Friday, July 20, 2007
Fun With Fractals
This image is not all fractal, I think, but definitely partially, as evidenced by the repetition of form you get when you zoom in on it. Here are three different zoom levels. Amazing.
Photos on canvas
Bill Atkinson is now offering photo prints on canvas. Sounds like a good idea to me.
I just got his book Within The Stone.
I just got his book Within The Stone.
Fast internet
A residential connection which can download a movie in two seconds!
Lord knows I could use that. The connections around here suck butt. I am paying for two supposedly good connections. And just today, the DSL connection kept crapping out on me (disconnecting), while the cable connection was downloading at around 15k, which is totally painful. It took me three hours to download a 85MB file.
I don't understand why the two connections are sometimes problematic at the same time, one is on the phone network and the other is on the cable TV network. Totally unrelated, so I would think.
Lord knows I could use that. The connections around here suck butt. I am paying for two supposedly good connections. And just today, the DSL connection kept crapping out on me (disconnecting), while the cable connection was downloading at around 15k, which is totally painful. It took me three hours to download a 85MB file.
I don't understand why the two connections are sometimes problematic at the same time, one is on the phone network and the other is on the cable TV network. Totally unrelated, so I would think.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Influencing hearts and minds
Thanks to Timo for pointing to a very interesting article about how groups and individuals influence minds and make converts.
It is written by a hypnotist who is giving away the secrets of powerful speakers.
A quote:
"Over the years, I've conducted professional seminars to teach people to be hypnotists, trainers, and counsellors. I've had many of those who conduct trainings and rallies come to me and say, "I'm here because I know that what I'm doing works, but I don't know why." After showing them how and why, many have gotten out of the business or have decided to approach it differently or in a much more loving and supportive manner.
Many of these trainers have become personal friends, and it scares us all to have experienced the power of one person with a microphone and a room full of people. Add a little charisma and you can count on a high percentage of conversions. The sad truth is that a high percentage of people want to give-away their power--they are true "believers"!"
It is written by a hypnotist who is giving away the secrets of powerful speakers.
A quote:
"Over the years, I've conducted professional seminars to teach people to be hypnotists, trainers, and counsellors. I've had many of those who conduct trainings and rallies come to me and say, "I'm here because I know that what I'm doing works, but I don't know why." After showing them how and why, many have gotten out of the business or have decided to approach it differently or in a much more loving and supportive manner.
Many of these trainers have become personal friends, and it scares us all to have experienced the power of one person with a microphone and a room full of people. Add a little charisma and you can count on a high percentage of conversions. The sad truth is that a high percentage of people want to give-away their power--they are true "believers"!"
Green Lines, Popart
I'm beginning to use more features of the software. It's amazing, it's like there's an infinite picture/universe you can scroll around in and zoom in and out of, totally changing the picture. And that's even without changing the settings and origins of the image.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
Warmly recommended. One of the most seminal, funny, and quirky films I've seen in years.
It also has, if you care to look for them, many good points to make. For instance about child beauty pageants. Apparently, and I can certainly believe this, the typical parent who pushes their children in these things are the Midwestern uptight types who are so scared of sex and anything progressive that I bet they have to take a laxative every week to have any bowel movements at all.
What they naturally can't see at all is that this terror of sex is exactly what ends up creating something like child beauty pageants, where seven-year-old girls come on stage and look for all the world like walking Barbie dolls, the tan variety (due to loads of spray-on tan). Inches of make-up and dead-sexual costumes. It... is... creeeeepy!
Hesitating
Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation.
-- Thomas H. Huxley
Bollox. If you're just about to hit a toddler with a brick, by all means hesitate.
Leviathud weighed in:
From personal experience, too much of my time has been wasted hesitating and worrying about the worst of possible consequences. Life would have been much more interesting had I, to paraphrase a slogan, "just done it".
eolake said...
My point is that sayings like "He who hesitates is lost" apply well to a frontier world with bears and so on. In a real civilization mature thought is often necessary on complex issues.
... I've looked up the author of the quote, and like I suspected, he lived in the old west, and was a man of the type who would also proudly say: "The great end of life is not knowledge but action" (an actual quote of his.) In other words a "rugged individual" type. Very valuable type in society, but not the only type needed. Thoughtful types are needed too.
Paul noted:
Seems to me anyone who always and consistently behaves one way or the other -- either always acts or always hesitates -- isn't paying much attention to the circumstances he's in and whether those circumstances demand one or the other course.
-- Thomas H. Huxley
Bollox. If you're just about to hit a toddler with a brick, by all means hesitate.
Leviathud weighed in:
From personal experience, too much of my time has been wasted hesitating and worrying about the worst of possible consequences. Life would have been much more interesting had I, to paraphrase a slogan, "just done it".
eolake said...
My point is that sayings like "He who hesitates is lost" apply well to a frontier world with bears and so on. In a real civilization mature thought is often necessary on complex issues.
... I've looked up the author of the quote, and like I suspected, he lived in the old west, and was a man of the type who would also proudly say: "The great end of life is not knowledge but action" (an actual quote of his.) In other words a "rugged individual" type. Very valuable type in society, but not the only type needed. Thoughtful types are needed too.
Paul noted:
Seems to me anyone who always and consistently behaves one way or the other -- either always acts or always hesitates -- isn't paying much attention to the circumstances he's in and whether those circumstances demand one or the other course.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
"Minigun"
A "Minigun" (machine gun) in an SUV.
Apart from wondering how the f**k you can build a thing which can fire up to 100 rounds per second, I can only think: these are evil inventions. They are clearly not meant to mow down soldiers: soldiers don't stand around in large crowds waiting to be mowed down. They are meant to mow down civilians, and wars like Vietnam has shown us that that is what they are used for, for getting those civilians that the napalm did not get. Evil inventions.
Alex chimes in:
Interesting movie clip.
You'll notice that the vehicle used was a GMC, probably a Yukon, a sibling to the suburban, which is commonly used by enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA (drive around DC). You will also see that the car was equipped with a 911 lighting package, blue lights behind the radiator. Again suggesting this be used for a law enforcement application.
I can see how early machine guns were used for high repeat rate of fire, which obviated the need for accuracy, and in trench warfare, urban and guerrilla warfare, it makes sense (not that war makes sense). However, seeing machine guns mounted on jeeps as used by the militia world wide, it is obvious that the intended target is not an invading army, but civil unrest, the general populace.
This weapon of war has no right trying to present itself as an enforcement vehicle. It would not have helped on 9/11, it would not have helped Lockerbie, Manchester, Warrington, Atlanta or any of the other towns where terrorist have struck.
Back to me:
No kidding. Here in UK, even in peaceful little Bolton, the police have sometimes made a point of walking a couple of guys through town in riot gear and machine guns... My question is: even if there is a bank robbery or whatever... you're going to "keep peace" with machine guns?
TTL elaborates:
The best answer I know of as to why arms get manufactured in the U.S. and why America is obsessed with war is put forward by Eugene Jarecki in his film Why We Fight (2006).
The film re-introduces the concept "Military-Industrial Complex" of which President Dwight Eisenhower warned about.
Jarecki is very intelligent in his arguments and the film is excellently directed -- possibly the best documentary on this subject.
"The message here is that while there may be some who sincerely believe that America's various military engagements (in Iraq, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and elsewhere) since World War II are the product of our God-given duty to spread freedom and halt the influence of evil ideologies around the world, the real reason we fight is that war is good business."
Alex added:
I just remembered an old SciFi movie where they introduced an anti-terrorist helicopter gunship to the police force.
The film is "Blue Thunder" and it was set in LA just before the Olympic games were to be held there. The film looked at invasion of privacy, police state and the use of military grade weaponry in the policing arena.
Of course, everyone (TV Producers, TV Audience) thought the helicopter was cool, and there was a follow series where the hero did lots of daring deeds and rescued people, but the film ended with the pilot deciding it was a bad thing and he trashed the 'copter.
Meandering onto the American love of guns and weaponry, look at Lego's "Dino Attack" series of a few years ago, the heroes had "stun "weapons to disable the dinos, they looked like guns and missiles on the toys. Now look at every other countries Lego catalogues, you'lll see "Dino 2010", where the same trucks and helicopters came with lassos, cages and grabber claws, but not a single gun.
Sad statement about the country I chose to raise kids in.
Apart from wondering how the f**k you can build a thing which can fire up to 100 rounds per second, I can only think: these are evil inventions. They are clearly not meant to mow down soldiers: soldiers don't stand around in large crowds waiting to be mowed down. They are meant to mow down civilians, and wars like Vietnam has shown us that that is what they are used for, for getting those civilians that the napalm did not get. Evil inventions.
Alex chimes in:
Interesting movie clip.
You'll notice that the vehicle used was a GMC, probably a Yukon, a sibling to the suburban, which is commonly used by enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA (drive around DC). You will also see that the car was equipped with a 911 lighting package, blue lights behind the radiator. Again suggesting this be used for a law enforcement application.
I can see how early machine guns were used for high repeat rate of fire, which obviated the need for accuracy, and in trench warfare, urban and guerrilla warfare, it makes sense (not that war makes sense). However, seeing machine guns mounted on jeeps as used by the militia world wide, it is obvious that the intended target is not an invading army, but civil unrest, the general populace.
This weapon of war has no right trying to present itself as an enforcement vehicle. It would not have helped on 9/11, it would not have helped Lockerbie, Manchester, Warrington, Atlanta or any of the other towns where terrorist have struck.
Back to me:
No kidding. Here in UK, even in peaceful little Bolton, the police have sometimes made a point of walking a couple of guys through town in riot gear and machine guns... My question is: even if there is a bank robbery or whatever... you're going to "keep peace" with machine guns?
TTL elaborates:
The best answer I know of as to why arms get manufactured in the U.S. and why America is obsessed with war is put forward by Eugene Jarecki in his film Why We Fight (2006).
The film re-introduces the concept "Military-Industrial Complex" of which President Dwight Eisenhower warned about.
Jarecki is very intelligent in his arguments and the film is excellently directed -- possibly the best documentary on this subject.
"The message here is that while there may be some who sincerely believe that America's various military engagements (in Iraq, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and elsewhere) since World War II are the product of our God-given duty to spread freedom and halt the influence of evil ideologies around the world, the real reason we fight is that war is good business."
Alex added:
I just remembered an old SciFi movie where they introduced an anti-terrorist helicopter gunship to the police force.
The film is "Blue Thunder" and it was set in LA just before the Olympic games were to be held there. The film looked at invasion of privacy, police state and the use of military grade weaponry in the policing arena.
Of course, everyone (TV Producers, TV Audience) thought the helicopter was cool, and there was a follow series where the hero did lots of daring deeds and rescued people, but the film ended with the pilot deciding it was a bad thing and he trashed the 'copter.
Meandering onto the American love of guns and weaponry, look at Lego's "Dino Attack" series of a few years ago, the heroes had "stun "weapons to disable the dinos, they looked like guns and missiles on the toys. Now look at every other countries Lego catalogues, you'lll see "Dino 2010", where the same trucks and helicopters came with lassos, cages and grabber claws, but not a single gun.
Sad statement about the country I chose to raise kids in.
Françoise Hardy - Tous les garçons et les filles
Françoise Hardy - Tous les garçons et les filles
Even in my native Denmark we were played this song in French in high school in the late seventies. It seems it's been used by French teachers all over the world. Good choice.
My only problem was mustering sufficient suspension of disbelief to be able to believe that somebody looking like her could not find anybody to hold her hand and look in her eyes.
I remember my class mates laughed when I asked our teacher how old Françoise was. Heck, it was purely intellectual interest, I swear!
... I am just realizing that this is one of the songs I heard once over thirty years ago, and which I am still singing occasionally. Admittedly some of the French lyrics went a bit haywire.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Marilyn Monroe - The Diamond Collection
Marilyn Monroe - The Diamond Collection
Sadly Amazon US does not have a similar offer, but I wanted to alert my European readers to Amazon UK selling this collection for sixteen pounds. That's eleven DVDs for the price of one or two! A good offer in anybody's book. (I don't think anybody is making any money on this one. Must be a loss leader of some sort?)
Admittedly the collection does not include my favorite Marilyn film Some Like It Hot, but it does include another fine comedy (and an overlooked one), Monkey Business, and it has many of her films I have never seen, or not for decades.
Update:
OK, not really a "downside" as much as an irriation point, but: the physical DVD package includes some of the dumbest design decisions I've seen. Each DVD has a different face shot of Marilyn instead of a picture from the movie on it. OK, I could live with that. But then the only hint of which movie is actually on the disc is in the tiny, tiny text along the edge of the disk. I have to have really good light to even read it. And it gets worse: there are two packages because of there being eleven discs. And each package has a large, clear list of films. But get this: the list is for the other package. Geez Louize!
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