Free Thoughts

The Underlying Principle of What I've Been Posting

2010-02-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

So, I've realized in hindsight I probably should have started with this post, before posting my first and second posts on dealing with the current state of things. Overall, what I've been trying to do is give people ideas to deal with all the bad stuff that is currently going on. However, there is an underlying principle to the two previous posts (and some posts that are yet to be written). This is the idea of trying to generate positive change on different levels.

So, what do I mean by generating positive change? It's really just trying to improve stuff on three main levels. The first level is self-improvement, which is making changes that help one cope with all the negativity that is going on. The second level is helping those around you, by which I mean the people who you interact with on a regular basis and are important to you. This could be friends, family, or co-workers. The third level is improving things for everyone, including future generations.

The important take-away is that you focus on yourself first. It is much easier to make positive change for others if you have your own life under control. To quote Gandhi, "We need to be the change we wish to see in the world.", and "My life is my message".

There are three other things to take into account. The first is that small positive changes may not seem to be worthwhile on their own, but the cumulative effect can be great. Several small changes are far more realistic than a single drastic change. The second thing is the contagious nature of actions. If your life becomes more positive, others will be positively affected. In this sense, the value of your positive actions stretches well beyond your own life. The third thing is that a large group of people making a bunch of small positive changes may make the large societal problem that currently seem insurmountable into something that can be addressed.

Tomorrow, I will talk about social isolation and our divided society, and what can be done about it (wow, I'm feeling inspired now!).

One thing you can do to save money that you may not have thought of

2010-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

This is the second post in my attempt to give people ideas about what they can do to help out in these hard times. If you haven't already, you should read yesterday's post. Since most people are struggling with financial issues, I figured you might be interested in helping yourself out. So, here it is: Go DIY. This seems kind of vague, but the trick is in figuring out where it make sense to DIY, and find places to save money by doing stuff yourself. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Grow a garden to save money on groceries
Do your own oil changes
Cook meals rather than buying prepackaged meals or eating out
Do your own home repair (if possible)
Mend worn out clothing to make it last longer

There is a bit more to this. First, you can also trade goods and services with others, to extend the power of what you can make or do. Second, it is worthwhile to learn some skills. It could be worthwhile to cook a friend dinner in exchange for them teaching you how to change the oil in your car. Third, there are countless ways that DIY could be applied that I haven't thought of. If you have good DIY suggestions, please post them in the comments.

I will have yet another post either tomorrow or Monday, depending on when I feel like it.

Two things you can do to help the economy

2010-02-04T12:37:00.001-08:00

So, I've been frustrated by what has been going on in our country recently. There are so many different problems that are all interrelated that affect pretty much everyone. I've decided to try to come up with things that you can do to help address these. To simplify this, I'm going to keep it simple, and only suggest things that are easy to do.

To begin, I'm going to address the economy. Here are the two things you can do to help the economy, as it affects regular people (not the super-rich).

1. Try to utilize local businesses over corporations, and buy stuff made locally or domestically rather than stuff made overseas. Use farmer's markets, locally owned restaurants, mom and pop shops, or even buy stuff from people on craigslist.

2. Use a local bank or a credit union if you're not already. Avoid the major banks at all costs.

The rationale behind these suggestions is to keep money in the community. Studies have found that money spent at local businesses has a greater impact on the local economy than money spent at a corporate chain. This is because local businesses spend more money locally than major corporations. Major corporations are legally bound to be profit-driven. Because of this, corporations are by definition trying to get as much money out of the community for as little value as possible (i.e. turn a big profit). On top of that, they must keep overhead (spending) down. Where does the money go? Proportionately, far less goes back to regular people than it goes to the super-rich and to people in countries where jobs have been outsourced to. I know this is a generalization, but statistically it describes the situation accurately in a simplified form (so there are lots of details being glossed over, and some exceptions, but it works as a general rule).

As far as the bank thing, local banks and credit unions support the communities they are in, by providing loans to the people and small businesses in that community. This is made possible by the deposits of the people in the community. The major banks, the ones bailed out by the government, use deposits as a way to invest in complicated financial devices (that aren't very different than gambling), and do unethical things to make money, such as pushing bad loans to make money in fees and then reselling those loans as complicated financial devices.

These are relatively simple, but if a significant group of people begin to do them, it could help the bad economic situation that we see everyday in a real way.

Why I Think Religion CAN be a Good Thing

2009-05-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I don't ascribe to any religious beliefs, but I think that religion gets unfairly panned by atheists. Before I talk about why religion can be good, I will enumerate specific religious beliefs that I think are harmful. I will refer to manifestations, rather than make blanket statements about religions, since it's usually certain groups that espouse the harmful beliefs. Many manifestations of western religion are obsessed with social dominance (it's a worthwhile read), which puts them at odds with anyone that has dissimilar beliefs. This is the root behind a lot of the hatred that is put forth by religious groups. Also, many manifestations are selfish interpretations of the religion. For example, some Christians interpret Genesis 1:26 to mean that people can do whatever they want to the earth without regards to the effects.

Those two are the most obvious problematic beliefs. They aren't necessarily isolated to religion, and are visible in the political arena. Within religions, these beliefs are most common within fundamentalist sects of Christianity and Islam. Buddhism seems to be the religion that does the best job of avoiding these.

The reason religion can be a good thing is because it gives people meaning, purpose, and moral guidance in a way that is accessible. Most people would be ideologically lost without religion, since trying do derive meaning, purpose, or morality from existence without it is far from easy. In fact, I think the rise of non-believers is largely due to the creation of viable non-religious world views. As a non-believer myself, I think that religion is valuable, but needs to be kept in check, in the sense that a belief system and its effects should only be applied to its practitioners.

25 Minutes of Auditory Bliss

2009-05-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the death of the album, the rise of the single and bands loading up albums with filler tracks. I would counter that a lot of bands that aren't a product of corporate record labels and radio play never fell into that trap. So I'm going to argue that "The Element of Sonic Defiance" by Strung Out is the ideal album.

First, every single track on the album is good, and they are varied in pace, style and intensity. It is only 25 minutes and eight tracks long, and I think it's because they saw it as complete and sufficient without feeling the need to bulk it up. Every track is beautifully produced, including some use of samples and other production effects, but not to the point where the songs aren't amazing live. It's 25 minutes of what an album should be, with absolutely no filler.

Second, the arrangement of the songs on the album, and the way they are put together produces something greater than any single track. This is done without falling into the trap that many progressive rock concept albums fall into, which is a significant portion of the tracks are dependent on the context of the other tracks (Pink Floyd, anyone?). Each song can stand on its own, but becomes something more when listened to the album as a whole.

I will note that The Element of Sonic Defiance is almost 9 years old now, but in my mind, there is not a better example of a perfect album. There have been plenty of other great albums released since then, but every one I can think of either has some weak songs, or the songs themselves don't form a cohesive work.

[edit] I should mention that I think all of Strung Out's albums have been great from "Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues" on, but none have the cohesiveness of EOSD.

The Purpose of Ritual in Religion

2009-05-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Religious rituals, like going to church on Sunday or praying, have two purposes. First, they are to reinforce preexisting beliefs, and make them salient in a person's life. For example, making sure to eat a kosher meal, or praying before a meal, reminds that person on a regular basis of their beliefs. A person is more likely to act on their beliefs if they are cognizant of them.

The second reason is to induce a phenomenological experience. Many church services are structured in a way to try to get the congregation to "feel" the presence of god. Every mystic ritual was created with this purpose. Entheogens were used with this intent. Phenomenological experiences are more important to religion, since they are what creates strong and lasting believers.

The Psychological Mechanism behind Conversion

2009-05-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

One thing I've come to believe more with experience is that a person's world view, be it religious or secular in nature, is ultimately a component of their personal experiences. Specifically, certain personal experiences carry with them a certain indescribable meaning that cannot be fully conveyed to another person. It is the phenomenological portion of the experience, to put it in more formal terms. For example, you can describe a meaningful event in your life to someone else, but there is no way for you to convey the full weight of that experience. It is that part that I am going to talk about today.

So, what causes a change in world view? People are inherently biased towards their current beliefs, especially the beliefs that make up a person's world view. Disconfirming information is requisite for conversion to even be a possibility. Unless a person is lacking any sort of strong conviction, there is a good chance that any strong challenge to a person's world view will be avoided if possible.

Does disconfirming information automatically cause a conversion? No, since there is a few ways a person will try to deal with it. First, people will attempt to reinterpret it in a way that supports their world view. For example, a fundamentalist Christian may interpret the decline of church attendance as a sign that the end times are near, rather than a rejection of religious institutions and their inherent flaws.

If disconfirming information cannot be reinterpreted, a person will try to reject it. The most common method is to discredit the information or the source. Common rationale include claiming a flawed methodology, a biased source, that the information has been "spun" to present it in a certain way, or that the information is entirely fictitious.

Sometimes disconfirming information cannot be rejected. The third thing that people will do is to minimize the impact of the information. They will say it isn't as important as it seems, or that it's presented in a way that overplays it. This is done using similar rationale that people use to reject information, but in a way that acknowledges some level of correctness.

If none of the above work, a person goes through a "crisis of faith" or an "identity crisis", where their beliefs are challenged on a level that cannot be easily dealt with. This requires a person to either change their existing world view in such a way that it can handle the information, or it requires them to change their world view. If a person's world view is changed in a meaningful and profound way, this would be considered a conversion experience, which is a significant phenomenological event in itself.

So how does phenomenology and phenomenological experiences play into conversion? They are important because most conversions are due to experiences that challenge a persons beliefs, not second-hand information. A challenging phenomenological experience is the most powerful form of disconfirming information, and it is much harder to reinterpret, reject, or minimize. I will use my own conversion experience as an example to make this idea more concrete. I stopped believing in a theistic "God" not because of the facts and ideas that were hurled at me by some of the people I know. Rather, I stopped believing in God because a naturalistic point of view provided a better view of reality, and allowed me to handle personal issues that my previous beliefs couldn't.

My next post will be on what religious rituals have to do with phenomonology and creating zealous believers.

Challenging Proselytizers: Why I Approach Missionaries

2009-04-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Unlike most people, I find engaging missionaries on the street (or sidewalk) a productive and enriching activity. When I see two guys in suits wearing nametags trying to start conversations with people, I'll go up to them if I have the time. I feel obligated by my own worldview to challenge them in their beliefs so that they might grow and be better practitioners of their beliefs. I try to give them insight into a worldview that is completely foriegn to them, and hopefully it will result in the missionary having more empathy and understanding of a view of reality that they would otherwise not have.

I use two methods of talking about religion and worldview (I find the term "worldview" a better term, since it encompasses both religion and secular belief systems). The first is to discuss the phenomenological aspects of experience, especially religious experiences. Most religious people have had experiences that caused them to convert to their religious belief, or confirm a pre-existing religious belief. Similarly, most humanists, atheists, or other practitioners of secular worldviews (not to be confused with people who don't have an explicit worldview) have analogous experiences. The key point is that while the experience can be explained, there are aspects of that experience that cannot be conveyed to another person. My experiences that caused me to adopt a humanistic view of reality cannot have the same impact when described to another person.

The second thing I do is to respond to a request with an analogous request. For example, if I am asked to read the Bible or Book of Mormon and make up my mind about it, I will ask them to read Dawkins' The God Delusion, or Dennett's Breaking The Spell, and contemplate whether that is a more rational approach to belief. If they ask me to try to talk to God or pray for some divine revelation, I will ask them to try to look at some of the secular worldviews, and try to understand how those explain belief in God.

The goal in both of these is to avoid the standard rote arguments that have been rehashed for endless years, and to try to create a non-threatening way of engaging and challenging those who are trying to proselytize. In my experience, most every missionary I have used this on has enjoyed the conversation, and I feel that it has helped both parties get a better understanding of the other's worldview.

I will note this method is not good for the showy street preachers who preach hellfire and damnation on streetcorners. Those people aren't interested in rational discussion, rather they are using theatrics to try to provoke a response.

I would appreciate if anyone who has any other ideas for challenging missionaries in a non-advesarial way would post them in the comments.

In my next post, I'll talk about the psychological mechanisms underlying a "crisis of faith" and how it relates to conversion and growth in a persons world view.

Can Life Have Meaning Without a God?

2009-03-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

One thing I encounter frequently is the argument that a meaningful life can only be derived from religious or metaphysical beliefs. I think this comes up because oftentimes the person making the argument had no meaning in their life until they found religion. I feel that I have found meaning in life without the need to defer to a metaphysical entity. I believe that the meaning of life is to continue living, growing, and improving. Life exists to beget new life, new ideas, and new creations.

So what does that mean on a personal level? It means that personally, you have to figure out your own meaning. One approach to do this is to ask yourself "What is my place in the world?", "What makes me feel fulfilled?", or "What would make me the best 'me' that I can be?". The problem with this approach would be the lack of a clearly defined personal meaning, or a clearly defined means of determining a personal meaning. The advantage is that the meaning I have found for myself is far more satisfying and personal than any purpose that a religion can offer.

Creating a Humanist Culture

2009-03-19T13:00:00.001-07:00

There are several things needed to create a Humanist culture that can effectively replace religious culture. The first of these is a common mythology, but not in the sense of a bunch of made up stories. Rather, these are culturally shared stories that may be a bit idealized or simplified. For Humanism, two obvious examples would be the story of human life evolving, and the second would be Darwin's development of the theory of evolution.

The second thing that needs to be created is a common morality that is practical and understandable. The three Humanist Manifestos are a good start, but are too abstract and vague in nature to be sufficient. Instead, the morality should consist of simple principles demonstrated in examples and backed up by justification. The existence of moral gray areas also should be addressed.

Third, a set of common, purposeful rituals need to be developed. For example, a community ritual (like going to church on Sundays) could help connect Humanists and allow Humanists to develop their understanding of Humanism. Acknowledging your own place in yourself, your relationships, society, the world, and universe at some regular, predetermined times (say after waking and before falling asleep) to help keep your life in context of your beliefs. There are countless other rituals that could be used.

Fourth, Humanism needs to clearly state why and how a life can be purposeful without a need to defer to the divine. This may sound simple, but this needs to carry enough weight that it can stand next to the divine arguments made by religions.

Finally, Humanism needs a clear and formal set of threats and promises to differentiate it from religions. These can be based off of a Humanist view of the future, combined with the shortcomings of religion. Threats and promises create incentive for people to convert, and also act to combat the argument that an atheistic belief system is inherently nihilistic.

So what would these things do? It would make Humanism more appealing and useful for its adherents and potential converts. It would also allow Humanism to engage in dialectical relationships with the more reasonable manifestations of religion. Finally, it creates a pseudo-religious religion alternative that isn't lacking (after leaving Christianity 6 years ago, I still miss many aspects of having a church).

Also, I don't think this list is complete or infallable, nor do I have any good ideas for implementation. As always, feedback is much appreciated, either directly or using the comment system.

On a side note, I now Twitter, so feel free to add punkideas, and friend me on MySpace and Facebook. Also, I'm trying to get a feel for my readership, so let me know if you are a reader (thanks to David for being the one person to let me know he's reading)

Atheism, Humanism, and Religion

2009-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

I don't believe in a god in any sort of traditional sense, but I reject the label of Atheist. I think the word, besides having a negative connotation, does not convey what I really believe. I consider myself a Humanist in a broad and general sense, since I feel that the label more properly conveys what I believe, rather than what I don't believe. Atheism is only the belief in no god, and has no other intrinsic beliefs. Humanism, on the other hand, is the belief that people and humanity are the most important thing in human existence. Also, Atheism is the second most disliked "religion", behind only Scientology, probably because all that outspoken Atheists do is attack religion.

I think that people who don't believe in a god or other supernatural powers, or don't claim to know whether a god exists need to move away from labels that say what they are against (like "Atheist" and "Agnostic"), and begin using labels that state what are the most important principles of their beliefs (like "Humanist" or "Naturalist"). I think that the outspoken Atheists, like Richard Dawkins, need to focus more on the negative outcomes of fundamentalist religion, rather than the absurdity of the premises of religion. This will help reduce the marginalization of non-religious beliefs. I also think that non-religious people need to stop condemning religious moderates who are not imposing their views on others.

Finally, I think that non-religious people need to come together and form some sort of common culture. Specifically, I think that Humanists and others need to take a page from religion. Religion is based on supernatural threats and promises, like hell and heaven. Humanism should promise a fulfilling life based on rational thought, while stating the belief in metaphysical entities can lead to a wasted life and the misleading of others. Furthermore, there needs to be a community. All the Humanist forums and many of the blogs I have found online are dominated by religion-bashing, rather than good discourse about how people can live and be moral without a god or something similar. Instead of spending all our time saying what we are not, we should spend our time defining ourselves, and contrasting it to what we are not.

If anyone knows of a place where a progressive Humanist can talk with like minded people, you should let me know

David

Michael Phelps and Keeping Our Illusions about Marijuana

2009-02-02T08:29:00.001-08:00

Recently a picture of Michael Phelps taking a bong hit has been circulating around the Internet. This doesn't bother me in the least. What bothers me is how he was forced to publicly admit his "wrongdoing". I am sick how American society can't stand the idea of successful people responsibly using marijuana recreationally (at least outside the world of entertainment). I think Phelps's forced apology is an example of America enforcing the myth that you have to be weed free to be successful. I know that there are college professors, professional athletes, and small business owners who smoke marijuana without negative effects to their livelihood.

The research on marijuana supports the idea that it is relatively harmless compared to alcohol, tobacco, and hard drugs. Virtually all of the lab studies "demonstrating" how harmful marijuana lack any sort of ecologlical validity. It's not to say marijuana is completely harmless, but that the level of harm it causes does not warrent keeping it illegal. Also, the claim that marijuana is a gateway drug has been effectively debunked. Even the history of marijuana criminalization shows how ludicris the war against weed has always been.

The poor economic state of the US provides a new opportunity to push for legalization and regulation as a replacement for criminalizing marijauana. Marijuana legalization would reduce the prison costs and create new tax revenue and jobs. Sounds like something we need right now.

We should not force our modern day heros to apologize for smoking a relatively harmless plant, but we should use this as an opportunity to lose the illusions that harm our society.

UPDATE: Tony Newman wrote about the incident over at the Huffington Post

I've been inactive lately, but I feel like ranting about a bunch of shit, so I'll be posting a few more posts that I'm working on over the next couple of weeks. If I have signs of any readership, this could become a (semi) regular thing again

The Decline: Epic Punk Rock for a Cause

2008-05-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Decline is a 18+ minute long punk rock song by NOFX about the socio-political state of America. I was lucky enough to see this song played live, in its entirety, last weekend, when NOFX played in Denver. Even though the song was originally recorded 9 years ago, I believe that it is even more relevant now, in post 9-11 America, than when it was written.

The Decline consists of 8 main sections (by my count, feel free to disagree), tied together with interludes, along with an intro and an outro. Each section addresses a different issue or issues. My approximate breakdown is as follows (once again, my opinion, feel free to disagree, feel free to correct if you are in NOFX):
1. Conformity and ignorance
2. Gun Control (plus a little bit on religion and dumbing down America)
3. Drug Prohibition and Punishment
4. War Profiteering/Corporate Control of Government
5. Depression, Despair and Suicide
6. Media Control, Brainwashing, Apathy
7. Aquiescience to the current problems
8. Why we need to act (it's a conclusion of sorts)
Each section has it's own distinct style and sound.

As for it's overall message and stance, it says the country is royally fucked up, and addresses the specific problems more than NOFX's other polical works. I think it is more impactful because it calls you out on your apathy, unlike many other political songs.

The climax of the song, in my opinion, is around the 14 minute mark. The lyrics for that part are:

And so we go, on with our lives
We know the truth, but prefer lies
Lies are simple, simple is bliss
Why go against tradition when we can
Admit defeat, live in decline
Be the victim of our own design
The status quo, built on suspect
Why would anyone stick out their neck?

I think this part throws all the issues in the listeners face, and forces them to address them in some fasion.

As far as the sales of the record itself, proceeds were donated to a bunch of human and animal rights organization, which is consistent with the message of the album. This just adds to the evidence that the motivation of this song was emotional above all else.

A criticism that could be made is that The Decline is really a bunch of songs that were glued together with interludes. My response is how else can you make a long song without it being boring and repetitive? This actually could be considered the punk rock equivalent of a classical multi-part work, like Handel's Messiah, or a long progressive rock work, like Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Another criticism could be that it doesn't offer solutions, and is a bunch of bitching. First, I disagree. The solution is to stop being apathetic, and do something about it.
The reason I feel that as a solution is more effective than more specific solutions, is it doesn't come across as preachy, nor does it become irrelevant as long as the issues remain relevant.

Finally, I think it's just a fun and energizing song. It's one of my favorites to sing along to. It was also one of my first punk album purchases, and the first single I ever bought.

If you haven't heard it, find a copy and listen to it. It is a great song

Maybe if I feel inspired, I'll do a piece on Operation Ivy next week.

5 Most Underrated Strung Out Songs

2007-07-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a post just because I feel like it. The 5 songs by the band Strung Out I think are the most underrated

5. Scarecrow

This song off of The Element of Sonic Defiance is often overlooked in favor of the more produced or faster songs on the album, but I think it is a great indictment of certain aspects of religion.

4. Barfly

A great song off of the Crossroads and Illusions EP that gets overlooked because it is the only real selling point for the EP (two of the other songs are on Twisted by Design and the other song is relatively unremarkable). Also on Live in a Dive, it gets lost between all the big hits.

3. Lost Motel

Originally released as the B-side on the Dig single, the only readily available version is on Live in a Dive. It's catchy and fun to sing along to.

2. Novocaine

Strung Out's contribution to the Live Fat, Die Young comp, it is often forgotten or missed simply because it never made it on a regular release.

1. Betrayal
This song has it all: strong musical parts, intense vocals, a kickass guitar solo as part of a bridge and good lyrics. Almost no one has heard it simply because two versions of this song were released on two obscure compiliations about ten years ago, and it is almost never played live.

Hmm, every song I've listed here deals with existential issues in one way or another. Maybe that's why I like them and think they're underrated.

Meme Generator

2007-07-13T21:48:00.001-07:00

I've started a new blog called Meme Generator which is focusing specifically on memes and memetics. I will still post stuff here, but Meme Generator will get updates more frequently. Check it out.

The Most Simple Principle in Behavior

2007-06-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

The most simple principle in behavior is that everyone, including people, animals, groups, etc. will act in their own perceived self interest. This may be harmful or helpful to others, but which is largely incidental.

Think about it.

Create and Modify Memes!

2007-05-31T01:35:00.001-07:00

Ok, this may sound a bit crazy (I know, that's pretty normal for this blog), but I had an epiphany. We need to spend less time intaking and filtering through the masses of information that is available to us, and spend more time creating and modifying existing information. This means becoming less of an information consumer and more of an information producer. This is the way of becoming influential and effective. Sitting around consuming information keeps people complacent and occupied.

I went to a concert last night

2007-05-31T00:34:00.000-07:00

And all I have to say is Propagandhi is fucking awesome!

My computer lives again!

2007-05-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

I finally fixed my computer! This means I will be more likely to make blog posts in the future, since I don't have to share a computer. I should have something vaguely interesting to talk about in the next few days, so check back soon.

Finding the Truth?

2007-01-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this topic has been stewing in my brain for a while, so I'm going to give it an attempt. What is Truth? (note the capital "T") . There are two different kinds of truth, truth and Truth. Little "t" truth is what is in accordance with reality. This is what most people are familiar with, since we attempt to determine if something is true or not on a regular basis. The other kind of truth, Truth, is much harder to define and understand. I define it as truth that exists independently of reality, but defines or affects reality. This implies that Truth isn't part of reality, but that reality at most can only point to Truth.

So why is Truth important? Truth would include any cosmic forces that act upon reality, such as God or karma. Truth includes the answers to questions like what happens at death. Truth includes anything that exists outside the realm of reality and in the realm of speculation.

So if Truth isn't inside reality, then where does that leave us? There have been countless attempts to find, or even just assert Truth throughout time. I'm going to say that many may contain elements of Truth, but none contain a complete picture of it. I use the approach of trying to understand as many different perspectives and beliefs as possible. This has led me to a conclusion, that Truth is incredibly elusive. Understanding Truth comes less from what others have said about it and more from one's own pursuit. One person's understanding of Truth may be radically different than someone else's, and both can be correct.

There is one major trap in the pursuit of Truth: Believing that you know Truth in its entirety. Understanding Truth is a journey, not a destination. When you believe that journey is complete, there is no where else to go. Just by the nature of Truth, it is impossible to complete this journey in a lifetime. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

If this is incoherent, it means I need to blog less after a sleep deprived night and a long day, late that night.

Free Will

2007-01-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, I am back. I will be making periodic updates whenever I am inspired to. The reason I was gone was college, in its various aspects, had consumed my life. Now that I have graduated, it should not be a problem until I (hopefully) go off to grad school. But enough of my rambling.

One question people have wrestled with is the topic of whether free will exists or not. I have come up with several ways of approaching this problem. The first is determinism, the idea that people do not have free will, and their minds, bodies, behaviors, etc follow a strict cause and effect pattern. This means that human behavior is in theory completely predictable given enough information, and that there is no unpredictable factors such as free will or other random variations that affect people.

The second way this problem can be approached is that free will does exist. First, free will is defined as a conscious, non-physical self that makes decisions about behavior, that has some level of independence from the physical mind. Free will can be divided up into two categories, unlimited and limited. Unlimited free will is the idea that people can do whatever they want whenever they want, without limitations. This is the only approach that I can reject outright, since I cannot right now start speaking in Chinese or Sanskrit because I lack the knowledge to. Thus, my own knowledge limits my free will (if I have free will). Limited free will is the idea that free will does exist, but there are limitations to it in one manner or another.

The third approach is probabilism, which is the idea that human thoughts and behavior do have variation, but it can be described using probability models. This can also be divided into two categories, free will and random. In free will probabilism free will exists, but is limited and affected by probabilities of which behaviors are more likely than others, and which ones are not likely to happen. The other possibility is that a random factor determines which behavior happens, with likelihoods affected by probabilities of certain behaviors either happening or not happening.

In conclusion, there are many ways the problem of free will can be approached, but only one can be dismissed.

I hope this little discussion adds to your knowledge of the topic.

One of these days

2006-09-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

I will make an actual post. I promise. I just haven't been sufficiently inspired to do so.

Long time, No See

2006-05-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

This semester has been busy as hell. I am going to post some stuff on memes in the (hopefully) near future. Seriously. I'm almost done for the semester.

I'm still alive

2006-02-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Despite regular posts, I still intend on posting, however the updates will be irregular. I'm working on some new material to post, and hopefully will have something up in the near future. 70 hours of obligations a week are fun!

Finals

2005-12-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

I'm busy going through finals, but it's not so bad. I just haven't had any time to sleep.

Getting My Shit In Line

2005-11-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get some direction as to what I want to do after college (or my undergraduate, more specifically). I want to study memes which are pieces of information that are passed by imitation which change over time. A classic example is the urban legend about the guy who gets drugged and wakes up in a bathtub without his kidneys. It has been passed around countless times, and has slowly changed over time. There's a lot more to it than that (hence the Wikipedia link), but it is a really new field with plenty of fields to be worked in.

But to get there, I have to do stuff to make a graduate school application look good (it's how things work), so I've been doing all that stuff to help. That's resulted in a shortage of free time, elevated stress levels, and never enough sleep. I can't wait for break, I am ready for it.

David

Life at 900 MPH

2005-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

Lately, it feels like my life has been flying by at an incredible rate. I'm not complaining, but I haven't had a lot of downtime. That's probably why I haven't updated my blog lately. When I do have time, I don't really feel like it. It doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon either. I'll try making more frequent posts, as I am doing some reading in some pretty interesting subject areas.

Ironic Quote

2005-10-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

This one is just too good:

However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in "A," "B," "C," and "D." Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of "conservatism."
-- Senator Barry Goldwater, Congressional Record

Is it just me or...

2005-10-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

Does it seem like that the middle class is struggling more to keep in the middle class? It just feels like the job market for middle class jobs in America are slowly disappearing. If it is really happening, the long-term implications are pretty scary. It would most likely mean the future economic viability of those who are not already pretty wealthy is disappearing. But even more importantly, a lot of industries depend on the spending of the middle class, such as entertainment and automotive industries, which could cause more job losses, and more downward mobility. It's all kind of scary to think about, being that I will be entering the job market, looking for a career in the next few years.

Quickie

2005-09-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

Don't sleepwalk through life.

So much of nothing

2005-09-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, partially due to a lack of a functioning internet connection, partially because I haven't had anything compelling to post. I will figure out something worthwhile to post soon, so check back in a few days. Hopefully there will be something new to read.

Positivity

2005-08-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much since I got back to school. It's largely due to a hectic schedule with plenty of time commitments coupled with sleep deprivation. I'm going to post yet another thing from my notebook, so you have something new to read. It's about positivity. And by positivity, I mean good stuff.

It is simple: positivity begets positivity. If you try hoarding it, you lose it. If you give it away freely, it comes back tenfold. If you aren't giving out some sort of positivity, you give out negativity. It ranges from mere apathy to downright malice. And that will also come back tenfold. It is up to you to determine what you give, and therefore, what you get.

Just something to think about. Hopefully, I'll get used to my new schedule soon, so I'll have the energy and inspiration to post more.

David

Back in FoCo

2005-08-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back at school, and my computer is fixed! Unfortunately, I've been sleep deprived due to a hectic schedule. So I'm probably not very coherent right now. I'll post again once I get my mind back.

David

School

2005-08-17T00:29:00.000-07:00

In a couple days, I will be moving back to Fort Collins, so I don't think I'll be able to blog very often until I get my computer fixed or I get settled in (I don't know what'll happen first). Either way, I'm not going to make any promises about when my next post will be. So I will leave you with some lyrics from one of my (many) favorite songs that I think are both encouraging and fitting. They are from the song Phoenix Ignition by Thrice

Like a phoenix ignition
like a crematorium
Like a swelling volition
from the barrel of a gun
From the ashes and the embers
like a rocket I'll ascend
Like a cry gone up for a fallen friend
I'LL ASCEND!

Everyday tear down the walls
till cornerstones remain
Coming ONE STEP CLOSER ALL THE TIME
And although we'll never reach perfection ALWAYS PERSIST TO TRY!

No regrets, just rebirth
move forward, and ignite.
Incandescent Reinvention
a new renaissance
A NEW FIRE EACH DAY!

I still think that is one of the most uplifting songs ever written. I will have time to check my email and stuff, so don't think I'll be completely incommunicado.

David

This blog

2005-08-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Now that I have established this blog a bit, I'm going to try to shift the purpose of this blog away from me talking about my life, and towards ideas. As a step in that direction, I am going to post something out of my personal notebook that I like. No one has read it, except myself, until now. It's entitled Unity Prayer. It's written in such a way that it is not specific to any belief.

To whoever is listening
I pray for humanity, that they may grow together as one
I pray for my brethren
For those who keep the faith: that they remain strong
For those who lost the faith: that they return
For those who never understood: that they see the light
I pray that malice will be overcome with kindness
Hatred overcome by friendship
Poverty overcome with bounty
I pray that people will not judge each other
But that they will accept each other for who they are
I pray for everyone, that life will be good
For those who came before, and those who are yet to come
For people who share my beliefs, and those who believe otherwise
But ultimately, I pray for
UNITY

I wrote this as something positive for everyone. It doesn't require belief in anything except good intent for everyone. One word that could be misinterpreted is faith, which within the context of the prayer is faith in humanity. Also, when I say brethren, I mean humanity as a whole, but addressed in a brotherly way. It is simply my expression of hope for everyone.

David

I'm outta here

2005-08-09T01:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am leaving, and I won't be back for a few days. Unfortunately, I won't be able to blog, check email, etc. So don't complain about the fact that I fell off the face of the world wide web.

I need to fall asleep earlier than 5 tonight, so I am going to stop writing, and go to bed. Peace.

David

Stuff

2005-08-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

I've been bad about posting songs of the day. So I'm no longer going to post a song of the day. Instead, I will start posting the song of the whenever the fuck I feel like it (SOTWTFIFLI). My first SOTWTFIFLI is No Cigar by Millencolin.
MP3
Lyrics

One thing I've been doing this summer is watching a lot of anime. Most of what I like is the ones that have a very elaborate story with lots of philosophical themes. My favorites are Trigun, Gundam Wing, Reign The Conqueror, and Full Metal Alchemist. I've found many people don't like anime, and my theory about that is that some people don't have the patience to get into them. For example, Reign The Conqueror is 13 episodes, and it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense until the last episode, which puts everything into context, along with one of the most insane twists I've ever seen. Others, such as Gundam Wing, have dramatic changes left and right, so if you miss 3 episodes, you'll be lost. If you like epic stories, check it out, but be patient.

I've been cooking a lot lately, and it's really cool to see what I can make. I really want to get some really fresh tuna, because if cooked properly (rare), it tastes so good. Unfortunately, it's hard to get and pretty pricey in Colorado. Mostly I've been trying out new recipes or new flavor combinations. Hopefully, I'll be one of the best amateur chefs around in a few years. I am determined to avoid the bachelor diet of microwave food and ramen when I move out of the dorms.

School is coming up fast, in fact I'll be moving back to Fort Collins on the 18th. I'll be glad to get out of the limbo I've been in all summer. Plus I'll get to corrupt...er...I mean be a role model for the freshmen.

I need to fix my computer, my motherboard is shot (the capacitors in the CPU power reg circuit are fried). Hopefully I'll have it replaced within a month.

I need to stop blogging late at night. Maybe I'll make more sense.

David

Moshing and other randomness

2005-08-06T01:52:00.000-07:00

One thing that is practically synonymous with Punk music is moshing. I ran across an excellent article on Wikipedia about moshing (Link). I was especially impressed with the tips and rules. I'm glad to see someone actually write up the previously unwritten rules of moshing.

The reason I capitalize "Punk" is the same reason I capitalize "Buddhism". They are both ways of life.

I like putting up random thoughts. I separate them by treating them all as separate paragraphs.

If you want to talk to me, and not just comment on my blog, email me at djmark@simla.colostate.edu. Then you might actually get a real response.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments. I will no longer try to provoke them, but I encourage you to comment if you actually would like to comment on something.

If you want a blog like mine, go to http://www.blogger.com/. It's designed to be really easy to use, so there's no reason not to, unless you don't feel like it.

If you need more reading material, go to my friend's blog. He is going to medical school, and has post interesting things about that, among other things.

I'm pretty tired, so if you think this post is disorganized or whatever, I agree. I should sleep now.

David

In response to comments

2005-08-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

The reason I was trying to provoke people into commenting is to see how many people read my blog. I know about counters, and they are always horribly inflated because of automated web access (mostly search engines). Thanks for the feedback. As far as comments regarding lyrics, I know people read into them way too much. That is why I use quotes that are pretty clear in their general idea, regardless of whether you recognize them or not. I know that they are not the only part of music with meaning, they are just the easiest to talk about. There is a reason I try to link to MP3s for my songs of the day. But your points are well taken.

Now I feel like pimping some of my favorite causes. Downhill Battle is an organization pushing for a fairer music industry and participatory culture. In essence, they are trying to make the artists more important than the corporations in culture. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organization that defends freedom in the digital world. They are the ones trying to keep filesharing legal for legitimate purposes. Finally, I would like to urge people to use free/open source software when it meets their needs, as opposed to resorting to proprietary solutions. The most common one is Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that is a great replacement for Internet Explorer. I've been using it for years, and love it.

I'm going to watch some anime now
David

|o| <-- Tie Fighter

2005-08-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

I held off on posting the last few days, because I wanted someone to post a comment on my last post. As of the writing of this post, no one has. I know at least 6 people have read my blog at one time or another. Since I started to post with some level of frequency, my level of comments has pretty much flatlined. So if you haven't already, read the last post, and post a comment. I'm curious how many people actually read this (I'm hoping for at least one post from someone who hasn't said anything about my blog to me yet).

I am refraining from another substantial post until I get a comment, but I won't leave you without a song of the day. It is Alien by Pennywise.
MP3
Lyrics

David
P.S. I'm serious

I think I should explain the little pieces of paper...

2005-08-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have done recently at Punk shows is pass out pieces of paper that had lyrics of songs on them, along with a link to this page. I passed out ~550 at the Warped Tour (7/17) and ~150 at Alkaline Trio/Rise Against/Death By Stereo concert(7/29), along with the one the following night.
The one from the Warped Tour read:

Come together and fight together, unite together as one. -– Pennywise
All so different yeah, I say we're all the same. All caught, you know, in the division game. - Operation Ivy
Make some new friends today. Talk to people who are different. It could change your life. -– Me
punkideas.blogspot.com

The one from the other shows read:

Tell me what is worth dying for? Would you give up everything to make one lasting point? -– Strung Out
Is this human freedom hedonistic excess? Junky consumerism, mass-production, toxic sickness - Rancid
I wonder how many people really listen to the lyrics when they hear a song?
http://punkideas.blogspot.com/ djmark@simla.colostate.edu

But what I haven't really explained very well is why I did it. I did it for a few reasons. First, those lyrics mean something to me, and probably did to some of the people received them. I simply put them with a positive thought, and hoped people actually read them and thought about them, whether they recognized the lyrics at all. Furthermore, people who did recognize the lyrics would immediately recognize we have something in common, and something that is a big part of who I am. I believe Punk is something very positive, but at the same time very abstract, and lyrics are used as a way of expressing it. I want to meet people who want to discuss Punk, both lyrically and ideologically, regardless of whether it was a major part of their lives as well as those who had never thought about it.

I know that it is accomplishing these goals to some extent just from talking to people. I ran into a few people each night at the shows who received flyers at the Warped Tour. One guy(sorry, I forgot your name) had put it on his bulletin board. I know that at least some band members and roadies got them each time. I have met countless people through them, and hopefully will continue talking to all of you who wind up here.

So now I came up with an idea to get people to start posting some comments and get some discussions started. Post a favorite song lyrics quote. Feel free to comment on why. I have my blog set to allow anonymous posting, so you don't have to register. I would also like to encourage people to post comments on older posts if they feel so inclined. I would like to discuss any of my ideas. I will make the post, since it's only fair that I do it first.

Try to describe to the limit of my ability:
Its there for a second
Then it's given up what it used to be
Contained in my music somehow more than just sound
This inspiration coming and twisting things around
Because you always know that its gonna have to go
You always know that you'll be back in the cold.
Point of depatrure sublimated in a song
Its always coming to give me that hope for just a second
Then its gone but
Sound system gonna bring me back up
One thing that I can depend on

I think that's one of the best ways to describe what the music means to me.

I won't post a song of the day, just because I've already blown an hour doing this blog post, and really should go to bed.

David

Life is good

2005-07-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

The last couple of nights were really awesome. Aside from the awesome performances put on, there were a few things that I won't soon forget. At the show Thursday, there was a time where a fight almost broke out. I say almost because the only reason punches weren't thrown was because half a dozen people threw themselves in between before anything could happen. What was cool was the people who broke them up talked some sense into them, and a couple minutes later, they were completely cool with each other. Second was all the people I seem to keep running into at concerts, sorry I suck with names, but you know who you are. Third was Gretchen, who I run into every show I go to in Denver. You are truly amazing. Finally, meeting Death By Stereo at the show on Friday. You guys are awesome, have a great time touring all over the world.

This song of the day feels kind of appropriate right now. Sorry, no MP3 this time, but they do have a music video. It's Wasted Words by Death By Stereo. Be sure to read the lyrics.
Video:56K DSL
Lyrics

Ok, now I feel like I should plug my essay on what I think Punk is. Read it, and give me feedback. There is a good chance you could be the first person to tell me what you think about it. Also if you use Myspace, check out my profile.

Peace,
David

I'm beat

2005-07-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at the concert, but it really wore me out. I enjoyed talking to all of the people there. I really don't have a whole lot to say right now, so here's the song of the day: Violins by Joey Cape (This is an acoustic version of a Lagwagon song)
MP3
Lyrics

Peace,
David

Life

2005-07-28T02:09:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize some of my fears in the last few days. One of my own fears is in my ability to meet my own expectations. It sounds kind of strange, but in many ways it was holding me back. I was reminded of a short scene from the movie Waking Life. If you haven't seen it, it is a bunch of monologues and dialogues on philisophical, political, and life in general.

The quest is to be liberated from the negative, which is really our own will to nothingness. And, once having said yes to the instant, the affirmation is contagious. It bursts into a chain of affirmations that knows no limit. To say yes to one instant, is to say yes to all of existence.

This can be taken many ways, but in a way my fear was just me being afraid to say yes to some of the opportunities that come my way. But it wasn't just fear, it was apathy that had come along with the feeling of lacking direction in the short term. This summer I felt a lot of the time as if I really had nothing worthwile to do. But while I was in Hawaii, I had a fair amount of time to just reflect on a lot of things. While I was in Hawaii, I made a friend who just talked to me about life, and it was one of the best conversations I had in a long time.

Since I've been back, I feel reenergized, and really want to put some of my ideas in essay form. Expect a lot more like the one I already wrote. Or even an update to that (I'll let you know if I do that).

As promised I have a song of the day for all of you. It is Too Close To See by Strung Out.
MP3
Lyrics

I'm going to be at a concert tomorrow night (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Death By Stereo, for all of you who were wondering). I don't know if I will post or not, but there is a good chance I will. Maybe I'll see some of you at the show.

Embrace what is good
David

Back from Hawaii

2005-07-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

The reason I haven't posted in a week is because I went to Oahu with my family. It was a great reminder that some of the best thing that happen to me are completely unexpected. The scenery and beaches were beautiful. Also, I had several Strung Out songs stuck in my head the entire time (not that it was a bad thing). One thing I get a kick out of is the souviniers I got, which is issues 1&2 of the Second Stage Turbine Blade comic book. Every place in Colorado was sold out, but I found them in a mall in Hawaii, so I got them. If you don't know what they are, they are the comic books that go along with Coheed and Cambria's CDs. They are awesome.

I don't have a song of the day, but I will get one for tomorrow, once I am a little better adjusted. Also, I've been spending some time updating my myspace.com profile. Here is a link if you want to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/punkideas

Warped Tour '05

2005-07-19T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Warped Tour was great this year, and the bands were fucking awesome. The four that stand out in my mind are Strung Out, Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, and Atreyu. They all completely had not only a great performance, but the audience was awesome too. Also, I met a whole bunch of people, handed out 550 little strips of paper advertising this blog, and had a great time. If you didn't see the strips of paper, here is a link to the file I used to print them off. Several people came up to me later in the day saying how they appreciated what I had done. I had a great time, and will be back again next year.

David

I'm beat

2005-07-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

I went to the Warped Tour today. It was awesome, but I have no energy left. I was thrilled to meet a bunch of people. If you came here because of a little slip of paper, please leave a comment or email me at djmark[at]simla.colostate.edu. I'm too tired to come up with anything good to write, and I'll talk about Warped Tour tomorrow, once I get some rest. Also, check out my essay on Punk if you haven't already.

David

A piece I've been working on

2005-07-16T01:28:00.000-07:00

It's gonna be a short post tonight, because I finished an essay on what I think Punk is that is actually decently long. So check that out instead.
http://rogue.darktech.org/~markham/

Your song of the day is Nowhere Fast, by Pennywise
MP3
Lyrics

David

Something I've been thinking about...

2005-07-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been pondering whether or not it is possible for me to achieve my goals without compromising my ideology. Are my goals and ideology in indirect conflict due to mutually exclusive obligations? I have no way of knowing without actually trying to achieve my goals by acting consistently with what I believe. Actually, my beliefs obligate me to assume that they are not mutually exclusive, but it doesn't stop me from wondering if this path is futile. Needless to say, I have too much time on my hands for contemplation of my life, where it has been, and where I will go with it.
Song of the day: Darkness Surrounding By Avenged Sevenfold
MP3
Lyrics

I need to listen to things other than my own head more.
David

Sometimes life hurts

2005-07-14T02:13:00.000-07:00

I ran across a very interesting and powerful story about a band I listen to, Death By Stereo. They played a concert, where at the very end an accident killed a fan and severely injured 3 others. Despite it tearing them up, they feel compelled to keep making music. Several of the songs of their latest album are about that incident. For a more complete story, go to Epitaph repost of MTV.com story. Even though it is MTV.com, they did do the story justice. The song of the day is Forget Regret by Death By Stereo
MP3
Lyrics

David

Today's Post

2005-07-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of anything to write about today until I listened to a CD by Operation Ivy. I was reminded of many life lessons that are beautifully expressed in their music. So instead of a normal song of the day, I was just going to link you tio a bunch of sites where you can get their music, lyrics, history, etc.
Operation Ivy.com - Lots of rare songs, lyrics, band history
Lookout Records - Their record label, some mp3s.

That band truly demonstrated what it is to be Punk.

David

Today's Post

2005-07-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

In many ways we are lucky to be alive here in this day and age. We have access to countless examples of amazing technology, and more are constantly coming out. We can depend on these for our everyday lives. But there are some major problems. Our generation is plagued by depression and apathy. Culturally, the majority of people are given their identity via marketing, and those who fight against these things are constantly battling blind conformity and fear of the unknown. To quote Louis Mackey Which is the most universal human characteristic: fear or laziness? Either way, it is best not to be afraid or lazy.
Song of the day: Heaven Knows by Rise Against
MP3 download
Lyrics

Later all
David

I've upgraded my computer

2005-07-11T02:57:00.000-07:00

I spent all night installing and setting up Ubuntu Linux to replace my knoppix setup that I have been running. So far it runs well, but I still need to get a lot of software going. It's been a pretty long night.

The Song of the Day is Idiots Are Taking Over by NOFX
MP3 download
Lyrics

Sorry about the short and boring post. I promise I'll make up for it tomorrow.

David

Another random post

2005-07-10T01:11:00.000-07:00

How much of who we are is determined by the environment that we were raised in? An interesting theory that I have run across, is that there are certain traits we are born with, but those traits will affect the environment that we are raised in. For example a child who is taller and more agile might be encouraged to play basketball, so therefore he plays more and is better, while another child may have a predisposition to math and wind up working in physics. Just something to thing about. Unfortunately, I can't find the original source of the theory.

Now for the song of the day: Yesterday's Headlines by Good Riddance
Legal MP3 Download
Lyrics

Later,
David

Don't get too excited

2005-07-08T23:35:00.000-07:00

It's just another post from yours truly. One thing I've been thinking about lately is what counterculture could learn from the Religious Right. Counterculture groups are so concerned with not being the establishment, no one rises upto rally the troops. Everyone who rises to the occasion is another opinionated person who wants to be heard. So what does this have to do with the Religious Right? They use various communications mechanisms to repeat certain ideas, like how Roe v Wade needs to be overturned so we can restore the moral fabric of our country. These messages affect the actions of the individuals who would be considered conservative christians. No one in the counterculture is willing to do what Karl Rove does for Bush and the Republicans. No one has successfully packaged the messages of the various counterculture sects in a manner that provokes action. There is nothing wrong with marketing and PR if it is used for the right reasons.

So, now on to my song of the day. It is Suffer, by Bad Religion. It is a true punk rock classic that never gets old.
Legal MP3 Download
Lyrics

I'll talk to all of you again tomorrow.

David

Like I said...

2005-07-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

I will post every day if possible. The only problem is that I have no idea what to post about, so instead of a well thought out, coherent post, I will ramble aimlessly.

The one thing I can think of talking about is why I am posting songs of the day. I do it because Punk is one thing that I know. Currently, my music playlist is over 80 hours. That's my playlist, not my collection. I've decided to try my best to post songs that can be downloaded for free legally off of official websites (either band or record label. The song of the day today is Unstoppable by Death By Stereo.
MP3 Download
Lyrics

I guess I'll start rambling about my summer...oh wait, I haven't done much. I went to Syracuse, NY for the NACURH 2005 Conference. I've been to a few small concerts, a bunch of local bands that are actually pretty cool. Otherwise, I've been hanging out with friends or wasting time in front of a CRT or 3.

I am trying to learn some real web design, beyond the basic links, images and formatting, and hopefully I'll pick that up pretty quick. I spend way too much time trying to have conversations over IM, so if you have my screen name, please feel free to IM me if I am here. It is always greatly appreciated.

This is a random link to something I found. Click if you dare

Comments are appreciated, and no registration is required.

David

I'M BAAAAAAAAACK!!

2005-07-07T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm back from my dry spell of not posting. Since school has been out, I've had nothing to do, and I have found that having nothing to do makes you feel like doing nothing. It's no fun either.

One thing I've realized in the last couple of days is that I have useful, constructive things I could be doing, but haven't had the motivation to get off the couch and do them. When I actually get up and do them, I feel great and get a lot of stuff done. I will try to post every day, just so I have one more thing to do, and to make sure, I am going to post a song of the day every day I post. If you know how to get a hold of me, I can help you find them. My song of the day today is Analog by Strung Out.
Here is a link to a (legal) download.
Here are the lyrics.
Check it out, and I hope you come back tomorrow for another post.

Read a free book!!!

2005-04-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of media resources on the internet. One thing that is becoming more common is people publishing books online for free, usually because they feel that people reading them is more important than making money off them. Here are a couple good ones: Free Culture and The Cluetrain Manifesto. Also, if you want to read public domain works, most of which predate modern copyright law, check out Project Gutenberg

A shortie

2005-04-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

You can never count on what will happen. Sometimes the strangest and most wonderful things happen at the most unexpected of times.

A Quickie

2005-02-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Due to comments indicating people actually do see this page, I will continue to make posts. Here's a quick one:
I've been incredibly busy this semester with school and other obligations, and I have found I am more satisfied with what I am doing, as a whole, when I am keeping myself occupied with worthwhile things.

Does anyone actually read this?

2005-02-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

I haven't heard about anyone reading this blog in a while. So if you do, please post a comment to this post.

David (please)

Reasoning

2005-01-04T23:49:00.000-08:00

In formal logic, there are are two different types of reasoning, deductive and inductive. Deductive is coming to a conclusion by using evidence to eliminate all other conclusions. Inductive reasoning is making a valid conclusion based on the evidence. Deductive reasoning is more powerful, but is possible in fewer situations. Most reasoning we do on important things, such as politics and religion, is inductive. This has some important implications. First, and most importantly, multiple correct conclusions that are contradictory may occur. More importantly, people cannot validly say that a conclusion that contradicts their own is wrong, in an absolute sense.

substance vs style

2004-12-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

I went Christmas shopping today, and I noticed that many teenagers wore "gothic" clothes. I doubt many if any understand what counterculture is, or what it stands for. By trying to fit the stereotypes of a counterculture, they cheapen the ideas that the culture stands for. If you are going to identify with something, you should know exactly what they stand for, for both your sake and their sake.

An interesting thought on pop culture

2004-12-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Pop culture, by definition is the cultural identity that most people ascribe to. Implicitly, this means that people will follow it by default. Only being dissatisfied with it can cause people to look elsewhere for a cultural identity. But the fact that it is the "popular culture" has the additional effect of making it very difficult to make that move, since largely it means abandoning the values of those around you. I often feel very alone, as I ascribe to a value system that says that a majority does not define correctness. People often conform to the values of those around them, so they feel like they belong. A sociologist, Solomon Asch, did a study where he put subjects in a room with "confederates" (people who appear to be studies, but are actually part of the study) and showed them pictures with lines on them. The subjects were then asked to point out the line that was longest. On certain slides, the confederates would all choose a line that was obviously not the longest. The majority of the time, the subject would choose the same line. Here is a wikipedia link for more info. This just demonstrates how often people will choose going along with the group, even if they know the group is wrong. Culturally, this holds true too. The vast majority of cultural information (core values, fashion, entertainment) are defined by mass media, and enforced by the fact that everyone else around them does it. In reality, this is horribly damaging, since a core value transferred is blind conformity without question. I've asked people tough questions about pop cultural beliefs that they hold, and most of them have never actually questioned it. Telling, isn't it?

Now it's time for more finals.

Hindsight

2004-12-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

Looking back at the past and finding mistakes you made is easy. Even learning to avoid the same mistakes is not especially hard. The truly difficult, and probably the most beneficial thing that you can do is to learn to avoid other mistakes from that experience.

Hope

2004-11-30T01:21:00.000-08:00

What is hope? According to Dictionary.com hope is "To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment."

But why should we be hopeful, even when we get let down, when things don't turn out right?

If you don't hope and believe that things can change, or get better, then they will not. Good stuff rarely happens to people who believe it can't happen to them. If I believe America will continue down the path of governing by political parties that don't serve the people, then I will act in a way that will not promote the change, thus making it more unlikely. By hoping that change can actually occur, it will become more likely.

Likewise with personal goals, if I don't believe I can do well in math, sure enough, I won't. But if I hope that I can do better, and act in a way to achieve those ends, it is very likely.

Hope things can get better, and hold on to your dreams, if they will truly make you happy.

The Giant's Drink

2004-11-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

In the book Ender's Game, there is a computer game the main character, Ender, plays, where the player is met with various scenarios. At one point Ender meets a giant.

"How about a guessing game?" asked the Giant. So it didn't any difference - the Giant only played the guessing game. Stupid computer. Millions of possible scenarios in its memory, and the Giant could only play one stupid game.

The Giant, as always, set two huge shot glasses, as tall as Ender's knees, on the table in front of him. As always, the two were filled with different liquids. The computer was good enough that the liquids had never repeated, not that he could remember. This time one had a thick, creamy looking liquid. The other hissed and foamed.

"One is poison and one is not," said the Giant. "Guess right and I'll take you into Fairyland."

[...]

He drank the creamy liquid. Immediately he began to inflate and rise like a balloon. The Giant laughed. He was dead agin.

[...]

He stared at the two liquids. The one foaming, the other with waves in it like the sea. He tried to guess what kind of death each one held. Probably a fish will come out of the ocean one and eat me. The foamy one will probably asphyxiate me. I hate this game. It isn't fair. It's stupid. It's rotten.

And instead of pushing his face into one of the liquids, he kicked one over, then the other, and dodged the Giant's huge hands as the Giant shouted, "Cheater, cheater!" He jumped at the Giant's face, clambered up his lip and nose, and began to dig in the Giant's eye. The stuff came away like cottage cheese, and as the Giant screamed, Ender's figure burrowed into the eye, climbed right in, burrowed in and in.

The Giant fell over backward. The view shifted as he fell, and when the Giant came to a rest on the ground, there were intricate, lacy trees all around. A bat flew up and landed on the dead Giant's nose. Ender brought his figure up out of the Giant's eye.

"How did you get here?" the bat asked. "Nobody ever comes here."

This excerpt is a great example of how people only look at the obvious routes, even though the one that isn't seen is the one that will lead to success. If you liked the excerpt, then read the book. The author, Orson Scott Card, makes a lot of really good points about how people live their lives.

Being Real

2004-11-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

How can we know what we believe? When you ask someone the question "What do you believe?", you can get all kinds of answers. But they may not be telling the truth. Furthermore, they may not even realize they are lying. I believe that the way a person acts is far more telling about what they believe than what they say. You can claim to believe certain things all day long, but without actions to back it up, all the words you say are meaningless.

So what should be done about this? My short answer is live in a way that the beliefs that you speak match the beliefs that you live. Getting to this point is not easy, but then you won't be a hypocrite, or a liar.

In summary, saying that you believe one thing and living inconsistantly with that is pointless, and helps no one.

A Quickie

2004-11-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

When I ask people about changing the world, they say they want the world to change, but they act in a way that will make it harder to change the world. I think this is best exemplified in a couple quotes:

"You should be the change that you want to see in the world." -Mohandas Gandhi

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it." -Ayn Rand

Election 2004

2004-11-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

To start off, I would like to post the lyrics to a song that, in my opinion, is an accurate description US politics:

Four more years of War is Peace, Ignorance is Stenght and Slavery is Freedom.
Four more. May all your interventions be "Humanitarian".
Four more years of pay-to-play politics, power and influence.
Four more years of legalized bribery and served corporate interests.

Vote for tweedle-dum or tweedle-dee
And a framework of debate narrowed for you courtesy
Of the ultra-rich and a media that filters
But any voice that challenges their power
(like Nader bounced in Boston by state-troppers
Cos he don't speak for oil-xycoons and bankers, oh yeah
Whose pursuit of happiness and liberty
Demands a rhetoric of fear to be
The litmus test for viable heirs to
The phony drug-wars, the trumped-up rogue-states, the permance of a war-economy).

I feel less hopeful and less human
As I'm reduced to nothing more than
Cheering on embassy bombings
As the liars pave their way through

Four more years of War is Peace, Ignorance is Stenght and Slavery is Freedom.
Four more. May all your interventions be "Humanitarian".
Four more years of pay-to-play politics, power and influence.
Four more years of legalized bribery and served corporate interests.

Propaghandi - War Is Peace

For popular vote results that include every presidential candidate, go to The Washington Post

Now for my prediction about politics from here on out.

I think there is a chance there will be a lawsuit filed by the losing candidate. But more importantly, the media will completely ignore third party candidate even more than in the past. The will spin elections into the "lesser of two evils" so that people feel they cannot "waste their vote" by voting for a third party. Essentially, I think the media will help entrench the two-party system, because I think they are in bed with both parties.

If you want to help stop this, vote for third party candidate, especially for local elections, or run as a third party candidate. If change is going to happen, it will happen initially at the local level.

Either way, I don't think the country will be better off, no matter who is declared the winner.

Badnarik '04

2004-10-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Remember to vote for Michael Badnarik for president

Feedback

2004-10-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

I like feedback, and so I set the "post comments" setting to anyone, so anyone can post a comment without having to register. It helps me write to the people who read my blog.

But don't troll or flame, I want intelligent comments.

And don't forget to vote, especially if you are voting third party .

A random rant

2004-10-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

I don't look at numbers when I think about what I believe. Just because a given belief has more followers, doesn't mean it's right. I look at all sides, and then figure out what I believe, regardless of whether or not other people believe it. I think we would all be better off if we all did this.

With that said, I endorse Michael Badnarik for President of the United States. He stands for true freedom, and small government.

Remember, take everything anyone says with a grain of salt.

Internet Browsers

2004-10-25T01:56:00.000-07:00

For all of you still using IE, you should switch to Firefox
a open source, cross platform browser. It is also extensible. I have extensions on my browser to allow me to control my music player from the browser, one that displays local weather conditions, one that randomly renames my browser, and one that blocks ads among others. It has popup blocking built in, and is not vunerable to spyware installation via ActiveX.

Seriously, check it out.

Conformity

2004-10-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

People like to conform too much. When you think about it, conformity is really just accepting an idea that is given to you, often by a social group of some sort. Stuff like how to dress, act, think, what to buy, what music to listen to, and other stuff like that.

The problem is, once you start conforming in a few areas of life, others naturally follow. When everyone starts dressing the same, they are more likely to think the same. When people begin to conform to a certain way of thinking, it naturally precludes new ways of thinking. By definition, this effectively prevents truly new ideas from surfacing.

The massive amount of conformity in our society is holding us back, and must be reduced.

Read that last sentence again, trust me.

There is good news, though. When people begin conciously examining a few areas of their life to determine whether they are conforming, or are truly being themselves, it naturally spreads to all areas of their life. Many people trick themselves into thinking conformity is who they are, though. One must take a step back, and ask themselves "Do I really act in a way that is consistent with what I truly and most fundamentally believe?"

Sleep deprivation makes me sound more intelligent to myself.

I got a blog!!!

2004-10-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

I got bored, so I got a blog. Real content to soon follow.