Bug Me Not
Always useful, and I’ll let the site FAQ do the explaining for me:
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BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information (such as the New York Times).
Source: BugMeNot Faq
Genius.
See BugMeNot
See Firefox extension
Suspension of disbelief
Some people are stupid; others are a bit slow; but by far the most annoying are the ignorant and arrogant. These are people who believe they are the pinnacle of authority on a subject matter, but refuse to even examine other possibilities other than their own opinion.
An example is this post over at FatfinguR. I guess the author doesn’t understand the idea behind the suspension of disbelief, something that is vital to TV, movies and comic books. I will say to them: Just enjoy the film (which, by the way, has done pretty well. Check metacritic).
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Those characters at DC are so dumb just like in Superman Returns the movie. Haven’t they noticed any similarity on Clark Kent and Superman? Superman was gone for 5 years and so was Clark. Didn’t the people at the Daily Planet knew that or they were just playing dumb?
Source: Superman Returns, Tragedy Uprises , FatfinguR
Superman has been using the same disguise for over 70 years, and only now you realise that his costume is a farce? Hmmm…
The Sunday Summary #1
So let’s begin the inaugural “Sunday Summary”
The Doctor Who Finale
All I can say is wow, what a send off for the second series. I’ve been mightily impressed by David Tennant (far better than Christopher Eccleston) and Bille Piper (she just oozes girl power), and I’m sad that the season has ended. But, this final fling contained Daleks, Cybermen, and a tasty teaser to keep us all gripped. Roll on Christmas!
To hear more about the episode, then download the free commentary from the BBC website, featuring input from Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson.
Go here: “Doomsday” (21 Mb)
The World Cup
This spectacle will be coming to an end soon, but what a ride it has been. It’s been a sensational tournament, eclipsing Japan 2002 easily. There has been goals, cheating, whinging and red cards abound, it has been brilliant.
Though I’m welsh, I was backing the English team to the end, and if it wasn’t for Christiano Ronaldo and his less-than-honest Portuguese team mates, England may very well be in the final tonight. I’m just glad that Germany hammered them 3-1 last night.
But that’s by-the-by now, for tonight we have the big one: France vs. Italy. Though I’d love France to beat Italy (for the sake of Thiery Henry, one of my favourite players), I just can’t see it happening. Italy has been phenomenal this World Cup, and I can’t see France being able to withstand the pressure. Oh well.
Anyway, I say best of luck to both teams; and to everyone else, enjoy the greatest game on Earth!
John Prescott Under The Cosh
Well, what a week for the Deputy PM. He’s never been shy of creating some scandal, but his apparent incestuous relationship with Philip Anschutz may be the final nail in his coffin. I always enjoyed his blustering attitude; he always tried to keep his connection with the working class of the land. But the lifestyle he has now is so far removed from his (supposed) roots, that it is hard to ignore.
See you on the other side Mr. Prescott.
And that, as they say, is that.
Hooded and booted
David Cameron, leader of the British Conservative party, is attempting to be the new Tony Blair. Not that that’s a bad idea, as Tony Blair has been remarkably successful, and has left his mark on society for years to come, which is the stamp of an important leader.
So when I read the following news report on the BBC News website, a small grin flickered on to my weary face.
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Conservative leader David Cameron is expected to call for greater understanding of teenage “hoodies” in a forthcoming speech on social justice.
Source: Cameron to make ‘hoodie’ appeal, BBC News
The socialist inside of me usually views all statements by the Tory party with a seething anger, coupled with disbelief. But I agree with what the speech outlines, so here’s some select quotes:
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He will describe hoodies as “a response to a problem, not a problem itself”.
Source: Cameron to make ‘hoodie’ appeal, BBC News
and…
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“We – the people in suits – often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters,” the Tory leader is expected to say.
Source: Cameron to make ‘hoodie’ appeal, BBC News
also…
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However, he will go on: “For me, adult society’s response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right.”
Source: Cameron to make ‘hoodie’ appeal, BBC News
So, do we view this as a shameless attempt by the right wing to ensnare voters? I hope not, but I guess we’ll never know. All I can guess is that it’s going to ruffle a lot of feathers from Middle England, which can only be a good thing.
Keep it coming, Mr. Cameron!
Photo: Altermedia UK
The test of a liberal
When I read (and agree whole-heartedly with) articles such as the following, I know I’m a liberal through and through. I just want the author of David Christ Superstar to know that the time he describes in his post is nigh, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
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All I knew is that all my friends would joke about faggots and that if I ever came out of the closet, it would be nothing short of social suicide. It’s a horrible experience, and I would hope that no other generations of teens ever have to go through that. Fortunatly, laws like this are working to change that very problem.
Source: Sodomy to be taught in San Fracissyco (sic) elementary school!
Patent Pending, by Heavens
I am a huge fan of Matt Skiba and the Alkaline Trio, so when I read that he would be doing a side project with Joe Steinbrick I was very happy.
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I’m also doing a project with Joe [Steinbrick] from F-Minus and our friend Sam and our buddy Ben is producing it. It’s kind of got a Depeche Mode kind of vibe. I’m singing it, and Joe wrote all the music. We’ve got some guest performers coming in too.
Source: Epitaph signs Heavens (Matt Skiba, Joe Steinbrick)
Roll on September 11th (never thought I’d say that again)
Listen to a track: 4. Patent Pending (will open in a new window)
Krugman, the NYT, and persecution
Whilst browsing the Internet, I stumbled upon this beautifully written article by Paul Krugman. It is a must read for any person who even remotely cares about the future of the US.
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The nature of the right-wing attack on The New York Times — an attack not on the newspaper’s judgment, but on its motives — seems to have startled many people in the news media. After an editorial in The Wall Street Journal declared that The Times has what amount to treasonous intentions…
Source: The Treason Card, by Paul Krugman
I was slightly concerned, though, by the reply posted on Hennessy’s View, as it portrays perfectly the willingness of people to persecute detractors.
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…Personally, the gas chamber is not enough for Keller and Krugman. I think they need a visit to Club Gitmo for a permanent vacation.
Source: Krugman Obfuscates
Photo credit: Office of Communications, Princeton University.
Get out of jail free
I find many things in this world annoying, but one thing that grates me the most is what I call the get out of jail free card.
The get out of jail free card is used by someone after they say something offensive to a person, but then say “no offense”, or (even worse) “just joking”. I think it’s reprehensible of the person. This is used mostly by people who are too cowardly to admit it’s what they actually think, but want to say it anyway. How can someone say something insulting, and think that by saying “just joking” will make everything okay? Is the culprit saying the victim is some sort of figure of fun?
I can say some things that are horribly insulting, but I feel I don’t have to clarify it. My family and friend’s know what I’m like, so they know I wouldn’t dream of saying something like that and mean it. But I would never think of spilling insults to someone I have just met. I believe it shows immaturity and just a rude streak in the person.
Maybe I’m a hypocrite. I don’t think I am, but I guess that’s just a matter of opinion.
The absurdity of it all
I pride myself on being (some-what of) a free thinker. I’ve dabbled in Existensionalism1, Religion2, and Fatalism3; but I always return to one style of thinking – Absurdism.
Absurdism is…
…a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail because no such meaning exists (at least in relation to humanity).4
There is, of course, more to it than that but here I will try to explain my own experiences with the absurdities of life.
I came to the unfortunate conclusion that life is absurd during one of my (then) frequent bounts of depression5. Before, I’d always put this down to manic depression6. I’d be on top of the world, quickly followed by a period of intense guilt7 and self-loathing8. But this time was different; I sat there, having not eaten properly for about three days, and thought “What the fuck am I doing? This is absurd”.
A few days later, I stumbled upon the wikipedia article explaining absurdism and, suddenly, it all made sense. I realised I’d always been an absurdist, just without realising. From then on, my whole outlook changed; as the lead article mentions…
Henceforth, the absurd hero’s refusal to hope becomes his singular ability to live in the present with passion, forever responsible but never guilty.
So I now do appreciate the absurdity of life, but I’ve taken it to an extreme that may not be covered by it. I now view most (not all) social interaction as absurd; if you flirt with a girl, you know why you do it, she knows why you do it, but you don’t ever speak about doing it. When you do, people become uncomfortable and sometimes react badly to this, which can be unfortunate.
Where this path of thinking will lead me, I don’t know, but I’m sure when I get there I’ll be able to see how absurd the conclusion is.
References & Footnotes
A sanitised version of Hell
After reading my friend’s blog1, I began to think about crushes. The definition of a crush (or a limerence) is:
…a state of mind characterized by intrusive thinking, longing, uncertainty, hope, misperception, fantasies, and passion.2
Basically, It boils down to being delusional. My friend Gaz3 is an exception to this rule, thankfully, and I am not calling one of my closest friends delusional here. I want to focus on the more intrinsically compulsive types of crushes. Teenagers are far more prone to these, but us elders are not immune, trust me.
Disclaimer: This is my own opinion, please don’t be offended!
A crush is something many people suffer from time to time. It’s comforting, and provides a practically orgasmic form of escapism. They are not inherently unhealthy, as everyone has to have hope4, and that’s what they ultimately mean. You have fixated all romantic feeling on them, through choice, hormones, or just merely noticing that they are fun to be around. However you chose them is important, but not really in the scope of this lecture. For more info on these, check the footnotes.
Back to the topic at hand. So you’ve chosen your target, but realised you can never express to them how you feel. So now you’re in a quandary: You love them, but what now? Do you forget about them and move on? Or do you carry on harbouring this unrequited yearning? For this, we assume you take the second option.
An imaginary world is created, where you concoct images and scenarios of the first kiss, etc, and you are quite happy to escape into this universe at any given opportunity. But like all pleasure, it’s heavily addictive. You need to keep doing it more and more to feed the insatiable romantic beast inside of you. if you do this, then it is quite easy for it to cross over into an obsession, where they then become destructive. They become destructive when your very mood can change on a whim, when you plan your social life around them for no apparent reason (and unbeknown to them), when a touch becomes a caress, when you read flirting web sites for tips on reading their actions. The list could go on.
I may be on a soap box here, but I am not immune from them, and I’ve had my fair share in the past, and absolutely none of them ended with me getting the girl5. But I found it difficult to live a life where I had emotionally invested so much in a person who was unaware of my feelings. So, about 12 months ago, I decided not to put so much faith in these flights of fancy. It was very liberating, and I honestly don’t regret it. Don’t get me wrong, I still fancy girls, but I make sure to stay clear of obsession. You’d be wise to do the same.
But don’t think I’m going to leave you without a final note. If you do like a girl, then just ask her out.6 I understand it’s an easy thing to say, but seemingly hard to do. But, if you know anything about the opposite sex, then you will pretty much know the answer before you ask them.
But, as my tag-line saids, it is better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n, and living your life when weighed down by a crush is a form of Hell, just a sanitised version.
Addendum
Another inspiration for this post was a girl from work asking me if a boy has any idea if a girl likes them. I didn’t really know the answer, as I’m a dreadfully bad judge of person. I made a couple of guesses, some more likely than others, but she refuted them. So I’m now left with two options, either I was right but she was embarrassed and denied them; or, I’m missing the obvious one. A tad queer, but it’s about a woman, so of course it is strange.
References & Footnotes
- Gazaroosa
- Limerence, Wikipedia
- Gaz’s profile
- Romantic Hope
- When I was 17, I finally built up the nerve to ask a girl out who I had been pining over for a couple of months. I had a Southern Comfort to calm my nerves. 5 shots later, I was drunk, and let’s just say it didn’t go well (See here).
- How to ask a friend out
