It follows that...

Given that (thesis 1) political parties define their success by how many people vote for them, and given that (thesis 2) anarchists define their success by how many people don't vote for them, it follows that (synthesis) by either measure, anarchists are more successful than political parties.

Scientology got me waiting...

No word back yet from Janne. I wonder if it's a real person or just a front. I don't even know if I am talking to a man or a woman. According to the baby name guesser it's almost equally likely to be a boy's as a girl's name.

In the meantime, here's what a 1967 pamphlet published by the Scientologists has to say about Australians. Well, it talks about Victorians only, as it was in reply to a damning report on Scientology by a Victorian enquiry (cited in the British Foster report), which states that:

Scientology is evil; its techniques evil; its practice a serious threat to the community, medically, morally and socially, and its adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill.

Scientology is a grave threat to family and home life. As well as causing financial hardship it engenders dissension, suspicion and mistrust amongst members of the family. Scientology has caused many family estrangements.
The Board has been unable to find any worth-while redeeming feature in Scientology.

(Scientology is a) fabric of falsehood, fraud and fantasy.

So this is what the Scientologists had to say about the report (to which they gave their complete cooperation, by the by). Their pamphlet was tellingly called Kangaroo Court:

The State of Victoria began in the 19th Century as a convict settlement composed of the riff-raff of London's slums - robbers, murderers, prostitutes, fences, thieves - the scourings of Newgate and Bedlam. [...] A society founded by criminals, organised by criminals and devoted to making people criminals.

On behalf of my Australian relatives, and of course Bill, I am deeply offended.

Scientology got me piqued

From:    cclondon@scientology.net
Subject: Re: Bill Platypus, personality test results
Date:    29 March 2006 13:29:01 BDT
To:      platypusbill@ntlworld.com

Dear Mark,

Yes! I remember seeing Arsenal play on Swedish TV in such a snow blizzard
that it looked like the 'War of the Ants' and you had to guess who made a
goal! It was great as the Swedish football season ended around October, or
so.

Anyway, to get back to your personality traits and how to spot indicators in
others as to if they mean you good or are out to harm you. There is a book
called 'Science of Survival' which covers something called a Tone Scale of
Emotions. This information covers the exact behavour and indicators to look
out for in others to predict their acts.

Would you be interested in reading something like that?

Cheers!

Janne

From:    platypusbill@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: Bill Platypus, personality test results
Date:    29 March 2006 18:13:50 BDT
To:      cclondon@scientology.net

Dear Janne,

I don't know why you keep calling me Mark?!

I had a look on Amazon for 'Science of Survival', and I saw that it was written by Ron Hubbart. Wasn't he a science fiction writer? I used to be into that stuff as a teenager. Or am I confusing him with someone else?
Either way, most of the reviews were very positive, but there was one that mentioned that gays and lesbians are at the lowest level of what you call the Tone Scale of Emotions. And that the book suggests killing off all the beggars in a bid to cure leprosy. That all sounds very intolerant to me. Plus that women have to stay at home and look after the men, cooking for them. I like a nice home-cooked meal as much as the next guy, but I also like cooking myself, and I don't want to have to give that up.

It all makes me wonder whether I would want to read a book like that.

--Bill

Scientology got me ROTFL

From:    cclondon@scientology.net
Subject: Bill Platypus, personality test results
Date:    28 March 2006 12:08:18 BDT
To:      platypusbill@ntlworld.com

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your reply. I understand your confusion on this.

Yes, the little cloud means that the trait is not stably at the level shown
on the graph and could mean that someone or something in your life has a
negative influence over you in this area. This could lead you into being
active in areas that are not of your choice but rather being forced on you
and thus making other traits lower.

There are certain traits to look out for in people that help one spot where
this influence comes from and enables you to do something about it.

Would you like to know more about this?

Regards,

Janne Bjork

From:    platypusbill@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: Bill Platypus, personality test results
Date:    28 March 2006 22:27:03 BDT
To:      cclondon@scientology.net

Dear Janne,

Well, I'm definately active now, positively buzzing. Arsenal just beat Juventus in a magnificent display of technical football. I was screaming so loud after each goal that the cat went and hid behind the curtains. I haven't seen him since.

As to more serious matters, I am intrigued by your suggestion that I can look out for traits in other people to help me spot negative influences they have on me. I am normally pretty blase about how other people react toward me, so I guess this could be a fruitful area for me.

Oh, I do remember that today someone at work gave me a bag of crisps if I would help them with something, even though I am trying to watch my wieght. Is this what you are referring to?

Good stuff,

--Bill

Scientology got me worried

Psst! I'm undercover. A little while back I filled in the online scientology questionnaire, yes, all 200 questions! They start to grind you down for their brainwashing sessions even before you ever set foot in their offices.
Anyhoo, here're the results:


Then the emails ensued. I was using Bill for this, and with his big webbed front paws he misspelled his surname. Also, the scientologist's text is in blue...

From:    cclondon@scientology.net
Subject: Bill Patypus' personality test results
Date:    23 March 2006 01:08:55 GMT
To:      platypusbill@ntlworld.com

Dear Bill,

Thank you for filling out your personality test on the internet.
Your next step is a free evaluation of the resultant personality graph.

Did you receive it yet?

Regards,

Janne Bjork

From:    platypusbill@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: Bill Patypus' personality test results
Date:    23 March 2006 08:24:38 GMT
To:      cclondon@scientology.net

Dear Janne,

Looking at the graph resulting from my online test, I don't recognize myself at all. I think I am a pretty confidant, healthy being. How is this possible?

--Bill

From:    cclondon@scientology.net
Subject: Re: Bill Patypus' personality test results
Date:    26 March 2006 23:10:23 BDT
To:      platypusbill@ntlworld.com

Dear Bill,

Thank you for your reply. I understand your confusion on this.

There could be either of two things at play here, or both: 1) The circle
around Trait E indicates that you are not having the low point on the graph
at all times. It varies and you could be quite high on the graph during
perods of your life but then other times take be low. Is this true?
2) How was your understanding of the questions? Sometimes a misunderstood
test could give a different result than is the actual scene.

Which one of these do you feel is more the case?

Also, did you answer like you feel right now rather than how you would
usually handle things in the past?

Regards,

Janne Bjork
cclondon@scientology.net

From:    platypusbill@ntlworld.com
Subject: Re: Bill Patypus' personality test results
Date:    27 March 2006 18:14:29 BDT
To:      cclondon@scientology.net

Dear Janne,

There could be either of two things at play here, or both: 1) The circle around Trait E indicates that you are not having the low point on the graph at all times. It varies and you could be quite high on the graph during perods of your life but then other times take be low. Is this true?

Now I'm even more confused. I did wonder what the little cloud around 'E' was, but that was one of my few positive areas, together with aggressive. Does that mean that I'm too active? It's true that some times I am more active than others. For instance, yesterday I went for a run (the first time in a month or more) and today I feel quite listless.

2) How was your understanding of the questions? Sometimes a misunderstood test could give a different result than is the actual scene.

I think I understood them okay. I did feel that the same question was being asked over and over. And sometimes when it says 'I normally this or that' then of course you have to make a judgement. But I tried to be honest.

Also, did you answer like you feel right now rather than how you would usually handle things in the past?

Well, depending on what the question asked. I guess how I'm now, but then if it asked, do you sometimes, then I answered yes if that's a thing I used to do or sometimes did. I hope this is alright.

I still don't know if I fully understand the graph.

--Mark

Competition for AntiChrist

I might have to stick to being the AntiMoron. Pope WellSaid has already staked his claim to the title of Dark Lord of the Universe. Here's the evidence:


Notice the cloven hoof?

Here's one Platypus Bill spotted as he was retouching the papal coat of arms...


The coat of arms is clearly held aloft by the Devil's horns. Make of that what you will...

The Bible is the Word of God Brigade - II

I am the AntiChrist! The evidence is all too obvious, if you just let things interpret themselves. First off, on the day that I post the 'The Bible is the Word of God Brigade' entry, mentioning the AntiChrist, I get 6 page loads, 6 unique visitors, all 6 first time... 666, the Number of the Beast!
And when was this entry posted? At 2.09 AM Saturday night, a time that does not exist in the normal dimensions of time and space, due to the esoterica that is British Summer Time. As if British summer weren't an oxymoron. No, not an oxymoron, the opposite... antimoron? Verily, I am the AntiMoron!

Rant Out.

The Bible is the Word of God Brigade

Phew... We can finally all stop worrying, about the meaning of it all, for as the Restored Church of God proclaims...

Now is the time to stop assuming. Now you can know what God's Word actually says about antichrist-as long as you allow the Bible to interpret itself!

How stupid have we all been... Rather than trying to interpret the bible ourselves, or have the pope, the priest, or a platypus do it for us, we should just let the book interpret itself!

I envision a whole franchise: self-interpreting tax forms, legal small print, Bush press conferences, you name it.

A Cardinal Sin - part II

Vatican on list of Iraqi oil recipients

A Cardinal Sin

How the Vatican colluded with the Nazis...

Auto da fe

I'm a self-doubting solipsistic vegan anarchist...

Core belief / illusion

I am a solipsist. The problem is I am starting to doubt that the only thinking entity in the universe is really me, or if that is just the illusion of someone else...

Mood

I feel like someone is impersonating me... poorly...

The Holy Platipacy

From: mark.claessen@ntlworld.com
Subject: Excommunication
Date: 20 March 2006 21:02:36 GMT
To: office@net.va

Dear Vatican,

For years now I have been trying to get myself removed from the register of the catholic church, with many false starts, promising looking lines of enquiry, but all meeting the same result: ultimate failure.
I was baptized, I believe - my memory is a bit vague on account of being only just born -, at the Church of the Holy Hubertus in Blerick, The Netherlands, either at the end of 1968 or at the start of the following year. My birthday is [birthday supplied], my full name is Mark [full name supplied] Claessen.

I no longer regard myself as a member of your quaint cult. I am an atheist, and have been for many years. I have depicted Jesus as a platypus, as well as ranted against the bigotry and intolerance at the heart of christianity on numerous occasions.

I am of course not planning on stopping any of these activities, but if you don't remove me from your annals, I will take this as an active endorsement of these activities, a fact I will widely publicize. I can see it right now, a logo with Jesus as a platypus. Hey, I could do selected passages from the new testament, reinterpreted with Jesus as a platypus. Okay, I admit it sounds stupid, but no more so than Jesus as the son of god, dying for my sins at the cross.

In your reply, please spare me all the recantations about the baptism being a present from god that is non-returnable, I've heard it all before. It is my honest belief that I have done enough to be excommunicated from the roman catholic church, but if you disagree with this assessment, please let me know so I can up the ante some more. If you feel overly helpful, you could tell me exactly what a guy has to do to be kicked out, severed from the mother church, whichever way you want to put it.

Your sincerely,

--Mark Claessen

PS: I plan to hang on to my holy communion presents, just see it as a part-payment for all the religious propaganda I've had to put up with all my life.

Dick Duck Rides Again

Apology for Jesus cartoon

I don't normally do this, but in this case I feel it is only right. I would like to apologize for the cartoon featured in my last post. If you look at the easel in the upper left corner, holding the canvas that Platypus Dali is painting, you can clearly see that the perspective is all screwed up. That's because, and I know this is no excuse, it was meant to be seen head on, but then I noticed that PD's stance looked wrong, so I changed the position of the easel, but by that time I had already drawn in the perspective.
So, once again I humbly apologize. Even to the 'the-bible-is-the-literal-word-of-god' brigade, just because they're completely delusional does not mean I can depict their saviour in a cartoon containing a false perspective, however twisted their own perspective is.

Iesus Nazarenus Rex Platiporum

Serendipitous Aphorism - VII

No matter who you vote for, the government always wins...
- popular anarchist saying

Star Wars v Dogma

Has anyone ever noticed how similar Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars and Buddy Jesus from Kevin Smith's Dogma are? Now I know from Clerks (and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) that KS is a big SW fan, but both films are from 1999, so I don't see how he could've modelled BJ on QGJ...

Star Wars (deleted scene exclusive)

This is why I hate advertising

No, it's corny lines that kill albatrosses.
Honestly, I was so enraged that I went and burned all my Aristoc tights. Birds were falling out of the sky because of the acrid smoke and searing winter winds are blowing up my thighs, but dammit I don't care.
In fact, I have long made it a principle to expressly NOT buy anything that is advertised in a way that is derogatory, challenges my intelligence, or talks down to me in some other way.

PS: thanks to Jon Quinn for bringing this to my attention... Your reward is coming up in the next post.

Disfigured blog

I am a bit pissed off at the picture of Lubbers, he's just so ugly, and you can tell this was taken seconds after shaving, because the guy's beard would just pop back in minutes. Plus he has these evil eyebrows, and this continuous snarl when he tries to laugh.
Come to think of it, his precursor was no looker either, but more of the Major mold, kind of sedate looking.
His labour incumbant looked normal, but he was blessed with the name Kok, which can't have helped his international career. I guess with a name like that they won't want to offer him a UN post, given what happened to Lubbers, you just can see the headline, can't you? (Oh, okay, Lubbers resigned after accusations of sexual harassmant just wouldn't die down.)
From the article: Asked about Kok, she said: "Don't get me wrong, I like Kok. But the way he flared up and went all red! I guess I must have rubbed him up the wrong way." Another of the accusers said about Kok that "he just couldn't keep it to himself."

The disillusionment of AI

Hihi, this is fun, one more...

I didn't write this poem, but I did translate it. First the :

De wereld is plat
Zeker weten doe ik dat
Geen gecijfer, geen getallen
Ik heb een aambeeld
Op mijn globe laten vallen

Next the same three automatic translators as below. First altavista:

The world is plat 
certainly know does I that 
to no gecijfer, no numbers 
I to aambeeld 
on my globe have let fall

Well, it managed to at least get the first two lines to rhyme. Next freetranslation:

The worlds is broadly 
Certain knowledge do have let fall I that 
No gecijfer, no numbers 
I an aambeeld 
On my globe

Doesn't really flow, now, does it? Finally systrans:

The world is plat
Certain knowing does I that
No gecijfer, no numbers
I have aambeeld
On my globe let fall

Not bad, except that none of them seem to know what an aambeeld is. Okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here's my translation (not literal of course):

The world's completely flat
I'm absolutely sure of that
It's not that I'm on dope
I dropped an anvil on my globe

More poetry

Here's another one from the distant past:

Kikkers

De mens die loopt rechtop
De mens die loopt verkeerd
Door die kop zo in de hoogte
Zijn zijn hersenen verweerd

De mens die kan echt denken
Maar is dat nou zo'n zegen
Nooit nog maakten kikkers
Dixonine-zure regen

I appreciate that not everyone speaks or even reads Dutch, so I squirted this through the Babelfish:

Frogs 

People who run rechtop 
people who run found oneself 
by that head this way in altitude 
its brain are defended 

People who can really think 
but are that nou such blessing 
made never still frogs 
Dixonine-zure rain

Mmh, it's lacking something, not sure what... Let's try freetranslation:

Frogs

The man that walks upright 
De man that walks been wrong 
Through that head so in the height 
Be be brains weathered

The man that can marriage think
Only is that now such blessing
Never yet made frogs 
Dixonine-sour rain

Catches the flavor better, and at least it has tried to tackle all the words, except for a stray 'de' (the). Okay. one more (systran):

Frogs

People who run rechtop
People who run found oneself
By that head this way in altitude
Its its brain defended

People whom can really think
But is that nou such a blessing
Never still frogs made
Dixonine-zure rain

I give up. You pick the winner.

Just how dumb do you think I am?

Yes, of course I know the quiz below is rigged so that most people will score libertarian (more than one in three according to the site's own figures), in order to lure you into their net, so they can put their libertarian poison fangs into your flesh. But hey, I can't help it, I just like quizzes (why does the 'z' double?). I even fill in shopping questionnaires. Then throw them in the (recycling) bin of course.

That reminds me of a poem I once wrote about Ruud Lubbers, the former Christian-Democrat Dutch PM, now of UN (in)fame.

I turn the Magic Screen to Three
And lo, behold! what do I see?
A gloomy face from darker worlds
Where only fires burn to light
Up eternal night
And torture the unfleshly flesh
Of souls that traverse one of Nine
Even now I know - too sure
That once will come my time
Meanwhile, frozen by his evil stare
I cannot move - and would not dare
Mesmerized I stand aghast
And pray that this moment will pass
He tries to cast a spell with words
And soothe me with his evil tongue
Trapped inside his poison snare
I know that he's right
And I'm wrong
A spider in disguise is he
His face all specked with lies
Spins a web full of intrigue
To Dante's bolgias I feel obliged
To go when served my earthly stay
In this Lubberian world
In full decay

Or something like that...

The world's smallest political quiz

The red dot, that's me. Click on the image to take the test.

The folly of religion and the arrogance of science

Since we cannot understand the world as it is (our sensory apparatus and the nature of reality are just too much at odds), we need to couch it in structures and words that relate to our everyday existence. Religion is the earliest and most obvious example. Science is another one, although it doesn't like to think of itself that way. We are all story tellers, interpreting our experiences, placing them inside a world view that makes sense to us. The same is happening with dreams: it is a byproduct - a serendipitous epiphenomenon if you like - of the way our minds collate and restructure memories collected during our waking life.

That is one of the reasons for starting my lucid dreaming experiments again. Not only does it give you insight into how your mind works when it is dissociated from the world (other than once removed through memories), it also has the effect of making you stand back from reality in your waking life. Today I had what could almost be described as an out-of-body experience, as I observed people in a meeting. I felt like a true observer, unencumbered by the weight that a physical self attaches to a point of view. Since a point has no mass, you could say that I was truly approaching a point of view.

Should I stand?

I just read this excellent article on libertarian anarchism. It argues that the best way to fight the system is through direct action and by withholding your vote. But the local election are coming up and I'm about to stand for the Green Party. I'll probably go ahead with it until I've read up on various anarchist theories. Plus it's so damn good for your self-esteem, getting hundreds of people voting for you. Plus it gets me more googles, fighting off all those other Mark Claessens that're around. See, I can't possibly be a libertarian anarchist, I'm just not self-centred enough...

Weird experience or wind up?

As I cycled home tonight, I was going along what is optimistically called a terrace, in reality a paved path between a churchyard and the back of some houses. It is easily wide enough for a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass each other with room to spare. There was a girl coming the other way, but since she was keeping to one side, I'd assumed she'd seen me, even though she was keeping her head down. It was just after six, so it was near on dark.
As I passed her, she let out a shriek and threw her arms in the air, then danced along, without however looking back, letting out more shrieking. 'What the hell?' I remember mumbling.
Had she simply not seen me, deep in thought (I had my lights on) and freaked out when she shaw this ghost sailing past? Was she trying to wind me up - then why did she not look back? Did she have some vital components missing on the top floor? It stumped me...

Eeraaanian

Why is everyone saying Iraaanian all of a sudden? Who is behind this, Lloyd Grosman? Does he have a new sauce out? Eeraaanian paaasta sauce? What the fuck's happening here?

Serendipitous Aphorism - VI

I wouldn't die for anyone but me.

I'm off to Mars! Seeya...

We are going to Mars. My dad, my mother and I are driving to the space port in a Rover 100, I am squished in the back. As we drive up to the place it looks kind of rundown, like a small local airport. There is a big overhang, like a giant petrol station forecourt, with lots of tiny parking spaces, all close together. My dad manages to find a really tight spot, and immediately we are blocked in on all sides. It is right next to the main entrance. I wonder if this is a legal place to park. We get our stuff (little hand luggage allowed on the journey) and make our way into the terminal. We are in plenty of time. As we are walking along, I suddenly ask my dad for the keys and I sprint back to the car, I will have to move it. I can see underneath the cars that the space is not for general parking, although I can't quite make out what the yellow lines spell or signify. I jump in but I am blocked off on all sides. Then a car pulls out diagonally to the right, and before another can pull into the space I squeeze through the gap. There is the odd space close up, but it's almost empty further on. I realize I can just park it anywhere, but I hesitate over the right spot. I back into one, but it's right next to a car unloading several small kids. I have to go slowly. I beep at them to get out of the way, but they just stare at me listlessly. I overshoot the bay and have to move forward again, and again the kids are in the way.
Finally I am in a different spot, a solitary one, right next to the road and not under the overhang. But what does it matter, after all, are we ever coming back to Earth, and strange how they allow people to park here if it's a one way journey.
I sprint into the terminal, and there is a final boarding call, and I still have some way to go. There are several lines of bureaucracy to go through, all taking up valuable time. But someone realizes my plight, and tries to ease my passage through the ranks over the tannoy. There is a buzz in the place now - let's help this kid make it. One official is acting dumb and is instantly berated over the public address. Finally I am at the gate, I can see the rocket ship. The final guy calls me back. He is standing in front of a giant food stall, and he tosses me three vegetables, one like a giant bright purple aubergine. With these and my bag clamped in my hands in front of my body, I run throught the doors onto the tarmac. The ship is right in front of me, it is hard to judge the distance. As the tannoy starts counting down from five, I run with all my might. I think I am going to make it, or am I. I can see a bunch of guys sitting at the steps in front of the entrance door, dressed all in white safety gear, loose around their bodies and with opaque face masks. They take no notice of me. The ship starts moving down the runway, accelerating fast. I now have to run at an angle. I am not going to make it. All it would have taken is a few more seconds. I ponder my decisions, if I'd just dumped the car anywhere I would have made it. And what did I care where the car was parked in the first place?
The ship is speeding now, starting to lift off. I am right behind it. I wonder if there is going to be a rocket blast, but surely they would not have allowed me onto the runway if that were the case. Plus the guys in the white suits would be in harm's way too. The rocket lifts off like a plane, it must be using some other kind of propulsion.
The haze and the cloud morphs into a retouched picture of Tom Cruise holding some belle, from the poster for the movie. At this point I am truly lucid.
Still, I'm Sad to've missed the ship. I go through my options. It's not so bad, I can probably just take the next rocket to Mars.

Tuna friendly dolphins

Someone asked me what I think of dolphin friendly tuna? Here's the story. Tuna used to caught with nets, and of course you can't tell a net which fish to catch, so lots of dolphins got caught up in nets (yes, I know they're not fish) too. So they started fishing with lines, which the dolphins I guess are smart enough to ignore.
Problem with that is, albatrosses, those giant white sails of the skies, get caught on the lines and are dying in droves.
So those tins should really say, this tin killed lots of dolphins or this tin killed lots of albatrosses, which do you mind less?
Anyway, if you are going to eat fish (as part of the whole health drive - why do they think people are too stupid to take on anything but a simple slogan - meat bad fish good. There is healthy meat and unhealthy fish) tuna is a pretty stupid choice. It's all protein. You can get that from beans and pulses and no animal has to be killed, and no bugs need to be splattered (obscure reference, you get points for figuring that one out).
Reasons two and three are that tuna is a big hunting fish, sitting right near the top of the food tree, accumulating all those PCBs that we dump into the oceans. Happy mutating. And then the only really healthy fish is cold water fish, as they need omega-3 (and 6) oils to keep their bodies from freezing up. You can get those from walnuts and flax and hemp etc too, but they are in shorter strains, so you end up eating lots of walnuts (which is what I do, I love walnuts, it's like eating lots of little brains, I think it makes me smarter).
Well that's enough ranting, it's time for breakfast. I'll save the little brains for lunch.

Where am I?

I'll give you a clue: it's not Holland, although you are forgiven for thinking so. Okay, so you're not completely wrong, the Dutch did have a hand in shaping this landscape. It's the Fens north of Cambridge. Once a beautiful labyrinth of meandering waterways, surrounding the island of Ely, now reduced to acres of flat farmland. A lot of it below sealevel. Which gives me hope, because what with global warming, before too long everything will have reverted to its natural order, and I can walk to the beach, instead of having to drive 60 miles.

More lucidity

Check this out...


has a book on lucid dreaming. (Go on, click it...)

Rational anarchism

I had the idea of writing a wikipedia page on rational anarchism. In my research, I found a reference to an online philosophical quiz, to determine which moral philosophy you agree with most. I am not big on moral philosophy, but it looked like fun, so I tried it.
Here are the results:

 1. Ayn Rand          (100%)
 2. Jean-Paul Sartre   (93%)
 3. John Stuart Mill   (72%)
 4. David Hume         (69%)
 5. Thomas Hobbes      (69%)
 6. Aristotle          (63%)
 7. Nel Noddings       (60%)
 8. Aquinas            (59%)
 9. Cynics             (58%)
10. Nietzsche          (58%)
11. Epicureans         (57%)
12. Stoics             (50%)
13. Kant               (43%)
14. St. Augustine      (39%)
15. Plato              (38%)
16. Spinoza            (32%)
17. Jeremy Bentham     (30%)
18. Ockham             (29%)
19. Prescriptivism     (28%)

Very interesting indeed, but what does it mean? I agree with Rand on the libertarian front, and - I guess - the morality of self-serving, but I think she is an apologist for capitalism (and certainly she has come to be used as one). Plus she ignores the wider implications of our actions, falling foul of the dilemma of the commons. Of course, the environment wasn't quite the issue it was in her day, and she might have argued that an individual is responsible for the impact his actions have on the environment (in the libertarian sense). But I find it hard to read her novels (especially Atlas Shrugged) without thinking she hasn't quite thought this through enough.

Suenos lucidos

I realized some of y'all might not know what lucid dreaming refers to. Well, here goes...

(Start voice-over, in the style of Michael McKean playing Morris Fletcher in the X-Files double Dreamland)

There once was an American guy, I don't remember his name, who claimed to have lived with Tibetan monks who had taught him the secrets of lucid dreaming. He wrote a book about this which became an instant best-seller. Unfortunately, his claims turned out to be based on a scam. However, by this time, thousands had followed the 'Tibetan monk' method and claimed they actually worked.

This proves that it doesn't much matter how you try to achieve lucidity, it is the working toward it that counts. The pleasure of the trip is in the journey, not in the arriving, so to speak. (End VO.)

I realize I actually haven't said what lucid dreaming is. (Switches widgets.) Wikipedia defines it as "the conscious perception of one's state while dreaming, enabling a more cogent ("lucid") control over the content and quality of the experience". To cut a long story short, here's what you do.

1. keep a notepad or better notebook by your bedside


2. when you wake up, you write down the contents of your dream(s), in as much detail as you can remember, using first-person, present tense (trust me, this is important to keep you in the experience and aid recall)


3. don't get frustrated if you can't remember much at first, just write down whatever you recall, just make sure that it's the first thing you do when you wake up, and


4. soon, you will start to remember your dreams in much greater detail


5. now you're ready for the next stage: at some point, you will become aware that you're dreaming while you're dreaming; don't force it, just ease into it, you are taken a first step toward becoming an


6. oneiraut, literally, a dream explorer, conducting experiments and steering your dreams, or stepping out of dreams you don't much like


7. you have to keep this up to advance; I did it for a while and then stopped; now, the only 'ability' I have left is the ability to snap out of dreams that are turning nasty

Beaux reves!

DreamJournal

I have started a dream journal again, see if I can get lucid once more. I found this cool wiki software, a perfect vehicle to organize my dreams.

I might even share some of the results sometimes, although obviously in a slightly censored version.

Peace out to all the hippies.

Conversations with random Xs - II

HER - You are a red rose of thought.

ME - Huh?

Serendipitous Aphorism - V

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all the people some of the time, which is just long enough to be president of the United States.
- Spike Milligan