Adapted from a nightmare I had tonight:
I knew HE was coming again but I was older and wiser now. I could call upon all the guile that 33 years since it had happened now afforded me. I could not let him steal the same things from you.
I ran down the wet street my strides seeming smaller as I ran and he chased me, I turned up the narrow street of the old city and past the men I had hired to intercept him... and I kept running. I heard them call out through the light rain "we will take care of this one... run along now" I knew that you would soon be safe from him... and I kept running. I was smaller now for sure.
Eventually I made it to the doorway of the shop. The man who was the boss of the other men I had hired, greeted me in gleeful haste asking if I had the components for him... I reached into the pockets of the coat that was now so large on me and pulled out the package for him. He didn't need to mix anything or chant, he just kicked open an azure painted wall to reveal a contraption which had a large wheel that he cranked twice with grand, fluid gestures. Then he tossed my package in the top and the sky opened up making the street even more wet and filling the air with a loud hiss from the hard rain. Even with all the noise when he leaned in close and spoke I could hear him as if it was snowing instead. "it's done, he is gone. The one you were protecting is safe."
I sat down in the chair he offered me rain falling on us both. I was so small now, so helpless and young, very hansom in my youth like I used to be... like you would be some day. "Do you hear the music coming from upstairs? Would you like to come up for a while and get dry?" Something was wrong with me... I was having trouble moving or speaking. I started to tell him that I was leaving but he reached out and I recoiled and froze as he touched my face... I could not move and I was falling backwards in my chair at an impossibly slow rate. I now understood that the money I had paid was only part of the price... I was helpless, powerless, young, beautiful and in the control of another man with no empathy for my horror.
I felt myself being carried away... but I knew you were safe.
Creepy I know... But thats how my brain works when I fall asleep in my office chair!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Crafty Spartan
Where the lion's skin falls short it must be eked out with the fox's.
—Lysander
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysander
—Lysander
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysander
Monday, November 30, 2009
Technology Run Amok!
Actually it is kinda cool... It would have been cooler used in a Laurie Anderson show though. heh.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Questions on symmetry and the Alhambra
I wanted to jot down some notes about something I want to teach Jamieson someday and I am too tired to do the research right now... I worked all night and need to nap while I can so I can take care of him when he wakes up shortly so I am posting my questions/notes here for "future Doc" to remember and answer.
Who Was the scientist that described Symmetry?
How many total symmetries are there?
Did the moorish artists find all the possible Symmetries?
When was it built?
Did the Alhambra pre-date the science of symmetry and by how much?
Was Esher inspired by the Alhambra or other structures like it?
From Wikipedia:
M. C. Escher's visit in 1922 inspired his following work on regular divisions of the plane after studying the Moorish use of symmetry in the Alhambra tiles.
Who Was the scientist that described Symmetry?
How many total symmetries are there?
Did the moorish artists find all the possible Symmetries?
When was it built?
Did the Alhambra pre-date the science of symmetry and by how much?
Was Esher inspired by the Alhambra or other structures like it?
From Wikipedia:
M. C. Escher's visit in 1922 inspired his following work on regular divisions of the plane after studying the Moorish use of symmetry in the Alhambra tiles.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Aesop's Fables
Today I wondered if children still read these or if they are considered passe, boring or just plain out of date for the real world. I mean hell, they are over 140 charters long and the graphics SUCK!
I hope they are still taught. I recall that they shaped my thinking quite a bit as a young person. It might help to explain some of the difference in attitudes I see in myself when compared to people younger than me if they had fallen out of common use. By that I mean that sometimes I seem pretty extreme compared to the more relaxed and sometimes more "reasonable for modern times" mores of others. I wish I didn't worry so much about paying for the software and media I use and consume for example. But I do.
As I recall, we sort of lived and died by them as a kid. We read them all the time and studied what they were meant to teach. I wonder if schools would even do that now. Is that crossing a line these days? I guess I will find out soon enough. : )
But I won't wait. I plan to reacquaint myself with the dear old Aesop and introduce my son to the fables as soon as it is appropriate.
http://aesopfables.com/aesopsel.html
http://www.aesops-fables.org.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop's_Fables
I hope they are still taught. I recall that they shaped my thinking quite a bit as a young person. It might help to explain some of the difference in attitudes I see in myself when compared to people younger than me if they had fallen out of common use. By that I mean that sometimes I seem pretty extreme compared to the more relaxed and sometimes more "reasonable for modern times" mores of others. I wish I didn't worry so much about paying for the software and media I use and consume for example. But I do.
As I recall, we sort of lived and died by them as a kid. We read them all the time and studied what they were meant to teach. I wonder if schools would even do that now. Is that crossing a line these days? I guess I will find out soon enough. : )
But I won't wait. I plan to reacquaint myself with the dear old Aesop and introduce my son to the fables as soon as it is appropriate.
http://aesopfables.com/aesopsel.html
http://www.aesops-fables.org.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop's_Fables
Friday, June 12, 2009
Bakery Lies
Muffins are merely cupcakes that offer the person consuming them some measure of plausible deniability.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Oh Noes! The Web May Not Be Free For Me To Harrass People!
Yeah, well it never was...
People are in a bunch over a bill that attempts to address "cyber bullying". Yes, as does most attempts to police the web, it has flaws... and probably should never have been drafted. Here is a thought. Use the existing laws and social norms to stop people who hide behind false identity and anonymity on the web to harass people.
All it would take is for us to admit that IT'S NOT REALLY NEW OR DIFFERENT! The web is not magic... good lord, people read to much William Gibson or something! "Ha Ha! I have done something vile but you will never find me because I have escaped into the INTERNET!" : )
It is just a way of communicating... in a few years it will be as thrilling as a CD ROM.
Here is my post to people up in arms over it on a popular news aggregation site...
Regardless of foolish attempts at legislation, I believe that the distinction should be that you never say anything that you would not say directly to a persons face or in a public place... hiding behind a false persona on the internet just proves cowardice. Only the people that post know for sure if what they type is really in their "own voice". If people took the time to be honest with themselves then we would not have gotten to this point.
For 15 years I have argued for more civilized behavior on the web as I have watched people become more brazen and spiteful. Saying crap and even pulling stunts that simply intend to injure others. The web could have REMAINED open and free longer before this sort of thing started... but what so many people don't get is that the stupid ass "wild west" behavior is one thing that will be used as an excuse to eventually bring down the hammer. Look at history and you will see examples.
Do you think THIS technology is beyond control? (from the comments here I can see many do) Sadly, no... powerful people are just waiting for the right time to take control of it. Most likely when it will make a small hand full of those people the most money to lock it down. At that time the law will be brought into play to suit their needs... and not just in the U.S. The crazy thing is... many people who use the web are giving them all the ammunition they need.
Mark my words, as we speak, interesting information about you and everything you have ever uttered on the internet is being collected by several entities. Hell, most people are GIVING it to commercial databases. How many "top 5 surveys" have you taken this month? Even if you are sorta careful and they have not de-anonymized your 16 different online "personalities" now... they will in the future. The data is too intriguing and valuable. Never before in history have so many people revealed so much about themselves. When people act badly... that is useful not from a marketing standpoint... but from a control standpoint. "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" But then, its hard to see them as evil since you can hardly blame them for using the club that the users of the web put in their hands. Ugh.
Do a search for "de-anonymize" and consider that if the University Of Texas is doing this publicly, think about what the capabilities of more nefarious organizations might be.
Good luck everyone... and remember to play nice.
Pulling back the curtain on "anonymous" Twitterers
Oh, and by cross posting that, I just TOTALY de-anonymized myself! lol Thats all it takes. Posting any portion of my own text in 2 places would be a HUGE ping in an engine designed to figure out who people on "popular news aggregation sites" are. : )
I don't care HOW careful you are... some unfeeling piece of software will figure out all your secrets someday... best to plan ahead and act accordingly.
People are in a bunch over a bill that attempts to address "cyber bullying". Yes, as does most attempts to police the web, it has flaws... and probably should never have been drafted. Here is a thought. Use the existing laws and social norms to stop people who hide behind false identity and anonymity on the web to harass people.
All it would take is for us to admit that IT'S NOT REALLY NEW OR DIFFERENT! The web is not magic... good lord, people read to much William Gibson or something! "Ha Ha! I have done something vile but you will never find me because I have escaped into the INTERNET!" : )
It is just a way of communicating... in a few years it will be as thrilling as a CD ROM.
Here is my post to people up in arms over it on a popular news aggregation site...
Regardless of foolish attempts at legislation, I believe that the distinction should be that you never say anything that you would not say directly to a persons face or in a public place... hiding behind a false persona on the internet just proves cowardice. Only the people that post know for sure if what they type is really in their "own voice". If people took the time to be honest with themselves then we would not have gotten to this point.
For 15 years I have argued for more civilized behavior on the web as I have watched people become more brazen and spiteful. Saying crap and even pulling stunts that simply intend to injure others. The web could have REMAINED open and free longer before this sort of thing started... but what so many people don't get is that the stupid ass "wild west" behavior is one thing that will be used as an excuse to eventually bring down the hammer. Look at history and you will see examples.
Do you think THIS technology is beyond control? (from the comments here I can see many do) Sadly, no... powerful people are just waiting for the right time to take control of it. Most likely when it will make a small hand full of those people the most money to lock it down. At that time the law will be brought into play to suit their needs... and not just in the U.S. The crazy thing is... many people who use the web are giving them all the ammunition they need.
Mark my words, as we speak, interesting information about you and everything you have ever uttered on the internet is being collected by several entities. Hell, most people are GIVING it to commercial databases. How many "top 5 surveys" have you taken this month? Even if you are sorta careful and they have not de-anonymized your 16 different online "personalities" now... they will in the future. The data is too intriguing and valuable. Never before in history have so many people revealed so much about themselves. When people act badly... that is useful not from a marketing standpoint... but from a control standpoint. "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" But then, its hard to see them as evil since you can hardly blame them for using the club that the users of the web put in their hands. Ugh.
Do a search for "de-anonymize" and consider that if the University Of Texas is doing this publicly, think about what the capabilities of more nefarious organizations might be.
Good luck everyone... and remember to play nice.
Pulling back the curtain on "anonymous" Twitterers
Oh, and by cross posting that, I just TOTALY de-anonymized myself! lol Thats all it takes. Posting any portion of my own text in 2 places would be a HUGE ping in an engine designed to figure out who people on "popular news aggregation sites" are. : )
I don't care HOW careful you are... some unfeeling piece of software will figure out all your secrets someday... best to plan ahead and act accordingly.
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