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Rupert. 'Natch.
Rupert. 'Natch.
Writer's Block: As primitive as can be
Jan. 10th, 2011 05:18 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
An internet-enabled laptop with a solar power supply. Maybe it picks up wifi from the moon or something, I don't know. But seriously. The internet would be all I'd need. I wouldn't even use it for rescue — if anything, I'd probably enjoy the isolation for a bit.
An internet-enabled laptop with a solar power supply. Maybe it picks up wifi from the moon or something, I don't know. But seriously. The internet would be all I'd need. I wouldn't even use it for rescue — if anything, I'd probably enjoy the isolation for a bit.
Writer's Block: Star-crossed
Jul. 29th, 2010 04:05 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
Twice. One went nowhere, because he was involved, and that would have just been stupid. And really, I was more in lust with him, than in love.
I married the other one, so... not much to say, there.
I married the other one, so... not much to say, there.
Pseudo-Writer's Block
Jul. 23rd, 2010 05:24 pmHere.
Well, that really depends on what you mean by "soul," I think.
I don't believe in a spiritual "when you die, you go to heaven" type soul. When you're dead, that's it. You're gone; wormfood.
The word "soul," for me, has a much deeper meaning. That's all of your feelings, emotions, morals; the stuff which makes us human and separates us from the chimpanzees. To sell your soul would be to sell everything that makes you who you are.
So would I? Well, it might depend on what was up for offer. I can't think of anything that would really be worth it, but I am human, and humans can and often do find themselves overcome by greed. Before it came to that, though, I'd try to barter first. If it was something I really wanted, I might try to offer up some of my limited-pressing records.
Would you sell your soul to the devil? If yes, what for?
Well, that really depends on what you mean by "soul," I think.
I don't believe in a spiritual "when you die, you go to heaven" type soul. When you're dead, that's it. You're gone; wormfood.
The word "soul," for me, has a much deeper meaning. That's all of your feelings, emotions, morals; the stuff which makes us human and separates us from the chimpanzees. To sell your soul would be to sell everything that makes you who you are.
So would I? Well, it might depend on what was up for offer. I can't think of anything that would really be worth it, but I am human, and humans can and often do find themselves overcome by greed. Before it came to that, though, I'd try to barter first. If it was something I really wanted, I might try to offer up some of my limited-pressing records.
Pseudo-Writer's Block: Regrets
Jul. 23rd, 2010 04:58 amHere.
I don't really regret anything that I've done. I used to say that I regret some of the things that I haven't done, but that's really just a fancy way of saying that I regret some of my decisions.
I've made loads of not-so-smart decision, and some even downright foolish. But do I regret them? No. I should have gotten my passport in high school. That would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, I chose to fuck about with mates, making stupid movies in the park and terrorising our small town on weekends. I should have gone with Ryan to Germany. That would have been the logical choice. Instead, I took the advice of my family to go to college.
Would my life have been different today, had I got my passport and went to Germany? Well, I would have spent two years in Germany, for one. I probably would have wound up in California regardless, since that was a military thing and not a choice of ours. Where might we have been after that? It's hard to say. Logic says we might have gone back to Washington, or possibly settled in Portland.
But I would not have gone to college at all. While it's very possible that college was not the reason I lost my mind and disappeared when I did, had my breakdown been inevitable, I've no idea how I might have handled it in Germany. While having a breakdown is never fun, I frequently maintain that the resulting decision to travel jungle style for a while was the best decision I've ever made. I see it as a journey of empowerment and discovery; the first time I'd ever been truly self-sufficient in my life. So, saying that I regret anything that happened leading up to that point would be saying that I wish I hadn't made the single most important decision of my life.
I've decided recently to go back to college. I realise now that what I needed was to first figure out who I am before figuring out what I want to do. As I've discussed previously, that ambition never actually changed. Does it mean that this path was inevitable all along? I've no idea, but I wouldn't want to take anything back to find out.
What are your regrets in life?
I don't really regret anything that I've done. I used to say that I regret some of the things that I haven't done, but that's really just a fancy way of saying that I regret some of my decisions.
I've made loads of not-so-smart decision, and some even downright foolish. But do I regret them? No. I should have gotten my passport in high school. That would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, I chose to fuck about with mates, making stupid movies in the park and terrorising our small town on weekends. I should have gone with Ryan to Germany. That would have been the logical choice. Instead, I took the advice of my family to go to college.
Would my life have been different today, had I got my passport and went to Germany? Well, I would have spent two years in Germany, for one. I probably would have wound up in California regardless, since that was a military thing and not a choice of ours. Where might we have been after that? It's hard to say. Logic says we might have gone back to Washington, or possibly settled in Portland.
But I would not have gone to college at all. While it's very possible that college was not the reason I lost my mind and disappeared when I did, had my breakdown been inevitable, I've no idea how I might have handled it in Germany. While having a breakdown is never fun, I frequently maintain that the resulting decision to travel jungle style for a while was the best decision I've ever made. I see it as a journey of empowerment and discovery; the first time I'd ever been truly self-sufficient in my life. So, saying that I regret anything that happened leading up to that point would be saying that I wish I hadn't made the single most important decision of my life.
I've decided recently to go back to college. I realise now that what I needed was to first figure out who I am before figuring out what I want to do. As I've discussed previously, that ambition never actually changed. Does it mean that this path was inevitable all along? I've no idea, but I wouldn't want to take anything back to find out.
Pseudo Writer's Block
Jul. 22nd, 2010 04:39 amFound this here. Yep, I'm brining out my Bible icon again. It's oddly appropriate.
Do you condone people trying to push religion onto others, or shoving it down their throat? If so, why is it ok if you're emotionally and/or physically hurting the person you're doing it to? If not, why is it not ok that someone is trying to save someone else's soul?
Beliefs are a very personal thing; they define everything about who a person is. Unlike ideas, which a person can change within a fraction of a second, a belief by its very nature implies that something is all but engraved in stone.
I don't believe in a whole lot of anything, really. If really hard-pressed, I might give you a very solid idea which has been gouged into sandstone, but even that can be changed with a bit of persuasion and effort. But they are my ideas. While I don't believe that some all-powerful god created the universe in six days, I do agree with the theories expansion and a cosmic foam.
Both a belief and an idea fall into the category of defining a person, but there's a very small difference, and let's take Russell's Teapot (a totally safe non-diety) to illustrate it. I'm pretty almost certainly positive that there's no teapot orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars. Certain to the point that I'll even say that, "No. There's no teapot." But, if Phil Plait posted to his blog tomorrow a NASA photograph with a teapot visible, I would change my mind, no questions, and gladly admit that I was wrong.
Believing that there's no teapot would, in theory, be a bit more tricky. If that photo showed up on Bad Astronomy tomorrow, and you 100% BELIEVED that there is no teapot, you might be quick to point out that it could be any amount of space junk that looks like a teapot, or maybe insist that the photo had been doctored.
See what I'm getting at?
So, with the long exposition out of the way, no. It is not okay to shove a belief onto someone. If someone really believes in something, no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise. But if someone has ideas about the universe, then they'd (in theory) be more open to hearing other ideas. I always feel like I should lose points on my atheist licence for this, but two of my favourite Residents albums are God in 3 Persons and the live Wormwood recording. The first one isn't too terribly religious -- at least, not on the surface. It's about a crooked faith healer; an idea which I find delightful in its irony. The second one, Wormwood, is subtitled Curious Stories from the Bible. And it's exactly what it says on the tin: performance art pieces about biblical stories. Of course, being the Residents, it's a collection of the bloodiest, most fucked-up stories the old testament has to offer, and is as a result very powerful. I'm pretty sure they don't buy into religion, but I don't really know, since I have no idea who the people behind the masks are.
But, that's sort of my point. They released this album, knowing it wouldn't appeal to atheists or Christians. It's targeted at a group somewhere in between -- people who can listen to stories about barbecuing children without being offended or feeling like they're having the bible being crammed down their throats. If a person doesn't want to listen to you wax evangelical, then no amount of preaching will change their mind. You're just wasting your time and theirs, and neither of you will be happy.
If you really must preach to somebody, find a person who's on the fence. They're the ones who really want to listen.
Do you condone people trying to push religion onto others, or shoving it down their throat? If so, why is it ok if you're emotionally and/or physically hurting the person you're doing it to? If not, why is it not ok that someone is trying to save someone else's soul?
Beliefs are a very personal thing; they define everything about who a person is. Unlike ideas, which a person can change within a fraction of a second, a belief by its very nature implies that something is all but engraved in stone.
I don't believe in a whole lot of anything, really. If really hard-pressed, I might give you a very solid idea which has been gouged into sandstone, but even that can be changed with a bit of persuasion and effort. But they are my ideas. While I don't believe that some all-powerful god created the universe in six days, I do agree with the theories expansion and a cosmic foam.
Both a belief and an idea fall into the category of defining a person, but there's a very small difference, and let's take Russell's Teapot (a totally safe non-diety) to illustrate it. I'm pretty almost certainly positive that there's no teapot orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars. Certain to the point that I'll even say that, "No. There's no teapot." But, if Phil Plait posted to his blog tomorrow a NASA photograph with a teapot visible, I would change my mind, no questions, and gladly admit that I was wrong.
Believing that there's no teapot would, in theory, be a bit more tricky. If that photo showed up on Bad Astronomy tomorrow, and you 100% BELIEVED that there is no teapot, you might be quick to point out that it could be any amount of space junk that looks like a teapot, or maybe insist that the photo had been doctored.
See what I'm getting at?
So, with the long exposition out of the way, no. It is not okay to shove a belief onto someone. If someone really believes in something, no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise. But if someone has ideas about the universe, then they'd (in theory) be more open to hearing other ideas. I always feel like I should lose points on my atheist licence for this, but two of my favourite Residents albums are God in 3 Persons and the live Wormwood recording. The first one isn't too terribly religious -- at least, not on the surface. It's about a crooked faith healer; an idea which I find delightful in its irony. The second one, Wormwood, is subtitled Curious Stories from the Bible. And it's exactly what it says on the tin: performance art pieces about biblical stories. Of course, being the Residents, it's a collection of the bloodiest, most fucked-up stories the old testament has to offer, and is as a result very powerful. I'm pretty sure they don't buy into religion, but I don't really know, since I have no idea who the people behind the masks are.
But, that's sort of my point. They released this album, knowing it wouldn't appeal to atheists or Christians. It's targeted at a group somewhere in between -- people who can listen to stories about barbecuing children without being offended or feeling like they're having the bible being crammed down their throats. If a person doesn't want to listen to you wax evangelical, then no amount of preaching will change their mind. You're just wasting your time and theirs, and neither of you will be happy.
If you really must preach to somebody, find a person who's on the fence. They're the ones who really want to listen.
Writer's Block: Doctor Who?
Jan. 7th, 2009 12:42 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
I've probably said this here before, but I'll say it again.
Eddie Izzard.
He'd be the quirky, slightly bumbling Doctor in a nice coat, and be deceptively clumsy and slightly idiotic. Then they'd all run from something, he'd pull out the Sonic, say something AMAZING and witty and beyond any Earthly intelligence, and save the day.
I've probably said this here before, but I'll say it again.
Eddie Izzard.
He'd be the quirky, slightly bumbling Doctor in a nice coat, and be deceptively clumsy and slightly idiotic. Then they'd all run from something, he'd pull out the Sonic, say something AMAZING and witty and beyond any Earthly intelligence, and save the day.
