Jo S. Wun's Blog, page 8
November 30, 2011
Facing Up To Facts
So it's come to this, my friend
I have to face it now
Could this really be the end?
The time to take my bow?
My lids are tired and heavy
My fading eyesight dims
My muscles weak, unsteady
Scant movement in my limbs
Lethargic pulse declining
To add to all my woes
For the end of this I'm pining
To feel once more repose
My body racked from head to toe
What are these pains I feel?
I think I have the right to know
Don't give me any spiel
Give it to me straight, please, nurse
I'll steel myself to take it
I'm ready now to hear the worst
The honest truth, don't fake it
I see, so it's as bad as that
There's nothing I can do
I'll just suffer with this tragic fact
Goddammit! I've got man flu
~:~
November 29, 2011
Tag Following - Diaspora* Style
It's been maybe a month since I joined Diaspora*, the social network. It's still in Alpha development (it's expected to move to Beta soon), so there are glitches, and features which have yet to be implemented, but nevertheless, I like it. One of it's best features, which I think I've mentioned before, is the notion of following tags. Hashtags actually, to give them their proper name. If you're familiar with Twitter, then you'll know that a hashtag is a keyword prefixed by the hash symbol (#).
#photography is a hashtag which I follow on Diaspora*, which means that I will see posts in my stream from any user who tags a public post with the #photography hashtag, regardless of whether they are my 'friend' or not. I've found some excellent photographers who share their work via public posts, and I am able to 'like' their photos, or comment on them, to show my appreciation, without having to commit to any sort of relationship (although the option of adding them to my contacts list is also available).
There is a need for a better hashtag filtering system to enable users to filter out content they'd rather not see, and I'm told it's on the developer's agenda. At the moment it's only possible to ignore particular users, a feature I've made use of once to filter out posts from someone who seemed desperate to provoke a reaction by posting gay porn photos. It took me a day or two before I figured out how to 'ignore' him (it's actually very easy once you know how), but I was impressed that no one gave any reaction to his posts - no comments, nothing. A mature response to his immaturity.
Anyway, if I've tickled your interest, you can click on this Diaspora* link to ask for an invitation to join (I don't know how quick the response will be), or you can ask me and I will invite you directly.
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In the meantime, I also follow the #gif hastag and here are a couple of animated gifs that came my way.
The first is reminiscent of M C Escher's famous hands drawing
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And the second is, well, just watch it and see.
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November 28, 2011
The Rite Of Learning By Rote
When I was a wee thing, I learnt basic mathematics by chanting my times tables along with my classmates. It's not a very sophisticated way of learning, but it works. I still know instantly that 7 x 9 is 63, not via any cleverness of first thinking of the easier 7 x 10 = 70 and then subtracting 7 (or something like that), I just know! I don't have to calculate anything, I don't even have to think about it, 63 just pops into my head. 63 is a part of '7 x 9', not a result.
Rote learning works very well for basic mathematics, and I am grateful that I was put through that process. However, suppose I'd been put through the process but we had been taught that 7 x 9 = 64? Obviously, I'd have serious grounds for complaint. Unlearning stuff learnt by rote is not so easy as learning it in the first place, so it's very important that what you are taught by that method is true.
Oh dear, you already guessed! Yes, there are unscrupulous people who use rote learning to teach people things that are untrue, or things about which the truth is not universally agreed, or things that could be true but have yet to be proven. In other words, they use rote learning to implant opinion or belief as factual knowledge.
It's a well known fact that Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (Adolf Hitler's evil Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany) said, if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth, which is an excellent example of how it works because there is no evidence that he ever said that, but the wrongly attributed quote has been repeated enough times that people believe the words are his.
Some prayers, like the Apostles' Creed, for example, work in the same way. I'd be ashamed if I had to resort to such techniques to shore up my way of thinking. I'd have to call it keeping the faith, or something similar, to convince myself that it was actually virtuous to behave that way.
It reminds me of that annoying situation which sometimes arises with computer software where it gets stuck in a continuous loop.
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And finally, for those of you who have questions about God, I can highly recommend the official God FAQ.
November 27, 2011
This Is Not A Random Post
Most Sunday mornings you'll find me sat in the car, for an hour or so, in the car park of the local Catholic church. Today was no exception. As usual, after disgorging my passengers, I inserted my earbuds and spent the time listening to a random selection of tracks on my cell phone. I do that for a couple of reasons. Partly because I find listening to random tracks from my music collection variously relaxing, inspiring, emotionally charging, exhilarating, etc. etc., and partly because it blocks out the the goings-on inside the church, so thoughtfully amplified and broadcast through externally mounted speakers.
The very first track, which the randomizing algorithm 'chose' this morning, was Joan Osborne's One Of Us. I'd bet that some of those inside the church would deem it a sign, even though Joan Osborne has never made, as far as I can tell, a definitive statement about the meaning of the lyrics. But whatever the lyrics mean, the fact that it was the first song today has absolutely no meaning whatsoever, other than the randomizing algorithm is working reasonably well.
One Of Us by Joan Osborne
Listen on Posterous
Randomness. The process by which something happens for no other reason than it is one possibility out of many, constrained only by the circumstances in which it occurs.
Or, to put it another way, One Of Us was one of many possible tracks which could have been played first, but the possible tracks did not include Bette Midler's From A Distance, because it's not in my collection*.
Now, if From A Distance had been the first song I heard, then that certainly would have been a sign. But not necessarily a red heifer kind of sign - just a sign that some investigation was needed. But I digress.
Getting back to randomness, people assigning meaning to random events has been going on for a very long time. Accepting that 'shit happens' seems to be very hard for some people, and an opportunity for others to take advantage of that fact by asserting causation where only correlation exists.
For me, randomness explains the bad things that happen to good people much better than any assertion that 'things happen for a reason' or 'it was God's will'. The latter approach inevitably ends up with self-proclaimed spokespeople claiming that this or that event, which was injurious to a group of people they don't like, happened for a reason, and the reason was that the people they don't like are bad or evil, or if not actually bad or evil, then 'possessed' by badness and evil. Sigh.
The 'will of the gods' approach also gets bogged down when reasonable people try to propose acceptable reasons for why bad things happen to good people (or innocent people, or just average people who haven't really done anything which marks them out as particularly good but haven't done anything particularly bad either, or other animals, or [insert other groups here who don't appear to deserve the bad things which happen to them]). Thank god for theologians, eh? Or perhaps we should thank theologians for gods?
Just in case you didn't get it...
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* It's one of those songs I like the sound of, but not the lyrics. Sorry Bette, love your voice but I think you are mistaken.
One Of Us is a track from the album Relish, available from Amazon UK
November 26, 2011
The Wisdom Of Those Stupid Ancients
Fact of the Day, in Friday's On This Day daily email, was about bronze, the metal alloy comprising copper and tin, which was discovered around 5000 years ago. In part, it read, "it is believed that bronze was first made -- probably by accident -- in southwest Asia where both copper and tin ore are found in mountain streams."
Probably by accident? Why? If they were curious and intelligent enough to have figured out how to use copper and tin, why suppose that no one thought, "I wonder what happens if I mix them together?"
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I've noticed there tends to be a polarized view of the ancients. Either, they were so stooopid that they only discovered things by accident, or they were in possession of great wisdom, and/or secret knowledge, which only a few of us modern day folk are enlightened enough to grasp.
That second view is often hinted at by quacks trying to sell their wares. Maki, at the Sci-ənce website, has a good article about quackery which includes a Red Flags Of Quackery cartoon. I've split it up into separate images for your delectation.
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See the full gallery on Posterous
November 25, 2011
We're All Gonna Die, I Tell You!
But how old will you be when it happens? The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, in the USA, offer a handy little calculator which will tell you*. According to them, based on the answers I gave to the thirteen questions, I'll make it to 82. That'll do me - it gives me enough time to tick off a few more things on my 'things to do before I die' list (which might well result in a few people getting a bit ticked off, but that, in itself, is not necessarily a good reason not to do things).
I have no doubt that Northwestern Mutual would be happy to provide you with a quote for your insurance needs, something I point out in an attempt to appease them if they should happen to get ticked off about my shameless insertion of their calculator here. If it no longer appears below, you can find the original here.
Oh, one more thing, being American, they require you weight in pounds. If you enter it as kilos, or good old British stones, the calculator will tell you that your estimated lifespan is 'under years'.
* Based on your answers and the assumption that you do not have a chronic illness.
Contact details for Northwestern Mutual: 720 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202-4797 - (414) 271-1444
November 24, 2011
The Man Himself
Yesterday I made mention of Ian Dury, and his song Clever Trevor. Here it is:
Clever Trevor by Ian Dury
Listen on Posterous
It's from his first album, New Boots And Panties!!
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Get it from Amazon UK
November 23, 2011
Insane Music?
Have a listen to this:
Viagrong by The Great Insanity
Listen on Posterous
It reminds me a little of Ian Dury's Clever Trevor on his 1977 album, New Boots And Panties. More so in musical style than in lyrical content though. The Great Insanity's album is on Bandcamp where you can listen to all ten tracks, and read the lyrics. You can also download the album for seven quid, in a number of high quality formats.
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TGI are Julian McAllister, Keith Duncan and Robert Davidson (Will Anderson plays bass on Viagrong). I found them via a link posted by Jules** on Diaspora* (as a bit of unashamed self-promotion!)
November 22, 2011
Bigger Than Your Average Bishopric
Political change in the UK tends to be a slow process. It's traditional, you know. The reform of the House of Lords has been on the political agenda for a while now, but, let's be gentlemen about it, it's only a hundred years since it was first officially stated that "...it is intended to substitute for the House of Lords as it at present exists a Second Chamber constituted on a popular instead of hereditary basis...", so there's no need for any impatience, or, heaven forbid, rowdiness! After all, it was plainly stated at the time (Parliament Act, 1911) that "...such substitution cannot be immediately brought into operation."
We're almost there but not quite yet. There's a couple of issues, or so, about which we can't quite decide what would be best. You see it's partly that word 'popular' which seems to be causing a bit of trouble. Some foolish people took it to mean that members of the reformed House would be selected by a vote of the common people. Goodness gracious! That would never do. We'd actual be something approaching a true representative democracy if that was to happen. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you where that leads!
So what's this 'popular' thing really about? Well there's some jolly popular chaps in the House, I can tell you, like good old Rowan, for example. He's got a palace or some such down Canterbury way, so I hear, and I believe he has a big bishopric too. He is very popular with the ladies. But you'd never know it by looking at him. Bit of a scruffy bugger, actually, but he knows a thing or two about all that spiritual stuff. 'S probably why he's one of the Lords Spiritual. You see, it's all so logical really.
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There's a splendid suggestion that the number of Lords in the House be reduced from something over 800 (I have to admit I don't know even half of them) to 300, with fully 80% elected by the peasants, er, common people. That should keep 'em happy, what? The other 20% would be appointed of course, so we can still delay things endlessly by talking a load of tommy-rot for hours on end. And if things get a bit heated, good old Rowan and his chums will still be there to do a bit of spiritual talk to calm things down.
I can't understand it myself, but there's been a bit of backlash about this idea. Some cad pointed out that the much vaunted reduction in the number of Lords Spiritual, from 26 to 12, actually means a proportional increase, in terms of Lords Spiritual, from 3.15% to 4%.
That prompted a bit of quick thinking, over a period of several weeks, and as a result, someone came up with an excellent ruse to divert attention. They put clauses into the proposals exempting the Lords Spiritual (the Battling Bishops as I like to call them) from the serious offence provision and those on expulsion and suspension, making them completely unaccountable to Parliament. Tally Ho!
But that's not the clever bit. Just as the furor erupted, Rowan comes rushing out saying, "who put that in? It's not what us nice cuddly Bishops want! That is completely unwarranted! We demand those clauses are removed so that we can sit in the House under the same terms as everyone else!"
Brilliant! Rowan and John (his bro from York) put it all down in writing too, so it's all official. With a bit of luck everyone will altogether forget about the 100% elected House of Lords option while they're all riled up about the preposterous exemptions for the Bishops. It might even hoodwink the British Humanist Association and that damn campaign of theirs.
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And to top it all off, David pulled a bit of a master stroke by saying he is considering plans to create a "multi-faith" House of Lords where Muslim imams could sit alongside bishops. If that doesn't get the plebs begging to just keep the good old Bishops I don't know what will!
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November 21, 2011
A Song For The One Percent
On Your Way Down by Little Feat
Listen on Posterous
Sunrise
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Sunset
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I know I posted this sunset photo just the other day, but I snapped the sunrise yesterday morning - just a few minutes before the sun appeared over the horizon - and they make a nice pair, don't you think. Not only that, they reminded me of the lyrics of Alan Toussaint's song On Your Way Down, one of my favourites from Little Feat. And that reminded me of Lowell George. I miss that man.
Sunrise
Sunset
Since the beginning it hasn't changed yet
People fly high begin to lose sight
You can't see very clearly when you're in flight
It's high time that you found
The same people you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
Vintage wines from the year '62
It's your thing, it's your thing
It pleases you
You got to frown when you cross town
You think it's an honor just to have you around
It's high time that you found
The same dudes you misuse on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
You think the sun rises and sets for you
But the same sun rises, sets and shines
On the poor folks too
I don't mind you turning round
I myself would even like a little higher ground
It's high time that you found
The same people you walk on on your way up
You might meet up
On your way down
On your way down
Alan Toussaint
Little Feat Dixie Chicken album available from Amazon UK
