Well this is officially my last day in the office. From here, I hope to get a job at Gametraders and write a book in my spare time. Perhaps I should be a little more worried, but I'm not. I guess that we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. With any luck, by the end of January I'll have a staff discount on games and at least the first chapter of a book written. I'll keep you updated on that as I'm certain that my life is vastly more important than anyone else's and that's why you need to come here and read about it.
That's what having a blog means right?
-Salem
Don't argue with me over these things. There are vastly more important arguements than yours that need to be made and without which, the world could be forced to it's knees.
Wednesday 20 December 2006
Tuesday 19 December 2006
Time to get dirty
Well, it's about that time where I try something out that could end in a horrible tragedy. It involves putting myself on what I'm told is the front line of a very dangerous battle. Yes that's right, I'm going to try sledging Scientology.
Now I'm sure that this doesn't really sound all that bad, but if even 50% of the stories I've heard are true, I could wind up with my finances assulted and laid waste to, or worse yet, my ass in a sling. Still, I hate that damn "religion" so the hell with them. Maybe I'll repent of my sins when my psychyatrist freezes me in place, leaves me near a volcano and hits me with a slammin' hydrogen bomb... then again, probably not.
So where do I start? Do I bring up that it was founded by a guy that was a well known science-fiction author or perhaps that he was himself seeing one of the evil psychyatrists that his "church" are so against? How about the fact that there is documentation that he had a bet with a fellow author to see who could start a cult the fastest? Well I could start there I suppose, but that would just be too easy and as much as I'd love to just beat them down with cold hard evidence, my tastes lead me to use other methods. If fear is the mind killer, logic is the blade with which it can be slain. As such, today, logic will be my 'gleaming katana' in the fight against ignorance.
Normally, I don't like to bash away at others beliefs but honestly, I've really only had experience with what we'll call 'traditional' ones. That is to say faiths that are thousands of years old. So let's take a walk on the wild side and have a look at why starting a new religion has become a little tougher shall we?
First off, science. Cold, hard, unfeeling and remorseless in the chimeras that it slays. Back in the days of Jesus (or even before that if you like), there wasn't the technology that we have now. If that's a shock to you, walk away now. Moving along though, if a guy walked on water, that was a damned miricle! It was just a tad difficult to quantify how the fucker did it and as such, you would take note. Now, I don't know if Jesus managed that for real or not and I wont untill at least next may when I finish my time machine and go take a look for myself. The thing is though that now, if someone claims a miricle, we can go try figure it out. There are still quite a number of things that we can't explain when it comes to religious phenomonons, but at least they are there.
What exactly has good old L. Ron given us that either can't be explained except through Scientology or can be proven to be true with scientific study? See that was a rhetorical question, because I'm going to tell you. Nothing. What they have is their 'e-meter'. We are all aware that all it does is measure the electrical resistance of the person attached to it right? I bet if I changed my diet to decrease the resistance that the little charge comes up against I could score some kick ass points on that thing! Note to self, rig small copper wire across body from hand to hand and request an 'Audit'. The cool part is that this very same machine was once used as an aid to psychology. I love that 'steal their toys and claim that their ours' attitude that these people have. To add some extra cool to this arguement, the people that say they feel better after an 'audit' really do feel better. Then again, that would be because our wonderful science has allowed us to figure out that when you pass a mild, non-lethal charge through the human body, it likes to release endorphins. For any scientologist that happens to stumble across this, endorphins have also been proven by science to make you feel good.
For now, I'm going to leave it there because this post is becoming an essay. If you want more, hit the 'Operation Clambake' link that I've posted and see how that grabs you. In the words of Jesus and passed on by Henry Rollins: "I'm gone for now, but when I come back, you mother fuckers better jump!"
-Salem
Now I'm sure that this doesn't really sound all that bad, but if even 50% of the stories I've heard are true, I could wind up with my finances assulted and laid waste to, or worse yet, my ass in a sling. Still, I hate that damn "religion" so the hell with them. Maybe I'll repent of my sins when my psychyatrist freezes me in place, leaves me near a volcano and hits me with a slammin' hydrogen bomb... then again, probably not.
So where do I start? Do I bring up that it was founded by a guy that was a well known science-fiction author or perhaps that he was himself seeing one of the evil psychyatrists that his "church" are so against? How about the fact that there is documentation that he had a bet with a fellow author to see who could start a cult the fastest? Well I could start there I suppose, but that would just be too easy and as much as I'd love to just beat them down with cold hard evidence, my tastes lead me to use other methods. If fear is the mind killer, logic is the blade with which it can be slain. As such, today, logic will be my 'gleaming katana' in the fight against ignorance.
Normally, I don't like to bash away at others beliefs but honestly, I've really only had experience with what we'll call 'traditional' ones. That is to say faiths that are thousands of years old. So let's take a walk on the wild side and have a look at why starting a new religion has become a little tougher shall we?
First off, science. Cold, hard, unfeeling and remorseless in the chimeras that it slays. Back in the days of Jesus (or even before that if you like), there wasn't the technology that we have now. If that's a shock to you, walk away now. Moving along though, if a guy walked on water, that was a damned miricle! It was just a tad difficult to quantify how the fucker did it and as such, you would take note. Now, I don't know if Jesus managed that for real or not and I wont untill at least next may when I finish my time machine and go take a look for myself. The thing is though that now, if someone claims a miricle, we can go try figure it out. There are still quite a number of things that we can't explain when it comes to religious phenomonons, but at least they are there.
What exactly has good old L. Ron given us that either can't be explained except through Scientology or can be proven to be true with scientific study? See that was a rhetorical question, because I'm going to tell you. Nothing. What they have is their 'e-meter'. We are all aware that all it does is measure the electrical resistance of the person attached to it right? I bet if I changed my diet to decrease the resistance that the little charge comes up against I could score some kick ass points on that thing! Note to self, rig small copper wire across body from hand to hand and request an 'Audit'. The cool part is that this very same machine was once used as an aid to psychology. I love that 'steal their toys and claim that their ours' attitude that these people have. To add some extra cool to this arguement, the people that say they feel better after an 'audit' really do feel better. Then again, that would be because our wonderful science has allowed us to figure out that when you pass a mild, non-lethal charge through the human body, it likes to release endorphins. For any scientologist that happens to stumble across this, endorphins have also been proven by science to make you feel good.
For now, I'm going to leave it there because this post is becoming an essay. If you want more, hit the 'Operation Clambake' link that I've posted and see how that grabs you. In the words of Jesus and passed on by Henry Rollins: "I'm gone for now, but when I come back, you mother fuckers better jump!"
-Salem
"THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them."
- L. Ron Hubbard, "Off the Time Track," lecture of June 1952, excerpted in JOURNAL OF SCIENTOLOGY issue 18-G, reprinted in TECHNICAL VOLUMES OF DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY, vol. 1, p. 418
Friday 15 December 2006
Sealab 2021
My first encounter with 'Sealab 2021' came in the form of 'In The Closet'. It was the first episode of season 2 and it's still one of my all time faves. I was pretty well hooked after that and I don't think that I've managed to not mention it on whatever website I happen to frequent. The hardest part about being a Sealab fan in Australia though is that we didn't get the DVD release. On the upside, I did manage to buy myself a Captain Murphy shirt with his famous "Fignuts!" line on it.
Either way, I've managed to get hold of the first seasons worth of episodes and will be burning them to DVD tonight. As soon as I can get my hands on the real deal, I will, but untill then my own dodgey knock-off is going to have to do. Seasons 2 through 5 are still on my list but shoud be done soon. Huzzah!
The main reason I'm mentioning all this is because I can. Plus, I wanted to post up some Sealab pics and now I have a great excuse.
From left to right: Dr. Quentin Q. Quinn, Debbie DuPree, Captain Hazel Hank Murphy, Marco and Derek Stormy Waters. Yep, that's their names. Nope, Marco doesn't have any other names.
Kinda like 'Prince'. I should mention that Jodene Sparks is missing from this picture :(
Ahh Bucket-Head Wendy, will you ever stop luring sailors with your irresistable siren song so you can shanghi them? I sure hope not.
And that right there is comedy gold.
-Salem
Did you know the average fish contains as much mercury as a rectal thermometer? Would you eat a rectal thermometer? I would. Ahh mercury, sweetest of all the transition metals...
Either way, I've managed to get hold of the first seasons worth of episodes and will be burning them to DVD tonight. As soon as I can get my hands on the real deal, I will, but untill then my own dodgey knock-off is going to have to do. Seasons 2 through 5 are still on my list but shoud be done soon. Huzzah!
The main reason I'm mentioning all this is because I can. Plus, I wanted to post up some Sealab pics and now I have a great excuse.
From left to right: Dr. Quentin Q. Quinn, Debbie DuPree, Captain Hazel Hank Murphy, Marco and Derek Stormy Waters. Yep, that's their names. Nope, Marco doesn't have any other names.Kinda like 'Prince'. I should mention that Jodene Sparks is missing from this picture :(
Ahh Bucket-Head Wendy, will you ever stop luring sailors with your irresistable siren song so you can shanghi them? I sure hope not.
And that right there is comedy gold.-Salem
Did you know the average fish contains as much mercury as a rectal thermometer? Would you eat a rectal thermometer? I would. Ahh mercury, sweetest of all the transition metals...
Happy Birthday Mum
Yes, today is Mother Kahn's birthday. I'm mainly writing this as a reminder to myself, you see while you may be thinking "hey if her birthday is today, and your writing this today, why the hell do you need a reminder?". Well the answer is very simple, while i've never had a problem remembering that mum's birthday is the 15th, i've always had problems remembering what day it is today. Especially when I get home after work.
So my hope in writing this is that when I get home, not only will I remember that mum's birthday is on the 15th but that today is the 15th and that I should call her to wish her the afore mentioned Happy Birthday.
This may seem a little over the top but I do remember one year where all three of us (myself and my brothers) all forgot to ring her for her birthday. This did not make for a happy Mother Kahn.
So Happy 58th mum, and remember in two years we expect a big 60th bash, or at least a happy go lucky shindig.
So my hope in writing this is that when I get home, not only will I remember that mum's birthday is on the 15th but that today is the 15th and that I should call her to wish her the afore mentioned Happy Birthday.
This may seem a little over the top but I do remember one year where all three of us (myself and my brothers) all forgot to ring her for her birthday. This did not make for a happy Mother Kahn.
So Happy 58th mum, and remember in two years we expect a big 60th bash, or at least a happy go lucky shindig.
Thursday 14 December 2006
A New Low
Just a quick one, a lot more information is available on Penny Arcade so I wont bother re-hashing however I did find this hilarious so I must at least express a little, Sony has been caught out. They have created several mediums where they pretended that they did not represent Sony and were just some randoms expressing how cool the PSP is. Here is a link to the blog they created http://www.alliwantforxmasisapsp.com/blog/default.aspx
On the blog you will notice that they have now apologised knowing that they have been caught. I believe it was the good people at somthingawful that picked it.
ROFL
-Kahn
On the blog you will notice that they have now apologised knowing that they have been caught. I believe it was the good people at somthingawful that picked it.
ROFL
-Kahn
Remember the suit!
Hey Kahn, remember that you have to go get measured for a suit on Saturday.
-Salem
Sierra, Alpha, Lima, Echo, Mike. My buddies in the corps just call me Sierra-Alpha.
-Salem
Sierra, Alpha, Lima, Echo, Mike. My buddies in the corps just call me Sierra-Alpha.
Wednesday 13 December 2006
I win!
Ha! We're not putting anything up today because it's in the rules that we only post when we feel like it. Suck it internet!
On the up side, you may have this image for free.
Hope you enjoyed the lack of a show today. Service will resume when one of us feels like it.
Boredom takes many forms, none worse than week-night T.V. after the rating season is over.
On the up side, you may have this image for free.
Hope you enjoyed the lack of a show today. Service will resume when one of us feels like it.
Boredom takes many forms, none worse than week-night T.V. after the rating season is over.
Tuesday 12 December 2006
Delight
A thought for the day by our friend Mr de Sade
“Consider the problem from the point of evil, evil being almost always pleasure’s true and major charm; considered thus, the crime must appear greater when perpetrated upon a being of your identical sort then when inflicted upon one which is not, and this once established , the delight automatically doubles.”
The 120 Days of Sodom, Marquis de Sade
Dodging the rules.
I often wonder why more smart people (and I mean actual smart people, not the kind that win 'Sale of the Century') don't become really, really dodgy people. I'm not talking about a company CEO that writes up a contract that screws over their client/opposinge company/etc. Nor do I mean the kind of people that manage to skim off millions of dollars off the profits of their company. I'm talking Mafia dodgey. Not to say that the real Mafia is dodgey of course, I'm talking movie Mafia.
Sounds odd I know, but really, with a bit of planning and foresight, you could accomplish amazing things. Again I should point out that not all dodgey activity is 'bad' or 'evil'. Dodgey can just mean side-stepping a few laws that get in the way of things that should happen sometimes. For example, Batman is a little dodgey in his opperations, but he does undeniably good work.
Either way, it's sad to see that so many fools and idiots try get away with things that they really don't have the capacity for. Saying that though does bring to mind the fact that they never put on T.V. shows such as 'Worlds Smartest Villans' do they? It's always 'Worlds Dumbest'. I guess the masses prefer to see some moron getting caught so that they can feel superior. A wasted gesture in my books as the majority of people who watch for that reason wouldn't have the capacity to come up with the plan that those guys mess up.
This is probably why I've come to love movies such as 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'The Score'. The criminals are smart and they have a plan. They know how to adjust to counteract any unknown variables. Then you have movies like 'The Princess Bride' and 'The Three Musketeers' where the heros are definately dodgey, but they get the job done through raw skill and precision.
For me, I've had some serious opportunities to be dodgey. Running cars for instance. I lived on the N.S.W/Vic. boarder and was offerd a job taking stolen cars from the N.S.W. side down to a Melbourne chop-shop. Turns out that stolen cars become a lot more difficult to trace once they cross a state boarder and if you're quick, you can get something like that done before anyone can mobalise to get in the way. A quick change of plates makes all the difference. The point is though that it was there even though I knew better than to take it.
Personally, I'd rather try be the anti-hero: Be dodgey, get the job done and in the end, although I've broken a few laws here and there, the end result is a morally favourable one. The problem with this option though is that if you get caught in the process, you will be tried and conviced over the laws you have broken and no thought will ever be given to the good you were trying to accomplish. I guess it's just easier to be bad.
Wrapping up, I think society has almost degraded enough for me to feel that we need the odd vigilante on the streets. Not the crazy kind that thinks he's the Highlander (that little incident in Sydney was hilarious by the way), but a Batman-esque kind of guy that knows what he's doing, has a solid and irreproachable moral compass and the guts to get the job done. If there's a benevolant benefactor out there that agrees, let me know and I'll be happy to send in my resume. After all, I'd love to change the world, even if nobody knows it's me that's doing it.
I love that I know just the right people that could make it work.
Sounds odd I know, but really, with a bit of planning and foresight, you could accomplish amazing things. Again I should point out that not all dodgey activity is 'bad' or 'evil'. Dodgey can just mean side-stepping a few laws that get in the way of things that should happen sometimes. For example, Batman is a little dodgey in his opperations, but he does undeniably good work.
Either way, it's sad to see that so many fools and idiots try get away with things that they really don't have the capacity for. Saying that though does bring to mind the fact that they never put on T.V. shows such as 'Worlds Smartest Villans' do they? It's always 'Worlds Dumbest'. I guess the masses prefer to see some moron getting caught so that they can feel superior. A wasted gesture in my books as the majority of people who watch for that reason wouldn't have the capacity to come up with the plan that those guys mess up.
This is probably why I've come to love movies such as 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'The Score'. The criminals are smart and they have a plan. They know how to adjust to counteract any unknown variables. Then you have movies like 'The Princess Bride' and 'The Three Musketeers' where the heros are definately dodgey, but they get the job done through raw skill and precision.
For me, I've had some serious opportunities to be dodgey. Running cars for instance. I lived on the N.S.W/Vic. boarder and was offerd a job taking stolen cars from the N.S.W. side down to a Melbourne chop-shop. Turns out that stolen cars become a lot more difficult to trace once they cross a state boarder and if you're quick, you can get something like that done before anyone can mobalise to get in the way. A quick change of plates makes all the difference. The point is though that it was there even though I knew better than to take it.
Personally, I'd rather try be the anti-hero: Be dodgey, get the job done and in the end, although I've broken a few laws here and there, the end result is a morally favourable one. The problem with this option though is that if you get caught in the process, you will be tried and conviced over the laws you have broken and no thought will ever be given to the good you were trying to accomplish. I guess it's just easier to be bad.
Wrapping up, I think society has almost degraded enough for me to feel that we need the odd vigilante on the streets. Not the crazy kind that thinks he's the Highlander (that little incident in Sydney was hilarious by the way), but a Batman-esque kind of guy that knows what he's doing, has a solid and irreproachable moral compass and the guts to get the job done. If there's a benevolant benefactor out there that agrees, let me know and I'll be happy to send in my resume. After all, I'd love to change the world, even if nobody knows it's me that's doing it.
I love that I know just the right people that could make it work.
MMO Update
Sorry if this is a little dry, it's a press release that I looked into after reading the latest Penny Arcade comic.
Multiverse and Fox Licensing & Merchandising to build online game based on popular Firefly television series
Massively Multiplayer Online Game to be Designed Exclusively for Play on Multiverse Network
BURBANK, Calif. – December 8, 2006 – The Multiverse Network, Inc., a company building the world's leading network of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual worlds, today announced it optioned the rights from Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising to develop an MMOG based on Firefly, the science fiction television series created by Joss Whedon that has enjoyed a hugely popular and loyal following since its premier in 2002.
"Fox's Firefly series is set in an incredibly rich and exciting universe. It's going to make a very compelling and unique online experience filled with adventure, humor, and mystery," said Corey Bridges, Multiverse co-founder and Executive Producer. "It's our hope that Firefly's passionate and dedicated community of fans will enjoy the chance to become part of the story as they develop and explore the worlds of Firefly."
Fox Licensing & Merchandising selected Multiverse to lead the evolution of Firefly into an MMOG because of the technical strength and advantages of the Multiverse Platform and the vision both companies share for the future of online entertainment.
"One of the first meetings I had when I joined Fox was with Multiverse," said Adam Kline, Vice President of New Media Enterprises at 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising Division. "We see virtual worlds as an extraordinarily promising new entertainment medium. This is a great opportunity for 20th Century Fox and for the fans of Firefly because Multiverse will deliver an experience that will remain true to the original series, while enabling a whole new level of personal involvement for fans."
Under the terms of the agreement, Multiverse will select and lead an independent production team to develop the project. Fox and Multiverse expect the offering to be available to the public through The Multiverse Network in 2008.
Bill Turpin, co-founder and CEO of The Multiverse Network, Inc., believes that the Firefly MMOG will create significant opportunities for other developers building games and worlds with Multiverse tools and technology.
"In addition to our world-class technology, developers choose Multiverse for our network, which lets them launch their games into a built-in market of consumers who are just one click away from any game on that network," Turpin said. "Firefly will bring in even more consumers, making the network that much more attractive to developers of other worlds."
Since its launch a year ago, more than 7000 customers—ranging from garage developers to Fortune 100 companies to Hollywood legends—have registered to use the company's platform technology. In addition, more then one hundred pre-qualified customers have already begun building MMOGs and non-game virtual worlds with the Multiverse Platform, currently in open beta-testing.
Multiverse and Fox Licensing & Merchandising to build online game based on popular Firefly television series
Massively Multiplayer Online Game to be Designed Exclusively for Play on Multiverse Network
BURBANK, Calif. – December 8, 2006 – The Multiverse Network, Inc., a company building the world's leading network of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual worlds, today announced it optioned the rights from Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising to develop an MMOG based on Firefly, the science fiction television series created by Joss Whedon that has enjoyed a hugely popular and loyal following since its premier in 2002.
"Fox's Firefly series is set in an incredibly rich and exciting universe. It's going to make a very compelling and unique online experience filled with adventure, humor, and mystery," said Corey Bridges, Multiverse co-founder and Executive Producer. "It's our hope that Firefly's passionate and dedicated community of fans will enjoy the chance to become part of the story as they develop and explore the worlds of Firefly."
Fox Licensing & Merchandising selected Multiverse to lead the evolution of Firefly into an MMOG because of the technical strength and advantages of the Multiverse Platform and the vision both companies share for the future of online entertainment.
"One of the first meetings I had when I joined Fox was with Multiverse," said Adam Kline, Vice President of New Media Enterprises at 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising Division. "We see virtual worlds as an extraordinarily promising new entertainment medium. This is a great opportunity for 20th Century Fox and for the fans of Firefly because Multiverse will deliver an experience that will remain true to the original series, while enabling a whole new level of personal involvement for fans."
Under the terms of the agreement, Multiverse will select and lead an independent production team to develop the project. Fox and Multiverse expect the offering to be available to the public through The Multiverse Network in 2008.
Bill Turpin, co-founder and CEO of The Multiverse Network, Inc., believes that the Firefly MMOG will create significant opportunities for other developers building games and worlds with Multiverse tools and technology.
"In addition to our world-class technology, developers choose Multiverse for our network, which lets them launch their games into a built-in market of consumers who are just one click away from any game on that network," Turpin said. "Firefly will bring in even more consumers, making the network that much more attractive to developers of other worlds."
Since its launch a year ago, more than 7000 customers—ranging from garage developers to Fortune 100 companies to Hollywood legends—have registered to use the company's platform technology. In addition, more then one hundred pre-qualified customers have already begun building MMOGs and non-game virtual worlds with the Multiverse Platform, currently in open beta-testing.
Monday 11 December 2006
A Few too Many
Heraclitus, a philosopher in 500 AD said that "It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine".
I find (and i'm sure this is a sign of my age) that the more I go out drinking, the less I understand why we do it. Perhaps this is just a reflexive response to my night on Saturday, which unfortunately did involve some regurgitation, memory loss and most unfortunately, far, far too much dancing. Were I younger I probably would have uttered some falsehood about never drinking again, which would promptly be forgotten the next weekend.
I am reminded of Robert Benchley who said “Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it’s compounding a felony”.
Truly I cannot understand how people do this regularly, I especially find Alcoholism unfathomable at times like this. From the pains deep within my very bones after such a night, unsettled stomach, wasted money, and embarrassment from simply not knowing whether i've made a fool of myself or not (thankfully I hadn't) I just could not imagine repeating such an evening, especially the next day.
Of course I am not saying that I'll never drink again, I guess i'm hoping that from this night I will learn some restraint. And I don't say this as a petulant whine, but a true and reverent wish. I am no longer filled with the desire to waste all my money on a night that I can't remember in the end. When I was younger I remember saying that I didn't actually like the taste of alcohol and drank purley for the purpose of getting drunk. I guess I am at the point in life where I wish to reverse that statement. Going forward I would prefer to enjoy the company I keep, and sip on a tastful quality drink. I am still willing to get drunk after all as Henry Thoreau said "Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life" I am simply no longer wanting getting drunk to be the goal, and for the level of drunk to be considered enjoyable at the time, and on the following morning.
-Kahn
I find (and i'm sure this is a sign of my age) that the more I go out drinking, the less I understand why we do it. Perhaps this is just a reflexive response to my night on Saturday, which unfortunately did involve some regurgitation, memory loss and most unfortunately, far, far too much dancing. Were I younger I probably would have uttered some falsehood about never drinking again, which would promptly be forgotten the next weekend.
I am reminded of Robert Benchley who said “Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it’s compounding a felony”.
Truly I cannot understand how people do this regularly, I especially find Alcoholism unfathomable at times like this. From the pains deep within my very bones after such a night, unsettled stomach, wasted money, and embarrassment from simply not knowing whether i've made a fool of myself or not (thankfully I hadn't) I just could not imagine repeating such an evening, especially the next day.
Of course I am not saying that I'll never drink again, I guess i'm hoping that from this night I will learn some restraint. And I don't say this as a petulant whine, but a true and reverent wish. I am no longer filled with the desire to waste all my money on a night that I can't remember in the end. When I was younger I remember saying that I didn't actually like the taste of alcohol and drank purley for the purpose of getting drunk. I guess I am at the point in life where I wish to reverse that statement. Going forward I would prefer to enjoy the company I keep, and sip on a tastful quality drink. I am still willing to get drunk after all as Henry Thoreau said "Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life" I am simply no longer wanting getting drunk to be the goal, and for the level of drunk to be considered enjoyable at the time, and on the following morning.
-Kahn
Sunday 10 December 2006
The Prestige
Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called "The Pledge"; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn"; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Prestige"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before.If you haven't seen this movie, go and see it. For full effect, I recomend you do your homework on both the history of stage magic and on Nicola Tesla. It's not really needed to enjoy the movie, but it will mean that the twists of the plot will make perfect and obvious sense.
The acting is supurb and you would expect nothing less from the all-star cast. The highlight for me personally came in the form of David Bowie's haunting portrail of Nicola Tesla. That said, I think that the supporting cast was exceptional across the board.
I won't write up any of the plot here as this is the kind of thing that you need to see for yourself. I can't imaging the kind of person that wouldn't appreciate this movie. More to the point, I don't want to imagine that sort of person.
Are you watching closely?
Friday 8 December 2006
When does the hurting stop?
How do they do this so consistantly? An entire day of inactivity will pass and then right at 4pm, they find a mountain of work for me to do! It's more than just a little frustrating let me tell you. Well today, it ain't gonna happen. I'm just not going to do it. I won't have any of it even remotely close to finished before I head home and what little I could accomplish, I won't be able to remember enough of to pick it up again effectively next Monday. As such, I declare myself done for the week.
I'm going to ignore all the rushing around and just get myself rolling towards my weekend groove. I plan on playing many games and sleeping as much as I can. I know it's not exciting, but I couldn't care less. It's enjoyable and that's all that counts right now.
I often wonder how it is work expects me to get really reved up to get a job started at the last second at the end of the week. Perhaps they have some scarry workoholic issues that cause them to work through the weekend and thus don't recognise anyone else's lack of interest in a task handed to them at 4:30pm. In my mind, I'm already out the door, on the train, off the train, on the bus, off the bus, up the hill, in the house, playing my games, beatin' your scorez. If only I could make it home that fast physically as well as mentally. Perhaps when my mutant powers kick in I'll work on that.
I'm in your base, killin' your doodz.
I'm going to ignore all the rushing around and just get myself rolling towards my weekend groove. I plan on playing many games and sleeping as much as I can. I know it's not exciting, but I couldn't care less. It's enjoyable and that's all that counts right now.
I often wonder how it is work expects me to get really reved up to get a job started at the last second at the end of the week. Perhaps they have some scarry workoholic issues that cause them to work through the weekend and thus don't recognise anyone else's lack of interest in a task handed to them at 4:30pm. In my mind, I'm already out the door, on the train, off the train, on the bus, off the bus, up the hill, in the house, playing my games, beatin' your scorez. If only I could make it home that fast physically as well as mentally. Perhaps when my mutant powers kick in I'll work on that.
I'm in your base, killin' your doodz.
Urolagnia
If you're not sure about the title, I suggest hitting up Wiki for it. It's not pretty, but there you have it. I'm wondering if at some stage I'll be forced into that category as I have a nasty feeling that I've just become a Wii fetishest.
You go out and by a $400 system and you expect to get a bit of enjoyment out of it, but I never expected anything like that I got. I was up until 2am playing with my Wii (Ok, technically, it's our Wii as Kahn did chuck a number of games in for the trade). It's incredibly addictive and if there are any parents that think it will just keep their kids inside on the couch getting fatter... they obviously haven't done any research on the thing.
Kahn and I played about two hours of Wii boxing (along with many more hours of bowling, baseball, tennis and golf) and I kid you not, my two hours of Hwa Rang on a Wednesday is the only thing that has made me sweat that much since I stopped playing basketball back in high school. Talk about a work out! For Kallisar and Frejak, when you come up to give it a go, dress as you would for a gym session, even down to the sports bra because you're going to die if you don't.
Appart from the epic amount of fun that Wii sports provides, I was really impresed with the system. I have to admit that in the raging storm of interest generated by the Wii-mote, I hadn't checked out much else about the Wii before I got it home last night. Turns out that if I had, I would have been even more psyched about getting one than I already was (and let me assure you that it would have been difficult to be more excited than I was). The less publicised things are quite stunning.
I knew that it was going to be a smaller system than the mighty 360 (which I still love dearly), but that it was litterally only a few millimeters larger than your average PC DVD drive kind of shocked me. With some carefull shaving of a PC case, you could most likely install it right into one of the drive bays. Next was the wireless networking. It comes bilt into the Wii and if you want to hook it up to a wired network, that's when you need to get an adapter. The inclusion of an SD slot was a pleasent supprise, as was the built in memory. I knew they were going to have a marketplace similar to Xbox Live, but I guess that internal hard drive hadn't really sunk in.
Other little bits and pieces that I enjoyed were the creation of my 'Mii' character and the suprise that the Wii-mote itself has it's own memory storage capacity (although I don't know how much space it has yet). You can transport your Mii from your Wii to a friends Wii via the Wii-mote so that you Miis can hang out with their Miis. How delightfully cute is that?
The sensativity of the Wii-mote is stunning too by the way. Again, I was suprised when I got lazy and propped my Wii-mote hand on my knee to see that the on-screen pointer rotated to the now 90 degree angle at which I had my hand. Statements such as 'Cooler than my Baretta for the xbox' spring to mind and I didn't think that it was possible for anything short of a real baretta to inspire such thoughts!
On the whole, I'm dead tired and my shoulders ache from boxing like a crazy man, but you know what? It was SO worth every second. It's just a crazy amount of fun. I can't wait to get 'Red Steel' in a week or two so I can start cutting down ninjas with my Wii-mote controled katana!
High Game in bowling: 189
High Game in Wii Bolwing: 186
Scarry no?
You go out and by a $400 system and you expect to get a bit of enjoyment out of it, but I never expected anything like that I got. I was up until 2am playing with my Wii (Ok, technically, it's our Wii as Kahn did chuck a number of games in for the trade). It's incredibly addictive and if there are any parents that think it will just keep their kids inside on the couch getting fatter... they obviously haven't done any research on the thing.
Kahn and I played about two hours of Wii boxing (along with many more hours of bowling, baseball, tennis and golf) and I kid you not, my two hours of Hwa Rang on a Wednesday is the only thing that has made me sweat that much since I stopped playing basketball back in high school. Talk about a work out! For Kallisar and Frejak, when you come up to give it a go, dress as you would for a gym session, even down to the sports bra because you're going to die if you don't.
Appart from the epic amount of fun that Wii sports provides, I was really impresed with the system. I have to admit that in the raging storm of interest generated by the Wii-mote, I hadn't checked out much else about the Wii before I got it home last night. Turns out that if I had, I would have been even more psyched about getting one than I already was (and let me assure you that it would have been difficult to be more excited than I was). The less publicised things are quite stunning.
I knew that it was going to be a smaller system than the mighty 360 (which I still love dearly), but that it was litterally only a few millimeters larger than your average PC DVD drive kind of shocked me. With some carefull shaving of a PC case, you could most likely install it right into one of the drive bays. Next was the wireless networking. It comes bilt into the Wii and if you want to hook it up to a wired network, that's when you need to get an adapter. The inclusion of an SD slot was a pleasent supprise, as was the built in memory. I knew they were going to have a marketplace similar to Xbox Live, but I guess that internal hard drive hadn't really sunk in.
Other little bits and pieces that I enjoyed were the creation of my 'Mii' character and the suprise that the Wii-mote itself has it's own memory storage capacity (although I don't know how much space it has yet). You can transport your Mii from your Wii to a friends Wii via the Wii-mote so that you Miis can hang out with their Miis. How delightfully cute is that?
The sensativity of the Wii-mote is stunning too by the way. Again, I was suprised when I got lazy and propped my Wii-mote hand on my knee to see that the on-screen pointer rotated to the now 90 degree angle at which I had my hand. Statements such as 'Cooler than my Baretta for the xbox' spring to mind and I didn't think that it was possible for anything short of a real baretta to inspire such thoughts!
On the whole, I'm dead tired and my shoulders ache from boxing like a crazy man, but you know what? It was SO worth every second. It's just a crazy amount of fun. I can't wait to get 'Red Steel' in a week or two so I can start cutting down ninjas with my Wii-mote controled katana!
High Game in bowling: 189
High Game in Wii Bolwing: 186
Scarry no?
Wii Moment in History
For those of you who know me you'll know that I like a bit of gaming. I'm far from the biggest gammer, but I do love to sit down and enjoy a good bash/shoot/hack/plot every now and again.
As such I remember a fair number of systems through the ages, and very little in there progression has ever suprised me. Don't missunderstand me, Xbox 360 is awsome and when I see the improvements in graphics, game play and mechanics I nod, smile (sometimes even drool a little) and say to myself, "here it is, the new benchmark. If the next FPS hasn't incorporated at least some of the new cool that Gears of War has shown us, then they're just not trying." But as impressive as these improvements are, they're not surprising, it's a natural progression to improve.
Then along came Wii. I was on the floor, or more accuratly for the first time, I wasn't on the floor. I was standing, I was swinging, I was sweating! And I loved it!
The name aside, and the hours of amusement I have already had making Wii jokes, this system and the way the games have been designed around the IR of the nunchuk (thats what they call the controller) are suprising, there is no other word for it. I had heared how it was going to be set up. I had seen jokes and comics of how it's played. Let me tell you now YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE COOL!!!
Above all to me its the finer details that they are able to pick up now from the remote, there is full giroscopic awareness. This adds a level to the most basic of games, so that a simple baseball game, is hours of entertainment, gets you actually up and working a sweat (at least if you are as unfit as i am) and gives it more replayability then that first porn video you managed to stash under your bed as a teen.
I love this system, purely for its fun unique game play. I'm not even going to go into boxing (MAX FUN TO THE EXTREEM) or the benefits that perents will see with a system that will make sure that there little kids get the fun they're after without becoming as round as they are tall. I'm just going to say "Congratulations Nintendo", once again they have furthered their niche market by bringing something new to the market that is both fun and unique.
-Kahn
As such I remember a fair number of systems through the ages, and very little in there progression has ever suprised me. Don't missunderstand me, Xbox 360 is awsome and when I see the improvements in graphics, game play and mechanics I nod, smile (sometimes even drool a little) and say to myself, "here it is, the new benchmark. If the next FPS hasn't incorporated at least some of the new cool that Gears of War has shown us, then they're just not trying." But as impressive as these improvements are, they're not surprising, it's a natural progression to improve.
Then along came Wii. I was on the floor, or more accuratly for the first time, I wasn't on the floor. I was standing, I was swinging, I was sweating! And I loved it!
The name aside, and the hours of amusement I have already had making Wii jokes, this system and the way the games have been designed around the IR of the nunchuk (thats what they call the controller) are suprising, there is no other word for it. I had heared how it was going to be set up. I had seen jokes and comics of how it's played. Let me tell you now YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE COOL!!!
Above all to me its the finer details that they are able to pick up now from the remote, there is full giroscopic awareness. This adds a level to the most basic of games, so that a simple baseball game, is hours of entertainment, gets you actually up and working a sweat (at least if you are as unfit as i am) and gives it more replayability then that first porn video you managed to stash under your bed as a teen.
I love this system, purely for its fun unique game play. I'm not even going to go into boxing (MAX FUN TO THE EXTREEM) or the benefits that perents will see with a system that will make sure that there little kids get the fun they're after without becoming as round as they are tall. I'm just going to say "Congratulations Nintendo", once again they have furthered their niche market by bringing something new to the market that is both fun and unique.
-Kahn
Thursday 7 December 2006
Personal Satisfaction
Where is your god now?
Mine's on the couch at home helping me unlock achievements on my Xbox Live gamer profile. I just hope he remembers it's his turn to do the dishes tonight.
Jesus is coming, but don't worry, we'l just crucify him again
Mine's on the couch at home helping me unlock achievements on my Xbox Live gamer profile. I just hope he remembers it's his turn to do the dishes tonight.
Jesus is coming, but don't worry, we'l just crucify him again
Wednesday 6 December 2006
Where there's Smokers, there's fire.
I am a smoker. I feel no personal shame that I smoke. I don't let it rule my life. I don't rush out of the office to smoke every 20 minutes, I wait for my lunch break before leaving the building just like all the non-smokers have to. I don't force my habit on others which is to say that if I'm with someone that doesn't smoke, I will not smoke around them unless I know that they are ok with me doing so. I even chew on mints if I'll be spending time in close proximity to a non-smoker. On the whole, I think I make a serious effort to not inflict my habit on anyone else.
Here's the issue that I have at the moment. While many non-smoking groups are yelling and screaming about us smokers 'forcing' our habit upon them in the form of passive smoking, they have gone and forced their own non-smoking oppinion on us. Now I think I do a fairly passable job of pretending to ignore the ignorance of others when faced with it, but I will not stand for that kind of hypocracy. Telling me that I have no right to force my second-hand smoke on them and then forcing me to smoke only where they tell me to. I was ok with designated smoking areas, I saw that as a perfect compromise. We had our space and they had theirs. No worries there. Now, however, they have decided to strip us of even a segregated area and have stopped smokers from legally smoking anywhere near the places that normal people would be.
We can't smoke within 4 meters of any puplic establishment or shop-front (which for any imperialists is about thirteen feet, one and a half inches give or take an eighth of an inch). That effectively means that if you want to smoke, you have to stand out in the middle of the road in most places. This would obviously cause it's own problems, but they are immaterial at this stage of my dissertation. They have taken away the smoking areas of almost every cafe I've been to. Coffee shops are the same. You're not supposed to smoke near a bus stop and the train stations are all now completely off limits. Now, I'm not a calm person at the best of times, but this is an outrage that I'm not taking kindly too.
Again, some of the changes I could accept. The train station thing I'm ok with for the most part. You couldn't smoke in an underground station anyway and that makes semse to me. The cafe and coffee shops though... what the hell? We were already sitting outside and away from the non-smoking sections indoors so what the hell was the problem? Wasn't it enough that we were willing to endure the scorching heats of summer and icy winds of winter to indulge in our habit while you sat in the climate controlled interior?
I could maybe accept it if passive somking caused you more damage than having the scent of cigarette smoke in your nostrils. It doesn't though folks. Now I know it may sound tacky to quote Penn and Teller as a source, but since they are known quite well for debunking shams in a rather flamboyant style, I think it appropriate. Hunt down their show 'Bull Shit' and watch eppisode 4 of season 1 titled 'Second Hand Smoke'. The numbers are staggering. There is about a 1 in a million chance that second hand smoke will raise the chance of you getting cancer. The likelyhood is negligable so get over it. If it was simply a comfort thing which is to say you don't like the smell, fine, I can accept that, but if you use second-hand smoke causing you cancer as an excuse... you can burn in the flames of hell which are incidentally, the flames at the end of Lucifer's 16 milligram 'Davidoff Classic' cigarette (He's all class that guy).
So what am I going to do about it all? Well I have one idea. Since I smoke for enjoyment rather than addiction (I can tell this because I rarely seem to be 'hanging' for a smoke, but do enjoy one with coffee and such), I'm guessing that that means there are other that do the same. As such, I'm going to seek help from some friends. See they're planning on opening a book store / coffee shop. Since they too are smokers, I'm going see if they will hold a 'Smokers Only Day'. The first 'X' number of people to come in will recieve a free cigarette (provided by myself if need be) and all the profits for the day will go towards cancer research / charities. If you don't smoke or can't prove that you do, you will not be allowed entry on the day. It's subtle, but I feel it will get a point across. And on that note, I'm done.
I'm going out for a smoke. Where are my Davidoffs?
I've added a link to Penn & Teller in the links bar. Seriously, track that show down.
Here's the issue that I have at the moment. While many non-smoking groups are yelling and screaming about us smokers 'forcing' our habit upon them in the form of passive smoking, they have gone and forced their own non-smoking oppinion on us. Now I think I do a fairly passable job of pretending to ignore the ignorance of others when faced with it, but I will not stand for that kind of hypocracy. Telling me that I have no right to force my second-hand smoke on them and then forcing me to smoke only where they tell me to. I was ok with designated smoking areas, I saw that as a perfect compromise. We had our space and they had theirs. No worries there. Now, however, they have decided to strip us of even a segregated area and have stopped smokers from legally smoking anywhere near the places that normal people would be.
We can't smoke within 4 meters of any puplic establishment or shop-front (which for any imperialists is about thirteen feet, one and a half inches give or take an eighth of an inch). That effectively means that if you want to smoke, you have to stand out in the middle of the road in most places. This would obviously cause it's own problems, but they are immaterial at this stage of my dissertation. They have taken away the smoking areas of almost every cafe I've been to. Coffee shops are the same. You're not supposed to smoke near a bus stop and the train stations are all now completely off limits. Now, I'm not a calm person at the best of times, but this is an outrage that I'm not taking kindly too.
Again, some of the changes I could accept. The train station thing I'm ok with for the most part. You couldn't smoke in an underground station anyway and that makes semse to me. The cafe and coffee shops though... what the hell? We were already sitting outside and away from the non-smoking sections indoors so what the hell was the problem? Wasn't it enough that we were willing to endure the scorching heats of summer and icy winds of winter to indulge in our habit while you sat in the climate controlled interior?
I could maybe accept it if passive somking caused you more damage than having the scent of cigarette smoke in your nostrils. It doesn't though folks. Now I know it may sound tacky to quote Penn and Teller as a source, but since they are known quite well for debunking shams in a rather flamboyant style, I think it appropriate. Hunt down their show 'Bull Shit' and watch eppisode 4 of season 1 titled 'Second Hand Smoke'. The numbers are staggering. There is about a 1 in a million chance that second hand smoke will raise the chance of you getting cancer. The likelyhood is negligable so get over it. If it was simply a comfort thing which is to say you don't like the smell, fine, I can accept that, but if you use second-hand smoke causing you cancer as an excuse... you can burn in the flames of hell which are incidentally, the flames at the end of Lucifer's 16 milligram 'Davidoff Classic' cigarette (He's all class that guy).
So what am I going to do about it all? Well I have one idea. Since I smoke for enjoyment rather than addiction (I can tell this because I rarely seem to be 'hanging' for a smoke, but do enjoy one with coffee and such), I'm guessing that that means there are other that do the same. As such, I'm going to seek help from some friends. See they're planning on opening a book store / coffee shop. Since they too are smokers, I'm going see if they will hold a 'Smokers Only Day'. The first 'X' number of people to come in will recieve a free cigarette (provided by myself if need be) and all the profits for the day will go towards cancer research / charities. If you don't smoke or can't prove that you do, you will not be allowed entry on the day. It's subtle, but I feel it will get a point across. And on that note, I'm done.
I'm going out for a smoke. Where are my Davidoffs?
I've added a link to Penn & Teller in the links bar. Seriously, track that show down.
Nuclear Destruction
OK.....this is a continuation from my comments on the Wonders of Nothing post.
"More details will follow when i have more time, or even better when all the customers are dead, buried and the nuclear holocaust wipes out the rest of you retard monkeys. Gahahhhhhhh an hour of training idiots **sob** Kill me quickly " Kallisar 5/12/06 2:58pm
This began like any normal day, much complaining from customers the usual bored and apathetic responses from the techs. Then out of the blue a new job.....something bright and shiny to complete my day.......New Techs!!!!. Such a rare and beautiful creature (OK so that is a horrible lie especially where we tend to churn through techs like fat people and twinkies) and i have been given the sweet task of teaching them something. Ahhh wonders will never cease to amaze me. However I am digressing, Teaching these techs is not simply like clubbing seals, no that that easy at all and when I say tech I am not implying that these new staff members are techs from previous roles but are labelled techs due to the role that they are in. So I am teaching "I used to be a professional photographer" "IPX/SPX is the best protocol" and "I am tall, what more do I need", the combined knowledge of these people has enough mass to have sunk the titanic and boring enough to make me consider doing some work. Needless to say upon beginning to teach the very simple task of logging into the phone system and setting up the preferences the questions start coming.
Mr" I am Tall, what more do I need" asks me "If we don't log into the phone system what happens" a fair enough question which I replied with " You will not get paid ", what then proceeded to hurt my training ability was this gem "What about if I log in as someone else" Well let me see " You would give them more money and you would be paid nothing" ......."But nothing is stopping me do this is there". I began to pray that this was a cosmic joke, that the stars and all the planets were looking down and laughing, but he was looking at me with such interesting and with such a dopey "Look mah, no hands" expression that I realised he was dead serious. I did what any decent tech would do in this situation, " You should do that then".
Mr "I used to be a professional photographer" was a little more interesting with his great thoughts of "I have taken photos of hot chicks" now normally I am more than happy to sit down and talk about the benefits of good looking ladies, however the next words floored me much like a bulldozer and a tin shed, "Shame they are mostly my cousins". I was flabbergasted, not only was he taking very very sexy photos ofhis family members but he was showing them around with not a care in the world. Sure you might say they are only his cousins, but I am not about to speak to those people who live in Ipswich or Toowoomba.
I would love to say that that these were the only pieces of stupidity that I had to deal with but as I am sure you are aware I have to deal with end users and thus they continue to punish me for humanities crimes.
The pain of torment is so strong right now I am going to take a break and leave you considering this gem of a thought "If a customer dies in the woods , do the techs care?"
"More details will follow when i have more time, or even better when all the customers are dead, buried and the nuclear holocaust wipes out the rest of you retard monkeys. Gahahhhhhhh an hour of training idiots **sob** Kill me quickly " Kallisar 5/12/06 2:58pm
This began like any normal day, much complaining from customers the usual bored and apathetic responses from the techs. Then out of the blue a new job.....something bright and shiny to complete my day.......New Techs!!!!. Such a rare and beautiful creature (OK so that is a horrible lie especially where we tend to churn through techs like fat people and twinkies) and i have been given the sweet task of teaching them something. Ahhh wonders will never cease to amaze me. However I am digressing, Teaching these techs is not simply like clubbing seals, no that that easy at all and when I say tech I am not implying that these new staff members are techs from previous roles but are labelled techs due to the role that they are in. So I am teaching "I used to be a professional photographer" "IPX/SPX is the best protocol" and "I am tall, what more do I need", the combined knowledge of these people has enough mass to have sunk the titanic and boring enough to make me consider doing some work. Needless to say upon beginning to teach the very simple task of logging into the phone system and setting up the preferences the questions start coming.
Mr" I am Tall, what more do I need" asks me "If we don't log into the phone system what happens" a fair enough question which I replied with " You will not get paid ", what then proceeded to hurt my training ability was this gem "What about if I log in as someone else" Well let me see " You would give them more money and you would be paid nothing" ......."But nothing is stopping me do this is there". I began to pray that this was a cosmic joke, that the stars and all the planets were looking down and laughing, but he was looking at me with such interesting and with such a dopey "Look mah, no hands" expression that I realised he was dead serious. I did what any decent tech would do in this situation, " You should do that then".
Mr "I used to be a professional photographer" was a little more interesting with his great thoughts of "I have taken photos of hot chicks" now normally I am more than happy to sit down and talk about the benefits of good looking ladies, however the next words floored me much like a bulldozer and a tin shed, "Shame they are mostly my cousins". I was flabbergasted, not only was he taking very very sexy photos ofhis family members but he was showing them around with not a care in the world. Sure you might say they are only his cousins, but I am not about to speak to those people who live in Ipswich or Toowoomba.
I would love to say that that these were the only pieces of stupidity that I had to deal with but as I am sure you are aware I have to deal with end users and thus they continue to punish me for humanities crimes.
The pain of torment is so strong right now I am going to take a break and leave you considering this gem of a thought "If a customer dies in the woods , do the techs care?"
Tuesday 5 December 2006
Telephonic wonders
For when a phone calls throw situations that threaten to turn a heart to stone there can be only one dignified response.
“Imperious, choleric, irascible, extreme in everything, with a dissolute imagination the like of which has never been seen, atheistic to the point of fanaticism, there you have me in a nutshell, and kill me again or take me as I am, for I shall not change.”
Last Will and Testament of the Marquis de Sade
Machiavellian thoughts
After reading through this and sitting myself outside for a smoke to contemplate.
Not contemplating anything in particular just contemplating because I can and no one can stop me.
Leading as much to wondering whether or not any of our current world leaders have read any Machiavelli. Of course listening to Janis Joplin and a bit of Marley while doing this probably wasn’t helping at all.
However at one point in “The Prince” by Machiavelli he goes to examine whether or not it is better for a leader to be loved or feared.
“… the prince should make himself feared in such a way that, even if he is not loved, he avoids being hated, since being feared and not hated can easily go together…If he should need to take anyone’s life, he should do it when there is a suitable justification and a demonstrable cause…With executions it is the opposite, reasons are more exceptional and less numerous.”
Who is it possibly that our “Leader of the Free World” in particular has decided to make himself an image of? Caligula? At least we can be happy that Mr Bush doesn’t have a sister called Drusilla. Lenin? We can already see various traits of similarity with Lenin in may areas that he is bringing in, not quite the Bolshevik dictatorship but looking on a broad spectrum at policies and ideas that have been and are being proposed it is not such a far cry from it.
As for Howard, well I don’t think anyone has seen whining like this since Schuschnigg and the German “invasion” of Austria in 1936. Only difference with this is instead of Schuschnigg actually trying to halt the movement of Germany into Austria he forgot one important thing. The Austrian people and what they wanted. So he jumped on a plane to Berchtesgaden (I hear that Eva was very fond of running around there in swimmers and little skirts. Seriously.) in the attempt to suck back up to Hitler and tell him that no he wasn’t really trying to stand up for himself and his country by holding a referendum. Hitler’s response whilst historically noted is a bit boring. I much prefer my own interpretation of it. Being that he laughed in his face, threw him out and marched on Austria.
All in all I have to say I find it all quite disturbing and wonder what will happen when it actually comes to a time that someone in Australia actually does something for us instead of currying favour with someone else.
With a smile as I finished my smoke outside I started thinking of something someone wrote that gave me a good condescending smile that I could bring inside with me. So I thought I’d drag it out and share it, because damn I like it.
“ For thousands of years, human beings had screws up and trashed and crapped on this planet, and now history expected me to clean up after everyone. I have to wash out and flatten my soup cans. And account for every drop of used motor oil.
And I have to foot the bill for nuclear waste and buried gasoline tanks and landfilled toxic sludge dumped a generation before I was born.
I held the face of mister angel like a baby or a football in the crook of my arm and bashed him with my knuckles, bashed him until his teeth broke through his lips. Bashed him with my elbow after that until he fell through my arms into a heap at my feet. Until the skin was pounded thin across his cheekbones and turned black.
I wanted to breathe smoke.
Birds and deer are a silly luxury, and all the fish should be floating.
I wanted to burn the Louvre. I’d do the Elgin Marble with a sledgehammer and wipe my arse with the Mona Lisa. This is my world, now.
This is my world, my world, and those ancient people are dead.”
Chuck Palahniuk - Fight Club
How much of everything now is our world?
Are we looking at it as James Bovey did in 1642 as he cites Machiavelli as a blameless observer of the evils of others, and goes onward to lay blame to Mahiavelli for a measure of the corruption of the rule of Charles I?
I suppose it comes down to what we are willing to be aware of and how that in itself is used.
My personal thought result after having this very relieving vent is that perhaps it has been to long since theres been a good revolution.
Not contemplating anything in particular just contemplating because I can and no one can stop me.
Leading as much to wondering whether or not any of our current world leaders have read any Machiavelli. Of course listening to Janis Joplin and a bit of Marley while doing this probably wasn’t helping at all.
However at one point in “The Prince” by Machiavelli he goes to examine whether or not it is better for a leader to be loved or feared.
“… the prince should make himself feared in such a way that, even if he is not loved, he avoids being hated, since being feared and not hated can easily go together…If he should need to take anyone’s life, he should do it when there is a suitable justification and a demonstrable cause…With executions it is the opposite, reasons are more exceptional and less numerous.”
Who is it possibly that our “Leader of the Free World” in particular has decided to make himself an image of? Caligula? At least we can be happy that Mr Bush doesn’t have a sister called Drusilla. Lenin? We can already see various traits of similarity with Lenin in may areas that he is bringing in, not quite the Bolshevik dictatorship but looking on a broad spectrum at policies and ideas that have been and are being proposed it is not such a far cry from it.
As for Howard, well I don’t think anyone has seen whining like this since Schuschnigg and the German “invasion” of Austria in 1936. Only difference with this is instead of Schuschnigg actually trying to halt the movement of Germany into Austria he forgot one important thing. The Austrian people and what they wanted. So he jumped on a plane to Berchtesgaden (I hear that Eva was very fond of running around there in swimmers and little skirts. Seriously.) in the attempt to suck back up to Hitler and tell him that no he wasn’t really trying to stand up for himself and his country by holding a referendum. Hitler’s response whilst historically noted is a bit boring. I much prefer my own interpretation of it. Being that he laughed in his face, threw him out and marched on Austria.
All in all I have to say I find it all quite disturbing and wonder what will happen when it actually comes to a time that someone in Australia actually does something for us instead of currying favour with someone else.
With a smile as I finished my smoke outside I started thinking of something someone wrote that gave me a good condescending smile that I could bring inside with me. So I thought I’d drag it out and share it, because damn I like it.
“ For thousands of years, human beings had screws up and trashed and crapped on this planet, and now history expected me to clean up after everyone. I have to wash out and flatten my soup cans. And account for every drop of used motor oil.
And I have to foot the bill for nuclear waste and buried gasoline tanks and landfilled toxic sludge dumped a generation before I was born.
I held the face of mister angel like a baby or a football in the crook of my arm and bashed him with my knuckles, bashed him until his teeth broke through his lips. Bashed him with my elbow after that until he fell through my arms into a heap at my feet. Until the skin was pounded thin across his cheekbones and turned black.
I wanted to breathe smoke.
Birds and deer are a silly luxury, and all the fish should be floating.
I wanted to burn the Louvre. I’d do the Elgin Marble with a sledgehammer and wipe my arse with the Mona Lisa. This is my world, now.
This is my world, my world, and those ancient people are dead.”
Chuck Palahniuk - Fight Club
How much of everything now is our world?
Are we looking at it as James Bovey did in 1642 as he cites Machiavelli as a blameless observer of the evils of others, and goes onward to lay blame to Mahiavelli for a measure of the corruption of the rule of Charles I?
I suppose it comes down to what we are willing to be aware of and how that in itself is used.
My personal thought result after having this very relieving vent is that perhaps it has been to long since theres been a good revolution.
Dear, sweet, ZOMBIE Jesus!
You know when you see way to many posts in quick sucession from someone on a blog and you think to yourself "Jezz, get a life for god's sake!" and walk off shaking your head? Well I think I may have figured out why it happens. I've been begging everyone in my office for something to do in an effort to make myself productive so that I feel like I've earned my meager wage and guess what? There is nothing to do. I'm sitting in a barren wasteland, deviod of work related stimulus.
Most would be happy about this, but I find it rather annoying. There seems to be a painful cycle here. Every time I need time off to do something (for example: dental work, doctor's appointments, hostile take-over of an inconspicuous island nation, whatever), there seems to be an influx of work but as soon as I have no reason to be outside of the office, nothing. On the up side, I've just snagged my first real work of the day while typing this up. And look at that, it's only a half hour from lunch time! Man the gears are turning fast today, I wasn't expecting anything until at least 4:00pm.
-Salem
News Flash! The snozberries still taste like snozberries! Amazing!
Most would be happy about this, but I find it rather annoying. There seems to be a painful cycle here. Every time I need time off to do something (for example: dental work, doctor's appointments, hostile take-over of an inconspicuous island nation, whatever), there seems to be an influx of work but as soon as I have no reason to be outside of the office, nothing. On the up side, I've just snagged my first real work of the day while typing this up. And look at that, it's only a half hour from lunch time! Man the gears are turning fast today, I wasn't expecting anything until at least 4:00pm.
-Salem
News Flash! The snozberries still taste like snozberries! Amazing!
The wonders of nothing
While waiting for Raggedy Anne to get back to me, I'd like to take a moment to discuss Buddhism. I can't, but I'd like to. It's a religion I don't know much about to be honest. I'm going to have to learn more. The main reason behind this is that I can't off the top of my head think of any wars that they've started, terrorist activities that they've been involved in or peoples lives they've ruined through enforcing their religious beliefs on someone. This isn't to say that they haven't, just that I have never heard of it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a new religion (or indeed any religion), I just think it would be nice to find one that hasn't commited attrocities against humanity. The essence of most beliefs in various gods is supposed to be about tollerance and love and equality, but as history will show, most have had followers that have screwed it up and gone out to slaughter the disbelievers or whatever. I understand that there are some really great Muslims that object to the whole bombing thing and think it goes against everything their faith teaches. I also understand that the Christian faith doesn't think that only white people will be allowed in heaven. That said, the fact remains that some within their faiths do believe it.
If you happen to be reading this and know a lot about Buddhism (and I mean know a serious amount about it, not just that they shave their heads), leave me a message or something. I've already looked into Taoism and that was a fascinating study and so I'm keen to add another block of knowledge to my somewhat considerable stockpile.
-Salem
Random Trivia: In the song '500 Miles' by 'The Proclaimers', the word "haver" means "to talk foolishly". Now you know.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a new religion (or indeed any religion), I just think it would be nice to find one that hasn't commited attrocities against humanity. The essence of most beliefs in various gods is supposed to be about tollerance and love and equality, but as history will show, most have had followers that have screwed it up and gone out to slaughter the disbelievers or whatever. I understand that there are some really great Muslims that object to the whole bombing thing and think it goes against everything their faith teaches. I also understand that the Christian faith doesn't think that only white people will be allowed in heaven. That said, the fact remains that some within their faiths do believe it.
If you happen to be reading this and know a lot about Buddhism (and I mean know a serious amount about it, not just that they shave their heads), leave me a message or something. I've already looked into Taoism and that was a fascinating study and so I'm keen to add another block of knowledge to my somewhat considerable stockpile.
-Salem
Random Trivia: In the song '500 Miles' by 'The Proclaimers', the word "haver" means "to talk foolishly". Now you know.
Monday 4 December 2006
World news and it's sad reflections.
Recent news has been pretty dismal. We had a blackhawk fall off of the Kanimbla, some anti-progress dullards up in Toowoomba complaining about having to vote in a refferendum and Hizbulla are trying to force a democratically elected government to do what their little political group wants. Granted that the last one was in another country, but I like to think that since we're all supposedly part of this "human race" thing that it still deserves to be mentioned. I've never been to confidant in humanity anyhow, so I'm not all that shocked.
That aside, all the news worth seeing is usually posted up on Fark so I don't need to tell you about it. I'm not sure why I decided to mention all this, I just thought that I may as well post up something at least a little interesting. Won't happen again I promise. Either way, it's a step towards showing you all just how messed up humanity can be. I guess that the blackhawk thing was more of an accident, but even so, how do you miss the Kanimbla with a blackhawk?
I'm sure that at some point we'll either destroy ourselves (be it through wrecking the planet, war or some completely half-brained experiment involving time travel and the goal of creating a utopian sosiety) or we'll finally realise that logic and common sense are the real things that we need to work towards. Untill then, I'm most likely going to continue to point out what I think is wrong with the world. Should be a wild ride for someone I'm sure.
As an after-thought, I thought this was interesting. The link popped up on my g-mail account and I thought I'd share as it confuses me a little. I like the end result, but am amazed that it happened at the same time. Here's the image, click it for the link:
-Salem
Today's random link: Weapons that don't exist but should
That aside, all the news worth seeing is usually posted up on Fark so I don't need to tell you about it. I'm not sure why I decided to mention all this, I just thought that I may as well post up something at least a little interesting. Won't happen again I promise. Either way, it's a step towards showing you all just how messed up humanity can be. I guess that the blackhawk thing was more of an accident, but even so, how do you miss the Kanimbla with a blackhawk?
I'm sure that at some point we'll either destroy ourselves (be it through wrecking the planet, war or some completely half-brained experiment involving time travel and the goal of creating a utopian sosiety) or we'll finally realise that logic and common sense are the real things that we need to work towards. Untill then, I'm most likely going to continue to point out what I think is wrong with the world. Should be a wild ride for someone I'm sure.
As an after-thought, I thought this was interesting. The link popped up on my g-mail account and I thought I'd share as it confuses me a little. I like the end result, but am amazed that it happened at the same time. Here's the image, click it for the link:
-Salem
Today's random link: Weapons that don't exist but should
Rules of Engagement
1.) We post for nobody. What we do here, we do for ourselves. If it benefits anyone else, it is a coincidence that they find it as useful as we do. Someday we may be feeling generous and decide to help someone, but even then it won't be because they have asked it of us but because it pleases us to offer our assistance.
2.) We post in our own time. We will not plague this space with 'regular' posts. We will post only when we feel the need to do so, not because a preset time has come. If months pass without our presence, then you will just have to put up with it.
3.) We don't care what you think. No matter how much you may want to believe that we will care what you have to say or how much you think we need to fall into line with your way of thinking, I can promise you, it will not happen. By the same token, none of us expect you to care about what we say either and thus will not force our opinions on you. If you read this, it's your own choice so we will not take the blame if you don't like it.
4.) We will not hesitate to remove any comments that are left here that we don't like. Sometimes, just not having a clue who you are will be enough of a reason. If this is a problem, feel free to leave a comment. I'm sure you'll get the idea pretty quickly.
5.) Don't mock our spelling. We as a group have a better spoken vocabulary than most people coming out of university english courses these days. If we screw up the spelling on a rather obscure word and you pipe in telling us how stupid we are, I will direct you to the works of Chauser and then we will follow his example. You can have your 3 seconds of mockery, but we will eviscerate you in literature for all the world to see. If you don't think a blog can become that popular, then perhaps we won't need to put in the effort to make you look like the moron you are after all.
6.) At the end of the day, this is my blog. While I value the contributions that the few I have selected to share this space with, if I feel your post is not in the spirit of the blog, I will remove it. That includes you Ashen, you know I'm not down with your LJ links and whatnot. By the same token, if any of you start your own blogs, I'm happy to link out to you and thus help perpetuate the great circle of the internet. Should I be asked to post on your blogs from time to time, I would expect to be treated no differently than this.
2.) We post in our own time. We will not plague this space with 'regular' posts. We will post only when we feel the need to do so, not because a preset time has come. If months pass without our presence, then you will just have to put up with it.
3.) We don't care what you think. No matter how much you may want to believe that we will care what you have to say or how much you think we need to fall into line with your way of thinking, I can promise you, it will not happen. By the same token, none of us expect you to care about what we say either and thus will not force our opinions on you. If you read this, it's your own choice so we will not take the blame if you don't like it.
4.) We will not hesitate to remove any comments that are left here that we don't like. Sometimes, just not having a clue who you are will be enough of a reason. If this is a problem, feel free to leave a comment. I'm sure you'll get the idea pretty quickly.
5.) Don't mock our spelling. We as a group have a better spoken vocabulary than most people coming out of university english courses these days. If we screw up the spelling on a rather obscure word and you pipe in telling us how stupid we are, I will direct you to the works of Chauser and then we will follow his example. You can have your 3 seconds of mockery, but we will eviscerate you in literature for all the world to see. If you don't think a blog can become that popular, then perhaps we won't need to put in the effort to make you look like the moron you are after all.
6.) At the end of the day, this is my blog. While I value the contributions that the few I have selected to share this space with, if I feel your post is not in the spirit of the blog, I will remove it. That includes you Ashen, you know I'm not down with your LJ links and whatnot. By the same token, if any of you start your own blogs, I'm happy to link out to you and thus help perpetuate the great circle of the internet. Should I be asked to post on your blogs from time to time, I would expect to be treated no differently than this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
