman and, well, the whole basic gamut of false logic.

Dealing with the "problem" of an aging society by killing the old folks off with either explicit euthanasia or the implicit use of vice is just plain wrong on all levels.

Old people are valuable. For their experience, if nothing else. But for all sorts of other things, too.

If our economy does not allow us to recognize their value appropriately, then the economy is wrong. Fix the economy, don't fix the non-problem of a rising average age.

Go Fish -- ゴー・フィッシュ

This is the standard game, as I understand it. Some variations noted below.

僕の記憶による、通常のルールを説明してから、ほかのやり方についてもいくつか話します。

Object: To collect pairs of cards by asking other players for cards that match those in your hand.

目的：　自分の手札にあるカードに相当するカードを相手に頼んだりして、２枚ペア組んで集めていく。

Number of players: Two to six.

プレーヤの人数：　２人～６人

Use: A standard deck of playing cards.

遊具：　普通のカードデッキ（トランプ）

Setup -- 用意 :

The dealer shuffles the deck and deals seven cards, face-down so that others can't see them, to each player. The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile where all the players can reach them. (You can call the draw pile the lake or the sea.)

カードをシャッフルして、七枚ずつ配ります。他のプレーヤにカードが見えないように、裏を表に配ります。残りのカードを山にして、プレーヤの皆さんの手の届ける位置に置きます。（この場合は、やまを「海」と言ってもいい。）

Each player looks for any pairs in his hand and places them face up in front of him.

プレーヤは皆、自分の手札に入っているカードの中からペアを探して、自分の前に置きます。

Basic play -- 基本的な遊び方 :

The player to the left of the dealer starts.

ディーラーの左のプレーヤから始まります。

On a players turn, he chooses a card in his hand and chooses another player to ask for its match.

そのプレーヤの番には手札のなかから一枚を選んで、相手の一人も選んで、選んだカードに相当するカードを頼みます。

If the other player has the match, he gives it to him. If not, he says, "Go fish." and the player whose turn it is draws a card from the draw pile.

頼まれたプレーヤにはそのカードを持っている場合は渡します。持っていない場合は、「ゴーフィッシュ」と言って、番になっているプレーヤは山から一枚を引きます。

If the player gets a match, whether by asking or by drawing, he places the pair in front of him. Further, if the match was the card asked for, whether by asking or by drawing, he may play again. 

もらっても、引いてもペアを組めるなら、そのペアを自分の前に置きます。頼んだカードの場合は、もう一回できます。

If the player did not get a match, or got a match but not the card asked for, turn proceeds to the left.

ペア組めない場合、またはペア組めてもそれが頼んだカードではなかった場合、番が時計回りに次に進みます。

The game ends when any one player has no cards left in his hand, to play.

プレーヤの内、誰一人も手札がなくなったところゲームが終わりです。

The player who has collected the most pairs wins.

ペアを多く組めた人が勝ち。

(Four o'clock in the morning, variations will have to be done later.)

[Update: Example game play dialog here. JMR20150408]

not plugged in

(On the train home, last night:)

Of fifteen people near me, on the same seat or the one across from me, three people are not plugged in in any way. (I am plugged in, but not to the network, so maybe that's four.)  By plugged in, I mean, earplugs inserted or cellphone or some other electronics out, and actively using the device.

One of the three is reading smartphone ads from docomo.

I am reminded of some science fiction scene in which everyone is plugged in to the indoctrination station.

Maybe Fahrenheit 451, but portable.