28/02/2008

This day

It was supposed to be a day of jamming all over town, playing around and further explore the bounds of my mind and body. Apparently, and despite the fact that I'd talked to a guy who felt like doing the same, nothing has happened. Which is a waste, considering the weather for once is actually good. Sure, it's still cold, but the sun's shining trough the trees outside my window, there is not one cloud in the clear blue sky. The only problem is that the place I want to go to is a school, and even though I'm quite sure the kids wont mind me using their rails for purposes they wear not intended, their teachers might. Plus the fact that I was supposed to go with a friend doesn't make me feel any more like actually going. Hopefully we might go later, but the more time that passes by, the less I feel like leaving my flat. In fact, I feel more like going to sleep. And just stay in bed the entire weekend. Too bad I can't, since that only makes me wanna do it more. Oh, well, I'm going to go outside now anyway. Who knows what might happen?

26/02/2008

Our violence.

Most of us have a fascination with violence in some way. It's probably a part of our genetic inheritance, that didn't go away with the rise of society. So why is that? Is it such a necessary mindset that it will remain more or less for eternity? Are we perhaps not as civilized as we would like to claim? Or is maybe something that we, deep down, actually like and enjoy? I can't say I know anything for certain, but to me it seems like violence is something we're born with, or something we evolve trough too much bad tv, gaming, and comics? I doubt the second part, unless you already have some sort of psychological disturbance, but can we exclude it? I'd have to say no. Even though I love some games, comics and movies, who focus almost exclusively on violence, I can't say that these things have not had any effect on me as a person. That would be bullshit. Everything affects us to some degree, even if we are not even aware of it. But if we actually focus on absorbing something containing lots and lots of graphic violence, does the effect differ much from anything else? Cheesy romantic dramas for instance? The problem is that what we're seeing is not how things are in life. Movies, comics and games, even if they are objectively trying to portrait reality, can never do so, since they are not reality. Imagination can only take us so far. Actually being in a fight is not a cool exchange of attacks and blocks. A fight (between two people that is) is not a pleasant experience for neither of them. Unless you've been in several you'll be in a state of panic, your whole body will be stiff because of this fact, and if someone actually manages to hurt the other person it's more a case of luck than anything else. Though this is of course not true in every case. This is just what I picture how two normal persons would fight, partly based on the few fights I've seen. If someone actually starts fighting with the intent of hurting the other person, then we have a different ballgame entirely. The problem is, if you want to hurt someone, you won't think of the consequences. The goal is to hit the other person until they don't fight back. What happens after that won't even cross your mind until you realize you have to deal with the consequences. And then it's too late to change your mind. There you have my view on violence. I can't say I'm either advocating the use of it, nor am I suggesting that we all become pacifists. Sure, I'm against violence in general, it won't make anyone change their mind, and change anything that has already happened. But sometimes you just can't think something over, and a punch in the face is probably the clearest way to tell someone that you don't like them anymore. Though I did drift from the topic I suppose. Our culture seems to have have violence in form or another, no matter the time or place. Public executions, gladiatorial combat in the sand in Colosseum, bullfighting, boxing, movies, music and so on. Though is some cases violence appears to be a part of life for some. Organized crime, Yakuza, and all kinds of gangs all live in worlds where violence is a part of life. It's even difficult to say if they're actually a part of our society or not, simply because they use it as much as they can, and don't abide by it's rules. This isn't really a problem though. What is a problem is the glorification of a life of violence that occurs in movies, music etc. On the surface it seems like like it's easy to just start dealing, and soon you'll be living in a penthouse in New York with a big gold chain, grills and Humvee. Which is of course bullshit as well. Even most movies doesn't portray the life of the criminal in that way, Tony Montana dies in the end for instance. And if you drift into a criminal lifestyle expecting to become rich and powerful, you'll most likely end up dead because someone didn't like you for whatever reason. In a recent article the daughter of a Yakuza boss tells us about her life. How her family was living in poverty, and that the honor and glorification of the criminals are just that; glorification. If even a boss of a criminal organization is poor, how does life look for the guys further down the ladder? Hardly any better. If your already poor, and don't really have anything to lose, it might be easier to drift into criminality than to actually get a job. But once that choice has been made, it's a lot harder leaving that life than it was getting in. More about Shoko Tendo, daughter of a Yakuza boss, here.

24/02/2008

The Digital Anarchy

We all know the Internet is like a huge octopus, with billions of arms reaching all over the world, making sure we're all connected to each other all of our conscious hours. But who rules over the Internet? Is it even possible to control it even slightly? One of the requirements would be to have the necessary tech, the best hardware and software available. And much of the western world have this tech, but most of them have no influence, other than that of their charisma and opinions. The truth is, whiteout at least a fundamental knowledge of your hardware and software, you are more of a prisoner than a explorer. Sure, we still have the Internet in it's digital form, but that's about it. Though it is a gigantic monster in it's digital form, more options present themselves the more we learn about how it works. This is of course true for life in general, the more you know the greater your options are. If you know how to best lift a rock you can do that, if you know some basic physics, you'll use leverage to move the rock instead. And so on. Simplified: More knowledge leads to more ways of manipulating our surroundings. Back to the Internet then, does the one with most knowledge have the most power in this case? Yes and no. Even if one person with the right knowledge and tools could do lots, a large group of people with the right determination and basic knowledge could most likely do more than him. I believe that the Internet is truly free in this sense, those who decide are the ones that work together in an attempt to accomplish something. Look at Anonymous: An assorted group of different users, who have virtually nothing in common, more than that they frequent the Internet. With some numbers and a bit of leverage people might just be able to move mountains. This is probably what appeals to us as well, the thought that we can actually have some effect in changing things. Since the Internet is a being consisting of information, if enough people decide that one piece of information should be changed, it will change. And it happens almost instantly, in contradiction to modern politics, in which change occurs with time. Usually a lot of it as well. Is there any differences though? Sure, one might argue that politics take longer time because they need to be carefully reviewed, lots of people have to approve of it. But wouldn't the same thing be accomplished online within hours? True, since there are some many different opinions, it might lead some arguing, but since everyone can have their say, isn't the odds just as good that someone comes up with an answer a lot faster than trough normal procedures? But would this be an Anarchy, or a true Democracy? And what's really the difference, when you think about it? As long as people chose to live together, there will never be a true democracy, or an Anarchy for that matter. But the Internet is the closest to it we have so far. Maybe it's just another step in our evolution?

The Electric Brain

We are being of energy and information. We move trough life, absorbing our surroundings, either for nourishment or experience. We are consumers, and for good or bad, we follow our nature.

15/02/2008

People/People

So far I have come up with one criteria that makes a person less worth than another. Believing that you are better than someone whiteout basing that belief on any sort of reasoning of value makes you a fucker. Actually, I could finish this topic with that, it doesn't really need any clarification. The only trouble is that psychology has a tendency to believe that anyone that doesn't believe that the self is superior, has some sort of affliction. In other words, someone threw a brick into the old machine. Sure, that might be true, but I'm also not entirely convinced that is the case. Considering todays society, with information, people, and experiences everywhere, wouldn't we change somehow because of all this? True, it probably depends on what images, what data we get exposed to. The question is, does it really change that much from person to person? With memes, articles, videos and so on spreading all over the world in a matter of minutes, how can we not start looking more or more alike? Or at least have quite a lot of common ground in how we evolve? What effects does the flow of information have on you? How has it affected me? I don't know, but were bound to find out sooner or later.

Why the Church of Scientology must fall

I'm not going to tell you any of the propaganda that sounds like the plot of the X-files, or point out the unfair tax reductions the church has. Instead I want to tell you that since this whole thing began, a few people have stepped forward, telling their stories about how their lives looked while they where members of the church. And the stories have been long, often dark, and most of them have made me either afraid, or brought me to tears. What some people have experienced seems like the worst sci-fi stories of oppression imaginable. Here is one example: "Your linked-to video voiceless surprised me. I didn't expect to cry. Years and years ago, I was heavily involved with the Co$. I bought it hook, line, and sinker. I thought I had the ultimate answer to everything and I was willing to fight for that with my life. I endured grueling 12+ hour workdays and virtually no pay for a chance to save the world. I practiced how to lie effectively (they call them TRs) and due to my "get it done" attitude, shortly had an office in the International Administration Headquarters in Hollywood, the Flag Command Bureau, as a member of the Sea Org. I had a nice office with a window seat overlooking downtown Hollywood, and I wore a uniform that looked sharp and military, with epaulets on my shoulder! It's hard to explain just how intoxicating it is to think you have the 100% right answer to all the world's problems. And, as a die-hard Scientologist, that's exactly what you think you have. You can create a beautiful world free of drug abuse, crime, insanity, and war. You just have to apply the tech. You are on the side of freedom, of knowledge, of truth, of unlimited personal power. And anybody who gets in your way needs to be shut up and rendered powerless by any means necessary. It's that simple! But, something just wasn't quite right. No matter how hard I tried, I could never quite do enough, or do it right enough. I had trouble getting the books and tapes to fully make sense to me. When I disagreed with what I read, I was sent to endless word clearing where we looked up every single word in the dictionary, one by one to try to find the "MU" or "Mis-Understood [word]". I had trouble getting up on time in the morning. I got sick from time to time, which is proof that I was "PTS" and needed ethics handling. I went through endless "ethics conditions" despite my very, very best intentions. They were very careful to keep me convinced that the problem was me. It's hard to explain how frustrating it was, to be surrounded by people who are apparently "getting it" and not being able to be one of them, despite having a tested genius IQ, and being able to read just about anything *ELSE* just one time and get it immediately. I thought there was something wrong with ME. I often cried before going to sleep at night. They had the tech, but who could explain me? When I got to work, I got lots and lots done. I was routinely commended for job well done, for quality work, for "stellar levels of production". It seemed that, when I worked, everything I touched turned to gold. Yet I couldn't make the most amazing technology in the world just make sense to me. I could read a book on mathematics, or aeronautics, or software, and turn right around and do it without any problem. (which is their test for comprehension: can you read it, and APPLY the result immediately?) But I couldn't do the same with Scientology. Something was wrong with me. So began my fall from greatness. Slowly, surely, over months and years, I lost all my former glory. My job title drifted from the international scale on down through the organization until I finally ended up at the very, very, very bottom. The RPF. AKA the Rehabilitation Project Force. It's like prison for Scientologists. You are a bad, bad, dude, or something is very, very wrong with you. You have exactly 7 hours to sleep in a crowded, slummy, cockroach infested triple-bunk in the basement. You wear black jump suits with colored arm bands. You eat only left overs. You get 1/4 the pay of normal staff. You perform grueling, hard, disgusting work from the time you get up until "personal enhancement time", where you have 2.5 hours of time to read Scientology books and tapes until bed time. You are not permitted to talk to staff "in good standing", though they are free to bark orders at you. You are not permitted to walk. (No kidding!) You must run everywhere you go, and if you are ever caught walking you are made to do push-ups or worse. You must be careful to stay out of public view because you are "out PR". What is perhaps most amazing to me is that I left, convinced that the problem was me. That, despite my best efforts and honest intentions, I just wasn't a good enough person to pass muster. It took me years to even question, to even bring up the personal strength to ask if the problem was, in fact, with me. It took years more to admit that, in fact, the problem was NOT with me, that the problem was with Scientology. Even now, Scientology invokes the deepest fear and terror imaginable. If there ever was pure evil, it is Scientology. The rage, the fear, the anger, the hatred runs deep. I will never, ever, forgive Scientology. And I will never, ever forget. I just hope I can face my fear enough to not let it stop me from marching next month, because I don't think I could actually forgive myself if I don't. I'm afraid. I'm angry. If you care about decency, if you care about those victims of Scientology, you will be standing next to me, behind a white mask, sign in hand. Be afraid. Be angry. And ignore my tears." This is the words of a former Scientologist. And there are countless more all over the net, even the current leader David Miscavages own niece has recently gone out about what she experienced. Not a pretty one, but she told it anyway at one of the protests, with tears in her eyes behind the black shades, and her voice almost cracking with emotion. But members of Anonymous have also gotten their share of abuse, thought not nearly as much as the former members and long time critics. An Australian Anon got fired from his job, after someone mysteriously sent his office a comment about a manager he had posted on his private blog 6 months ago. He seems to take it very well though, and is expecting to find a new job soon. Other Anons have offered help with legal issues, and some are pulling strings to get him a new job. Another have got death threats on the phone, but so far we have gotten away quite safely, compared to others. I have also heard that the CoS don't know what to do with this new threat, the masks makes sure they don't get any targets that they can harass, and they have ordered their people to either use their tech (stare us down), or ignore us. It doesn't seem to be working though, since most of the Scientologists appear to be curious on who these people are, and what they're trying to say. That is what this whole thing is about, getting people on the inside to start thinking, and hopefully acting. I don't wish for a bloody revolution, but a reformation would be most welcome. We will come back for you! <3

09/02/2008

The Worlds Greatest City

All of you have walked through it, it's vastness is difficult to grasp, yet it is a place where you can never be truly lost. It is the synthesis of our civilizations, a brew made from all the cultures of the world. It contains all, and nothing. It is the Internet, of course. Sure, it isn't a city in the traditional sense, but if we compare the two we find many similarity's. The constant flow of information, the social networks, the almost unlimited supply of services, both legal and illegal. The only thing the Internet lacks is real physical movement, sure, you might count the electrical signals rushing trough the wires in the back of you computer as movement. This is of course true in a sense, movement is just another form of energy, but we experience different forms of energy in different ways. We are beings who are made to gather information and use it to our advantage, but the information can be acceded from any computer with a connection. This does not mean that physical learning isn't important, martial arts, parkour, figure skating, climbing, and so on. There are thousands of thing one must learn by practicing them. What the Internet has done is create an infinite amount of choices for us, some we do in the virtual world, other we do in the physical. So, what is so great about the Internet then? Except for it containing all the knowledge, both true and false? Well, first of, it's a thing that constantly change. Like our society, the Internet is re-structured, parts are torn down, others are built. Others just get a face lift. It lets us interact with most of the world, something that is quite amazing when you think about it. We can share stories, get to learn people, and have friends, even fall in love; whiteout even meeting the person in question. Isn't this in itself proof that humans are so much more than their bodies? Not that any sane person would believe otherwise, but still, reassuring oneself once in a while is always good. The Internet is ideas. Constantly spreading, dying, changing. Just as they did in ancient Greece, forming complicated networks consisting of people, so do they today, forming networks between computers, and ultimately, their users. This accelerated growth of the informational flow is both good and bad, on the plus side we get an infinity of information, and the means to spread our own. On the downside we get shorter attention spans. Ever wonder why young people don't read books? This is most likely why. Since birth we receive information constantly. Especially if you live in a city, since there is always some noise or light that the brain reacts to. We work constantly, even when we don't have to. Sure, watching tv might seem relaxing, but your brain has to handle a lot of input. Listening to music in a pitch black room is to be preferred in that case. Rest is of course the one thing that lets the brain wind down. It never stops working, but it can go into stand-by mode for a few hours, checking the system, sorting the new information, that sorta thing. It's remarkable how similar the Internet, computers and so on, are to ourselves and out society. But then again, we made it, so maybe not. The worlds most human city: Internet. Population: About half the people in the world. And don't even get me started on how big it is...

05/02/2008

Life, Insanity and Information

Jupp, I'm finally saying something about myself, though I doubt it will be a glorious description of one of the heroes of our time. Anyway, before I depress myself, or you, to death, here's some basic info about me: I'm addicted to music. Meaning I can easily listen to 10 records a day, no problem. Movies are something else I tend to love, though I haven't felt like watching any lately for some reason yet to be brought to light. I am some sort of slacker nerd, if you need that sort of definition. Some people say I'm more indie though. I have no idea, and don't really care either. I am a university student, Intellectual History to be be precise. Coincidently, this is something of the most boring i have written in my life. Who give a dead dogs cock about it, except for my mother? And what does this say about me? Nothing really, I listen to a lot of music, but who doesn't? I like movies, most people do. So, what terrible secrets do I hide? Who are my victims? What hides in the dark corners of my soul? Not much, I have thought about killing people once or twice, fighting and dying for some cause I thought was just at that time. Orgy's, wild sex in one form or another, becoming a hermit and discovering all aspects of myself. I think a lot, would be the short answer. The only thing I know is that I don't know much about myself. I have no idea what I am, what I am able to do, what I could become if I strive for a goal. I don't even know if I have any real goals. This is what I have realized after having lived for 20 years, more or less. The years pass and you learn more and more, but all this knowledge makes it harder to decide between right and wrong. I'm not even sure there is such a thing as right or wrong, I do know what I think is right and wrong, but isn't that really all we got? Fashion, tv, computers, media, art, books, music, commercials, pins, food, and so on and on and on. The world is so full of information that we shut ourself off to get away from it. We drown in the constant flow, but have no choice but to accept it, doing otherwise would be admitting that we've lost control. As I walk trough this fairly small town that I live in, all these things bombard me. I am aware of what people wear, what the papers say, what cars I see pass me by. But the only thing that does not hit me until I am home again is that I am part of it all. The world we live in is no longer in our control. Sure, we have elections, we can chose to live on day by day, but what happens if we try to change the system, or break out of it? The system ends up rejecting us for the most part. And if some small change does take place, it's mostly so small that we don't notice it at first. But on the other hand, doesn't the modern human have to be constantly changing with society? All this new information hitting us day after day, hour after hour, second after second. If we don't change, perhaps we erode until we disappear? We get worn out, or maybe depressed, if there even is a difference. No wonder people go crazy when you think about it, if you change your reality you change the information. And if reality is no longer real, you no longer have to put up with it all. Maybe insanity is the sane reaction to todays society of never-ending input? If the society is insane, does that mean that your insane if you accept it, or if you reject it?

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