The Incomer

Blackout

2009-02-23T18:45:00.002+13:00

Yes, I know, I know - way too long without posting. I've been so busy that I've hardly sat down in months. However, a ghastly imminent law change here in NZ cannot go uncommented upon.

Amendments to the Copyright Act, allegedly to combat piracy, are due to come into force at the end of this week. These changes going to result in situations where people will be considered guilty of piracy until proven innocent; not the way the law is supposed to work, but hey, a large number of New Zealanders wanted a National/Act government, so these types of law changes shouldn't be unexpected. (Would be nice if politicians would stop rushing through these 'amendments' without notice, in midnight parliament sittings.) This is merely reaping the reward for this massive mistake — another step along the road to an oppressive, free-marketeer's-wet-dream-police-state where we are all the slaves to corporations, living in perpetual fear.

There's not even a requirement to provide evidence of piracy, as this is deemed 'impractical' by politicians, with the result that anyone suspected of piracy will have their internet connection suspended by their ISP. And the definition of what constitutes an ISP is extremely vague, amounting to ANY INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION providing any sort of access at all to the internet - this includes schools, libraries, hostels, universities, hospitals... These are all apparently ISPs now.

The Creative Freedom website explains the situation in much more detail, but suffice to say these changes are opposed on every front, even by groups at polar opposite ends of the political and economic spectrum. No-one wants these laws; politicians are showing how out of touch they are with everyone by going ahead.

To show solidarity with others opposing this law change, my profile has been edited. I strongly encourage you — wherever you may be — to do the same and voice your displeasure.

What's in an "-ism"?

2008-04-16T03:08:00.003+12:00

Capitalism n

The rule of money.
(syn. imperialism, jingoism ant. socialism)
Form of discrimination based on financial status.
(compare racism, sexism, ageism)
School of thought and philosophy favoured by the élite, the central tenet of which states: "we exist—primarily to acquire more money".
(ant. egalitarianism, altruism)
The art of removing money from the population.
(compare expressionism, absurdism)
The worship of money.
(compare judaism, hinduism)
A political movement seeking to give rights to capital, esp. across international borders.
(compare feminism, liberalism)

Carnage

2008-04-06T01:19:00.009+13:00

Last week I happened to be out driving home from a friend's place at night, when I came upon a car crash.

Only a few minutes before my arrival, a car had gone out of control and smashed headlong into a lamp-post. The red hatchback had spun around and was facing the wrong way, the front totally V-ed in. Two lanes were blocked by the prone and buckled lamp-post, glass everywhere in the darkened section of road. Some guys and girls about my age, or maybe slightly younger, were milling around, dazed. I rolled down my window as one guy shuffled over, and asked him whether anyone was hurt. He replied that there were no injuries, that they were just a bit shaken. He was certainly looking pretty pale. Other vehicles arriving at the scene were driving up onto the kerb and around the wreck, continuing on their way. Local residents in dressing-gowns looked on from their driveways, unimpressed. I rolled my window back up, and drove up onto the kerb, just as blue lights appeared in my rear-view mirror. I left, and continued on home.

While I had been surprised by the accident, I wasn't surprised at who had been involved: Young "car enthusiasts" (read: boy-racers) out on the town for the night, showing off their "performance vehicle" (read: wrecked hot-hatch) to girls dumb enough to get into the car with them.

It might seem strange for someone training to be an engineer to take this stance, given the reputation for rowdiness and frat-boy antics that engineering students have garnered for themselves over the years. However, I am not the typical engineering student. In fact, ENSOC and the tragic "manlier-than-thou" attitude of engineering students at UoC were a big factor in my decision to continue my education somewhere with more sanity.

The issue of boy-racers has been much in the press lately, with plenty young guys and girls getting into accidents and smashes, getting injured or killed. Or injuring and killing other innocent pedestrians and road users, and generally causing chaos and damage wherever they go.

Even given that there have been moves to try and curb boy-racing activity, such as noise limits on exhausts and locking down certain areas of town on Friday and Saturday nights, I am struck by one glaring omission from the public consideration: Why are these cars—even in their unmodified state—allowed onto our roads in the first place when there is no necessity for them?

Some of these cars are beyond the technological prowess of that which was available to seasoned professional race car drivers in the 60's or 70's. After all, cars like the Subaru WRX and Nissan Skyline have their origins in professional rallying and Touring Car racing. Yet here we are in 2008, with young reckless guys caning around residential areas in their tooled-up rides with 300, 400, 500 HP under the hood. This is just nuts. Crazy. Why on earth is it legal? You don't need this insane amount of power to drive around town at 50 Kmh. (OK, I'll qualify that by stating my assumption that the car isn't towing a boat or trailer of some kind. But then, I haven't seen too many boy-racers ripping down the road with a caravan in tow.)

I draw the following parallel with firearms (the fact that a firearm's purpose is to injure, kill or otherwise destroy something notwithstanding): It is legal to own some types of firearm in NZ for hunting and target-shooting. These pursuits are deemed legitimate uses of a firearm. However, weapons such as sub-machine guns are extremely tightly controlled, being illegal to posess unless you are a certified collector, since there is no legitimate use for such a weapon in general circulation.

I would argue that the same principles apply to vehicles on public roads. You don't need to get from 0-100 and beyond in 3.9 seconds. You don't need a top speed of 240 Kmh. Ever. On the racetrack, or private proverty, sure, go ahead, let loose. In a controlled environment, with the right training, safety measures and expert supervision, well away from anyone who might be injured and where the risks are known and minimised, there is no problem, just as it is with firearms.

Now consider that nobody in their right mind would give a young child a loaded sub-machine gun, safety-off, and expect them to comprehend the possible consequences of its use: They lack judgement, experience, wisdom. Yet hardly a second thought is given when it comes to some young guy* who thinks he's the shit buying or otherwise obtaining access to a twin-turbo Legacy or RX-7. What's the essental difference?

The problem is that there's no catch-all answer to the boy-racer issue. I'd make the following notes from my own observations:

There is no necessity for cars of this kind of capability on the road. The principal purpose of a car is to get you from A to B safely and in relative comfort. This can be very easily achieved with less than 200 HP.
Drivers of high-powered vehicles often seem unaware of the degree of control required to handle them properly, and are more likely to be tempted push the car's limits.
I am constantly gobsmacked at the unbelievable stupidity of some drivers I have encountered on NZ roads. On several occasions, I have had to take evasive action to avoid serious accidents because some asshole was showing off, or couldn't stand the thought of having to slow down behind someone doing the legal limit. Just last week, for example, a guy in a car sitting on the side of the road did a U-turn across my path in an 80 Kmh zone, without either bothering to look in his mirrors or indicate. I found out that the brakes in the car I was driving work very well under load. Had I not braked when I did, I would have ploughed into his driver's door at 80 K. I'll bet there's not much comeback from that.

My points are these: That there are insufficient controls in place for these vehicles at a legal level, that and standard driver training is out of touch with the technology legally available to inexperienced drivers. A limit on the legal horsepower of vehicles available in this country might be a good idea. Or maybe have a graduated scheme for less restriction on horsepower with increasing driver training.

Without the right skills, only luck seperates a few minor scratches and a dented bumper from an explosive mingling of glass, bone, blood and metal; from a close call to a death, be it the driver's, the passenger's, the pedestrian's, or all of the above.

Hopefully the guys and girls in the red hatchback realise just how close.

* I have singled out guys, because by-and-large most racers are guys. However, there are girl-racers too, even to the extent that they are represented by their own group. Just goes to prove that in this so-called age of equality, neither gender has a monopoly on idiocy.

When is a U-Turn not a U-Turn?

2008-04-04T20:51:00.002+13:00

Oh, the irony: Former NZ Prime Minister Mike Moore is to chair Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's charity. Perhaps now he can undo some of the damage he oversaw in his previous position as head of the WTO. Probably not, though.

Finding a way

2008-01-25T12:13:00.000+13:00

Yesterday, I had lunch with my good friend Anyzoom at the C-1 café to celebrate coming to the end of his study, and having just been to a very positive job application. C-1 is one of my favourite haunts, not only because the coffee is excellent, but because it's close to polytech, and there are a number of unbelievably cute girls who work there.

We drank coffee and kept an eye on the scenery, talking about the project he had been working on in his final year, and what project I might end up undertaking in this, my final year. I have been struggling to find my niche in the engineering degree. In this final year, we get to pick our specialties: communications, electrical, electronics, control systems, computer engineering/ embedded systems. The problem is that I find all of these areas interesting, but due to the polytech's lack of resources, I know that not all of these streams will be run this year. Ideally, I'd like to study electrical engineering, but with a focus on renewable energy, power system planning and load analysis.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know (or have figured out) that I believe in being as independent as possible. This was one of the main points in undertaking the Week of Penury. Independence extending to being far less reliant on resources external to each household: growing food in the garden to offset rising produce prices; being less reliant on mains electricity; using more benign forms of transportation; shifting the 'work-life' balance, in favour of 'life', and so on. The coming transition might not come easy—in fact, it will in all probability be downright difficult—but it needn't be miserable. All sorts of things can be accomplished through foresight, co-operation and willingness to act. Taking the larger view, my project is therefore already defined for me: Get through the year of study and get into this area.

We also talked about resistance to change, and how economics, vested interests and fear slow the uptake of proactive initiatives. Corporate interests. I figure that there must be a way to build these groups—who wish to continue profiting from the status quo—out of the system. And I must be involved in doing it.

Although I don't recognise the authority of the U.S. or its military, I have to admire the mottoes associated with the U.S. Naval Construction Force, otherwise known as the Seabees:

"With willing hearts and skillful hands, the difficult we do at once, the impossible takes a bit longer, miracles by appointment only."

"We will either find a way or make one."

I believe there is a way to accommodate not only my engineering aspirations, but also my philosophy of life, in this coming time. I know I'll be working against the grain, but the outcome if successful will be worth it. Find a way!

I am Jack's Existential Angst

2007-11-01T14:04:00.000+13:00

What Famous Leader Are You?
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What Classic Movie Are You?
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UK Army Chief Loses Touch With Reality

2007-09-23T02:26:00.000+12:00

Just read this news article on the BBC, and was completely infuriated.

So the man in charge of the British Armed Forces thinks the public should have more respect for servicemen returning from the conflict in Iraq. My question to him would be "Why?"

I have a feeling that the reason that people don't is because the British Army has no business being in Iraq in the first place. Iraq was invaded by American and British Forces with no mandate other than that fraudulently contrived by Bush and Blair.

Nearly all of General Sir Richard Dannatt's comments showed that he has lost the plot when it comes to the relationship of the Army to the population. For example:

"When a young soldier has been fighting in Basra or Helmand, he wants to know that the people in their local pub know and understand what he has been doing and why."

I'm sure that the folk down t' local know exactly why British Forces are in Iraq—so that the West can maintain some semblance of control in the region by installing puppet governments whom are 'open' to courtship by Western business interests. Just ask anyone from Nicaragua. Or Haiti. Or the Dominican Republic. Or Honduras.

"Soldiers are genuinely concerned when they come back from Iraq to hear the population that sent them being occasionally dismissive or indifferent about their achievements."

Achievements? So illegaly pacifying a country for foreign interests is something to be proud of... And who exactly sent the troops to Iraq in the first place? The general public has no control whatsoever over the actions of the Army... The Army is commanded by politicians at the highest level. Anyone old enough to chew solids knows that politicians act in their own interests under the guise of representing the people.

"We must move from being a society that uses the military as a political and media football and more towards seeing the military for what it is... [which is] the instrument of foreign policy conducted by a democratically-elected government acting in the name of the people."

The Army are simply trained thugs with government backing - they are not representatives of the people of Britain, nor are they carrying out the will of the people. Hasn't he seen the widespread, large-scale protests against the war?

Where do they get these people?

SixPeopleAway EP Out Now

2007-08-14T19:27:00.000+12:00

And a fine listen it is too! Ali and Bob are two burgeoning musicians from Glasgow, and are currently receiving much critical acclaim with the release of their debut EP.

I must say 'hats off' to Ali, who has matured into not only a great musician, but a fine songwriter as well, since the days when we played together back in high school.

I highly recommend you check out the SixPeopleAway site at MySpace. Well done guys!

High Res Lies

2007-08-01T01:39:00.000+12:00

Q. When is high resolution not high resolution?
A. When it's called Freeview.

"But the advert says you get high resolution!" I hear you cry. Correct. Except that there's no industry standard defining exactly what constitutes 'high resolution'. Nor High Definition for that matter.

Such is the willful confusion created by the companies retailing the new set-top boxes (specifically Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, Bond & Bond, 100%, Powerstore and Smith City) that customers are being intentionally misled into thinking that they're getting a big leap in performance, when in fact they're not.

Let me clarify the matter for you. When referring to a TV, be it LCD, plasma panel, or whatever, the resolution is determined by the number of horizontal lines of information displayed on screen. The analogue broadcast standard you're used to is transmitted at 576 lines of resolution.

Having examined the manuals for both Freeview certified decoders, both offer—wait for it—just 576 lines of resolution. So, they are capable of Standard Definition, exactly the same quality as you get now with ordinary terrestrial analogue broadcast.

The only reason you should move to Digital TV now is if you live in an area with poor analogue reception. Currently, you can only do this if you have an unused Sky dish on your roof, or plan to buy one specially. Since the digital system is transmitted by satellite, those in marginal areas get much improved reception, and hence a better picture.

It boils down to this: Any improvement you see is down to better reception, not higher resolution broadcast!

My advice is not to get suckered into shelling out $300 for a set-top box you don't need. Unless you live in a marginal reception area, and wish to see Jason Gunn's ugly mug in better clarity.

Not Only, But Also

2007-07-11T01:45:00.000+12:00

Just came across a story on the BBC, entitled "Western diet risk to Asian Women".
Recommended edit: "Western diet risk to Everyone".

DeRosa Art

2007-07-02T19:48:00.000+12:00

The last week has been one of surprises (good ones): First L.H. turns up unexpectedly for a visit, and today I got an email from David DeRosa, artist ertrordinaire, to tell me that his blog is up and running at DeRosa Art Blog on MySpace (having previously been on Blogger).

Using his sublime observations and a limited palette of two or three colours at a time, David creates some of the most incisive images I have seen. The essence of the subjects and ideas are clearly visible, and quite striking. I highly recommend you check it out, and make the effort to attend any of his exhibitions if you get the opportunity.

David's main site can be found at DeRosa Art, where you can find information about upcoming shows, David himself, and see more of his excellent work. (Hope he doesn't mind me stealing his web button!)

Serenity Now

2007-06-30T17:26:00.000+12:00

Ahh. That's just what I was in need of: my friend L.H. surprised me with a visit while he's on holiday from Uni in Otago, and came for dinner.

Good company, good food: these are what life is all about!

The Muppet Show

2007-06-26T18:43:00.000+12:00

I have been feeling a bit weary of late. A lot of things have sapped my strength. I feel disappointed with the modern world and the people who populate it.

Just today I read an article in The Press about how Kiwi schoolkids are failing to acquire a second language, and what repercussions this might have for them and this country. Second language? Kiwis seem to have enough trouble mastering their first language, let alone a second.

While I was in town, I managed to avoid a young man wandering around asking people if they "had any spare change, bro"—he was dressed in what I can only assume (given his supposed lack of money) were designer knock-off jeans, trainers and hoodie that I would struggle to afford.

All last week seemed riddled with amateurs, idiots, people with no clue whatsoever; fools wallowing in their consumer culture.

How much money has been squandered on pointless bullshit films like "Spiderman III" and "Pirates of The Caribbean III"? Could that extensive resourse not have been put to better use?

What is to be done about it all?

The Answer is Blowin' in The Wind

2007-06-13T02:05:00.000+12:00

Grrrrrrrrrrrr! If I hear one more person tell me that wind farms are a bad idea because they "are a blot on the landscape", I. Am. Going. To. Freak. Out.

I mean, people go on holiday to Holland especially to see windmills. Nobody makes pilgrimages half-way around the globe to see ugly, ugly coal-fired power stations.

Here are your choices, people:

Clean, majestic wind farms
Dirty great coal-fired plant

Both put out electrical power, which is what you all want so that you can continue wasting your time playing Playstation.

Oh, but wait! What's that? We could have nuclear power?

Er, no. For the following reasons:

We have no raw nuclear materials
We have no capability to process the nuclear materials that we have none of
Nor transport or store them
It would take 5 - 10 years to commision the appropriate sites, by which time half the country will be underwater because of global warming because the likes of the USA and China continue to generate their power by using dirty great coal-fired plants
We have no money to build any of this with (except the $7bn surplus sitting in the government's coffers)
It's rather un-PC
New Zealand is one big earthquake/volcanic eruption waiting to happen
Are you going to be happy about your new next-door neighbour - a nuclear power plant?

People are dying on hospital waiting lists - do you think the government is going to spend it on such frivolous things as power stations? Of course not. They're giving us Digital TV instead.

History Repeats Itself?

2007-06-08T21:25:00.000+12:00

Ponder the following:

1962
Castro had recently declared Cuba a Socialist State
The USSR deploys nuclear weapons in Cuba
Right next door to the USA
Who aren't impressed
The tension mounts
Diplomacy prevails
The Soviets thankfully withdraw

Now ponder this:

2007
Eastern Europe is recently democratised
The USA wishes to deploy a 'missile defence system' (a first-strike weapon) in Europe
Right next door to Russia
Who aren't impressed
Tension mounts...

The Week of Penury is Over

2007-05-16T18:52:00.000+12:00

And so it ends. The power is now back on at my place, and I am free to use running water and motorised transport again.

I rather enjoyed doing the Week of Penury, and felt that it was a worthwhile experiment. I may attempt another one if I can arrange for favourable circumstances, but not for a while.

Overall, it turned out to be a Week of Voluntary Simplicity more than a Week of Penury. Now I am tasked with replenishing the stock used on the Week. My water ration held out, and I even ended up with a surplus 3 litres. I could have made at least two more meals with the food that I had prepared, although next time I will put more consideration into my menu.

The final power meter reading of 63957 units, just as it was last Tuesday evening.

Thanks to everyone who supported me; I'd encourage you to try something similar.

Live well, and often!

Best Regards,

J.L.

Day Seven: Tuesday

2007-05-16T18:17:00.000+12:00

Another day off. Slept in until 10:30am, made cereal with milk from milk powder for breakfast. There's something disturbing about milk powder; could be the rather off-white-slightly-green colour, or the fact that I bought skimmed milk powder rather than real milk powder. (Come on people—skimmed milk? Our ancestors were drinking full milk in its fatty, creamy goodness for centuries before the invention of skimmed milk, and with no ill effects.) It is a similar enough analogue of the real thing, I guess.

Walked and watered the dog; received general approval in the form of slobber.

I needed to prepare for the big switch-on. Seeing as it was another fine day, I headed into town on Shanks' Pony (on foot, for all you non-Kiwis). This took an hour or so. Checked my private mail box on the way. I needed to buy a copy of the day's newspaper for proof of my abstinence from mains A.C. over the last week. The package I received for my brother also needed to be delivered.

After dropping in at work to say hi, I headed off in the direction of my brother's house. An hour later, I arrived to find that he wasn't home. Damn. I needed to borrow his digital camera to take the aforementioned photo proving my abstinence from mains A.C. After waiting a while, and talking with one of his flatmates about the relative merits of the European Union, the Scottish elections and how study was going, I raised him on the phone only to find out he wouldn't be back for another hour. Damn. He gave me the OK to grab his camera, and I left the package for him. I headed to a newsagent to grab a copy of The Press, and started home again. An hour later... I was quite tired.

This evening's dinner was the rest of the haggis, potatoes and peas, along with a beer; a good hearty meal.

I called J.H. to arrange computer access to post in the blog here, but as it turned out this wasn't possible. He headed over to my place with some of his belongings. We had a whisky as we waited for the time of the big switch-on to arrive.

It sounds odd, but I was a bit apprehensive about turning the power back on! Over the Week, I had gotten used to life without it, and found that you can live quite a decent lifestyle even with out electricity—for short periods at least.

When the clock advanced to 10:25pm, I took the photo, and flicked the power back on at the board. The fridge rumbled to life, and when the hallway light was turned on, it felt extremely bright.

After that, I helped J.H. unload his car, and he drove me to work to pick up transport for the following morning. We arranged to meet for breakfast the following morning. I drove home.

Day Six: Monday

2007-05-15T14:25:00.000+12:00

For me, Monday is a day off work. I do have a class at Polytech to go to in the morning though, so I had to get up and get prepared. I slept in a bit, since the lecture doesn't begin until 10:00am. Had cereal and milk (made with milk powder) for breakfast, and boiled water for the flask. Got out the door on time, and cycled to 'tech. I'm getting used to the bike ride now, and it seems to take less time than it did at the beginning of the Week.

I needn't have bothered. Class was cancelled today, as our tutor was ill. I decided to head over to work and have a coffee with the guys. There, I checked my email, and updated my blog, posting entries covering the last few days; Computer access has been sporadic at best.

This took until lunchtime, and by then I was ready of my museli bar, orange and banana. I headed up to the square to eat lunch in the sun. It was reasonably warm in the sunlight. After an hour or so, I remembered that I needed to check my mail box, so I wandered up that way. One package for my brother, and numerous pieces of mail for the previous box holders and other people I don't know. Also junk mail. I took my brother's package, put the other mail in the returns box and the junk in the recycle bin, and headed back to the Polytech library to do some research for the law assignment for my engineering management paper.

On the way into the library, I bumped into anyzoom and a friend, who were keen to hear how the Week was going. Spent about an hour in the library before I got bored, and decided to go home while it was still light, and before the rush-hour traffic. Cycled home again.

Once home, I took the dog for a walk in the park, and thought about dinner. Tonight's meal would either be haggis, potatoes and peas, or canned salmon with tomato sauce and pasta. I went with the haggis; this would give me another meal the following day. With dinner, I also had one of the beers left by C.S. and J.S., which was rather nice. After dinner, it was the now familiar routine of listening to National Radio and reading by candlelight. Later, I took the dog for another walk, and treated myself to a dram of whisky before bed.

Only one day left to go!

Day Five: Sunday

2007-05-14T12:28:00.000+12:00

Like Saturday, work starts later on Sunday, and finishes earlier. Slept in a wee bit today. Decided to try making cereal for breakfast, using the milk powder. This worked well, although the reconstituted milk is only vaguely analogous to real milk. It was OK. Also decided to have coffee at work; I packed some instant coffee and 'Splenda' sweeteners with lunch, boiled water to take with me in my small flask, had a wash and headed off to work.

Lunch today was another banana (gotta love those bananas), a pear and a museli bar. And hot coffee! Like the milk, the sweeteners bear only a passing resemblance to sugar, but worked well enough. Incidentally, I understand that athletes are particularly partial to bananas, as they release energy slowly and are rich in vitamins and minerals. That's good enough for me. My boss, C.W., went next door to get Burger King for lunch.

There was a bit of a headwind on the way home, so it took a little longer to cycle home after work. It was still light when I arrived, and the dog was happy to see me. Took her for a walk in the park near where I live—I can only do this during daylight as it isn't lit at all at night.

Set another fire when I got home, although this was hard work. The wood I had picked was not seasoned enough, and was still full of sap and moisture. It took ages to get going. Eventually, the sap boiled out of the ends of the logs, but the fire didn't produce nearly as much heat as the previous night's had. With careful addition of kindling and repositioning the logs, they burned better.

Dinner was another can of soup. Pea and ham this time, with the last of the bread, which had gotten progressively harder and harder as the Week progressed. Being a crusty loaf, it was already tough when I bought it. I must say that I'm impressed with the bread from the Sydenham Bakery. It seems to keep for much longer than bread bought from the supermarket, which is rip-off if you ask me; usually, you have at most three days to use the whole loaf before it goes mouldy. Conversely, the bread from the Bakery lasts for a week or more before it starts to go off. And it's good bread into the bargain.

I stayed in tonight again, by the fire. Read some more for my law paper, and listened to National Radio. Also started reading the "Linux Network Administration Guide" by O'Reilly books, in preparation for turning the power back on and J.H. and B.N. moving back in.

Later, I felt the need for a whisky: one dram of The Glenlivet, and afterwards, one of Glenmorangie. Went to bed very relaxed at about 11:30pm.

Day Four: Saturday

2007-05-14T11:40:00.000+12:00

On Saturdays, work starts at 10:00am, so I got a bit of a lie-in this morning—great! I had set my alarm to go off at 6:30am, but this was totally unrealistic of me. Of course, I hit the 'snooze' button, and duly woke up two hours later. Had time to make porridge, coffee, and had enough hot water to have a wash too.

The gas stove has worked really well: it has been a worthwhile investment. The only reap issue with it is that I can only cook one thing at a time on it, as it only has one burner. Not a huge issue if you're making one-pan meals or just boiling water. It did present a problem when I made chilli and pasta, as the chilli cooled down while the pasta was cooking.

So far the water rationing scheme has held up, although I now think that I didn't budget enough for the dog; she really needs about 1.5 litres per day, as opposed to the 1 litre I had budgeted. This has eaten into my ration. Even so, I have still managed to stay within the limits. At the end of each day, I have been adding any surplus water to the next day's ration, and so far I have had enough to get by. However, I have not washed any dishes yet. I have managed to have a 'shower' (in the bath), and wash my hair. I also managed a shave on Friday morning, although it is not unusual for me to turn up to work or tech looking rather scruffy. Considering that I'm not using any bottled water to flush the toilet, I think that the 3 litres per day recommended by Civil Defense is quite a tight limit.

Work also finishes early on Saturdays; 4:00pm. I cycled home again, this time in daylight. Played with the dog for a while, outside in the fading sun. After she tired, I went inside and set a fire, since today was quite a bit colder that it has been during the rest of the week. This was great: the insulation which the landlords had installed last year really made a difference. During the first winter J.H. and I had spent in the flat, it was freezing cold, even though it wasn't a particularly severe winter in Canterbury. The problem wasn't helped by the fact that our flat is heavily shaded by a huge oak tree growing in the grounds of the Baptist church next door. This means that the flat doesn't get direct sunlight until about 10:00am.

Anyway, once the fire was burning nicely, I made dinner. Vegetable soup today, with more bread. I ate this by the fire and relaxed, listening to National Radio and reading. As Saturday was half-way through the Week of Penury, I also had a celebratory museli bar. When dinner had settled, I took the dog out for a quick walk around the block. Later, I got my guitar out and did some practice.

My ex-flatmates J.S. and C.S. came over to pick up the last of their belongings and some mail, and were quite suprised to find the house in darkness. I thought I had told them about what I was doing, but evidently I hadn't. Everyone who I have told about the Week of Penury have been both amused and supportive, which has been encouraging. I'm not sure that they would necessarily have a go themselves, but they have been interested to hear about what I am doing and how it is affecting my daily life.

Went to bed at about 11:00pm.

Day Three: Friday

2007-05-13T10:35:00.000+12:00

Playing catch-up again! Friday went better than Thursday. Didn't sleep in this morning. Got up at about 7:40am. Had porridge with raisins and honey for breakfast, got washed, put water out for the dog, got on my bike and made it to work a whole five minutes early. This gave me time to recover from the chronic morning rush-hour exhaust fumes.

Lunch today was a banana, an orange and a museli bar. In addition, i had made a jam sandwich; one piece of rather stale bread folded in half with some jam in it. Still edible, though, and on the whole it made for a more satisfying lunch.

I've been quite lucky so far in that the weather has been good; cycling in the rain is no fun at all. It did rain a little this afternoon, but it had cleared up by the late afternoon.

Cycled home after work, getting to the house at about 6:50pm. I'm getting used to the routine now, and didn't reach for the light switch today. Once my legs had stopped aching, I took the dog for a walk, which she was very happy about. Made some minestrone soup for dinner. Of course, the soup is condensed, and I discovered it takes about 400ml of water to reconstitute it. One whole can of condensed soup is really enough for two people, but I was hungry after all the cycling I've been doing. I had this with more bread, which softened up nicely.

Listened to National Radio for a bit, and did some reading for my law paper. Later on at about 8:50pm, I decided to head out to take some mail to my friend J.H., who—along with B.N.—will be moving back in with me at the end of next week. I took the dog with me so that she'd get some thorough exercise. This turned out to be a very long walk. I got to J.N.'s place at about 9:40pm, and talked with him for about 15 minutes. He was keen to hear how I was doing on the Week. Then I walked all the way home again, by a slightly different route.

As it was Friday night, all the boy racers were out in formation, generally being a bunch of pricks and putting everyone in danger. Got home about 10:40pm, knackered. Flopped into bed soon after.

Day Two: Thursday

2007-05-11T13:42:00.000+12:00

Apologies for the lack of post yesterday; I had no computer access. I'm posting this brief update at work in my lunch break.

Yesterday got off to a poor start, as I totally slept in. I've been getting much more physical exercise than I'm used to, and as a result, I was totally worn out from cycling around so much. I woke at about 8:20am, threw my clothes on, hurriedly grabbed a banana, a pear, a museli bar and some water for lunch, and headed out the door without breakfast. Big mistake. By lunchtime I was feeling light headed, and I had drunk all of my water ration. Lunch wasn't enough to bring me back. I spent the rest of the working day feeling weak and tired. Lesson learned.

Thursday also happened to be the last day at work for one of our staff, T.N., who is moving on to greener pastures, so I made an exception for the occasion and joined him and the rest of the crew for a beer or two and some chips. It would have been rude not to. I paid the price for this, though, as afterwards I had to cycle home in the dark, a bit drunk and quite tired. The beers went straight to my head because I was dehydrated.

Got home about 7:15pm, fumbled around for my keys, and let myself in. Immediately reached for the light switch - then realised, of course, that there was no point. Habit is hard to break.

I took my dog for a walk, which she enjoyed. She has been a bit maligned lately, and I felt terribly guilty about not having more time for her. The Week of Penury hasn't really been a big change for her - although she must be puzzled about the lack of light in the house.

After this, I reheated more of last night's chilli and pasta, which went down a treat. Listened to some radio, then called my parents. They were a bit suprised to hear about my experiment, but were supportive. The call lasted an hour and a half, and it was good to speak to them.

By the time I had got off the phone I was ready for bed. Hit the sack at about 11:30pm, which is early by my standard, but I badly needed to rest.

Another update to follow shortly.

J.L.

Day One: Wednesday

2007-05-09T22:05:00.001+12:00

The first day of the Week of Penury went reasonably well. Had some last minute crises, like the camera dying just before I needed to take the photo of my meter late last night. I had bought a 10-pack of spare AA's; however these turned out to have been on the shelf for a very long time and were flat! Had to rush out to a garage to pick up some more, high power batteries before the Week started.

For those who are wondering what the heck I'm up to, I have committed myself to live for a week in my own home without mains electricity, and without motorised transport. No big deal, I hear you say. But this actually entails giving up more than you might initially think: electric lighting, my computer, electric oven, hot water, refrigeration and electric heating. It is Autumn here in NZ and getting chilly. (In case you are wondering how I posted after the fact last night; I took the photo, switched off the power at the mains at home, headed over to a friend's and used his computer, then cycled home.)

I got home at about 11:30pm, found my way into the house, found my torch, then lit some candles. I aim to use the torch as little as possible. Adjusted to life in the dark by having the last of the cheese in my fridge with some crackers, and a wee dram of Glenmorangie. Listened to some radio on my walkman, prepared lunch in advance, then to bed.

Woke at 6:30am this morning. It was still dark outside. Stumbled into the kitchen and boiled water (on my portable gas stove) to make porridge and coffee, and to have a wash. In accordance with the Civil Defence instructions, I have allowed myself 3 litres of water a day for everything I might need it for, plus a litre a day for my dog. I should mention at this point that I have also restricted the use of running water to toilet use only: no drinking, cooking or cleaning water can be drawn from the cylinder. So to cover me for the next week, I started with 21 litres plus 7 for the dog.

After washing, I got on my bike and cycled to work, getting there about 40 minutes earlier than I normally would.

I am still going to work this week, as the opportunity to do the Week of Penury came up at short notice and I couldn't get time away. While this isn't what I had intended initially, I have factored it into the equation. Originally, I had also intended to do without my phone for the week. However, my borther injured himself a few days befor I was due to begin, so I needed to be contactable. I had realised (only a day before) that I would not be able to use my phone without the power on, since it is cordless: the base receiver must be on for it to work. I got around this by borrowing my friend's standard land-line phone. My mobile is also still available for the purpose of contactability.

Lunch at work was a banana, a pear and a museli bar. I noticed that I got hungry again quite soon after lunch.

After work, I cycled home again, stopping to check my private mailbox on the way. I finish work at 6:00pm during the week, by which time it is dark outside at this time of year. At home, I found my torch again and lit candles. Quickly knocked up some chilli, using the minced beef that had defrosted in the fridge, kidney beans, a carrot, and half an onion. I threw in a beef stock cube for good measure, and added half a tin of tomatoes. This turned out suprisingly well.

One problem I face is only being able to cook using one pan at a time. I boiled water to make pasta, while the chilli cooled. I realised that rice is probably better than pasta in this situatuion, since the rice absorbs the water, whereas you throw out the water from cooking pasta.

I scoffed this quickly, as I needed to meet with my brother at 8:00pm.

I used his computer to type this post.

Well, now I must head home to get to bed at a quasi-reasonable hour. More tomorrow.

The Week of Penury

2007-05-08T23:06:00.000+12:00

The Week of Penury has officially started, as of 10:25pm on Tuesday, 8th of May 2007.
This is a social experiment, in which I live without electricity or running water* at home for one week. I will be posting daily with an update of the day's events to let you know how I'm getting on, and also with more information on what is involved.

I must be mad...The power meter at my place, with a copy of today's Press, showing 63957 units the meter and today's date. I will take another photo at the end of the experiment to demonstrate that I haven't used any power at home.

More soon,

J.L.

Gold Against The Soul

2007-04-09T21:03:00.000+12:00

Ok. So today was a public holiday in NZ. Due to the prevailing government, employees who work today are taken care of. This is a Good Thing. We get time-and-a-half, plus a day in lieu.

Today's outrage is (drum roll, if you please)— cafés and restaurants passing on the additional cost of opening today to customers, by way of an absurd 15% surcharge on food and drink. If you are reading this, and are the owner of such an establishment, I would like you to go F#ck Yourself.

I don't work in a café or restaurant, but I did work today. I wasn't charging people an extra 15% for Hi-Fi. Neither would it have cost me 15% extra to fill up my car today, if I had one. If I had gone grocery shopping, I would have paid the same price for a tin of beans as I did yesterday, and will do tomorrow.

There are three possible reasons for the greed of café and restaurant owners:

The government put a gun to their collective heads and made them do it; though they begged to leave the prices as they were, the government just wouldn't listen to their pleas. No, that doesn't sound right...

The profit margin keeping the business afloat is so slim that the additional cost of paying staff a little extra will literally fold it like a collapsing house of cards. No, that's not it either...

Good old pocket-stuffin' capitalism: We have a winner

Business owners take note: If you aren't willing to pay your staff the extra money they deserve for giving up their public holiday to earn your business money, you don't have to open. If you do open, you should suck it up as a cost of doing business. Take it from me – an angry engineering student with just enough cash to afford to eat at your establishment – I will avoid any business with the nerve to penalise me for my custom. The money that I'm not spending in your café will be spent at other cafés who appreciate my continued business. Just don't do it!

That is all.

Orwell's Insight

2007-04-09T01:20:00.000+12:00

I have been reading George Orwell's '1984': such insight and genius. His commentary on the nature of political thought, written in the '40s, is possibly even more relevant today. From chapter 9:

"Even the humblest Party member is expected to be competent, industrious and even intelligent within narrow limits, but it is also necessary that he should be a credulous and ignorant fanatic whose prevailing moods are fear, hatred, adulation and orgiastic triumph. In other words it is necessary that he should have the mentality appropriate to a state of war. It does not matter whether or not the war is actually happening, and, since no decisive victory is possible, whether the war is going well or badly. All that is needed is that a state of war should exist. The splitting of the intelligence which the Party requires of its members, and which is more easily achieved in an atmosphere of war, is now almost universal, but the higher up the ranks one goes, the more marked it becomes. It is precisely in the Inner Party that war hysteria and hatred of the enemy are strongest. In his capacity as an administrator, it is often necessary for a member of the Inner Party to know that this or that item of war news is untruthful, and he may often be aware that the entire war is spurious and is either not happening or is being waged for reasons quite other than the declared ones: but such knowledge is easily neutralised by the technique of doublethink."

- Winston Smith, reading Emmanuel Goldstein's banned book "The Theory And Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism"

Sound familiar? Instead of "Party", try reading "Church" or (particularly in the US) "Administration".

Religion Strikes Back Against Reason

2007-04-06T23:31:00.000+12:00

I caught the tail end of tonight's 'Closeup' programme on TV1, an Easter special on religion and 'fundamentalism' in New Zealand. Having seen only five minutes, I don't know what was said during the rest of the show, so I can't comment on that; however, even in those five minutes the christian presence on the panel made my blood boil. The panel consisted of (as far as I can make out) two christians of differing denominations, a buddhist, a muslim, a rabbi and a representative from the NZ Humanist and Rationalist society. The part of the discussion I did see regarded the difference between 'wrongness on the intellectual level' and 'wrongness on the moral level'. This was mainly between the humanist and one christian, who repeatedly failed to grasp basic logic, and continually twisted the answer of the humanist into garbled nonsense. The christian's statements made absolutely no sense whatsoever. As for the buddhist— well, I don't mind buddhists so much since they at least don't try and push their beliefs up my nose, but her statement made even less sense.

I really can't believe that so many Kiwis fall for this. It's the oldest trick in the book: if you can't convince people through rational, logical, sensible arguments, bamboozle 'em with bullshit and complexity.

On the 'Closeup' programme website, some people have made comments, but this one—which I can only suspect comes from a christian—takes the "I'm an insular, racist bigot" award:

"We have too many immigrants trying to force their religion on New Zealanders and expect us to follow suit. Sure religion is fine but when you come to a new country you follow the rules (for want of a better word) of that country."

- A. Dumbhick

If you are reading this blog from outside New Zealand, or from within for that matter, then hear this: This attitude is intellectually and morally wrong. Whoever wrote that is a dumb hick, and does not represent me as a Kiwi or a Scotsman or a Human Being. Besides, the gaping hipocrisy which the commenter is guilty of is that every single NZ european, christian or not, is—or is descended from—an immigrant into Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. Maori were settled here long before them then, and us now, and whom european christians forced their religion upon at the end of bayonettes and gun-barrels. It is this type of christian who is now trying to have NZ declared a christian nation. Because they are peace loving, tolerant people. Not.

If you want to see some figures on the number of religious nutballs that live in this country, look here.

Did anyone reading this happen to record the whole show? If so, I'd be very greatful to get hold of a copy; please leave a comment.

Once again, I call upon you to Join The Resistance.

Back to the Dark Ages

2007-01-29T22:01:00.000+13:00

A friend notified me over the weekend of a very interesting article in The Press, which was about christians attempting to declare New Zealand a 'christian country'. Many disparate groups such as the Anglican, Catholic, and even the Destiny churches are banding together to claim that since over 50 percent (53% to be exact) of respondants in the last Census identified themselves as christian in some way, that the rest of us should just bend over and assume the position. Stupidity is more widespread than even I in my righteous pessemism had previously suspected.

I happen to have a copy of the Religious Affiliation section of the 2006 Census (available here online as an Excel spreadsheet - don't ask me why...) and indeed the total number of people who identify themselves as christians is sizable. But the range of groups is unbelievable: everyone from Coptic Orthodox to Quakers, Elim to Mormons, Pentecostal to Nazarene. If you sat these people down in a room together, they'd hardly have anything in common by way of beliefs and religious practices. Of any of the groups surveyed in the Religious Affiliation category, 'No Religion' is the single largest group - nearly 1.3 million Kiwis (almost one third of the population). An additional 242,610 people objected to answering, 249,711 didn't answer at all, 1,743 didn't know, 10,653 responses were unidentifiable, and 30,945 responses were outside the scope of the survey. Interestingly, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the document, which states

"This data has been randomly rounded to protect confidentiality. Individual figures may not add up to totals, and values for the same data may vary in different tables."

and a footnote which states

"Includes all the people who stated each religious affiliation in the 2006 Census, whether as their only religious affiliation or as one of several religious affiliations. Where a person reported more than one religious affiliation, they have been counted in each applicable group."

This raises two matters:

Firstly, a single person is able to state that they have more than one religious affiliation, thereby increasing the perceived numbers of responses for religious groups while not, in fact, actually representing a greater number people.
Secondly, if a respondant ticked more than one box, why have they done so? Is it because they don't really believe in the beliefs they are claming to have, or that they aren't sure? Wouldn't this make them Agnostics?

In the Press article, a member of the Destiny church claims that although they believe in a functional separation of church and state, that christianity is tacitly recognised as the national religion, and that this "doesn't affect anyone's freedom of choice". True, but only because they are not allowed to affect our freedom of choice by law. This doesn't stop them trying. Take for example the Exclusive Bretheren's bribing of the National party at the last election... It's bad enough that our national anthem is the not-entirely rousing dirge "God Defend New Zealand (because our army, navy and air force are a joke)". The claim made by the Human Rights Commision that everyone—regardless of their religion or lack thereof—is treated equally before the law is nonsense: Given the tax breaks and labour law exemptions which church groups enjoy, how can it be said that this equates to equality?

The time has come to stand up and be counted. Join The Resistance, and fight for your continued right to rationality and truth!

Anecdote

2006-12-24T18:50:00.000+13:00

Last week, while I was out working in the back garden, a fellow from the baptist church (our next-door neighbours no less) arrived at our front gate. He was carrying some sort of package. I didn't initially know who he was, or why he had come, but he said that he wanted to give us a gift on behalf of the congregation. I told him politely that it was very nice of them to think of us, but that I couldn't possibly accept his generous gift, whatever it was. He looked at me in complete puzzlement and asked me why not. Now, I didn't want to unnecessarily offend the chap - he seemed like a nice guy, and after all I didn't have the nerve to tell him that I'm thoroughly opposed to his ridiculous beliefs and to get the hell out of our garden - so I simply said that it would not be apropriate for me to accept, since I don't celebrate christmas. He left in confusion, wished me a merry christmas anyway, and wandered back to the church.

Our meeting got me thinking: How up-front should we be about expressing our atheism? Christians seem to have no qualms over telling us all about their disposition and beliefs, and many seem to take it for granted that you share their faith, until you tell them otherwise. Why shouldn't I do the same? At least I can justify my (non-)beliefs. Why should we subjugate ourselves to appease people who feel they must grovel before the imaginary?

I have resolved to be more vocal when these situations arise. As I said in a comment to vjack at Atheist Revolution:

"If they can't deal with it, that's their failing, not yours."

Coming soon on The Incomer:

The Week of Penury
The Resistance
Jesus Saves Enslaves

Farewell, Andrew

2006-11-07T23:58:00.000+13:00

Andrew McKenzie 1975-2006

I was very much aggrieved to hear that my friend Andrew McKenzie passed away on Friday, leaving behind his loving wife Claudine, adoring family, and many, many admiring friends. He was the finest, kindest, most sincere friend you could wish for, and I will miss him greatly: It was my great priviledge to have known him.

Andrew had been battling an illness for the last six months, after having been in remission from a previous bout, and although I am sad, frustrated, angry and depressed that he is no longer here, I am much relieved that he is no longer in pain.

He was a talented musician, and we met while studying at the Nelson School of Music in 1999. Andrew's principal focus was drums and percussion, and he also played the vibraphone. He had a rich baritone singing voice, too.

The thing that always struck me about Andrew was his jovial, calm and positive nature, even in the face of difficulty. He was a devout Lutheran, and we had our disagreements about things, but he was considerate of my position and did not judge me.

His funeral is on Wednesday, 1:00 pm at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Palmerston North.

Farewell, my friend, and thankyou -
You were a light on the dark journey of this life.

"Through these fields of destruction -
Baptisms of fire,
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher,
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brother in arms"
- Dire Straits

Join the Atheist Blogroll

2006-10-30T11:23:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I happened upon Mojoey's Atheist Blogroll at Deep Thoughts by way of another blog I read frequently. It helps bring together atheists as a force against irrational pious nonsense and the influence of the religious in our daily lives.

If you are an atheist, agnostic or freethinker, then I strongly encourage you to Join the Atheist Blogroll!

Evolution by Default!

2006-10-14T23:23:00.000+13:00

Ha! An intriguing thought just occurred to me, one which has the upshot that christians are bound to accept evolution, as I shall now explain.

If you accept that human beings give birth to offspring, then by default you accept evolution by nature of the fact that the offspring are not identical clones of either parent. The offspring have genes which are made of genetic contributions from both parents, and are thus genetically different to the parents. The degree of difference may vary between offspring, but the fact remains that the genes of the child are not the same as one or other parent, i.e. the antithesis to evolution is cloning.

What is really being argued is whether the degree of difference in the genes of offspring to that of their parents proceeds at a rate which shows that human beings could have evolved from more primitive life forms, or whether some man in the sky made everything in seven days.

So what many people refer to as the 'evolution vs. creation' debate should be more correctly termed the 'rate of evolution vs. creation' debate, since it cannot be denied that you and I are different, therfore evolution is evident.

Professionalism

2006-10-14T22:12:00.000+13:00

I give you this anecdote as a rumination on a theme provided by another of Custard's posts.

When I was doing my intermediate year of engineering at Canterbury University, I ended up taking some computer science papers, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Part of the reason it was so great is that we could get stuck into some serious problem solving, and often the solutions were quite elegant.

One time we were set an assignment by the lecturer to test our understanding of a particular data structure. It could be done using a brute force approach, which worked fine, except that it sometimes took a long time to get the desired result. After reviewing our individually submitted code, the lecturer asked one girl to get up in front of the students during the next lecture, as she had solved the problem another way. So, up she gets. She has maybe sixty or seventy people waiting with baited breath for her to explain her method to the rest of us. There is silence in the lecture theatre. She launches wide-eyed into some extended quote from the bible - about Noah and the Ark - and starts telling us all about that. The rest of us are looking around at each other, thinking 'is this her explaination or am I dreaming?' After waiting for a while to see if she would get to the point, the lecturer rolls his eyes and prompts her to give the explaination of what she did that solved the problem, which she then did. (I must add that her solution worked fine in the particular context of the assignment, but had the same issue as the brute force method in other contexts. I think the intent of the lecturer was to show that there's more than one way to skin a cat and to give her credit for thinking outside the square.)

Now this girl was really quite smart. Maybe not a genius, but certainly she was talented as far as science was concerned, and sometimes we chatted about physics or computer science when we met in the corridor. Sometimes I helped her with code problems, sometimes she helped me with maths.

After the biblical quote incident, I became aware that she was quite active in a campus christian group. What really stunned me was that this girl who was obviously a scientist at heart could believe such nonsense as the bible. I was shocked and disappointed by the incident, and it made me wonder 'how do christians involved in science manage to reconcile within themselves the conclusions of science and the teachings of their faith, especially those findings which so strongly contradict religious teaching?' These can be almost diametrically opposed on certain issues. I still don't have an answer.

More to the point though, I felt it was quite inappropriate of her to start telling us about what she personally believes, instead of just answering the question, like she'd been asked to. Just because she has made a choice to be a christian doesn't give her the right to inject it into places where it is not warranted. If I got up in front of the students and started ranting about the non-existence of god, I would be no less guilty of inappropriate behaviour.

Whose Job?

2006-10-08T18:08:00.000+13:00

It's a shame that this isn't a factual documentary. It seems that cinemas themselves have become the censors, wading into the debate about what the public is allowed to see. Ironically, they appear to have little or no objection to showing films protraying sadistic violence, such as "Saw", or films portraying highly realistic war scenes involving the killing and maiming of thousands, such as "Saving Private Ryan".

I look forward to "Death of a President" arriving here in NZ.

Note to Self

2006-10-03T22:55:00.000+13:00

Thought for the day:

Life is like an electric circuit - without resistance, it will be short.

Solid Foundations

2006-09-24T02:23:00.000+12:00

The following is an extract from a comment I made during an ongoing discussion with fellow blogger Custard on his blog.

I give you this analogy: Before you walk into a building, you don't know how structurally safe it might be, and whether or not it might collapse on top of you. You might be 50% certain - either it will collapse, or it won't. You decide that your accumulated experience with buildings is a good guide, and enter the building. If you repeatedly return to the same building, and it doesn't collapse on top of you, your previous experience leads you to the conclusion that this building is structurally sound, and is unlikely to fall down while you are inside. You go further into the building each time you visit, increasing the risk of being trapped or hurt if it does start to collapse. You might be 80% sure, or 90%, or given long enough, 99.999999% sure. You can never be 100% sure, but you conclude that given the evidence and experience, the likelihood of this particular building collapsing with you inside is remote in the extreme.

Now, if you have carefully and clearly documented every visit, it would be the most sceptical, fearful and unreasonable of people who would refuse to enter this building on the grounds that your report does not show that the building is 100% safe, and might collapse. Of course, no-one should be compelled to enter, but this type of reaction would be unwarranted.

Taking the analogy further, if the building has been carefully planned and thoroughly tested, well designed and constructed, it will survive all manner of adversity unscathed: fires, floods, earthquakes, strong winds. By the same token, small defects might be uncovered after such events, and these deserve much scrutiny and enquiry, and ultimately some resolution.

It is probably rather obvious that the 'building' I am describing in this analogy is science, and that's exactly how I feel about it.

Jcalendar Code & Instructions

2006-09-21T02:08:00.000+12:00

Thanks to Tom Switzer and via LinuxQuestions.org, I am able to present to you the code - fully copyable and pasteable - for Jcalendar.

Disclaimer: I strongly urge you to back up your blog template before you make any changes to it. Copy the entire template code into a new file called something obvious like my_blog_template.html and put it somewhere obvious like your personal folder for easy retrieval in case something goes wrong.

Copy and paste the following style rules into your blog template's <style> area; as the last entry is probably a good place, so that it's easy to find:


/* Jcalendar style rules
----------------------------------------------- */
table.calendar {
  font-size: x-small;
  width: 100%;
  }
caption.calendar {
  color:#cc0000;
  text-transform:uppercase;
  letter-spacing:.2em;
  }
table.calendar td {
  text-align: center;
  }
td.calendar_ntm {
  color: silver;
  }
td.today {
  text-decoration: underline;
  }

This will give you a basic style, but of course you're free to modify it.

Next, copy this Javascript into the <head> of your blog template. This contains all the inner workings:


<script type="text/javascript">
   
/** THIS IS MY SELF-UPDATING JAVASCRIPT CALENDAR APP.
 *  FEEL FREE TO STEAL IT AND PASTE IT INTO YOUR OWN BLOG.
 *  THERE IS A SCRIPT SECTION PLACED IN THE SIDEBAR PORTION
 *  WHICH CALLS THE FUNCTIONS HEREIN, SO YOU ALSO NEED TO
 *  COPY THAT TOO.
 *  THE STYLE INFO IS JUST ABOVE, BUT YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE :)
 *  HAVE FUN!
 *  J.L.
 */

// setup arrays and variables
var d = new Date();
var x;
var months = [ ["January", 31],
  ["February", 28], 
  ["March", 31], 
  ["April", 30], 
  ["May", 31], 
  ["June", 30], 
  ["July", 31], 
  ["August", 31], 
  ["September", 30], 
  ["October", 31], 
  ["November", 30], 
  ["December", 31] ];

var day_name = new Array("Sun", "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat");
var today_year = d.getFullYear();
var today_month = d.getMonth();
var today_date = d.getDate();
var today_day = d.getDay();

d.setDate(1);    // NOT DEBUGGING! LEAVE THIS IN WHEN DONE

var first_date = d.getDate();
var first_day = d.getDay();
   
// is it a leap year? TRUE if year % 4 == 0
var leap = false;

function set_feb_days()
{
 if((today_year % 4) == 0)
 {
  leap = true;
  months[1][1] = 29;
 }
 return leap;
}
   
function open_table()
{
 document.write('<table class="calendar">');
}
   
function write_caption()
{
 document.write('<caption class="calendar">' + months[today_month][0] + ' - ' + today_year +  '</caption>');
}

function write_header()
{
 document.write('<tr>');
 for (x in day_name)
 {
  document.write('<th>' + day_name[x] + '</th>');
 }
 document.write('</tr>');
}
   
function write_body()
{
 document.write('<tbody>');
 var a = 1 - first_day;
 var b = 41 + a - (months[today_month][1]);
 if(today_month == 0) // if January, set last month to December
 {
  var last_days = months[11][1];
 }
 else
 {
  var last_days = months[today_month - 1][1];
 }
 var j = 1;
 var k = 1;
 for(i = 0; i < 6; i++)
 {             
  document.write('<tr>');
  for( ; a < 1; a++,j++)
  {
   document.write('<td class="calendar_ntm">' + (last_days + a) + '</td>');
  }
  for( ; !(j % 8 == 0) && (a <= (months[today_month][1])); a++,j++)
  {
   if(a == today_date)
   {
    document.write('<td class="today"&lgt;' + a + '</td>');
   }
   else         
   {
    document.write('<td>' + a + '</td>');
   }
  }
  for( ; !(j % 8 == 0) && a > (months[today_month][1]) && k <= b; a++,k++,j++)
  {
   document.write('<td class="calendar_ntm">' + k + '</td>');
  }
  j = 1;
  document.write('</tr>');
 }
 document.write('</tbody>');
}
   
function close_table()
{
 document.write('</table>');
}

</script>

Lastly, copy and paste the following Javascript into the sidebar somewhere. If you want to have your calendar appear just under your profile like I have it, paste the code just after the </MainOrArchivePage> tag:


  <script type="text/javascript">

 set_feb_days();   
 open_table();
 write_caption();
 write_header();
 write_body();
 close_table();

  </script>

Well, let me know how you get on. I'd be keen to hear of sucesses, and will try to help with any problems that crop up when 'installing'. Happy hacking!

Jcalendar 1.0 Released

2006-09-10T00:45:00.000+12:00

Yes. I know you have all been eagerly awaiting this moment.

Jcalendar is a little Javascript calendar app I have been working on in my spare time over the last week. If you take a look over to the right, you'll see it in quiet action, nestled under my profile.

Feel free to copy and paste the code* into your own blog, and also to modify it as you see fit. Be aware that there is no guarantee, warantee or manatee with the code, but should it blow up or do something strange of its own accord, please let me know and I'll look into it.

* To view the code, select 'view source' from your browser's menu. I tried putting it all in text boxes, but Blogger kept inserting <br />'s all over the place - i.e. it wouldn't work when copied and pasted. If anyone really objects to this, post a comment and I'll make the code and instructions available as a complete post in its own right.

Testing the Impartial Observer

2006-08-29T16:51:00.000+12:00

Good to see that someone has applied the Method of the Impartial Observer I mention in my previous post.

I was heading in this direction, but Goatboy has pre-empted me, so I'll continue on now.

Goatboy's comment raised an important point:

Science does not dictate what you should or should not do in any given situation, only that whatever happens will be governed by the laws of science*, to which nothing and no-one are exempt. This is unlike religion, whereby any 'rules' can be overturned or ignored by supernatural beings as they wish, and which dictates that certain behaviours must be obeyed to appease higher powers and thereby secure perceived benefits. The point here is that 'good', 'bad' and 'moral action' are human inventions, not preordained by some higher power. Therefore, the so-called "ten commandments" did not come from some 'god', but rather arose from what the followers of a particular individual commonly believed to be in their best interests for a variety of reasons.

* Before getting into a discussion about laws and rules being human inventions, I would agree that they are indeed. The 'laws' of science are nothing more than a vast amount of empirical evidence that lead us to certain conclusions. A fundamental and major aspect of these laws is that they are consistent. If an exception to a scientific theory is encountered, scientists are forced to re-evaluate their world-view. Take for instance the theory of relativity, which replaced Newton's classical mechanics, which I have mentioned elsewhere.
In my opinion, the amount of robust evidence provided by science for particular conclusions dwarfs any so-called evidence presented by theists for conclusions that they support. Much of their 'evidence' is pseudo-scientific at best, or else outright fiction. However, this is not to say that their arguments are without value.

Method of the Impartial Observer

2006-08-29T00:26:00.000+12:00

When considering certain philosophical questions, try using the point of view of a computer acting as a completely impartial observer.

Consider this: You are a computer, floating in space, observing the activity of human beings on the earth's surface through a telescopic lens. Humans perform actions: some of these will turn out to be beneficial for them, and others will not. Making no judgement either way, from the computer's point of view 'good' or 'bad' are concepts created by humans in their attempt to define and understand the relationship between their actions and the favourability of the outcome for them. In any case, the computer is not interested in the reasoning behind a human's actions, only the events themselves.

Imagine the situation wherein the earth is barren of all living things, humans, animals and plants included. If, for example, a volcano was to erupt, covering half of the planet with hot ash that prevented the sun's light reaching the earth's surface, would this event be 'good' or 'bad'? To the computer, it would make no difference whether the volcano erupted or not. It would be just another event. Now if the earth was densely populated and teeming with life - both flora and fauna - would a volcanic eruption that caused the death and destruction of half of all living things be 'good' or 'bad'? Again, the computer is unconcerned for the welfare of living things, and merely records the event and outcome.

Now consider that there is no computer recording all these events. Is any event 'good' or 'bad'?
It all comes down to the interpretation, which the computer neglects.

What can we deduce from this particular foray? That 'good', 'bad', an 'moral action' are human inventions. That events continue on unabated in our absence.

Give it a go. I'd be interested to hear of other questions viewed using this method, or of other methods for considering problems.

Farewell, Syd

2006-07-14T18:35:00.000+12:00

Sad to hear that Syd Barrett has passed away.

I sat down today and watched Pink Floyd's Earls Court show, which I've been keenly awaiting for years, and finally got my hands on yesterday on DVD. Was a bit sad and tearful watching the band playing "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" and "The Great Gig in the Sky". And without Syd it would never have happened it the first place. Farewell, Syd, and thanks for giving us the most wonderful music and times.

"Far away across the fields/ the tolling of the iron bell/ calls the faithful to their knees/ to hear the softly spoken magic spells"

Culturally Sensitive

2006-07-05T00:24:00.000+12:00

So I saw this Italian advert for Fiat cars, featuring some fashionably dressed, attractive women performing a Haka...

What right do Kiwis have to take offence to someone plundering their cultural heritage?

The same right that I have to be thoroughly pissed off at everyone who is not a Scot or related to one who wears tartan*. Including Kiwis. The same right that I have to complain that all Scots are portrayed everywhere as kilt-wearing, caber-carrying, porridge-eating, bagpipe-toting, red-haired, penny-pinching, drunkard hooligans who say nought else but "Och eye the noo". The same right that the Irish have to be pissed off that they're stereotyped as shamrock-loving, fiddle-playing, green-draped leprechauns who have nothing else to do but eat potatoes, make wise-cracks and quip "Top o' the mornin' to ya!" all day. The same right that the Italians have to be pissed off that they're stereotyped as mustachioed, portly, opera-singing, pasta-eating, womanising, pizza-tossing, Vespa-riding mafia dons who all happen to be called Luigi.

"Oh, but it was culturally insensitive!"

There's Graham Henry giving his opinion on how 'inappropriate' it was - for the Italians to have stolen his team's signature challenge. Oh boo-hoo. Who does the Haka 'belong' to? You? Me, now that I'm a Kiwi? The All Blacks?

Stop assailing others before complaining about someone else doing it to you. When the Scots, and the Irish, and the Welsh, and the Italians, French, Germans, South Africans, Australians, Chinese, Japanese and everyone else get their apologies for being treated in this racist way, then maybe I might show some sympathy.

No they didn't ask your permission: I don't remember anyone asking me if they could take the piss out of my culture. Grow a skin.

* For the information of anyone owning tartan: Officially, you are only allowed to wear a particular clan's tartan if you are a member of that clan by birth or marriage. Clans associate their tartan with their name. You wouldn't take their name because it sounded good, would you? Further, the right passes through the paternal line. Thus, even I am not allowed to wear a tartan other than a 'generic' one such as the Black Watch, despite being a Scot by birth, because of my family tree. But is this going to stop people wearing it? I doubt it. Tartan and most other things that are a part of Scots culture have been commercialised ad nauseam. So there.

Whaling Must End

2006-06-14T11:22:00.000+12:00

Has anyone out there ever tried whale meat? I haven't, and never will. It is quite suprising to me that there are nations who still want to hunt and kill whales. They claim they do this for 'scientific' purposes. Just how the consumption of whale meat in restaurants can be considered a scientific endeavour, I'm not sure.

According to the secretary of Norway's High North Alliance pro-whaling organization, Rune Frovic,

"Whales belong to the animal kingdom. In some cultures they eat frogs, others don't; Hindus don't eat beef, that's their choice, but they don't try to prohibit the rest of the world from eating it."

Ahem. Yes, quite true. But his statement is obvious misdirection: There is no worldwide shortage of cattle or edible frogs. They are not endangered species. They do not face the threat of extinction like actively hunted species of whale. How dumb do they think we are?

And Japan's attempt to enlist smaller nations in order to buy votes is nothing short of corruption. They don't even try to hide the fact!

Now, I wouldn't call myself a tree-hugging hippie, but this absolute plundering of nature is quite sickening. There is no need to consume whale meat, and it is falling out of favour with younger people in those nations that actively hunt whales. Sure, there are cultural reasons, but surely the survival of those species must take precedence.

Long Lost Friends

2006-06-09T17:42:00.000+12:00

Unbelievable! I have just come across the website of a good friend I went to school with in Scotland, completely by chance. We haven't heard from each other in about ten years.

We were in a band together in high school, and it turns out he's continued on with music in my absence. He's written some truly excellent songs, and progressed as a musician by a great degree. I was rather impressed. Some of his work is available for download at SoundClick, or check out his other page at MySpace.

Helping Hands

2006-06-04T01:19:00.000+12:00

The last three weeks have been very tough for me. Lots of stuff seemed to happen all at once and I struggled to cope with it all. I had a fairly bad depressive episode, when I just couldn't face dealing with anyone or anything.

I can totally understand why there is such a high rate of self-harm in NZ. Sometimes it seems that there is nothing good on the horizon, and that nothing you do can make a difference. Luckily I have some very good friends (Shewbie and Anyzoom) who realised what was happening and helped me through.

The problem was compounded by the fact that E. is over in Australia just now visting relatives and taking a break, and I couldn't turn to her for help. I miss her so much. I have put photos of her on my desk, and I set one particularly good photo of her as my KDE desktop wallpaper to keep me company.

The tutors at Tech have been understanding about my situation, and have been very supportive.
One tutor in particular, D.M., reminded me that what I'm trying to accomplish is actually very difficult, and I realised that I had come much further in my education than I thought I was capable of.

I want to say thanks to the above for helping me through this period.

"No man is an island unto himself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." - John Donne

Sacrilege!

2006-04-08T20:44:00.000+12:00

I have just seen a portion of a (BBC?) programme on TV1 called "Full-on Food". I am disgusted. Not because of the food, but because of their hipocracy (I'll get to this later), and their flippant attitude towards Scottish whisky.

In this show, one of the presenters did a section on the comeback of whisky and its rising poularity among the young 'bling' (uggghhh - I hate that word) crowd. She visits the Edradour Distillery to see how single malt whisky is made; from the raw malt and yeast, through the fermenting and distilling process, to the choice of cask for storage and maturing. With single malt, this maturing process takes 8 years, 10 years, 12 years or even longer. The cask imparts the spirit with its own particular colour and flavour, depending on what the cask contained previously, and also the wood it is made of. Where the distillery is located also makes a difference: the water that is sourced locally by a distillery will have filtered through the area's unique geography and picked up elements of the landscape. For example, you may have heard whisky drinkers comment on the 'peatiness' of a dram. The water itself may be hard or soft, depending of which rocks it has passed through. So, there she is, sampling malts straight from the cask, and gradually getting more jovially soused.

Cut to a flash new bar somewhere in London, where Glenfiddich are promoting their product to a new, young, affluent market demographic. They're mixing it with all sorts of other stuff, making cocktails. With single malt.

Not that many people know the difference between single malt and a blended whisky, or even that there is a difference. A single malt is exactly that - the product of a single distillery. All the things I mention above make each distillery's whisky unique, just like wine.
But not all whiskies are created equal.

Now. A lot of whisky is drunk in Japan. They have their own equivalent to whisky - sake, but they like the Scottish tipple as well. No problem. More sales of whisky to Japan is good for the Scottish economy, isn't it? Well, yes and no. It turns out they like Scottish whisky so much that the distilleries back in Scotland couldn't make it fast enough to supply the Japanese market. There was a move back in the bad old eighties by Japanese brewing and distilling conglomerates to buy up the distilleries in Scotland, to up the level of production. (This happened in the town I grew up in, Falkirk, just before I left the UK for NZ. The local distillery was Rosebank, and it was bought by a large Japanese conglomerate.) I mean, it takes a long time to make the finished product. Eight years. Or longer. But the Japanese market wouldn't wait. So the big international brewing conglomorates decided to take a few shortcuts in the distilling process. After all, what harm would that do?

First, they mechanised the whole process to cut staffing costs. Lots of people lost their jobs. It's worth noting that most distilleries in Scotland are in small rural communities, where job cuts hit hard and it's difficult to find other work. A lot of whisky making experience was lost in the process.

Next, they decided that the whisky could be used as soon as the distillation process was finished, cutting out the cask maturing process. Whisky that would have been transferred into casks was to be bottled straight away. This presented the Japanese distillers with a problem: the newly distilled spirit is clear. As I mentioned above, the whisky gets its distinctive golden colour from maturing in the casks over years. Before this step, it's not visually recognisable as whisky. Customers would be confused. To get around this, they simply figured out roughly what colour the whisky would have been, had it been matured, and added a mixture of food colourings to the batch. Yup. Food colourings.

After that, they decided that all whiskies taste pretty much the same, and so who would notice if whiskies from different distilleries were thrown together in a batch? This meant that not only had the whisky lost its colour, the flavour gained from the cask, but now they had stripped the spirit of any of its uniqueness, its character, by mixing it with that from other distilleries: Thus was born the blended whisky.

Because the Japanese had reduced the cost of producing the water of life, they could retail it at a lower - but still profitable - price than a single malt. This hurt the distilleries producing a single malt yet again. They lost revenue as sales shrank. Some went under entirely, or could no longer resist the offers to be bought out by the Japanese conglomerates.

Luckily, not all the distilleries in Scotland would sell themselves to the Japanese, and some continue to operate today producing single malts. The likes of Laphroig, Glenmorangie (my favourite), Lagavulin, and Oban are all examples - and rather good ones too!

The bit that really stung me as I watched this programme was that the rest of the show featured a chef making an authentic margherita pizza using hand-made pizza dough, plum tomatoes and real mozzerella cheese, emphasizing the Italian tradition of keeping it simple, and the result being 'the real thing', and also a feature on the difficulty of buying quality locally made produce in the UK. Isn't that what might be called irony?

Of course, what you drink is entirely your own choice. But I'd make this recommendation: If you're buying whisky with the intention of mixing cocktails, buy a blend. Once you have added all the other ingredients, you wouldn't be able to tell if it was blended or not, and you might save a few dollars. If, on the other hand, you actually want to enjoy the whisky for what it is, as it is, buy a good single malt. In this respect, whisky is like wine. If you're mulling wine, buy Chateaux du Cardboard, or Villa Bladerre, not a 1963 vintage red. Quality is worth paying for.

Beware that the whisky you're drinking may be 'imitation' stuff, cynically cobbled together for profit: hardly the real thing. Check the label. I'd strongly encourage you to try a dram of single malt any way that you can: as it is (the way I like it!), or with ice or water, and get to appreciate the subtleties of Uisge Beatha. Support locally made quality products, and everyone will benefit!

New 'Dawn

2006-04-04T16:35:00.000+12:00

How do you improve upon perfection? Just ask Concord Dawn: They do it regularly. Their new release "Chaos by Design" is just superb. Great production, bass, and beats to make your pulse race.
Definitely recommended.

Where there's smoke there's liars

2006-03-26T16:56:00.000+12:00

At last. An unprecedented move by the Scottish Executive will see a ban on smoking in public places. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Someone in authority actually looking after our interests!
No suprise that smoker's lobby groups are up in arms. They have

"...condemned the Scottish Executive, accusing ministers of misleading the public over the health impact and economic costs of the ban."

Hold on - misleading the public over the health impact? Three words: Pot. Kettle. Black. Surely the "health impact" would be a positive one. The mind boggles.

It seems (and always has seemed) that smokers would rather experience the ravages of cancer and general deterioration of health, and pass the bill on to the public heath system. I take a very dim view of anyone who would vandalise their own body with years of abuse and neglect, in full knowledge that smoking is detrimental and causes horrendous illness, and then cry about the problems they face in later life, expecting the rest of us to be sympathetic and foot the bill for their medical expenses. Go fuck yourselves, smokers. I don't care if you get painful debilitating cancer from smoking. It's your own fault.

Here in NZ, we've had a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces for a while now, and I believe it is working. Before the ban, I wouldn't even consider going out for a drink. Now, I can head out for an evening and not be subjected to choking, disgusting second-hand smoke. Economic costs? The bars and restaurants that I now visit have gained my custom. So the bar or restaurant has not lost a customer - after all, smokers still want to visit restaurants and bars, and will continue to do so. And now I can too. As for the infringement of rights - What about my rights as a non-smoker? Do smokers have a right to poison me and my friends with filth and ash and put my health at risk? If your employer did that, they could be fined, or imprisoned. I think not.

I mean, on every single packet of cigarettes sold in NZ there is a warning that smoking kills, will harm your baby, and causes lung cancer. You have to be illiterate (possible, but unlikely), ignorant (possible, but unlikely) or stupid (probable) to continue to smoke. Why would anyone be loyal to the tobacco companies, who kill smokers slowly and profit from it, and who have no qualms about doing so?

Good riddance.

Engineer humour

2006-03-24T02:48:00.000+12:00

Overheard in the classroom at Polytech:

Q. "What's a radian?"
A. "A slice of Pi."

"This Fourier analysis stuff is complex."

At the moment, we're doing a design project in groups of four or five. The project is to design a "healthometer" which will assist in managing a user's fitness over a period of time. Since it may be available to users in different countries, the subject of measurement and units came up in a group meeting. At one point, we got talking about the metric system, centipedes and millipedes; naturally, the question followed - "How many legs does an Imperial centipede have?"

Keeping up... just!

2006-03-15T12:35:00.000+13:00

I know, I know - far too long without posting. I've been extremely busy though. This is what's happening:

I have returned to Polytech, and am doing a full second-year course of engineering papers. It turns out that I actually passed the first-year management paper last year, but an administrative error totally buggered things up, and the results notification said that I had failed, when in fact I had not. (They had neglected to include the result from one of my assignments in the final result, and since we had to hand in all assignments to pass the paper, I 'failed' because it appeared that I had not completed the coursework.) This had a knock-on effect, as before the error was corrected, it appeared that I wouldn't be able to take enough second-year papers to qualify as a full-time student, hence I wouldn't be eligible for a student loan or allowance. Without a loan, I wouldn't be able to re-enrol either. So, it has taken a while to iron all these wrinkles out.

I started back three weeks ago, and already we've covered a huge amount. I'm doing Engineering Maths (signal analysis - Fourier series and transforms of periodic/ aperiodic signals, modulation), Management (standards and compliance, project managment), Electrical Engineering (three-phase theory - power factor correction, star-delta systems), and Communications Engineering (voodoo, witchcraft, black arts, transmission lines). I'm also doing electronics again this year, but at night school, since I did actually fail that.

On top of this, I've continued to work, although I have cut back my hours drastically.

Life is good. I'm really enjoying being back at Tech. It feels like we're finally getting down to some serious engineering topics. We've had presentations from people in industry too, which have been very useful for gaining an appreciation of what kinds of sectors we might end up in after we're finished.

Had time to have lunch with Psychiatric Geriatric yesterday, who has switched over to the Diploma course. We had a very interesting discussion about globalization and manufacture. I've also been able to catch up with Anyzoom on occasion, who has switched to doing Computer Science, and is doing all manner of interesting things with servers and databases.

My pile of books to read is growing almost daily. I picked up a book by Wilfrid Hodges titled "Logic" last week, which promises to be very interesting. Skimming through, I found a quote that struck a resonance with me: "It is simply impossible to believe, fully and without reservation, two things which you know are inconsistent with each other." Plenty of reading material for the holidays.

I also have plans in the pipeline for a series of T-shirts... I'll have to organise a few bits and pieces first though.

For relaxing times, make it Coffee time...

Further questions

2006-02-06T23:39:00.000+13:00

Two thought /outrage provoking questions for today:

If there was a 'god', who was omnipotent and could control all things, why would this 'god' only ever have one son? Why not send other offspring, since by many religions' stances we do not seem to be getting the message?

If there is such a thing as 'hell', where 'god' sends us to be punished, why does 'god' need to punish us with such maladies as disease and natural disasters while we are alive? And why punish people who follow the word of 'god' as laid out in the bible (the fact that 'god' didn't actually write the bible notwithstanding)?

Several posts in one

2006-01-12T18:07:00.000+13:00

Well. It's only a short time into the New Year and already all manner of crazy things have happened.
It's been a while since I last posted, so a catch-up is in order.

I didn't pass all my exams last year, but that's life. Six out of a possible eight isn't too bad, although I should have done better. Thusly, I can't progress to the second year of the B.Eng.Tech course. And the papers I must resit are run in the second half of the year. This leaves me with two core options: Sit another paper in the meantime and keep up the study habit, or do more hours at work and become essentially a full-timer. More news as developments come to hand.

I got to spend some time with my family over Hogmanay (New Year), which was great. This meant borrowing my very generous flatmate's car and driving for seven hours to get to where my parents live. Cool. I used to drive long distances when I was a rep, so this was no sweat. Except for all the frickin' stupid folk that happened to be driving the same road. Not once, but twice I was overtaken around blind corners by motorcyclists who must have been doing well in excess of 110 kmh. (I was sticking as closely to 100 kmh as our car and the conditions would allow.) Another motorcyclist hovered about five feet from my rear bumper for a long time before we reached a straight and he shot past. Had I have had any reason to brake even moderately, he would have been through our back window and out the front. I was overtaken by a total fool in a 4wd towing a trailer while I was doing 100 kmh. What's the speed limit for vehicles towing trailers? 80 kmh. Then there were the campervans. I hate - no, really hate - inconsiderate drivers. They had ample opportunity to stop at one of the many bays they passed, but no. They just kept chugging along as the queue of vehicles behind them grew longer and longer.

I should point out for those of you who have never been to New Zealand that we don't have motorways (except for near the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch), and that the majority of New Zealand's roadways are winding single lanes, as the geography dictates it to be so. Hence the frustration of having to sit behind some fool for nine or ten kilometers of the Kaikoura coast when there are pleny of bays to pull into.

Half the reason for the visit to my family was to pick up some of my brother's things, as he moved down to Christchurch to find work. This meant that I got my guitar amp back from him, which I was pretty happy about. I have neglected my guitar playing for too long. I bought a midnight blue Epiphone Les Paul last year, and have only now been able to plug it in and hear its wonderful tone the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

A couple of weeks ago, my boss showed me how to pick my cycle lock. Yes, my boss. I was dumbfounded. I had cycled to work, and left by bike chained up outside. As we were closing at the end of the day, he offered to give me a lift home. This meant throwing my bike in the back of the car. By the time I had finished locking up, my bike was in the car: He had cracked my lock in about twenty seconds. He showed me how it was done, and I was amazed. Anyone could have stolen by bike in hardly any time and with total ease. So today I went out and bought a lock with a key, and intend to use both in future. The combination lock still has deterrant/hassle value.

I've eaten far too much and drunk quite a lot of good beer and whisky over the last month, and generally had a great time. Luckily, my parents gave me a squash raquet and beginners ball for Hogmanay. Both my father and brother are keen players, and I'm quite looking forward to playing them in future. Coincidentally, my flatmate's father was the New Zealand junior squash champion in his younger days. Squash is certainly a great way to get back into some excercise.

Here I leave you for today; I wish you all a fun and fruitful New Year.

Let them know!

2005-12-09T01:42:00.000+13:00

I have created some web buttons that you can use to indicate your displeasure with religious propoganda and interference. Feel free to link to these by copying and pasting the code below into your blog template:

This is brilliant!

2005-12-08T02:26:00.000+13:00

The mocking of Star Wars fans en masse by a hand puppet dog.
(Best viewed in broadband-o-vision.)

What do you do with a dead whale? Pack it full of high explosive, of course! Animal lovers may wish to skip this one...

Right to life... and death?

2005-11-30T16:53:00.000+13:00

I have been following readers' letters in The Press this week, regarding Nelson Coroner Ian Smith's call for national debate on euthanasia. As usual, those with religious views claim to have the moral high ground here.

In this post I reproduce relevant letters from The Press and provide criticism.

"Should be rejected" - The Press, Tue. 29^th Nov.

The call by the Nelson Coroner for a national debate on euthanasia is unfounded and imprudent (Nov 24). It should be rejected.
We don't need yet another national debate on euthanasia. Parliament in 1995 and 2003 rejected death with dignity bills at their first reading.
Euthanasia legislation would be unwise and dangerous public policy and would make doctors the most dangerous persons in the land.
Euthanasia comes from a culture of death. It is about requiring doctors to kill their patients or assisting (sic) in their suicide.
It is always wrong to kill another person; it is contrary to the law of God.
The sanctity of life ethic is the foundation stone of civilised society. This ethic is upheld by the World Medical Association and the New Zealand Medical Association.
The passing of euthanasia legislation would be a threat to the lives of the elderly, the handicapped and the terminally ill.

- Ken Orr, spokesperson, Right To Life New Zealand, Shirley.

Since when is it 'imprudent' to invite debate regarding a topic? Surely, by debating the points in any argument and raising contentious issues, we can expose solutions and determine just what is correct, and what is falsehood. Perhaps Mr. Orr would rather not risk losing the argument.
How is the call unfounded? I'd say that the Coroner is in a better position to judge the need for such debate (measured upon his daily experience of deaths and their causes) than an armchair activist.
Besides, we have a new government, and people are entitled to change their minds. It is certainly possible that another attempt to pass a 'death with dignity' bill would be defeated, but why not let the majority decide?
Mr. Orr's comment that euthanasia legislation would 'make doctors the most dangerous persons in the land' is ridiculous, and nothing more than scaremongering. More dangerous than P-crazed gang members? Than released psychiatric patients, perhaps? Than the large number of unlicenced and drunk drivers on our roads? There would, of course, be stringent failsafes built into any legislation that could potentially have outcomes allowing a person to die of their own accord, such as psychiatric testing, medical evidence, testimony from family and friends, documentation endorsed by the applicant and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, etc.
I think the key point that Mr. Orr has missed is that voluntary euthanasia would be exactly that - voluntary. Not compulsory, like he makes the case out to be. I find it hard to believe that doctors would be 'required to kill their patients'. This is gross exaggeration. There would have to be a solid case for euthanasing a patient, and of course the willing participation of the patient. Perhaps there are gray areas, such as patients in a prolonged coma, but it could be possible for people to signify in their will what they wish to happen under these circumstances.
'Culture of death?' What exactly does this mean?
The comment that 'It is always wrong to kill another person' can be tested with the 'Would you kill Hitler if you had a chance' thought-experiment. What about the likes of soldiers who, during the Second World War, were compelled to kill, and happened to be christians? Did they all end up in Hell? Mr. Orr states that it is 'contrary to the law of God' to kill another. But not all of us believe in a 'God'.
To cap it off, there's the comment that euthanasia would be a threat to the lives of the elderly and the terminally ill. Strange. I thought that more pressing threats were things like time running out and terminal illness. And they may not see it as a threat. Go figure.

"Turning in their graves" - The Press, Wed. 30^th Nov.

The Nelson Coroner's call for debate about euthanasia is worrying.
After 18 months of pain and suffering I helped bury my grandfather, who was a soldier during World War 2. The Allies fought in that war to stop the evils of Nazi Germany. These evils included exterminating not only Jews but also the mentally ill and the physically handicapped because their weakness and dependancy was a burden on the fit and healthy.
I am concerned that euthanasia is the thin end of the wedge. Once we start to eliminate the old and tired, what will stop us eliminating the unintelligent, the unemployed, those of different skin colour, or even our own children?
The Netherlands passed legislation permitting voluntary euthanasia three years ago and is now considering passing legislation that permits infanticide. Perhaps my concern is warranted.
The soldiers who fought Nazi Germany must be spinning in their graves at the suggestion that the extermination of life should even be considered.

- Michael Baker, Lyttleton

Both my grandfathers served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and I'm pertty sure that they were also fighting for freedom of choice.
Mr. Baker seems to be under the impression that if passed, voluntary euthanasia legislation would mean we would see doctors roaming the streets looking for the old, the handicapped, and the sick to kill. This is not Nazi Germany. Neither is this the Netherlands.
Again, like Mr. Orr, the point seems to have eluded Mr. Baker that the debate would be about voluntary euthanasia. No-one would be forced to be euthanised against their will.
And I'd sadly presume that many of the unfortunates who were fatally wounded and subsequently died in that horrific war would have wished to have their pain ended. But then, there were no atheists in the foxholes...

In my opinion, I consider that it is my right as a logical and sentient human being to decide whether or not I should continue to live if to do so would be a significant burden on those whom I love and the rest of you, or if to do so would mean living in terrible pain and suffering, or if to do so would mean being slowly stripped of my dignity, decsending into Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease or other degenerative condition.

I find it quite disgusting that some people would rather inflict such suffering on others who may be robbed of the physical ability to end their own life but have the wish to do so, all the while calling it 'mercy', calling it 'dignified' - the 'Right' thing to do - all to satisfy and quell their own consciences.

I make these final points:

3. Suicide is not a criminal offence under New Zealand law - why should assisting someone to end their life be, under certain circumstances?

2. If I jammed a steak-knife into your leg or arm, your immediate reaction would be to try and remove it, to stop the pain.

1. To force people to needlessly endure pain or discomfort, or prolong suffering, is the definition of torture.

"I'm not afraid of dying - You've got to go sometime."
- Pink Floyd, "The Great Gig In The Sky"

0. Lights out.

Testing... Testing...

2005-11-17T16:10:00.000+13:00

Apparently, I am a

Semicolon
You scored 7% Sociability and 76% Sophistication!

Congratulations! You are the semicolon! You are the highest expression of punctuation; no one has more of a right to be proud. In the hands of a master, you will purr, sneering at commas, dismissing periods as beneath your contempt. You separate and connect at the same time, and no one does it better. The novice will find you difficult to come to terms with, but you need no one. You are secure in your elegance, knowing that you, and only you, have the power to mark the skill or incompetence of the craftsman. You have no natural enemies; all fear you.
And never, NEVER let anyone tell you that you cannot appear in dialogue!

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 0% on Sociability
You scored higher than 89% on Sophistication

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Deeply philosophical questions

2005-11-16T02:01:00.000+13:00

WARNING: If you don't like to be challenged, you'd better not read this.

I have been philosophizing lately (yes, there is such a word as philosophizing) about the nature of things, including 'god', and these are a few of the questions I have come up with:

With the advent of genetic engineering and advances in science and technology, everything present on earth could in theory be manufactured by humans. Does this mean that humans are equivalent to a 'god' of some kind?

Life is flimsy: Not robust, but easy to corrupt with disease and genetics, and easy to kill. Why would a 'god' make something deemed so important so flimsy?

Most of the infinite expanse of the universe is empty, unordered space, with only small (in comparison with the overall size) areas of more ordered systems. Why would a 'god' waste such resources?

These are sort of rhetorical questions, but if you are in possession of the answers, I'd very much like to hear from you.

I leave you with the riddle of Epicurus (my favourite philosopher):

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?
- Epicurus

"I got the post-traumatic blues..."

2005-11-01T18:57:00.000+13:00

Puzzlement and frustration was last week's theme. A package containing a birthday present for my brother got 'lost' (stolen) in the mail. For the [insert large number]th time. NZ Post suck. Couriers suck. If you pay a premium price for a service, you might well logically conclude that some degree of service would take place. But no, not in NZ, where the 'I don't give a tinker's toss' attitude prevails. Wankers.

I also killed my computer on Saturday. Not intentionally, of course, but the experience does remind one that it is really stupid to screw around with things that you don't know anything about, in my case the hidden settings in the BIOS. Although, I'm not 100% sure that it was actually my fault: The machine never resurfaced after flashing some new changes. Refused to boot. Wouldn't do a POST. Didn't even beep on its way out. So I'm coming to you live from a brand new motherboard. (The new motherboard is the next one up in the range from the one I had: It has an extra RAM slot, two more PCI slots, and a newer - and hopefully more incomer-proof - BIOS. And it cost $20 less than the old one. So it's not all bad news.)

Thought for the day:

"Ain't no way to delay that trouble comin' every day"
- Frank Zappa

Ku-bun-tu, My Lord, Ku-bun-tu...

2005-10-17T00:56:00.000+13:00

Yee-ha! Got Kubuntu Linux up and running this weekend, and did away with three years of Mandrake /Mandriva Linux. I probably should have been doing my 3,500 word essay for Management Theory, but what ya gonna do...

For those not in the know, Kubuntu is part of the Ubuntu Linux project, currently storming the world. Started in South Africa, Ubuntu is giving many new users their first taste of Linux goodness. It is a breeze to set up - so much so that it's release codename is 'Breezy Badger'. I had the choice between moving to Slackware (ultimate control, but unwieldy and arcane) or one of the newer lightweight distro's like Yoper, Xandros and Ubuntu. And given that I needed to be able to type up a report on my fully functioning computer this week, I chose to take the path of least resistance.

I must admit, I was sceptical at first. You see, Mandrake was derived from Red Hat Linux, which had a certain way of doing things that I liked. The filesystem layout was logical, and fairly standard. Ubuntu and Kubuntu, on the other hand are based on Debian, another popular distro, but one which uses a different filesystem structure. It uses a different packaging system, too. However, Ubuntu and Kubuntu have excellent package managers which take care of everything for you, including updates and upgrades to the operating system itself. So there's no need to stress.
No more beating your head against the screen because gcc can't find your lib-xyz!

Also available are the 'Live' discs. These are bootable CD-ROMs that allow you to 'try on' Ubuntu or Kubuntu without actually having to commit and install them - no risk, no obligation.
As many of you will know, I'm no fan of Microsoft and their monopolistic attitude. Now would be the ideal time to give Linux a try. If you go to the Ubuntu web site mentioned above, they will even send you a copy of both the install and live versions for free! I refer to an earlier post, and leave you with this question:

Will you be shelling out the likely NZ$700 or so for Windows Vista upon its release?

Artful mess

2005-10-12T01:12:00.000+13:00

Mess is a consequence of creative thinking. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. My room looks like it's been ransacked by a horde of delinquents. I know where everything is though: Under a pile of stuff.

Got the Manic Street Preachers' most recent album "Lifeblood" on sale, having heard only "The Love of Richard Nixon". Some great songs on there, definitely worth a look-in.

Reading habit

2005-09-27T13:53:00.000+12:00

I have a serious reading habit. An addiction. At any one time, I'm probably reading three of four books. While drinking coffee.
Currently, I'm reading "The Radioactive Boyscout" by Ken Silverstein. This is the incredible true story of a young chemistry whiz from a seriously disfunctional family who attempts to build a nuclear reactor in his back garden shed. It's quite frightening to discover just how far along the path he gets. It's also sad that no-one - not even his science teachers at school - noticed his obvious talent. Also, "Six Easy Pieces" by Richard Feynman, "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and "The End Of Oil" by Paul Roberts.

I downloaded "The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám" from Project Gutenberg, but haven't started yet. I may turn it into HTML to make it more readable.
I also bought a thrift edition of "Selected Essays" by Michel de Montaigne - who was the first person to write in the essay format.

Be a tidy Kiwi!

2005-09-25T17:49:00.000+12:00

I went to work this morning. As usual, the first order of the day was to pick up all the rubbish so thoughtfully left behind by the patrons of the adjacent [fast food outlet].
These people who use the drive-through and then sit in their cars in the car park really annoy me. Quite often, having finished their [fast food], I see them glance around to see if anyone is watching, open their car doors ever so slightly, and tuck a bag of rubbish under their car. And then drive off, running over the bag (drink and all) and leaving a mess everywhere. This litter then accumulates in our car park due to the prevailing winds. More often though, they just toss their rubbish out the window, with complete contempt.
What's wrong with these bastards? There are at least two rubbish bins nearby. It would take maybe ten seconds to get out of their shit-box cars and walk to the bin, deposit the rubbish and get back to the car. Ten. Fucking. Seconds. I cannot fathom the depths of laziness these people have sunk to.

Are they ignorant? Just stupid? Maybe they're just a bunch of lazy spoilt pricks.

It is a different story in the kingdom of Denmark. There, they take littering seriously, and people in the streets will actually reprimand you for dropping litter in plain view. The Danes take a real pride in their clean (and I mean clean - it is absolutely spotless) environment.

"Oh, but I can't find a bin..." Yeah, right. Look harder, morons. There are plenty around. Or why not just leave in in the car until you get home? Really, there are no excuses for not being a tidy Kiwi. I came to NZ to get away from all the pollution and litter that makes the UK a rotten place. Now I'm beginning to see it here.

Be a tidy Kiwi!

NZ shows its true colours

2005-09-19T16:42:00.000+12:00

So. The results are in. The coalition talks have begun. Without the special votes having been counted, the next government is looking like

Labour, 41% (50 seats)
National, 39% (49 seats)
New Zealand First, 6% (7 seats)
Green Party, 5% (6 seats)
Maori Party, 2% (4 seats*)
United Future, 3% (3 seats)
Act, 1.5% (2 seats)
Progressive Party, 1% (1 seat)

* Due to the way the MMP system of government works, the Maori Party get four seats in the house by having won four electorates, even though they won only 2% of nationwide party votes. Quite an achievement for a party that has existed for less than two years.

I was disheartened to see the Green Party only just scrape by, meeting the 5% party vote threshold to make it into parliament. I was also aghast at the radical increase in the number of National voters - from about 28% in the polls last year to about 40% at the ballot box. Here is a party who keenly advocate fostering closer relations with the US, a known global bully and the epitome of consumerist self-interest. To do so would be tantamount to handing the keys of the country over to George Dubya and his oil-suckin', SUV-ridin' christian cronies, and 'assuming the position'.
The results say to me that, as New Zealanders, we are more interested in getting tax cuts for ourselves than other pressing issues, such as the dire state of the healthcare system, and the coming oil crisis. The need of others don't seem to matter, just what we can grab for ourselves. National also want a return to burning coal as a means of electricity generation. So much for clean, green New Zealand. Great for our burgeoning tourism industry, too.

I'm not suggesting that we all rush out and take vows of charitable poverty. Neither do I deny that we are highly taxed in proportion to our incomes, and I'd love to get a better return on my tax dollar. But the time is coming when we will wish we had done something about these problems.

In a conversation I had with anyzoom last week, I noted that as future engineers, if will fall to us to enable the transition from oil-derived energy to other, cleaner methods. It will be our job to ensure the continued supply of power for electricity generation and transport. To this end, the Green party are pushing public transport and getting freight off the roads and onto railways, in order to increase efficiency and cut the number of vehicles on the road. But people are very threatened by this. (I don't own a car currently. I have owned two, and had a company car for 2½ years.) They see it as an infringement on their personal freedom. Most telling are car owners' attitudes during the past few months, when petrol prices increased. What did they do? Did they say "Geez, maybe I should use my car less"? No, they whinged and complained that petrol was too expensive because the government taxed it too highly. They wanted their tax back.

So people aren't willing to give up their energy-intensive lifestyles. They don't see that if they don't jump now, that sooner or later, they will be pushed. And when it happens, it may be too late.

During the election debates aired on TV, National's Don Brash mocked the Greens' policies, saying "if they get their way, we'll all be riding around on bikes!" Yes Don. Your point is..? Maybe if we collectively got more excercise by, say, riding around on bikes, the government wouldn't have to fork out as much for healthcare in the future. Nor would they need to spend tax dollars on the likes of the 'Push Play' and more recent SPARC campaigns to get people off their arses.

Why are people so afraid of caring about the environment? If we don't, we'll end up like Britain, where litter roams free in the streets, and heart disease and cancer are the principal causes of death.

Fate of a nation

2005-09-12T18:42:00.000+12:00

There's less than a week to go until the 2005 general election on Saturday, September 17^th. I have decided that my vote will go to the Green Party of New Zealand.
Even though I'm a student, I can't bring myself to vote Labour, as their blatant bribery apalls me, especially when at least some of the $7bn. bribery fund could have been put to use in the health and other needy sectors. I like the interest write-off on student loans that they're offering, but the Greens are offering to write off the whole loan amount for each year studied if graduates work a year at home, one-for-one. This would encourage me to stay and work here, at least until my loan is paid off.

Labour has really let students down. I know people who have suffered terrible torment by being the guinea pigs for NCEA joke-cum-experiment, and at the incompetent the hands of the NZQA. In some ways, Labour is lucky that many of last year's high school students will be just short of being able to vote this year!

I like the Greens' policy on energy and public transport, too. The cheap oil has gone. Even if there is still oil to be had, we would do well to end our dependance on oil as soon as possible. Why not, when New Zealand has at its disposal some of the most favourable conditions for renewable generation? It's silly to ignore it, when the National Party are openly advocating burning coal as the alternative. I also think that energy conservation should be pushed, to make the energy generated go further. There's no point throwing away the power. In future, we will not have the luxury.
Aren't New Zealanders supposed to love the outdoors? Get on your bikes then! Start cycling to work. Or walking. (Sorry, Aucklanders. You could always swim...) As far as Kyoto goes, I'm not sure. But we should be a role model for the world, and lead the way. Let's face it - The US considered the Kyoto protocol an economic decision, not an environmental one. Of course they'd never sign it.

The thing that annoys me about the Greens, though, is that they're still pushing for the decriminalisation of cannabis. I am fundamentally opposed to this. If they dropped this policy, I reckon they'd get some traction with more middle-class Kiwis. The Greens will always attract pot-smoking hippie types because of their environmental policies, but many middle-New Zealanders who agree are put off because of the cannabis issue.

Well, it's anyone's guess at the moment. We'll know next week. Get out and vote!

"If you tolerate this, your children will be next" - The Manic Street Preachers

Brasso cleans up!

2005-09-05T17:12:00.000+12:00

Working in a HiFi shop has got to be one of the best jobs in the world. It's a collision of music and electronics.

I have an old Pioneer stereo amplifier (by 'old' I mean 'good' - before they started making mass market junk amplifiers). The RCA sockets had been slowly tarnishing away, unseen at the back, having never been cleaned. Quite a lot of corrosion had taken place over the years, and I had noticed that the sound wasn't as clear as it used to be. This is because metals oxidise when exposed to the air, forming a layer of insulating crud on the surface. This layer adds resistance to the signal path, allowing less current to pass through. Result? Reduced sound quality. In extreme cases, you get crackling through the speakers and the sound may even cut out intermittently. Bad.
(Incidentally, this is why cheap speaker cables are a false economy. Copper turns dull brown, and then green when it oxidises. What colour is your speaker cable?)

So I tried cleaning them up with Brasso metal polish*.
What a difference! I couldn't remove all of the corrosion on all the terminals, so I may end up replacing the old RCA's with new ones. But even so, I couldn't believe it. It was like coming home to a brand new amplifier!

I tested the newly revived amp with Squarepusher's "Go! Plastic", which has got to be one of the best test discs ever - lots of lovely hard digital edges and furniture-moving bass. (You may want to remove the china collection.) I have played this in the HiFi shop, to the astonishment and confusion of all. My boss' comment was "If you walked into a club, and they were playing this, what would be the first thought you would have?"
"Probably: 'I'm in the wrong place' " was my answer. In fact, I'd thought about slipping it into our $10,000 Wadia CD player, and telling him that it was broken, as a joke. If you've ever heard Squarepusher, you'll know what I mean.

*CAVEAT EMPTOR! Don't use Brasso on gold-plated terminals. I haven't tried it, but my guess is that it will eat away the plating, leaving you with shiny steel terminals.

The separation ends

2005-09-02T23:45:00.000+12:00

This is a big concern of mine, and indicative of the way America is heading - The re-introduction of religious propoganda into schools. What ever happened to the separation of church and state?

It sickens me that 'intelligent design' (read: creationism) is being taught in schools. Now, I'm all for debate, and it is necessary to have considered a different viewpoint before reaching a conclusion. But I'm astounded that this is even an issue: The amount of scientific evidence to support evolution over creationism is vast, and it is rational, logical and repeatable. This is the nature of scientific research! To throw out all the evidence and completely discount evolution on the basis of one's faith is just crazy.

The way I see it goes like this: After Sir Isaac Newton proposed his laws of mechanics, which were derived from observation and mathematical analysis, suddenly people everywhere realised that this was indeed logical, and explained their experience in the real world. Application of the laws of mechanics produced accurate and repeatable results. These laws, however were based on the knowledge to hand at the time. It wasn't until Einstein proposed his theories on relativity that people realised that Newton's laws weren't accurate in all situations. Einstein took Newton's fundamental principles and formulated a new theory, which took into account knowledge acquired since Newton's time. It was then found that Einstein's relativity was more accurate in more situations.

The point is this - Eistein improved upon Newton's laws; he didn't throw out all the accepted evidence and come up with his own version of the truth. That wouldn't be scientific, and it wouldn't agree with real world experience. No, in science, a theory must be supported with verifying experience to be valid. And in science, the results of an experiment must be able to be repeated given the same parameters. This is so that independent research can confirm the result. Falsifying experimental results is fraud. In religion, however, all you have to do is believe. Which, in this context, really means 'accept without thought'.

Think about the buildings you work in every day. Suppose that the construction company had said "We don't believe we need to add reinforcements to the walls." You'd certainly want them to justify their statement with reason and logic before moving in your staff. Wouldn't you? Or how about the home you live in. The electrician says "It's okay to leave those wires hanging out. They're not dangerous." Maybe if he doesn't believe you'll get electrocuted if you touch the wires, you won't... Yeah? Prove it.

In the same way, creationism relies on you believing what you are told, unquestioningly. Does it make sense? Not to me, it doesn't. Where is the hard evidence? Ok, so maybe Darwin was a little out - but at least he followed scientific proceedure in his work. Maybe, like with Newton, the answer is not so far away.

The separation of church and state is for a good reason: Reason!

The Toastie question

2005-08-28T22:22:00.000+12:00

Just what is a toastie? Some debate has arisen here at the flat as to the actual composition of a toastie, not including fillings, which is a whole sub-genre of conunderum altogether and beyond the scope of my expertise. Bonus question: What is the fundamental difference between a toastie and a toasted sandwich? There are two main camps:

The stance held by my esteemed flatmate J.H. who purports that a toastie is a single slice of toasted bread with a topping (usually Colby* cheese and Marmite** in his case), and that a toasted sandwich is similar, but involves another slice of toasted bread on top to make a sandwich. Logical, yes, but correct?
The position taken by myself whereby I suggest that a toasted sandwich and a toastie are one and the same, and that the open-topped single slice with topping (just Tasty cheddar*** cheese, in my case, although I have been known to frivolously throw some diced onion into the fray), is known as Roasted Cheese. Technically I admit it really should be called Grilled Cheese as per the method of preparation, but (in my family at least) it has always been known as Roasted Cheese.

*Read:tasteless yellow plastic cheese.
**This is allegedly a yeast extract, whatever that means, but I know that it's really tar residue scraped from the boots of roadside maintainence crews.
***The only true cheese. You know it makes sense!

What say you, good and noble citizens?

A new leaf

2005-08-20T15:36:00.000+12:00

For too long I have drifted along without a clear direction in my life. I still don't know what exactly I am meant to do. Maybe jotting down some things I'd like to achieve, some goals, will help. In no particular order:

Lighten up. (I am know to my family as 'Frazier', after Kelsey Grammar's brilliant but neurotic character.)
Learn to program in C, the lingua franca of Linux and embedded systems.
Finish learning German and travel (and maybe work) in Germany.
Run a small business.
Improve my guitar playing, and gain a wider appreciacion for jazz. Write more music.
Learn more about gardening and self-sufficiency.
Write a book. I don't know what subject. I used to write poetry. My English teacher thought I should be a poet.
Get more exercise. I have a bike. Guess I could cycle to Polytech.
Get a house in the country, with E. . Like Neil Young said, "I'm thankful for my country home/ It gives me peace of mind"
Help Scotland gain back her independence and identity.
Help my brother make a film.

I can check items off the list as and when I get there.
Ready! Set! GO!

In the eye of the beholder

2005-08-13T23:07:00.000+12:00

Okay, so maybe I'm no style guru myself, but I have some observations:

Ladies: Perfume is all about sensuality and sublety. Perfume != deodorant. Please spare a thought for those who have to share public spaces with you.

Midriff: If your gut/arse is bulging out between your top and the jeans or skirt you are wearing, you may want to re-evaluate your daily exercise quota. Or your wardrobe.

Bling: If I'm correct (and I might not be) then 'bling' is all about showing off how much money you have. But the people most likely to want to be 'bling' are the ones who can least afford to waste money on all the tacky crap that would make them look 'bling'. Hmmm...

Guys: Pull your freakin' pants up! What the hell is the low-riding thing about? As a technical observation, wearing your pants normally may help you evade the cops should the need arise - not only because you will be able to run, but you'll also blend in with the non-boy-racer element.

There. I said it. Further issues relate to the wearing of thongs. Again, sensuality and sublety are the aim. Tight jeans + visible brightly-coloured thong = teen pregnancy candidate. It says something about you, something in the region of "I'm a low-rent desperate bar-slut".

Oh well, there's no accounting for taste. Or if there is, then the accountants must be on holiday. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, maybe it's a good thing my vision is getting worse.

Give it a bash

2005-08-12T17:18:00.000+12:00

The Bourne Again Shell, that is.
As a Linux user, it's really quite handy to know how to do some basic shell scripting. These are little combinations of shell commands that you can save in a file, and have the computer run them just like a program. Anyone who remembers DOS batch (*.bat) files will know what I mean, except that in comparison, shell scripts are like supercharged, steroid-pumped batch files.
Shell scripts are an extension of the power of the command line to chain together commands.
Take for instance this little number:

[user@linuxbox home]$ lsmod | grep snd > sound_modules.txt

This lists all the modules loaded by the Linux Kernel, searches ('greps') through the list for any module having 'snd' as part of its name and outputs the results to a new text file named 'sound_modules.txt' in the current directory. All done in one line.

A shell script is a sequence of such commands, grouped together in a file that can be run just like a program.

Imagine, then, being able to automatically generate HTML pages with system information in it. Or being able to compile a log of users' accesses to certain directories, then sort them by user group, saving the results to a remote location automatically at a certain time of day, every day except Sundays. Or batch renaming of thousands of your automatically generated reports. All this and more can be yours.

If this kind of thing gets you salivating, check out William Shotts Jr's Linux Command website. It has a fantastic, easy-to-digest, gentle, but actually useful introduction to shell scripting.

There are probably two or three shells hidden away in a corner of your Unix-like Operating System - even Apple owners can join in, since OsX is of pedigree Unix lineage.

"Do not underestimate the power of the bash script."
- D. Vader

A shell is the text-based interface between a user and the operating system, sometimes called the Command Line Interface or Command Line. Think 'DOS prompt' or 'cmd.exe', but imagine them having useful features like Tab-completion, command history, and colour!

[Back]

The divide widens

2005-06-19T23:26:00.000+12:00

This item from the BBC website illustrates the widening of the have/ have-not gap which is becoming a very serious concern to me. It highlights the fact that people in key service areas - especially nurses - have been taken for granted for far too long. And although the article is about British nurses, it is the same in NZ, and no doubt in other parts of the world. As the son of a paedeatric nurse, I know this all too well: My mother left the profession when patients started being referred to as 'clients'. She had over ten years of experience.
Nursing is a critical component in society's infrastructure. The health system is falling apart because of excessive and needless administrative burden, lack of sensible government funding (and before I receive any contradiction on this, my father currently is employed as a business analyst in a hospital), and pitiful pay for the people who get their hands dirty. I find it incredible that in 2003, while both nurses and teachers were demanding better rates, the politicians awarded themselves a pay increase of $20,000 a year each. The teachers got better pay. The nurses didn't.
So you know who to look to for answers when you roll into Casualty and are made to wait for hours because there are no staff to spare/ they don't have the equipment they need/ they don't have the experience to treat you effectively.
The frightening corollary to this article is that there are a growing number of decent, hardworking people who cannot afford (or don't know how to) get onto the real estate ladder. They fear the debt they will have to incur, and worry about their ability to pay off a mortgage. I personally dread the day when I will have to start looking for a house.

The other divide is also a concern, but for different reasons. Many people will be disenfranchised in the future because they lack computing skills. But I understand where they're coming from. Heck, I have been using computers for years, even to the point of doing a few computer science papers at Uni, and even I get confused about certain computing issues. The field covering computer knowledge is huge. You could not possibly hope to gain an appreciation for the depth of diversity covered by the term 'computing' without spending a reasonable amount of time studying it. I see this every day at Polytech, at my work, in shops, and at the public library, where people are constantly flustered, frustrated and panicking at terminals: "Where have my files gone?"; "How do I access your network?"; "What does 'Windows has encountered a fatal exception error at memory address 0x00fa98' mean?"; "I don't understand - Why doesn't it do what I want?"
I find myself divided into two factions - the engineering student, who likes technological challenge, and the practical humanist who yearns for simplicity. Why must the two be opposed?
Answer: Profit. If you did not want/ need a particular new device, then corporations cannot make money selling them to you. People are not employed making them. Tax is not collected.
This is the side of becoming an engineer that I'm least looking forward to - foisting products onto people who either don't need them or are happy with what they have now, all in the name of profit.
In other words, once you have stepped onto the bandwagon, it's really difficult to get off.

"Brough to you by New-And-Improved-O-Vision's Product-Service-O-Tron-MkII!"

1/6,447,696,763

2005-06-14T23:07:00.000+12:00

You are worth 1 / 6,447,696,763rd of humanity as at 14th of June 2005 at 11:03:30 GMT, according to www.census.gov. That's right, just 0.00000000015509414241353336 of the world's population. In engineering notation, you are roughly 155.1 pHu (picoHuman-units).

A bit silly? Perhaps. It makes you think, though: Is life getting cheaper? I mean, there are six billion, four-hundred-and-forty-seven million, six-hundred-and-ninety-six thousand, seven-hundred-and-sixty-two other people on the planet. All using diminishing resources like land, energy, food and hope. All clammouring to take their place. Most struggling to get there. Yearning to be acknowledged. I have heard many times that life is precious. But you would not think it to see the situation in many areas around the globe.

Thought for the day:

Even to be such a small part of life is better than not to be part of life at all.

Live 8 support

2005-06-13T17:08:00.000+12:00

I read on the BBC that there is a fair bit of opposition to Bob Geldoff's planned Live 8 concerts, and although I admit there are probably alterior motives for the concerts going ahead (eg the stars get to make money), I have these questions for the nay-sayers:

Would you be willing to travel hundreds of miles and pay for transport, tickets and accommodation, to see a bunch of artists that - while they may be great performers and artists - you have never heard of?
Is it not logical to target people with money to spare (middle-aged professional baby-boomers) as the potential punters for said concerts?
Who benefits if the concerts don't go ahead?

I do agree with Baaba Maal, who says that more Africans should be involved, but note that he sees the pontential sales of records by African artists at the chief concern. And if Damon Albarn, whose recent work is rampantly commercial, is unimpressed, how much of his income and time is he shovelling into charities for Africa?
What a bunch of ingrates! Geldoff could have just walked away from the situation. His character shows through his actions. It takes a person of good moral standing to do the right thing in the face of criticism. No, the concerts don't do much to combat the corruption that is rife in many ailing African nations, but I don't think that was ever a likely proposition. As for Albarn's comment that the events will perpetuate the idea of Africa as a "failing, ill" place, I think that the real culprit is western indifference and the aforementioned corruption. These are the reasons that Africa is falling to bits. Years of civil war and tribal slaughter. Failing crops and land mines. The spread of AIDS because the people just won't heed the consequences. Who can stop all that?

Thought for the day:

"All that is required for evil to prevail, is for good men to stand by and do nothing" - Edmund Burke (paraphrased)

Dinner out

2005-06-12T17:18:00.000+12:00

E. and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last night, by going out for a meal at Torenhof, a local Belgian pub and restaurant. It was great - we haven't done anything like this in ages.
There are now six (I think) such bars in NZ, three in Auckland, one in Wellington, one in Hamilton, one in Christchurch. The fellow that owns them all buys up pub fittings wholesale in Belguim and freights them back to NZ to be reassembled into authentic Belgian-style bars.
Certainly, the Belgians seem to have it sussed when it comes to good beers. Noteworthy are the likes of Hoegaarden (White and Grand Cru), Duvel, Leffe, and of course Stella Artois. I'd recommend any of these, especially with a bowlful of freshly steamed mussels in Dijon mustard and blue cheese sauce.
I spotted a beer with the tantalising name 'Lucifer', and couldn't resist trying one. (There was another one named 'Delirium Tremens' which sounded equally as interesting, but I left that for another time...)
We had oysters Kilpatrick to start with, and the pots of steamed mussels and bread as a main. Following that, there were the obligatory waffles with fruit compote.
A good evening.

Operating system = Cup of coffee

2005-06-11T16:48:00.000+12:00

I have decided to stop selling distributions of Linux and start giving them away. If you feel like giving me a gold coin donation or buying me a cup of coffee in exchange of an entire operating system, I'd really appreciate it.

By way of contrast, Windows XP sells for something like NZ$550. That's quite a lot of coffee.

(Sorry folks, Christchurch only. I can't afford the postage to other places.)

Experiment suspended

2005-06-11T16:41:00.000+12:00

Ok. It hurts me to do this, but since IE is so totally broken and does not adhere to the CSS box model, I'm reverting back to the 'Minima' style again. Please, please use Firefox. It's better. So much better.

Ecstasy and despair

2005-06-04T23:50:00.000+12:00

Unlike the beer, I am bitter. Maybe because I drink a lot of coffee.

It is my consolation. I live for coffee, books, music, sex, computing, freedom and engineering - not necessarily in that order, and sometimes in combination. (The coffee-and-sex combination can get messy. It is preferable to experience these not quite simultaneously, but with only a short delay in between. In any case E. prefers tea. She is a heathen and philistine, but I love her anyway.) I count a day a good day if I have experienced any of these things, which luckily for me, is nearly every day.

I guess I'm a coffee enthusiast/ snob. There are a lot of good cafes in Christchurch, if you know where to look. Some of these are: Reload, which is upstairs in the Bus Exchange, C-1 at the bottom of High St, Le Cafe at the Arts Centre, and East's Books on High St (who also sell - wait for it - books!). Starbucks has no chance of ever winning me as a customer. I just don't understand why anyone would subject themselves to their thin brown water, at greater expense than anywhere else. They just don't get it. Black! It must be strong, and black, like drinking hot volatile bitumen. And as for those who prefer a large trim-milk half-strength latte in a bowl... Why don't you just fart into some hot milk?

I love the almost opiate buzz I get on the first sip, and despair the thought of instant sludge. Life's too short to drink bad coffee!

Back on track

2005-05-13T22:31:00.000+12:00

Having experimented for a while with my blog template, I think the principal elements are working correctly now in IE (I asked my flatmate to load my blog in both IE and Firefox on Windows XP, and it looked OK). If anyone is still having problems viewing this, please post a comment, including which browser you are using, and what resolution you are running at. I will try to be accomodating.

Can't see through Windows?

2005-05-13T16:34:00.000+12:00

Ahem. Well, I have removed the customization of my blog template for the moment, oweing to some complaints from friends using IE under Windows. My blog was not displaying properly. It took me ages to put it together, too. It's not my fault that the IE box model is broken. But since I am a considerate joker, and would like people to read my finely crafted prose, I have restored Douglas Bowman's sublime 'Minima' style (with a few modifications). I dislike having to subjugate my creativity to poorly designed Microsoft rubbish, but that's life.
Of course, one obvious solution is to get a real browser, such as Firefox, which correctly implements the box model for CSS. Really, folks, aren't you getting tired of being shafted by a company that is making millions of dollars providing you with sub-standard wares? Aren't you tired of having to fork out doubly to protect yourselves against viruses because Windows is fundamentally insecure? Aren't you sick of The Blue Screen of Death? Of having to register software that you own legally, at your own inconvenience? As I said in an earlier post:

"If you value your computing freedom, don't be a Microsoft flunkie!"

At least, register your complaints with the company in question. It is your duty as a consumer to stand up for your rights. If someone - anyone at all - is doing you out of your hard-earned cash, you need to stop them. If you don't, then they get away with it, and continue providing poor service and products to your friends and family.
By the way, Firefox version 1.0.4 is available now.

A day of limbo

2005-05-10T18:33:00.000+12:00

[Warning - this will be a random post, with all manner of tomfoolery and shennanigans.]

Today had a strange feel to it. There was definitely something wrong, like it had fallen off the end of the array, and landed in some sort of out-of-body non-existant state, replaced by a counterfeit. You know the feeling - There's something you can't quite put your finger on, but it's there, hovering just out of view.
This can happen in the absence of coffee, and stems from a lack of sleep, I suspect. It didn't help that I had a four hour Electronic Principles lab, starting at 8am this morning. Who in their right mind decided that this was a good idea? Possibly the sort of person who says things like "Stiff upper lip, chaps!" and "Come now, boys, we must confound Gerry at every turn. Tally-ho! It's Peru or blast!"
I suppose that this sort of thing "builds character" and is "good for me".

A bad letter: Envelope bears the mark of the IRD (or other government department).
A good letter: Envelope bears the mark of the IRD, the contents of which state that they owe you money, in this case, an interest write-off on last year's student loan.

There was odd stuff going on in the square today, too. Some guy came along at lunchtime, while everyone was having lunch in the sun. He was wearing an Indiana Jones type fedora. From somewhere on his person he produced a ghetto-blaster and a whip. He put on some Fat Boy Slim, and started cracking the whip. As far as I could make out, there was no box for donations. If he had thought about it, he might have used his hat. I think this was a fundamental oversight on his part... Yup, one seriously fruit-laden cake. (Whip Man retired after a few cracks and a fair bit of abuse from the crowd.)

To whom it may concern;
Please return Tuesday. It's not that it is a particularly good day of the week, but it is an integral part of the week, nonetheless. If you return Tuesday to its rightful position, no charges will be laid. While you're at it, an extra day of the week would come in handy, no? You could slip it in, say, before Monday. No? It was worth a try...

Thought for the day:

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."
- Groucho Marx

Form & Function

2005-05-04T00:55:00.000+12:00

Ahh, that's better. Relaxed, harmonious tones to soothe the eyes. I thank Douglas Bowman for lending me his 'Minima' style for so long, and providing an excellent base on which to build a new look.
I also added a link on the right-hand panel whereby you may obtain the latest version of Firefox in all its multi-tabbable, plug-inable, non-spywareable glory. What? You're still using Internet Exploder? Shame on you. If you value your computing freedom, don't be a Microsoft flunkie! The Good Doctor says:

"Take one Firefox Web Browser before bedtime, and if headaches persist, see your specialist. Warning: Side effects may include compulsion to obtain and install Linux."

Best Regards,

J.L.

How is this possible?

2005-05-02T16:36:00.000+12:00

There was a programme on TV last week about a bunch of English* schoolkids of GCSE age who are being given the opportunity to experience how school was in the 1960's. I nearly fell of the sofa in total disbelief at how these kids of 16 or 17 years old could not spell the words 'remember' or 'tongue', point out where Scotland is on a map (it's a part of Britain for chrissakes, and has been for some time), nor could they - and this left me aghast - point out their own home town, London, the capital city of England, on a map. They could not shut their mouths for ten seconds, or for go for ten minutes without one of them being sent to the principal's office, or being made to face the wall, or write lines. They were cheeky little bastards, whom I wouldn't hesitate to beat the living daylights out of if they had given me the same crap that they gave the teachers. And the sad thing is that in their ordinary, everyday lives, this is what they get away with.
In a similar vein, there was another programme on about a bunch of English kids who have been sent out into the middle of the desert in Utah, America, to a 'Brat Camp'. This is because they are totally out of control, abusing drugs and alcohol, beating up/ threatening/ abusing their parents and siblings, regularly breaking the law and failing in (or in some cases, getting expelled from) school. Their parents had had enough. Again, these kids could not shut up, or follow simple instructions without complaint, constantly trying to dodge the chores they were given. I was gobsmacked. But maybe I shouldn't have been. How did the situation get this bad?
I have a hint of an idea. Interfering social policies set up by soft, apologist, pandering government departments. They have taken the ability to discipline away from parents by passing idiotic laws making it illegal to smack children, and instead advocate negotiation as a means of discipline. Can anyone see what is wrong with this scenario?

"Stop doing that, Timmy, or else I'll... I'll... I'll just have to tell you to stop again!"

Yes, I'm sure that this is effective, and guaranteed to stop poor behaviour. As you can probably guess, my parents were not against smacking me when I needed it, as I often did. The claim made by government to justify this change in law is that too many kids in New Zealand are being after being beaten half to death by their parents. I whole-heartedly agree. But banning smacking is not going to stop this. The violent parents who abuse their kids in this way are still going to do it, and in the same cut, a valuable and effective parenting tool has been taken away from rational, judicious parents. How does this benefit anyone?
Discipline starts at home. I count myself lucky to have been raised by morally strong parents, who taught me right from wrong, and in the process, that if you make dumb choices, you only have yourself to blame when it all turns to custard. You are responsible for yourself and your own behaiviour.
I reckon that in order to succeed in the post-high school battlefield of life, a kid needs the following skills, at a minimum:

The ability to reason, and think logically through a problem.
The ability to cook a basic meal.
The ability to manage a bank account.
The ability to read, write and do basic algebra.
The ability to empathise with others.
A respect for the environment.

These are just a few things off the top of my head, but there are so many kids out there who cannot do these basic things, and who have absolutely no respect for the environment (or anything else, for that matter), and I am disgusted by this.
I don't know what the ultimate solution is, but these things, coupled with a little discipline and perseverance, wouldn't be a bad place to start.

* I'm not trying to single out English kids here, but that was what the programme was about. I am glad to say that Scotland has its own education system which is far better than England's. Scotland has its share of violent, obnoxious punk kids, too, just like any country.

Ah Crap!

2005-04-30T00:38:00.000+12:00

Geez. Everything has gone to hell this week.
The washing machine packed a sad (broke down, for all you non-Kiwis) and cost a ridiculous sum to have repaired, I broke my glasses, the DVD player's video DAC crapped out (although it still functions as a CD player), and my computer was almost fried oweing to a worn out electrical socket which hasn't been replaced since it was installed in the 1950's. To top it all, it's frickin' freezing.

To relieve the tension, I am reading 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller. This is fiendishly funny! Heller captures the niceties of avoiding your superiors, and ably describes how one may best shirk one's duties. Incompetence and indifference hold reign, and hilarity ensues. And what can you do sometimes, but laugh at how dumb life is. 'Catch-22'.

There's a lot of excellent music out there right now. For instance: Shihad's 'Alive' EP ('Love is the new Hate' has just been released) and Opshop's 'You are Here'. It's New Zealand Music Month!
Support all the great talent we have - great bands like Shihad and Opshop, The Mint Chicks, The Have, Goldenhorse, The Datsuns, The D4, One Million Dollars, Pluto, The Finn bros., Misfits of Science, The Black Seeds, Salmonella Dub, etc. The number of musos in NZ is incredible, and the industry has come a long way in recent years. Show your support!

The number's up

2005-02-14T15:24:00.000+13:00

Maths was never my strongest subject at school. The teachers always ended up pandering to the top five students in the class, at the expense of everyone else. So I got left behind. I used to think that maths was boring, arduous and complex, and that somehow I had missed something important that would unlock the inner workings of the subject. I grew to despair going to class, not being able to understand anything. I began to treat it in an off-hand way: "I'll never need to use that in real life. I mean, polynomials? Imaginary numbers? Aye, right!"

I couldn't have been more wrong.

You see, maths is complex, but only because it has an immense history behind it. Centuries of development and evolution of ideas. For me, I needed to put everything I had learned (or not learned) into context. I needed to understand the origins of maths, and its progression; From counting and natural numbers, through algebra and calculus.
I have a respect of those who have The Maths, and in particular, The Calculus. Maths is a fascinating area of science, with new discoveries extending the base theories. It is surely one of humankind's crowning acheivements, and indeed one upon which several other important advancements are founded: Our modern existence would be impossible without it - a toolmaker's tool.
Not only are numbers of utilitarian value, but also a source of pleasure. There are numbers that are more bizzare and incredible than anything in art: The ubiquitous Pi, the imaginary number i, the Golden Ratio Phi (which can be found almost everywhere in nature), Euler's number e, which is its' own derivative, etc.
There are functions like the sine and cosine, beautiful in their simplicity, yet indispensable and profound. Ingenious processes like trigonometry, differentiation and integration. Systems like algebra and geometry. These were brought about not only through logic, but by the imagination.

So I intend to persevere, and hopefully with practise it won't seem like such a mystery. As an engineering student, I guess I should know this stuff - It comes down to a matter of simply doing the work.

In matters unrelated:

Does anyone know where David DeRosa's blog has gone? The URL was derosaartspeaks.blogspot.com. It was really good, too...

Best Regards,

J.L.

Gray area

2005-01-31T16:12:00.000+13:00

And so I'm 23. This is not a big deal. When someone asks me my age now, I have to think about it - "What year was I born, again?". After you're 18 or so, age seems to lose its relevance.
I'm getting older. Some of my workmates are nearing their 30's and are getting a bit pensive.
We were recently paid the annual visit by the landlord and his wife, to discuss the next years' lease and to make sure that we're looking after the garden and not trashing the place.
I think they view myself and my flatmates with suspicion, because we're younger. The wife looks down on us and this pisses me off.
The landlord's wife has reached late-middle age and is plainly freaking out. She has dyed her hair jet black to cover her graying locks. The landlord himself has long since lost all colour. He talks in constant negotiation mode - a sign that he is consumed by his job. He wears the pants, but she has the belt. They are 'successful': They are conservative, well-off and live in Fendalton. "He used to work for Company X, don't you know."
So? Who the hell cares? What does that have to do with anything? (Company X has since folded. How ironic).
Does position on the corporate ladder confer superiority over others?
I think not. I struggle to remain polite.
Comforting scenes of them slipping into the eternal, black stillness of history play in my head.
Nod and smile.
I already have a few gray hairs, and am thoroughly looking forward to graying. It doesn't bother me. My father started to go gray quite young, so I'm not surprised at all. I guess my point is this: Age is as age does. I refuse to be measured by the standard of age. Who knows how long you have? (Image of a crash test, panels crumpling like dry leaves, ex-occupants hanging out of the windscreen; the illusion of security gone).

I'd quite like to go the same way Peter O'Toole does at the beginning of the film 'Lawrence of Arabia' - enjoying life to the max.

Speaking of which, it's coffee time.

Not Win32 compatible

2004-12-27T15:24:00.000+13:00

I am a relative newcomer to blogging, and as such, have been clicking the 'Next Blog' button frequently in order to find interesting blogs and like-minded (or even just -minded) people.
I have a few observations:

There are a staggering number of people who posted to their blogs on Boxing Day.
There are a lot of what I will call 'spamblogs' - that is, blogs containing nothing but advertising content.
There are a lot of christians with blogs, mainly in the U.S.
Many bloggers also write poetry.
Many blogs are in txtspk. I skip these - Is the english language not varied enough for these people or are they just lazy?
There are a lot of depressed bloggers out there.
I sometimes get a popup containing the text "Sorry, your browser is not Win32 compatible".

This last point amuses me somewhat. No, my browser isn't Win32 compatible. I am not Win32 compatible. I am a linux convert. Mr Gates has taken up too much of my time already. But perhaps this tangent will be explored further in a future post. It's the second-to-last post that is a bit disturbing. It would seem that many are unhappy with their lot in life, and lack the motivation to do anything about it. My challenge to them is to read my previous post and think about it. You are your own ultimate judge. You are in charge of your life. The person who makes the executive decisions. I also urge you to read the book The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton. This is witty, accessible and, most significantly, actually helpful.
For a while now, my take on life has been: "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade".
(An aside, I love lemonade, especially the home-made kind. Nothing, excepting a crisp, cool glass of beer, is as refreshing on a hot summer's day.)
Perhaps these poor people feel that they are not Life42 compatible. But just like there are alternatives to using Microsoft Windows, there are alternatives to being miserable.
Why the hell wouldn't you want to change your life for the better? Go do it!
Read my last post, and go and do it.

Best Regards,

J.L.

Happy days are here again...

2004-12-26T17:11:00.000+13:00

Ahh, the sun has returned to Christchurch today. 'Bout bloody time!
The weather here has been quite apalling recently, with violent mood swings; from bright sun one minute, to hosing-down-plus-thunder-and-lightning the next.

It is post-Christmas time. In New Zealand this means barbeques, beer and beaches. It doesn't quite sit right with me, as someone who grew up with the 'real thing' in the northern hemisphere. The whole thing is totally incongruous - The Christmas trees, the fake snow, the turkey and Christmas pud, despite it being a balmy 23 degrees outside. Hardly sensible or appropriate.
Not that my family do Christmas, mind you. We're not christians, and have decided that the holiday is quite farcical. But I don't begrudge others of the joy it might bring them: Everyone is entitled to a little happiness. I don't envy the stress it causes many people, nor do I revel in the rampant retail fever that strikes at this time of year.

No, Hogmanay (New Year) is the thing for Scots. A time to reflect on the f**king horrible year we are leaving behind in hope of a better one next year. Mostly, this is helped along by the liberal consumption of whisky and other booze, loud music and partying hard for three or so days straight. I'm thoroughly looking forward to this.

This year has seen some truly awful events, but here's the rub: So will next year. Call me a cynic, I don't mind. This is not a bad thing. I'm reminded of the motto of the school I attended in Auckland, "Per angusta, ad augusta" - through adversity, to strength. It's a useful excercise to remind one's self that shit happens, and often there's not much that you can do about it. Accept that you will have troubles. This doesn't mean that you must cower away from life, and fret and worry. Oh no. Rather, go out and do things anyway. Go and do whatever you want. Others may chide you, but the hell with them. At the end of the day, when you are sitting on your death bed, you will regret not having done more of what you wanted to do. So go and do the things you've always wanted to do, and don't worry so much. You will be better for it. In the words of a friend: "You're here for a good time, not a long time."

So I'm going to make myself a coffee and relax.

I wish you all a fun and fruitful New Year,

Best Regards,

J.L.

Welcome!

2004-10-30T17:17:00.000+13:00

...To my blog - Stay awhile and converse, discuss, argue, agree.