Ffolkes,

It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.

~~ Epicurus ~~

Perfectly imperfect….

Hajime…. We humans do tend to become attached to our routines. This can make the process of evolution somewhat uncomfortable, unless we practice the art of dealing with change phlegmatically, rather than passionately. Our egos get in our way enough; it’s a good thing to work on our reactions ahead of when they become part of reality, for the meeting of imagination and reality can be fraught with danger and chaotic emotions. Best to learn control before it is needed so desperately, as is often the case when reality strikes….

Since the reasons for such an opening are extremely fresh, and, thus, still volatile, I won’t attempt to explain. Suffice it to say, for our purposes here, I managed to avoid a complete meltdown long enough to complete today’s Pearl, such as it is. It ain’t Ibsen, but, it’s legit. Since I’m pretty certain I can’t do any better by keeping at it any longer, I’ll forgo my usual blather and/or nonsense, in favor of another ruthlessly short intro. It seems to work out fairly well when I do get ruthless, so, we’ll go with it today, just for form. I like it, sometimes, because I get to do this….

Shall we pearl?….

After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

~~ Albus Dumbledore ~~

~~ J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces ~~

~~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ~~

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Though not obviously, I am running late; that means we go with our default today. Not only did we spend no time thinking about it, the collection you get is the very first one listed, just so I didn’t have to spend any further time looking. Fortunately, it looks like a good one, so, please, enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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We’re going back to the archives this morning, simply because I’m lazy, and a little late; a typically human reaction, to be sure. Nonetheless, it’s also reality, so, we’ll all have to deal with it. Here is a piece from a couple years ago, with a little discussion of, well, me….

From 4/19/2014:

:GIGO: /gi:’goh/ [acronym] 1. `Garbage In, Garbage Out’ — usually said in response to {luser}s who complain that a program didn’t “do the right thing” when given imperfect input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. 2. `Garbage In, Gospel Out’: this more recent expansion is a sardonic comment on the tendency human beings have to put excessive trust in `computerized’ data. — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423

Many years ago, I adopted the user name gigoid, taking it from the above definition, and adding an “id” for, of course, identification purposes; with that suffix, I am assured of human status, i.e. hominid, humanoid, etc. I chose this acronym because it is the perfect reminder of the basic integrity that is built into all computers, i.e., they can only do what we tell them to do, and cannot lie. Thus, if our results are wrong, the error lies in our input, not in the computer; this automatically cuts in half the number of places to look for the problem. I like to think that my awareness of this principle characteristic is what has allowed me to use computers without suffering many of the common difficulties such as crashes, freezes, and blue screens of death. Only once have I ever encountered one of those on my own computer, and that was the result of a virus my defenses missed… my fault, of course, I hadn’t updated soon enough…

Oh, I’ve encountered that famous blue screen before, when I worked as a computer tech back in the late 90’s, setting up LAN’s and office systems for H&R Block…. a significant percentage of machines were dead soon after coming out of the factory box. But, on my own computers, I am very careful never to break any of the basic rules that govern those kinds of mishaps…. and I owe it all to a wise choice of user name…. Well, it’s fun to think about it that way anyway….

So, who is gigoid? Well, if you’ve hung about this blog site for long, I’ve certainly given y’all enough of my inner workings to look at, in my rants, and in my old school pearls, as well as in my poetry, which is quite revealing, to me….. but, then, if it wasn’t, I most likely couldn’t write it…. Any who, to give the short answer to that question, I’ll post below some pearls that give insight into what I believe to be true, and how I try to live…. Like any weak human, I don’t always succeed at being as moral or ethical as I can be, but, I do try, and I do feel pangs of regret when I don’t, so cut me some slack, eh? Just kidding…. What I am is all what I am, though I’m not Popeye…. and these pearls are what I see in the mirror…..

“They are able because they think they are able.” — Virgil

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle

“An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly.” — E. P. Whipple

It is my firm belief that it is a mistake to hold firm beliefs. — Smart Bee

Computers can never replace human stupidity. — Smart Bee

“Do not confuse “duty” with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants “just a few minutes of your time, please — this won’t take long.” Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No – and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don’t do it because it is “expected” of you.) ”

— Lazarus Long, from Time Enough for Love, by Robert Heinlein

“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well, that’s enough about me…. Hope this helps clear up any confusion, and if not, well, hey, life goes on…. all we can do is all we can do, and no more….

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Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

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Naked Pearls

Random Thoughts

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“Iyam what Iyam.”

~~ Popeye ~~

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“The worst fear is the fear of living.”

~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~

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“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;
it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.”

~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~

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“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.
I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy
– I mean that if you are happy you will be good.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

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“Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist.
It is just like the roads across the earth.
For actually there were no roads to begin with,
but when many people pass one way a road is made.”

~~ Lu Hsun ~~

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“It is not the one with many possessions who is rich,
but the one who has no needs.”

~~ Philoxenos ~~

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“Dogs like us, we ain’t such dogs as we think we are.”

~~ Ernest Borgnine ~~

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Today’s Pearl has been brought to you through the auspices of ego-driven need, supported by the echoes of madness which drive my bus. In the further interests of time-management, I shall bid thee adieu, until tomorrow, when I’ll make another attempt at rationality, whether it’s advisable, or not. Advice is usually worth what one pays for it, so, we’ll go for broke without it. See y’all then, should the Space/Time Continuum continue to cooperate….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….