Gunpla Philosophical Question
I wanted a Pale Rider, but I just bought a GM Quel. Can I do with the Quel what I wanted to do with the Pale Rider, or should I just build the Quel stock, or should I mod the Quel in an entirely new direction?
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Would I Say Something That Wasn't True?--I'm Asking You Sugar-- (FreeWill)
Sagittarius Horoscope for week of April 18, 2013
The famous philosopher John Searle unleashed a witty dig about the famous philosopher Jacques Derrida, saying he is "the sort of philosopher who gives bullshit a bad name." One of your fun assignments in the coming week, Sagittarius, is to do the opposite of what Derrida's work does. In other words, give bullshit a good name. How? Well, you could engage in creative verbal expressions that boost morale and propagate delight and lubricate worthwhile connections. Make up noble fictions that are more accurate and useful that the literal truth. Spread uplifting gossip that heals and invigorates.
--"Would I Li~i~ie To You?"--The Eurythmics
The famous philosopher John Searle unleashed a witty dig about the famous philosopher Jacques Derrida, saying he is "the sort of philosopher who gives bullshit a bad name." One of your fun assignments in the coming week, Sagittarius, is to do the opposite of what Derrida's work does. In other words, give bullshit a good name. How? Well, you could engage in creative verbal expressions that boost morale and propagate delight and lubricate worthwhile connections. Make up noble fictions that are more accurate and useful that the literal truth. Spread uplifting gossip that heals and invigorates.
--"Would I Li~i~ie To You?"--The Eurythmics
Entry tags:
- award,
- dvd,
- facebook,
- film,
- mass media,
- movies,
- philosophy,
- stuff i want,
- tv,
- video,
- wisdom,
- wishlist
...And Then I Wouldn't Spend My Life Just Wishing...
Universal Studios is celebrating their 100th Anniversary this year by having a Sweepstakes on Facebook. The prize is FREE DVDs and Blu-Ray disks from their catalog, which is considerable. I went to their website just now to see exactly what I would want from them in the event of my success, or barring that, coming into a flow of cash to allow me to purchase my desired content.
I came up with about seventy titles, a mix of film sets and TV show seasons for the most part. A lot of the material shows up on Universal's TV channels, namely TH¡S and Retro.
Depending on how they count, I'd think I'd even have to find more titles to get if I won. Which, I suppose, is better than having to choose between existing favorites.
I came up with about seventy titles, a mix of film sets and TV show seasons for the most part. A lot of the material shows up on Universal's TV channels, namely TH¡S and Retro.
Depending on how they count, I'd think I'd even have to find more titles to get if I won. Which, I suppose, is better than having to choose between existing favorites.
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Answers And Questions...Or Frequently Quested Answers
Sagittarius Horoscope for week of May 31, 2012
If you go to a psychotherapist, she may coax you to tell stories about what went wrong in your childhood. Seek a chiropractor's opinion and he might inform you that most of your problems have to do with your spine. Consult a psychic and chances are she will tell you that you messed up in your past lives and need a karmic cleansing. And if you ask me about what you most need to know, I might slip you some advice about how to access your untapped reserves of beauty and intelligence. Here's the moral of the story, Sagittarius: Be discerning as you ask for feedback and mirroring. The information you receive will always be skewed.
I've always defined the Uncertainty Principle (rightly or wrongly) as "When the act of asking a question destroys the likelihood of getting a truthful answer to said question." I suppose you can add the corollary "Be aware of any ulterior motives that bring about quick answers."
If you go to a psychotherapist, she may coax you to tell stories about what went wrong in your childhood. Seek a chiropractor's opinion and he might inform you that most of your problems have to do with your spine. Consult a psychic and chances are she will tell you that you messed up in your past lives and need a karmic cleansing. And if you ask me about what you most need to know, I might slip you some advice about how to access your untapped reserves of beauty and intelligence. Here's the moral of the story, Sagittarius: Be discerning as you ask for feedback and mirroring. The information you receive will always be skewed.
I've always defined the Uncertainty Principle (rightly or wrongly) as "When the act of asking a question destroys the likelihood of getting a truthful answer to said question." I suppose you can add the corollary "Be aware of any ulterior motives that bring about quick answers."
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Machines And Minds
Radiolab did a very good program on Artificial Intelligence; I heard it overday.
As I'm sure I said before, there is little in the way of problems that an AI could solve better than a human being as yet. Tho' I was thinking of one possibility.
Suppose a Cleverbot-variety AI were to go through your existing canon of social media output. Every face, space, tweet and blog. Every text, pic and vid. And then it would find "keys" in that content and ask you about them. Perhaps get to to think about why you say what you say. Maybe find your psychological or social "blind spots" and help you work through them.
As I'm sure I said before, there is little in the way of problems that an AI could solve better than a human being as yet. Tho' I was thinking of one possibility.
Suppose a Cleverbot-variety AI were to go through your existing canon of social media output. Every face, space, tweet and blog. Every text, pic and vid. And then it would find "keys" in that content and ask you about them. Perhaps get to to think about why you say what you say. Maybe find your psychological or social "blind spots" and help you work through them.
Mom's Messing With My Muzak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNKg8Ex4Xr0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOhnrjdYOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2mbGP6vFI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6_-urg5fo
Three of these four Eighties classics played over the Muzak in recent days, and I just have to give the credit/blame to Mum's ghost. I'm linking rather than embedding just because I have too much other stuff to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOhnrjdYOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2mbGP6vFI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6_-urg5fo
Three of these four Eighties classics played over the Muzak in recent days, and I just have to give the credit/blame to Mum's ghost. I'm linking rather than embedding just because I have too much other stuff to do.
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Writer's Block: Half full?
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I used to describe myself as a pessimist who likes to be proven wrong on occasion.
I haven't been proven wrong often enough of late.
I used to describe myself as a pessimist who likes to be proven wrong on occasion.
I haven't been proven wrong often enough of late.
More Is More
Letting my research addiction play out again. This time it's related to that project I mentioned in the previous post (the car race horror movie). I'm looking up cars of the middle to late 1960s for inspiration. The story I have in mind involves six teams and a solo campaign, each having a different "character", "philosophy" and "theme".
I'm coming along...slowly...mainly because I don't want to miss something I should have noticed from the get-go.
I'm coming along...slowly...mainly because I don't want to miss something I should have noticed from the get-go.
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Writer's Block: It’s the Little Things…
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Money is money. Of course, more often than not I have to spend on the mundane realities of life instead of myself and my morale.
Money is money. Of course, more often than not I have to spend on the mundane realities of life instead of myself and my morale.
Just Because Of All That Talk About "We Are The World"...
( Don't Gripe Unless You Put Forth An Alternative )
...Yes, I hated "We Are The World"--both artistically and philosophically--and I wonder what good that stuff actually did. How many kids actually got saved from starvation in Africa then--and how many of those survived the wars and madness that has wracked northeastern Africa since then?
...Yes, I hated "We Are The World"--both artistically and philosophically--and I wonder what good that stuff actually did. How many kids actually got saved from starvation in Africa then--and how many of those survived the wars and madness that has wracked northeastern Africa since then?
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Writer's Block: Do you prefer a tent or a luxury hotel?
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I want the WORKS. I live in the "rough", whether I want to, or not!
After lunch, I'll go with Dad and Uncle Dan to Grandpa Bierce's permanent address, and from there to Gibsonia/Bairdford/Allison Park.
Recon photos to come.
FP
I want the WORKS. I live in the "rough", whether I want to, or not!
After lunch, I'll go with Dad and Uncle Dan to Grandpa Bierce's permanent address, and from there to Gibsonia/Bairdford/Allison Park.
Recon photos to come.
FP
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Will ADHD Soon Be A Thing Of The Past?
Scientists Announce A Breakthrough In The Search For The Cause Of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder.
As somebody who was in this condition as a child, and is somewhat still afflicted now (as in, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to motivate myself) I find this development very interesting. Remember, my childhood predates Ritalin. For me, it was either coffee or amphetamines.
The only drawbacks I see are the same drawbacks I see with prescription drugs in general--the out-of-control marketing of drugs by the manufacturers (yes, those fine-print-laden and sappy TV ads on the network evening news and talk shows and soap operas) which then feeds a black market (q.v. e-mail spammers allegedly from Canada) which recreational drug users/abusers will exploit.
But a philosophy question: If a pill gives a kid a happy childhood, is it really a happy childhood?
FP
As somebody who was in this condition as a child, and is somewhat still afflicted now (as in, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to motivate myself) I find this development very interesting. Remember, my childhood predates Ritalin. For me, it was either coffee or amphetamines.
The only drawbacks I see are the same drawbacks I see with prescription drugs in general--the out-of-control marketing of drugs by the manufacturers (yes, those fine-print-laden and sappy TV ads on the network evening news and talk shows and soap operas) which then feeds a black market (q.v. e-mail spammers allegedly from Canada) which recreational drug users/abusers will exploit.
But a philosophy question: If a pill gives a kid a happy childhood, is it really a happy childhood?
FP
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Writer's Block: The Right to Privacy
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I think the mass media should be more careful about how they handle the business on their end. And besides, our priorities are all screwed up these days. I was very disappointed this week when Michael Vick's return to the NFL beat out all the other news stories and was presented first on the TV networks' programs. So he's a notorious and contraversial figure--so what? He doesn't merit more attention than many of the real news stories going on in the world. We give far too much attention to people in sports, entertainment and famous-for-being-famous. If leaving them alone means more privacy for them, then it's a win-win situation.
I think the mass media should be more careful about how they handle the business on their end. And besides, our priorities are all screwed up these days. I was very disappointed this week when Michael Vick's return to the NFL beat out all the other news stories and was presented first on the TV networks' programs. So he's a notorious and contraversial figure--so what? He doesn't merit more attention than many of the real news stories going on in the world. We give far too much attention to people in sports, entertainment and famous-for-being-famous. If leaving them alone means more privacy for them, then it's a win-win situation.
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FreeWill Astrology
Sagittarius Horoscope for week of February 5, 2009
A substantial fraction of the world's scientists are funded by the military. This saddens me. I wish we lived on a planet where most scientists were in service to peace and plenty, working to solve social and environmental problems. But corrupt exploitations of the scientific method are no excuse for me to banish it from my repertoire. I use it frequently. Likewise, I draw tremendous inspiration from the life and teachings of Christ, even though I don't belong to a Christian church and am distraught about the devastation wrought by the fundamentalist mindset. Would you consider applying this approach to your personal life, Sagittarius? For example, maybe you could come to a new appreciation of your parents' gifts without losing sight of the ways they messed you up. Or perhaps you could forgive your heroes for their slight lack of integrity, or borrow good ideas from a way of looking at the world that partly offends you.
The proverbial bathwater stinks so much either you can't imagine a baby being in it, or perhaps it smells like baby and you've forgotten. All I know is that I haven't been clean lately myself, and I don't like it.
FP
A substantial fraction of the world's scientists are funded by the military. This saddens me. I wish we lived on a planet where most scientists were in service to peace and plenty, working to solve social and environmental problems. But corrupt exploitations of the scientific method are no excuse for me to banish it from my repertoire. I use it frequently. Likewise, I draw tremendous inspiration from the life and teachings of Christ, even though I don't belong to a Christian church and am distraught about the devastation wrought by the fundamentalist mindset. Would you consider applying this approach to your personal life, Sagittarius? For example, maybe you could come to a new appreciation of your parents' gifts without losing sight of the ways they messed you up. Or perhaps you could forgive your heroes for their slight lack of integrity, or borrow good ideas from a way of looking at the world that partly offends you.
The proverbial bathwater stinks so much either you can't imagine a baby being in it, or perhaps it smells like baby and you've forgotten. All I know is that I haven't been clean lately myself, and I don't like it.
FP
The Chord I Got Isn't Long Enough, I Need An Existential Chord
Via ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jokermage:
I think I was a little scattershot with my answers, but I suppose it bears out. I hold to the Maoist view that Religion Is Poison, but won't begrudge anybody who actually finds their lives are healthier through their religious experiences. It really isn't up to me to judge what works for a society, only what works (or doesn't) for myself. In the meantime, if there are Higher Powers (singular, plural, or unifying), then my relationship with such things are between me and them, and no other person has the right to tell me otherwise. I believe in the right of the believer to believe, the right of the skeptic to question, and the right to be left alone.
jokermage:| You scored as Existentialism. Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life. “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” “It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” --Jean-Paul Sartre “It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.” --Blaise Pascal More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page...
What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com |
I think I was a little scattershot with my answers, but I suppose it bears out. I hold to the Maoist view that Religion Is Poison, but won't begrudge anybody who actually finds their lives are healthier through their religious experiences. It really isn't up to me to judge what works for a society, only what works (or doesn't) for myself. In the meantime, if there are Higher Powers (singular, plural, or unifying), then my relationship with such things are between me and them, and no other person has the right to tell me otherwise. I believe in the right of the believer to believe, the right of the skeptic to question, and the right to be left alone.