23/12/2008
22/12/2008
A Musical Interlude
There will be no singing by your truly. Not that I can't sing, but my throat would probably collapse if I did the least bit tricky. Still got a bit of a cough left too.
But instead I come bearing gifts! I didn't make them, and I certainly didn't pay for them, but I did spend time on the Internet looking them up at least.
If you get allergies from YouTube you might as well disregard this entire post, cause there's gonna be tubes aplenty I'm afraid. Let's get going then, shall we?
Wax Tailor is mostly ambient trip-hop, but sometimes they collaborate with some great vocalists and the result is often quite hypnotic:
And that's that. But there's no wonder I love Wax Tailor, trip-hop is one of my favorite types of music, along with some hip-hop and bebop I could probably get by for the rest of my life on it.
Anyway, personal trivia besides, we journey onwards!
Sean Price, who's really good, has made this little tune that goes by the name of Onion Head. It's at the moment one of my favorite songs. Heavy cursing ensues. Be warned.
I might as well keep going with the hip-hop now, here's Madvillain:
But things take a turn towards the abstract when J Dilla grabs the mic:
Anyway, enough hip-hop for today.
Time for some GoldieLocks instead. You might remember the name from a previous post, but this time she has a real video, and it's also quite interesting. It contains her disembodied head, arm, a gray miniature dancing version of herself, some nice, although erratic colors... Yeah, you get the idea I think. It reminds me somewhat of Santogold, which is not a bad things I suppose. Unless she gets upset and comes and stabs me over it. Or it turns out she and Lykke Li are in fact clones that are taking over the world...
Alright, I might have scared some of my young readers with my talk of clones, so here's something lighthearted about kittens from SoKo to cheer you up:
SoKo is mostly famous for her song "I'll Kill Her" which you have here, although in a unplugged version from the back of a cloth store or something. It's awesome either way:
Dammit, I know everyone has already heard Lykke Li, but I just have to post this video that is actually quite a good depiction her live performances. Weird little dances, cocky, baggy outfits. No wonder I love her.
Plus the video is crazy fun:
Last stop on this railway trough my musical taste is a remix by Flying Lotus, which I discovered trough a friend recently. Mia Doi Todd's "My Room Is White" becomes something else entirely. Or at least I think so. Haven't heard to original actually, so I have no idea really. But it would be a quite stupid remix if it's almost the same as the original, so let's just assume I'm never wrong, shall we?
And I'm even quite sure I haven't gone mad yet. It's only Tuesday dammit. I don't go mad until Thursday earliest.
Via Twitch Film.
Amazing that I haven't seen this yet. Everyone should see this at least once, and then have a thinker or discussion about it with someone.
The Story of Stuff homepage. With better video!
The Flu
Turns out that's what making my head dysfunctional. I'm getting better, but today is the first day since the start of last week my head feels somewhat clear.
I've got loads to post though, so I might as well get started.
First of it turns out Peyote isn't actually dangerous. At all. In fact it seems it might even improve some mental processes. Since the study is funded by the American "War on Drugs", I'd say it's quite reliable.
More at Dose Nation.
But you can't just throw down some mescaline and take a nap. You need some music that will melt your brain and re-furnish your face.
Enter Lightning Bolt:
If drugs and chaotic music isn't really your thing, I can instead offer you the following arrangement:
How Television Works:
Really informative, and kinda scary.
And while we're at it, here's how the News Work:
This one goes mostly for people in North America, but I'm quite sure it's more or less the same in other parts of the world. The exception would be some state-owned channels, but this also depends on how much they push their own political agenda on the viewers. Some manage to do what they're supposed, some just sounds like preachers.
There, that's some of what I wanted to post. I might update more during the day. I've got one or two things I wanted to preach about myself. Luckily, you don't have to agree. In fact I expect you to disagree with some of the things I say, and would love to argue about it a bit from time to time.
17/12/2008
16/12/2008
Todays Observations
Our personality is subjective. This means that you are a different person depending on who you're spending time with. This is because we think others expect a certain behavior from us. We have become who others think we should be, and we don't even know for sure what they want us to be.
Identity is a lot more complicated once you start thinking about it, which leads me to my next thought.
Someone has crammed the entire history of Bollywood inside my head. I have a few million people singing, and the resonance is shattering my skull from inside my head. It might also explode, which hopefully results in someone getting impaled by my spinal column.
Or maybe my brain is trying to stab my face from the inside?
It might also be both, and my brain is trying to escape by desperately clawing it's way out of my face to die like a fish on land once outside. Death by Bollywood. Sometimes I even scare myself.
There are falus shaped things originally from China exploding outside and raining down a burst of brightly colored stars on the cold grass below. I suspect witches, and must go fetch my pitchfork.
I also have a huge guillotine shaped piece of glass from a broken picture frame that I will make a mirror out of. I'm not sure how to make a mirror, but it is going to involve dark paint and serious tape somehow. I'll probably end up with a peg-leg though. But the loss of a limb will make me forget the headache at least.
The brain isn't too good at perceiving pain from different areas of the body, apparently.
This is all. I will have to read a few chapters today as well, and spend some time editing my rough start of an essay. But only if my brain gets somewhat normal. If it doesn't I would like some LSD or something to teach the bastard a lesson.
13/12/2008
02/12/2008
Letter from God by Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip
The video is fan-made. There is a ordinary one, but it's easier to keep up with the lyrics in this one. If you're not a fast reader you're kinda fucked either way though.
I agree to parts of the message, but not all of it. It's still good, and gives you things to think about.
Obama! Give America Better Sex!
"
Dear President Obama:
Dear President Obama:
For months, I’ve been predicting that when you win, nothing will change regarding sex. I’ve said you won’t stop the government’s War On Sex; you won’t demand respect for sexual rights as human rights; you won’t prevent religious fanatics from controlling non-believers’ sex lives.
You now have your big chance: prove me wrong. Here’s what you need to do:
* End funding for abstinence-only training in public schools.
* End the Department of Justice’s war on adult entertainment. Keep the war on child porn. Make it clear they’re two different things. [[Regina's Note: Notice Marty's semantics here - adult entertainment vs child porn. Absolutely right to use different words for two very, very different things. Go Marty!]]
* Decriminalize all consensual sex that teens have with other teens. Decriminalize teens sharing photos of themselves having sex. [[Regina's Note: Tech enables us to extend our sexual behavior, as well as create "new" sexual behaviors. I agree with Marty that teens sharing photos with their peers is not a criminal act -- and that their lives should not be forever wrecked for the "crime" of being young and hormonal. Besides, sharing pics is robably the quickest, most effective way to learn discretion and to think about one's own limits and the limits of one's friends. No need to send them to jail. Their peers will teach them the lesson more deeply than the adults ever could.]]
* Increase financial support for Planned Parenthood, an investment proven to reduce poverty and domestic violence. [[Regina's Note: Several of my adult friends, unmarried and married, go to PP for STD screenings and birth control, because they are young working adults who don't have health insurance. It has nothing to do with politics, abortion, feminism or any other "issue" -- except the desire not to bring issue into the world before the women are ready for them.]]
* Take the moral leadership to decrease abortion–by funding contraception services and comprehensive sex education, not by criminalizing abortion.[[Regina's Note: Duh.]]
* Require all sex education programs to be scientifically accurate. Isn’t that required by the policies of car manufacturers, meat-packing plants, and toothpaste makers?
* Require all municipalities that want to restrict commercial sexual expression (strip clubs, adult bookstores, swing clubs, etc.) to actually demonstrate a need to do so, rather than simply claim “effects like crime, disease, and blight are well-established.” Because they’re not.
* Require all federal judges to take a Continuing Education course about sexuality. Healthy sexuality, not “sex addiction” or child molestation. Make this education mandatory for anyone aspiring to be a judge.[[Regina's Note: This is my soapbox as well. So much of what we write, research or study about sex starts with the "something's wrong" -- but what about what's not wrong?]]
* Get the FCC out of the censorship business. Let Americans use the “off” and “change channel” buttons on their TV remotes whenever they want; it’s good practice for voting.
* Remove the blocking software from every federally-funded computer in America–libraries, universities, airports. Start with the computers in the White House and Congress.[[Regina's Note: There's a scene in Cordelia's Honor, by Lois McMaster Bujuold, in which it comes out that the lowest standard of living Cordelia can imagine is not having a comconsole and full network access in a home, much less in the village. When the Barrayarans express astonishment at this naive worldview, Cordelia, a Betan, explains that it's the first item on the Beta Colony constitution: the right to information access shall not be abridged.]]
I’ve said in dozens of lectures this year that you won’t make a difference in America’s War On Sex.
Please, prove me wrong. "
I see nothing wrong with any of this. Then again I am an ungodly Anarchist Swede. Westbro Baptist hates me, yey! Westbro sounds very Scandinavian by the way...
From SexRev 2.0, via Technoccult.
The Liberal Middle East?
There are interesting things going on there.
And I'm not talking about Iraq.
Iran will soon have a majority of young people insides it's borders. As you'll know if you drop by here once in a while, the Iranian blogosphere is crackling with activity.
Saudi Arabia is also heading towards a more open society for women.
The all-girl rock band The AccoLade is a underground hit, as most newsreaders probably know by now. The current King is also positive towards women helping the society, and women are also allowed to have an ID-card now.
So, is this the start of a new, more liberal, middle east? I, for one, hope so.
If Iran and Saudi Arabia (arguably two of the most conservative nations in the middle east at the moment) become more Liberal in their politics, it would probably do a lot to change the entire region.
And I'm not talking about Iraq.
Iran will soon have a majority of young people insides it's borders. As you'll know if you drop by here once in a while, the Iranian blogosphere is crackling with activity.
Saudi Arabia is also heading towards a more open society for women.
The all-girl rock band The AccoLade is a underground hit, as most newsreaders probably know by now. The current King is also positive towards women helping the society, and women are also allowed to have an ID-card now.
So, is this the start of a new, more liberal, middle east? I, for one, hope so.
If Iran and Saudi Arabia (arguably two of the most conservative nations in the middle east at the moment) become more Liberal in their politics, it would probably do a lot to change the entire region.
01/12/2008
This is not the Indentity you're looking for
As usual when reading dear Penny's latest stabbing of all that is well and normal (according to people that think they're normal), I want to jump up, run all the way to the nearest McDonald's, light my pants on fire and use them as a slingshot to propel me laptop trough the front window. Preferably after I've filled it with thermite and nitroglycerin. As it burns and crackles like those burning sticks people like to play with around Christmas, I'd casually walk away with my jacket tied around my hips as a makeshift skirt. If I ever did I'd probably freeze my balls off, but it would be worth it.
Being done with my usual plunge into imagination, the part that really made me go "Fuck yeah!" was this:
"But conformity is safe. No matter how much time and effort you put in to making yourself acceptable and well-behaved, never doubt that it’s the easy option. I never feel more alive, or more free, than days like today when I stamp into work in big boots, a baggy black hoodie covered with slogans, a bobble hat and no make-up. But it takes courage. Courage to step outside the cosy cage of automatic approval and be your own, real person, without rules."
Being somewhat of a gypsy myself (on my fathers side), I relate to this. It makes me feel warm and really alive inside to know that there are people that will disregard what others think and go with what they, and only they, feel is right.
No wonder people aren't satisfied with their lives, they're trying to get approval from everyone else.
I especially remember a girl I went to elementary with. One day she didn't wear any makeup. The funny thing is, we didn't notice. ("We" being a few guys.) I don't know if the girls did.
If I remember correctly her voice was trembling a bit when she told us. I suspect she was feeling uncomfortable, and a bit afraid of what our reaction would be.
We told her that we didn't really see any difference. Well, maybe a little if we looked closely.
I don't really know what happened. But she ended up putting makeup on after a while. If she felt uncomfortable because she didn't wear it, because of something someone said, peer pressure, or anything else I don't know.
What I do remember is feeling incredibly impressed by her courage.
Not that I know how much perceived psychological strength a woman find in her makeup, but I can imagine that it's quite a lot.
Now that I think about it I should probably have told her just how impressed I was with her.
But that was 5-6 years ago now. If anything I've found that I grow weirder and weirder the older I get. I've recently become interested in Anarchism, the Riot Grrl movement (especially the music), memetics (which I'm writing 50 pages about for school), drugs (moderately, since it dry-humps my brain into oblivion. I need my brain, dammit). I've almost stopped drinking completely. I'm actually interested in politics, and followed the American Presidential election feverishly. I suspect I knew more about it than quite a few Americans. Hell, an American even told me so.
All of it is obviously me to some degree. But how much? We're once again back to that damned question: "Who am I?"
Sure, I could throw up some memetic theory here now. About humanity being a construction the ideas we are exposed to, how they react to the ideas that already infect us, and all of that.
I suppose we could just say that we are what we think we are, but this isn't necessarily true either. We are not who we think we should be, at least. That much we can probably agree on. Unless you're the kind of person that can disregard what everyone thinks at all times. Good for you. Not really helping us that are stuck with being social human beings though.
We're stuck being influenced by society you might say, so the only thing we can do if that pisses us off is to try and influence it back, destroy it, or create a new one.
27/11/2008
26/11/2008
BBC Journalist Get Pissed
This is last years news. Actually, more than last year I think, but it's still interesting to see. It's a part from BBC Panoramas investigation of Scientology. John Sweeney gets pissed and starts shouting, after the Scientologists interrupts interviews, confronts him at his hotel, have people follow him, and other nice and friendly things. It's mainly the same guy over and over, and John finally gets pissed enough to shout at him. I'd probably have ended up punching him myself.
There's also good examples of the "Fair Game" tactics the so-called Church denies.
23/11/2008
22/11/2008
20/11/2008
The Problem with Views
Everyone has views on practically everything. And while some might say that all views are vaild, I'd say that just wishful thinking on their part. Just like saying that everyone is special. Sure, it's true on genetically, and although I'd never go so far as to say that two people are identical, I'd never say their completely different either. Because no matter what, we're all human.
And, since we're humans, and since humans have this ridiculously big brain that we don't seem to use as much as we should, we have views and opinions on everything as soon as we've heard about it for the first time.
Obviously that isn't really a good thing, since when we first have heard about something, it's probably from a source we trust in some way. Like a friend, a nice news site, a blog, etc. We assume, that since we like this/that/them, that they're right.
When was the last time you really doubted something someone you like said?
But just by checking things up a bit on your own you'll probably discover a lot that got lost in the translation. Or that what you heard was wrong. Sometimes it's even right! Just like the news really.
The news is interesting, because the purpose of most forms of news is to sell. Exaggerating things, leaving something out to make it more dramatic, and so on. These are all signs of a bad news. Entertainment news are usually bad for instance. Because people don't really care about getting informed about the entertainment, they care about being entertained be reading about the entertainment.
Always being critical gets annoying in the long run though, so it's a good idea to take a day of once in a while. Take it easy, watch some stupid action or comedy movie, take a bath, cook something nice. Relax. Let your brain rest and absorb the information it's received lately. It needs to do that once in a while. Usually at night, but it's probably a good idea to take a day off from time to time, just in case. Plus, it feels good to do nothing from time to time.
But this is just filler. An appetizer if you so wish.
What I really wanted to talk about is views. I know, I've mentioned them a bit, bitched about them a lot, and generally been a bit too cryptic for my own good.
But, what I wanted to say is this: If you can't question your own views, they suck.
In case the reason for this isn't obvious, I'll tell you: If you can't question what you think, and listen to other ideas and views, your censoring yourself and the world. You're shrinking the world from the viewpoint of your mind.
Which, despite what you may think, isn't a good idea. We've discovered how huge the world is, the billions of things within it, and now we don't want them to be there anymore? Sounds like devolving to me. The sound of the spreading of stupidity and ignorance. How does it sound? Like the wind speeding by maybe?
But sure, if something you've questioned does seem to still hold afterwards, it's probably not a worthless thought at least. If you find something that can take a lot of questioning and still kinda makes sense, then you've got yourself a keeper.
And I'm not talking about personal questioning of your views here. You need to get into the head of whoever objects to your view. If you're a Christian, you need to know and understand what Richards Dawkins thinks, and why. If you're Richard Dawkins, you need to understand Christianity.
But, here it gets tricky. Dawkins is a scientist. He can't just beliveve things. He needs some sort of reason. Belife for the sake of belife isn't gonna fly with any athesist. If you say that you find comfort and brotherhood in Church, a Athesist could possibly say that you take comfort in the notion that there is a meaning with life, other than life itself. A pshycological effect in other words. Just as the shared belife also gives a sense of comfort. Safety in numbers. Safety in belonging to a clan of likeminded. A tribe, in a way.
This could also be a danger with modern society, at least in my mind.
Since we can usually find likeminded, we don't have to change out minds. We don't get challanged by other ideas and views if we just stay in our own little tribe.
I'm running out of thoughts now, but remember that many of the great truths of today where so radical that some of their proponents ended up dead back in the day.
Radical thoughts change our world, which is the same as changing the world, since our view of the world becomes part of it. While fundamentalism will keeps things static and simple, and by doing so prevent change, and keep the world small.
And, since we're humans, and since humans have this ridiculously big brain that we don't seem to use as much as we should, we have views and opinions on everything as soon as we've heard about it for the first time.
Obviously that isn't really a good thing, since when we first have heard about something, it's probably from a source we trust in some way. Like a friend, a nice news site, a blog, etc. We assume, that since we like this/that/them, that they're right.
When was the last time you really doubted something someone you like said?
But just by checking things up a bit on your own you'll probably discover a lot that got lost in the translation. Or that what you heard was wrong. Sometimes it's even right! Just like the news really.
The news is interesting, because the purpose of most forms of news is to sell. Exaggerating things, leaving something out to make it more dramatic, and so on. These are all signs of a bad news. Entertainment news are usually bad for instance. Because people don't really care about getting informed about the entertainment, they care about being entertained be reading about the entertainment.
Always being critical gets annoying in the long run though, so it's a good idea to take a day of once in a while. Take it easy, watch some stupid action or comedy movie, take a bath, cook something nice. Relax. Let your brain rest and absorb the information it's received lately. It needs to do that once in a while. Usually at night, but it's probably a good idea to take a day off from time to time, just in case. Plus, it feels good to do nothing from time to time.
But this is just filler. An appetizer if you so wish.
What I really wanted to talk about is views. I know, I've mentioned them a bit, bitched about them a lot, and generally been a bit too cryptic for my own good.
But, what I wanted to say is this: If you can't question your own views, they suck.
In case the reason for this isn't obvious, I'll tell you: If you can't question what you think, and listen to other ideas and views, your censoring yourself and the world. You're shrinking the world from the viewpoint of your mind.
Which, despite what you may think, isn't a good idea. We've discovered how huge the world is, the billions of things within it, and now we don't want them to be there anymore? Sounds like devolving to me. The sound of the spreading of stupidity and ignorance. How does it sound? Like the wind speeding by maybe?
But sure, if something you've questioned does seem to still hold afterwards, it's probably not a worthless thought at least. If you find something that can take a lot of questioning and still kinda makes sense, then you've got yourself a keeper.
And I'm not talking about personal questioning of your views here. You need to get into the head of whoever objects to your view. If you're a Christian, you need to know and understand what Richards Dawkins thinks, and why. If you're Richard Dawkins, you need to understand Christianity.
But, here it gets tricky. Dawkins is a scientist. He can't just beliveve things. He needs some sort of reason. Belife for the sake of belife isn't gonna fly with any athesist. If you say that you find comfort and brotherhood in Church, a Athesist could possibly say that you take comfort in the notion that there is a meaning with life, other than life itself. A pshycological effect in other words. Just as the shared belife also gives a sense of comfort. Safety in numbers. Safety in belonging to a clan of likeminded. A tribe, in a way.
This could also be a danger with modern society, at least in my mind.
Since we can usually find likeminded, we don't have to change out minds. We don't get challanged by other ideas and views if we just stay in our own little tribe.
I'm running out of thoughts now, but remember that many of the great truths of today where so radical that some of their proponents ended up dead back in the day.
Radical thoughts change our world, which is the same as changing the world, since our view of the world becomes part of it. While fundamentalism will keeps things static and simple, and by doing so prevent change, and keep the world small.
13/11/2008
Some Parkour Vids
I'm posting a lot of videos recently, which I find a bit disturbing, since it takes longer to post a bunch of videos than writing a page. You have to watch the videos, think about the quality, if there's somewhere else you can embed from that's got better quality, etc.
But one thing you should know is that I love le parkour.
I've been doing it on and off for around 2 years now, and even if I've just gotten going again after a month or two of just being lazy, it just feels so great doing it that I wonder why I didn't do it sooner.
It's a form of self discovery really. You get to know yourself while you cling to walls, jump over rails, land on ledges, and a few hundreds if not thousand other things. It's of course very physical, but also very mental. Your mind works constantly, judging distances, relaxing and tightening muscles, gripping concrete and iron pipes. And then there's the mental blocks to process. Why can't I do this? Is it the hight? The surface that looks wrong? Too little space to land on?
All traceurs have had blocks, some easy to get rid of, some hard. It takes discipline both to train parkour, to overcoming obstacles, and with overcoming obstacles of the mind, mental blocks.
Here's a video about just that, a mental block:
But of course if you haven't done parkour it's really hard to know what it feels like to throw yourself over a wall and hit the ground running.
Unless you have a headcam, that is:
Or you could always go buy Mirrors Edge I suppose:
There of course also a lot of thoughts behind parkour. Just jumping around trying to look cool does not cut it, and isn't even close to parkour in any way that matters. There's a awesome documentary about parkour called Project Pilgrimage that I'd recommend for anyone wanting to know where it comes from, what's influenced it, what the philosophy is, and these sort of things.
Here's a short chat with Dan Edwards about it:
Or at least parts of it anyway.
It's, just like they say in the video, the videos rarely show the training behind these amazing things the traceurs do. Most have trained hard for years. Not necessarily training parkour, but those that are really good usually have some sort of background in acrobatics, dancing, martial arts, or something along those lines. But that doesn't really matter if keep training. Because after a training parkour for a while you develop your balance, reflexes, strength, flexibility, stamina, psyche, self control, risk awareness, and a few other things. Like I said before, you get to know yourself intimately.
But let's round things of with a very orange vid:
11/11/2008
Horrible News and Movie Industry Hate
Really! It's news, and it's horrible/disturbing!
Or how about Nigerian Baby Farms?
Or The Woman Whiteout A Face, who's been roaming parts of Europe for 15 years, leaving a trail of deaths, robberies and burglaries behind?
Via Warren Ellis.
In other news, Hollywood has given up creativity and are now focusing mainly on destroying classics, and anything not made in the US.
Remakes of:
Old Boy (by Spielberg and Will Smith),
Let The Right One In (by that guy who made Felicity and Cloverfield),
Akira (Leonardo Dicaprio),
Ghost in the Shell(Spielberg again),
Cowboy Bebop (Keanu Reeves as Spike),
Conan (some dude I've never heard of),
Death at a Funeral (by Chris Rock),
Battle Angel Alita (James Cameron),
Ninja Scroll (thanks to Dicaprio),
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (...huh?)
Fame,
The Birds (Clooney),
and probably a bunch of other I've missed are being planned, discussed or produced as I type this, and as you read it. Capital over creativity, yey!
Keep in mind though that some of these are not confirmed, so we might still be spared mental rape if we're lucky.
I'd recomend Twitch for those of you who like movies and have realized that IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes are completly worthless, and are only good if you'd like to argue with people, or lern some basic trolling.
Alright, Rotten Tomatoes have some revives that actually have something with movies to do and are not just opinion. They're the minority though. And I'm not even gonna mention IMDB. Alright, it's a good place to check out some specs on movies, opening dates, actors, and things like that. As long as you ignore any lists, message boards, or ratings you'll manage.
Alright, I'm gonna stop ranting about my growing hatred for the comercial movie industry now.
I'm actually writting on a movie myself. I'm looking forward to when I can get furious over the disaster of a remake it will inevitably lead to.
Cheers!
Or how about Nigerian Baby Farms?
Or The Woman Whiteout A Face, who's been roaming parts of Europe for 15 years, leaving a trail of deaths, robberies and burglaries behind?
Via Warren Ellis.
In other news, Hollywood has given up creativity and are now focusing mainly on destroying classics, and anything not made in the US.
Remakes of:
Old Boy (by Spielberg and Will Smith),
Let The Right One In (by that guy who made Felicity and Cloverfield),
Akira (Leonardo Dicaprio),
Ghost in the Shell(Spielberg again),
Cowboy Bebop (Keanu Reeves as Spike),
Conan (some dude I've never heard of),
Death at a Funeral (by Chris Rock),
Battle Angel Alita (James Cameron),
Ninja Scroll (thanks to Dicaprio),
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (...huh?)
Fame,
The Birds (Clooney),
and probably a bunch of other I've missed are being planned, discussed or produced as I type this, and as you read it. Capital over creativity, yey!
Keep in mind though that some of these are not confirmed, so we might still be spared mental rape if we're lucky.
I'd recomend Twitch for those of you who like movies and have realized that IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes are completly worthless, and are only good if you'd like to argue with people, or lern some basic trolling.
Alright, Rotten Tomatoes have some revives that actually have something with movies to do and are not just opinion. They're the minority though. And I'm not even gonna mention IMDB. Alright, it's a good place to check out some specs on movies, opening dates, actors, and things like that. As long as you ignore any lists, message boards, or ratings you'll manage.
Alright, I'm gonna stop ranting about my growing hatred for the comercial movie industry now.
I'm actually writting on a movie myself. I'm looking forward to when I can get furious over the disaster of a remake it will inevitably lead to.
Cheers!
This Makes Me Giggle Like a Schoolgirl:
And I'm even quite sure I haven't gone mad yet. It's only Tuesday dammit. I don't go mad until Thursday earliest.
Via Twitch Film.
08/11/2008
I'm going to keep posting hip hop until you like it.
Seriously. People who don't like hip hop listen too much on the crap being played in commercial radio and television. And no, popularity does not equal quality. If that where the case Titanic would be considered the worlds greatest movie.
Anyway, over to what this is really about: the beats and lyrics forming these tunes. Ladies and gentlemen, brought to you by the utmost crappy quality that is YouYube, it's Soul Position!
If that doesn't do it, go buy their CD or something?
Anyway, over to what this is really about: the beats and lyrics forming these tunes. Ladies and gentlemen, brought to you by the utmost crappy quality that is YouYube, it's Soul Position!
If that doesn't do it, go buy their CD or something?
06/11/2008
Bad Mom = No kids
I'm talking about a draft bill being considered in the Netherlands at the moment, and although the odds of it passing seem low, the mere fact that anyone propositioned such a bill is scary in itself.
If you've been deemed to be a unfit mother by the state you're gonna have to ensure you wont get pregnant for the following 2 years. If you do the child will be taken away by the state.
Needless to say I do not approve.
More details here.
Via Technoccult.
If you've been deemed to be a unfit mother by the state you're gonna have to ensure you wont get pregnant for the following 2 years. If you do the child will be taken away by the state.
Needless to say I do not approve.
More details here.
Via Technoccult.
Some Awesome Ladies You've Probably Never Heard Of
Sylvia Pankhurst may have gotten called too radical by Marx, but I was thinking something a bit more contemporary. In this case: female vocalists, rappers, MCs, or whatever you wanna call it. Ladies making music. That the gist of it.
I accidentally stumbled upon something called Girl Powder on MySpace. Girl Powder is a project (or something) where a group of female musicians get together. Alright, so I didn't pay too much attention there...
Anyway, there was a lot of awesome music that was a part of this little thing. Here's 3 artists I managed to find on the horrible quality video site we all know as YouTube:
This is Donzelle. She apparently makes her videos into a little instructional of sorts. So it's not technically a music video, but it's cool. Unfortunately for me I don't speak any French, though that this song has something to do with sex wasn't really hard to get. It's called Libido Macro, for one.
GoldieLocks. British MC/rapper/singer/producer. She a forth Swede too, which makes me love her even more. Unfortunately this was the best I found on YouTube. No video, and the sound ain't too good. The music and lyrics, however, is.
Has also made an awesome refix of NERDs ´Provider´ that can be enjoyed on her MySpace.
Giselle Numba One. If there where 3 sisters in Cocorosie, she would probably be the third. Not that all her music sounds like Cocorosie or anything, but there is a strong resemblance in some cases so it's a comparison that has to be made.
She's a bit more energetic though, and also has some more pure rap tunes.
Hell, I've started so I might as well keep going:
De Tropix. Another cool band making music that at least makes me wanna get busy on the dance floor. Cherry B, the singer and dancer of the duo I think makes up De Tropix is/was a dancer for M.I.A. I got the feeling they're friends or something, but I might be wrong there so don't put any money on it.
Ok, there was a few other good one's that I couldn't find any good videos for.
Miss Odd Kidd and L'amour est la Guerre.
I did find one for Bunny Rabbit and Black Cracker though:
They're very solid live it seems, and considering this was a gig here in Sweden I'm really sad I missed it. Sure, I probably hadn't heard about them at the time, but you don't need much of a reason to get sad over these things I've noticed.
Enjoy the mad energy these two seem to overflow with.
Finally, something I think a few of you might have heard already. Hyper Crush:
This video makes me incredibly happy. It's about video games, arcades, beating high scores, and all the good things in life.
It's some sort of electro clash or something. I'm not sure. Other awesome songs include Pop and Lock, Sex and Drugs, and other such joys of song naming.
Seriously. This is party music. This, Electric Six, M.I.A, and maybe something more. Throw in some stimulants of your choice, a few friends and assorted chums, and you've got yourself a good time.
Well, that's it for this time. I'm off to bed now. It's an hour after I had decided to go to bed, which is really good for me. That's assuming I get to bed anytime soon though...
I accidentally stumbled upon something called Girl Powder on MySpace. Girl Powder is a project (or something) where a group of female musicians get together. Alright, so I didn't pay too much attention there...
Anyway, there was a lot of awesome music that was a part of this little thing. Here's 3 artists I managed to find on the horrible quality video site we all know as YouTube:
This is Donzelle. She apparently makes her videos into a little instructional of sorts. So it's not technically a music video, but it's cool. Unfortunately for me I don't speak any French, though that this song has something to do with sex wasn't really hard to get. It's called Libido Macro, for one.
GoldieLocks. British MC/rapper/singer/producer. She a forth Swede too, which makes me love her even more. Unfortunately this was the best I found on YouTube. No video, and the sound ain't too good. The music and lyrics, however, is.
Has also made an awesome refix of NERDs ´Provider´ that can be enjoyed on her MySpace.
Giselle Numba One. If there where 3 sisters in Cocorosie, she would probably be the third. Not that all her music sounds like Cocorosie or anything, but there is a strong resemblance in some cases so it's a comparison that has to be made.
She's a bit more energetic though, and also has some more pure rap tunes.
Hell, I've started so I might as well keep going:
De Tropix. Another cool band making music that at least makes me wanna get busy on the dance floor. Cherry B, the singer and dancer of the duo I think makes up De Tropix is/was a dancer for M.I.A. I got the feeling they're friends or something, but I might be wrong there so don't put any money on it.
Ok, there was a few other good one's that I couldn't find any good videos for.
Miss Odd Kidd and L'amour est la Guerre.
I did find one for Bunny Rabbit and Black Cracker though:
They're very solid live it seems, and considering this was a gig here in Sweden I'm really sad I missed it. Sure, I probably hadn't heard about them at the time, but you don't need much of a reason to get sad over these things I've noticed.
Enjoy the mad energy these two seem to overflow with.
Finally, something I think a few of you might have heard already. Hyper Crush:
This video makes me incredibly happy. It's about video games, arcades, beating high scores, and all the good things in life.
It's some sort of electro clash or something. I'm not sure. Other awesome songs include Pop and Lock, Sex and Drugs, and other such joys of song naming.
Seriously. This is party music. This, Electric Six, M.I.A, and maybe something more. Throw in some stimulants of your choice, a few friends and assorted chums, and you've got yourself a good time.
Well, that's it for this time. I'm off to bed now. It's an hour after I had decided to go to bed, which is really good for me. That's assuming I get to bed anytime soon though...
04/11/2008
The Story of Stuff
Amazing that I haven't seen this yet. Everyone should see this at least once, and then have a thinker or discussion about it with someone.
The Story of Stuff homepage. With better video!
51 Years
That's how long ago Laika became the first living creature from our planet to go into space.
Trentemöller has dedicated one of their videos to her, and it's quite the thing of beauty:
Trentemöller has dedicated one of their videos to her, and it's quite the thing of beauty:
27/10/2008
Quick News Update
Gordon Brown is a cunt because he decided to freeze Icelandic assets under the anti-terror law. The reason apparently was "economic terrorism" which is of course a lie. Why not freeze American assets instead? They were the once who caused the current economic crisis after all.
Oh, that right... Britain is Americas bitch.
And I suppose Iceland was a good fall guy. They don't even have an army, so maybe it's time to bomb them a bit too? That'd teach them not to engage in any "economic terrorism" in the future!
According to Greg Palast: "The U.S. Civil Rights Commission found that the chances of an African-American voter losing their vote is 900% higher than a white voter. Hispanic votes vanished at a rate 500% higher than Anglo votes."
Racism: I'm lovin' it!
Oh, that right... Britain is Americas bitch.
And I suppose Iceland was a good fall guy. They don't even have an army, so maybe it's time to bomb them a bit too? That'd teach them not to engage in any "economic terrorism" in the future!
According to Greg Palast: "The U.S. Civil Rights Commission found that the chances of an African-American voter losing their vote is 900% higher than a white voter. Hispanic votes vanished at a rate 500% higher than Anglo votes."
Racism: I'm lovin' it!
26/10/2008
My Drinking Masterpiece
Alright, lets see. I'm gonna try and describe what I've heard was my
worst. I don't remember hardly anything except glimpses after the 2
first tequilas, until 5 hours or so later when I'm standing in the
hallways, and another drunk friends decides to push me because I look
unstable while putting on my shoes.
But, in no particular order:
Made a list of girls I liked.
Danced on my knees since I couldn't stand properly.
Drove
a moped, crashed, got a concussion and wrecked the moped (it was mine
luckily). Got either led or carried inside, with road rash on my face,
bleeding a little from the head, and with puke on my jacket.
Decided
that jumping a hedge that was almost as tall as me was a good idea when
you're not able to take two steps in the same direction. I crashed
trough the hedge, scratched my belly, and got grass stains on my face
as well. This might have been before or after crashing the moped. I
have no idea really.
Despite heavy objections from the host, threw
myself in his little brothers bed, with puke stains, gravel and so on
still on my persona. Needless to say, he was not pleased at the time.
Though the day after, when I came to collect what used to be a nice
vintage moped, he didn't seem to mind.
On the way home to one of my
friends, me, him and another friend stole 2 bikes outside a party a few
houses away. One had a cart, which the least drunk of us got to ride.
I'm surprised we actually made it back whiteout crashing even once.
Even making it back was an achievement to me at the time.
Then the
following morning, with my two friends saying "shit!" "What the hell
did you do?" and other things like that about the appearance my face,
with a severe hangover and a concussion, the first thing I do is stand
up, only to bang my head with incredible force into a 5 kilos speaker
that's mounted to the wall with iron bolts or something.
It's
amazing how much of this I've managed to piece together, considering
that I brought about a liter of strong spirits with me, drank that in
about two hours, got several shots of tequila, some beer, some
moonshine, some wine, and so on. Considering I hardly never drink, that was a bit much I've realized.
I went to the hospital the day
after, after realizing that my head felt like it was stuffed with
cotton instead of in severe pain. That's how I know I had a concussion.
Oh
yeah, and I also lay passed out in a bathtub with vomit, booze and
things on me, with a shower curtain pulled to hide the sight of the
thing I had become. This meant that as soon as I made a sound, which
was most likely slurred speak, grunts or moans, I scared the hell out
of whoever was using the toilet.
That's my worst so far. It lacks sex with animals and drugs, but other than that I think I covered most of it.
Might have pissed myself, though neither me or anyone else noticed in that case.
worst. I don't remember hardly anything except glimpses after the 2
first tequilas, until 5 hours or so later when I'm standing in the
hallways, and another drunk friends decides to push me because I look
unstable while putting on my shoes.
But, in no particular order:
Made a list of girls I liked.
Danced on my knees since I couldn't stand properly.
Drove
a moped, crashed, got a concussion and wrecked the moped (it was mine
luckily). Got either led or carried inside, with road rash on my face,
bleeding a little from the head, and with puke on my jacket.
Decided
that jumping a hedge that was almost as tall as me was a good idea when
you're not able to take two steps in the same direction. I crashed
trough the hedge, scratched my belly, and got grass stains on my face
as well. This might have been before or after crashing the moped. I
have no idea really.
Despite heavy objections from the host, threw
myself in his little brothers bed, with puke stains, gravel and so on
still on my persona. Needless to say, he was not pleased at the time.
Though the day after, when I came to collect what used to be a nice
vintage moped, he didn't seem to mind.
On the way home to one of my
friends, me, him and another friend stole 2 bikes outside a party a few
houses away. One had a cart, which the least drunk of us got to ride.
I'm surprised we actually made it back whiteout crashing even once.
Even making it back was an achievement to me at the time.
Then the
following morning, with my two friends saying "shit!" "What the hell
did you do?" and other things like that about the appearance my face,
with a severe hangover and a concussion, the first thing I do is stand
up, only to bang my head with incredible force into a 5 kilos speaker
that's mounted to the wall with iron bolts or something.
It's
amazing how much of this I've managed to piece together, considering
that I brought about a liter of strong spirits with me, drank that in
about two hours, got several shots of tequila, some beer, some
moonshine, some wine, and so on. Considering I hardly never drink, that was a bit much I've realized.
I went to the hospital the day
after, after realizing that my head felt like it was stuffed with
cotton instead of in severe pain. That's how I know I had a concussion.
Oh
yeah, and I also lay passed out in a bathtub with vomit, booze and
things on me, with a shower curtain pulled to hide the sight of the
thing I had become. This meant that as soon as I made a sound, which
was most likely slurred speak, grunts or moans, I scared the hell out
of whoever was using the toilet.
That's my worst so far. It lacks sex with animals and drugs, but other than that I think I covered most of it.
Might have pissed myself, though neither me or anyone else noticed in that case.
25/10/2008
24/10/2008
23/10/2008
A Reason to Like Obama
I've finally found one, other than that he's not McCain that is...
"The biggest problem with our energy policy has been to lurch from crisis to trance. And what we need is a sustained, serious effort. [...] I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollen about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it's creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they're contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That's just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board.
"The biggest problem with our energy policy has been to lurch from crisis to trance. And what we need is a sustained, serious effort. [...] I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollen about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it's creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they're contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That's just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board.
For us to say we are just going to completely revamp how we use energy in a way that deals with climate change, deals with national security and drives our economy, that's going to be my number one priority when I get into office, assuming, obviously, that we have done enough to just stabilize the immediate economic situation."
Other than the fact that Obama seems to be the kind of guy you could have a serious discussion with, highly intelligent, and a few other good qualities that'd I personally like to see in the leader of one the biggest and most influential countries on the planet, my personal preference for Obama come from two things that has nothing to with this:
First of, he is not "just another rich white guy with corporate interests, and religious views that influence his actions". Not really fair, I know. But that's what large part of the world seem to think these day. Considering the view of many people, especially the youth in the Middle East, Europe, and probably a few other places, seem to amount to this, although in some cases a lot less polite, having Obama elected would shut all of us up. We can't use our "American President-stereotype" anymore, and are forced to re-evaluate our opinions somewhat. (At least that's what I hope.) So, in other words, better foreign relations. I know, you might object that since it's mainly the youth that are angry at the US it doesn't really matter. But this youth will grow up, and if there hasn't been any real change, why would their opinions change? And furthermore, angry youth tend to make their opinions heard. This means that older people will hear them no matter what they do. Some might tag along just because they usually do that, just as some of the youth have, some might agree, and very few of those that disagree will voice their opinion.
I'm not saying that's the case in all of Europe, but I think it's at least a not all that faulty description of the situation in Sweden. (Which, if Obama is a socialist, I'm quite sure could also be said to be a Communist dreamland...)
And, as if that is not enough, I think the chances of terrorist attacks on the US might decrease a bit. Both because of the fact that Obama is not the "typical American President", but also because he actually knows something about Islam. Plus, the fact that he doesn't have the same military background as McCain, which I'm hoping means he's less likely to start any wars.
The Time Article, via Open the Future.
17/10/2008
Wall of Text: About bloging, evolution, information, and such.
So, there's some of you that's been reading this blog that probably wonder who the hell I am, and why anything that I say should be listened to. Not that it would come as a surprise to anyone even a bit familiar with the so called blogosphere.
No one will agree with everything you say, just as you wont agree with everything someone says. This goes for identical twins, and in extension also clones.
So, why did I start bloging in the first place? Attention? Fame? Anger? Boredom? All valid reasons to start spewing your metaphysical guts out over the Internet, even though their content might not always be the best.
One thing I think we can all agree on is this: we like to express ourselves. Communication is a vast part of humanity after all, one of the fundamentals of society if you so will.
So that was of course part of it for me. I wanted to make my voice heard. I have no idea if I've succeeded, since none of you bastards ever write anything, but that's ok. I didn't want attention or fame.
I probably felt a bit lonely, needed a good output for emotions. And what I've realized after over a year of sporadic bursts of anger, excitement, sometimes clever phrasing, sometimes pubertal anger. What I've realized is that it focuses my mind. It's like my on-line scheduling system, where I shape my thoughts and opinions into clear crystals so that other will see, whiteout the light getting dimmed.
And that's just part of it.
I'm a idealist. I belive that humanity can do great things if we decide to. Yet I would never call myself unselfish. It's easy to fall into that trap, because it's a quality that takes on an almost... biblical tone. It's a word that people like to connect to idealism I suppose. Which is fine, but I'd never admit to being one.
Mainly because that'd make me a hypocrite asshole, and secondly, I don't think any human being, that could still be counted as a human being, would be totally unselfish.
Let me clarify: I'd love to be totally unselfish. It's a good thing. It's, what I'd call, a sign that we're still evolving. We ignore our survival instinct and work for the better of humanity, even if we have to suffer for it.
It's not gonna happen any time soon with how society looks, unless we drastically alter our lifestyle, even our view of life, personal ideals, and a lot of other things.
Part of the problem, at least in my eyes, is a system based on capitalism. The accumulation of wealth and property trough the production of more property to exchange for wealth.
This is encouraged, even though we don't need a lot of it. Hell, most could easily survive on less than half of what they make. For those of us who've been, and are students (that wasn't spoiled by our parents) know how little you can survive on. Noodles, hard bread, rice, pasta and ketchup. You can easily live like that. I'm quite sure you can also be happy like that if you just ignore all the things you should have. Who says you need a big tv, a car, air conditioning and so on?
I could probably get rid of most of my things, except for a matress and my laptop, and I'd be happy like that. The books I feel I need to read could be borrowed from the library. Food would be pretty cheap if you keep it basic. Rice, pasta, the things I mentioned. In fact, after a while you'd begin to enjoy it.
I know I somtimes do. Sure, it sucks not being able to have a beer or two with your friends, but you know what I'd like to think would happen if they tried it?
You'd end up having conversations for hours. You'd need to discuss things, just because there nothing else to do. No tv, no radio, no video games.
The thing is: What would you discuss if you didn't have anything to discuss? No movies, shows, something on the news. You'd have to think up things yourself, right?
Or, as I'd probably prefer, you activly work to accumulate information.
See, I've been thinking about evolution lately. The purpose of evolution is adapting to the enviroment, right? How do you do that?
By doing two things:
One. You adapt the old fashioned way, trough random mutations that spreads trough the race, in some cases proving beneficial, in some they kill you. Mostly, the bad ones makes sure the individual die, or their offspring die.
Two. We gather information about the world around us, so that we can adapt ourselves and our eviorment using our knowledge. This goes a lot quicker than what you might call classical evolution.
I'd like to belivie that it's this informational evolution that is the basis of our current existant. That we, as a race will spread our ideas, values, discoveries, and all the other things we learn, until we force ourselves to evolve.
By forcing ourselves to evolve I don't mean that we genetically alter our bodies or minds, although that will probably be a reality at some point in time. I mean that we force our minds to evolve to deal with the massive flow of information that will sooner or later become neccesary for us to absorb.
What happens when the worlds history is so long that it would take years to learn just the most basic parts of it? Should we just ignore the parts we deem least important? Who will decide what is least important, and what if it turns out one of these things has an effect on the then present, now future, time?
Of course, this also assumes we haven't decided to let a few develop new technology that the rest of us have no idea how it works. The ideal would be that everyone knew a little about almost everything, and specialised in a few things. Then we'd be able to expand this knowledge to others when they need it.
All of this builds on the thought that information and communication is the cornerstones of human life and civilazation, something I can't say for sure is fact.
I think there's definetly something to it, but there could be something I've overlooked I suppose. I'm still only human, after all.
No one will agree with everything you say, just as you wont agree with everything someone says. This goes for identical twins, and in extension also clones.
So, why did I start bloging in the first place? Attention? Fame? Anger? Boredom? All valid reasons to start spewing your metaphysical guts out over the Internet, even though their content might not always be the best.
One thing I think we can all agree on is this: we like to express ourselves. Communication is a vast part of humanity after all, one of the fundamentals of society if you so will.
So that was of course part of it for me. I wanted to make my voice heard. I have no idea if I've succeeded, since none of you bastards ever write anything, but that's ok. I didn't want attention or fame.
I probably felt a bit lonely, needed a good output for emotions. And what I've realized after over a year of sporadic bursts of anger, excitement, sometimes clever phrasing, sometimes pubertal anger. What I've realized is that it focuses my mind. It's like my on-line scheduling system, where I shape my thoughts and opinions into clear crystals so that other will see, whiteout the light getting dimmed.
And that's just part of it.
I'm a idealist. I belive that humanity can do great things if we decide to. Yet I would never call myself unselfish. It's easy to fall into that trap, because it's a quality that takes on an almost... biblical tone. It's a word that people like to connect to idealism I suppose. Which is fine, but I'd never admit to being one.
Mainly because that'd make me a hypocrite asshole, and secondly, I don't think any human being, that could still be counted as a human being, would be totally unselfish.
Let me clarify: I'd love to be totally unselfish. It's a good thing. It's, what I'd call, a sign that we're still evolving. We ignore our survival instinct and work for the better of humanity, even if we have to suffer for it.
It's not gonna happen any time soon with how society looks, unless we drastically alter our lifestyle, even our view of life, personal ideals, and a lot of other things.
Part of the problem, at least in my eyes, is a system based on capitalism. The accumulation of wealth and property trough the production of more property to exchange for wealth.
This is encouraged, even though we don't need a lot of it. Hell, most could easily survive on less than half of what they make. For those of us who've been, and are students (that wasn't spoiled by our parents) know how little you can survive on. Noodles, hard bread, rice, pasta and ketchup. You can easily live like that. I'm quite sure you can also be happy like that if you just ignore all the things you should have. Who says you need a big tv, a car, air conditioning and so on?
I could probably get rid of most of my things, except for a matress and my laptop, and I'd be happy like that. The books I feel I need to read could be borrowed from the library. Food would be pretty cheap if you keep it basic. Rice, pasta, the things I mentioned. In fact, after a while you'd begin to enjoy it.
I know I somtimes do. Sure, it sucks not being able to have a beer or two with your friends, but you know what I'd like to think would happen if they tried it?
You'd end up having conversations for hours. You'd need to discuss things, just because there nothing else to do. No tv, no radio, no video games.
The thing is: What would you discuss if you didn't have anything to discuss? No movies, shows, something on the news. You'd have to think up things yourself, right?
Or, as I'd probably prefer, you activly work to accumulate information.
See, I've been thinking about evolution lately. The purpose of evolution is adapting to the enviroment, right? How do you do that?
By doing two things:
One. You adapt the old fashioned way, trough random mutations that spreads trough the race, in some cases proving beneficial, in some they kill you. Mostly, the bad ones makes sure the individual die, or their offspring die.
Two. We gather information about the world around us, so that we can adapt ourselves and our eviorment using our knowledge. This goes a lot quicker than what you might call classical evolution.
I'd like to belivie that it's this informational evolution that is the basis of our current existant. That we, as a race will spread our ideas, values, discoveries, and all the other things we learn, until we force ourselves to evolve.
By forcing ourselves to evolve I don't mean that we genetically alter our bodies or minds, although that will probably be a reality at some point in time. I mean that we force our minds to evolve to deal with the massive flow of information that will sooner or later become neccesary for us to absorb.
What happens when the worlds history is so long that it would take years to learn just the most basic parts of it? Should we just ignore the parts we deem least important? Who will decide what is least important, and what if it turns out one of these things has an effect on the then present, now future, time?
Of course, this also assumes we haven't decided to let a few develop new technology that the rest of us have no idea how it works. The ideal would be that everyone knew a little about almost everything, and specialised in a few things. Then we'd be able to expand this knowledge to others when they need it.
All of this builds on the thought that information and communication is the cornerstones of human life and civilazation, something I can't say for sure is fact.
I think there's definetly something to it, but there could be something I've overlooked I suppose. I'm still only human, after all.
Secret Service loves McCain/Palin?
At least according to this piece, the Secret Service is preventing journalists from leaving the press area to talk to those attending campaign meetings. Censoring the press is not what I'd call democratic, but then again, making sure you can actually vote, is even more important.
Or maybe they're so ashamed that they're trying to hide the problem? Who knows.
Via Think Progress.
Or maybe they're so ashamed that they're trying to hide the problem? Who knows.
Via Think Progress.
15/10/2008
03/10/2008
The Structure of Problems
There are a number of different ways a problem might present itself. For instance, it might show up suddenly, and you only have a short time to react to it.
On the other hand it might also be visible for a long time, and you've got a lot of time to prepare to deal with it. It doesn't really matter if you do it now, or later, as long as you do it before it hits.
Then we have the problems that you can see ahead of you a long time before they hit, but which you can only affect by doing something very soon. Act now, or die in 10 years kinda things. Kinda like excessive smoking really.
Then we have the problems we don't see until they're just ahead of us, but we should have tackled years ago.
These are the really dangerous once, since when we give them due attention it's too late. Like standing on the rails of railroad, and looking the wrong way, while you somehow miss the train approaching behind you. Then you turn around and have a train poking you gently (fatally) in the face.
These last kinds of problems would be things like global warming for instance. If we do something now, it wont have effect until in a few decades. On the plus side, human life will continue it's evolution, which I'd venture to guess most people think is a good thing.
Brain food provided by Open the Future.
On the other hand it might also be visible for a long time, and you've got a lot of time to prepare to deal with it. It doesn't really matter if you do it now, or later, as long as you do it before it hits.
Then we have the problems that you can see ahead of you a long time before they hit, but which you can only affect by doing something very soon. Act now, or die in 10 years kinda things. Kinda like excessive smoking really.
Then we have the problems we don't see until they're just ahead of us, but we should have tackled years ago.
These are the really dangerous once, since when we give them due attention it's too late. Like standing on the rails of railroad, and looking the wrong way, while you somehow miss the train approaching behind you. Then you turn around and have a train poking you gently (fatally) in the face.
These last kinds of problems would be things like global warming for instance. If we do something now, it wont have effect until in a few decades. On the plus side, human life will continue it's evolution, which I'd venture to guess most people think is a good thing.
Brain food provided by Open the Future.
02/10/2008
Palin - The Origins of the Info
Turns out all the things we've heard about Palin, like her checking if she could ban books, firing a sheriff she disagreed with, and almost a chief librarian that was saved because people protested the decision, did not originate from liberal bloggers, communists, hate mongers, or anything else like that.
It all came from the observations of a local Alaskan woman, who had gotten interested in local politics a number of years ago, that attends more or less all the City Council meetings.
She wrote a long email that ended up going viral, but it was originally intended for a few of her friends who wanted to know who the hell Palin was, essentially.
It got passed on, ended up all over the place, and people started discussing it.
I'd say she's a very good source, since she's observed Palins political career with her own eyes, and although there's gonna be a few personal opinions in there, those should be easily spotted.
In fact, because she voices her opinions in the mail, I'd say it can be considered equal to a news paper article, and I'm talking about a real news paper now, the kind who does the news instead of "celebrity rumors", one sided political propaganda, and similar trash bin travesties.
Either way, here's the article about Kilkenny, the woman in question.
And here's the letter.
There is also a second letter, where someone gives their support to Palin by comparing her to Thatcher, which isn't exactly a compliment in my book, so that's about where I stopped reading.
01/10/2008
Financial Collapse Caused by Greed?
I just heard that the very few and very rich Americans have received tax cuts amounting to 680 billion dollars. A number that's uncomfortably close to the 700 billion needed for the bail out.
Anyone able to verify?
Anyone able to verify?
24/09/2008
Methane: The Doom of Man
Global warming? Turns out global warming was just the spark to light the fuse.
So, yeah, that's it I suppose. Unless scientist comes up with a way to travel trough the high energy areas separating us from other universes, or a quick growing mold that absorbs methane really really fast, we're fucked.
Now I just need to build a Robo-Marx that goes around telling people: "I told you so! But did you listen? Noooo!"
And compose a list of people that has denied the threat of global warming and personally punch them in the face. Or make Robo-Marx do it somehow.
And do lots of drugs to loud obnoxious music while having an orgy.
So, yeah, that's it I suppose. Unless scientist comes up with a way to travel trough the high energy areas separating us from other universes, or a quick growing mold that absorbs methane really really fast, we're fucked.
Now I just need to build a Robo-Marx that goes around telling people: "I told you so! But did you listen? Noooo!"
And compose a list of people that has denied the threat of global warming and personally punch them in the face. Or make Robo-Marx do it somehow.
And do lots of drugs to loud obnoxious music while having an orgy.
Dawit Isaaks
Dawit is Sweden's oldest, and from what I'm aware of, only political prisoner. (He's not being held as a political prisoner in Sweden, in case you thought that.)
He was arrested by Eritrea's military police 7 years ago for being one of the owners, and news reporters, of one of the leading papers in the country, and put in jail. He's been there ever since. With him in prison is also about 10 of his colleagues, of whom 4 have died during unlawful detention so far.
No trial, no jury. If you criticize the regime you get "detained indefinitely", it seems.
He came to Sweden around 17 years ago, as a war refugee, and was granted citizenship there. He lived here for 10 years with his family, and returned to his home country once the conflict had come to a rest. If he wanted to stay there or not I don't know, but as long as he is in jail without a fair and correctly performed trial, we can't afford to ignore it, just as little as we can ignore the Guantanamo "Prison", which is just another illegal detention facility.
It is indeed illegal since the people being held there are suspected, not guilty, of terrorism. I know, if they are terrorists they should be put in jail.
But what if they're not?
How the hell do we even know that they are terrorists? If there was evidence of it, then surely there could have been a trial, right?
Or maybe the problem is that since that trial would need to take place in a international court there is the possibility that the defendant would be declared not guilty? If he/she was then detained even after the ruling, that would be a clear violation. But as it is now, it is, somehow, a smaller one. One we can seemingly ignore it seems.
For now, I'd be happy to know that Isaaks is released and able to return to his family. But when that's done, the only legal battle I'll have an interest in here in Sweden would be the FRA-law. And after we get rid of that... Who knows? Maybe I'll try and end up in Gitmo just for the hell of it? I'm quite sure it's possible, and if I did, and could have my innocense proven in my absense, that would at least put a dent in it's already doubtful credibility, right?
He was arrested by Eritrea's military police 7 years ago for being one of the owners, and news reporters, of one of the leading papers in the country, and put in jail. He's been there ever since. With him in prison is also about 10 of his colleagues, of whom 4 have died during unlawful detention so far.
No trial, no jury. If you criticize the regime you get "detained indefinitely", it seems.
He came to Sweden around 17 years ago, as a war refugee, and was granted citizenship there. He lived here for 10 years with his family, and returned to his home country once the conflict had come to a rest. If he wanted to stay there or not I don't know, but as long as he is in jail without a fair and correctly performed trial, we can't afford to ignore it, just as little as we can ignore the Guantanamo "Prison", which is just another illegal detention facility.
It is indeed illegal since the people being held there are suspected, not guilty, of terrorism. I know, if they are terrorists they should be put in jail.
But what if they're not?
How the hell do we even know that they are terrorists? If there was evidence of it, then surely there could have been a trial, right?
Or maybe the problem is that since that trial would need to take place in a international court there is the possibility that the defendant would be declared not guilty? If he/she was then detained even after the ruling, that would be a clear violation. But as it is now, it is, somehow, a smaller one. One we can seemingly ignore it seems.
For now, I'd be happy to know that Isaaks is released and able to return to his family. But when that's done, the only legal battle I'll have an interest in here in Sweden would be the FRA-law. And after we get rid of that... Who knows? Maybe I'll try and end up in Gitmo just for the hell of it? I'm quite sure it's possible, and if I did, and could have my innocense proven in my absense, that would at least put a dent in it's already doubtful credibility, right?
Quote of the Day
"Moreover, Don Pederasto's society was part of a general homosexual conspiracy to take over Spain."
From The Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity by George L. Mosse
From The Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity by George L. Mosse
23/09/2008
ARE YOU AWAKE
Want a movie that makes you think? Not only that makes you think, but that forces your mind to wander and become part of the movie? Then this might be for you. Then again, if you're the kind of person that can't sit still, it might be for you. Stalker.
22/09/2008
Biopunk
What is this strange word I throw in your face all of a sudden? Is it the bastard child of cyberpunk perhaps?
Not an entirely faulty assumption to be honest.
Biopunk is biology performed by people outside of labs, in places fashioned to house there activities, but that was not originally meant to. Like their garage, or a spare closet for instance.
They play around with DNA, crossbreeding the furry things that grow on spoiled food, mixing their own genome with that of a doves to see if things go boom, or they've just discovered something that may give them a braingasm.
Sailing the seven seas of biology, taking what they need to pursue their own goals, outside of the laws and ethics of modern science.
Biopunk may very well be to us what cyberpunk was to the late 80s/early 90s, a prophecy foretelling the future.
Not an entirely faulty assumption to be honest.
Biopunk is biology performed by people outside of labs, in places fashioned to house there activities, but that was not originally meant to. Like their garage, or a spare closet for instance.
They play around with DNA, crossbreeding the furry things that grow on spoiled food, mixing their own genome with that of a doves to see if things go boom, or they've just discovered something that may give them a braingasm.
Sailing the seven seas of biology, taking what they need to pursue their own goals, outside of the laws and ethics of modern science.
Biopunk may very well be to us what cyberpunk was to the late 80s/early 90s, a prophecy foretelling the future.
09/09/2008
03/09/2008
Some more awesome music, with an at least equally awesome video.
This is Bag Raiders. The song is Fun Punch. I just had an orgasm.
27/08/2008
Burma: Only Relevant During Riots
Burma still have elections. This might come as a surprise to you, but there are still elections being held that, more or less, accurately announces the people's choice.
The democratic party NLD (National League for Democracy) has also won this election several times.
Not that it matter's to the military regime, who 1990, when the NDL won an overwhelming victory, killed around 200 people instead of handing power over.
There are still hundreds of political prisoners in jails, as well as Buddhist monks, who made the mistake of openly protesting the regime.
Ms Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD, has spent the last 20 or so years either in prison or house arrest.
There are now rumors curcinating that she, and her two aids, have gone on a hunger strike. What the goal would be if this rumor is indeed true is unknown.
Meanwhile the regime continues building their new capital city, Abode of Kings, presumably as a monument over their own glory. Who else would be surprised if only the rich, famous and powerful get to love there, while the rest remains in the old capital?
The democratic party NLD (National League for Democracy) has also won this election several times.
Not that it matter's to the military regime, who 1990, when the NDL won an overwhelming victory, killed around 200 people instead of handing power over.
There are still hundreds of political prisoners in jails, as well as Buddhist monks, who made the mistake of openly protesting the regime.
Ms Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD, has spent the last 20 or so years either in prison or house arrest.
There are now rumors curcinating that she, and her two aids, have gone on a hunger strike. What the goal would be if this rumor is indeed true is unknown.
Meanwhile the regime continues building their new capital city, Abode of Kings, presumably as a monument over their own glory. Who else would be surprised if only the rich, famous and powerful get to love there, while the rest remains in the old capital?
24/08/2008
23/08/2008
Today
I've just watched documentary about Hunter S. Thompson, the closest thing to the second coming of Jesus we've had so far.
Let me explain, Hunter cared about people. He might not have reported things neutrally so that we could decide for ourselves what we thought, but he did report things from his own heart. And he was damned good at it.
I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Hunter. He was a rock star writer, but I've never really understood the hysteria over musicians. The closest thing I get is a sort of respect and pride over what they're doing. I feel like what they do matters to me, and that's really the only thing you need to achieve as an artist, any sort of artist. Entertainment is secondary if what you do makes someone think for just a moment. Even if they think about something trivial, like the price of gas, you've made them think, which is a lot harder than making people feel.
That also a think that should be required for people going into politics. They need to care about people. Maybe not all people, but at least most people. If you only care about a sliver of the people your going to have an influence over, you've got no business in any position of authority.
China is apparently cracking down hard on anyone with a opinion that differs from the government to make things look nice and tidy during the Olympics. Another proud moment in the history of humanity.
McCain owns 7 homes, consider 28 million dollars to be an alright amount of money, yet media accuses Obama of attacking the American Dream when he criticizes McCain for not knowing how many homes he's got. So, apparently there is no difference between greed and the American Dream these days. What happened with "One nation under God"? Last time I checked greed was a mortal sin, but maybe they've changed the 10 Commandments to fit better in to a society that values income and property over people?
I'd rather live in the loving care of a mad freak, than the uninterested care of a normal person.
Let me explain, Hunter cared about people. He might not have reported things neutrally so that we could decide for ourselves what we thought, but he did report things from his own heart. And he was damned good at it.
I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Hunter. He was a rock star writer, but I've never really understood the hysteria over musicians. The closest thing I get is a sort of respect and pride over what they're doing. I feel like what they do matters to me, and that's really the only thing you need to achieve as an artist, any sort of artist. Entertainment is secondary if what you do makes someone think for just a moment. Even if they think about something trivial, like the price of gas, you've made them think, which is a lot harder than making people feel.
That also a think that should be required for people going into politics. They need to care about people. Maybe not all people, but at least most people. If you only care about a sliver of the people your going to have an influence over, you've got no business in any position of authority.
China is apparently cracking down hard on anyone with a opinion that differs from the government to make things look nice and tidy during the Olympics. Another proud moment in the history of humanity.
McCain owns 7 homes, consider 28 million dollars to be an alright amount of money, yet media accuses Obama of attacking the American Dream when he criticizes McCain for not knowing how many homes he's got. So, apparently there is no difference between greed and the American Dream these days. What happened with "One nation under God"? Last time I checked greed was a mortal sin, but maybe they've changed the 10 Commandments to fit better in to a society that values income and property over people?
I'd rather live in the loving care of a mad freak, than the uninterested care of a normal person.
17/08/2008
16/08/2008
Lykke Li Kicks It
Everyone's heard Lykke Li by now, but if you haven't seen her live you might not know of her love of hip hop. When I saw her she did Everyday I'm Hustlin by Rick Ross for instance, as well as a bunch of other songs. Now I'm kinda hoping she'll make a hip hop record. Maybe with Saul Williams? That would be something, and would probably kill a few music critics from pure excitement.
14/08/2008
Russia vs. Georgia
This whole thing seems to get more and more out of hand.
First Georgian forces went into South Ossetia, which is a former part of Georgia, they were apparently trying to hunt down seperatist, but South Ossetia asked for military support from Russia, since they presumable didn't have any means of denying the Georgian to enter their territory. This was eagerly granted, since the Georgian military apparently also managed to kill a few Russian diplomats and military personal stationed there.
So, Russia kicks the Georgian military out, and pursues them into Georgian territory. So far it only seems fair.
The problem, however, is that South Ossetia isn't recognized as a nation by any member of the UN. Instead it's still considered a part of Georgia. Why that is I have no idea, but it's a big part of the problem. It's also apparent that Russia does not seem to agree with this.
So, now Russian troops seem to draw close to the Georgian capital. Clearly overkill, but if their goals was to overthrow the Georgian government it kinda makes sense. Problem is, we can't assume anything about the situation. Since, if it turns out that the Russians where only sending a message to Georgia to stay out of South Ossetia, and we start something over it, we could kick off World War 3.
Bush is claiming that Russia will be internationally isolated it they do not withdraw. Which is of course just an empty threat, thanks to their presence in Iraq.
I've also heard speculations that the US will trade Georgia against an Israeli attack against Iran. Maybe not the most likely scenario, but it is nevertheless a possible factor if Russia do occupy Georgia and the US does nothing.
Personally I'm hoping that Russia is just doing a show of force to show Georgia that they should leave South Osseta alone. Either way, the following days is gonna be interesting.
First Georgian forces went into South Ossetia, which is a former part of Georgia, they were apparently trying to hunt down seperatist, but South Ossetia asked for military support from Russia, since they presumable didn't have any means of denying the Georgian to enter their territory. This was eagerly granted, since the Georgian military apparently also managed to kill a few Russian diplomats and military personal stationed there.
So, Russia kicks the Georgian military out, and pursues them into Georgian territory. So far it only seems fair.
The problem, however, is that South Ossetia isn't recognized as a nation by any member of the UN. Instead it's still considered a part of Georgia. Why that is I have no idea, but it's a big part of the problem. It's also apparent that Russia does not seem to agree with this.
So, now Russian troops seem to draw close to the Georgian capital. Clearly overkill, but if their goals was to overthrow the Georgian government it kinda makes sense. Problem is, we can't assume anything about the situation. Since, if it turns out that the Russians where only sending a message to Georgia to stay out of South Ossetia, and we start something over it, we could kick off World War 3.
Bush is claiming that Russia will be internationally isolated it they do not withdraw. Which is of course just an empty threat, thanks to their presence in Iraq.
I've also heard speculations that the US will trade Georgia against an Israeli attack against Iran. Maybe not the most likely scenario, but it is nevertheless a possible factor if Russia do occupy Georgia and the US does nothing.
Personally I'm hoping that Russia is just doing a show of force to show Georgia that they should leave South Osseta alone. Either way, the following days is gonna be interesting.
Forbiden Thoughts
The US and Britain appear to be competing on who can create the first Orwellian society. Sure, Britain's got the cameras everywhere in London, the metal detectors in the subway, but the US got the limited liberties of the population, encouraged spying on your neighbors, and soon: (at least according to this) thought censorship.
Basically, if you have a political, religious, or an other opinion that does not work with the one supported by the government, people will figure out a way stop you. You can't disagree with the government, they were elected after all, people want them to take care of you!
Thing is, if we can't disagree with a government, how will we ever manage to change anything? Isn't politics about change? Cause it seems to me like it's more and more about maintaining an almost dogmatic belief in a political view. There's a difference between convincing yourself that you're right, and finding out what's right.
Basically, if you have a political, religious, or an other opinion that does not work with the one supported by the government, people will figure out a way stop you. You can't disagree with the government, they were elected after all, people want them to take care of you!
Thing is, if we can't disagree with a government, how will we ever manage to change anything? Isn't politics about change? Cause it seems to me like it's more and more about maintaining an almost dogmatic belief in a political view. There's a difference between convincing yourself that you're right, and finding out what's right.
12/08/2008
Writing Fiction
I do this from time to time. Always liked writing and reading when I grew up. So far I've only written short stories, but lately I've been thinking a lot about writing something else.
So I've come up with a few ideas that I'm going to try to work on. One is a series of short stories that I'm mostly just working over in my head, but I've got quite a nice structure to it so far I think.
The other is more the kind of story that evolves as I work on it. I'm thinking that one might turn into a proper book, or at least a novel. We'll see I suppose.
I'm gonna put that on hold for a while though. With school starting soon again, and me still having some things I have to get done before that, writing two books at the same would probably be a bit much.
Still, can't study all the time.
09/08/2008
Glowing from the Inside: Radiation Poisoning
The fact that we at any moment can die in the instant spark of an atomic fire haven't really been a concern of ours since the Cold War. Yet those countries who have nuclear weapons spend billions of dollars on improving them. Right now we could kill everything on this planet a few times over, but that's apparently not enough for some reason. Never mind the fact that no one can win a nuclear war, we're using ancient knowledge here. An eye for an eye.
And yet, if we spent all of that money we waste on nukes on, say education, health care and public transportation, we'd have come a lot closer to a utopia than a post apocalyptic wasteland.
Sure, Fallout might be a cool game, but no one that can be considered sane would want to live there. Fact is, you'd all be too dead to live there anyway, considering the generations that would have to pass before we could actually walk around outside again whiteout a sunblock of, say, a few millions.
I've always heard that we'd have to inherit our parents mistake. It seems like their nuclear holocaust is also passed down for the next generation to worry about. Thing is though, no one does.
One day, when all the nukes are long since forgotten, some bad wiring will cause a nuclear storage facility to go, well, nuclear on our asses. Like waking up the day after under a table, realizing that you're not at home. It's confusing and it hurts, and once you get home there's not one shard of whole glass left in the entire building, someone's stolen the doors, and everything else that wasn't chained to a block of concrete. Someone's also made a fire in the living room, decided to make a hole in the ceiling to let the smoke out, burned all the furniture that the other thieves didn't want, and repainted the entire place with small dead animals, garbage and human shit.
And when you're laying there naked and mentally destroyed, with blisters on your feet because you didn't find your shoes, a pair of torn jeans and a severely stained t-shirt is all you've got on that completely fails to keep you warm, I'll come climbing in trough the window.
I'll probably be looking a little less than a bum than you do, except for a enormous beard.
I'm gonna walk over, grab your t-shirt by the collar, punch you in the face ones, say "I told you so." then throw you back on what's left of your floor.
How's that for a metaphor?
And yet, if we spent all of that money we waste on nukes on, say education, health care and public transportation, we'd have come a lot closer to a utopia than a post apocalyptic wasteland.
Sure, Fallout might be a cool game, but no one that can be considered sane would want to live there. Fact is, you'd all be too dead to live there anyway, considering the generations that would have to pass before we could actually walk around outside again whiteout a sunblock of, say, a few millions.
I've always heard that we'd have to inherit our parents mistake. It seems like their nuclear holocaust is also passed down for the next generation to worry about. Thing is though, no one does.
One day, when all the nukes are long since forgotten, some bad wiring will cause a nuclear storage facility to go, well, nuclear on our asses. Like waking up the day after under a table, realizing that you're not at home. It's confusing and it hurts, and once you get home there's not one shard of whole glass left in the entire building, someone's stolen the doors, and everything else that wasn't chained to a block of concrete. Someone's also made a fire in the living room, decided to make a hole in the ceiling to let the smoke out, burned all the furniture that the other thieves didn't want, and repainted the entire place with small dead animals, garbage and human shit.
And when you're laying there naked and mentally destroyed, with blisters on your feet because you didn't find your shoes, a pair of torn jeans and a severely stained t-shirt is all you've got on that completely fails to keep you warm, I'll come climbing in trough the window.
I'll probably be looking a little less than a bum than you do, except for a enormous beard.
I'm gonna walk over, grab your t-shirt by the collar, punch you in the face ones, say "I told you so." then throw you back on what's left of your floor.
How's that for a metaphor?
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