cainmark

These are one day behind. I don't know why.

• 15:30 READ:Chris Anderson, Jared Diamond, John Forester, Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Hart, Naomi Klein, Steven Levitt, Bill Moyers, Eric S. Raymond. #
• 21:46 @Ohmu, all non-fiction authors I believe everyone should read works by. Hope Thai Garden food was as yummy as ours was! #

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These are one day behind. I don't know why.

• 16:51 After finishing _Global Values 101_, I'm reflecting on the value of forgiveness and why some people think 45% right is equal to 100% right. #
• 17:01 Almost forgot! Celebrate Document Freedom Day!
  documentfreedom.org/ #
• 18:51 Computer Network Services guy at work is catching on to gnu/Linux. Uding Xubuntu on an old laptop to check out what the kids today use. #

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Action Philosophers comics previewsm at Evil Twin Comics (Having started wearing a goatee in the past couple of years--I know nothing about the signifigance of that.)

http://www.eviltwincomics.com/aphil.html

Finished watching this a few minutes ago:

http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/tv_guide/full_details/Technology/programme_3257.php

If spacecraft, maybe it's several differend species or time travelers observing us, which would account for the different shapes.

Something struck me about the way the UFOs moved in the actual film footage they had. What if they were life forms? We haven't covered all of the ocean, and while we know a lot about the atmosphere-we don't know everything. If they were strange life forms, their actions are quite similar to how dolphins and sea lions react to having humans in their midst. The dissapearance and reappearance could be similar to translucent jelly fish, but in a very different way. The speed, though-maybe that's natural for those life forms. And maybe it's only the atmosphere or height or something else, that enables humans to see into a differenct spectrum of motion. But that doesn't explain stuff that shows up on radar.

Remember that UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object, not "spacecraft". It's Unidentified until it can be identified.

http://www.womanspiritoracles.com

Good comments to a brief article:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/5-ways-to-develop-independent-thought/

Nina Paley's prayer

I hope she doesn't mind I posted this, it really is worth sharing. Click on the link and read the whole thing and buy some stuff because she's really good.

"Our Idea
Which art in the Ether
That cannot be named;

Thy Vision come
Thy Will be done
On Earth, as it is in Abstraction.

Give us this day our daily Spark
And forgive us our criticisms
As we forgive those who critique against us;

And lead us not into stagnation
But deliver us from Ego;

For Thine is the Vision
And the Power
And the Glory forever.

Amen.

posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 10:02 am in creativity. RSS 2.0, one comment, trackback."

-Nina Paley

good post on the dangers of technofundamentalism

http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/05/16/20070516_future_of_technology_and_libraries_the_perils_of_technofundamentalism.html

"What we know as 'life' is the analytical realization in the seriality of time of our eternal reality. - Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei..."

Well, damn.

"Vonnegut was a committed humanist and an outraged critic of the war in Iraq"

http://inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=191_0_4_0_C

The story I heard this morning.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9533587

We need more journalists like Bill Moyers. Desperately.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021307A.shtml

I'm probably a Syncretists more than any thing else in all things I believe (including those things I do not beleive.)

"Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought."

I had an interesting discussion with a co-worker who couldn't understand that while I consider myself a Christian, I also believe in Buddhism, Satanism, and Atheism. I follow the principles (though not many of the organizational and practice aspects) of the first two and try to live my life accordingly, but recognize the aspects of myself that appreciate and understand the latter two. I know they don't work for me, but I don't automatically condemn someone that they do work for.
I've always felt that if you read just Jesus' words (not Paul the sick bastard, not the old testament stuff) that he sounded very much like Buddha. Her point was that with Buddhism, it is valuable and a necessary experience for enlightment, but it only shows YOU one path valid only for you, whereas Christianity (when properly practiced-which is hasn't been in years, especially the last 5) encourages you to help others find A path that can be valid for many more people besides yourself.
I agree and disagree at the same time.
But then, I do this with many things which driveres wither/or people crazy. Them: the glass: half empty or half full? Me: Yes.
Might as well be asking me about Heaven and Hell or the existence or non-existence of magic. Is there or isn't there there? Yes.

I believe in everything, also the belief of not believing, which in itself IS a belief.

Philosophy 101 teaches that as circular logic. But then, that doesn't do much to expalin what's beyond its own process of analysis. There are things that truly can't be got at through logic. Faith being the big one. Faith of any sort. The power is never what you believe in, but in the act of belief itself.


Wow, that went on longer than I meant it too.

I'm posting this link:

Tse Chen Ling Buddhist lectures

to remind myself to check them out later.

My best friend just came back from from a week-long grueling session with the Zen master that Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back was based on (George Lucas had a few sessions with him in the 70s).
Being a logician for such a long time made it difficult for her to believe in any higher power (If God/Allah/Invisible Cloud Being is so great, why isn't your life perfect? [I kept trying to get through to her it doesn't work like that]), and couldn't reconcile herself to anything that was not scientific and logical. Zen helped her open up from that (what I call the "logic fundamentalist" or "hyper critical to the point of obliviousness" view). She can't explain it any other way, but after her last session, she wasn't born again, but "got it" on a deep emotional and spiritual level she never had before.
Now that she's dealt with the biggest issues of her life, it's petty human crap that's irritating her. Which, is, after all, because we're human.
I'm so happy and proud for her.

what's a comic strip?

Create your own comics at gnomz.

"He meant it as a piece of religious satire, a playful look at the life of Jesus. But Gerhard Haderer's depiction of Christ as a binge-drinking friend of Jimi Hendrix and naked surfer high on cannabis has caused a furore that could potentially land the cartoonist in jail."

1000 Things to like about comics

These idiots frighten me:

"The book must contain no racially destructive propaganda, either in text or illustrations.

The book should serve a racially constructive purpose by providing White role models, instilling White values, or building a sense of White identity through the teaching of White history and legend."

Campaign against video games is political grandstanding


Nice little essay using Sandman quotes (one of my favorite is the second, actually)

B-weird happenings
Mystery of canine ‘suicides’ at eerie bridge

K-Law

Mark Morford on how stupid our state's government is:

Sweet Home, Alabama Dildos
Yet another state gets to outlaw "genital stimulating devices," as God just rolls her eyes

T-Aviation

How to dogfight in planes


Z-Lib
Whoa!

Free Online Collection of 275,000 Images from World-Renowned New York Public Library Launches March 3


I'm curious as to how they can do this:

"The contents of this website are made available for individual private study, scholarship and research only. Any other use, including but not limited to any type of publication or commercial use, is prohibited without the payment of usage fees and the prior written permission of The New York Public Library as well as any owners of rights in the materials, if applicable. Regarding such permission, please contact the NYPL Photographic Services & Permissions office for additional information." for public domain images?



Ah, here in the faq
"14. Why do I have to pay the Library a fee for use of public domain images?

As the physical rights holder of this material the Library provides free use for personal, research and study purposes. Usage fees charged for publication, broadcast, exhibition, Internet, etc. help offset the costs of acquiring, cataloging and preserving the materials."

B-Religion

I consider myself a non-player(non-practicing-don't go to church , but pray in how I try to lead my life) character (Christian) who believes in God and Christ (especially his words). I find this ostentatious and offensive. Don't ram it down people's throats, dude. I can guarantee you it won't change one person's mind one way or the other, and it comes dangerously close to that," thou shalt have no other idols before me" bit that's in, where was it, the freaking BIBLE. A picture of Christ is not Christ, a cross is not Christ, the bible is not God; nor Christ. It is a book. Written and inspired by God, but not to be worshipped. Follow the words, worship who said them, try to lead a better life, instead of clinging to the representation of them. Sheesh.

GT-Manners & Customs

Humor

Funniest thing I've seen in livejournal land
Quizzes

swiped from camenaecamenae

You scored as Loner. </td> Loner 100% Geek 94% Goth 69% Drama nerd 69% Punk/Rebel 31% Stoner 31% Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 0% Ghetto gangsta 0% What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com

and yes, that's pretty accurate for then. Now, too, really.

J-Political Science

Thank god for Barbara Boxer! Politically driven, my butt, McClellan, we're talking about democraycy, not partisanship with this issue. All it take is one person with guts in issues like these. This is still much than than the 2000 embarassment.

Censored, 2003-2004 stories

Tsunamis aren't the only disasters, you know.

"I can't recall a day in the last several years when the efforts of citizens yielded fruit in the Senate. Didn't work with the Patriot Act vote. Didn't work with the Homeland Security Act vote. Sure as hell didn't work with the Iraq war vote.

It worked today. Voices were heard, and something we haven't seen since 1877 took place today. This is what Congress exists for, and for once, they responded.

The rest is up to the same people who got this ball rolling. Today was a beginning, an introduction into the national dialogue of the fact that lots and lots and lots and lots of Americans get jobbed out of their right to vote every election.

We can fix that. We should fix that. Today, the task was well begun."

Long time coming, but finally, some justice. (Why did I find out about this from the BBC instead of an American paper, hmm?)

HM-Charity
The hunger site is a place you should click on every day. Today the food is going to mercy corps to help out with the tsunami disaster relief.

K-Law

This is why the spirit of the law should be obeyed over the letter of the law.

NC-Comics

This guy took a Chris Ware comic and cut it up, (and you can too) to remix it.

Take the Modern Arf Art tour

Make a wallet out of money

NC-Comics

I Love cartoons! Cartoon characters drawn in varying styles by different artists

I like this Betty & Veronicadrawing

QA-Computers

Bill Gtes, wanting to crush true innovation, again.

PN-Film

Obi Won goes to the used car lot to buy a car to transport himself, his apprentice and two droids with no questions asked.
TX-Crafts and Hobbies

Like to knit? This seems like a good site.

Make undies out of old t-shirts.

J-Political Science

Illegal Republican strategy caught

Here's how they stole it again. This sucks.


These are from

cerealgirl

http://www.newstarget.com/002076.html

http://ustogether.org/Florida_Election.htm

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/


here's another criminal

Read, read, be informed and dissapointed, then start gathering your forces together to fight for justice.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/11/con04484.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/3/52213/1921

http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=388

http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/04/11/ana04025.html

http://www.unfogged.com/archives/week_2004_10_31.html#002566

http://slate.msn.com/id/2109128/

A VERY good post here

heh.

defensive ammunition for the next*choke*four years


heh. this was funny

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110504Y.shtml

some good news


And this sums up world reaction


PN-Film

I (heart) huckabees was briliant. I want to see it again and again and again. The plot's simple (thesis, antithesis, synthesis), but it's how it's told that's so fun to watch.

PN-TV

I really, really hope this is good. There should probably be more black people in that photo. The Earthsea people are islanders, after all.


QA-Computer Games

Sanrio-or Hello Kitty online world.

Weird thing at work today. Two gals came in through the automatic doors, but when a guy tried to leave it didn't work at all, so he had to go out through the hand operated doors. I checked the sensors and the doors seemed to work perfectly, even changing my height a few times to see if it was the angle of the beam. It reminded me of the Simpson's where Bart sold his soul to Milhouse for $5. Automatic doors wouldn't work for him either. Heh.