7.31.2002
ahhh.... angry mob justice. Let's all divide up by some arbitrary criterion (race seems to be popular, but anything will do... shoe size, right/left handedness, or perhaps it will boil down to us against the remaining Flock of Seagulls fans) and beat each other with the bricks from our own homes. I am reminded of a fight I was in once....
[dream sequence]
I was in 2nd grade. Me and all the other guys in said grade commenced to fighting one recess. I, in particular, did not know what the fighting was about... just weighed in with the others for no apparent reason. I fought one guy, and then moved on to another. His buddy came up and they teamed up on me and the guy I fought previously came (surprisingly) to my defense. Then a new wave attacked and the four of us fought as group, but we got separated and ended up fighting each other again. It was an all out brawl, as far as second graders go. The fastest application of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" possible.
We all got in trouble and had to stay after school. There was no real punishment, because they did not have a proper metric deciding the punishment for ALL the boys in a particular grade. Most of us didn't even know what we were fighting about.
[/dream sequence]
Reminds me a lot of current affairs in general. Our technocracy tends to make us implicit friends with India. The war on terrorism unites us reluctantly with Pakistan. They both want to nuke each other to bits. Major Ed Dames (of Art Bell fame) claims that we have technology (da da da daaaaa) that would stop such an exchange before it starts. And I am leaning toward believing it. Who is our friend? who is our enemy? it would all be so much simpler if they would just stop changing sides so fast.
I was pondering race relatinons, in fact, today... my contractor uncle made a stereotypical contractor-y generalization about several different race issues in one sentence. It was to stupid to even comment on, so I held my peace and pondered. I do remember asking, however, how one decides who is "white" and who is not...
When you really (and I mean really) stop to think about it... what a bizarre thing to chose as a separating line, this race thing. So many other, more divisive things come to mind immediately, it made me wonder why we chose that of all things to separate us.
I couldn't really come up with a solution (how do you nonviolently solve stupidity? I don't think there is a way), but the thought just struck me as amazing.
Go now, and listen to "Us and Them" and ponder our world.
jeff "with... without... and who'll deny, it's what the fighting's all about" green
PS: my favorite weapon is the railgun. One shot kills from across the board. They never even see it coming. Untill they find your hiding spot...
[dream sequence]
I was in 2nd grade. Me and all the other guys in said grade commenced to fighting one recess. I, in particular, did not know what the fighting was about... just weighed in with the others for no apparent reason. I fought one guy, and then moved on to another. His buddy came up and they teamed up on me and the guy I fought previously came (surprisingly) to my defense. Then a new wave attacked and the four of us fought as group, but we got separated and ended up fighting each other again. It was an all out brawl, as far as second graders go. The fastest application of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" possible.
We all got in trouble and had to stay after school. There was no real punishment, because they did not have a proper metric deciding the punishment for ALL the boys in a particular grade. Most of us didn't even know what we were fighting about.
[/dream sequence]
Reminds me a lot of current affairs in general. Our technocracy tends to make us implicit friends with India. The war on terrorism unites us reluctantly with Pakistan. They both want to nuke each other to bits. Major Ed Dames (of Art Bell fame) claims that we have technology (da da da daaaaa) that would stop such an exchange before it starts. And I am leaning toward believing it. Who is our friend? who is our enemy? it would all be so much simpler if they would just stop changing sides so fast.
I was pondering race relatinons, in fact, today... my contractor uncle made a stereotypical contractor-y generalization about several different race issues in one sentence. It was to stupid to even comment on, so I held my peace and pondered. I do remember asking, however, how one decides who is "white" and who is not...
When you really (and I mean really) stop to think about it... what a bizarre thing to chose as a separating line, this race thing. So many other, more divisive things come to mind immediately, it made me wonder why we chose that of all things to separate us.
I couldn't really come up with a solution (how do you nonviolently solve stupidity? I don't think there is a way), but the thought just struck me as amazing.
Go now, and listen to "Us and Them" and ponder our world.
jeff "with... without... and who'll deny, it's what the fighting's all about" green
PS: my favorite weapon is the railgun. One shot kills from across the board. They never even see it coming. Untill they find your hiding spot...
theres no justice like mob justice.
people are on edge... i hope you have your armageddon weapon picked out.....
i can't decide, chainsaw or broadsword?
:)
people are on edge... i hope you have your armageddon weapon picked out.....
i can't decide, chainsaw or broadsword?
:)
I read this on zzrg.net and was surprised at both the speaker and its truthfulness.
"I would willingly die for my country at a moment's notice and on the command of my president...
It's unpatriotic not to stand up, look them in the eye, and ask the questions they don't want to hear - they being those who have the responsibility, the ultimate responsibility in a society such as ours, of sending our sons and daughters, our husbands, wives, our blood, to face death, to take death. Now, in my position my view is not to ask the tough questions in this kind of environment is the height of lack of patriotism... There has never been an American war, small or large, in which access has been so limited as this one. Limiting access, limiting information to cover the backsides of those who are in charge of the war, is extremely dangerous and cannot and should not be accepted. And I am sorry to say that up to and including the moment of this interview, that overwhelmingly it has been accepted by the American people. And the current administration revels in that, they relish that, and they take refuge in that."
-Dan Rather
"I would willingly die for my country at a moment's notice and on the command of my president...
It's unpatriotic not to stand up, look them in the eye, and ask the questions they don't want to hear - they being those who have the responsibility, the ultimate responsibility in a society such as ours, of sending our sons and daughters, our husbands, wives, our blood, to face death, to take death. Now, in my position my view is not to ask the tough questions in this kind of environment is the height of lack of patriotism... There has never been an American war, small or large, in which access has been so limited as this one. Limiting access, limiting information to cover the backsides of those who are in charge of the war, is extremely dangerous and cannot and should not be accepted. And I am sorry to say that up to and including the moment of this interview, that overwhelmingly it has been accepted by the American people. And the current administration revels in that, they relish that, and they take refuge in that."
-Dan Rather
Have you ever wondered if you are losing your mind?
The little imaginary scenarios played out in your mind become nearly palpable. So nearly real that you wonder if they actually happened or not? Or if they will?
Like you could just step through the thinning looking-glass gateway into your own little world as easily as stepping through a doorway?
Maybe I just have too much time to think. Or maybe I should get out more. Which way is out, by the way?
The little imaginary scenarios played out in your mind become nearly palpable. So nearly real that you wonder if they actually happened or not? Or if they will?
Like you could just step through the thinning looking-glass gateway into your own little world as easily as stepping through a doorway?
Maybe I just have too much time to think. Or maybe I should get out more. Which way is out, by the way?
7.30.2002
7.28.2002
if you're trying to decide between sleep and an orgasm....
if its even a choice
you should just kill yourself now...
if its even a choice
you should just kill yourself now...
7.26.2002
well... I finished Brave New World last night... It was a pretty ok book. I fear I have lost the ability to be blown away by a book anymore. BNW was interesting, had some cool ideas, but I just kind of got a ho-hum response out of it.
Good points:
The whole genetic engineering/conditioning thing. That was probably the part of the book that had the most applicable (need the book be applicable instead of stand alone as merely a book? maybe I strive to wring too much meaning out of things) to our modern days, what with all the hoopla over cloning and genetic engineering and all.
Bernard's struggle for meaning in life. I think that most people can identify with him. Everybody, no matter how conformative, I think feels seperate from the world. And like Bernard, I think that most of us are more a part of it than we would like to think. Even the most nonconformative of us.
All the shakespeare quotes. This book has inspired me to reread much of the shakespeare I have forgotten. It is good stuff. Puts into words the things we think but don't really have an outlet for.
Bad points:
The outlook on our technological future was poorly formed (by Huxley's own admission). He particularly mentioned the lack of things being nuclear powered, but I think that the whole nuclear thing was largely a fad. People of the post-WWII world thought that nuclear anything would solve all our problems quick and easy (like the way it won the war). Time has shown that nuclear technology is a two-edged sword at best and a liability and thing to be feared at worst. As an aside, however, I do think that we should put more effort into nuclear technology. As an energy source it has only been superficially tapped, and there are many advances being made to make it safer and more efficient... but that is just the engineer in me talking.
I realize that predicting technological advances is nearly impossible. The things that we have now did not even theoreticaly exist in Huxleys day, so it would have been too much to expect him to think them up.
The technology in this case I think played a very distant second fiddle to the main plot but was an issue nonetheless.
Another thing was the idea that all the conveniences and tools that people had took all need for long work or innovation away from them. We have seen that our technology only makes us busier and makes our lives more hectic, not more leisurely.
There was a lot of other stuff, but as i read through my post I realize how boring I sound so I will cut it short.
It was a cool book, but had some big flaws, which I noticed when reading and Huxely seconded in his Foreword. Just taken as it was, it was an interesting read and a good look at how our conditioning affects our outlook and our general perception of happiness.
And with that, I will shut up
jeff
Good points:
The whole genetic engineering/conditioning thing. That was probably the part of the book that had the most applicable (need the book be applicable instead of stand alone as merely a book? maybe I strive to wring too much meaning out of things) to our modern days, what with all the hoopla over cloning and genetic engineering and all.
Bernard's struggle for meaning in life. I think that most people can identify with him. Everybody, no matter how conformative, I think feels seperate from the world. And like Bernard, I think that most of us are more a part of it than we would like to think. Even the most nonconformative of us.
All the shakespeare quotes. This book has inspired me to reread much of the shakespeare I have forgotten. It is good stuff. Puts into words the things we think but don't really have an outlet for.
Bad points:
The outlook on our technological future was poorly formed (by Huxley's own admission). He particularly mentioned the lack of things being nuclear powered, but I think that the whole nuclear thing was largely a fad. People of the post-WWII world thought that nuclear anything would solve all our problems quick and easy (like the way it won the war). Time has shown that nuclear technology is a two-edged sword at best and a liability and thing to be feared at worst. As an aside, however, I do think that we should put more effort into nuclear technology. As an energy source it has only been superficially tapped, and there are many advances being made to make it safer and more efficient... but that is just the engineer in me talking.
I realize that predicting technological advances is nearly impossible. The things that we have now did not even theoreticaly exist in Huxleys day, so it would have been too much to expect him to think them up.
The technology in this case I think played a very distant second fiddle to the main plot but was an issue nonetheless.
Another thing was the idea that all the conveniences and tools that people had took all need for long work or innovation away from them. We have seen that our technology only makes us busier and makes our lives more hectic, not more leisurely.
There was a lot of other stuff, but as i read through my post I realize how boring I sound so I will cut it short.
It was a cool book, but had some big flaws, which I noticed when reading and Huxely seconded in his Foreword. Just taken as it was, it was an interesting read and a good look at how our conditioning affects our outlook and our general perception of happiness.
And with that, I will shut up
jeff
np - A Perfect Circle - Three Libras
...I'd like to say that I absolutely adore this song.
Otherwise, not much to "speak out" about here. Days go by; nights the same. Worse for wear but not much changed.
I began reading Animal Farm tonight because 1984 was checked out of the library. With twenty pages to go, I'd have to say that though the symbolism is a little heavy-handed (hmm, an understatement) and, by this point in time, overdone, it's still a delight to read and read into.
That article on doublespeak was fascinating. It makes me want to take more critical theory courses... Exerpts from it have now found a home on our refrigerator door. I try, probably all in vain, to expose my family to new thoughts and ideas - and the refrigerator seems to be the most effective medium. Usually though, I watch them pull back from the cool air, pop in hand, as they squint for a brief moment at the words in front of them - and the moment it's determined that the words aren't meant to be humorous, shrug, open can, and retreat to the safety of the big tv's warm glow. Oh well.
My penguin clock has died, again. {sigh}
Oh, and for readers of the fabulous Onion. I read this article and almost died.
Primarily because I catch myself doing the same exact thing at least once a week.
Conditioning... Jung was really onto something. :)
I posted a slightly disturbing dream on my blog - I think it's one that will probably stick with me for a while. And I'm really beginning to wonder if it was actually just a dream.
That's my babbling for now. Goodnight all.
...I'd like to say that I absolutely adore this song.
Otherwise, not much to "speak out" about here. Days go by; nights the same. Worse for wear but not much changed.
I began reading Animal Farm tonight because 1984 was checked out of the library. With twenty pages to go, I'd have to say that though the symbolism is a little heavy-handed (hmm, an understatement) and, by this point in time, overdone, it's still a delight to read and read into.
That article on doublespeak was fascinating. It makes me want to take more critical theory courses... Exerpts from it have now found a home on our refrigerator door. I try, probably all in vain, to expose my family to new thoughts and ideas - and the refrigerator seems to be the most effective medium. Usually though, I watch them pull back from the cool air, pop in hand, as they squint for a brief moment at the words in front of them - and the moment it's determined that the words aren't meant to be humorous, shrug, open can, and retreat to the safety of the big tv's warm glow. Oh well.
My penguin clock has died, again. {sigh}
Oh, and for readers of the fabulous Onion. I read this article and almost died.
Primarily because I catch myself doing the same exact thing at least once a week.
Conditioning... Jung was really onto something. :)
I posted a slightly disturbing dream on my blog - I think it's one that will probably stick with me for a while. And I'm really beginning to wonder if it was actually just a dream.
That's my babbling for now. Goodnight all.
oh yeah... I am on #chadshaus at the moment. If anybody reads this contact me if you wish...
I will be on for a while, and then tomorrow, most likely
jeffy
I will be on for a while, and then tomorrow, most likely
jeffy
speaking out.... some of my phrases:
"trying is the first step toward failure"
"If we had any ham we could have ham and eggs, if we had any eggs"
There are others, but I am too sloth to remember them. You kind of loose track of intelligent sayings when you have nobody to talk to, or when the only conversations you have are "can I get sweet and sour sauce with that?" or the happy-crappy smalltalk with the checkout chick at the grocery store.
Kswiss is what is wrong with america. We have debated all sorts of things, from corporate consumerism to the war on drugs to the Party, trying to find what is wrong with us, but we have failed. Kswiss identified it for us. We are just simply stupid. Lazy, too, but that was only implied.
Well, here I sit for another evening. I am paranoid I swear. I just drove for a full hour simply to change the radio station in my uncle's truck from the local college station (which had a couple of uncommonly good songs in my perusal of the airwaves today) to the random static filling the voids between stations. Why? Because I didn't want anybody to get in the truck, turn on the radio and say "what kind of freak listens to THIS?!?!". call me weak. Go ahead. you know you want too.
oh well.
I did take a bit of a trip down memory lane. I drove through my old neighborhood where I used to live. It was a very cool melancholy feeling. Kind of cloudy with a slight drip of rain, and everything largely the same, but slightly different. they built a new house where I used to wander through the woods. They painted the one on the corner. THe trees and brush have gotten bigger. It was a good neighborhood. I have thought of building/buying a place in the same general area, should I live here for an extended period of time someday. I have to get a job, first, though.
sidenote: do you have a broadband connection, chad? I have it here, and maybe could set up a transfer...
I went to visit my old coworkers at the DOT. it was 4:15, and being that it was a nice day, everyone was gone. Talk was that most people left at 3:00. SHould have guessed. You really can't go home again.
oh well.
Sorry this is not particularly intelligent or well written. I am just not in the mood for effort at the moment.
jeff
"trying is the first step toward failure"
"If we had any ham we could have ham and eggs, if we had any eggs"
There are others, but I am too sloth to remember them. You kind of loose track of intelligent sayings when you have nobody to talk to, or when the only conversations you have are "can I get sweet and sour sauce with that?" or the happy-crappy smalltalk with the checkout chick at the grocery store.
Kswiss is what is wrong with america. We have debated all sorts of things, from corporate consumerism to the war on drugs to the Party, trying to find what is wrong with us, but we have failed. Kswiss identified it for us. We are just simply stupid. Lazy, too, but that was only implied.
Well, here I sit for another evening. I am paranoid I swear. I just drove for a full hour simply to change the radio station in my uncle's truck from the local college station (which had a couple of uncommonly good songs in my perusal of the airwaves today) to the random static filling the voids between stations. Why? Because I didn't want anybody to get in the truck, turn on the radio and say "what kind of freak listens to THIS?!?!". call me weak. Go ahead. you know you want too.
oh well.
I did take a bit of a trip down memory lane. I drove through my old neighborhood where I used to live. It was a very cool melancholy feeling. Kind of cloudy with a slight drip of rain, and everything largely the same, but slightly different. they built a new house where I used to wander through the woods. They painted the one on the corner. THe trees and brush have gotten bigger. It was a good neighborhood. I have thought of building/buying a place in the same general area, should I live here for an extended period of time someday. I have to get a job, first, though.
sidenote: do you have a broadband connection, chad? I have it here, and maybe could set up a transfer...
I went to visit my old coworkers at the DOT. it was 4:15, and being that it was a nice day, everyone was gone. Talk was that most people left at 3:00. SHould have guessed. You really can't go home again.
oh well.
Sorry this is not particularly intelligent or well written. I am just not in the mood for effort at the moment.
jeff
7.25.2002
oh yes, i live
kswiss is the devil
speed is the key
kswiss is the devil
speed is the key
thanks to applekid we have got the Kswiss commercials i mentioned a couple days ago
kswiss1.mov
kswiss2.mov
kswiss3.mov
watch them, then judge for yourself
kswiss1.mov
kswiss2.mov
kswiss3.mov
watch them, then judge for yourself
Those who use language to conceal or prevent or corrupt thought must be called to account. - William D. Lutz
doublespeak
doesn't seem to be much hot steamy action around here now is there?
come on people... .sound OFF!
doublespeak
doesn't seem to be much hot steamy action around here now is there?
come on people... .sound OFF!
7.24.2002
hey...
I am really diggin XP... I had always kind of considered it a rather girlie program, what with the Mac-style Recycle bin in the corner and the nice pretty graphics and all, but it is seriously powerful. Noticeably better than 2k. They put some real effort into cool ideas, like compressing multiple windows into one slot in the taskbar. Network data on the task manager. and it actually kills crashed programs instead of simply leading you to think you can!
I must say, I am impressed.
goodnight all
PS: I am still working on setting up IRC... so many things to do, so little time
jeff
I am really diggin XP... I had always kind of considered it a rather girlie program, what with the Mac-style Recycle bin in the corner and the nice pretty graphics and all, but it is seriously powerful. Noticeably better than 2k. They put some real effort into cool ideas, like compressing multiple windows into one slot in the taskbar. Network data on the task manager. and it actually kills crashed programs instead of simply leading you to think you can!
I must say, I am impressed.
goodnight all
PS: I am still working on setting up IRC... so many things to do, so little time
jeff
7.23.2002
just wondering what script everyone uses while on IRC?
maybe everyone can post their favorite script?
cool. ok yeh.
I use Havenscript - I got it when I was serving and i've grown accustomed too it, it doesn't have all the options that polaris or invision do, but oh well...
I've stripped mine down and removed the buttons, and but the selector thing on the side....
there's many more things i can't show in just a screenshot.
maybe everyone can post their favorite script?
cool. ok yeh.
I use Havenscript - I got it when I was serving and i've grown accustomed too it, it doesn't have all the options that polaris or invision do, but oh well...
I've stripped mine down and removed the buttons, and but the selector thing on the side....
there's many more things i can't show in just a screenshot.
i was just tuned to MTV2 and i saw a commercial that frankly i can't even believe.
It was for KSWISS designer shoes.
They're white tennis show looking things with three stripes of color vertical on each side.
The commercial looks like an anti-smoking ad with all sorts of productive, sports engaging teens/collage age adults are wearing these shoes.
What really scared me was the announcer voice, and the peoples comments throughout. Here are some of the things that i can recall:
"They come in three colors: (cut to teen with afro) Red, (cut to girl with her sweater wearing boyfriend) white, (cut to strapping young man in a lawnchair) and Blue!"
"Why would you want anything else?"
"So many to choose from!"
"I care about my individuality"
WHAT THE FUCK?
so many to choose from?
3 colors?
red white and blue?
how long will the workers keep building the new rockets, and new jets?
is Eurasia/Terrorism really a threat?
is there a war?
are my shoes indictitive of my alliegence to this rotting stink of a society?
i leave you with wise words:
"Terrors the product to push, ahhh i'm a truth addict, ah shit i got a head rush"- Zach de la Rocha (RATM)
It was for KSWISS designer shoes.
They're white tennis show looking things with three stripes of color vertical on each side.
The commercial looks like an anti-smoking ad with all sorts of productive, sports engaging teens/collage age adults are wearing these shoes.
What really scared me was the announcer voice, and the peoples comments throughout. Here are some of the things that i can recall:
"They come in three colors: (cut to teen with afro) Red, (cut to girl with her sweater wearing boyfriend) white, (cut to strapping young man in a lawnchair) and Blue!"
"Why would you want anything else?"
"So many to choose from!"
"I care about my individuality"
WHAT THE FUCK?
so many to choose from?
3 colors?
red white and blue?
how long will the workers keep building the new rockets, and new jets?
is Eurasia/Terrorism really a threat?
is there a war?
are my shoes indictitive of my alliegence to this rotting stink of a society?
i leave you with wise words:
"Terrors the product to push, ahhh i'm a truth addict, ah shit i got a head rush"- Zach de la Rocha (RATM)
Well AppleKid's farewell was quite an event.
The hot sex that ensued was fully captured by my video device...
I will post it soon :)
Good Luck in your future ventures.... see you online apples!
The hot sex that ensued was fully captured by my video device...
I will post it soon :)
Good Luck in your future ventures.... see you online apples!
7.21.2002
hello... finally got my internet connection. wowie.
Oddly enough, this is the first time I have ever plugged into a real network. I have been stuck on dial-up with all my old equipment. I have used school networks, but never set them up myself.
THis is qute fun.
jeff
Oddly enough, this is the first time I have ever plugged into a real network. I have been stuck on dial-up with all my old equipment. I have used school networks, but never set them up myself.
THis is qute fun.
jeff
7.20.2002
Hey hey hey
got my computer. Everything seems to be going fine with it. It is quite fast, but not linearly faster than it's slower-clocked rivals. But it is fast enough. My Neural nets programs run quickly, and windows is snappy.
I went to see Minority Report. It was a B to B+ movie. I was expecting more, seeing as how spielberg directed it, but it was ok. It was a bit too much like mission impossible. plot wise, as well. It is one of those movies where you quickly learn at the beginning who the 'real' bad guy is going to be, about 1.5 hours before you were supposed to. oh well. worth a watch, but I would say only one.
Still no internet connection, because I have to register my ethernet card with the school here. No connection otherwise. oh well
more later
jeff
got my computer. Everything seems to be going fine with it. It is quite fast, but not linearly faster than it's slower-clocked rivals. But it is fast enough. My Neural nets programs run quickly, and windows is snappy.
I went to see Minority Report. It was a B to B+ movie. I was expecting more, seeing as how spielberg directed it, but it was ok. It was a bit too much like mission impossible. plot wise, as well. It is one of those movies where you quickly learn at the beginning who the 'real' bad guy is going to be, about 1.5 hours before you were supposed to. oh well. worth a watch, but I would say only one.
Still no internet connection, because I have to register my ethernet card with the school here. No connection otherwise. oh well
more later
jeff
i think the blog is fixed YAY!
no more 503 errors
.... i won't tell you who gave me the solution because if i say her name she might start to think that she's smart or something
no more 503 errors
.... i won't tell you who gave me the solution because if i say her name she might start to think that she's smart or something
Anyone else have an unnatural urge to save every box that comes their way?
My closet's becoming perilously full.
Hmm....
My closet's becoming perilously full.
Hmm....
7.17.2002
Hello again all... More pointless rambling.
I spent the entire day pissed off. I haven't done that in a long time, as I am a fairly mellow guy, but this was a long, slow-burning anger that powered my day.
It was extremely hot, and dry (which, incidentally, is better than the hot-and-humid variety), and dusty. And not a breath of wind. I had to run this big loader back and forth all day ricocheting off the walls of the cab, inhaling 6 pounds of dust in the process (still picking out mud boogers in case anybody cares to know). That is usually tiring and tenderizing, but the worst came when my uncle, who I work with/for caught a nap in the middle of the day while I was working and he should have been. That pushed me over the edge. But that is not all. That was only the last half of the day, which was simply icing on the pissed-cake. The underlying anger stems from the first of the fundamental emotions I described as fear. I turned in my hours for the month of June at the end of the month, and I still haven't gotten a paycheck. He keeps stalling and stalling and putting me off. I have enough dough to make the summer, but none to pay my bills when I return to Minnesotaland. I fear he will string me out until I am flat broke and then only give part of the money owed. That has almost happened before, but was narrowly averted.
I know I can sic my grandma (his mom) on him, though, and that will most likely make him pay... :)
Oh well.... I am calming now.
I ran into a guy I worked with last summer and kind of became friends with. We share some common ground... he is from Garrison, and went to BHS, and then what used to be CLC when it was BCC (he is a couple years older than I), and got as fed up and tired of brainerd as I did, and blasted off for a place as far away as he could get, which ended up to be fairbanks. You have to admire that. :) anyhow, I ran into him once earlier this summer, and this now second chance encounter has reminded me how much I enjoyed working at the State DOT last year. It was a really good bunch of people. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was still cool. And being a government agency, nobody cared what I did, if anything.
I am seriously considering returning there after graduation, if possible. Life after may is a COMPLETE blank page at this point, but it is a front-running option.
hmmm. i hate decisions like what to do after graduation. Everything seems so final, like, ok.... THIS is what you are going to be doing for the next 30+ years.
maybe grad school to forestall the inevitable future?
hmmm.
jeff
PS. I tried the video on a PC, but no go. I tried it on a mac, with only a partial go. Lots of distortion... little audio chirps and burps is all. No video. Is there something else I need?
I spent the entire day pissed off. I haven't done that in a long time, as I am a fairly mellow guy, but this was a long, slow-burning anger that powered my day.
It was extremely hot, and dry (which, incidentally, is better than the hot-and-humid variety), and dusty. And not a breath of wind. I had to run this big loader back and forth all day ricocheting off the walls of the cab, inhaling 6 pounds of dust in the process (still picking out mud boogers in case anybody cares to know). That is usually tiring and tenderizing, but the worst came when my uncle, who I work with/for caught a nap in the middle of the day while I was working and he should have been. That pushed me over the edge. But that is not all. That was only the last half of the day, which was simply icing on the pissed-cake. The underlying anger stems from the first of the fundamental emotions I described as fear. I turned in my hours for the month of June at the end of the month, and I still haven't gotten a paycheck. He keeps stalling and stalling and putting me off. I have enough dough to make the summer, but none to pay my bills when I return to Minnesotaland. I fear he will string me out until I am flat broke and then only give part of the money owed. That has almost happened before, but was narrowly averted.
I know I can sic my grandma (his mom) on him, though, and that will most likely make him pay... :)
Oh well.... I am calming now.
I ran into a guy I worked with last summer and kind of became friends with. We share some common ground... he is from Garrison, and went to BHS, and then what used to be CLC when it was BCC (he is a couple years older than I), and got as fed up and tired of brainerd as I did, and blasted off for a place as far away as he could get, which ended up to be fairbanks. You have to admire that. :) anyhow, I ran into him once earlier this summer, and this now second chance encounter has reminded me how much I enjoyed working at the State DOT last year. It was a really good bunch of people. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was still cool. And being a government agency, nobody cared what I did, if anything.
I am seriously considering returning there after graduation, if possible. Life after may is a COMPLETE blank page at this point, but it is a front-running option.
hmmm. i hate decisions like what to do after graduation. Everything seems so final, like, ok.... THIS is what you are going to be doing for the next 30+ years.
maybe grad school to forestall the inevitable future?
hmmm.
jeff
PS. I tried the video on a PC, but no go. I tried it on a mac, with only a partial go. Lots of distortion... little audio chirps and burps is all. No video. Is there something else I need?
7.16.2002
Sometimes a moment only exists for about 20 seconds or so.... but i'm glad i captured this one....
(My camera had a 10x slow on it if you're wondering that that effect is)
(My camera had a 10x slow on it if you're wondering that that effect is)
the next 5 messages
are
posted
in
backwards
order
I realized that geeks (expanded to refer to any non-mainstream person) generally have a different view of the world, and of the mainstream. For instance, people dont see that many social activities that most of the mainstream people do (clubbing, hanging around in parking lots blasting rap until 3 am) are rather pointless. Of course those people think that computers are hard to use and they think linux is street slang for meth. These mainstreamers think the government isn't corrupt, and is perfect. They're the people who wear tight, skimpy clothes not because they serve any actual function, but because they want attention. Maybe these are insane ramblings from an "abnormal" person. maybe this is just anti-social geek energy flowing through my fingers to reach your minds. Maybe I just have something against the mainstream because they're there. Have you ever been near people that piss you off in under a minute. I see people that just piss me off just because they exist. and that I know they exist to run the machine. unknowingly bringing unto themselves the brainwashing that shapes them. just look at advertising. just because one brand is advertised, does that make it any better of a brand? I see commercials for "desirable objects" (clothes, shoes especially) that have nothing to do with the clothes themselves, and over years of engineering people's minds, they convince society that they're product is worth buying because it has a logo. Now, why would a person spend twice as much money to acquire a logo on a shirt, especially if this person did not really support this companies products, but because it's "cool". I can see buying a shirt with something such as a band, because you support and enjoy that band, or any product for that matter. Actors/TV shows do a similar thing, as do sports celebrities. They convince the people that they are worth watching, and then they market themselves to hell and back. What would make a Martha Stewert towel from K-mart worth $4 more than some identical colored random brand towel from walmart? could there honestly be that big of a difference in craftsmanship and quality? What makes an Alienware computer worth $1000 than a computer bought with identical (maybe even superior) parts? capitalism is cool and all that, but it really does get to be a bit excessive. I read an article on slashdot that said something to the effect of marketing departments wanting to start pop up ads on tv shows. the example used was while a guy was shaving, some shaving ad would pop up. Now call me crazy if it's wrong to think that these people shouldn't be invading every second of our days with a constant advertising bombardment. Most of the internet is bad enough as it is. stuff like IGN shoving ads down your throat when you want to read an article, and that's only if it's the 1/19 of their articles which are actually free to read. It took me long enough to start automatically ignoring tv commercials thank you very much evil people who tell me that I absolutely must use ... uhh... something, I cant actually think of any ads right now, i'm doing pretty good at ignoring them. ok, time for a new tanget.
you know what really pisses me off. the PSA that anyone who has cable TV in Brainerd will know by heart... "GOTTA BE COOL! BE COOL ABOUT FIRE SAFETY!" yes, we all need an escape plan, and YOU MUST PRACTICE IT, OR ITS NO GOOD, AND YOU WILL DIE A HORRIBLE DISFIGURING BURNING DEATH! and for the love of god, you need 2 ways out of your room or house in case on is blocked by fire. that PSA makes me want to watch Mr. T's "Be Somebody, or Be Somebody's Fool". that's comedy at it's pinnacle. the scary part is that it's unintentional.
Mavis Beacon teaches me mad typing skillz
WITH A FREAKING Z!!
I found it
I've realized something...
I'm just not sure what it is yet.
I'm just not sure what it is yet.
hey... is anybody still out there? In an attempt to jumpstart conversation I will relay some recent experiences.
My grandma came up for a visit. She just went to the airport scant moments ago. It was an odd visit. She is getting older by the minute I think. We went up to one of our old mining camps, and she complained about the road and the fact that my uncle was driving too fast on it (he wasn't) the whole way. My Uncles kids were screaming in the backseat the whole time... enough to make you stick a red hot spoon into your eye. Kids fighting is a cyclical thing. Play... giggle... tease... cry... silence... play, and on and on. Ad infinitum, or perhaps more precisely, ad nauseam. Anyhow...
By the time I got back I had to run someplace far away and just enjoy the silence. I ended up cruising around town blasting my metallica CD just because. I know metallica is the antithesis of silence, but it worked.
Last night, we went to pikes landing, which was a swankier than expected dining experience. It served to remind me just how far down the social food chain I reside. It actually wasn't that bad, I guess... it just took a few minutes to get used to. I am used to packing a quarter pounder into my face by myself in my car, as opposed to actually consuming food in {gasp} public. There was the usual people there... the guy who was by himself (who goes to a place like that by yourself?) who stirred thoughtfully at the things in his glass. The dating couple in the corner. I noticed she only opened her mouth to talk a couple times. Seemed like her date was controlling the conversation she chewed and looked straight at him, but rather blankly. There was the scantily clad wannabe social climbers (remember this is Fairbanks, AK. NOBODY should be scantily clad in Fairbanks) who 80's'd' up their hair and put on something tight and sexy because it was a night on the town. Some things would have been better not seen...
There was also a really cool painting of the northern lights... this was perhaps one of the best paintings of the lights I have ever seen. But not THE best. I am in posession of THE best. A Northern Commercial Co. calendar from 1960 (the ancient past in Alaska) which has a painting of a guy by tent watching the lights over a mountain range. MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE. one of the most satisfyingly lonely pictures I have ever seen... but I digress.
In all it was a good evening, but spendy. I don't care, food should not cost 23 dollars a plate.
Then today. I went on the riverboat discovery. It was a surprisingly good trip. I was all prepped to listen to the sappy, political correctness-addled talk that my uncle had warned me about, but I was pleasantly surprised. Tales of its sappiness were largely exaggerated. It was factual, but at best partial, in its description of a "real alaska native village'. There are the many multiplied negative sides of the village that can only be experienced by living there.
A for instance. They told me on the boat that Susan Butcher's (big time dog musher) pack of over a hundred race-trained dogs eats 80,000 pounds of fish in a year.{insert awed wows here} The village of Ruby (where I spent much of my formative years) has 188 people and consumes in excess of 80,000 pounds of beer a year. And that says nothing of harder drink, and believe me, there was plenty of that. Or food for that matter. But the people paid to see a very sanitized picture of Alaska, and that is what they got.
But now, the party is over, I am told. Work work work.
School suddenly doesn't seem so bad.
Sleep... Data...
jeff
My grandma came up for a visit. She just went to the airport scant moments ago. It was an odd visit. She is getting older by the minute I think. We went up to one of our old mining camps, and she complained about the road and the fact that my uncle was driving too fast on it (he wasn't) the whole way. My Uncles kids were screaming in the backseat the whole time... enough to make you stick a red hot spoon into your eye. Kids fighting is a cyclical thing. Play... giggle... tease... cry... silence... play, and on and on. Ad infinitum, or perhaps more precisely, ad nauseam. Anyhow...
By the time I got back I had to run someplace far away and just enjoy the silence. I ended up cruising around town blasting my metallica CD just because. I know metallica is the antithesis of silence, but it worked.
Last night, we went to pikes landing, which was a swankier than expected dining experience. It served to remind me just how far down the social food chain I reside. It actually wasn't that bad, I guess... it just took a few minutes to get used to. I am used to packing a quarter pounder into my face by myself in my car, as opposed to actually consuming food in {gasp} public. There was the usual people there... the guy who was by himself (who goes to a place like that by yourself?) who stirred thoughtfully at the things in his glass. The dating couple in the corner. I noticed she only opened her mouth to talk a couple times. Seemed like her date was controlling the conversation she chewed and looked straight at him, but rather blankly. There was the scantily clad wannabe social climbers (remember this is Fairbanks, AK. NOBODY should be scantily clad in Fairbanks) who 80's'd' up their hair and put on something tight and sexy because it was a night on the town. Some things would have been better not seen...
There was also a really cool painting of the northern lights... this was perhaps one of the best paintings of the lights I have ever seen. But not THE best. I am in posession of THE best. A Northern Commercial Co. calendar from 1960 (the ancient past in Alaska) which has a painting of a guy by tent watching the lights over a mountain range. MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE. one of the most satisfyingly lonely pictures I have ever seen... but I digress.
In all it was a good evening, but spendy. I don't care, food should not cost 23 dollars a plate.
Then today. I went on the riverboat discovery. It was a surprisingly good trip. I was all prepped to listen to the sappy, political correctness-addled talk that my uncle had warned me about, but I was pleasantly surprised. Tales of its sappiness were largely exaggerated. It was factual, but at best partial, in its description of a "real alaska native village'. There are the many multiplied negative sides of the village that can only be experienced by living there.
A for instance. They told me on the boat that Susan Butcher's (big time dog musher) pack of over a hundred race-trained dogs eats 80,000 pounds of fish in a year.{insert awed wows here} The village of Ruby (where I spent much of my formative years) has 188 people and consumes in excess of 80,000 pounds of beer a year. And that says nothing of harder drink, and believe me, there was plenty of that. Or food for that matter. But the people paid to see a very sanitized picture of Alaska, and that is what they got.
But now, the party is over, I am told. Work work work.
School suddenly doesn't seem so bad.
Sleep... Data...
jeff
7.11.2002
I'm bored as well.
This time tomorrow, though, I'll be in San Diego.
And that right there is pretty tasty.
This time tomorrow, though, I'll be in San Diego.
And that right there is pretty tasty.
I always thought Australia was Oceania...
yahoo.com is the devil
warcraft 3 owns all of you.
hi
how
are
you?
I
am
bored.
This is a haiku.
It's a funky kind of poem.
Aren't you glad to know?
yahoo.com is the devil
warcraft 3 owns all of you.
hi
how
are
you?
I
am
bored.
This is a haiku.
It's a funky kind of poem.
Aren't you glad to know?
We have a serious epidemic people. Hemp has become rampant amoungst our children.
Have a Hemp Waffle.
Have a Hemp Waffle.
ooooh... something I just noticed. I tried to download the (unnecessarily large) three boot images for redhat, but they would take forever. I went in search of a single boot iso, and turned to mandrake. The mirrors are all a bit slow, so I looked at purchasing a copy. They directed me to this site. Look at the regions of the world and tell me if you see anything interesting. Maybe related to our 1984 discussions...:)
I looked a bit closer and noticed that Australia has been linked to the Oceania site... does anybody know of a connection? I am stuck.
anyhow... Downloading linux is a nice idea, but who has 3 days 4 hours and 37 minutes to do it?
I might go looking for one of those weirdo linux mags and see if they have a copy. I am loath to actually spend MONEY for a free product [yeah, screw that support department], but I need an OS in a hurry. My laptop is coming tomorrow or the next day and I have no OS. My sister couldn't get her act together and get my Win2k copy snailed to me until today... Maybe I am simply too impatient. It is just that my computer is getting obsolete on the shelf.
I should just chill, sit back and watch the grass grow and die or paint dry and crack or something equally mellow.
"I'll be mellow when I'm dead" quoth Weird Al.
ANd there I wasted my cash on a(nother) CD spindle.
I have officially wasted my evening.
I was going to go to a viewing of "minority report" because spielberg directed it. I don't know anything about it other than that and it is slightly futuristic. Does anyone reccommend or hate it?
I have absolutely nothing remotely intelligent to say, so I will shut up.
I looked a bit closer and noticed that Australia has been linked to the Oceania site... does anybody know of a connection? I am stuck.
anyhow... Downloading linux is a nice idea, but who has 3 days 4 hours and 37 minutes to do it?
I might go looking for one of those weirdo linux mags and see if they have a copy. I am loath to actually spend MONEY for a free product [yeah, screw that support department], but I need an OS in a hurry. My laptop is coming tomorrow or the next day and I have no OS. My sister couldn't get her act together and get my Win2k copy snailed to me until today... Maybe I am simply too impatient. It is just that my computer is getting obsolete on the shelf.
I should just chill, sit back and watch the grass grow and die or paint dry and crack or something equally mellow.
"I'll be mellow when I'm dead" quoth Weird Al.
ANd there I wasted my cash on a(nother) CD spindle.
I have officially wasted my evening.
I was going to go to a viewing of "minority report" because spielberg directed it. I don't know anything about it other than that and it is slightly futuristic. Does anyone reccommend or hate it?
I have absolutely nothing remotely intelligent to say, so I will shut up.
7.10.2002
what one ignites within his heads....the search for a sex-hierarchy correctly hidden.
This stuff is hilarious... :)
I had some fun with dictionary.com's translator for phrases... but the web page thing is much cooler.
I am working on getting a red hat boot image onto a CD so I can install it on my laptop. All the RH mirrors I have tried so far are down. Dagnabit.
Red hat on a laptop... this will be (only marginally) interesting.
jeff 'ich bin ein nerd' green
This stuff is hilarious... :)
I had some fun with dictionary.com's translator for phrases... but the web page thing is much cooler.
I am working on getting a red hat boot image onto a CD so I can install it on my laptop. All the RH mirrors I have tried so far are down. Dagnabit.
Red hat on a laptop... this will be (only marginally) interesting.
jeff 'ich bin ein nerd' green
Another reason to love online translation tools...
Let's try Google's. First to Spanish then back to English.
The easiest way to make a webpage funny.
Start the fun.
"Pleasant activity of Blogger!" ...LOL
Wow... I am easily amused.
Let's try Google's. First to Spanish then back to English.
The easiest way to make a webpage funny.
Start the fun.
"Pleasant activity of Blogger!" ...LOL
Wow... I am easily amused.
7.09.2002
nice blogger activity!
ya!
i wanna go to hawaii!
yay!
small 1984 blurb:
~~~~
i guess Winston just wasn't that impressive to me as a herion... to me, and what i gathered from the book's intent it was not so much about them, as it was about what they did... the fact that the were living for themselves anyway. The protagonist would their combined extremely dangerous rebellion... maybe i'm just perverted... lol
~~~~~
~chad
ya!
i wanna go to hawaii!
yay!
small 1984 blurb:
~~~~
i guess Winston just wasn't that impressive to me as a herion... to me, and what i gathered from the book's intent it was not so much about them, as it was about what they did... the fact that the were living for themselves anyway. The protagonist would their combined extremely dangerous rebellion... maybe i'm just perverted... lol
~~~~~
~chad
I can see the point of your sex prescription, but I think it will probably be a very long time until it will be filled. It would help matters immensely to get out of this computer lab. I swear there was a door here when I came in. My only connection with the outside world clips along at a brisk 1.5Mbps.
I was going to mention as well... The book I am reading now is called "whoever fights monsters" and is an in-depth look by the agent in the FBI who started the Behavioral Sciences Unit at criminal profiling of serial murderers. A fascinating look at what goes on inside their heads. It is a very specific demographic, and there are some surprisingly uniform characteristics that they all exhibit. A good read, for those interested in profiling, but it is a bit dark and morbid.
All the comments I have seen about 1984 are true, I think, to a certain degree. My complaints with the book rest largely on a literary basis, that it could have been written better. I still think the book was weighted down by the sexual backstory. It (IMHO) would have been better to focus more on the satiric antiutopian elements of the poulation control and less on the endless search for a properly hidden sex-nest. The cruelty of the party could have been adequately expressed with less focus on how the party was cramping their love life. But I am quibbling about a small point. In the end, I really liked Animal Farm for everything that it was, but got a little disinterested in 1984. It is not a love/hate thing, just a preference.
Actually, much of my political outlook has roots in the same thinking that produced 1984. The book did not particularly inspire them, but it did serve to describe them to a limited extent. My (previously poorly explained) outlook stems from the idea that there is actually no control of the government in the hands of the average person. Big business has purchased its way into the political arena to such an extent that all of our efforts to effect change merely serve as an allowed exchange, and are completely ignored when the final decision is made. Businesses purchase (quite easily) both candidates to a particular election. It is a no-lose proposition. The actual dollar amount is of little consequence to the returns gained by the political clout paid for. Money does, in the end, talk.
I have been on both sides of this, and I will try to effectively explain....
When I worked for the State of Alaska last summer, I was tapped to design a hokey website and comment forum for people to express their views on a particularly divisive project. Tempers are very heated over a stupid little piece of land in the middle of nowhere that people liked to build cabins on... it is a side issue to my main point, so I will just leave it at "a particularly divisive project". I was to build a website that explained all the allowed "feasible options" and people could vote and add comments (through a little redirection hosted on my UMD student account...hehehe) on what they thought was the best course of action. It was a complete waste of time because the outcome had already been decided by the powers that be. It was all just a PR exercise.
Another example. UMD was going to have a "laptop initiative" in which all incoming freshmen were required to purchase laptops and software (regardless of what they already owned) through the school for their classes. This obviously raised a lot of protest and the Regents quickly ceded defeat (to the deafening applause of everyone on campus). And quietly ushered in a smaller palm pilot program (in conjunction with a modified laptop program) 2 years later, after all the protesters had graduated, with nearly all the same features. It didn't matter at all what anybody thought; it could be done, so it was done. They get the win by attrition.
And just try to buck the system. Doesn't work, because they control your ultimate future by not allowing you to take classes you need to graduate without it. It is cheaper to play along to the tune of $800 bucks a year than to mortgage your entire future to win a silly little battle.
Anyhow, in the larger national arena, the politcal input we supposedly have is just a sideshow to what is actually going on. Elections have become little more than party driven popularity contests, and the real decisions are made by a select, powerful few. And that is to their advantage. We are given a "forum" to vent our complaints, to pacify ourselves. Make ourselves heard with our vote, chosing our movie star politicians, while the decision has already been made. The date has been set. The system is already in place.
And we contradict ourselves in our efforts. The guy you camp out next to at the School of America's protest (a bigger attraction for spring break than cancun) is the same guy you are yelling at across police barricades for protesting a new missile defense outpost. Or a new power plant. Or a new highway. Or whatever. The problem lies in the fact that everybody is partially right. There is a small mintutiae of correctness in nearly any view, and we fight each other like dogs for it. If we could pick the correct battles, there may be an eventual change, but what are the correct battles? Environmental? Social? Political? Economic? Foreign Policy? National Security? Privacy? We fear the outcome of 1984, yet we elect more and more politicians to fill an ever larger capitol hill. Big Brother, Big Business, Big Government.... its all the same.
Much like the book, we have been given straw-man enemies to pretend we can change or defeat them, but much like the book, we end up where we started, a little worse for the wear and completely sapped of energy. We can thrash all we like, but they will win in the end. Or have already won, perhaps. They control what we see, what we hear. The things we worry about are almost definitely fiction. We are influenced by the media to fight battles that have no possible win scenario.
I used to think what I said or thought made a difference, but I am coming to the conclusion that it really doesn't. I think that the government (or more specifically, those who control the government, whoever they may be) does control the war and the uprising, both sides of the battle. I don't think the day will really come when we will be prevented from thinking for ourselves, but I think the day has come and gone that we have been prevented from making a real difference on any but the smallest of scales.
Oh well... I hope nobody takes this for anything more than what it is.... just the musings of a distant fellow with too much time to think. Remember, my opinion is worth exactly what it cost you. It is a good discussion, I think.
jeff
I was going to mention as well... The book I am reading now is called "whoever fights monsters" and is an in-depth look by the agent in the FBI who started the Behavioral Sciences Unit at criminal profiling of serial murderers. A fascinating look at what goes on inside their heads. It is a very specific demographic, and there are some surprisingly uniform characteristics that they all exhibit. A good read, for those interested in profiling, but it is a bit dark and morbid.
All the comments I have seen about 1984 are true, I think, to a certain degree. My complaints with the book rest largely on a literary basis, that it could have been written better. I still think the book was weighted down by the sexual backstory. It (IMHO) would have been better to focus more on the satiric antiutopian elements of the poulation control and less on the endless search for a properly hidden sex-nest. The cruelty of the party could have been adequately expressed with less focus on how the party was cramping their love life. But I am quibbling about a small point. In the end, I really liked Animal Farm for everything that it was, but got a little disinterested in 1984. It is not a love/hate thing, just a preference.
Actually, much of my political outlook has roots in the same thinking that produced 1984. The book did not particularly inspire them, but it did serve to describe them to a limited extent. My (previously poorly explained) outlook stems from the idea that there is actually no control of the government in the hands of the average person. Big business has purchased its way into the political arena to such an extent that all of our efforts to effect change merely serve as an allowed exchange, and are completely ignored when the final decision is made. Businesses purchase (quite easily) both candidates to a particular election. It is a no-lose proposition. The actual dollar amount is of little consequence to the returns gained by the political clout paid for. Money does, in the end, talk.
I have been on both sides of this, and I will try to effectively explain....
When I worked for the State of Alaska last summer, I was tapped to design a hokey website and comment forum for people to express their views on a particularly divisive project. Tempers are very heated over a stupid little piece of land in the middle of nowhere that people liked to build cabins on... it is a side issue to my main point, so I will just leave it at "a particularly divisive project". I was to build a website that explained all the allowed "feasible options" and people could vote and add comments (through a little redirection hosted on my UMD student account...hehehe) on what they thought was the best course of action. It was a complete waste of time because the outcome had already been decided by the powers that be. It was all just a PR exercise.
Another example. UMD was going to have a "laptop initiative" in which all incoming freshmen were required to purchase laptops and software (regardless of what they already owned) through the school for their classes. This obviously raised a lot of protest and the Regents quickly ceded defeat (to the deafening applause of everyone on campus). And quietly ushered in a smaller palm pilot program (in conjunction with a modified laptop program) 2 years later, after all the protesters had graduated, with nearly all the same features. It didn't matter at all what anybody thought; it could be done, so it was done. They get the win by attrition.
And just try to buck the system. Doesn't work, because they control your ultimate future by not allowing you to take classes you need to graduate without it. It is cheaper to play along to the tune of $800 bucks a year than to mortgage your entire future to win a silly little battle.
Anyhow, in the larger national arena, the politcal input we supposedly have is just a sideshow to what is actually going on. Elections have become little more than party driven popularity contests, and the real decisions are made by a select, powerful few. And that is to their advantage. We are given a "forum" to vent our complaints, to pacify ourselves. Make ourselves heard with our vote, chosing our movie star politicians, while the decision has already been made. The date has been set. The system is already in place.
And we contradict ourselves in our efforts. The guy you camp out next to at the School of America's protest (a bigger attraction for spring break than cancun) is the same guy you are yelling at across police barricades for protesting a new missile defense outpost. Or a new power plant. Or a new highway. Or whatever. The problem lies in the fact that everybody is partially right. There is a small mintutiae of correctness in nearly any view, and we fight each other like dogs for it. If we could pick the correct battles, there may be an eventual change, but what are the correct battles? Environmental? Social? Political? Economic? Foreign Policy? National Security? Privacy? We fear the outcome of 1984, yet we elect more and more politicians to fill an ever larger capitol hill. Big Brother, Big Business, Big Government.... its all the same.
Much like the book, we have been given straw-man enemies to pretend we can change or defeat them, but much like the book, we end up where we started, a little worse for the wear and completely sapped of energy. We can thrash all we like, but they will win in the end. Or have already won, perhaps. They control what we see, what we hear. The things we worry about are almost definitely fiction. We are influenced by the media to fight battles that have no possible win scenario.
I used to think what I said or thought made a difference, but I am coming to the conclusion that it really doesn't. I think that the government (or more specifically, those who control the government, whoever they may be) does control the war and the uprising, both sides of the battle. I don't think the day will really come when we will be prevented from thinking for ourselves, but I think the day has come and gone that we have been prevented from making a real difference on any but the smallest of scales.
Oh well... I hope nobody takes this for anything more than what it is.... just the musings of a distant fellow with too much time to think. Remember, my opinion is worth exactly what it cost you. It is a good discussion, I think.
jeff
7.08.2002
animal farm shows that in most any government, the pigs will float to power eventually. It does a very good job of showing this through purely action. The animals actions, and their innocent confusion when the rules are changed by the upperclass..... 1984 gets much deeper then that.
1984 is more about the psychology of suppressing the masses. There is much to learn from this book.
Jeff said :" It seemed to be a book of really interesting and isolated cool ideas woven together by the sex."
Yes yes yes.... sex does weave everything together...
jeff i recommend some good sex for you, and then read it again.
Because the fact that they're having 'rampaging sex' is just a proof of the humanity that Big Brother had yet to squash.
What are Winston's other options? He was very attracted to her, they worked out a method, his government prescribed wife was a cold bitch, etc....
As soon as we start accepting that we don't deserve to seek fullfillment, or basic humanity, the Party has already won.
The book shows you how beautiful their relationship is, and then you understand the Party's level of cruelty by the end of the book.
As this nation continues to force black and white regulations on a world with grey and translucent aspects, one day you might not be allowed to think for yourself.
And that is the point when the gov controls both sides, the war and the uprising, and nothing ever changes.....
"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government"- Jefferson and Friends
1984 is more about the psychology of suppressing the masses. There is much to learn from this book.
Jeff said :" It seemed to be a book of really interesting and isolated cool ideas woven together by the sex."
Yes yes yes.... sex does weave everything together...
jeff i recommend some good sex for you, and then read it again.
Because the fact that they're having 'rampaging sex' is just a proof of the humanity that Big Brother had yet to squash.
What are Winston's other options? He was very attracted to her, they worked out a method, his government prescribed wife was a cold bitch, etc....
As soon as we start accepting that we don't deserve to seek fullfillment, or basic humanity, the Party has already won.
The book shows you how beautiful their relationship is, and then you understand the Party's level of cruelty by the end of the book.
As this nation continues to force black and white regulations on a world with grey and translucent aspects, one day you might not be allowed to think for yourself.
And that is the point when the gov controls both sides, the war and the uprising, and nothing ever changes.....
"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government"- Jefferson and Friends
hello all... just for grinz (more mainstreamed misspelling) I clicked my links that I posted last time, and noticed I neglected to include one, and some of them didn't work. And, being that I am a lazy, lazy man, I have decided it takes too much of my precious (and declining, thermodynamically) energy to go back and re-link them, so I will merely reassure you of their mind-blowedness and move on. The one thing I will clarify, however, was the book I mentioned. It is "The Elegant Universe" which is on the surface one of those seemingly typical pop-high-energy-physics books for layfolk, but has some really good descriptions in it. I have yet to complete it, but its description of normally counterintuitive Quantum Mechanics was... well... intuitive. No math, so I don't have to pretend like I understand it, too. Actually, I had to do a bunch of quantum poopy math for my semiconductors class, and it was really quite intriguing. And not that hard once you stopped trying to "understand" it and just do the freaking math.
Brave New World has been on my list to read for a long long time, but I just haven't gotten around to it (remember: I am a lazy, lazy man). I actually read a (possibly abridged?) version of The Time Machine way back in the day, like in 4th or 5th grade, but didn't really understand it. I was particularly confused about what was happening when the guy found a "torch" in the museum and turned it on. A torch? I didn't realize that that was what Brits called a flashlight. oh well. I will try again.
I also tried to read Lord of the Rings at a too-tender age (3rd grade, if I remember correctly) but got about 1/3 of the way through it and gave up, because it was simply too bizarre for my 3rd grade brain. Kind of turned me off to the whole medieval-fantasy thing forever. It was for that reason I didn't really like the movie, either [flamesuit mode=on].
I concurr about Orwell being a visionary, I just think that his visionary work was Animal Farm, not the more popular (ah, yes... theres that good ol' antipop streak resurfacing) 1984.
I also concurr about Bradbury writing a lot of sci-fi stuff. (he writes other stuff as well, however. I would say about 1/3 sci-fi, rest general stuff) IMHO it serves as a backdrop for a deeper look at human nature, but it is not always anti-utopian ala 1984, Animal Farm, etc. Once in a while it touches on it (Martian Chronicles did more of that), but in general, no. On the whole it is just really descriptive, solid writing. And good stories that my depleted attention span can comprehend in once sitting. I have an attention span shorter than a snake's inseam. I blame school for it. I blame others for all my problems... hehehe.
If I only had a brain.
oh well.
my computer STILL hasn't shipped. They were supposed to have gotten the check several days ago. I will call on Monday to light a fire under someone and see what happened. My check probably got appropriated for the "Office Xtreme-Doughnut Fund" or something equally tasty.
sigh. lab closes in 4 minutes.
Goodnight moon,
goodnight stars,
goodnight books,
good night chair,
goodnight bloggers everywhere.
jeff 'the book's cover doesn't even hit the table and I am not paying attention anymore' green
Brave New World has been on my list to read for a long long time, but I just haven't gotten around to it (remember: I am a lazy, lazy man). I actually read a (possibly abridged?) version of The Time Machine way back in the day, like in 4th or 5th grade, but didn't really understand it. I was particularly confused about what was happening when the guy found a "torch" in the museum and turned it on. A torch? I didn't realize that that was what Brits called a flashlight. oh well. I will try again.
I also tried to read Lord of the Rings at a too-tender age (3rd grade, if I remember correctly) but got about 1/3 of the way through it and gave up, because it was simply too bizarre for my 3rd grade brain. Kind of turned me off to the whole medieval-fantasy thing forever. It was for that reason I didn't really like the movie, either [flamesuit mode=on].
I concurr about Orwell being a visionary, I just think that his visionary work was Animal Farm, not the more popular (ah, yes... theres that good ol' antipop streak resurfacing) 1984.
I also concurr about Bradbury writing a lot of sci-fi stuff. (he writes other stuff as well, however. I would say about 1/3 sci-fi, rest general stuff) IMHO it serves as a backdrop for a deeper look at human nature, but it is not always anti-utopian ala 1984, Animal Farm, etc. Once in a while it touches on it (Martian Chronicles did more of that), but in general, no. On the whole it is just really descriptive, solid writing. And good stories that my depleted attention span can comprehend in once sitting. I have an attention span shorter than a snake's inseam. I blame school for it. I blame others for all my problems... hehehe.
If I only had a brain.
oh well.
my computer STILL hasn't shipped. They were supposed to have gotten the check several days ago. I will call on Monday to light a fire under someone and see what happened. My check probably got appropriated for the "Office Xtreme-Doughnut Fund" or something equally tasty.
sigh. lab closes in 4 minutes.
Goodnight moon,
goodnight stars,
goodnight books,
good night chair,
goodnight bloggers everywhere.
jeff 'the book's cover doesn't even hit the table and I am not paying attention anymore' green
7.07.2002
1984. I Have to step in, because this book is one of my very favorites.
It's about the sapping of human nature by a cold vampiric and omnipresent government.
It's about the power of love and the power of fear, and how fear can turn a man against his only love.
I like how it shows that the human spirit can be crushed, destroyed, leaving men like zombies. Satisfied at the end of an empty day with a puzzle in which the winner is always the same.
The blatant lies surrounding everything that was part of the 'the party'. For example, the military facility being called the 'Ministry of Peace'. And the center for all media being labeled the 'Ministry of Truth' There's just something really clever in all the contradiction.
Orwell was a visionary. If you look hard enough at our world, it starts to look alot like 1984. Pre-Oceania.
It's about the sapping of human nature by a cold vampiric and omnipresent government.
It's about the power of love and the power of fear, and how fear can turn a man against his only love.
I like how it shows that the human spirit can be crushed, destroyed, leaving men like zombies. Satisfied at the end of an empty day with a puzzle in which the winner is always the same.
The blatant lies surrounding everything that was part of the 'the party'. For example, the military facility being called the 'Ministry of Peace'. And the center for all media being labeled the 'Ministry of Truth' There's just something really clever in all the contradiction.
Orwell was a visionary. If you look hard enough at our world, it starts to look alot like 1984. Pre-Oceania.
Books... mmm....
Though I haven't read 1984, it's next on my list after I finish this philosophy 101 course turned novel that I'm reading. Brave New World is brilliant (in my very humble opinion), but like The Time Machine, which is also brilliant (another case of great book, bad movie), it's incredibly depressing on many levels. After reading those two books, and even after ingesting the optimistic ending tones of both, you're still left with the nagging sense that society is doomed. I haven't read any Bradbury, but only because from what I've heard of him, I assumed he concentrates primarily on the science fiction of his works rather than the human element - but of course, I'm probably wrong. A Clockwork Orange is also a masterpiece, as is (of course) Catcher In The Rye.
I'd add to the list:
House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - Offers everything (social examination, the workings of the mind, close reading, humor, horror, and all the cream in between). I've read it twice now, and still have so many things left to think about. Danielewski is one of my heroes of literature because of this book. Read it if you can.
A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes - Examines the way we think about how history is told and mistold and our own misguided responses to the culture around us in general in a series of short stories (that are, yes, interconnected if you can find it). My favorites have to be the ... damn, this is harder to choose than I thought... the opening chapter, a funny first-hand account of the voyage of Noah's ark told from the perspective of a woodworm; a chapter chronicling the excruciating decline of a relationship in letters (and you only get to see the letters from one side of the story, which makes it interesting on so many levels); and finally, the 1/2 chapter on the phrase "I love you" from which I derive my philosophy on the importance of it -
------------------
"We must keep these words in their box behind glass. And when we take them out we must be careful with them. Men will say 'I love you' to get women into bed with them; women will say 'I love you' to get men into marriage with them; both will say 'I love you' to keep fear at bay, to convince themselves of the deed by the word, to assure themselves that the promised condition has arrived, to deceive themselves that it hasn't yet gone away. We must beware of such uses. I love you shouldn't go out into the world, become a currency, a traded share, make profits for us. It will do that if we let it. But keep this biddable phrase for whispering into a nape from which the absent hair has just been swept."
-Julian Barnes, from A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
----------------------------
That's my rambling for now...
Though I haven't read 1984, it's next on my list after I finish this philosophy 101 course turned novel that I'm reading. Brave New World is brilliant (in my very humble opinion), but like The Time Machine, which is also brilliant (another case of great book, bad movie), it's incredibly depressing on many levels. After reading those two books, and even after ingesting the optimistic ending tones of both, you're still left with the nagging sense that society is doomed. I haven't read any Bradbury, but only because from what I've heard of him, I assumed he concentrates primarily on the science fiction of his works rather than the human element - but of course, I'm probably wrong. A Clockwork Orange is also a masterpiece, as is (of course) Catcher In The Rye.
I'd add to the list:
House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - Offers everything (social examination, the workings of the mind, close reading, humor, horror, and all the cream in between). I've read it twice now, and still have so many things left to think about. Danielewski is one of my heroes of literature because of this book. Read it if you can.
A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes - Examines the way we think about how history is told and mistold and our own misguided responses to the culture around us in general in a series of short stories (that are, yes, interconnected if you can find it). My favorites have to be the ... damn, this is harder to choose than I thought... the opening chapter, a funny first-hand account of the voyage of Noah's ark told from the perspective of a woodworm; a chapter chronicling the excruciating decline of a relationship in letters (and you only get to see the letters from one side of the story, which makes it interesting on so many levels); and finally, the 1/2 chapter on the phrase "I love you" from which I derive my philosophy on the importance of it -
------------------
"We must keep these words in their box behind glass. And when we take them out we must be careful with them. Men will say 'I love you' to get women into bed with them; women will say 'I love you' to get men into marriage with them; both will say 'I love you' to keep fear at bay, to convince themselves of the deed by the word, to assure themselves that the promised condition has arrived, to deceive themselves that it hasn't yet gone away. We must beware of such uses. I love you shouldn't go out into the world, become a currency, a traded share, make profits for us. It will do that if we let it. But keep this biddable phrase for whispering into a nape from which the absent hair has just been swept."
-Julian Barnes, from A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
----------------------------
That's my rambling for now...
yeh jeff i've been meaning to read some bradbury.... haven't got any yet :(
....
anyhoo I'm adding a new link to the side bar www.SuperSpecialQuestions.com.
It's M Doughty's (soul coughing) solo sorta website... well basically you can ask doughty anything you want and most of the time he replies i guess... he's really nice... i'd read the soul coughing FAQ before i'd ask him any lyric questions... hehe
SCUG
5% Nation
hope everyones day was as eventful as mine...
adios
....
anyhoo I'm adding a new link to the side bar www.SuperSpecialQuestions.com.
It's M Doughty's (soul coughing) solo sorta website... well basically you can ask doughty anything you want and most of the time he replies i guess... he's really nice... i'd read the soul coughing FAQ before i'd ask him any lyric questions... hehe
SCUG
5% Nation
hope everyones day was as eventful as mine...
adios
7.06.2002
Oh yeah, mo' stuff...
I thought this was fascinating. Imagine the effective computation of the human brain, weighing in at 10 billion neurons, as opposed to 12 transistor-neuron approximations.
Another book... that explains the fundamental nature of things I have been reading on and off for awhile. I really should buy it, instead of just perusing it chapter by chapter in the bookstore "this place ain't a [expletive deleted] library, ya' know!" shouts the Keeper of the Books from behind her register-gated prison. oh well.
And this. The more you think about this the less sense it makes. Photons, shot one at a time, connected temporally? how the...?
or this... a non-technical (look at the pictures kids!) look at another bit of weirdness.
just some stuff I was thinking about today with all my free mental time, due to my lack of a life.
jeff 'how bizarre' green
I thought this was fascinating. Imagine the effective computation of the human brain, weighing in at 10 billion neurons, as opposed to 12 transistor-neuron approximations.
Another book... that explains the fundamental nature of things I have been reading on and off for awhile. I really should buy it, instead of just perusing it chapter by chapter in the bookstore "this place ain't a [expletive deleted] library, ya' know!" shouts the Keeper of the Books from behind her register-gated prison. oh well.
And this. The more you think about this the less sense it makes. Photons, shot one at a time, connected temporally? how the...?
or this... a non-technical (look at the pictures kids!) look at another bit of weirdness.
just some stuff I was thinking about today with all my free mental time, due to my lack of a life.
jeff 'how bizarre' green
7.05.2002
Did anybody catch art bell on July 3rd? Fuh-REAKY.
good show.
About Literature....
Animal farm rocked. Simply rocked. Intelligent and insightful from one end to the other. The book built up delightfully toward the last scene when the animals were looking in the window at the pigs, and couldn't tell the difference between them and the people. Worth a read-over when finished.
1984, however, I didn't like as much. It was ok, don't get me wrong, but was a little over simplistic in its basic plot. I thought the whole book boiled down to two people subverting the government by having loads and loads of rampaging sex. It seemed to be a book of really interesting and isolated cool ideas woven together by the sex. The Two-Minutes Hate, basic structure of the government's foreign policy (always being allied with one of the three powers and enemies with the other), and the general idea of newspeak were.... prescient. See current examples of jargon (for instance, computer or technical lingo) and advertising-induced misspellings (thru, nite, lite, brite, kite- oh wait, I guess that one was rite). Also see "A clockwork Orange" which was written in an ebonic-like form of russian/gypsy slang. Makes it a bit hard to read (devotchka? Kroovy?). I kept waiting for it to stop, but the book was half done before I realized that was the point. Took me that long to realize- contextually- what they were talking about. Adds a foreseable future/alternate universe feel to the whole story.
Anyhow, back to 1984. I thought the part about the guy that owned the shop below their sex-nest turning them in was predictable. I actually predicted it as I was reading. "Big deal", you say? Welll.... I guess you would be right.
I should read it again, just to refamiliarize myself with it. I read it almost two years ago (with every other college student on earth). In all, I thought it was a good story, but not worth the worship alot of people attribute to it.
Jeff's Book Club List :(much like Oprahs book club, but less condescending and self congratulatory (or self helpful for that matter))
EVERYTHING by Ray Bradbury. Several times. RB is bar none the most detailed and descriptive writer on the face of the earth. His stories will make you look at the world in a completely different way.
A clockwork orange
Animal Farm
1984 (if you have time)
Catcher in the rye (another one for details)
I am serious about the Ray Bradbury stories. Fahrenheit 451 is a definite one.
My favorite of his short stories is "kaleidoscope". the ending for this (and 451) gives me chills ever time I read them.
anyhow, I will go.
good day all.
good show.
About Literature....
Animal farm rocked. Simply rocked. Intelligent and insightful from one end to the other. The book built up delightfully toward the last scene when the animals were looking in the window at the pigs, and couldn't tell the difference between them and the people. Worth a read-over when finished.
1984, however, I didn't like as much. It was ok, don't get me wrong, but was a little over simplistic in its basic plot. I thought the whole book boiled down to two people subverting the government by having loads and loads of rampaging sex. It seemed to be a book of really interesting and isolated cool ideas woven together by the sex. The Two-Minutes Hate, basic structure of the government's foreign policy (always being allied with one of the three powers and enemies with the other), and the general idea of newspeak were.... prescient. See current examples of jargon (for instance, computer or technical lingo) and advertising-induced misspellings (thru, nite, lite, brite, kite- oh wait, I guess that one was rite). Also see "A clockwork Orange" which was written in an ebonic-like form of russian/gypsy slang. Makes it a bit hard to read (devotchka? Kroovy?). I kept waiting for it to stop, but the book was half done before I realized that was the point. Took me that long to realize- contextually- what they were talking about. Adds a foreseable future/alternate universe feel to the whole story.
Anyhow, back to 1984. I thought the part about the guy that owned the shop below their sex-nest turning them in was predictable. I actually predicted it as I was reading. "Big deal", you say? Welll.... I guess you would be right.
I should read it again, just to refamiliarize myself with it. I read it almost two years ago (with every other college student on earth). In all, I thought it was a good story, but not worth the worship alot of people attribute to it.
Jeff's Book Club List :(much like Oprahs book club, but less condescending and self congratulatory (or self helpful for that matter))
EVERYTHING by Ray Bradbury. Several times. RB is bar none the most detailed and descriptive writer on the face of the earth. His stories will make you look at the world in a completely different way.
A clockwork orange
Animal Farm
1984 (if you have time)
Catcher in the rye (another one for details)
I am serious about the Ray Bradbury stories. Fahrenheit 451 is a definite one.
My favorite of his short stories is "kaleidoscope". the ending for this (and 451) gives me chills ever time I read them.
anyhow, I will go.
good day all.
ever wanted to try to induce lucid dreaming?
ever wanted to remote veiw?
ever wanted to share a dream with someone?
red pill
ever wanted to remote veiw?
ever wanted to share a dream with someone?
red pill
david cross is a genius
7.04.2002
new blogger is fixed.... i don't really know why i continue this close to the destruction of civilization... oh well.
here are some books to read:
Animal Farm - George Orwell (html)
1984 by George Orwell (html
We by Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin, Clarence Brown
A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (.txt)
peace and independence :)
here are some books to read:
Animal Farm - George Orwell (html)
1984 by George Orwell (html
We by Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin, Clarence Brown
A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (.txt)
peace and independence :)
everyone read this.
7.01.2002
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Apparently I'm a quaker.
My new hero is the quaker oats guy, bringing traditional food to the masses through corporate commercialism.
Jeff, dont viciously and mercilessly slaughter innocent caribou for your own greedy capitalist desires. Drilling for oil will make caribou all over the world fall over and die, didn't you know that? It's like genocide, but it's for caribou. So it's caricide?
just to inform you, as this sort of thing gets lost over the internet, i was kidding about the caribou, they'll live, and if they dont, i hear they're tasty.
"The burning lets you know it's a shirt!"
Posted by the evil one who devours Snack-Pack Pudding's souls.
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| Here's a quiz that actually seems to know what it's talking about - at least for me anyway. And I've already put the whole run down of religious percentages for myself in my own blog, but it's interesting to note that my number one religion is neo-pagan while the Roman Catholic babble I listened to for most of my life until age 8 fell at a sad second to last position. |
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