Shelbyville
The most
recent Time magazine is doing a large article about the nation's high school dropout rate. While a disturbing problem, that's not what drew me to the article. I noticed that they've used Shelbyville High School as their template!
During my childhood, we moved on average about every 2 years. I went to Shelbyville Jr. High in 7th grade, but moved away halfway through 8th grade. Unforutately, I was far too lost in my own world to notice the general quality of the schooling there.
I have more memories of seeing
Willow and
Friday the 13th Part Seven at the local theatre.
Mangos
Well. . . I'm back.
It's been a very long time since I posted anything new, but after alot of very positive changes, such as getting accepted to graduate school at the University of Houston, I figured this would be the perfect place to launch my triumphs into the empty void of the cybershpere.
I plan to get right back on the horse, switching between mind-numbing prattle, sophomoric wanna-be philosophising, and brain dumping on any random issue on the latest randomn news story.
The current item on my agenda is mangos. I found out the hard way that I am very allergic to them. When I woke up this morning, my right eye was nearly swollen shut, and I had broken out in hives all over my face. I am currently on steroids (the good kind. . . not the Barry Bonds horse-tranqs) to relieve my symptoms. The doc said 48 hours should clear everything up.
On a side note, I really liked the taste of those things. They were hard to get the skin off, but I though they were worth it. I guess from now on, if I want mango flavor, I'll have to stick to mango Dum Dums and mango margaritas.
The New World
I just read a yahoo news story entitled "Cartoon protestors rampage across Pakistan."
To paraphrase Tom Robbins for the second time in a week, if no one had taken Hitler seriously in his early days, as he was whipping up support in dark, crowded beer houses, we could have avoided quite a bit of pain and suffering. When I see
anyone trying to be solemn, be they George W. Bush, a high school football coach, the CEO of my non-profit company, or catholic priest on his pulpit, my first instinct is to pelt them with donughts, sausages, and beer, and follow up with jokes about their hair.
What's wrong with people? Why do we have the need to feel serious and grim? Why must we be holy? What is it we're feeling when we smartly swing a gun barrel over our left shoulder, or salute a piece of waving cloth? What is going thourgh our heads when we listen to a voice mangeified by a microphone? Why do we sit crosslegged in a circle to pray, or bow before someone wearing a crown?
Are we that easily cowed? Are we that desperate to belong to something as arbitrary as country, kingdom, phile, family, religion, or whatever the hell else? How do you go from the innocent
tabula rasa of your infancy to risking your life over a cartoon drawing?
Or. . . Are we so frustrated at our own human impotency, we must clutch onto any excuse to justify our expression of anger?
I don't know.
February so Far
Tom Robbins once wrote that February is not a month. It's just a null space of time between January and March, where the world waits for something to happen. Normally, that's true. . . but this year, it's been a whirlwind. Here's some of the stuff that's happened to me:
1. I went to Memphis last week, and had a great time. I saw a few of my high school friends, and we mostly hung out, drank a few beers, watched the Super Bowl, and took the tour at Graceland. A few of us resolved to write a screenplay together, and I plan on riding their asses for the next month until it's done.
2. My first full adventure was published in Dungeon Magazine. I spend the last month in a state of agitation over its release, and am thrilled to see my name in print. I've answered all the standard questions with my gaming group, my friends, and my family. Ironically, now that it's old news, I'm a little sad about it. I had heard of this mourning period before, but I can't remember what it's called.
3. Jackie and I are moving over the next two weeks, to a house five blocks away. It's very exciting, but now it falls to me to do most of the packing and actual moving. It seems that, of the two of us, I have much more free time. It's a great place though, and I can't wait to habitate.
4. In other D&D-related news, there was a recent writer's meeting for Dungeon, where I had contributed 11 original proposals. Last time, I went 3 for 12, which was exhilerating. After improving a number of mundane problems with my presentation and coming up with a few non-conventional plots, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I went 0 for 11 this time. The good news is that I already have another 5 submitted, and about 3-4 more in process. Based on the feedback, I feel like I know what went wrong. I can climb away from the far-reaching limbs I was on, and get back to basics.
5. I am lowering my expectations for getting a new job. I can't wait tables anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try for things like data entry, substitute teaching, and many even lawn care. Considering the career I was striving for a year ago, it's pretty unbelievable. But until I start school in August, I don't know what else I can do. Galveston has a double digit unemployment rate, and I'm still not willing to make the hour and a half commute to Houston.
Anyway, that's my news. I didn't shoot anybody while I was hunting or anything, so I hope it kept your attention. :)
Fifteen Rounds
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge
"If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sure sign that you’re not trying anything very innovative." - Woody Allen
"An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a very narrow field." - Neils Bohr
Enter the Heroes
Bill O' Reilly said something that I agree with! On his most recent "talking points" memo, usually a place to spout off his most ridiculous facts and opinions about how we're all gonna die, and how we all need to be vigilant, right-wing Christians if America's going to stave off the impeding doom of the forces of liberal evil. . . Well, he finally made a
little bit of sense.
Aside from the loaded terminology and insistence that it's us against every Muslin in the world (feh), he did make the connection that our dependence on foreign oil creates the inevitability of future armed conflicts. Granted, this has been a given for many of us for years and years. . . But for Bill to see the writing on the wall enough to make this change in perception. . . Well, it's great!
While I am curious to see how the Fox News channel will eventually spin this stance into a conservative vs. Liberal debate (as ridiculous as that sounds, those guys are wickedly smart. . . They'll find a way to shepard the herd), what makes me happier is the return of science as a respected entity.
I know it's early, but in a couple of years, politicians all over this country are going to fall all over themselves to praise science and technology. As they make a concerted effort to pump exobertant funds into energy research and invention, they lowly lab coated warrior will gain a heroic public face, as "bold innovators who's minds and obsessive effort churn with endless abandon to stemmed eh tide of barbarism and return the standard of American living. . .," or something like that. Even better, this stance will be embraced by the core of conservatives. . . Leaving behind the increasingly marginal Christian right.
If only we could all learn this the easy way. Why do we have to struggle through the same mistakes, brushing aside intellectuals and thinkers for the easy worship of sand-in-the-clit fighters and the slow trumpet of the hero's burial? Sadly, in twenty years, will we remember what it took to get hydrogen fuel cheap and viable? Will we remember how we thought, and who we looked up to?
No matter. At least for now, the world is about to get better.
The best thing is, I can see this happening sooner than later. I can't wait for Bush's SOTU address Tuesday. He's going to lead the charge towards a better future, putting science and innovation back on the pedestal where it belongs. It will be too late to save his administration, but it will put the right ideas back into the minds of the average American, and reassess our priorities and values in a way that aligns with reason.
Why Polarization is Bad
Hamas.
When any powerful world leader (such as U.S. president George Bush, and others) justifies foreign policy with unbending black and white moralities and a good vs. evil mentality, is it any wonder that the rest of the world will respond in a similar vein?
Furthermore, would this 2006 election result have occured if there were not an ongoing conflict in Iraq? Frankly, we're fighting a war we cannot win, because we don't realize that the only viable solution is dialogue and mutual understanding. Terrorism is a faceless method, borne of hate and frustration. It is not the method of a pure evil, cold-blooded killer who wants to kill as many wonmen and children as possible.
Maybe if we understood that as a nation, we could bring about the dialogue and social change necessary to end it.
Stuff about Pain
This article about how nerves transmit pain seems really obvious, but I never considered it before.
One of these days, the sheer heroism of scienctific discovery will end pain once and for all. You heard it here first. :)
Man in Black (sort of)
Just when I thought the
search for intelligent life couldn't get any cooler, I learned that NASA has a Planetary Protection Officer. This guy's job. . . he gets
paid for this, is to protect our planet against hostile aliens!
Actually, the "aliens" in question would most likely be bacteria or other single-celled extremophiles, and his "protection" refers to sterilization and biological containment guildelines.
But it's still cool.
Movie Scenes - Coolest endings
Here is a short list of scenes and moments that I've enjoyed, that occur at the end of the movie. This list changes daily:
The Color Purple - the triple climax, where Oprah restores her self-esteem, the jazz singer wins back her father, and Whoopie Goldberg sees her fmily again. It's amazing how good it is.
Diggstown - After the technicality pits Loius Gosset Jr. against an 11th fighter, James Woods'. . . aw, I can' spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's hilarious and is the perfect climax for that kind of movie.
Bravehart - Holy moly, after the "Freedom," when the sword goes up in the air, to land upright. . . very emotional.
High Fidelity - When Jack Black fronts for Sonic Death Monkey. The first time I saw this, I was floored by how cool it was.
Before Sunset - "You're gonna miss your plane." "I know."
Empire Strikes Back - The money shot with Luke's arm around Leia, the driods, and teh picture window view of space. The music is perfect.
Rushmore - the reeption after the play, when Jason Schwartzman look at her, and signals to the DJ to play the Rod Stewart song.
Army of Darkness - "Hail to the King, baby."
Fight Club - When they hold hands to watch the buildings start to fall. . . interspiced with a big - fat - $#&@.
The Sixth Sense - I did not see this coming, not even a glimmer.
Inelastic Demand
There is a very intersting study,
paraphrased in science daily, regarding the economics of illegal goods, especially drugs. The idea behind drug enforcement is to create a number of extra expenses for drug cartels and dealers, preventing them from delivering a cheap product and driving them out of business. With products that have elastic demand, increasing standards/levels of enforcement/etc. are extremely sucessful. Unfortuately, according to the study, demand for drugs doesn't seem to change. Even though the market due to enforcement raises prices, the same number of people still buy it anyway. The end result is that the cartels make the same profits, sometimes more, and the poor people addicted to drugs get even poorer.
I would like to see a version of this economic model applied to international politics. For instance, what effect does stricter enforcement of global policies (through military action, for instance) do to areas of the world that have an inelastic demand for specific illegal countercultures (such as terrorist organizations)? Also, is U.S. oil consumption basically inelastic? If this is the case, does this mean that price gouging is an inevitable fact? Does it mean we must have aggressive oil aquisition policies that supercede more elastic moral issues?
Movie Scenes - Funniest
Here are a few scenes from movies that I think are extremely funny. This list changes daily:
A Fish Called Wanda: When Kevin Kline can't tell John Cleese that he's sorry at first, but then discovers that he can. . . after he's accidentally beaten the crap out of him.
Happy Gilmore: When Adam Sandler says he has to toughen up by letting baseballs hit him in teh chest at a batting cage. He leaves, letting some kid take his place to get absolutely beaned.
The Big Lebowski: The opening argument about the rug, between Jeff Bridges and John Goodman.
Swingers: Leaving 8 messages on a hot girl's answering machine after getting her phone number that night.
Airplane: When the sewardess gets help from a middle-aged woman who says she can speak "jive."
City Slickers: When Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal "I shit bigger 'n you."
Chasing Amy: The storytelling Jaws parody at the lesbian bar. Jason Lee is a genius.
Goin' to Memphis
I just bought some plane tickets for a trip to Memphis for the first weekend in February. Originially just a Super Bowl party and get together for the other guys in my Fantasy Football league, it has become much more.
One of my best friends, Abe, is flying in from Washington D.C. to meet us there. This is so cool, because he is a naval officer and engineer, and he and his family are being reassigned to Japan this March. Before yesterday, I didn't think we were going to get to see him before he left!
Right now, our plan is to meet up Friday at the airport with two other friends, and hit Beale street for music, beer, and ribs. On Saturday, we either plan on driving to Tunica to try our hand at gambling for awhile, or stay at the hotel and play Settlers of Catan and 2nd edition D&D (? - that'll be a mind scramble). Then Sunday, we head over to meet up with the rest at the Super Bowl party. Add the probability that the Colts will be kicking ass, and you have the mixture for a great weekend.
Oh yeah. :)
Butterfly Legal Briefs
Conservationists
sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday seeking protection for a rare butterfly they say is threatened by off-road vehicles at one of the largest sand dunes in the West.
Apparently, the Fish and Wildlife Service is going to spend about 35 grand on a preliminary review, to see if it needs to devote even more resources to a larger review.
There can't be that many waystations, parks, and equipment rental/service centers that provide access to that particular dune. Why not spend a fraction of the extravegant investgation costs and do a basic and friendly awareness campaign with the people who use the dune? WHy not kill many birds with one stone and focus on every endangered creature in the region?
Put up some flyers with pretty pictures, do a few local news hits every few months, fly in for a seasonal seminars with local officials, and let the off-roaders take some responsibility for themselves. Sounds good to me.
Happy happy happy happy!!!
From Science Daily: "Psychotropic drug prescriptions for teenagers skyrocketed 250 percent between 1994 and 2001, rising particularly sharply after 1999, when the federal government allowed direct-to-consumer advertising and looser promotion of off-label use of prescription drugs, according to a new
Brandeis University study in the journal Psychiatric Services."
Yeah.
Stick a poor monkey in a cage, and force it to learn countless tasks and social nuances to gain the absolute minimum of companionship. Once is masters those tasks, don't bother with praise or rest. Just give it more to do, and reinforce it by bombarding the creature's brain with images of perfection and the shame of not living up to that standard. Escalate the requirments for basic survival and wear the beast down until it finally breaks down and lashes out in rage or fear.
Apply tranquilizer as needed.
A Very Tough Squirt
The species of sea squirt called the
Didemnum is an example of evolution in action. It has a higher acidic protective coating, reproduces and spreads several times faster than any other known variety, and has no known predators.
Biologists are concerned that this critter may destroy many of ecologies in the Atlantic Ocean. Click
here for full article at Science News.
I find it interesting that scientists are concerned about stopping this creature's spread. Who ever said that biology should be static and predictable?
Weather Update
Today the weather forcast is 74 degrees and sunny. I will be wearing shorts and sandals. . .
The Hazards of Travelling to Texas
The first trip I made to Texas was at the wheel of an overloaded 16-foot moving van, 4 miles into the journey, the shocks must have gone out, because I spent the next two days frantically keeping the wheels on the pavement.
This time, the trip to Texas was no less harrowing. Here's a breakdown of events from December 30th, 2005:
12:45 am - eastern timeI finally finish a game of Settlers of Catan with Jackie's family. Jackie and her mom had the good sense to go home ahead of me, and I leave her grandparent's house in Edwardsberg, MI with her sister so I can be dropped off.
1:45 am - eastern timeJackie is still awake when I get to her mother's. We stay up for a half an hour to wind ourselves down, but neither of us can sleep well.
6:15 am - eastern timeJackie's mom frantically wakes us up and starts rushing around the house. The previous evening, she set her alarm and accidentally switched the time forward an hour. We have plenty of time, and decide to go to McDonald's for breakfast.
7:08 am - eastern timeAs I eat my bacon, egg, and cheese mcgriddle, I realize I can't find the parking confirmation ticket anywhere. We parked in a Houston, TX long-term parking lot on the 20th of December, but we can't remember where it was, what it was called, or anything about it. I have a premonition of dark tidings.
7:50 am - eastern timeAfter piling ourselves and our luggage into a crowded van, we rush to the South Bend airport, where we can catch the 8am North Shore line to downtown Chicago. Jackie's mother, sister, her sister's husband, her 3-year old, her stepsister, and me were present. We find out that there is no 8am train, and the next one doesn't leave until 8:55 (information supplied by yet ANOTHER sister, who was currently sleeping soundly at the moment of the revelation).
9:00 am - eastern timeThe train is stuffed to the gills, and cold as bejeesus. It take over 2 and a half hours to get to downtown Chicago. We try to sleep a little, but cannot.
10:45 am - central timeIn Chicago, we head outside to walk to Marshall Fields with the luggage. Due to the sudden onset of a certain monthly requrement, Jackie is forced to make a quick stop into a crowded CVS. Everyone else goes into the warm pharmacy except me, as I have two overloaded bags in my hands. Instead, I sample the full effects of a gusty, 18 degree wind chill for ten minutes.
11:30am - central timeAfter I drop off our luggage on the 7th floor of Marshal Fields, I rejoin the family to enjoy a few hours of overcrowded commerce. The line to eat at the Walnut Room was 4 hours long. There was some discussion about eating there ourselves, but it was nixed quickly. Along with 6 floors of clothes, there was a small corner with some lame toys, a minimalist bookstore, and very little else for a fella like me to enjoy.
1:30pm - central timeStifling yawns and fidgeting, I find myself outside again with the entire crew, fighting crowds and cold to observe the annual Marshal Field's holiday window display. This year, it was the story of Cinderella, told with disneyland-esque, moving puppets. I was knocked aside many times by people anxious to use their camera cellphones and their portable movie studios.
2:15pm - central timeI retrieve our luggage from the 7th floor, and we walk a few city blocks to get to the blue line train to O'Hare. Underground construction prohibited a short walk through the central station, so we had to walk a distance to get to the other side of it. With a ten day chistmas trip's worth of luggage in tow, the Earth's gravity must have shifted to 1.2 G's during that walk. I swear it did.
2:30pm - central timeWe say our goodbyes at the subway station and board the rail.
3:45pm - central timeWe check in our bags at O'Hare, and grab a bite to eat. Jackie and I are alone together for the first time in a week. It felt good. The feelings of glee evaportted when I saw that our flight was delayed an hour due to weather.
5:45pm - central timeI remember back 3 days eariler, when our original flight was set for the 27th. Jackie's mom couldn't bear such a short visit, so she paid to have our tickets extended to the 30th. It was a great guesture, and we enjoyed the extra time immensely. but it meant we couldn't sit together. Instead, Jackie ended up next to a mother with a screaming baby, and I was sat next to a chubby latino woman. She spent the flight adjusting her light, clearing her throat, and opening and closing her copy of a book by Joel Olsten. There was no sleeping.
8:45pm - central timeI am smiling for a moment because I was using some advice I got from a rental car counter. After describing our parking lot to the woman, and she was positive that I was talking about Park n' Pay. We boarded a shuttle.
9:15pm - central timeWe return to the terminal on the same shuttle, and begin to look for one of two other parking lot companies (on the driver's advice, this time). I lose it in front of Jackie for a few minutes, and she does her best to hold me together.
9:45pm - central timeWe finally make it to the car, which was parked in a lot called Xpress Park. Jackie actually cried.
10:45pm - central timeWe are 15 minutes from the island, and have a muddled, incoherent argument about whether or not we should buy cat litter on the way home. I argued "con" for awhile, but there is a possibiliy that we may have swtiched our positions midstream.
11:10pm - central timeI purchase cat litter at a Walgreens in Galveston, and begin to get paranoid that the cats are dead from dehydration. 10 days, and no one's been around to check on them.
11:20pm - central timeWe walk in the door, gather the mail, check the phone, change the cat litter, realize that nothing was stolen or broken into, and that the cats still had food and were still drinking from the bowl under the dripping bathroom faucet. Whew on all counts!!
11:45pm - central timeWe love on the relived kitties for a moment or two, and fall into a well-deserved sleep.
Die Chicken Little, Die!
During this weekend, the returns for Chicken Little did not even break the top ten. The overall earnings for this movie are now at 128.9 million dollars (Source:
box office guru).
While I am still disappointed that the overall earnings are so hgh, I am happy to say that the amount of money generated for this movie could not, as of yet, exceed the amount spent on its production, or it's ridiculous advertising. I am hoping they're sweating a bit over there, despite their happy "I'm pleased as punch with how things are going!" public face.
I've also noticed a half-a-dozen more computer animated movies are starting to crawl out of the woodwork for 2006. None of them look even a little bit interesting. These are movies without story, characters, or even a sappy, redeeming message. They rely on stupid pop culture references, extended 90s music montages, guest voices, and low-brow humor to try to gain an opening weekend audience (only because word of mouth will turn people away).
All of this malaise stands in sharp contrast to my feelings for Pixar. Teh company, which has never had a single misstep in ten years, relies on pure movie magic. . . great phrenetic characters, imagined worlds, good stories, great messages, and manages to literally capture the viewer for the length of 2 solid hours. These movies are reedinging in their own right, animated or not. Unfortuately, no one tries to emluate movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, or the kick-ass Incredibles, except for Pixar itself. Instead, they try to cash in on the witless, box-office gold of Shrek and it's bastard child, Shrek 2, both specatacular box-office sucesses, but without a kernel of Pixar's genius.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention something?
Shrek sucks.
Still, I can understand why eveybody wants to have the sucess of Shrek, instead of the sucess of Pixar's films. Instead of going through all of the excruciating hard work to attract creative minds like Brian Byrd (The Incredibles) and tell cutting edge stories, which are not only risky, but compelling and heartfelt. . . they rely on a room full of suited zombies looking to play every safe, pathetic angle of the marketing game.
In either case, I've been wishing for a Chicken Little bomb since October, and while these numbers aren't exactly my wish, I certainly hope it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully, with the this movie, as well as the lukewarm reception of Robots, the moviegoing public might be able to express their feelings about movie studios that have too many advertising dollars, and too little heart.
I hope video sales flop. Hard.
Bristling Idiots
Wow.
All I have to say is wow.
"Fair" and "balanced."
Wanna see a preview of Fox's special on
Religion in America? Turn on your Norton Anit-Virus and head over to teh Fox website.
9 and a half years
That's how long it will take for us to see some pictures of Pluto, via the
New Horizons project. . . you know, that tiny little planet furthest form the sun (at least, most of the time)? Ironicaly, even though I am excited now, I will completely forget about this until it happens. . .
Then, in ten years I will treat this like a sudden event, never remembering how much time and planning went into this, so long ago. . .
I love NASA. :)
Guns
If I were drafted into the military and given a rifle of my own to name, I think I would call it "Fabiana."
Wistera Cosmology
(click on image for larger view)I've been revisiting some of the elements of my old D&D homebrew campaign, specifically the Cosmology. When I DM, I am usually trying to construct a living world for the PCs to inhabit. However, as this is going on, I am also thinking about the players themselves. What do they need from the game? What are the core elements of their heroic and villinous fantasies? Is it theriputic or self-destructive? Is playing D&D an act of defiance to reality's banality, or is it cowardly escapism? Is thre even a difference?
Over the years, my home-brew campaign world has taken a couple of very strange philosophical turns, as I've tryied to incorperate these issues into the whole of the campaign. A lto of my ideas are fairly muddled, inconsistent in design, and are often accidentally discovered during the course of play.
My goal here is to present an overview and try to piece together years of scribbled notes into a concise format. This is NOT that concise overview, but it's where I've decided to start.
A Few Introductory QuestionsWhat is Reality in Wisteria?
Reality is a collusion of three basic building blocks: energy (divine and arcane magic, natural energies), matter (elements and physical sensation), and movement (temporal flow, conscious possibilities and choice).
True reality is inconcevable, as any conscious element is bound by strict rules of its paradigm. It is not only impossible to perceive realities outside of one's own paradigm, it is also impossible to look a the current state objectivly from within. The only thing a thought cannot think about is its own thoughts. Some things are always a mystery.
What is Duality in Wisteria?
Duality is the source of conflict. This takes many forms, Male/Female, Liberal/Conservative, Black/White, Good/Bad, Pretty/Ugly, etc, but most of them are social fabrications. True duality represents threads of truth that are positively and negatively charged at their core. The Cosmology of Wisteria/reality is the tapestry of opposing ideas/natural forces/perceptions, etc, that are in irrevocable conflict due to their innate being.
What is Conflict in Wisteria?
Conflict is everywhere, and can be roughly divided into two main sections:
Conflicts of Elements:
The need to consume/metabolize in order to maintain existence.
The need to inhabit space (ethereal, astral, etc. are all included as space)
The need to perceive time
The basic question of this conflict is "What is it?"
Conflicts of Morality:
Scarcity of space
Scarcity of resources
Scarcity of Meaning
The basic question of this conflict is "What should it be?"
Both the elemental and moral spheres of conflict not only contain their own internal conflicts, they also are oppositely charged. All conscious life is fueled by the movement between "what is" (epistemology) and "what should be" (ethics).
The Plane of Conscious PossibilityAlso called the Facilitator Plane, it is directly connected to all the other planes, with the exception of the 2 Planes of Absence and the Plane of Stasis (see below). It draws energy, matter, and movement from each of the paradigms, and transfers it somewhere else. Each Plane of Conscious Possibility is unique and all encompassing, and has an infinite variety of features that impose concepts on the surrounding reality that shape the capacity for conscious thought.
The Rules of the (Wisteria) Plane of Conscious Possibility:
- Time exists, and is used to perceive reality.
- Reality is composed of three basic building blocks: movement, matter, and energy.
- Planar interconnections are powered through conflicting paradigms of Duality.
It is entirely possible that there are an infinite number of these possibilities, each with their own rules, functions, and conceptual frameworks not based on duality and conflict. Since it is theoretically impossible to perceive something beyond your own layer of possible consciousness, the debate is somewhat irrelevant, and left to those faiths and scholarly disciplines with a penchant for the esoteric.
The opposite of Consciousness is Stasis. Stasis takes on many forms, and is associated with banality and a denial of thought. If conflict is removed by the taint of the Plane of Stasis (see below), then it may cause a complete temporal failure that will destroy the entire cosmology (under this specific paradigm of reality and possibility).
Like the Plane of Stasis, it is technically unaligned. Often, strong personalities, such as PCs, can have direct communion with this plane, and serve its needs. In Wisteria, Heroes and Villians are the ultimate saviors, as they hold back the Plane of Stasis with their audacity to exist. Wisteria's Plane of Conscious Possibility is literally "fueled" by the PC's need for adventure.
The Infinite Planes of the PrimeThese are all the variations of realty that exist within the series of rules set down by the Plane of Conscious possibility. The world of Wisteria represents one of these planes. It is also the source of conflict between the Moral planes and the Elemental Planes. As this conflict is played out, energy is exchanged through the planes of Time and transferred back in a cyclical fashion through the transference planes. While the planes are infinite, they are all constrained by the basic rules of consciousness and moral/physical duality. In other words, they prepresent infinite varieties of the same basic theme.
The 16 Elemental PlanesThese planes serve as the building blocks of matter and energy, and all 16 planes take on a spherical shape, based on their relationship to each other. The sphere spins on an axix, and the Two poles of the spinning reality globe create polarization of elements on either end. These are the building blocks to creating a conscious entity.
4 Core Elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air
4 Quasi Elements of Ooze, Magna, Smoke, and Ice
4 Arcanic Elements of Radiance, Minerals, Steam, and Lightning
4 Discordic Elements of Vacuum, Dust, Ash, and Salt
The 16 Moral PlanesArranged in a Great Wheel, these planes represent the motive force of consciousness, and all moral dilemmas. It is a 2-dimeonsional flat wheel, and is divided across the poles of good and evil, law and chaos. Either face of the wheel represent opposite energies and are energetic polarizations of energy.
The 2 Planes of AbsenceThese are the only two planes that do not touch the Plane of Conscious Possibility. The represent the threshold of consciousnes limitation.
Automatic ("What is it" only) – the true limit of consciousness without moral influence. Science and dispassionate agendas are spawned here. It is the stripping away of all things that are not physical reality. It is a plane of most automated stuff, like clockwork horrors, golems and elements like that.
Dreams ("What should it be" only) – the true limit of consciousness without epistemological influence. On this plane, it is very difficult to find soild ground. Everything is very esoteric, and it is the home of faith and a reconstruction of reality according to desire.
The 2 Planes of TimeThe Ethereal Plane
This plane is directly connected with the physical reality of the Prime, and serves as a way to get through to the Elemental Planes. It is highly time static, and you never age within these planes. To see the Elemental planes is to see stagnated time. Travelers a thousand generation apart can travel to a plane, and find that no time has passed there between visits. Very strange indeed.
The Astral Plane
This is space between the panes, and it is highly time mutable. The further the distance toward the wheel of Moral planes, the faster time will flow. To reach the Moral planes is to see the fruition of morality play itself out. If you travel once, you will find a completely different world than the one you had seen the first time, even if your visits were only a few seconds apart. There are no permanent contacts in the Moral Planes, but there are entities that take on the symbols of those that travel there (but they won’t remember you from visit to visit!).
The Four Planes of Energy Transference Inviolable and Perverse Energy Planes
These are simple conduits of positive and negative energy. They exist as the 2-dimensional moral wheel spins, and the conscious mind attempts to grasp a world without depth. It is not possible, and the moral planes create these energy spaces that use the Plane of Conscious Possibility to zap the bleed off back to the Prime. These are planes of faith, from which most spell energy flows.
Arcane and Discordic Energy
These are the poles of the every spinning sphere of planes. Physical energy bleeds from the “top” and the “bottom,” and flow back into the Prime.
The Arcane Energy Plane is a plane of putting together, a series of forces that naturally attract to each other. The Ragamuffins are from here. Source of Arcane Magic.
The Discordic Energy Plane is a plane of pulling things apart, as natural entropy destabilizes everything. Rust Monsters make their home here. Source of natural kinetic energy, it is the source of aging and death.
The Far RealmsThis is a plane (infinite number of planes) (no planes) that exists beyond the influence of the Plane of Conscious Possibility. None of the rules apply to Plane of CP. Sometimes, conscious entities develop the capacity to sense the Far Realms, much to the detriment of their sanity.
The Plane of StasisThe Plane of Stasis is a plane of nothing. It is the antithesis of the Plane of Conscious Possibility, where not even negative energy exists. It is not infinite, but rather infinitesimally small. It has no dimensions, as it takes up no space. The Stasis Plane is infinitely approaching zero in all dimensions. It is in the region outside infinite time, but without movement.
The Stasis Plane cannot be reached under any circumstances. However, it is possible for the Plane of Conscious Possibility to be affected (infected actually) by the Plane of Stasis. Anti-energy from the Plane can insert itself within the other Planes of Possibility, creating non-energy.
This is a plane denying ALL possibilities. It represents the diametrical forces that seek active destruction of conscious possibility. They are not planes of their own, but rather conduits that serve to infect the Plane of Conscious Possibility with Stasis (lack of) Energy. The 4 negative loop null-planes of Stasis are:
Dogma The Absence of Morality in favor of conformity. All conscious states enter the realm of blind obedience. Unlike the Lawful Neutral Mechanus, it is not driven by ideas of rules systems, but by an absence of thought itself. Active in the physical realm. Many of the sentient insect races on Wisteria are close to this.
WisteriaThe Absence of the Physical in favor of daydreaming. All conscious states enter the realm of creative fantasy/escapism. The Chaotic Neutral Limbo is different because inherent will is used to enact a formless state. The mushroom and plant races are somewhat close to this, as they spend so much of their lives in a state of daydream(My concepts of the Myconid are also quite different fom the traditional ecology).
Apathy The Absence of the Physical in favor of not caring at all. All conscious states enter the Realm of meaninglessness. The Neutral Evil Gloom of Hades is not the same, as will is voluntarily given up, rather than slowly seeped away. The reptilian conscious entities are close to this conduit.
HedonismThe Absence of Morality in favor of physical sensations (good and bad). All conscious states enter a state of pure physical elation. Neutral Good Elysium is different because the rewards of Hedonism are not achieved through moral actions, but through the groping of blind sensation. Certain types of fairy folk are destined for this fate.
The Plane of Conscious Possibility is like a balloon filled with existence. Outside of this balloon, stasis lurks, putting pressure on the membrane of reality that holds it back. Adventuring, Heroism, Villany, Story-Telling, Greed, Desire, Inspiration, and Philosophising are the forces that strengthen that membrane. Banality and the absence of real desire are the forces that seek to deflate that existence.
Under this Cosmology, It is not important whether a person is good or evil. You can be any alignemnt you want, so long as you are willing to stand and fight.
It is no accident that "Wisteria" is a term used to describe many things. It is the label given to the entire Cosmology, the label of the world in which the D&D game is played, and a label for the Plane of Stasis energy of daydreaming.
The act of devoting energy to this role-playing game is in itself a dual conflict. It is meant to expose Heroism and motive energy for the good that it is, but it done within the context of a reality-defying fantasy.
Elegance
"If someone comes up with a new mathematical theory that's 300 pages long with a lot of complex calculations, then you might suppose that the reason it hadn't been done previously was that it was too difficult."
The above quotation is from an
article about a ground-breaking knot theory, figured out by a researcher in Topology, the study of mathematics that deals with surfaces.
What stuck me is this idea of elegance. According to Brian Greene, author of
The Elegant Universe, string theorist, and pop culture guru on
unification theory, most physicts and mathematicians strive to understand the world around them in as simple of terms as possible. It is helpful in both producing practical calculations, and presenting an understadning of the universe that is direct and easy to understand.
I also like to believe that this search for may have roots in artistry. To me, striving for mathematical elegance it's not so much different that a poet's search for beauty. BOth the theorist and the poet are driven by the same passion to describe the world around concisely and with reverence. While a poet constructs words and images, a physicist constructs numerical representations of reality.
Granted, an equation is not as sexy as a rose, but when it comes to understanding the basic physics of existence, it can definitely smell as sweet. That mathematical discovery about the knot had to be a beautiful feeling.
Wine Decorum
This was a wine night. Sold 3 bottles. While it DOES stack up the bill and help my tip, I realy don't like serivng wine. I think there is entirely too much pomp and decorum involved in the process.
I especially think its funny when the host actually sniffs the cork and nods his head thoughtfully. Usuually, I converse a bit at my tables, but when I'm forced to serve wine, I have to feep a stoneface just to avoid laughing my ass off.
If aliens came to our planet to film a National Geographic special on the crude rituals of the
Homo Sapien, I think that they'll find that wine "culture" will be one of their most popular, and perplexing, episodes.
Leavin'. . . On a Jetplane. . .
Jackie is curerntly on a plane to the APHA meeting in Philadelphia. I'm goign to miss her. I hope everything goes well for her whie she's gone. In the meantime, I will do my best not to pine like a love-sick puppy.
As for me, I actually have few plans for the entire weekend. I'm taking the GRE at noon tomorrow, and working Saturday night. I'm watching the Colts game Sunday afternoon, and then seeing "Syriana" Sunday night. Other than that, I'm completly clear until Tuesday.
I haven't had this much alone/free time scheduled ahead of me for years. What should I do with it?
"It's fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that--it's all illusion. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it's unknown and it's plain sailing. Everything is unknown--then you're ahead of the game. That's what it is. Right?"
12-0
Well, the Colts dominated another team this week, and are still undefeated after twelve games. To put this amazing feat in perspective, only 4 other teams in the history of the NFL have ever won their first 12 games. . . the 1935 Bears, the 1972 Dolphins, the 1985 Bears, and the 1998 Denver Broncos.
The NFL has been around since 1920. I didn't have the time or energy to dig back that far, especially as how the number of teams varies greatly. It was much easier to figure out this stuff since 1966 (Since Super Bowl I). Since that time, over 1,119 teams have played a seaons of football. That means that the Colts have already done what 99.996% of all NFL teams since 1966 have been unable to do. Wow!
I have figured out a scoring comparison between the 5 teams who have gone 12-0. All things considered, the Colts measure up pretty well:
1934 Bears (first 12 games):
----offensive points per game 19.7
-----defensive point per game 5.3
scoring differential per game 14.4
1972 Dolphins (first 12 games):
----offensive points per game 28.8
-----defensive point per game 11.2
scoring differential per game 17.6
1985 Bears (first 12 games):
----offensive points per game 29.9
-----defensive point per game 10.6
scoring differential per game 19.3
1998 Broncos (first 12 games):
----offensive points per game 33.4
-----defensive point per game 16.6
scoring differential per game 16.8
2005 Colts (first 12 games):
----offensive points per game 30.1
-----defensive point per game 14.5
scoring differential per game 15.6
I am excited to see an undefeated season this year. Alot can happen in football, and of the teams above, only the '72 Dolphins made it to the end. Of course, they all won their respective championships!
Blackberry Fever, Big TVs, and HMOs
This video is a CNN news story on blackberries and their impact on lives.
I love technology that enhances the quality of life. I do not like technology that exists to make you a more efficient worker bee.
To me the difference is time. If a technology frees up more time, or makes a particular period of time more enjoyable, then it's a good thing. However, if the technology requires more of your time, then it either has no benefit or zero effect.
There are many pieces of technology that don't improve life much at all. The size and definition of TVs are a good example of this. Sixty years of technology, and the end result is the same. . . sitting on a couch and paying attention to a series of images and sounds. Granted, the epistemology of those images and sounds have improved, but the resources and time spend on aquiring a larger delivery system for the same effect is just a colossal waste.
At the other extreme, improvements in health technology have given the people of the world plenty of beneficial time. We live longer, more pain-free lives and have a better understanding of our own bodies and minds than we ever had before.
If we could only take the resources spend on TV improvement and somehow convert that into greater health care acess. . . hmm, tricky.
Objects in Lenses Are Farther Than They Appear
I just picked up my reading glasses. They're a little different that any regular pair I have owned. Everything I look at up close looks magnified, and if I look away at anything at a distance, I get a bit of vertigo.
These will definitely take so geting used to, and I hope they will help. If I said I could already feel a difference in the level of my eye strain, that would either be lying or wishful thinking. Only time will tell, and I am hopeful.
On a side note, I'm feeling a bit old today. :)
Daenerys Targaryen - A Song of Ice and Fire
Death to the Guinea Worm
I read a heartwarming story yesterday, about the Guinea Worm. But for the sake of common decency, I'm not going to post pictures on the blog. For those brave souls who want to see a picture,
look here.
The Guinea Worm used to be a horrible problem in African countries. The disease, also called
dracunculiasis causes severe pain and suffering to millions. They breed in standing water and feed on human hosts, and are a difficult problem for those who must use open water for survival. In the disease, both male and female worms are consumed, and the males soon die after mating. The female, on the other hand, grows to nearly 3 feet long, burrowing into the host's legs, where they start to lay their eggs and produce young, painfully infecting and swelling the leg in the process. Eventually, the wound opens, and the mother burrows out of the wound to give her babies room to leave. The
complete life cycle is here.
Removing these nasty things can take up to 3 months, and it is excruciatingly painful. Also, any human that gets infected will usually go to the water to immerse the wound, which not only eases the pain, but also releases thousands of eggs back into the water for another round of hell.
The good news is that this human parasite is almost eradicated! There were no complicated drugs and no pesticides used to acheive this. Instead, health officials literally went from village to village, spreading two simple memes: Filter you water with tightly woven mesh, and resist the urge to enter the water during the painful stages of the disease.
That's it.
These small, cultural variations in health and treatment went from mother to mother, villiage to villiage. It has been incredibly sucessful. The WTO estimates that by 2009, this human parasite will literally be eliminated, taking its rightful place with smallpox as a critter slain by human ingenuity and sheer preserverence.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to every health official that had a part in this 25 year struggle! Huzzah!
Optometry
I went to see the eye doctor today. Lately, I have been getting headaches after long bouts at the computer, some of them behind my eyes, and some have been very bad. I figured it was time for a new prescription anyway, so I scheduled an appointment.
I have never had good vision, and over the years, it has gotten worse. The problem is exacerbated (
GRE here I come!) by two very different qualities. My left eye has terrible nearsightetness and astigmatism, while my right eye is almost normal. They don't work well together, and for some reason my bad left eye has always been the dominant eye. Needless to say, their inability to work together has caused alot of problems, and has contributed to a steady decline in my vision over the years.
Anyway, the visit was a success. I learned quite a bit about the eyes and my problems with near-sighted focusing. Furthermore, I think the doctor figured some solutions out for me. In addition to a number of ergonomic changes I'll be making at my workstation, I'm getting a new pair of prescription reading glasses on Thursday. They are meant to take some of the pressure off of my eyes when they're trying to focus up close, and I am supposed to use them for reading and computer use. Problem is solved. . . at least I hope!!
Oh yeah, something of light to moderate concern: He couldn't get my right eye to 20/20, and did a cornea topography. I've never had one before, and it turns out my right cornea is very misshapen. I am supposed to see him again in a year to see if it's gotten any worse. Right now, he isn't able to tell if it's been a life-long problem, or a recent event. We both agreed that since I've known that my left eye was dominate through earlier exams, it means that the problem has most likely been there for years, and is not the beginning of a physical decline. :/
The Static Moon
Apparently, the moon dust found on the moon is statically charged.
This article from Science Daily explains more.
I would like to think that this very unusual behavior is the result of sensitivity to conscious attention. After all, the moon serves as a symbol of so many things here on earth, in mythology, custom, romance etc.
If billions of conscious entities gaze at an physical object with awe and wonder for a million years, is it possible that its properties can be affected by that very fascination?
The GRE approaches
I am scheduled to take the GRE on December 10th, and so far, most of the test prep is going very well. The math stuf has always been easy for me, and I am pretty good at reading comprehension, and analogies. I am also working on my essay skills, and am trying to fix many of the impetuous problems that I have with my organization.
On the other hand, I stink at vocabulary. After a second practice test today, I know this is going to me a major diatribe for me. I bought a book a couple of weeks ago that's meant to help me satiate my vocabulary. After 30+ years of implacable speaking, I am just now learning how often I articulate words.
For example, I learned about the word "capricious" today. I always used it in a way that means "to cause willful harm to others," but actually, it's closer to "changes mind whimsically/often." I have dissembled this word a hundred times over the years, and every time it's had a onerous connotation. But technically, there's nothing inherently negative about it, so it explains how I can consistently vaccilate.
::forehead on table::
::forehead on table::
Hey Kids!
Special BONUS Game in this post!! Your Uncle Platypus Chris misused 7 words in the above post. How many can you find? If you can help help him before his GRE, you get a plethora of spectacularific prizes, including. . . an autographed copy of Deluxe Scrabble, a dog-eared Webster's Dictonary, and a pint full of Uncle Platypus Chris' very own panic sweat!
Hurry hurry, don't delay!!!
Christmas Specials
Tis the season for Christmas Specials. . . I'm looking forward to "A Charlie Brown Chrismas" yet again this year. I love it. Linus' voice is more peaceful and soothing than Mr. Rogers on a quart of NyQuil.
Anyway, National Lampoon has posted the
10 least sucessful Christmas specials of all time. Among the gems are "Ayn Rand's A Selfish Christmas" and "A Canadian Christmas with David Cronenberg."
Very funny! :)
Ecology vs. Religion - Part I
I just read an article on teh CNN website a few hours ago:
"Ocean and so-called greenhouse gas levels are rising faster than they have for thousands of years, according to two reports published on Thursday that are likely to fuel debate on global warming. The full article is
here.
I have had a number of reactions to this debate over the last few years, and I think I may have had an epiphany.
To begin, the article states that "carbon dioxide emissions come mainly from burning coal and other fossil fuels in power plants, factories and automobiles." We all know that. We also know that if we continue on our present course, it is inevitable that humans will do enough damage to destroy our own habitat.
Alot of blame is being placed on the current use of fossil fuels. Granted, we can destroy small regions through waste or mismanagement, making them uninhabitable to humans. Sadly, due to political and social reasons, we often force populations to live in such conditions. This is a travesty. But, but we can never do any permenant damge to the ecology on a global scale. At least not with fossil fuels.
What we fail to remember is that fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources. Use will decrease naturally as the costs of production exceed the value of the produced goods. It's already beginning with $2+/gallon prices (in America), and over the course of the next 15 years, we'll see the demand for fossil fuels dwindle away to nothing as refineries simply go out of business.
The real question is to ask how threatened the global environment would be if every single possible once of our nonrenewable resources were consumed. This is, by default, the worst case scenario. Here's a little bit of info from the
ETE online series (I love NASA!)
"Even if emissions of CO2 stay the same as they are now, concentrations of atmospheric CO2 will increase to 700 ppm by 2100. As a result, mean global temperatures will increase by 3.5 °F (1.9 °C) over the next 100 years."
Remember, this is 100 years worth of projection. At the current rates of consumption, we have a best case scenario estimate of 50 years (
U. of Mich. study) before every drop is gone. Considering the rising expense as supplies dwindle, I predict that we'll naturally stop using it long before this "best case" scenario occurs.
So, to answer the real question. . .how bad will this impact be if it were all used up? So far, I can't find any details. After spending alot of time looking, it has become clear that nobody really knows anything, and the the amount of fear/passion in the writer seems to be inversly proportional to the projected statistics. There are some hazy predicitons about a decrease in some soil moisture, a bit heavier rainfall, and an increase in sea levels by 2 feet or so, but it is diffcult to know what deserves specific mention. Hopefully, I can piece something together at a future date.
Unfortuately, I haven't even gotten to the real reason for this post. . . a comparison between religion and environmentalism. This discussion will continue in Part II. . . stay tuned.
Pilgrims
Pilgrims are people who travel to foreign lands, risking unknown perils to pay homage to a specific location. The reasons for this journey are usually religious or spiritual in nature, and in most cases there is no business or recreation conducted.
The locations for a pilgramage can be almost anything. Sometimes, it is to some small shrine or holy site, but it can also be in the middle of teeming thousands, as the pigrim struggles to lay a hand or get a direct glimpse of what he has traveled so far to witness.
In celebration of Thanksgiving, I would like to post a few images of pilgrims:
And of course, what series of images would be complete. . .
without an American version of a pilgrim:
Happy Thanksgiving!
On Writing - II
I've quit trying to catch up the NaNoWRio novel. I fell so far behind, the idea of catching up is just to daunting. I've started to force it to the point of incomprehensibility. I reread the last paragrpah I wrote, and it was so full of errors and bad grammer, I just said "The hell with it." My final word count right now is around 19,000 words.
I have learned alot though.
1. My idea was too heavy. I had this idea rattling around for awhile, but I think it's just going to require planning and a concrete outline. Back in college, I was told that dialogue is my strength. . . the first three chapters have none. Not one spoken word. It should be restructured to play to my strengths. Plus, a NanNoWriMo novel is the kind of excericse that requires many dynamic characters, who can interact with each other and be immersed in a varied world. My idea tanked because its themes required constructed memory, solitiude, and vast amounts of passing time.
2. I have a screenwriter's mindset. At least right now. I have written a few screenlpays over the years, and I tend to think about my ideas in visual scenes. It like in D&D. . . some people express their creativity by giving 2,500 words on the history, leadership chain, calander, etc. of a knightly order. Boring. I just want one of them to give a little speech, then fall heroically defending a wall or something. I tend to think in moods, moments, and set pieces. I'm going to read some more books and pay attention to the details, pacing, and so on. . . rereading my own pages, I could tell that I was trying to hard to make a dramatic/emotional impact with every line and every scene. Sometimes, your just describing a rabbit, and that's it, right?
3. I need discipline. Despite my continued zealousness toward writing, I still lack this. This doesn't just involve forcing yourself to start writing, but also knowing when to stop. I still think of this as a footrace, instead of a steady rhythm. The problem is, you will never see a marathon runner go the distance if he starts the race sprinting as fast as he can. This is getting better. . . but I'm still not there yet.
4. Set aside the time. This year, I started NanoWriMo in a months of trips, work, other projects, and a ton of distractions. Next year, I will make sure my slate is clean before I start.
Even in failure, I enjoyed the process. It was my first attempt at writing that much prose in one work. I am still proud of myself for trying, and I know what I need to do to get 'em next year. In the meantime, I'm still working on everything else, including short stories, and keeping myself busy at the computer screen. A writer writes (and so does a waiter).
The Weather Report
The temperature here finally dropped into the fifties. Apparantly, we're having some knid of cold snap right now, and I'm going to relish it. I feel like I've been living in a a sheen of nasty sweat since I moved here.
Ironcailly, I went to the local grocery store last night, still wearing shorts (it was about 62 degrees at the time), and everybody there was bundled up in jeans and jackets. I saw a couple heavy winter coats. . . no joke.
I live in a strange town.
