Journal Entries
Abstract Rant
Posted Jan 15, 2005
//OOD: LJ is dead, long live h2g2
I have to write this down, as its absolutely earth shattering.
I was thinking about abstractions, and abstract art and all the reading I have been doing of late. Abstract art is one of these topics that most people seem to not understand. But I was thinking today, just now, is perhaps this the reason for abstract art! Why not? I mean if people are always interpreting things, and trying to figure out how things can help them and why they want to buy that brand instead of this one why not be abstract about it? Why not just say to yourself "well its all abstract anyway, I may as well buy it." is that what we as a whole are thinking? Is that the entire problem? Are we becoming to abstract? Aristotle certainly started this way back in 356 BC, he showed how we abstract things with words. For example we say a man is a type of animal, and a ox is a type of animal and thus they are related words, these words in Aristotle's own words are related "Equivocally", that means that they have a common "abstract" name, but there definition is different. This is said even in communication theory as the sign, signifier and the signified. You will remember my last rant whereby I proved by abstraction that the entire world is run on a given number of unknowns and knows and that each unknown has at least another known that should be know, but might not be. This is a terribly confusing affair and I can say that going back and reading it even makes my head scratch. But on meditation today I found that if abstract was really what we were doing, abstracting things, then why do we still need symbols and signifiers and signs? To explain:
A sign is something that points to something, that is if a dog is labeled with the word "cat" that is a sign. Although you recognize this a wrong, but how? Its to do with the signifier.
A signifier is something that represents something else, almost like a metaphor.
Something that is signified is something that is already represented.
It has come to my attention that Aristotle was probably the first communication theorist. I have started reading him and seeing how many people who claim they were the inventor of communication theory X, and I say now quite happily that we have invented nothing. Quite like when renaissance painters who thought they had just invented perspective, went into a cave with paintings and there on the wall around a bend was a perfectly proportioned drawing of a ox. The quote in the paper the next day from the artists impression on the cave drawings was "We have invented nothing." I have a rather nicer way of putting this, and that is that "the former self reborn, you find yourself starting back." Quite a number of people claim its called a revolution, but I rather like to think of it as a sudden realization. And of course who can forget context or the setting of communication acts. That is an artwork in a art gallery is going to mean different things to you than a artwork at your house, or a artwork in a store, or a artwork like graffiti on a local underpass. If it was in a art gallery would you consider it art? Context can actually say that, yes you probably would. If this makes you feel like a mindless pink robot, don't disappear, its a perfectly ordinary thought.
Its much better that we see things abstractly sometimes, in some situations. But we are taking it, perhaps a bit to far. For example around the diner table last night we had a discussion about currency. Now as a big left winger, currency makes my fists itch, however I know its uses and means, however here are all these other people who "claim" to be left wing talking about how much they like credit cards. Credit cards to me are the most abstract form of currency there is. Why do you think so many people are in credit card debt? Because they can't see that the money is actually not real. That money you just payed with is not actually real. its a representation. When currency was invented it was used to represent food. That is, it was an abstraction from bartering banna's and camels to saying, this coin is worth one camel. And then it gets applied to work. This successes allowed the pyramids to be built. Without the coin there was no way of paying the workers (and before you say anything, yes they were paid) for the work they did in when they were not farming. This way they were able to get back to there land at the end of the months of work they did, and had money for what they had done, and used it to purchase more tools, better weapons, etc. Its what made the Egyptian empire so great. The Romans copied them and the Persians and so on. And its quite possible that the Aztec and other tribes of south and central America did as well. So this progress was not in fact overrated. But with all good things comes a bad thing. Now we represent currency with numbers (which we borrowed from the Arabs) and print on paper (both the printing press and the paper were borrowed from China) and we used them in our own way. Without the society to use them in this way the chinese did not have the same revolution the printing press brought to us. The printing press took us out of what many now call "the dark times" or as history chooses to call it "the dark ages". With the printing press the Lutheran church and other protestant churches were able to be set up, with the printing press, everyone suddenly needed to learn to read (so public education was soon invented), with the printing press we were able to invent the stock market, which allowed for the British to have such a large fleet, which in turn colonized Australia, which in turn allowed for my birth, and consequently computers, and finally the internet and this rant. This has meant that I came to the conclusion today that quite a lot of the world is so abstract now that we can quite happily even abstract ourselves. For example we try and fit into a stereotype, we try and buy things that people of this stereotype buy, and like things that people of this stereotype like, ect. So it came no surprise to me that after three years of leftist thinking and general annoyance at every other party that I came to decision to join the green party (I still have not, but I will be in 7 days, photographs of my green party card as promised) and have already started thinking like a green, that is I have joined the green-peace cyber activist forum and also the Australian conservation society forum, frequently visit the wildlife fund for nature site and for that matter the UN and other such things. And because I know so much about how people act like they want to, I often wonder if this is really me? or am I just making it all up in some sort of elaborate dance or act, and today because of abstraction I realized that It didn't really matter, its all abstract anyway.
Enjoy the Abstract
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Jan 15, 2005
Taxi Driver
Posted Dec 31, 2004
Late one night up working the wares
In a so down club were I was faced with despair
Taking a look in the street lamps in a drunken stupor
You pick me up and take somewhere
The taxi driver
Is a beautiful person
she is not one for looks
but I don't care
cause she drives me
she dirves me
she dirves me
everywhere
The take out dinner I just had wasn't meat
I don't know what I just ate
I can't see what I am doing anymore
I am on automatic and a manuals all I am sure
But you pick me up and take me somewhere
No matter were I have been
No matter who I was with
Its not that you don't care
You know that I am already going spare
Cause your the taxi driver
You take me everywhere
You take left when I want a lift
You take me right when I want to shift
you move how I want
but thats just enough to
make me fall in love
fall in love
with the taxi driver
The taxi driver
Is a beautiful person
she is not one for looks
but I don't care
cause she drives me
she dirves me
she dirves me
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere
Discuss this Journal entry [10]
Latest reply: Dec 31, 2004
Astology - Darakats "expirament" with
Posted Dec 30, 2004
Darakats Rants
Topic:
Astrology
Disclaimer:
Darakat would like this opportunity to point out he has no bad feelings about astrologers, what they do or indeed how they do it. He is quite happy for them to go on doing it. However this is a rant based on the a SINGLE perdition from a SINGLE astrologer, it does not connate any feelings towards astrologers in general, many of whom can be scarily right without never meeting the person. This is mostly a rant on the internet astrological service provided by sara-freder not on astrology or astrologers as a whole. It is however not to go unwarranted that darakat predicts that after this rant is written his own astrological sign (leo) is going to be predicted as having a rather bad few months, and they will probably be right.
Introduction:
Now I have to start of by saying that I am actually a great fan of astrology. Would you credit it? Or indeed believe it? No. Why the hell should this self confessed semi agnostic guy who has no real idea what religion he is any more have a intreats or ever have had a interest in astrology? Well its quite simple. The art, craft and or magic (with or without a extra k or being spelt with a j you know what I mean) of astrology actually amazes and intrigues me, though I know well enough to take it with a grain of salt. Of course any person who know as much as about the future and predicting it as a astrologer will of course have the knowledge of the theory that each prediction that is made is for that particular person as they are in the future from this point on. It of course can change due to unforeseen events. Since there are so many variables involved, many think or indeed believe that near randomness to pure predicational mathematics and indeed magnetic lines can help or hinder a prediction or indeed a person. Now as much as science and indeed that wondrous weekly tome of "new scientist" says about myth and divination it is indeed guilty of the same thing. How? Well mr editor of new scientist only this week did we receive the latest edition of your magazine your and your writers prediction for the uptake of new technologies and invention rate based on the numbers of inventions per year for the last x number of years. How is this different from what the diviners do, I ask? Many a reply will come saying "well its based on real numbers and real math's, etc" and I say to you that since when did a astrological chart not involve real numbers? Have you ever even tried to make a prediction? I think not. Yes neither have I, yet, but thats not to say that you are capable of criticizing what you see as a fake or pretend science, since your bleeding hypocrites. Everybody predicts the future to some extent, they think about what is going to happen and what they hope to happen, the diviner of course is trying that most pure of scientific methods, attempting the double blind test. How can you fail to make up a future thats your version of utopia? Well you can't. So thats what a diviner tries to achieve, a means of predicting the future without having any foreseen bias on there part. What could be more scientific? And of course there are different branches and so on, from tea leaves, to meditation, to reading books, looking at the stars and planets and there passing, and of course making theories as to how each predicts the future. Since when did science not do the same? Only 60 years ago there was no such thing as quantum theory, in fact we were almost certain there wasn't much more universe to discover, until the atom bomb blew that one apart. And of course each and every new theory has its criticizers, fans, ranters and of course everything in between. Not that I am saying that science is bad. Its a great thing, and I am not saying that astrology therefore is correct. Once again I find myself a in-between man, not quite believing one side, or the other. So I decided to run a little test. An experiment that would in my mind settle some of the barrier and well defended set of doubt and uncertainty that I have built up after years of being brought up as a atheist/agnostic. I decided to get my astrological prediction.
Aim:
The aim was purposefully non scientific. Now why? Well if I take a scientific approach every diviner out there will stop reading this rant right now and go to some entrails or charts they have been meaning to catch up on. Were as the scientists who are reading this will keep on reading simply because they want to be proved right anyway, scientific method or not. Well I hate to say it the conclusion is going to be to neither of your likings, but these rants are purposefully designed simply to make you think, feel, and possibly argue about your beliefs.
Method:
1. I entered a free horoscope site known as sara-freder.com and enterd the details that I needed to fill for my horoscope. See details.
2. The horoscope was to be sent to me within 24 hours (I am not sure if it was exact)
3. The only thing I was really interested in was her predications.
Details:
Gender: Mr
DOB: 23/9/21984 - 9:30
Name: Evan
Country: Australia
E-mail: Free Email address
Town: Canberra
No problems or likes specified
Conclusions:
1. The language on the site is very... Well lets say up-beat. I am certain that its actually this that most people protest to. For example "Just imagine what your life would be like if you could know ahead about all the positive events that are going to befall you." This is a prime example of the language that is used and I agree its sickening to everyone I can think of as my friend to hear this sort of stuff. It sounds very "fluffy bunny" sort of stuff. If your a astrologer, try and cut down on this, make your language sound less overacting and exaggerate less, even if this person has the best future ahead of them many a sceptic will take one look at this and say "what posh" and ignore your prediction completely. Not a very profitable or indeed useful result.
2. My lucky numbers? My lucky numbers? I knew that I would recive lucky numbers but it was not my aim to test these numbers now that there power have probably been completely reduced or some such argument I can reveal that they were 5, 17 and 27.
3. The predictions, and results:
On Thursday, December 09, 2004, I see you receiving some excellent news regarding friendship or romance:
Acutely yes I did. Because this is of a personal nature I won't reveal which friend or if romance did occur (well it didn't but hey I could pretend it did).
On Thursday, December 16, 2004, you will have an exceptional opportunity to change your life,
Yes I did, and to some extent I did change my life. Its been right twice!
On Monday, December 20, 2004, I see you receiving a significant amount of money,
Yes. Actually come to think of it this was the day that the letters containing all the money from various relatives arrived by mail on this day, I did not receive said money till the 25th, but it was money in potential. I certainly received more than I thought I would.
On Saturday, December 25, 2004, you will meet someone unexpectedly and it will turn into a relationship.
Nope sorry. This event did not happen on this day, yes I did meet someone unexpectedly and turn it into a relationship but not on this day. Prediction wrong on time basis.
On Tuesday, December 28, 2004, you will experience some new luck with money (this is a chance for you to bring wealth into your life…)
I never tested this, I got rid of some money actually, bought some books, but on interpretation the books were cheep and indeed worth 10000 words, and so in fact I could say that I did bring more wealth in my life, but no new luck with money as far as I can tell, so this one fails on logic.
I was also told that "Yes, Evan, in a few days, (Five to be exact) things will drastically change as though the slate was wiped clean. This will be your best chance to radically change your life." In those 5 days I did in fact do such a thing, but it the horoscope was not in my mind at the time. So so far we have had a 90% success rate, with a double blind test.
Now there was also a whole bunch about magic charts and certain archaic rituals that I was to perform to bring about some of the more hazy predictions. Now I am not knocking this belief, but the atheist in me has its religiousbullshitometter going off with all "master alarms" showing red. But doing some reading on the subject of rituals and there necessity for bringing about change, I can consider myself moderately educated in why they tell you to perform such things. The reason of course is to make you believe, not in the ritual, but in yourself. That is you should in fact start believing that you can bring about change in your life. Now why do you need to perform ritual to do this? Well as any good psychologist knows you have three definable levels of continuousness, you, yourself and id. Now this is not the formal name of them, and yes I could in theory find the article I read to bring you the proof, but I rather think if you have come this far and understood what I have said then you know perfectly well how to look it up. The you is your formal continuousness, ie the bit that knows your thinking, the bit thats doing the reading right now, the formal you. Its king of your rational domain. The next level is yourself, this is the real you. The part that is doing the interpretation and performing the actions, doing the more complicated bits that seem for no reason to suddenly happen sometimes and take years other times. The Id is the instinctive you, the part of you that works and runs on instinct. Its the bit that makes you squash a bug even if you know you don't want to, its the bit that punches back when you think your a pacifist, its the bit that is what can be accurately called the childlike you. This id takes a heck of a lot of convincing to make you change actions that are hurting or harming you. That is you have to work quite hard sometimes to try and get it to pay attention. You need your other two selves to work together to make it pay attention. Now if you have just read your horoscope for the first time the reason, I fathom is either you are trying it out for yourself or you are desperate. Desperate people generally want to change there life and performing strange ritual is generally the easiest way to convince them that they can actually change themselves, and make themselves change. Of course I am not sure how far into the lessons this is reading, or indeed it sara-freder does indeed take this sort of thing to hart when she does what she does.
4. Arguments against... So far we have only heard good things about sara-freder and horoscopes, and its time I stopped. I am a great fan of divination and yes I would rather like to learn how is done, just to see for-myself more than anything else. However there are a few arguments here that I can see forming in our readers who are not astrologers who are forming a few new and rather calm arguments. They are as follows:
This is all computer generated isn't it?:
Yes I thought this as well. It would not be hard to program a computer to form all of this text using perl, java and a few nice bits of astrological data that are occasionally updated. Now I am not out to prove that sara-freder is indeed computer generated, but I ask all of those who think this site gives accurate astrology to take what it says with a grain of salt. Its also emailed me with more astrological dates of late, none of which have occurred yet and are therefore untested.
This was not a scientific test, therefore there are not scientific results, therefore I can safely ignore it, etc:
Yes you can. I am not stopping you from rationalizing why this little test of mine went so well.
Its all interpretation:
This is a argument several of my friends came up with to dispute the results of the experiment as I was performing it. Why did I tell them? Well to find out what arguments there would be to write in the rant silly! This argument is true. Yes it is all interpretation. But what isn't? We all interpret and record and see things differently. In fact its one of these inaudible human traits that we have all come to know and love. Its all going to be based on interpretation even in a scientific experiment, it will be scientific interpretation.
Could this be means of forming a cult?:
Now this is one of the stranger things that people may use as a argument, but its in fact a rather good one. Yes you could form a site promising a new exiting way of predicting the future and giving you a new lease of life, making your own little horoscope scripts and then eventually making your own band of believers whom do your every whim. Its happened before it can happen again, but I rather doubt that sara-freder is attempting this at all. As far as I can tell she is simply a occultist who likes having her own business thats also her pleasure and your just jealous that we don't all get it that easy.
Paying for more info:
Yes sara-freder does ask you to give credit card details to charge you for more details and a better connection to sara-freder herself and in fact the pack that she apparently sends you (I have not tested this as I don't give out my credit card details to anyone knowing exactly how insecure this is and not being able explain why I am receiving mail from some strange horoscope site either) contains a special medallion and a few other odds and sods that are meant to improve your connection to sara-freder. Now many would argue that this means that she is likely to have you believing you can do anything in a few months time, however this is exactly the point, you being able to do what it is you want to do is exactly what the point is! Or is it? I don't chose to say that its right or wrong, but its certainly not either. I am not saying she is out to con you either. Hell from the details I gave her I could be anyone, I could be a mass murderer, and here she is trying to get me to make a spiritual connection to her. Thats extremely risky, don't you think? Astrally speaking? I don't know but her little package costs US$20 plus postage and apparently contains everything you need for a new lease on life.
Final conclusions?:
Well people can say that astrology is crap or good, or even say it accurately predicts many things, or non scientific. Its a psudoscience I agree and probably doesn't accurately predict things that often, however its as good as any other prediction of the future as far as I can tell. Were we not saying in 1995 that by 2004 we would all be living in space and using flying cars? I don't see many space dwellers or indeed cars that are flying. So I take even those apparently more accurate predictions of the future with a grain of salt. I personally think its probably best, if you want to predict the future or try and understand the past is to use as many methods as conveniently possible, formulate a means of integrating them, reading that prediction and then getting on with things in the clear and present. Or whatever you feel is right.
Enjoy the future.
Discuss this Journal entry [12]
Latest reply: Dec 30, 2004
Darakats' Christmas Rant
Posted Dec 22, 2004
Darakats' Christmas Rant
Now don't get me wrong. Christmas as a celebration is sometimes good. Yes the getting together of the family (even if you do hate the lot) and the celebration of the feast of yule (or indeed litha for us southern hemisphere people) are great traditions. However commercial interests have taken many of the traditions that some of us used to take to hart. They package them and make us into copies of copies of copies. I hate that. Much as I like seeing my uncle, and other assorted relatives, and getting gifts (and giving them even if I can't afford to), and so on. However this is all abstract, what is Christmas all about anyway? Today I shall attempt to find out.
Giving/getting gifts:
Gift giving is a euphoric feeling. Generally if you ask and give a gift you can get a buzz. Even if you are giving someone you don't like something. This is the reason to give a gift. So you can get a buzz. If you don't know what to get them, make them something or if you can't even do that, give them a big hug, no matter how bad they smell (if they smell bad the body shop is great). However there is no real reason this has to happen ONCE A YEAR! Give gifts and hugs as often as possible, rather than once a year. Just getting gifts will never make you feel right, I didn't and now I am broke trying to make it up to all those I have received gifts from all these years. It pays to give big, and get little I think. Makes you feel better. Even though you don't have so much stuff.
The Turkey:
As I dig into my all organic, all home prepared (well the Turkey was grown on a certified organic farm, but its pretty hard to keep turkey in your yard with a dog, and you know not actually knowing how to keep a turkey or indeed wanting to slaughter it) Turkey on Christmas lunch (lunch is more the tradition for us) I will be thinking of all of those who are unlucky enough to have not got any. Of those in war zones, or famine stricken countries, of those to poor and helpless, of those who can't eat turkey! But probably not those who wish not to. The turkey is such a reminding piece that if remembered in this way it should be kept. If however it is only a resemblance of you feasting your guts out on a poor defenseless bird killed before its prime as it "tastes" better then you have no shame in my mind. With herbs.
The Music:
Now I like a good tune. However these days the countless versions of "Jingle bells" and "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer" drive me truly batty! AH! Is it to much to ask that a man may be able to go about his yule time activities with some flanders and swan perhaps? or even (shock horror) the BEACH BOYS Monster Mash would be better than "Jingle Bells Rock" over and over and over (though not for very long). Store owners, if you play a selection of say 100 songs that are not Christmas over Christmas for me I will buy every item in your store to show my undying support!
The Date:
The date of Christmas is one of these things that as an agnostic (still but this may change in a year or so) like me finds weird. Considering its the date that apparently "christ" was born. Now I don't dispute this event, and I am sure Jesus was probably a good guy, but his birth is not something I really want to celebrate. Because as I say, necrothespianism is not my cup of tea. I don't like Christmas, but the date in my majority Christian country is a public holiday. Despite this I still think that the celebration of what I feel the better date, the summer solstice as best I can. Of course it would not be yule, since thats in winter. Also known as the Summer Solstice is also known as: Alban Heflin, Alben Heruin, All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feast of St. John the Baptist, Feill-Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Midsummer, Sonnwend, Thing-Tide, Vestalia, etc [1].
The Relatives:
This is the only time I get to see my really cool uncle and his really cool dog. Also I LIKE all my relatives. The majority may be conservatives but I can quickly avoid discussions that they can sometimes pick up "So Evan they say you play D&D" "Yes" "Oh." I think they just lack the effort really its no fun at all. I actually LIKE arguments at x-mas, but we never have them since, well we just don't. I have no idea why. We have a second cousin coming this year, maybe shes a right wing nut, or she could be more left wing than me (and according to policalcompass.org thats pretty hard) who knows! YAY! I am exited.
The Tree:
The tree is a tradition that stems from Germany (yes it does) and is immortalized in the song "Oh Christmas tree" or if your looking for the original "o Tannenbaum" germany is the best place to go. Of course this is a tradition that has even been placed in my great abode, were it is a 90cm tall (a conifer that only ever grows to a meter high) living breathing Christmas tree. Our decorations consist of 1 long piece or gold tinsel and one small gold decretive angel. Now call it minimalist if you like, but the tree is really a consumerist tradition. Every year hundreds of poor innocent conifers have been chopped down in the "need" for a tree. You don't need a tree, really you don't. I only put up with ours as its alive.
The Food:
I like the food, but there is sometimes a lot of waste involved. Waste is a major problem and at current quite a number of people like myself are trying to do the right thing, but there just isn't enough to go round. When you cut into your turkey, or deer, or octopus this xmass remember how many people there are who are not eating at all, and save a thought for them. Please give generously to a charity (any will do), and you will probably give someone else a decent Christmas and feel better.
So what is it all about?:
Well its just a celebration. A tradition. If you have to work or don't celebrate or indeed have better things to do, I would feel pity for you, if you actually want me to. However I would not be surprised at how many of you don't. And for those that do...
HAVE A MERRY GOOD OR INDIFFERENT WHATEVER IT IS YOU CELEBRATE OR DON'T!
Enjoy the whatever.
[1]. Religious Tolerance.org. (2004). Summer Solstice Celibrateions http://www.religioustolerance.org/summer_solstice.htm
Discuss this Journal entry [11]
Latest reply: Dec 22, 2004
A quick one while I am here
Posted Dec 22, 2004
I now have live-journal at
http://www.livejournal.com/users/darakat_ewr/
If you want to check it out.
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Dec 22, 2004
darakat - Now with pockets!
Researcher U200300
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