When you learn what it means to be an adult you'll learn that it doesn't mean everything needs to be serious and non-toy like. There is enough serious and boring things in the world. I welcome a little fun where ever I am.
I don't believe I said that.
Choice is good. If you like foolish tools, then you may use foolish tools. However, I do not like to have my asthetic choices made for me on behalf of programers who think I should use foolish looking tools. I am talking here about OS X and similar 'toy' interfaces.
An interface sets a mood, a mood affects the unconscious. Why would I want to spend hours each day with a child's interface whispering into my unconscious?
Being an adult means having both strength and the wisdom to apply it appropriately. Believing one has strength figures here significantly. Fools and foolery rankle me because through their practice, they immasculate, producing simpering child-men who are much reduced, if not entirely negated in their ability to care for those who depend upon them.
I finally got everything working without bugs or annoyances.
Until something breaks, or the world changes so much that I am forced to update, I see exactly zero reason to budge and thereby risk inviting home a whole mess of new irritations. I'm not one of those blokes so bored that I actually enjoy installing new software.
If Mozilla turns into a Hello Kitty interface where all the buttons look like frickin' candies, I'm going to hold you personally responsible.
Example:
Macs are fine, reliable machines, but OS X drives me up the wall. It's a computer; not play-skool. Does Mac think I'm a 3-year old? That's certainly what their programming mandate appears to be. OS X seems designed for imbeciles who need soothing, glittering toy-objects to stay interested. I'm an adult for crying out loud. Treat me like one.
Of course, if Mozilla went that way, then you could count on it being an option, re, Firebird and its many different available themes. Now THAT is a cool way to run a browser!
"Everybody is different. There are no two people not on fire." -SB
There's been a sudden popularity in scrapbooking though. I'm finding that people are a lot more interested in looking at my scrapbooks than they are at sifting through pages and pages of photo albums.
Really? That's nice to hear. I have to keep reminding myself that for every move that the 'Borg' makes, humanity will do something to preserve itself in an unexpected way. I guess I just get a little dour-sounding during times like these when the two different types of action seem so out of balance.
Better hope so. 3D makes me yawn. As entertaining as Toy Story and Finding Nemo were, they remained souless and plastic-looking compared hand-drawn images. Like Yoda the Muppet versus Yoda the Kung-Fu Star. One had riveting charisma. The other was entirely forgettable.
Remove the human element too far, and you get video game cut-scenes.
--There's a reason they chose Fish and Toys and Monsters (inc.) for subject matter. It's because computers are terrible tools when compared to the humble pencil when it comes to capturing the complex emotive substance which is found in most animated subjects. Humanoid subjects, especially. --Even in Nemo, the most technically advanced of the Pixar/Disney model, the humans moved around like department store dummies.
Now pull up an old Warner Bros. cartoon and watch the bunny and the duck do stuff. Part of what makes those cartoons so amazing, aside from the infinitely more complex and expressive actions performed by those characters than any fish could hope to replicate, is that 2D can do the impossible, and it can do so with ease. --Exactly because it's 2D pretending to be something else. 2D can bend rules all over the place. As such, it can be far more than even true 3D.
3D, however, must obey rules. (Like the Matrix). and as such, creates its own limitations. Think about that crazy roller-coaster cartoon at the beginning Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Unless you go Photoshop or (sic) Flash, you're simply never going to achieve that kind of effect.
"There Is No Fish"
Bugs and Daffy cannot be reduced or understood by the painfully limited musings of a f***ing CAD program. It's that simple. Unless you can do the impossible, you can't capture duck, rabbit or humanity convincingly. You cannot accurately mirror the soul Eyes popping out in shock doesn't work in 3D. In fact, eyes popping out in shock is faintly distrubing in 3D. In 2D, however, such an effect is a metaphor, not a direct reality.
The Powers That Be would like you to think that we are limited to this 3D universe and to the 'rules' which govern it. This is entirly false; this cage has a door, but the more of this subconscious hammering we take in the form of computer generated entertainment, now hitting ever more frequently as very young kids, the more limited we will become programmed to think of ourselves as being. One more concrete block to enslave ourselves behind.
But then of course the whole digital trend is designed, I think, to separate us ever further from our own souls. That executives at a giant media corp would be the people to help this along is of no surprise.
I never really considered them a camera manufacturer. When I go to a camera shop to look over the SLRs, I can't recall having ever actually seen a Kodak model.
I will be worried, however, when Kodak announces that they'll be stopping their film production and development services.
Digital has its uses, but compared to film, it really stinks. The requirement of a monitor or television to view pictures is inconvenient and esthetically cruddy. I remember sitting on a couch with a friend of mine while she went through her holiday photos with me. It was wonderful and relaxing and the pictures were of high quality. Doing the same thing in front of a buzzing moniter. . ? Yuck. There's nowhere to put your glass of wine down. You can't cuddle in front of a damned computer. Not even a laptop. Even the new ones somehow manage to be unweildy and annoying.
How much does it cost to get a stack of digital prints made? Probably enough to prevent people from bothering when they can instead view their digital snaps and share them via email. Oooh. What fun. How antisceptic! How lonely.
I sometimes think that the ulterior motive behind the digital renaisance is to turn the soul into a bunch of ones and zeros and thereby disintegrate that which makes us human.
Oh, but the cool point of perspective murder games. . . That makes it all worthwhile. I despise digital.
-FL
Japanese kids dreams of. . .
on
Your Own Mecha
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Mech; of team-work. (You need tons of people to design, maintain, command and finally, pilot mechs. That's Japanese thinking to a 'T'.)
American kids, (in the land of All for One and Crumbs for All), dreamed of Batman and Spiderman, ultimate individualists.
And so kids grow into adults, adults engineer reality.
When sitting around on my friend's front porch many, many years ago, this came to us a new and startling realization. My friend turned to me aghast, "The Japanese are going to have fucking mechs! --The Americans are going to have idiots running around in capes."
He then, imitating a big robot arm, held up his hand and swatted the porch. "SQUASH!"
Although. ..
With genetic research and the recent spate of films like, "Spider Man," (which no longer look to nuclear science to create its heroes. ..) It'll be interesting to see which dream of youth irresponsibly brought into adult reality turns out to be the more devastating.
That the spate of 'lost' Mars exploration devices are working just fine.
It's a matter of too much too soon.
Give it a few years. The aliens will make their big poo-bah appearance soon enough. (They're already practically oozing out around the edges as it is!) Then the fan will really take a hit, all veils will burn away, etc.
Personally, I think it'll be a challenge just to stay alive for the next five-eight years to see all this stuff go down. --What with the draft, economic collapses and military lock-downs coming, disease-cities becoming death traps with road blocks to prevent you from leaving, and such. Among other things.
It's true that the future isn't set, but not enough people are working to act in favor of their future selves. (There really is a ton of things you can do. Stop eating all the amazing poisons put in your food, for a start. Clear your head. Soy is one such example, containing toxins which prevent mineral and protien uptake in your body. It's also filled with plant-based eostrogen, (yes guys, that would be 'Female Growth Hormones'. Why do you think Asians are so small? Hint: it's not the exuse you've been sold.) And best of all, soy has managed to creep into practically every foodstuff on the market. Look it up.)
But really. . . At this point I've more or less given up on humanity as a whole. Mars probes be damned. Anybody who does enough digging will know more or less what is being seen on the red planet but not shared.
Though, it's nice to see that so few people are calling me nuts these days. When I was warning everybody about this stuff back in 2001, the cat calls were just harsh.
Fear is Food, so don't get spooked. Grow a spine, look reality dead on, and you'll win.
Armed uprising would be the current admin's wet dream.
They even have a nice, umbrella term with which you will be labeled.
'Terrorist.'
The media which so blithly showed Bush serving plastic turkey to hand-picked troops on Thanksgiving, would not give rebels a fair shake. And once a military lock-down has been invoked, it's super easy to manufacture a thousand and one false reasons to keep such a lock-down in place forever.
No. Things are really far gone at this point, but surprisingly enough, a semi-promising way to fight the government has recently been provided.
PHILADELPHIA -- January 6, 2003 (TomFlocco.com) -- On Friday, Philip J. Berg, attorney for 9-11 widow Ellen Mariani in her Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) suit seeking to hold President Bush and various government officials accountable for the September 11 attacks, served Bush and top officials in his Administration with a personal summons, the original complaint and the first amended complaint via a federal process server, as required by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Among those served besides the President, were Vice-President Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet, National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, 9-11 Congressional Victim Compensation Fund Special Master Kenneth Feinberg, former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein, Zacarias Moussaoui, and former President George H. W. Bush.
The legal documents were also filed at the Philadelphia office of United States Attorney Patrick Meehan, former Republican District Attorney from Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Berg told TomFlocco.com "the multiple summonses and complaints were filed last week in Philadelphia; and they require an answer within 60 days," adding "we feel confident that we'll be successful, and that the evidence in this case is so strong, it will lead to the end of the Bush presidency."
With enough focus and awareness, financial and legal support, this could actually go somewhere.
Interestingly, it's almost impossible to find anything about this on the web. Personally, I don't have my hopes up. I've been warning people for the last two years to get the heck out of the U.S. Those gates are going to come crashing down after the next election. Possibly sooner.
Canada is somewhat less insane, but when the big cruch comes, it'll be quite a dance to stay alive I think.
I think the fact that the population is so low might be the saving grace. . , for a while anyway. (Less raw 'material' which will need 'processing'.)
My advice is, do whatever you can to get out of debt as fast as possible so that there won't be an easy excuse to destroy you when the economy collapses. Also keep a store of food hidden, stock up on warm clothing, and keep alert. Oh, and stay the heck away from big cities. Those places are death traps by design. Hong Kong and Toronto got a preview of that with the SARS scare, I think.
The big die-off is coming. You have a little time left to prepare. Knowledge is Life, Ignorance is Death. Good luck.
"Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire."
Anybody who uses the words Liberal and Republican, Left and Right and actually gets upset about it are playing right into the hands of the controlers. It's literally that game of 'Throw a rock at one guardsman so that they start bickering amongst themselves while the thieves raid the camp.'
If the government started to incarcerate US citizens arbitrarily, or arrest activists, etc. Then I'd be worried.
Hm. Per capita, there are more incarcerated U.S. citizens today than there have been at any other time in American history. That's the thing about frog-water. We aren't supposed to notice it getting hotter.
In any case, it's probably time for you to start looking around for a better news source. Arbitary abuse of police powers and arrest does happen, and it is doing so with increasing regularity.
All the while the real danger is missed. I'd be more worried about someone getting my bank info from some comapny and selling it all over the place, than the government checking up on me. I got nothing to hide.
Ouch. Sorry, friend. That is THE classic, text book example of the very argument which nobody who values their civil liberties should ever, ever make. Essays by the pound have been written refuting that exact piece of thinking.
I have a friend from a nation where police powers went crazy, who describes it this way: "First they root out the black parts. Then the grey parts. Then the off-white. Because the problem is, the more control you exert over things, the smallest specks suddenly become glaring spots which must be destroyed. In the end, everybody is suspect at all times. You Americans have such a young, naive nation. You don't seem to realize what you are doing, how quickly you are sliding, and how difficult it is to stop. In the end, the only people who are 'free' are those at the top of the power pyramid, and they are slaves as well because they must fear each other."
You are being duped through fear into trusting the wrong people, into giving up that which is yours. Be careful.
I can get all your banking data myself using my CI background.
Of course you can. But the difference today is that the veils are coming down. Essentially, when people know about something but do nothing to change it, they are saying in a subtle way that they have choosen to accept it. And very few realize that this is nature of the game; the universal crux of all matters. IT is going to slowly turn up the heat in such a way as to ensure that people choose to be victimized.
The Evil Overlords can't eat you unless you give consent.
So what are you doing to oppose the darkness? Or are you a part of it?
Such questions matter more than most people could possibly know. The opening moves have been made and we're now entering the first phases of the mid-game. The choices people make over the few remaining years are going to affect them through many lives to come.
As I said in a post earlier today, this power accumulation and surveilance reminds me of Senator Palpatine.
There's many more parallels than just that, and not just in Star Wars. Artists, whether they think so or not, are driven by their own subconscious awareness. And the subconscious is generally way smarter than our waking awareness. (Far fewer inhibitions and baggage carts required.)
And I believe it goes much further than that; that the world and itself reflects the human experiential cycle on many levels, and vice/versa.
There's just SO much going on these days for those willing to watch the show unfold! --A small example is what's happening in Yellowstone Park.
What on Earth are you babbling about? SOHO was a solar observation satellite!
Typical.
I continue to find it weird that people can be so willing to ridicule another person's knowledge without first examining their own. Look, friend, if you base your authority on information you get from brochures, then you're going to go through life only knowing a bunch of benign, high-gloss crap.
Yes. SOHO was designed to observe solar activity and it does so very well. But as chance had it, the satellite also turned out to be very good at catching asteroids on camera. It continues to do so. Look it up.
If you think network news is filtered, spun-dried and chopped up into little, worthless bites designed to make you think the world is something that it's not. ..
Just imagine what a government run space exploration agency is going to do with incoming data. I mean, NASA's caught-red-handed-but-subsequently-ignored-by-the- media censoring of Big-Nasty-Rocks showing up on SOHO was just embarrassing. (They actually pulled that 'Run an old tape from a previous month, nobody will notice' trick while big stuff was going down. Lame. These days they just yank the feed whenever things get hot and blame it on technical difficulties.)
If something were to pop up on a Martian-explorer's camera other than another boring red rock, you can be pretty much assured it'll never reach the public awareness until the reality-doctors have had a chance to figure out what to do with it. Just look at how loopy everybody got over the possibility micro-fossil organisms; put a nice big Martian relic on the table and people would start throwing themselves from building tops. Not going to happen. Not yet, anyway. Gotta warm up the kettle slow-like, because people have been so herded that they spook at the slightest course change in 'reality'.
Anyway, we're trying to pitch a frickin' war down here, so no star-gazing. Now get back to your trench.
Pirates of the Carribean. Dumb and light-weight. An all-round inconsequential film. But Johnny Depp was brilliant, lots of fun to watch. This film reminded me of all the light-weight Disney features which I loved when I was a kid. "Apple Dumpling Gang" and "The Cat From Outer Space". Stuff like that.
Two Towers - DVD extended version What a downer. I liked the theatrical release FAR more. Buffy-style humor, ("That's because I've got my axe planted in his nervous system!"), has NO place in Middle Earth. And watching Strider do the 'Horse Whisperer' in under 30 seconds was just barf-o-licious. Some cut scenes should STAY cut.
Matrix 2-3 I didn't mind either of these two. They weren't genius, but honestly. . , after that first one, where the heck do you go? The first film was a great metaphor for our current state of reality. The followups were speculations about where we go from here; it's hard to do that because we haven't done it yet while the first was based on experiences we've had and are currently having. Still, 2 and 3 did raise a lot of good grist which I'm sure the casual viewer completely missed. Not great cinema by any stretch, but food for thought. And of course, the mind-programming was thick in parts. The whole "Dying for Man's Sins" bit was a destructive message the first time around!
Terminator 3 This was the most incredibly stupid piece of shit I've seen in a long time. Though the mind-programming throughout was pretty obvious and had me glued with fascination through the whole film. (Hint to the Masters of the Universe: If you want your mind programming to stick, try putting it in a good script.) Favorite scene: "The destruction of the earth by comets (er, nukes), is inevitable. You will submit to the 'machines' in the new reality."
So basically, I don't watch a lot of films.
Oh, but I did just read A Wrinkle In Time. Holy smokes. That author was tuned the hell in! "IT" is an evil computer/brain which enslaves the world through the total control of all data and human activity? Tell me that's not channeled material! (Information Technologies, anyone?) This book was written in the sixties but it is completely loaded with stunning metaphor for how things really work today. This is a kid's book which talks about 5th dimensional reality, government tinkering in alien dominated secret sciences, higher awareness, and it has one of the most accurate understandings of the nature of the Dark Side I've seen in a long time. (The desire simply to submit to the authorities, give up free choice and sleepwalk into oblivion rather than to live, carefully observe objective reality and grow mentally/spiritually.) Amazing. I'd normally be shocked that such a book would make it into the education curriculum, (which it did), but for the cop-out ending where 'Love' will save us all. (It will, but not in the way the New Age buffoons think.) Those slight corruptions are all it takes to ruin an otherwise powerful message. (In much the same way the "Dying for Man's Sins" thing is a cop out). But other than that, this was easily the coolest 'film' I saw all year.
It seems clear to me that many of these claims of patent violation have been sitting, waiting for the optimum time to launch their suit against the Universe.
Frankly, there ought to be a law which prevents the SCO's of the world, (and others), from pulling this kind of crap if they don't jump on the percieved violation within a set period of time. Waiting for a technology to be developed, promoted and made ubiquitous world-wide and then pounce is purely greed motivated. A mis-use of the law, I think. If these parties were truly being grieviously hurt by 'violations' of their 'intellectual property,' then they should have started complaining earlier so that their innovation would be spared the ravages of expensive, world-wide development and guilt-free application; --so that they could continue to continue virtuous garage-lab development with their own resources. You know, the route that takes actual work and dedication. . ?
If it feels fishy, it probably is. And the Law should reflect this.
When you re-hash in order to cash-in on a child-hood memory of something loved. ..
Why, you get C*R*A*P!
There was no reason to re-make this show. The original was plenty dumb without the help of today's crop of even dumber television production people.
If you wanted to make a genuinely good Battle Star Galactica show, then you must continue the story that everybody already knows. Unfortunately, this ain't easy with that set-up. Galactica 1980, if I recall, sucked beans. In any case, I always thought the original idea for BG was meant to be a 'Chariots of the Gods' spin on Genesis. But this isn't exactly gripping stuff anymore. The idea of "Humans are of Alien Origin", while interesting, has been explored and isn't exactly current, interesting news.
So what IS current and fascinating. . ?
Here's what I'd like to see in a good Sci-Fi show. ..
Star Wars. In a galaxy far, far away. Jedi. Lots of planets. No one big 'Ship' which stands in for the much-loved and oft-copied Enterprise. That has been done. I want to see politics and mysticism done right. I want to see swashbuckling and adventuring across a galaxy embroiled in civil war against a fascist Empire.
Although, I don't think such a show could happen on today's ultra-controled media. Lucas' brain was melted for a reason.
Can't have the populace getting any bright ideas about higher awareness and rebellion against the Dark Side. --Or Old Repbublics transforming into scary new Fascist Empires. . , now can we? Although, I CAN'T think of a SINGLE reason why this might be. ..
He's going to have to cop a ride back home in a cargo vessel.
If he's lucky, he'll be able to take his toy plane with him.
I sure hope he's a friendly guy, a good story-teller, and that he's willing to lend a capable hand with whatever problems come up in his new community, cuz guess what? He just became one more mouth to feed in a family with limited supplies and real jobs to do in a place where only the brightest and best are invited.
All that aside. . . If played right, I'd love to be this guy! What an adventure! Too bad the media is spinning this in such a stupid way. All this sensationalism is foolish. Man, I really hope for his sake that he's not a dork! It could be a very positive experience if approached with the right attitude.
Hey! You're actually reasonably aware! I'll respond to those points which I have answers to. ..
The same fluoride that's in your toothpaste.
Not in my toothpaste. I brush with baking soda. It works wonderfully. In any case, toothpaste fluoride is topical and then spat out. Drinking water fluoride is ingested. If you swallow toothpaste, you can get really sick, really fast.
It's only natural that at a time when there are more people living in the US than at any time since the dawn of the US that the prisons would likewise have more people in them than ever.
The numbers are per capita.
Heh, maybe people that use cell phones are just stupid?
Unfortunately, the cell towers being erected in people's neighborhoods, back yards and apartment rooftops are allowed thanks to federal and state broadcast licensing and regulation. --As are cell phones themselves. But the government's stance is that the technology is safe and therefore does not need proper regulation. The U.S. Airforce is one of the largest debunkers of health concerns due to cellphone use.
The alternative is.....what?
Responsible industry. Plain and simple. It is entirely workable, and there are hundereds of cheep and in many cases, more cost effective solutions available. Government regulation could do much to enforce clean, environmentally respectful industry. I find it strange that some people take direct offence to this kind of thinking. I've seen people get angry and stubborn if you suggest alternative, better methods. I've never managed to work out where this attitude springs from. Perhaps some sort of perceived connection to 'Flower Power' which they think is un-cool. . ? I've never figured it out.
Doesn't refuse, just happens to have certain limitations to work within. There are all kinds of regulation to deal with this ambiguous charge you put forth, you're just going to have to be more specific. The government does support the labor union movement...
To be specific then, The Enron scandal and the more than 14 other corporate travesties of 2001 have yet to cough up the several hundred criminals who are responsible for fleecing the United States Economy of over a trillion dollars. Investigations have been hampered at every turn. It is the government's job to make sure this sort of thing is punished, and indeed, to make sure it doesn't happen in the first place. But as some of the criminals in question reside in public office, it is perhaps of little surprise that nothing has been done
Weren't the rails privately owned? Was there ever any proof at a time at which the perpetrators could have been charged?
Yes. The street car companies were privately owned, and they were sold to the corporations which shut them down. The result is what you see; the construction of suburbean communities rather than city core communities, thus requiring every family to own at least one automobile. This should not have been allowed to happen, as was determined by the federal courts which did indeed charge the conspirators. The criminals were fined a grand total of one dollar. This is American history. Look it up.
You showed the wrong colors, friend. Just because you didn't agree with it made it neither immoral or illegal. Quite the contrary, our president considers it his responsibility to wage this war. His "moral" responsibility. So you're expecting the government to live up to your standards of morality in spite of others'?
I don't agree with the invasion of Iraq precisely because it is 100% immoral. There is NO good reason for American forces to have invaded Iraq. The reasons Bush gave were lies. First it was, "Iraq was linked to 9-11" This proved to be entirely unfounded. Then it changed to, "Iraq has WMD's." This too proved to be false. Then it finally was, "Well whatever, we're attacking anyway, because we nee
Unless you are very, very clever (which you are clearly not, judging by a remark such as "...tax evasion is almost your duty as a responsible human being!"), then taxation is just a fact of life. I certainly hope that if you are not paying your taxes you never have a need for medical care, police assistance or your home catches fire.
As I said, I have no problem with taxation, so long as it is fairly applied and that the funds are properly used. Unfortunately, today they are not. If my taxes were only paying for the services actually needed in my community, (the ones you mentioned are worthy examples), then taxes would be much, much, lower than they are. I would estimate, however, that 95% of the money given to the U.S. government is mis-spent, most of it on the military.
Further, I live in a community with a volunteer fire department. --I have not joined that department, but I do volunteer my time in many other ways which benefit my community. And as has been noted, medical care in the U.S. is not free, and so should not be counted among your points.
As for point of purchase deducted sales taxes. ..
Yes, this is one of the greater problems and it is very hard to fight, although I certainly do my part. I buy as much of my food and goods as possible directly from local farmers and producers, most of my clothes are bought second hand, and I refuse to drive a car. It may not be entirely possible to avoid feeding the machine, but one can certainly do one's part to help plug the flow!
However, living in a Western society, you benefit from both its laws and its social programs, both of which are paid for by taxes.
Benefits? You mean like Fluoride in my drinking water? And a corrupt penal system which has more people incarcerated today than at any time since the dawn of the U.S.? And a corrupt FDA which allows GM food, Asparame, hormonally altered milk and meat products, and endless other poisons in the public food supply? Which allows the drugging of 1 in 5 children with anti-depressants? And which funds a backwards educational system designed to produce incredibly dumbed down citizens? And which allows the promulgation of cell phone devices demonstrated to cause thinking disorders? And which supports massively environmentally destructive industry? And which refuses to penalize or regulate multi-billion dollar corporate piracy? And which allowed the automobile/oil industry to buy up and rip out hundreds of public transit systems all across the nation in order to sell more cars? And which allows its secret services to devastate budding democracies in other countries so that they become ravaged drug traffic corridors? And which spends the bulk of the public's tax dollars to fund an immoral and illegal war I did not agree to while 1 in 4 children in the U.S. doesn't get enough to eat and gets zero public health-care?
You really need to do some more reading before repeating that old line of bullshit about people benefiting from 'public services and social programs being paid for by taxes.'
If you live in a democratic society, you have two choices: you can work within the system it establishes for changing the law and tailor the society more to your liking, or you can leave. For someone deriving benefits from living in such a society, there is no excuse for not paying taxes.
The problem is that we no longer live in a democratic society. We live in a military/corporate machine which pretends to be a democratic society. And I AM trying to change it from within. I am trying to starve it of the food supply it uses to further subjugate its people. If you believe that none of these points are valid or relavent, then I am afraid you are living in a dream world.
Well, certainly not if you are actively pursuing a state of blissful ignorance. Try looking at the sky from time to time and reading some of the research on the subject.
Resolving to pretend that problems are simply not there is a form of cowardice best suited to worms.
So they hit him for back-taxes as a way to shut him down? And people tut-tut him. What crap! (What? Is the government scared that somebody might get the bright idea of taking down one of those un-registered Chemtrail planes which they deny is even up there?)
In this world, the government takes taxes, and not only does it not protect its people, it actively harms them.
The taxation system in the West is not even a protection racket anymore. It's little more than an intraveneous feeding system for the elite.
I wouldn't mind paying taxes if they were A) Fairly exacted, and B) Spent on projects I bloody-well agree with. These days tax evasion is almost your duty as a responsible human being! Allowing yourself to be fed on by evil is no different than agreeing to participate in evil.
The world is seeming more and more like that scenario which could never happen, isn't it?
I'd like to thank all the young souls who argued in favor of the police state.
Thanks guys! Because you and millions like you were naive enough to get the wool pulled, life is going to suck hard for everybody. I hope you are paying strict attention to the lesson, because it's going to happen again and again until you wise up.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't believe I said that.
Choice is good. If you like foolish tools, then you may use foolish tools. However, I do not like to have my asthetic choices made for me on behalf of programers who think I should use foolish looking tools. I am talking here about OS X and similar 'toy' interfaces.
An interface sets a mood, a mood affects the unconscious. Why would I want to spend hours each day with a child's interface whispering into my unconscious?
Being an adult means having both strength and the wisdom to apply it appropriately. Believing one has strength figures here significantly. Fools and foolery rankle me because through their practice, they immasculate, producing simpering child-men who are much reduced, if not entirely negated in their ability to care for those who depend upon them.
What kind of adult are you?
-FL
Until something breaks, or the world changes so much that I am forced to update, I see exactly zero reason to budge and thereby risk inviting home a whole mess of new irritations. I'm not one of those blokes so bored that I actually enjoy installing new software.
If it ain't broke. .
-FL
Done.
If Mozilla turns into a Hello Kitty interface where all the buttons look like frickin' candies, I'm going to hold you personally responsible.
Example:
Macs are fine, reliable machines, but OS X drives me up the wall. It's a computer; not play-skool. Does Mac think I'm a 3-year old? That's certainly what their programming mandate appears to be. OS X seems designed for imbeciles who need soothing, glittering toy-objects to stay interested. I'm an adult for crying out loud. Treat me like one.
Of course, if Mozilla went that way, then you could count on it being an option, re, Firebird and its many different available themes. Now THAT is a cool way to run a browser!
"Everybody is different. There are no two people not on fire." -SB
-FL
Really? That's nice to hear. I have to keep reminding myself that for every move that the 'Borg' makes, humanity will do something to preserve itself in an unexpected way. I guess I just get a little dour-sounding during times like these when the two different types of action seem so out of balance.
-Here's to scrap books! Cheers!
-FL
Better hope so. 3D makes me yawn. As entertaining as Toy Story and Finding Nemo were, they remained souless and plastic-looking compared hand-drawn images. Like Yoda the Muppet versus Yoda the Kung-Fu Star. One had riveting charisma. The other was entirely forgettable.
Remove the human element too far, and you get video game cut-scenes.
--There's a reason they chose Fish and Toys and Monsters (inc.) for subject matter. It's because computers are terrible tools when compared to the humble pencil when it comes to capturing the complex emotive substance which is found in most animated subjects. Humanoid subjects, especially. --Even in Nemo, the most technically advanced of the Pixar/Disney model, the humans moved around like department store dummies.
Now pull up an old Warner Bros. cartoon and watch the bunny and the duck do stuff. Part of what makes those cartoons so amazing, aside from the infinitely more complex and expressive actions performed by those characters than any fish could hope to replicate, is that 2D can do the impossible, and it can do so with ease. --Exactly because it's 2D pretending to be something else. 2D can bend rules all over the place. As such, it can be far more than even true 3D.
3D, however, must obey rules. (Like the Matrix). and as such, creates its own limitations. Think about that crazy roller-coaster cartoon at the beginning Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Unless you go Photoshop or (sic) Flash, you're simply never going to achieve that kind of effect.
"There Is No Fish"
Bugs and Daffy cannot be reduced or understood by the painfully limited musings of a f***ing CAD program. It's that simple. Unless you can do the impossible, you can't capture duck, rabbit or humanity convincingly. You cannot accurately mirror the soul Eyes popping out in shock doesn't work in 3D. In fact, eyes popping out in shock is faintly distrubing in 3D. In 2D, however, such an effect is a metaphor, not a direct reality.
The Powers That Be would like you to think that we are limited to this 3D universe and to the 'rules' which govern it. This is entirly false; this cage has a door, but the more of this subconscious hammering we take in the form of computer generated entertainment, now hitting ever more frequently as very young kids, the more limited we will become programmed to think of ourselves as being. One more concrete block to enslave ourselves behind.
But then of course the whole digital trend is designed, I think, to separate us ever further from our own souls. That executives at a giant media corp would be the people to help this along is of no surprise.
-FL
I will be worried, however, when Kodak announces that they'll be stopping their film production and development services.
Digital has its uses, but compared to film, it really stinks. The requirement of a monitor or television to view pictures is inconvenient and esthetically cruddy. I remember sitting on a couch with a friend of mine while she went through her holiday photos with me. It was wonderful and relaxing and the pictures were of high quality. Doing the same thing in front of a buzzing moniter. . ? Yuck. There's nowhere to put your glass of wine down. You can't cuddle in front of a damned computer. Not even a laptop. Even the new ones somehow manage to be unweildy and annoying.
How much does it cost to get a stack of digital prints made? Probably enough to prevent people from bothering when they can instead view their digital snaps and share them via email. Oooh. What fun. How antisceptic! How lonely.
I sometimes think that the ulterior motive behind the digital renaisance is to turn the soul into a bunch of ones and zeros and thereby disintegrate that which makes us human.
Oh, but the cool point of perspective murder games. . . That makes it all worthwhile. I despise digital.
-FL
American kids, (in the land of All for One and Crumbs for All), dreamed of Batman and Spiderman, ultimate individualists.
And so kids grow into adults, adults engineer reality.
When sitting around on my friend's front porch many, many years ago, this came to us a new and startling realization. My friend turned to me aghast, "The Japanese are going to have fucking mechs! --The Americans are going to have idiots running around in capes."
He then, imitating a big robot arm, held up his hand and swatted the porch. "SQUASH!"
Although. .
With genetic research and the recent spate of films like, "Spider Man," (which no longer look to nuclear science to create its heroes. .
-FL
It's a matter of too much too soon.
Give it a few years. The aliens will make their big poo-bah appearance soon enough. (They're already practically oozing out around the edges as it is!) Then the fan will really take a hit, all veils will burn away, etc.
Personally, I think it'll be a challenge just to stay alive for the next five-eight years to see all this stuff go down. --What with the draft, economic collapses and military lock-downs coming, disease-cities becoming death traps with road blocks to prevent you from leaving, and such. Among other things.
It's true that the future isn't set, but not enough people are working to act in favor of their future selves. (There really is a ton of things you can do. Stop eating all the amazing poisons put in your food, for a start. Clear your head. Soy is one such example, containing toxins which prevent mineral and protien uptake in your body. It's also filled with plant-based eostrogen, (yes guys, that would be 'Female Growth Hormones'. Why do you think Asians are so small? Hint: it's not the exuse you've been sold.) And best of all, soy has managed to creep into practically every foodstuff on the market. Look it up.)
But really. . . At this point I've more or less given up on humanity as a whole. Mars probes be damned. Anybody who does enough digging will know more or less what is being seen on the red planet but not shared.
Though, it's nice to see that so few people are calling me nuts these days. When I was warning everybody about this stuff back in 2001, the cat calls were just harsh.
Fear is Food, so don't get spooked. Grow a spine, look reality dead on, and you'll win.
-FL
They even have a nice, umbrella term with which you will be labeled.
'Terrorist.'
The media which so blithly showed Bush serving plastic turkey to hand-picked troops on Thanksgiving, would not give rebels a fair shake. And once a military lock-down has been invoked, it's super easy to manufacture a thousand and one false reasons to keep such a lock-down in place forever.
No. Things are really far gone at this point, but surprisingly enough, a semi-promising way to fight the government has recently been provided.
With enough focus and awareness, financial and legal support, this could actually go somewhere.
Interestingly, it's almost impossible to find anything about this on the web. Personally, I don't have my hopes up. I've been warning people for the last two years to get the heck out of the U.S. Those gates are going to come crashing down after the next election. Possibly sooner.
-FL
I think the fact that the population is so low might be the saving grace. . , for a while anyway. (Less raw 'material' which will need 'processing'.)
My advice is, do whatever you can to get out of debt as fast as possible so that there won't be an easy excuse to destroy you when the economy collapses. Also keep a store of food hidden, stock up on warm clothing, and keep alert. Oh, and stay the heck away from big cities. Those places are death traps by design. Hong Kong and Toronto got a preview of that with the SARS scare, I think.
The big die-off is coming. You have a little time left to prepare. Knowledge is Life, Ignorance is Death. Good luck.
-FL
Anybody who uses the words Liberal and Republican, Left and Right and actually gets upset about it are playing right into the hands of the controlers. It's literally that game of 'Throw a rock at one guardsman so that they start bickering amongst themselves while the thieves raid the camp.'
If the government started to incarcerate US citizens arbitrarily, or arrest activists, etc. Then I'd be worried.
Hm. Per capita, there are more incarcerated U.S. citizens today than there have been at any other time in American history. That's the thing about frog-water. We aren't supposed to notice it getting hotter.
In any case, it's probably time for you to start looking around for a better news source. Arbitary abuse of police powers and arrest does happen, and it is doing so with increasing regularity.
All the while the real danger is missed. I'd be more worried about someone getting my bank info from some comapny and selling it all over the place, than the government checking up on me. I got nothing to hide.
Ouch. Sorry, friend. That is THE classic, text book example of the very argument which nobody who values their civil liberties should ever, ever make. Essays by the pound have been written refuting that exact piece of thinking.
I have a friend from a nation where police powers went crazy, who describes it this way: "First they root out the black parts. Then the grey parts. Then the off-white. Because the problem is, the more control you exert over things, the smallest specks suddenly become glaring spots which must be destroyed. In the end, everybody is suspect at all times. You Americans have such a young, naive nation. You don't seem to realize what you are doing, how quickly you are sliding, and how difficult it is to stop. In the end, the only people who are 'free' are those at the top of the power pyramid, and they are slaves as well because they must fear each other."
You are being duped through fear into trusting the wrong people, into giving up that which is yours. Be careful.
-FL
Of course you can. But the difference today is that the veils are coming down. Essentially, when people know about something but do nothing to change it, they are saying in a subtle way that they have choosen to accept it. And very few realize that this is nature of the game; the universal crux of all matters. IT is going to slowly turn up the heat in such a way as to ensure that people choose to be victimized.
The Evil Overlords can't eat you unless you give consent.
So what are you doing to oppose the darkness? Or are you a part of it?
Such questions matter more than most people could possibly know. The opening moves have been made and we're now entering the first phases of the mid-game. The choices people make over the few remaining years are going to affect them through many lives to come.
-FL
There's many more parallels than just that, and not just in Star Wars. Artists, whether they think so or not, are driven by their own subconscious awareness. And the subconscious is generally way smarter than our waking awareness. (Far fewer inhibitions and baggage carts required.)
And I believe it goes much further than that; that the world and itself reflects the human experiential cycle on many levels, and vice/versa.
There's just SO much going on these days for those willing to watch the show unfold! --A small example is what's happening in Yellowstone Park.
-FL
Typical.
I continue to find it weird that people can be so willing to ridicule another person's knowledge without first examining their own. Look, friend, if you base your authority on information you get from brochures, then you're going to go through life only knowing a bunch of benign, high-gloss crap.
Yes. SOHO was designed to observe solar activity and it does so very well. But as chance had it, the satellite also turned out to be very good at catching asteroids on camera. It continues to do so. Look it up.
-FL
Just imagine what a government run space exploration agency is going to do with incoming data. I mean, NASA's caught-red-handed-but-subsequently-ignored-by-the
If something were to pop up on a Martian-explorer's camera other than another boring red rock, you can be pretty much assured it'll never reach the public awareness until the reality-doctors have had a chance to figure out what to do with it. Just look at how loopy everybody got over the possibility micro-fossil organisms; put a nice big Martian relic on the table and people would start throwing themselves from building tops. Not going to happen. Not yet, anyway. Gotta warm up the kettle slow-like, because people have been so herded that they spook at the slightest course change in 'reality'.
Anyway, we're trying to pitch a frickin' war down here, so no star-gazing. Now get back to your trench.
-FL
So basically, I don't watch a lot of films.
Oh, but I did just read A Wrinkle In Time. Holy smokes. That author was tuned the hell in! "IT" is an evil computer/brain which enslaves the world through the total control of all data and human activity? Tell me that's not channeled material! (Information Technologies, anyone?) This book was written in the sixties but it is completely loaded with stunning metaphor for how things really work today. This is a kid's book which talks about 5th dimensional reality, government tinkering in alien dominated secret sciences, higher awareness, and it has one of the most accurate understandings of the nature of the Dark Side I've seen in a long time. (The desire simply to submit to the authorities, give up free choice and sleepwalk into oblivion rather than to live, carefully observe objective reality and grow mentally/spiritually.) Amazing. I'd normally be shocked that such a book would make it into the education curriculum, (which it did), but for the cop-out ending where 'Love' will save us all. (It will, but not in the way the New Age buffoons think.) Those slight corruptions are all it takes to ruin an otherwise powerful message. (In much the same way the "Dying for Man's Sins" thing is a cop out). But other than that, this was easily the coolest 'film' I saw all year.
-FL
Frankly, there ought to be a law which prevents the SCO's of the world, (and others), from pulling this kind of crap if they don't jump on the percieved violation within a set period of time. Waiting for a technology to be developed, promoted and made ubiquitous world-wide and then pounce is purely greed motivated. A mis-use of the law, I think. If these parties were truly being grieviously hurt by 'violations' of their 'intellectual property,' then they should have started complaining earlier so that their innovation would be spared the ravages of expensive, world-wide development and guilt-free application; --so that they could continue to continue virtuous garage-lab development with their own resources. You know, the route that takes actual work and dedication. . ?
If it feels fishy, it probably is. And the Law should reflect this.
-FL
Why, you get C*R*A*P!
There was no reason to re-make this show. The original was plenty dumb without the help of today's crop of even dumber television production people.
If you wanted to make a genuinely good Battle Star Galactica show, then you must continue the story that everybody already knows. Unfortunately, this ain't easy with that set-up. Galactica 1980, if I recall, sucked beans. In any case, I always thought the original idea for BG was meant to be a 'Chariots of the Gods' spin on Genesis. But this isn't exactly gripping stuff anymore. The idea of "Humans are of Alien Origin", while interesting, has been explored and isn't exactly current, interesting news.
So what IS current and fascinating. . ?
Here's what I'd like to see in a good Sci-Fi show. .
Star Wars. In a galaxy far, far away. Jedi. Lots of planets. No one big 'Ship' which stands in for the much-loved and oft-copied Enterprise. That has been done. I want to see politics and mysticism done right. I want to see swashbuckling and adventuring across a galaxy embroiled in civil war against a fascist Empire.
Although, I don't think such a show could happen on today's ultra-controled media. Lucas' brain was melted for a reason.
Can't have the populace getting any bright ideas about higher awareness and rebellion against the Dark Side. --Or Old Repbublics transforming into scary new Fascist Empires. . , now can we? Although, I CAN'T think of a SINGLE reason why this might be. .
-FL
If he's lucky, he'll be able to take his toy plane with him.
I sure hope he's a friendly guy, a good story-teller, and that he's willing to lend a capable hand with whatever problems come up in his new community, cuz guess what? He just became one more mouth to feed in a family with limited supplies and real jobs to do in a place where only the brightest and best are invited.
All that aside. . . If played right, I'd love to be this guy! What an adventure! Too bad the media is spinning this in such a stupid way. All this sensationalism is foolish. Man, I really hope for his sake that he's not a dork! It could be a very positive experience if approached with the right attitude.
-FL
Hey! You're actually reasonably aware! I'll respond to those points which I have answers to. . .
The same fluoride that's in your toothpaste.
Not in my toothpaste. I brush with baking soda. It works wonderfully. In any case, toothpaste fluoride is topical and then spat out. Drinking water fluoride is ingested. If you swallow toothpaste, you can get really sick, really fast.
It's only natural that at a time when there are more people living in the US than at any time since the dawn of the US that the prisons would likewise have more people in them than ever.
The numbers are per capita.
Heh, maybe people that use cell phones are just stupid?
Unfortunately, the cell towers being erected in people's neighborhoods, back yards and apartment rooftops are allowed thanks to federal and state broadcast licensing and regulation. --As are cell phones themselves. But the government's stance is that the technology is safe and therefore does not need proper regulation. The U.S. Airforce is one of the largest debunkers of health concerns due to cellphone use.
The alternative is.....what?
Responsible industry. Plain and simple. It is entirely workable, and there are hundereds of cheep and in many cases, more cost effective solutions available. Government regulation could do much to enforce clean, environmentally respectful industry. I find it strange that some people take direct offence to this kind of thinking. I've seen people get angry and stubborn if you suggest alternative, better methods. I've never managed to work out where this attitude springs from. Perhaps some sort of perceived connection to 'Flower Power' which they think is un-cool. . ? I've never figured it out.
Doesn't refuse, just happens to have certain limitations to work within. There are all kinds of regulation to deal with this ambiguous charge you put forth, you're just going to have to be more specific. The government does support the labor union movement...
To be specific then, The Enron scandal and the more than 14 other corporate travesties of 2001 have yet to cough up the several hundred criminals who are responsible for fleecing the United States Economy of over a trillion dollars. Investigations have been hampered at every turn. It is the government's job to make sure this sort of thing is punished, and indeed, to make sure it doesn't happen in the first place. But as some of the criminals in question reside in public office, it is perhaps of little surprise that nothing has been done
Weren't the rails privately owned? Was there ever any proof at a time at which the perpetrators could have been charged?
Yes. The street car companies were privately owned, and they were sold to the corporations which shut them down. The result is what you see; the construction of suburbean communities rather than city core communities, thus requiring every family to own at least one automobile. This should not have been allowed to happen, as was determined by the federal courts which did indeed charge the conspirators. The criminals were fined a grand total of one dollar. This is American history. Look it up.
You showed the wrong colors, friend. Just because you didn't agree with it made it neither immoral or illegal. Quite the contrary, our president considers it his responsibility to wage this war. His "moral" responsibility. So you're expecting the government to live up to your standards of morality in spite of others'?
I don't agree with the invasion of Iraq precisely because it is 100% immoral. There is NO good reason for American forces to have invaded Iraq. The reasons Bush gave were lies. First it was, "Iraq was linked to 9-11" This proved to be entirely unfounded. Then it changed to, "Iraq has WMD's." This too proved to be false. Then it finally was, "Well whatever, we're attacking anyway, because we nee
As I said, I have no problem with taxation, so long as it is fairly applied and that the funds are properly used. Unfortunately, today they are not. If my taxes were only paying for the services actually needed in my community, (the ones you mentioned are worthy examples), then taxes would be much, much, lower than they are. I would estimate, however, that 95% of the money given to the U.S. government is mis-spent, most of it on the military.
Further, I live in a community with a volunteer fire department. --I have not joined that department, but I do volunteer my time in many other ways which benefit my community. And as has been noted, medical care in the U.S. is not free, and so should not be counted among your points.
As for point of purchase deducted sales taxes. .
Yes, this is one of the greater problems and it is very hard to fight, although I certainly do my part. I buy as much of my food and goods as possible directly from local farmers and producers, most of my clothes are bought second hand, and I refuse to drive a car. It may not be entirely possible to avoid feeding the machine, but one can certainly do one's part to help plug the flow!
-FL
Benefits? You mean like Fluoride in my drinking water? And a corrupt penal system which has more people incarcerated today than at any time since the dawn of the U.S.? And a corrupt FDA which allows GM food, Asparame, hormonally altered milk and meat products, and endless other poisons in the public food supply? Which allows the drugging of 1 in 5 children with anti-depressants? And which funds a backwards educational system designed to produce incredibly dumbed down citizens? And which allows the promulgation of cell phone devices demonstrated to cause thinking disorders? And which supports massively environmentally destructive industry? And which refuses to penalize or regulate multi-billion dollar corporate piracy? And which allowed the automobile/oil industry to buy up and rip out hundreds of public transit systems all across the nation in order to sell more cars? And which allows its secret services to devastate budding democracies in other countries so that they become ravaged drug traffic corridors? And which spends the bulk of the public's tax dollars to fund an immoral and illegal war I did not agree to while 1 in 4 children in the U.S. doesn't get enough to eat and gets zero public health-care?
You really need to do some more reading before repeating that old line of bullshit about people benefiting from 'public services and social programs being paid for by taxes.'
If you live in a democratic society, you have two choices: you can work within the system it establishes for changing the law and tailor the society more to your liking, or you can leave. For someone deriving benefits from living in such a society, there is no excuse for not paying taxes.
The problem is that we no longer live in a democratic society. We live in a military/corporate machine which pretends to be a democratic society. And I AM trying to change it from within. I am trying to starve it of the food supply it uses to further subjugate its people. If you believe that none of these points are valid or relavent, then I am afraid you are living in a dream world.
-FL
Well, certainly not if you are actively pursuing a state of blissful ignorance. Try looking at the sky from time to time and reading some of the research on the subject.
Resolving to pretend that problems are simply not there is a form of cowardice best suited to worms.
-FL
In this world, the government takes taxes, and not only does it not protect its people, it actively harms them.
The taxation system in the West is not even a protection racket anymore. It's little more than an intraveneous feeding system for the elite.
I wouldn't mind paying taxes if they were A) Fairly exacted, and B) Spent on projects I bloody-well agree with. These days tax evasion is almost your duty as a responsible human being! Allowing yourself to be fed on by evil is no different than agreeing to participate in evil.
Robin Hood, where are you. . ?
-FL
I'd like to thank all the young souls who argued in favor of the police state.
Thanks guys! Because you and millions like you were naive enough to get the wool pulled, life is going to suck hard for everybody. I hope you are paying strict attention to the lesson, because it's going to happen again and again until you wise up.
Welcome to the Wisdom Engine.
-FL