Blogger can't count
Has anyone else noticed that Blogger doesn't count the number of posts on your blog, recent or otherwise?
What a bunch of crap! Even a kid can count. Hell, a damned horse can count. C'mon Blogger step into the age of.... hmmm... when did counting begin?
Seems the Egyptians were the first recorded counters but, hell if you believe in the bible, the author (of said bible) did the first counting when he recorded God making the first day (See Genesis). Anyway, Blogger needs to get up to speed with at least the ancient Romans. They counted with letters and that is a cool trick! That dude from My Left Foot counted with his feet and that's cool, too.
Maybe, if we all pray really hard, Blogger will learn to count like all the big websites out there.
Ready? 1.. 2.. 3.. Pray!
Monday, February 28
New Zealand creates new Stonehenge
Wonder no longer how the 'old' Stonehenge revealed the universe's mysteries. The wonderful scientists of New Zealand have recreated the English monument to inspire native learning and historical interest using century old methods and modern technology.
Wonder no longer how the 'old' Stonehenge revealed the universe's mysteries. The wonderful scientists of New Zealand have recreated the English monument to inspire native learning and historical interest using century old methods and modern technology.
Nintendo plans to rape it's customers yet again
Video game 'creator' Nintendo apparently needs more money from consumers and has announced a new Gameboy system for X-mas 2005.
Ok, is anyone really looking for another Gameboy?? Screw those guys. Damn shovel-ware pirates. Do you want to play Super MarioLand 15? Or Donkey Kong 11 - Diddy's New Quest for Bananas??? 'Nuff said.
Story Particle (An Experiment)
The Grass of China Spring
It seemed an ordinary Saturday night to Elwood Joss, except that he was face down in a bathroom stall wearing a green sombrero with his pants down to his ankles and clutching a cheap cigar in his left fist on what was supposed to be his wedding night.
Joss, as people called him, would have found this peculiar position normal when he a teenager, but he was now old enough to know better and that his wedding night had gone seriously awry. With all that had seemingly gone wrong so far, the only question in Joss' mind was where the hell was his Gideon's Bible.
"A lot a good that book's done. Damned hippie priest." Joss said disappointedly.
The hippie priest's name was Barry. A tooth-less man in his late fifties who always wore tie-dyed parachute pants and a pink polo with a rainbow cross on the left breast pocket. Joss always thought Barry should retire, that and the fact that Barry had no church or discernable flock to speak off other than himself made Joss feel that Barry might be a fake. Barrys advice on getting married before 30 apparently was a bad idea or a tough task, depending on which side of the coin Joss would find himself on.
"'You've now entered hell'. Ain't that the truth." Joss read on the stall's toilet lid.
Feeling warm and shaky, Joss pulled himself up to a cold, tan toilet and realized that he was, in fact, in the men's bathroom in a west Texas Mexican brothel called Mi Amigo. At least that's what the graffiti etched on the cheaply painted, chipped red stall door told him. He pulled the lime-green sombrero from his head in an effort to see why his hair was all wet. Joss felt lucky that his hair was merely sweat drenched considering his puzzling situation.
"Great. I'm back in China Spring." he barked.
China Spring, Texas was where Joss had lost his virginity to a 250 pound Greek woman named Salma on his training night as a teenage gigolo roughly six years ago. Joss angrily spat out blood and a lone black hair then decided he desperately needed two things, a breath of fresh air and a cold shot of mezcal. Finding one proved to be a great deal more difficult than the other.
The Grass of China Spring
It seemed an ordinary Saturday night to Elwood Joss, except that he was face down in a bathroom stall wearing a green sombrero with his pants down to his ankles and clutching a cheap cigar in his left fist on what was supposed to be his wedding night.
Joss, as people called him, would have found this peculiar position normal when he a teenager, but he was now old enough to know better and that his wedding night had gone seriously awry. With all that had seemingly gone wrong so far, the only question in Joss' mind was where the hell was his Gideon's Bible.
"A lot a good that book's done. Damned hippie priest." Joss said disappointedly.
The hippie priest's name was Barry. A tooth-less man in his late fifties who always wore tie-dyed parachute pants and a pink polo with a rainbow cross on the left breast pocket. Joss always thought Barry should retire, that and the fact that Barry had no church or discernable flock to speak off other than himself made Joss feel that Barry might be a fake. Barrys advice on getting married before 30 apparently was a bad idea or a tough task, depending on which side of the coin Joss would find himself on.
"'You've now entered hell'. Ain't that the truth." Joss read on the stall's toilet lid.
Feeling warm and shaky, Joss pulled himself up to a cold, tan toilet and realized that he was, in fact, in the men's bathroom in a west Texas Mexican brothel called Mi Amigo. At least that's what the graffiti etched on the cheaply painted, chipped red stall door told him. He pulled the lime-green sombrero from his head in an effort to see why his hair was all wet. Joss felt lucky that his hair was merely sweat drenched considering his puzzling situation.
"Great. I'm back in China Spring." he barked.
China Spring, Texas was where Joss had lost his virginity to a 250 pound Greek woman named Salma on his training night as a teenage gigolo roughly six years ago. Joss angrily spat out blood and a lone black hair then decided he desperately needed two things, a breath of fresh air and a cold shot of mezcal. Finding one proved to be a great deal more difficult than the other.
Who Sings????????!!!?????
I recently discovered this crazy gem while in a local book-store called Half-Priced Books. I had to stop and laugh. I pointed it out to Zee who didn't know why I found it so captivating.
I am weird but, Bill Cosby sings?? And it's in the country section of records in a used book-store?? Somebody pinch me.
Now, you may be wondering why I was looking at country records in a bookstore, as I certainly do not enjoy any country. Well, I am an artiste and find ALL sorts of artwork interesting, especially record covers.
Bad Album Covers
Cool Album Covers
Here's the track list for Silver Throat (thanx MusicMatch)
1. Bright Lights, Big City
2. Big Boss Man
3. Hush Hush
4. Baby, What You Want Me to Do
5. Tell Me You Love Me
6. Aw Shucks Hush Your Mouth
7. Little Ole Man
8. Mojo Workout
9. I Got a Woman
10. Don'cha Know
11. Place in the Sun
Call it a repost, if you like
I think this quote (previously featured in a comic form) still takes the cake..
"It is not knowable how long that conflict would last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks, I doubt six months." -Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the Iraq War
* another Arnie link but, sadly features the Governator's wang... use caution the further you go down the page... you've been warned!
I think this quote (previously featured in a comic form) still takes the cake..
"It is not knowable how long that conflict would last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks, I doubt six months." -Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the Iraq War
Oh, my belly still hurts...
The War in Iraq Cost the United States
$156,446,758,548 as of 12:10am PST
Cost of War
Notable Costs as of 12:10am PST
WA - $4,174,060,749 (my state)
OH - $5,871,819,396 (the state with too much power)
FL - $8,027,800,210 (where people still can't vote properly)
TX - $11,797,481,150 (the rumored home of car-jacking - go Texas! The old west lives!)
CA - $19,997,584,075 (where the Governator* lives, my old home)
* another Arnie link but, sadly features the Governator's wang... use caution the further you go down the page... you've been warned!
Sunday, February 27
Varchesis Reveals More about Self and Google
Google Maps is a cool draggable map service much like other map services but, strangely I found it far easier to use than Yahoo! Maps or MapQuest (which I no longer trust - long, confusing directions to straight-forward Seattle locations)
See a google map for where Varchesis has found himself since the late '90s. Save me...
Google Maps is a cool draggable map service much like other map services but, strangely I found it far easier to use than Yahoo! Maps or MapQuest (which I no longer trust - long, confusing directions to straight-forward Seattle locations)
See a google map for where Varchesis has found himself since the late '90s. Save me...
My blog is valued at $7,050.00
Oh, yeah. My blog is valued over $5,000 on Blogshares.
Thanx to Zee for the idea to see what Google has concerning my blog.
I'm also listed as a contributing link for This Modern World, woohoo!
I never knew that my blog would be valued like a stock, such as Microsoft (MSFT yes, I own shares) or Apple (AAPL no, I don't shares). Wowzers, too bad it's not a real valuation, to me anyway, 'cause I could really use the money.
Don't know anything about stocks, bonds, investments and stuff? Start here or read a blog about investing (some funny stuff here, too)
Oh, yeah. My blog is valued over $5,000 on Blogshares.
Thanx to Zee for the idea to see what Google has concerning my blog.
I'm also listed as a contributing link for This Modern World, woohoo!
I never knew that my blog would be valued like a stock, such as Microsoft (MSFT yes, I own shares) or Apple (AAPL no, I don't shares). Wowzers, too bad it's not a real valuation, to me anyway, 'cause I could really use the money.
Don't know anything about stocks, bonds, investments and stuff? Start here or read a blog about investing (some funny stuff here, too)
Thursday, February 24
Face of the Earth
Here's a great collection of shots above the Earth.
Yes, the earth as science knows it. In an on-going effort to get people to step outside their own shoes (and minds), I offer the skin, if you will, of the world itself. Each form and land-mass represents a region, climate or civilization different from our own. And in that difference, we are made alike.
From ARC Science Simulations
Tuesday, February 22
An awesome online comic. Diesel Sweeties. Yes, the name is lame but, the content is not. Enjoy!
diesel sweeties: pixelated robot romance web comic:
Science News Article | Reuters.com: Camera-Mounted Spectacles May Restore Sight - EU
"'We have implanted (the device) in two patients so far,' Veraart from
the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve near Brussels said."
Read more
"'We have implanted (the device) in two patients so far,' Veraart from
the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve near Brussels said."
Read more
Neon - Chroino's Super Cool Sibling
Tomotaka Takahashi apparently has a knack for cool robot designs. His robots have great style and uniqueness. This is so awesome.
Neon's home
Chroino the Great
Kyoto University's, Tomotaka Takahashi , has produced this beautiful robot gem called Chroino. It looks like a character from the Megaman series. And it stands straight legged unlike the majority of other robots out there.
Project details
More info on Chroino (Japanese)
Sony's QRIO can dance
Man, those robotics engineers/artists are really doing some neat things.
Wanna see a video clip of 4 robots dance a traditional style dance complete with fans? Of course you don't. If you wanted to, you'd have found the clips yourself, right?
But, if you did, you'd probably click somewhere around here.
Other Clips
QRIO's curious home
If you want one, just plunk down $40,000 and you got one.
Man, those robotics engineers/artists are really doing some neat things.
Wanna see a video clip of 4 robots dance a traditional style dance complete with fans? Of course you don't. If you wanted to, you'd have found the clips yourself, right?
But, if you did, you'd probably click somewhere around here.
Other Clips
QRIO's curious home
If you want one, just plunk down $40,000 and you got one.
Not much to report weather-wise here in WA, 'cept a little frost to scrape off the car windows in the morning.
Here's what some extremely talented snow sculptors did in Japan
Also, who says cosplay is dead? Lies!
Full photo specials at MDN - Mainichi Daily News
Here's what some extremely talented snow sculptors did in Japan
Also, who says cosplay is dead? Lies!
Full photo specials at MDN - Mainichi Daily News
Google's Forgotten Link
So, you think you're hip 'cause you can Google whatever your little heart desires and fairly quickly find news, photos and any other dirty little laundry that pleases you?
Bah!
See the mighty Google Groups
Yes! This powerful link is the gateweay to where true movers and shakers, geeks and nerds truly bask in the internet's super-bright beams of info goodness. Get in!
>>aside Listening to We Got the Beat - The Go-Go's <<
So, you think you're hip 'cause you can Google whatever your little heart desires and fairly quickly find news, photos and any other dirty little laundry that pleases you?
Bah!
See the mighty Google Groups
Yes! This powerful link is the gateweay to where true movers and shakers, geeks and nerds truly bask in the internet's super-bright beams of info goodness. Get in!
>>aside Listening to We Got the Beat - The Go-Go's <<
The People We See
Tonight's super-deep thought...
The people we see day in and day out. No, not the people you usually see, the other people. The extras on your life's movie set.
Who are these people? What do they do for a living? Are they villains, heroes or side-kicks?
Do they beat their kids, pets or spouses? Do they give money to your favorite charity? Do they write malicious, evil pop-up windows ads? Do they mail out the billions of AOL discs for a living?
Who are the people we see?
I bet a good number of them pick their noses. Believe that!
Tonight's super-deep thought...
The people we see day in and day out. No, not the people you usually see, the other people. The extras on your life's movie set.
Who are these people? What do they do for a living? Are they villains, heroes or side-kicks?
Do they beat their kids, pets or spouses? Do they give money to your favorite charity? Do they write malicious, evil pop-up windows ads? Do they mail out the billions of AOL discs for a living?
Who are the people we see?
I bet a good number of them pick their noses. Believe that!
Thursday, February 17
Flickr in beta. Photo sharing the easy way. Hmmm.... may have to try it out.
Example:
proud new apple customer on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Example:
proud new apple customer on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Inspirational Quotes
When inspiration does not come to me, I go halfway to meet it.
--Sigmund Freud
The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.
--Napoleon Hill
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
--Napoleon Hill
You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
--Mark Twain
We are always getting ready to live but never living.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
The fool wonders, the wise man asks.
--Benjamin Disraeli
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.
--William Shakespeare
Television is chewing gum for the eyes.
--Frank Lloyd Wright
How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.
--Henry David Thoreau
With that last quote, I bid adieu.
All quotes courtesy of Quotes Home
When inspiration does not come to me, I go halfway to meet it.
--Sigmund Freud
The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.
--Napoleon Hill
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
--Napoleon Hill
You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
--Mark Twain
We are always getting ready to live but never living.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
The fool wonders, the wise man asks.
--Benjamin Disraeli
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.
--William Shakespeare
Television is chewing gum for the eyes.
--Frank Lloyd Wright
How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.
--Henry David Thoreau
With that last quote, I bid adieu.
All quotes courtesy of Quotes Home
Nucular Smiles - "We're Just Fine"
Seems I've been reading a lot of liberal media web-sites recently. My diet my be getting low on Current Events Leftwing (CEL).
Anyway, every time I see some news about the 'conflict' in Iraq, I hear soldiers claiming that things are good. That things are going well. Going well?! It's a bloody war!
Is it like ClubMed out there or something? As far as I can tell, soldiers are dying, Iraqi citizens are dying and small groups of 'agitators' are continually fighting for their country.
Elections be damned. How can our soldiers think things are going well? Their families are at home worrying about them. They sound like they're on a picnic.
Fun Quotes on War
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.
--General Douglas MacArthur
You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
--Jeannette Rankin first woman Member of Congress
What's the use of sending a $2 million missile into a $10 tent to hit a camel in the butt?
--George W. Bush
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.
--WOPR - In the movie "War Games" after learning the futility of "playing" Global Thermonuclear War by playing a seemingly endless series of games of Tic-Tac-Toe with itself.
>>aside - If you've never seen War Games, go rent it. See Matthew Brodrick when he was a pup. Back when the U.S. had real enemies to worry about. Not imagined ones that hide in holes in fear.
Oh yeah, did we ever find out what happened to all the nuclear equipment/material left in those abandoned plants in Russia? Ahh, never mind we're fine.
Seems I've been reading a lot of liberal media web-sites recently. My diet my be getting low on Current Events Leftwing (CEL).
Anyway, every time I see some news about the 'conflict' in Iraq, I hear soldiers claiming that things are good. That things are going well. Going well?! It's a bloody war!
Is it like ClubMed out there or something? As far as I can tell, soldiers are dying, Iraqi citizens are dying and small groups of 'agitators' are continually fighting for their country.
Elections be damned. How can our soldiers think things are going well? Their families are at home worrying about them. They sound like they're on a picnic.
BRING 'EM HOME - Iraqi Vacations Cost Lives!
Fun Quotes on War
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.
--General Douglas MacArthur
You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
--Jeannette Rankin first woman Member of Congress
What's the use of sending a $2 million missile into a $10 tent to hit a camel in the butt?
--George W. Bush
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.
--WOPR - In the movie "War Games" after learning the futility of "playing" Global Thermonuclear War by playing a seemingly endless series of games of Tic-Tac-Toe with itself.
>>aside - If you've never seen War Games, go rent it. See Matthew Brodrick when he was a pup. Back when the U.S. had real enemies to worry about. Not imagined ones that hide in holes in fear.
Oh yeah, did we ever find out what happened to all the nuclear equipment/material left in those abandoned plants in Russia? Ahh, never mind we're fine.
Quote of the day
Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; it's conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?
-- John Cleese
Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; it's conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?
-- John Cleese
Free Hipness Here
My friends, if you know nothing of THIS MODERN WORLD, you just ain't hip. But, seeing how you ain't hip you probably don't care that you're not hip. Never fear! I will hip you up. Oh, yes! I bring hipness in plentitude to the hipless masses. Simply follow this plan and hipness is yours!
Step 1
Read this!
Step 2
Read this!
Step 3
Go away and be cool. Practice makes precision.
My friends, if you know nothing of THIS MODERN WORLD, you just ain't hip. But, seeing how you ain't hip you probably don't care that you're not hip. Never fear! I will hip you up. Oh, yes! I bring hipness in plentitude to the hipless masses. Simply follow this plan and hipness is yours!
Step 1
Read this!
Step 2
Read this!
Step 3
Go away and be cool. Practice makes precision.
Varchesis ponders the implications of reading random lesbian blog
Hmmm... A lesbian blog. Easy found but, so elusive. As a male lesbian, I feel that it is my duty to investigate the 'other-side' of lesbianism in all it's glory. No pictures mind you. Female lesbians are not so open as of yet.
It's seems an interesting thing to read about girls kissing girls, girls out on dates with 'friends', etc. It's kinda hot. Kinda seedy. At the same time, I wonder if my interest is an outcropping of some deep rooted fear of online homosexual journals. Is it me who peeks out the window at the exciting world of lesbian blogs like a sex-starved home-maker at the broad-chested construction workers across a blazing hot suburban landscape? Shameful. Or is it?
As I read this random lesbian blog, I notice that my loins are tingling but, it subsides as I relish in the pain, frustration and loneliness of my fellow (yet female) lesbian online bloggers.
What is the horror which creeps into my pants and stimulates my other brain (the one upstairs)? It's the dark visage of exclusion. The veil of expression in a vacuum. The caged canary sings a censored song. Even in it's best moments, a private blog intended to be shared amongst 'friends' suffers the maginification of Google's prying eyes. Secrets aren't secrets and privacy is an empty promise.
Now, logically, we may assume these lesbian make no pretense at secrecy but, isn't ANY group of people with a label a divided and thus secluded group? A group that wants to be equal, loved and appreciated for all their beauties and flaws? Doesn't everyone seek sharing secret skeletons to relieve some long burdening anguish?
You may ask, where is this going? Of that I'm not sure. Will I become gay by reading lesbian blogs? Will you become gay by reading my thoughts on reading lesbian blogs? Who knows? What is it that draws me back to these random scatterings?
But, my own supposed homophobia seems glaringly obvious as I creep back to read the random lesbian blog, not for it's volumes of mundane and sometimes epic emotional expression.
In the end I return for the simple satisfaction of a boyhood fixation with the possiblilty of catching girls talking about getting it on with girls. That's hot.
Hmmm... A lesbian blog. Easy found but, so elusive. As a male lesbian, I feel that it is my duty to investigate the 'other-side' of lesbianism in all it's glory. No pictures mind you. Female lesbians are not so open as of yet.
It's seems an interesting thing to read about girls kissing girls, girls out on dates with 'friends', etc. It's kinda hot. Kinda seedy. At the same time, I wonder if my interest is an outcropping of some deep rooted fear of online homosexual journals. Is it me who peeks out the window at the exciting world of lesbian blogs like a sex-starved home-maker at the broad-chested construction workers across a blazing hot suburban landscape? Shameful. Or is it?
As I read this random lesbian blog, I notice that my loins are tingling but, it subsides as I relish in the pain, frustration and loneliness of my fellow (yet female) lesbian online bloggers.
What is the horror which creeps into my pants and stimulates my other brain (the one upstairs)? It's the dark visage of exclusion. The veil of expression in a vacuum. The caged canary sings a censored song. Even in it's best moments, a private blog intended to be shared amongst 'friends' suffers the maginification of Google's prying eyes. Secrets aren't secrets and privacy is an empty promise.
Now, logically, we may assume these lesbian make no pretense at secrecy but, isn't ANY group of people with a label a divided and thus secluded group? A group that wants to be equal, loved and appreciated for all their beauties and flaws? Doesn't everyone seek sharing secret skeletons to relieve some long burdening anguish?
You may ask, where is this going? Of that I'm not sure. Will I become gay by reading lesbian blogs? Will you become gay by reading my thoughts on reading lesbian blogs? Who knows? What is it that draws me back to these random scatterings?
But, my own supposed homophobia seems glaringly obvious as I creep back to read the random lesbian blog, not for it's volumes of mundane and sometimes epic emotional expression.
In the end I return for the simple satisfaction of a boyhood fixation with the possiblilty of catching girls talking about getting it on with girls. That's hot.
http://www.goultralightsgo.com/
Fun Flash animations, maybe comics. Whatever. Thought provoking at times but always fun.
Fun Flash animations, maybe comics. Whatever. Thought provoking at times but always fun.
Here's a useless site that I love for it's 'worldliness'.
cabbage Noun. 1. A person in a catatonic state or seemingly brain dead.
2. The female genitals.
piss-artist Noun. 1. A habitual drunk. Derog.
2. A contemptible time waster.
gypsy's (kiss) Noun. An act of urination. From the rhyming slang gypsy's kiss, meaning 'piss'. Also gipsy's. E.g."Hold on a minute, I need a gypsy."
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/index.htm
cabbage Noun. 1. A person in a catatonic state or seemingly brain dead.
2. The female genitals.
piss-artist Noun. 1. A habitual drunk. Derog.
2. A contemptible time waster.
gypsy's (kiss) Noun. An act of urination. From the rhyming slang gypsy's kiss, meaning 'piss'. Also gipsy's. E.g."Hold on a minute, I need a gypsy."
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/index.htm
Wednesday, February 16
sim·u·la·crum
n. pl. sim·u·la·cra
- An image or representation.
- An unreal or vague semblance.
n.
- The act or process of simulating.
- An imitation; a sham.
- Assumption of a false appearance.
- Imitation or representation, as of a potential situation or in experimental testing.
- Representation of the operation or features of one process or system through the use of another: computer simulation of an in-flight emergency.
Simulations and Simlacras - from Jean Baudrillard ( pp.166-184)
Original source
Hyperreal and imaginary
Disneyland is a perfect model of all the entangled orders of simulation. To begin with it is a play of illusions and phantasms: pirates, the frontier, future world, etc. This imaginary world is supposed to be what makes the operation successful. But, what draws the crowds is undoubtedly much more the social microcosm, the miniaturized and religious revelling in real America, in its delights and drawbacks. You park outside, queue up inside, and are totally abandoned at the exit. In this imaginary world the only phantasmagoria is in the inherent warmth and affection of the crowd, and in that aufficiently excessive number of gadgets used there to specifically maintain the multitudinous affect. The contrast with the absolute solitude of the parking lot - a veritable concentration camp - is total. Or rather: inside, a whole range of gadgets magnetize the crowd into direct flows; outside, solitude is directed onto a single gadget: the automobile. By an extraordinary coincidence (one that undoubtedly belongs to the peculiar enchantment of this universe), this deep-frozen infantile world happens to have been conceived and realized by a man who is himself now cryogenized; Walt Disney, who awaits his resurrection at minus 180 degrees centigrade.
The objective profile of the United States, then, may be traced throughout Disneyland, even down to the morphology of individuals and the crowd. All its values are exalted here, in miniature and comic-strip form. Embalmed and pactfied. Whence the possibility of an ideological analysis of Disneyland (L. Marin does it well in Utopies, jeux d'espaces): digest of the American way of life, panegyric to American values, idealized transposition of a contradictory reality. To be sure. But this conceals something else, and that "ideological" blanket exactly serves to cover over a third-order simulation: Disneyland is there to conceal the fact that it is the "real" country, all of "real" America, which is Disneyland (just as prisons are there to conceal the fact that it is the social in its entirety, in its banal omnipresence, which is carceral). Disneyland is presented as imaginary in order to make us believe that the rest is real, when in fact all of Los Angeles and the America surrounding it are no longer real, but of the order of the hyperreal and of simulation. It is no longer a question of a false representation of reality (ideology), but of concealing the fact that the real is no longer real, and thus of saving the reality principle.
The Disneyland imaginary is neither true nor false: it is a deterrence machine set up in order to rejuvenate in reverse the fiction of the real. Whence the debility, the infantile degeneration of this imaginary. It ~s meant to be an infantile world, in order to make us believe that the adults are elsewhere, in the "real" world, and to conceal the fact that real childishness is everywhere, particularly among those adults who go there to act the child in order to foster illusions of their real childishness.
Moreover, Disneyland is not the only one. Enchanted Village, Magic Mountain, Marine World: Los Angeles is encircled by these "imaginary stations" which feed reality, reality-energy, to a town whose mystery is precisely that it is nothing more than a network of endless, unreal circulation: a town of fabulous proportions, but without space or dimensions. As much as electrical and nuclear power stations, as much as film studios, this town, which is nothing more than an immense script and a perpetual motion picture, needs this old imaginary made up of childhood signals and faked phantasms for its sympathetic nervous system.
My own NS-5 from the blockbuster hit I,Robot. (thanx, King)
Excellent. Sage skin, original Onyx muscular system, Bronze metal cladding with Mint colored eyes. I know you're jealous. Now I can sit on my ass and have my NS-5 do it all for me. Hmmmm.... guess I still need some lovin' tho. Damn, these things are still incomplete! At least there are 3 LAWS SAFE ( @Wikipedia )
More links related to Artificial Intelligence
http://www.asimovlaws.com/articles/
http://www.aaai.org/AITopics/html/robots.html
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011120S0007
"How old are you?" she wanted to know.
"Thirty-two," I said.
"Then you don't remember a world without robots. To you, a robot is a robot. Gears and metal; electricity and positrons. Mind and iron! Human-made! If necessary, human-destroyed! But you haven't worked with them, so you don't know them. They're a cleaner better breed than we are."
-from I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
The Power of the Human Spirit
I thought we should spend a moment looking at the world of books. In particular, one of my favorites. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. It is my opinion that a reader hasn't truly experienced modern literature until they have read one of Rand's works. While I list The Fountainhead as a favorite, Anthem is by far my most loved title.
Perhaps, I was inspired by my Disney ride results (see below). The plight or challenges of the human spirit are what these blog-things are really about, I'd say, and there's no better way to found a good comparison to your own life than thru Rands books. With extra points for palatable fiction (I generally do not read fiction) Anthem and The Fountainhead are sure winners in a world of empty entertainment in paperback form.
The Disney Ride that is me
The Disneyland Railroad: A real steam powered
train, like the old mighty Santa Fe, on a
picturesk route like no other! You take people
from the turn of the century to Frontier-era
New Orleans, to the bonifide hometown of Mickey
Mouse, and then into the world of the
Future, passing through the Grand Canyon,
Jungles, Forrests, Fantasyland, and the ancient
world of the Dinosaurs along the way. Always
on time, you are steady, reliable, orderly, and
a practical form of transportation for your
passengers in the park. You greet visitors as
they enter and say goodbye to them as they
leave tonight. You have an eye for old world
detail and craftsmenship, even as you represent
the industrial age and the spirit of American
ingenuity. An old icon of progress, you may
not be the fastest ride or as sleek as your
Monorail cousin, but you can rest assured that
you are just the kind of magical experience
that Walt Disney himself liked best.
What Disneyland attraction are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
That isn't too bad considering that I really love the Disney train. I never feel like I've done it all until I do the train ride. The pioneering spirit, the adventure, the luxury. You really can't beat that feeling, in my book. Thanx Zee for that little personality test.
The Disneyland Railroad: A real steam powered
train, like the old mighty Santa Fe, on a
picturesk route like no other! You take people
from the turn of the century to Frontier-era
New Orleans, to the bonifide hometown of Mickey
Mouse, and then into the world of the
Future, passing through the Grand Canyon,
Jungles, Forrests, Fantasyland, and the ancient
world of the Dinosaurs along the way. Always
on time, you are steady, reliable, orderly, and
a practical form of transportation for your
passengers in the park. You greet visitors as
they enter and say goodbye to them as they
leave tonight. You have an eye for old world
detail and craftsmenship, even as you represent
the industrial age and the spirit of American
ingenuity. An old icon of progress, you may
not be the fastest ride or as sleek as your
Monorail cousin, but you can rest assured that
you are just the kind of magical experience
that Walt Disney himself liked best.
What Disneyland attraction are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
That isn't too bad considering that I really love the Disney train. I never feel like I've done it all until I do the train ride. The pioneering spirit, the adventure, the luxury. You really can't beat that feeling, in my book. Thanx Zee for that little personality test.
Tuesday, February 15
Michael Jackson and other concerns
What does it say about a person who likes to share what he's doing but not so much what he's thinking/feeling? Sometimes I wish I could express myself like my beautiful Zeebird.
Am I an animal of affectations? It seems so. I am not that disapointed or anything. I just feel that these things (blogs) are created to share oneself and all I can do is share what I find interesting about life.
>>aside - Listening to Billie Jean - Michael Jackson -2- >>
I really enjoyed the bits and pieces of "The Jacksons" on VH1 this last weekend. I never really thought about how much MJ loved to express himself through music. But, how else could the Thriller album become the world's greatest selling album? 8 Grammies. It sold like the bible of music. Now MJ is like a complete freak. It seems inevitable that he will be prosecuted for his 'advanced' sense of sexuality. It's a shame. His music still touches my emotions (a tuff task trust me).
But, now he's a pariah in the extreme. He apparently has lost a sense of reality concerning the public's opinion of his celebrity status. Then again, if Men in Black 2 was correct, perhaps he is an alien intelligence officer (and somewhat above the law). Think about it.
>>aside - Listening to Wanna' Be Startin Somethin' - Could you make a popular song with the lyrics 'You're a vegetable. You're a vegetable.'? That my friends is a quandary. >>
Sunday, February 13
Saturday, February 12
If you're not alrady using Firefox, get to it. Then skin it up with your own theme. I like Noia 2.0 (eXtreme).
Mozilla Update :: Themes -- More Info: Noia 2.0 (eXtreme)
Mozilla Update :: Themes -- More Info: Noia 2.0 (eXtreme)
Friday, February 4
/sigh
PSP please come out faster...
Ahhh... who am I fooling? March isn't too far away.
This RPG seems cool. Tales of Eternia from Namco.
Tuesday, February 1
Fan sites are amazing. I think Angelina Jolie fansites have some of the best style and flair. There I said it!
Angelina Jolie Image Galleries
Angelina Jolie Image Galleries
20th Anniversary Generation 1 Optimus Prime. Pretty damned expensive for a toy (at $69.99) and all but... My self from boyhood will never quite forgive parents/grand-parents for never taking this one desire seriously. Guess I'll have to pony up and get this baby for myself.
omg... I haven't visited this site for ages. Eric Conveys an Emotion
This was one of the sites where I had began to really fall in love with the internet's mundane excellence. I discovered this deliciously elegant little site when Flash intros and super cool DHTML and all that weird stuff was brewing up like mad. Yet, amongst all the hub-bub and hullabaloo, was this a dude and his reprensentation of various emotions. Just images in a frame. No sound, movies, glitz, downloads, wallpapers, Javascript or bloated development budget. Just infectious little links to some of the most beautiful little moments the internet has to offer.
This site makes me laugh so hard. So simple, so deep. It's so great to see Eric and his emotions again. Tho, I must say Eric seems to have put on some weight since getting a posh job at Yahoo! It's ok, we all have our ways of dealing with stress. Why is it usually food tho?
This was one of the sites where I had began to really fall in love with the internet's mundane excellence. I discovered this deliciously elegant little site when Flash intros and super cool DHTML and all that weird stuff was brewing up like mad. Yet, amongst all the hub-bub and hullabaloo, was this a dude and his reprensentation of various emotions. Just images in a frame. No sound, movies, glitz, downloads, wallpapers, Javascript or bloated development budget. Just infectious little links to some of the most beautiful little moments the internet has to offer.
This site makes me laugh so hard. So simple, so deep. It's so great to see Eric and his emotions again. Tho, I must say Eric seems to have put on some weight since getting a posh job at Yahoo! It's ok, we all have our ways of dealing with stress. Why is it usually food tho?
Movie reviews for Asian cinema. Yes, please. Now you can get the scoop on that weird title you've been wanting at Blockbuster or Hollywood video and rent with no fear!
[KFCC] Reviews
[KFCC] Reviews
Had to work at 5am this morning. I am very tired.... going to sleep now
peace
Chew on this tasty morsel for a while...
Sony Music Online Japan ENGLISH
peace
Chew on this tasty morsel for a while...
Sony Music Online Japan ENGLISH
Just in case you want to save money on brand name items (legally, of course), Spoofee has the hook-ups. These deals are typically coupon based but very, very nice. Enjoy!
Spoofee Deals - Find all your Coupons and Best Deals here -
Spoofee Deals - Find all your Coupons and Best Deals here -
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