Slashdot Mirror

Jains rock.

Why yes, Mr. Beast, I'd be glad to accept your mark! What? You say you want me to bow down before your graven image? Oh, 'tis not a problem at all!

It's really cool.

Imagine you add a saturday night special to the helicopter and you send a million of these things sweeping into Iraq. Now the only problem is finding enough trained pilots.

Wait. Scratch that thought. I just had a vision of a million, unsupervised 14 year old boys in control of armed, remote control helicopters.

You could give the 14-year-olds unarmed reconnaisance helicopters and have them check out buildings and caves. If they find any potential targets, then we could give them a coupon for a free small soda.

Click here for more information.

Fiction:

Spiders, Part 1: A group of Afghan women have had it up to here with the Taliban...

Spiders, Part 2: US civilians take part in the hunt for OBL and document history by means of massively-distributed, networked, robots, called "spiders", which are airdropped en masse around the countryside.

(I'm still looking forward to Part 3...)

Non-fiction:

Omnicam - a 360-degree camera. One application of which is to mount in a system like...

LOTS: Lehigh Omnidirectional Tracking System, a system whereby autonomous cameras can be dropped around hell's half-acre and human operators alerted when something "interesting" happens.

Sounds a lot like "Spiders", come to think of it. I wonder if this is where the artist got the idea for the strip?

Fiction:

Spiders, Part 1: A group of Afghan women have had it up to here with the Taliban...

Spiders, Part 2: US civilians take part in the hunt for OBL and document history by means of massively-distributed, networked, robots, called "spiders", which are airdropped en masse around the countryside.

(I'm still looking forward to Part 3...)

Non-fiction:

Omnicam - a 360-degree camera. One application of which is to mount in a system like...

LOTS: Lehigh Omnidirectional Tracking System, a system whereby autonomous cameras can be dropped around hell's half-acre and human operators alerted when something "interesting" happens.

Sounds a lot like "Spiders", come to think of it. I wonder if this is where the artist got the idea for the strip?

Fiction:

Spiders, Part 1: A group of Afghan women have had it up to here with the Taliban...

Spiders, Part 2: US civilians take part in the hunt for OBL and document history by means of massively-distributed, networked, robots, called "spiders", which are airdropped en masse around the countryside.

(I'm still looking forward to Part 3...)

Non-fiction:

Omnicam - a 360-degree camera. One application of which is to mount in a system like...

LOTS: Lehigh Omnidirectional Tracking System, a system whereby autonomous cameras can be dropped around hell's half-acre and human operators alerted when something "interesting" happens.

Sounds a lot like "Spiders", come to think of it. I wonder if this is where the artist got the idea for the strip?

Granted, it's hosted on e-sheep, which was mentioned in the article, but The Guy I Almost Was has to be about the best long form web comic I've read. No stupid gimicks like horizontal scrolling, just good story telling. (God I tried to read that Egyptian comic but gave up because it was too damned annoying.)

Read it. It's good.

I think that people respect us - and that, to me, is one of the most valuable things someone can give you. I don't think that people really respect the entertainment industry. For the most part, its because they have a tendency to not respect thier audience. They continually betray the faith of the public every single day in so many ways it's abhorrent to me. I watched a thing the other day on how the top 5 media companies in the US literally milk the young population for everything they can. Young people trust them, and when all is said and done, all young people get is a little older and huge credit card debts. And some people wonder why young people are so cynical and full of rage. If your emotions were in the hands of people who were only interested in making as much money off of you as possible, wouldnt you feel pissy too?

Basically, I like quality. A friend of mine told me about MegaTokyo. I didn't look at their web site, despite glowing reviews. Then another friend recommended it. Then another. I decided, "Hm, I think I'll look at this." Hey! Guess what? It's one of the best web comics I've ever read, right up there with electric sheep and Scott McCloud's stuff.

Speaking of McCloud- I've paid for his content. I bought it off line, but if it were online, I'd pay for it there too. Whoah! Wait! I have paid for it online! There you go.

The Internet is a total success for content. Just a bunch of people are saying, "There went my revenue", and proclaiming it as a disaster.

Whatever. I'm going to go back to the MegaTokyo forums now...

And soon Jack Chick will be burning in Hell. Douglas Adams need not worry, God has a divine sense of humor. Jack Chick - This is your death! http://198.182.127.234/~weirdcrap/chick/dtr/dtr.ht ml As for God... well, this is how I view God. http://198.182.127.234/~weirdcrap/chick/judge/judg e.html Jack Chick Parody http://lefty.simplenet.com/chick/ http://198.182.127.234/~weirdcrap/chick/ http://www.fecundity.com/darkdung/ http://www.e-sheep.com/Saturnalia/ Jack Chick Plot Generator http://www.vodex.btinternet.co.uk/chick/ Commentary on Chick http://www.morons.org/chick/gayblade.php3 What Jack Chick REALLY believes http://www.interestingideas.com/ii/chick.htm Jack's Biography (Nutty as Rev. Fred Phelps) http://www.chick.com/information/authors/chick.asp A more balanced biography http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/library/ nosearch/printable/blp_aa100799.htm

There has always been a money element to geekiness. Computers cost money, and, in computers, geek value often equals cost. MIT has a lot of geeks, but well funded geeks - have you seen the cost of undergraduate tuition? The space program, one of the geekiest endeavors ever, was only possible because the Russians were trying to do it, and was funded with billions of tax dollars.

We often act like we are entering some geek utopia, that our technology is freeing us from the constraints of the body and letting us live in the empire of the mind. Instead, it is simply a good economy, and the money from a middle-class lifestyle that fuels our current lifestyles. It's often about the gadgets, not the knowledge, and when it is about the knowledge, you often have to spend $200 at O'Reilly just to get the basic knowledge to understand the free guides.

For an interesting take on the subject, check out The Guy I Almost Was, a web comic at e-sheep. It takes some time and a little bandwidth, but is well-worth the read.

There has always been a money element to geekiness. Computers cost money, and, in computers, geek value often equals cost. MIT has a lot of geeks, but well funded geeks - have you seen the cost of undergraduate tuition? The space program, one of the geekiest endeavors ever, was only possible because the Russians were trying to do it, and was funded with billions of tax dollars.

We often act like we are entering some geek utopia, that our technology is freeing us from the constraints of the body and letting us live in the empire of the mind. Instead, it is simply a good economy, and the money from a middle-class lifestyle that fuels our current lifestyles. It's often about the gadgets, not the knowledge, and when it is about the knowledge, you often have to spend $200 at O'Reilly just to get the basic knowledge to understand the free guides.

For an interesting take on the subject, check out The Guy I Almost Was, a web comic at e-sheep. It takes some time and a little bandwidth, but is well-worth the read.

I should have included this with the last email... These are awesome links.

First, some from electric sheep, a very socially conscious, interesting, and humerous collection of comics.

• The Guy I Almost Was - everyone who works with technology and OpenSource/Free Software should read this, to get a sense of how some of our idealistic roots came.
• Rush Limbaugh Eats Everything - Rush Limbaugh does Reality shows, and decides to eat... The LAST Spotted Owl.
• The Jain's Death - An insightful and beautiful story on a Jain's lives.
• Overheard at a Rave - A cute story about a daughter who takes her father to a rave with her.

Here are two Scott McCloud links. Scott McClouds greatest works, unfortunately, are not online: Understanding Comics, and Reinventing Comics. Get them at a comic store near you, or at BarnesAndNoble.com. Here's some of his online work, which are of exceptional quality:

• I Can't Stop Thinking! A meta-comic, also by Scott McCloud. Very interesting ideas are expressed here.
• Scott McCloud's "Hearts And Minds" - not my favorite online comic, but a good taste of Scott McCloud's web form, doing things that could *NEVER* have been done in print. (Such as the falling scene in Week 3.)

Finally, Unicorn Jelly, for those who love science, mathematics, and anime. Be sure to check out the alternative time lines, and the powers of ten map of the universe of tryslmaistan.

I should have included this with the last email... These are awesome links.

First, some from electric sheep, a very socially conscious, interesting, and humerous collection of comics.

• The Guy I Almost Was - everyone who works with technology and OpenSource/Free Software should read this, to get a sense of how some of our idealistic roots came.
• Rush Limbaugh Eats Everything - Rush Limbaugh does Reality shows, and decides to eat... The LAST Spotted Owl.
• The Jain's Death - An insightful and beautiful story on a Jain's lives.
• Overheard at a Rave - A cute story about a daughter who takes her father to a rave with her.

Here are two Scott McCloud links. Scott McClouds greatest works, unfortunately, are not online: Understanding Comics, and Reinventing Comics. Get them at a comic store near you, or at BarnesAndNoble.com. Here's some of his online work, which are of exceptional quality:

• I Can't Stop Thinking! A meta-comic, also by Scott McCloud. Very interesting ideas are expressed here.
• Scott McCloud's "Hearts And Minds" - not my favorite online comic, but a good taste of Scott McCloud's web form, doing things that could *NEVER* have been done in print. (Such as the falling scene in Week 3.)

Finally, Unicorn Jelly, for those who love science, mathematics, and anime. Be sure to check out the alternative time lines, and the powers of ten map of the universe of tryslmaistan.

I should have included this with the last email... These are awesome links.

First, some from electric sheep, a very socially conscious, interesting, and humerous collection of comics.

• The Guy I Almost Was - everyone who works with technology and OpenSource/Free Software should read this, to get a sense of how some of our idealistic roots came.
• Rush Limbaugh Eats Everything - Rush Limbaugh does Reality shows, and decides to eat... The LAST Spotted Owl.
• The Jain's Death - An insightful and beautiful story on a Jain's lives.
• Overheard at a Rave - A cute story about a daughter who takes her father to a rave with her.

Here are two Scott McCloud links. Scott McClouds greatest works, unfortunately, are not online: Understanding Comics, and Reinventing Comics. Get them at a comic store near you, or at BarnesAndNoble.com. Here's some of his online work, which are of exceptional quality:

• I Can't Stop Thinking! A meta-comic, also by Scott McCloud. Very interesting ideas are expressed here.
• Scott McCloud's "Hearts And Minds" - not my favorite online comic, but a good taste of Scott McCloud's web form, doing things that could *NEVER* have been done in print. (Such as the falling scene in Week 3.)

Finally, Unicorn Jelly, for those who love science, mathematics, and anime. Be sure to check out the alternative time lines, and the powers of ten map of the universe of tryslmaistan.

I should have included this with the last email... These are awesome links.

First, some from electric sheep, a very socially conscious, interesting, and humerous collection of comics.

• The Guy I Almost Was - everyone who works with technology and OpenSource/Free Software should read this, to get a sense of how some of our idealistic roots came.
• Rush Limbaugh Eats Everything - Rush Limbaugh does Reality shows, and decides to eat... The LAST Spotted Owl.
• The Jain's Death - An insightful and beautiful story on a Jain's lives.
• Overheard at a Rave - A cute story about a daughter who takes her father to a rave with her.

Here are two Scott McCloud links. Scott McClouds greatest works, unfortunately, are not online: Understanding Comics, and Reinventing Comics. Get them at a comic store near you, or at BarnesAndNoble.com. Here's some of his online work, which are of exceptional quality:

• I Can't Stop Thinking! A meta-comic, also by Scott McCloud. Very interesting ideas are expressed here.
• Scott McCloud's "Hearts And Minds" - not my favorite online comic, but a good taste of Scott McCloud's web form, doing things that could *NEVER* have been done in print. (Such as the falling scene in Week 3.)

Finally, Unicorn Jelly, for those who love science, mathematics, and anime. Be sure to check out the alternative time lines, and the powers of ten map of the universe of tryslmaistan.

I should have included this with the last email... These are awesome links.

First, some from electric sheep, a very socially conscious, interesting, and humerous collection of comics.

• The Guy I Almost Was - everyone who works with technology and OpenSource/Free Software should read this, to get a sense of how some of our idealistic roots came.
• Rush Limbaugh Eats Everything - Rush Limbaugh does Reality shows, and decides to eat... The LAST Spotted Owl.
• The Jain's Death - An insightful and beautiful story on a Jain's lives.
• Overheard at a Rave - A cute story about a daughter who takes her father to a rave with her.

Here are two Scott McCloud links. Scott McClouds greatest works, unfortunately, are not online: Understanding Comics, and Reinventing Comics. Get them at a comic store near you, or at BarnesAndNoble.com. Here's some of his online work, which are of exceptional quality:

• I Can't Stop Thinking! A meta-comic, also by Scott McCloud. Very interesting ideas are expressed here.
• Scott McCloud's "Hearts And Minds" - not my favorite online comic, but a good taste of Scott McCloud's web form, doing things that could *NEVER* have been done in print. (Such as the falling scene in Week 3.)

Finally, Unicorn Jelly, for those who love science, mathematics, and anime. Be sure to check out the alternative time lines, and the powers of ten map of the universe of tryslmaistan.

Drawn into a debate by what sounds like a troll... But anyway.

Christmas is a holiday based on many of the traditions of numerous european pagan religions, many of which go back prior to ancient Greek civilization. Now unless Christ was around prior to 500BCE, there is no way that Christmas was originally about Christ, no matter what the name has to do with it.

Personally, I myself am and agnostic buddhist, but before that I spent a fiarly significant amoutn of time (about 5 years) studying the religions of the world (just to see what every side had to say).

First, if you hold the "shepherds guarding their sheep" part of the Christ's birth story to be true, then you should also realize that the only time shepherds guard their sheep are in the spring. In the middle of the first millennium CE (about the year 500 or so) the still young Catholic Church decided that if they could not stop people from celebrating Saturnalia, they'd incorporate it into a celebration of the birth of Christ. Saturnalia is (essentially, apologies to Pagans for abridging it so much) a holiday about birth, specifically the rebirth of the Sun and ending the winter. This birth theme made a convinient starting point for the co-oping of Christ.

There's a lot more involved, like the Horned God, the tree, and all the other trimmings associated with Christmas that have nothing to do with Christ. For a quick introduction, please read this page to learn at least an introduction to the true meaning of the holiday.

The Horned God is the reason for the season...

Happy holidays everyone.

-Jason

I second "The Guy I Almost Was". I read it a few months ago (I devoured all of Electronic Sheep, actually) and it had a profound impact on me. Very deep.

This is a wonderful article. I remember my first experience with "Extropians" was at a dinner with some of the members of a large, international Extropian mailing list. I think that I realized exactly how far off the ideology was when I sat there and watch three men badger another man to sign a "Cryogenics Contract" where he would agree to be frozen when he died. Not only was it bad science, but it was the same kind of groupthink atmosphere that permiates the type of movements I was trying desperatly to get away from.

On a related note, you might wat to check out The Guy I Almost Was by Patrick S. Farley. I think that it gives one of the best descriptions of techno-fetishism among geeks, and the ways that we are being manipulated by it... (Also, it's a damn good story.)
--

Have a look at The Guy I Almost Was by PSP... A comic book story, extremely well done, on this topic.

© Copyright 2000 Kristian Köhntopp

Here are some links I was looking for when I wrote the above:

• A web comic called " The Guy I Almost Was". Great comic, someone mentioned it in the comments a while back. Gets into the cyberpunk-fakeness bit
• The Viridians (sorry about the spelling before). Bruce Sterling's promotion of green-as-sexy

Jains have quite a unique perspective on life. They sometimes walk with brooms to sweep insects out of their path, as they may be stepping on a "relative". Don't laugh, I mean, lots of cultures believe in re-incarnation. Their diets are almost wholly fruitarian (again, don't laugh). Fruit is OK because it grows on trees, and you're just eating the fruit and not the whole tree. Seeds are saved and replanted. It's quite mystical. If you're intrigued, check out "The Jain's Death" at
Electric Sheep web comics. It's quite astounding.